Gary was currently inside of a special underground training room he had made for his disciple. It was white brick with a large blue runic circle in the middle. it gathered mana, and increased the density of it in the room.

“Little girl!” Gary loomed over Cara, the green haired maid girl that was now wearing training clothes. Gary had also accepted her as a disciple.

“Creepy old man” She narrowed her eyes, and mimicked him.

Gary put a hand to his chest. He exaggeratedly made his way to a mirror. He saw himself. He looked like a creepy old Gary, also like an evil space wizard. What with that luxurious robe he NEVER takes off. At Least it cleans itself. Oh, and so does Gary.

Gary looked back at Cara. Then back to the mirror. Then at Cara. He pretended to weep. “I’m… I’m only….” Gary paused, and looked up at the sky. Cara did too, if only to find what he was searching for….

Ah, uh Gary was the ripe old age of…. 125…. yep!

”…125 years old. I’m still just a little boy!”

Cara looked at Gary, then kept searching the sky, well the ceiling to be exact. Then she looked to the side, and shook her head. She looked towards Gary “You don’t seem mature enough to be that old.”

Gary nodded sagely. “Yes, I was dead for most of that time. At least in this realm.” He stroked his hairless chin.

“What?” Cara shook her head.

“Irrelevant!” Gary yelled, and pointed at his disciple. “HERE. is. a. BOOK!” He threw a book at her face.

Cara caught it. Gary had been doing that for a month. This was the first time she caught it.

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She dropped the book, and cracked her knuckles. She began to approach Gary menacingly.

“Unexpected! You learn good! Read the book.” He pointed at the book, then he hopped backwards, flipped, struck a G-pose and teleported away.

Cara breathed out heavily through her nose. The bastard had promised her a free hit if she caught it. Gary had not been teaching her anything, yet. Caleb had decided to go back out to seek an opportunity. He wanted Cara to be strong enough to defend herself. Gary remembered he had something turbo-dangerous that could make her very deadly. It was this book that he was throwing at her, because the method would be highly dangerous for the slow, and inattentive. Every time she failed to catch it he would take it back, distract her with nonsense, and do it again.

It was a special book, cuz Gary wrote it! It's the ‘tool’ he used to open his channels as a cat. As you know, it will hurt, but that doesn’t matter. The important bit is being focused, and reacting in time, as to not tear your body apart.

Gary had made Cara turbo-mad, and hyper-wary, so he felt she should be good to go. He was gonna leave her alone with the book, and then hope for the best. I mean… He could provide her with a proper method, but he doesn't have one for a person who’s attribute is ‘annihilation.’ Surprising, because Gary kills a lot, and finds a lot of killers. There should at least have been one amongst the things he’s looted. Then again he’s gained and lost so much, and he still knew so little.

Well, life is a constant process of learning, and growing, and calling your former self an unworthy sub-sapient that should have been purged from existence.

“No, it's really not.” Gary said as he ate a chocolate beignet. He had ‘phased’ into reality at a party in front of his disciple. Caleb was attending a ball disguised as a servant. When he took a bite of one of the beignets he had whispered that that was the best thing he had ever eaten. He jumped at his master’s sudden intrusion.

Caleb jumped. “Master, why are you here?”

Gary looked at Caleb, and raised his eyebrows. “Status, report.”

Caleb looked at an extremely colorful noble who seemed to be boring others to death. “Assassination.”

Gary gave him the thumbs up. “Good. Help, need?“

Caleb sniffed. “No, I have Koba.” He pointed at another servant. He was a short, strong, bearded man. He seemed reliable, trustworthy.

“How’d you meet him?”

Caleb described how he began his journey by heading towards the capital as there was talk of, guess what? A tourney! that would reward, wait for it, a pill! Anyways, he wanted that pill. As we all know, pills taste good, and give you magic powers - quote me.

Anyways, Caleb was on track to arrive at his destination within the first week of travel, but there was a nearby village along the road. This village! Was generally mundane. Ah, but it was on fire, and there was a short, strong Koba desperately rushing in, and out of the village. Caleb, whose legs were already in the process of accelerating towards the nearest civilian, was suddenly consumed by a new thought. Pills are cool yo, but uuh this Koba guy? Who? Need to know, you know?

So, Caleb assisted Koba in saving as many people as they could. Afterwards they introduced themselves to each other.

Caleb extended his hand. "Caleb." His grey cloak was covered in ash, and there were burn marks all over. Koba noted the single blade on his back. He saw a sharp, handsome face. He felt immediately endeared to him. He shook his hand. “Koba.”