My class [Death Knight] is just barely legal…

The gates to the capital were something else. Massive golden doors that could fit a hundred people side by side, adorned with gems of all kinds and engravings depicting historic battles. It was clear that the kingdom did not hold back when it came to making first impressions. To the citizens of Roa, this gate might have seemed like a waste of resources, but to any foreign dignitary, it would express Roa's power.

For me and Cerion, it was just an impressive gate, one that we didn't have the time to admire. Doran led the way to the customs office, where our identity badges were checked and we were granted entry to the capital city of Roa.

I was nervous. Neither Cerion nor I had heard back from our respective contacts, because we had spent the last few weeks on the road. The journey from Reito to the capital was a long and uneventful one, which had only raised our expectations and heightened my nerves. For some reason, Cerion was certain we would get access to one of the dungeons.

"Stop worrying, Arthur. It's not like you to be the one that's nervous, between the two of us."

"I'm just a little nervous about my uncle, Cerion, you know that. I would take a fight to the death over familial issues any day."

"You'll be fine. We have to check in on the capital headquarters of the witch hunters' guild first anyway."

I nodded. Guild master Andross had assured me that he had written the guild head about my circumstances. I had tried to pry information out of him about the person that led the entire Roa witch hunter's guild and acted as one of the few elders of the guild as a whole. It was important to remember that much like the other guilds and the church, the witch hunters' guild was a continent-wide organisation. Each country had its own headquarters, over which a guild elder presided, though not all elders participated in the running of the guild's day-to-day operations. If any major issues popped up, all of the elders would gather to determine what would be done. There was no overarching hierarchy among the elders, so the guild head of Roa had technically reached the highest rank possible, by achieving tier 6 and being recognised for his service to the guild.

Unfortunately, Andross hadn't told me much besides that, in fact, he hadn't even been willing to give me their name. He had just left me with a warning and sent me on my way.

"Listen, Arthur. The guild head is a little... eccentric, but they're a good person. In a way, they went through a somewhat similar situation as you are going through now, so with some luck, they'll sympathise and help you out a little.", he had said.

I still had my doubts, though.

I wave away these thoughts and focused on my surroundings.

Now that we had entered the capital properly, I could tell that its supposed wealth hadn't been an exaggeration. We were currently walking on the main street, which was so wide it looked like it could allow for more foot traffic than Reito's central square. The road was paved with white bricks and tiles, overlapping one another to form a tapestry of shapes. The middle of the street was dedicated to carriages and mounts, with eight lanes going both ways, for a total of sixteen lanes that carriages could follow. Surprisingly, all sixteen were in use, carriages and carts going both ways.

On either side of these lanes, there were large walkways just as wide for people on foot. We were using one of these pathways ourselves, though we had to push through the crowd to get anywhere. It was probably the busiest place I had ever visited, and it was a little overwhelming.

Finally, on both sides of the road were two lines of buildings, mostly shops that were selling their high-class wares. The main street of the capital saw a lot of traffic, and the store owners knew it.

There were large poles on the road, spaced out evenly, with a crystal on top. These were lanterns, that used magical crystals to light up the city at night.

The skyline of the capital was no less impressive. Massive wizard's towers, a giant arena, several manors and castles, and finally, the imperial palace, a golden building made up of enormous spires and cathedral-like structures, forming a giant complex visible from anywhere in the city by virtue of its height.

"Cerion, isn't that building even taller than the spire you live in?"

He gave me the side-eye.

"It's not a 'spire', Arthur, it just looks like one. You're right, though. The Coldwater palace isn't as tall as the building. The royals sure know how to live it up, huh?"

I nodded wordlessly. Was that the result of generation after generation of tier 6 rulers? The royal family had built up its resources and knowledge to guarantee such a result, which was impressive in its own right.

Michael chimed in.

"Cerion, you live in a palace?!"

Ah, right. We hadn't told him about our backgrounds yet.

Cerion chuckled.

"Yes, I do. You should come over sometime, when the academy gives you a break."

Michael pumped his fists.

"It's a deal, Cerion!"

Doran interrupted our conversation.

"Now that we have arrived, I do not want you three to stand out until the tournament begins. We are staying in the guild headquarters for the next few weeks, so do not cause trouble while you explore the capital.", he said with his monotone voice.

"Michael too? He's not technically a guild member yet..."

"He will stay with you two until the academy holds their tests, at which point he will enter the academy grounds and stay in the dorms, should he pass them. These tests take place in one week, so make sure you are done with your dungeon runs by then."

"Where is the headquarters, though? Do we have a castle here as we do in Reito?", I asked him.

Doran smiled slyly.

"Not quite..."

For the next few hours, we spent our time exploring winding paths and alleyways, following Doran's guidance. He had led us to a less reputable part of the city, with dilapidated buildings and rowdy taverns, until he brought us to a small, abandoned church. We entered through a broken window at the top of the building, after climbing up, and jumped down to the ground floor.

"Why did you bring us to this shithole, Doran? I thought we were heading to the entrance of the headquarters?"

"This is the entrance of the headquarters.", he replied with a smile.

The small church had an altar dedicated to Helios in the centre, though the statue depicting him was rather decrepit. Doran walked over to it and put his hand on one of the stones making up the ornate altar, causing the floor to start shaking.

A moment later, a stone staircase appeared, as the tiled floor sunk down. At a glance, it seemed to go on forever, with torches spaced out neatly on the walls.

"To be accurate: that is the entrance. Follow me.", Doran commanded.

He went down the staircase and motioned for us to follow. The walls of the tunnel were cobblestone, though the staircase itself was completely smooth. We kept heading further and further down. After a few minutes, the opening further back closed, once again hiding the entrance from trespassers as a protective measure.

It took another few minutes before the tunnel opened up to a cavern, that was well-decorated with stone ornaments. Unlike a natural cave, it lacked the rough cavern walls and stone spikes that could usually be seen there. Instead, it looked more like a stone chamber had been carved into the rock, with large spires holding up the ceiling.

The chamber was shaped like a bowl, with tunnels side by side in the walls, heading in every direction.

It would've been an intimidating sight, if not for the fact that there were so many people around causing a ruckus. Clerks were running from one tunnel to another carrying scrolls and files, armoured warriors were laughing, sharpening their swords as they rested nearby and a large toad with tusks was being rustled into another tunnel, though it was putting up an impressive fight against its handlers. Eventually though, it was led by its chains into a large tunnel, pulled by the warriors nearby.

This wasn't the only monster in the cavern, as there were birds of all kinds nestled on small stone outcrops, squawking at passing witch hunters.

Cerion and I were momentarily shocked by the sudden business of the area. After a few minutes of walking through a silent tunnel, we had expected an abandoned compound or something. Instead, we had found a bustling underground base.

"Welcome to the headquarters.", Doran announced.

I was stumped.

"How does such a large place have only one entrance?", I asked him.

"It has more than one entrance, Arthur. I just took you to the only one I knew about. In fact, it has many chambers of various sizes all around the city, which are interconnected by the tunnel network. Each one has multiple entrances hidden on the surface. Now come on, let's not get in the way of the other hunters and go find our accommodations, which should be in sector 3."

We followed a tunnel that had a sign that mentioned three above its entrance. Frequently, we would have to dodge an incoming cart that rode on metal tracks, or a flying class holder.

"Is the headquarters always this chaotic? The amount of hunters here is ridiculous.", Cerion asked, while Michael nodded along.

"It wasn't when I stayed here. I believe this has something to do with the upcoming tournament. The whole capital is on edge and all of the guilds are preparing to compete for status. I believe things will calm down after this whole affair is over with."

A few minutes of walking later, we entered another large chamber, that looked almost exactly like the last one. This one had a large round kiosk in the centre of the room, though.

"I'll go speak to an attendant about accommodations. I'll be right back.", Doran said as he walked off.

I looked around and felt Michael tug at my sleeve.

"Are you going to be there for the exams?"

I wanted to say I wasn't sure, so that I could maximise the amount of time Cerion and I could spend in the dungeon, but in the end, I was powerless against Michael's doe-like eyes.

"I think so, yes. It will depend on whether or not Cerion and I can make it to level 50 in time, but I promise you we will."

He smiled at me, satisfied by my answer.

A moment later, Doran returned with an attendant by his side.

"We will be following this lady here to our rooms.", he said as he lifted his hand to introduce her.

"By the way, Arthur. Do you know that old man behind you?", he asked with a frown.

"Huh?"

I turned around, and sure enough, an old man was staring back at me. He was standing uncomfortably close and was looking me up and down.

The old man was short, just barely reaching Cerion's shoulders, and was hunched over, leaning on a cane that looked like a repurposed branch. He was wearing a brown, torn rag and his hair, which started high up on his forehead was completely white. It looked unwashed. He had some stubble on his chin, but it could hardly be called a beard.

Hesitantly, I initiated the conversation.

"Uh... do you... need anything?"

The old man cackled.

"From you? No! But maybe... you need something from me!", he said, chuckling in his high-pitched voice.

"Uhm. I see... What is that I could need from you sir?", I asked quietly.

"Follow me!", he commanded as he turned around, heading in a random direction. He was surprisingly fast, because within the thirty seconds I watched him dumbfoundedly, he had already reached the other end of the chamber.

I turned around to look at Doran questioningly, wondering what to do. Instead of replying, he just pointed behind me. I turned to look at what he was pointing, only to find the old man standing uncomfortably close to me again, staring me in the eyes.

"What the hell! How did you get here so fast?", I shouted out.

The old man tilted his head.

"What do you mean? I live here.", he replied, as if that was an adequate answer to my question.

I sighed. Clearly, this old man was senile. That being said, he had some interesting skills, and he was an ally.

"Go ahead without me, guys. I'll see what this old man has to say."

"People typically do!", the old man cackled from behind me.

"Are you sure, Arthur?", Cerion asked me.

"I'm sure. Go on, I'll catch up with you later.", I waved them away.

The attendant intervened and led the rest of the party away, leaving me alone with Mr. senile.

"You just thought I was going senile, didn't you?", he said while squinting his eyes suspiciously.

"Uh... no?", I asked innocently.

He scoffed.

"Well then! Let's see if you can keep up with this senile old man, then!", he shouted, before leaping all the way across the massive chamber, as if he didn't weigh anything.

Crap. Was I really going to have to apparate to keep up with a tiny old man?