Advancement Test Start!

Takao and Sumire reported to the south end town gate before the sun had risen. They were greeted by the ever magnificent wooden carving of Sumire in her dragon form that adorned the massive doors. Their two proctors and escort were already waiting for them with horses saddled and ready.

“Takao and Sumire, I take it. We’re in for a few days ride, so best get a move on. We’ll make introductions and explain test procedure on the trail.” Said a grizzly haired man with a short beard and wearing thick leather armor.

Neither Takao nor Sumire protested, so they all mounted horses to leave. Before they could, though, a familiar voice called out to them from the gate.

“Takao! Sumire!”

They turned back to see Nanako running through the town gate toward them, her fiery red hair billowing behind her, and her usual bright smile fixed in place.

“I heard about your advancement test from the guild master! You could’ve told me, you know! I’m so excited for you, for both of you! Especially you Takao! You’ve come so far! I’m really proud of you!” She said, smiling brilliantly at Takao.

“Thanks.” He managed, feeling somewhat awkward and embarrassed. Sumire nodded her acknowledgment, but didn’t say anything.

“I know you're about to leave, so I won’t hold you! I just wanted to wish you both good luck! I know you can pass this!” She said encouragingly.

Without another word, the five adventurers steered their horses down the dirt road. Takao stole a glance back and saw Nanako waving them goodbye. He felt a pang of guilt for feeling awkward and embarrassed before, and wished he’d done a better job thanking her.

“Maybe she’ll date you if you pass this test.” Sumire said suddenly, catching Takao off guard.

“What?”

“That’s what this has all been about, right? She’ll only date someone strong, so I’ve been helping you get stronger. Maybe after you pass this, you can ask her out.” Sumire said with a smile, but Takao got the sense she was unhappy.

“Sumire—” Takao tried to say, but was interrupted.

“Ahem!” The grizzly haired man cleared his throat loudly. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get on with those introductions.”

Sumire turned forward, and Takao begrudgingly did the same.

“I’m Kenta. This is Mikami. We’re your proctor’s. And this is Yumiko. She’s our escort, which means she’ll watch the horses while we’re in the dungeon.” Kenta said, pointing to each person in turn.

Kenta, the grizzly haired man wearing thick leather armor who was starting to resemble a grizzly bear the more Takao looked at him, was apparently the leader of the group. He used a long curved sword and was a self-proclaimed prodigy at earth magic. His eyes gave Takao the impression that he was only half awake, but he also seemed oddly sharp, as if he knew something everyone else didn’t.

Mikami was more reserved and only gave a quick nod during his introduction. He had a serious looking face with long black hair. His clothes were simple, but he also wore a reinforced trench coat that looked enchanted. He was skilled with healing magic, high level common magic, and water magic. He preferred to fight with magic, but also carried a spear. Takao didn’t know him, though, which meant he didn’t have the spear master rank.

Yumiko looked younger than the other two, and smiled during her introduction. She had short wavy hair that ended above her shoulders, and bright green eyes. She wore shining metal armor and carried a heavy sword and shield across her back. She could use fire magic, but was better with enhancement magic and preferred just to fight in close combat.

After the three finished introductions, Takao and Sumire both made their own introductions. They were currently the lowest ranked adventurers of the five at F while the two proctors were C rank and Yumiko was D rank.

“Now that we’re all friends, let's chat about your test, shall we?” Kenta continued. “We’re on our way to Death’s Cradle, a cave dungeon that’s a few days away by slow horse. We’ll be camping along the way, so I hope you came prepared because your test has already begun.”

“Once we reach Death’s Cradle, myself and Mikami will go with you two into the dungeon, while Yumiko watches the horses. Your task is to acquire the shed outer shell from the carcinus, the alpha monster of the first half of the dungeon. You get the shell, bring it back out, and you pass. Hip hip hurray.” Kenta said unenthusiastically.

“Can you tell us more about the dungeon and the carcinus?” Takao asked, wanting to be fully prepared.

“Sure. It’s—” Kenta began, but Mikami cut him off.

“Kenta! This is a test, remember. We’re not supposed to help them.” Mikami prompted angrily.

“Yes, but our job is to test them, not get them killed. Besides, were this an actual job, they would’ve known where they were going beforehand and could’ve done proper research. Asking for the information indicates they would have done that research, therefore I’m willing to give it to them.” Kenta calmly explained.

Mikami opened his mouth to argue more, but instead turned forward and said nothing.

“As I was saying. Death’s Cradle is an expansive underground cavern. It consists of two halves. The first half is C rank and the second half is B rank. The carcinus is the alpha of the first half. It’s a giant crab monster with huge crushing claws. It breathes fire. Its shell is crazy tough. It’s at least rank B. If you fight it, it’ll squish you.” He emphasized the fact by crushing a grape between his fingers, then popping it in his mouth.

He eyed Takao and Sumire as he chewed, seeming to gauge their reactions.

“Not that you’ll be fighting it.” Kenta continued. “The carcinus is fast asleep, in the middle of its summer hibernation. It sheds its shell before it hibernates, and that shell is very valuable. We’re gonna grab as much as we can carry, and get out. You’ll mostly just have to deal with spider fiends. Easy-peasy.” He said again without a trace of enthusiasm.

Takao agreed. This did sound strangely easy. He knew spider fiends could be tricky and were dangerous in large numbers, but otherwise weren’t known for being particularly strong. He thought they must be missing something.

“What about the second half of the dungeon?” Takao asked.

“You won’t have to worry about that. We won’t be going down there. Just know that there’s a death mite sealed away at the bottom of the dungeon. Hence, the name Death’s Cradle.” Kenta concluded.

Takao and Sumire both asked more questions, but weren’t able to glean much more information from the three adventurers. Eventually they gave up, and traveled silently or with casual conversation.

Each night they camped out, and Takao created opportunities to talk to Sumire privately. Something about her behavior after they’d talked about Nanako was still bothering him, but he couldn’t figure out why. He tried asking her about anything he could think of that might have upset her, if her injuries were acting up, if she was tired, if she was hungry, but she denied everything. His persistent questions also only seemed to annoy her, so eventually Takao thought it would be best to stop.

After a few days of travel, they arrived at the dungeon where their advancement test would be held, a dark, looming hole in the side of a mountain, Death’s Cradle.

Sumire’s Exposé!
Teien has a network of roads that connect the various towns and cites. Though Sukiya isn’t the largest settlement, it was the first. For this reason, all roads lead to Sukiya, and this is why the town has so many inns, because it serves as a hub for travel and trade.