Rivyn heaved a silent sigh as his eyes scanned the swelling crowd in the waiting hall of the adventurer guild. Every minute brought another group of adventurers or curious onlookers squeezing into the already packed room. Thick with foreboding, the air was heavy with anticipation, and though nobody openly would press towards him, Rivyn felt the weight of their gazes stuck to him like some unsolicited load. Cool-his face carefully neutral-but inside he had a spark smoldering in his belly. Being an A-rank was already rare enough, but that wouldn't have called for all this attention. An S-rank assessment, though? That was a different affair altogether.
Actually, attention was not something Rivyn was afraid of. Quite the contrary. He was not afraid of any other power provided he was secure within the power. What he was really afraid of was being targeted. And it would not be very long before people started asking questions about him, his very rapid rise, and who he had really been before the meteoric rise to fame.
And whereas he would not actually want to stay hidden forever, he was not ready for that much exposure as yet. He needed time to develop the cult of his persona-time to grow in power quietly, unseen and unsuspected.
Rivyn sat there, waiting for Raymond to do whatever and finish his S-rank badge; during this time, he took to checking his system points.
[Current System Points: 50]
Having been acquiring rather a big sum of wealth since his last big purchase, he decided this was the time to invest in something that would render him most inconspicuous. He could not afford for anyone to track him down to this new abode, nor could he afford for one mistake to go awry that would reveal his identity when he traversed the black market area.
Rivyn stepped into the system shop and began navigating through the list of available skills. His fingers flew across the screen, his eyes focusing sharply as they landed on one ability in particular.
[Veil (F) - Summons an illusion barrier around the caster, capable of masking an area from detection. The size and strength of the barrier depend on the caster's mana. It can hide small to medium-sized spaces and is effective against individuals with equal or lesser mana power. Higher-ranked individuals may detect through the veil.]
"Perfect," Rivyn mused, a tiny, smug smile tugging at his lips. The price was a little more dear than most of the other skills he had picked up, at 30 system points, but to him the worth in keeping his secret was well worth the cost.
He did, and with confirmation of the purchase, the knowledge of casting the Veil spell rushed into his head. In that moment, Rivyn began to get an idea about the limits of this new skill.
This was weak, however, compared to the powerful illusionary barriers, undertaken on the black market, capable of masking sections of a city from would-be observers. For now, Rivyn's store of mana would allow him to create a barrier only large as a small room, which was all he needed, really; he could expand it any time if his mana happened to recharge. It was before he could further indulge in the subtleties of the skill that Raymond's voice cut into his thoughts. Before him stood the guild officer, clutching a small, polished silver badge with the unmistakable S-rank emblem. The badge shone under the soft light of the room, drawing the gaze of all those around them. Rivyn rose and took the badge, nodding for acknowledgement. "Congratulations, Rivyn. You're officially one of the elite," Raymond said, his tone laced with respect. Rivyn detected a subtle tremor in the man's voice, a blend of awe and anxiety that was palpable. After all, S-ranks were the stuff of legends. While Rivyn wasn't the first to achieve this status, each S-rank stood as a figure of immense power, revered and feared by all.
"Thanks," Rivyn replied simply. There was little else to say. The acknowledgment was short, but it said a lot in just being there.
He had looked around then, finding that Jacquees was already gone-no doubt off to summon guards to deal with the swelling crowd of people outside of the guild. The hall had filled with adventurers and other onlookers, all looking for a glimpse of the newly minted S-rank.
The word of his assessment would spread like a bushfire, and the guild would be talking of it. Rivyn could make out the murmurs of speculation, soft whispers concerning his identity, and hushed reverberations wrapping themselves around him.
He turned toward the exit, noticing the crowd that clogged it. He'd never manage to slip out unnoticed. Rivyn called upon his Mask skill, and in an instant he was different. His body and face shifted to that of a guard, mingling easily into the security of the guild. He had found that, sometimes, subtlety made it come across far more elegantly than trying to hide one's features. If he had stepped out into the night in his usual shadow-face disguise, then someone might have caught that in connection. Now, though, he was but another anonymous guard in a sea of faceless guards.
Rivyn strode towards the exit with his new disguise, confidently. The crowd was too busy sending in wild speculations and guesses to pay much attention as he slipped through. He disappeared among hundreds of bodies into the colored streets beyond the guild, all talking about the fresh S-rank. A few of them were already working out wild stories about his strength: speculating on where he was born, how he got such a rank this fast.
He didn't care a whit about this. Not one of the rumors tempted him the slightest. What mattered was he finally, for this small time, was free from the guild's ripping stare.
All the way home, he changed twice more, just in case anyone could trace his footsteps. Rivyn let out a heavy sigh the moment he crossed the threshold. Today had been so much more eventful than he had anticipated, and the fame that came with S-rank was pleasing, yet he knew it also meant unwanted attention. He fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, his mind wracked with indecision. But no matter how hard he struggled against its pull, his mind began to stray once more to that accursed tower. After all, the tower had paid dividends-monumental ones, no less. In less than half a year, he had risen from F-rank adventurer to S-a trajectory that very few were ever going to be in a position to envy. The great strength he had gained in that white, otherworldly space-the strenuous experience it was-still, one side of his mind wondered what would happen if he went back.
Would the tower still push him, or would it take him to greater heights than even S-rank?
Rivyn couldn't help but smirk at the thought. He had no intention of staying low on the radar forever, and should any tower be able to show him that much power, he'd jump. For now, though, he needed to focus on something a bit more urgent-getting some cash.
Several hours of sleep later, Rivyn rose and flipped Mask back on. He was out the door and bound for the black market. The closer he came to the edge of the empire, the more his body settled into the old disguise-the lean figure with a face of shadow. It was comforting; more to the point, it worked.
He walked towards the door acting as the gateway into the black market and plunged his mana into the handle. The door weakly glowed and groggily opened to reveal the world of tamed chaos inside. It was busy inside, for it ever had been, with streets lined by vendors and buyers, or just plain mysterious-looking persons, busy over all forms of transactions.
One obsession has been dogging Rivyn's mind-money.
He had forgotten to sell the mana stones he had collected, and now seemed a good time to get rid of them. He walked through the market, eyes scanning the hundreds of shops and stalls. Despite the undercurrents of hostility, the unspoken possibility of violence always hanging in the air, the marketplace operated according to a very strict set of guidelines.
They rarely occurred and although not technically illegal, they were considered the gravest of taboos. Should anyone die, this would receive the severest of punishments.
But Rivyn wasn't worried; he could handle himself.
A few minutes of walking later, Rivyn found his way back to the shop that bought his merchandise off him earlier. None of the faces working there were known to him, nor was he particularly surprised by it. The staff in the black market tended to change with alarming regularity, and since so many used mana-infused methods to disguise themselves, Rivyn's senses could still pierce through most of them.
Then came a young woman-a face partially veiled by a mask of modesty-and forthwith made her recognition, conducting him upstairs to the manager.
The manager beamed at him, a trifle too wide, a shade too eager. "Master Rio, so nice seeing you again," exclaimed the man well-mannered while his voice oozed with enthusiasm. He did not forget the big profit they made from the last transaction.
Rivyn chatted with him, the sentences short but courteous, while he was almost desperate this time for another sale; but Rivyn had another purpose in mind.
"I have a proposition for you," Rivyn said, watching as one of the manager's eyebrows rose curiously. "I'll sell my goods only through your store, but I want a display of my own. My goods will bear the name 'Rio, ' and I want that name associated with goods of the best quality.
It took only a moment to consider it; his mind was already running wild with the possible results. The last deal that he had secured with Rivyn was very lucrative, indeed, and the idea of having such quality merchandise exclusively was simply too great to let slip by. He nodded after a brief moment's consideration.
"Agreed," he said, a growing smile on his face. "We shall do it."
Rivyn nodded, a mask of satisfaction on his face for the arrangement. He said nothing more, but gestured his leave and was out the door a brief moment later.
But Rivyn didn't leave the black market just yet. He wandered the twisted streets, smelling and hearing scents and chimes of this subterranean world. The black market was, without question, dangerous; it was safe enough-provided one kept to the rules, unwritten on any scroll-just so long as one knew there would always be those who would raise a ruckus now and then.
Trouble seemed just to have found Rivyn.
As he walked, he suddenly found himself facing two figures-a man and a woman. Though both were S-rank statuses, their strong aura was easily distinguishable. The man was drunk, his motions flowing slow and uneven as the woman looked at him in annoyance. Neither of them had attacked him thus far, but Rivyn felt the malice from them strongly.
He wished to pass the guards, who forthwith barred his way.
"Where do you think you're going?" she sneered, hostility thick in her tone.
Rivyn said nothing; the contempt of speaking to them was writ upon his face. But as he would have moved around them, the woman's frustration finally boiled over. In one quick gesture she raised her hand and the earth beneath Rivyn heaved upward in a jagged spike aimed at his chest. Rivyn was responding in an instant, his wrist flicking the spike aside. It exploded harmlessly against the floor, yet her face only grew grimmer. That was a strike that might fell a B-rank and was fully capable of battering an A-rank-save for perhaps the best 1% of them. And he had batted it aside like it was nothing.
It had simply never occurred to her that Rivyn could ever be an S-rank.
The next second, the drunk beside her-over his share of patience by now-flew a thick fist in Rivyn's direction. Though it was clear he put every ounce of muscle into it, Rivyn didn't even flinch. He sidestepped with fleet grace, sending the punch flying off course with his elbow. The man tumbled forward, off-balance.
Stunned, the couple stared at Rivyn, and she had only recently achieved S-rank, while he had been for nearly two years, and neither had even touched him.
Realizing furthering the fight would bring them naught but further hassle, the two began to falter. Another S rank kill in the black market would sign their death warrant, and not just theirs, but that of the entire marketplace. Just about turning to walk away, Rivyn's voice suddenly cut off.
It was an icy voice, laced with menace. "Who bade you to go?" Rivyn said. They looked at him in some confusion.
"You think you can just hit me and then just walk away?" Rivyn's eyes shone with a light not quite safe as something in him suddenly came awake. The muscles twisted, and his hold on the hilt of the great sword tightened.
Rivyn unsheathed his sword, which indeed scraped loudly on the ground since it was such a big blade; they both were shocked because none of them expected that he would be escalating into hostilities:. He snorted, the bravado spilling back. "You think you can take us both on?" Rivyn said nothing. With one stride forward, swinging his huge sword with incredible and terrifying speed and precision, the man attempted to raise his own sword in defense-though his arms went into tremendous shudders from the impact which threw him backwards. Still entranced, the woman tried to complete the spell. Rivyn was on her in a second. Pure savagery flung him across the gap, and he let go with a kick, which sent her backward to the earth. Frantic, she raised her staff in a futile attempt at a defense. The weapon shattered beneath the crushing force of his attack and blood oozed from her head as blackness took her brain.
So it was that seeing his companion's plunge, this man went cold with anger. Again the fellow charged at Rivyn, but checked himself just before he would have reached him, knowing to continue would result in his sharing her grisly fate. Panting heavily, he released his weapon and drooped his head. "I. I am so sorry." A smirk curled his lips as Rivyn asked, "What made you stop me in the first place, and what made you attack? Minutes later, he responded, "Your mask-your wife, she was interested in it; she could not see your face. Rivyn shook his head in dismay, muttering, "Curiosity?" he turned away, sheathing the greatsword. "Next time, Mind your business!"
And so with that said, Rivyn was off into the night, leaving them there. The onlookers, who had gathered to witness the unfolding fiasco, were silent and amazed. Two S-ranks had just been thoroughly embarrassed by a lone man who had hardly broken a sweat. Whispers surged through the crowd with incredible quickness, and in a very short time, the whole black market would be abuzz with rumors involving the mystifying masked S-rank. Yet Rivyn showed no interest.
Since his S-rank rating, he had thrown caution to the wind, becoming more and more reckless. Now, all he wanted was to live life however he pleased.