Chapter 4: The Suppressed Spark

  The Adventurer’s Guild of Oakhaven was impossible to miss. It was a massive, imposing structure built from enormous blocks of dark grey stone and reinforced with thick bands of steel. Above the grand double doors hung a massive shield carved from polished oak, bearing the emblem of two crossed swords over a shining star. The building radiated an aura of rugged authority.

  Zeno pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside. The interior was cavernous. The ceiling vaulted high above, supported by thick wooden pillars. The walls were lined with massive corkboards, absolutely plastered with fluttering pieces of parchment—the quest boards.

  The hall was packed. Dozens of people milled about, and Zeno immediately noticed the difference between the people on the streets and the people in here. The air in the Guild Hall hummed with latent Tena. Zeno could feel it pressing against his skin. He saw a towering man entirely clad in heavy iron armor, carrying a battleaxe the size of a door. He saw a slender woman in green leather sitting in a corner, idly spinning a throwing knife that crackled with tiny sparks of yellow electricity. This was a place for warriors, hunters, and cultivators.

  Zeno felt a thrill of excitement. He bounded toward the long, polished wooden counter at the back of the room. Several receptionists were busy handling paperwork and speaking with adventurers. Zeno chose the shortest line and waited patiently, bouncing slightly on his heels.

  When it was his turn, he stepped up to the counter. The receptionist was a young woman dressed in a crisp, neat white uniform with a blue ascot. She had pale, mint-green hair tied tightly into a bun at the back of her head, and sharp, piercing violet eyes. Dark circles under those violet eyes suggested she had been dealing with difficult people, and even more difficult paperwork, all day.

  She looked up, her expression politely neutral. "Welcome to the Oakhaven Adventurer’s Guild. Are you here to report a completed quest, or to register as a new member?"

  "Register!" Zeno announced proudly, resting his hands on the counter. "I am going to be an adventurer. Master Shifu said I need to do quests that are not marked 'Certain Peril'."

  The receptionist blinked slowly. "Right. Well, I am Elara. I will handle your registration." She pulled a thick sheet of parchment from a stack and dipped a quill into an inkwell. "Name?"

  "Zeno."

  "Last name?"

  "Just Zeno. Like the wind. The wind doesn't have a last name."

  Elara sighed, a tiny sound of long-suffering patience. She wrote it down. "Age?"

  "Seventeen."

  "Origin?"

  "The Elderwood Forest. It has very tall trees and extremely stubborn rivers."

  Elara’s quill paused for a fraction of a second, but she didn't comment. "Class or primary combat style?"

  "Novice Pugilist," Zeno said proudly. "I punch things. Very hard. Usually, they break."

  "Pugilist. Understood." Elara finished writing and set the quill down. She then reached under the counter and produced a clear, perfectly spherical crystal orb, roughly the size of a melon. She placed it on a small velvet cushion between them. "Before we can issue your Guild Card, we must test your Tena capacity. This determines your starting rank. The Guild classifies adventurers from Rank F, the lowest, up to Rank S, the absolute pinnacle of power."

  Zeno stared at the crystal. "Do I punch it?"

  "No!" Elara said quickly, her violet eyes widening in alarm. "Absolutely not. This is a highly sensitive Measurement Crystal. It is extremely expensive. All you have to do is place your hand flat against the surface and push your Tena into it. The crystal will react to your energy density and volume, glowing to indicate your capacity."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Zeno nodded. He remembered Master Shifu’s warning. He reached into his tunic and made sure the small, dull grey Suppression Stone was resting securely against his chest. He took a deep breath, focusing on the core of his energy deep within his center.

  He reached out and placed his calloused palm against the cool, smooth surface of the crystal.

  Just a little, Zeno thought. Like holding a baby bird. A very, very small baby bird.

  He pushed his Tena forward. Instantly, the Suppression Stone around his neck grew warm, acting like a massive dam, restricting the raging river of his true power and allowing only a tiny trickle to pass through.

  The crystal orb hummed faintly. A dim, murky blue light slowly bloomed in the center of the glass. It flickered weakly, struggling to illuminate even the edges of the orb. It looked like a dying firefly trapped in a jar.

  Elara leaned in, observing the dim light. She checked a reference chart on her desk. "Alright. The reading is stable. Your Tena capacity is approximately... fifty."

  Zeno smiled broadly. The rock worked perfectly.

  Elara looked at Zeno, rubbing her temples. A capacity of 50 at seventeen years old was abysmal. It was the bare minimum required to even sense Tena. Most average city guards had a capacity of at least 80.

  "Zeno," Elara said in a flat, businesslike tone. "With a capacity of 50, you will be placed squarely at Rank F. This is the absolute beginner tier."

  "F is for Fantastic!" Zeno cheered.

  "F is for Fragile," Elara corrected dryly. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a small, rectangular bronze plate. She pressed a small metal stamp against it, embedding his details. "This is your Guild Card. It tracks your rank and completed quests. Please do not lose it. Replacing it requires a terrifying amount of paperwork."

  She handed him the bronze plate. It felt sturdy and cool to the touch.

  "Now, regarding your quests," Elara continued, leaning over the counter and pointing toward the far wall. "The board on the far left is strictly for Rank F requests. These are basic tasks. Delivery within the city walls, helping farmers, or gathering safe materials. I strongly advise you to avoid anything involving combat."

  "Thank you, Elara! Your hair reminds me of cabbage. I like cabbage."

  Before the receptionist could process the bizarre compliment, Zeno spun around and marched toward the quest boards.

  He stood before the Rank F board, his amber eyes scanning the dozens of papers pinned to the cork. He frowned. The letters looked like tiny, annoying ants crawling across the page. He couldn't read a single word of the messy handwriting.

  Then, his eyes caught a piece of parchment that had a crude drawing on it. It was a picture of a mushroom emitting little squiggly lines of light. In the corner of the paper was a bright red stamp—a circle with a jagged line through it. Master Shifu had drawn that exact symbol in the dirt once. It meant 'Mild Peril'.

  Food and a little bit of fighting! Zeno thought happily.

  He snatched the paper off the board, walked back to Elara’s counter, and slammed it down triumphantly. "I want to do this one! The shiny mushroom!"

  Elara picked up the paper and sighed deeply. "Zeno, this is a gathering request for Moonglow Mushrooms in the Whispering Woods. Yes, it is ranked as Mild Peril, but it explicitly states that the area is roaming with Armored Hounds and Giant Horned Badgers. A capacity of 50 is barely enough to outrun a badger, let alone fight an Armored Hound."

  "But it's a glowing mushroom!" Zeno argued, leaning closer. "I want to taste it! Is it a magic snack? Does it taste like moonlight?"

  Elara stared at him, completely dumbfounded by his logic. "It tastes like dirt and severe stomach cramps if you eat it raw. Zeno, this is dangerous."

  "I have Iron Stomach," Zeno replied cheerfully, tapping his belly. "And my head is very hard."

  Elara closed her eyes, visualizing the mountainous stack of forms she would have to fill out if this boy didn't return. She stamped the back of the quest paper with an official seal with a heavy thud.

  "Fine. The quest is registered to you," Elara said, handing the paper back. "Listen to me very carefully, Zeno. If you see a pack of Armored Hounds, do not engage. Drop the mushrooms and run. And if you absolutely must die out there... please, I beg of you, try not to die on the main road. The paperwork for an 'In-Transit Casualty Recovery' is a nightmare. Form 4-B alone is three pages long."

  "I will not need a funeral form! I am going to eat a glowing snack!" Zeno promised, completely missing her grim warning.

  He carefully placed the stamped paper into his backpack and headed for the heavy double doors. As he pushed them open, stepping back out into the bright afternoon sun of Oakhaven, he willed his Status window to open one last time.

  [Name: Zeno]

  [Age: 17]

  [Class: Novice Pugilist]

  [Tena Capacity: 450/450]

  [Tena Control: E]

  [Guild Rank: F]

  Zeno chuckled to himself, feeling the immense, suppressed power bubbling happily beneath the surface of his skin. He adjusted his backpack and turned north, toward the city gates. The Whispering Woods were waiting, and Rank F or not, Zeno was ready to show the world exactly how fantastic he could be.