eFate: An MMO Story Chapter 77: Registration

Vindammer Town was truly bigger than Tonbura in every way. Anything Tonbura had, Vindammer had more of them. There were more blacksmiths, fletchers, and bakeries than there were in Tonbura. The shops all had bigger selections than in Tonbura, and Vindammer had more specialty shops than Tonbura had. In fact, the only thing that Eric thought Tonbura might have the edge in, was magic, and sleepy guards. He thought this last bit to himself rather quietly, as the number of guards patrolling Vindammer's streets was no joke, and one had just stared at him for an awfully long time, as if afraid he might go on a rampage and set fire to the nearby shops, or perhaps swoop in and give him a kiss.

Regardless, Eric could definitely tell that the portal lady who'd sent him to Tonbura from the tutorial hadn't been kidding when she'd said there was more to do in towns. Seeing the scope of Vindammer Town, Eric couldn't help but wonder to himself just how huge the city must be, if a town was already this big.

Checking the time, Eric hastened back towards the arena. The sooner he registered, the sooner he could resume training for the tournament. Because of this fact, for what may well have been the first time in his life, Eric arrived early to sign up for an event.

Arriving at the arena, Eric was slightly surprised to find that even at this ungodly hour, there was already a line forming. Of course, normal people may not have considered nine in the morning to be all that early, but to Eric, it was shocking to see this many people already waiting in line.

Stepping into the queue, Eric waited patiently to be admitted into the arena. Nodding to the guard who'd spoken to the group earlier, Eric entered into a shadowy passage, emerging into a brightly lit room where another line had formed in front of a counter where a pretty young woman was serving those in queue.

"It's lines all the way down," Eric grumbled to himself, lining up once more.

Arriving in front of the counter, Eric was confronted by a pleasant looking blonde woman who flashed him a bright smile, "Here to register for a tournament?"

"Yup. I'd like to register for the militia tournament on the seventeenth," Eric responded.

"Alright, could you please place your status stone under the scanner?" she directed, pointing to a crystal array next to the counter.

Taking out his storage pouch, Eric placed the dark black crystal underneath the scanner, which emitted a dim light that pulsated briefly before disappearing. Going dormant for a moment, the crystal suddenly glowed once more, projecting Eric's status for the clerk to see.

[Status]

Erick Kystfyr - Level 21

Health: 310/310

Mana: 210/210

Title: Corporal

Weapons: Fine Yew Longbow - (20 Fine Goose-feathered Iron Arrows, 20 Stone)

Common Iron Falchion

Quickwind Dagger

Armour: Leather Padded Armour (Common)

Skills: Basic Magic (Arcane, Fire, Wind, Water)

Basic Martial Arts (Journeyman 2)

Militia Spearmanship

Militia Swordsmanship (Apprentice 9)

Basic Archery (Apprentice 9)

Basic Evasion (Journeyman 8)

Basic Herbalism

Basic Speechcraft

Active Skills:

Evasive Shot (Apprentice 4)

Charged Shot (Beginner 10)

Sword Technique - Guard (Apprentice 1)

Sword Technique - Dashing Cut (Apprentice 9)

Magic:

Basic Arcane Magic (Journeyman 6)

Arcane Strike (Journeyman 2)

Arcane Blade (Beginner 7)

Arcane Dart (Beginner 10)

Basic Fire Magic (Beginner 8)

Flame Strike (Beginner 5)

Multi-linked Flame Strike (Beginner 2)

Basic Wind Magic (Journeyman 3)

Wind Blade (Apprentice 1)

Wind Dart (Apprentice 8)

Multi-linked Wind Dart (Beginner 6)

Basic Water Magic (Beginner 1)

Water Strike (Beginner 1)

Water Blade (Beginner 1)

Water Dart (Beginner 1)

Ball of Light

Pointer

Arcane Formations (MAX)

Basic Novanalba Mana Technique (Journeyman)

Seeing this, the blonde clerk smiled, "Thank you for registering Mr. Kystfyr. Would you like to be referred to by name during the tournament? Or would you like to use a nickname? You will only be referred to by nickname during the final rounds of the tournament."

"Call me Kyp please," Eric replied.

Pressing her hand against the status floating in midair, a ring on the blonde's right hand flared briefly. As the ring dimmed, 'Kyp' appeared between his name on the status, which slowly began to fade as she turned back towards Eric.

"Can anyone see that?" Eric asked curiously, pointing to the fading status window.

"All information you've shared will be kept strictly confidential. Novarena is committed to upholding the highest standards of participant information and will not disclose any private information to others," She replied in a serious tone.

"The main reason we need your information is to ensure the safety of all participants and to maintain the fairness of the competition. The magic used to ensure fighters safety is fairly powerful, but sometimes we get participants who are far above the standard. Taking precautions by checking the abilities of the fighters is as much for our benefit as it is for yours," She explained, in a slightly more friendly tone.

"Makes sense," Eric replied thoughtfully.

"If it makes you feel any better, your stats are pretty good," She whispered, giving him a conspiratorial wink.

Eric grinned awkwardly, "Thanks. Is there anything else I need to do?"

"Did you want to represent an organization? As a member of the militia you're not allowed to represent any non-affiliated organizations or institutions. But you can choose to represent groups affiliated with the militia such as the Rimestone or Seaflame circles, or the Gall Óglaigh mercenaries. You can also choose to represent an otherworlder group. Would you like to declare yourself a representative?"

Pondering for a moment, Eric let out a grin, "I think I'll be a representative of Riptide, if that organization name isn't taken."

The lady's ring flared once more, a few small windows appearing in front of her eyes.

"Riptide is not currently a name in use by any group. Would you like to represent Riptide?"

"Please."

"Done! Please be here before two o'clock on the Seventeenth to participate. Will that be everything today?" She asked pleasantly.

"Yup, I'm good, thanks," Eric responded, giving her a smile as he allowed another person to take his place at the counter.

Slipping back towards the entrance, Eric exited the arena, smiling as he stretched broadly.

"Now that all the bureaucratic stuff is out of the way, I can get back to training," Eric muttered, breaking into a grin as he headed for the western gateway. He had just over thirty-six hours in game to train for the tournament, and he didn't intend to waste a single moment.

Chapter end