Unexpected Promotion

The next day, Mike awoke feeling stiff. As comfortable as the carpet was, it was still sleeping on the floor, something he evidently wasn't used to. However, his skills seemed to compensate quickly, eliminating any hint of soreness after a few seconds of stretching. Not for the first time, he marveled at the usefulness of the Vampiric Regeneration he'd somehow picked up through Blood Collector, a skill which he had not yet figured out how to really make use of.

He'd made a few attempts to acquire new inherent skills through it, but there was evidently some additional requirement he wasn't aware of. Until he figured out what those were, he would have to wait.

Besides, since he only had a limited number of Blood Collector slots, he wanted to be sure that he used them well. His thoughts turned to the little dragon still snoozing in his pocket. As a Wyrm, he could only imagine the power held in her blood, perhaps when she grew big enough...

Dismissing the slightly disturbing path his thoughts had gone, he got up and poked Brenden awake. The beastman glared at him blearily, "What? It's still dark outside. Lemme sleep."

"Just letting you know, I'm heading down to the Guild and picking up a quick request. I should be back by mid-afternoon. We still have that party, after all."

He gave Mike a look, and then nodded. "That's not a bad plan, actually. It's little cowardly, but giving them a bit of space right now might work in your favor. Play your cards right tonight, and you'll be in a much better situation."

[Not really my motivation at all, but that works. Hopefully, it doesn't backfire somehow.]

Mike nodded his thanks, and started moving towards the door, but stopped when the beastman added, "Oh! See if you can get them some kind of gift. I know you technically didn't do anything wrong, but that will go a long way putting them in a forgiving mood."

Brenden's suggestion reminded him of his purchases yesterday, specifically of the jewelry he hadn't had a chance to give Sera and Tal yet. He dug the items out of his bag. "So, think you can do me a favor?"

Looking at what Mike had in his hand, Brenden just shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. I'll come up with something meaningful to say. Just remember, you owe me one. Especially since it looks like you didn't get me anything during your shopping trip. If I didn't know it was because you're naturally spacey, I might be feeling left out."

Rubbing the back of his head, Mike could only apologize. "Sorry about that."

Chuckling, Brenden laid back down and closed his eyes. "It's not a problem man. I just like to complain every now and then."

Mike left the dorm quietly, trying to avoid waking any of the other residents, which should have been difficult, since virtually every piece of furniture was currently occupied by a sleeping student or servant. However, thanks to the Evernight Band and his new stealth skill, he was able to do so easily.

Before leaving the building entirely, he checked out the kitchen. Judging from the sounds, there was a group of maids already up and making breakfast. Since he wasn't sure when he might have a chance to eat, he stopped in to grab a loaf of bread and some cheese for the road.

A relatively quick coach ride later, he was standing in front of the semi-deserted Guild office. Walking in, he nodded to the sleepy looking guard by the door, and moved to the request boards. There weren't many promising choices in the Rank 3 section, especially considering his time restriction. He finally selected a gather request for the pelt of a Mosswood Deer. According to the paper, they were found in the woods to the south of the city, across the bay. He had an idea for how to get there quickly and was interested in trying it out.

Bringing the notice up to the desk, he was assisted by the only receptionist available this early in the morning. A tall, heavily muscled, and scarred man with a shaved head. A perpetual scowl seemed etched into his rocky features. So intimidating was his appearance that several newbie adventurers were hanging around uncertainly, evidently waiting for someone more welcoming.

Before he approached, Mike took a moment to use Appraise.

-----------------------------

Bartlett

Age: 46

Race: Human

Class: Juggernaut

Title: Rank 6 Adventurer

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[Is he retired, or just filling in?]

"I'd like to take this request." Mike spoke calmly once he'd reached the desk without having to wait in line.

"Oh?" Came the deep rumbling reply. "Very well. Place your hand here." Bartlett gestured to orb shaped magic device that sat in front of him. Mike complied.

"Hm, it looks like congratulations are in order, young man." The receptionist added. "You've been promoted to Rank 4."

"Eh? But I haven't done anything yet." Mike said, slightly confused.

Bartlett frowned down at the readout, although he never seemed to stop frowning really. "Looks like the promotion was put in a couple of weeks ago in the Wyrport branch. Must have taken a while to process for some reason. Anyway, you're now a Copper Ranked Adventurer. Good job."

It was a little strange to hear those words from someone with such a grim face, but long practice with Tal had built up his tolerance. "Thanks. Do you mind if I go back and look through the Rank 4 options?"

"Be my guest."

A quick scan told Mike that the higher ranking options weren't much better, but he did see an extermination request that happened to also be in the southern woods. Apparently, a group of goblins had recently migrated into the area of the village of Kastvale, and were periodically raiding the villagers. Scouting reports placed their numbers at around twenty, no evolved varieties had been spotted, and they appear to be mostly armed with scavenged gear of poor quality.

Mike recalled from the "Monsters of the Central Continent' book that goblins were categorized as a kind of monstrous humanoid that were distinctly different from the peoples of Ea. They were essentially treated the same as monsters, only unique for their higher than animal intelligence, and tendency to evolve into more dangerous varieties once they had reached higher tiers.

As far as he could tell, the reasons for their treatment were unclear. It was possible the creatures had evolved naturally in this world, but considering the origins of humans, orcs, and others it seemed likely they had been brought here during the Second Age. Unlike the other races, however, goblins were little more than pests, however at the edges of other civilizations and engaging in scavenging and raiding.

Figuring that, at the very least, it would be a decent opportunity to practice his combat skills, Mike pulled the notice down and brought it over to the desk along with the one for the Mosswood Deer hide. "I'd like to take this one, too."

"Very well." Bartlett replied solemnly, before handing him a set of documents to take to the village elder of Kastvale. "Good luck and good hunting."

Mike thanked the man, left the Guild, and headed towards the southern portion of the Old City. He eventually reached the end of a deserted dock, just in time to watch the sign rise over the flat, motionless bay. It was starting to look like another beautiful day.

"Alright, let's see if this works." Mike muttered to himself while creating an elongated segment of stone. It resembled a surf board, but was much too heavy to float. Stepping onto it, he used Earth Magic to bind his feet to the device, and then Air Magic to throw himself into the bay.

Concentrating, he willed the water to support the weight of the board, and then nearly fell over. He'd made the board sharply concave to allow it to slice through the waves, but it added a new level of complexity when it came balancing.

After a few minutes, he felt like he'd gotten the hang of it, and moved on to the next step. Focusing his mana into the rear portion of the board, he created a current that began to push him forward gently. Seeing that his idea worked, he increased the flow of mana many times over, causing him to zip forward over the open water.

Mike laughed, simply enjoying the moment. He'd never been wakeboarding, but figured it must be a lot like this.

Audra poked her head out of his pocket curiously, and gave an excited chirp at the passing scenery. It seemed like she was having fun as well. In order to entertain the little dragon, he cut a meandering path to the edge of the bay.

All too soon, he had arrived at the southern shore. With a blast of wind he launched himself into the air, covering the last few meters, and sliding to a stop on land. Pulling his feet free, he let the board disintegrate, the force of his excursions sufficient to cause it to break apart.

[That was fun. I think flying is still a bit better, but I can see why some people back on Earth spend so much time on the water.]

He tried to remember the map of the area he'd referenced in the guild before leaving. Kastvale was almost directly south of the city, but that still left some room for variance, he supposed.

[Oh well, I guess the only thing to do is start walking and keep an eye out for a landmark I can use to navigate. From the looks of the map, there is some kind of road that passes through the woods. If I can find that, I can make my way to the village.]

After feeding his greedy familiar half of the cheese he'd secured, Mike sent a quick mental message to Red, letting him know he would be in the woods on the southern side of the bay. He asked the dragon to move in that direction in the event he needed the assistance. Red acknowledged, and passed along that he was in route.

[I shouldn't need him for the requests, but it never hurts to be careful. Especially when considering my luck.]

Taking a deep breath of the clear forest air, he started walking into the wood line.