“What do you mean no?! A mage css? That’s amazing! Do you know how rare they are!?” James yelled, throwing his arms up in excitement.

  “You don’t get it James,” Mik sighed, “A mage is great, yeah. But I don’t have a Family backing me yet. Do you know how much money it costs to get a mage off their feet? The equipment, enchantments. The contribution points for skills alone! No Family would back some orphan boy mage! I’m screwed!”

  Mik grabbed his head as it hung low. He had gotten a mage-type css. Normally, this would be something he would shout from the rooftops. But here in his situation it was incredibly different.

  Most mages came from long lines of standing lineages. And these bloodlines had deep ties with prestigious Families ready to take them at the drop of a hat.

  Of course they would. Thought Mik. They come with all the perks and none of the demerits. Their family gives them a proven track record, they have their equipment and skills already paid for and in order. They have ties with shops ready to throw whatever they want at them at a discount! Born with a silver spoon doesn’t even cut it for those mages! Might as well be a Heaven Steel spoon!

  Mik was beginning to descend into the depths of depression, defeat, and self-loathing. Unable to see how he could manage to do anything without the support of a Family’s reputation as a freshly divined mage.

  Then he saw James.

  Sitting in the wheelchair he had been forced into since they were much younger. Then he thought of the promise he had made to James. Promising to find a way to heal his injury no matter what.

  And when Mik had gotten the mage css, what was James’s first thought?

  To congratute him. Not despair that Mik had gotten a different css. His friend only thought of supporting him.

  He couldn’t let himself give up.

  “Mik?” James asked, concerned, “You don’t look so hot. Did the orb take that much out of you?”

  Mik shook his head, “No… I just had a lot to think about…” he put on a smile, “Now that I have a different css. I’ll just have to figure out how to make it work.”

  Mr. Bannon tapped Mik on the shoulder, “If you are done celebrating, we still have to register your card with the guild.”

  “Oh! Yeah, of course. Sorry Mr. Bannon.”

  They both moved over to the machine in the corner of the room. The faint glow Mik and James had seen earlier coming from a small rectangur hole in the center of the machine.

  “Prick your finger and pce a drop of blood in the hole. It will link and register you with the guild,” Mr. Bannon expined, handing Mik a small needle.

  Mik nodded, moving his hand and a finger over the glowing hole. Closing his eyes he stabbed himself more deeply than he wanted forcing a muffled scream from his mouth.

  “I said prick your finger, not stab it,” Mr. Bannon sighed, handing him a piece of cloth.

  “Sorry!” Mik apologized, James snickering from behind them.

  “It will take a few moments for the card to form. Don’t forget it costs a full G-Grade Crystal, no haggling and no shards. You hear me Mik.”

  “Thanks Mr. Bannon. I promise I’ll get it back to you soon.”

  Mr. Bannon’s face turned soft, “Don’t thank me just yet boy. I don’t like sending you young kids off to get killed.”

  Mr. Bannon pced a hand on Mik’s shoulder, “I know why you’re doing it, but be safe boy,” then he gave an impish grin, “I need you to make enough to start buying from the shop after all.”

  Mik gave an awkward ugh in response, moving his gaze over to the machine that seemed to be finishing up. In the few moments their conversation took, something physical began forming on the top of the machine, filling the hole.

  A bck card with gray trim finally manifested.

  Mik moved to receive the card, the moment he touched it a small screen hovered above it.

  [Mikhail] [G-Rank]

  [Family] None

  [Family Ranking] Unavaible

  [Current Family Boon Lvl] None

  [Family Title Boons]

  None

  [Collected Bounties] None

  [Completed Quests] None

  The card didn’t hold much information for now, but that also proved that Mik was at the startline. He had no Family and there were no accomplishments to his name.

  Yet.

  “Thanks again Mr. Bannon. Come on James, I need to get to the church library before I head to the Tower Gate.”

  “The Tower Gate? You’re heading there already?!” James said in surprise, “But you aren’t even prepared. You don’t have armor, weapons, catalysts-”

  Mik cut him off, “And I won’t have time to get them. Besides, I don't have money to buy them. That’s why I have to get into the tower and prove I can do it to Mary. Now come on we’re wasting daylight,” he smiled, wheeling James through the hallway and out the door.

  —---------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Why do we need to go to the library again?” James wondered aloud, jostled slightly by the speed Mik was pushing him.

  “Because I need to make sure I know how my new spell works. I also need to cross check the paths people have taken with this css. And I also need to make sure I know what’s on the first floor,” Mik replied.

  “We know what’s on the first floor. Big, powerful, rip you to shreds animals.”

  “But now I can use magic. How hard can they be to beat?”

  “Pretty hard I’d imagine, you don’t have a weapon, or a staff, or catalysts, or traps. Did I mention you don’t have anything?” James reiterated.

  “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. Are you even trying to help?”

  “You know I am. I’m just being realistic! Let’s think this through and talk to Mary. Now that you have a mage css she’s sure to be on board.”

  “Come on James, if she knew I went behind her back and went to a divining she would lock me away for a whole year. No, I have to prove I can do this before we tell her or she will never let me help the orphanage. Now are you going to help me or not?”

  James grumbled to himself, but nodded, “You know I will…”

  Mik smiled at his friend, pushing him down the street and toward the church.

  After a few minutes of retracing their steps some, then turning down a different street, cutting through a small market of stalls, they arrived at the church.

  The church in their city of Westeria, named after the Family that founded it wasn’t amazing but wasn’t anything to scoff at either. Not many followed the Goddess Emia here however she was still one of the more prominent gods making a church for her followers necessary to the city.

  Mik however, was more concerned with the library all churches kept.

  The boys made their way through the doors and quietly moved past the procession into a hallway that led to the library of the church. There they met the Father on duty who was half asleep and they didn’t find the need to wake.

  They hurried their way to the Guild’s resource section and began looking for relevant log books, journals and the like.

  “What are we looking for again?” James asked.

  “Css combinations, floor information, and I guess journals of beginning Climbers?” Mike answered, pulling a book from a shelf.

  “Right… It would help if they kept this pce organized. These shelves are a mess…”

  Mik shook his head, chuckling lightly, “You know we are half the reason they are a mess right?”

  “You mean you’re the whole reason they are a mess,” James rebutted, fiddling with a long chain attached to the bottom shelf, holding the books in pce.

  “What? I like to study.”

  James and Mik went back and forth while they picked through the shelves and eventually went to a table nearby.

  Mike combed through his books finding some of the information he was looking for.

  “Okay, so my css is Lightning Mage. It says here that the bonuses are two points in Magic every level and one point in Resistance. That isn’t half bad. And it gives a bonus to lightning magic, but that should be pretty obvious.”

  “Does it say how much of a bonus?” James asked, flipping a page.

  “No, it varies on level, but at least that gives me a roadmap of what skills to go for. As for the skill… It looks like I got unlucky,” Mik sighed, “The Static Shock skill might as well be a melee skill. Short distance, with low damage. It says with practice I can build up a charge and send it from my hand but it dissipates quickly without something to channel it, or without a catalyst to boost it…”

  Mik flopped forward onto the desk before picking himself up again to browse the books more.

  “Anything on your end?” Mik asked.

  “Nothing we couldn’t guess already. Most of the Lightning Mages have been known to use wands or staffs for their bonus damage with magic. A lot of them have access to catalysts that also help with magic damage and storing their magic for ter use. The cheaper ones go with weapons like swords, spears. It says there was one who used a bow,” then James ughed, “There was another one I’m reading that used wire to direct the lightning because he didn’t want to get a manipution skill.”

  Mik raised a brow.

  Wire to help direct the lightning… That isn’t a bad idea. Wire is cheap and I could probably get it once I get back. But I need something- He thought then spotted the chain on the bookshelves.

  “Perfect!” he excimed, running to the shelves, “Goddess please forgive me for what I’m about to do. I promise I’ll give them back and give a big donation to the church.”

  Mike removed the chains from the shelves, grabbing a total of three and wrapping them around his arms, tucking them under his sleeves.

  “Okay weapons secured. Now we just need to find information on the first floor.”

  James closed his current book, reaching for another and flipping through the pages for a moment.

  “Easy enough. The guild log says that there are Laurel Foxes, Bandit Squirrels, and Bck Deer on the first floor. They range from levels one to five. And the boss room can have any one of the three inside it.”

  Mik nodded, “That doesn't sound too bad… Thankfully there isn’t any monsters with elemental affiliation on the early floors. I guess that’s my only saving grace now that I’m going it alone.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe you can still ask the Westeria Family, or find some other Climbers who aren’t affiliated?”

  “No one is going to take me James. And an unaffiliated Climber would just use me for monster bait, I’d be putting an arrow in my foot before I ever took my first step.”

  Mik looked at his best friend and smiled, “Just keep Mary from finding out where I am for today okay? I’ll be back before you know it and have more than enough money to get us something good to eat for dinner!”

  James slumped into his chair, “I think I’d rather take the monsters… You sure I can’t just climb on your back while you Climb?”

  They both ughed.

  Mik did want to bring his friend, they had promised to Climb together when they were young but there was no way to do it right now.

  “Like I said James, I’ll be back before you know it.”

  James nodded as they shelved the books and began exiting the church, Mik pushing James in the direction of the orphanage before heading to the gate.

  —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “What do you mean I can’t enter the Gate? I have a Guild card right here!” Mik shouted showing his bck card.

  “No one bloody said you can’t enter. I said you had to pay to enter and you don’t got the crystal, so we can’t let ya pass,” the guard said firmly.

  “Of course I don’t have any money, I just got my card. I haven’t been to the Tower yet to get any! Let me through and I promise I’ll pay you back on the way out.”

  The guard looked at the other guard on duty, “You hear this? He’s gonna pay us back he is,” he ughed, the other guard joining in.

  “We don’t take IOU’s kid. You have to pay like all the other Climbers,” the second guard expined, letting another person pass them.

  “You didn’t take his money though?” Mik said.

  “Westeria Family,” the first guard chuckled, “Perks of knowing people ya see.”

  Mik frowned, “Come on man, make an exception for me. I’ll make it worth your while when I become an S-Rank Climber. Promise!”

  The guard elbowed the other guard, “Hear this? He’s gonna be a S-Ranked Climber he is. Not in a Family, no money, and fresh. Ha!”

  “Stop teasing the kid,” the second guard finally sighed, “We all had dreams right? I’ll tell you what kid. I’ll spot you the shards you need. But you’re going to have to pay me back.”

  Mik gave the guard a dubious look, “How much…?”

  The guard held up three fingers, “Three F-Grade Crystals.”

  “What?! Don’t you mean G-Grade?!” Mik shouted back in surprise.

  “Nope, F-Grade Crystals. Take it or leave it kid.”

  Mik bit his lip, “Fine, I’ll take it. Will you let me through now?”

  The guards looked surprised, double taking between each other and Mik for a moment before they moved out of the way and let him through.

  Mik walked past the two, going down a small dirt path towards a hovering bluish crystal ahead.

  “You know that kid isn’t coming back right?” one of the guards whispered to the other.

  “Why do you think I said three F-Grade Crystals? I thought he would have enough sense to say no!” the second muttered back.