Tim first had a hearty meal of what tasted like beef on some fresh-baked bread, a thick slice of cheese, and smothered in something like horseradish sauce, washed down with a light ale. Then he found himself sitting in the guild master’s office. Simon had offered to leave, but Charles asked him to stay. Tim sat there in silence as the guild master looked across his desk. Simon leaned against the wall, apparently oblivious to them.

This lull gave Tim a chance to look around the room. What a man had in his private office was always telling. Tim had been in the office of various bosses over the years. Some decorated their spaces with various sports memorabilia, while others had pictures of exotic vacations with a hot girlfriend, sometimes different girls. Others had hand-drawn pictures from their children on the wall.

The point was that they all showed what was important to them, and that was information that Tim could use to know how to talk to them. It had served him well from the military to his dead-end job. All he really wanted out of work was a paycheck and to avoid doing any more TPS reports than he had to. Certainly, he didn’t want to have come in on the weekend.

Not that the system was flawless because sometimes bosses were just jerks. It was just about maximizing whatever free time that he would have. So, he had to ask himself what this office told him about Charles. No signs of a family. It didn’t mean he didn’t have one, just that he didn’t put them on display. The bookshelf behind him was largely empty, with only half a dozen books on it, not proudly displayed but haphazardly laid there.

No, the thing that stood out to Tim in this office were the trophies on the walls. There was a mounted wolf’s head, except this wolf must have been larger than a Clydesdale, and then there was an assortment of fangs, horns, feathers, scales, and hides, which must have represented a kaleidoscope of monster types.

This was obviously a man who took his hunting seriously. As Tim looked over the room and its owner, while also being visually scoured, he began to form a picture of what he thought this man might be. He wasn’t just interested in the hunt, but he was proud of the service he had rendered by removing such beasts from the land. There was no way for Tim to be certain, but he was comfortable that he had at least in part pegged Charles.

It occurred to Tim that he could use his Assess skill to learn about Charles, but that raised a question. In some books, he had read that a person you used a skill like that on would know that you were doing it. It was often considered offensive, so Tim had to decide if it was worth risking offending the guild master.

Really, not that much of a decision. He needed information and figured he could always plead ignorance. No point in hesitating. He activated the skill and felt the small amount of mana drain out of him. At four mana per second, he could maintain it for over twenty seconds, not factoring in whatever his mana regen might be.

Name: Charles Godfried

Race: Human-Sojourner

Level: 19th

Faction: Terran

At first, Tim could only think about how underwhelming the results were, and so he dropped the skill. Maybe if he applied it for longer or spent more mana? Hmm, then he realized it was actually consistent with the skills description, and the guild master’s level was simply too high. He guessed he should be grateful that it revealed the basic information.

Tim studied the man’s face and couldn’t determine any sign that the attempted invasion of his privacy had been detected. There was no change in his stony, impassive expression, and Tim didn’t think that was only because of the thick beard that covered half his face.

Well, might as well try again. This time he focused the skill on Simon to see what he would get.

Name: Simon Benholt

Race: Human-Sojourner

Level: 16th

Faction: Terran

Gen: 3rd

Class: Monk

Hit Points: 375

Mana: 292

That was a much more respectable level of information. Enough so that Tim decided it was time to see what he could gain more info by applying more mana to Assess. However, it soon became a moot point.

Suddenly, Charles spoke in his deep gravelly voice, “So, what am I supposed to do with you?”

Tim wasn’t sure if the question was purely rhetorical or if he was supposed to answer. That Charles continued on a moment later clarified no answer was needed.

“It would have been earth-shaking enough to get a 19th level 1st gen, but that wasn’t enough for you. Nope, not for you. You had to have some freakish metamorphosis. You just don’t know how hard you are making my job, do you?”

Tim couldn’t help but grin. “It’s not exactly like I asked to come to Iocusinte either?”

“Of the seven council members besides myself, three agreed that your potential benefit as a resource outweighs the current threat, two others want you banished to the Untamed Lands, and the other two want you thrown in the dungeon so we can monitor you.”

“Sounds like you have the majority. So it’s not an issue,” Tim said.

“It isn’t that simple. The four in favor of the outcomes you would find less desirable were willing to agree on booting you out of the guild. If that happened, then you wouldn’t have any value to the guild, and so some of the others would have come around to at least banishment. If it weren’t for the tiebreaker vote, then you would have likely found yourself deep within the Untamed Lands by morning.” The stout guild master’s tone grew grimmer as he spoke.

Tim asked, “First, what are the Untamed Lands, and second, who is the tiebreaker? Sounds like I owe whoever that is a round of beers.”

“As for the Untamed Lands, the short answer is that it is all the land that is not controlled by one of the four nations. The long answer is that you will find out more about it soon enough—just hopefully with a party at your back rather than solo,” Charles said. Then he glanced over at Simon. “As for the tiebreaker, if the council is tied, and it is a matter of immediate security, then I can break the tie myself. I could have invoked that since those opposed to you were saying you are a threat. I didn’t want to invoke that because I wanted to avoid looking biased towards you after I claimed you as an apprentice.”

“So, who then?”

Simon coughed and said, “That would be me. The guild’s gatekeeper has the tie-breaking vote in general matters.”

“Well, I have to say I’m a little surprised. Honestly, I thought after the courtyard the other day that you would be my biggest detractor. Kinda explains better why you have been so helpful to me today.”

“I saw your potential, and I am willing to believe that you didn’t have control. That is something you will need to remedy post haste. Otherwise, you slip from asset to liability,” Simon said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tim asked.

“It means that your ass belongs to us, boyo. We are gonna work you so hard that you will wish you had been thrown in the dungeon,” the guild master said.

Tim’s eyes squinted and his eyebrows came together as he asked, “What sort of work?”

A big grin sprouted on Simon’s face. “Why adventuring work, of course. Just some quests.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

Simon burst out laughing. “Apparently, he has never heard of escort quests.”

“Ugh,” Tim groaned.

“Yeah, the Silver Eagles lost their fourth team member but are supposed to start an important escort in just a couple of hours. They are probably desperate enough to take you on with them.”

“Silver Eagles?”

Charles said, “Each four-man adventuring team is registered with the guild, ranked, and chooses a name for themselves. They are a group of truebies?”

“Truebies?” Tim raised an eyebrow.

Simon chimed in, “Rule of Four applies again. Teams leveled 1-5 are Iron, 6-10 are Gold, 11-15 are Mithril and 16-20 are Diamond. Truebies is slang for mithril-ranked adventurers. They are truly beyond what normal people can be.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, but I’m level 19. Doesn’t that mean I should be on a diamond team?”

Now it was Charles’ turn to laugh with a deep, guffawing bellow. It went on long enough that Tim began to suspect the man was intentionally extending it. “You, boyo, are more of a newbie than a truebie. There is more to any rank than just level. There is experience, gear, trust, and teamwork. Even if there were any diamond teams with an opening, none of them would have accepted you.”

Tim’s face got red. A part of him realized he deserved that. His humiliation distracted him enough that he didn’t even notice the meaningful glance that Charles gave to Simon when the monk had started to say something. Finally, once he swallowed his pride, Tim asked, “So will these Silver Eagles have me on their team if I’m so under-equipped.”

Charles answered, “Well, by all rights you should be hunting rat tails in the sewer or gathering mushroom caps in the Dark Forest, but events being what they are, I need to speed your training up a bit. Don’t go getting too big for your britches, though. You are still a noobie, and if you mess this up, you will find yourself trading in rat tails for coppers before you know it.”

“That doesn’t answer whether they will have me, and what do you mean by events being what they are?”

“They are desperate. They took this contract a month ago and before they lost their healer. As for the other, it’s above your paygrade, so don’t worry about it, probie. Now, Simon will take you down there, but as your mentor, I am expected to give you a bit of a leg up, and I can’t have you dying on your first mission.”

As he finished speaking, Charles got up and walked over to a cabinet built into the wall. It was so masterfully crafted that Tim had thought the doors were just wood paneling in the wall. When the door popped open, he couldn’t see much as his view was blocked by Charles’ wide back, but he still could see that there was a small assortment of items, ranging from rings and bracelets to armor.

The guild master looked back over his shoulder at Simon and asked, “You said sword and board, right?” After the monk nodded, Charles continued, “And mobility and vision skills.”

Simon said, “Yes. Leap, Dark Vision… oh, and Bow Proficiency.”

Charles shook his head and said, “Hmmm…” as he continued to rifle through the cabinet. When he finally turned around, the bearded bear of a man laid several items on his desk.

Tim looked at a sword, shield, pair of bracers, two rings, and a crossbow that were all set down.

“So, this is better than basic starter gear. I see that you have some of that, but I need to make sure that the guild master’s apprentice at least has some magical gear,” Charles began.

“Thank you. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing, but you have to formally accept me as your mentor. Since you are a warrior, it seems like a good fit. Then if you formally accept the position as my apprentice, one-fourth of your loot comes to me as recompense, and since you are still a probationary member, the first half goes to the guild coffers,” Charles said.

“So, I keep 25% of what I loot?”

“Yes, until you earn full guild membership.”

“Okay, I don’t see that I have much choice about it.”

“Correct on that account, boyo. Now, I think Simon said you got the Assess skill. It isn’t a terrible choice, even if you likely will drop it later on. It is a skill more often kept by those classes who fill a scout role in a group. Warrior is not well suited to it but could perform it in a pinch. Anyway, use it on the gear and then put it on. I think you will find it all to your liking.”

Razor Edge Long Sword

Wt: 3.0

Offense: 2-9

Requirement: Flexibility-14, Hardiness-14, Level-6, Sword Proficiency

Effect: +1 damage, +5% critical strike

As Tim picked it up and looked at it, Charles said, “Given that you have such a remarkably high sword skill level, I figured that an increase in damage would be better than an increase in accuracy. Just like all the other pieces that I am giving you, you will want to upgrade it, but this will get you started.”

“Thank you for all of this. Just gonna say that once, so I don’t have to keep repeating it,” Tim said, then he set the sword down and picked up the shield and slid it on his arm. The skill was uploaded into his mind, and he instinctively knew exactly how to position the shield and could even anticipate how it would feel to take a blow on it. Yet for all of that, he had never held an actual shield in his life.

Flame Resistance Shield

Wt: 3.0

Defense: 2

Requirement: Acuity 12

Fire Resistance: +25

“It is important to have some resistance gear as a warrior. You will do fairly well against physical damage, so magic is the key thing to look out for. By your level, normally a warrior would have interchangeable sets of elemental resistance for each different type of resistance. I felt you would need at least a couple of resistance pieces.”

Tim nodded and then assessed both of the rings.

Adept Life Ring

Wt: 0.1

Hit Points: +50

Ring of Grounding

Wt: 0.1

Electrical Resistance: +15

Simon added, “Fire is the most common element used in attacks, and metal armor makes you extra vulnerable to electrical attacks.”

Tim then moved onto the bracers, which turned out to be a set.

Toxophilite Bracers

Wt: 0.25 (each)

Left Side: +25% accuracy to all bows

Right Side: +10% damage to all bows

Set Bonus: +25% range to all bows

Since Tim hadn’t revealed that his Bow Proficiency had been upgraded, it made sense that Charles would want to increase his skill with the bow. That left just one item for him to Assess.

Crossbow of Venom

Wt: 6.0

Range: 1000 feet

Dmg: 4-15

Effect: Adds poison effect to any bolt that is fired by the bow. Deals 2 damage every 4 seconds for 1 minute.

Charles turned to Simon while Tim was putting on the gear and said, “Please introduce our new probie to the Silver Eagles and get him a couple dozen crossbow bolts and a dozen healing potions from the guild inventory.”

“Yes, sir.” Simon moved to the door and waited for Tim to follow.