After a little while of walking, he arrived at the headquarters and showed the guards at the gate his identification card and after checking, they allowed him to enter while the magic beacons around the compound, scanned his body, which was a security measure.
Once they were finished, the guards allowed him to pass and he went into the building, where he noticed the receptionist gestured to him and he went over to her.
"Good morning, Nova, I see you got the first opening spot within the trials, some people usually have to wait days for their turns, so they get a chance to prepare more," She said as she handed him a pamphlet and he collected it.
"Good morning, yes I know even I was a bit surprised, I did not really have much time to prepare for any of it, I just dived in," He replied, his gaze fixed on the pamphlet and her eyes narrowed, as she studied him closely.
"I understand how you feel. You will have half an hour before the trial starts. In the meantime, you can look around or just wait until they send you," She said.
He nodded, then thanked her and went aside, while going through the information from the pamphlet, bracing against one of the walls.
He noticed from the corner of his eyes, that there were others waiting there as well, for their trial, some nervous, some confident, a bit too much for his liking, but he kept quiet, since he did not want to ruin his chances.
However, as he went through the information, his eyes landed on the job section, there were a lot of options, each laid in order. He noticed that two jobs stood out more than the other and were among the highest paying as well.
Those jobs were that of a hunter as well as an adventurer.
His eyes narrowed as he considered his options, continuing his studies was not one of them, it was not what he needed, for intellectually, he was quite steady and knew more than the average.
'I need money,' He thought, his gaze fixed on the two jobs as he considered the pros and cons of having either of them.
He could see that none of them were easy, and more often came back dead than alive, though due to the sum they offer, many still go after those jobs, a lot from greed, while others with a hint more purpose, but in the end most of the reasons were the same.
After a little while of waiting, he heard someone call out his name and when he looked up, he saw it was Crevan, who approached him with a stern look on his face, upon seeing that, Nova's eyes narrowed, wondering what was going on with him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting Nova, I got held up in a meeting by a few of the leaders this morning, they are hellbent on making things difficult for me," He said.
Nova shook his head, looking up at him. "It's fine," he said. "I understand you have a tough job, I was not here for that long though and besides I had a bit of useful information to read, so no need to worry."
"Good, I am glad. Come on, follow me," Creva said as he walked away, motioning Nova to follow him, and he did as told.
"Now, we do not have too much time to waste, so I will get to the point. Did you visit Sorev like I told you to?" he asked, glancing at Nova, as they walked down a hallway, passing the offices of many others who worked there.
"Yes, I did, and I got the staff remade. He is quite talented despite his nature," He responded.
Crevan chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "That sounds like him alright," he said. You are right; he is talented, one of the best within this nation, to be honest, but it has been long since he had taken on any apprentice of sorts, much less helped someone he barely knew, and I know he did not just do it on my account."
"Yes, I picked up on that, he had other reasons, though none hostile, like quite a few others, would have probably had, he remade the staff the exact way it was before and if not better," He replied.
"Let me see," Crevan said and Nova nodded.
He reached into his pocket and took out the staff, as his eyes glowed purple, the staff reacted to him and expanded to its original form with the tip of it glowing slightly.
Crevan looked at it and his eyes narrowed, as he sensed the aura coming from the staff, it was similar to the way it was before, yet very different in more ways than one and he could see that clearly, even if Nova did not.
"It's ready alright, to the point if not more," Crevan added and Nova nodded, before putting the staff away, so far things were going well for him.
"Well, time to get you to the trial area, are you ready?" Crevan asked him.
"As ready as I will ever be, there is not much more I can do at this point," He responded as a portal opened before Crevan.
Crevan stepped into the portal and Nova followed him, after which the space closed back behind them. A few minutes later, they arrived in an open area, surrounded by fog and a large iron door before their eyes, etched with ancient runes, that pulsed faintly and before it were two guards in black and purple armor by the gate.
"State your purpose," One of the guards asked.
"One person is here for the trial," Crevan responded, showing them his identification.
"This gate leads to the trial grounds. You are not allowed to leave until the trial is over. Are you ready?" He asked, looking directly at Nova.
After a moment's hesitation, Nova tightened his hold on his staff. "I am."
The guard glanced at his companion, who sighed and then nodded. The enormous stone doors creaked open, revealing a swirling mist beyond, and the runes on the gate flared to life. Energy infused the air, and Nova sensed an odd pull, as though the trial itself was calling to him.
"Good luck, young man, few make it out unscathed from it, but most who do are sometimes forever changed," The guard said, his tone oddly sincere.