The Blockade

"Hurry up, Fal. I can't be late for my first ever exam," Myla stressed from inside the carriage.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," I replied, turning my walk into a light jog. Finally making it to the carriage, I sat down and let out a sharp breath.

"I'm so glad that you could make it, princess," Zeph quipped from my left.

I let out a sigh and decided not to say anything back. Zeph was, of course, the whole reason I was late in the first place. He had given me new attire for today, light battle gear, last minute.

Adjusting my black leather arm sleeves, I got a better look at the outfit. Everything was either black or navy in color and fit perfectly, as if it were tailored. The boots were lined with some fur of a mana beast, giving them a comfortable fit, and my new dagger sat comfortably on my right side, ready for action.

The sound of the carriage setting off caused me to veer my eyes away from my outfit and onto Myla. She wore a luxurious dark-blue caster's robe and had her new sword resting lazily in her lap. She tried to play off a cool facade, but anyone could tell by her tapping foot and fidgeting with her hair that she was nervous.

"Myla, there's no reason to be nervous. They're going to accept you without a doubt," I said, hoping my words would put her at ease. "Your skill with a sword and magic is good–great even."

She stopped fidgeting with her hair and put her hands on top of her sword. "I know I'm good. But what if everyone else is better? What do I do then?"

"Even if, by a tiny chance, everyone is better than you," Zeph cut in, "you simply take your loss and try again next year."

Myla looked down at her feet. "I guess you're right."

The rest of the trip was quiet as we let Myla gather her thoughts. Though her foot still tapped restlessly.

Time seemed to fly by as I gazed out the carriage window, and before I knew it, the academy was in view.

I almost gasped in sheer awe at the sight. It was an academy in name only. It looked more like a university. I saw many fancy carriages at the school's front gates as hundreds of students trickled in, some in fancy uniforms, and some in normal attire, like Myla. The school's exorbitant gates led to the school's front entrance, which harbored giant windows, allowing me to get a glimpse inside, even from this distance.

I tried to wake Rye up so he could see the sight too, but to no avail. These past three months, I found that Rye slept in my mana core for an unnaturally long amount of time, two weeks straight at times. Zeph had told me it's normal for a more powerful beast to sleep for long periods, but he said Vael only did so for five days maximum. I didn't really care about how much of a dent in his training his sleep caused; I was just worried about the little guy and felt bad about how much he was missing out on.

Letting out a deep determined breath, Myla hopped out of our carriage and gave a thank you bow to the driver.

"I trust you know where to go from here?" Zeph asked.

"I believe I can manage," she said as she looked around at the many students.

"I'll send Bertly out here to take you home when you're finished. Just keep your communication crystal on you."

"Yes, uncle," she gave another bow. "Thank you."

"Good luck, Myla," I said, raising my fist in support, "Give them a good pounding for me."

She smiled, "I will." Then strode confidently through the front gates. The nervousness she showed on the ride here was not visible in her walk.

I guess she got her thoughts together.

As both I and Zeph watch her disappear into the crowd of students he spoke, "She was nervous for no reason. If she doesn't hold anything back, I have no doubt in my mind they'll let her in. Hell, maybe even free of charge." "You think so?" I asked, curious about how he could be so confident.

"You haven't interacted with a lot of kids your age have you, brat?" he laughed, "You two are both little monsters in your own right."

***

"So this is the adventurer's guild?" I asked, underwhelmed. The building in front of me was large, but only the size of a two-story common house at most. When Zeph mentioned we would be heading to the adventurer's guild in the carriage, I expected a giant facility with adventurers coming in and out, and maybe a market nearby with a whole bunch of people, but there was nothing like that. In fact, this place was the most unpopulated area I'd been to in the past three months in the capital.

I had assumed we were somewhere on the outskirts of the capital due to the grassy plains I saw in the distance. I didn't know if it was the lack of buildings around or not, but it seemed windier here. Due to this, I could hear the rustling of the towering trees that barely showed themselves behind a tall wall a few hundred meters away from the guild building.

"It's only a small branch of the major guild, but yeah. They have what we need here, and the wait's not long," Zeph said, gazing at the distant wall along with me.

Walking into the guild, I could see a few people to my left and right. They were either eating a meal or sitting quietly discussing something with their companions. Some even shot glances at me and Zeph, but a quick glance was all it was—they grew uninterested at the sight of a child.

Walking to the back desk, the receptionist looked at me, confused, but he eventually spoke. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

Zeph lazily leaned against the desk, causing him to back up a little, "Is the Blockade still open?"

"Yes," he answered, shooting another glance at me. "Off-season isn't for another month."

Zeph stopped leaning on the receptionist's desk and took a sack of coins out of his cloak pocket. "Great. I'll take a pass for one."

The receptionist fiddled with the compartments under his desk and handed Zeph a stone card with words perfectly carved into it. "That'll be ten coppers." As Zeph handed him the coins, the receptionist added, "I trust you know the entrance process and all?"

"Yeah, but it's my first time at this location."

"It's the same as it is at the other branches of Blockades. To get there, just follow the dirt road, eventually, you'll make it to the front gate."

Zeph gave a terse nod, and we began walking to the door to leave.

Before we did, though, the receptionist called out. "You're taking the kid with you? To the Blockade?" His words caused the other people in the guild to look at us in confusion.

"The card's for him, not me," Zeph said curtly, nodding his head toward me.

As we walked out, I heard one of the adventurers say as the door closed behind us, "Is he crazy? That kid will be killed…"

***

Walking on the dirt road that the receptionist had mentioned, the giant wall grew closer with each step. The grass on each side of the road rustled as the wind blew over, creating a calm ambiance.

Zeph hadn't said anything since leaving the guild, and the random adventurer's words were still on his mind. I wasn't scared, but I was curious about why he would think that.

"Is this 'Blockade' a dangerous place?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"It's dangerous, yes, but the Blockades are just training grounds for adventurers," he responded. "Don't get me wrong, though, there's still a possibility you could get heavily injured or even killed."

"I see."

"The mana beasts there only range from Iron to Bronze class, so the stronger mages don't bother with it. It's just something the Guilds came up with so the new adventurers could get a feel for how the Lunar Mountains function."

"And how do they function?" I asked, wondering what I'd be up against in the Blockade.

"Any beast or beasts can attack you from anywhere at any moment," he said, kicking a rock off the dirt road and into the grass. "So don't let your guard down. Most new adventurers go in here with a party just to be safe, but if I didn't believe you could make it by yourself, I wouldn't have brought you here."

I stopped to bow deeply in mock reverence. "Why, I thank you for your trust, oh Great-One."

"You're almost comical, brat," he said, smirking. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He rummaged through his cloak for a moment, then pulled an empty sack out and tossed it to me. "Collect some beast stones while you're in there. You need some coin in your pocket. I'm tired of paying for everything."

Sighing and tying the sack to my side, I looked forward. The wall was now closer than ever, and I could easily make out the gate. It had five guards stationed by it. One was directly by the gate, two on his left, and the other two on his right. They all wore full armor and had long swords at their sides.

Approaching the middle guard with my entrance stone in hand, I could see his suntanned face lined with doubt. "Kid, you're going to enter the Blockade with only one other person?" I could hear more than see the guards beside him trickle in amusement.

"No, it's just me. He's not going with me."

"... Just you?" He couldn't believe what I was saying. "Are you looking to die?" The guard turned his attention to Zeph, who was behind me. "Are you seriously going to let this child enter by himself? Does he even have any prior experience?"

Zeph simply shrugged his shoulders.

At his uncommunicative answer, the guard huffed. "I have to let you in since you've already bought an entrance stone. It's protocol." He knelt down and put a hand on my shoulder. "Kid, if you want to go in, I can't stop you. There are beasts in there that can end your life, so the least I could do is give you some tips."

I was somewhat taken aback by his kindness. It truly seemed like he didn't want me to go in. "Okay, what are they?"

"There's a beast repellent around the gate entrance. At the first sign of danger, run there and use it to catch your breath and rest. Also, when you're ready to leave, there is a button by the gate inside. Hold it and say 'exit'. The gate will open right away."

I shook my head in gratitude and thanked him for the valuable information. The guard then got up from his knee and took my entrance stone. Walking towards a lever near the gate, he pulled it down and the gate began to slowly open, revealing the forest of the Blockade.

As the gate fully opened, the guard turned to me once more and said, "You may enter."