The new day dawned as all others had before, yet this one felt special. And as nervous as Glenn felt, his mother’s encouraging words the prior night had given him comfort. He still had no doubt (well, almost no doubt) he would walk out of the Chapel of Celes tonight as an Adventurer and a Duelist, but if that somehow didn’t happen, he’d still, as his mother said, absolutely earned his place. He’d trust the Gods to grant him the life he’d both strived toward and deserved.

And if They choose another life for him, well … such were the whims of the Gods.

Still, Glenn woke up at the crack of dawn, which left a whole day of trying to occupy himself before night fell. Only then could he complete the Ceremony of the Path at the Chapel of Celes. The Ceremony of the Path was where one who’d just turned 16 entered a Chapel of Celes, placed their hands on the pedestal beneath Her statue, and prayed in silence until She revealed their role in life.

Most completed the Ceremony of the Path among family and close friends. Glenn would be completing his ceremony in front of the whole town, thanks to the arrival of the representative of the Blazer’s Guild and the machinations of Mayor Coleman.

That was a tremendous amount of pressure for anyone to face, yet complaining or refusing was not an option. The former would only make him look ungrateful, and the latter would endanger the financial well-being of his parents. Mayor Coleman had made that all too clear.

His parents had worked all their lives to ensure he had the best chance possible to succeed. Glenn would therefore work as hard as he could to satisfy the mayor and ensure his parents continued to live comfortably in Wolfpine. His fate still might be an open question, but theirs had been sealed long ago. He would never chance making their fate less comfortable than it was already.

Still, he had so much time today. He decided to walk the town one last time. If everything he wished for happened tonight—he was chosen as an Adventurer, and the Blazer’s Guild recruited him and Becka to train and Level in their ranks—they could leave Wolfpine as early as tomorrow morning. Once the guild recruited someone, they did not move in half measures.

As a result, there was a chance today would be the last day Glenn saw Wolfpine for quite some time. He had many fond memories of his home town. He wanted to see it all one last time before he (possibly) left it for many years.

He walked the streets in the light of first dawn, glanced at the battered yet lovingly maintained signs hanging above the shops, and watched the gentle sway of the now-extinguished night lamps. He paused for quite some time outside The Mead Beast, Wolfpine’s tavern, yet no sounds came from within. Most hours of the day, the bustle inside the Beast was audible ... but not this early.

There were still only a few Adventurers in town—Glenn would have loved to spend his day picking the brains of Adventurers, especially being so close to that life itself—but with Grassea’s Monster population still on the mend from , he doubted any high-Level Adventurers would have business here.

Any low-Level Adventurers still Leveling in Grassea would likely still be asleep in the Mead Beast, if any were in town at all. Glenn pondered stopping by Becka’s house to see if Becka was about, but immediately decided to leave her to her own goals today. She did love sleeping in.

He and Becka had said and decided all they could last night. Bothering her again this morning, when they’d both see each other at nightfall, almost felt like inviting bad luck. They’d talk again after his Ceremony of the Path tonight.

Glenn next strolled by the guard barracks, hoping to see a guard relaxing out of armor, but the barracks remained closed. He glanced at Mayor Coleman’s large mansion, which dominated the center of Wolfpine, but the gates remained locked and the grounds empty. He did notice a number of tables already placed in the town square, likely for the feast tonight. There would be so much food.

Glenn glanced wistfully at the church—what if he snuck in and completed the Ceremony of the Path right now, then simply pretended to do so for real tonight?—but quickly discarded that thought. Richard Deepscar or another servant of Celes would demand to see his Status Sheet both before and after he completed the ceremony, and he knew Richard wouldn’t lie to Mayor Coleman. He had to wait.

He glanced at the clock tower. It was only just past 7, which meant Wolfpine’s gates had only just opened to the world. Gods! What was he to do himself today? As he walked down Market Street, filled with merchant stalls but no merchants, he remembered his vow to Beth Silverstone to drag Zack to supper with her one night soon.

Given how early it was, and what he knew about Zack’s disposition and habits from when they’d Leveled together, now might be a good time to tackle that challenge ... especially since he might not get another chance if the left town tomorrow morning to become a Blazer.

Following his hunch, Glenn immediately diverted to the Silverstone household, a small but lovingly maintained home near Wolfpine’s west wall. Most Merchants stayed open until the gates of Wolfpine closed at 1 in the morning, loathe to lose the chance to purchase some valuable Life Crystals from Adventurers returning late. Beth Silverstone was no exception.

Wolfpine’s gates had only just opened. Most Adventurers hunted in the morning and sold Life Crystals in the afternoon. That meant Beth might still be asleep, but would be up soon to tend her stall. That also made this the perfect time for Zack, knowing his tendency to leave things to the last possible moment, to slip out of his mother’s home without a word ... before she woke up.

Which was also the perfect time for Glenn to intercept him.

He settled himself comfortably against Barry Dewcrest’s house, which stood across the street from Beth Silverstone’s, and relaxed. This early, Wolfpine was relatively quiet, without the bustle of daily business or the sound of crafters at work. Just the gentle whistling of the wind.

Unlike Zack and Becka, both of whom would be perfectly happy sleeping until noon, Glenn often enjoyed being up at the crack of dawn. It felt so peaceful to walk the streets of Wolfpine before everyone woke up. It felt like the whole town had shut down to let him explore.

Yet Glenn’s chance to enjoy the peace was short-lived. He’d scarcely settled in before a window on the side of Beth Silverstone’s modest single-story home opened. Zack slipped out dressed in plain [Cloth Armor], and Glenn was actually surprised his hunch had worked out so well.

Yet seeing Zack still wearing his old [Cloth Armor] made Glenn nervous. He couldn’t be there as Zack’s Shield any longer. If Zack intended to keep hunting solo, he really needed better gear.

Zack also wasn’t using [-Shadow Walk-]. This early in the morning, he likely believed he wouldn’t need it. Yet even if he had been enough to activate his Shadower Skill, Glenn would have seen the window open on its own and spotted him. As Zack stepped into the street, Glenn crept closer.

He pitched his voice down deep. “Hold it, Silverstone.” He sounded just like a Town Guard.

Zack twitched and spun to face Glenn, eyes wide. As their eyes met Glenn realized to his delight that he had, just this once, startled his friend instead of the other way around. The tableau held like that a moment before Zack’s eyes narrowed. At his obvious annoyance, Glenn couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s not funny,” Zack said, though he had the decency to look a bit amused. “And more importantly, what in the Six Hells are you doing outside my house?”

“Keeping a promise,” Glenn said, and stepped forward. “Your mother hasn’t seen you in days.”

“That’s not true!” Zack said. “We saw each other yesterday afternoon!”

The way Zack’s right hand twitched assured Glenn he knew it was lying. Zack didn’t realize it, but he’d always had tells Glenn had long ago learned to detect. Becka had her tells too, but Glenn never mentioned them. Most of the time, he was content to let those close to him keep their secrets.

Yet as he considered Zack, Glenn felt new concern. “Is everything okay between you two?”

“Of course it is,” Zack said. “She’s Mom.”

“So why do you keep avoiding her?”

“My business,” Zack said evenly. “Business I’d appreciate you staying out of.”

It was, sadly, a bit late for that, so Glenn pushed ahead. “That’s fair, but I did promise your mother I’d make sure you joined her for supper. Do you intend to make me a liar?

“Why would you even promise something like that?”

“I needed a gift for Becka’s father. Your mom offered me a great deal.”

Zack groaned and rubbed his forehead. “Oh, she’s crafty. I’ll give her that. Not many people can so easily turn my friends against me.”

Glenn rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. It’s nothing like that.”

“And since you’re you, you’re not going to let this go, are you?”

Glenn smiled his widest smile. “What do you think?”

Zack sighed. “If I agree to show up for supper with Mom tonight, will you stop bothering me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then consider your debt paid,” Zack grumped. He walked off toward the gates.

That was about the best outcome Glenn could expect. “Off to hunt?”

“Off to do something!” Zack agreed, with a backward wave. “You should too, if you want the Gods to bless you tonight.”

That was right! Glenn could actually Level now. After spending three months with his experience capped, he’d all but fallen out of the habit of leaving town first thing in the morning to hunt Monsters.

He hadn’t actually hunted and killed a Monster that gave experience for over three months, other than the Gloamwolf he defeated to gain Level 5. He should gain experience today. There was no reason he couldn’t gain experience, now that his cap was gone.

And he wanted to hunt in his home zone one last time before he left.