New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

After talking with Violette and deciding what they were to do that day, the duo started touring the city. Violette wanted to first have a look around Sunpeak, since they had little time to explore it the last time.

Astaroth had no problem with that, since he also wanted to look around. He hoped to find some hidden quests if he searched deep enough.

Although, he doubted that would happen, since there had been players in Sunpeak for some time already, and they had most likely scoured this city from top to bottom.

So he and Violette wandered around for a few hours, looking at the markets, trying different food stalls, and even buying casual clothes.

The clothes they bought offered no protection whatsoever and were only good in terms of a fashion statement. But he preferred it this way.

Astaroth had been noticing the looks from the NPCs, and he figured two armoured and armed Ash Elves, inside Sunpeak, were probably a good reason for them to worry.

When the pair of them swapped to more normal clothes, the weary looks also lessened. Some kids even tried inviting Violette to play with them before being reprimanded by their parents.

After touring most of the city, aside from the parts where they were barred access, Astaroth proposed to Violette another activity.

"I hear cities have adventurer guilds, where you can sign up for monster hunting quests. Want to go try one out? See what kind of monsters roam around Sunpeak?"

"That sounds fun. Okay," Violette responded, her smile never wavering.

In their quick tour, they had passed before the guild building, so Astaroth knew where to go. It took them almost half an hour to walk back there, though, since it was almost at the other end of the city.

They entered the building together, eliciting some weird looks from the guards around the lobby, but no one reacted aggressively for now.

Astaroth walked to a free counter, with Violette in tow, and the woman behind it received them with a large smile.

"Hello. I am Claire. Welcome to the adventurer's guild. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Claire. My little partner and I, here, would like to take on some monster-hunting quests."

"We have many quests with a variety of ranks. Can I see your adventuring license?"

"Ahh. We don't have one yet."

"Not a problem, good sir. Would you like to register and take the rank assessment test?"

"Do I need to take the test?"

"Well, it is not a requirement. But you would start as the lowest rank if you don't. And most hunting quests are for higher ranked adventurers."

*Sigh*

"Okay. Can I know what the test consists of?"

"Why certainly! The assessment test is just a short spar with one of our instructors to see your level of capabilities in combat. Do you wish to go through it?"

Astaroth almost hesitated for a moment. A combat test meant he would have to show these NPCs his fighting style, and that might raise alarms.

Aberon had warned him many times that Soulmancers were revered but feared worldwide. If they glimpsed at his class, what would be their reaction?

Astaroth sighed again, before accepting to take the test.

"Very well. In that case, please wait a moment while I find an available instructor to test you."

"That won't be necessary. I'll test him!" An angry voice came from the side.

Astaroth felt some heavy pressure from the man, mixed in with a dripping murderous intent. The man hadn't been here when they entered the building, or he would have felt it.

"Ahh, Sir Clide. I don't think taking the time of such a high-ranking instructor for an assessment is necessary. I can find a more suitable instructor for them."

"I insist," the man said, glaring at her.

Astaroth heard the woman gulp.

"Very well. In that case, please follow me to the sparring grounds, gentlemen and young lady."

Astaroth and Violette nodded their heads, with the former never taking his eyes off the instructor.

'I have a bad feeling about him. Did I kick his puppy or something?'

They walked to the back of the building, where a door led back outside, in a closed-up fighting ground. The layout was very similar to the barrack's training ground back in his starting village.

Claire walked to the side, grabbing two small girdles, with orbs at their center, before walking back to Astaroth and Violette.

"Please wear these. They will measure your vitality, and put up a shield around you with the same amount of hit points. This is a security measure, so no one gets hurt."

"Once the shields break, we consider the test over."

"They don't need it. I will hold back," the man interjected.

Astaroth could feel the murderous intent oozing off him, and could tell that was a blatant lie.

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Just obey!"

But before the woman could take back the girdles, Astaroth grabbed the two of them. He handed one to Violette and threw the other at the instructor's face.

"Wear it, Violette. I don't trust him."

Violette immediately put the girdle around her waist. The instructor, though, had rage in his eyes as he caught the girdle in his hand.

"You mock me, dark skin?" he asked, seething in anger.

"No sir. I simply wanted to make sure you are safe too," Astaroth answered, grinning arrogantly.

The instructor threw the girdle back at Claire, almost frothing at the mouth.

"I'm going to enjoy beating you into a pulp!" he growled.

Meanwhile, somewhere inside the guild building, an old man was filling out documents. When he suddenly felt a surge in killing intent.

"Who pissed off Clide again?" the old man wondered in a husked voice.

The man closed his eyes and sent a powerful but discreet wave of mana all around the building, sensing everything and everyone as it passed through.

He located Clide in the sparring grounds, standing in front of a young man. But something was off about the young man.

He could feel more than one soul from him. Aside from that abnormal thing, another form caught his eye.

A small girl was also standing near them, and he shivered as he looked at her through the magic sense. Her mana signature was monstrous, for her age, on par with mages decades older than her.

When he read their essence carefully, he noticed their race and frowned.

'Ash Elves? In this part of the world? No wonder Clide is acting up. I better go watch this, to make sure no one accidentally dies.' the old man thought, as he teleported away from his office.

He reappeared on a balcony overlooking the yard and made his presence vanish.

'Let's see what they are capable of first.'