Outworlder Guardian

by FallenDispair

A twist on He Who Fights With Monsters where Jason is a bit more a mature having served in the ADF(Austrailian Defense Force). Armed with military training, combat experience and personal guidance by a legendary gunman Jason will be better able to handle the harsh nature of the magical world he's found himself in. Having faced killing before and death in general, he'll be less him.

6. Chapter 6

Outworlder Guardian

A/N: I went back and made Colin into pure Siva nanites with numerous formable modes. Also corrected that Landemere Vane was a Vroshir Acolyte instead of a Builder Cultist as a part of the changes I'm making to the Great Astral Beings and their servants -some can already guess just from the name change.

I don't own He Who Fights With Monsters or Destiny.

Chapter Six: A Gift & An Assessment

It was after another hard day of conditioning when Gary walked up to Jason and presented him with a gift. A sword personally forged by his leonid friend. Jason wasn't surprised that it was a straight sword, Rufus had been drilling him on the use of straight swords despite his continued insistence that he didn't plan on using a blade larger than a knife. His preferred weapons being his conjured guns.

The sword was magnificent despite Jason's preferences. It had a two-handed grip wrapped in black leather, the scabbard was a dark purple bordering black with swirling patterns of black and white going up and down it, the guard was a metal shaped like a diamond connecting to a void crystal that tapered back along the guard and transitioned into the blade itself. The dark purple void crystal that matched his void essence was fused seamlessly with the metal of the blade, empowering it with the magic of the void. (Destiny's Void Edge).

"We all wanted to give you something," Gary explained while handing over the sword. "Farrah gave you that awakening stone, and Rufus the skill book. I made you this and it turned out pretty well, I thought. It's not a big deal, or anything."

Despite Gary's words, Jason could feel the care and effort that had gone into it. Magic items had auras of their own, and the aura of the sword was stronger than any other iron-rank items Jason had encountered.

Item:[Void Salvation] (iron rank[growth], legendary)

A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope it would be of the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was forged with passion and expertise to be a reliable companion, bestowing upon it an incredible potential (weapon, sword).

Effect: For every successful use of a void essence ability an instance of [Void-Forged Guard] is applied to the blade.

Effect: With every successful strike landed with this weapon in battle an instance of [Void Edge] is applied to the blade.

[Void-Forged Guard](magic, stacking): A charge of void energy is released when guarding to create a void shield around the user that ignores rank disparity. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.

[Void Edge](magic, stacking): A razor sharp edge of void energy runs along the blade's edge to give all attacks additional disruptive-force damage; highly effective against magical defenses and incorporeal entities, and resonating-force damage; highly effective against physical defenses. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.

Growth Conditions (bronze):

4 kilograms of low grade (bronze rank) star-fall iron 100 bronze-rank iron quintessence gems.
100 bronze-rank magic quintessence gems.
100 bronze-rank void quintessence gems.
1,000 bronze rank spirit coins.
Ritual of bronze ascension.

Jason didn't read past the description before grasping Gary's huge, hairy body in a hug.

"I'm not really a hugger," Gary stated as he awkwardly returned the embrace.

"Well, you should be," Jason told him. "You're really good at it."

"Gary gets a hug for his gift, but I just got a plain old thanks," Farrah mock pouted. "It's obvious who you like best."

"Well, I am pretty awesome," Gary chortled. "It's only natural Jason would like me more."

"I can give you a hug if you want one, Farrah," Jason offered. "I'm just not sure I could refrain from doing more than just hug you." Jason's eyebrows jumped suggestively, but the grin on his face gave away his lack of seriousness in the statement.

Farrah chuckled back, "And I'd hate to melt off your offending appendages that chose to wander."

"Rain check then."

"How about we put that new sword of yours to use in a spar?" Rufus suggested.

That had gotten a collective wince out of all the others.

"Seeing as I'd prefer to keep my limbs," Jason argued, "I'll have to give that a hard pass. At least until we can schedule some time in the mirage chamber."

Rufus grinned in a way that made Jason sweat nervously. "What a fortunate coincidence. I just happened to have already scheduled some mirage chamber usage for today. We can head there now, Jason."

Jason slummed in defeat, his good cheer disappearing at the prospect of getting cut to ribbons by Rufus. It wasn't real but it sure as heck felt real and Rufus was a widely known sword prodigy for a good reason.

"This is payback for creating that drinking game, isn't it?" Jason accused.

"Come on, Jason." Rufus commanded as he exited the training yard behind Jory's clinic and headed towards the Geller residence. "And don't forget your new sword.

Jason dragged himself after the ever-eager swordsman, his new blade gripped tightly to his person in the vain hope that it would protect him from the beating he was about to receive.

It was once the Geller estate was visible that Rufus spoke up, "Gary's been secretly working on that sword for weeks. We don't really talk about it, but none of us thought we were getting out of that sacrifice chamber alive. We owe you a favor we can't repay."

Jason slapped him on the arm. "Friends don't count favors, Rufus. They just show up when they're needed."

Rufus nodded his head with smile on his face.

"Though," Jason added, "I wouldn't mind if you chose to take it easy on me in this upcoming spar."

Rufus laughed. "Afraid not."

Jason sighed out, "I figure as much, but it was still worth a shot."

---

The layout of the Adventure Society campus reminded Jason of a university. One of the nice ones, with expanses of lawn, gardens and tiled pathways leading through impressive stone arches. The marshalling yard was like a small-town square for larger expeditions to assemble. When Humphrey and Jason arrived together, a dozen people were already waiting. An entitled, walking cliché broke out of the group to sneer at Humphrey.

"Here he is," the young man declared mockingly. "The pride of the Geller family. But that out-of-town prick failed you, just like the rest of us."

Like everyone else other than Jason himself, the person approaching them was somewhere in his late teens. This made the assemblage of would-be-adventurers young men and women, but Jason could only think of the sneering idiot as a boy.

"We all have areas in which we can improve," Humphrey diplomatically replied. "There's no shame in admitting that."

"Actually,' Jason chimed in, "I find admitting ones' failings is the only way to improve. You can't fix what you don't know is broken."

"What?" the boy asked, turning from Humphrey to Jason as if surprised to see him there.

"I'm just agreeing with my mate here, Humphrey," Jason answered the sneering idiot, patting Humphrey on the shoulder. "There's much to be learned in failure. As long as you can keep your ego from blinding you to it. Humphrey has been diligently training to overcome his short comings and had the grace and dignity to thank Rufus Remore for the lesson."

"Who are you?" the fool boy asked. He was looking at Jason with the same expression he'd give furniture that unexpectedly started talking.

"Jason Asano," he answered, "just a prospective adventurer. No one important really."

"Clearly," the boy sneered. "Do you have any idea who my father is?"

"Obviously," Jason replied, "Beaufort Mercer, the brother of the Duke of Greenstone. Making you the young heir of the Mercer family and nephew of the Duke himself, Thadwick Mercer. It's an honor to meet you, mate."

The man-child stood ever prouder at the declaration, as if being related to respected people was more important than being respectable himself. In his youth, Jason would have provoked Thadwick and manipulated the confrontation into elevating himself in the local social circles. That would have been a mistake, painting a target on his back for an overprivileged little snot into attacking him with his powerful family's resources. Not something worth dealing with so early on in his life here.

Ideally, Jason would have preferred to stay under the radar until he was powerful enough to handle the Thadwick's of the world. Well, their families. Individuals such as them don't fight their own battles. Often hiring thugs or assassins to do their dirty work.

Back in his own world, Jason could handle such threats easily enough but here in Pallimustus they'd at least be a rank above him if not silver rank. They'd smear him in an instant. Sure, Rufus wouldn't stand for it and would be able to ferret out the truth, but that'd lead to more bloodshed than this little turd nugget deserved as the Mercer family protected their heir, regardless of who was in the right.

Unfortunately, his friendship and mentorship by Rufus, the scion of the famous Remore family made that next to impossible. He was already being seen in high society parties with Rufus and the equally known name of the Gellers. Who Jason had ended up befriending their young scion, Humphrey, as well. So, Jason had to play the local political game carefully.

"It is your honor," Thadwick confidently stated. "At least you know how to show respect to your superiors, Asano. Though, you'd best learn to keep your mouth shut when contradicting me."

"Contradicting?" Jason wondered aloud. "When did I do that?"

"You agreed with Geller!" Thadwick spat.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "But I was also agreeing with you."

"Huh?" Thadwick said dumbfoundedly. "What are talking about?"

"How harsh it was for Rufus Remore to fail so many good adventurers," Jason clarified.

"Exactly!" Thadwick enthused. "That pr-"

"I mean, sure, he was holding you all to the standard of the world renown Remore Academy that has produced some of the strongest adventurers in the world and has instructed kings and queens the world over," Jason cut Thadwick off, angering the youth.

"It was harsh," Jason continued. "But he did it because of how impressive you are. Obviously so, you're a Mercer. Rufus just wanted you and Humphrey to fully develop that greatness into perfection that will astound the world."

By that point Thadwick was nodding his head, listening with apt attention on how great he was as Jason put an arm around his should in a friendly manner and steered him away from Humphrey and back towards his original group.

"And just like Humphrey Geller, you improved and captured that perfection the Remore Academy is known for," Jason kept buttering Thadwick up. "And once you pass here today, everyone will know you stand up there with all the Remore graduates that go on as true powers of this world."

"T-That's right," Thadwick jumped onboard the vision Jason was painting out for him. "Everyone will know how great I am."

"No, mate," Jason corrected, shaking his head, "everyone already knows how great you are Thadwick. But now, no one will be able to refute it."

"Yeah!" Thadwick exclaimed, eating up all the dross Jason was spewing out. The boy puffed out his chest and raised his head high. "No one will be able deny that I, Thadwick Mercer, is the best adventurer there is once I regain my membership. Meeting the standards of the vaunted Remore Academy."

"That's the way, mate," Jason encouraged. "Grasp your destiny and claim that brilliant future that is rightfully yours."

While Thadwick was enraptured by his own falsely perceived greatness, his hanger-ons nodding along and encouraging him, Humphrey and several others were looking at them dumbfoundedly.

"You know, Asano," Thadwick said, "you're not bad for someone of common stock. I could find a place for you in my service."

"That sounds great," Jason exclaimed, "but I'm afraid I'm already spoken for, mate."

"Geller? It is a respectable name to attach yourself to," Thadwick admitted, "but you'll find the Mercer's come with much better perks."

"Probably, but it'd be downright disrespectful to abandon one's given word to a noble household. So, I'm afraid I have to pass," Jason replied remorsefully.

"I understand," Thadwick responded, "a word given to a noble house should always be kept. A shame. I like you, Asano. If the Geller family ever releases you from their service, do come see me. I will be able to make room for you in my employ."

Jason said his goodbye to Thadwick nicely and returned to his real friend Humphrey.

"Sorry about that, mate," Jason apologized quietly, making sure no one else overheard him. "Didn't want him ramping up to a full-blown rant about Rufus' mistreatment while mocking you. A real prick that Thadwick. Worse than the rumors."

"What?" Humphrey replied, not understanding what happened. "I thought you just became his friend?"

"Nope," Jason explained. "I've known his type too well. Petty. Intitled and thinks far too much of himself. Seeing any threat to their own, nonexistent power as an enemy. The best way to handle them is inflate their ego and make them see you as just another admirer."

"I don't get it," Humphrey admitted. "It sounds like you lied."

"I like to thank of it as manipulating him to get the outcome I desired," Jason corrected. "Now Thadwick is talking up his own little group about how great he is instead of venting out his own failings and shortcoming on you."

"Isn't it dangerous to make Thadwick think he's better than he really is?" Humphrey asked.

"Yes," Jason admitted. "But Thadwick already thought that and people like him can't be convinced otherwise. He'll either be protected all his life, believing that to be true, or have a near death experience that'll change him for the better, or he'll die because of his own self-importance."

"I hope he changes for the better," Humphrey said. "And I don't think lying to him and encouraging that false ability helps."

"It's not my place to help Thadwick," Jason replied. "Nor would he listen to a nobody like me or an adversary like you. The best I can do is use his failings for my own good."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Humphrey responded.

"It's just politics," Jason replied. "Defusing conflict while making your adversary believe you're their friend is just good business. Best to keep your enemies close. Easier to see the knife coming that way."

"You sound like my mother," Humphrey stated, getting Jason to laugh.

"Thanks, Humphrey," Jason replied. "But I'm nowhere as skilled she is in the political arena. That lady is one masterful manipulator."

"Attention candidates," a voice bellowed, stopping Humphrey's response.

Everyone turned to see a man wearing an Adventure Society pin approaching the group. Jason had never seen Vincent Trenslow before, although Rufus had described his glorious moustache. As promised, it extended past either side of his head. Jason couldn't help but put it was on par with Colonel Grey's own moustache. Behind Vincent was another official that Jason did recognize, as did Humphrey. It was Guy, the official present at their Adventure Society intake.

Rufus had spent a week working closely with Vincent Trenslow during the last field assessment. After hearing Vincent would be taking Jason's assessment, Rufus told Jason what he could anticipate.

"There may be some level of corruption in this branch," Rufus had told him, "but Vincent Trenslow is exactly what I expect from a Society official. I know you have your own ways of showing respect, but try and use mine, for once. Humphrey Geller will be there, so follow his lead."

Jason respected Rufus' judgement and intended to do his best, while being on his best behavior. He also recognized that Rufus had very much undersold the magnificence of the man's moustache.

Vincent explained the procedure for the Adventure Society field assessment. The group would depart for one week, during which time the candidates would attempt to complete postings from adventure boards in towns and villages of the delta.

"For the duration of this assessment," Vincent explained, "you may refer to me as Instructor Trenslow and my fellow official as Instructor Spalding. For the second month in a row, we have extended numbers. We are taking a different approach this month and splitting the group in two."

The other official, Guy, stepped forward.

"Last month there were problems finding enough postings for everyone on the notice boards," Guy took over the explanation. "Therefore, the groups will be assessed separately, taking different routes through the delta."

"There weren't enough monsters last month" Jason whispered at Humphrey.

"There were plenty," Humphrey whispered back. "Watch how they split the groups."

Jason spotted that, while he hid it well enough, Vincent had a hint of disdain around the eyes as Guy divided the group.

"My group," Guy stated, "will consist of those who have passed the assessment before, but their records were lost. I'll be administering a specially tailored program of reassessment for all of you that takes into account past achievement."

"And now you see it," Humphrey said softly.

"Yes, I do," Jason agreed coldly.

There were seventeen candidates, ten of which went off with Guy for their special assessment. The remaining seven followed Vincent.

"So that's how the society came down," Jason commented. "The people who weaseled their way off the books weasel their way back on, while the rest of us pass an actual test. It seems nepotism is just as prevalent here as it is back in my homeland."

"Mr. Asano," Vincent called out sharply. "If and when you have passed this test and become a member of the Adventure Society, you can comment on how the society conducts itself as much as you like. For the next week, however, you are a worthless flesh-sack nestled vulnerably in the palm of my hand. It would serve you well to disincline me at every opportunity from wanting to make a fist."

"Sir, yes, sir," Jason crisply replied, fighting back a smile at the familiarity of the statement. Both his drill sergeant and the Colonel made similar threats when training him.

---

Travel through the delta was mostly along the raised embankment roads. The group travelled in the back of an animal-drawn wagon, which didn't sit well with everyone. They were from wealthy and privileged families, unused to such rough treatment. A few complained loudly until browbeaten by Vincent, after which they restricted themselves to unhappy muttering. Others followed Humphrey's lead and took the conditions in stride.

Jason had offered to use his omnificence ability to create a M1126 Striker combat vehicle. He'd found out that by adding restrictions like the weapons being manually powered by an individual's mana and the power source coming from spirit coins he could create APCs. Land based only thus far. Helicopters and planes were far too complex for his meager mana to handle. The striker had a neat coin slot by the steering wheel so he could just pop in as many as he needed while driving.

Vincent had declined his offer of a magical vehicle, stating that not every adventurer had such a rare power, and this test wasn't meant to be a luxury tour through the desert. He was also testing their fortitude it seemed. That and he reminded Jason of the incident on the Island when he'd gone cruising around on a conjured motorcycle. A new law had been implemented to outlaw unnecessarily loud vehicles on the Island. They actually fined Jason a whole gold coin for causing a nuisance. It wasn't his fault he didn't know how to make silent motorcycles.

Walking along a narrow embankment road, Jason glanced at Vincent, then at Humphrey. Both had crystals floating over their heads. The one over Vincent was silver-grey, while Humphrey's was a glowing blue.

"What's with the crystals?" Jason asked. "Should I have gotten a crystal from somewhere?"

"My crystal isn't a magic item," Humphrey explained. "It's an essence ability that restores my mana. The one Vincent has is a recording crystal. You haven't seen them before?"

"I haven't," Jason confirmed. "What do they record?"

"An image of whatever is in front of them, plus whatever they can hear," Humphrey answered. "He's recording everything for later assessment. After the last time, Mr. Remore took me through all the things I did wrong, in excruciating detail. He kept playing them, over and over."

"Where would I get something like that?"

"The Magic Society makes them," Humphrey informed. "They sell them at the markets on the Island, and a few stores in the guild district. You can get them at the training hall in the Adventure Society, too. Assuming you pass and are allowed in."

---

The group was walking through an expanse of leafy, knee-high plants when Vincent quietly called for a stop. The plants were some kind of crop Jason wasn't familiar with, divided into fields by bamboo fencing. Vincent pulled out another crystal and tossed it into the air in front of him, where it started floating. In front of it, an image shimmered into being and Jason realized this new crystal worked like a telescope. It showed a distant part of the sprawling fields, where a pack of rodent-like monsters were gorging themselves on the crop.

The monsters were half as tall as a human but looked like oversized mice. They stood on their hind legs, hunching forward. Instead of forelegs, they had long arms that ended in eerily human-like hands. They used them to pluck leaves and stuff them into their mouths.

"Ratlings," Vincent explained. "Thirteen of them. They'll run rather than fight, and if they reach their burrows, that'll be it. They won't surface again until they go berserk, at which point it won't be crops they're after."

Vincent turned to look at Humphrey.

"Mr. Geller, the only reason you failed last time was that you lacked decisiveness. So long as you can show me you've learned something in the last month, you're the easiest to pass in this group. Can you get all thirteen?"

"Yes, sir," Humphrey said without hesitation.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Prove it."

Jason watched as scaly wings appeared out of thin air on Humphrey's back. He brought them towards the ground, pushing him into the air. The dragon wings sent him surging away at a rapid pace. Humphrey's familiar, which had been sitting on his shoulder in the form of a bird, flew after him.

"Wow, that never gets any less impressive," Jason commented.

Jason and Humphrey had trained together quite a bit over the last month. They had originally focused on martial technique before going into full blown sparing. Humphrey's martial art was called the Surging Storm style, an explosive and unrelenting combat art that was completely at odds with Humphrey's personality. Jason was only able to beat him in hand-to-hand due to his vast experience but the extremely well-conditioned style, the young man's talent and the might essence allowed him to beat Jason slightly less than Jason beat Humphrey. That was until they started using their full set of essence abilities.

Jason had learned that his guns had less of an effect on Humphrey's dragon armor, the revolver just barely penetrating the armor -nowhere near the flesh underneath. The disruptive-force and resonating-force nature of his Divinity wore the magic armor down but only his Izanagi's Burden with its transcendent rounds were able to completely punch through with ease. Thus, Humphrey learned to close-in on Jason and keep him locked in melee range where his superior swordsmanship, strength and special attacks could overwhelm Jason. Which wasn't easy with his shadow teleport power in certain areas, the arena always changed to either favor one or the other and sometimes both or neither. Humphrey's own teleport proved equally annoying as he learned bullets only travel in a straight trajectory and could teleport out of its predictable path by just watching the barrel.

Jason would adapt, changing his response to defending with his own blade while keying out strikes with his energy drain and nova bomb. Staying in his [Field of Hungry Light] to force Humphrey to back away or fall after burning himself out. Humphrey was durable and had a far larger range of special attacks that allowed him to often kill Jason before running dry of mana, stamina and health. In short, up close and personal, Humphrey won. From a distance, Jason won.

They were very familiar with each other's abilities, which was why Jason wasn't as awestruck as the others when Humphrey went to work.

The group watched Humphrey climb higher into the air as he grew smaller with distance. Suddenly he plunged out of the sky and all eyes snapped to the magnified image in front of Vincent. They saw Humphrey crash into the monsters like a meteor, a huge sword in the shape of a dragon's wing appearing in his hands. His boots landing on one monster and his sword on another. They died in a single, gruesome instant.

The other ratlings let out panicked screeches while Humphrey swung the huge sword in a low, horizontal arc. It ploughed through the monsters as if they weren't there, severing three clean in half with a single swing.

The ratlings scattered, but instead of chasing, Humphrey dropped his sword, which vanished into the air. He took a deep breath, then a stream of fire sprayed out of his mouth like a human flamethrower. He walked the burning line over the fleeing ratlings, torching crops and monsters alike. Three ratlings escaped the flames, having run at different angles to the main cluster. One was being harried by Humphrey's familiar, which had turned into some kind of predatory cat, around the same size as the ratlings. The other two were sprinting away in different directions.

Humphrey's wings had vanished after he landed, but they reappeared briefly to fling him forwards through the air. They only appear for a moment, in which they hurled him faster than he had been flying earlier. Another sword appeared in his hand, this one smaller, with a blade made up of metal feathers. He brought it down on a fleeing ratling as he landed, cutting it down with one strike. He vanished from the spot he was standing, reappearing in the path of the final ratling. His sword was held out in front of him and the startled ratling ran straight onto it. Humphrey yanked the blade up, spraying blood as the monster fell dead.

"He got teleport," one of the candidates next to Jason said as they watched Humphrey through the magnified image. "I bet they paid a lot for that awakening stone."

Humphrey glanced over to his familiar, who was sitting proudly next to a ratling, dead at his feet. As soon as it saw Humphrey notice it, it transformed into a dog and bounded over for Humphrey to scratch behind its ear. Humphrey walked back to the group through the field, his body drenched in monster blood. The others gave him a wide berth, except for Jason.

"You alright?" Jason asked. He knew Humphrey had killed monsters as part of his training, but he also knew Humphrey was a kind young man. Violence didn't come naturally to him.

Humphrey nodded; his normally friendly smile was macabre on his bloody face.

"That's what I like about you, Jason," he replied. "You don't pretend that what we do doesn't affect us."

"Being numb to it all doesn't make you strong," Jason stated resolutely. "Strong is accepting the choices you make and owing up to the consequences."

Like Jason, Humphrey had a dimensional storage space, from which he took a bottle of clear liquid and tipped it over his head. The crystal wash flowed over him, eliminating every trace of blood and filth.

"I'd like to be strong like that," Humphrey responded. "You know, Jason, sometimes it's like you're from another world."

Jason had long ago realized that Danielle had figured him out, not realizing she hadn't shared it with Humphrey. He decided to tell his friend all about it when they had the time. For now, they were surrounded by other people. Vincent looked Humphrey over, now clean, the crystal wash rapidly evaporating.

"You got them all," Vincent stated simply.

""Yes, sir," Humphrey firmly replied.

"Burned a good portion of a farmer's crop, though."

"I thought the farmer would rather lose some harvest now than family later," Humphrey explained. "I made a choice."

"Yes, you did," Vincent agreed, putting a hand on Humphrey's shoulder. "Good job."

---

The routine for the field assessment was to stop in a town or village each night. In the morning they would collect monster notices from the adventuring board and set out to deal with them. Vincent took an approach where the would-be adventurers who met his standards were no longer called on for the monster hunts. Starting with Humphrey, the first three days saw four of the seven candidates move from participants to onlookers.

On the third morning, they were delayed in one of the towns Jason had passed through on his original journey to Greenstone. Vincent wasn't willing to turn away the quickly growing crowd of earnest sick people, so the town constable once again turned his office into a makeshift clinic.

Stopping to help the locals delayed the group's monster-hunting activities until the end of the morning. As Jason healed the sick, the grateful locals pulled out tables and benches, laying out a cornucopia of food for his companions. Some of the aristocratic candidates turned their nose at a rustic feast until they started smelling the food. Once Humphrey started filling his plate with enthusiasm, the others followed his lead.

Liana Stelline was one of the adventurer candidates who was acquainted with Humphrey. Their families moved in similar circles, and they had both failed the previous assessment together. Like Humphrey, her family wanted her to pass on merit, rather than privilege. Sitting next to him on a bench, she asked Humphrey about Jason.

"How did you end up friends with him?" she asked. "You're not like Thadwick, wanting a hanger-on around to sing your praises."

"That's not who Jason really is," Humphrey explained. "He just acted that way to defuse Thadwick's foul mood and prevent a fight. I'm not sure I like how he manipulated Thadwick, but I know there's a kindness and generosity to him. Look at what he's doing right now."

"It could all just be a ploy to get close to the Geller name through you," Liana refuted.

"I've come to know Jason fairly well over the past month, and despite him being more than able to pull off such a ploy, he isn't with people he doesn't gets along with."

He gestured around all the villagers and the feast laid out for them, "How many adventurers get this kind of reception? It speaks more to who Jason is than that little act he put on earlier."

"He gets along with common people because he's common. That, and he's giving out free healing," she replied. "My sister has healing powers; she could do the exact same thing."

"But does she?" Humphrey countered, and her silence was telling.

In the constable's cottage, the last person shuffled out.

"That's everyone?" Vincent asked.

"I think so," Jason answered.

The constable nodded his verification and brought up, "You know, it would make my life easier if you'd warn me when you're coming through instead of just turning up."

"That's on the boss man," Jason responded, jabbing a thumb in Vincent's direction. "He set the destination. Now, did I hear something about lunch being put on?"

---

The night, they were stopped in another little town where they had taken up all four of the inn's twin rooms. Humphrey and Jason were sitting on their beds because there wasn't space anywhere else in the cramped twin they shared. Jason was going over the tactical armor based off of what he wore during his service that he'd created with his Omnificence power, examining a ragged claw mark that'd gotten a little too close for comfort. The iron rank Kevlar material held up well with a few outlier monsters' attacks making it through. The thick metal plates within the armor at vital areas held up with little to no damage.

"The armor I make with my ability is holding up better than I hoped it would," Jason mused. "But I can't add any buffs or effects to it. It's just regular, solid armor."

"All the best armor is bought and sold at the Adventure Society trade hall," Humphrey informed. "Once we pass the test you can buy something there. How well does that cloak power of yours protect you?"

"I did some testing with Gary," Jason informed. "It doesn't hold up to bronze-level attacks at all, which was no surprise. It's really good against cutting attacks, so that's a lot of swords, knives and claws."

He looked down at the claw mark in his magically created Kevlar tactical armor. "So long as they actually hit the cloak, anyway. Stabbing attacks punch through a bit better, like those spines that monster shot at me yesterday."

"And blunt attacks?"

"The cloak doesn't cushion them at all."

"That's a shame." Humphrey stated. "A lot of monsters are just big and try to batter you to death."

"That's where the unrestricted movement of my created fatigues comes in handy."

"Maybe you can show that off tomorrow," Humphrey suggested. "I went with Instructor Trenslow to take the notices from the board, and we're going after a bark lurker."

"Bark lurker?"

"I think it's some kind of troll."

"I'll look it up."

Jason pulled a tablet of white and blue marble from his inventory. At Farrah's suggestion, Jason had purchased the active monster registry from the Magic Society. It contained all the information the Magic Society had about monsters and was updated along with the society's own archives. There was an index on the tablet, seemingly engraved in gold script, but the engravings shifted as Jason touched his finger to the inscribed letters.

"You're right," Jason confirmed as he read from the tablet. "It is a form of troll. Less intelligent than most troll varieties, but had the usual troll resilience and rapid healing. Vaguely human-shaped, but stands twice as tall. Usually dwells in swampland. Has a hard, bark-like shell, but due to its thickness, the shell-plates leave exposed areas around the joints. Usually slow and uncoordinated, but can demonstrate bursts of rapid movement. It can breath under water and likes to hide near the water's edge, mimicking a submerged log."

"What about numbers?"

"Almost always manifests alone," Jason read, "except during a monster surge."

"There you are," Humphrey said. "Big and slow, but durable enough take more than a few shots from your weapons to end. You'll be able show more of what you can do."

"If I see it coming," Jason added. "I'll need to bait it out, somehow."

"Maybe after this, Trenslow will finally pass you. I don't understand why he hasn't already."

"He's not satisfied with my performance. That's easy enough to figure out."

"You've done just as well as any of the others who passed."

"Except for you," Jason pointed out. "You're heads and shoulders above the rest of us, yet Trenslow kept pushing you before he passed you. He was holding you to a higher standard."

"You think that's what's happening?" Humphrey asked.

"Rufus came out of last month's assessment with a pretty high opinion of the instructor," Jason explained. "I've yet to demonstrate everything I can do while Trenslow has already seen what you can do. You only lacked assertiveness and once you displayed having overcome that weakness, you met his standards. Standards placed by Rufus."

"You think he's going to fail you?" Humphrey asked.

"Probably," Jason admitted. "You've seen Rufus' standards."

"You shouldn't give up yet," Humphrey encouraged. "Go all out, give it everything you got. It should impress him so much that he has to pass you. Your best has defeated even me a few times while I was at my own best, and I passed."

Jason just hummed his accent but he knew there was more than combat ability being assessed. He wanted to warn Humphrey but the young man needed to learn that for himself.

---

The group of adventurer candidates were assembled on a huge, grassy field while one of their members fought a monster. There was enough neatly cut grass for a good-sized sports arena, and it was just as flat. There were a few buildings around the edges, some of which looked to be good-sized barns. With the scarcity of lumber-worthy wood, they were primarily constructed out of mud-brick.

"What is all this for?" Jason wondered aloud.

"What do you mean?" Humphrey asked.

"Every part of the delta that isn't underwater is being put to efficient use," Jason explained, crouching down and rubbing some of the blades of grass beneath his fingers. "This is real good grass, like St. Augustine. Someone's been taking care of it too. Is this a turf farm?"

"What's a turf farm?" Liana asked.

"The Island is an artificial island made of stone," Humphrey informed. "When people want to landscape their grounds, they have much of the actual work done here in the delta, then transported over as slabs of earth. All that grass in the park district was grown in places like this."

"I take it everyone cleared out when the monster showed up," Jason theorized.

"They did," Vincent confirmed. "It isn't the first time they've had monsters wander along. You seem strangely knowledgeable about grass."

"My dad's a landscape architect," Jason offered up as an explanation.

"Is that what it sounds like?" Humphrey asked.

"Pretty much," Jason answered. "He designs big fancy gardens."

"So he's a gardener," Liana simplified.

"For the most part," Jason admitted. "A well-trained, highly-paid gardener, but yeah."

Vincent made an unhappy noise at the fight going on in the distance. It wasn't going well.

Most monsters at iron rank did not boast exotic abilities. Some might shoot quills or rapidly heal, but they were largely reliant on their physical attributes. One of the rare exceptions was the rune tortoise, a creature with blue skin and a turquoise shell that was around a meter long. The danger came from its shell, where every segment had a glowing rune, each of which could produce a different magical effect. The key challenge in facing a rune tortoise was that each one had a unique set of runes. The wide variety of potential abilities made it an unpredictable enemy.

As he had done with each of the more difficult creatures, Vincent took the time to explain the creature and the best way to fight it. In the case of the rune tortoise, its weakness was that after using an ability, it took time for that ability to become available again. The key to defeating it was baiting out the abilities, after which it was no more dangerous than a regular tortoise.

Looking out at the fight in progress, Jason saw several of its runes had dimmed after use. The tortoise had not spent them cheaply, however, as could be seen from the would-be adventurer trying to hunt it. His hair was blackened where it wasn't burned-off entirely, his skin smeared and cracked. His armor had been shattered; his clothing reduced to rags.

"That's enough, Mobley," Vincent called out. "If you go back in, it will probably kill you."

"I can take it!" the bedraggled candidate yelled back.

Jason observed that the tortoise was possibly withdrawing from the fight. At the pace it moved, it was quite hard to tell.

"You probably can," Vincent called out to Mobley, "but being an adventurer is about dealing with monsters, not probably dealing with them."

"I have silver spirit coins," Mobley shouted out desperately. "I'll make short work of it."

Vincent shook his before he replied, "Putting aside that we are assessing you, not your wallet, look at the state you are in. Do you really want to use something that will render healing potions worthless?"

"There's only the one monster," Mobley argued.

"This time it's only one," Vincent countered. "The next time it might not be. Come back over here."

Mobley glared at Vincent.

"You'll fail me if I don't kill it, won't you?" Mobley yelled miserably.

"Even if you kill it," Vincent called back, "I'll fail you on the spot for taking the risk. Otherwise, you have the rest of the assessment to prove yourself."

"Risk is what adventurers do," Mobley yelled in response, pleadingly.

Of the three candidates yet to pass, one was trudging a bedraggled path back to the group. The others were Jason and a young woman staring uneasily at Mobley's charred state.

"Either of you care to volunteer?" Vincent asked. "Or do I send Humphrey?"

"I'm happy to go, unless you want it," Jason offered to the young woman. "It's already gone through most of its abilities."

She looked at the state Mobley was in and shook her head, "No, you go ahead."

"Think you can handle it, Asano?" Vincent asked.

Jason set off towards the tortoise at a casual stroll, which still outpaced the tortoise at full flight.

"That depends," Jason answered. "Do you want me to just kill it or showcase my abilities?"

"Killing it will suffice for now," Vincent stated flatly.

"Then no problem, Instructor Trenslow. One dead tortoise, coming up."

Jason and Mobley passed each other as Jason walked in the direction of the rune tortoise.

"Sorry, mate," Jason commiserated. The burned and blackened would-be-adventurer just shot him a contemptuous look and kept walking. Jason wasn't sure if it was the immediate circumstances that drew the man's ire, or just general dislike. Jason had become an outsider to the group, for his friendship with Humphrey.

The Geller family stood at the peak of Greenstone society, and their local power was just a fragment of their world-spanning influence. On top of that, Danielle Geller was the strongest adventurer to come out of Greenstone in generations. Building a friendship with her son was a ticket to the top not just for an adventurer, but their entire family.

For some of the candidates, making a connection with Humphrey was more important than passing the field assessment. Having their chances monopolized by Jason -a nobody- left them increasingly rankled. Jason didn't much like those who shunned him for this reason, finding moments to tell him that he should know his place. He much preferred someone like Liana Stelline, who was amicable but somewhat warry with how he handled Thadwick. Her concerns were with whether or not he was playing Humphrey for political gains.

Jason moved forwards until he was just outside what he estimated to be the maximum range for the rune tortoise's powers, based on its battle with Mobley. He held out his arms and conjured his Izanagi's Burden so that it appeared in a ready position.

Jason looked down his sniper rifle's scope, his left eye closed and gave a warning, "You lot might want to cover your ears. It's about to get loud."

None of the others hesitated to cover their ears, having heard the ridiculous bangs of Jason's conjured weapons. Jason himself had created special, magically conjured from his powers, military-grade earplugs to protect his own hearing.

Then with the ease of years of experienced use, he lined his shot with the slow amble of the tortoise's head and squeezed the trigger. The sonic boom from the transcendent round was deafening, echoing out for miles but instantaneously signaled the rune tortoise's end. The grey-white light pulped the monster's head as it punched through unimpeded. The chunks of brain and flesh showering out around its newly made stump and its legs gave out along with its life.

"Was that transcendent damage?" Vincent asked in shock. "That's extremely rare in iron rank abilities." He'd moved closer once Mobley had returned to the group, prepare to intervene if the rune tortoise had retreated into its shell. It made it immune to most iron rank attacks until it reemerged from its shell with all its abilities available again. It'd have taken Vincent's bronze rank powers to penetrate.

An action that proved unnecessary.

"Yup," Jason nonchalantly answered. "I have quiet a few abilities that can cause limited amounts of it. Requires some setup before it triggers but this beauty releases round after round of transcendent damage. I can even scale it up to bronze-level damage by increasing the mana cost to extreme." He reverently rubbed the barrel of his Izanagi's Burden along the paint job that made it look like a blade.

"Oh," Trenslow muttered out.

One of the bloody chunks landed near Jason's booted foot, so he simply tapped it with his toe.

Would you like to loot [Rune Tortoise]?

Jason turned back to the group, dismissing his weapon and walked away before mentally accepting the loot.

[Monster Core (iron) has been added to your inventory.

5 [Lightning Quintessence] has been added to your inventory.

5 [Wind Quintessence] has been added to your inventory.

5 [Water Quintessence] has been added to your inventory.

5 [Fire Quintessence] has been added to your inventory.

[Intact Rune Tortoise Shell] has been added to your inventory.

[Shell-Skin Potion] has been added to your inventory.

10 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.

Behind him the rune tortoise started dissolving into rainbow smoke, rising up into the air. The colorful display was as beautiful as the stench of it was horrifying, which was why Jason had learned not to loot monsters until he was some distance upwind.

Having a power to harvest monsters, Jason discovered, was a rare and useful one. For most people, they had to use a specialized branch of ritual magic. It was something many learned, however, due to the lucrative rewards. Getting lucky and looting an awakening stone or essence, even valuable crafting materials paid out better than the contract to kill the monster in the first place.

"One of the candidates from last month had a looting power," Vincent commented as he glanced back at the rising smoke.

"Oh? Is he in the other group this month?" Jason asked.

"Actually, he passed," Vincent informed. "One of the Mercer boy's lackeys, unfortunately. Damn waste of talent."

They reached the rest of the group, where Mobley had only partially healed up through potions. This group of candidates included a few with self-healing, like Jason, but no one who could help others in the group.

"You ready for the next one?" Vincent asked, as he and Jason walked back to the group.

"I am," Jason answered simply.

"Good," Vincent stated. "We've got a few more to get through, today."

---

The mangrove swamp was wet and hot, the air full of tiny bugs. The mangroves were large and dense, shrouding the areas within in darkness. Passage through the swamp was either by shallow boat, or along Bridge Road -an extended chain of low, flat bridges, spanning the distance between sporadic patches of solid ground. Most of the construction in the delta was either mudbrick or yellow desert stone, but Bridge Road was built from the region's signature green stone. It reminded Jason of the impossible bridge that carried the Mistrun River over the massive gorge on its way down the delta. He wondered if it had the same, mysterious constructor.

They were crossing Bridge Road in their wagon, which Vincent drew to a stop at a seemingly random point in the middle of the swamp. He turned back to address the adventurer candidates in the back.

"Underdeveloped areas like this can be some of the most dangerous in the delta," Vincent explained. "There's a lot of territory for monsters to go unnoticed until they hit the berserk stage. You won't need to deal with that today, though. We have two sets of monsters in this area: one single monster and one pack."

Vincent dropped down off the wagon and the group clambered out the back. After half a week, even the more spoiled members of the group had stopped complaining about the basic transport. Vincent gathered the group together on the side of the bridge.

"When you get a monster notice," Vincent continued," whether from a notice board or the Adventure Society directly, it has three pieces of information, so long as that information is known. The name of the monster, or a description. The number of monsters, and the approximate location."

He panned a stern eye across the group.

"What I am about to tell you is the most important thing you will learn during this assessment. It is the single greatest contributing factor to adventurer death, bar none. It's a simple thing, but if you disregard it, there's a very good chance you will die. If you routinely disregard it, your death is inevitable."

Vincent held the notice in his hand up for all to see.

"This information is not reliable. It usually comes from local residents, with limited understanding of monsters and who run the moment they see them. They may well recognize monsters common to their area, but monsters are misidentified on a regular basis. Descriptions are wrong. Numbers are vastly inflated or grossly underestimated. People even get the place they saw them wrong."

He waved the notice in their faces.

"Do not trust these notices. Prepare as best you can, not the best you can be bothered, and always be ready for everything to go horribly wrong. Most importantly, do not hesitate to run for the hills if something seems wrong. If you have any ideas about the dignity of an adventurer, or a noble, or whatever, the throw those ideas away or they will kill you. Your first duty as an adventurer is to come back alive. You can always come back with more people to kill the monster later."

Vincent took a cleansing breath.

"It is the responsibility of an adventurer to understand what they are walking into, as best they can. In this case, our monster is a bark lurker. I know Geller warned you about it, Asano. Are you prepared?"

"I am," Jason answered assuredly.

"Then you're ready to go?"

"Yes."

"According to the notice," Vincent added, "there should only be one somewhere in the vicinity of bridge marker sixteen."

He pointed to a stone marker on the side of the bridge, on which the number 16 was inscribed.

"As that is all the notice says, that is all the information you're getting. As I have just explained, however, that information is not reliable. Out in unclaimed territory, where the report was made by someone who fled off at first glance, there is every chance it is wrong. That said, notices are fairly accurate. Which is why you have to avoid becoming complacent."

Vincent held something out for Jason to take. It was a crystal, like the one floating over Vincent's head.

"A recording crystal?"

Vincent shook his head, "A far-sight crystal. As long as it's active, we can see through it from here. It has a maximum range, but the monster should be well within it."

"How does it work?"

"Just toss it in the air."

He did as instructed and the crystal moved over Jason's head. In front of Vincent an image appeared, showing the perspective from Jason's crystal. The image looked a lot like the interface screens that appeared for Jason's ability. Vincent adjusted the image with a flick of his hand, panning back for a wider view.

"Off I go, then," Jason said, walking to the edge of the bridge. His cloak of shadows and stars appeared around him as he stepped off, drifting gently down to the water. He started walking over the surface of the water, his footfalls landing with a ripple.

Standing on the water, he concentrated on the auras around him. The strongest were on the bridge, Vincent's bronze rank aura and the iron rank auras of the others. He moved his focus to the weaker auras around him. The swamp was teeming with life, inundating Jason with normal-rank auras. Animals were sensitive to auras and avoided him, even the ones that would normally view a human as potential prey.

Jason moved further from the bridge, still concentrating on the auras. He was looking for an aura dead zone, knowing the ordinary animals would give the unnatural monster a wide berth. He was out of sight of the bridge when he found what he was looking for. The normal auras were avoiding something, much as they avoided Jason himself. He wasn't close enough to pinpoint the source, as his aura sense was still limited.

Jason walked over to the mangroves at the edge of the water. He picked a spot where trees weren't too tightly packed, but still provided enough cover to make solid shadows. From his inventory he took out a slab of meat, something looted from a monster several days ago. He wedged it in between the mangrove roots, just under the surface.

The night before, Jason and Humphrey had pored over the monster archive entry for bark lurkers, looking for the best approach. What they had come up with was baiting the creature out with meat. Its ability to sense auras was weak, a trait common to humanoid monsters. Its sense of smell, on the other hand, was excellent, especially in water. Using monster meat made it less likely to attract normal creatures.

Jason waited, well away from the bait. He stood stock still in the shadows of another set of mangroves, his aura retracted as best he could and his conjured rifle, Divinity in one hand, a potion that restores mana and stamina in the other. He sensed the monster beneath the dark water before he spotted the ripples on the water as something large moved within it. He could see the monster barely broach the surface of the water; if it wasn't moving, he would have mistaken it for a log. It moved slowly at first, before splashing wildly as it lunged onto the submerged bait.

It rose up out of the water, lifting the meat up in triumph as it let out a wild roar. It looked like a giant wearing armor made of swamp logs, water pouring off the pocked and craggy shell. Jason chanted a spell, focusing on the bark lurker.

Punish those who seek me harm, devouring their light. Let it cleanse and protect those who aid in my endeavors.

A boundary field of light appeared in a fifteen-meter radius around the monster, it acting as the epicenter. Colors of red, blue and yellow started flowing out of the roaring monster, who's victorious howl turned into pain and rage as its life, mana and stamina were devoured by the field of light. Jason meanwhile downed the potion to restore his nearly depleted mana and stamina, having learned the hard way how much his [Field of Hungry Light] spell took out of him. With his climbing mana and stamina, he took aim and started firing his rifle's beam.

The beam hit the raging monster, causing escalating resonating and disruptive force damage. Its logs started to crack along with its exposed skin. The monster wheeled on him, wading sluggishly towards the source of its pain. It was twice Jason's height, but it was waist deep in water, leaving them face to face. The slow creature was impeded all the more by having to wade through the swamp. Jason knew it would move faster if it swam underneath, but it was too enraged and too stupid to think tactically.

Jason's back was up against the trees and the monster thought it had him as a cage of light surrounded it but didn't impede its movements at all. The [Judgement] effect weakened it, slowing it even more and doubling the amount his field was draining from it while also increasing its rage. It lurched forward with a sudden burst of speed as Jason sunk down into the shadows of the mangrove trees. The monster crashed into the space he had just vanished from, becoming entangled in the trees and receiving double the damage it normally would have taken, momentarily stunning it.

Jason emerged from the shadows just to the monster's side and struck out with a palm thrust, activating his [Energy Drain] ability. Lifeforce, mana and stamina streamed out of the monster, into Jason's fist that pulled it into his chest, restoring his own reserves.

The trees were little impediment to the monster's strength, whole root systems wrenched from the water as it thrashed about. It failed to find its attacker. Jason had leapt backwards, his cloaks weight reducing power allowing him to create significant distance between him and the raging monster. He needed to keep it inside the field he'd created, thus he made sure to stay within its sight, luring it back towards the center of the boundary.

It was weakening by the second as the field kept eating away at it, Divinity's beam acuminating damage at twice its normal output thanks to the judgement effect. The ignorant monster thrashed helplessly as it chased the elusive Jason, wrangling it inside the very field that was hurting it. Occasionally, the judgment field would collapse, activating the [Penance] effect that caused bursts of transcendent damage.

The bark lurker was just staggering as chunks of its swamp log armor fell away, revealing cracked bleeding skin with light running throughout its body. The current judgement field was on verge of collapse when Jason ended things by hurling his [Nova Bomb] at the dying monster. The swirling orb of void energy nearly the size of the bark lurker slammed into the monster and the judgement field, detonating with twice its normal output.

The warping sphere of time and space completely eradicated the hulking giant in a flash of dark purple-black light. Streams of the void energy and rainbow smoke particles were all that remained of the towering monster. With its complete annihilation it was automatically looted into his inventory.

Jason dismissed his conjured gun and the field of hungry light before turning back towards the bridge. The candidates gathered there watched Jason, cloak of stars swirling around him on a breeze no one else could feel as he walked lightly over the water.

---

With the bark lurker dealt with, the group completed the crossing of Bridge Road and mangroves gave way to marshland. Once again, they were riding atop the embankment roads that were the main thoroughfares of the delta. Sitting in the back of the wagon, Jason looked out at the sun getting low over the wetlands, golden light shimmering on the water. The hour was fairly late, the summer causing the sun to linger in the sky.

Jason took out a red marble tablet from his inventory, the image of a bird etched into it in gold.

"What's that?" Humphrey asked.

"Something I have to decide whether to keep or throw away."

"Why?"

"Probably best I don't say," Jason told him. "You know, Humphrey, my experiences here have been trying in ways I never thought possible. I've had some rough moments."

He looked out again at the sun setting over the wetlands.

"Some good ones, too. Whatever complaints I may have had, this has proven to be the fresh start I desperately needed."

"Shut up, Asano," Mobley sneered. "No one wants to hear your winsome prattling. You're not profound."

Humphrey was about to say something, but Jason waved him down with a gesture. Jason looked at Mobley with a look that spoke of ages that belayed his youth but didn't say anything. Yet, it unnerved the young noble to the point that he looked away fearfully. Jason just shook his head as he returned the tablet to his inventory. These young, barely adults were still naïve to the harsh realities of life. They'd either learn the hard way or die along this dangerous path they've chosen.

Vincent pulled the wagon to a halt at a junction where two embankment roads crossed one another.

"There's a good size town beyond the marsh," he told them, turning to look at the group sitting together in the wagon. "There's a dedicated accommodation for adventurers on the road, so you can expect the nicest night you'll have during this trip. Before that, though, there's one last notice for the day."

He panned his eyes slowly over the group. Humphrey and the three others who had already passed, Jason and the young woman who could still go either way. His gaze stopped at Mobley, the one member who had ostensibly failed.

"I won't lie, Vincent continued. "This is a rough one. I'm willing to let any or all of you participate; you can sort that out amongst you. Mobley, you make a good showing here, and I'm willing to reconsider your position."

Mobley had been sullenly slumped in the wagon since his encounter with the rune tortoise that morning. Potions and ointments had healed him, but his hair was still largely burned away. Jason had offered Mobley some hair-growth ointment Jory had given him, but he wanted nothing to do with Jason. On hearing Vincent's offer his head jerked up, hope lighting up his eyes.

"What's the monster?" Humphrey asked.

"Trap weavers," Vincent answered simply.

Humphrey and some of the others took on serious expressions, recognizing the monster by name. The others waited for the explanation, but Mobley was the first to speak.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" he asked wildly. "Did someone put you up to this? It was the Kilgane family, wasn't it? They paid you to make sure I didn't come back."

The other candidates went as still as the suddenly frozen expression on Vincent's face. There was a long period of icy silence before Vincent spoke with an added edge to his tone. "Mr. Mobley, I am willing to take that accusation in the manner I believe it was made, which is to say, thoughtlessly. So long as I have your apology, I am willing to consider it an outburst made in a moment of surprise, that we can put behind us and speak no more about."

Mobley visibly gulped. Jason could hear something dangerous lurking behind Vincent's words as if his controlled enunciation was trying to keep it from getting loose. Suddenly the man with the outrageous moustache didn't seem silly at all.

"You have my apology, sir," Mobley quickly and sincerely said.

"Good," Vincent accepted. "Mr. Geller, please inform the members of our group who are not aware as to the nature of trap weavers."

"Perhaps we should disembark from the wagon first," Humphrey suggested.

"Good idea, Mr. Geller."

Leaving the tense air of the wagon seemed like an escape. The marshland was vast, reeds and copses of trees punctuating expanses of water. The air was heavy, wet and warm, even as the sun ducked out of sight. The sky was a mixture of dark blue and orange-gold, reflected on the still mirror of marsh water.

"Instructor Trenslow," Humphrey started. "When you were collecting notices, I didn't see one for trap weavers."

"It came from the Adventure Society directly," Vincent explained. "They have provided the location of the nest."

"Sir," Humphrey replied with a deadly seriousness, "trap weavers are dangerous, and this half-light will favor them strongly. Perhaps it would be best to come back in the morning."

"I asked you to inform the group of what trap weavers are, Mr. Geller," Vincent chided. "I did not ask your opinion on how I conduct this field assessment."

"Sorry, sir," Humphrey apologized. "Trap weavers are a kind of giant spider. Their main body is around the size of a man's torso, but they stand as tall as a man with their long legs. They can produce webs that are very strong and hard to see in certain light conditions, which is why they are most active during the predawn and twilight hours. The webs can be used to create traps that can ensnare a person, or directly attack and entangle. They are highly stealthy and can hide their aura better than most monsters."

Humphrey gave Vincent an uncertain glance as he kept talking.

"Trap weavers roam in search of prey but return to a nest, usually in environments with water and dense trees. They use their webs to create traps that make invading their nests extremely difficult. This is especially true at the cusp of daylight where their webs are the hardest to spot."

Humphrey's face went hard.

"Trap weavers usually spawn in groups, at least two or three and as many as twelve or thirteen. There have been some occurrences of higher numbers, although I'm not sure of the record."

"Nineteen," Vincent provided. "Outside of a monster surge. No one's conducted the size of swarms during a surge, for they spawn by the dozens."

"Using environmental and numerical advantages," Humphrey continued his explanation, "trap weavers are responsible for more iron rank adventurer deaths than any other monster in the Greenstone region. There is a standing advisory that they should be dealt with in groups, during daylight."

"Very comprehensive, Mr. Geller," Vincent commented.

"I'm not done, sir," Humphrey insisted. "Instructor Trenslow has asked us to decide for ourselves which of us will deal with the trap weavers. I strongly recommend we choose no one. Fighting these creatures, especially now, is a danger I don't feel to be appropriate. There is a strong likelihood of some of us dying too quickly for Instructor Trenslow to intervene."

"I didn't ask for that, Mr. Geller," Vincent scolded.

"With respect, Instructor Trenslow," Humphrey shot back, "you instructed us to decide for ourselves who will participate. This is my contribution to that discussion."

Vincent looked at Humphrey, his expression unreadable.

"What about you, Mr. Asano?" Vincent asked.

Jason gave Vincent a long, assessing look before he responded, "Probably best I don't say anything either way."

Humphrey looked at Jason, about to speak, but stopped at a slight shake of the head from Jason. Confusion crossed Humphrey's face, but he stayed silent.

The other candidates who had already passed the assessment joined Humphrey in declining, leaving Mobley and the young woman who, like Jason, was yet to pass or fail. They looked at each other and also declined.

Humphrey turned to Vincent and told him, "There our group's decision. We choose no one."

"Very well," Vincent replied, his face betraying nothing. "Then I guess you should all get back in the wagon."

---

As promised, the town at which the group rested for the night had a large building for adventurers, with a common room, dining hall, and bedrooms enough for a dozen people. It was situated on the edge of a pond, with a covered terrace. They didn't arrive until after dark, and most of the group were gathered in the common room.

Jason explored the sizeable kitchen, but the cupboards and cooler box had no food, only crockery and cutlery. Jason made a salad with ingredients from the market towns they had passed through. He left a stack of bowls and forks next to the big salad bowl, filling two and taking a fork for each.

He made his way through the common room, where the other candidates were discussing the day's events. In the end, Jason had killed both monsters, aside from the trap weavers they had left alone. He had no interest in the circle of unwelcomed looks, instead making his way out to the terrace. The night was lit by a bright pair of moons, shining high over the surrounding wetlands.

There was patio furniture on the terrace, Vincent casually reclined as he looked out into the night. Jason put a bowl and fork down on the table next to him, before taking a seat himself. He pulled a couple of glasses from his inventory, along with a bottle. He poured a little bit of blue liquid into each glass.

"I think you'll like this," Jason said. "It has a fresh, crisp flavor that should go nicely with the salad."

"Thank you," Vincent replied.

"It was no trouble," Jason waved him off. "I find making delicious food people can enjoy soothing. I just wish this establishment had what I need to make some really delicious sandwiches."

Vincent chortled, "Rufus told me you were an interestingly weird man."

"He told me you were worth showing respect," Jason countered. "Sounds like disparate treatment to me."

Vincent nodded at the door Jason had emerged from.

"What are they doing in there?"

"Talking about the trap weavers," Jason answered. "Humphrey's idea, of course."

"He's a diligent young man," Vincent agreed. "Have they figured it out, yet?"

"That we were never meant to fight them? They might get there, they might not. The rest are more interested in clamping onto the Geller family's leg."

"You haven't given them much of a chance," Vincent pointed out. "He seems to value your judgement."

"Yeah, I think his mother wants him to learn from me."

"What?"

"Humphrey is a honest, straightforward young man with unquestionable morality," Jason explained. "He has a hard time seeing the vast ocean of grey that exists between the black and white he sees the world through."

"Mr. Geller does seem to have difficulty understanding the harsher necessities of reality," Vincent conceded.

"He also has little to no skill in the political arena," Jason added. "I'm no master like Danielle Geller but I'm proficient enough to navigate it successfully."

"Like the way you handled Thadwick Mercer."

"Yes. Humphrey would have just kept to the high ground and tried to reason with him, but people like Thadwick can't be reasoned with. They truly believe themselves to be better than everyone else and have the birthright to as much power as they want. In my youth, around Humphrey's age, I'd have mocked him as the spoiled little boy that he is and created an enemy for no other reason than trying to prove how smart I was."

"Isn't that what you did by manipulating him?" Vincent asked.

"Of course," Jason answered. "Though, only to those that are smart enough to see it and have the discretion not to mention it to Thadwick. The way I did it actually endeared him to me, not that I want to be friends with people like that man-child, but he at least won't use his families resources to come after me. I also raised my own standing in the local society politics, but not so loudly to be hammered back down."

"So it was all a ploy to climb the political rungs."

"Yes. Though, I'd prefer to not be noticed by the powerful until I actually have power."

"Then why the ploy? If you want to stay unnoticed you should have just left it to young Mr. Geller."

Jason sighed before he explained, "What do people see when they look at me from a societal viewpoint? Some unknown bloke going to social events with the Gellers, a friend of their young scion and an upcoming adventurer being trained by Rufus Remore. Who also so happens to be friends with him as well."

"So you're surrounded by and connected to powerful people," Vincent replied.

"Exactly. I was never going to stay unnoticed by the powers of this region and I don't want to just be seen as some hanger-on that can be used by those powers to get in with the Gellers and Remores. I have to demonstrate that I'm not some hapless fool hanging on to power, but a capable political mind that's connected to power."

"And the difference is?"

"One can be messed with if the gains are good enough while other would only bring down more trouble than it's worth. I'd rather be the amicable person that can navigate the politics safely that people won't attack due to the powerful connections I've made, than the loudmouth playing above his level, angering the Thadwicks of the world into doing rash, idiotic things that'd leave me dead or worse."

"That would be the prudent choice," Vincent agreed.

"I'd like to say it was a decision made through insight and intelligence, but the truth is that I had to learn that particular lesson the hard way. Note the scars."

"I assumed as much," Vincent admitted. "Soul scars are rare and only appear due to events that mark your very soul, changing a person on a fundamental level. It'd have been odd if you hadn't learned anything from receiving them."

"Yup," Jason chuckled. "I'm all about the hard learned lessons."

"Thank you, in any case, for not interfering when I told you to go after the trap weavers," Vincent said. "Pointing out what I was doing would have been easy points for you, socially speaking."

"No worries," Jason waved his thanks off. "It's a lesson that they should learn for themselves. It'll land with more meaning that way."

"You know why I haven't passed you yet, don't you?"

"I don't care what you tell us. You won't pass or fail anyone until the assessment is over."

"True enough," Vincent confirmed, "although I don't see Humphrey dropping down this time, He did well, taking leadership today. He had a similar chance last month and second-guessed himself into silence."

"So, am I close to passing like Humphrey or do I need to show you more?"

"If you have more to show, then you should decide whether you should show it or not," Vincent answered, his expression giving nothing away.

"That's not an answer," Jason pointed out.

"It's the only one you'll get until the assessment is over," Vincent stated firmly.

The door from the common room burst open.

"Jason," Humphrey exclaimed, striding out onto the terrace. "We were never meant to fight the trap weavers, we were meant to refuse! The whole thing was a test of leadership and judgement."

Shock and disappointment crossed Jason's face.

"Is that true, Instructor?" he asked, turning on Vincent. "Is something that devious even ethical?"

---

The adventurer accommodation had a dozen bedrooms, with three bathrooms shared between them. Jason found the bathrooms strange in their familiarity, tiled surfaces and magical plumbing. Jason was fresh out of the shower, with a towel around his waist. He was standing over a basin, looking into the wall mirror as he washed cream off his face.

"Stash!" Humphrey's voice yelled from the hall outside. It was followed by the door handle turning, and the bathroom door opened from the other side by some kind of chimp-like creature. It turned into a bird that flew up and perched atop Jason's head, chirping triumphantly at its reflection in the mirror.

"Sorry," Humphrey apologized from the door.

"No worries," Jason waved his worry off. "Just so long as the bird he turns into is a small one."

"What's that on your face?" Humphrey asked, standing outside the half-closed bathroom door.

"Shaving cream, kind of," Jason answered. "You just leave it on for a few seconds, then any hair washes right off with the cream. An alchemist friend gave it to me. You want to try?"

"I have a magic crystal that you rib on your face," Humphrey informed. "Anyway, I shaved yesterday. I don't need to do it every day."

Jason frowned. In the midst of a monster-hunting expedition, it was easy to forget that his fellow candidates were all eighteen or nineteen years old. Jason was only seven or eight years their senior, but forgot how ignorant he was at that age about proper daily primping. Humphrey would learn. He was also intimately aware of what it was going to be like for them to grow up killing and dying at that age.

"Seems like it would be easy to accidentally take off hair you wanted to keep," Humphrey continued, oblivious to Jason's thoughts.

"Yeah, I have to be careful not to mess up this beauty," Jason explained, patting his goatee. "Due to an injury I can't grow it out naturally. I have to use this ointment that causes hair to grow. Have to be even more careful about applying that one. It works everywhere, whether hair is meant to grow there or not."

"That makes sense," Humphrey replied. "I was wondering why you didn't have eyebrows when we met, but a couple of days later you did."

---

In the final days of the field assessment, some of the candidates began to realize the results weren't as decided as Vincent may have implied. Recognizing that coasting on what they thought was a done deal wasn't the best strategy, there was increased competition for each new monster they went after. Jason would spend most of his time meditating to consolidate his gains and would only pushed forward when dealing with groups of fast moving monsters having already showed how he could handle the larger, more durable monsters.

One such group were monsters called margolls. They were dog-headed humanoids, with physiques like bodybuilders heavily into steroid abuse. Their jaws could produce a powerful bite, but their most dangerous feature was the sickle-like claws at the end of their arms. Combined with the crude clothing they fashioned for themselves with the flayed skin of their victims, they were an intimidating sight.

Despite their appearance, they were not very dangerous individually, at least to a fully trained and equipped adventurer. The problem was that they always appeared in groups. As many as a dozen could appear at once, and they were highly aggressive, even for monsters. They were one of the monsters most dreaded by normal people. Every resident of the delta heard stories of a margoll pack descending on a farm or ranch, or even attacking villages.

Humphrey had taken on the first group of margolls they'd run across. He didn't use any of his abilities beside conjuring a sword and his armor. Mowing them down with his proficient swordsmanship and martial skills.

It was on the last day that Jason was able to get a shot at such a group of margolls. The group of candidates was assembling around the wagon when another wagon came bolting into town, drawn by four heidels that were panting from how hard they'd been driven.

"Is it just me," Vincent commented, "or do those look like some people in need of an adventurer? Everyone form up!"

Vincent approached as the driver pulled up the wagon.

"You need some assistance?" he asked.

A bedraggled driver glanced back into the wagon before dropping down, looking over Vincent. Most people, whether in Greenstone or the delta, wore loose-fitting, breathable clothes because of the heat. Adventurers, at least while on the job, wore more fitted outfits, often with overt protective properties. They carried arrays of weapons and other useful gear. This was also true for the candidates, making their occupation obvious. To dispel any doubt, Vincent wore his brooch bearing the Adventure Society emblem.

The driver explained that his family had escaped their nearby farm after a pack of margolls arrived. The only reason they got away was that the margolls were caught up slaughtering their herd, giving the farmer time to load his family in the wagon and flee. This would make the fourth group of margolls the group had encountered in three days.

"Margolls again," Mobley muttered. "Do you think it's a sign the monster surge is starting?"

"Possibly," Humphrey answered, "but not likely. There hasn't been an increase in overall activity or a sharp rise in pack numbers. The first sign is usually when solitary monsters start appearing in groups."

After getting the details from the farmer, Vincent addressed the group, "We're looking at a large pack, somewhere around ten to twelve margolls. Asano, I know you've been pushing for a shot at a margoll pack, but do think you can handle that many?"

"Yes," Jason confidently stated. "I have a bit more to show you."

By time the wagon turned off the embankment road and down a slope towards the farm, Jason was itching to begin. He was the first to vault out the back of the wagon.

Vincent had stopped the wagon on the outskirts of the farm. In the distance they could see a clutch of mudbrick farm buildings, past fields of a low, leafy crop. Vincent, still in the driving seat of the wagon, tossed Jason a far-sight crystal.

"We'll watch from here," Vincent stated. Margolls had poor vision and aura sense, but their sense of smell and hearing were highly sensitive. The group would see everything through the crystal without interfering with Jason's fight.

As Jason marched away without pause, Humphrey followed. He maintained enough distance that he wouldn't interfere either, but could still could if necessary.

Jason neared the farm's largest building, a big, square barn. As he did, a margoll came wandering out, chewing on the remains of what, to Jason, looked like the family dog. Somehow, the idea of a dog-headed monster eating a dog made it even more disgusting. The monster sniffed the air, the turned to Jason, dropping its meal on the dirt.

Jason had never been this close to a margoll before. It had the face of a pit bull and the body of a power lifter, with sickle-like hands. Its arms were drenched up to the elbows in blood, as was its mouth. It threw its head back, letting out a wild howl.

The margoll's howl called more, who emerged from in and around the building to join it. As they assembled, Jason and the first one remained where they stood, gazes locked. Jason was the first to move, walking closer to the wall of the barn.

That first step was like a starter's pistol, the monsters lunging into a sprint. Jason kept walking casually and drawing his blade from his hip as the creatures closed the distance, pounding over the dirt. When they were almost upon him, he dropped into the shadow of the building like falling through a manhole.

He rose up form the ground behind the monsters, silently emerging from one of the margolls' own shadows. In the brief but crucial moment of confusion, Jason lopped off the head of the margoll in front of him.

The creatures were already wheeling on Jason, so when the sword cut through the neck, blood sprayed over the others.

You have defeated [Margoll].
Would like to loot [Margoll]?

He kicked the dead monster forwards as it dissolved into rainbow smoke. The stench was horrifying, but bearable for Jason. Fortunately, he lacked the powerful sense of smell the margolls had. For them, the smoke was like tear gas, the closest ones staggering away with dog-like yelps of misery.

The group of margolls was large enough that those furthest from Jason weren't disabled, although they were scattered and distracted. Jason moved right into their midst, making full use of his martial skills in the chaos.

To better show off his competency and because he figured out that Vincent wanted to see him fight when his preferred fighting strategy failed, Jason didn't conjure any of his magic guns, using his martial abilities while wielding Gary's gift; [Void Salvation] with the occasional energy drain palm thrust or [Omnificence] to create traps or walls to corral them. He'd even released Colin and had him/it form into four Blade Wolfs to attack along the edges of the battle, killing or turning them back into the fray.

Jason's normal strategy was to maintain his distance, raining down damage with his guns and key up opportunities to land draining attacks to replenish his mana and stamina. Then once the target/targets were primed and ready he'd finish them with his big special attack; [Nova Bomb]. Now he was showing what he'd do if for some reason he couldn't use his conjured long range weapons and was forced to get up close and personal.

His new sword was acuminating enough of the [Void Edge] that it was starting to cut them clean in half with every swing of his blade. An elbow strike or kick tripping up nearby margolls into their fellow. Dissolving one felled margoll after another and knocking them into groups of them.

Jason danced through the chaos, blade flashing, elbows, palm thrusts and feet lashing out. Steadily dropping their numbers off one by one. They'd retaliate with their claws, a few being stopped by his mana shield created by Gordan, the rest only making grazes that healed almost as soon as they were made due to the increased regen both his familiars gave him and the repeated energy drain attacks.

Humphrey watched as Jason walked back. Behind him, rainbow smoke of a dozen monsters drifted into the sky. It rose up from his body as the blood of his enemies burned away. Team Colin bounding up to Jason before breaking down into red and black particle and sunk into his flesh.

---

The sky grew darker as the wagon passed through cut-down flatland around the Old City wall and through the city gate. After the sprawling delta, everything felt pushed together in Old City, from the narrow streets to the buildings crammed against one another. The wagon rolled on up through Broadstreet Boulevard which, in spite of the name, would barely pass as a laneway on the Island. Stalls were packed away and storefronts were closing with the setting sun. Jason noted Jory's clinic as they passed it by.

The Boradstreet Bridge was the same one Jason crossed on his first day in Greenstone, the wagon getting waved straight into the rich people lane. The pace picked up on the wide Island streets and the wagon soon pulled up at the Adventure Society's marshalling yard.

The sun was completely gone by the time they arrived, but Jason's mood had lightened. He hopped free of the wagon feeling good of his chances of passing the assessment.

"And here we are," Vincent said as the candidates decamped from the wagon. "Results of the assessment can be collected from administration individually as of tomorrow afternoon. If you wish to challenge or query the results, you may do so with administration at the time you collect them."

The marshalling yard was thoroughly illuminated by magic lamps, and a small crowd was awaiting their arrival. The other group had apparently just arrived as well, already being greeted by waiting family. Humphrey spied his mother, fending off several would-be social climbers, and headed in her direction. Jason spotted Rufus standing next to her, but also noticed Thadwick Mercer. From their body language, he guessed Thadwick was being met by a household servant rather than a family member.

Jason walked in that direction, calling out Thadwick's name like he was an old friend.

"Huh? Oh! Asano, here to congratulate me on passing the assessment?" Thadwick asked in a tone of smug happiness.

"Of course," Jason enthused, "though the results won't be revealed until tomorrow afternoon, but I'm sure you passed with fly colors, mate."

Thadwick preened at the praise before he asked, "And how'd you do?"

"I'm fairly confident that both Humphrey and myself passed. Thanks for asking."

"Good," Thadwick rejoiced. "Perhaps you and Geller could accompany me on a contract sometime."

"It'd be a pleasure," Jason replied with a fake smile. "Unfortunately, I'm not quite up to snuff be going on contracts you and Humphrey will be taking yet. I'm going to be focusing on some solo contracts to round out my abilities and become stronger so that one day I can be at your level."

Thadwick eat up the praise all the more and Jason just kept up the façade until he left after exchanging a few more niceties with him.

Jason turned in the direction of Rufus, Humphrey and Danielle. Vincent had already moved to join them, and they were all looking in the direction of Jason's encounter with Thadwick.

"Danielle!" he called out with a wave as he approached. He flashed Humphrey a genuine grin, and Humphrey returned it with his own that every young noble girl would kill over.

"Nicely done with Young Master Mercer," Danielle complimented with a smile. "I do hope you you're paying attention, Humphrey, dear."

"What?" Humphrey asked.

"Jason," Rufus suspiciously asked, "what are you up to?"

"Oh, dear Mr. Remore," Danielle shook her head in disappointment. "I'd expected you to have seen through his ploy."

"I think I might have missed something," Humphrey stated in confusion.

"Same here," Rufus said unhappily.

Danielle sighed, giving Jason a sympathetic look, "You're wasted in this city, you know that?"

"I do," Jason agreed, shaking his head with mock sadness. "But you can't control where some lunatic cultist summons you to."

"What?" Vincent blurted out, completely lost.

"Will you please just explain why you're friends with the likes of Thadwick Mercer?" Rufus asked. "It's not like you, Jason."

"And stop weirdly flirting with my mother," Humphrey added grumpily.

"Hey," Jason let out with a little hurt. "I'd never do that to you Humphrey. A mate never messes with another mate's mum. Though, your older sister is fair game, as long you don't have an issue with that?"

"No, but I don't think you're her type," Humphrey responded. "She has a preference that her prospective paramours be good looking."

"That's hurtful."

"We're getting off topic," Rufus chided.

"Humphrey, dear, Mr. Remore," Danielle explained. "You have to remember that Jason wasn't born on top of the pile like you two. Yet, he finds himself in the company of those that are and can't fade into the background until he's ranked up to stand in such company. Thus, he has to make his own place in society carefully, which is why he's playing around with poor Thadwick."

"So, you're manipulating him again," Humphrey accused.

"Of course," Jason admitted. "Thadwick is the type of entitled, arrogant self-important person that I could never be friends with. But he has the political power of the Mercer family behind him and that's something I can benefit from while preventing him from being my enemy."

"I don't think it's right to pretend to be someone's friend just to use their family name," Humphrey stated disapprovingly.

"It is," Rufus agreed.

"Yup," Jason agreed to their dumbfounded expressions. "I'm not pretending to be his friend. I'm just being amicable and friendly. People like Thadwick don't have friends, they have subordinates and servants. To people like him, everyone is beneath them and friendship can't be formed in such an environment. It's why I'm friends with you and Rufus. You're both superior in status and power but don't treat people like they are less than you."

That eased Humphrey and Rufus as they conceded Jason's point.

"Honestly," Jason continued, "this isn't about Thadwick. It's about all these nice people here. The people who saw me being friendly with a member of the Mercer family, then wander here to where I'm on a first name basis with Danielle Geller herself. Where does that put me, in their eyes?"

"Right at the top," Rufus realized. "But why bother? You're already appearing in high social circles."

"As an adjunct to you," Jason told him. "What I just did showed that I'm more than just some hanger-on. I'm in good grace with the Mercers and a close friend with the Gellers. People will have to take me seriously just for that simple fact."

"So," Humphrey concluded, "you're using our families' names to elevate yourself."

"Now you're getting it, dear," Danielle said happily.

"I'm fairly certain I'm not," Humphrey frowned. "How is that different than what he was doing before?"

"Dear boy," she explained to him. "This isn't about climbing the social ladder, it's about displaying how high up it Jason is connected to. Anyone wanting to move against him, either for a political plot or a personal vendetta will have to consider angering the two most power families in Greenstone."

"So, we're his shield from reprisal," Humphrey guessed. "As long as he doesn't go antagonizing people he shouldn't."

Danielle sighed, "Sometimes I think you and your sister are a little too much your father's children. Just by being associated with Mr. Remore, Jason became a target for plots to get closer to him and reprisal for any grudges they don't have the power to direct at the Remores. But now Jason isn't some mere iron rank hanger-on that can be stepped on but a close tie to the local powers."

"It's also why I'm so adamant on joining the Adventure Society," Jason added. "The power, opportunity and getting to help people is all good and well, but the protection it offers is what I really need right now."

"Huh?" Humphrey said, not understanding as he had been taught all his life about the dangers of being an Adventurer.

"The Adventure Society is the most powerful organization in the world," Rufus explained, understanding in his tone as he knew about Jason's insecurity. "Diamond rankers and even gods won't risk making an enemy of it. Killing an adventurer, no matter their rank, will bring down the Adventure Society's full might upon them. The Adventure Society is the strongest shield one can have in this world so long as you're willing to put in the work required to be an adventurer."

"Come along, everyone; I have a carriage waiting and dinner prepared," Danielle moved them along. "You will join us, won't you, Mr. Trenslow?"

"It would be an honor, Lady Geller."

---

Jason hadn't been allowed entry to the Adventure Society trade hall, but he had seen it from the outside. It was a huge complex of buildings just off the loop line station, with several annexed structures connecting off a massive central building.

It was a huge bazaar restricted to members of the Adventure Society, along with traders who received dispensation to operate there. It was where adventurers could trade away any valuables, sell off old equipment and buy gear and supplies for their adventures. Jason's acceptance to the Adventure Society had been confirmed but he was yet to receive his badge. His access to the trade hall was granted with a temporary permit he had been given along with the results of his assessment.

Inside the main hall, Gary led the way as they merged into a crowd as packed as any Old City street market. It was a vast, open room, three stories high, with two mezzanine levels. Light poured in from a series of skylights that made up the bulk of the ceiling.

The ground level was a boisterous mix of stalls, ranging from the semipermanent to the very temporary. Some were just an open tent with a few items laid out on a table. Others were essentially full stores, constructed from artfully dyed and woven reed panels, complete with signage. Most fell somewhere in between, but all were swarmed with people almost shoulder to shoulder.

"I didn't realize there were this many adventurers," Jason commented, speaking loudly over the din of people.

"A lot of them aren't active adventurers," Gary explained. "Mostly they're essence users from the aristocratic and wealthy families who joined the society for the benefits. Like the right to come here."

"But they had to pass the field assessment, right?"

"Not all field assessments are alike," Gary informed. "Just ask Rufus if you want to hear him complain for an hour. The problem is worse here than in most places."

"What about monster surges?" Jason asked. "They have to front up for those, right?"

"They do," Gary confirmed, "but most places have what's called a reserve program."

Meaning they get to stand at the back, away from any danger," Jason supplied coldly.

"That's the one."

Gary led him to the side of the hall, where arcades led towards other buildings in the complex, but instead of leaving the main hall, they took one of the broad stairways leading up.

"The main floor is all iron rank stuff," Gary explained. "Next floor up is bronze."

The second and third floor were mezzanine levels. Gary didn't pause at the second, leading them up to the third.

"The third floor is silver rank?" Jason guessed.

"No, there isn't the market for it here," Gary said. "Apparently there's only forty or so silver rankers in the whole city, and they aren't very active. The magic level here is too low, so silver-rank monsters are rare. Any silver rankers here permanently are semi-retired at best. People like Danielle Geller and Thalia Mercer are only here in anticipation of the monster surge."

"So what is the third floor for?" Jason asked.

"Brokerages. Most adventurers can't be bothered with the trouble of renting a stall and waiting around for people to buy whatever random pile of loot they have. Brokers buy almost anything of value and sort it for more effective sale. For a percentage, of course."

"That's fair enough."

"Brokers also organize the auctions," Gary continued. "In a smaller city like this, they'll usually hold on to the valuable stuff, like essences and awakening stones. Then the brokers will work together to hold a big auction event. Once we finish that shield, that'll sell at auction."

The most valuable item Jason looted during the field assessment was the shell of the run tortoise. Finding an intact one was rare and lucrative, as they could be turned into magical shields. Gary and Farrah were going to work on it together, then split the profits three ways with Jason.

"Most brokers also do money-changing services," Gary kept on going. "If you want to split a coin, say bronze down to iron, they'll do that for free. If you go the other way, they charge ten percent. That's standard everywhere, so if they ask for more, just go somewhere else."

Gary led them into a brokerage office, where they were greeted by a receptionist. They were quickly led into a room where they were met by an item assessor, who would value the items so they could get paid. They just had to put out everything on a table for the assessor to go over.

Jason put out the various items he had looted from monsters. There was bark-lurker hide, monster cores and a variety of loose quintessence gems. On Gary's advice, Jason kept certain items, but most of it was cleared out to make room in Jason's increasingly full inventory. Even if many items stacked into a single slot, he was getting close to filling all forty spaces. Jason had a strange moment as he took out the magical robes he had taken from Landemere Vane.

Landemere was the very first person Jason met in his new world and the first one he killed in it. It had been less than two months, but he felt like a different person from the concussed, lost man in the Vane family basement. He'd regained a sense of self assurance and was finally starting to really live again. Despite the rocky, bloody start, Jason was more of a person than he was before arriving in Pallimustus.

"Something wrong?" Gary asked, and Jason realized he was staring into space, the robes held in his hands. The blood had long since been cleaned off them.

"Just lost in contemplation," Jason replied, putting the folded robes on the table. "A lot has happened since I got those robes."

"Hopefully for the better," Gary chortled, "we were caged and set to be sacrificed in a blood ritual."

"Yup," Jason smiled back. "I feel alive again for the first time in years, and I own it to you, Farrah and Rufus. Thank you."

Gary scratched the back of his awkwardly before he managed to mutter out, "Ah, you're welcome. An besides, you save our lives so, it was the least we could do."

With fresh coins added to the currency counter in his inventory, they headed back downstairs and into the main hall. Making their way through the throng as they looked at the goods on offer, Jason spotted a familiar face. Jory's stand wasn't one of the permanent stalls, but it was one of the larger ones. At the front was a glass counter lined with colorful bottles and vails, behind which stood Jory himself. Most of the stall was storage space, hidden behind a curtain. While Jory was selling a woman a bottle of perfume, Jason perused the chalkboard besides the counter listing the available products.

"Crystal wash," he read out loud.

"Seriously?" Jory asked, as his customer rejoined the crowd. "I can only make so much of it, and there are other people who want to buy it. People who don't get the friend's discount."

"You realize I had to trudge through a bog marsh, right? To protect the poor, innocent people of the delta?"

Jory groaned.

"I can give you one crate, but that's it for the week."

"Twelve bottles?" Jason whined. "I can't get by on twelve bottles."

"You do know about showers and baths, right?"

"He cleans his teeth with it," Gary informed with a chuckle.

"What?" Jory asked in astonishment.

"It leaves my mouth feeling fresh."

"Well, if you want more," Jory pointed out, "I'm not the only alchemist here."

"What about those assistants you were talking about hiring from the Alchemy Association?" Jason asked.

"Expanding my operations isn't something I can do on a whim, you know. I have a lot of demands on my time."

"I thought that was why you wanted the assistants," Jason pointed out. "Someone to take over the grunt work."

They paused for Jory to sell an adventurer a bundle of potions.

"It isn't that simple," Jory retorted, resuming their conversation. "If I'm going to do it properly, I need to put together a whole new facility. Extra space, new equipment. Wages for the assistants. You know the kind of margins I work under."

"That's fair," Jason conceded. "Have you considered investors?"

"You offering?" Jory asked.

Jason held up a hand, three gold coins stacked between his thumb and forefinger.

"Something like this get you started?"

The basic coin of the realm was the lesser spirit coin. Iron coins were worth a hundred lesser coins, used by bulk traders, adventurers and other members of the wealthy elite. After that, it was ten iron to the bronze, ten bronze to the silver and ten silver to the gold. The gold spirit coins in Jason's hand was wroth three hundred thousand units of the basic currency.

"You're not serious?" Jory exclaimed in awe, to which Jason placed the coins down on the counter. Jory hesitantly picked them up, peering at them nestled in his palm

"Do you know how many people I can help with this kind of money?" Jory asked in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter how many people you help," Jason replied. "What matters is if this gets me another crate of crystal wash."

---

"I still can't believe you gave him all that money," Gary said as they made their way through the crowd.

"It's an investment."

"In what? That guy spends all his money on helping sick poor people."

"But imagine a world where everyone gave money for things like that."

Gary thought it over for a moment.

"Then there'd be more healthy poor people?"

Jason allowed himself to be led by Gary's expertise as they looked at various armor for sale. They checked out large stalls selling armor in job lots and small stalls with expensive, handcrafted work. The main hall was only the beginning of the grand bazaar. Side corridors led to sprawling arcades lined with boutique shops. Jason spotted one with a sign so long it threatened to encroach on the abutting storefront.

GILBERT'S RESILIENT ATTIRE FOR THE DISCERNING GENTLEMAN

Jason walked inside, which was a large open space lined with armor of the lighter variety Jason preferred, largely cloth and leather. Most of the wares were draped over mannequins to demonstrate the hang of the garb. Several customers were perusing the wares, along with the proprietor in a flock coat that bulged heavily in the middle. Jason recognized the middle-aged man's paunchy frame and balding head.

"Bert," Jason exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed, I am, sir. Gilbert, of Gilbert's Resilient Attire for the Discerning Gentleman. For fine men as yourselves, however, I invite and appeal upon you to call me Bert. I take it from the glint of recognition in your eye that you are familiar with one of my brothers? Please tell me it isn't Filbert, of Filbert's Fine Leather Emporium."

"Uh, no," Jason answered. "I'm Jason and this is Gary."

Gary waved vaguely from where he was already inspecting the merchandise.

"I've met Bertram, Albert and Herbert, but no Filbert," Jason informed. "You're quintuplets?"

"Actually, it's octuplets," Gilbert corrected.

"There's eight of you?"

"Indeed, there are," Gilbert confirmed. "There's Robert, who sells fruit with Herbert, but on the Island instead of Old City."

"Selling the same fruit, but charging three times as much?" Jason chortled.

"I knew you for a gentleman of discernment," Gilbert replied. "There's also Hubert, but we don't really talk about him. Got caught up with a criminal element. That just leaves Bertrand. He's the handsome one."

"You aren't all identical?"

"No, we are."

Jason was about to inquire further when Gary jostled his arm.

"There's some quality stuff here," Gary informed. "Take a look at this."

"Ah," Gilbert chimed in. "Trap weaver silk, alchemically treated for maximum resiliency. Leather panels carefully placed to provide additional protection without compromising flexibility. The magic is integrated right down to the weaving pattern of the cloth. Tricky and laborious work, but the results speak for themselves. It also allows for the loose, flowing design, which is quite unusual with protective wear."

Just as Gilbert said, the armor was almost a robe, in shifting shades of dark grey. The more fitted parts around the torso, arms and legs had black leather panels, but the layered garment was also draped with flowing cloth. It was a strange combination of tactical armor from Jason's world that he's been making with his Omnificence ability and some kind of wizard robe. Jason was immediately taken with it.

"There's a famous fictional story of warrior mystics where I come from," Jason mused. "They dress like this. I don't suppose there are swords with a blade made of light to match?"

"Not in this city," Gary answered. "I've seen some gold-rank weapons like that."

"Huh," Jason replied. "That actually is kind of neat. I have to start ranking up."

"You're a long, long way from gold rank," Gary chortled. "You should keep your eyes on what's in front of you, for now."

Gilbert smelled a sale and continued his spiel, "The mix of shades and the flowing line are of value to clients who value stealth. While not assisted by magic, the drape of the fabric breaks up the lines of the body, making it harder to recognize in the dark."

"That does actually work," Gary confirmed, "although it doesn't really matter with that cloak of yours."

Jason reached out to run his fingers over the cloth, which felt smooth and sleek.

Item: [Trap Weaver Battle Robe] (iron rank, epic)

A full body armor, carefully handcrafted from silk and leather of trap weavers. (armor, cloth/leather)

Effect: Repairs damage over time. Extensive damage may require external repair.

Effect: Absorbs blood to prevent leaving a blood trail.

Effect: Increases resistance to bleed and poison effects.

Effect: Resistant to adhesive substances and abilities with adhesive effects.

Effect: Adapts fit to the wearer, within a certain range.

"Well?" asked Gary, familiar with Jason's ability to examine items.

"I like it. It fits my needs almost perfectly."

"It'll probably cost more than you should really spend," Gary advised, "but you should always spend a little more than you want to on armor. It'll keep you alive."

"No wiser words have ever been spoken within the walls of my establishment," Gilbert praised.

Gary took on the job of haggling the price down, both he and Gilbert seeming satisfied with where the number landed. The price was in bronze coins, unusual for iron-rank equipment, but Jason had no issue for the quality of the product. He had only seen a handful of epic-quality armor in all their browsing, none of which met his needs so well as the one he finally purchased.

After paying for the armor, Jason placed it into his inventory. He pulled up the outfits tab, slotting the armor into a new outfit. He then tapped the equip button and obscuring smoke suddenly surrounded him. It cleared a moment later, his clothes gone and the armor in their place.

"Very impressive, sir," Gilbert appraised, without apparent surprise. "And might I say, it suits you well. Please, do see for yourself."

Gilbert pointed Jason to a standing mirror in the corner, where Jason admired himself in the dark combat attire.

"A little chuunibyou for my tastes," Jason commented, "but seeing as I actually have magic powers, it fits."

"My apologies, sir," Gilbert responded, "but I'm not sure I grasp your meaning."

"Oh, sorry," Jason apologized. "It's a colloquial term used by my father's cultural heritage. I forget sometimes slang doesn't translate right. I'm just saying its a bit grandiose."

Jason's shadow cloak appeared around him, merging well with flowing lines of dark armor.

"Maybe more than just a bit ostentatious. At least its functional."

They left Gilbert's Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman with Jason back in his street attire.

"I like how loose it feels," he commented. "I wasn't sure about all the really loose clothes they wear here, but once I started wearing armor I really missed it."

Jason had long ago created fresh clothes, discarding those he looted from the Vane Estate. Daywear in Greenstone wouldn't look out of place at a tropical resort, with bright colors and loose fits. Evening wear was more fitted and formal, with flaring frock coats in dark, sober colors.

"I like it too," Gary agreed. "Finding clothes comfortable over fur can be a pain. You should see what they wear where I come from. It's basically just underwear and a bunch of belts strapped over everything."

They were making their way through the crowds in the direction of the exit, but Jason stopped when he spotted a stall.

"What is it?" Gary asked.

It was a large stall selling recording crystals. Jason's eyes fell on a box of crystals being sold in bulk, which he pointed out to the bored-looking woman behind the counter.

"How much?"

---

"Hello," Jason said, waving at the crystal floating in front of him. "I'm not sure if -or when- you'll be seeing this, but I didn't die, or whatever you think happened to me. You probably know that, since the only way you're likely to see this is if I give it to you."

He let out a disgruntled groan.

"Maybe I should have scripted this. Oh, well. Where should I start? It's been about two months since I arrived here. Where is here? That's complicated. I've made some friends. I just got a new job, although I haven't started yet. They're meant to be sending my ID over today. The application process involved sort of a week-long retreat, which I got back from a couple of days ago."

He took a deep breath.

"I suppose I should start with complicated question of where I am. Right now, as you can see, I'm in an expensive hotel suite. It isn't actually mine; that's across the hall. This one belongs to some of those friends I mentioned. They went three-bedroom, which came with this nice, open living area."

Jason had purchased recording crystals that gave him a lot of control about how they moved. He got up and led it out to the balcony, where he panned it over the ocean view.

"Nice, right? One of my new friends is kind of a big deal, so he got the best room in the house. We're on an artificial island, which is pretty crazy, given the size. At some point I'll do a tour video. The subways here are amazing."

"Jason," Farrah's voice called out from inside. "Who are you talking to?"

Jason went back inside. Although he hadn't been out on a job yet, having passed muster with the Adventure Society prompted Rufus to declare Jason ready to guide his own training. Although he and the others would provide occasional guidance, the hours of intensive oversight were a thing of the past, leaving the others with more time for their own pursuits. Farrah and Gary had been working on the rune tortoise shield they were going to sell off, while Rufus was preparing to expand his family's interests into Greenstone.

"I'm talking to my family," Jason answered her. "I've decided to make a record of my time here. Something I can show them, if I ever get back home. Family, this is Farrah and Gary."

"Er, hello," Farrah said, giving the awkward, home-movie wave that apparently transcended realities.

"Hey!" Gary said, waving enthusiastically. "Hello, Jason's family!"

"Didn't the goddess of knowledge tell you that you definitely would get home?" Farrah asked.

"I'm not wildly trusting of authority figures," Jason replied, deactivating the crystal. He took a carousel out of his inventory, full of recording crystals away in an empty slot and returned the carousel to his inventory.

"You do realize the Adventure Society you just joined is a world-spanning organization, right?" Farrah pointed out. "A global authority."

"Yup," Jason answered. "I didn't join because I trust their authority. I joined for the protection it can give and how relaxed they are on ordering me around. Their rules are fair and not nearly as strict as the ADF from my world."

"That's your world's version of the Adventure Society?" Farrah asked.

"Kind of," he explained, "but they aren't a global authority. Just my home country of Australia. Every nation has their own military force that acts as their defensive and offensive power against other nations. We don't have monsters on Earth so we look at each other as rivals for natural resources and territory."

"That's weird," Gary commented.

"There are a few skirmishes between nations now and again," Farrah informed. "But they rarely last as diamond rankers' step in and the amount of damage they can cause when they clash forces the conflict to end. Gods and the Adventure Society push both sides to end their conflict to lessen the damage and focus on handling the existential threat monsters pose to people."

"Hmm, like a United Nations with actual power," Jason mused. "Or is it just the common threat of monsters that give the Adventure Society its pull."

"The Adventure Society also has the largest number of powerful essence users, offering up wealth and power single nations can't or won't offer," Gary supplied.

"Wow, I almost wish monsters were a thing in my world," Jason replied. "Maybe nations would stop killing each other over petty reason like religion and ethnicity."

"Many would argue that killing over their religion isn't petty," Farrah stated. "I'm not one of them."

"Knew there was a reason I liked you Farrah," Jason replied with a smile.

"I thought it was because of her lava powers," Gary mused.

"True," Jason admitted, "her powers are awesome."

"I figured it was because of my stunningly good looks and brilliant mind," Farrah mock pouted, crossing her arms and turning her head.

"It definitely wasn't for her modesty," Gary chortled.

"What you call modesty," Farrah replied with her head raised high and a mock haughty tone," I call a lack of confidence."

They all broke out in laughter.

Gary was the first to recover and asked, "You decided to keep the thing that'll randomly send you home, then?"

"I did," Jason answered. "Gordan told me the truth about the World Phoenix Token and it's for the best if I keep it as the conditions that triggers it aren't great. A nice SafetyNet to have, but one I'm reluctant to use to get home."

"And that would be?" Farrah asked curiously.

Jason was saved from answering as there was a knock on the door and Gary let Vincent in. They all sat down in the lounge area and Jason put out a tray of snacks he took from his inventory.

"You just had those ready?" Gary asked, picking up a candied grape.

"Turns out my storage space maintains freshness and temperature," Jason informed. "Which is lucky because I had that tyrannical pheasant meat in there for almost two months."

"You mean the meat I had the other day?" Gary asked warily.

"That's the one," Jason confirmed unabashedly.

"Is that why you didn't want any? Were you testing it out on me?" Gary asked/accused.

"It wouldn't effect me," Jason replied simply, "I'm poison resistant."

"But I'm not," Gary groused.

"You're Bronze rank," Jason defended. "It'd have been fine. If you're worried about the food I make, you don't need to eat any of these snacks."

Gary looked at the candied grape in his fingers, then put it in his mouth, "We don't have to go that far," he mumbled out.

Vincent watched the exchange with raised eyebrow and asked, "Are you two finished?"

"You sound like Rufus," Gary mused.

"I don't think Rufus could pull off that moustache," Jason stated.

Jason like Vincent; he was a very serious man with a very outrageous moustache that brought back found memories of Colonel Grey.

"There's been a slight problem with your society badge," Vincent jumped straight to the point.

After receiving confirmation that he had passed the assessment, Jason had undergone the final process of becoming an Adventure Society member. Each member had a badge that served various functions beyond proof of membership. It let members claim adventure notices and allowed the society to track members in case they went missing. It also let the society know immediately when a member died.

Badged were managed by the Adventure Society's Member Logistics Department, of which Vincent was one of the chief officials. In addition to the assessment and induction of new members, their responsibilities included the dispensation and monitoring of membership badges.

Although the badges were managed by the Adventure Society, it was the Magic Society that created them. Jason had been sent to the Magic Society so they could take an aura imprint from which to make his badge. It was a simple process, just standing in the middle of a magic circle for about a minute.

"Every time a badge is made," Vincent started to explain, "it's paired with a tracking stone. It tells us if your alive or dead, and lets us find you if you go missing or die. Yours doesn't work, the stone ca't track your aura imprint."

"I've seen this before," Farrah chimed in. "Some people have abilities that block magical tracking."

"That was the Magic Society's assessment as well," Vincent agreed.

Farrah gestured at Jason, "He has a racial ability that give him immunity to identification and tracking effects. I recorded it myself but promised not to release data until Jason gives me the okay."

Vincent nodded, "That's fine. Just as long as we know there isn't someone messing with our membership systems."

"So, what does that mean about getting my badge?" Jason asked.

"There's not much we can do," Vincent answered. "Your badge will still work fine for your adventuring activities. It just means we can't track you if you go missing, or find your body if you die alone."

"I can live with that," Jason replied calmly. "I'd long accepted the possibility of my corpse rotting away in the middle of nowhere. It was apart of last job... no wait. My last job was selling office supplies. I mean the one before that."

Gary chortled while Farrah suppressed a grin and shook her head.

Vincent simply ignored the banter and plucked an object out of thin air. Many essence users had abilities to store objects in dimensional spaces, like Jason's inventory, or Farrah's bottomless stone chest. Vincent handed a square, leather object to Jason. It was a badge wallet, which Jason flipped open to see the badge inside. It was circular medallion made of iron, embosses with a sword and rod crossed over a shield -the emblem of the Adventure Society.

"Congratulations," Vincent said professionally, "As of this moment you are officially a member in good standing of the Adventure Society. That badge represents your membership, and the authority that represents."

"What kind of authority?" Jason asked, flipping open the wallet like a TV cop flashing his badge.

"It's more like having a certain level of prestige that come from membership," Vincent explained, "the actual authority comes from the contract you are carrying out. A common example is when the city puts out a contract to capture a wanted criminal. Whoever is assigned that contract has the power to investigate and arrest bestowed by the city, but only so long as they are on that contract. However, you don't have the rank to take on a contract like that."

"I have a rank?"

"Your rank can be seen on your medallion," Vincent informed. "One-star, iron rank."

Jason looked down at his new badge. On the iron medallion, underneath the Adventure Society emblem was a single star.

"The ranking system of the Adventure Society has two parts," Vincent explained. "The first element is not assessed at all, being a reflection of your rank as an essence user. You're iron rank, so you are an iron rank member."

"Simple enough," Jason replied.

"The second part is not an assessment of your power, but your judgement. That's the star ranking, and is wholly determined by the Adventure Society. Everyone begins at one star, with the maximum number of stars being three. The number of stars determines the kind of contracts you can take. One star contracts are pure monster hunts with no complicated elements to deal with."

"What's your star ranking?" Jason asked curiously.

"Society officials operate outside the rating system," Vincent answered. "It helps us to work with members, irrespective of their rank."

"Makes sense," Jason nodded. "If you've got a two-star official running an operation with three-star members, they might start taking things into their own hands."

"Precisely," Vincent confirmed.

"So, what about you two?" Jason asked Farrah and Gary.

"Two start," Farrah answered first. "Rufus as well. We were kind of hoping to get bumped up to three after the Vane contract, but that didn't work out."

"Rufus gave an honest report," Gary clarified. "We didn't come out looking great."

"Ironically, you did," Vincent said to Jason. "I saw that report."

"I don't suppose that counts for my promotion chances?"

"Not directly," Vincent replied, "but it may be taken into account in the future. Once other achievements have the society considering you for promotion. Achievements made while actually a member."

"So, what do two and three stars actually represent?" Jason asked.

"In short," Vincent explained, "two and three stars represent a level of confidence in your judgement on the part of the Adventure Society. Two stars means the society recognizes your ability to undertake at least some level of actual, unsupervised responsibility. You'll be able to take different kinds of contracts, such as investigating potentially dangerous situations or unknown phenomena. It also means you can lead small expeditions of one-star members."

"We never got to two star at iron rank," Gary commented. "In the high-magic areas there isn't a lot of chance to shine. You spend the whole time following more powerful adventurers so as not to die."

"Three stars is much the same as two, but more so," Vincent continued.

"Three stars means they trust you to handle yourself when things get political," Farrah cut in.

"That's a fair assessment," Vincent agreed. "Three star members are expected to anticipate and manage consequences at a higher level than other adventurers."

"How do you go for promotion?" Jason asked.

"You can apply," Vincent supplied, "usually on the back of some accomplishment. The society prefers to choose for themselves, however. When they think you're operating at a higher level than your current rank, they'll do an assessment. We don't like to see useful assets wasting themselves on work any idiot could do."

"I think he's talking about you," Farrah mused while pointedly staring at Gary.

"You're not any higher rank than I am," Gary shot back.

"There is one important thing to be aware of," Vincent added, ignoring the pair. "The stringency with which promotions are considered scales upward with power. What is good enough for two stars at iron rank is not the same as bronze or silver rank, where the stakes are higher. As such, you can expect to drop a star rank each time you tier up in power. Unless you're still one-star, of course. No one really expects anything from you if you're stuck at that level."

"He's still talking about you," Farrah prodded Gary once again.

"I have two stars," Gary groused defensively. "We're the same rank."

"So, what now?" Jason asked.

"That's easy," Gary happily changed track, "you're an adventurer now. Go to the jobs hall, get a contract and have some damn adventures."