The day was about to break, the night sky still lingered as clouds accompanied its farewell, while footsteps crushed the tall grass.
It was Sief, walking with a slight stagger and a more irritated look than usual, with dark circles under his eyes and still carrying a bloodstained dagger in his hand.
He glanced at the map in the other hand and finally raised his head, contemplating his destination, now revealed as a massive wall with a wide iron gate.
Sief frowned as he observed, wondering what it was, but from inside, two voices could be faintly heard, and something was activated, initiating the descent of the gate, which in a few seconds touched the ground, revealing itself as a bridge, and behind it, two guards.
The two were chatting, both dressed in full iron armor, with spears in their hands, but as soon as they noticed Sief outside, both raised their eyebrows, and the one on the left remarked.
"Wow, you look awful." He eyed Sief's clothes, which had a few new tears and cuts in his armor; the leather was slashed, and the little iron present was scratched, but he quickly continued, "If you're from the city, you should know about the curfew to avoid the hordes. You're lucky to have survived."
"Hordes, huh?" Sief sighed and sheathed his dagger behind him, walking toward the city. "Doesn't matter... Is the guild open now?"
"It always is..." The one on the right commented, watching the boy pass by, his brownish eyes glowing slightly as he raised his eyebrows and said, "Next time, let us know so we can expect you, but we can only do it for an hour."
Sief kept walking and pulled out the map again, touching the name of the city and saying, "Don't worry, I just arrived."
The two guards raised their eyebrows again as they watched Sief leave, still staggering slightly. They exchanged a glance, and the one on the left questioned, "Just arrived? Was he hunting all night?"
"Maybe... but doesn't his aura seem too strong for his age? And... what a strange presence..."
Sief followed the map's directions and realized the city's structure was a large circle through which the same river from the previous territories flowed beneath. There were a few entrances, and touching outside the map, he noticed there was an entry point toward each capital, but all paths led to a single spot.
Raising his head, he saw tall buildings, as big as Dokkel's, and the ground made of cut stones, this time gray, though on the route, he noticed a few bluish ones that seemed to form a pathway.
All the stones led to a large fountain in the city center. Though the day was just breaking, the water flowed constantly, and there were even a few birds nearby. When Sief got too close, he was splashed, but as he shielded his face, he noticed a road that stood out from all the others.
The road was much more adorned with those stones and much wider, guiding the way Sief identified as belonging to the guild.
Following the more prominent path, he could already see in the distance that the building was a large house, much bigger than the others, but as he got closer, he could note the clear difference.
The doors were tall wood reinforced with iron, and there was a large staircase adorned with a red carpet leading inside. For the first time, he saw a few young people of similar age entering and leaving the guild.
Seeing all that structure made Sief sigh.
'They now close the gates, preparing so if there's another invasion, they only have to deal with the beast that comes and not the monsters... but if Dokkel fell to the attack of a single beast...' Sief looked around, seeing that some buildings had slash marks on the wood and a few windows seemed to have been recently replaced, along with a few remnants of small stones around. 'This place survived well enough... was it the guild's influence? Did they even stop the hordes?... if the strongest hero group was here... how was that possible?'
Sief furrowed his brow slightly and returned his gaze to the guild, walking briskly and ascending the stairs, feeling as if he were walking toward a light that gradually intensified.
Upon entering, the interior was grand. There were very polished black stone pillars in a circular shape, along with the floor, which consisted of large smooth stones forming circular and other shapes, revealing a hall with a few tables and chairs distributed, as well as some strange, round seats.
The ceiling reflected Sief's image, allowing him a full view of the hall through a strange mineral that reflected, along with others in the ceiling that illuminated the entire place brightly, despite the sun just rising.
Continuing along the carpet, Sief saw a table in the distance, made of the same black stone as the pillars, and behind it, a blonde girl with braided hair, yawning as she seemed to still be waking up. But upon hearing the approaching footsteps, she nervously straightened up and gave a slight smile as she saw Sief stop in front of her desk.
"Hello, good morning." Up close, Sief could see her unusual but pretty outfit, and also noticed the girl's golden eyes observing him with curiosity, but she quickly continued, "Can I help you?"
"Yes, you can." He sighed and placed his hands on his hips, saying, "I want to speak with the mage hero, where is he?"
The girl raised both eyebrows, and a sound resembling a stifled laugh echoed through the hall. When Sief turned, he saw a swordsman in leather armor covering his mouth with his hand, while a few companions beside him smiled, but the attendant coughed, saying,
"W-Well... it's just that I would need a bit more information than 'a mage hero'... but..." She showed a slight smile and said, "I imagine you mean the Hero of the Vorpal Spears, Astrad of the Golden Glow, right? If you're here for that, you're one of the few to have arrived at the central city. Do you have your registration here?"
"I just came to see Astrad, Milo told me he'd be here." Slowly, Sief lowered his head and sighed, "I've never set foot in this guild before; I just want to know where he is and go to him."
Once again, the girl raised her eyebrows and lightly scratched her cheek.
"If you came alone, you must be in a hurry..." She looked into Sief's eyes, which glowed slightly as he stared at her, causing the girl's eyes to widen as she nervously pulled open a drawer. "W-Well... I'm only permitted to handle members' business... but if you'd like, I can register you and see what I can do..."
"Register?" Sief lowered his eyebrows slightly and stepped back as he noticed the attendant's fear. "Will it take long? And if he's not in the city, where is he?"
"By registering, you'll get some benefits." She quickly placed a paper on the desk and nervously adjusted her posture. "It only takes a few minutes. He's currently with his new team, searching for information on the escaped beasts... he'll only return on the last day... but with the guild's Kujura, she flies directly to the recipient... if it really was the hero of healing who sent you... maybe that will help."
"Alright..." Sief glanced at the form still with doubts, but he saw it was just personal information, place of birth, age, and class objective. "So I just sign here, and I'm registered?"
The girl trembled slightly but quickly nodded her head and said, "Y-Yes, but first there's a fee to register you as one of ours, for just two coins, and you get a stat reading so we can... place you in the right rank..." She swallowed nervously and looked down, saying, "S-Sir."
Sief straightened his posture and sighed, rubbing his eyes and stepping back, catching the girl's attention as she watched him close his fist, her eyes widening. But in an instant, the punch landed only on his own face, allowing Sief to raise a calmer, slightly more awake expression, revealing tired eyes ringed by dark circles.
"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night..." The attendant saw the boy's eyes lose their glow, and the sense of strangeness faded away, making her breathe a sigh of relief as Sief continued, "Is there a way I don't have to pay that fee? I picked up some items in the territories, but I don't think it's enough to cover it."
"Oh, yes." She adjusted her posture with a slight smile, noticing that the strange presence had disappeared, reduced to a tired boy. "You can take a combat test against one of the guild members... we usually call this a patron; it's one of the guild's benefits. If you catch the attention of higher-ranked members, you can receive anything from equipment to their mentorship. Along with the guild's own benefits."
"How many days until they all arrive? The heroes." He sighed and saw a quill at the edge of the table, which he grabbed and started writing. "I didn't see many adventurers around here. Will it take long?"
"You arrived two days early; the event starts the day after tomorrow... we allowed 10 days since the unknown beasts' calamity... but a few have already arrived, not counting the hunters who were nearby." She smiled slightly and said, "You know how to write."
"Two days..." He nodded at her last comment and handed her the paper, saying, "I want to face Astrad. I don't have the money to pay."
The clerk raised her eyebrows and smiled awkwardly, but finally said:
"Well, as I mentioned, he'll only arrive in two days. But since you've arrived early, I suppose sending a letter won't hurt." She gave a small smile and handed Sief another piece of paper, which he recognized as the attribute reader. "Just place it on your abdomen, the rest will be taken care of by the magic."
Sief nodded, and the woman waited with a faint smile, observing the card that Sief had left on the desk. She smiled again at the sight of his handwriting, but soon the letters began glowing again as the paper touched Sief's abdomen.
Slowly, the letters began to be written, and the numbers started climbing. The woman's eyes widened slightly when she saw the location Sief came from and, finally, his age.
"You're from Dokkel, aren't you?" She looked up at the young man, who was watching his attributes take shape, and finally sighed as she said, "You must be one of the youngest adventurers we have. You must've gone through quite an ordeal to make it here, right? If you arrived alone... I can imagine that—"
"I came alone. I don't have a team." Sief's eyes dimmed, the green glow fading, while the clerk stared, wide-eyed. The paper slipped from her grasp, but before it could hit the ground, Sief caught it and examined it silently. "Is this accurate?"
"A-Alone? B-But—" She leaned forward, extending her hand. "Let me see that..."
She placed the paper on the desk, and the two of them looked at the attributes, which made the clerk widen her eyes further. She then turned to Sief, who still had a frown on his face, but soon felt a presence behind him, making him open his eyes wide as he heard:
"Not bad, coming here alone is a good start."
Instinctively, the assassin leaped towards the desk, the paper flying in the air. He landed, hand already on his dagger, and saw Astrad, wearing familiar garments but now adorned with a purple armor decorated with black feathers, which seemed to contain his aura.
"So, you're one of the Dokkel survivors. Great, I was hoping to talk to you."
Name: Sief
Health: 130/130+
Energy: 100/136+
Strength: 25
Speed: 65
Mind: 24
Dexterity: 46
Constitution: 21
Abilities: .. .. . . . . . . (???), Poison (C)