Chapter 41

“Stop fidgeting,” I said, reaching out to hold Stephen’s hand.

We weren’t the only bronze rankers in attendance, but that didn’t make us stand out any less. In fact, we likely stood out even more due to the fact that we both had our Ascender titles visible.

It was a calculated decision. Besides, it wasn’t like we could reasonably expect our status to remain concealed among such a group.

While most of those in attendance were strangers, enough were familiar that I knew it was only a matter of time before our status as Ascenders was shared openly. Instead of seeming like we were trying to hide it, Stephen and I had decided to embrace our status.

Clearly, he was second-guessing that decision right now.

I couldn’t say I enjoyed the feeling of being scrutinized so heavily, but it also wasn’t entirely new to me, either. I’d been one of the rare tri-affinity mages in my old realm, and that status had come with a lot of attention.

The lobby of the newly built Porter Guildhall had been completely redecorated for the Grand Opening. The space was packed with far more people than I expected to be capable of fitting within its walls, even with the spatial expansion enchantments that I suspected were embedded into the structure.

Most of those in attendance were either members of the guild or those capable of spending a lot of money hiring members of the guild. Just looking around, it was pretty easy to tell into which category any particular person fell.

For one, most of the older guild members wore metal circlets of varying design, while none of those I suspected to be merchants or quasi-nobility donned such jewelry.

I wasn’t sure if it was a guild thing or merely a fashion statement popular in Portal, where the guild was based. Since most of those looking to hire Porters were likely from the local area, it really could have been either one.

Less than five minutes after Stephen and I arrived, a fancy-looking man with hair that looked like frozen flames climbed onto the small stage that I was certain was not present when we’d initially visited to register.

Atop his head was a mithril circlet with decorative embellishments beyond what I saw being worn by anyone else. Behind him was a familiar face – the very same man who’d delivered our invitation to have lunch with the City Lord not very long ago.

“Welcome, everyone, and thank you for attending the Grand Opening of the Sorenguard Branch of the Porter Guild,” the flame-haired man said. “I am Solan, the Guild Leader of the Porter Guild. Beside me is Renald, the new Branch Leader for Sorenguard’s Porter Guild.”

We clapped politely along with the rest of the crowd. It didn’t take long for the applause to quieten, allowing the Guild Leader to continue his speech. I only half-listened as I examined the crowd around us.

As expected, the City Lord was present, as was his wife, Alora. So were several other well-known members of the community whom I’d come to recognize over the last year.

As my eyes skimmed over the large crowd, the Guild Leader mentioned that the Delver Association had officially declared the Sorenguard Ascender Dungeon as space and time aligned – a designation that I had expected to come any day now.

By tradition more than necessity, the Association always waited at least a full year from the reopening of an Ascender Dungeon to declare its official designation.

I wasn’t sure if it was because that was the amount of time a capable Ascender would take to reach the first evolution, or if there was some other purpose for the timeline. Either way, it didn’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

“So, the Originator must be both a Space and Time Magi,” a nearby attendee stated to their companion before glancing toward Stephen and me.

Stephen and I weren’t the only Ascenders present. Both the princeling and one of his former retainers were also present, though neither one had reached the first evolution yet.

They stood on opposite sides of the room, so it was clear they were aware of each other’s presence. It was also clear that their grudge hadn’t waned since they’d gone their separate ways.

I wasn’t surprised to see either of them here, even though neither was qualified to officially join the guild, considering they were both still unevolved.

I’d heard the princeling, whose actual name was Bradley or Braden or something similar, had joined a party of rich natives in exchange for a Portal skillbook.

By contrast, Rowan, his former retainer, was a Space Magi rather than someone who’d been lucky enough to acquire the right skillbook.

If not an actual Space Magi, he had at least ascended with a strong Space affinity, which was probably why space was the predominant aspect in the dungeon instead of time.

As far as I knew, none of my fellow Ascenders had a time affinity except for me, and while my affinities influenced the dungeon more heavily than the other Ascenders, their affinities also played a part.

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Though I’d talked to Rowan in passing a few times since ascending, I hadn’t dug too deeply into his capabilities with space magic since I hadn’t wanted to reciprocate.

He’d stuck with one of the other nobles – the one who hadn’t joined the Healer’s party – and had formed a new party with a couple of new delvers from important families.

Like the clerk had suggested, partying with the children of the rich and powerful let them gear themselves with bronze-ranked equipment, which let them advance faster than they otherwise would have.

Using Identify, I could tell that Rowan was only a few levels away from reaching the first evolution, which was far ahead of his old liege, who was still sitting at level 136.

Reaching level 136 after just over a year was still fast… for a native. But for an Ascender with strong equipment and support, it was downright embarrassing.

Renald, the new Branch Leader of the Porter Guild, spoke for a few minutes about his plans for the branch and his intention to extend the guild’s overall network by having old members escort new members to various locations.

He also hoped that some of the more capable members might take the initiative to travel on their own to new cities and locales on this side of the world as well.

Since the metaphorical web covering this side of the world was extremely thin, gaining full coverage would take time. According to Renald, it was not something he expected to see in his lifetime, even with more than a millennium left in his lifespan.