Diablo awoke the next day. His throat was rather sore. It had been the most he had ever spoken, period. Thinking back, the young man couldn't help but think he was an idiot. He was sure he had bored the Empress to death. Not to mention all the death stares he got that night. Although he couldn't place why the Second Prince seemed so glad to have the Empress off his hands.

With a shake of his head, Diablo decided that was a thought for another time. He had to get to work. He also had to decide if he was going to keep working for the Adventurers Guild or become a member of it. Both had their advantages. Working for the guild meant a steady pay working a job that was very long, but not too hard. Meanwhile being apart of the guild meant he could decide his own work, but the pay would be smaller and irregular. He would also get to travel more.

While thinking on the subject, the young man walked to the Adventurers Guild. The day was cold, but it would warm up quickly once the sun was up. On the way, the few people that were up and heading to work gave the boy odd looks. They were used to seeing him every morning, but rumors of what happened at the castle were already being spread around town, each time slightly more extravagant than the last.

By days end, it would have been turned into that the pair had danced like two soul-mates in an eternal dance of love. By the end of the week, it would be that they had sex right there. Then by the end of the month, no one would care and the story would drop somewhere close to what actually happened.

By the time Diablo had gotten to the guild, his mind had completely shifted from his work life to the night with Diana. Things had just seemed so natural at the time. But now that it was all over, the young man couldn't keep the blush off his face as he thought about it. He only hoped that everyone would think it was from the cold. But he knew they wouldn't. Adventurers were too perceptive at the worse of time.

Stepping inside the guild, Diablo was confronted with an odd sight. Instead of Millie getting to work early and ready to order the younger man around, she was absent. That was the first bell that went off in his head. The second was that both Griff, his long-time mentor and uncle figure was talking to the Guild Master, Koran.

Koran Was an older lady, a powerful combat mage who specialized in weapon enchantment. This allowed her to fight with the best of men even though she was physically weaker. Her hair was a pale blond with white streaks going through it from age. She stood an average 5'6 and seemed not very special at all. Until she pulled out her enchanted rune armor and rune sword.

"Ah, young Diablo. Just the child, no, young man, we needed to see." The elderly lady said once Diablo had entered the building.

"Ey, we been talk'en bout ya an' ya future." Griff told the younger man. For the first time, Diablo could remember Griff's face seemed rather strained like he hadn't slept well.

"What do you mean?" Diablo asked. He felt his heart race at their words. Why would they be talking about him? He was unsure why they were talking about him. Diablo had always made sure to stay out of trouble, even when it went finding him.

"Tis about that lass. The Empress. Seems like ye have been getting acquainted." Griff paused for a moment, his lips going thin and tight as he thought about his words. "The guild is strong. We can protect our own. But... Not many will be will'en ta fight fo a whelp."

"What Griff means is that the Empress has many people vying for her attention. Although she isn't much more than a figurehead and someone to do the paperwork, that may change in the near future. She is getting older and smarter at an alarming rate. If certain influential nobles that are looking to vie for her attention find out that an orphan from the Kingdom of the Plains holds her attention, then they will kill you."

Diablo went wide-eyed at this new. He felt his mouth go dry. It had never even crossed his mind that people may be trying to kill him just for being friends with Empress Diana. Yet the Guild-Master continued on.

"Now, we are a very influential guild. Even if people look down on us, we hold much gold, land and strong swords. So normally when something happens, so long as it was not on purpose, we protect our own. But we do not force others to fight for someone they don't want to. As Griff elegantly put it, although you are popular, it is not enough for people to fight for you. Now, if you prove your strength and that you are an asset to the guild, that is a different story. Unfortunately, we cannot make special exceptions. So you will have to go through the same hoops as everyone else to go up ranks."

Suddenly Griff stood up, a stack of papers in his hands. "Now, lad, we know you be wanten ta become an Adventurer. So dat makes things easier. Perhaps ya were planning on wait'en a bit long'a, but we an't got the time. I already filled out ya application. Sign 'ere" Griff held out a contract to the boy. "Then the Guild-Master here will approve it. Once that be done, you gotta complete ten quests to apply for stone rank. After dat, we need a come up with a plan to boost ya to copper. Tis the lowest rank people will bother ta fight for."

Diablo, slightly in shock, only nodded his head and signed the paper. Afterwards, Griff shoved the ten quest papers into his hand, after removing the pencil from it. While the young man stared at the papers, Griff handed the contract to the Guild-Master, who stamped it without looking, then handed Griff a peice of fired clay with a hole in the middle-top of it.

Griff then quickly put it around Diablo's neck. "Listen well, boy. Ya be smart, so don't do nuthen stupid. Ya got talent. A lot o' it. That's why we be do'en this for ya. I'm also call'en in a big favor with granny over there. So don't go fuck'en this up or tis both our heads."

Griff then took the spear off his back and handed it to Diablo. "I know this be sudden an all. But two peices o' advice. Leave now and learn another mastery. Learn the dagger. Only ten or so levels ya hear? If ya too good with it, people will think ya an assassin or thief. If ya not good enough with it then what's th' point o' 'aven a backup weapon? Swords too long ta learn and ya don't 'ave the strength for it. So no be'en a knight."

Diablo only nodded some more. He could see tears starting to well up in the older man's eyes. He had been a hard-assed old man the almost five years they knew each other, but Griff had always watched his back, even when he didn't know he was. Bribes to the guards to ignore the child running in and from the woods each week. Thinning the larger groups of [Goblins] early on in the training. Even going so far as charging one fourth the price he should have to teach [Skills].

"Now git' ya brat. Run along be'fo da oth'as rive." Griff's voice started to get choked up, his accent becoming even more prominent than before. "Ten quests. All ya got'a do. We plan fo what ta do af'a dat." With a solom last nod, Griff stood tall and walked away from the boy.

"Run along boy. The first quest is a weeks distance to the south. In a village called Rosewood. A group of undead are haunting an old castle. They seem to have no master, so they are but mindless shambling corpses. A child could kill them if they got over their fear of undead." Koran told Diablo. "Your adventure starts here, young one."

"Yes, ma'am. Griff.... Thank you..." Diablo told the older man, before heading out the door and towards the south gate. He walked with a straight back, ignoring the tears that fell down his cheeks. Just like Griff had always told him too.

Meanwhile, with Griff and Koran, the talk continued.

"He is something different. I will give you that. I felt drawn to him the moment my eyes were set on him." Koran mused to Griff, who was struggling to hold back tears.

"Ey. 'E does dat 'e does. Fate got big 'ol plans fo dat one yes they do. Glad I could play my part in it all. But a boy like him. Sh'n't be forced down this path. No child shoo'd. Why Koran. Why they gotta be after a boy like him. He an't done nuth'en no boy his age wouldn'd done. It's fuck'en bullshit. If I 'ad me other arm i'd protect him meself." Griff looked at his missing arm. The tears finally breaking out from behind his eyes.

"Griff, I know yo-"

"DON'T!" Griff shouted, cutting off Koran. "I know! I know. If I 'ad me other arm a thousand tings would be different. No point in wish'en. Ta wish fo something is ta take from another. Nuth'en be free. An't in my nature ta make others suffer. But dat boy. He got a future he does. I wanna be there to see it. But i'm gett'en weaker each day. The wound is magic. When it festers, no cure can stop it but feed'en it magic. Dat's why I taught da boy so much for so little. Now it be all in his hands."

[Soldiers spear]

[Durability 60/60]

Diablo

Level 8

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 13

Constitution: 4

Intelligence: 26

Wisdom: 17

Charisma: 3

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)]