Chapter 9: Guild Recognition
The air inside the Adventurer's Guild's great hall thrummed with mana and murmurs. Banners representing different cities and factions lined the high stone walls: Velaria's winged sword, the crimson phoenix of Emberholde, the golden sun of Solaria, and many more Mano had never seen before.
He stood before the Recognition Council, his newly-earned Iron Rank badge pinned to his chest. The council's decision had been swift—but the atmosphere still felt heavy with expectation.
A silver-haired woman stepped forward. Her robes were embroidered with flames, and her eyes held the cool sharpness of someone who had seen far too many battles.
Syndra Wyrmane, S-Rank adventurer.
"You've proven skill, courage, and purpose," she said, her voice cutting through the room. "But a warrior like you doesn't belong in Velaria's shadow for long. The Guild has decided to place you on a continental assignment."
Mano raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
Another council member nodded, this one a grizzled beastkin swordsman with a scar down his snout.
"You carry a Heaven-class artifact, boy. That puts you on the radar of powers far beyond this city. If you don't move now, they'll come for you eventually."
Mano said nothing. His grip tightened around the Heaven Fragment still hidden in his satchel.
"Where am I being sent?"
Syndra stepped forward, handing him a sealed map with a crimson wax emblem.
"Your first stop is Draquenport, capital of the Kingdom of Thalor. Trade city on the edge of the Eastwilds. Strange ruins have appeared near their borders—ancient, untouched, and pulsing with sword energy."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And rumors say another fragment may lie buried there."
---
[New Main Quest: The Blade Across Borders]
Travel to Draquenport and investigate the ruins.
Objective: Locate the source of the anomaly.
Reward: ???
Status: Time-Sensitive
---
Later that evening, Mano stood at Velaria's eastern gate. His travel pass was signed, his supplies packed, and his sword hung steady on his back.
Before him stretched the Verdant Expanse, a sprawling wilderness that connected Velaria to the neighboring kingdom. Lush forests, dangerous beasts, and bandit-filled ravines lay in wait.
> "So this is how it begins… The world opens, and the blade walks again."
From behind him came a quiet laugh.
"You make it sound like a legend already."
Mano turned to see Kaela, the rogue girl who had once tried to rob him, now walking with a bow slung over her back and a smirk on her lips.
"You coming?" he asked.
"I heard you're leaving town. And I'm sick of Velaria." She flicked a dagger into her palm. "Besides, someone's gotta watch your back."
Before he could reply, another voice called out.
"I knew you'd be heading east."
Juno, the grumpy city guard who'd helped him during the sewer incident, rode up on a battered brown horse.
"You'll need someone who knows the wild trails. Plus, I've got time off." He looked up at Mano, then shrugged. "And… maybe I owe you one."
Mano chuckled softly. "Looks like I'm not traveling alone."
---
The three set off under the starlit sky, leaving Velaria behind.
Beyond the hills and rivers lay kingdoms teetering on the edge of war, magical towers lost to time, and ruins filled with echoes of the gods.
And somewhere out there, more fragments of the Heavenly Blade waited.
Mano didn't know what he'd find.
But he would face it—steel in hand, legacy unfolding.