Chapter 1: Adventurer Registration [1]

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

"Huff... huff." He panted, taking deep breaths as he paused his intense training.

While this kind of reckless training may both look and feel impressive it was actually not that effective for improving his skills. The man knew this and so he adjusted to a more effective method to ensure his time training was not wasted.

Focusing his breathing and taking a more relaxed stance in the center of the yard, the young man tensed his arm muscles as he swung his wooden sword forward into thin air. This motion was straightforward; a horizontal slicing motion. The way his sword moved was not flashy nor necessarily fast.

Each time he swung his weapon in this fashion he felt how his muscles tensed and how the sword balanced as it whistled through the air. This kind of practice was slow at first. Taking his time to pay attention to the minute details of his horizontal slash was integral to improving his technique from simply satisfactory to excellent.

Finally as the sun was setting on the small farm house the man was practicing beside he stopped swinging his sword. The cool afternoon breeze felt pleasant on his sweat soaked body. He sat the worn wooden sword down beside a beat up iron hoe.

"I think it's finally time." The young man smiled as he stepped inside his small farm house.

The happy wagging tail of a dog greeted him. This small dog was his only companion, and often accompanied him when he trained. The blonde furred dog panted a bit as it rubbed his side against his owner's legs.

"Tomorrow we're leaving, and you're coming with me buddy!" The young man rubbed and patted his dog on the head softly. He would never leave his best friend behind!

The sun slowly descended behind the horizon as the young man put a pot on the stove and boiled water for a stew. The smells of the potato stew permeated throughout the small house and outside the open windows.

The two of them ate 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 was pleasant, however he wanted more than to simply live.

He wanted to become an adventurer.

~

Daybreak had the young man in an enthusiastic mood. The sunshine and birdsong were a pleasant way to start his journey to becoming a proper adventurer. The young man took his dog out after slinging a backpack with his meagre possessions over his shoulder.

The only weapon the man wore was his beaten up wooden sword in a makeshift leather scabbard. This was rather unimpressive, but the man intended on getting a proper blade once he had earned a good bit of money from adventuring work.

The dirt road into the nearby village was not too long, and after a few minutes of walking along with his canine friend the man arrived in the small nameless settlement.

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

Erb smiled at the appearance of his neighbor. She was an elderly lady who was known for sharing baked goods amongst the villagers such as apple pies and apple tarts. Erb had 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 going to finally become an adventurer!" Erb's youthful voice was full of confident determination as he responded good naturedly to Mrs. Terry's question.

The old woman smiled widely at his response before holding up her hand over her small fence as if to say for him to pause his journey. Erb stopped and smirked as he realized what she was wanting to do. Mrs. Terry stepped inside her house after seeing him stop.

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

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

Erb nodded before suddenly giving the elderly woman a soft embrace. They hugged, the bond of theirs like that of a grandson and grandmother. He gave Mrs. Terry one last wave before he left 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 was not missed by Mrs. Terry as she bid him a warm farewell.

Soon after he had left her sight and continued through the center of the cozy farming village.

~

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

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

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

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

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

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

Erb immediately returned the hug to the chief, as he was essentially a father figure that had always looked out for him during his lengthy stay in this quaint village. Their bond was as tight as a real father and his boy. Erb almost teared up as he softly pulled away from the chief's embrace.

"Hey Erb-" The other middle aged man who had a short stubble on his chin had a semi serious smirk on his face as he spoke up. "Make sure you don't let those big city adventurers look down on you. Show 'em what you're capable of." His voice carried an encouraging tone that expressed how much the man wanted Erb to show the world his skills.

Erb smiled and nodded his head as a casual acknowledgment. The man was a semi good friend of Erb's, as was the woman standing beside him. She smiled at Erb and sighed softly.

"Just be careful you don't get too full of yourself while you're out there, Erb." The mother of the little boy shook her head with a good natured smile. 

Erb nodded vigorously as if he was being scolded. The little boy in front of her was practically drooling at this point as he stared at the tart in Erb's hands. Erb didn't say anything as he pulled out one of the apple tarts and passed it to the little boy.

"Thf 'ew" The little boy somewhat rudely spoke his thanks as he bit into the sweet treat, but that didn't bother Erb at all. Only the the boy's mother rolled her eyes and scolded him quietly as the Chief gave Erb his final goodbyes.

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

The bronze locket was fairly poor in value, yet with it's front open Erb could see a small handwritten note in the frame. The message was small and hardly readable, but Erb knew exactly what it said.

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

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

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

~

Several hours passed as Erb walked along the road toward the nearest proper town with his head held high. The air was 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 took delicate bites of the flakey baked treat. His eating was slow and purposeful as he savored every bite of the delicious apple filled treat.

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

"Gnarlbark." Erb read the sign out loud. He knew this was the name of the nearest proper town, and therefore the nearest adventurers guild branch.

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

~

The sun was nearing the horizon by the time Erb caught sight of the town walls. The walls were nothing compared to the big cities, but to someone who had lived around at most wooden fences the walls looked like unbreakable mountains.

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

There were two guards wearing leather armor standing on each side of the large wooden town gates. One of the guards was holding a crossbow idly, while the other was talking to a rather chubby man who was riding atop a small wooden cart which was 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 was red in the face as he spoke to the guard.

Erb patiently stood behind the cart, peering inside the wooden cart to find it was completely filled with liquor. The bottles looked like cheap alcohol, and the bottom of the cart was 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 was unshaken by the flustered shouts of the so called merchant.

The man's leather armor had a large symbol of a gnarled tree dyed onto it. Erb figured this must be a symbol representing the town itself, as the same symbol was 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 got shriller as he spoke, and his cheeks became tomato red.

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

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

Erb frowned and looked at the man for a moment before deciding on what to say. He was unsure why he needed an explanation, but would comply nonetheless.

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

"You may enter." The guard didn't comment on the pathetic excuse of a sword the boy carried, now his obvious lack of combat experience.

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

"Thank you." Erb nodded and stepped into the town with a smile on his youthful face. His naive enthusiasm was short-lived as he saw how dirty and sparsely populated the town's streets were.

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

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

Erb pushed the door open and was greeted with a slightly unfriendly atmosphere. The hearth may have been heating the whole of the room to a comfortable temperature, however the somewhat icy gazes of the customers of the Inn were piercing for the out of towner.

Erb gulped silently as he entered with his obedient dog. The eyes gradually left him and returned to their conversations, food, or drink. Erb approached the bar where a heavyset woman was wiping out a rather sturdy looking wooden mug.

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

Erb noted the wooden sign posted above the bar, and the painted text upon its surface. Rooms cost 2 bronze a night, while drink and food cost 1 bronze per plate or mug. The prices were very cheap, yet for someone like Erb this was exorbitant.

"Ah... Just a room, please." Erb put on his best smile as he took 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 made Erb feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.

The hall upstairs was quite small, however there were four doors on the wall that separated the corridor from the rooms rented out to patrons.

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

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

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

~

The rising sun and sounds of people going about their business on the streets below woke Erb gently. He sat up and blinked away the fog of sleep. The sight of the unfamiliar room only confused him for a moment before he realized where he was.

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

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

The pair of them burst out of the room and hurried down the hall before making their way downstairs. The dining area of the inn was rather sparsely populated. Only a pair of older men eating their breakfast were present if you ignored the innkeeper's presence. Erb gave the lady a smile and a wave as he dashed out of the door at a speedy walking pace.

The innkeeper raised an eyebrow and only shrugged as the boy and his dog left in such a hurry. It was none of her business why the boy was in such a hurry.

~

Erb's eyes were wide with awe as he got 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 were crisscrossed with steel painted black, and gave it a mixture of beauty and defensive value. Several groups of armed men and women were seen moving about inside the building.

Erb's heart was beating quite fast as he walked up to the heavy braced front door of the guild branch. He opened it with a bit of tugging and was impressed with the practically gleaming interior. This building was 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 was eyeing the unfamiliar boy who had just entered the building. She frowned internally, however her smile did not fade from her face. This boy wasn't even carrying a proper weapon nor any armor. These kinds of hopeful youths often approached and were 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 greeted the woman behind the counter with an anxious mixture of unease and enthusiasm.

The young woman was used to handling these types of people. She had 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 was very kind sounding, yet her words caused Erb to anxiously shuffle his feet.

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

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

The attendant nodded and then pulled out three sheets of paper from within the counter. The first was titled Physical Assessment. The second was labeled Magical Assessment. The third was labeled Miscellaneous Assessment. These papers were all filled with checkboxes and various numbers to circle for whoever was meant to fill it out.

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

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

"Come, boy." The huge man stood up from his chair and was nearly twice as tall as Erb. Keep in mind that Erb is average height for an adult man, not short by any means.

Erb gulped down saliva as he walked a few paces behind the imposing B rank adventurer. His dog was whimpering very softly as he followed Erb's heels closely. The huge man then introduced himself to Erb in a very stiff manner.

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

The stairs wound down a short ways before bringing the odd trio into a narrow corridor. Ursil had to duck his head to walk down here. The big adventurer led Erb into an empty training room while cracking his neck loudly as if to relieve himself after having to duck down so low. Erb did not want to get on this huge bear killer's bad side.

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

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

"Erb... Just Erb." Erb smiled 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 caused Ursil to pause for a moment before he made 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 delicate pen was quite odd for Erb. He just stared in a slight daze while trying to forget his embarrassing comments moments prior.

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

Erb frowned before looking at his old practically useless wooden sword. He looked back up to meet the B rank adventurer's gaze. The huge axe on Ursil's back truly made 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 was the steadiest it had been since he had stepped through the door of the adventurer's guild.

Ursil nodded before holding up an open palm toward Erb. They were standing several meters apart at the moment. This felt like he was telling Erb to attack his hand, albeit treating Erb as one would treat an insect or a puppy.

Erb was not bothered too much by this and confirmed his assumption by taking out his wooden sword and gesturing at Ursil's open palm. Ursil nodded before keeping his arm straight. Erb took several deep breaths before gripping his wooden sword tightly.

"Huap!" The loud shout Erb let out did not phase his dog nor Ursil. It was obvious Erb was psyching himself up as he attacked.

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

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

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

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

Erb moved in another startling show of speed as he slashed upwards vertically before suddenly stopping his attack right before hitting and instead moving his grip on the sword handle completely upside down. The wooden blade swung around at whistling speeds before Erb's strike landed on the top of Ursil's fingers instead of the bottom of his hand.

Unfortunately Erb's strength was not enough to do anything except give himself intense tremors with each attack he connected. Ursil narrowed his eyes a bit as if he was unsure about something before pulling his palm away and standing straight once more.

"Come. Attack." Ursil spoke firmly as he stepped over and picked up a large straw and wood dummy from the corner of the room.

Erb was a bit perplexed but understood what Ursil wanted him to do. The dull wooden sword swung like a flash of light as it moved horizontally to slam into the straw torso of the dummy. The force of the attack send straw up into the air as the cloth holding it together was ripped apart with minimal actual cutting.

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

Ursil had watched the display of swordsmanship with a slight shine of interest showing in his eyes. This was no exceptional rookie, however his speed and skills were something the guild would always welcome into the low ranks of the guild.

"You passed." Ursil nodded lightly as the shredded pieces of straw and fabric settled to the stone floor of the training room.

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