"Nashiin, you say…and you've encountered them before?" Wilfred asked seriously.

"Yes, I'm surprised you haven't heard of them. They nearly leveled the Tûrathiin marsh and reduced the Jadhariin population by more than half.

"Is no one in this city interested in what happens to their neighbors? My understanding is that a good deal of Jadhariin immigrants live here," Julia explained with simmering outrage.

She was in Wilfred's office going over a debrief of her exam in the forest. He had taken each individual group in first: the Steels, then the Irons, and finally the students. He'd saved Julia's story for last, and she had far more to say than he'd likely expected.

"There is a large population of elves in the city, but you must understand. Things have been…tense lately. New laws and orders come down nearly monthly, and each is more restrictive than the last—particularly for the elves.

"As I mentioned when we picked you up at the gate, travel restrictions are in place, and as difficult as it is for the average citizen to move in and out, it's nigh impossible for elves. They would likely be the primary people keeping up with goings on in the marsh, so being stuck here has likely stifled the flow of information from that direction.

"Not to mention the use of the post would require money to spend…which—well, times are tough for everyone," Wilfred trailed off.

Julia picked up on what he was dancing around.

"But specifically bad for elves," she declared.

Wilfred nodded, a complicated look on his face.

"Why don't you head back to the hotel for now, Julia? Your companions should be there, and they will likely be able to tell you more than I. The Guild is…we're neutral in all matters, up to a certain point.

"Regardless, I will confer with the appropriate authorities on the results of your exam. I will call for you when we are ready, but I expect you will hear from us tomorrow. There shouldn't be much to discuss," he finished.

Julia nodded and rose, leaving his office in a daze. Her mind was working overtime as she attempted to figure out what was going on here. Wilfred spoke of policies and rules that prevented the elves from even checking in with their family in the marsh. However, he didn't mention that there was pandemonium in the streets or the like, so the changes must be subtle or slow enough that people aren't riled up.

In other words, the policies didn't specifically target elves. They just affected them disproportionately.

So deep in thought was she that when a hand fell on her shoulder, she instinctively began to ready a spell. Fortunately, she noticed it was Cass's hand before she loosed any magic.

"You've finished your exam?" she asked.

Julia nodded. Cass seemed to have information already, and Julia's thoughts were still scrambled after being yanked from her focus. No need to keep it a secret. On the contrary, the Guild had taken measures to make her exams more public than they would've otherwise been.

"You'll get Adamantine, no problem. When you do, you might take a look at the South Quarter. Used to be an industrial district—big warehouses, distribution centers, stuff like that. You can only get in by taking a ferry across Stone Lake—the lake down in the center of the crater. Might find what you're looking for there, or at least a clue," she said before nodding and walking away in the opposite direction.

Julia felt like she should ask for more details, but she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to consider it much.

She opened the door to the hotel in a trance and made her way back to the shared room, thinking constantly about the issues at hand. She found all the elves seated around the fireplace in the sitting area, subdued looks on their faces, matching her own.

"You have returned—triumphantly, I expect," Sahira said with a small smile.

Julia smiled back and nodded while she sat on one of the couches next to her. Julia gave a rundown of all the events that transpired during the job, making special note of the Etherium and the Nashiin leader's likely connection to the Ether itself.

Silence settled on the room when she finished, all processing what she'd said. Julia had other things on her mind, however. She began to explain what Wilfred had told her: about the restrictions and their effect on elves in particular. When she finished, she sat back on the couch, looking at the others expectantly, as Wilfred had suggested they had more information.

"This lines up with our experience thus far," Sahira confirmed.

"Yeah, we couldn't find an inn that would serve us. They all used some slang—'spike-ears'—around us, which we eventually figured out was probably a pejorative of some kind.

"Many shops would not do business with us, and the ones that would either raised their prices to outrageous amounts or limited their available inventory—they straight up wouldn't sell things to us. Couldn't find any rhyme or reason for it. Seemed like they just wanted to make things difficult for us," Talnîr explained.

"Most jarring was that we encountered no other elves in all our time searching the streets for lodgings and provisions. These residents had such intense dislike for us, yet we found none like us," Ithshar said, staring into the fire.

The group was quiet for a few minutes, each thinking through all the information they had learned. Eventually, Julia broke it.

"Have any of you heard about the South Quarter? Apparently, it used to be a business district for storing and transporting goods—lots of warehouses. Ring any bells?" she asked.

"We heard it repeatedly, yes, though without the details you provided, Julia. Several people we spoke to referred to us as 'South Quarter trash,' or something similar," Talnîr clarified.

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"I see. When I was on my way over here, Cass stopped me in the hall—said I should visit the South Quarter. Might find answers, or a lead at least, over there. Gotta take a boat across the crater lake to get to it," Julia explained.

Everyone thought silently for a while before Talnîr stood.

"Guess we'll head over there tomorrow, then? I'll get something to eat," he said, leaving the room to head down to the hotel bar. Julia had never been in such luxury—they could just walk downstairs and have food made for them—yet so subdued.

"Why don't we stop by the Guild in the morning to hear the results of the exam and head over after?" she suggested.

Everyone nodded their agreement and settled in for the evening. The atmosphere lightened, but Julia couldn't help dreading what she might find the next day.

"Discovery of the threat within the forest, the unfortunate fate of the disappeared, the safe return of all members of each party, and even coaching and training for the students. The objectives for the job—and your exam—were completed successfully, and then some," Wilfred said with a small smile, reading over notes in front of him.

Julia was, once again, seated in front of his desk. She'd come at mid-morning expecting him to have her exam results, and she was right.

"A few notes: first, more praise. Your handling of the undead was spectacular. Your prowess is frightening—literally frightening according to some of the adventurers we interviewed on your return. I'll not say who," he said with mirth and a wink.

"But, your decision to continue the investigation as planned despite having observed that the situation was not as expected was contentious. Some thought it an unnecessary risk. By your own admission, you spotted the obelisk and sensed the presence of those undead before you even entered the forest.

"The safest option would have been to return and report the changed situation to the Guild. Not only would we have been better prepared with more information, we wouldn't have sent students.

"That said you dispatched almost literally all the undead single-handedly, up to and including this 'Wight of Deathflame'—whatever that means. So perhaps you, being fully aware of your own capabilities, didn't view the situation as risky.

The Guild does not attempt to squeeze the full extent of its members' abilities from them, so it could be that your abilities being mysterious to us all is what makes your decision seem reckless, while it was never even a consideration for you.

"In the end, we decided to neither add nor detract this decision from your overall merit for the mission. We simply do not know enough, and you managed regardless. Analyzing uncertain situations and making the best decision you can in the moment is part of being a leader—as is accepting the consequences of those decisions. In this case, the result is neutral.

"Now, you did experience friction with some of the adventurers," Wilfred began, looking over the top of his little spectacles at her.

"Don't pretend like you didn't seed that friction yourself. Forcing me—a young girl completely unknown to this branch and its adventurers—to tear leadership away from an established party of Steels, dropping the Founder's name, and explaining that I was being tested for a rank well above them was not the right move if you wanted serenity," Julia chided—she might be socially-lacking, but she wasn't stupid.

"Ahem—well, resolving conflicts within your team is part of being a leader as well. Of course we would like to test this necessary skill.

"You did well enough with what you had. Your conflict resolution gets a pass—with a caveat. Brute force worked in this instance, and it's certainly true that there are some people that simply won't understand anything except strength. However, you are in for a rough time if you attempt to use force and intimidation with everyone.

"Force and intimidation are hammers. Sometimes you need a hammer, but other times, rather than smashing a hammer against the door, you could simply turn the knob—if you understand me?" he said seriously.

She was aware of this, but she could use as many pointers in social skills as possible, so she simply nodded. Obviously, she wouldn't be trying to force or intimidate people if she didn't have to.

"Excellent. The key point to this exam is that you aren't required to be the best leader to become an Adamantine—there is room to grow even at this height—but you must at least be competent.

"I would say, as would all your proctors, that you, Julia Nȳralin, have demonstrated extraordinary competence—particularly with your combat prowess. Indeed, I wonder if your future might include becoming the first Orichaclum Guild member ever appointed by this branch.

"It pleases me greatly to bestow upon you the rank of Adamantine. Please, take this badge. If you pass mana through it, it will register to you—and you alone. It will serve as your identification within the Guild and anywhere the Guild operates," Wilfred said, standing and handing a dark green rectangle to Julia with rigid formality.

The rectangle was plain and unadorned, though clearly made of Adamantine. As Julia passed her mana through it—a task she was uncertain would succeed, as Adamantine was mana-repellant by nature—it seemed to disappear completely from her hand.

She looked up at Wilfred in surprise, but if anything, he looked even more surprised than she.

"It's—uh…it's never done that," he muttered.

Julia began to wonder what went wrong when a sudden thought struck her: check her dimensional space. Sure enough, there it was. She pulled it out, and it appeared in her hand, but its appearance was quite different.

Rather than the dull, dark green, the badge had changed to match her armor—a crimson red with the same geometric patterns of gold. It was also gilded in what was clearly Orichalcum…which was strange, seeing as it was supposed to represent her Adamantine rank.

In addition to the material change, there was an insignia emblazoned on the front—that of two large moth wings. Each wing was large and swirled with those same geometric patterns, but at the largest part of each wing was an eye—an eye with many pupils orbiting around the central pupil.

Julia smiled.

"How exactly are these badges made? Using a method left by the Founder?" she asked, looking up at the awestruck Wilfred.

"Huh? Oh—yes, that's right. I don't know many details about their creation, as they are delivered to the branches in regular shipments. I don't even know where they're made or how, but there have been credible rumors for many centuries that they are made using a method left by the Founder himself," he explained, wiping sweat from his brow.

"That makes sense. Don't worry about this happening again, Wilfred. My mana is a little…unique. That was the cause of this conundrum, I suspect.

"Thank you for your assistance. If there's nothing else, I have some business lined up today," she said, storing the badge away once again.

"Yes, indeed. I will be here should you need anything—as will the Guild. It's not written anywhere, but you'll find the Guild will be willing to assist you with most anything in its power. Adamantine and above are the Guild's strongest allies. We need you, and we will do our best to keep you happy—within reason," he explained with a sly smile.

Julia returned the smile with a nod before leaving his office. This was all well and good, but she had a mystery to uncover.

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