I threw the dagger at the approaching naga.

  I… don’t know how to throw knives. It’s not a skill I honed in the real world, and unfortunately it wasn’t a skill I currently had in the game. I was hoping the Kinetic Overload would negate my inability to expertly throw knives.

  The dagger hit the creature as it was about five feet away. The hatchling naga had two of its arms reared back to swing forward, the other two pointed right at my neck. The dagger hit it in the chest. It wasn’t a clean hit; the blade didn’t sink into its flesh. The dagger hit it at an odd angle, sideways.

  Ordinarily, this would have been harmless.

  I willed all four charges of Kinetic Overload to release upon impact.

  The dagger exploded into flaming shrapnel as it hit the naga. I was blown back and felt a sting in my right leg.

  “Ouch! Shite!” Helga shouted.

  I sat up, quickly assessing myself. All limbs intact — except for a shard of metal protruding from my leg. I would survive. I hobbled to my feet.

  The hatchling staggered backwards, its chest a bloody mess. The two arms it had extended towards me were blown off at the elbow, both blades were on the floor near my feet.

  The naga used its remaining two arms to lift itself back up off of the ground. Its health flashing and deep into the red , dropping steadily as blood poured from the wound on its chest.

  I played the song again, directing the energy into one of the swords that lay nearby. The naga swayed unsteadily as it slithered towards me, its two blades held out defensively.

  Performance Complete! Success rating: 65%.

  I crouched, nearly falling over from the wound on my leg, but managed to stay upright as I picked up the sword.

  It glowed with red energy that was noticeably fainter than the dagger’s glow had been. It shouldn’t matter. I hoped not, anyway. I moved around the table, putting it between me and the approaching monster, and flung the sword out. Dropping behind the table, I willed all four charges to once again detonate on impact.

  Magical Explosives skill increased! (1/50)

  Thrown Weapon skill increased! (1/50)

  I didn’t see the impact, as I was crouched behind the table, but I felt and heard it. The detonation was not as loud or as forceful as the dagger, and thankfully no more metallic shrapnel showered the room — but the impact was enough to silence the shrill screams of the naga. I glanced around the barrier.

  The sword must have hit the beast in roughly the same area, because it had finished what the initial hit started. The naga lay in pieces, its head, arms, and lower portion scattered in a small radius amongst a puddle of viscera and blood.

  Quest Complete! Survive the Adventurer’s Guild class selection examination and be assigned a new class! Rewards have been placed in your inventory!'

  -DING-

  Welcome to level 3! New stat points available for distribution!

  "Well, shuck me crabs an' dipp’em in butter, that was a fine exam!” Helga shouted from the corner. I noticed a bloody rag tied around one of her arms that hadn’t been there before.

  “Did I do that? I’m so sorry,” I said, consuming another potion from my quick slot bar while I pulled out the shard of metal from my leg with a hiss. The wound closed nearly instantly.

  “Wha, this? Lad, 'tis nothin' but a scratch! But them kobold an' naga! Oh! Ya blew them right inta tha afterlife! It was amazin' to watch. Gods, I love my job.” She looked at me with a wicked smile.

  “Been a long time since we had a bard join the ranks. Most tend ta stick with entertainin’ an’ impregnatin’ any which thing they can. Glad to have ya.”

  She walked over and patted me on the back, as the ground absorbed the various bits that remained of the naga hatchling. The pedestal sank back into the floor and the gentle luminescence provided by the roots around the room began to dim. I managed to pick up one of the naga’s discarded daggers before the floor consumed it.

  “Let’s get ya back to the Guild Master and share tha good news! Glad I won’t be lightin’ the cremation furnace today.”

  I worried the whole way back. Would I be allowed entrance into the Adventurers Guild? I had blown up an adventurer, a tester at that… well, maybe not blown up, but she had certainly been hit with debris from my explosion.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Helga knocked on the door leading to the Guild Master’s study with a measured rhythm. I heard the murmur of conversation break off suddenly, and a few moments later, the door opened. An angry elven man with long silvery hair and pale skin strode out, scowling at Helga, and ignoring me completely.

  “Think on my words, Elyva. Inaction is, in and of itself, action,” he said, before hurrying past us with his head held high.

  “Come in,” Elyva called, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

  “What manner o’ creature done crawled up Aldwin’s craw?” Helga asked as we walked into the room.

  “Mayor Alwdin Endel,” Elyva said with reproach, “has concerns, but they are not for you.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I apologize, Helga. He has a way, and it always agitates me. How did the exam go?”

  Helga proceeded to outline the results of the exam. Elyva’s stoic expression remained throughout the telling, the only visible reaction being her eyes widening slightly at the mention of the naga hatchling, and my class selection. My heart lurched as I prepared myself to be exiled from the Guild.

  “Bombastic Busker. A bardic iteration. Interesting. Bards are rare — offensive bards, more so. You are going to be a danger to any party you adventure with,” her eyes moved pointedly to the bandage wrapped around Helga’s arm.

  “Lest you hone your skills to perfection. You must maintain a diligent work ethic, to keep collateral to a minimum. Congratulations on your class selection.”

  She pulled a thick tome from a drawer behind her desk and opened it. It landed with a heavy thump, and she began turning pages.

  Hope rekindled in my chest. I wasn’t going to be kicked out?

  “Bardic mentors are few and far between in Verdantbrook. They usually get out of the dangerous life after acquiring a few entertainment skills, to live in luxury and excess.” She scowled as she spoke.

  “Hmm, yes. We do have a member of sufficient rank to take on a mentee. Oh. Him.” She looked up at me with a mixture of empathy, which was a strange emotion for me to see in her eyes, and disgust.

  “Cahl Goldentone. It is to your great misfortune that he is the only current member in the city with the prerequisite rank and skills to become a mentor.”

  “Goldenpuddle?” Helga asked. She sounded horrified.

  “Goldentone,” Elyva corrected, “I will not have derogatory remarks aimed at members of the guild in my presence, regardless of their validity.”

  “Aye, sorry, Guild Master. My mistake. Won’t be happenin’ again.”

  Elyva nodded. “As you say. You are dismissed, Helga. Thank you for the report. Chanter, remain. We have a bit more to discuss.”

  Helga stood and bowed to the Guild Master, blushing. She turned to me with a smile that seemed to take up half of her face.

  “It’s been a pleasure meetin’ you, Chanter. I can’t wait to see what ya blow up next!” She winked as she left the room, not giving me a chance to respond.

  “There will be none of that in this town,” Elyva said, as the door swung closed. “I am warning you now. Any unsanctioned explosions within the city limits will result in criminal charges, of which the Adventurer’s Guild will not be liable, regardless of your membership status. All. Explosions. Are. Unsanctioned. Repeat that back to me, so I know you understand.”

  I felt warmth flood my cheeks as I remembered Helga’s wound. “All explosions are unsanctioned. I won’t blow up anything in the town.”

  “Perfect, though likely a lie. Ensure any explosions you do cause are small enough and far enough away from the local authorities that they go unnoticed. You will be personally responsible for any destruction of property, physical harm, and loss of life that results from your actions.” She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.

  “I tell this to every adventurer, but it is exponentially more important for adventurers and prospective adventurers, of the more destructive variety, to understand.”

  “Understood. I’ll keep that in mind, thank you, Guild Master.”

  Elyva slid a new token across the table towards me. It was a dull copper. I inspected it.

  Mentor Token. Present to a potential mentor as an official request for sponsorship into the Adventurer’s Guild.

  “Return the temporary housing room key to Kleyn as you leave the guildhall. Take this token to Cahl. Convince him to sponsor you. You cannot be accepted into the Adventure’s Guild without a mentor sponsorship.” Her eyes returned to the book and she skimmed a few lines, her brows knitting together.

  “Cahl has no known residential address, and has not been to the guild in… two years. We have rumors that he frequents the Fisherman’s Daughter. That is the extent of our information on Cahl.” She paused for a moment, tapping her fingers along the top of her desk before continuing.

  “You will need to travel to another city to obtain a mentor, if you are unable to find Cahl and convince him to sponsor you. He has never before accepted a mentee. Good luck. And remember, no explosions in the city. I have enough trouble with Mayor Endel as it is.”

  She mumbled the last part under her breath. I stood, copying the bow I had seen Helga give. Elyva’s eyes squinted in the faintest hint of a smile.

  “Yes, Guild Master, no explosions. Fisherman’s Daughter. Thank you for this opportunity.”

  She held the mentor token out and I took it. Our fingers touched as the token was exchanged between our hands and I felt a now-familiar sensation ripple through my body. Another notification generated and minimized. I had a few of those now that I needed to check when I could.

  New Quest! Obtain a Mentor and Referral to Join the Adventurer’s Guild. Reward: Adventurer’s Guild Membership, 1 Copper Adventurer’s Chest, Copper Coins 10x, 1,000 Experience points.