Herald of death

The sun rises on a training yard found behind the Adventurer Guild. Ethan waits on the side, sleeping lightly. A door opens, waking up both him and Russ. Alara enters the yard, accompanied by a middle-aged man wearing a steel breastplate and leather armor. A sword dangles at his hip, and his back carries a round shield. She's carrying a rudimentary mug emitting the unmistakable smell of coffee.

The imprints of countless footsteps mark the yard's sand. Reinforced walls flank it on all sides. Made of cut stones and iron reinforced with Ether, they could withstand modern bombs. Scuff marks and scratches mar their surfaces.

Among the sand, scattered around the yard, Ethan can see the remnants of training dummies and shooting targets. Racks of weapons line one side of the yard. Swords of various sizes gleam in the morning light, alongside axes, spears, maces, and shields. Each weapon is meticulously maintained, with its blade sharpened to a razor's edge and its shaft polished to a shine.

Nearby, shelves hold an assortment of gear and equipment, such as leather armor, chainmail, and plate armor. Potions rest in their respective containers. 'Aren't they afraid of being robbed? Or is all this stuff worthless?' Ethan ponders.

Alara approaches him, putting on a smile. She gestures toward the man beside her. "This is Soren Embervale; he's one of our examiners and mentors," she introduces, her voice carrying a hint of pride. "He will be conducting your evaluation."

The man nods in greeting, his demeanor casual. "Pleasure to meet you, Grim," he says, his voice steady and measured. "Will your bond participate with you?" he asks.

'Russ, down,' Ethan orders in his mind. "No," he answers. Ethan enters the yard proper, browsing the longswords.

"If you do not have a weapon fit for sparring, you can borrow one," Elara says.

Ethan pulls a steel longsword. 'I shouldn't show the blades I have; it could make them suspicious,' he thinks. He slashes at the air, testing its balance and weight.

"When you are ready," Soren says. He places himself in the center, raising his shield.

'Strengthening,' Ethan thinks. He places his offhand behind his back, forming a fencing posture.

Soren approaches, ready to deflect Ethan's first blow. "Are you testing all your adventurers through combat? What do you do with Priests, Mages, or other forms of healers and crafters?" Ethan asks. He scans Soren, finding several vulnerabilities in his guard.

"We are more lenient on those. But in a dungeon, everyone must be able to defend themselves," Soren answers. "You shouldn't distract yourself during a fight." Soren dashes forward, preparing a thrust from behind his shield.

Ethan visualizes his parry, moving his wrist to deflect the blow. Soren jumps backward, sweat pearling from his forehead. He looks up at Ethan, fear etched on his face. "What happened?" Ethan asks. Russ lifts his head, curious about the situation.

Soren tightens his guard, lowering himself. Curious, Ethan dashes at Soren, arming a strike at his legs. Soren barrels to the side, avoiding a blow that Ethan ultimately restrains.

"What's happening?" Alara asks.

Soren fixates on Ethan. "Why did you request to be tested as a D rank?!" he yells.

"That's the highest rank of dungeon I've ever conquered. I guessed it was too risky to try C rank," Ethan answers. 'And I didn’t want to attract too much attention. But I guess it's too late now,' he thinks.

Soren takes a few steps back, swirling his blade as he tries to calm himself. "I've been away from the field for too long. I had forgotten how it feels to be so close to an inevitable blow," he mutters.

"Soren, should we call another examiner? For C rank perhaps," Elara asks.

"No need. I want to do this," Soren says. He restores his posture, drawing Ether from the air as he approaches Ethan. Ethan shuts down Strengthening, worried he could kill Soren.

Soren springs forward, his sword aiming for Ethan's chest. Ethan's blade deflects the blow. Soren continues his movement, trying to hurl his shield into Ethan. Ethan dashes to the side, avoiding the blow. Soren spins to face Ethan, barely in time to block a slash with his shield. Ethan's blade splits the shield, stopping above Soren's forearm. Soren pulls on his shield, prying the blade from Ethan's hand.

With Ethan disarmed, Soren slashes in a wide arc, aiming for Ethan's side. Ethan moves in, catching Soren's wrist in his left armpit. The blade pressed against Ethan's armor, unable to pierce it. Ethan presses with his forearm against Soren's wrist, and he catches Soren's right shoulder with his right hand. Ethan's strength forces Soren to fall to the ground. Soren's face digs into the ground, his armed hand rendered useless. "Unarmed Combat leveled up."

Ethan loosens his grip, moving to get his sword back from the remains of Soren's shield. "Again!" Soren yells as he grabs another shield for the racks.

Ethan glances at Elara, who shrugs in response. They both take their stances at arm's length from each other. Soren waits, planning on deflecting Ethan's first blow.

Ethan grabs Soren's shield, tearing its straps from the man's forearm. Soren tries to shove Ethan with his shield, but the protection is already flying in the air. Soren slashes at Ethan's from above. Ethan tackles his opponent, spins to avoid the blow, and presses on Soren's back to amplify the impact on the ground.

As Ethan walks away, Soren stands up once again. His nose is bleeding, and his eyes have turned bloodshot from the sand caught in them. "You won't pass this exam until you show me what you're really capable of!" Soren yells.

'Why is he so worked up?' Ethan ponders, unable to understand Soren's attitude. "Are you certain? I wasn't sure at first. But after those few exchanges, I am certain that I could kill you if I don't restrain myself."

With only his sword in his hands, Soren charges recklessly. Alara's grip on her mug loosens and her beverage splashes on the ground. 'This is annoying,' Ethan grumbles internally.

As Soren's blade arches to strike Ethan, he casts debilitating hex. Soren goes limp, his body moving through inertia alone. Ethan grabs him by the chest plate and hurls him into a wall. 'Strengthening,' Ethan thinks, consuming as much Ether as possible through it. He thrusts at Soren, his blade causing smoke to erupt as it pierces the wall behind him.

The smoke dissipates alongside Ethan's hex. Soren turned pale, his teeth chattering as he looks down. Ethan's blade pierced just below Soren's armpit, embedding itself into the wall. "Happy?" Ethan murmurs.

Ethan walks away. Passing Alara, he asks, "Where can I get one of these?" He points towards the broken mug lying at her feet.

"I will make you one if you want. I need to make another for myself anyway," she says. "Could you wait inside while we finish the paperwork?" she asks.

"Certainly," Ethan answers. As he pushes the door, he hears a myriad of spying individuals disperse inside the room. He listens to their hushed conversations as he sits down at an empty table. 'Come,' he thinks, having forgotten Russ in the yard.

"Did he cast a spell? I thought he was a warrior," one asks. "And have you seen his bond status? He's so strong for just a level four." Waves of Ether parkour Ethan and Russ as windows appear in front of a few of the tenants.

"Anonymity ranked up," the voice announces. 'That's good,' Ethan thinks.

"That can't be his real status; he must be using Anonymity," a patron guesses. "What does his pet's status lists as his bond?" he asks his neighbor.

"Colin Braddock, just like his status. But I believe Anonymity extends to the bonds," he answers.

"You're disrespectfully curious," Ethan threatens, his gaze set on the loudest table.

The Waystone's guard chimes in, "It is forbidden to fight inside the Guild's establishments."

Ethan smirks. "I know, I've read the pamphlet," he reassures the guard.

Alara enters the room, motioning for Ethan to approach the counter. "We've decided to rate you as C rank. Please place your hand on this card." She places a gray plate on the counter, engraved with the name 'Grim', without letting go of it.

Ethan touches the plate, and Alara sends Ether into it. The plate engraves itself with the symbol of the third letter of their alphabet. It turns to a golden color, shimmering slightly.

"The guild card's turn to a golden color in the hands of their rightful owners," she explains.

"Thank you," Ethan says, moving towards the Waystone. He flashes his card at the guard, who smirks as he moves away. 'Identification,' Ethan thinks, touching the crystal.

Waystone

With the memories of another Waystone, travelers can be whisked away to their chosen destination.

Using an Anchorstone, one can designate a point to and from which he can teleport. A single Anchorstone can be used by an individual, using another will erase the previous teleportation anchor.

'This is too powerful. It could be used to teleport troops, weapons, supplies, or even simply fret. That must be why they don't want adventurers to join a faction or country,' Ethan thinks.

"How much does an Anchorstone costs?" Ethan asks the guard.

"A hundred gold coins," he answers, motioning at a small blue crystal embedded in a steel pendant found behind the counter. "At least here, I can't say for other countries or cities."

Ethan glances at a board listing every mission entrusted to the guild. C rank missions pay a few gold coins each, but there aren't even five of them. D rank missions pay around five silvers, but Ethan doesn't know the conversion rate. 'Elowen must have thought I would help as much as possible. I could always come back later. But I cannot be sure to be teleported anywhere near a guild building with the next dungeon stone,' Ethan thinks.

He spots one of the D rank missions rewarding a silver for each member of a gang called the Crimson Hand, dead or alive. He goes to pluck it from the board but is stopped by Alara's voice. "If you want a copy of the quest, I have it right here."

Ethan approaches the counter. "The bounty on the Crimson Hand members," he says.

She quickly checks the paperwork. "D rank, very well. Glad to see someone will finally take care of Opal's criminality," she says, handing him the paper.

'You've no idea,' he thinks, plans forming in his mind. "Where should I bring them?" he asks.

"Any guard house, or the guild itself,' she says, waiving him goodbye as he exits the building.