Promotion

A warm heat nestled against Eira and Kaito’s skin, the metal handles of their swords swaying and shining under the sun. They were approaching the city’s inner defensive wall, a taller and more patrolled wall, compared to the one dividing the fortified city from its limits, and the start of the slums.

They walked down busy rock roads, the Guild of Kamar behind the great wall of the city. Blocks and blocks of buildings and houses as carriages and pedestrians walked on by. The majority of people they saw were elves and half elves with some humans scattered across the bustling crowds.

Two years had passed since Kaito’s meeting with the “Spineful” party of adventurers. They became close, Kaito joining the party officially only a week after meeting them. He’d learned of their journey, having been found by them half way through. The three were siblings, not by blood but by bond, Eira and Talos having been rescued by Ansel. They wandered for years from one nameless village to the next, traveling together from the City of Teraj to the City of Monse. Never staying too long and always continuing south. To the Battle City of Jandra, they arrive, staying there for another two years, their time peaceful and slow, that is, until the King's Order began growing more and more desperate. They spent another year on its outskirts, making sure to steer clear of the King’s Order which Ansel once explained was a military group concentrated in Jandra, with their sole task being to train up and recruit soldiers for the War of Kings.

As the four had passed the time on their travels, Kaito gradually learned more and more about them. Ansel was the main storyteller, explaining their close encounter with the Order in Jandra, and how they found out about Talos’ magical potential. He’d almost had his second chance ripped away from him as the King’s Order now had their sights on the new golden boy who had the potential to turn the tides of the war, according to them.

Talos didn't want that. He only ever wished to stay with his siblings, to be able to become self-sufficient and return a favor to them. The order nearly convinced him to join when Ansel brought him back to his senses, leading to Talos ultimately rejecting the Order and instead gaining a bounty to be brought in by force. Ansel, Eira, and Talos escaped the Order’s clutches, having just arrived in the City of Eigo three weeks prior to having their chance encounter with Katio. From there, the four stayed for a few months, training, eating, and sleeping together.

A year passed in Eigo and soon the four began to settle down and think about buying a house, their funds accumulating and the need to take on quests growing scarce. However the Order arrived suddenly, looking for Talos once more, which led to the party having no choice but to run away again in hopes of making the Order lose interest.

The “Spineful” party returned to their adventure heading south, coming across many villages and fighting many monsters along the way. Four months passed as the party had arrived in the major city of Nuvilea. Kaito picked up the sword and began to train with Eira, having learned that his hopes of using magic were no longer feasible without mana. They quested and trained, having learned that Talos’ bounty was still on going and that the Order was growing more and more desperate, they left the city and traveled further down before they ever arrived, the hills and small forests providing scenery akin to camping, the only difference being the nightly shifts to protect themselves from the monsters roaming the night.

Their adventure led them to the Gyoral’s Capital City, Kamar. The elven nation proved to be a significant obstacle for the Order, having lasted a whole year in Eigo, a city just a 2 week trek from the coast of Jandra by ship, the party had now traveled to the nation’s frigid capital city, a 6 month travel from the city of Eigo if done without sleep. The party had accumulated an abundance of elven currency in their travels and opted to buy a small home on the city’s outskirts instead of an Inn.

Ansel predicted that it would take the Order at least a year or two to get to them since the human military group can’t just show up unannounced to another nation’s capital. Thus, the party began to get comfortable, living a slow life in the city. Talos entered the elves' most prestigious magic academy, passing the school's entrance exam with flying colors, his grades only lacking in any subject that wasn’t magic related.

Eira, Kaito, and Ansel began adventuring on their own, teaching Kaito how to fight and the dangers that came with the territory. Four months passed in their new life in the city and Ansel, a previously C-rank adventurer and the highest ranked in the party, Eira being D-rank, Talos E-rank, and the newest member Kaito an F-rank, decided to take the promotion exam. The promotion would allow him to take his party on higher ranked quests and gain more money for the four of them, wanting to settle down in a nicer place, but deep down also wanting to prove something to himself.

—--

“ID’s please”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s just procedure.”

Eira and Kaito reached into their pockets and showed them their Guild Identification Card’s, the two guards on the left looking at the third, the one checking them, for confirmation.

“Go on through.”

The armored elven knights stepped aside and let the two walk inside, the giant brick arch big enough to have the Bird form his nightmares fly right on through. Their armor clinged and clanged as the thick gate enveloped the outside.

The back of their hands tapped as they walked with their arms at their sides, Eira looking over to the stoic face looking out in front of him.

“You’d think they would know our faces by now. It’s not like there's a lot of humans here.”

She began to stretch her hand over, her face slightly flushed. Turning her head ever so slightly, she looked at the gash he had on his face, the one she’d given him. Still looking out ahead, Kaito pulled his hand away, hiding it in his right pocket.

“Yea…” Eira replied, her rosy cheeks disappearing as her tomboyish demeanor surfaced.

“But that’s how it is in every city, even the ones back in Teraj were like that.”

“I guess so.”

They exited the small tunnel, the previous bustling streets turning into a few chatters here and there, the rocky road now carefully placed bricks as lines splitting the road from the sidewalk began to appear.

Walking for a few more blocks they reached the Guild of Kamar, a building slightly bigger than Eigo’s, the main differences being the bigger doors and longer stairs. They took a right at its entrance, their goal being the training arena behind the building. Clashing of swords and explosions could be heard all the way from where they stood. Some cheers suggested the exams were beginning to end.

As they walked the sound of battle grew louder and the small cheers kept going, most likely the other parties who had one of their own participating.

—--

“No. I want to do my best so I’d really rather not have you guys watching me.”

“But I wannaaaaaaaaaaaa”

“You also have school to worry about. Don’t think I haven’t seen your grades.”

“School’s stupid! Why am I learning arithmetic in a magic focused institution!!”

“Because it helps with your incantations ya dingus.”

“I don’t remember asking for your in-put.”

He shot a glare, and it was returned ten-fold by the swordswoman. Shuddering, the boy switched gears.

“Kaito you want to go too, no?”

“Yea I do actually.”

Raising his arm and scratching the back of his head, he gave a warm smile.

“I uh”

“Nah it’s alright, you need to focus.”

“...”

“I…also did want to go see.” turning to face Talos she continued, “But since I actually want him to pass I’m not whining about it.”

“She’s got you there dude.”

—--

“I said that but… I guess I'm a hypocrite.”

“Nah we’re fine, it’s not like he said we couldn’t show up after he finished. There ain’t no doubt he’ll pass, so at least I needa be there and congratulate him.”

“Oh look.”

The right side gate of the arena began to pour out with people. Humans and elves alike, all adventurers and the parties that had come to support them. Within the crowd, they spotted a certain broad man's back, walking slightly slower than those around him. His head was down, but as they walked over to him, both Eira and Kaito noticed his eyes were blank, locked on the ground. Almost feeling the piercing stares on his face, his head lifted itself up and found two of his partymates walking over to him.

“Eira? Kaito? What are you guys doing here?”

“We figured you’d be a little sad just walking back home by yourself, so we planned to wait out here and pick you up. But thanks to someone you ended up waiting for us in a sense.”

“Hey!” Eira elbowed him in his ribs, causing Kaito to bend forward.

“Ah haha.”

Ansel smiled as he laughed, but his face was strained, a pathetic attempt at sounding happy.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Eira tilted her head, wondering why he looked so strange. Whereas Kaito soon fell silent, a frown beginning to take shape.

“I didn’t pass.”

His voice was deep and shallow. Kaito thought he was sad, a short felt feeling. However, Ansel was not just sad. Unbeknownst to either of them, Ansel was far more than upset. His hands had been shaking from the moment he was told his results. The practitioner telling him “You Failed” as he walked over to the next examinee. The words had replaying over and over in his head, as forgotten memories resurfacing and a sharp pain in his chest beginning to grow.

Ansel was in anguish, a feeling he hadn’t felt in 12 years ago, back when he went by another name.