Chapter 5 — Guild Cards and Orc Lords

After the aptitude test, Mira Solvane guided Kai to the registration desk. “Now for your adventurer’s guild card,” she said, sliding a polished card across the counter.Kai took it, examining the small emblem etched into the metal.“This is… a B-rank?” Kai asked, eyebrow slightly raised.Mira smiled faintly. “Normally, new adventurers start at F or C rank, depending on age. But you… are a special case. Your aptitude test was… exceptional.”Kai slipped the card into a small pocket inside his hoodie, letting the chain rest around his neck. “…I see.”Darius and Lira, standing nearby, exchanged glances. “Don’t spend it all in one place,” Darius joked.Kai didn’t respond. Emerald eyes scanned the guild hall as always, alert and calculating.

Their first quest together was soon assigned: exterminating an Orc lord that had been terrorizing miners extracting Mythril ore near the Brassforge Mountains.Darius explained the finer points of being an adventurer on the road. “That guild card isn’t just an ID. It lets you enter and exit the city without paying a toll. Lost it, and you’ll be forking over coin like every commoner. It’s basically your ticket to freedom… and survival.”Kai nodded silently, already aware of the practical benefits of official recognition.

As they prepared to leave the city, Kai noticed Lira’s staff. Her grip, her stance, the intricate markings along the shaft.She caught his glance and tilted her head slightly.Kai spoke softly, “Why a staff? Seems… inefficient. And incantations during battle — slow. Inefficient.”Lira blinked. “…You mean the way most mages fight?”Kai shrugged. “…I suppose. Everyone fights differently.”Darius snorted from behind them. “Kid, not everyone’s a self-taught blade genius. Give her some credit.”Kai’s emerald eyes stayed focused ahead. “Credit is irrelevant. Survival matters.”

As they exited Drakensport’s gates, Darius glanced at Kai. “You’re quiet. Doesn’t talk much.”Kai’s hands slipped into his hoodie pockets, relaxed but ready. “…And you? Why are you so loud?”Darius blinked, surprised. “…Fair enough. And… wait. You… have a girlfriend? Or… can you even talk to women? Are you… interested?”Kai’s lips twitched. “…You? Interested in someone?”Darius hesitated, a faint blush on his cheeks. “…I… there’s a horse-drawn cart. Let’s ask the lady for a lift to the next village,” he said, awkwardly laughing while pointing ahead.Kai’s expression remained unreadable. “…Fine.”

A cheerful lady waited beside a small horse-drawn cart. She wore a wide-brimmed hat and a practical cloak, hands busy adjusting the reins.“Adventurers?” she asked, squinting.Darius and Lira nodded in unison. Kai simply glanced, hands still in his pockets, posture relaxed but alert.The lady smiled, surveying them critically. “I don’t give rides to… reckless children.”Kai’s eyes met hers. “…We are adventurers. Officially.”She raised an eyebrow. “Officially? Show me the guild cards then.”The three presented their cards. The lady studied them carefully, then nodded. “Fine. You may ride to Havenbrook Village. I’m Maris Tyval, by the way. Now sit properly, no funny business.”Kai settled into the cart, hands still in pockets, posture casual but alert. Darius teased, nudging him. “No funny business? Don’t look so grumpy, kid. It’s a ride!”Kai’s only reply: a small, almost imperceptible grin under his mask.

As they bounced along the uneven road, Darius leaned over to Kai. “So… seriously. Why so quiet?”Kai’s emerald eyes flicked toward the passing landscape. “…Why are you so loud?”Lira giggled softly from beside him. “Somehow, that felt like a valid question.”Darius coughed awkwardly, glaring at her. “Hey! I’m being friendly!”Kai’s hand brushed lightly over the guild card around his neck, tucked safely inside his hoodie. “…I do not need to be friendly. I need to survive.”Lira tilted her head, observing him quietly. “You’re fast. Strong. And you think through everything. Huh… survival isn’t just skill. You’re clever too.”Kai’s only response was a faint nod, eyes scanning the road ahead.

The cart jolted, Maris letting out a soft curse. “Next time, keep your balance!”Darius laughed. “Kid, see what I mean? This is adventure!”Kai’s emerald gaze flickered to Lira. “You can heal if necessary?”“Yes,” she said, voice calm but firm. “But I’ll leave the fighting to you… mostly.”Kai simply tilted his head slightly, hands still in his hoodie pockets, ever ready. The guild card rested against his chest, a symbol of his new life and the path he would forge — with steel, magic, and survival above all else.And maybe, just maybe, with allies he could trust.