Today was the first day of a new life for a handful of hopeful knights. Today was exactly one year away from the next tournament that would select and inaugurate a brand new company of knights, prized by the different royal families living in the capital and adulated by the populace, they were the dream of many. They were all eager to succeed and so had presented themselves before the many guilds of Minstrel for a chance to be trained by the best and earn a few coins, equipment, experience and even fame in the process.

Today the whole capital was in effervescence by the appearance of various posters announcing the approaching tournament, urging the guild to have an influx of new hopeful. The competition will be rough, of course, but the rewards will be well worth it, many thought. And so our story begin, with each hopeful slowly making their way to their desired guild.

The Lucian Order, or more commonly the Priest Guild, was situated in the north of Minstrel, it's headquarters near the northern gate of the castle near the Lion lane. They were fervent practitioners of the ways of Light and thus were strong in both mind and body, their Faith giving them holy powers and they toned and disciplined bodies making their whole being one sole deadly weapon augmented by finely crafted knuckles or sharp claws, capable of both mercy and divine punishments.

The Thief Guild were in the sewers of the South District, their headquarters well hidden from those that were not one of their own or an hopeful and their connection reaching far and wide in the whole realms. They were a bunch of deadly cutthroats and skilled brigands that were ready for anything to reach their goal. They used the southern Snake Gate as the rally point and used poisoned daggers and wicked whips to discipline their enemies into complacence.

The Warrior Guild were placed near the Western Wolf Gate and were a bunch of mercenaries that were the best bodyguards around short of hiring a company of actual knights. They used swords, hammers or axes to destroy their enemies and were taking part in duels regularly to keep their skills sharp. Most were honorable and as close as a real family but there were some bad apples, as they say.

The Mage Guild was all about the unknown and about scholarly pursuit, their sharp minds dissecting mysteries like they were nothing and the occult studies permitting them to create, learn and cast strong spells with their staves of wands from the harmless creation of light to the deadly art of Necromancy. Nothing but the physical realm was out of reach of a mage.

The youths were but rookies but as they say, the first step lead to victory, and so their fate was forever altered by their intent to become one of the elite.

Terran ran through the dark alleyways of the western part of town. The Priest Guild had sent him on an assingment. Apparently a ghoul had been spotted in this area and Terran was hot on its tracks. He could smell the foulness, as this ghoul was malevolant and had already claimed an unfortunate human body. The possessed human was fast, but Terran was faster. Catching up, he brought out the vial of holy water supplied by the guild. The ghoul had gone into a local tavern. This can't be good, thought Terran to himself. He hid the holy water and looked at the nearby fountain. An idea. He examined the fountain before entering the tavern. The insignia on his chain mail obvious, many of the patrons quieted down and looked at him.

That was when he found the ghoul. The ghoul, possessing a human, lashed out with inhuman speed, nearly knocking over all the tables in its way. Terran suddenly blocked, parried a punch, and smashed his fist into its face. The ghoul, stunned, stumbled back a bit. Get it out of here, he thought. Never fight a ghoul in a crowded place. Ever. Seizing the stunned paranormal, he easily flung it out the door and into the cobblestones outside. It quickly recovered and lunged at him. A well-placed kick to its chest knocked it back 10 feet. The ghoul got up and continued its attack. Terran used an uppercut and a downward smash combo to level the ghoul and then pulled out the vial of holy water. The ghoul, knowledgable enough to know what that would do to its victim and itself, quickly tried to get rid of hit. Terran's hand was sweaty and after a fierce struggle, the ghoul knocked away the vial, only to be splashed by the other, the real holy water, which Terran had in the other hand. A flash of bright light and a scream later, and the possessed human was freed. The ghoul had been destroyed by the power of the holy water. This man was injured, and Terran began syphoning mana from his surroundings. Using his Quick Siphon, he healed the man and brought him into the tavern.

The most important thing to do for a victim of a ghoul was to make sure they were well-nourished. Terran bought himself beef stew and some mutton for the man. He was fairly healthy, a look of exhaustion on his face. "Thank you", he said to Terran. Terran nodded."Its my pleasure. How's your chest?" Terran envisioned the footprint that was probably upon it. "I can't feel it yet." The man looked at him and laughed. "I suppose thats a good thing or I would not accept the food you're getting me." Terran smiled and laughed with him as if they were old friends. They bumped their mugs of ale together and drank. Together they ate their food and Terran helped the man home. Mission accomplished. He headed back toward his guild to report his success.