Zaress stood straight, hands folded behind his back, his presence commanding perfect attention. Jennifer rubbed her arms, a tingling sensation running through them. The feeling of oppression grated her, and she felt buried under the presence of his aura.

“We’ll continue this when I return,” Viel said, looking at her before he walked out. Irwys followed behind him as the three made their way out of the room, the door closing itself shut with a click behind them.

It smells as if a storm passed through.

“Well, that was awkward,” Nathaniel said, rubbing the back of his head as he sat down.

Anghul snorted, plucking a cookie from a plate that seemed to have appeared on the table out of thin air. She took a large, crunching bite before turning towards Nathaniel.

“What did your uncle have to say, and why did he call for you?” she asked, her dark eyes flicking towards Jennifer for a brief second.

“Ah, well, the usual, wanted to hear how I was doing. What my plans were. He still wants me to quit the team and train under him instead,” Nathaniel said, scratching his cheek. “Threatened me by saying that I'll be part of the delve... even if the rest of you aren’t.”

“What? Is he insane? He's gonna send you to the depths with some random-ass team he pulls out of nowhere? Who would he even get? Ranked teams don’t just fall from the sky. Would’ve assumed he'd know that at least.” Anghul said, flicking her hand as an apple appeared in it and with a cracking sound, she took a bite still holding the unfinished cookie in her other.

Nathaniel coughed, shuffling before he turned towards Jenn. “Oh, I believe we haven’t met yet. I assume you are the new mark Viel ran after without so much as a 'goodbye'.”

“I’m Nathaniel Serfield, gold plate, part of the Spear of Sun ranked team, and our resident [Mage] and baggage boy,” he said, extending his hand towards her.

Anghul snorted. "Got that right."

Jennifer grabbed his hand, shaking it awkwardly. “Jennifer Laine, umm, just enchanter.” she replied, pulling her hand back.

“Ah, Enchanter. Interesting. You're pretty high level for someone so young," Nathaniel paused, chuckling softly. With a wink, he added, "I guess that sounds condescending coming from me.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened as she stared at him. How does he know my- oh, of course. Appraisal spells. Ranked adventurers and all that, of course they have something like that. Perhaps even an appraisal skill of some sort.

At her gaping expression, his lips twitched upward as he said, “Appraisal spells, yes. Sorry about that. Couldn’t help my curiosity. Marks are interesting people. Not that I’ve met many-”

“Nat,” Anghul interrupted, her eyes turning darker. “She’s not agreed yet.”

“Oh,” he said, turning towards Jennifer “I see... It seems the guild head had poor timing. Alas.” He paused for a second, stroking his chin. “Well, I’m sure you're curious about what we have to offer. Not much to do here besides watching Anghul feast on her snacks.. So if you have any questions, I can answer them for you.” His eyes turned towards Anghul for a moment. “Of course, only if I’m free to do so.”

Jennifer nodded, taking a moment to think things over.

Should I ask them what this thing is I’m supposed to agree to? Or these other marks they just mentioned? Or perhaps why the guild leader himself came for not just Viel but Irwys as well.

She glanced at Anghul, the woman lazily playing with her raven black hair before Jenn returned her attention towards Nathaniel. “Why are these marks appearing now? And how is Irwys involved in all of this?”

Nathaniel looked to Anghul, who grunted in a manner that could have meant anything to Jenn. But Nathaniel seemed to take it as approval, as he said, “Hmm, alright, let’s start with this. We don’t know. What exactly the marks are, why they are appearing now, for what purpose and how exactly are the candidates being chosen, there isn’t much to go on.”

“From what I've seen, the marks are a magical construct of some sort. Heavily interwoven with the body of the wielder, I found extraction impossible and they're completely inert to any outside probing. I wanted to test more but Viel refused. Which is a shame,” he said, his eyes shining with excitement as he looked at her. Jennifer shrunk back into the chair, trying to escape his gaze.

“As for Irwys, you are better off directly asking him. It’s not my place to reveal his position,” he added a moment later, to which Jennifer simply nodded. “Anything else?”

She heard Anghul yawn while stretching her legs under the table, nearly bumping Jenn's leg, as Anghul wiped a tear from her eyes.

“What’re you staring at?” Anghul retorted, noticing her gaze and Jennifer pulled her eyes away.

“Don’t be like that Ann, what’s got you so riled up today?” Nathaniel asked.

“Ask Mr. Hero," Anghul declared. Then before either of them could say anything she continued, "he went and swore an oath for her. That depth forsaken idiot. That habit of his will get him killed one day.”

Nathaniel paused, inspecting Jenn with a surprised expression. “I see... Well, I think I’m gonna trust his decision, he would’ve had a good reason for it,” he said.

Jennifer could swear she saw Anghul’s eyes darken once again.

They sat silent for a moment, before curiosity got the better of Jennifer. She turned towards the bulky woman. “Can I ask you something?”

“No.” The reply came instantly.

“Ann...it’s not her fault, is it?” Nathaniel said in a placating voice and Anghul let out a sigh. As she waved her hand.

“Fine, ask whatever you want.”

“Well, I just-” Jennifer shuffled in her seat, feeling awkward all of a sudden. “Are your eyes from an ability? I’ve heard of classes changing features at higher levels, but I’ve never seen something... so drastic before.”

The older adventurer turned, her dark eyes staring into her own causing an unnerving sensation to churn within Jenn's gut. The woman seemed like she was about to respond with another retort, but paused at the last moment.

“I’ve always had these. Not sure if it’s just the Ostiri blood being what it is or if my father was some freak and if I’m a halfie. Not that I care to find out now, I’ve survived with them for a long time, and anyone who has a problem with my eyes can eat my arrows up their ass,” she replied, leaning back into her chair with a thump. A scowl on her face.

“Oh. I’m sorry-”

“Don’t. There’s nothing to be sorry about. Leave the empty gestures,” Anghul said, and the room descended into awkward silence once again.

Great. Why did I do that? Just have to go and upset the already pissed off and angry woman who could kill me in a second.

A chime sounded, disrupting Jenn's thoughts.Nathaniel rose from his seat, walking to a small wooden table near the room’s entrance. He picked up a rather plain sheet of paper, staring at it. Jennifer saw words imprinting themselves on the piece of parchment.

“Well, Viel sent a message. Seems he won’t be back for a while,” Anghul groaned once again, leaning further back into her chair as she closed her eyes.

“So...Jennifer, since we have nothing better to do, and Viel is busy, would you like to explore the guild?” Nathaniel asked, rolling the parchment before it vanished in light blue flames.

Jenn glanced at Anghul for a moment, before she turned back towards him. “Okay,” she shrugged and followed him out.

They made their way through the long corridors, Jennifer's eyes drawn to the ceiling above by the luminous glow. The top of the corridor was decorated by magic circles placed at equal intervals, providing the faint glow that drew her attention in the first place.

Mage lights? They probably use it for lighting, or security perhaps? I can’t read the inscriptions from this far away.

“I’m sorry about Anghul, she just dislikes when Viel does reckless things, and Anghul has fought him over it repeatedly,” Nathaniel said, humming once afterwards.

“Well, let’s leave that behind. Where would you like to go? The guild itself, as you probably know, is in a bit of an emergency. The only reason we haven’t been sent to help is because they want to keep us combat ready in case of more tremors. Or in the highly unlikely scenario some monster's been pissed off enough to want to make its way out of the dungeon. Don't need one of those roaming the city,” Nathaniel said, an amused expression on his face.

“Not that a Dungeon Break has happened in years. But with all the… occurences, Zaress' has been worried. Uncle says, it'll be fine. The dungeon groans sometimes, but it settles down and everyone gets richer," he added and they made their way into the central halls.

Jennifer clenched her fist, following behind him as unease spread through her gut.

Do I tell them about the dungeon break? I already told my master, I can probably explain it with my ability...But I don’t want to give them too much information. They're hiding plenty from me and I don't like the strange trust I felt towards Viel. These guys are far out of my league, I would rather hear what they have to say first. I just don’t know enough. Not yet.

She stared at his back, the man's simple off white shirt a light blue in the magelight. Her eyes traced the symbol of a book with a rune on it’s cover imprinted on the shoulder.

“Do you know how ranks work in the guild?” Nathaniel asked. Jennifer’s eyes snapped towards his face, breaking out of her daze.

“Sorry? Ah, yes, I know the common things at least, the plate ranks and the history. Not sure about the inner workings..”

“Well, let this be an enlightening stroll then. First of all, what do you know about the guild itself?”

“Well, I know that the guild is an institute led by a collective of individuals. Oh, and it was formed by the Alliance. Except, it's been independent since pretty much the start?" Jenn paused, looking at Nathaniel. At his nod, she continued, "It governs three primary branches, Adventurers, Craftsmen and Mages. The last being special.”

“Yes, correct. Mostly. We’ll leave the exceptions for now. But there’s a bit more to it than singular ranks. Let’s take me as an example. I’m a gold plate adventurer, part of the adventurer guild, but I am also a Tier 5 Mage, a High-Mage by rank, not by class quite yet, and a Silver rank craftsman. So, I'm a part of all three guilds simultaneously. But only the Mage guild and Adventuring guild can directly command me. In practice, I have to answer to the mage's guild first, as I'm a mage first, but the adventurer's guild can order me about as well.”

“It’s quite the dilemma for the guild, having a man of so many talents under them,” he said with a smile. Jennifer nodded back, as much surprised as impressed.

“This does not count that I am also part of a Ranked team, but let’s leave that alone for now. What is important to know is that the guild branches are all independent, yet they form the same organisation’s base. The three heads have equal power, but only the Adventuring guild head can command all of them in times of need.” A small frown crept onto his face as he said that, but it vanished quickly.

“Well, I won’t be boring you with how the plates work and what an adventurer is, but, what do you think our main job is? And what separates us from simple mercenaries?”

Jennifer thought for a moment before responding, “You don’t work in platoons and teams. You're able to dive the dungeon freely, and have a duty towards purging monsters. Especially any undead and other blight sources that may cause a plague or worse, a magical plague.”

“Uh-huh, interesting answer, and not wrong, but the core principle is missing. There are many mercenary classes, but an [Adventurer] class? Very rare. The answer is that mercenaries can leave and join as they please, and work on a contract. An adventurer? Even if you retire, you're still counted as one. It’s a duty, not just a job. That's why the [Adventurer] class is so rare. And why guild examinations are so extensive. Even becoming an Iron plate is an accomplishment for a reason,” he said, a quiet smile on his face.

Well, I’m glad I don’t have to fight monsters due to a duty I am beholden to. I'd rather not die... again.

“There's also that-”

“Nathaniel! Why aren't you in the room? I’d been trying to reach you but there's been no response from the message scroll,” a woman’s voice interrupted him and Jennifer watched as a green haired lady made her way towards them. That same hair was tied in a tight bun revealing her slightly pointed ears, as she shuffled towards them, multiple documents and books held secure under her arm.

“Well, perhaps we’ll continue our discussion some other time,” Nathaniel whispered to Jenn before turning towards the woman.

“My apologies, Serila, I got distracted with something,” he said, putting his hands together in an apologetic gesture.

Jennifer’s eyes widened as she reappraised the woman in front of her. Serila turned towards her, noticing her gaze.

“Is she…?” Serila asked Nathaniel, looking past Jenn.

Nathaniel nodded, before turning towards Jenn. “Jennifer, this is Serila. A high ranked guild staff, and a friend of our team.” he leaned in towards her ear as he added in a lower voice. “She’s with Iwrys,” before quickly moving away.

“Well, nice to meet you Jennifer. You are...younger than I’d thought. Well, you can come to my office. The guild head is in a meeting with all the ranked team leaders, and I have something to give you. Follow along.”

Jennifer walked alongside Nathaniel as they followed the lithe woman. Does she know about my letter? Wait, of course not. I just sent it today...this is strange. I knew I would have to talk with her, but this is far far earlier than I'd expected it to happen. What do I even tell her?

They entered through a door, Serila walking to her desk and placing the documents down with a thud. Nathaniel walked around the room, inspecting it silently.

“Umm, I actually wanted to meet you. I knew about you from my ability. I even had a letter sent to you," Jennifer said, her brown furrowing. "I guess that’s pointless now,''

The woman paused, turning towards her before she raised her hand. “[Instantaneous Transmission]” she intoned and a piece of paper popped into her hand. Serila opened the seal, as she looked through the content.

“Ah, this one. I already saw it. Well, I guess it is fortunate we met Jennifer. Smooths the process,” she said, as the paper vanished.

“Things have been a mess the past few days, a mark vanishing two days ago, the massive dungeon shift today, the Thunder-butt has been jittery all day, can’t even keep his stupid lightning in control. Tazed me while I was eating lunch and ended up spilling it all. Ruined a day of work,” Serila grumbled as she sorted through her documents. Jennifer choked, turning towards Nathaniel who gave her an awkward shrug.

Did she really just call the guild head...

She watched as the woman worked with surprising speed, making her way through the pile of documents at a swift pace. A skill, Jennifer assumed and she gulped once, deciding to ask about something that'd been bothering her for a while now.

“Umm, are the marks involved in the delve somehow? Does the guild know?” she asked and Serila turned to face her.

“Maybe, I'm part of the guild, so it’d be hilarious to think anyone would be capable of hiding this from Zaress. As for the delve, well, you'll be joining the delve soon anyways, so you can find it out yourself.”

“Wait what? I’m...joining? Why?” Jennifer exclaimed, turning towards Nathaniel and she saw him flinch.

“You don’t know? Wait, you guys haven’t told her yet?” she asked and Nathaniel shook his head, an awkward expression on his face.

“Oh. Well, I guess I spoiled the surprise.” she said, muttering something as she leaned and pulled out a metal plate from her drawer. She walked up to her, extending the metal plate towards her.

“Congrats Jennifer,” the woman said with a slight smile. “You’re a registered adventurer now.”