Amberhorn

Sorry about the wait, a lot has been going on over the past month and a half. Saw my parents for the first time in five years. Picked up drawing a lot more and have been putting together a plan to move states again. The current chapter gave me a few little issues especially when I had to redo it a good number of times. Should go faster now though. Thanks for your patience and sorry for the wait! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy it!

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Beryl looked on with concern as she grabbed one of my horns and raised my head. 

"I'm fine."

I rolled my eyes, my jaw hanging to the point my teeth barely contacted each other. My reply was abrupt and rude but I felt it best to actually press this concern out of my mind. It was one thing to trust others with my concerns-

But that dream? That dream still has me feeling shaky. The monster looked familiar too.

I groaned as I dropped my arms to the table. My unsteady state aside, Beryl, Vaughn, and I were all sitting in a small room underneath the city keep. We waited for Callum to return with a supposed update on the day's events. We were to perform a task for the adventurers guild regarding our admission. 

Something about evaluation… some exams and grading. Ugh, I'd appreciate some free time right now. 

“For shite's sake are we gonna be here all day?”

I looked at the set of wooden doors, the only entrance to the room. We were roughly four meters under the streets above for the time being. I would have to ask Lorn at a later time, but I was sure the structure we'd seen already alluded to some form of an extensive network of tunnels underneath the keep. Extensive halls, large enough for a caravan wagon to fit within their confines. Rooms that had no source of light or fresh air save a small hole that led to the surface or a small crystal.. Amongst it all, cleanly cut wood laced the foundations, walls, and ceilings as if the tunnels were cut straight through them. Lastly, the occasional wooden floor that assisted in passing over rooms was too closely spaced to allow any other material in use.

 "I doubt anyone would be happy if we searched them out. They're probably still setting things up. Wouldn't be much of a test for us to take them in the guild hall or outside the city in the open."

Vaughn leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed.

"I assumed we'd be doing a number of tests regarding our physical limits. Though, that's all they have you do deep in the Empire. Mother Sophia never was an adventurer and Mother Cressida wasn't either."

Beryl placed her elbows on the table surface as we each brooded in boredom. 

"Testing aside. Kiyomi, we noticed something was up when we saw you this morning. You've been talking oddly as if you hadn't just seen us last night." 

Beryl leaned to one side, cushioning her weight on one of her arms.

"Slept badly, on the couch in my living room after exhausting my mana I think."

I shrugged Beryl's question aside with a 'realistic' answer and averted my eyes.

The last thing I need to do is bother you two with that. You need to focus on the testing, not me.

I grimaced and looked back to Beryl, the Lamia unperturbed by my attempt to divert the conversation.

We sound like Beryl did before the pass. I should give her something at least.

Just as Beryl squinted and was about to ask further.

"What exactly do you two think the tests are going to result in? Callum worded it like it was a favor, and no one else will say a word."

Vaughn was next to speak, his chair suddenly clattering as the two suspended legs dropped downward. He looked downward at me as his face was directed upward. 

"Realistically, probably just some kind of test to get our 'Scri'. There's no way we'd be in the keep for any other reason given they want us out of trouble."

Vaughn looked back up to the ceiling after speaking, Beryl humming in unison with his words as if she agreed. Given what knowledge we each had, I'd be inclined to agree with them. One of the hallmark events of an Adventurer on the frontier was to get their 'Scri' or Specialized characterization reports and identification. 

Would we really be getting that so soon? Am I being too slow with Kiyomi's recovery?

I nodded to the side, keeping silent and looking at my sword. It leaned against the same wooden table Beryl and Myself leaned upon.

"Aren't we a bit young for them to license us yet? Even with the Revenants, Mama had to reach fourteen before they registered them."

I asked, still curious about the other's thoughts.

"Eeeh, I don't know. From what I've heard the guild has taken in adventurers as young as thirteen for simple foraging or crop protection. A kid in the wilderness might be dead meat, but against a rat in a crop field?"

Beryl idly tapped the table surface.

"Kiyomi, we are way outside the norm for our age. Vaughn and I were already anticipating this, and you weren't?"

Exceptional or not, would it be right?

A knock at the door silenced me as I was just about to respond.

"Children? I'm here to take you to the evaluation area."

"Okay, meeting in session. As Guild Mistress and president of this council, I will let it be known once more that there is no turning back. Does everyone understand?"

Lorn spoke firmly and clearly as she looked at each person at the table. Sophia, one of Beryl's mothers. Gregor, Vaughn's father. Callum, Kiyomi's uncle and master of the other two party members. Maria, caretaker to the Revenant household. And lastly, Avery, undertaker for the guild.

"Each of you has an affirmative role in the development of these adventurers. As their guardians and teachers, you understand what will come to pass should your teachings be insufficient?"

Lorn asked for the sake of tradition, though each person responded firmly. Even Callum, whose usual lighthearted demeanor was absent in place of his firm teaching practice.

"Aye."

"Yes."

"I understand."

"I am conflicted, but yes."

All but Maria, who was unfortunately volunteered for her position. She understood the meaning of the meeting and its results all too well, yet felt out of place.

Should we not wait for Hatsumi's return? Why am I to take place of Kiyomi’s guardian?

Maria thought that but understood already. Hatsumi was the direct reason the event was only now coming to pass.

"If that wildcat were here, this wouldn't be occurring and she'd have that girl in her shadow for years. If it's going to happen, it needs to happen now where she can't interfere."

Lorn sighed near the tail end of her sentence, looking over the table in front of them. On it, was a layout of the arena they were about to drop the children into. It was an old fighting pit, used to kill monsters for sport initially. Now it serves a more justifiable purpose in allowing a controlled environment to gauge the skill of each new adventurer and their team. 

They're more ready for this than most I've seen.

Lorn thought as she looked over their administrative scrolls.

"First and foremost, we're all in agreement on whose the weakest link?"

Each individual in the council nodded, some more disappointed than others. Callum took the reigns of the conversation from this point.

"Kiyomi is unmatched in raw power, but she seems to care more about collateral damage. Covering for Beryl and Vaughn so to speak. If she were equipped to do so traditionally, it would be a different story, however-"

Looks were shared between himself and Greggor.

"The other two have displayed not only through training, but their continued escapades with the girl that they're more than capable. At this point, she's hindering them because each one has to mind the other on the field."

This time, Gregor spoke, tapping the drawing of the arena.

"With this in mind, our chosen target should be barely within their capabilities. Alongside that, the sheer ground to cover against a wyvern means they'll be sufficiently separated."

Gregor raised a wooden cup from the table to his lips and drank before continuing.

"That being said, caution is each of our primary concerns. Thanks to each of our efforts, we have two dozen mercenaries and adventurers proficient in healing magic. This should account for any inherent danger."

The wooden cup clattered against the table as it left Greggor’s hand.

“The only thing now is determining their optimal class by the end of it.”

Avery spoke next, the Arachne crossing her arms as she eyed the mocked layout of the arena. With everyone now looking to Maria, Lorn uttered the words they all awaited.

"Bring them to the arena."

"We've been walking a while, Maria, how much farther?"

Beryl asked aloud, Vaughn and myself nodding along in agreement.

"Not much longer, the evaluation area is directly underneath the keep…"

Maria was silent after her answer, the clack of her heels sounding off against wooden boards. A few moments after, she looked at us with a glance over her shoulder.

"You all know what exactly the evaluation is, correct?"

To which Vaughn excitedly answered.

"I've heard from a few adventures that they have you fight some lower-level monster to see if you can hack it!"

Maria sighed. 

“Somewhat close. How many adventures have told you each of their own evaluations?”

Maria tried her best for some reason to press her words forward. Her voice was strained for some reason. It seemed like an ideal topic to calm my nerves at the time, but there were truly few opportunities I made myself. Of all my preparation and work I was doing to set Kiyomi up for an easy start, I never once asked how exactly one was admitted into the guild.

“I’m a blank slate here.” 

I said with a shrug.

“Vaughn and I checked around so we have plenty of stories for you, Kiyomi. You’re the youngest so it’s kinda expected.”

Beryl turned to me as she slithered, choosing to look at me as she spoke.

“I’m at the minimum age right now, so it was a matter of time. I started asking around soon afterward got out of the mountain pass”

Beryl placed a finger to her chin while crossing her arms, pondering on which story to recount.

“Yeah, the moment you got her that flower her mind was made up.”

Vaughn blurted his words out without thought, receiving a light whip to the gut in turn. 

“I decided long before that stone’fer’brains!”

Why the fluster with him?

Beryl resumed her place, emotions freshly vented.

“Anyways, it usually involves killing something, meeting some kind of physical feat, and having enough people to actually start a team. As per Guild guidelines, we need three people minimum. By the end of it, our final class will be determined too.”

Wait, what?! I thought we had more time for that one!

Beryl held out three fingers while settling her opposite hand on her hip.

“The feat USUALLY is showing you can outrun or evade some of the more common monsters for the area. In the case you can’t do that, you have to be able to fend one off.”

Beryl glanced away for a moment before resuming.

“In that case, you have to show the resolve to actually kill something. Some kids our age just can’t stomach it, even with their life at stake. It’s even crazier hearing some of the things they have new adventurers fight. Death birds, dire-wolves, raptors-“

“Wait, what about choosing our classes? Do we have to pick-“

Just as I cut Beryl’s words short, Vaughn continued listing off the examples.

“Stalkers, rock lizards…”

Vaughn's own examples were uttered in a less than enthusiastic tone, followed by a sudden silence from him. Beryl and I both looked back at him, wondering what could have locked the lips of the braggart out of us. Stopping dead in our tracks as we looked at Vaughn, we were met by a suddenly pale expression.

“Every team fought something that the Guild master and their mentors thought just within their limits…”

Vaughn looked at us with a look of concern growing in his eyes.

“With what we’ve fought and beaten already, what would they have us fighting now?”

I looked to Beryl, a strange sense of tension unseen now rearing its head. 

“What would they have us fight?”

Beryl remained silent as I asked, and we slowly looked at Maria. We slowly realized the feelings she concealed as she bit the inside of her lips. 

She’s concerned. What could they have us fighting to make her concerned?