As I arrive there, I spot Mike and Zephyr brooding. I approach and greet them, asking what's going on.
"You'll never guess who we just ran into," says Mike.
"Who?" I ask, now curious.
"Nicole," continues Mike. "He brought with him a letter saying that his family and Zephyr's family have agreed to a political marriage. A marriage between him and her," he explains, clenching his fists in anger.
Is it true? Maybe he's lying, I ask Zephyr, who remains silent.
Zephyr looks at me with a murderous gaze, as if she wants to rip someone's head off, and replies in a disdainful voice:
— Unfortunately, it's true. I received a notice from my father telling me that after I finish my studies, we're going to get married, she said dejectedly.
Can't you refuse?
No, unless I want to be disowned by my family, or prove that they can earn more by canceling the marriage. There's nothing I can do, she continued.
We'll try to find a solution, we still have time ahead of us!
I change the subject and ask them what they're doing here, and they tell me they came to complete their registration for the Mercenaries Association. I congratulate them in advance and tell them that if they need help, they just have to let me know. We chat a bit while the line at the receptionist's counter decreases, and I'm surprised to learn that Zephyr and Mike have already reached level 10. She explains to me that her family "spoon feeds" her, meaning she captures monsters, weakens them, and lets her family deliver the fatal blow. This way, she can level up much faster and safely. But she doesn't really like it because she feels like she owes something to her family, so she decided to do missions instead. It's harder and more dangerous, but she gains more experience and self-esteem. As for Mike, he enjoyed beating up monsters after school, hence his high level. They give me a summary of their stat window and it looks like this:
Name: Zephyr Neither-Vyne
Level: 10
Profession: Apostle of Wind and Plants (mythical)
Talent: Element Control (wind and plant)
STATS: ● Strength: 7
● Agility: 10
● Intelligence: 27
● Mana: 27
● Dexterity: 7
● Luck: 8
● Constitution: 6
STATS TO DISTRIBUTE: 0
Skills:
● Wind Blade ●
● Harmonious Listening (passive) ●
● Wind Shield ●
Wind Shield (Cost 5 mana):
Conjures the power of the winds to materialize a shield around oneself.
Name: Mike Foster
Level: 10
Profession: Descendant of Giants (rare)
Talent: Giants' Resilience
STATS: ● Strength: 26
● Agility: 13
● Intelligence: 12
● Mana: 12
● Dexterity: 12
● Luck: 12
● Constitution: 26
STATS TO DISTRIBUTE: 0
Skills:
● Giants' Strength (passive) ●
● Giants' Endurance (passive) ●
● Provocation ●
Provocation (Cost 4 mana):
Allows one to attract enemies' attention to oneself.
"You've made progress nonetheless," I tell them. I describe mine, avoiding the Void acquisitions section and some of my skills. I don't want to appear too powerful and raise questions.
It's finally our turn to see the receptionist. Mike and Zephyr finish their registration quest. They receive their identification badges and we decide to go on a mission as a trio since we're all here. I ask the receptionist if she has any quests that require killing multiple monsters, so I can acquire more. She offers us two choices that are suitable for our level. The first one is a mission to exterminate as many Cliquatus creatures as possible, located west of Steelwall, near the mountain range. The second quest is to eliminate a small Kobold nest north of Steelwall. After thinking it over, we decide to choose the quest for the Cliquatus. The origins of the Cliquatus are extraordinary. In a distant era, mages and artificers joined forces to create an artificial being made of metal, with intelligence equal to that of humans. Unfortunately, the Cliquatus became sentient and rebelled against their creators. They killed them after extracting the knowledge necessary to recreate their kind. Since that day, they have lived as a distinct race in the Kasharh Mountains, in harmony with gnomes and dwarves. However, this doesn't prevent some individuals from becoming dishonest, like any other race, and needing to be stopped.