I feel powerful, more powerful than ever. Blood is rushing through my veins, feeding my core, my very being. I feel my body screaming in pleasure, who would have thought blood this pure existed?
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“Ah, excuse me.” The deep voice said as its pressure diminished until it fully disappeared. “I didn’t realize I was being that obvious with my testing.” It chuckled, removing his hand from Kai’s shoulder.
Turning around and looking up, Kai saw a man dressed in a gray suit with darker stripes. He wore a head of short, brown hair, his face decorated by a fairly thick beard and his eyes shone with a sapphire blue hue. He took a step back, a soft smile creasing his lips.
“I’m Raymond, a member of the Wildfire guild.” His soothing voice echoed in Kai’s ears, a small shiver running up his spine as he gulped. It was deep, like any man’s, but had a gentle aura around it, unlike the ruffians wandering the streets of these cities. It’s weirdly pleasing… He thought, observing the stylish gentleman.
Raymond searched in his breast pocket, and pulled out a card, presenting it to Kai. The card itself seemed to be made out of a special, thick paper, and a faint mana shield covered it. A red border covered its grayish center, and the letters seemed to glow with a faint golden color as Kai read the information on the card.
< Age: 26 Race: Human Magician Type: Mage Rank: Five Star Elements: Light, Fire, Wind Guild Rank: Fellow Pet(s): No Appearance: “xx xx x x” >> Kai’s pupils constricted, and he took a step back after making sure he read the rank right. Five Star?! This man? No way, from the pressure alone he has to be stronger! The man noticed his behavior and chuckled to himself as he put away the card. “And you are?” “I’m. uh. I-” He stuttered, his eyes flying about as he tried to think of a good name. “… Ichor?” Is that the best you can do?! “Ichor huh…” Raymond repeated, raising an eyebrow, however, a happy, almost excited expression manifested on his face as he patted Kai on the shoulder. “Great! I assume you’re here to join a guild?” “Uh, y-yes…” “Alright! I saw you staring at the statue of The King earlier, and I couldn’t help but notice the… ‘wolf’ next to you. Doesn’t seem like any species from around here.” ‘The King?’“Ah, right. Onyx is… well I am from afar. We came here because it was the closest city to our village.” “Your village? I wasn’t aware there were any villages in the vicinity” “Ah…. well… we weren’t numerous, I don’t think we’re even on the map so that’s normal. It was me, my parents, and a few people I called friends… however a vampire killed them all, and burned down my house… and the rest of the buildings along with them.” His voice tensed up, retelling an abridged version of the events that happened to him not so long ago. “My parents protected me and so… I remained the only survivor.” Kai recounted a story he made up on the spot, however, the reality of the events made him hold back tears. “A vampire?” the man said, his tone raising suddenly. Clearing his throat, his lips parted as he whispered. “How did a vampire get so far out from their kingdom? The Royal family is keeping a tight hold on anyone going in and out of that area.” Are they…? Kai thought, however he couldn’t drop the act now. Lowering his head and sniffing gently, he shook his head and turned away, fidgeting with his fingers. “How am I su- supposed to know?” Raymond’s expression turned soft, and he let out a sigh at the sight of such a helpless-looking child. His eyes turned toward Kai’s fingers, decorated with the two spatial rings he always wore. Noticing the man’s gaze, he bit his lower lip and quickly hid them away. “Hmm… alright. Well, I hope you’ll find a home in our guild. We are Wildfire, you can find us inside that huge building, our flag is the one with a burning lotus on it.” His voice turned serious as he explained, and he looked with pride toward the flag he described. “Of course, you can take your time and choose, there’s no rush.” Kai nodded silently, patting Onyx’s fur and looking toward the gigantic building. Glancing back, Raymond was nowhere to be seen, disappearing into the light like a ghost. Five Star my ass. Grandpa is a Five Star and he didn’t have half your presence. He took a deep breath, and passed the statue, walking on the paved, smooth road leading to the huge set of stairs. From close by, the building felt overpowering, however it didn’t have the same presence as the church. Walking inside, he was greeted by a mixed cacophony of voices, the lobby filled with an air of professionalism. Despite the adventurer’s appearance - Bloody, with torn clothes, broken blades hanging by their waist, and some of them even missing limbs. The large building held itself to a standard, unlike the bars, inns, and brothels Kai visited before. It reminded him of Ophelia’s Inn or at least the one owned by her family. Few people paid attention to him as he took in the grand atmosphere, scanning the area, and turning around to see it in its entirety. There were twelve, large sections dividing the room, and a thirteenth divided into eight next to them. Most of them looked the same, with very few things being different, besides a large logo displayed everywhere in its respective section. The first big section held the sigil of a Lion-like creature, with a snake for a tail and the legs of a horse, roaring at the sky. A lot of people gathered around what seemed to be a large number of receptions, handing in paper, sacks, and rings, and exchanging them for gold. Otherwise, they stood at neatly arranged tables, drinking ale and other alcoholic beverages accompanied by a large serving of food. Next to the tables, half a dozen bulletin boards plastered with posters stretched across the wall, with dozens upon dozens of people gathering around them and choosing one of their liking. The next one over held the symbol of a rose around which revolved a halo of light. This section had a similar style of placement, except the boards weren’t sitting against a wall. The third one was a symbol Kai was familiar with, a burning lotus. So that’s Wildfire… He took a look at the others, and in total, there were exactly twelve guilds sharing the space, along with eight others cramped together in a corner. Two of them stood out to him, however - A guild with a wand wrapped in mana, and a guild with a sword wrapped by cloth. On the wand side, a bunch of people dressed in mage robes walked about, something glaring at the other side. Their neighbors, the sword guild - of course, those weren’t their actual names - were dressed in light armor, or no armor at all. Some of them even walked topless around, or with very little clothing, showcasing their muscles. They stopped now and then to glare at the other party, even making obscene gestures, leading to a back-and-forth exchange of insults. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. One other guild that stood out to him was one filled with scholarly-like people. They were dressed in loose robes, and they held neither sword or wand, but pen. He didn’t know what exactly they were doing, but one thing he was certain of - he didn’t belong there. Next, he walked toward a center, where what seemed to be a circular neutral zone stood marked by a large pillar. Shelves filled with small books surrounded the pillar, and surrounding them were people who seemed a bit older than Kai, picking up the books and placing them down after skimming briefly. The others didn’t pay any attention to him, safe for a double glance at his mask and Onyx. Picking up a small book and reading its title < He flipped it to the first page, then to the second, and finally to the third, where it presented the first guild. < (...) Unlike most other guilds, the Chimera Guild doesn’t have a classic ranking system. Instead, its members must have some sort of academic experience and will be taught how to trap beasts and how to dismantle them without destroying too much tissue.>> What kind of guild is this… Seems like a bunch of weirdos trying to play God-, ahem, Goddess… Moving on, the second guild didn’t have any grand story or noble goal, just a very slight obsession with light magic. < However, if you choose to join this guild, please pick up the corresponding booklet to inform yourself better.>> That was… short. I guess it’s pretty straightforward. Flipping the pages over, he arrived at the presentation of the third guild - Wildfire. Its main page was about as basic as the others, however, what intrigued Kai most about it were their aggressive marketing tactics. < Huh? This short… Who wrote this thing? After skimming through the rest of the guilds and their presentations, Kai put down the guide and looked through the shelves. Digging into it, he finally found a booklet that presented Wildfire, and he immediately began flipping through its pages. < So far we have three hundred locations across the continent and over three million members. Amongst these members, we have ten Primars and a total of fifteen Masters and Grandmasters. To join Wildfire you must: -Be known within the city of sign up/Have a verifiable identity. -Must have little if no criminal record, if such a thing is readily available -Be strong enough to qualify as a Trainee -Pay a large fee of One Hundred and One Gold. For more information about ranks and signups, please feel free to talk with the receptionist. >> Kai stared at the rest of the booklet with a tired expression. Besides this short introduction and the names of the founding members, the booklet was relatively useless… What is with these people and not explain anything? Letting out a defeated sigh, he placed it back within the shelf, and took a look around, at the other guilds, before deciding to walk toward Wildfire. I should be fine, worst case scenario I join a lower-ranking one. As soon as he walked within the guild’s zone, countless eyes turned toward him, their gazes figuratively burning them through his clothes. He did his best to ignore them as he walked past countless veteran and newbie adventurers. Onyx felt the gazes as well, however, he couldn’t care less about these people. Standing in front of the front desk, his head barely reached past the gap. Staring at the space, he wasn’t sure how to get the staff’s attention, until he saw a bell. He waited after ringing it a few times and didn’t have to wait long as a set of rhythmic footsteps approached the desk. His pupils widened as the figure of a beautiful woman leaned over the gap, looking for whoever it was that rang the bell. Long, brown hair cascaded down her chest, hanging past her waist. Deep, dark pupils decorated her slightly tanned face, and her rosy lips contrasted her darker features perfectly. “Uhm… here,” Kai said, blushing and turning away. “Ah! Excuse me, I didn’t see you.” She said, backing away and giving Kai a courteous look. She brought out a wand and waved it slightly, causing the ground beneath Kai’s feet to rise high enough for them to meet eye-to-eye. “Oh, thank you.” He said, his face as red as a tomato. What’s wrong with me? Get yourself together man… “No problem. How can I help you?” A beautiful, almost enchanting smile creased her lips as she said in a warm, gentle tone. Kai shook his head and reminded himself why he was here. His pupils flickered with enthusiasm, and he said with a slightly more confident tone. “I want to join Wildfire.” “You want to… join wildfire?” The woman repeated slowly, her eyes blinking rapidly as she wanted to make sure. “Did I hear that right?” “Uh… Y-yes ma’am.” “Well… how old are you? I don’t think we’re allowed to accept children. Where are your parents?” She could tell I’m a child? Well, I guess it’s not that hard to discern. “Well, I should be almost twelve… or a little bit past eleven. Yeah, I’m eleven and some change.” Upon hearing his response, the woman took half a step back, her eyes scanning the area as her head turned slightly. Biting her lower lip, she was about to reject Kai, however she halted for a moment. Inhaling deeply, she took out a piece of paper and placed it in front of Kai with a hesitant smile on her face. However, her eyes hid a glint of interest in the boy, and she quickly said with a customer service voice. “Here you go then, please fill out this form and we’ll let you know if you were accepted. Please keep in mind you still have to pay the fee.” “Sure, that’s no problem,” Kai replied as he picked up the entry form and a pen from the side. He filled out the form relatively quickly, writing the name Ichor instead of his real name and choosing only two elements: Fire and Light. Someone like me with no background having more than one element is already shocking enough… probably. I’d rather play it low for now… < He handed over the form to the woman after signing it, at the same time flicking his wrist and placing a bag filled with jingling coins onto the desk. “Th-thank you.” She said, skimming over the information and throwing the coins in a box full of them. “Please wait, a response will be given out shortly…” After saying that, the spell she cast for Kai disappeared, the ground turning back to its beautiful, original shape. He walked toward a table, Onyx following closely behind, and sat down. His foot jumped up and down as he waited, watching the adventurers pass by as time trickled down. His nervousness grew after about an hour when he didn’t get an answer, and his anxiety flared as the moon was a few hours away from setting. Behind the desk, the beautiful receptionist read a book as she too waited for an answer from upper management. The door to her small room slammed open, inviting a tall, well-dressed gentleman. “There are no records of any Ichor, or of any village nearby.” his deep voice rang in her mind. “Then-” “Tell him he’s accepted. You evaluate him personally and make sure he’s fairly tested. I will be watching from close by.” The woman jumped up and bit her lower lip as she hesitated. “Sir,” Her faint voice trembled. “If he’s that suspicious, why go to such lengths to take him in?” The man remained silent for a minute, his eyes fixated on Kai through the thin glass. “He wasn’t lying about his parents, that much I can be sure of. Let’s just say I’m just curious and leave it at that. See to it, Anna.” “A-Alright…”