The next morning, I awoke with a jolt. For a moment, I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten there. I sat up quickly and looked around, memories coming back in a rush. It took me a few moments to make sense of it all: the fight with the giant spiders, being rescued by Pascal and his party, and being taken back with them to their city… It all seemed like a dream.But it clearly was nothing of the sort.

I got up, got dressed, and was just wondering what to do next when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to find Pascal on the other side. "Good morning," Pascal said warmly. "I thought I'd check up on you before I head out—see if you need anything?" 

I just shook my head. "No thank you," I replied. "I'm still trying to figure out my next steps."

At this, Pascal nodded knowingly. "Don't need to figure it all out in one day. There's plenty of help here for you, too. Although I recommend starting with breakfast."

My stomach rumbled hungrily in response, and he grinned at the sound. "That does sound like a plan," I said. 

Pascal laughed, leading me out of the room and down a winding hallway. Eventually, we arrived at the large dining hall. It was huge, with ornately carved wooden beams holding up a high ceiling and dozens of long tables lined up in perfect rows. The room was filled with the delicious aroma of freshly-cooked food - bacon, eggs, crepes, pancakes - that made my mouth water despite myself. I could see small groups of people talking and laughing around the tables as they ate their breakfasts - some were dressed in armor, others in plain clothes, but all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Plates are right here," Pascal said, gesturing. "Food's there. It's self-serve, but there's plenty. Help yourself!"

I followed his advice. There were so many foods to choose from on the table: steaming plates piled high with pancakes covered in syrup; creamy omelets served alongside crispy bacon strips; fluffy pastries topped with fresh fruit; rich fruits glimmering invitingly; mounds of sausage and potatoes ready to be devoured...it was almost too much for me to take in all at once! My stomach growled loudly again.

Once I had filled up my plate, I turned to look for Pascal. Tania and Pete were already sitting at a table nearby. Pascal gestured to me, indicating that I should join them. As I sat down, Tania asked me how I'd slept. 

"About as well as can be expected, I guess," I said. There'd been nightmares about things with too many legs, but thankfully I didn't remember too much of them. "Yesterday was tough. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, honestly."

Pascal nodded understandingly. "Transition is hard on most folks. But we can help," he said. "Our guild runs classes for newcomers like yourself—we can get you started with figuring out what role you'll fill in your new life here." 

I smiled gratefully at him before turning back to my plate of food—but then hesitated as a thought occurred to me. What exactly would these classes entail? What were their expectations? Would it be too difficult for someone like me who had no prior experience? 

"Don't worry," Tania said reassuringly as she caught my expression. "We'll take it one step at a time—there's plenty of room for learning here." She gave me an encouraging smile as Pete nodded his agreement. 

Feeling somewhat reassured by their words, I finally dug into my meal with gusto.

As I ate, Pascal began to explain the classes that were offered. He said they usually began by helping students learn more about Artensia and its customs, as well as giving them a better understanding of how magic works in this realm, since so many arrivals came from places where magic didn't exist. They also used spells and rituals to help unlock any potential magics possessed by the individual - though he noted that it could sometimes be difficult to trigger the proper reaction in newcomers who had not grown up with such abilities. 

Finally, he said that once these basics were covered, they moved on to teaching more practical skills such as weapon use, combat tactics, and quick thinking. With their help, he said, students could gain an understanding of where they fit into this new society. 

"But how do we learn magic?" I asked. 

Tania laughed, and Pete rolled up his sleeve to show off an axe-head tattoo on his arm. "Like this," he said with a smirk. He then demonstrated, summoning a magical axe from thin air with a single gesture.

My eyes got real wide at that! He'd created a weapon with a shimmering metal axe head, glowing with an internal light that seems to come from within the metal itself. The blades of the axe were sharpened to a clean edge that looked capable of cutting through anything. Its handle was composed of wood. With a second gesture, Pete unsummoned the axe.

I remembered the weird tattoo on my arm—the one I had arrived with but didn't recall acquiring. Pete called it a sigil and said it was key to magic here. Which meant that since I was already wearing a sigil on my arm, I already had magic of some sort. I just needed to figure out what it was and learn how to use it.

The thought made everything else a little less stressful. The idea of getting to learn magic was really cool!

"So, what do you all do when you're not saving people from spiders?" I asked.

Pascal chuckled. “Well, we are part of the Guardians Guild. Our mission is to defend the people of this city from any threats that may arise and keep them safe." 

"What kind of threats?" I asked curiously. "I mean, I've already seen a couple, but I figure that big spiders aren't the worst things you've faced."

"Yeah, you're right about that. There's plenty worse out there," Pete said.

"We guard the walls and patrol the farmlands surrounding the city," Pascal explained. "We protect against monster attacks, search for lost travelers, gather information on enemy forces, and patrol the surrounding land." 

I was beginning to get a better understanding of what being a Guardian meant—not just in terms of combat but also in terms of protecting innocents and providing strategic advice when needed. It was worlds away from the sort of life I’d built for myself back home, but I couldn’t help feeling the idea tug at my heartstrings some. Which made sense, in a way. After all, I really was worlds away from everything I knew.

"Sounds dangerous," I said. Part of me was thrilled at the idea. This was the sort of thing I'd have died for when I was a teenager. The rest of me, the part that had learned how to cope with the real world, bills, jobs, and life, was wondering if I was really cut out for something like this. 

This time it was Tania who answered me with a reassuring smile on her face. "It can be sometimes," she said softly, "but we have each other's backs and we are always prepared for whatever comes our way."

I nodded, feeling a little more at ease. 

"Plus," she added, "we all have our own unique gifts and skills that make us better-equipped to handle the challenges. Part of what you'll get to do today is find out what's yours." 

I smiled shyly and lifted my shirt sleeve to reveal the tattoo on my upper arm. It still looked the same as it had the other day: a rough outline in black ink of a shadowy, hooded figure. 

"Wow," Pascal exclaimed in admiration. "That looks amazing!" Tania stepped forward for a closer look, her eyes widening in surprise as she studied it carefully. "It's beautiful," she said, looking up at me with an grin. "And it's definitely a sigil. Do you know what it does?" 

I shrugged my shoulders helplessly. "No idea," I admitted sheepishly. "I was hoping you might know." 

Tania grinned reassuringly as she said, "There are ways we can discover what these tattoos are capable of. We can unlock their potential. You'll get to do that soon." I thanked her before standing from the table. Breakfast was done.

"I'll take you to the classroom," Tania offered. "You can observe the Guardian training exercises we have set up. And maybe find out what your power is, eh?"

"Works for me!" The idea of having some sort of magic was exciting. I wondered what it would be. Pete's power summoned an axe. I'd seen Tania's in action, healing me and the woman they'd rescued with me. What could I do with mine?

Pascal left the table, announcing his intention to patrol the farmlands. I followed Tania, eager to learn more about the power I had been gifted.