I walk out of the clothes store dressed in somewhat simple, but still better-looking clothing than what I had on previously.

  I sport a simple white shirt and pants underneath a black robe. Apparently the outfit is quite popular with the city’s youth right now, or at least, according to the pixie.

  Bretta and I hop onto the disc and make our way in another seemingly random direction.

  “So where are we going now?” I ask.

  “Where else? The local Saving Face branch of course.”

  “Just like that? No prep pr anything? Just heading straight there?”

  “Well if you’re as good as Gael says you are, should be no need for prep, you’ll pass the assessment with flying colors! Speaking of, that should be coming up in the next couple of days. I won’t spoil the surprise, but just know, you better be ready for a challenge.” Bretta says mysteriously.

  “Uhm, okay?” I say confused.

  “Also don’t die.” Bretta says offhandedly.

  “What was that?” I ask, concerned.

  “Nothing! Now let’s get moving!” She says as we once again begin to float gently upwards.

  Deciding to ignore the ominous warning, I try to distract myself by once again staring around at the scenery.

  The fantastical nature of the buildings around me continue to leave me awestruck. It’s still hard for my mind to comprehend the outlandish scale of some of the buildings in particular.

  One such building, being some sort of arena, is easily the size of seven or eight football fields, a long forgotten sport from the old-world.

  ‘What do they even need such a large stadium for?’ I wonder to myself, before deciding to posit the question to Bretta.

  “Well there’s a lot of events and things that it’s used for. The main thing, though, are fights or disputes that large superpowers want to settle slightly more diplomatically rather than involving planets or thousands of soldiers. For example, just a month ago, a diplomat from the Augustine Empire was insulted by a warrior from the Nomad’s Conclave. The diplomat challenged him in a duel by proxy, and the resulting battle took place in that arena. The warrior lost by the way, if you were wondering.”

  “Really? Punching someone in the face doesn’t seem very diplomatic.”

  “They weren’t ‘punching’, they were slicing and maiming, duh.” Bretta says as if I’m stupid.

  “Wait it’s to the death?”

  “Uh, yeah. Wouldn’t be very entertaining if it wasn’t.”

  “And people are cool with this? I would’ve thought the wider multiverse would have evolved past such barbaric means.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Nope. Plus, with the higher tiers, there really is no way to ‘referee’ a fight between them. The best way is to just stick ‘em in the arena and see who comes out alive.”

  “Woah, brutal.”

  “You’ll get used to it kid. Anyway, we’re here.”

  We slowly descend as I take in the building in front of me. All things considered, it seems to be a normal office building all things considered. Actually when compared to the whimsical and fantastical nature of the surrounding buildings this one stands out. The tall imposing stature and concrete-like gray exterior really scream ‘all business’.

  “Uhm, are you sure about this place? This place doesn’t exactly look very inviting.”

  “Always the complainer, aren’t you? Geez, what was that Earth saying? Don’t judge a book by it’s cover? It’s great inside, with great people. C’mon you’ll see.” She says as she beckons me to follow her inside.

  I do so, and I’m greeted by an extravagant lobby, flush with art and expensive looking décor. The floor is lines with a blue and gold carpet that seem to be the organization’s defining colors.

  In the corner, there’s even a… man? Woman? Creature thing, playing some sort of complex stringed instrument with all eight of his appendages.

  Around us, are various gatherings of important looking people talking and chatting animatedly as if they all are old friends.

  The atmosphere of the place immediately puts me on edge, as the last time I’ve been to a place this fancy, I was stabbed in the side by an inconspicuous maid girl. Plus, I’m not exactly used to this kind of environment. I’m more used to run-down, wooden, and dirty environments. Places like this, where people probably shit gold, are foreign to me.

  Bretta walks confidently to the pretty lady at the front desk, clearly hired for her good looks. As the lady looks up she first spots me and puts on a fake smile that she must use for people she doesn’t know. Then she looks down at Bretta, and immediately her smile fades to nervousness.

  “Hey call Jimmy down here, I got a recruit for him.” Bretta says sternly.

  “I’m sorry Mrs. Thornburg, he’s currently busy. If you-“

  “No! Tell him that I’m here. If he’s still in his little ‘meeting’ or whatever. Then I guess I’ll have a talk with the debt collectors and seize a few assets that he owes me…” Bretta says casually, but it comes off as threatening.

  “Uhm, right away ma’am! I’ll go get him!” She says as she races away quickly.

  I stare blankly at where the lady once was.

  “What the hell was that?” I say looking down at the small woman.

  “Oh nothing, let’s just say that Jimmy is in my debt because we made a few deals with each other under oath of a balance guardian, and let’s also just say his debt is a lot. I mean, a lot, a lot.”

  “Uhm okay. What’s a balance guardian.”

  “Hmm, it’s like, an overseer of trade deals of the highest order. If I so wish, as long as he doesn’t pay me, I can send the balance guardian his way to siphon of pieces of his status. Levels, skills, traits, feats, you name it. Even body parts if he had something particularly valuable, like say a special eyeball or two.”

  The next moment, a frantic looking man dressed in formal business attire races towards us. His pale skin and black hair would usually make me believe him to be human, but his two glowing purple eyes make me seconds guess that claim.

  “Oh, those eyeballs.” I say.

  “Yup!” She says sweetly as the man arrives before the both of us.

  “Bretta… nice to… see you…” He says in between breaths.

  “Really Jimmy, you need to get a few tiers on you. You tire much to quickly.” Bretta says jokingly.

  “I must… agree. Though you know how it is, business is always busy.”

  “I suppose it is.” Bretta says.

  “So, what did you need? Sylvie said it had something to do with a recruit?” He says looking me up and down.

  “You bet! This one was sent straight from Gael himself!”

  “Gael? Really? Shame he never passed tier 7. That man would’ve been a legend…” Jimmy says, reminiscing.

  After a few moment of silence, Bretta coughs quickly, breaking the man from his trance.

  “Ah well, you made it just in time young man. Applications end in two days! Meaning you won’t have to wait long for your test! After all, we can’t just have someone walk in and say they’re a rank 2 talent, they’re gonna have to prove it.”