QuestWright: Book 1: Chapters 1-3

The QuestWright Book 1: The Guildhall Grind

Chapter 1: The Open Book

Today

Today was the day that Cassio Vale became a bigger part of the world. 

He’d been patient when the system didn’t awaken on his fifteenth birthday. He’d cried himself to sleep when the sixteenth had come and gone. On the seventeenth, he’d despairingly crawled to bed, wondering if something was wrong with him. But with another year come and gone and the morning of his eighteenth birthday striking on a perfect day, he knew. It was time. It was today.

He’d finally get his calling.

Sliding down the spiraling bannister of his family home, he came upon an idyllic setting as he touched down. His mother was reading the paper, his father was cooking on the stovetop with a light smile, and his sister was still asleep. It was precisely how it should be on this momentous day. Then, reality crashed in.

“Hey, loser.”

Damnit.

“Hey Janine.” He replied, grabbing the seat in the middle as his father came over and ladled out the porridge with a wink. Several islands of freshly chopped up fruit took away the sting of having to see his sister so early. “Already dressed up?”

“What do you think dipshit?”

“Janine, language!” His mother said without looking up from her paper, “You’d better be careful around Cass. For all you know, his calling could be something incredible, like your cousin Hal’s.”

The sound of metal crashing together echoed in the room as Janine clapped her armored hands, “ha-ha-ha, mom. We all know Cass’s calling is going to be something lame, like street cleaner or-”

“Or chef?” His father asked, dumping a mountain of bacon and sausage on her plate. “Was that what you were going to say?”

“Of cours-”

“Of course she wasn’t, dear.” His mother interrupted before Janine could say something truly stupid. “Trade callings are the glue that keeps us all together. That’s why I married you.”

Cass snorted, “You married him because he’s the best chef in the whole region and you can’t go a day without a five-star meal.”

“That’s not true at all,” She said, finally putting her paper down as a perfectly-cooked frittata landed on her plate, “He also had a very cute butt.”

“Ug-gh” Janine complained through a mouth full of sausages.

Cass had heard enough. Lifting his mighty spoon, he went to battle with the daily porridge, plowing into it as if it were an evildoer about to take away the fair maiden in his charge. Finishing quickly, he wiped his face on a napkin and dropped it into the laundry before heading to the door. With a goodbye to his smiling parents and a quick glare at his grease-covered sister, he was out and into his perfect day.

Crossing the threshold, he knew that he wasn’t stepping out of his house as an eighteen-year-old boy, or an uncalled, but as a Vale, into a world that had finally made room for him.

He’d dressed specially for this day. His favorite cream-colored shirt with the stiff lapels. A pair of black slacks that were just tight enough to be form-fitted without constricting or giving away too much to the eye. And dress shoes, shined to a mirror-like glow that reflected all the wonderful things that were ahead of him. 

Today was the day.

Dodging past an angry cat that almost but didn’t quite touch his shoes, he waved down an old friend. His best one, in fact.

“Hey, Gary!”

The large man put down his load of flour, ‘Hey, Cass! You ready?”

Cass laughed in relief, “Am I ready? Who are you kidding? You know how long I’ve waited for this. Everyone gets their calling by their eighteenth birthday.”

Gary shook his head with a suddenly solemn expression, “Not everyone. But…no. There’s no way you’re a dreg. Not with your mom and dad, haha.” He lifted the flour again, “Hey, I’ve gotta run this into the bakery, but I’ll be over to the Guild in a minute. There’s no way I’d miss your calling. See you soon!” He stomped away, already apologizing for taking so long, as Cassio continued the long walk to the Guild. 

He and his family lived on Company grounds, just outside the city proper. Of course, the street they lived on was named Vale Street, but when your mother was a Company officer, street names were just a part of the territory. It didn’t hurt that they’d upgraded the kitchen three times over so his father could test out all of his new recipes in the chow hall, nor that his sister was a rising star in the Goldencrowns.

Everywhere he looked, splashes of green and gold came back at him, as did familiar faces who called out their well wishes. But soon enough, he left company territory and entered the busy streets of downtown. Here, the feet picked up a little faster, the smiles were seen a little less often, and the opportunities grew exponentially. 

Liora wasn’t a small city, not after the reshaping. 

Home to over a hundred thousand people, it was a name on a map that had only been drawn twenty years after everything changed. And while his mother’s company was large, they weren’t the biggest in the area. That privilege went to the Ironbound…or the Valiants, he couldn’t remember.

Soon enough, though, he’d have his pick of things. Because he knew, just knew, that his calling was going to be amazing. 

A mage? Maybe! A warrior? It’s in his blood! Even if he got the same calling as his father, he’d be happy. Everyone loved the company chef; they only saw you at the best of times: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Stepping around the corner, he spotted the regional Guildhouse in the distance. All around the area, people in various uniforms moved about, going about their days and generally being very busy. 

Naturally, in every city that held a Guildhouse, support and services developed around it. On one side were the crafters: weaponsmiths, armourers, bowyers, and the like. On the other side were the healing houses, religious services, and general goods stores, basically anything that wasn’t purely for the strength of arms. 

But here, near the Guildhouse that was home to the book of Calling, everyone had to be neutral. That was why all the Companies bought up land just outside of the city. Nobody wanted there to be a war. And especially, nobody wanted to piss off the Guild. That spelled the death of any Company.

Cass made good time getting to the steps, where a small door to the side had words stamped upon it.

Uncalled Only

Stepping up, he pulled the knocker back as he’d done three times in the past. The noise it made sounded like fate to his heart. 

It opened in moments as a tall, bald-headed man in a long brown robe peeked his head out. He smiled as he looked down, “Ah, Cassio of the Goldencrown Vales. Here again for your Calling?”

“Yes, sir.” Cass said with a smile, “I’m ready.”

The official’s smile never moved. “If I’m not mistaken, today marks your eighteenth birthday, is that not true?”

Cass swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, “Yes, sir, it is.”

“Excellent,” He opened the door all the way, “Come along then, let's see what the world has in store for you.”

The man stepped back, the dark portal beyond taking on a lighter cast as Cassio Vale stepped toward destiny. Following Mr. Grimes, one of the standard Guild functionaries that seemed to be cloned from one another all across the world, Cass was no longer awed by what he saw.

All along the long walk, framed pictures were hung. On his first attempted calling, the painted scenes had driven a need into his soul. Warriors fighting back creatures ten feet tall. Mages casting flames and ice at things the viewer couldn’t see. A smiling archer, her arrow already firing downrange.

But now that he was on the fourth long walk of his life, all he felt was trepidation. He HAD to get a calling this time. To be a dreg was…well, it was worse than death. Callings defined you, for better or worse. It told society your worth just as much as your handshake and the word you backed.

And just like that, they entered the atrium. It was an old room, as far as the last twenty years had gone. Lacquered wood and a wide entryway led to a long line of waiting fifteen to eighteen-year-olds in front of him. The post-system boom had filled every city to bursting with kids, causing around a dozen young hopefuls to get their callings every day.

As he approached the back of the line, the old Guildmaster stood near the front. Wearing long black robes, he stroked his dark goatee once, then moved over to the podium, where an open book was placed. Looking around the room, he shook his hands out of his sleeves, then turned the written page to a blank one as he spoke out to the audience with a deep baritone. 

“On this day, March 15th, in the year twenty fifty-five, we thank those who are about to be Called. After the portals opened and the heroes stepped forth from the chaos, the Callings arrived, and the system accompanied them. Without our Callings, we would be nothing but dust on the ground, and our time in this world would have passed. But through the strength of our people and the ability to work together, we have prevailed.”

“We have prevailed.” The Called said in unison, Cassio’s voice just a little louder than the others.

“So it is, and so shall it be. There are fifteen prospective Called with us today, so this will be fast.” He looked down at the front of the line, “Daniel Keff, step forward.”

The short young man was twitching as he moved up the steps. A few of his friends and family members yelled out encouragement from their seats as he placed his hand on the blank page. 

A local announcement rang out.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT – REGION: LIORA]

Name: Daniel Keff

Calling: Pyrebinder

Designation: Unaffiliated Mage

Status: Accepted

As applause from above filtered down, Cassio veritably drooled at his overlay. A fire mage? That sounded amazing! The Goldencrowns had only a few, and they were invaluable in beating back the creatures during expeditions. Plus! They’re really handy on cold nights. Cass would definitely take that calling if it came.

The line stepped forward, and he couldn’t help but listen in on the two people talking in front of him. 

“Is your mom here?”

“No, she’s doing a delivery quest right now. It sucks.”

“What? But those barely give any experience.”

“Yeah, but it came with a big bonus from the Guild. She’s delivering-”

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT – REGION: LIORA]

Name: Jara Mends

Calling: Pathrunner

Designation: Unaffiliated Scout

Status: Accepted

I would take that. Encouragement came from above as the next person stepped forward. Running through forests, carrying essential messages, looking for hidden dangers. That’d be an amazing calling.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT – REGION: LIORA]

Name: Yalwen Ferris

Calling: Mireborn

Designation: Unaffiliated Sanitation

Status: Under Observation

Oof. 

“Yalwen got poo-poo sifter, you see that?”

“Yeah, but the city pays them really well. They do that with every Calling that people don’t want to take on.”

“I still wouldn’t do it. There’s not enough money in the world to make me take on that job.”

Cass would still take it. This was his last calling. If he didn’t accept what he received from the system, he’d be a dreg, a permanent Uncalled. There was nothing in this world that would make him turn down whatever calling he received.

Quickly, the line continued to move forward, until he stood only a single place away as the second to last stepped forward to loud cheers from above.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT – REGION: LIORA]

Name: Cailen Rhys

Calling: Stormbrand

Designation: Unaffiliated Vanguard

Status: Accepted

The cheers this time around were thunderous. This was only the second Stormbrand to ever come out of Liora, and the first was the Commander of the Valiant. Rather than walk into the next room followed by a Guild functionary, as was normal, Cailen turned around and waved at the crowd with a massive smile on his face. 

Even the Guildmaster clapped, an unknowable expression on his face.

Finally, the new Stormbrand stepped forward, a small woman in a brown robe walking behind him. Then, it was Cass’s turn.

Stepping up the ten pieces of wood, it felt like the loneliest march in the world. Then he heard Gary’s voice clear over the silence, “You got this, Cass!”

“You’re a Vale!” His mother yelled, followed immediately by his father’s, “We love you!”

Of course, his sister didn’t say anything, but he still knew she’d be there in the crowd. Siblings could be like that. Then, he was there. The Guildmaster, a man of average height with a short-cropped gray beard, turned the page, and it was time.

“Hello, Cassio. You know how this works, place your hand on the book and let the System find your calling.”

Taking a deep breath as his heart seemed to beat out of his chest, Cass put his hand on the book. Unlike the three times before, the screen that had been a constant companion for all of his life began to form words.

[System Record- Subject: Cassio Vale]

Status: Uncalled

Age: 18

Mother: Cassandra Vale

Calling: Chainmarshal

Designation: Company Strategist

Father: Dallan Vale

Calling: Braisesoul

Designation: Culinary Artisan

Sister: Janine Vale

Calling: Ironmonger

Designation: Company Enforcer

…Analyzing…

…

…

…

Calling Identified

Calling Offered: QuestWright

Designation: Unaffiliated Administrator

Primary Function: Quest Creation and Assignment

Secondary Functions: Unlockable

Do you accept?

Chapter 2: Welcome to your Life

Cassio Vale stared at the Calling.

QuestWright? What the hell is a QuestWright? And it’s an Administrator role? His heart, which had stopped when the text began to come through, suddenly started to speed up again. There’s no way. My mom and sister are warriors; my dad is an Artisan-level Chef. None of us are Administrators. That Calling…sucks. There has to be more to this.

An unsubtle cough pulled him away from his thoughts as he looked up and met the dark eyes of the Guildmaster.

“Mr. Vale,” He said in a kind voice, “Congratulations on receiving your Calling. If you’ll follow me, we can get you sorted out right away. Come along.”

In the shock of what he’d seen, he’d missed the fact that the announcement had gone out.

In his stumbling haze as he followed the Guildmaster, Cass didn’t even notice the lack of cheering or applause behind him. They entered the room beyond the book of Calling, his first time making it this far, and a chair was immediately placed behind him as a gentle hand guided him down.

Pulling out another chair across from him, the Guildmaster seemed to deflate into it, “Ah, finally,” He said, his voice lighter than before. “It appears we have an opportunity I wasn’t sure I’d live to see again.”

“An opportunity?” Cass said, latching onto the word.

“Indeed. Administrator roles come around often. Every Enterprise needs Recordkeepers, Logistics Coordinators, Liaisons, and those who lean on the Mercantile side of things. But QuestWrights do not frequently travel these halls, and the fact that you received it at all is fortuitous.” A woman entered the room wearing a brown robe and carrying a thick book in her hands. She handed it over to the Guildmaster, gave him a slight smile, then left as the old man opened it.

“Let’s see.” his fingers trailed down the page before stopping, “Do you know how long it’s been since we had a real QuestWright in Liora? I don’t mean a Clerk or someone who updates the board, but someone who the system chose?” 

“No?”

He closed the book gently and set it on his knees. “The last to find their calling in Liora was nearly seven years ago. Of course, they declined the offer, returning the following year to take on the Windsprinter Calling. They’re with the Goldencrowns now, your mother’s company.”

“Jain?”

“Just so,” He said with a nod, “As a calling, QuestWright has a tendency to be declined. There’s not enough flash and flame for you young people. That’s why I find it curious that you were denied your own until reaching the final offering. It’s almost as if the system decided to stop playing around and force the situation.” He gave a brief smile, then folded his hands over the book in his lap. “QuestWright is a special role that certainly does not fit everybody, but as this is your final Calling, Cassio Vale, it is a big moment for you. In my role as Liora’s Guildmaster, I must ask you, what is your decision?”

I don’t have a choice. Cass thought to himself. It was this, or become a dreg. 

After the monsters and portals arrived, so too did dungeons and magic. Dregs were those who declined to take a Calling, or, in extremely rare circumstances, were never offered one. To be a dreg was to be a castoff, unmoored from your family and friends, forever losing access to the one thing that had helped them fight back against the deadly creatures of the world.

The System.

QuestWright…I’m a QuestWright. There’s nothing else to it.

He clicked accept and heard the Guildmaster let out a long breath, the kind a man exhales after holding onto something for far too long.

“Excellent, you’ve received a calling that’s more important than most people realize. I’ll let you look that over while I fill out some paperwork.” The Guildmaster said as he stood up, but Cass barely noticed.

[System Notification- Calling Confirmed]

Calling Accepted: QuestWright

Automatic application to Liora Guildhall…

Status: Accepted

Cass blinked.

Automatic?

[System Interface Unlocked]

[Quests unlocked for region: Liora]

Callsign: LIA

-QuestWright abilities unlocked-

—

Active abilities:

Quest Drafting: Tier 1: Common

Range: One Mile

Types: Delivery, Message

Active Templates: 3

System Map: Small

Range: One Mile

Scope: Civic Need

Filters: Delivery, Retrieval

Passive abilities unlocked:

QuestWright Stamp: Automatic

Callsign: CV

Quest Ledger Access: Tier 1: Common

Status: Basic Tracking Enabled

—

QuestWright Growth System Activated:

[QuestWright Reputation Tracker Initialized]

Region: Liora

Reputation status: Unknown

{QuestWright Experience Tracking Initialized]

Sources of experience: Quest Creation, Assignment, Completion

—

[Weekly Assignment Quota Established]

Level One QuestWright: 5 Quests Completed Weekly

Next Evaluation: 7 days

Cass stared at his screen, stunned. Not many people spoke about what they gained from first receiving their calling, it was a hidden element to every person you passed by, unknowing of the power they might contain.

Except for his best friend, Gary. 

According to Callings by Gary, he was supposed to receive a physical upgrade, something to aid his Calling specifically, and a route to follow if he wanted to gain levels.

But this…this was not that. He’d never be super strong or fast. There was no magic and mayhem in being a QuestWright. There were quotas and evaluations. The abilities seemed real, but so were the weights that accompanied them.

“Not what you wanted, is it?” The Guildmaster said, pulling him from his introspection. “It never is at the start.” He held a stack of papers in one arm as he gestured. “Come along, let's get your orientation started.”

“But,” Cass said, standing up even as he protested, “I don’t understand. Why was I automatically assigned to the Guildhall?”

“All QuestWrights are automatically assigned to the nearest Guildhall when first receiving their Calling.” The Guildmaster began to walk forward, an unwilling Cass trudging along behind him, “You’ll come to understand your value to Liora with time.” 

They walked through several areas Cass had never seen before, unfamiliar faces hard at work, before coming to a stop at a door with a quill motif engraved above it. “This will be your living quarters from now on.”

“What?”

The papers were thrust into his arms before the Guildmaster opened the door and gently pushed him inside, “Every new QuestWright is housed in the Guildhall of their Calling. Your family has been notified, and they approve.” He pointed down the hallway, “There’s a cafeteria to the right, bathrooms are to the left, and you’ll have the remainder of the day to go over the notes in those pages. Your work will officially begin tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving me here?” Cass said, tears near bursting from his eyes at the terrible turn his perfect day had taken.

The old man’s face held a little sympathy, but his voice showed none of it. “I’m the Guildmaster, Cassio. We’ll speak once a month for a review of your work, but otherwise, your training is remanded to the second-tier administrators.” Uncharacteristically, he placed a hand on his shoulder, “You’ll be fine.” Then, he closed the door and was gone.

The silence of the door shutting was more profound than he’d expected. Like the room was waiting to be filled with someone else’s story, but got his instead. The papers fell from Cass’s hands, fluttering before striking the ground as he looked around what would be his world from now on.

“This can’t be real.”

 The room was filled with the most mundane objects possible. A basic bed just large enough for his five-foot-eight frame. A closet that, upon opening, revealed the brown robes that all of the Guildhall Administrators wore. A desk with a few minor scuff marks and no decorations covered the plain white walls. All in all, it was a wholly unadorned and utilitarian design.

Opening the only drawer in the desk, several pencils rolled around, and he found some paper. Lifting both onto the desk, he found a folded piece on the bottom. 

You matter more than you know, QuestWright.

“The last guy must’ve left it…” Cass said to himself, refolding the note and putting it back. “They wouldn’t have left something like that behind if the Calling wasn’t important.” He looked around the room again, still struck by the stark reality of his new situation.

He could wallow in self-pity, raging at the world in vain. He could run away and never look back, leaving everything he’d ever hoped for behind. But then, he wouldn’t be Cassio Vale. So his Calling wasn’t what he thought it’d be, so what? His father never complained about being a tradesman. Gary never complained about being a Baker. 

This, this was something he hadn’t accounted for. That didn’t make it bad; it just made it different. And Cass could deal with different, after all, he had a pig for a sister.  Like his father always said, come hell or high water, I’ll succeed.

Smiling at that, he reached down and picked up all of the papers he’d dropped. Luckily, they were numbered in the corner, making putting them back in order an easy affair.

He sat at his new desk, arranged everything the way he liked it, then started to read.

Welcome, QuestWright

Congratulations on accepting your Calling, and welcome to the Guildhall of Liora.

As a newly registered Guild Administrator under the QuestWright Calling, you are now responsible for the drafting, issuing, and evaluation of quests assigned within the Liora regional district.

A QuestWright operates as a bridge between tasks that require completion and Callings that fit the appropriate requirements. Your duty is to ensure that all quests that enter and leave the Liora Guildhall are appropriate, equitable, and successfully completed. 

Failure to do so will not only result in tarnishing the reputation of yourself and the Guild Chapter, but may even result in the deaths of Liora’s citizens.

Since you have only recently begun your life as a QuestWright, most standard duties will be held in abeyance until your first five quests have been successfully completed.

Remember, while QuestWrights are rare, effective ones are rarer still.

-Liora Guildhall Administrative Office

Guildmaster Hollis

“I didn’t know his name was Hollis,” Cass said as he turned to the next page. It gave a brief rundown of standard operations for the guildhall. There was a curfew at 10 p.m. for all Tier 1 Administrators, and the cafeteria was open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. He was expected to do all of his own laundry, keep his area tidy, and report to his superior no later than 7 a.m. 

The next page told him who that was. “Kara Tullis, Tier 2 Guild Trainer.” The page included a brief rundown of who she was and how long she’d been at the Guild. The rest of the pages were a directory of different people who could be found at the Guild, with a small-margin note not to lose their orientation packet.

Cass blew the air out of his mouth as he neatly placed the pages back together and put them back in the drawers. He wasn’t hungry, but he could certainly explore. Just as he was about to reach for the door, he remembered one of the last rules for Guild operations.

Reaching into the closet, Cass pulled out a brown robe and changed into it, hanging his old clothes up on the rack within. Though a bit large on him, he felt it the moment the robe shrunk itself down to fit him.

“That’s cool.” He said with a smile, burnishing the silvery emblem over his left breast. It was a quill and a sword, crossed into an X. Something he’d admired every time he’d come for his Calling.

Stepping out into the hallway, he decided this was a good thing. Just like that. Let nobody say that Cassio Vale was scared of a challenge. It didn’t matter what they threw at him, he’d find a way to overcome it.

It was time to take on the world, but first, the bathroom.

Chapter 3: Orientation

Cass woke up with a crick in his neck and the sinking feeling that yesterday had been a mistake. He blamed stress, probably.

His things had been brought from home, not that he’d been able to see his family. Returning from a satisfying dinner in the cafeteria, he’d found a packaged bundle of items already placed in his room. It was a nice accompaniment with his newest companion, constant silence.

The rest of the day had passed as a blur of decorating, swapping the stiff Guild bedsheets for his own, and trying not to let the existential dread take over. The confidence he’d felt the day before hadn’t lasted as long as he had hoped. All it had taken was one look at the System Map to drown him in despair all over again.

There were so many problems.

Sitting up, Cass mentally shook off the negativity. Problems don’t solve themselves, and he knew far too little about what being a QuestWright actually meant. Understanding that he needed to define the issue to solve it, Cass resolved to look again. Sitting down at the desk, he tapped on the ability.

[System Map - Tier 1: Common]

Range: One Mile

Scope: Civic Need

Filters: Delivery, Retrieval

—Loading—

Just like before, the map shimmered into existence wherever his eyes wandered. But there was a neat trick to it that he’d discovered by accident. Anytime the ability met a flat surface, it attached itself, anchoring down. The desk worked well enough, even if the ceiling would have done a swell job too.

Cass ran his hands through his hair with a sigh. It’s not that he expected Fiora to be perfect, but he had hoped that it wasn’t quite so broken.

The map finished loading, and he leaned in.

A three-dimensional model of downtown Fiora climbed upon his desk. As the buildings rose, so too did a patchwork of colored lights. In a one-mile radius around the Guildhall, yellow lights flickered like tired fireflies as they moved around curving routes. Steady, green dots meandered, moving from one location to another in no apparent hurry. The number of them present, in such a small amount of space, was truly unbelievable.

He’d stopped counting at one hundred. The crick in his neck was right.

A knock at the door told him that it was time to greet the world again, though this time as a Guild Administrator. Changing into a fresh robe, Cass checked himself over in the small mirror he’d placed on the wall, then gave himself a smile.

“It’s going to be a perfect day.”

Not quite believing that, but still hoping it was true, Cass stepped over and opened the door. Behind the yawning entry stood a tall woman in form-fitted black leathers looking at something just above his door. When her eyes traveled down to meet Cass’s own, he was shocked by their intensity.

“Cassio Vale, QuestWright?”

He nodded with a slanted smile, “That’s me.”

“I’m Kara Tullis, your Guild Trainer. Follow me.” Without saying anything else, she spun around and quickstepped away, forcing him to lightly jog to keep up. Turning the opposite corner from the cafeteria, she spoke while taking long steps, “What do you know about the guild?”

Cass caught his breath before speaking, “Only what my family’s told me.”

“Uh-huh.” The bright sunlight drilled into his eyes as they exited the building. “The Guild was formed a year after the reshaping. Liora’s Guildhall, specifically, was one of the first ten to stand up. Although it’s only been twenty years since the world changed, Liora was among the first to change with it.” 

Cass heard the sound of horses in the distance as they entered a new area. “Here, we believe that every Calling, no matter if you’re administrative, trade, or combat-based, matters. And having traveled a fair amount, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it isn’t like that everywhere.” She pointed at a set of deliberately placed rocks, increasing in size and arranged in a zigzagging path. “I want you to jump from one rock to the next until you can’t anymore.”

“What?”

They’d arrived at a gravel-filled area. It smelled like livestock, and large brown boulders littered the place as a light breeze touched him. A bird called out nearby as Kara stepped to a nearby rock, lifting a pre-placed folder off of it. 

“I received your dossier from the Guildmaster yesterday. Cassio Vale, youngest son of Cassandra the Chainmarshal and Dallan the Braisesoul. Little brother of Janine Vale, IronMonger and rising star of the Goldencrown Company. After three failed attempts and at the maximum age of eighteen, Cassio has received the Calling of QuestWright. Assigned to Tier-two Guild Trainer, Kara Tullis, for orientation, processing, and training.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with jumping rocks?”

Kara snapped the folder shut. “Because that’s what most Callings begin as, a leap.” She pointed to the line of rocks again, “Go.”

“But-”

Her copper stare froze him mid-word, “Go.”

Walking over, Cass took a slight hop onto the first rock. 

Kara’s voice slapped into his ears as he prepared for the second rock. “The first QuestWrights began with no knowledge, no information about how the system worked or what their purpose was. They began with nothing.”

When he looked back at her, she didn’t speak, only moved her eyes over to the next in the line. Cass made the jump.

“The world was on fire. Monsters came to your city, your neighborhood, your house. They destroyed everything that allowed humanity to form civilizations. The Callings didn’t even arrive until a year later. Until then…”

Cass made the next leap, windmilling his arms to maintain balance as the rocks grew progressively higher and farther away. He looked back and found Kara wasn’t watching him, though her voice still came through.

“Until then, people could just barely survive. But we knew survival wasn’t living. So when the system first activated and the Callings arrived, we fought back. We discovered levels and experience. Created warriors from teachers and medical personnel.”

Bracing himself, Cass made a great leap to the fourth rock. He scratched up his palms on the way down, but he’d done it.

“It was the QuestWrights who organized the chaos. It was the QuestWrights who founded the Guild. They couldn’t fight, but they found people who could and helped organize everything, assigning roles, building logistics, and giving people something to fight for again. To live.”

Cass sized up the next leap. It was twice the distance of the last one, and at least a foot higher. But he wouldn’t stop now. He’d already gone further than he’d thought he could, and he hoped that getting to another step would get her to tell him more. Moving to the back of the rock, he started to run forward when Kara called out.

“Wait, that’s enough.”

Cass skittered across the rock as he stopped himself. Catching his breath, he looked back at her, “I can do it.”

She tilted her head at him, “You’re sure? I wouldn’t want our first day to end up with Liora’s first new QuestWright in ten years going to the Clinic.”

Looking back at the rock in front of him, he turned his back to her. “I can.”

“Alright, Cassio Vale. Show me.”

Moving to the outermost edge of his current platform, Cass took several short, quick breaths, then launched himself at a dead sprint toward the other side. With a great heave from the bottom of his legs, he leaped toward the last rock in the series, far higher and farther than all the others. 

He wasn’t going to make it.

Soaring and falling through the air with the rockface quickly approaching him, Cass wondered at how he’d ended up here. That was when someone caught him.

Two strong hands gripping his upper thighs roughly pulled him toward the ground. Swinging him lightly to bleed the momentum, they placed him upright as laughter danced across the area.

“Well, Cassio Vale.” Kara said, stepping back and opening her folder with a new snap, “That was quite the experience.” 

Catching his breath and shaking off the residual feeling of doom, he had to ask. “What’d you write?’

“Observations of Cassio Vale by Tier 2 Guild Trainer, Kara Tullis. Risk-tolerant. Bold. Slightly reckless.” She clicked her pen and closed the folder. “Could be worse. Come along.”

This time around, she moved at a more sedate pace, letting Cass walk beside her. He looked her up and down, “How’d you catch me like that?”

“Guild Trainers receive abilities that help us in all sorts of situations. Strength, Speed, Coordination, so on and so forth. Most of ours are passive, though. We don’t gain experience in combat, only through training.”

She caught me. Mid-air. Like it was nothing. And she laughed? His mother and sister were strong, he knew that, but they’d never shown him anything like that before. 

She knew I’d try. Knew I’d fail, too. And still let me leap. The thought settled into his collection of new experiences since the previous day. 

My life has truly changed.

“So QuestWright, why do you think I had you leaping across those rocks?”

She’s a Guild Trainer. From what I’ve heard Mom and Janine say, most new Callings get assigned to them for foundational training. He took a stab.

“To check my conditioning?”

“Good, you’re thinking straight ahead, but that’s only part of it.” 

They passed by a large, circular stone building, then walked up a few steps and stopped on a wooden bridge. Kara tapped her foot down twice. “What is this?”

“Wood?”

She gave him a sideways glance, “Like your last answer, yes and no. This is the Uncalled Way, the tunnel you entered that took you to the Atrium and the start of your life as a QuestWright.” 

Kara crossed her arms, looking him up and down for a change. “I had you leapfrogging those rocks not only because I wanted to see what you’d do, but also to see what you wouldn’t do. Couldn’t do.” 

Pausing, she said, “Most Callings are easy to train. Swing a sword, shoot a bow, cast a spell, sell a product. But QuestWright? You’re different. Your Calling is tied to the invisible threads covering the city. It’s abstract.” Stepping forward, she put a hand on his shoulder. “A QuestWright doesn’t do, a QuestWright decides. I needed to judge if you’d take the leap, even when you weren’t sure you could land it.”    

“Why?”

Kara’s expression softened just a little, “Because the world doesn’t care if you’re ready, and neither does the system. It won’t wait for you to feel confident, certain, or brave. It’ll just keep feeding you problems that lead to harsh realities, and expect you to find the right people to solve them.”

“My decisions.” He confirmed.

She nodded, “Your decisions. You’re a QuestWright. That means every quest you draft has a rippling effect on the potential of Liora and its people. Every assignment, every complication, every detail you include or miss, matters.”

They started to walk again, though blessedly, in silence. Cass felt every echo of the boots the Guild had given him as he slowly came to terms with what she was saying. Those patchworks of color on the Map weren’t just data; they were people. His Calling wasn’t about quests. It was about Liora itself. And it made him start to wonder…who was making all of the quests before him?

Kara stopped just before they entered a wide archway, a quill engraved above the door, “This is the Quest Registry. Inside here are people who will push you, pull you, and demand that they get the quests that they want in the manner that they want them. One of your jobs is not to give in to their pressure.” She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. “Do you understand?”

Cass nodded, unease stabbing at his spine. “I understand.”

Kara smiled, “Good.” She reached for the door, “because your sister’s in here.”

Cass paused mid-step. Of course she is. Why wouldn’t the world stack the deck?

Steeling himself, he followed Kara inside.