Chapter 46

The ruins themselves were only an hour’s walk away from the Guild Branch, hidden in a grove of dense forest. Wil wouldn’t have known anything was out here, if it wasn’t for the well-worn path that weaved its way through the forest.

Judging from what was left, it was once a tower, or possibly a Mage Spire. Time had not been kind to the structure, and he could only find a single, small intact wall, the rest having crumbled long ago or were covered in thick, green moss that nearly hid them from sight.

On the way to the ruins, he had noticed farmhouses with heavy, stone exteriors and he had wondered where they had quarried the rock from. Now, facing the remaining ruins, it was clear that the locals had carted off most of what was left to use in their own homes.

Standing on the edge of the forest, Wil studied the ruins carefully, feeling the mana in the air around him. There were hundreds of others, just like him, who were there to pass this test. The surroundings practically vibrated with the power of so many higher Ranked people in one location.

He could feel a hum of power in the air and smell the magic that he had come to associate with the presence of high rankers.

When he had been in Aachen, there were thousands of mana-users on the wall, but they were low ranked compared to those here. All around him, he felt the mana of people that were comparable to him in strength, as well as those that put his to shame. There were easily dozens of Ranks 8’s and 9’s, something that would be unheard of in Illyria, outside of the academy or the capital.

Their presence made things difficult to sense, but he judged the ruins to be…tamed, or manufactured. It was obvious that the Guild had been in control of the ruins for quite a long time, enough for them to have added layers of their own enchantments and magics to it. Whatever he faced in there, he could be assured that it was by design.

Wil had asked around town before coming here and learned several interesting tidbits. The test did in fact take most of a month to complete, if you wanted the best rewards.

Apparently, the tokens not only gave you a pass, but the ones found in the deepest depths of the ruins gave additional rewards on top of it. It wasn’t advertised, he had to speak to a couple of adventurer’s at the guild to get that information, but they recommended going as deep as he could, and spending the whole month in his explorations.

Shaking off his musings, he focused on what was happening around him. The bored, disinterested woman was gone today, and in her place was an older woman, wearing white mage robes that hung loosely on her skinny frame.

A brief pulse of mana erupted from the woman and into the ground below her. The soil beneath her feet rumbled and stirred, before a massive hand made of earth lifted her into the air as she stood in its palm. It raised her high above the crowd, as a complete arm made of soil stretch into the sky.

‘Impressive control.’ Wil thought, as he studied the spell work. The older mage was a high ranker, to the point he had trouble pinning down exactly how strong she was. From her brief use of magic, he estimated she was at least Rank 14, although she could likely be much higher.

“Good morning, and welcome, potential recruits of our Guild!” The mage’s voice rang out, amplified by magic until it echoed. Looking down from where she stood on the earthen hand, her gaze swept across the hundreds gathered below her.

“I am Amora, and I will be one of the judges overlooking your test. Before you sits the ruined tower of the mad wizard, Abaddon. Four hundred years ago, he raised this tower and conducted his experiments using the locals of this region, before our Guild was contracted to put him down. Since that time, we have conducted extensive explorations into the ruins below.”

“Many of the dangerous experiments and contraptions have been removed, but we have left a wide variety intact for these tests. While you are within, leaving the ruins without a token will be considered a failure. If you wish to forfeit, or you are in danger of death and wish to leave, simply remove your badge from your person, the enchantments within will teleport you here, to this clearing. Doing so without a token will also result in failure.”

“To succeed within, find the tokens we have placed in the ruins. As you have no doubt heard, there are also additional ‘rewards’ for those who delve deep and find the secrets lying within. A silver token will allow you to pass, but a gold token will give you access to our Guild’s vault, where you may retrieve one item of your choice!”

Wil was surprised at the offer, although it made sense. Anyone talented enough to make it deep enough to receive a gold token would likely be skilled enough to pass the final test and join the guild. At that point, their fate would be tied closely to the Guild and whatever they gained would remain in Guild control regardless.

With a final, shouted “Good Luck!” There was a flash of light, and the mage was gone, the hand of earth crumbling back into a pile of dirt.

Shrugging at the theatrical display, Wil checked his equipment, making sure his sword was sitting right on his hip and his bag of holding was secure, before heading towards the ruins.

Dozens of eager test takers rushed ahead, sprinting to be the first to explore the ruins. Wil let them run ahead, the few short minutes head start wouldn’t make much of a difference in a month long exploration, and he wanted to conserve every scrap of energy he could.

Crossing the grassy glen, he walked pass a pile of stone, leftover debris from the towers fall, that were covered in moss. Picking his way carefully over the mossy stones, he followed the others, right in the center of the pack, as they weaved through the ruins, looking for the entrance.

He didn’t have to look hard. The path had been worn by thousands of test takers over the years, making the entrance an anticlimactic discovery, as a well-worn set of stairs descended into the darkness below.

Wil didn’t even need a light, as dozens of floating orbs of mana, or brightly lit torches led the way. Wil even spotted a glowing bird, a bright blue, fluorescent colored raven that flew just over its owner’s head, like a torchlight.

The stone steps were steep, but well cared for. Wil saw a few, newly added structural supports, heavy timber placed to keep stairwell intact. Appreciating the effort to keep the ruins from collapsing on top of his head, even if it did affect the realism, Wil followed the others downwards.

While walking, he saw two collapsed entryways, their entrances completely blocked with soil and debris. It was only after descending three stories that the stairwell ended, and he came to a long hallway, with dozens of doorways and open passageways.

The hallway was bare, but clean, and he saw even more evidence of the care the Guild took to keep the ruins active. Several of the doors in the hallway were hanging ajar, barely intact, but he spotted a few that looked relatively new.

The quicker amongst their group had already selected their passageways, although he doubted it made much of a difference, not this early in the test. Walking slowly to the end of the hallway, the group gradually thinned out as more and more people separated, going their individual ways alone, or in small parties.

It wasn’t until he was at the end of the hallway, facing the bare stone wall, that he made a decision on where to go.

Pulling out the Gold Coin he received in the ‘inner realm’, he felt the warmth travel through his hand and down his arm. Focusing on two doors, he marked one as ‘Primaris’ in his mind, and the other as ‘Aruna’ and flipped the coin. Catching it in his hand, he opened his palm, revealing the three wavy lines of the Sea God.

Nodding, he repeated the process, each time selecting a new door to join the ‘winner’, until he was left with only one option. Pocketing the coin once more, he pushed through the last door on the left, leaving the hallways behind.

“I must be desperate, placing my fate in a coin.” Wil murmured as he stepped through the doorway.

Stretching in front of him was a caved in section of floor. Wil stood in the doorway, at the edge of the awning darkness, that ended with a blank, stone wall. Not seeing any other options, he focused his mana to create a light, before stepping over the edge, letting his body fall into the darkness below.