The hot sun beats down on a young man's back as he swings a wooden sword into the body of a wood and straw training dummy. Beads of sweat roll down his forehead while his short brown hair glistens with the byproduct of his hard work.

"Huff... huff." He pants, taking deep breaths as he pauses his intense training.

The reckless swinging is enjoyable yet unhelpful in terms of honing the young man's sword control and technique. He decides it is time to switch to his real training.

Focusing his breathing and taking a more relaxed stance in the center of the yard, the young man tenses his arm muscles as he swings his wooden sword forward into thin air. This motion is straightforward; a horizontal slicing motion. The way his sword moves is not flashy nor complex.

Each time he swings his weapon in this fashion he feels how his muscles tense and how the sword balances as it whistles through the air. This kind of practice is slow at first. Taking his time to pay attention to the minute details of his horizontal slash is integral to improving his technique from simply satisfactory to excellent.

The young man only ceases swinging his sword once the sun dips into the horizon. The cool afternoon breeze feels pleasant on his sweat-soaked body. He sits the worn wooden sword down beside a beat up iron hoe.

"I think it's finally time." The young man smiles as he steps inside his small farmhouse.

The happy wagging tail of a dog greets him. This small dog is his only companion, and often accompanies him when he trains. The blonde furred dog pants a bit as he rubs his side against his owner's legs.

"Tomorrow we're becoming adventurers." The young man rubs and pats his dog on the head softly.

The sun slowly descends behind the horizon as the young man puts a pot on the stove and boils water for a stew. The smell of the potato stew permeates throughout the small house and wafts through the open windows.

The two of them eat quietly, the dog eating a chunk of venison his owner provided. The man pets his dog while looking at the slowly rising moon in the distance. This peaceful life is pleasant, but it lacks something Erb wants desperately.

He wants to become a hero.

~

Daybreak put the young man in an enthusiastic mood. The sunshine and birdsong provide pleasant ambiance for the start of his journey to becoming a proper adventurer. The young man takes his dog out with him after slinging an old backpack with his meager possessions over his shoulder.

The only weapon the man wears is his beaten up wooden sword in a makeshift leather scabbard. This is rather unimpressive, but the man intends on getting a proper blade once he earns a good bit of coin from adventuring work.

The dirt road into the nearby village is short, and after a few minutes of walking along with his canine friend the man arrives in the small nameless settlement.

"Morning Erb! Going somewhere?" The soft voice of an elderly woman living on the edge of the village greets Erb as he walks by her yard.

Erb smiles at the appearance of his neighbor. She is an elderly lady who is known for sharing baked goods amongst the villagers such as apple pies and apple tarts. Erb has a particular fancy for apple flavored baked goods because of her generous gifts.

"Good morning Mrs. Terry! As a matter of fact I am. I'm becoming an adventurer!" Erb's youthful voice is full of confident determination as he responds good naturedly to Mrs. Terry's question.

The old woman smiles widely at his response before holding up her hand to gesture for Erb to pause his journey for a moment. Erb stops and smirks as he realizes what she is wanting to do. Mrs. Terry steps inside her house after seeing him stop.

She returns shortly thereafter with a small cloth wrapped object in hand. The lovely aroma of apple tarts wafts into Erb's nose as he sighs in anticipation of the delicious baked treat. Mrs. Terry places the cloth wrapped food into his arms with a knowing look. Her somewhat beady dark eyes look into his meaningfully.

"Stay safe out on your travels, Erb. I want you returning in one piece, y' hear?" Her tone is bittersweet as she bids the young man farewell.

Erb nods before suddenly giving the elderly woman a soft embrace. They hug, the bond of theirs like that of a grandson and grandmother. He gives Mrs. Terry one last wave before leaving her at the fence of her yard.

"I'll be back within the year! You'll get to hear all my adventuring stories!" The slight bittersweet tone to his voice is not missed by Mrs. Terry as she bids him a warm farewell.

The elderly woman watches his back until he rounds a corner.

~

Erb is nearly at the opposite edge of the village when he hears a voice call out to him from a path to his right. He stops upon recognizing the voice of the village chief.

"Erb! Hold up a minute!" The middle aged man calls out to Erb with a big smile on his somewhat aged face.

The village chief walks up to Erb accompanied by a woman with her little boy and a middle aged man. Erb recognizes all of them, and is moved by how the majority of the small village gathered upon noticing his departure.

"Chief, I'm glad you caught me before I left for town." Erb smiles like a kid expecting praise from his father. The middle aged village chief nods a bit, sizing up Erb with his old backpack, shaggy blonde dog, dull wooden sword, and aromatic apple tarts.

The curious gaze of the little boy follows the wrapped up apple tarts closely as if he wants to have a bite of the sweet treat.

"I heard from Mina that you are leaving the village for an adventure... I couldn't let the village swordsman go without a farewell!" The chief opens his arms for a quick farewell hug. Mina is Mrs. Terry's first name.

Erb immediately returns the hug to the chief, as he is essentially a father figure that always looks out for him in this quaint village. Their bond is as tight as a real father and his boy. Erb almost tears up as he softly pulls away from the chief's embrace.

"Hey Erb-" The other middle aged man with short stubble on his chin spoke up casually. "Make sure you don't let those big city adventurers look down on you. Show 'em what you're capable of." His voice carries an encouraging tone that expresses how much the man wants Erb to show the world his skills.

Erb smiles and nods his head as a casual acknowledgment. The man is a semi-good friend of Erb's, as is the woman standing beside him. She smiles at Erb and sighs softly.

"Just be careful you don't get too full of yourself while you're out there, Erb. Don't turn out like the awful adventurers I've met." The mother of the little boy shakes her head with a wry smile.

Erb nods vigorously as if he is being scolded. The little boy in front of her is practically drooling at this point as he gazes at the tart in Erb's hands. Erb doesn't say anything as he pulls out one of the apple tarts and passes it to the little boy.

"Thnf 'ew" The little boy somewhat rudely speaks his thanks as he bites into the sweet treat, but that doesn't bother Erb at all. Only the the boy's mother rolls her eyes and scolds him quietly as the Chief gives Erb his final goodbyes.

"You stay safe out there, Erb... and... Take this, please." The chief has a proud expression on his slightly wrinkled features as he holds out a locket.

The bronze locket is fairly poor in value, yet holds sentimental significance. Erb saw a small handwritten note in the frame. The message is small and hardly legible, but Erb knows exactly what it says.

"I'll be sure to take care of this... And I'll be sure to make you proud." Erb smiles wide as small barely noticeable tears form at the corners of his blue eyes.

The chief slaps him on the back encouragingly before turning him toward the road out of the village. The long road ahead will be challenging and hostile, yet with all the support from his village Erb feels as if he has an army backing him.

"Farewell, Erb." The chief waves farewell, watching with the others as Erb resolutely begins marching down the dirt road. The enthusiastic dog beside him keeps up easily while occasionally running ahead or sniffing the rocks and sticks by the side of the path.

~

Several hours pass as Erb walks along the road toward the nearest proper town with his head held high. The air is crisp and clear, carrying both the scent of wheat fields and blooming flowers to Erb's nose.

Holding the cloth wrapped apple tart in one hand, Erb takes delicate bites of the flakey baked treat. His eating is slow and purposeful as he savors every bite of the delicious apple filled treat.

Erb looks up at a signpost posted beside the road he was on. The sign has an arrow cut into one side, pointing in the direction Erb is walking.

"Gnarlbark." Erb reads the sign out loud. He knows this is the name of the nearest proper town, and therefore the nearest adventurers guild branch.

The young man smiles a little as he continues eating his treat while walking down the dirt path toward Gnarlbark. His fluffy dog friend tags along behind him enthusiastically.

~

The sun is nearing the horizon by the time Erb catches sight of the town walls. The walls are nothing compared to the big cities, but to someone who lived his whole life in a tiny village the walls looked like unbreakable mountains.

Erb stares in awe at the imposing monument to civilization ahead of him before remembering he doesn't have time to dawdle. He needs to find a place to stay for the night so he can be well rested for his adventures tomorrow morning.

There are two guards wearing leather armor standing on either side of the large wooden town gates. One of the guards is holding a crossbow idly, while the other is talking to a rather chubby man who is riding atop a small wooden cart which is pulled by a donkey.

"I can assure you I have the qualifications! I'll have you know I am an elite B rank associate of the merchant's guild!" The portly man is red in the face as he speaks to the guard.

Erb patiently stands behind the cart, peering inside the wooden cart to find it is completely filled with liquor. The bottles look like cheap alcohol, and the bottom of the cart is lined with straw.

"Sir, If you don't have your credentials or identification then we can't let you pass with these goods." The guard is unshaken by the flustered shouts of the so called merchant.

The man's leather armor has a large symbol of a gnarled tree dyed onto it. Erb figures this must be a symbol representing the town itself, as the same symbol is carved into the wood of the town gate.

"You- Heed my words, peasant! I will return and you will suffer humiliation when you see my rank in the association!" The man's voice gets shriller as he speaks, and his cheeks become tomato red.

Erb watches this man flounder about like an upset fish socially. He is unsure what the fuss is about, but is glad the conflict is over. The large man steers his cart back down the path he came from.

"State your business." The guard says flatly to Erb, seeing as he is clearly wanting to enter the town much like the man from before.

Erb frowns and looks at the man for a moment before deciding on what to say. He is unsure why he needs an explanation, but will comply nonetheless.

"I'm looking to get registered as an adventurer at the adventurers guild." Erb puffs up his chest slightly as the guard gives him a disinterested nod.

"You may enter." The guard doesn't comment on the pathetic excuse of a sword the boy carries, nor his obvious lack of combat experience.

Both guards use their best efforts to push the heavy wooden doors open, causing them to creak loudly.

"Thank you." Erb nods and steps into the town with a smile on his youthful face. His naive enthusiasm is short-lived as he sees how dirty and sparsely populated the town's streets are.

Erb and his dog wander the streets in search of a place to sleep while disinterested townsfolk pass them by. The pair fit in with the town residents easily.

Eventually Erb notices an inn on the corner of an intersection. The image of a wooden mug with a bundle of wheat carved onto its side adorns a sign hanging above the door to the inn.

Erb pushes the door open and is greeted with a slightly unfriendly atmosphere. The hearth may  be heating the whole of the room to a comfortable temperature, however the somewhat icy gazes of the customers of the Inn are piercing for the out of towner.

Erb gulps silently as he enters with his obedient dog. The eyes gradually leave him and return to their conversations, food, or drink. Erb approaches the bar where a heavyset woman is wiping out a rather sturdy looking wooden mug.

"Welcome to the Oaf's Inn, boy." The woman speaks with a voice that is motherly yet gruff.

Erb reads over the wooden sign posted above the bar. Rooms cost 2 bronze a night, while drink and food cost 1 bronze per plate or mug. The prices are very cheap, yet for someone like Erb this was exorbitant.

"Ah... Just a room, please." Erb puts on his best smile as he takes out two bronze coins, sliding them onto the wooden counter.

The innkeeper takes the coins and drops them into an unseen box behind the counter. She turns and takes a worn metal key off a hook on the wall before putting it on the counter in place of the coins.

"Your rooms the last one on the left. Clear out or pay again by noon." She explains this all while taking out another wood mug and wiping it down.

Erb nods and thanks the innkeeper before guiding his dog upstairs with a slight hurry in his steps. The stares of so many strangers make Erb feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.

The hall upstairs is quite small, however there are four doors on the wall that separated the corridor from the rooms rented out to patrons. The majority of the space is dedicated to the customers on this floor.

Erb walks to his room and uses the worn out key to open the slightly squeaky lock. He steps in along with his dog before hastily shutting and relocking the door behind them.

"Towns sure are... scary." Erb frowns and melts onto the semi soft bed sitting in the bedroom.

The dog got onto the foot of the bed before curling up comfortably in the blanket's fluffy fabric. Erb smiles at his dog's familiar habit.

~

The rising sun and sounds of people going about their business on the streets below wake Erb gently. He sits up and blinks away the fog of sleep. The sight of the unfamiliar room only confuses him for a moment before he realizes where he is.

"Oh shoot, let's hope we're not too late!" Erb slips out of the warm bed and gently pats his dog as he begins dressing himself.

Erb's dog grumbles at the sudden wakeup call, but gets up and shakes his furry body nonetheless. Erb wears a fresh brown tunic with the same pair of trousers he wore the day before. His hand ruffles his short brown hair in a rather pitiful attempt to make it less unruly.

The pair of them burst out of the room and hurry down the hall before making their way downstairs. The dining area of the inn is sparsely populated. Only a pair of older men eating their breakfast are present if you ignore the innkeeper's presence. Erb gives the lady a smile and a wave as he dashes out of the door at a speedy walking pace.

The innkeeper raises an eyebrow and only shrugs as the boy and his dog leave in such a hurry. It's none of her business.

~

Erb's eyes are wide with awe as he gets his first look at an Adventurer's Guild branch. The imposing building could be considered this town's most important building. The guard's barracks and the Mayor's residence paled in comparison to the size and quality of the building.

The large windows out front of the building are crisscrossed with steel painted black, and give it a mixture of beauty and defensive value. Several groups of armed men and women are seen moving about inside the building.

Erb's heart is beating quite fast as he walks up to the heavy braced front door of the guild branch. He opens it with a bit of tugging and is impressed with the practically gleaming interior. This building is far cleaner and well maintained than the Oaf's Inn Erb had just slept in the night before.

The young lady standing behind the service counter eyes up the unfamiliar boy who just entered the building. She frowns internally, however her smile did not fade from her face. This boy Isn't even carrying a proper weapon nor any armor. These kinds of hopeful youths often approach the guild and are turned away after failing the registration tests.

The registration tests were originally nonexistent when the Adventurer's Guild was first founded, however after countless newbie adventurers died due to a lack of qualifications the guild's rules were changed to prevent weak people from entering the guild and getting themselves killed fruitlessly under the guild's name.

"H-Hello! I would like to register as a new adventurer." Erb greets the woman behind the counter with an anxious mixture of unease and enthusiasm.

The young woman is used to handling these types of people. She turned away three young men just yesterday after they had miserably failed to pass the test despite all carrying iron weapons and leather armor. In her eyes this boy was even worse off for his lack of equipment.

"Alright, to do so you must first pass our registration test." The woman's melodious voice is kind sounding, yet her words cause Erb to anxiously shuffle his feet.

Erb heard about the guild many times over the years, but not once did anyone mention this registration test. His anxiety mounts as he takes a deep breath before answering the attendant.

"Oh, well that's fine! When and where do I take it?" Erb's original enthusiasm is losing to the mounting nervousness in his heart.

The attendant nods and pulls out three sheets of paper from within the counter. The first is labeled Physical Assessment. The second is labeled Magical Assessment. The third is labeled Miscellaneous Assessment. These papers are all filled with checkboxes and various numbers to circle for whoever is filling it out.

"You can take it now within a training room downstairs. Your abilities will be assessed by a B rank adventurer." She smiles falsely before calling out to a middle aged man with a scruffy beard sitting at a table nearby.

The man has a very imposing aura that felt as if instead of a man there is actually a full grown bear wearing clothing and pretending to be a human. This feeling is quite intense for Erb who has never experienced anything like an enemy's killing intent. The imposing man has a huge battle axe strapped to his back, and wears bear hide armor that further develops the bear analogy Erb had made in his mind.

"Come, boy." The huge man stands up from his chair and is nearly two heads taller than Erb.

Erb gulps down saliva as he walks a few paces behind the imposing B rank adventurer. His dog whimpers very softly as he follows Erb's heels closely. The huge man introduces himself to Erb in a very stiff manner.

"I am Ursil. Bear Slayer." The huge man's voice is deep and husky. The sound genuinely reminds Erb of a bear's imposing growls.

The stairs go down a short ways before bringing the odd trio into a narrow corridor. Ursil has to duck his head to walk down here. The big adventurer led Erb into an empty training room while cracking his large tense neck muscles. Erb did not want to get on this huge bear killer's bad side.

Ursil holds out his huge hand expectantly and Erb quickly passes him the pages along with a fancy looking ink pen the attendant had provided. Ursil fills out his name on the papers and then looks up at the boy in front of him.

"Your name?" The man's tone is only slightly condescending.

"Erb... Just Erb." Erb smiles before frowning with an odd expression. "Ah, I mean that my name is E-R-B, please leave the J-U-S-T part out of it." This small tangent causes Ursil to pause for a moment before he makes a quiet grunt while writing down Erb's name on each of the papers.

The sight of such a large and proud muscled warrior carefully inscribing writing onto small delicate papers with an elegant pen is quite odd for Erb. He just stares in a slight daze while trying to forget his embarrassing comments moments prior.

"Which assessment first?" Ursil's heavy voice is straight to the point as he stands up with the papers and pen in one massive hand.

Erb frowns before looking at his old practically useless wooden sword. He looks back up to meet the B rank adventurer's gaze. The huge axe on Ursil's back truly makes Erb's puny excuse for a sword look like a toothpick.

"Ah... I know no magic, so I would like to start with physical, please." Erb's voice is the steadiest it had been since he stepped through the door of the adventurer's guild.

Ursil nods before holding up an open palm toward Erb. They are standing several meters apart at the moment. This gesture made him think Ursil wanted him to attack his bare hand..

Erb isn't bothered too much by this and confirms his assumption by taking out his wooden sword and gesturing at Ursil's open palm. Ursil nods before keeping his arm straight. Erb takes several deep breaths before gripping his wooden sword tightly.

"Huap!" The loud shout Erb lets out does not phase his dog nor Ursil. It is obvious Erb is psyching himself up as he attacks.

The blunt wooden blade of his sword moves at a speed comparable to lightning streaking across the stormy sky. Ursil tracks the incoming blade with a subtle widening of his eyes. The surprise in his expression is restrained as the fast-moving blade slams into the side of his hand. Ursil is no swordsman, but he could tell that one slash had an immense amount of practice put into it.

Erb is trembling as a ridiculous shockwave moves back through the wooden weapon like electricity through metal. The tough sturdy body of this B ranker is so strong it feels as though he just tried to slash his sword into a massive unbreakable boulder.

"Again. Different attack." Ursil's voice is the same as usual, however there is a slight hint of urgency in his tone.

"Hua- Hap!" Erb's young voice rang out as he attacked his instructor once more.

Erb moves in another startling show of speed as he slashes upwards vertically. Before the sword hits from this angle he changes his grip on the handle of the weapon to swing it completely upside down. The wooden blade swings around at whistling speeds before Erb's strike lands on the top of Ursil's fingers instead of the bottom of his hand.

Unfortunately Erb's strength is not enough to do anything except give himself intense tremors with each attack he connects to his target. Ursil narrows his eyes a bit as if he is unsure about something before pulling his palm away.

"Come. Attack." Ursil speaks firmly as he steps over to the side and picks up a large straw and wood dummy from the corner of the room.

Erb is confused but understands what Ursil wants him to do. The dull wooden sword swings like a flash of light as it moves horizontally to slam into the straw torso of the dummy. The force of the attack sends straw up into the air as the cloth holding it together rips apart due to sheer force rather than the sharpness of the blade.

The attack doesn't stop at one cut. Erb's grip on the weapon flips over once again and the blade is driven from the other side to set the dummy swaying to the opposite direction. Before it could slide across the room or fall over Erb pulled his sword back toward himself and redirected his blade upwards and to left diagonally. This attack is accompanied by a loud crack of wood splitting as straw and cloth are thrown up into a cloud in front of Erb.

Ursil watches the display of swordsmanship with a slight shine of interest showing in his eyes. This was no exceptional rookie, however his speed and skills are something the guild always welcomes into the low ranks of the guild.

"You pass." Ursil nods lightly as the shredded pieces of straw and fabric settle to the stone floor of the training room.

~

Author's Note:
Thanks for reading!
(Feedback is always appreciated)