In a short moment, Nova found herself in a carriage after a bath, new clothes, and plenty of food in her stomach. She sat with her back straight as her eyes darted around the unfamiliarly high-end environment. It did not help that straight across from her, Claudia stared directly into her soul.
"Is the carriage not to your liking?" Claudia inquired.
"Not at all," Nova responded hurriedly.
"It is a bit poor quality because I snuck out, so I apologize." She continued.
'Am I in trouble with this girl's family now?'
Nova concluded that the girl in front of her was a wealthy noble. She did not know how to approach such a figure.
"How old are you? You look around the same age as me," Claudia asked another question.
"I am 16"
"Great just as I expected. Let's be good friends."
Nova noticed she did not ask questions about where she came from or why she was in the forest almost dead. Nova appreciated that despite her dislike for Claudia.
"Lady Claudia, we are almost there," Chris appeared in the carriage from outside. He was a young man in his late 20s.
Claudia nodded toward him. He looked disapprovingly at Nova and left quickly.
Again Nova was irritated. She remembered Claudia had that same expression when they first met.
'Does it run in the family?' Nova scoffed out loud. She looked back into Claudia's stare.
"Why did you want me to come with you?" Nova felt the question was blunt, but she was curious about Claudia's answer.
Claudia looked back toward Nova. Her eyes were wide with surprise like it was the dumbest question.
She tilted her head.
"Because I like you"
Meow
The cat on Nova's lap purred. It stretched as it awoke from a deep slumber. It buried itself in Nova's lap while it glared at Claudia.
"Does he have a name?" She naturally changed the topic.
Nova petted the cat's coat gently. Even though she just found the cat, she felt a weirdly familiar friendship.
"Nero…" Nova whispered. "Nero is the name of the character of my favorite book."
Claudia smiled more as she watched Nova.
***
After days of traveling, Nova peered out the window and saw colossal stone gates.
"We are here," Claudia called to Nova.
They easily passed the border soldiers once Chris showed them a mysterious emblem on a badge.
Nova lived with her father in a small town on the border of the Kingdom. They were extremely isolated from the rest of civilization. Nova couldn't help but open her mouth in surprise at the vast city.
Luckily it was still daytime, so the group immediately headed toward the Adventure's Society. They walk for over an hour weaving through the bustling city. Finally, they arrived in front of a massive building. It was the tallest building in the vicinity, and covered in beautiful polished stone. There was a large dark wood sign with the words "Adventure Society" in golden bold.
Nova held Nero a bit tighter as she walked into the imposing building. This was truly her beginning.
***
As soon as they opened the large double doors. Blinding white light covered their eyes. The lobby was vast, but many people crammed into it.
Toward the right side, there was a massive bulletin board with various people hovering around. On the left side, there were numerous booths with workers.
Nova shriveled up at the hectic scene. She was unfamiliar with loud bustling places.
"Come," Claudia grabbed Nova's wrist and dragged her toward one of the booths. Inside, there was an old lady who looked one foot from the grave.
"She would like to register for an Identification," Claudia pointed toward Nova.
The old lady didn't respond. She went immediately to write something down.
"Fill this out," she handed Nova a single paper.
"We require a baseline for all new applicants. Luckily one of our testers is here, so you can take your test immediately," the lady's indifferent expression contrasted with her fortunate news.
They went upstairs to another floor. The group was directed into one of the numerous rooms. However, the room was just as vast as an entire floor.
"Spatial magic," Claudia quickly stated as she saw Nova's confused expression.
Nova's eyes sparkled in curiosity. She could never manifest any magic herself.
'Could I do stuff like this as well?'
A man sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor. He got up and faced Nova.
"I assume you are here for your baseline test. Pick a weapon next to you." Next to Nova was a vast shelf of different weapons next to her. Even irregular shapes she had never seen before.
Compelled by the man's words Nova moved toward the swords. She picked a standard short sword and moved toward the center of the room.
"My name is Falcon. I am a Tier B adventurer. We will begin your test now." His words were short and abrupt. He raised a massive gladiator sword.
"The longer you survive the better your score." Without another word, he disappeared from his spot. Urgently, Nova felt danger from behind. She kicked her foot to spin around. Fortunately, she managed to barely block the blow from behind but still tumbled backward.
When she got back up, she shivered.
'That would've hurt badly if I didn't block it,' her eyes widen with surprise. She looked back at Falcon who had a stoic expression impossible to read. She almost looked toward Claudia for help, but she quickly stopped herself.
'I need to get stronger,' she repeated these words in her head endlessly. Finally, Claudia cracked a smile.
"It's coming," she whispered out loud.
Nova raised her sword cautiously. A burning vigor of aura surrounded her.