Chapter 148: Unexpected Promotion (2/2)
”I'd like to take this request.” Mike spoke calmly once he'd reached the desk without having to wait in line.
”Oh?” Came the deep rumbling reply. ”Very well. Place your hand here.” Bartlett gestured to orb shaped magic device that sat in front of him. Mike complied.
”Hm, it looks like congratulations are in order, young man.” The receptionist added. ”You've been promoted to Rank 4.”
”Eh? But I haven't done anything yet.” Mike said, slightly confused.
Bartlett frowned down at the readout, although he never seemed to stop frowning really. ”Looks like the promotion was put in a couple of weeks ago in the Wyrport branch. Must have taken a while to process for some reason. Anyway, you're now a Copper Ranked Adventurer. Good job.”
It was a little strange to hear those words from someone with such a grim face, but long practice with Tal had built up his tolerance. ”Thanks. Do you mind if I go back and look through the Rank 4 options?”
”Be my guest.”
A quick scan told Mike that the higher ranking options weren't much better, but he did see an extermination request that happened to also be in the southern woods. Apparently, a group of goblins had recently migrated into the area of the village of Kastvale, and were periodically raiding the villagers. Scouting reports placed their numbers at around twenty, no evolved varieties had been spotted, and they appear to be mostly armed with scavenged gear of poor quality.
Mike recalled from the ”Monsters of the Central Continent' book that goblins were categorized as a kind of monstrous humanoid that were distinctly different from the peoples of Ea. They were essentially treated the same as monsters, only unique for their higher than animal intelligence, and tendency to evolve into more dangerous varieties once they had reached higher tiers.
As far as he could tell, the reasons for their treatment were unclear. It was possible the creatures had evolved naturally in this world, but considering the origins of humans, orcs, and others it seemed likely they had been brought here during the Second Age. Unlike the other races, however, goblins were little more than pests, however at the edges of other civilizations and engaging in scavenging and raiding.
Figuring that, at the very least, it would be a decent opportunity to practice his combat skills, Mike pulled the notice down and brought it over to the desk along with the one for the Mosswood Deer hide. ”I'd like to take this one, too.”
”Very well.” Bartlett replied solemnly, before handing him a set of documents to take to the village elder of Kastvale. ”Good luck and good hunting.”
Mike thanked the man, left the Guild, and headed towards the southern portion of the Old City. He eventually reached the end of a deserted dock, just in time to watch the sign rise over the flat, motionless bay. It was starting to look like another beautiful day.
”Alright, let's see if this works.” Mike muttered to himself while creating an elongated segment of stone. It resembled a surf board, but was much too heavy to float. Stepping onto it, he used Earth Magic to bind his feet to the device, and then Air Magic to throw himself into the bay.
Concentrating, he willed the water to support the weight of the board, and then nearly fell over. He'd made the board sharply concave to allow it to slice through the waves, but it added a new level of complexity when it came balancing.
After a few minutes, he felt like he'd gotten the hang of it, and moved on to the next step. Focusing his mana into the rear portion of the board, he created a current that began to push him forward gently. Seeing that his idea worked, he increased the flow of mana many times over, causing him to zip forward over the open water.
Mike laughed, simply enjoying the moment. He'd never been wakeboarding, but figured it must be a lot like this.
Audra poked her head out of his pocket curiously, and gave an excited chirp at the passing scenery. It seemed like she was having fun as well. In order to entertain the little dragon, he cut a meandering path to the edge of the bay.
All too soon, he had arrived at the southern shore. With a blast of wind he launched himself into the air, covering the last few meters, and sliding to a stop on land. Pulling his feet free, he let the board disintegrate, the force of his excursions sufficient to cause it to break apart.
[That was fun. I think flying is still a bit better, but I can see why some people back on Earth spend so much time on the water.]
He tried to remember the map of the area he'd referenced in the guild before leaving. Kastvale was almost directly south of the city, but that still left some room for variance, he supposed.
[Oh well, I guess the only thing to do is start walking and keep an eye out for a landmark I can use to navigate. From the looks of the map, there is some kind of road that passes through the woods. If I can find that, I can make my way to the village.]
After feeding his greedy familiar half of the cheese he'd secured, Mike sent a quick mental message to Red, letting him know he would be in the woods on the southern side of the bay. He asked the dragon to move in that direction in the event he needed the assistance. Red acknowledged, and passed along that he was in route.
[I shouldn't need him for the requests, but it never hurts to be careful. Especially when considering my luck.]
Taking a deep breath of the clear forest air, he started walking into the wood line.