The badge was lighter than he expected.
C-Rank mark, pressed into the same small metal plate as the D-Rank badge, with the Guild seal and the path notation and the secondary marks that logged registration date and circuit of origin. The difference was in the mark itself—a different configuration of the same lines, the C-Rank arrangement denser and more complex than the D-Rank version, as if the badge knew it covered more.
The registration clerk pressed it into his hand without ceremony.
"C-Rank access is effective immediately," she said. "Zones twelve through sixteen and the associated C-tier permit applications. Zone seventeen and above require additional board approval. B-Rank and above require a separate registration process." She stamped the administrative form. "Congratulations."
He pinned the badge to his coat and walked to the permit desk.
He registered for zone fourteen first.
