Wandering about

Raphael stood alone in his dimly lit dormitory room. He took a deep breath, centering himself as he prepared to cast the complex creation spell he had been studying and inventing. 'To create an autonomous avatar' He thought. 'This will be challenging, even for me.'

With practiced movements, his hands began to weave intricate patterns in the air. Generate', Soft words fell from his lips, barely audible yet potent with considerable energy. The air around him began to shimmer and distort, coalescing into a swirling vortex of magical essence. this was one of the rare moments he would need a chant to cast a spell. 

during his duel, the audience must have been so shocked by his actions and display of power they had missed how he invoked an incantation without chanting the words for it. Otherwise there would be an uproar. Those that had noticed had probably chosen to believe they were mistaken somehow.

As the spell reached its crescendo, tendrils of light extended from Raphael's body, weaving themselves into a human form beside him. Features began to take shape, from the top - down, his own face, his build, even the same white gold hair. Within moments, an exact duplicate of Raphael stood before him, eyes closed as if in peaceful slumber.

Raphael's breath caught in his throat as he examined his handiwork. The clone was perfect in every detail, from the slight curl of his hair to the detailed edges of his academy uniform. He reached out tentatively, touching the clone's arm. The skin was warm, life-like.

All that was left was to break away a part of his soul and encase it within his avatar. "Animated tapestry" With a final whispered incantation, Raphael imbued the clone with a measure of autonomy. A white, whispy substance emerged from his mind and took root in the figure's own head. The avatar's eyes fluttered open, revealing the same purple irises as the original. It blinked, focusing on Raphael with an eerily familiar gaze. 

His visage visibly paled. He had lost an essential part of himself. It would probably take a month to recover that part of his soul through cultivation. That in itself meant an extension of the timeline he had set for his void tribulation. His soul cultivation had regressed back to the idol formation stage. That was not to say his comprehension had regressed as well, rather it was due to the self inflicted injury to his soul.

He had separated close to twenty percent of his soul to create the avatar. Meaning the clone would possess about that percentage of his prowess and energy pool. He was sure that was enough to handle anyone below the demi-god stage.

"You know what to do," Raphael murmured, both a statement and a command. The clone nodded silently, moving to sit at the desk as if to study. Raph nodded in approval

Raphael allowed himself a small, triumphant smile. His temporary replacement was in place. Now, he could slip away from the academy's stifling walls and taste the freedom he so desperately craved. The world beyond beckoned, full of mysteries and wonders the dusty tomes of the academy could never capture.

He was kind of starting to regret coming to the academy. Even though it was an experience he wanted to have. He could access the memories and experiences his avatar went through so he wasn't entirely missing out.

His only regret would be not informing Freya and any of his 'friends'. To them it would be like he never left. 

The air around Raphael began to shimmer, an ethereal hum filling the room .With one last glance at his doppelganger, Raphael's figure began to disperse. Tiny motes of light, like fireflies made of stardust, sparked into existence around his form. His outline started to blur, edges softening as if viewed through frosted glass.

A gentle breeze stirred from nowhere, swirling around Raph's body. His substance began to dissolve, transforming into a fine, glittering mist. The process started at his extremities - fingers and toes fragmenting into swirling eddies of luminescent particles.

The dissolution accelerated, racing up his limbs. Raph's body seemed to evaporate, breaking apart into countless shimmering specks. These danced and twirled in the air, retaining for a moment the general shape of his form before beginning to disperse.

In a heartbeat, what was once solid flesh became a cloud of radiant dust. The particles pulsed once, twice, then scattered in all directions. They raced toward the walls, ceiling, and floor, passing through solid matter as if it didn't exist.

A final gust of wind, and the last traces of the glowing mist vanished. Even though he could use instant teleportation, he had spent a considerable amount of energy creating the avatar. The cost of teleporting across the distance he wanted to cross would use up a good fifty percent of his reserves. 

Moving around in that state, even if the chance of meeting a strong opponent is slim was unwise, he would rather not risk it.

....

Raphael reappeared with a 'swoosh' in dark alley. His destination, as he had read, was the human kingdom Larsia, particularly the capital Belgrav . He could 'smell' the disturbance in the air, though that was only in part the reason why he chose to come here first. The air was dense with malicious intent.

Being a member of a race beloved by nature, his draconic constitution was special. One of its abilites was reading and perceiving the atmosphere. He could feel that the majority of residents felt uneasy and jittery. A sign of trouble, exactly what he was looking for.

And since he was a 'human' at the moment. This was the perfect place to start an adventure without too many issues.

As promising as the harmony he had witnessed in the academy seemed, there would always be the usual racial barriers in the real world. 

His attire changed from the uniform to a more plain grey trousers and tunic, and inconspicuosly walked out of the empty alley onto a busy street, seemlessly blending into the noisy crowd. He had appeared straight into a bustling marketplace.

He walks in line with the other citizens, taking in the novel scenes by the roadside. Stalls made of wood and canvas line the narrow cobblestone streets, overflowing with wares such as fresh produce, fabrics, handcrafted jewelry, and various potions. Merchants, often dressed in period attire, call out to attract customers, while nearby entertainers, like jesters and musicians, add to the pensive atmosphere.

As he makes his way around the market, he comes to a more recluse area with in-stores and neater buildings. 

The air is thick with the scent of baked bread, spices, and exotic foods. Townsfolk and travelers mingle, engaging in haggling and bartering, while children weave through the crowd, clutching trinkets and treats. Amidst this lively exchange, he takes note of elements like a mysterious mage selling artifacts and potions, or a blacksmith showcasing enchanted weapons.

Having had enough of walking aimlessly, he spreads his perception and identifies a structure he recognises as the so called Adventurers guild of Belgrav. He weaves his way through the streets, towards the guild.

Soon enough, Raphael stood before the imposing stone building, its weathered façade adorned with faded banners and various symbols, most certainly emblems of the various popular parties. The sign above the heavy oak door read "Silvercrest Adventurers' Guild" in bold, gilded letters. He takes a deep breath before he pushed the door open.

The interior was a bustle of activity. The air hung thick with the scent of leather, steel, and the underlying tension. He had to say, It was quite the noisy space.

Grizzled veterans swapped tales over frothy mugs of ale, while wide-eyed novices pored over job postings on a massive bulletin board. Raphael silently took note of all this as he calmly walks inside

He approached the reception desk. A cheery-faced lady peered at him over half-moon spectacles. "Welcome sir!... New blood, eh?" she spoke with barely masked enthusiam at the sight of his otherworldly visage 'What a sight for sore eyes' She thought. "What's your business with the guild. How may I be of service today?" She leans in slightly towards her desk, exposing her generous bossom.

"I would like to register with the guild. Can I get that done?"

"Of course! Just fill this out. All of it. Don't skip the waiver on page seven. If you have any questions I will help however I can. I will give you your card when you are done. Then you will be officially a member of the adventurers guild."

"Sure. Thank you, i'm sure I can handle it just fine" He picks up the paperwork and walks away towards an empty desk.

As he skimmed through the paperwork, Raphael overheard snippets of conversation around him. Apparently, a lot of weird events had been going on in the capital and around the borders of the kingdom. fearsome monsters had been appearing more frequently and there was news of a terrorist group operating in their kingdom. The adventurers have had a ton of jobs coming in recently as a result. There were rumors of a terrorist organisation being responsible, though there was no definitive proof.

Finally, he presented the completed forms. The receptionist scrutinized every page, her eyebrows furrowing when she noted the blanked out rank page, she assumed he was too weak and chose to hide his rank.

Understandable, considering he looked ot be in his mid-teens. She had seen plenty of that in her days of working in the guild. 'They never last long' she thought, as she sighed inwardly.

After what felt like an eternity, she produced a stamp and brought it down with a resounding thud. "Welcome to the guild, rookie," she said, handing him a grey badge.

Raphael received the badge and stored it in his 'pocket dimension' with a nod. He only needed a glance to read the writing on the badge.

'Unranked' He identified the writing under his name. As he had read, the guild ranks went from unranked, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and lastly the diamond rank.

Walking away from the desk, he walks towards the mission board, taking note of the available missions. Seeing nothing of interest, he chooses to exit the guild. 

He was not short of resources and funds. In fact he was probably the richest individual in modern times. He had inherited the whole inheritance of his clan and race, including techniques, weapons and potions. Nothing he could would be better.

As such, he felt no need to complete the missions on the board for a few measly gold coins.

"Hello there, would you like to join our party?" Raphael looked to his right, and comes face to face with lean girl in her twenties with bob cut emerald green hair. She was holding out her hand for him to shake. She was dressed in a dark red robe, with grey shorts and plated armour covering her upper body. A thin rappier was strapped to her waist.

'Probably a short range fighter who prefers a fighting style based on overpowering opponents by utilising speed and and agility.' He thought inwardly. Barely a second had passed as these thoughts go through his mind.

"Hello" Raphael shook her hand in a light handshake. There were two more people behind her. An older man in his thirties and a petite younger girl who looked like she was nineteen.

She had long black hair that hung loosely to the small of her back, a pointy brown hat sat atop her head. She wore a similar black robe that went around and covered her whole body. A staff was nestled in her left hand, and it was almost a head taller than her 5'4" height. She gave him a curt silent nod in acknowlegement.

'A mage' He noted.

The man had a bulky build, he held a large shield strapped to his left arm, the visible bulge around his bicep indicating the strain it was constantly under. The bulge was less visible on his other arm.

'That shield weighs around 600 lind, considering he is a king stage and a tank at that. My guess should be accurate.'

A longsword was hooked to his back in a baldric. He wore heavy plate armour, and an iron helmet on his head. He grunted ,the sight of furrowed brows visible under his helmet. He was visibly annoyed.

He spoke in a gruff voice "Lia don't go picking up party members just because he has a pretty face, it will be the death of us all"

"Nah don't sweat the details, we are lacking an effecient damage dealer, though I won't deny, I've never met anyone better looking, his looks are not the only reason I called him out. Probably. Aaaanyway, he has the posture of a refined swordsman. As you heard I am Lila the battlemage [Silver rank] , the cute girl is Tess, our mage and a [bronze rank]. The grumpy old man is Finn, our tank, he is also a [silver rank] . Would you fancy joining our party?"

"You can call me Raphael, what sort of missions do you usually take?"

"We specialise in hunting mosters. Well, and the occasional escort missions. We have been working as a party for a little over a year now, its been working out okay but the increased monster activity means we need an effecient damage dealer in our party now. So here we are."

"Reasonable. Alright, lets call this a trial period. I will take missions with you for a week and we all make a decision after. Sound good?"

"[Agreed]!" Lila and Finn spoke in unison. Tess just nodded in response "How about we start tomorrow, we were already done for the day?"

"No problem, I was heading out. It is my first day in the capital so I was not planning on taking any missions today."

"Okay see you tomorrow" Lia spoke as she turned on her heel, her two companions closely behind her.

Raphael made his way out of the guild, back onto the streets. "I guess I should look for a place to stay." Raphael wandered through the bustling streets of Belgrav, his keen eyes scanning the facades of the various establishments lining the cobbled lanes. He did not bother using his perception skill. The experience of walking around aimlessly just felt better for some reason.

The vibrant banners fluttered in the breeze, each representing a different inn, tavern and establishment, but he randomly sought one that appealed to his sense of aesthatic. Finally, he spotted a quaint inn nestled between a charming bakery and a bustling apothecary, its wooden sign creaking gently in the wind.

The name, "The Gilded Lantern," glimmered in the fading sunlight, promising warmth and hospitality. Raphael approached, noting the inviting glow of candlelight spilling from the windows. A dutch door was installed up front, he opened it and entered into a wide space occupied by dining tables.

A few people sat on the tables, chatting away about their eventful day. He approached the desk up front. A young girl, barely of age occupied the receptionist's desk. His assumption was she was the owner's child or close relative.

"Welcome sir" she greeted in a deep bow. Her blonde, waist length hair was tied neatly in a ponytail. She wore a brown apron tied in a lace to her visible back. Standing back up, she respectfully asked, "how may I be of service today."

"How much for a room?"

"2 Copper coins for a room with an optional meal service for an extra copper" She said confidently

Raph proceeded to hand her a gold coin "I'll be staying for a while" was all he said.

"..."visibly shaken, the young girl took the coin with shaking hands "Ahhh! right away sir." She took asingle key off the hooks and and handed it to Raphael. "Room 6 second floor. Thank you for you patronage!" She said, bowing once more

He nodded to her and walked towards the stairs on the right side of the desk. He took in the sight of the neat little inn he had chosen to stay in. It was humble but well kept. The customers seated inside, eating and chatting away fit right into the peaceful aura around the place.

....

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of crimson and gold, an ominous rumble split the evening calm. Numerous loud screams followed the rumbling sounds. 

Raphael sensed the unrest immediately. He gets up from his bed and walked to his window to open it. He found that he was not the only one who though to look out his window. Looking away from the puzzled onlookers he gazed at the source of the rumbling sound.

High up in the sky, Raphael caught sight of a few cloaked figures on the outskirts of the city, floating in an arc, in the middle, was a mage with hands raised high, crackling with concentrated mana. 'He seems to be using the others around him as a catalyst to cast a massive spell.' They were loudly chanting in unison. 'An incantation for an explosion spell.'

Their voices went silent uniformly then ...'Boooom!!!!!' With a brilliant flash, a concentrated beam of light erupted form the centre, a fiery explosion directed towards the majestic castle perched atop the hill in the north.

The force shook the walls of the inn, causing lamps to sway and patrons to gasp. Intrigued, Raphael leaned closer to the window, a spark of excitement igniting within him. This is why he was here. He had come seeking the the thrill of it all. He had sensed the unrest brewing beneath the surface of Belgrav, from the onset, heard the whispers of a terrorist organization seeking to upend the fragile peace. 

Yet here he stood, undaunted; the chaos stirred his blood, a stark contrast to the dull days he'd recently endured. The pieces were finally moving, and he felt a thrill at the unfolding drama—he had no doubt that those orchestrating the attack posed little threat to him. It was, after all, his 'world' and they were all just living in it.