Diablo was now fourteen. In only a days time it would be the Spring Festival. The day of the year where every child who didn't know their birthday was officially a year older. Over the few years of working, listening to late night lectures and hunting [Monsters], the young man had managed to rack up quite a lot of booty.

He had gained [Five Levels], placing him at [Level 8]. Apparently, once you hit [Level Five] [Goblins] stopped being worth the trouble. But there was not much else that dared travel so close to the walls of the city. Other than [Slimes], but they were resistant to just about everything and were rather docile, so they were not worth the effort either.

He had also earned a staggering four gold, thirty-nine silver and a handful of coppers. It's wasn't even as much as a crafts apprentice in the city would have gotten two years. But when compared to peasants and craftsmen of small towns, it was a staggering amount. It was certainly more then anyone who didn't have a craft would make.

As for [Skills], they had also improved a lot. [FireBolt (Lv.2)] was now [FireBolt (Lv.6)], [Candle's Flame (Lv.2)] had improved to [Candle's Flame (Lv.3)], [Sneaking (Lv.1)] to [Sneaking (Lv.3)], [Power Thrust (Lv.1)] had shown very useful and had gotten all the way up to [Power Thrust (Lv.5)]. As for [Spear Mastery (Lv.1)], it had only leveled to [Spear Mastery (Lv.4)]. It seemed that [Spear Mastery] [Leveled] rather slowly. Griff had assured him it was because he was no longer being pushed to his limits, or anywhere close to them. The harder the fight, the faster it would [Level].

The young boy had done more than just improve his already existing [Skills]. He had also learned three more. The first was from Griff. It was the [Skill] [Double Shot]. It had gotten all the way to [Level 3]. It would have gotten further, but Diablo's small size made it hard to control. It was easier now that he was larger and taller though. It had given him an extra +1 Dexterity too.

The other two [Skills] where a bit different. Both were [Fire Magic]. One was combat orientated, while the other seemed to be for survival. The first was [Fireball], a [Second Level] spell. It was much like [Firebolt], but had a cast time and exploded on impact. It also killed a [Goblin] in one hit at [Level Zero], whereas [Firebolt] took three. It had given +1 Intelligence for self-teaching and another +1 Intelligence for following through with it.

The other spell was a [Level One]. It was called [Dragon's Heart]. It gave +1 to Wisdom, then another for following through. It caused Diablo's insides to warm up to the point where it felt like his blood was boiling. It was actually slightly painful. But the young mage to be had put up with it until it got to [Level One], then decided to lock it away forever, as it had actually gotten a lot hotter as it leveled.

That was not the only stuff that had happened over the years. A [Kobold] raid hit near-by towns and the King had put out a bounty of two hundred gold on the leader, a [Kobold King]. After that, it had only taken two hours for someone to bring in the head. It showed the young man that people would only help others for money, not out of the good of their heart. It had been a good lesson.

While working at the Adventurers Guild, Diablo had also gotten a free Charisma point for 'Working a social job and being good at it' or so the [God's Voice] had told him. With his Charisma stat now a lot higher then it was before, the young boy found he had stopped stuttering for the most part. Though Griff had scoffed and said it was all in his head from the beginning.

But the biggest change had been with Diablo himself. He was always an average sized child. But he never had any fat or muscle to speak of. The other children had at least some, but he had lacked any at all. With his outings and running around all day delivering drinks and food, he had somehow managed to build up some muscle. The extra food he occasionally brought helped too.

The boy was now almost a man, a day away from being one in fact. He was now taller than most, standing at 5'11. He wasn't the tallest by any means, but his stature certainly helped with his spear use. He had a head full of short, fire red, not orange, fire red hair. His leg muscles were well developed, even if his upper body was lacking slightly. All in all, he was well on his way to becoming a man.

Yet, for how close he was to becoming a man, he had almost no clue what he was to be doing. He was kicked out of the guild for the next two days. They had told him to go buy some nice clothes and get ready for the festival tomorrow. Yet, being the responsible young man he was, Diablo was already prepared. He had a nice new tunic of a very dark blue as well as a pair of matching long pants and a black jacket that was only slightly too large. Altogether it had cost eighteen slivers, a complete rip-off. Yet even knowing so, the young man had just accepted the price and moved on.

The only thing he was missing was a date. Most the boys had one, but Diablo was not great with girls yet. Although he was a lot more confident since his Charisma boot, he was still a hormonal teenager. Thus, he was out looking for someone who would go with him, even if he had convinced himself he was not.

There were a lot of older women around. Roughly the ages of sixteen to thirty. These were out of the question. Most girls were engaged by sixteen and those that were not would most likely be looking. Diablo personally enjoyed his freedom. So he was looking, unconsciously, for someone younger than himself.

Knowing that he wouldn't find anyone in the marketplace, he began to head towards the center of the city. Or as close as he could get without getting too close to the castle. The guards knew him as an orphan, so they were always watching him. The city was built up more on one side of the castle, towards the front. This annoyed the guards, as if anyone were to siege the city, it would mean there was one side slightly more vulnerable than the others. They would have to put more men on that side, and could more easily fall for a feint, allowing a small group to get past and into the castle.

Once Diablo had gotten towards the center, a small garden opened up. It was installed by some King long ago to please his wife. It was now enjoyed by young girls of all classes. Although the poor girls were never allowed into the center, only along the edges. Today there seemed to be no guards, meaning no nobles or rich merchant's daughters were in.

Taking this chance to get some relaxation, Diablo quickly went into the center, past roughly six rows of different flowers offering some privacy, then a hedge that separated the actual center from the rest. In the direct center was a fountain that spewed crystal clear water out of the top. On one of the benches sat a young lady. Her skin was lightly bronzed and she wore a dress that put the Queens to shame. Her back was currently turned from the younger man.

Diablo felt his mouth become slightly dry. He was never great at talking to girls, yet felt strangely drawn to this lady. She was clearly of noble birth, so if he was caught talking, or even looking at her, he would most likely be imprisoned for some charge her father made up. Yet, much like when the urge to fight came calling, he took that step forward.

Perhaps he was just weak to his natural instincts. Fight monsters to get strong. Talk to ladies to get kisses. But it always felt like something more than that. Like he was meant to go down one road, but was thrown off it and pushed onto another. Now he was taking a long way back. Although both were very different, they ended at the same place.

As he strode forwards, the girl turned her head rather quickly. She stood up the moment she saw Diablo. A look of surprise on her face. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice as clear and high pitched. Her face was one of perfection. As if someone had spent hours every single day with a chisel clearing any imperfection. Her eyes were a deep hazel brown, matching her waist long hair.

"Umm, I-i was just o-out for a walk." Diablo started to explain but felt himself stumbling over his words, his face starting to go a shade of red both from embarrassment and just from how lovely the girl before him looked. In return, she giggled at him. This served to only make things worse for the young man.

"Getting ready for tomorrow then?" The girl asked. Diablo noticed she had a slight Empire Of Great Karn accent. Also that she suddenly seems much more relaxed to see that he was but a boy stumbling over his words.

"Y-yes. I mean, I am already ready. I-i have the day off to prepare, but I'm already prepared so..." Diablo stopped speaking as he noticed two things. He had begun to paddle on. Something he had started to do a lot instead of just getting too nervous to talk. The other was that the girl had started giggling uncontrollably at his horrid attempt at conversation. Before, it had been a polite gesture to show she didn't mind. Now she was laughing at him.

After a mear moment, she managed to get herself under control. "I am sorry, I do not mean to laugh. But I am used to boys making up their nervousness with fake bravado. It is nice to see someone honest." After speaking this time she gave him an honest, pure smile. That is when Diablo shut down.

"I must be going. I snuck out of sight from my retinue when I saw this lovely garden. But if they found me here with you, things would......" The young lady seemed to struggle to find the right word. "Not be good. For you at least."

Diablo only nodded dumbfoundedly at the lady as she gave him a curtsy and said one last goodbye to him. "Perhaps I will see you at the festival, yes?" The young man only nodded at the young lady. Not even remembering to ask for her name as she left, he muttered a goodbye barely loud enough for her to hear.

The rest of the day had gone about in a haze. All Diablo could remember was that smile. Her thin lips stretching into even thinner lines. The small dimples of her cheeks. The pure white teeth that shone like pearls. She had managed to capture his heart in that moment more than any girl before had managed in his lifetime.

The next day came around both quickly and slowly. The day passed in a haze of daydreaming, but the night was spent tossing with anticipation. Once the sun finally rose, Diablo and the other children got up, dressed in their finest and spent the rest of the day wasting time and doing chores.

Slowly but surely, the midday rolled around. Midday of the Spring Festival. One by one, boys that were coming of age were called up in front of the Duke of the city. The King would only see those of nobility. Each boy was given a firm handshake and an invite to the royal feast as a show on becoming a man. In truth, it was a way of keeping public order, but to these boys and their families, it was the greatest honor of their young lives. They could even bring one person. Thus the need for a date.

But Diablo had no date, so he would go again after more waiting. That was all he seemed to be doing the past two days. Waiting to see the girl he had seen before. The girl whose name he did not know. The girl who had stolen his heart in a moment. So that is what he did. He let himself be fussed over. He even accepted it when Griff of all people had hidden a knife on him. For emergencies, he had said.

Then that fated time arrived. The sun went down and people began retiring for either drinks or dinner. But a large group of boys and girls began a slow walk up towards the castle. Step by step he was getting closer and closer. Then it happened. The doors opened and the great hall was shown to the entire world.

There. Right up next to the King. In pure formal attire of seemingly endless wealth of gems unheard of. In silk imported from the farthest lands. There sat the girl he had fallen for. Her Majesty, the Empress Diana of The Empire Of Great Karn.

Diablo

Level 8

Strength: 6 [+3]

Dexterity: 13 [+6]

Constitution: 4 [+2]

Intelligence: 26 [+11]

Wisdom: 17 [+7]

Charisma: 3 [+2]

Titles

[Fire Duelist]

Skills

[Flame of the beginning (Max)] [Candle's Flame (Lv.3)] [Sneaking (Lv.3)] [FireBolt (Lv.6)] [Spear Mastery (Lv.4)] [Power Thrust (Lv.5)] [Double Shot (Lv.2)] [Firebal (Lv.2)] [Dragon's Heart (Lv.1)]