“Who the hell is that guy?” Wyn asks to no-one in particular.

  “I do not know!” responds Psai helpfully.

  Wyn rushes in the direction The Watcher in Black indicated. She walks as fast as her legs can take her, but avoids breaking into a full run.

  “That guy had a title. What’s that about?”

  “An excellent question! Individuals within Eden are granted titles as a sign of their progression.”

  “And why don’t I have any titles?”

  Titles Panel Unlocked

  A new menu granting you new titles as you progress through Eden.

  Title Granted

  Outworlder - Common

  A title granted to all new players in Eden.

  Title Granted

  #ERROR - Primordial

  #ERROR, Description not found

  Wyn groans. The hustle and bustle of starting in Eden, and the whirlwind of questions has distracted Wyn from the largest mystery thus far: whatever the hell is going on with her class. Wyn mentally places finding answers about her class at the top of her to-do list. Once she finds the Mage’s Guild, she will take some time to explore her two classes and grow her skills. She’s spent more than enough time fumbling about the new world, and Wyn needs to give some dedicated time to developing her skills.

  Lethisburg changes as Wyn approaches the old mage’s quarter. Gone are the bright markets and cobbled streets of the city proper; in their place rise rough-hewn wooden structures and muddy gravel roads. The air itself feels heavier here, tinged with the scent of smoke and damp rot. Once-proud buildings lean tiredly against one another, their windows boarded or shattered, their signs faded beyond legibility. The chatter of merchants gives way to the indistinct murmur of whispered bargains, the clink of coin exchanged for goods best left unspoken. Faces turn to watch Wyn pass, some hollow-eyed, others sharp and hungry, and the laughter that echoes from a nearby alley carries a bitter edge. A child darts by, barefoot and quick, clutching something too tightly to be innocent. Stray dogs nose through refuse. A man with a broken lute hums tunelessly beside a fire barrel. Here, prosperity feels like a story people stopped telling long ago, and in its absence, desperation has taken root, shaping the streets and the souls that linger within them.  Wyn speeds up; she doesn’t want to be caught unaware. She ducks left and right, darting through the winding streets and alleys, ensuring her pattern is random, and without discernible direction. After darting through each alleyway, Wyn enters what was once a large common area. Vines and weeds cover cracked stone walls and rotting wooden benches. A large white-stone fountain sits in the center, its murky water still and smelling of rust and decay. At the far end of the square sits an impressive building, the grandest she’s seen thus far. Its two large wooden doors rest shut below an arch of weathered stone. The building must’ve once been magnificent. Tall spires of once-glittering white stone lay broken, tattered banners flap helplessly in the wind, and beautiful stained glass windows are laced with cracks. Overhead, a brass plaque still reads “Arcane Consortium, Lethisburg Hall,” in green rusted text.

  “Psai, is this really the place?”

  Psai floats in front of Wyn, a concerned expression crossing his orb face. “I believe so. The Mage’s Guild has fallen on hard times, it seems.”

  Wyn steps forward, carefully making her way toward the decaying building, stepping lightly as if afraid to disturb the forgotten place. She winces at each crunch of leaves, her eyes darting about to watch the area.

  “Damn rats. SHOO!” shouts a voice inside the building.

  The wooden door clanks loudly as locks are undone, before swinging open wide. A man stands in the doorway. He waves a broom at a dozen skinny rats, shooing them out of the building.

  “This is my library, not yours!” the man says.

  Wyn, wanting to continue practicing her abilities, conjures a mage bolt and launches it toward one of the escaping rats. The bolt of energy zips through the air, careening into a rat. It explodes into fine red mist as the poor rat practically evaporates on the spot. The other rats, not wanting a similar fate, scurry away, with 3 of them dashing past the man and back into the building.

  “Gee, thanks for the help, lady. Now I’ve got rat guts to clean up.”

  A magic circle appears midair, and a small ghostly hand appears. The man conjures a smaller broom and gives it to the hand. It lowers to the ground and brushes away the rat guts. The man gives a wide smile, clearly rather proud of himself, before turning to face Wyn. His gaunt face frowns with annoyance, attempting to create a serious energy about him. Sadly, it’s rather difficult to look serious when your hair sticks straight on end like a cartoon character who just stuck a fork into the electrical socket.

  Wyn swallows a laugh at the man’s appearance. “Are you the leader of the Mage’s Guild?”

  He groans, rolling his eyes, “How many times must I say it! We are the Arcane Consortium, not the Mage’s Guild. I swear, most people are far too perfunctory with their words. But yes, I am the Hall Master for Lethisburg, regrettably. Lothran Tilowey. What do you want?”

  “I’m Wyn. I have a quest to join the Mage’s… er, I mean the Arcane Consortium.”

  “Fine. Come inside. And don’t let any rats in.”

  Task Complete.

  Quest: Join the Mage’s Guild. At the suggestion of Captain Neil Drell of the Gilded Legion, seek out the Mage’s Guild chapter in the town of Lethisburg to learn more about Eden, and grow your skills.

  Objective Complete: Find the Mage’s Guild.

  Quest Updated.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Quest: Join the Arcane Consortium.

  At the suggestion of Captain Neil Drell, you have from the Lethisburg hall of the Arcane Consortium, more commonly known as the Mage’s Guild. The Hall Master, Lothran Tilowey, will need proof of your skill as a mage prior to joining the Arcane Consortium.

  Objective: Prove your skills to Lothran Tilowey and join the Arcane Consortium

  Lothran spins on his heels and steps inside, not bothering to see if Wyn follows him. His hair bobs with each step, forcing Wyn to stifle even more laughter. For someone positioning himself as a talented and refined mage, he certainly needs to work on some proper hair care to keep up the look.

  Magic permeates every corner of the building’s interior. Wyn’s skin prickles at the Essentia in the air. Elaborate metal cages line the foyer, with faintly pulsing crystals are inside them. They remind Wyn of her own Essentia Generator she received during character creation, but on a much larger and more elaborate scale. A set of stairs leads upwards towards a balcony, with hallways leading outward from the main foyer. Above Wyn, streams of Essentia swirl together and coalesce inside a large blue and purple crystal. Energy swirls inside the crystal, refracting the light emanating from the nearby floating light orbs into dazzling colors. Abundantly curious about the crystal, Wyn uses Rudimentary Insight on it.

  Item: Arcane Battery

  A large blue amethyst crystal enchanted by a powerful mage to store large quantities of Essentia.

  “Incredible…” says Wyn.

  “Indeed,” says Lothran, taking a seat at the large central desk. “Now tell me. Why do you want to join the Arcane Consortium?”

  “Honestly, I don’t have anywhere else to go. I—”

  Wyn pauses, considering how to continue. She remembers Neil’s advice about not discussing the real world with other players, so treads carefully as to not ruffle his feathers in case he’s an NPC.

  “I received magical abilities that I do not understand. I seem to have a class that grants illusion magic, but something is… blocking me from understanding the abilities fully.”

  “Fascinating. Please demonstrate what you know.”

  Wyn tries to use the Illusions from Beyond ability. The Essentia gathers inside her, and she focuses her mind on the image she wishes to create, when something starts to feel very wrong. Her fingers and toes freeze, their tips blackening with frostbite.

  “You fool!” Lothran shouts.

  Lothran leaps over the table and grabs Wyn by the arm. His body crackles with electrical energy, lightning arcing through his hair. Wyn panics, her eyes going wide, uncertain if her freezing fingers or the electrifying mage presents the greatest threat.

  “Stop casting. You’re going to kill yourself!”

  “How?!”

  Wyn’s voice is desperate; the air leaving her lungs condensates into a frigid mist. Lothran lets go of Wyn, and the electricity arcing across his hair rockets outward towards Wyn. Wyn braces, ready for the shock of her life, but it never comes. She opens her eyes and sees the arcs of lightning forming a magic circle, each arc of lightning crackling as the circle forms. A bead of sweat forms on Lothran’s brow as he drives the bolts of electricity to complete the magic circle.

  The circle forms at last, the arcs of electricity shooting outward, leaving a coppery ozone stench lingering in the air. With a last effort, Lothran shoves his palm toward the spell and pushes it onto Wyn. Lightning courses through Wyn, but doesn’t harm her. She feels the Essentia flowing through her veins like a stampede.

  “It’s too much!” says Wyn. Her skin feels ready to burst, the power flowing through her veins far too much for her.

  “Release the spell!” says Lothran.

  “Ms. Wyn, I strongly encourage you to take his advice! You have more than tripled your maximum Essentia levels!” says Psai.

  Wyn cries in pain as a weight presses from the back of her eyeballs. The edge of her vision goes black.

  Lothran scowls and backs away. “Wyn. I don’t want to clean up more guts today. You need to stop this.”

  “You… made… it… worse!” says Wyn, gritting her teeth.

  Wyn channels the excess Essentia into the first thing she can think of — The Arcane Battery. She turns upward and juts out her hands, willing the Essentia upwards and outwards to the crystal. Thankfully It listens. The Essentia pours out of her in a stream of spiraling purples and blues. The purple Essentia flickers, existing then vanishing, while the blue sparks with electricity.

  “Remarkable” Lothran murmurs from across the room.

  Wyn collapses to the ground, panting. She gives herself a quick once-over, running her hands over her body to make sure all her limbs are still intact. Her fingers are no longer frostbitten, but now her entire body feels ridiculously hot.

  Wyn glares at Lothran, her icy fear sublimating into white-hot rage. “The hell was that?! You could’ve killed me.”

  “I can’t believe it…” says Lothran, not hearing Wyn.

  She stands up and stomps her way to Lothran. He remains silent, deep in thought, so she finds another way to capture his attention. Wyn slaps Lothran hard, a bright red handprint covering the right side of his face. He blinks back into awareness, chuckling nervously.

  “I uh… my apologies, Wyn. I thought you could handle that much Essentia. I was wrong… evidently,” says Lothran. His persona of a stern mage falters with his words, revealing something more akin to a teenager found guilty of being out past their bedtime. Lothran coughs, then straightens up back to his full height.

  “Ahem. Anyhow, it’s clear you have a lot to learn, Wyn. All members of the Arcane Consortium must be at least Apprentice Rank, though… I may make an exception in your case.”

  Wyn is boiling over with rage.

  “Wyn. The individual you are about to attack is significantly higher level than you. It is not advisable to pick a fight with him,” says Psai.

  Wyn lowers her hand and forces herself to take a breath, calming her roiling emotions.

  “Fine. And what do I need to reach Apprentice rank?”

  “You first need to reach Novice Rank. Given your… unique abilities. I will grant you membership at Novice rank, but I cannot in good conscience let a Whelp-ranked mage join the Arcane Consortium.”

  “And how do I rank up?”

  New Quest!

  Rank Quest: Novice.

  You are brand new to the world of Eden, and have been marked as a Whelp. In order to participate in the majority of in-game content and faction quests, you must reach the rank of Novice.

  Objectives:

  - Acquire one skill of at least Uncommon rarity: 1/1

  - Reach Level 15: 4/15

  - Defeat a Boss: 1/1

  - Complete a quest: 0/1

  Quest Locked

  Quest: Join the Arcane Consortium

  At the suggestion of Captain Neil Drell, you have from the Lethisburg hall of the Arcane Consortium, more commonly known as the Mage’s Guild. The Hall Master, Lothran Tilowey, will need proof of your skill as a mage prior to joining the Arcane Consortium.

  Locked Objective: Prove your skills to Lothran Tilowey and join the Arcane Consortium

  Unlock Condition: Complete Rank Quest — Novice

  Wyn rolls her eyes at the new quest. Clear direction is nice for once — but there’s a problem. She’s got exactly two quests: Join the Arcane Consortium and her new Rank Quest. The first is locked behind the second, and to finish the second, she apparently needs to level up and complete another quest… which she doesn’t have. A perfect little circle of frustration.

  “Never mind. I answered my own question. Do you have any quests or jobs I can complete in the meantime?”

  Lothran gestures toward massive stack of papers atop small table beside the door. “Those are our outlying requests here in Lethisburg. Given that the only current member of the Lethisburg Hall is myself, we’ve gotten quite behind. Any quests marked for Whelps will be towards the top of the pile. Simply let me know which you prefer and It’ll be yours to complete.”

  Wyn walks over to the table and examines the large stack of papers. There are over 150 requests on this table, with many of them at Whelp rank. She sighs and plops herself down in a chair. She has a lot of reading to do before she picks out her first proper quest in Eden.

  Lothran watches her flip through the quests with restless energy, a faint smile ghosting across his face. Quietly, he sketches a glowing circle across the parchment, showcasing his practiced talent.

  Wyn freezes mid-page, sensing the flicker of Essentia behind her. She twists around.

  “Archmage—?” she whispers aloud, careful not to be heard by the Hall Master.

  But whatever he wrote has already drifted away, leaving only the faint shimmer of fading magic.