I stared in awe and wonder, turning a full circle as my eyes took in my surroundings, I had never seen anything quite so amazing. The Guild recruitment festival was in full swing, with adventurer's bustling around the immense, grand hall, checking out all the Guilds on display. The hall itself was built for the specific reason to hold Guild events throughout the year, and was the only place in the city of Avalon that could house so many adventurers, save for the castle itself.
This was my first year attending the Adventurers Guild recruitment festival. A festival where new and veteran Adventurers gathered to sign up for the numerous Guild's that operated in the Kingdom of Avalon. For many, this was the start of their careers, where they hoped to join a prestigious Guild and rise through the ranks of Adventurers to make there fame and fortune, or to seek out new Guilds. For others--like talent scouts--the festival proved to be the best place to scout and poach new and powerful members for their guilds.
The world of adventuring was cutthroat, and only the strongest Guilds thrived.
A shoulder jostled me as a group of men in shiny plate armour pushed their way through the crowd. The Guild crest on their shields and tabards showed them to be apart of Stormhold, a guild that specialised in heavy armour. They favoured melee combat as a whole, often signing contracts with other specialised Guilds that focused more on ranged or magic. It as common enough for Guilds to work together on some of the tougher dungeons, that way they could focus on specific roles and training for new recruits. These Guilds were often of middle ranking at best as reputation for clearing dungeons was shared when more than one Guild cleared it. The higher ranked Guilds diversified, using their own Adventurers for all roles and keeping the loot and reputation to themselves.
"Those lot have a chip on their shoulder," said a grizzled voice.
I turned to see an older man. grey-specked stubble covered his square jaw. His face was hard and serious as he stared down the armoured men from the Stormhold Guild.
"Sorry?" i asked, unsure if he was speaking to me or not.
"The Stormhold goons," the man nodded in their direction. "Always acting tougher than their rank."
"They're Gold rank, aren't they?" I asked, knowing the answer. I had studied the Stormhold Guild when looking over potential Guilds to join, and even though i wasn't particularly interested in them, they were still on my list.
"Barely. Golds acting like Diamonds," the man shook his head and sighed. "Sorry kid, you probably don't want to listen to the ramblings of a bitter old man." The man looked over to me for what must have been the first time since he spoke. His blue eyes were hard, but they softened a touch and he actually smiled, "The names, Dahvin."
"Jacob," i replied, extending a hand to Dahvin.
"Pleasure to meet you kid," Dahvin gripped my hand in a vice-like grip that threatened to shatter every bone in my hand. "First year I'm guessing?"
"Yeah," i grimaced and shook my hand to alleviate the pain. "Just having a look around. I know first years don't often get accepting into any Guilds, but here's hoping."
"It's not as uncommon as you might think," Dahvin replied. "Guild Association rules state that no Copper can join a Guild, but that rule is only enforced with a penalty of gold, and most Guilds will pay the fine just to snatch up a potentially powerful recruit. Some believe the penalty was only instigated as a revenue raising scheme by the Kingdom. Wouldn't surprise me, what with the taxes, registration, licensing fees and mandatory insurances Adventurers have to pay every year."
Adventuring was an expensive career to get into with all the overheads as Dahvin had said, which was why joining a Guild was pretty much the only way to go. Guilds had fees also, but often the Guilds themselves would front the cost of Dungeon registrations and gained tax breaks on loot, since it was all funneled through the Guild first, with gear drops and weapons being 'gifted' to individuals on the rare occasions it wasn't sold off to Kingdom approved merchants. Going alone was expensive, and dangerous.
"Well, if luck is on my side maybe I'll get picked," I smiled. "But i don't mind spending my first year as a solo adventurer, its to be expected."
"True that, young Jacob. But its dangerous out there," Dahvin crossed his lean arms across his broad chest. He had a swordsman's build, and the long handle poking out from under his cloak confirmed my suspicion. "What's your Gift?"
A Gift was an innate ability that someone was born with and often dictated the role someone would take as an Adventurer. It was also the only thing that matter when it came to joining your first Guild. Some of the most powerful Adventurers were recruited in their first year based purely on their Gift alone. Guilds would often get into bidding wars over particular powerful Gifts, even if the Adventurer had zero experience or reputation.
"I ah...don't have one," I said, casting my eyes down. Everyone was born with a Gift. It usually developed when they were young, between the age of six and ten, with mutation Gifts showing even younger. I had just turned eighteen, yet no Gift had manifested yet.
"How is that," Dahvin began to say, but cut himself off.
"I've been tested. Multiple times," I explained. "We thought the Seer was mistaken at first, so we saved up enough gold to see a different one, but the result was the same."
Dahvin placed a rough hand on my shoulder. "Gifts don't make the Adventurer, Lad. A lot of people will tell you to give up and try something else, but i can already tell that you're determined to become an Adventurer. It will be hard work, a lot of it. But it is possible."
"I know it is," I said confidently. "And who knows, there might be a Guild out there that just needs members."
"That's the spirit," Dahvin grinned. "Do you know how to use that sword?"
The older man reached forward, tapping the pommel of the short sword sheathed on my belt. It was a gift from the local blacksmith back in my village, along with the leather jerkin i wore.
"Yeah a little," I nodded. "Enough to not stab myself in the foot."
"Well, what a beginner like you needs is a little defence," Dahvin said, scanning the surrounding booths and tables. He grinned and stepped away for a moment, motioning for me to stay. When he returned, Dahvin handed me a round wooden shield, banded in iron with a leather strap. "Here, it isn't much. But even a little defence in the lower tier dungeons will help."
The shield was well made, even if it was a common piece. I had been meaning to get one, but i was woefully low on gold and wanted to wait until after i have paid all my registration and licensing fees, just in case I fell short.
"I'll pay you back," I said earnestly. "I swear it."
"I know you will, Lad," Dahvin grinned, clapping me on the shoulder. "Just don't forget me when you hit the big league."
Dahvin and I parted ways when he said he had something to do, but he promised to come visit me in my village if he were ever passing through. He had come off as a bit gruff and rude to begin with, but he was kind to me and never once belittled or laughed at me, the boy with no Gift.
I wanted to explore the Guild stands and see what my options were, but the most important thing i needed to do today was get my Adventurers license. A stall for licensing and registration was set up at the far end of the great hall, and I realised I should have come a little earlier. There must have been a hundred and fifty people lined up, waiting to see someone from the Adventurers Association. Most were fresh Adventurers around my age, but there were more than a fee middle-aged men, either trying to renew their license or men switched paths late in life, lured in by the promise of riches and rewards. Adventurers were often seen as celebrities, with the highest ranks idolised.
"What Gift do you have?" a young blonde man behind me asked another in the line.
"It's called Stoneskin," the other man replied, holding up a fist that slowly turned to stone than back to flesh.
"Oh that's awesome," the first man said.
"Yeah. But it's heavy," the second complained.
An ability like that would be super handy as an adventurer. In a guild setting he would be the perfect tank if he could cover his entire body and withstand the added weight. The first man said something i missed, then produced a clear, slender spike from nothing. It was clear, but opaque enough that you could tell he was holding something.
"I can harden air into these little spikes. I can't do much with them, but they're plenty sharp."
Another useful Gift. Surely there was a way he could control the air hardening and even propel it towards his enemies. Could he do larger areas? or was he limited to just small spikes? how many could he do? I was so wrapped up in thought that i didn't realise that the two men had asked me a question.
"Sorry, what?" I asked in confusion.
"What's your Gift?" the first man asked with a friendly smile.
A few people around us were paying attention to the conversation, obviously interested in the abilities of other first year Adventurers. We would become colleagues or rivals after all.
"I...don't have one," I replied.
The blonde man frowned in confusion, then looked a little angry. "Well if you don't want to tell us, just say so. No need to be so secretive though."
"It's probably something lame like speaking with plants or walking on water," the second man chuckled.
I didn't mentioned that both of those Gifts would be pretty handy in the right situations. Dungeons often had impassable areas due to water or hostile vegetation.
No one else tried to engage me in conversation for the remainder of my time in the line, which I was thankful for. I had been bullied and ridiculed my kids in my village for my whole life when they realised I didn't have a Gift. Even kids with really lame and pointless Gifts picked one me. it was unheard of for someone to reach my age without their Gift developing. By the time I was called up to the desk, I had been in line for over an hour and a half. The short, long-moustached man didn't speak, opting to ring a bell and gesture me over with a wave of his hand.
"Name and reason for visit," he said curtly.
"Jacob Masters," I replied. "I want to sign up for my Adventurer's license."
"Very well," the man replied. "Age?"
"Eighteen," I replied.
"Gift?"
"None," I answered.
This caused the short man to glance up from his paperwork. he studied me for a moment, the frowned. "You know its a crime to lie on a registration form, Mr. Masters."
"I'm not lying," i said a little defensively. "My Gift just hasn't awakened yet."
"We will need to have a Seer confirm," he replied. "Even if you do not use a Gift as an Adventurer, we must have the correct information on your license."
"Of course," I nodded.
The man waved over a robed figure who had been seated behind the long table. They approached and reached out to take one of my hands in both of theirs. Once face to face, I could see into the deep hood, and realised it was a pretty girl, not much older than me. The mark of the Guild Association--an inverted triangle breaking a crescent moon--tattooed on her left cheek. Her green eyes were bright, and glowed with magic as she studied mine. We stood like that for a minute or two, then she frowned and tilted her head to one side, like a curious feline.
"Not yet," she whispered, only loud enough for me to hear, then turned her head to the side slightly to speak to the Guild Association representative, keeping her glowing eyes on me. "There is no active Gift within this young man."
"Well...I guess there's a first time for everything," the long moustached man shrugged. "Well, since you have no active Gift, we cannot grade its potential, so you're going to start as a class ten, Copper. Come back for a regrading once your Gift awakens. For now, I need a blood sample for the bonding process."
I held out a hand, and the man pricked the end of the thumb with a small needle. Blood welled up immediately, an he pressed my thumb against a leatherbound journal he had retrieved from a box beside him. All the journals were identical, with the Guild Associations crest marking the front in black ink. The crest on the one my thumb was pressed against began to glow softly before shifting to a golden hue.
"There you go," the man nodded. "Welcome, Adventurer."
I took the journal--my journal--and opened to the first page. There was an accurate drawing of me, followed by my personal information like age, height, weight, hometown, guild and Gift--which both were blank currently. The journal was bound to the individual Adventurer, with the information inside being visible only to the bonded one, or to high ranking Guild Association officials. If lost, the journal could be replicated onto a blank journal with the same bonding process, for a nominal fee of course. The Journal also functioned as a physical license for Adventurers, and no one could enter a dungeon without a valid journal. An Adventurer's journal was the story of their career.
And mine had just begun.