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Chapter 79 - The Competition
🕑 Added 2024-05-16 20:00:05 +0000 UTCNate listened in as Aisling began detailing what she needed from the Guild Assistant.
“I need you to let the Prefects know I have returned and I need to register these two for Etrua Adventurers Guild Royal University Entry Tournament,” Aisling said as she leaned on the counter.
“Excellent Stormspear. I’ll inform the Prefects as soon as we’ve handled the entrants. We’re just calling it the University Entry Tournament by the way. Now,” the assistant's face took on an unpleasant colour as he paused. “...Unfortunately you can only nominate one individual for the University Entry Tournament.”
Nate could see how uncomfortable saying no to Aisling made the man until Aisling turned to face them. The small leer that flashed across the man's face as he glanced at Kiri told Nate everything he needed to know about this Guild Assistant. He was an asshole. Nate watched Aisling suddenly smile as he heard a deep voice from behind them.
“That won’t be a problem. I nominate the other one. Which one would you prefer I choose, Honey? The feisty one or the surprised one?”
Nate turned to see who was speaking. As he did so he caught the angry look on Kiri’s face. Guess that made him the surprised one? Finishing his turn he saw what he at first thought was a short man dressed up like a wizard, hat and all, approaching them. But as the man entered his Sphere of Awareness, he felt the shape of the man and realised this was his first encounter with one of the other races. If the pointed ears were anything to go by, this man was an elf. The man paused his approach and tilted his head.
“Now that is an interesting Skill. Honey, would you mind terribly if I chose the surprised one. He’s a little bit fascinating,” said the elf, his amber eyes locked on Nate.
“That’s fine, dear,” replied Aisling with the softest smile Nate had ever seen on her face.
Turning back to the desk Aisling glared at the Assistant who withered under her displeasure.
“I will be nominating Kiri Beaufoy of Helmfirth for the Etrua Adventurers Guild Royal University Entry Tournament,” said Aisling, slowly leaning more and more over the counter until the Assistant was cowering behind it.
The deep voice of the elf came from behind, “And I will be nominating…oh honey, what’s his name?”
“Nathaniel Weber, also of Helmfirth,” replied Aisling without taking her eyes off the Assistant.
“Yes yes, him. I assume you don’t need me to identify myself?” asked the elf in a pleasant voice.
“No…err…that won’t be necessary Lord Evindal,” stammered the Assistant.
“I should think not. Put the registration costs against my name. For both of them,” continued Evindal, though Nate could see he only had eyes for Aisling.
The elf approached them and for the first time he got to see the height and build difference between Aisling and Evindal. Where Aisling was a towering woman standing well over two metres and built like a valkyrie, Evindal was probably only a little over a metre and a half tall and thin. That didn’t seem to matter though as Aisling scooped the elf up and planted a kiss on his lips, the wizard hat falling off to reveal a head of short silver hair. As Aisling placed him back on the ground Nate could clearly see the man blushing as he smoothed out his robe.
“I’ve missed you too, dearest. Now that your charges are enrolled I don’t suppose you have some time for me?” Evindal said, picking up his hat and giving a cheeky wink at Nate and Kiri.
Aisling glanced at Deverell who gave a quick nod. The next thing Nate knew the unlikely pair were walking away hand in hand. Before they left his sphere of awareness Nate heard Aisling whisper, “I brought you a present.”
He didn’t need to guess what it was and found himself hoping the Elven Mage didn’t take umbrage that he’d painted his wife naked under the moonlight.
Turning back to the desk they found the Assistant going through an open book, his finger running down a page until he paused halfway and glanced up at them, “It says here you are both Bronze Badges. You’ll need to face one of our Silver Badges Guild Assessors to prove your capabilities before we can allow you into the University Entrance Tournament,” the Assistant paused to shoot a worried glance at Deverell. “It’s Guild rules sir.”
“When’s the earliest it can be scheduled?” asked Deverell, as Kiri glanced at her teacher with a confused expression on her face.
“In the morning two days from now there are four available slots. Should I put them both down for an assessment?” asked the Assistant worriedly.
Deverell nodded and when he saw the Assistant open his mouth, simply raised an eyebrow. The Assistant swallowed whatever he was about to say and pulled out a second book, making some notes. As the Assistant was writing, Nate felt another presence enter his sphere and glanced back to see a tall bald man built like a warrior approaching them. The man was wearing blue silk pants and a sleeveless silk vest in a matching colour. The contrast against the man's tan skin made him look like a sailor.
“Deverell, good to see you. I hope my step-son isn't giving you any trouble?” boomed the man as he approached, arms wide as if in greeting.
Deverell inclined his head in response, “Prefect Raoult. He was just assisting us in scheduling an assessment and putting Aisling and Evindal’s nominations down for the Tournament.”
“These two youngins? Good! Good to have some fresh blood in the place. Must’ve done something to impress the Stormspear, eh? This is her first nomination since you, isn't it Dev?” boomed Prefect Raoult as he came to stand before them.
“That’s correct, sir,” replied Deverell.
“Good! I expect good things out of you two then,” said Prefect Raoult with a large grin before looking around. “Now, where’s Aisling? I want a word.”
“You’ve just missed her. I believe she is catching up with Lord Evindal,” said Deverell with a nod towards the door.
“Well, fuck,” rumbled the Prefect. “Guess I’ll catch her tomorrow then. Can’t believe those two got married. What an odd pair. Alright. Carry on Dev.” With those parting words, the Prefect marched off deeper into the building.
Deverell watched the man go before glancing back at the Assistant who appeared done recording whatever it was he needed to record in his books. The man gave a quick nod, “It’s all handled, sir. The assessment will take place in the morning two days from now on training field two. Their names are down as being competitors in the Tournament, contingent on their passing the assessment.”
Deverell nodded then motioned to the two of them, “Let's get you both settled in a room then. After that I have a few things to see too, so stay out of trouble.”
It clearly wasn’t a question as he gave them both a pointed look before motioning for them to follow. Of the inns available, the one Deverell chose was middling in terms of price range. Deverell had ignored his protests that he wanted to see if they had rooms at one of the nicer inns. He still ended up paying for a suite at the chosen inn. The price was exorbitant, costing him a whopping two gold a night. As he entered the room he decided it was absolutely worth it. The suite was even more richly decorated than his room in Helmfirth and came with a few added security features like enchanted locks on the windows and doors. After setting up one of his Mana Gathering Arrays with a few of his empty mana gems he headed downstairs to meet Kiri. He’d offered to share the suite but she’d opted for a single room, paid for with her own coin.
Frick’s voice whispered in his mind, “Can I go explore?”
“Reading my mind again? Yeah, get the lay of the land. See what you can find. And Frick, stay the hell away from the brothels,” he replied. Fricks only response was a cackle as he felt the Spirit flicker off, leaving the inn and then heading out of the Adventurer Guild compound.
Kiri was waiting by the door and he grinned as he approached, “So what are you thinking? Check out the competition, or explore the nearby city?”
“Competition first. Think Deverell would be mad if we left the compound without him or Aisling. Though I did see a nice bakery nearby. So maybe later?” she replied, giving him a playful shove.
“Deal. Guess we’re going looking for these training grounds then?” he asked, already heading for the door.
It didn’t take them long to find the training fields after asking a couple of Silver Badges for directions. The training grounds sported four different fields, all of which were mostly sand it seemed. Surrounding them was something like sporting event seating. He looked around noting the numbering for each so he’d know where to go tomorrow before he fell in behind Kiri who was heading for field number three.
Two teams were facing off against each other on the field. On one side was a four person team, made up of three tall guys, one with a spear, another a sword and shield while the last of the guys held a pair of daggers. The dagger wielder looked very casual compared with his compatriots. At the back between the three, was an imperious looking blonde girl.
On the other side of the field was a three man team. A male archer stood at the back, while his two partners, a guy and a girl stood a metre apart a little in front of him. The girl was heavily armoured, carrying a shield and hammer while the man who stood next to her held a bastard sword casually in one hand. The sword wielder wore metal greaves, bracers and an ornate looking breastplate. The appearance kind of reminded him of the guards at the gate, but where those men had an air of false superiority, this guy exuded a calm confidence.
Reaching the edge of the field he took a seat as he felt his Sphere of Awareness encompass everyone except the archer. Kiri sat down next to him and he ignored the whispers from those in the seats behind them as he tried to get a feel for the classes of those out on the field.
Stalwart Defender (R) (32) / Stalwart Hammer Novice (U) (8)
Swift Edgedancer (R) (33) / Swift Dagger Novice (U) (7)
Shieldbearer (R) (36) / Sword Novice (U) (4)
Furious Spear Apprentice (R) (30) / Light Mage (U) (10)
Frozen Ice Adherent (E) (34) / Frozen Light Mage (R) (6)
The archer was beyond his range for now and when his skill had tried to look into the calmly confident swordsman, his skill had simply vanished. It was an odd feeling but not as worrying as when the imperious looking girl, who had the only Epic Class present, started looking at the stands.
“Who did that? How dare you use an Identification skill on me!” she yelled, her voice sharp.
She came storming over toward them, her team following on her heels.
“Was it you?” she asked, her voice becoming icy as she stared at Kiri and Nate.
Kiri surged to her feet and looked tensed up, ready for a fight. It was too early for them to start picking fights with the competition, so he spoke before his best friend started throwing down with at least one of the two teams on the field.
“It was me,” he volunteered as he stood, joining Kiri. “Sorry.”
“Sorry you did it, or sorry you got caught?” the blonde girl asked derisively.
“Sorry I got caught, definitely. Was just assessing the competition,” he responded more confidently than he felt. He was already debating if he should call Frick back in case this devolved into a fight.
“Let it go, Coralie,” said the swordsman he’d failed to identify as he approached with his own team. “You’d have done the same thing if you thought you could. Everyone’s going to play to their strengths.”
“That’s besides the point, Null! He shouldn’t have been able to pierce my Obfuscation amulet!” griped Coralie, turning on the man identified as Null.
“It’s a mistake to think that people shouldn’t be able to do things, Coralie. That sort of thinking can get you killed. Shall we get back to training?” Null asked calmly.
Coralie looked ready to scream before she glanced back at Nate and Kiri, growling at them in either anger or frustration. He honestly couldn’t tell which. They watched her storm back out onto the field, her team following as Null gave them a glance and a shrug before he returned to his own team.
Nate was about to say something when he saw Kiri watching Coralie as she marched back out to the centre of the field.
“You’re kidding me? Really?” he asked incredulously.
“What?” Kiri said defensively before grinning. “Fine. Maybe. She’s fiery and has a great ass. I liked her hair too. Besides, I don’t have to worry about you competing with me for her affections. She’s clearly too young for you.”
Nate sighed, “You’re as big of a pervert as Frick sometimes.”
“You take that back!” Kiri said, jumping at him, only to bounce off his barrier.
“I’ll take it back when you admit I don’t have a thing for older women!” he demanded.
“I refuse! I’ll never tell a lie like that!” Kiri responded as she stood up, dusting herself off.
“Didn’t you lie to that barmaid in…what was the town's name again?” he asked.
“Blavisk. And I didn’t lie. I just bent the truth a little,” retorted Kiri with a smug grin.
Nate waited for her to sit back down next to him before he continued, “But really, the literal competition? You know who that was right?”
Kiri’s smirk was enough of a response and he sighed, putting his head in his hands. So much for a quiet start to their stay in the Capital of Etrua.
Kiri patted his back gently as they watched the two teams begin to train.
“Maybe her mother isn’t married. She’d be about the right age for you, and a Prefect. That’s gotta come with benefits,” said Kiri, still patting his back.
“Wanderer save me,” he muttered. He sincerely hoped Kiri was joking, but it wouldn’t have been the first time in their travels his best friend had tried to play wing-woman. With a sigh he prepared himself for an embarrassing few days.
Comments
Fortunis
😆 🤣 😂
Caelan Drayer
Nice story!! Wonder what would happen if Nate was to upgrade all his materials to the 9s and make a picture with them
