There certainly was a buzz in the air and Alexander was able to pick out anticipation, worry, excitement and more on the expressions of those he passed by. A small smile formed as he continued on his way, content to take in the scenery once more before he would return and prepare. The city’s development had frankly startled him and he wondered how much it would change in the time he would be gone; he’d seen buildings rise in mere days so it wasn’t a wholly unwarranted thought. Maybe his first expedition into the Labyrinth would be less than a day, or it could take several, or perhaps he wou- With a sharp shake of his head he drove the negative thought aside as he came to a halt and then sighed. [color=ed1c24]“Already worrying…”[/color] He clicked his tongue in annoyance he turned his gaze towards the Colosseum that marked this district of the city. 

[color=ed1c24]“Shoulda wore my armor…”[/color] he muttered as he finally stumbled from the crowd and through the massive building’s gates. His return to the landmark had proven far more difficult given the number of citizens that had come out to the Goddess’ building, excited to see the departing Adventurers or something along those lines. He couldn’t fault them of course, the entire city was abuzz due to the event after all. His walk through the torchlit corridors were rather quiet, a deviation from the normal sounds of battle and sparring that came from the sandy arena within. [color=ed1c24][i]‘Guess people are taking it easy and resting up...’ [/i][/color]

The barracks that housed those who chose to live closer to the Goddess was surprisingly empty and Alexander had to blink a few times before the sight registered. [color=ed1c24]“Huh…”[/color] Proclamation of surprise aside, he went about his business in a rather speedy fashion. It didn’t particularly matter that no one else was around at the moment, but just a bit out of the norm; then again today was a great change to the Guild members’ privileges. His belongings and supplies for the trip had already been packed, so he only had to arm himself. With practiced ease, he stripped down and donned the gear that he’d laid out prior to his walk around the District. 

Clad in his full armor, Alexander wasn’t nearly as quiet when he walked through the Coliseum's halls this time around. Though his steps were remarkable soft, the pieces of plate clinked and clanked as they shifted with his movements. Well it wasn’t an attempt at stealth anyways and the noises would serve to alert Ares of his approach. He paused in front of her door and nonetheless gave a sharp knock before waiting for permission to enter; the first time he hadn’t done so and it had almost been his last. It was a good thing the double doors were vastly heavier than they appeared since he hadn’t managed to budge it an inch before the promise of pain had made him back away. 

Evidently, the war God had not been paying attention to the approaching clatter of metal on metal, as upon Alexander's entrance, she seemed to be lost in thought, her brow furrowed in concentration in a manner unbecoming for one of her temperament. Regardless, after the passage of a moment, Ares rounded about to face the new entry, both of her hands going to her hips as she tilted her head back slightly and gave out a hearty laugh. 

"Ahaha, good! You're the first to come! Initiative! Will! This is what I want to see!" She declared brashly, obviously jumping to a conclusion as to the reason of Alexander's visit; of course, it was hardly a stretch, logically. "Today, you will go forth as a class of warrior that this world hasn't seen in countless ages! Make me proud to have you as a member of my Guild, and slaughter everything in your way!" 

He blinked in surprise at the sight of Ares so deep in thought and halted instantly, unwilling to disrupt the Goddess. It was quite different, and… rather nice he supposed, but the moment passed and Ares was once more her boisterous self. [color=ed1c24]“Really now? I wonder where the others are then…”[/color] His voice dropped down to a mutter, but the concern could wait until he was out of her presence. In light of her declaration Alexander smiled brightly at that, dropped to a knee, and replied, [color=ed1c24]“I will cut down those that stand in my way Goddess.”[/color] 

In preparation for this day, Ares (as with many of the other Gods) had readied "gifts" to members of their Guild, tools to aid them in the introductory floors, though some were more useful than others. It was thusly that the next words spoken by the God were decidedly predictable. 

"Weapon or consumable?"

The follow-up question was hoped for and Alexander clenched his fist in delight as he looked up. [color=ed1c24]"Weapon if you would spare some of your time to allow me practice with it. Otherwise consumable please."[/color] Regardless of the simple strength that could crush any that challenged her, Ares' mastery with her weapons was beyond any he had ever witnessed. It wouldn't be too hard, he imagined, for him to familiarize himself with whatever piece she decided to grace him with if she were to lead the spar. In the case that she couldn't spare the time for him, he would settle for whatever consumable she'd chosen instead. A pity to leave behind a new piece of equipment, but he wasn't about to explore the Labyrinth with an unfamiliar weapon in his hands. 

A momentary flash of dissatisfaction showed on Ares’s face at Alexander’s answer, but this was wiped away an instant later. The God’s hand became a blur as it darted forwards, tossing an item through the air towards Alexander at a surprisingly fast pace. At least, it would do a number on him were it to hit him in the head, but he’d hopefully be able to catch it. Upon catching the thrown item, he would find it to be a small, gold-colored disc about two centimeters in diameter. It didn’t seem to have any markings on it to indicate it as something special, and if one had severe visual problems they might even confuse it with a gold coin, but it also seemed to...exude “pressure”. Not enough to where it was stifling or even noteworthy, but something in a sense beyond sight distinguished the disc as different.

“Bind it with your blood.” Ares explained. “It’s a magic artifact, so if you want to activate it, you’ll need to have it bound to you. Just put a drop on it, and you’ll be able to feel that it’s bound. ‘f course, you can unbind it if you ever want to. As long as it’s bound to you, you can activate it by willing it. It’ll disintegrate after being used once. Temporarily...hm, I guess the best way to put it is that it “doubles your physical ability”, if that makes sense. Strength, reaction time, physical defense, everything gets doubled for a little bit. Once the effect runs out though, you’ll probably pass out from the stamina drain; even if you don’t pass out, you’ll barely be able to move. Be careful with it.”

[color=ed1c24][i]‘Damn.’[/i][/color] Internally he winced as his smile fell at Ares’ reaction, though it didn’t bother him enough to get brained by the object thrown at him. It made a nice sound against the palm of his hand and Alexander was quick to hold it up and examine the gift. There was definitely an odd sensation that seemed to emanate from the otherwise mundane object and his attention passed it as the Goddess began to speak. 

He unsheathed his blade, ran a finger against the edge, and pressed the drawn blood against the artifact as instructed. A small glow surprised him, but he held the disc tight even as it began to heat up against his skin. Like Ares had said as the object began to cool down Alexander could certainly feel some sort of connection with it. Not particularly notable, but present and distinct if he chose to focus his attention on it. With that done, the object was slipped into his coin pouch as Ares finished with her explanation of the object’s use. [color=ed1c24][i]‘Dangerous...’[/i][/color] While a powerful boost for certain, the drawback made its use highly limited. If used alone he would be left defenseless and even in a group there was no telling what the others would do if he was left at their mercy. Nonetheless he gave a bow towards Ares and thanked her for the gift before he turned to leave. 

There was still a bit of time before the Labyrinth was officially open for Guild Members to explore… perhaps he could find some people to form a group with.