The room fell silent for a couple of seconds, the only sound that could be heard being the footsteps of people walking by in the hallway. Ascalon’s words sounded cryptic and mysterious to Ron, who furrowed his brows in confusion. What did he mean by that?

“I’m not sure I follow… does that mean you’re interested in creating a guild, or…?” Ascalon shook his head, and Ron remained pensive for a moment. But he was an astute man, so it didn’t take long for him to piece it together.

Ascalon had been in the company of two other people throughout the day, after all. “Ah, I see… Casanova’s newbies, is it? Interesting…” Ron muttered, but the blonde man’s deep gaze made him hesitate. Maybe it was better to not pry further.

Ascalon noticed Ron’s wavering, and wanted to reassure him. It wasn’t his intention to make trouble for the coordinator. “It is not certain that it will come to pass, but I want to be of help to them.” He stated, in a gentle but determined tone.

“I refuse to join any other Guild until then. I know I am being unreasonable, but I promise I won’t be a cause of trouble in New Lumingard. I will lend my assistance in other ways if needed.” With this, Ron seemed more satisfied, as he relaxed in his seat.

The suited man pondered but ultimately smiled and let out a sigh. “Very well Mr. Ascalon, I understand and respect your wishes. Still, we’ll provide you with a place to live, as well as some funds and other commodities until you get settled in. Just remember, our offer stands if you change your mind.” He explained, remaining flexible.

Ascalon bowed in appreciation, but Ron continued. “But do be aware of the implications. Not belonging to a Guild will attract headhunters, and I can’t have what happened today repeat itself constantly.” His tone of voice was more serious, showing concern for probable, impending trouble.

Ascalon grasped the situation perfectly and understood Ron’s worries. But he was determined to see his conviction through, and this was something about him that had not changed since coming to this new world.

“I shall be careful.” It was the only thing he deemed necessary to tell. He would show his resolution with actions, not words.

Ron understood this, and smiled boldly, somewhat amused. “Thank you, we only want what’s best for this city and its inhabitants—which includes you from now on. It may be a little late, but…” He stood up, and made a stravagant reverence for the knight.

“Welcome to New Lumingard.” And with this, it was official. Well, kind of.

Ron stood tall once again, extending his right hand in the door’s direction. “There are still some details to get over with, but let me show you to a room where you can rest. We can resume the coordination in the morning.” The man was aware of Ascalon’s countenance, since he had seen him dozing off when he arrived, and decided it was finally time to put a pause and let the poor wanderer rest.

Ascalon stood from his seat too, and bowed in appreciation. “You have my gratitude, sir Ron.” He exclaimed with sincerity.

He really needed some time to wash away the exhaustion that weighed on his tired mind. It had been quite the day, after all, full of surprises and information overload.

Ron smiled in satisfaction and led the way, Ascalon following behind. They walked for a few minutes through the facility, arriving at what seemed to be common dorms. The beds looked really comfy and tidy, and the knight could finally get a taste of ‘modern’ commodities.

Ascalon pretty much fell asleep the moment his head rested on that fluffy pillow. In his placid dreams, he didn’t notice that Ron had posted someone outside the door throughout the whole night.

First thing in the morning, Ron came to pick him up, with new clothes for the knight. Ascalon declined, leaving Ron in a bind, but he had his reasons. Then, the cordial man showed him to the bathroom and dining room. Ascalon didn’t say it, but the master’s cuisine back at The Chalice was in a different league—Raphael was truly a man versed in the ways of cooking.

Afterward, they went through some mundane procedures. Ron took him to a room where they took some pictures of him. They uploaded some information, a map of the city, and basic suggestions into his Gifted network panel, so he could read it at his own pace later.

Everything went perfectly well, until Ascalon accompanied Ron into another room. Inside, many people sat around multiple screens. They pressed on the displays with trained movements, clearly accustomed to their work, whatever it was. Ron approached one of them, Ascalon following along.

“Ms. Mary, could you assist us with the final step in the coordination process?” He asked, a woman turning back to meet their stares. It was the same brown-haired girl that had accompanied him the day before.

Ascalon of course didn’t know at that time, but she was the one that had sent the word out about the kaiju, ultimately getting Selorien and Lilithra involved with him. Fate was a trickster for sure.

She looked at Ron with her eyes half closed, huge purple bags under them. No wonder her expression showed annoyance; it seemed she hadn’t slept all night. She then glanced at Ascalon, sighing in frustration before speaking.

“I’m being worked to death here, Mr. Ron, but sure…” Mary made no effort to hide her exhaustion, but Ron seemed quite accustomed to the sight. Ascalon was simply wondering what they needed her for.

Mary rose from her seat, and approached the two men. Then, she traced lines in the air as she handled her interface of the Gifted network. “Alright, Mr. Ascalon, you will receive a request to share your profile.” She explained, as a blue screen appeared in front of Ascalon.

Marianne Coldstock is requesting access to your profile information.

Accept / Decline

Ascalon let out a thoughtful ’hmmm’ as he read the text, and then pressed accept without hesitation. This pleased Mary, who was used to more reluctant visitors.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

However, after interacting with her console once again, she showed an irritated expression. “Ugh… his stats show question marks, Mr. Ron.” She remarked in frustration.

Ron raised his eyebrows, and sighed with disappointment. He glanced at the blonde man, and then nodded in Mary’s direction, while Ascalon watched in silence as doubt plagued his mind. The woman used her interface one more time, and another screen manifested itself in front of the knight.

The skill - Deep Scan - failed to analyze your profile. Skill level is too low.

“Huh?” Both Ascalon and Mary exclaimed the same word, confused about the same message, but for different reasons. They looked at each other, and then the woman looked at Ron.

“Uhm, Mr. Ron, this is…” As she spoke, Ron approached her and looked into an interface she seemed to be sharing with him. His face turned into a shocked expression, before looking at Ascalon with suspicion.

The knight himself felt nothing but disconcerted, so Mary decided to explain what was happening.

“Ehem… so, I requested access to your profile to see your stats, as we keep track of that information here at headquarters. Since I couldn’t see your stats, I used a skill—Deep Scan, which allows me to bypass concealed information… I apologize, but many people try to hide things from us.” She bowed slightly, apologizing briefly before continuing.

“The thing is… it says my skill level is too low to analyze you. It has never happened before.” Her expression showed intrigue, as her interest had been picked. Ascalon felt amazed at the revelation.

He wondered what it could mean, to have this analysis fail in such a manner. Ron stood before Mary, contemplating the situation as he rubbed his mustache. “Could you try again, Mary?” He added, so the girl used her skill once again, but the outcome didn’t change. Ron watched the scene puzzled, then looked at Ascalon with a serious expression.

“I assure you, I have nothing to hide in this profile of mine. Even if I did, I would not know how to conceal it.” Ascalon spoke, getting ahead of what Ron was probably going to ask him.

Truth be told, he didn’t even know where those stats were. His knowledge went as far as to how to store and remove equipment, for the most part.

But then, Mary jumped in surprise, and pointed at her screen while urging Ron to look as well. “Mr. Ron, look!” Ron gazed at her interface again, and tilted his head in astonishment.

“The network is… calculating his stats?” At these words, Ascalon grew curious, and manifested his own screen to glimpse what they were talking about.

The profile looked just like he remembered, with the slots for equipment and all. His eyes darted around the text boxes, searching for a keyword. Surely enough, the ‘status’ button seemed relevant, so he pressed on it.

image [https://i.imgur.com/dUXsavl.png]

Both Ron and Mary looked extremely puzzled. It seemed that they were unfamiliar with such a notice, so Ascalon was at a loss for words. Ron let out a soft ‘hmmm’, as he closed his eyes for a moment.

“Well, this is unprecedented… I have never heard of something remotely similar.” He then sighed, exhausted. “Well, there’s nothing we can do at the moment. Let’s put this on hold for the time being, then. Is that alright with you, Mr. Ascalon?” Asked the man, looking for the knight’s confirmation.

Ascalon nodded, and answered with relief. “Yes, I have no issue with that. I do have an appointment today, and wish to make haste if possible.” At his words, Mary and Ron exchanged curious glances. The woman bowed, and went back to her seat, while Ron spoke.

“Very well, Mr. Ascalon. It’s been a pleasure, and I thank you for your cooperation and patience. Let me escort you to the exit.” And with that, Ascalon nodded, following behind the man.

A few minutes later, they found themselves at the entrance of the building. In the morning, the sight was even more lively than the night before, and there were so many people it was a bit dizzying.

As they crossed the doorway to the outside world, a cheery voice cut through the courtyard.

“Ascalon!!!” The girl in the pink hoodie ran towards the knight, seemingly about to jump at him. But mere steps before collision, she stopped, showing a face full of mixed feelings. It seemed she had held herself back.

Then, the sound of clapping could be heard from behind her. “Ooh~ you did it Lil! You stopped yourself from an embarrassing event so early in the morning, good job!” Selorien’s mocking tone reached their ears, as Lilithra blushed in irritation.

Ron observed both new arrivals and pondered. So these were the object of Ascalon’s interest.

“Uhm, good morning, Mr. Ron, Ascalon. We came to pick you up!” Exclaimed the girl while looking at Ascalon sheepishly, and he smiled gently in response. He had missed these two.

“Good morning, Sir Selorien, Lady Lilithra.” Ascalon answered with a gentle tone.

Then, Ron cleared his throat and bowed to everyone. “I’ll leave you in their capable hands, Mr. Ascalon. Remember what we talked about. Don’t be a stranger, and do visit us if you need anything at all.” Ascalon bowed deeply before meeting Ron’s gaze.

“You have my thanks, Sir Ron. I shall visit once again to settle matters.” At Ascalon’s parting words, Ron went back into the building, walking with a dignified stride.

Ascalon gazed at his companions, smiling gently at them. Lilithra beamed with joy, and Selorien simply raised his hand in a lazy greeting. “Uhm, well, let’s go! There’s no time to waste, so we can talk on the way!” Stated the girl with excitement. She was really looking forward to this outing. Ascalon nodded, and the group got moving.

On the long walk through the courtyard, Ascalon shared some of what he experienced at headquarters. The questions, the sleeping facilities, how the food felt lacking after trying Raphael’s, and how the last process had gone awry. He took care not to overshare, especially the bit about joining a Guild and his weird issue with the stats.

He simply didn’t want them to worry or get them involved in complicated matters. That day, he wanted them to enjoy themselves. They slowly made their way out, and started walking through the streets of New Lumingard. Their destination: the shopping district.

----------------------------------------

As they left, Ron’s eyes followed them from the sixth-floor window, Mary standing at his side also watching with curiosity.

“I want a team on him at all times. Handpick the most experienced operators in stealth, camouflage, tailing… you know the drill. If his level is as high as I concluded, he will probably notice them, so instruct them to avoid showing any sign of hostility.” The woman nodded in understanding, and quickly started making calls.

Ron rubbed his temple, and looked at the distant sky with a worried expression. Ascalon gave off a trustworthy feeling, sure, but he was an anomaly—an unknown, volatile variable. He didn’t like that, since it just meant Guilds were going to hound him the moment word spread out.

And word always found its way into the wrong ears, no matter how much they tried to hide it. He was especially conflicted after witnessing the unprecedented message about his stats.

If his theory was correct, it only meant his parameters were so high that even the Gifted network struggled to calculate them—a system so powerful yet so mysterious no one fully understood how it worked, aside from its creator. And now, somehow, it couldn’t handle something as basic as reading stats.

It was nonsensical, but also made the most sense. Perhaps it was just an error, the most likely outcome, and what he actually hoped for. What he could be sure of, was that the uncertainty was somewhat terrifying. They had to monitor him for the time being; for the good of New Lumingard.