Astraea: The Journey of Magic

The trio now walked down the street, enjoying the crisp nighttime air. As some businesses began to close for the night, others did not. The usual chatter began to die down, but new chatter began to take its place. Less children were seen running through the streets, but there were still some here and there. Although none of the typical nighttime businesses one would think of were on this street, it did seem like there were some shops that remained open at night.

"There are a lot more shops still open then I would have thought" Kuroki muttered.

"Thats because this is one of the major streets of the city, Sarzon Street. A lot of these businesses have goods for adventurers and magicians as well. And they cant very well risk a medical emergency and have the clinics close down completely for the night" Riza replied, as he fumbled with the metal bracelets on his wrists. He had two for each wrist, apparently twisted metal that were turned into bracelets. He also had one around each ankle as well. Kuroki couldn't quite see how he would get those off though, as he did not see any clasp.

"That said, you will only really see businesses up during the night on the main streets, where they are guarenteed to get enough customers, or in the more...exotic parts of the city".

"Exotic?"

"Its nothing a little boy like yourself needs to know about".

"I am not little!"

"No, if you are fifteen, then you are little. You can only claim one you know?" Riza mentioned.

Kuroki half collapsed into a drooping position. He knew. He knew that was something he couldn't refute or ignore. However, he decided to jump into things.

"No, its just everyone else is freakishly tall!"

"That's your comeback?!"

"Kuroki, just...please. Don't say such things if you want people to actually believe you about your age".

Kuroki pouted. "You guys could support me you know?"

"We can't delude you though".

"Please cope in moderation".

Amyris gave a more upstanding mentoring answer, while Riza purposefully prodded Kuroki in a playful voice.

Kuroki, desparate for a change, looking back at Riza.

"By the way, where did your sword go? I heard from Master that there was no such thing as storage magic".

"Ah, lets see if you can figure it out first. All I will say is that you are correct. There is no such thing as storage magic. I suppose there are technically pocket dimensions, but...those are stationary, and certainly could never be used in the way you Starfallen think".

Indeed, Kuroki had asked about such things. While there was a highly expensive magical artisan method to expanding storage space of a bag, it wasn't all that efficient and would only double its capacity at most usually as well as lightening it. However, there was no magic such as "inventory" or "storage" that did that, and certainly nothing that gave you infinite storage space.

In fact, infinite storage space would require infinite mana, which was impossible.

In other words, adventurers had to manually carry all their gear and belongings with them. That said, there were spells one could use to help reduce the amount of gear you would need. It only worked for those capable of using mana and learning magic though. Supposedly, all living things had mana in them, but that didn't mean all of them could use magic. Only a small portion would ever learn how. Technically with enough studying and effort anyone could learn, or if they had enough money, they could have their children go through a ritual that involved expensive ingredients to imbue them with the ability to use magic. But the former required long and hard work and studying as a child, before they turned thirteen at least but really it was more like before they were ten or even eight years old. And the latter was so damn expensive the only people who could reliably purchase it are nobles and rich merchants.

That was why most mages tended to be those born with the natural ability to do it. Of course, it also meant all nobles could use at least a little magic, having done the ritual on their children with each generation. But nobles didn't often become adventurers, and when they did, it was usually the third born or below. Someone who wouldn't really inherit anything. There were exceptions of course.

But as a result of that, not all adventurer parties even had mages. Though it was said they often wanted at least one.

Mages could light fires without needing to carry flint and steel or a lighter, they could create walls to help shore up a camp site so if there wasn't a good place to set up, they could still have some protection. Leaving aside their attack spells, Mages could help make sure they could scale surfaces easier, meaning they only needed some rope as an emergency, instead of a lot of it. They could make camping stakes for tents as well.

Of course, it was often known that mages tended to be physically weaker as well. Apparently, the same gland that produces physical growth hormone also produces magical growth hormone. The more of one that was produced, the less of the other, which was why mages were often known for being smaller and weaker then others.

Hearing that, Kuroki was forced to swallow a bitter bug.

"...so just to be clear, if I say I am fifteen in the Adventurer's Guild then..."

"Mhm. Yeah, you might get swarmed. Or rather, are you sure your world doesn't have magic? Normally, when a Starfallen arrives, their whole body is actually deconstructed and then reconstructed to fit the physics of this world and have the right immune systems, but honestly given your growth...well Kuroki, honestly, it would make a lot of sense if your body was already producing magical growth hormone before your arrival".

"I mean, there are legends of magic in my world, but no actual sightings of magic. The last time someone was thought of having magic, it turned out to all be false. Even if a lot of people died before it came to light".

Amyris paused for a moment. "Wait, hold on. I heard a bit about this from Anna once...but to think, it was the last reported time? The Salem Witch Trials?"

"The last one I am aware of. Although I dont think it was limited to just Salem, but also Europe as well".

"...right, that one massive country. Europe".

"Actually its a continent".

"Oh, okay then. Was Salem on that continent too?"

"It was a town on another continent. Why?"

"So basically, you are saying that the last real time people claimed to have magic, huge hunts were had and hundreds of people at least were murdered unjustly?"

Kuroki nodded.

"Uh huh. So basically, its actually impossible to say if your world has magic or not, because after something like that, any real mage would have stayed in hiding and formed underground communities?"

Kuroki twitched a bit.

"...yes".

"Right, so...Kuroki, I think you might want to rethink that".

"Yeah...probably. Not that it matters anymore. I mean, its impossible to return to my original world after all" Kuroki stated.

"Hmm? No, not entirely" Amyris stated.

"Wait what?"

"Its extremely difficult mind you, the odds are less then one percent of trying it permenantly, but its not impossible".

"Less then one percent odds kind of sounds impossible. But what do you mean?"

Riza looked interested too. "This is the first I have heard of this also".

Amyris proceeded to explain as they continued walking. "You know how we have summoning rituals? Well, think of it sort of like fishing. We cast a hook into the water, and pull out whatever bites. Of course, the hook itself is designed to only get certain types of fish, those that meet the standards, like being willing to help out this world. But we cant actually set it for a specific hole, let alone a specific person. So the ritual can actually take hours, or even dozens of hours, which is rather rough on the mages. Especially considering how similar it is to gaining a True Arcanium".

"Wait are they..."

"Yeeep" Riza replied for Amyris. "At least it makes the heroes stand out less".

Amyris then coughed to regain their attention, and continued. "Now, thats how you reel them in, but keep in mind there are many various holes. Now, we can pull the fish out into our world, but if one was to try the opposite, it gets extremely unreliable. Its like wildly throwing a fish into the ocean and hoping it goes into the right hole out of hundreds, no, thousands of them. You have no way of knowing even which direction is the right one, and the fish itself doesn't know and cant really control where they go either. Who knows, they might even get intercepted by another fisher, or rather, summoning ritual in a different world before that happens. Its one thing to pull someone into this world, but we cant just push them so accurately".

Kuroki nodded, understanding the explanation.

"So basically, it's because the summoning ritual, while it can set requirements for who is summoned, but it's not actually accurate. It will just summon the first person it finds who meets those conditions?"

"Yes".

"And that's why you can't return people to their own worlds. It's not that you can't reverse the ritual, but it never had an aiming function to begin with. Just a filtering one".

"Exactly".

"But what about Starfallen?"

"Honestly, no one knows for sure. They never appear around the times we summon heroes typically, so by all rights, it shouldn't be connected directly. However, this latest event has shown that everything we knew clearly wasn't hard fact. So anything we used to know is clearly wrong, or at least has exceptions to it".

As they said that, they arrived at the Adventurer's Guild. It was a huge building, but not quite as large as the Mage's Guild and certainly not as uniform. It only had about five stories, unlike the Mage's Guild which had six or seven, depending on if the glass dome counted as its own story, or if the building actually had huge amounts of interior expansion enchantments on it.

The building seemed to be as if several additions had been made later. In the front there was a simple two story building, with then the larger parts being right in the back. Considering the difference in materials and size, it was clear it was built later. The back part looked far more study and nicer, while the front appeared to be nice but clearly had been remodeled and refurbished and still had some of its worn down charm. Unlike the Mage's Guild which featured absurdly large doors, the Adventurer's Guild just had large doors. The front doors was three and a half Kurokis tall, about a Kuroki and a half shorter give or take. The building also looked like it had been repaired somewhat recently.

Notably, the sign had the words Adventurer's Guild on it, but also there was a sign that showed a sword, a bow, and a staff above a cartoonish dead dragon. It even had a little X for the side of the head one could see.

Even before they had entered, the smell of alcohol perforated Kuroki's nostrils, making him want to gag. He had a deep hatred of alcohol, due to what his father would do to him when he was drunk. It was usually brutal, but also sometimes just plain weird. He was both an angry drunk and a weird drunk. Due to his experiences, Kuroki had formed an instinctive hatred to the stuff. Not to mention the times his father made him drink it, it tasted horrible. All while he said "real men drink like this and can handle it early!" As such, he immediately turned and began to walk away, but got lifted up by the arms.

"Oi oi, we need to get you registered you know?"

"This smells like a bar, not a reputable establishment".

"Its not a bar...well it has one, but its not the primary thing. Also, bars can be reputable as well".

"No, they cant. Any place with booze is scum and the enemy".

"...Kuroki, I dont know the full details for sure, but whatever asshole drunk you know, its the minority for sure".

Kuroki looked away.

"I doubt that".

"You really hate alcohol don't you?"

"Mhm. It makes bad people even worse".

"Ahhhh...I see. However, there is always a chance your friends came here as well you know? Most Starfallen end up becoming adventurers after all, partially since you need need a referral, a background, a mentor, a sponsor, or anything like that to join, and they tend to come in with literally nothing, including connections. At most the person who found them might help, but no guarentee that person will be in a position to really provide aid".

Hearing that, Kuroki stopped resisting. Certainly, he wanted to find his friends as soon as possible.

"Fine. We can go in. But I hear conflict inside. You sure its a good idea?"

Amyris looked at the rising moon.

"Ah, its about that time isn't it".

Riza nodded. "It is indeed that time. Well, between the both of us, it should be fine. Kuroki, make sure you dont wander off okay?"

"I know that!"

Letting Kuroki back down on his own two feet, the trio walked into the Adventurer's Guild. The interior had a slight smell of alcohol, and there were quite a number of adventurers there. About thirty or so, at various tables. The guild had various tables, big and small, all around, as well as a good central path clear. There were receptionist counters all around with various receptionists. This included one large main front one, but rather then being staffed by a beautiful girl or woman as is usually the stereotypical thing, this one was staffed by someone who appeared to be a fourteen year old boy. He wore glasses and had messy blonde hair, and ruby red eyes. He wore a short sleeve shirt, suspender shorts, and appeared to be busy watching two different events unfold in the guild.

The first was what appeared to be an adventurer in silver armor and an adventurer not wearing any armor but a red shirt, grey pants, and black boots at a table. There were a few finished mugs, and the two glared at each other as they were competing. It was clearly some sort of drinking contest, which soured Kuroki's mood immediately. There were a few spectators, but most did not care, seemingly bored or dissinterested in the drinking contest.

Perhaps that was because there was an actual fight going on in an opening without any tables a few moments away. A bald man wearing armor clearly made from leather, probably monster leather, brought down a huge mace on his intended target, only for his intended target to dodge. It was a red haired boy with crimson eyes, who was holding a giant sword that looked like it could be just as tall as him in one hand. He jumped backwards, doing a backflip as he pressed his free hand against the ground to keep his momentum up as he got some distance away. He looked like he couldn't be older then ten, the same age as Kaede, and he wore a black cap that was a bit too big for his head, a red sleeveless jacket, a black medium sleeve shirt, both of which were long enough to go below his waist by a bit, and black shorts. His boots were also black, but they had red detailing on him. His socks were also red. Furthermore, his sword was a black blade with red detailing around the hilt and guard, as well as some runic lines and symbols in his the weapon itself.

Not only that, but he had red wolf ears on his head, and a red wolf tail sticking out of his rear.

There was clearly a color theme going on here, so it was very clear this was a matching outfit. However, what was odd was his physical ability. Holding that large sword with a single hand, although it was clear he was having difficulty holding it properly. He was still able to block and parry however.

"Flare Enchant: Incedia Rix!"

Using magic suddenly, the boy's sword caught flame, along with his free hand. The bald man charged right at him still, but then the enchantments also reached his shoes. He was somehow able to perform some sort of step technique, as he appeared behind the man suddenly. The man meanwhile collapsed onto the floor, his face heavily bruised from a blunt attack and slightly burned.

Kuroki had seen it immediately. It was a suddenly burst move that involved tight muscle control and involved using rapid force to push off the ground at an angle. One would swing their weapon around in the process. Normally one was supposed to strike with the blade with an actual sword, but the boy had used the blunt side to avoid committing murder right in front of a crowd. He had managed to even pivot around at the end and slammed the blade rapidly. His physical abilities made it even faster then it would normally be able to be performed. He had never seen anyone utilize that technique before.

Yes, this was a technique Kuroki knew. In fact, he had once had it beaten into him over the course of a month, this specific technique. His father might have beat him, but he did teach other students properly. And this was without a doubt a Kyoudo Style Martial Art technique from his father's dojo. It had some official name, but Kuroki and the students had nicknamed it Brilliant Flash.

This boy was not only an Otherworlder, a Starfallen, but it was someone he knew. As the boy turned around, that was when it clicked. The two looked at each other and pointed.

"Kuroki-sempai!"

"Rikuchi!"

"Gah, that is you...but could you please forget that embarrassing nickname?"

"Ah, sorry Riku" Kuroki said. But he made no promises either.

Amyris and Riza both looked a bit surprised.

"You know him then?"

"Mhm. You could say that...lets just say we helped each other out from time to time".

"You could say we are peas in a pod!" Riku commented with a laugh. "Still though, to think we ran into each other here. Are you here to register as well?"

"Yeah. You too?"

"Yeah. I was about to, but then this guy kinda came out of nowhere and tried to rob me. Well, to be exact, he wanted to take all of my possessions, includiny my trusty sword, as an 'instruction fee'. Seriously".

"That sounds super illegal. Riza, thats illegal here right?"

Riza shrugged. "It should be, but its hard to say with Adventurers moving around a lot. There have been various scams in the past by bad seeds, so it might have turned into a 'he said, she said' situation. Well, had he won anyways, which seemed doubtful. That guy had way too much pride in pure strength. Anyone could tell from those moves alone that you would win, Riku, which is probably why the Guild didn't do anything to intervene. Well, that and also you are new and young, and that guy is probably a veteran of a year or two at least. His standing was higher then yours".

"Ah, that makes sense. Still though, I kinda saw this coming, but you went the full on mage route didn't you?" Riku said, sizing Kuroki up.

"Yep. Looks like you went the magic warrior route. I take it then...your uncle isn't here either?"

"Thankfully not. That would be hell after all" Riku said. "I guess that means your dad isn't here either then? Maybe we will get lucky, and they were both flung to the far ends of the planet".

"That would be such a wonderful relief".

Riku Ashiyama. A ten year old boy and a frequent visitor of the Kyoudo dojo. He started martial arts when his parents were still alive, but then they died about a year ago. His uncle got custody, but basically just kept him around for the money. After all, his parents had created a rather well made and intricate trust for him. In essence, only by properly taking care of him would someone get access to the money, and it would need to be properly spent on Riku, with the rest being all his when he became an adult.

He was originally supposed to go to his grandparents house, who loved him a lot, but his uncle did some shifty things behind the scenes and got custody, and used every excuse he could to siphon money. He was also drinking buddies with Kuroki's father, which should tell you all you need to know about his personality. Apparently they were together in high school too, and he also did martial arts. Both of them were pretty sure Riku was sent there to embezzle money or something, but its not like they could prove it. However, credit where credit is due, his father at least taught Riku properly. Although he did seem harsher on him then normal students, perhaps in part due to how friendly he and Kuroki were.

But Riku was a very quick learner. He even was able to learn and master Brilliant Flash. He was clearly talented, it probably helped his parents helped to train him properly.

His favorite animal was also wolves for some reason or another. Probably just because they were cool.

"So Wolfkin huh?"

"Yep! Pretty lucky!"

"Where did you get the clothes?"

"Well, after wandering around the forest for like a whole day, I accidentally fell down a hole into a secret underground ruins. There I had to avoid a few deadly traps as I tried to find a way out, but instead I found some old room with a few chests and journals in it. And that was where I found this outfit. From what I read of the journals, apparently it was made by some guy for his son ages ago, during some monster rampage, but it never reached him in time because before he could send it, the monsters overwhelmed the keep first. Let me tell you Kuroki, dungeons and such are really dangerous, but especially when you are butt naked. You appeared that way too right?"

"Yeah. Happens to everyone who comes to this world. However, we are also supposed to appear near supplies to help us get along with our journeys or start us out, or near someone who will find and help us on our path".

"I see. That sucks. And here I was hoping my shitty uncle would hopefully spawn butt naked in the middle of the woods surrounded by monsters with nothing to help him at all".

"Yeah, that would be nice for my father too, though knowing him he would somehow manage. Especially if you consider one thing..."

Kuroki told him about his deduction regarding three of his father's desires. As well as everything he learned about Otherworlders so far.

"Yikes. Thats...thats not good Kuroki. He could literally arrive any moment, either now or months away".

"Yeah. Even if both of us fought him together, we would probably lose even with our new talents and strength".

"Dude, that guy is obsessed. If desires take the strength of the desire into effect, anyone with obsession is going to be potentially a disaster. I know you said Starfallen dont get cheats, but lets be real. I mean, you said it yourself. This is not a normal situation. We cant be sure they didn't get any, can we?"

Amyris and Riza heard those words. They stayed silent during the reunion, but this made them think things through.

"Shit".

"Yeah okay. I cant put off my report to his majesty anymore. Lets get you both registered and then back to Amyris' house first though. This could be serious".

So far they had all operated under the assumption Starfallen wouldn't have any cheats. And from what they saw so far, they still didn't. However, they had no idea what Obsession would play into things. If the system wasn't working as it normally did, and obsessions could create even more powerful Starfallen, that could be bad. After all, most of those with Obsession would probably be degenerates or terrible people. Kuroki's father, Riku's uncle. They could become serious threats.

Neither of the two adults there could ignore the possibility, however small, of this happening.

The two boys went over to the counter, with Riza going with them while Amyris continued to think about things.

"Ah, I see the festivities are done" the receptionist boy asked. "My name is Ozlo. I take it the both of you want to register as adventurers?"

The two nodded, and then he turned back over to Riza.

"And you grandpa, please stop trying to make friends with kids my age and younger. I know you might look young, but please remember its weird when you make friends with people my age okay? Well, the black haired one is my age anyways. The red haired one is even younger".

This caught both Kuroki and Riku off. Riku hadn't even realized Riza was way older then he appeared, but that wasn't even the most surprising thing.

Ozlo had immediately recognized that Kuroki was fifteen years old. Even Riku knew that was insanely difficult for people, not that he had the balls to say that outloud when Kuroki was in earshot. Kuroki knew where he was ticklish after all, among other things.

Still, it could probably be counted on one hand. The amount of times it was seen through so easily and instantly.

"As perceptive as always, Ozlo. I am curious, how did you know Kuroki's age?"

"Well first of all, while they were too far to hear anything, it was clear that the red haired boy looked up to the black haired boy. Enough to know the black haired boy was probably older. It could have just been a year or so, but the way the black haired boy walked was more efficient, less childish. He had at least a few years more instinctive experience walking. If I had to guess, roughly fourteen or fifteen years old. You can learn a lot about people by how they walk. Well, aside from you grandpa. You are just a freak and an abnormality".

"Hey! You got meaner as you got older. I remember when you would run out of the bath all excited and jump into my arms before even drying off, it was so adorable".

Suddenly, an abacus was taken out. It was only then that Riza finally stopped talking, and abrubtly too.

"Lets see, now how big was your bar tab again? Ah maybe I should just round it up. The guildmaster gave me permission to after all".

"...I am sorry, please continue" Riza said sheepishly, backing down instantly.

Apparently, he had some massive bar tab. Kuroki just glared at him.

"Ah! I know you have motives behind it, but that isn't justified and it really hurts Kuroki!"

"Right, just ignore that idiot" Ozlo said, as he took out two forms. At the same time, he had someone else move two stools over so they could sit and properly see the counter and fill the paperwork out properly. "Now, can you both read and write, or do we need a scribe to do this for you?"

"We are both good".

"Yeah, we can manage".

The two boys continued to fill out the paperwork. Unlike the Mage's Guild, it was an incredibly easy form. They just wanted their names, a few combat related talents, hometowns, and ages. It took up perhaps half the page, and the other half was to add anything else they might want to add about themselves.

Incidentally, aside from the names and combat related talents, everything else was entirely optional. Hometowns was just asked for in case they died so the guild could at least try and send a notice to their families.

Needless to say, neither of them filled out that section. For a variety of reasons. Not filling anything in was fine, but they were warned lying on a form would be punished.

Once that was done, then began a process similar to what happened at the Mage's Guild. Both of them needed a bit of blood to put onto two blank cards, and once that was done they were put into a microwave looking like device. It made various noises and dings, as well as some wooshes.

"Oi, Sempai. You don't think that thing was made by an Otherworlder do you?" Riku whispered.

"Honestly, it seems likely. Probably a Starfallen, but who knows, maybe it was a Summon. That said, apparently most get rich quick schemes like trying to use knowledge from our old world to influence this one end in failure. In fact, the previous hero did that and made a harem somehow, and then got executed even though he killed the Demon King. Apparently he caused huge amounts of business failures because everyone already has a set culture here, and they are used to their own flavors so the new ones brought in didn't go so well with their pallets. And they already have magic and such".

"Yikes. So successes like this Magic Card Making Microwave are probably like, less then one percent of what typically happens?"

"Yeah, basically".

"Really glad my desires were combat based and not production based. That could have been brutal".

"Speaking of which, that Flare Enchant..."

"Ah, I found a scroll detailing the process. Actually I think it at least partially transfered its knowledge to me by magic. You want to try it?"

"Mhm".

"Got it. I will let you borrow it when we are done here".

"Thanks".

"By the way...do you know a girl named Kaede by any chance?"

At this point, Riku turned towards him with a red face. "W-why do you ask?"

Ah, busted.

"Kaede is here in this city as well".

"For real?! We are in the same class!"

Apparently they did indeed know each other. It was also obvious from his face he had a crush on Kaede.

Their conversation was then interrupted by a ding, as the cards were removed from the rahter ornate and stylish microwave like device.

"Here you both are" Ozlo said as he handed each of them an adventurer's guild card.

Name: Kuroki Age: 15 Rank: H

Class: Mage Titles: Photo ID Here

Name: Riku Age: 10 Rank: H

Class: Warrior Titles: Photo ID Here

Where Photo ID Here was their actual images. Just like the mage's guild, even though no photo was ever taken of them, it was somehow added to the card. Furthermore, both of them had bare shoulders and upper chests visible, although it was only partial since it was focused on the head.

"The hell? How is this possible?" Riku asked.

"Pretty sure its from our blood. I think they pull the genetic information off the blood and turn it into an image. Of course, this means if either of us had a disguise, we would be immediately found out".

"Kinda weird, but okay. Seriously though, I got these cool new clothes, but they wont appear on the ID then? That kind of sucks".

"Hey, at least its a headshot instead of a full body shot".

"Yeah no thanks, id prefer not".

As they had such a conversation, Ozlo then turned to look at his grandfather.

"And here is your tab, grandpa".

However, when the three turned to face him, Riza was already gone.

"Tsk. Azami, Faustio, find that idiot and drag him back here!"

Suddenly, two swirling vortexes appeared on either side of Ozlo, and two mini dragons emerged from it. One was white with red eyes, while one was black with blue eyes. They were about twice as big as Kuroki's head, about the size of a small dog. Both of them immediately launched at full speed, rushing out a door. Cries and screams were heard from Riza soon after.

"Did you just...summon dragons? To deal with a bar tab?"

"Yes".

"I see..."

Riku and Kuroki made an internal note not to antagonize Ozlo ever as he went after his grandpa.

However, it seems the next antagonization would be sent in their direction. Riku noticed something out of the corner of his eye and managed to pivot his body, grabbing and dragging Kuroki out of the way as a beer bottle came flying at them.

"Oi oi, this is the adventurer's guild you know. The place for people who are tough and can handle itself, not brats like you".

"What the hell? Didn't I already have my stereotypical registration fight event?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, but then we arrived as a party, and I still needed mine, so its caused a group registration fight event".

Riku and Kuroki had such a conversation, but they both had serious worries. The group in front of them was about six people. That well exceeded the normal size for such an event, which was four people. However, Ozlo had apparently stormed off to deal with his grandpa, while Riza himself had run away from his grandson. And Amyris was...missing. That left the two boys on their own against them. There were other receptionists, but it appears they didn't command the same authority as Ozlo did or were otherwise busy. One did run into the back, likely to get help.

One of them looked at the two of them while licking his blade for some reason. Kuroki doubted that was healthy, but why was now of all times that they ran into stereotypical events? Did such events only happen if they were negative bad ones?

However, Riku scowled something fierce. "Bleh. These people smell of more then alcohol".

"What do you mean?"

"There is something unpleasant...no, poisonous? If I had to make a wild guess off instinct and their behavior with absolutely nothing to back it up, I would say drugs".

"...that actually would explain a bit".

If they were high, Kuroki could at least understand why that one guy licked his sword. A few seemed half dressed wearing no shirt too, and while clearly they had some alcohol, they didn't look totally plastered.

Unfortunately, they were just two boys, and this was a group of six adults. Kuroki didn't sense a drop of magic from any of them, and they all carried around large weapons. It wasn't impossible, but the situation was not in their favor. Especially the one in the back. He appeared the most clear headed, but rather then try and talk anyone down, it seemed he inteded to join in and cause trouble.

"Lets see just how grown you both are" one said, looking at them in a revolting manner.

Kuroki decided they needed to act first.

"Riku...flash checkmate, jack's gift for shields. Turtle and hare".

Riku looked at him puzzled, before he put it all together. "Ohhh...right, got it".

Riku started to charge for them. Two of them tried to jump him from either side. but then Kuroki slammed his foot forward and extended ice out from under his foot to under the two of them. They lost their footing, while Riku charged forward. Another two got in his way, but water balls sped into them both at high speed.

At this moment, they started to take notice of Kuroki rather then the charging boy, including the one that appeared to be the most collected. And yet...

"Flare Enchant: Incendia!"

Magic circles appeared around his feet and hands, as his sword, hands, and feet were wrapped in fire. Before the enemy refocused on him, he used this window to act.

"Brilliant Flash!"

Suddenly, the man who had been in front of Riku lost sight of him, as the one behind him, the one who had been the most aware, fell backwards, with Riku standing behind him. His face seemed a bit burnt, and there was a huge bruise there from the sword's flat side. A similar mark was also on the back of his head. The man tumbled to the ground, unconscious.

Meanwhile, Kuroki was now surrounded by three people, while the other two went to deal with Riku. Kuroki had summoned a bunch of water from the air, and then had it float as it turned to ice the moment a blade crossed into it. The water and ice moved as his hands did.

Magic Control Technique: Water Puppetry. This was what he named this magic. Although it made it so he had to move to do the attacks at the moment, it allowed him to free manipulate water and ice as he moved his body. Increasing tension in a limb froze the associated water into ice, while decreasing turned it back into water.

He jumped up and twisted his body around in a spin, similar to a dancer's. This caused the water to come up and twist around them. As he landed, he swept his foot across the floor while crouching low, causing the water to bend them over and knock them to the ground. One managed to get up instantly and slash at him, but he quickly moved his hand and shielded the approach with water that turned to ice, as he froze the other two on the floor as well.

His attacker still came down at him, but he dodged, twirling his index finger into the air. Water circled around him and then bound him tight, freezing into ice and then restricting his movements. It was only light, so he broke out fast, but Kuroki got some distance already as he prepared his next attack.

Meanwhile, Riku was fighting two people. One with a club, one with an axe. He parried the axe user, and just barely avoided the club. The speed of that club meant it would surely damage his bones if he got hit.

He wanted to use Brilliant Flash again, but it did wear on his muscles a bit. It required a quick burst, but it still put strain on his muscles would every time he used it. Normally it would be something that one would only use once in awhile, not in quick succession.

I already used it six times today. The first two were way earlier, but still. If it was my old body, id probably already be down. Still, I dont think I can muster another one. Not without leaving myself vulnerable afterwards. My toes already hate me.

His current application of Brilliant Flash was actually two Brilliant Flashes in a row. The first was to deal a powerful strike to the front, and the second was to make a powerful strike to the back of the head. It was an unreasonable technique that took a toll on one's body, but considering who created the technique, that should come as no surprise to either Kuroki or Riku. Apparently he thought something risky like that was properly masculine.

Riku barried another strike as he thought about what to do. And that was when he had an idea.

"Dancing Step Sakura".

It was a martial arts technique his parents taught him. Using slight hops and keeping one's legs in a bouncy state, one would appear to dance around the attacks. The unexpected movements and how fluid they were caught enemies off guard, allowing him to slip for a moment into a place outside of their perception. The fault of humans only having eyes in front of their bodies, and on the top of their heads. He stepped to the side and proceeded to cut the first man's weapon in half, and then used that momentum to swing his sword around again and cut the second weapon in half as well. With that done, he proceeded to slam his sword into them both a few times rapidly while in this state, causing some rather brutal hits to them.

Kuroki meanwhile shielded himself with ice when the man tried to make a power attack. The sword got caught in the ice suddenly, and then it proceeded to wrap itself around the man in a way similar to when a predator devours its prey. It was quite terrifying, and the man just dropped to the ground, encased in ice, as Kuroki walked past him.

Kuroki and Riku walked up to each other and high fived, as suddenly cheers errupted around them.

"Yeah. Three cheers to the little guys!"

"Nice to see Velocifang cut down a notch!"

"Hey hey, I wont the betting pool! Woo hoo!"

"Damnit! I thought for sure Ozlo would intervene first! I lost!"

"Yes yes, I will take my winnings now".

Most of them were random people who had chosen to watch rather then intervene, but that last voice was clearly Amyris. So he had been here the whole time...and bed on their victory?!

"...master, why did you not intervene?"

"Eh, win or lose, I needed to see how you would fight for yourself. I handled most of the combat on the way here, and the enchantments on both your clothes meant that there was no way they would kill you instantly. Not without stripping you both naked first, but at that point, I would have intervened then".

"...please intervene sooner then that".

"...yeah, thats not funny".

"Well anyways, its about time to head home. Ozlo, you can handle the cleanup right?"

The two turned, and Ozlo was now back at his station.

"First things first, I need both of their guild cards".

"Wait, we aren't in trouble right?!" Riku asked.

"No no, you were both totally in the right and you didn't kill anyone. No, its just I need to promote you".

"Oh, because we showed our combat ability now?"

The two handed their guild cards to Ozlo.

"Yes. You showed enough of it that you can skip both of the ranks we could generally consider training ranks. Congrats on becoming F-Rank Adventurers!"

Apparently they went up by a whole two ranks, because when they got their cards back, they had skipped G and went right to F. There was more applause.

"Now then, Riku you dont have any place to stay right?"

"Yeah. I only just arrived in the city today after all".

"Well, then I suppose for tonight you can stay with us. Generally only my apprentices can stay in my place, but I dont mind a guest every so often".

"Woo hoo! Thanks man!"

And so the party of four departed and...

"Oi, Riza, where did you appear from?"

"Oh look, it's the guy who ran away and made us deal with some thugs ourselves".

Both Kuroki and Riku had sharp remarks for him. Still, it was finally time to leave the guild...of course, things wouldn't be that easy.

"Oi oi, what is the commotion down here!" a large bellowing voice came down upon them, causing them to stop. It seemed it wasn't quite over yet.