"Hello," I greet the woman we met at the access ring for the Crystal Dungeon last night.

She turns and faces us as we stop a few feet away from her team. There are fifteen of them, like she mentioned, and as we approached, I did a headcount. It looks like they have three healers, six warriors, and six mages. A rounded team, and there are probably at least three with Treasure Hunter, possibly including at least one of their Healers. My guess is that they have at least two of each type of mage, too, with each mage having at least two types.

"You came," she says.

"Yes," I respond. "We came."

"Okay," she says, then turns back to her team. "These are the two young men I was telling you about, Drake and…"

She looks at me.

"I never did hear your name."

"You don't need to know it," I state. "Shall we be going?"

She tries to appraise me for a few moments, then decides to give up. The less that is known about me, the better. Hopefully, the Wind Guardian won't do anything that makes my identity obvious. I really don't want to be compared to my brothers or thought of as the next Oracle.

With luck, Drake and I will be able to go into the trial, get the Crystal of Power charged with the element of wind, then leave without this team here finding out who I am.

The mage finishes the checks for her team, then the seventeen of us set off, Drake and I hanging back a little, not fully joining the team.

"Are there any Dungeons along the way?" Drake asks me.

"No," I answer. "There is a tavern around where we'll reach tonight, and another where we'll reach tomorrow night. The night after that, we'll reach the town outside of the Wind Shrine, the place where nearly all Wind Guardians are born."

"What determines who becomes the next Wind Guardian?" He asks.

"No one's entirely sure," I answer. "As we told you before, though, it's almost always someone from the area around the Wind Crystal. They're almost always primarily a Wind Mage, too."

"I heard the current one's a beauty," one of the warriors falls back to join us. "Never seen her myself, of course, but we've heard stories."

"I suppose she might be beautiful," I shrug.

"Have you met her?" He sounds a little surprised.

"She didn't tell you?" I indicate the mage leading the group. "The Wind Guardian is my cousin. We've met a few times."

Mostly when I lived in the capital still, though she did come to meet with Granny a couple of years ago, and we met then, too. Now that I think about it, could her visit to Granny have been about the fading wind of the world? How long ago did they start denying trial attempts?

"I didn't know she leaves the shrine," the warrior says. "I thought the Crystal Guardians had to remain at them at all times."

"They don't," I state. "Though the trial for their Elemental Crystal can't be performed unless they give permission. However, since those are requested rarely enough, it's not common for someone to show up while they're gone."

"I see," he says. "So you're going to visit your cousin, huh?"

"It's been a couple of years since I last saw her," I state. "Drake and I were passing by, so we decided to stop over and say 'hello'."

"Jennifer said you claim she's refusing any trials right now," he says.

"She is," I state. "It's a temporary thing, but all of the Crystal Guardians are refusing trial attempts at the moment."

"Why?" He asks.

"Because they are."

"You aren't very sociable, are you?" He asks.

It's not that, it's just that the less that's known about the issue, the better, and the less that's known about me, the better. I have to be short with them on some things as protection.

"You're quite nosy, aren't you?" I ask.

"Sorry," he picks up his pace for a few steps to rejoin the others.

The walk turns silent after that, with various members of the team ahead of us occasionally looking back to Drake and me, but saying nothing. After about an hour, we enter the forest, and the group ahead of us turns tense. They're expecting to have to deal with bandits and monsters, I'm guessing.

Harassing people who travel this trail isn't profitable for bandits due to the rarity of someone going to the Wind Shrine, so there aren't any here, and the monsters nearby don't bother people walking the path. I suppose the team has needed to deal with those on their trip down here, though.

Their formation has tightened up, and they've decreased how much they're talking. Obvious attempts at not drawing notice and decreasing chances of someone getting hurt. At least, that's supposedly the reason for walking so close together. It never made any sense to me, no matter how many times Daniel and Cassidy explained it.

A glance at Drake shows me that he's more interested in the forest around us. Right, this is his first proper forest, and I'm sure he's sensing the magic in the enchanted forest, even from here. From what I've heard from a couple of others, the magic of the enchanted forest leaks out into the area around it.

Which is why there aren't too many settlements too near to it – the magic of the forest alters the plants and animals around it.

I suppose that's part of why the team is nervous. They've probably heard the stories of the alterations and how dangerous some monsters could be. Even with them all being Tier III and with a newly-made Tier IV, they're probably worried something strong might come this way.

Bored, I start whistling, though I make sure my face is still concealed by the cowl of my hood for when they look at me. Sure enough, I notice them turning to look at me a few times, and though I can't see their faces because of the angle of my head, I'm sure they're all looking mighty worried.

I increase the volume of my whistling.

After a few more minutes, Drake decides to speak up.

"Why are you whistling?" He asks, and I stop whistling.

"To show that there's nothing to worry about," I answer. "First, beasts generally won't attack a decent-sized group of people without a good reason or unless they've gone a bit mad in the head. Dungeon monsters attack because they're literally magical constructs designed to attack. Second, if bandits were a problem here, we'd have a pretty decent issue."

"What do you mean?" One of Jennifer's teammates asks as I stop walking, Drake stopping when he notices that.

Everyone else stops in the next few moments, shifting so that they're all looking at us, probably without realizing it. It's funny how that can happen. When the person or people all focus rests on does something, others tend to follow them subconsciously.

"We're a decent-sized group heading to the Wind Shrine," Drake points out. "What are the odds there's anyone in this group who doesn't have at least two Tier III Classes? What are the odds of a group even going to the Wind Shrine if they aren't upper-Level?"

Even as oblivious as he can be, Drake's still pretty intelligent. It doesn't surprise me that he caught that. I'm sure if these guys were more experienced or not from the sticks like Hovering Heights, they'd have probably thought about that, too.

"He's right," I state. "In order for banditry to be profitable on this path, there would need to be two things. First, there would need to be much higher traffic. From my understanding, it can be months between trips from Sacred Gale to the Wind Shrine. Second, the bandits would need to be of either higher number or higher Tier than the groups traveling. With either of those, it means that there is a serious problem with bandits. Higher numbers means a lot more criminals, which necessitates intervention. Even if this isn't part of the kingdom, soldiers would still be sent to deal with it. If bandits are having higher Tiers and Levels than normal adventurers, especially ones undergoing the trials to charge a Crystal of Power, then the threat level they pose is high."

The team looks at us, and I'm sure they're realizing the logic behind that. For them to have reached where they are, they probably put in a lot of effort and traveled as quickly as possible. It's even likely they've faced bandits a few times, but never on a path like this one before.

"How long did it take you all to reach Tier III in two Classes?" I ask.

"Around two years," Jennifer answers. "We set off on our goal for this two years ago. We had to leave the continent temporarily for some Dungeons, and were delayed due to monster attacks and bandits more than once."

They probably could have reduced their trip by half a year or more without those delays.

"Well," I say. "Keep this in mind, should you ever have need to come here again. There's also a third thing you should be aware of."

"What?" She asks.

I step over to the side of the path and tap a small pedestal made of white stone. It stands four feet in height and eighteen inches thick, perfectly squared on the sides. Three inches above the ground and three inches from the top, a one-inch-thick depression colored dark blue wraps all the way around it. Floating above the pedestal is a pale blue crystal around eight inches in height, the crystal itself emitting a soft, bluish-white glow.

"I'm sure you're wondering what these are," I state.

"To help light the path, right?" She asks. "Not very useful during the day, with the sunlight, but-"

"No," I state. "They're located every hundred yards, there isn't a chance in hell they'd be useful for that when it's dark."

"What are they used for?" One of the men in the party asks.

"They're wards, of a sort," I state. "Relics from the Ancients, as far as anyone can tell. They generate a field of around a hundred and fifty yards that prevents beasts from attacking while within it. You likely won't see any beasts at all while walking along the path and if you do, they'll leave you alone as long as you leave them alone."

That's the simpler explanation. Cassidy and Daniel gave me a more thorough explanation a few years ago, when they mentioned them to me. However, the full power of the crystals isn't public knowledge, and only because of who I am – and who Granny is – did they tell me. It's likely I'd have learned anyway, especially now that I know what I'm meant to inherit.

The true purpose of the crystals isn't as a ward, which is why beasts can still enter it and even cross our paths.

Whoever made these wards understood how to create magical objects, a lost art. That's why we believe them to have been made by the Ancients, especially considering their real purpose.

The crystals create a hostility-neutralization zone. Whether a person or a beast, any form of physical hostility is ceased. Our emotions aren't suppressed, so people can still be angry and get into arguments, but it won't come to blows.

Some people are able to resist the effects, but according to Cassidy, it takes an immense willpower, something the System doesn't help with at all. A child has as much a chance of resisting it as the most powerful adventurer.

Animals are more sensitive to detecting such effects, which is why most beasts avoid the area. They aren't affected when it comes to hunting for food, but if it's just out of hostility or to attack a person without provocation, the field will affect them.

Daniel said he theorizes they were created to ensure people can travel to the Wind Shrine safely. Even just blocking someone's path can be neutralized by their effect, which is part of why bandits won't be found on paths with the neutralization crystals, even ones that would ordinarily be excellent for thieving.

Apparently, the effect affects even those intending to block a path, and simply walking towards them while they intend on preventing passage would result in them moving to the side, unable to keep up that hostility.

Thinking about it now, I have to wonder if being a psychic would help me resist it. It is an effect of the mind after all, so it's possible. It's also possible that my will is strong enough already that I could resist it, too. Despite how Drake is, I'm pretty sure he's immune to the effects as well.

But if my willpower isn't strong enough, could my bloodline help protect me? Would where I am now be enough? Or would I need to develop my powers even more?

None of that really matters at the moment, though. I doubt anyone in the party would be able to resist the effects, so we aren't in any danger, no matter how much I annoy them with my whistling.

"Let's keep moving," I say. "The path will widen up for a little bit around lunchtime, we can stop there to eat. The longer we stay here talking, the more likely we'll end up reaching the tavern after nightfall."

The party hesitates for a moment, then turns around and resumes walking. While they're still quiet, they do seem much more relaxed now. They're taking the word of a stranger, but the way they're moving and looking around says they're doing so only tentatively.

I begin whistling again.

"Two years is pretty impressive," I stop whistling after ten minutes. "Most people who reach two Tier III Classes take a decade or more to do it. Then again, most people also spend time training between Classes and new Tiers. It improves survivablility."

Most also stop after one, retiring from adventuring to become guards. Only when someone has a big goal, like me, Drake, and this party, do they often continue, because it involves traveling the world in order to become stronger.

"We thought about that," one of the women tells me. "But we didn't want to waste too much time. With the air becoming difficult to breathe in Hovering Heights, we don't want to wait too long. We know that some of us will probably die during the trial, we know we almost did when we got the Crystal of Power. But we've come to accept that in exchange for saving our people."

"Admirable," I state. "But don't rush too hard. As I said before, it's unlikely the Wind Guardian will allow you to do the trial. If that's the case, I would suggest visiting the Oracle. She's down near Silent Valley. If you visit her, she may have some advice which can help save your people without a wind-charged Crystal of Power."

"I don't understand you," one of the men tells me. "You seem gruff and rude, but at the same time, you act like you're trying to help us."

"We all have our things," I state. "If you do get rejected, visit the Oracle. If she tells you to wait awhile, then do so. Train up your abilities then. I'm sure none of you had really used a weapon before you linked into the System. Hovering Heights isn't exactly a den of danger."

With my lifetime of training, I could probably take on half of them just by avoiding most of their attacks and doing the same thing to them as I did to Drake, when I showed him how skill and training can trump superior strength and speed.

If they'd all trained properly, though, rather than simply went through Dungeons and trained between, then I'd probably not be able to handle them. Once actual skill gets mixed in, it becomes much more difficult.

That's why Cassidy and Daniel will always be able to defeat me in a one-on-one fight – both are stronger, faster, and more experienced than me.

"You know something, don't you?" Jennifer asks. "About why she's refusing entry to the trial."

"I do," I state. "I also know it's temporary, and that if you wait long enough, the problem with the air will resolve itself."

"We don't have long enough," she says. "The wind-"

"I still recommend the Oracle," I state. "She'll be able to tell you how long before it's truly a problem and if you'll need a wind-charged Crystal of Power. But again, that's only if my cousin refuses you entry into the trial. You never know, she just might make an exception."

Especially after Drake and I explain things to her.