-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old-
The receptionist cowers before Alexis after the crystal shard shattered into tiny pieces.
Alexis slowly backs away from the pedestal and looks towards the two girls behind him.
"Are you two alright?" He asks, addressing Samantha and Tilly.
They look at him with wide eyes as they nod numbly in the affirmative. Alexis then turns towards the receptionist and smiles sheepishly. He takes note of the noise going on around him. Many people were drawn towards the source of the commotion.
"I'm sorry about that." He scratches the back of his head and wears an embarrassed look on his face.
"What in the blazes was that?" A loud voice booms out from behind the gathering crowd. A large figure pushes their way through the mass of people rather roughly. He is a stocky fellow with a full beard and a bald head. He has a large scar across his face in the shape of a claw mark. Also, it seems that his left leg is lame as he favors one side whilst walking.
"Guild Master." The receptionist says with obvious relief on her face when she notices his approach. The Guild Master stares at the shattered crystal for a few moments before turning towards the receptionist, a small frown on his face.
"Jasmine, what the hell happened here?" He eventually asks.
The receptionist, Jasmine, steps closer to the man before answering, seemingly trying to combat the eavesdroppers.
"That man over there touched the crystal like I asked, to gauge his power, and it just shattered!" She whispers while gesturing towards Alexis with her head.
The man runs his hand through his beard before muttering under his breath. He stoops down and grabs one of the bigger shards before pointing at Alexis.
"You. Follow me."
-
Alexis is seated in front of a large skull which had been fashioned into a rudimentary desk. He is currently in the Guild Masters office on the third floor of the building. A large glass window is situated on the wall, giving an excellent view of the city.
"So, you broke the thing huh?" the Guild Master says gruffly as he tosses the shard into the air and catches it over and over.
"It would seem so. I'm sorry about that." Alexis replies simply, tilting his head slightly.
Samantha and Tilly are in the room as well, seated in chairs just to the left of him. They still look mildly concerned, but not nearly as much as they were before.
The Guild Master eyes Alexis for a few moments, the tension thick in the air. Then he suddenly laughs out and reaches across the desk for a handshake.
"Hahaha!" He bellows. "My name is Aaron. Guild Master of this little operation."
Alexis smiles at the man and accepts his hand. Aaron's grip is strong and firm, with various callouses from wielding a blade for years on end.
"My name's Alexis." He says while raising an eyebrow. "Quite the grip you got there."
Aaron laughs again and releases his hand.
"Did some adventuring years back." Aaron says with a grin on his face. "Was damn good at it too, 'fore I got too lax that is." He finishes while gesturing at his bad leg.
Alexis nods and sits back in his chair. "That's a shame, I can tell you're quite skilled."
Aaron narrows his eyes and tosses the shard on the desk. "Oh? Not as skilled as you are though."
Alexis shifts in his chair; they are finally on the topic he was called here to discuss.
"Frankly, no one has ever done what you just did, not in this city at least." Aaron continues. "Grab it." He says while pointing at the shard on his massive desk.
Alexis hesitantly reaches forward and grabs the shard off the desk. It darkens and releases a high-pitched whine before crumbling to dust. The exact same way as before.
The Guild Master sits back and hums to himself as he thinks over what to do. He drums his fingers on the desk.
"Hmm... Y'see, those crystals only break when too much mana is infused in them." Arron finally says. "It would seem like you have an enormous amount of mana."
Alexis looks at his hands. He can faintly make out the black blood inside his veins.
"I have awakened to magic recently." He admits.
Aaron grins at him. "I've decided what to do with you."
-
Alexis exits the Adventurers Guild and approaches a large sign on the road. It gives directions to the most popular and important destinations in the city. He locates the Imperial Bank on the sign and sets off with the two girls in tow.
"One more stop, then we can finally head home" Alexis says to them.
Samantha and Tilly look at each other and share a small smile at his words. 'Home'
Samantha replies in a soft voice. "Okay." Tilly just nodded.
As he walks, he toys with the new pin on his shirt. A pair of crossed swords made of Gold. Badges such as these are used to indicate the rank of an adventurer. They are infused with a specific mana signature, so they could not be forged or faked. The ranks of adventurers are as follows:
Stone
Iron
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Mithril
Ethereal
Each rank has three levels to them. So, Iron ll is higher ranked than Iron lll.
Aaron had decided to award him the rank of Gold lll because of the massive mana stores within him. Needless to say, this was almost unprecedented. Almost, as heroes of ages past were subjected to the same treatment. He was endorsed by the Guild Master of a major city in the Empire, so he shouldn't face too much backlash for such a big jump in the ranks.
Alexis rounds a corner and slows his pace. Standing in front of him is an imposing building made of white marble and decorated with mithril accents. The Imperial Bank. He turns to the two girls and said to them in a smooth voice.
"Let us go in."
As he approaches the grand doors, a well-groomed gentleman steps forward to open the doors for him. Alexis nods slightly at the man and ushers Samantha and Tilly inside. He follows them in and peers at the exquisite interior. Gold and mithril line the walls and ceilings wherever you look.
Tasteful tile and paneling decorate the floors and walls. There are a great many counters lined up on the back wall. And behind each counter are well dressed men and women.
Alexis walks up to a random counter and withdraws the Notice of Transfer, setting it down on the counter.
"I would like to withdraw the amount listed on this notice." He says while smiling softly at the young woman behind the counter.
"Of course, Duke Lycan" The petite clerk replies while bowing, eyeing the family pin on his clothes.