The door behind the counter opens and a man steps out.
Middle-aged, human, with graying hair pulled back in a ponytail. Broad shoulders and thick forearms that never quite faded despite the formal vest over his white shirt. Sleeves rolled up.
The moment he sees Eldrin, his eyes widen.
[Guild Master] "Master Eldrin! It's truly an honor!"
He hurries over, slightly flustered.
[Guild Master] "I'm Gareth, the guild master here. When my receptionist said you were here, I could hardly believe it."
[Eldrin] "It's good to meet you, Gareth."
Gareth's gaze shifts to me. He pauses, surprise flickering across his face before he schools his expression.
[Gareth] "And you are?"
[Eldrin] "This is Wright. He manages the farm that feeds the Aldencrest refugees."
The tension leaves his shoulders immediately.
[Gareth] "The farm! I've heard about your work. You're providing food for thousands of people. On behalf of Rathen, thank you. Your efforts are commendable."
[Wright] "Don't worry about it. I'm happy to lend a hand to those in need."
Gareth glances around the hall. Several adventurers are staring, whispering to each other.
[Gareth] "People are starting to take notice. Why don't we continue this conversation in my office?"
He gestures toward the door he came from.
[Gareth] "Please, follow me."
We head through the door and down a short hallway. Gareth opens another door, revealing his office.
The room is functional. A large wooden desk sits near the window, covered in organized stacks of paperwork. Bookshelves line one wall, filled with ledgers and reference materials. A map of the surrounding territories hangs on another wall, marked with pins and notes. Two chairs sit in front of the desk.
[Gareth] "Please, have a seat."
Eldrin and I sit down. Gareth settles into his chair behind the desk.
A moment later, there's a knock. A receptionist enters with a tray carrying a teapot and cups. She sets it on the desk, pours tea for everyone, then quietly exits.
Gareth takes a sip of his tea, then looks at us.
[Gareth] "So, what brings you to the guild today?"
[Wright] "Just looking around. We're visiting Thornhaven and saw the Adventure Guild building, so I wanted to check it out."
[Gareth] "I'd be happy to give you a tour of the facilities if you'd like."
[Wright] "That's not necessary. You must be busy, and I already had a look around the main hall. I'm good."
[Gareth] "Well, if anything catches your interest, please let me know. And if you'd like to accept a quest, that would be wonderful. It would be amazing to have someone like the Skyblade accept one of our requests."
Eldrin shakes his head slightly.
[Eldrin] "There must be other capable adventurers around. I haven't been active in quite some time."
[Gareth] "Perhaps, but legendary tales live on. The story of how you fought a Calamity-class monster for a week to protect an entire city? I heard that tale as a child, and it stayed with me to this day."
I look at Eldrin.
[Wright] "A week is impressive. But I'm more interested in this 'Skyblade' thing. That's quite the dramatic nickname."
Eldrin's expression becomes carefully neutral.
[Eldrin] "It was assigned by others. I had no say in the matter."
[Wright] "Come on. You had to have done something to earn it. People don't just hand out cool nicknames for nothing."
[Eldrin] "I was proficient with wind magic and happened to favor the sword. The name followed naturally."
[Wright] "Naturally. Sure."
[Gareth] "The tales say you could cut through Primordial Ores with your wind blade from fifty paces!"
[Eldrin] "The stories tend to exaggerate."
[Wright] "So you couldn't cut through the ores with wind?"
[Eldrin] "...I could. But the effective range was closer to thirty paces."
I grin. Eldrin sighs quietly.
I remember Lucien mentioning something about a famous dungeon in this area.
[Wright] "I heard there's a famous dungeon around here. Is that true?"
Gareth's expression brightens.
[Gareth] "Ah, the Celestial Spire! It's one of our most notable dungeons. The interior is structured like a one-hundred-floor tower, connected by a circular staircase that spirals upward. Every tenth floor has a boss monster. Most adventurers stay within the first thirty floors. Veterans can push into the seventies. Only a handful of S-rank adventurers have reached the hundredth floor."
Eldrin nods.
[Eldrin] "I remember that dungeon. It was quite enjoyable."
Gareth leans forward, his enthusiasm growing.
[Gareth] "You were part of the first team to conquer it, weren't you? That's legendary!"
[Eldrin] "Yes. The final boss was a Calamity-class monster called Astrael, Cataclysm of the Final Dawn. A humanoid creature composed of radiant crystal, with fragments drifting around it that looked like stars. It was a difficult fight. My party of five spent several days bringing it down."
[Gareth] "Several days! And you're underselling yourself again. That completion went down in history! The information your party provided about the higher floors and bosses was invaluable. Nowadays, many parties work their way up through the dungeon. Some S-rank groups have even achieved repeated clears. Strategies have been developed, methods improved with each attempt."
[Eldrin] "Growth and development are inevitable. Information spreads, people learn, techniques improve. That's the natural progression."
[Wright] "That's how it should be."
Gareth looks between us.
[Gareth] "Are you thinking of challenging the Celestial Spire?"
[Wright] "Just curious. The information you've given me is enough. I'm more interested in the tournament being held tomorrow."
Gareth's expression shifts to excitement.
[Gareth] "The tournament! It's our main event in this city. I'm looking forward to it myself. This year's competition should be particularly interesting. There's a woman named Aurelia who's a strong favorite to win."
[Wright] "Oh?"
[Gareth] "She's been making incredible progress in the Celestial Spire as a solo fighter. She's reached the ninetieth floor, which is absolutely unheard of without a party."
I perk up at that.
[Wright] "Ninetieth floor solo? That's seriously impressive. She must be incredibly strong."
Gareth nods enthusiastically.
[Gareth] "She's originally from Aldencrest, one of the heroes granted a divine blessing by the Goddess, though the nobles there misused those gifts. She came to Rathen with a group of refugees, helping them travel all the way here safely."
[Wright] "I imagine it's a strong blessing if she can reach the ninetieth floor solo."
[Gareth] "Not at all. Most of the heroes from Aldencrest received blessings unsuited for combat. She was granted healing, and she's... unique, to say the least. She uses that blessing to train. Her strength is her own. She fights with her body as her weapon, reinforcing herself in the middle of battle. And outside of combat, she pushes herself relentlessly, restoring her stamina so she can keep going without rest."
Eldrin looks intrigued.
[Eldrin] "That's a creative application of healing magic. To train with such dedication requires significant drive."
[Gareth] "She's a bit spacey sometimes, from what I've heard. But she was extremely frustrated about being tricked by the Aldencrest nobles for so long. She's been donating all of her earnings from the dungeon to the refugees. And she said she'll use her tournament winnings to travel back to Aldencrest and help with the rebuilding effort there. Lately, people have started calling her a Saintess."
[Eldrin] "That's quite commendable."
[Wright] "Definitely. I'm really looking forward to the tournament now."
We excuse ourselves after a bit more conversation and head back to the faculty housing.
---
The residence is quiet when we arrive. Everyone else is still out.
I pull a Shogi board from my storage and set it up on the common room table.
[Wright] "Want to play?"
[Eldrin] "Of course."
We settle in. The game moves at a relaxed pace. Eldrin is thoughtful with his moves, planning several steps ahead.
About halfway through the game, the door opens. Vesper and Liora return.
[Liora] "We're back."
[Vesper] "That enchanter had some interesting techniques. I bought reference books."
She's carrying a small stack of books, looking more energized than usual.
[Liora] "She also spent an hour arguing with the shopkeeper about array theory."
[Vesper] "He was wrong about the resonance patterns."
[Liora] "You could have been more diplomatic about it."
[Vesper] "Why? Being right is more important than being diplomatic."
[Wright] "How was the rest of your exploration?"
[Liora] "Peaceful. The garden district is beautiful. Very well-maintained. The integration with the waterways is quite elegant."
A little later, Seraphina and Lucien return.
[Seraphina] "That wine shop was absolutely exquisite! They had vintages from regions I've never even heard of. One was from a coastal vineyard that apparently only produces fifty bottles a year!"
[Lucien] "She bought six bottles."
[Seraphina] "Only six. I showed remarkable restraint given the selection available."
[Lucien] "The shopkeeper attempted to sell you twelve."
[Seraphina] "And I said no to half of them. That's the definition of restraint."
[Lucien] "That's not how restraint works."
[Seraphina] "It is when you're a connoisseur. You wouldn't understand."
They settle into the common area. Seraphina opens one of her new bottles and pours herself a glass, looking extremely satisfied.
Eventually, the kids arrive, looking tired but excited.
[Takeshi] "The combat training classes here are intense! They had us sparring with different weapons and working on defensive techniques. One of the instructors specialized in beast form combat. It was amazing to watch."
[Yuki] "The magical theory professor was incredible. She explained mana flow in a way that made everything click. I finally understand why certain kinds of magic are more efficient than others."
[Aiko] "I sat in on a healing magic lecture. They have techniques I've never seen before. Some of them involve channeling through multiple points simultaneously."
Snow, Umbra, and Ignatia are with Yuki as usual. The familiars settle in various spots around the room.
Sylphaeris appears, materializing near the window.
[Sylphaeris] "I had a wonderful time exploring! Found some really interesting places."
She's grinning, clearly pleased with whatever she did.
There's a knock on the door.
Eldrin gets up and opens it.
A butler stands there, dressed in formal attire with Rathen's emblem on his chest.
[Butler] "Good evening. I'm here to escort you to the royal palace for the banquet."
[Eldrin] "Thank you. We'll be right out."
The butler nods and steps aside to wait.
Vesper looks down at her clothes with suspicion.
[Vesper] "Do we have to wear the fancy clothes again?"
[Eldrin] "Rathen's royalty is more relaxed than most nations. What we're wearing now is acceptable. They host adventurers frequently, so requiring formal garb became impractical."
[Vesper] "Good. I hate those clothes."
We gather our things and head out to follow the butler.
Several creatures wait for us near the entrance. They look similar to the Stridedrakes we rode earlier, but different. These ones have larger wings, more developed and clearly built for flight. Their bodies are sleeker, more aerodynamic. Black feathers still cover them, but the wing feathers have an iridescent sheen that catches the light.
---
[Appraisal]
Skystrider (Domesticated)
Selectively bred specifically for aerial transportation. Larger wingspan and lighter bone structure allow for sustained flight over long distances. Black feathers provide excellent camouflage during night flights. Gentle temperament. Stamina and flight speed are its primary strengths.
---
The butler gestures to the creatures.
[Butler] "These Skystriders will take you to the royal palace. Please, choose your mounts."
Everyone approaches the creatures. Takeshi climbs onto one easily. Yuki settles onto another with Snow and Umbra perched nearby. Aiko mounts hers carefully. The adults take their own Skystriders without issue.
I approach one.
The moment I get close, it makes a distressed sound and backs away rapidly, wings flapping in agitation. The handler tries to calm it, but the creature is clearly not having it.
[Wright] "Yeah, that's about what I expected."
[Ignatia] "Weaklings. To be so frightened by mere presence shows how pathetic these creatures are."
She's sitting on Yuki's shoulder in her small form, looking utterly disdainful of the Skystrider's reaction.
[Wright] "I'll just run."
[Butler] "Sir, the palace is quite far—"
[Wright] "I'll keep up. Don't worry about it."
The Skystriders take off, their wings beating powerfully as they lift into the air. I channel wind magic and follow along the ground, matching their pace easily.
The butler, riding his own Skystrider, keeps glancing down at me with a bewildered expression.