The Delver's Guild Academy, or DGA, is the finest – and only – dungeon-delving school in the Lost Angels region. In existence for over two hundred years in its current location, the school boasts the only known stable Tier 0 dungeon, making it an unparalleled place for young Delvers to build their Skills and Levels in preparation for full-fledged membership in the Guild.

  The opportunity to attend the Academy is a privilege, not a right, and that privilege may be revoked at any time. Read the contents of this book carefully, as ignorance of the rules is never an excuse for breaking them.

  - “Introduction to the Delver's Guild Academy”

  We spent another hour and a half training the next morning, and I worked on my speed shooting extensively. I finally picked up my first Level in the Recoil Management Skill after running through more than half of my mana just using my BB rounds to blast target after target. I felt like it made the stout kick of my shots just a bit easier to control, but I wasn’t completely sure.

  After eating a quick breakfast, we started on our last leg of the journey to the Academy. As we marched along, I turned towards G’hala and asked her what exactly a Shaman was.

   she replied.

  I agreed politely.

  She seemed to take this as an offer of membership in my Squad – mineand grinned widely, showing her fangs.

  

  She pulled her actual spear out of her Inventory and I noticed that it had a long, sharp-edged metal blade. Attached to the shaft below the blade were several feathers that fluttered slightly in the breeze before she stored the weapon again. I wondered if the difference between a spear and totem was the feathers.

  I asked instead. I hadn’t seen her or her brother use any obvious Skills when sparring the night before.

  

  I admitted.

   Raylan added.

  

   Alyssa didn’t sound thrilled.

  wasn’t afraid of a little pain. If Alyssa was, then I wasn’t sure she was cut out to be a Delver. Was she really here because she wanted to be, or because of her brother? At least Alex didn’t seem bothered by the idea.

  

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  That was good to know. Spears might seem like a basic weapon, but they didn’t fall under any of the general weapon Skills as far as I knew. It was important that she have Spears or it would be hard for her to fight effectively with it as our Levels increased. Satisfied that G’hala would be a formidable ally – not that I’d doubted it after watching her fight – I turned to her brother.

  He hissed a breath through his teeth, but a glare from his sister got him talking.

   he paused for a moment, then continued. he said, frustration clear in his voice and the set of his shoulders.

   he admitted.

   exclaimed Alyssa.

   the orc agreed.

   asked Zaire curiously.

  

  I wanted to ask more about their Clan history, but I was nervous. I managed to hold back, not wanting to offend them. To stop myself from going down that road, I pushed him for more information.

  

   Zaire asked.

   H’ruk responded with a glare. I was about to say something to deflect the potential argument when Alyssa jumped in.

   she asked. I wasn’t sure I’d heard the term before, but the meaning seemed obvious.

   the big orc admitted.

  

  Fortunately, H’ruk didn’t seem to take offence at her comment. I used the pause in the conversation to look around, noting that the road we were following seemed to be moving closer to the hills to our north. We were at the base of an incline and I wondered how far up the road went. Ahead, there was a fork in the road that led off to the right, along the slope, but Mason had already started down the left path.

  We climbed slowly over the next hour or so, the road occasionally dipping down or leveling out for a while before returning to a gentle uphill slope. At one point, a figure came racing down the road towards us. Not being in the Squad with Mason or Hassan, I couldn’t easily ask them who it was. I didn’t see any alarm in the way the orcs with Mason moved slightly to the side.

  As the person drew closer I could see just how they were moving. It was the kind of speed I’d only seen from Mason. Each of their steps seemed to carry them further than it should, almost like they were using Quick Step on every stride – which seemed impossible.

  Name: Liara

  Class: CourierStolen from RoyalRoad. Support AzureInk by reading the original.

  Tier: 2

  I moved to the side with the other recruits as the woman blurred past us without a word. I’d heard of Couriers before, they were supposed to be the fastest way to send messages between towns. I had thought most of them rode some kind of mount, but apparently there were exceptions. She was wearing minimal leather armor and had blonde hair that streamed behind her in a ponytail, but she was moving too fast for me to make out anything else about her.

  As we continued over a small rise, I could see farms down the hills to the south. They were spread out around a small town, probably only the size of Kincaid, with modest walls, in the distance. Up the hill ahead of us, I was able to make out what looked like another wall in the distance. It became clearer as we approached, and I guessed it was a bit higher than Sunland’s walls at maybe thirty feet or so.

  The wall spanned a small valley between two steep hills on either side, and the road led straight towards the main gate, which was standing open. Above the gate, centered on the wall, was the Delver’s Guild insignia in crimson against a black background.

  We had reached the Academy.