Aurora - Crystal Caverns

Brak sits in one of the guild's back rooms along with several other adventurers. He looks around and sighs.

I have to take a practical test to get my information updated. Well, Axai is just a smaller city. But... the real question is...

Brak looks over his shoulder to someone sitting beside him, holding the sleeve of his shirt.

Why is Aria here?

Brak then sighs and asks the big question.

"Why are you here? I already assumed you were an adventurer."

Aria jumps a bit and nervously rubs the back of her head. She blinks twice before looking away.

"Eep- Uh... well... Umm... I just wanted to.... I- I wanted to register! I'm not an adventurer... And... well... since you're here, I thought I could accompany you!"

Huh. I thought a traveling noble would already be a registered adventurer. Guess the devs didn't really care about the smaller details like that. I just hope her being clingy to me doesn't throw off the game's main story... Heh, not that I'm complaining. Hmm... I'll ask her a few questions while we wait. I want to learn more information that the game doesn't give.

Brak then responds to Aria. He smiles to ease her shyness.

"Why exactly do you want to be an adventurer?"

Aria jumps at the sudden question and looks at his face. When she sees the smile, she calms down a little.

"You see... Well... I-I... I come from a poor household... Y-you see... Nobles with... these special weapons are required to enter... But... the school doesnt provide funds... so, everyone has to pay... Even the poor nobles. If we don't... Our families could be stripped of rank... and the Angels' Palace will seal away our powers..."

Right. I thought about it earlier but never gave it much detail. Since this world has no central governing body like a monarch, the highest power people answer to is the Angels' Palace, which is a group that governs the usage of Angelic Blades across the world. Due to their authority over the blades, the people just naturally go along with what they say. Sealing, though? I've never read about them doing that...

Brak continues his questions.

"Aren't there any scholarships?"

Renata gets in on a scholarship. Hmm... now that I think about it, she might be paid for by the Angels' Palace.

Aria fidgets a little.

"Well... No... The Angels' Palace will pay for anyone with rare powers... like Healing... But... What was supposed to be tuition went to... Another student... Renata..."

Aria looks like she's on the verge of crying, her blue eyes holding back tears.

"I only have a year to come up with money... B-because my family is poor... We can't afford it... So, I've been traveling around... taking any job I could... until I found myself here and ending up with those bandits..."

She's trying her hardest to sound brave. I respect it.

Brak reaches out and pats her head.

"I honestly don't know the struggles of some nobles. As a commoner, I don't have to worry about the academy. But... stripping you of your rank and sealing your weapon is harsh if you can't pay. Are the leaders corrupt or something?"

Aria pauses. She seems too afraid to respond. She clenches her fists and looks at Brak.

"... Don't say such things about them... T-they're... they only want what's best... Weed out the weak so the strong flourish..."

Brak's eyes widen a little before going back to normal. He has the full picture now.

That damn Angels Palace! Whoever is in charge has too many expectations. Well... I can't exactly comment on it. I'm not really eligible for enrollment. Though, if I were and graduated, I'm giving whoever is in charge a piece of my mind! Maybe a punch in the face as well for making Aria cry!

Right as Brak was about to respond, Malius walks in along with a receptionist and a few adventurers.

"Well now, everyone! It's time for the test! New adventurers and license renewal tests will be the same. We're going to the Crystal Caverns!"

* * *

Brak stands alongside a few dozen adventurers, all in an open cave with crystals giving off light shining from above. 

Malius stands in front of them all and makes an announcement. 

"Yahahaha! The exam's gonna be takin' place in the Crystal Caverns! Here are the requirements to pass. Bring back the body of a Crystaling. They're the spawn of this distortion's primary boss, a Middle-Class Lethe known as the Gleaming Goliath!"

A few of the adventurers snicker amongst themselves. One of them walks forward.

"Old man! Have you heard about what Soren did? He beat one of them all on his own! We'll go right for the boss!"

Malius strokes his beard as he listens to them.

"Yahahaha! Well now! Seems we got a few heroes on our hands! If you can beat the boss, I'll give you all my position of guild master!"

The adventurers look at themselves and back at Malius. They all then speak in unison.

"You're on!"

Brak watches from afar and sighs.

Sludge King is a boss like the Gleaming Goliath. However, they are vastly different. Sludge King is weaker than most of the other Lethe, but thats because the one we faced wasn't fully matured yet. The Gleaming Goliath, on the other hand, is fully mature. Not even Soren can beat the Gleaming Goliath. These adventurers are too full of themselves.

Aria then holds onto Brak's shirt tighter than before.

"... I'm too scared for this..."

Brak smiles and looks back at her. 

"Don't worry. I got this! You can just stick by me, and we'll pass this together."

I remember this specific quest from the game. But this is a little wrong. It's not supposed to be triggered now. Is it because Aria is with me? This quest only appears to advance her character. I wonder if I triggered this...

Malius then eyeballs Brak and Aria. 

"One more clause. No supporting each other! Each person needs their own kills. Can't have y'all growin' too dependent now, can we? Yahahaha!"

Brak catches in instantly and clenches his fist.

Damn that perceptive old fart!

Aria shivers a little. She's never actually fought and only ever acted as support. However, she needs this and can't afford to lose.

"Right... I understand..."

Lucky me, I already know how this event plays out. The bodies he's referring to are small shards of ugly glass most people ignore. Crystalings are living crystals, and the bodies they use are just shells made from rocks. Though the real aim for this test is to see how well people can reason and tell different Lethe apart. Crystalings belong to a larger group of Lethe spawn called the Lattices. Most of them look almost identical. Crystalings look especially similar to Quartzlings, whose crystals are much prettier… which is exactly why people get them mixed up. To someone who already knows all this, I've already won! But... what will Aria do? She can't exactly fight.

As Brak is lost in his monologuing, Malius signals for the hunt to begin, and everyone else gets ahead of Brak.

Aria shakes Brak and snaps him out of his trance. 

"Huh- Oh shoot! We have to go!"

Brak grabs Aria's arm and drags her away, with Aria swaying behind him like a leaf being blown in the wind.