A young man was walking down a corridor in an gigantic mansion. The man was wearing a torn leather armor with beaten iron plates sown into it. A shoulder plate was missing and you could see mandages covering the shoulder instead. The young man was named Arnold. His face would be described as average looking by most. He had short brown hair and a few beard stubels, his skin was rather hard looking with a scar running up his cheek to his nose. most of all however stood out his abyss blue eyes, a trait he got from his ´´father´´. 

Arnold, a son of a duke was making his way to his fahters study. He was a bastards son, apperently his father had forced himself on a maid and he the second oldest child of the sulvahn dukedom was the result. He peacefully hummed a song while looking at his newest scar on his shoulder. His father had for a long time tried to get rid of him by sending him on suicide missions. The result was a bad childhood and a few minor traumas.

His first mission was to destroy a goblin village, he had been given a few weapons and an armor and was sent away. If he hadn´t strategised and first scouted out the village from afar he would have died. Two goblins can take out the average Adult man, however one goblins in that village would have been capable of such a feet. Arnold had fought extremly dirty in order to come out alive, he killed the workers that left the village quietly with a suprise attack, he set the village afire, he set up traps, it was a hard mission but he succeded. Instead of gaining recignition in his fathers eyes he was just sent on another mission. This reapeted itself over and over and now the 17 year old Arnold came home from an orc tribe extermination. 

He paused when he reached the gardens and looked over them. `wonder whats Benjamin doing...´ he thougt and continiued his stroll. Benjamin was the youngest child of seven and always treated Arnold well. He was the only person in the household that Arnold cared for. He and two other brothers were the possible future family heads. Benjamin was a very protected child after an incident 2 years ago in wich he nearly died. An assasin had shot an powerful arrow from a security blind spot and if it wasn´t for Arnold who was near him at that time Benjamin would have died. A slightly pained smile appered on Arnolds face, ` Damn that hurt like hell´, he had jumped in the arrows path and was poisend with an extremly fast acting substance if not for a high ranking priest on standby he would have died in less than a minute. But he survived and got rewarded by his father with combat training aka. a loads of books with enstructions on how to fight and the families staff and short dual sword combat arts. Arnold had developt a liking twoards these weapeons due to their versatility in combat. He had since he was 14 been sent on crazy missions and found that these weapons were best suited for him.

"HEY!" Before Arnold could react his older brother had appered before him and punched him in the gut... hard. Arnold managed to hold his breakfast in his stomach and said "Nice to see you again... older brother!" in as much of a friendly voice as he could while not trying to look at the new dent in his armor.

His brother had been gifted by the mana of the world and thus could use magic. Arnolds brother, Victor, had a high affinity with lightning and a deccent affinity with shadow magic. It was already rare to be blessed with any affinity to any element and the ability to use mana. But his brother had lucked out and even gotten 2 affinitys on deccent and above level. The combination of the shadow and lighning also made him perfect in terms of stealth and suprise attacks.¹ I plan to make a glossary of rankings for magic, affinitys and all that eventually

"Older brother it is nice to see you but I must go to fathers study, he has a mission for me" Arnolds standard method to escape a conversation with his brothers. "Oh ok... see you later I guess!" His oldest brother was cunning even tough it didnt seem that way. The simpelton behavior was just a well put together facade. Victor actually injoyed making fun of the weak people around him like Arnold. "Yeah see you later!" Arnold said to the air his brother had dissepeared into thin air once more. 

Arnold let out a sigh and countiniued walking `only 2 more months´ he thought and let out a sigh in 2 months he would be recignizzed as an adult and would be given the option to leave the acursed household that he called home. He was sure his Father would do everything to get rid of him before he can leave the household becouse a member leaving the household brings shame to it... 

With that in mind Arnold finally pushed open the door to his fathers study after knocking, "Greetings father!" he said with as much energie and enthusiasm as he could. "Oh, son come sit down, I will give you your final mission if you succed in this matter you will offically become an adult." his fahter sitting at a desk in the mini-libery said.

Arnold eyes went wide for a second after hearing those words and he sat down on the comfortable chair. His father moved the book he was reading to the side of the table reaviling a man that looks like he is in his early 40s behind it. Even tough the nobel attire tried to hide it you could see he was very well build with a toned body with some scars on his arms. His face had a very well portrait facial bone structure and his brown hair had slightly grayed. His eyes however were sharp, you could fell the abyss blue eyes staring at your soul,  some rumors around the mansion said. His appreance didint match his actual age of around 75 wich was expended due to his well trained body and magic might.  

 "What is the mission?" Arnold said, this mission would be the last to keep him from achiving freedom.

"In a few days time a war band is going to try to explore parts of the storm veil mountain range, to investigate something there and your mission is to join the warband and assist in its efforts."

Arnold was stunned, how in hell was he supposed to enter the territory of the dragons and come out alive?

"Father, the storm veil mountain range? If the dragons get a wind of this they will destroy everybody and everything involved!" Arnold said this becouse of two reasons: the first was that it was pure lunacy to enter the storm veil territory without a dragons consent the dragons were strong enough to kill even his father the second strongest man in his nation, the second was that everything on the mountain range would me more than capable of killing the average knight captain wich was around Arnolds level of combat strenght.

"The war band wont be venturing deep into the mountain range they will only move in short distence of the border. We also dont have to worry about the dragons guarding that pice of the mountain range, they are currently infighting for territory. And thus I the sulvahn duke command you to take part in this expedition."

"I... accept the mission" Arnold could do nothing as his father had already decided.

"Good due to your concerns and the danger that awaits you on the mountain range you may chose an armor out of our familiy treasury."

"w-What?!" Arnold was not sure if this was a joke, his father had never listened to his conserns. The family treasury contained weapons, armors and knowlege of the grand grade, the higest ever reached by humans. ²Grades for weapons and armors go like this (weak to stong): minor, lesser, normal/common/deccent, greater, grand, demi-god, godly  

"Heh, you can only pick greater rank armor, but youre allowed to look at everything of grand rank even martial arts books." Arnolds father was nice, too nice, something was off but if Arnold asked now he would surely make a clown out of himself. ´Better not question him for now.´ he thought as he thanked his  father and left with the permit for the treasury. 

What his father didnt know however was that Arnold was born with photographic memory wich meant he could look at something and perfectly recall every little detail. And now that he had been allowed to look at the families martial arts books of the grand rank he surely wouldnt waste that chance...

"This is going to be fun..."