*Munch* *Munch*

The two late teens were chowing down a ton of food, while the four rescuers looked at them, somewhat baffled.

Two men and women sat at the large table across from the two, each wearing some armor with weapons by their side. A heavy warrior, spearman, archer, and a mage.

Marko can see right away that it’s a very typical well-balanced party, though in the story he read usually a thief or a rogue would be in the mist. “(Maybe the archer act double-duty as one?)”

“Seriously. I didn’t expect to find two young boys amidst a bunch of bandit corpses, good thing that happened nearby or you two would’ve been screwed.” The heavy warrior spoke up, he’s a large man wearing all the expected equipment, heavy armors, large sword and shield.

“Good thing I picked up on the commotion when I did.” The archer mentioned with a hint of pride in her voice, but kept her wary face up. “No doubt some beasts or monsters will smell blood in the air if this was happening anywhere close to it.”

“By the way, which one of you is the mage? Don’t think I didn’t notice those crispy bandits.” The mage spoke up with some interest, as one would expect from such a setting, she wears a long robe with a staff by her side, though still wearing some very light armor underneath. “Can’t really tell from appearance, but I do sense one has a stronger aura than the other…”

“You can sense stuff like that? Also when was there a dress code for this kind of stuff?” Dane asked, just finished his meal while Marko ate at a slower pace.

“Dress code is too strict a word ain’t it? It’s just that you should wear something that tells you’re this or that. You don’t assume a muscular, armored man is a mage at first glance, but someone wearing a stuffy robe you’ll think they’re a mage, or a smartass.” She replied.

“(So that’s why they all look so typical.)” Marko thought to himself as he was still eating his share. “(As for the whole sensing thing, have I never told Dane about that? Something you can innately tell if you get used to mana…)”

“From the sounds of that and your lack of money you two are clearly from somewhere really far.” The spearman mentioned. It was clear the party were somewhat interested in the story of the duo.

“We do! Oh! And thanks for the food!” Dane answered on Marko’s behalf.

“Don’t worry about it kids, those were from the bounty on these bandits anyway, been causing ruckus around the kingdom from what I heard.” The archer responded.

A notorious group of bandits that were considered to be quite elusive. Their members were skilled and powerful combatants in their own right and no mere common thugs, and there are many spreading out around the kingdom with no one able to pin-point their main hideout. What the duo faced were no regular thugs.

“Yeah, they’re real tough too even though there seems to never be an end to them. Can’t they just shout out where their boss is or something? Or their little fort or whatever.” The heavy warrior complained. These and other established adventurers clearly have been having their fair share of problems at the current time.

“Riiiight. The last few times these kinds of groups actually ended up doing that. ‘That Person’ ended up chasing them down and cutting them all up like wheat. I think any half-decent criminal figured that out by now to not be all gung-ho, unfortunately.” The mage remarked. “If one person managed to find them and come back alive, which none have so far, then this would’ve been all over by now. If you wanna look at it pessimistically, her not dealing with it now gives us some opportunity to gain extra cash.”

“A bit cold of a take don’t you think?” The heavy warrior said, sounding slightly bewildered.

“Well it’s true isn’t it. If you want an even colder take I think that her mercenary work may take up time to actually search for them herself.” The mage replied with a more sarcastic tone. “Unless she got paid a fortune for all the trouble she’s not gonna do squat.”

“I’m still terrified hearing you talk about her so harshly…” The spearman said while he and the rest of the party have a somewhat uneasy face. “Like, I know you know her personally but still…”

“And so I know she’s not some unrepentant murderer that’ll kill just from a bit of a trash talk.” The mage said, nonchalantly sipping on the coffee she ordered before speaking further. “Other adventurers we met are more petty than her.”

“Well… Okay I can imagine that being the case…” The archer chimed in, sounding slightly exasperated.

“Who are you all talking about?” Dane asked, curious as to why they all seemed even more tensed talking about this individual than a group of hardened criminals.

“Right. Rural kid. Ahem. It’s nothing too important so don’t worry about it. How about you tell us something? Like why are you here specifically?” The spearman asked, remembering that the two were just sitting on the other side and casually eavesdropped on them.

“Well we wanna be adventurers. So we leave home so we can sign up and start doing all sorts of crazy work!” Dane stated his very simple motivation. Marko doesn’t share the exact same sentiment, but is willing to go along with Dane’s statement.

“A thrill seeker huh? I can respect that. Though most would have an actual reason as they just can’t find anything else to do…” The mage chimed in, before squinting her eyes, thinking further. “Well if you two are from far away money is probably not even on your mind until now.”

“Yeah. We don’t really have any. It’s all been a community effort to keep our village up. Not really much of trading or buying.” Marko answered, already finished the meal by the time the mage completed her remark, she can see him and Dane looking a bit bloated. “(Man did we order too much. Note to self, show restraint even if it’s on the house.)”

“I see. I guess neither of you know too much about adventurer guild in that case. Need some tips now or what?” She asked the duo.

“We grasp the basic concept already, as well as how to spot the building, but we still have never been to one.” Marko commented. “It would be nice to have a guide or two around for now.”

“Is that so? The guild staff should show you around the ropes if you ask, they all have to deal with rookies at one point or another.” The mage explained, before looking intently at Marko. A bit perplexed by her stare.

“(She has a fiery orange hair now that I look at her, it looks bright almost.)” Marko thought to himself.

“You seem to know your way with both weapons and magic. Those are rare, you know.” She remarked, before breaking the eye-contact as if that’s all she has to say.

“So I heard.” Marko mindlessly replied.

“Yet you can also do it, Pira.” The spearman remarked in regards to the mage.

“Well you can thank someone for that…” Pira said with a sigh.

“Fighting with magic… Why is it rare again?” Dane asked with a head scratch, signaling his confusion. The party and Marko just turn to look at him somewhat bemused.

“(Huh? I could’ve sworn Granje already told us why people usually specialize either one…)” Marko thought to himself, by far the most bewildered despite being more than aware how absent-minded his friend can be sometimes. “It’s because the stress of being both physically active in a fight and casting spells will multiply the stress and pain one goes through during a battle. It’s simply too straining for most people, not to mention not everyone has an aptitude for magic.”

“It hurts that bad? You never seem to be bothered.” Dane replied, himself confused by the answer.

“Admittedly I’ve never gotten into a serious fight until now so there’s not much to stress my body out, besides it’s not something you can’t get used to.” Marko replied. The battle against the bandits was the first deadly battle he had without anyone to overlook it, so he never felt the compounding effect of casting spells in a heat of battle until now. “(Admittedly I didn’t feel much of a backlash firing that spell… Maybe because I didn’t get any wounds on me maybe? It’s like moving is okay without any broken limbs…)”

“Seems we got a promising lad joining the bottom of the barrel huh? Sounds interesting.” The heavy warrior commented.

“Well he should start a bit higher than that if the examination goes well.” The spearman chimed in.

“Oh you know what I mean.” The heavy warrior immediately snapped back.

“Enough of that, you two.” The archer said before the two might start bickering. “I think we can chat a little bit more tomorrow, the sun is starting to set and you two could use a long nap.”

“Right… Any place we can stay for a night?” Marko asked, seeing that their little interactions are done for the day.

“We’ll show you on the way out, don’t worry.” The archer replied.

All that happened after that was the two entering and renting a room in the local inn using the money the party of four gave them, part of the bounty of this notorious group, or rather organization of bandits. With a small sum of cash and finally a room of safety in place, the two smiled.

“I really missed beds…” Dane remarked as he immediately removed his armor and got on one of the beds.

“We didn’t even bathe yet… Should’ve asked around if there's a bathhouse or just a river.” Marko remarked seeing as they haven’t bathed since their trip. “…Dane?”

*Snore*

“(Nevermind…)” Marko thought to himself, slightly exasperated. Seeing as they won’t be doing anything else today, a long sleep could do him some good.

And so a long night passed and a new dawn presented itself. The two woke up from their slumber and saw the sun’s light peeking from the small window.

“Alright! Let’s go to the guild!” Dane quickly declared, putting back on his armor.

“Could’ve at least cleaned ourselves up and found something to eat first, do you really want to go to the guild still looking like a mess?” Marko remarked, waking up by his friend’s energetic voice.

“Surely we can do that later…” Dane said back, sounding a bit disappointed at his friend’s passive tone.

“Great. An argument already…” Marko said, dressing himself up and walking towards the door and looking back at his friend. “You really don’t want to clean up first and make a good impression?”

“We’ll just get sweaty after the examination and requests anyway, can’t we just push that back til the end of the day?” Dane argued back.

“(I really was hoping for him to back down…) Fine… Have it your way.” Marko replied, sounding clearly frustrated. Not wanting to stir the argument further he leaves it at that can caved in.

“We can have a nice long cleaning up after all this stuff is over, but I don’t like leaving this whole thing hanging you know?” Dane explained his reasoning while showing consideration over Marko’s frustration.

“Right… Let’s get this over with quickly then.” Marko turned back and opened the door, leading the way and leaving the inn, and found the guild building in no time, having memorized its symbol from Granje’s teaching.

Entering the building so early in the morning they saw a few adventurers and staff about. A calmer environment that allows the two to take in its layout.

The request board, the table and chairs scattering about, the staff members putting on new requests to the board and keeping everything organized, and of course a lone receptionist who has to deal with any nonsense adventurers may bring. The two immediately went to the receptionist to apply.

“What can I do for you?” The receptionist politely asked.

“We want to apply for adventuring!” Dane enthusiastically replied. His response rang quite loud in the somewhat quiet room, much to the chagrin of Marko.

“R-Right. Please wait until we find an examiner.” The receptionist then approached one of the staff while the two looked on patiently, or at least tried to be patient. Dane began walking around while Marko tapped his foot repeatedly.

There were a few adventurers looking at them but none paid them too much attention, a bit to Marko’s surprise, and soon the receptionist returned.

“Sorry for the wait. We have an available examiner here for you.” She said while the person in question walked towards them.

Dark baggy robe covering the body with the red shirt underneath, a long and thin sword held at the waist, and striking orange hair that flowed long to the shoulder.

“About what I expected.” The girl in question remarked seeing the two unclean would-be adventurers, much to their surprise.

“Hi there… Didn’t expect to see you again this early…” Dane remarked, sounding rather taken aback.
“We can talk about that later, or are you two getting cold feet?” She said with her arms crossed, staring at them waiting for a response.

“Not at all! Then please lead the way!” Dane quickly responded, seeing the situation getting increasingly awkward.

The three and a staff member make their way to the examination ground, which from what they know differs from building to building, and this one has an outdoor area in the back of the building to conduct duels. A rather spacious area for the examination.

“I’ll take on and examine both of you at once, no need to go easy. Doesn’t matter if you win or lose, all that matters is the performance.” She grabbed a training sword and stood ready, waiting for the two.

Still feeling a bit uneasy, the two grabbed the training swords as well, each putting up their guard and waiting for what was to come.

“All combatants ready?” The staff overseeing the procedure asked, in which he was greeted with three silent nods. He sighed and began the countdown.

“Three…” The three grip their weapon tight, hearing the countdown, their body tense up as they stare at each other.

“Two…” Heart rates increased as the number went down, the atmosphere becoming more intense.

“One…” All three hold firm their positions, waiting for the battle to begin.

“GO!” And with that one word, the two who were standing still as stone now rushed in towards their examiner who took a couple steps back instead. Marko to her right, Dane to her left.

Preemptively she took a stance, her arms holding the sword to her left, as she already anticipated how the order of the event goes.

*Parry*

Two consecutive parries. She swung her sword in preparation towards Marko’s incoming attack, overwhelming his incoming blow swiftly and pushing him back, and following it up with her attention to her left side as Dane tried to follow-up, but wasn’t fast enough and got parried away as well, leaving the two staggered for just a moment. She put a lot more power into those parries than one would expect.

*Strike*

In the short moment where the two were rather surprised at the swift counter she immediately went for the bigger threat of the two and struck Marko in the stomach, pushing him down and clutching his stomach in pain.

“Haaah!” Dane got back on his feet as fast as he possibly could, and held his sword up high for a vertical slash as he rushed towards his opponent.

Just as he thinks his attack is going to connect, she ducked down to avoid the incoming slash, putting her palm on his stomach, which comes to his surprise.

“Too bold.” She remarked quietly, as a strong force manifested where she placed her hand. “[Blast]”

*BAM* *Crash*

In an instant Dane was blown away with a surprising amount of force as he was now violently bouncing off the ground, body bruised and in great pain.

In the short exchange the two were already overwhelmed much to their surprise. Despite being able to take down droves of notorious bandits they were already near their last leg against this lone adventurer. They weren’t expecting her to pull out her cards so quickly.

“Is that it?” She asked in a provocative tone, as the two stood back up, still shaking from the pain and glare at her, clearly there was still determination in their eyes. She once more goes for a defensive stance, looking at them with a small smirk. “Guess not.”

“(What the hell is this woman? I know this is a fantasy world but what just happened was nothing short of ridiculous.)” While Marko is more than ready to continue fighting, he can’t help but be dumbstruck by the difference in power. From surface observation someone so petite should not be able to defend against two opponents who look physically stronger.

Before he could even ponder on it any longer however, she already dashed towards him ready to strike.

*Parry*

He clumsily parried the attack as his stance is still weak, and the difference in strength doesn’t help either.

She continued to attack and overwhelm him little by little, parrying and blocking, having little effect on the continuous assault, and he continued to be pushed back.

“(I need a try something else at this rate!)” Marko thought to himself as he feels like he’s about to lose his footing, just a few more attacks and his legs will give way.

*Slash*

Suddenly the spellsword felt pain on her back, just after hitting Marko’s training sword hard enough to make him loosen his grip. She turned her attention towards the individual behind her back which gave Marko time to breath.

“Hmph!” She grunted as she swatted Dane away with the training sword while waves of mana silently ripples around them, staggering him quite easily, though the sneak attack made her fumbling her follow-up attack, allowing him to at least block it to lessen the impact, if clearly putting him on the back-foot again despite the cheap shot, and if it goes any further he could be taken out of the fight…

“[Flight Step]” A whisper. Keywords that activate a prized ability were muttered silently behind her, who is trying to beat down his friend who came to his rescue despite the risk.

In what feels like a fraction of a second, Marko moved at an incredible speed, putting distance between himself and the examiner before jumping up high into the air, silently holding his sword tight as he let gravity do its part in powering the force of his attack, if it hits that could potentially spell a win.

“Won’t work.” Unexpectedly his opponent called out despite her seemingly focusing on his companion, extending her arm towards him as he hesitated to swing his sword hearing the words of intimidation. “[Blast]”

*BAM*

He was sent flying up into the air and fell down ungracefully with the sword leaving his hand and him landing on his back. “Uogh!”

A painful landing he’ll have a hard time recovering from, and left him unable to help his friend who was once more the center of attention.

“Now back to you…” She said to Dane as she ended up getting uncomfortably close to him as they locked their blades, with her seeing his incredibly strained face close up. His muscle tensing up as it is made clear that she was toying with him at this point, that she wasn’t even putting all her effort in their clash.

“Don’t mock us!” He suddenly loudly declared as a burst of energy springs forth and began pushing her back much to her surprise, and she responded to this unexpected turn of event by creating a safe distance between them, jumping back and observing the change in behavior. She even thought his orange eyes were glowing bright, which is what particularly spooked her.

He rushed in to attack her despite clearly not matching her in strength and speed. At this point she comes to conclude that he has gotten desperate. “(Still a cornered beast is the most dangerous…)”
She didn't let her guard down as rains of attack came towards her as he continued to swing his sword towards her from multiple directions, all of them blocked or parried yet kept going, which she started to find grating.

She leaped away from him, jumping rather high up in the air to avoid the next attack. Seeing this action he jumped up towards her to continue the assault, only to see her sword glowing fiery red. As he already committed himself to attacking, he readies to strike instead of thinking to block.

It was a big mistake.

*SLAM*

What can only be described as a literally explosive slash fell down upon Dane, whose attack was completely ineffective in slowing it down, but also losing the grip of the weapon as it flew off his hand while he was slammed to the ground, bouncing off it as the force repelled him back up and down.

The examiner landed back on her feet gracefully and saw the downed Dane, as well as Marko who was struggling to stand back up.

*Smack*

She merely smacked his head back down to the ground, to make it clear that he can’t fight anymore.

“Can those two continue?” The examiner asked anyway, while the staff who was observing the duel looked rather concerned. Obviously neither newcomers were likely to die even with the rather brutal beatdown, but it is apparent that they’re not in a great shape to say the least. Meanwhile the spellsword has a slightly concerned face that she kept hidden from the two, thinking to herself. “(Maybe I went a bit too hard on them… I thought they would be able to keep up, but guess I was wrong.) Yeah they’re not getting back up. Let’s conclude the exam then, after you two are able to stand, go wait at the lobby.”

She and the staff then walked off, leaving the two to writhe in pain and hardly able to move. Marko is able to think of only one thing. “(How is this even happening?)”