It made sense that this building would be mostly ignored in a city such as this. A large majority of the human Adventurers could not use this Church, even if they wanted to as it opposed the Goddess of Light, the Goddess that favoured humans. It was shocking they even had representation in this country, let alone this city. He felt a kind of kinship with the gloomy building. He was also out of place in the world. A boy the Gods had branded a Villager now trying to live in the world of Adventurers. Although feeling a draw to the structure, Yori stilled felt wary of approaching it for its look of apparent abandonment.
The door sat slightly askew, its hinges unaligned from years of neglect. It creaked as he lightly pushed it. The bottom scratched against the floor in places as he continued to open it. Taking a few steps into the building, Yori blinked in the darkness. No torches or rays of sunlight lit the room. It was nearly pitch black. The windows were either covered with curtains or dust, Yori could not tell which. They only let in as much light as his cave at night. A noise coming from the for left corner startled Yori. He stood still and listened for a minute.
Is that… someone snoring?
Blinking and squinting in the dimness, he made out what seemed to be an old man, sleeping soundly in a wooden chair. The man's dark cloak heaved with his breaths. His hands grasped a black cane, resting between his frail knees. Clearing his throat, Yori tried to softly wake the man from his slumber.
"Umm, excuse me. Sir?"
"Hm? Wha-? Oh! A parishioner. Welcome, welcome. It's so nice to see you. Sorry, we don't often get visitors. Can I offer you something? Let me put on some tea."
The man stood and began walking towards a nook that Yori had not seen before.
"Oh, uh, no thank you, I'm fine. I was just hoping to level up here. Can I see what skills are available?"
"Of course, of course. Right this way. It's so nice to have a young man like yourself embracing the Church of Darkness. Wait, let me have a good look at you for a moment. Human? Interesting. This is very interesting, indeed."
The elderly man seemed ecstatic to have a guest. After examining the boy, he lead Yori over to the magic stone so he could level up. Even the glowing blue stone was difficult to see in this amount of darkness. While Yori was sifting through his skill options, the old man brought the boy a cup of tea, despite his previous declination earlier. After a few more moments the man brought him over some biscuits to accompany the tea. All of these hospitable gestures made Yori feel bad that no one ever came to visit him.
Maybe I should make a habit of visiting here as well.
"Excuse me, sir, but would you be able to give me some advice on a skill to start with? I'm a bit overwhelmed."
"Of course, of course. Please, call me Balb. Let me see, let me see."
Setting down the food tray he had been preparing for Yori on a nearby table, Balb, the Priest of Darkness, came over and went through some skills with the boy. He started by asking Yori about his combat style and where he wanted it to progress to, assessing whether he fought with strength or dexterity, and further analyzing what skill would compliment what he already had. After much discussion, the two agreed on the perfect skill. Shadow Step. It was a great combination with Back stab as it allowed the user to travel through their own shadow to connecting shadows in an instant. If he could get close enough to an enemy, he could practically teleport behind them using their shadow, giving him more opportunities to use Back stab. With that decided, Yori allocated his stats and finished leveling up to level 3.
Yori Yoshinaga
Level 3 Villager
Xp: 3 Xp to next level: 147
HP: 14
MP: 11
Brawn
15 Ap: 0
Agility
20
Endurance
15
Awareness
15
Charm
17
Magic
11
Skills:Sp: 0
·Animal Empathy
·Back stab
·Shadow Step
Thanking the old man, and finishing his tea, Yori darted for the hills, anxious to test out his new skill. He laid in wait, like on his usual hunt, but instead of climbing a tree, he remained on the ground. He had learned the higher traffic areas for wolves and used his knowledge to quickly come across a pair of wolves. Feeling overconfident in his abilities at the moment, Yori opted to skip his usual surprise attack method and face them head on. It was late afternoon now. The sun was falling behind the trees, casting long shadows. The perfect time to use his new ability.
Perhaps being overeager to test his new skill, Yori emerged from his hiding place behind a crop of bushes and charged at the wolves. One of the wolves snarled as the other turned to run away. When Yori got close enough that his shadow was cast on them, blending with their shadow, he yelled his new skill, both to activate it and out of excitement.
"Shadow Step!"
The wolf in front that was snarling had taken a defensive stance while its friend seemingly left. Yori could hear it circling behind him, attempting to remain undetected. As the words left Yori's mouth, he vanished, not a trace of him remained in the spot where he had been standing. The boy could feel his body moving on its own. He felt like the ground was yanking him down into it, like he was physically traveling through the ground, or the shadows on the ground rather, followed instantly by it throwing him back up to his feet. Noticing he could contort his body during this transition, Yori turned his body towards the wolf's back. When he reappeared, he had the same stance he had when he had vanished but was now facing the back of the beast. Astonished at how oddly natural and not unpleasant that felt, Yori raised his weapon and carried out his attack. His dagger was plunged deep into the wolf's back. It twitched as Yori severed its spine, gargling blood from its lung being punctured. A moment of struggling and its life was ended. The boy pulled out his dagger and stumbled backwards, smiling with his mouth open while staring at his weapon. The wolves that had been on par with him two weeks ago could be killed effortlessly with the use of skills.
A rustling from in front of him, behind the bush he had started at. Looking up, he saw the second wolf emerge, pouncing on the air he had inhabited moments ago. The sun was in front of him now, and the wolf's shadow was not long enough to touch his own. If he wanted to use his Shadow Step skill on this one as well, he would have to reposition himself in order to get their shadows to meet. The wolf seemed to understand it was in danger, its friend being dispatched within seconds. It was hesitant to advance, deciding to size him up from afar instead.
He would have to lure it in. Understanding the creature was about to run to save its life, Yori started limping on one leg, pretending to try and escape. He stumbled to the ground as if his legs were injured, looking back over his shoulder with a look of fear on his face. Taking advantage of a wounded target, the wolf saw its opportunity and charged. Yori waited patiently for the beast to approach. As soon as the wolf's shadow overlapped his own, Yori whispered.
"Shadow Step."
Another wolf down. In a matter of minutes, he had killed two wolves. Even yesterday this would have taken him quite some time and he would have sustained a wound or two at least, especially taking two of them without the element of surprise.
Level ups really are incredible!
Yori was giddy. It would be a piece of cake getting the last silver he required. After an hour of lying in wait, Yori spotted another pair of wolves in the distance and launched after like they were made of solid gold. Shadow Step made short work of the first wolf, but when he tried to cast it again, nothing happened.
"Shadow Step!"
Nothing again.
Oh, crap! I'm out of MP.
In his excitement Yori had forgotten that Shadow Step used 3 MP every time it was activated. Since he only had 11 MP total, he could only use it a few times. His blunder led to the wolf landing atop him. It bit at his neck, but instead of ending up with his arm in its mouth, he used his newfound agility to get his arm under its neck instead. Kicking with all his of might, Yori launched the wolf backwards over his head. The beast landed on its back, but quickly recovered and charged again as Yori was still in a vulnerable state on the ground. The boy rolled to his right, rolling only halfway. As the wolf landed beside him, he swung his body and daggered arm back towards the gray-furred animal. It connected and the fight was over. With the ability points he used, Yori could dodge and move much more effectively now that his agility was 20.
I guess I understand now why having an ability at 20 is a requirement for the Guild. It really does make a difference.
Finishing up the last wolf he needed in his usual way, without the use of his Shadow Step skill, he was tempted to rush back to Garl's. The orange of the evening sun was reflected in his hazel eyes. It was getting dark, so Yori decided to go back to his cave, instead. He would return in the morning with the results of his hunt, and then go to the Guild to officially register.
Tossing and turning all night, as soon as the sun was up, Yori departed for Garl's shop. He was barely able to bring himself to sleep last night. Throwing the sack of wolf materials over his shoulder, he dashed down the hill towards Esaron. The morning dew dampened his shoes, but he did not mind. There were more exciting things to be concerned about.
If there was a shadow all the way there, I could get there instantly! Then again, the shop wouldn't be open yet if I did.
Yori amused himself by thinking of such silly aspects until he arrived outside the small shop. Still managing to get there before Garl, Yori waited as patiently as he could for the sturdy man to appear and unlock the door. After about half an hour of waiting, Yori could see the man sauntering down the street, approaching in a slow, leisurely pace. When he saw Yori he picked up speed as much as his legs could muster. Before either of them greeted each other, Yori simply held out his catch.
"One silver piece, please!"
"Well, good morning to you too, lad. I haven't even opened the door yet. Just give me a momen'."
Yori bounced from foot to foot as Garl fumbled with his key, finally opening the door. The boy ran in and slammed the sack in his arms down on the counter.
"Sorry! Good morning! One silver piece please."
With pure excitement in his eyes, he clearly saw the end of his first quest on the horizon. Garl made his way around the counter and without looking at what Yori had brought him, handed the boy a silver coin with a grin. With a quick bow of his head and a word of thanks, Yori was out the door and across the street at the Guild. He practically ran to Elina's booth, catching himself with his hands as he approached to halt his momentum. Yori slammed the ten silver pieces on the table, causing Elina's eyes to shoot open in disbelief. Looking up at her, he smiled wide, his brow furrowed in determination.
"I'm ready."
"I'm impressed! Let me check your stats to see if everything is order. Could you put your hand on this magic stone so I can read your stats, please?"
"Of course."
Yori placed his hand firmly on the stone, maintaining his wide smile.
Yori Yoshinaga
Level 3 Villager
Xp: 13 Xp to next level: 137
HP: 14
MP: 11
Brawn
15 Ap: 0
Agility
20
Endurance
15
Awareness
15
Charm
17
Magic
11
Skills:Sp: 0
·Animal Empathy
·Back stab
·Shadow Step
Sure enough, and to Elina's further surprise, there it was. Yori had met all the requirements the Guild Master had laid out for him. Elina's shocked expression switched to a smirk as she walked towards the Guild Master's chamber.
"You're right, you've done it. Wait here for a minute, I'll be right back."
Yori could here loud voices coming from the direction she had gone. Elina returned with the Guild Master in toe. She gestured to the magic stone and silver coins to emphasize the point.
"Well, he did it. Satisfied?"
Her tone was oddly callous for her, especially seeing as it was directed at her superior. The Guild Master bent down to inspect the numbers. His face was pensive and calm as he did so. Unlike Elina, the large man did not show any sign of shock. If anything, his facial expression showed sadness. He straightened up and looked Yori up and down, finally resting on his eyes.
"I have one final exam for you. It will be a combat trial with one of our members. Please come back tomorrow in the morning. It will be your final assessment to see if you are strong and capable enough to become a member of our Guild. Until then, please make sure you are well-rested. We will see you bright and early, I expect."
A sinking feeling hit Yori that he was getting all too familiar with. He had thought he was done, but there was still one more hurdle. One more obstacle in the of leaving behind his old life as a farmer and a weakling that could not protect his loved ones.
I should be used to things being difficult by now.
"Yes sir, I'll be here first thing."
He tried to sound confident, but his voice wavered slightly, giving a hint of dejection. He would head for the cave and, hopefully for the last time, go to bed as a simple Villager.
Another restlessness night, but instead of excitement it was nerves. How strong would this opponent be? What if he failed? Questions and uncertainty plagued him until the sun emerged and continued still. The morning brought butterflies to his stomach, almost stopping him from eating. However, Yori knew he would need his strength, so he ate what little he could forage for since he sold all his meat the day before. As the sun rose to its full glory, the young man gathered his courage and proceeded to the Guild. He once again arrived before his destination was open, so he waited outside. The waiting made it the doubtful thoughts worse. The town was oddly quiet today, making his thoughts that much louder. It was not long before he heard the Guild door crack open. Elina's emerald eyes met his own as she opened the door from the inside, poking her head out and smiling at him.
"Still ready?"
"Yes!"
There was no more time for negativity. If there was one more hurdle in front of him, he would just have to smash through it. There was no use in complaining or being anxious. Yori had but one option: to keep fighting.
Elina opened the door wide for the brown-haired boy to walk through and ushered him to follow. They continued through to the back right corner of the Guildhall. A large, ornately carved door sat in front of them. There were depictions of warriors fighting what Yori assumed were horned demons, with etches of fire and smoke surrounding the adversaries. The almost black wood contained so much detail that Yori could make out every wrinkle in the warrior's faces. Grabbing the large iron handles, Elina pushed the door open. A large breeze of fresh air wafted through the doorway, gently blowing back her golden hair. She stepped aside and allowed Yori to pass, wishing him luck on his way by. Yori took a moment to take in his surroundings. He has not paid much attention to this door before. In front of him was a full-sized arena. It was large and well built. The walls stood slightly shorted than him. He took notice of the large gashes that decorated the once smooth stone of the walls. Clearly this space was use often by the Adventurers, most likely for training and sparring. What surprised him more were the hordes of people in the surrounding audience. Elevated seating gave every bystander a good view of the goings-on of the stadium. Covering his eyes from the glaring sun, he glanced out at the crowd. There were a few faces he recognized from around town. As he was taking it all in, Yori heard a couple of familiar voices amongst the rambunctious crowd. Scanning in the direction of the cheers, he saw a series of familiar faces sitting in stands. Kana was easy for him to spot for her typical white and gold robes. She was sitting in the front row with her hands pressed together in prayer, hoping he would come out of this fight uninjured. Jess and Priest of Darkness, Balb, were amongst a group of odd-looking characters. He could see the family he was meant to help, as well as the innkeeper, some of the guards he recognized, and even the peddler that sold him his knife. Of course, Garl also sat in the front row, perhaps yelling the loudest out of anyone. Everyone he had met in town, and more, were sitting in the stands it seemed. Yori unconsciously waved at Garl and Kana, feeling a bit sheepish at all of this attention.
These entrance exams must be a big deal.