The moon illuminated the path as a young boy gathered his courage. He peered from his hiding place behind a large storage building. Several shirtless men stood in a circle, preparing to fight. The boy watched as two of the men entered the ring and began to pummel each other with their fists. Several minutes later, one of the men backed away, clutching a bloody nose. This was Bowerstone Quay, which acted as the town's primary hub for shipments from Oakvale. Bowerstone Quay was also the gathering place for the local fighting gang, which met only at night.

I have to try. I'm a man now. They have to accept me! The boy thought, slipping out from behind the barn. He approached cautiously. "I want to challenge the winner!" He announced boldly.

The leader of the gang, a man with spiky hair, turned to face him. "This gang is only for men. Come back when you are a few years older," he answered bluntly.

The boy stomped his foot angrily. "I am old enough! I'm 14 years old! Let me at least try to beat one of you! I can do it!"

Several of the men laughed, but the leader shook his head slowly. "Alright, kid. What's your name?"

The boy stuck out his chest and replied, "Tyler. My name is Tyler. Now can I challenge someone?"

The leader of the fist fighter gang sighed, "If you insist, but I will warn you…we will not go easy on you just because you are a child."

Tyler marched into the ring and watched as one of the men joined him. The man swung his fist hard. The blow would have knocked Tyler senseless if it had connected but Tyler had rolled to the left. "Try this!" He yelled, kicking the man in the calf.

"What was that? A flea bite?" The man laughed, kicking Tyler in the ribs.

Tyler toppled over, clutching his ribs. The man continued to kick Tyler until the leader of the fist fighter gang shouted, "Enough! The boy has learned his lesson! Haven't you, kid?"

"…" He could only gasp for air.

"Hm. I take that as a yes. Leave him."

The gang started to walk away from Tyler. A small voice came from him. "Wait…."

The leader paused and looked over his shoulder. "What is it?" He asked in a grunt.

Tyler staggered to his feet. "I want another try. I can beat one of you. I can," he growled.

"Fine. You can try to beat me," the leader turned back to the ring and stepped inside. "Well? You say that you are a man? Prove it!" Tyler ran forward and punched the man as hard as he could. The leader of the gang laughed, "Don't tell me that that was your best hit!" He punched Tyler, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Tyler stood back up and growled. He felt a surge of energy pulsing through his veins. "I'm not done yet!" He yelled, running forward. Glowing blue streaks appeared on his arms and the men of the fist fighter gang gasped in shock. Tyler raised his hand, attempting to slap the fist fighter leader on the face. However, unknown to Tyler, there was orb of an incomplete spell in his hand. As his hand connected with the face of the unfortunate man, the spell began to eat into his flesh. The heat from the unfinished spell caused the eyes of the leader to explode.

"OH SKORM!" The men of the fist fighter gang screamed. They fled from Tyler as if he were a vicious animal.

Tyler watched as the eyeless man clutched at the bloody sockets and cried out in horror, "What have I done?!" He ran away from the ring and away from the terror that he had caused. He fled into Bowerstone South and raced toward the school.

An arm reached out from the shadows and grabbed Tyler by the arm. "Boy, you just caused one hell of a mess. Come on. The guards are looking for you." The voice came from a male. He pulled Tyler into his hiding spot. "Maze has asked me to find you. Word travels fast and we found out that you just caused someone's eyes to burst. For one as young as you, that is quite impressive. A little crazy, of course, but impressive all the same."

"Who are you?" Tyler asked nervously.

The stranger grinned and answered, "The name's Wedge. I'm a Hero apprentice at the Hero's Guild. And you, my friend, just used Will. Very rudimentary Will, mind you."

Tyler looked at Wedge up and down, inspecting him carefully. Wedge appeared to be a couple years older than Tyler, maybe 16 or 17. He was fairly tall and muscular. Wedge wore a hooded blue and white tunic with matching trousers. His deep blue eyes were a contrast to his light brown hair. "What are you going to do to me? Take me to Headsman's Hill and kill me?" Tyler asked mistrustfully.

Wedge laughed, "No. I'm going to take you to the Hero's Guild so that you can speak with Maze and the Guildmaster. I will admit that Bowerstone's guards are looking for you but if you follow me, we shouldn't run into anyone."

Tyler sighed and followed Wedge silently through Bowerstone. He could hear the yells of the guards and saw the light from their lanterns off in the distance. The duo passed by the local tavern and Wedge snuck a glimpse into one of the windows. Inside, the townsfolk were drinking, dancing, or gambling. Some were simply passed out. "Oh, I wish I could go in for a pint…" Wedge mumbled longingly. He shook his head and lead Tyler to the large wooden doors that acted as the entry and exit point for Bowerstone South.

The duo opened the door only a crack so that they could slip out unnoticed. Outside of Bowerstone's walls, Tyler noticed that the sky was starting to turn to a shade of pink. "The sun is starting to rise," he muttered.

"Yes, indeed, it is. Come on. The Hero's Guild is located not too far away." Wedge began to walk down the bridge. Tyler followed quietly. When they reached the other side, Wedge started the climb up the hill. When he noticed Tyler panting behind him, he exclaimed, "You can't be out of breath! Okay, we've reached the top. Go ahead and have a rest."

Tyler noticed several benches that sat under a large statue. He approached one of the benches and sat down. "Hey, Wedge? What happens in the Hero's Guild?" Tyler asked.

"You train to become a Hero. We learn about melee combat, ranged combat, and how to use spells properly. You'll want to pay close attention when you learn how to use Will—that's magic, by the way. A friend of mine, Brock, was supposed to hit a target with a fireball, but accidently set a girl's head on fire. No one is really sure what happened. Maze is under the impression that Brock used enflame instead of fireball."

"He set a girl's head on fire? Was she okay?"

Wedge chuckled, "Yeah. She still hasn't forgiven him though."

Tyler shook his head in amazement then asked, "So this training…is it all practical or is there book learning as well?"

"There is classroom learning as well. Don't worry so much. You'll do fine. Maze apparently has faith in you. He wouldn't have sent me to find you otherwise."

Tyler nodded and stood up. "Alright, Wedge. Lead the way."

Wedge grinned and began to walk down the hill. Tyler noticed a platform and a large stone wall. "What is that platform used for?" He asked.

"Boasts," Wedge answered simply.

"Boasts? Could you be more specific?"

Wedge answered, "Well, when you take a new quest from the Guildmaster, you have the option to boast about certain achievements or conditions. For example, you can boast that you'll do a quest only in your skivvies. Or that you'll use no weapons and only punch your way into battle. If you succeed in your boast, you get extra gold."

"Ah. Why would you fight in your underwear?" Tyler asked.

Wedge shrugged and approached the door. "We're here. Are you ready to meet Maze and the Guildmaster?"

Tyler gathered his courage and answered, "Yes."