Realmshifter Chronicles: The Heroes of Veridora

The Test of Valor and The First Inn

The man with the dagger swore and turned; he saw us standing just to the side of the doorway, gave us a glare, and started stomping away, out of the room.

The victorious man was large, towering at about six feet, and at this moment, he was shirtless, displaying a chiseled, muscular physique. His skin bore the creamy shade of white, adorned with numerous scars on his chest, each a testament to past battles. His thick black beard and mustache framed brown eyes that held the intensity of a seasoned warrior. Brown hair cascaded in a ponytail down to the middle of his back. Wiping the sweat off himself, he walked up to us, acknowledging Lilly.

“Another hopeful, Lilly, that’s the fourth one today,” he remarked, his voice deep and slightly gravelly, but it carried a certain warmth.

“Yes, Guildmaster, a new record, I believe,” Lilly replied with a hint of amusement. “This is Jordan, he saved Alvin’s group in the forest from a village of goblins and wants to join us here.”

“I can vouch for his strength firsthand, Argus,” Ellie chimed in, her eyes ignited with excitement.

“I would be very grateful if you would give me this chance,” I said earnestly. “I am new to this area and need work. I would love the chance to be an adventurer here.”

“Sure thing,” Argus said, nodding in agreement as Lilly handed him my paperwork. “It says here you can use magic as well as fighting with a sword and hand-to-hand combat. We have to test you on all of these to make sure you are not just boasting, but if you’re willing to fight me multiple times, I don’t see a problem.”

My eyes scanned the weaponry displayed on the walls. To my disappointment, there were no katanas in sight. The closest option was a straight short sword, roughly the same length as my katana but double-edged with a small crossguard. I grabbed two of the wooden short swords and took up a position opposite Argus in the center of the room.

I bowed to Argus, much like I would to my sensei back on Earth, locking my gaze with his as my swords swept out to the side. Argus, momentarily puzzled, eventually returned the bow. We rose, and before I could assume a proper fighting stance, Argus launched an attack. A quick diagonal strike from my right was parried with my right-hand sword, and I countered with a left-hand sword thrust. He leaped backward and sidestepped my stab, skillfully avoiding my attack and retrieving his weapon. I seized the opportunity to deliver a powerful swing with my right sword, but Argus deflected it with ease, expertly aligning his blade to block my left strike.

Argus displayed remarkable speed and agility, and our exchange of blows felt like an eternity. Neither of us could land a hit on the other, and I sensed that my second blade was hardly a match for his incredible swiftness.

With exhaustion settling in, I decided to employ a maneuver that had worked for me before. I increased the frequency of my attacks, targeting Argus’s sword rather than his body. Each strike forced his blade higher and higher until, with a final mighty blow, I stepped back slightly and lunged, blades held parallel, stabbing Argus in the chest with my wooden weapons before he could react.

Argus took a step back, both of us gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. My arms dropped to my sides, and I executed another bow, which Argus reciprocated. Ellie's cheers echoed in the training hall as she approached me, patting me on the back. Alvin and Eve, meanwhile, wore stunned expressions, having witnessed my unexpected victory.

“Very well done,” Argus commended, “I think we should test your magic skills next. I could use a bit of a breather after that fight. It’s been a long time since I lost an entrance exam like that.”

I took a few slow, deep breaths to regain my composure and focus my thoughts on the magic test that lay ahead.

Argus went to sit by Alvin and Eve, and Ellie followed suit. Lilly, on the other hand, approached and dragged one of the training dummies to the center of the hall. It was the one in the T pose, marked with a red circle on its chest.

“Alright, pick a spell and cast it at the dummy,” Lilly instructed, “Depending on the damage to the dummy and the power of the spell cast, I will determine if you pass or fail. But please be mindful of the fact that we are underground and try not to destroy the building.”

I stepped forward, standing about fifteen feet from the dummy. "I probably shouldn't use fire," I mused to myself, "It might be enough to level the building since I still don't know how powerful I am here." I decided to employ a wind blade attack, similar to what I used back in the goblin village. I focused on my palm, drawing upon the energy within. Once the magic coursed through my hand, I concentrated on the element of wind and the form of blades. Gazing at the dummy, I cast my hand outward. Blades of wind, almost imperceptible, slashed out from my palms, reducing the dummy to tatters. Yet, they didn't stop there; they continued on, striking the back wall, leaving five deep gashes about four inches in depth.

"Oops, sorry, I guess I put a little too much into that spell," I admitted, wincing at the unintended destruction.

My gaze shifted to Lilly, who was torn between staring at me, the dummy, and the damaged wall.

"But, you didn't chant a spell or use a magic circle! What kind of spell was that? I've never seen anything like it," Lilly exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" I queried, bewildered. "I just focused the energy into my palm, changed the element to wind, and formed it into blades. Then I cast it out towards the dummy." I felt perplexed as Lilly's reaction indicated that my magic use was unconventional. This might be why Eve was wary of me.

"I've never heard of anyone casting like that," Eve remarked, her eyes fixed on me. "You either chant the appropriate spell to trigger the magic or draw a magic circle. From what you described, you are gathering the magic and manipulating it on your own, by sheer force of will. Only demons or the ancient sorcerers of legend could do that. I have been suspicious of you since you cast that same spell back in the goblin camp."

I realized that I had better offer an explanation. "I guess the only reason I cast differently is that I never had someone teach me otherwise. I found out that I could do magic one day while wandering in the forest near my home. I came face to face with a large bear, and as I yelled, I felt a strange power surge through me. Next thing I knew, the bear was dead, slashed by the wind itself. I started experimenting with this power and learned to cast various spells. I can even use the magic power itself, without changing its form or element."

Argus chimed in, clearly impressed. "Amazing, you learned to control magic without incantations. Nobody has been able to do that in over two hundred years."

Safe to say that I had passed the magic test with flying colors. Argus suggested we forgo the hand-to-hand combat test, given that he had already witnessed my combat skills.

Everyone, except Argus, followed Lilly back to the guild hall. She prepared a fresh guild card for me, first hovering her stamp over my paperwork for a second. The stamp glowed with a faint blue hue before she pressed it onto the card. My information was now officially imprinted, and I was a rank F member of the adventurer's guild.

Alvin, Eve, Ellie, and I departed from the guild after the testing. They showed me a nearby, budget-friendly inn for the night. We secured a table in the inn's dining hall and ordered some food.

“I still can’t believe you beat Argus in a sword fight,” Alvin exclaimed. “I can just barely best him, and I've been studying swordplay since I was old enough to hold a blade.”

“I know,” Ellie chimed in excitedly, “And that last move, I thought you had abandoned tactics altogether for a moment, and you were just attacking randomly. Then I saw you step back and stab him! That move of yours was awesome!” Ellie said giddily.

I modestly replied, “It’s the only move I could think of at the time. I was starting to get exhausted, and Argus was blocking everything I threw at him. Then I remembered the double thrust low. I had read about it in a book once, and when my sword master was being particularly harsh one day, I decided to try it out on him. That was the only time I ever beat my master. He learned a counter-move to it, and then I figured out a counter to his counter. But he must have seen it coming because I still lost.”

Feeling the need to address Eve’s concerns, I added, “I’m sorry for making you worry about my intentions, Eve. I have never seen anyone else use magic before, so I thought I was casting like anyone would. But I promise, I am not here to hurt anyone, especially not you three.”

Eve, seeming a bit less guarded now that she had voiced her worries and received a proper response, replied, “I guess I can take you at your word for now, Jordan."

Our food arrived after a brief conversation, and Alvin paid with one of the gold coins, requesting the waitress to have the barman make change. The waitress returned, placing the change on the table in front of Alvin. From the transaction, I deduced that fifty silver coins equaled one gold piece. Alvin now had forty-five silver coins and twenty copper coins in front of him.

“What do you say we put up the gold coin and five of the silver coins into savings? Then we can split the remaining forty silver coins four ways and give Jordan here the twenty copper coins as a bonus for saving our necks out there,” Alvin suggested.

Ellie and Eve agreed in unison, but I couldn't help but feel conflicted. "But didn’t you guys earn that for your job?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

“You are the only reason we were able to complete that job and return home safely, Jordan,” Alvin emphasized. “So you should share in the spoils. Besides, you don’t have any money on you at the moment, so take it.” Alvin handed me my share, ten silver coins and twenty copper coins. The others claimed their portions and bid me goodnight, as it was already getting late.

“I’ll come get you tomorrow, I’m not too far from here anyways. Then we can go get Alvin and Eve,” Ellie said, giving me a friendly punch on the shoulder before departing. Alvin and Eve wished me a good night as well. I walked over to the innkeeper and booked a room for the week, paying two silver coins. Afterward, I headed upstairs, located my room, and settled in. As I sat there, I couldn't help but reflect on the day's events. I had used a spell to journey to another world, met remarkable people, vanquished a goblin village, and become an adventurer. I pondered what the morrow might bring.