I knelt, bowing my head to the Guild-Master. “Guild-Master! Sir! It is an absolute honor to meet you!”

Guild-Master Y’mor Stálsteinn.

The man was a living legend. Actually, no. I’d put him past that.

He was a fucking myth.

He’d been the leader of the Adventurers’ Guild, a massive organization that spanned the entirety of Foronea, for well over two hundred years. The higher your Tier, the longer you lived, but even then, his age was exceptional, and it didn't seem to affect him at all.

Tales of his exploits were sung by bards in every bar in the world, and spoken of in bedtime stories to many Terralanian children. How many of them were true? No idea. How many did I believe? All of them.

The man was a proverbial (And quite possibly literal, depending on your definition) monster. He was Tier Five, the highest Tier achievable. That alone, even at D rank, would give him the power to destroy Brygid and I with a flick of the wrist. But of course, the Guild-Master couldn’t be a D rank.

Y’mor Stálsteinn was an S ranker. A Tier 5 S ranker.

He could, quite literally, move mountains. Or, he could at least move monsters the size of mountains. Evidenced by Exhibit A: That one time he killed the Madurdala-(Hell’s Serpent)-an impossibly large serpent who’s abilities included laser eye beams, and calling down meteors from space. The area of their fight had been a vast, destroyed wasteland. But over time, the corpse of the gargauntuan snake fertilized thousands of miles of land. Hundreds of millions of tons of bones became the Madural Mountain Range, an ecosytem of hellish proportions where giants were common place.

This man had strength on a scale I couldn't even begin to comprehend.

I didn’t bow often, but he was absolutely one of the people I’d happily make an exception for. Beside me, Brygid had completely regained herself and bowed as well. “Pleased to meet you, Guild-Master. Brygid Jewel, at your service.”

Guild-Master Y’mor laughed, his mustache bouncing heartily. Clasping us both on the shoulder, the Guild-Master let out a soft breath of air. A sudden rush of energy coursed through his hand and into me.

-Guild-Master Y’mor has used Breath of M’teah Beinn. Recover one hundred percent HP and MP. Receive buff ‘Breath of M'teah-Beinn’. X2 CON ,X2 BDY x1.5 DEF for 30 minutes.-

Brygid and I’s bodies took on a faint silvery sheen of light. The lingering burn in my body from LB vanished immediately, replaced by a feeling of absolute invulnerability. My Maximum HP value fucking exploded, going from 360 to 1,020 in the blink of an eye.

We both looked at the Guild-Master in amazement. He stood, pulling us up with him, and gave us both a fond pat on the head, looking to Brygid. “Sorry about that, my dear. I simply wanted to test young Emmanuel, but that’s not exactly a single target technique. My apologies. Hopefully you’re feeling refreshed and in top condition again?”

Brygid nodded slowly, a bit caught off guard. I bet she was thinking the same thing I was. "Holy hell, he's acting just like a grandpa!". “N-Not a problem, sir. Was just a bit surprisin’, is all.”

He grinned at her, then turned to me. I drew up to my full height, staring him straight in the eyes. Wanted to make a good impression, you know? He stroked his mustache contemplatively, thinking his next words over.

“You know, it’s been quite a while since we’ve had a new S ranker in Terralane. Tell me, Emmanuel. Where are you from?”

“Well sir, I was actually born Mundane. Low-Fifth. Grandparents worked in the tunnels as resource harvesters. Mom moonlights as a maid in the Fourth when she can, and Dad has a job here working in one of the auxiliary libraries.”

The Guild-Master nodded, turned around and began to walk to the far side of the room, where there sat a massive desk. He waved his hand over his shoulder while responding. “Oh really? You were Mundane? I must say, that must have been a Trial truly worth watching then. Why, with some of the tests His Majesty put me through, my own Trial still holds up as one of the most rigorous challenges I’ve ever faced. I can hardly imagine what sort of hoops you must have jumped through. Hmm. What’s your father’s name? If he works within the Guild, I may have run into him at one point.”

“I’m sure you don’t. He works in one of the really small libraries near the front of the Quarter. His name is Noel.”

There was a hitch in the Guild-Master’s step. A slight pause, so fast I almost wasn’t sure I saw it. “Hmm, Noel? No, you’re right. I’ve no idea about a Noel Burroughs. I’ll have to go meet him though. Maybe give him a promotion. After all, he has to be doing something right to raise an S ranker, right? Haha!”

Guild-Master Y’mor sounded ninety nine percent genuine, but buried deep, deep in his voice, there was something I just couldn’t trust. Not after seeing that reaction to my dad’s name. Somehow, the Guild-Master knew him. Or, knew of him? Either way, something was definitely up.

However, pushing that envelope didn’t seem like it would get me anywhere right now. If the Guild-Master was lying about it, he obviously had a reason, and I didn’t want to waste time asking questions I knew I wouldn’t get answered. Plus, if Dad had known him this whole time, he’d have to have a reason not to tell me too, right?

Ugh, more secret bullshit. I would get to the bottom of it eventually.

-Ding! New Personal Quest: Suspicious Occurrences

-Find out what Guild-Master Y’mor knows about your father

“Yeah, please do! That would really, really help us out, sir.”

As we all reached the end of the room, the Guild-Master went around behind his desk and sat in his chair. They were both as regal as the rest of the furniture; the desk made of some kind of white ceramic material with gold inlays, his highbacked chair a dark, dark leather. Definitely high quality. I dunno what kind though, I’m not a fuckin’ biologist and Examine didn't tell me.

I snapped my fingers as I remembered about Gracie. “Oh! Guild-Master Y’mor, speaking of the clerk who registered me…”

“Nice lass. Hard worker.”

“Exactly! In fact, the only reason I’m here is because she, Gracie, went above and beyond in trying to be helpful for me. I was about to just go get a random Quest and walk out the door, but she offered to personally help. I think she deserves a raise for excellent service. I mean, I know you don’t run that yourself, but you know the person who does.”

Guild-Master Y’mor put his elbows up on his desk, rested his head on his hand, and chuckled at me. “Heh. Normally, I would never just listen to a request like that out of the blue. That’s just not how the world works. But. Normally, it also wouldn’t be the first S ranker in a couple generations who’s doing the asking. I’ll be upfront with you Emmanuel.”

He sat up and pointed a finger at me, face serious. “She’ll get that raise, but only because I want to foster a good relationship between you and the Guild.”

I crossed my arms, grinning slyly at him. “Oh, don’t worry, I know that. I’m pretty well aware of how the world works, and very well aware of how much I’m worth now. That’s why I asked in the first place. I had a feeling you wouldn’t say no.”

The Guild-Master stared at me in shock for a second, then laughed tremendously, slamming his hand on the white desk with a huge thud. “HAH! You’ve got some fuckin’ balls on you, huh?” He grinned like an old fox, wagging his finger at me. “You’re gonna be a handful, I can already tell. But I think you’ll fit in perfectly around here.”

“Thank you sir!”

Leaning over to the right, and reaching into one of the desk’s drawers, the Guild-Master pulled out a large sheet of nuvellum, placing it onto the desk in front of us. He looked between Brygid and I, the corners of his mustache ticking up in mirth. “So kiddos, now that I’ve gotten a good read on the two of you, how would you kids like a Quest straight from the Guild-Master himself?”

Our jaws dropped slightly. We turned to each other, nodded, and answered at the same time.

“Hell yes!”

“Yes sir!”

“Wonderful! Please, take a seat.”

Two plush leather chairs appeared behind Brygid and I, sliding forward quickly. They knocked us off our feet and slid in under us, seating us without any actual input from us. I would've rather they not, but whatever.

The Guild-Master snorted and flipped the nuvellum around so that we could read it. He tapped the top of the sheet forcefully, his voice serious. “Alright kids, we’re in mission mode now, so pay attention. Seven days ago, we recieved an urgent request for help from the village of Cohla. Tiny village, about five thousand people total, located a five day’s walk northeast of Rapella. There’s nothing special about the village itself. Its zoned as a Tier One C+ area, making it a perfect place for the generic newbie.”

The land of Foronea was divided into thousands and thousands of different zones, each one graded on the same scale as Blessings, Tier One through Five and a letter from D to S. That made it easy to decide when an area is likely to be too hard for you, or likely to have shitty loot, or whatever.

We nodded at the Guild-Master, and I spoke up. “So, if its perfectly average, why are we talking about it? What happened?”

The Guild-Master stroked his mustache thoughtfully. “According to this letter, on the 23rd of this month, one of the Cohla village scouts reported the discovery of a new dungeon set deep in a series of cave systems near the edge of the Cohla Zone. Cohla village, following standard new dungeon procedure, put together a party to investigate, analyze, and categorize the dungeon.”

He sighed, tapping about halfway down the page, and gave us a somber look. “Only one of them came back.”

Brygid frowned. “Only one?”

“That’s right, young miss. Only the one. The same poor scout who discovered the damn dungeon in the first place. According to him, the dungeon was packed with goblins. Absolutely stuffed to the gills with the little bastards.”

My eyebrows quirked. “Goblins? No disrespect meant to the dead, but aren’t those like the most basic of basic enemies? How strong was the team they sent?”

Guild-Master Y’mor flipped the nuvellum around real quick, checking. “Two C+ ranked Blessed; a level six and a level seven. one B rank warrior, level seven. The leader of the scouting party, the one who managed to make it back, is B+ ranked, and level eight. Each one qualifies as an experienced adventurer in Cohla, and should have been more than enough for a generic goblin type dungeon. The key word here of course being; should. Like I said, according to the scout, the dungeon was swimming with goblins, far, far more than a low level dungeon should be able to produce. Not only the that, but the goblins inside the dungeon were described as ‘cunning’, ‘extremely aggressive’, and particularly noted as ‘stronger, and more developed.’ We’re not just dealing with a normal goblin dungeon here, kids.”

Next was Brygid’s turn to speak, her face painted with concern, fingernails nervously clacking on the desk. “Has the Guild decided on a classification for it?”

The Guild-Master nodded solemnly. “Yes. Normally, a goblin dungeon would be classified somewhere in the C rank, with a recommended level of anywhere between one and seven. This dungeon is level nine.” He stared Brygid and I dead in our eyes, going between us to make sure we knew how serious this was. “A rank.”

My hands clutched the arms of my chair tightly to keep me from leaping out of my seat. “An A rank goblin dungeon? Guild-Master, are you serious? In the first tier, an A rank dungeon would usually be like, an evolved spider dungeon, or rabid lizard people or something. These have to be some fucking crazy goblins to get an A.”

“Indeed they are. The way the scout described it, they were smarter than regular goblins, capable of extended, intelligent speech. But they were also more bestial than regular goblins, attacking like rabid pack animals, not going down until they were killed no matter the injury. Apparently they also had sharper claws and teeth than normal. Honestly, I’m not even sure they should be called goblins, but that’s what Examine called them.”

Brygid took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. It didn’t seem to help that much, and I could still see her chest moving rapidly. She looked to me, and grimaced. “Emmanuel, can we handle that? I mean, I'm just a B rank, and even though you've got an S, you're still just level one right now! And we don't even have a party!"

I crossed my arms with a frown, but nodded, then tilted my head at the Guild-Master. “Mmm, I actually agree. I don’t think we could clear that. Guild-Master, have you examined us and looked at our sheet? Brygid and I aren’t exactly made for group combat. And yeah, I’m only level one. I hate to be a pessimist, but we may have to turn it down.”

The Guild-Master nodded, then grinned and picked up the nuvellum off of the table, rapping it with the back of his hand. “Ah, but you see, I wouldn’t be asking if that was the case. The scout leader, Lakeson Sansom, will be going into the dungeon with you. Plus, I’ve actually given this Quest to one other Adventurer as well.”

Brygid and I looked to each other quizzically. If the Guild-Master hand picked someone else, they had to be someone good.

He chuckled. “Come now, you two didn’t think you were the only interesting kids around, did you?”

Brygid barked out a sarcastic laugh, hooking a thumb in my direction. “Hah! Thanks Guild-Master, but I know my Blessing isn’t all that special compared to Mr. S rank there.”

I frowned, cause that wasn’t true at all. She could fucking fly, for Godking’s sake! That’s cool as hell!

Before I could say anything, Guild-Master Y’mor cut in over me, waving her comment away with his hand. “Brygid, my lass, that’s utter rubbish. There is more to a Blessing, and a person, than just their ranking. That letter is just a loose representation of expected power. That’s it. What makes a Blessing special is the person using it, and how they use it. You can read a person like a book, without ever actually speaking to them, simply from how their Blessing manifests itself.”

He pointed at Brygid, his eyebrows and mustache curving upward in that warm, grandpa-like smile. “And you, miss Brygid Jewel, are a most impressive young woman.”

She looked a little taken aback at that, like it’d been a total shock to her. “W-what? What do you mean?”

“Come now, Miss Brygid,” The Guild-Master said, flapping his hands behind his shoulders, mimicking a pair of wings. “I’m talking about your Blessing, Tinderwings. I don’t have to tell you how rare the ability to fly is before Tier Three, do I?”

Brygid shook her head.

He nodded. “At Tier 3, everyone can cultivate the ability to fly, one way or another. Effectiveness is a different story, but that’s not the point. You, on the other hand, have it as part of your basic abilities. Right away, that tells me that you value your freedom over anything else. You’re scare of becoming trapped in a bad situation, unable to escape. You have a burning passion within you, which is why you specialize in fire-type mana. Not only that, fire creates large updrafts, allowing you to soar, and lift your allies up with you at the same time. You are dependable, determined, and daring. Three very commendable traits.”

As soon as the Guild-Master started that crazy psychoanalysis on her, Brygid’s face blanched, looking like she’d just seen a ghost. By the end, she just looked shocked, which transitioned into a hard look of suspicion at the Guild-Master. “Alright, I’m not sure how you knew all that, but I’d prefer if you didn’t do it again. Very unsettling.”

He nodded in understanding. “Of course. Seeing your barest personality traits just laid out like that can be very jarring at first. Anyway, don’t sell yourself short lass, you’ve got more going for you than you might think. Okay, now back to the actual business at hand—the other kid I gave this Quest to. His name is Strykka Orloft. He’s a Highlander, from way up in the north of the continent. I won’t tell you too much about him, let him do that himself, but I will tell you—just to spark your interest a bit more—that the kid’s got himself an A+ ranked Blessing. And it is preeeeeetty neat. So, there you go, a full party of very talented young people who I believe are completely capable of beating this dungeon. As for your regards to your level, the travel to Cohla should be plenty to get up to at least level 5 if you go monster hunting, and the sheer quantity of goblins you’ll fight in the dungeon will level you up the rest of the way.”

Hmm. Hmm. When he put it like that, it did sound like a pretty good idea. Plus, I did want to meet this Strykka guy. He didn’t stop there either, really trying to work the two of us over on this Quest.

“Think about it. Brygid, you’re guaranteed to get to level ten if you do this Quest. Emmanuel, I’d say you could probably get all the way up to seven or eight, just on a hunch. Plus, the rewards for this Quest are crazy.”

Whelp. That was it. He had me. “Crazy how?”

He grinned. “A huge chunk of EXP, gold, and the entire dungeon’s worth of loot. You’ll get to keep everything you collect, no Guild share necessary. I’ll even throw in something extra special, as a way to help you guys grow into a real party to be reckoned with.”

“What?” Brygid’s eyes were full of excitement, and I could tell she’d bought into it too. We were in this now, for better or worse.

The Guild-Master’s grin took on a distinctly smug look. “Once you hit level ten, I will personally assist each one of you with your Tier Up Quests.”

It took me a couple of seconds to pick my jaw up off the floor. Each Tier had a level cap; 10, 25, 50, and 100. When you hit the level cap for a particular Tier, you must undergo the Tier Up Quest. Its exactly what it sounds like. They’re specific to the person, extremely difficult, and only get harder the higher Tier you are. Many Blessed just choose to stay at Tier 3 because of the obnoxious challenge of the Tier 4 and 5 Quests.

Having the Guild-Master himself helping on a Tier Quest? That’s just cheating! There’s no way you couldn’t pass!

Brygid and I didn’t even bother looking at each other. I was planning on saying yes anyway, but with that as an incentive? We both belted an enthusiastic reply at Guild-Master Y’mor.

“Sir, yes sir!”

“Sir, yes sir!”

-Dong!-

Quest Update!

Name: Path of the Chosen: First Step

Current Objective: Meet the Guild-Master and see what he has to say to Foronea’s newest Chosen. [COMPLETE!]

Rewards: None.

New Objective: Travel to the village of Cohla, a small community located to the northeast of the capital. Once there, meet up with the leader of the previous dungeon dive. (0/1)

Meet up with Strykka Orloft, another adventurer assigned to this Quest by Guild-Master Y’mor. (0/1)

Optional: Reach Level Five before you reach Cohla Village. (0/1)

Objective Difficulty: Medium

Oh, automatic Quest updates, where would I be without you?

Thanks Syscile. What’s up with that last objective though? Any particular reason I should reach level five before getting to the village?

Nothing in particular. Just that it may be helpful for you. Her voice actually had a hint of amusement to it.

Mmmhmm. That wasn’t suspect at all. I’m going to go ahead and consider getting to level five as non-optional then, just in case.

As we gave our answers, the Guild-Master stood, his face lighting up in a bright smile. He came over to the front of the counter, and clasped the two of us on the shoulder, bringing us into a tight hug. His brilliant mustache tickled the back of my neck. “Aha! Wonderful, wonderful!”

After the jolly embrace, the Guild-Master stepped back, grabbed the sheet of nuvellum, and handed it to me.

-You’ve acquired [Cohla Village Letter]-

“Alright you two, is there anything you need before you hit the Road?”

I nodded my head vigorously. “Holy shit, yes. I’m gonna need a ton of potions.”

Brygid chimed in as well. “Yeah, I need some too. Plus, camping supplies. If we’re gonna be on the Road for five whole days, we need a tent.”

He nodded. “Ah, yes. I imagine that for you, Emmanuel, potions are going to be of the highest necessity. I have to say, I think you have one of the riskiest Blessings I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something. Give me just one second.”

Guild-Master Y’mor walked back around his desk, sat down in his chair, then made some hand waving motions. I couldn’t see anything happen, but I’m sure it was some special Guild-Master only screen. After a couple of seconds, he turned his view back to us and gave us a thumbs up. “Alright kids. I just made a quick call down to the Requisitions Office and told them to hook you up with anything you guys think you’ll need. Just tell Gracie to lead you there and then lead you out of the Guild when you’re done. Don’t want you getting lost. Once you get to Cohla, have the chief send another letter to the Guild letting me know. Good luck kids, be safe, and make sure to teach those goblins what happens when they get ahead of themselves.”

I bowed to Guild-Master Y’mor, reaching across his desk to grab his hand and give it a good shake. “Thank you so much Guild-Master! It’s been my dream to join the Guild my whole life, and I can tell I made the right choice.”

“Of course, lad! Like there was ever any doubt! The Guild is here for anyone, and everyone. And let me tell ya, you don’t know how much of a relief it is to me that you seem to be a decent kid. If you had a bad attitude, this conversation would have gone a whole lot different. Even in the first Tier, a shit ass brat with an S rank can cause a lot of damage.”

Brygid shook hands with him next, her face beaming with pride. “Guild-Master Y’mor, thank you for all of your kind words. I’ll keep what you said in mind, and I can’t wait to take you up on that offer to get me through my Tier Up Quest!”

“Absolutely, young Brygid! All those numbers and letters are important, but they’re not everything. With proper planning and use of your abilities, you’ll find yourself capable of taking on much greater threats than the numbers alone would suggest. Don’t let yourself get caught up in them, and don’t worry about comparing yourself to our special little lad there too much.” He pointed at me with a smirk. “I think he’ll need you more than you need him, eh?”

Brygid snorted. “Hah! So, just business as usual then, huh?” She nudged me in the ribs. “I’m always taking care of your ass.”

“Yeah, and I always say thank you, so there.” I stuck my tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.

She rolled her eyes. “Real mature Big E.”

We all laughed, then Brygid and I headed out of the Guild-Master’s office and back out into the hallway.

Gracie was waiting for us as we exited the Guild-Master’s chambers, softly bouncing on the soles of her feet in excitement. “Soooo, how’d it go?”

I grinned and flashed her a thumbs-up. “Why don’t you go ahead and take us down to the Requisitions Office, and I’ll fill you in.”