Drake showed really white teeth when he smiled. Jeze thought as she sat in front of the dark-skinned man in armor. The two were in another room of the Town Hall. This one was smaller and looked to be an office. Was it the Mayor’s office? Jeze wondered. Did Drake use his authority as an agent of the Emperor to take control of the local government? Jeze was shaken out of her thoughts.


    “Excuse the dust. The Guild rarely uses this field office,” Drake said.


    Jeze glanced around the room and decided this was not the Mayor’s office after all. It did seem a bit small, more like a closet. She nodded politely. Drake settled into his desk and cleared away boxes. The powerfully built man leaned forward with a quill and parchment.


    “We just need to finalize a few details of your abilities so that we can assess your role designation. You are familiar with the role designations?” Drake asked.


    “What is yours?” Jeze asked.


    She figured that she should gather information as well.


    Drake appeared startled by her question and stammered, “Protector, and I second as a Striker.”


    Jeze nodded and glanced at Drake’s sword and Shield that rested against the wall. The Shield was made of steel and wood with the rising sun emblem etched upon its silver surface. The insignia of the Emperor. She didn’t catch that the first time they met. Her mind was scattered.


    “Did we find the source of the Howlers?” Jeze asked before Drake could continue.


    Drake sat up, and the smile left his face. “No, not yet.”


    “Are you looking?” Jeze asked.


    “What are you implying? That I’m not doing my job?” Drake growled, all kindness left his face.


    Jeze smiled. She saw the limit to Drake’s patience. It didn’t appear to be very far.


    “Not at all. The Old Crones encourage us to ask questions. I’m sorry. Please continue,” Jeze said.


    Drake glared at her for a moment. The anger melted away like snowfall in the spring, and the Trial Observer resumed with his questions.


    “As I was saying. We want to get an assessment of your skills and abilities so that we can assign you an appropriate designation. This is normally done in the Trials, but we can do field assessments. I noted you are proficient with Runes, specifically the Earth aspect. Your brother used the Earth aspect, correct?”


    Jeze nodded and replied, “Yes, but I don’t see how that is relevant to me.”


    “Your brother was a respected Guild member. Did he teach you anything? Perhaps he left you some notes?” Drake asked. He ignored her comment.


    “He showed me how to read Runes when we were younger, but I got most of my training from the Old Crones,” Jez answered. Suspicion grew in her chest.


    “You two were close. You have my condolences, of course. Your brother was a great man,” Drake said and scribbled on his parchment.


    “Is that all?” Jeze asked.


    Drake glanced up from the parchment with one arched eyebrow and asked, “Are there any other skills? Anything else your brother taught you, perhaps?”


    “No, like I said, he only showed me the basics. The Old Crones instructed me on Runes. I also trained with Raynor on the ax and dagger.”


    “Your brother preferred the sword and the Earth aspect. Did you know he impressed everyone at the trials by throwing a boulder at the test dummy? He was one of the few members of the Guild that had three primary functions. Striker, Protector, and Leader. He was equally good at all three. A real gem for any adventurer group,” Drake reminisced.


    Jeze felt that there was something odd about Drake. He shifted from anger to jovial too easily for her tastes. But she did have questions.


    “How did you know my brother?” She asked, her voice cracked. The memories and emotions around her brother bubbled up from her chest.


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    “Daverius? Like I said, he impressed us all at the Trials. He was sought after by many teams. That might not be the case for you since you are a girl. But I think you will find a team,” Drake said.


    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jeze growled.


    “It is no secret. Women are smaller and weaker than men. Honey, the Wandering Spire demands full physical ability and attention,” the dark-skinned man replied.


    Honey? Rage boiled in Jeze’s chest, and it pushed out her earlier sadness.


    “It takes more than physical ability to defeat the Spire,” she stated.


    Drake chuckled deeply. His chest and shoulders rumbled with his laugh.


    “That’s rich, girl. You fight a handful of Howlers, and now you are an expert,” he observed.


    “The Spire is more than just monsters! There are traps and puzzles!” Jeze cried.


    “Nothing that strength and determination can not beat,” Drake snorted and flexed a large bicep. It showed even through his mail armor.


    “How does that work against traps and locks?” Jeze demanded.


    “Hmm, okay, you tell me then,” Drake said.


    “You need utility and flexibility to handle any occasion,” Jeze said proudly.


    “And you offer that with your axes and daggers and minor Rune ability?” Drake sat back and asked with a huff.


    “Yes, and I can pick locks!”


    “Oh, how?”


    “With the Earth aspect!” Jeze exclaimed and shook her bracelet.


    “Where did you learn that?” Drake asked.


    “My brother’s journal…” Jeze said and immediately regretted it.


    She could have sworn she heard Ziplocke slap his forehead from the shadows. Drake crossed his thick arms and gave Jeze a stern look. The dark-skinned man leaned forward and interlocked his fingers.


    “You do not need to keep secrets from me. I am merely trying to assess your party designation accurately. But if you wish to keep your brother’s journal a secret. That is fine by me,” Drake said softly.


    The teenage girl felt bad. She had no proof that Drake was an agent of the Emperor. By the Night’s Eye! Jeze thought to herself. She didn’t even have proof that Daverius was correct in believing there to be a conspiracy. But, she continued to keep her brother’s note to herself, and did not share about Ziplocke. In the meantime, she needed to say something to Drake if she wanted to continue to the Wandering Spire. She needed a designation.


    She sighed deeply and said, “I’m sorry. I just have not fully gotten over losing my brother. The journal is something I keep to myself. The Rune patterns he writes about are all Earth aspect related. He specialized in it, and I didn’t. Much of what he wrote does not relate to my skill set.”


    Drake nodded and wrote on his parchment. “Do you know any other aspects?”


    Jeze hesitated and answered, “I know some of the Darkness aspect.”


    The dark-skinned man arched an eyebrow and asked, “Oh, how did you come to learn that?”


    Why was everything like an interrogation? Jeze wondered to herself.


    “I came across a tome in the Old Crone’s school,” she lied.


    Drake nodded but continued to look at her. Jeze fought the urge to fidget. The muscular man wrote on the parchment and read through his notes. He pulled out another parchment and talked as he wrote.


    “Based upon your fight with the Howlers, as detailed by a respected Initiate of the Guild, Raynor. In addition to our pleasant chat today, I have ascertained that your primary designation is a Scout, with a secondary designation as a Protector. You offer stealth and the ability to manipulate traps and locks. In addition, you are skilled with the ax and dagger and can fight proficiently in melee. You can fill in, but it is not recommended you act as a primary for the following designations: Healer and Striker,” Drake said.


    The Trial Observer wrote on his parchment and stamped it with a red seal. He looked up at Jeze and held on to the certificate.


    “I have ranked you Initiate level in scout based mainly upon your combat ability. I lack sufficient evidence, other than what you shared, around your stealth, lockpicking, and trapfinding skills. I recommend you polish those if you are serious about entering the Wandering Spire,” Drake said and then handed over the certificate.


    Jeze nodded and looked at the parchment she was handed. It had her name and listed in crisp penmanship the details he outlined. It had his signature and seal on the lower left-hand side and space for another Trial Observer’s signature and seal.


    “Before it is official, you will need to complete a physical test. It is a challenging obstacle course that will test your athletic ability and fitness,” Drake answered her unspoken question.


    “Where can I take that?” Jeze asked.


    “There is a course in Capitol City. Also, there will be a course erected near the Wandering Spire’s next location. Before you ask, I do not know where it will appear,” Drake said.


    “Have you ventured the Spire?” Jeze said.


    Drake glanced up and answered, “Every time it appears I have been assigned to enter with a squad. You are dismissed.”


    Without further discussion, Jeze left the office. Jeze jogged the road back to the Old Crone’s school. Ziplocke materialized from the shadows on the side of the road when she was alone.


    “Must you always run!” He cried.


    In truth, Jeze was jogging slowly to allow her Familiar to catch up. Ziplocke appeared out of breath, and Jeze paused to allow the creature to scramble up to her back. She readied a spoonful of paste.


    “Do you know anything about lockpicking and trapfinding?” She asked.


    Ziplocke slurped the paste and answered, “I can teach you.”