After Corbin let them in through the gates, he led Annabelle and Thane into the barracks to meet his captain. Stopping in front of a large wooden door, Corbin checked his armor before standing straight, "The captain is a stickler for details."
Thane cracked a small smile, "I know the type." After Corbin let them in through the gates, he led Annabelle and Thane into the barracks to meet his captain. Stopping in front of a large wooden door, Corbin checked his armor before standing straight, "The captain is a stickler for details."
Thane cracked a small smile, "I know the type." Corbin looked over his shoulder at Thane, "I thought you seemed like the military type." He then knocked on the door, "Captain Pierce, I have two Ascenders with me, and I brought them here per the mayor's orders."
"Well, send them in already!" A gruff voice responded, and even through the thick door, Thane's ears rang. Corbin opened the door, and as Thane and Annabelle stepped past him he whispered, "good luck," and winked before closing the door behind him.
Captain Pierce sat at his desk clad in armor, but his helmet was removed. He neither smiled nor frowned as he looked at Annabelle in Thane, sizing them up.
When he got to Thane, he held his gaze for a moment before smiling. The only way Thane could tell was that his thick mustache rose a fraction of an inch, "So Corbin said you're both Ascenders, judging by your clothing, I can see why. But just so you know, pretending to be an Ascender is a capital crime.
Annabelle's palms started to sweat, and she fell quiet under the captain's soul-piercing gaze. Luckily Thane stepped, "I promise we are telling the truth. We appeared in the forest and were looking for answers when we stumbled upon your lovely city."
Peirce stared at Thane for a good minute before he nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Okay then, before you ask any questions. I'm required to give you this guide. While being an Ascender is not a crime. It can garner the interest of some unsavory characters."
Pierce reached underneath his desk and pulled out two leather-bound books, "I suggest you stay here for the night while I have some clothes ordered for you. One's that won't stick out as much. Your rooms are two doors down and on your right. If you have any questions after reading the book, I'll do my best to answer them in the morning."
Thane nodded, but Pierce was already back to shuffling through the papers on his desk. Wordlessly Annabelle and Thane left the office and followed the Captain's instructions to their room.
Opening the door, Annabelle squealed as she dove onto the bed, "Thank god, some semblance of luxury." Thane smirked at her antics and sat down on his bed in a tamer manner, "It is nice, though I'm more interested in getting some answers."
Sitting up, Annabelle grabbed her book, "How often does this happen? If they have all these protocols in place, this isn't the first time this has occurred."
Thane nodded, "We might need to do some investigating of our own. From the mixed bag of reactions we've received, I don't want to have us chased out of town with a mob behind us wielding pitchforks and torches."
Flipping to page one, Thane started to read.
'Welcome to the Realms of Ascension. This book will quickly explain a few very important details so that you can function in your new world. In the Realms, strength is everything. Those who are weak look up to the strong, do not be left behind. The quickest way to grow in strength is to learn skills and techniques.
Though Skill and Technique scrolls can grant months of training instantly, they are expensive and rare to the point where only clans and sects can afford them. There is also the fact that techniques will either require mana or stamina to activate. The only way to increase these two sources is to embark on the path of cultivation. There are two types of cultivation: Body and Mana, but both share similarities. On one hand, Body Cultivation exposes the body to harmful sources and allows the body to adapt and grow stronger. Mana Cultivation is almost the same but requires a source of mana to be directly into the latent mana pathways.
Similar to techniques, cultivation can be broken down into seven ranks: Mortal Grade, Warrior Grade, Earth Grade, Sky Grade, Hellish Grade, Heavenly Grade, and Void Grade.
However, items, potions, and armor are graded on a different system, depending on their quality and rarity from Trash, Poor, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic.
If you decide to take the risk, you will quickly gain levels when you reach level ten. This is called a Domain Cap. When you try to gain XP after this point, the amount is significantly reduced. To progress further, you must ascend to the next realm. There are ten realms in total, each becoming more dangerous than the last. Those who have reached the final realm can be counted on one hand. Will you become one of those few?'
As Thane and Annabelle sat on their beds, finally getting answers to questions that had been boiling in the back of their minds, Corbin stopped in front of an alley on the way back to his post.
A hooded figure stepped out from the darkness and waited. Corbin smiled, "Tell the boss that there are two Ascenders he needs to take a look at. One of them seems to have some military training, but I don't know to what extent."
The figure nodded and reached into their pocket before handing Corbin a coin pouch. Frowning at its weight, he tossed the bag in his hand, "I think you're a little light today."
"New fee, if you don't like it, take it up with the boss." Corbin sighed and pocketed the change, "I don't know why I do this stupid job."
---
In the morning, Thane woke up to a knock on his door. When he answered, a guard handed him a pile of clothes before quickly turning away, "Is good morning not a phrase in this place?"
Turning around, Thane held up the old-timey clothing and frowned when he felt the rough materials were made of, "First thing we're doing is finding a tailor."
Though it wasn't his style, Thane put on the clothes. By the time he was finished, Annabelle was sitting in her bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Ah, good morning, have the clothes arrived yet?"
He pointed his chin at his bed, "Those are yours. I'm going to find the captain, so you can change in private." Annabelle mumbled a thank you, but Thane was already out the door. Still splitting hairs over his clothes, Thane knocked on the captain's office, and much to his surprise, there was a response.
Opening the door, Thane found Pierce in almost the same position as if he had never moved, "Good morning, captain. I hope this isn't too early."
Pierce looked up confused, "Is it morning already?" Thane blinked, "Did you not sleep?" The captain nodded, "I assume you wouldn't know this, but those who practice Body Cultivation can burn their stamina to keep themselves awake. Though there are limitations, and I don't recommend using it. You do know what body cultivation is, right?"
Thane nodded, "I read the book you gave me, though I clearly still have a lot to learn. Are there any more tricks you can share with a fellow practitioner?"
The captain chuckled, and as he did, Thane's smile slowly melted off his face, "Why are you laughing?" Pierce leaned back in his chair, his mustache twitching, "At your joke, of course, and you're lucky I took it as a joke. If you weren't an Ascender, I would have torn your arm off."
Thane stayed still, only staring at the captain, "Why are you so sure that I'm not telling the truth?" Pierce's eyes narrowed, "Do not take us, Body Cultivators, lightly. There are only twenty people I know of who can claim to have such a feat in this city, one of them being myself. But maybe I should cut you some slack you wouldn't understand just from reading a book."
Pierce then offered his hand, "If you want to know, take my hand, and I'll give you an experience you'll never forget." Thane smirked and grabbed his hands.
Immediately Pierce squeezed with all his might, fully expecting to crush every bone in Thane's hand, though it would all be healed in the hour with a simple health potion.
'I need to teach you how unforgiving the realms truly are. I hope one day you realize I did this for your own good.' But instead of turning into a mangled mass, Thane returned the captain's shake, "Don't act too surprised, captain. You don't think I risk my hand over a stupid dare?"
The captain looked shocked for a second before he smiled, "Damn you, Ascenders constantly shaking up the norm. You're going to leave old men like me in the dust, so how did you do it?"
Thane pointed at the barely healed bite marks on his wrist, "A bush viper got me. Luckily Annabelle was able to heal me in time. I didn't think my body would become stronger because of it."
Pierce shook his head, "You're pretty lucky. I didn't even know you could use poison. But if anything could do it, it would be a bush viper."
"Well then, to get back on track, I originally came in here to ask for directions. While I appreciate you taking the extra mile, my taste in clothing is a little different." The captain nodded in understanding, "I'll send for a map right away, though most tailors charge a premium for their time."
Thane snapped his fingers, "Thank you for reminding me. I need to ask you how far will this get me." Opening up his palm, he took out the coin pouch from his storage ring, and the next second, the captain was on his feet, "Where in the ten realms did you get that!?"
While Thane initially thought Pierce was pointing at the purse, he quickly realized that it was the ring causing his outburst, "It's a Storage Ring, right? I found it buried in a lake."
The captain regained his composure and sat back down in his chair, "Excuse me, I lost control there for a second. It's just not every day that you see an item of that rarity."
Thane looked at the ring in disbelief, "Really, I get its functionality is useful but is it really worth that much?" Pierce wanted to scream at Thane's nonchalant ness, "To make a ring like that, it takes several trained professionals each who would likely charge up to a year's salary each. That's not even considering that you need a certain reputation to even see them."
By the end of the captain's explanation, Thane was a little lost, "I really should have brought Annabelle with me. This seems like just her cup of tea. Well, can you just take a look at these coins and tell me what I can afford?"
The captain sighed, "Sure, I don't see why I can't..." Pierce trailed off as he opened the purse to see a pile of gold and silver coins. His guts turned green with envy as he looked at Thane, 'How is this bastard so lucky?'
A little unnerved by the captain's glare, Thane cleared his throat to get his attention, "Oh, sorry, I must have nodded off there. I can say with confidence that you can afford anything you could ever need. Though please, for your sake and mine, don't go flashing around such wealth. Put some of the coins in the ring and the rest on your hip."
Thane tipped an imaginary hat, "Well, thank you for the help. I'm going to check in on Annabelle. Just tell me when you have that map ready."
The captain nodded wearily and watched as Thane closed the door behind him, "Damn, Ascenders."
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