The Grand Weave

When her eyes changed, it was so fast that it might as well have been the lights playing tricks on me. I wasn't given time to give the eye flash any thoughts because some of Sam's drink splashed my front. I glared at her, to which she unapologetically smiled and shrugged her shoulders while continuing to eat more of the soup. I finished the hot meal and sipped slowly at the cool water provided.

Nothing could bribe me to stay anywhere else if this was the expected fare we would receive at this place.

As we finished, small plates loaded with steaming pie replaced our bowls.

"It looks like I have some fans. Nothing better than when people enjoy your cooking," said the innkeeper as she handed us our forks. "Now savor these more slowly; no point in scarfing the thing down faster than you can taste it."

We nodded hungrily and dug in. The pie truly was delicious. It was more than just the taste of sugar and apples. It felt like every apple pie I've ever eaten was more of a cheaper imitation. After finishing the pie, I noticed an increased warmth in my chest. The feeling slowly dispersed throughout my body and left me feeling floaty. In fact, I felt like all the tiredness from walking endlessly through the rain was gone. I looked up and noticed the innkeeper smiling.

"So now that you are no longer suffering from the rain's chill, how about you tell me what brings you guys to the village?" she asked while she put the plates away behind the counter.

She began wiping down the bar, cleaning up any of the mess left from our frenzied eating. Sam ended up being the first to speak.

"Well, to be honest, we were lost in the forest. Had a vague idea there was supposed to be something here, and slowly followed the river this way," Sam said.

She raised her eyebrow a little. "Oh? How did you end up getting lost in the woods? It's too early in the month for the caravans to be making their way here."

Sam looked at me to answer her question. I inwardly sighed. The woman seemed friendly, and the delicious food she served us without asking for money was a plus in my book. I just wasn't sure if I should be announcing that me and Sam were Reborns. We might get ourselves in trouble if we aren't tolerated in the world. It might be for the best if I told a lie working around our lack of knowledge.

If the woman minded the brief lapse in conversation, she didn't show you.

"This might sound ridiculous, but we honestly don't know," I said hesitantly. Her eyebrow raised skeptically. "We are both suffering from a strong case of amnesia. Nothing to us but our small clothes and familiarity with each other."

Sam gave me a weird look but otherwise didn't say anything.

You come up with a lie on the spot!

The woman paused her cleaning and tilted her head. She regarded the both of us with slightly narrowed eyes. Whether the lie was believable or not, the lady returned a comforting smile, seeming to accept our words for now.

"That sounds terrible. Can't say I've ever had issues with memory loss before, but I doubt it'd feel nice to not be able to remember anything," she replied without a hint of insincerity.

"We got pretty lucky. Only a little scratched up and miserable, but we're happy to find this place," Sam said.

The woman hummed a small tune while nodding at Sam's response. She casually and quickly topped off both our drinks before removing the cleaning cloth and leaning on the counter.

"I'm glad to hear that. The Yidelwoods tend to carry a higher-than-average amount of beasts with elemental attunement here. All sorts of dangerous creatures call the forest their haunt. If it weren't for the guard patrols and adventuring teams that pass through, we would have a problem keeping the village safe," she complained before smirking. "Well, let me be the first to try to welcome you to Edolus, the frontier village of Emberlake. We're new and small, but don't let that fool you. With the dungeon we recently discovered and the forest's bounty all around, we'll grow to be a proper town in no time!"

I grinned. Whatever happened these next few days, knowing we were welcomed in this place was comforting.

It turns out the woman's name was Beranellia, to which she promptly told us she would only ever respond to Bera. We spent another half hour making small talk and asking her questions. Despite our seemingly endless wave of inquiries, Bera answered them in stride.

The reason why we were the only ones currently sitting was due to pure coincidence. The guards didn't typically enter till past seven, and all the usual folk were most likely caught indoors till the rain lifted enough. If we waited long enough, the slow trickle of the night crowd would slowly roll in.

We did end up finding out an answer to one of our most important questions. There was indeed an Adventurer's Guild building in the village. Whenever a town had a dungeon nearby, there was always a building filled, at the minimum, with essential staff. The building was only four buildings down and just as recognizeable as the inn.

Apparently, adventurers loved inns.

Bera must have been able to tell just how excited we were over the prospects of adventuring because she gave us a wide grin and told us to hurry on over. We thanked her once again for the meal and information, to which she winked once more and said she wasn't worried since she was sure we'd be back.

Sam bumped me with her shoulder, nearly making me trip into the mud.

"Hey!" I complained.

She rolled her eyes and continued walking on like she didn't do anything wrong. "Amnesia, huh? I doubt she believed that. At least we were ignorant enough to somewhat play it off."

"You put me in the spotlight, and there was no other way to ask obvious questions without the dumb lie. You come up with a better excuse next time," I grumbled good-naturedly.

Sam responded by sticking our her tongue. We picked up our pace, not wanting to spend any longer in the rain than we had to.

The building we arrived at had no outward signs to indicate it was the correct place. Instead, the dead giveaway was how, instead of the smooth gray stone, it was made out of a black marble material that reflected the moonlight. The doors themselves were made out of solid iron in place of wood.

I took the lead and pushed the door. It was surprisingly easy. Despite being made of metal, the doors swung open without resistance.

The inside wasn't much to look at. There was a set of tables and a couple of chairs in the corner. One guy, a human napped with his head tucked between his arms.

Across from the sitting area stood a thin counter with what looked like an elf reading a book. He had typical features one would expect: long, straight blonde hair, pointy ears, and his eyes were a piercing blue. His outfit was simple blue robes with gold embroidery. And to the side of the counter was a set of stairs heading to a lower level.

While eyeing the sleeping man, I walked over and made my way to the counter.

Hearing my footsteps, the elf put down his book and looked in my direction. He blinked once then straightened up and tugged at his shirt. As I approached, he smiled.

"Hello there. I'm surprised to see new faces around here. I thought I knew all the current adventurers and locals staying in the village," he said.

His demeanor was friendly enough, nowhere near the levels of Bera, though.

"Ah, we just arrived tonight. My friend and I didn't want to waste time and came here after a nice meal at Oleanders," I responded.

Sam stepped behind me and waved to the elf when I mentioned her. He smiled back while steepling his hands on the counter.

"Well, what can I do for you two this dreary evening," he said.

"We'd, uh, like to apply to the guild. Not sure how this works, if I'm going to be honest," I said truthfully.

The guild receptionist stared at me and then flicked over to Sam for a few seconds. I could tell he was curious but seemed professional enough not to outright ask.

"That's perfectly fine. That is what I'm here for. Usually, the people who come to this building are generally already signed up as adventurers," he said politely. "But we're always happy to have people join our ranks. If you'd like to sign up right now, we can get started on it right away."

"That'd be great."

He proceeded to pull out a big, leather-bound book. It was blue like his robes, but the edges were inscribed with faintly glowing golden runes. The next object he pulled out was a hand-sized white crystal with a flat side.

"If you'd put your hand on the crystal, we can record your information and get you two set up, "he said while motioning to the white crystal. He narrowed his eyes when I hesitated and looked at Sam. "We have to record basic info when registering anyone as guild adventurers. Without the information, we would be unable to complete your registration and issue your guild badge."

Damn, he sounds suspicious.

"What exactly does the stone do, and what about the book?" I asked.

I was hoping we wouldn't have to reveal our status this soon without even knowing if we would get in trouble.

He looked me in the eye with suspicion before sighing and taking on a practiced tone. "It reads basic info about your status. It tells us your name, age, race, and tier, along with how many skills you possess. All info is completely confidential and is only ever used when we need records for specific events or jobs. The information must only be updated when you receive a new rank or five years have passed. It will not harm you and will not be used to harm you. The Adventurer's Guild has and will always stand as a neutral entity. We never prosecute our own unless it is under guild law."

I turned towards Sam and got close.

"Do you think we risk it? If this all goes wrong, we better run like hell," I whispered.

"This seems like a perfect opportunity for us. Might as well make a leap of faith. As you said, if this turns south fast, we book it," she whispered back.

I stepped back up to the counter and apologized. He waved me off, saying it was perfectly acceptable. Slowly, I put my hand on the crystal and felt a small sucking sensation. It took me a second to figure out what was happening, but I realized it was slowly draining some of my mana. The cool sensation that I felt when activating a skill appeared on the palm of my hand. The drain wasn't large in any way, but the crystal gradually started to glow red. After a dozen seconds, the drain stopped and the crystal flashed.

The book opened up to a new page, and black text appeared. When the page stayed the same without any new words, the crystal slowly dimmed and turned back to the opaque white from before.

The guild receptionist shifted over and began reading my status. As he kept reading, my heart sunk. He froze, eyes wide. He looked up at me, then the book, then back to me, and then the book again. He constantly looked up and gave me a double, then triple take as he re-read the page. Eventually, he stood up and straightened his robe before asking Sam to repeat what I did.

His expression was impossible to read, but he looked uncomfortable. After the book started writing down her own page, Sam retook her position behind me. I bit my lip.

"The man behind us is sitting differently," I whispered.

Sam discreetly glanced over, and nodded.

I don't like that he's pretending to be asleep. If we need to run, this might be dangerous.

The guild receptionist finished reading Sam's page and closed the book. Putting away the crystal, he tucked the book under his right arm. Straightening once more to help regain his composure, the elf gave a small bow.

"I would like to apologize for treating you with suspicion regarding the status reading. I… wouldn't have guessed that this was why you were reluctant," he apologized quickly. He stood up once more. "I'm sorry for delaying your application even further, but I must bring your case to the guild master."

I scowled at the new turn of events. Someone who was a guildmaster would be powerful. And if our magic so far has been any indicator of how things stood in this world, then we'd have absolutely no chance of escaping if they wanted to keep us here.

Sam visibly tensed, and her hands slowly balled into fists. Seeing this, the elf apologized again and told us to wait while he disappeared downstairs.

I blew out my breath that I didn't know I was holding. "We're so screwed if we have to fight some dude strong enough to run this place,"

Sam put her hand on my shoulder and gave a weak smile. "Hey, they might just be someone who is completely administrative. Maybe they're no more powerful than you or me."

Yeah, fat chance of that.

Thankfully, the elf didn't take long. He emerged from the staircase and apologized once more before he had us follow him down. The stairs were short and led to a hallway with three rooms. Two were on the left and right, while the third final door was at the very end. He quickly explained that the door to the left led to a storage room, while the door to the right led to the appraisal room. The third door was where the guild master's office resided.

Knocking once, the receptionist told us to head on in and then scurried up the stairs. I clenched my fist and pushed the door open.

The room was of medium size. There was a decently sized bed in the back, along with a nightstand. Around the room were paintings of various designs, with tiny blue crystals providing light. Towards the front of the room was a large desk made of black marble, with multiple stacks of paper and the blue book from before.

Sitting behind the desk was a large man in a basic white shirt, brown pants, and a green silk cloak around his shoulders. His hair was a dark blonde, and his eyes were the colour of emeralds. I wouldn't call him model perfect, but he was ruggedly handsome. I half expected to find a giant scar running across his eye, but there was none. Beyond the well-groomed beard, his skin was unblemished.

"Come sit. There's no need to be afraid," the man said in a deep voice.

We sat down, and I examined the man again. His smile didn't look forced, his demeanor was open and friendly. Besides the well-defined muscles that showed even underneath his clothes, he didn't feel dangerous.

That changed the moment I looked into his eyes. His emerald-colored irises showed power. Behind the easy smile was what felt like the vastness of a great tree. I could easily imagine his hands like ironclad vines I could never escape. His presence loomed over me, much like his physical height.

I don't know how he brought such images to my head just by looking him in the eyes, but I was right. We wouldn't escape this man.

He held his hands up.

"Before we begin, I want to make it clear that you two are safe. I have no intention of hurting, maiming, or killing you. This is all procedure," he said in a nonthreatening tone. "There is actually a protocol to whenever one of your kind shows up. For some strange reason, you guys always manage to make your way to the Adventurer's Guild or the temples first."

His words put us at ease. Now that we knew we weren't going to be killed, I saw Sam relax her shoulders as I did.

"Are Reborns common then? If you guys have a protocol, it must happen often enough," Sam asked.

He rubbed the scruff of his face for a moment before answering back. "No, not really. I've only ever met one Reborn, and I'm pretty well-traveled. They weren't fresh like you. They had lived in this world for about a century. It's not that you people are common enough of an occurrence, rather that we always pay attention when new ones show up."

He paused, then continued.

"There has never been a Reborn that remained small and unnoticeable. Even those who go on and choose less combat-inclined paths always find that the world shifts around them. Whether you last mere decades or centuries matters not. Interesting times forever follow where you tread, "he said. "You'll find out all this in due time. First, let me welcome you to the world of Inoria. My name is Brelten Giltollo, current guild master of Edolus."

Breltan made a seated half-bow before resting his hands on the black desk.

"Thank you, Guildmaster. I'm Cyrus, and this is Sam," I said. Brelten nodded at our introductions. "So, are we allowed to become members of the guild?"

His smile widened.

"Yes, most certainly. Having Reborns join us here in Emberlake will make this boring post worth it," he said with a glint in his eye. "I'm sure you guys have plenty of questions, and frankly, so do I. If you don't mind, may I see the Legacy mark on your wrists?"

Seeing no reason to deny his request, I held up my left wrist. He stood up and held my wrist up, and he faintly traced the lines of the upside-down triquetra. He released my arm gently and repeated the same process to Sam. When he was done, he sat back down.

"Lesser known fact about Reborns; the symbol is supposed to have the triangle tip pointed up instead of down. Only Reborn have the inverted symbol," he said with excitement in his voice. "If I may, I'd love to know what your Legacies are. You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable sharing. That knowledge is highly personal."

I frowned. While I trusted the man so far, the book didn't seem to write down what our skills or perks were. The information could easily end up meaning the difference between life and death if we ever had to worry about other people. Sam seemed to share my thoughts since she didn't readily offer up her marks description.

The man sighed before leaning forward. He reached to his right to open a drawer in his desk. His hands came out from behind the desk, holding an ivory box wrapped in blue silk.

"How about this? For telling me what your Legacy means, I'll offer you both a mid-tier skill stone from my personal collection. In addition, I'll even answer as many questions as you want for the next hour."

Another skill stone would be immensely helpful. And if I wanted to ever be able to take care of myself, I needed to get something other than a healing skill.

There was just one minor blip.

"Why do you want to know, and why would you offer us something so valuable for them? Are skill stones not as valuable as they would seem? We have no idea how anything works in the world. Something that can give you magic powers feels like it should cost a lot," I questioned.

His eyes widened then he nodded slowly.

"Sorry about that. I still have to adjust to your lack of common knowledge. Let me address your last statement first. Skill stones are very valuable. While you'll find skills used everywhere, the common rabble would be lacking any skills themselves. The higher the skill, the more it costs. Even artificial skill stones that we create for common skills are usually priced in gold. And we can get to tiers later. I'll give you two a specially made primer that will hold the basic knowledge needed for Reborns to begin the adventuring life," he said. Brelten leaned back in his chair and made himself more comfortable. "To answer your other questions, it's simply a matter of curiosity. You have to understand that what you have is beyond rare. Our current kingdom only has eight families with a Legacy. Amongst the guild, there is only a smattering amount in the higher ranks. Any chance to find more knowledge about this subject is seen as important. A single Legacy can affect so much, and everyone everywhere is always striving to find how to acquire it more easily."

He paused to let what he said sink in.

"I know it doesn't say so on your status, but there is one critical detail left out," he said before sighing. "That lovely little mark on your arm is something that you and your next five generations of children will share. Your children inherit the same Legacy. Needless to say, if you ever find yourself in the royal capital, prepare to fend off marriage requests with a firm stick. After all, you're now an extremely sought-after stud. A piece of meat noble families will be clawing at each other to acquire,"

he finished with mirth in his eyes.

Brelten laughed when he saw the growing look of disbelief on both of our faces.

"Uh..."

"So, what do you say? Would you like to make a deal?" Brelten asked once more.

Being a prized bachelor aside, I knew I would accept. I doubted Sam would mind, either. I schooled my face and looked him in the eyes.

"I accept. Would you like me to send you a description of it through the system?"

"Yes, that way, there is no need for traceable records. I'm ready whenever you are."

I mentally selected the specific information and sent it over. This Grand Weave conveniently facilitated the process. Sam must have sent over her status because she gave me a brief nod. Her eyes showed excitement, and I couldn't blame her. More magic was never not going to be an exciting prospect.

After committing the info to memory, Brelten sat back in contemplation. He was silent for a full two minutes before he finally looked back at us.

"Sam, you'll make one hell of a woman someday. Few manage to experience the sea in this kingdom being that we are in the middle of the continent. I've been on a couple of voyages in my time, and the waters of the world are nothing to underestimate," he said while nodding to Sam. His emerald eyes switched to mine, and I saw a faint flicker of light shine through before fading. "You might just become an absolute terror. If it works the way the description implies…"

Brelten cleared his throat before he slowly undid the silk on the ivory box.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. Even if nothing comes from the new information, there's always the basic pleasure of acquiring such limited and unique knowledge, "he continued.

When the blue silk fell away, he pressed his thumb to the seal, and it snapped open with a faint click. A cascade of four shelves popped out. Each row looked like it held ten slots, but only the first two rows were filled. The third row had seven, while the last row only had three. He plucked four stones from the second row and laid them down, side to side, next to each other. Each stone was a different color and had the same cube shape. Looking back at the box, I noticed that they were more solid in colour than the first row but lacked clarity and smoothness from the third onward.

Different shape and colors, but the same material as the one Cal gave Eraztis. So skill stones are actually skill crystals.

"Pretty," Sam whispered.

Two of the stones were green of different shades, while the other two were red and white, respectively. Brelten pointed to the white stone first.

"This skill stone is a wind-aligned passive skill called Steps of Air. It's a passive ability that boosts your natural running speed and balance. I acquired this early on, but I'm unsuited for wind-aligned mana," he said.

Images of the tree and vines I saw before came to mind. I could see how something as unbending as a tree would find difficulties in something flighty like wind. It did make me wonder if people had certain affinities for magic.

Before I could ask, he continued on to the next stone.

"This stone is another passive ability," he said, pointing towards the darker green crystal. "While not being a movement-enhancing skill, this does affect when your feet are on the ground. Rooted Defiance is a skill that binds you towards the earth with roots of mana. You'll find yourself much, much harder to move when you don't want to. I'd have used this skill if I hadn't already made use of its higher tier version."

He moved his hands to the final two stones. The red stone had what looked like an inner orange glow, while the other stone was the colour of fresh grass.

"Unlike the other two, these skills are actives. Much like the wind stone, this Resplendent Flame didn't fit. Normally, the skill allows the user to shoot forth vibrant crimson flames. I really don't know how it would morph and change for both of you. While I know you lean more towards the water element, Sam, your Legacy would override any issues that may usually occur. That said, I don't think you should take this skill. If you do, I look forward to seeing how it shifts to become more useful to an Ocean Warrior."

Sam nodded in return. "I don't think I'll choose that one either. Thank you for the advice."

Seeing that his warning was accepted, Brelten pointed to the last stone.

"This last skill is called Snaring Vines. This skill, in particular, should be a variant of a certain rose bush whose thorns carry minor paralytic poison. If you look closely enough, you can see smokey flecks of bright green. I got this skill as a reward from a certain poison-heavy dungeon during my time in the second tier," he finished. He gave an easy smile. "So, please pick one. They may not be the highest tier skills, but they are solid and, in time, can easily become powerful."

While the Snaring Vines sounded interesting, I heavily favored the fire skill. Everybody knows the stereotypical fireball. I'd be set if I could get a summon that could do the same

. It would solve my lack of combat prowess easily. The movement skills were useful, but I had no plans on being a tank or needing to run away. Surprisingly, Sam was the one to decide first. She reached over and grabbed the skillstone for Steps of Air.

"Hmmm, I was hoping you would pick that one," Brelten commented. He cocked his head and put his hand on his chin. "And you, Cyrus?"

I looked at every skill before cementing my pick on the fire skill. Reaching out, I grabbed the fire skill stone.

"This one," I replied.

Brelten nodded happily at my choice. He then put the other two stones back in the case and closed it. Retying the blue silk around the ivory box, he returned it to his desk drawer.

"Now that you have your rewards, I'm willing to answer all questions for the next hour. You may come in tomorrow evening to ask any follow-up questions you may have after you've read the primer." He said seriously.

We spent the next hour peppering the older man with questions. Like Bera, he answered them all without regarding us like idiots; even when Sam's questions became less helpful and more to satisfy her curiosity.

He handed us both a tiny pouch containing five silvers each, along with two small white, leather-bound books. He waved off our thanks and said it'd be enough to pay for lodgings at Oleander's. When we finally turned to leave, he reminded us to visit Talis before we left to acquire our badges. Talis apologized once more for the awkward first impression and handed us two quarter-sized diamond-shaped pins. They looked like cut pearls, and they were given to all tier-zero adventurers. Bidding him a goodnight, we made our short walk to the inn.

"Think that went well?" I asked.

She snorted and punched me lightly on the arm. Holding up her new skillstone, she let the moonlight hit the crystal and let it shine. The air rippled in front of her, and she plunged her hand into the small blue portal that appeared. "Besides having to learn information like a tourist and a child, we did great."

"Why would ever need to know if elves came with pointed teeth?" I countered.

"Because sometimes elves are man-eating monsters with shark teeth. Duh,"

I chuckled and grinned. I shared her joy. Despite our paranoia, everything turned out for the better. And now we had new magic skills to acquire!

I planned on using the skill stone tonight once we got situated in our rooms.

Pushing open the small wooden doors, we walked into a lively room. Unlike before, the inn contained people. I saw mostly humans, but there were a couple of elves as well as a pair of cat-headed humanoids. From our discussion with Brelten, I learned that the two cat people were called Beastkin. This world had different races of beastly humanoids that were anthropomorphic animals of mostly mammals.

A few people noticed us as we walked in. Most of the attention came from the table of guards by the right wall. Bera saw us coming and patted her hand on the counter next to two open seats at the bar. We made our way through the chatty crowd, sat down, and relaxed.

"You get yourselves settled over at the guild then?" Bera asked warmly.

"There was a minor issue when we tried to register, but we met the guild master and solved it. Walked out better than we came in, at least." I replied. "Oh, that reminds me, I want to thank you again for the both of us. You've been accommodating so far. And we'd like to know if we can get rooms for the two of us."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it, Cyrus. I'm always glad to help. And yes, I have two rooms available. It'll cost you a silver a night for the two separate rooms. That comes with a meal in the mornings, and if you want to use the bath, it'll be another ten copper. Extra meals are usually around twelve to fifteen copper, depending on what you order. Considering your money situation, I'd be happy to offer the first night free," she said while smiling.

I swear, this woman is a saint.

I fished out seven silvers from the two pouches. Sam had given me hers earlier. "I'd like to pay for the next three days if you don't mind. And I want to pay you back for the hot food earlier. That pie was heavenly."

Bera laughed and scooped up the coins before winking. "Flattery will get you everywhere!"

We spent the rest of the evening making small talk with Bera while eating a healthy plate of ribs. The guards who were staring earlier left us alone after seeing us pay. They didn't give us any attention for the rest of the evening.

Sam and I went up to our rooms an hour later and wished each other goodnight. We agreed to meet for breakfast.

The room turned out to be simple but cozy. It was spaced wide enough to take five steps from wall to wall. There was a wooden bed with an actual mattress and clean green sheets.

But even if the day was long, I didn't feel an ounce of tiredness. I pulled out my red crystal from earlier and held it in my hands.

New magic, new powers. It was time to contract a new familiar.