The Hero’s Ascension

The Incident

“Interesting… a quest, the first one. Non-optional too,” I whispered under my breath. “What are you planning? We were already going there, dude…”

“I don’t make the rules,” a voice spoke directly into my psyche. “Don’t kill the messenger or something…”

“Why do you keep talking to yourself, Clint? Weirdo… Better not be talking about me.” She balled her fist in my direction. “I just stuck my neck out—”

“No, no, nothing like that. When I’m nervous, I tend to talk out loud as I think.” I let out a few kind chuckles and grinned lightly. “I’ve done it since I was little.”

We continued our walk through the Shopping District. The late hour caused the earlier crowds to thin, leaving the area feeling drastically different from before. It made the knot in my gut tighten just a bit more.

“So, why are you nervous? It’s not like the Guild Master is going to try and eat you or something,” she asked.

Her big brown eyes locked onto mine, waiting for my answer. They seemed to be filled with genuine concern, even though she had just given me a good razzing.

“I’m not sure. New places have always made me feel anxious, but this place makes anxiety look small. It’s overwhelming. Not to mention, I have this gut feeling something is about to go wrong.” Letting out a sigh, I continued my explanation. “So far, since my arrival, everything has gone so smoothly. On a statistical level, something has to go wrong.”

“Nerd!”

Her words and the smell of freshly baked bread grounded me. My heart stopped racing, and the knot loosened.

“You’re right. Let’s go.”

Not waiting to find something else to hesitate about, we quickly arrived at the Guild Center District. Immediately, it felt like a vastly different area than the two we had visited previously. Where the Shopping District was loud and full of life, this one looked far more refined and elegant, as if the entire city had been designed to shield it.

“This place looks terrifyingly efficient. Almost like all the people are somehow moving at the same pace,” I said, looking toward Liza. “I’ll go ahead and assume the building we want is that giant one, right?”

I pointed toward a literal cathedral draped in gold. It stood out the most.

“Congratulations, buddy. You’ve correctly identified the largest building in the district.” Rolling her eyes, she continued. “Of course it’s the Guild. Who else could afford that?”

“Maybe whoever’s in the castle above us?” I quickly interjected. “I’d say that guy probably has it going on…”

We both looked up at the giant floating fortress in the sky and then back down, meeting each other’s gaze. We stared at each other for a moment. The look in her eyes grounded me again. Then Liza ruined it.

“Whoa… when did you get so smart? That’s the King’s Castle. King Jordan. And yes, he definitely does have it going on.”

Letting out a few short laughs, I mentally prepared to step through the giant doors. The final few steps felt like they stretched for minutes rather than seconds. Thoughts of inadequacy and the hell my former life had been ran through my head.

“Hey! You okay, Clint?” Liza asked with concern in her voice.

“What if they don’t like me?” I asked quietly, afraid of drawing the attention of others. “What if they take one look and laugh at me…”

“Stop worrying so much! Let’s get inside and show you that you don’t need to worry about those things.” She pushed the doors to the Guild open. “Just stick close to me, and you’ll be just fine.”

We passed through the gleaming archway into the building. The giant doors opened with almost no effort. What was revealed inside set my brain on fire. Dozens and dozens of other people walked around the interior. Piles of excited adventurers stood at a giant board, looking over the many papers pinned to it.

“Here, this way. I’ll take you to Cathy. She should be able to handle your initiation.” She tugged on my shirt, pulling me tighter to her. “She’s just over there. Come on.”

Before I knew it, we were face to face with a burly woman. Her hair was a pretty shade of auburn, and her glasses were quite large for her face. I watched as she rolled her eyes as soon as she looked at Liza.

She let out a loud sigh as she stood. “How do you keep doing this?” she asked, her eyes shifting toward me. “I’m not even worried about the ‘why,’ Liza. How in the world do you keep finding Guild recruits?”

“I’m just good at it, I guess.” She laughed as she spoke. “This is Clint. He’s… new. Can you get him registered, please?”

Cathy agreed and walked away from us to grab the equipment. Liza turned her attention back to me. She stared for a moment before turning her attention back to the receptionist returning with a large mirror.

The mirror itself didn’t look too magical. The borders were made of tangled wood with gems integrated in designated places, all surrounding a single pane of glass.

“This is how we test our new candidates. Please step forward, place yourself in the center of the mirror, and reach your hand out. Once you’ve touched the glass, set your arm back to your side and stand still.”

As I stepped in front of the mirror, my own visage almost caused me to stumble. Unlike on Earth, I looked incredibly attractive. My skin was almost too smooth, and my hair looked like someone had actually combed it that day. I wasn’t the same Clint I was back there. My eyes even looked alive, a vast difference from the cold, dead eyes that had looked back at me every morning.

Touching the glass set the object in motion. By the time I had stepped back into position, words could already be seen. What I saw in front of me was amazing. Glowing lines branched away from my reflection, each one terminating in a floating panel. One pointed toward my head, another my chest, another my outstretched hand. Information filled the boxes one after another as the mirror examined me.

“Nice to meet you, Clint. Haven’t been training very much, have you? Eighteen and only level two…” She turned her head toward Liza. “Where did you find a baby in the wild?”

Cathy’s smile disappeared quickly as she looked at the object. Then, without warning, one after the other, the descriptions were replaced by the same word.

[ UNKNOWN ]

[ UNKNOWN ]

[ UNKNOWN ]

[ UNKNOWN ]

All the information had disappeared as the knot in my stomach grew rapidly. This was followed by the contraption completely melting down, throwing error after error.

“That’s strange,” Cathy said, her face twisted in confusion. “This hasn’t happened before. What did you do? don’t move!”

“What? Why?” Liza and I said almost in sync.

“I need the Guild Master to look at you…”