"I am not seeing things, am I?"
"How could it be?"
"Is that correct, or did something go wrong?"
"What did he do?"
People couldn't believe what they were seeing. It had been said that that color was unachievable, that it was the sky, meant to tempt many but remain unreachable. How wrong that was.
Bromia couldn't believe his eyes. A Gold Emblem! Even an elite such as himself who was well-traveled had never heard of anyone getting one, much less seen one. Yet in front of him, someone had just gained one.
He could scarcely believe such as small team could have such an adventurer, but these were the results. To question them was to question the validity of all their adventurer badges, including their own, since they had obtained theirs from these very chambers.
As Barda came out, everyone was staring at him in reverence. A very proud Lady Ellen took the badge he had in his hand and pinned it on him intoning with pride, "Welcome to the Dark Flames Adventurer Team." Many people were watching, and they included potential partners and clients, she couldn't miss such a golden marketing opportunity.
"A deal is a deal commander," Bromia said as he approached the two adventurers. "Come meet me at the Red Feather Dinner we complete the bargain." He didn't say anymore as he turned around and left.
Bromia would have loved nothing more than to scream bloody murder and challenge the results of the test. After all, no one had heard of anyone taking such a short time, not even the green adventurers did. He should have failed, but he didn't.
The only other alternative was that he was too good that he won in such a brief moment. This was preposterous and laughable, but Bromia couldn't rule it out completely, especially after seeing Lady Ellen's behavior.
As someone he was into, Bromia had investigated Lady Ellen's character. He knew quite a bit about her, and he understood that she was by no means gullible, and neither was she the kind to make rash decisions. If she was, she'd have already brought ruin to her adventurer team. Yet she had not hesitated or backed away from his challenge despite knowing how powerful a team he commanded.
It wasn't just Bromia thinking such thoughts. Even those that did not know Lady Ellen must have come up with those 2 explanations. Either the adventurer was too good he broke the test, or the test was broken, to begin with.
"Have you heard the news, my lord, someone has received a golden emblem." A tall lean muscleman wearing a purple insignia addressed the man seated behind the desk. This was in an office on the top floor of the Adventurer Association. The seated man had green emblem.
In any other place, it was unheard of for a green adventurer to lord over a purple adventurer, but in this case, that was happening.
"Yes, even I have heard, Milo." The man answered as he wore a reflective expression.
"Then you know what that means." The man identified as Milo said.
"Yes, the rules are clear. However, we need to vet the man before we do anything."
"But sir, the rules..."
"I know what the rules say, but we both know what the implications are. We cannot just hand over ..." The voice trailed as the 2 exchanged looks. The purple adventurer seemed to have won since the green adventurer capitulated and said:
"I will send word up the ladder. You, on the other hand, are responsible for watching and tailing the man until you've found out all you can about him. Is that clear?" The green adventurer knew very well that if not for his position in the association, he wouldn't command such a powerful adventurer as a subordinate.
"I am on it." The purple adventurer said as he walked out.
Meanwhile, back at Dark Flames Adventurer team residence, everyone was excited. Word had gone round even before the commander and Barda got back, so when they did get back, they were given a hero's welcome. Everyone cheered them on, and a raucous celebration ensued.
Batoo, representing many, was very curious about the golden insignia, so he asked Barda to show it to him. Everyone burned with envy as they looked at the golden badge, wishing they too had one. Barda was automatically promoted to be among the upper echelons, second in command under Sten. He was fairly new, so no matter how outstanding his performance was, he couldn't be made a vice commander on the spot.
Elsewhere, the entire city now knew. The adventurer team's status was elevated due to them possessing the only gold adventurer in the region. Even nearby cities got to know that there was a gold adventurer in their proximity. Barda's fame went far and wide.
Barda himself was worried. It had never been his intention to draw so much attention to himself. If he had had his way, he'd have opted for the purple emblem. That way, it would have ended in a draw and no obligations would have been met. Unfortunately, he learned he had no control.
When he walked into the chamber, he had been very ready to take down whatever it threw at him. he figured he had what it took to get a high number. He had also wondered if he could get the gold emblem, but given how rare they were to come by, he was also not sure.
Nothing happened when he was in the chamber. He just stood there in the darkroom without anything happening. That was when a light came out. He knew this part. It was a sign to show him where he was supposed to put his hand and get his blood removed.
Barda knew this was supposed to happen after the test was done, but he thought that he had gotten the wrong information since it was happening while he hadn't even taken his test yet.
After his blood was drawn, the lights had begun to flash. By now, Barda was not sure what to make of all this since he was still waiting for the test. He even wondered if this was the test. A small fear crept in his heart as he wondered if he would be exposed as not being human. Barda wondered what people would think he was if they knew of his android body. Since he was on a not-so-developed planet, he knew he could get away should he be exposed.
He also concluded that since the test was illusion-based, then he must have been immune to illusions, rendering the test useless to him.
Soon after, his fears were allayed as an emblem was formed. Even he was surprised to see it was golden. He knew this would draw unwanted attention, but he had little control over who saw his results, so he just accepted it. In hindsight, he was happy he hadn't let his team down.
Later that evening, Lady Ellen assembled 5 of the top-ranking adventurers to walk with her. Of these, 3 were vice commanders. Of the remaining 2, one was Barda, while the other was a swordsman called Gil. Barda knew of him, and like Barda, he was also someone of considerable influence in the organization. To be in such company was a true honor indeed.
Of the other 2 vice commanders present, one was a male, the other female. The woman was youngish, around Lady Ellen's age. She was also the oldest member of the team, save for the commander herself. They had started the adventurer team together. Her name, Phoenix. The commander of the melee adventurers.
Nada, the other vice commander, was the size of a bear. Huge and scary tall, Nada stood a head taller than everyone present, his arm muscles were bigger than an average man's thigh. He was the leader of the vanguard adventurers, or otherwise known as the Main Tank in the team.
"Where are we going, commander," Sten asked. He was the other vice commander under Lady Ellen. He was the head of all rangers.
"We have a wager to collect," Lady Ellen simply said as she led her team towards the Red Feather Hotel. This was one of the most prestigious hotels in the city, but given the invite had come from the Heavenly Gate adventurer team, such affluence was to be expected.
A very beautiful waitress received them when they entered the hotel, telling them that they were awaited. She then guided them to the top floor, and into one of the private chambers, where the meeting was to take place.
"Wow, we had been awaited," Phoenix commented as they entered the chamber. She knew of the bet between Lady Ellen and Bromia, as did the entire city due to how public the bet had been, but she didn't expect such a high-status reception.
She cast a look at Barda, knowing full well that no matter how honest Bromia was, he wouldn't have offered such a mission to just any adventurer team. The only reason they were in the room now was because of the gold emblem on Barda's chest. Only then did they qualify to attend such a meeting.
They still hadn't known what the meeting was about, and what the mission would entail, but judging from the people in the room, this was no ordinary kill-a-monster mission they had come to enjoy.