From Real to Realm

It was Val’s first time trying on the new armor her parents commissioned for her. It weighed slightly more than the guild-loaned set, but it fit better. She remembered when her mother asked to measure her for clothing, not long after Wilhelm cleared her medically. Those measurements must’ve been what she gave the armor-smith.

The halberd she had was surprisingly lighter than the one from the guild, too. It was slightly taller, but despite that, it felt extremely balanced. It was easy to grip the haft, not slick but not too rough. She performed a few practice swings with it in her room before leaving. It would take a little practice to get used to, but she liked the way it felt.

Roughly half an hour later, she was approaching the front steps of the guild hall. Amarisse was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. While Val had been getting her things, she must’ve cleaned up. The dirt that clung to her clothing was still there, but her exposed skin had been scrubbed clean.

Amarisse pushed off the wall with a surprised expression. “Wow. That’s a nice set of armor.”

Val smiled big; she couldn’t help it. “Yeah. My parents and I had a falling out not long ago. I went home recently to talk to them, and they surprised me with the whole set.”

Amarisse checked Val’s halberd out as well. “Custom job? It had to be; I haven’t seen these pieces along the racks before. Must’ve cost a hefty amount of coin.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Val said, shrugging. “My parents wouldn’t tell me how much they paid for it.”

“Why would they?” Amarisse asked, chuckling. “It was a surprise for you.”

Val shrugged. “I didn’t press them about it. Anyways, you ready to head inside?”

Amarisse nodded. “I asked around, Stormveil’s chapter hall is in the left wing. Apparently, they call it ‘The Veilhold’ for some reason.”

Val raised an eyebrow. “Not that catchy in my opinion. Is that the official name for it? Or what people have come to reference it as?”

“No clue. Just what someone called it when I asked about it,” Amarisse said, shrugging again.

Amarisse took the lead as the two of them walked through the main lobby. Both stopped in their tracks when they noticed someone. Bald head, cocky grin, surrounded by other idiots—Barrett.

“We should keep moving. If he sees us, he’s liable to say something,” Val whispered.

Amarisse didn’t say anything back and instead kept walking. What started as a casual pace turned into a quick one. As soon as they reached the hallway leading to the left wing, they relaxed. It was likely the asshole had heard about everything they’d been through recently. Knowing him, he’d want to rub it in their faces.

Once they walked through the archway into the east wing, they felt a sudden shift.

“Did you feel that?” Val asked, looking around.

When she focused ahead of herself, the hall seemed to stretch unnaturally. Val had walked around the east side of the building numerous times to reach the training grounds. By now, she felt confident she’d know just how long the east wing should be.

Amarisse glanced at her. “You didn’t know? At some point in its lifespan, the guild had a powerful spatial mage in its ranks. Somehow, they made the wings of the guild bigger inside compared to how they looked outside. I have no clue how it works, but it’s a thing.”

Val paused a moment, looking around. It made sense something like that could be done when one considered magic. Instead of asking more questions, she just continued to follow Amarisse.

“I think it’s at the end of the wing,” Amarisse said, looking at each door they passed.

If Val had to guess, the wing itself was double what it looked like from the outside. If she had to estimate the length, it was around 200 feet, give or take.

As they neared the end of the hall, Amarisse finally pointed. “There, that emblem, that’s them.”

A large crest was above a large set of double doors. A silver veil shaped like a flowing banner, split down the center by a jagged lightning bolt.

Another crest… I guess all chapters have one?

When they reached the double doors, each of them pushed. Slowly, the doors opened into a lobby of sorts with dozens of adventurers chatting amongst themselves. Tables were spaced evenly throughout the room. In the back of the room sat a small bar-like structure. Numerous doorways split off to other rooms on each side.

“Got some newbies walking in,” said a random guy from the side. “Someone get Tamsin, she’s got some new recruits.”

Val barely heard what the gruff voice said. She was too busy taking in the atmosphere. It didn’t make sense how a group of people could be so chaotic but coordinated at the same time. A random group of adventurers walked past them, chuckling.

One patted her shoulder. “Welcome to the Veilhold, newbie.”

Val shook her brain from its fog, glancing at Amarisse. “Not what I expected, at all.”

“Me neither,” Amarisse said, looking intently at the walls.

Val followed her gaze to the odd designs in the walls. Spread throughout the entire room were indents in the wall. They were evenly spaced and numerous, so they must have had a purpose.

“Soundproofing,” someone said from behind them.

Both girls turned around to see a tall half-orc woman standing there, arms crossed.

“It helps prevent our discussions from leaking into the hallway, don’t want to disturb everyone else,” she said, extending a hand. “I’m Tamsin, welcome to the Veilhold.”

Amarisse and Val took turns shaking her large hand.

“So, you looking to join up?” she asked.

Val shook her head. “Not at this moment. I was told by some higher-level friends to come here if we wanted to fill in on delves.”

Tamsin frowned. “Well, keep us in mind if you’re looking for a chapter to join later on. I get a good feeling about you both.” She turned around and waved for them to follow. “As for filling in on delves, we aren’t the only ones who do so, but we tend to do it best.”

Val and Amarisse followed behind her as they wove their way through the main hall.

“I’ll introduce you to Elira. She’s our chief tactical officer, breaks down live operations, and helps fill roles where needed.”

They reached a door with a small plaque above reading “Operations” above it.

“In here,” Tamsin said.

She pushed the door open and held it for the girls. As soon as they were through, she followed behind them.

“Hey, Elira, have a couple of fighters that want to fill in somewhere,” she said.

The room wasn’t as busy as the main lobby, but there were still a handful of people inside. The biggest difference in this room was the maps. Dozens of maps lay across desks, tables, pinned to the walls. Some had floor numbers on them, some had specific location names, and others had notes scribbled everywhere. The amount of information in this room was astonishing to say the least.

“What are your levels?” asked a soft, feminine voice.

Val and Amarisse both noticed her at the same time. Beautiful golden hair reached well past her mid-back, and bright purple irises looked at them expectantly. Her lips were full with a soft shade of red, and her features were soft and inviting.

“We’re both level one,” Amarisse finally said.

Val, on the other hand, was still taking in her appearance. She was tall, easily six feet if not taller than that. She lacked armor right now, so that let Val really see everything. Her bust was modest, but the fact that the top of her blouse wasn’t tied meant there was plenty of cleavage. Her waist was tiny, likely cinched a bit smaller thanks to the corset she wore. Due to the table, Val couldn’t see much more but loved what she was already seeing.

“Brave checking me out in front of everyone,” Elira said, smirking.

Val blushed immediately. “Sorry! I uh… You’re just really beautiful.”

Everyone within the room shared a chuckle.

Tamsin patted Val on the back. “Don’t stress it, you aren’t the first one.”

Elira rolled her eyes. “It’ll be hard to place a couple of level ones. We don’t have many delves that are sticking to the higher floors. At most, I’d send you to floor two, but even then, it would be with a large group.” She thought for a moment, looking them over. “I’m guessing Tank for the bunny, and either Breaker or Hybrid for the elf.”

Amarisse spoke up first. “My name is Amarisse, and yes, I’m a Tank.”

Val also spoke up. “My name is Val, and I’m a Hybrid.”

Elira whistled. “Rare to see a low-level Hybrid choose a halberd. Not exactly a beginner-friendly weapon. Any good with it?”

Val and Amarisse exchanged a glance.

“I haven’t had much time in the dungeon yet, but I believe I’m getting the hang of it.”

Tamsin grinned. “Honesty, good. Lying to us is the quickest way to be blacklisted for a while.”

Elira nodded. “I can’t promise anything today, but as soon as we find something, we’ll let you know.”

Amarisse raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know where we live. Should we come back each morning?”

Tamsin chuckled. “We have access to guild records; we’ll just get your information there and send a runner. We’ll get word to you, promise.”

Suddenly, the door opened behind them.

Val and Amarisse stepped to the side as a massive man entered the room. He was so tall that he had to duck to avoid hitting his head. His gray armor was rough, with dents, scratches, and plenty of wear from fighting. He took up more room than Val and Amarisse combined, but surprisingly looked human.

Elira’s expression became serious.

“Elira, has everyone been briefed?” he asked in a booming voice.

“Yes, sir. Everyone is standing by in the lobby, they’re ready when you are.”

He nodded. “Good. Supplies?”

Elira pulled out a paper. “Yes, sir. We have a wagon that will meet us there. We’ve contracted three independent adventurers to carry most of the supplies. They’ve all been vetted extensively.”

Suddenly, he looked down at the girls. “Apologies for intruding on your conversation.” He grinned. “Sometimes the job makes me forget my manners. Name is Kael, I’m the head of Stormveil, welcome.”

He held out a hand. Val and Amarisse shook it in turn, shocked by how it literally swallowed theirs. He was a beast, and it only made more sense now that they knew he was the chapter head.

With that, he gave a polite nod and made his way back into the main lobby.

“Dude is fucking massive,” Val whispered.

Tamsin laughed loudly. “He really is, isn’t he? There’s a reason they call him ‘The Gray Line’.”

“I can’t believe I just met a Platinum 1st Class,” Amarisse whispered in awe.

Val tilted her head. “Are they rare?”

Elira spoke up this time. “Somewhat. There are plenty of people within the Platinum ranking, but I’d say there might be slightly more than a dozen at 1st Class.”

“Platinum Gem is above that, right? Is he pushing for that now?” Val asked.

Tamsin and Elira exchanged a glance.

It was Elira who replied. “He’s not really focused on ranking. Being Platinum 1st Class allows him to run the chapter and lead delves on the lower floors. Becoming a Gemknight is rare, exceedingly so.”

Tamsin nodded. “At this very moment, all he cares about is getting the people beneath him home safe. That and trying to clear the dungeon once and for all. It’s why he preaches precision above all else.”

Val fell into deep thought after hearing that.

Amarisse decided to speak up now. “We’ll excuse ourselves for now. We hope to hear from a runner soon.”

Elira nodded. “We hope to find a spot for you soon.”

With that, Tamsin started escorting them through the chapter lobby once more. When they finally reached the doors, she pushed them open.

“Feel free to drop by any time you need to fill in. We don’t say no to the extra help so long as you turn out to be good help.”

She gave them a wave before letting the door close. Now it was Amarisse and Val standing in the hall with nothing planned.

“So what should we do?” Val asked.

Amarisse rotated her shoulder. “I think I actually might take the rest of the day off. I’ve been training every day since what happened. A little bit of rest might be a good idea since we’ll be going back.”

Val smiled. “Good idea, you need the rest. I feel kind of stupid for putting all my gear on only to be told to wait for them to send word.”

Amarisse grinned. “Well, we can train for a little bit, right? At the very least, you need to see how the armor feels when you’re moving. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to do some practice swings with your new weapon, too.”

“That actually sounds like a really good idea. Best to find out if there are any adjustments to make now rather than in the dungeon,” Val said, hefting her halberd up. “Let’s do it.”

Together, the girls made their way back to the main guild lobby. Before walking across, they checked for Barrett and his goons. Only after confirming they couldn’t see them, they made their way outside. The sun was high in the air, and it was getting hot very quickly.

“It’s going to be a hot day today,” Val said, wiping sweat from her brow already.

Amarisse nodded as they walked down the stairs. “I’ll make sure we stay hydrated.”

Walking around the left side of the guild reminded Val of the interior of that wing. It was still mind-blowing that such a unique enchantment could exist. To think the wing was twice the size it looked from the outside.

“What did you want to do first?” Amarisse asked.

Just as they turned the corner of the building, they saw Lucia sitting on a bench.

“L—Lucia?” Val asked.

The redhead smiled, scooting off the bench. “Hey. I heard Amarisse had been training herself to the bone recently.”

Amarisse feigned ignorance for a moment.

“She has, but right now she’s ab—“

Lucia rushed forward, hands immediately resting on Val’s new armor. “Oh wow! Where did you get this new armor?! And a new weapon too!”

Val and Amarisse chuckled at the sudden outburst.

“My parents actually commissioned it for me. They don’t exactly like what I’m choosing to do, but they wanted to support me.”

Lucia continued examining the design of Val’s new armor. “This is really good gear. I’d say it’s some of the best gear you could ask for when starting.”

Val continued to turn as Lucia looked over the new armor.

Then she stopped. “Wait, a—are you both going in the dungeon now?”

The smiles that had been on everyone’s faces dropped.

“Not today,” Amarisse said.

“But we did contact a guild chapter to help find spots for us to fill in,” Val continued.

Lucia shivered slightly. “I… I wish I could go with you.”

Val pulled Lucia into a gentle hug. “It’s okay. We understand why you can’t.”

The redhead sniffled lightly as she hugged back. After a few seconds, she pulled away, wiping a stray tear or two. “I’m actually training with the guild medical corps. I won’t be able to level up as quickly, but hopefully I can learn to help in my own way.”

Amarisse grinned. “That’s awesome, Lucia! I’m so happy you were able to find another avenue to help.”

Lucia nodded, smiling once more. “I’ve even been able to help with Mina. I couldn’t do much, but I did what I could to help out.”

“Oh gods, it’s you again,” came an infuriatingly familiar voice.

Val and Amarisse turned, locking eyes with Barrett. Erick and Klein were with him as well. However, neither of them was laughing like usual. If anything, they looked like they didn’t want to be here.

Instead of replying to him, both Val and Amarisse turned around. Val placed her hand on Lucia’s lower back to make sure she started walking with them.

“Anyways, Amarisse was about to help me test out my gear. See if there were any adjustments I need to make. Want to stick around?” Val asked.

Amarisse nodded. “Yeah, I’ve done what I can for my own gear. It’s Val’s turn to get everything situated.”

Lucia smiled. “Just like before, all of us training together?”

“I heard you got your most recent party member killed.”

Everyone stopped.

“It’s a shame. I heard she was cute. We warned you, Valnarei. You aren’t ready for the dungeon, and you’re just getting people killed,” Barrett continued. “Are you really that determined to drag Amarisse down with you? What about Mina? I heard she’s barely clinging to life.”

Amarisse and Lucia had both grabbed one of Val’s hands each.

“Ignore him,” Lucia pleaded. “Please, if you react, he’s just going to keep trying.”

“Come on, Barrett. That’s uncalled for,” Erick said. “You sho—“

Thwack.

“Shut the fuck up, Erick. I’ll say whatever I gods damn please,” Barrett growled. “Val won’t do anything anyway. She’s got friends who are trying to talk sense to her as we speak.”

Val finally turned around only to see Erick standing back up. He was holding his nose, blood already apparent.

She took a deep breath. “Barrett, I am giving you one chance to leave us alone. We’ve been through enough without you trying to fuck with us. This is as nice as I’m going to ask.”

Barrett crossed his arms with an amused expression. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d react so calmly. I thought you were the type to blow your top easily?”

Val sighed. “Just fuck off, alright? We aren’t interested in hearing what you’ve got to say.”

Erick and Klein both grabbed Barrett’s shoulders.

“Come on, dude. Can’t you see they’re already broken down enough as is?” Erick asked.

Klein chimed in. “There’s no point in picking a fight with them. Let’s leave them for another day?”

Barrett pulled himself free. “Fine. If they lack the backbone, then I have more important things to do.”

Without another word, Barrett and his group left the training grounds. Val’s heart was racing, fists balled up, and she gritted her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to beat his ass, but right now wasn’t the time.

“I’m surprised you held back,” Amarisse said, releasing Val’s arm.

Lucia nodded. “You’ve learned restraint.”

Val sighed. “Let’s just get to training. I need to get my mind off of him.”

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