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Hands Of God
Chapter 1 - Mediocrity

Chapter 1 - Mediocrity

There was a small toy factory that didn't make big toys. They were toys that a single person could put together in half an hour. Just like any other day, everyone was working hard, making toys to earn money. And, just like any other day, there was a man that made 20 in the time another could make one.

"Working hard, eh, Sebastian?" asked a rough man, throwing a bottle to the man with a mountain of toys next to him. Sebastian caught it with his teeth, looking upwards as he drank the contents. He spat it onto the ground, before picking up another toy to assemble.

"You know me," he replied, yawning. "What's the time?" Much as he loved to work, he wasn't going to work all day.

Another man to the right of Sebastian, hidden behind the mountain, answered. "About half past eight." 

Sebastian yawned, before throwing the toy he was working on into the pile. He didn't pick up another one. "I'm gonna clock out, then," he said, heading towards the old-fashioned punch clock. He took out his paper, putting it in. He took it out, hanging it on the wall, in his designated spot.

Sebastian changed out of his work attire; simple black clothes that made him seem like a gangster. His casual clothes were a simple blue shirt, with blue jeans. 

He didn't turn back to see the same old factory, with the smoke billowing from the chimneys, and the sounds of machines whirling, doing work impossible for people. Sebastian took out a cigarette, smoking it.

He chucked and stomped it somewhere in the commercial district, snuffing the sparks. He found himself in front of a restaurant that everyone tried to get into, 'Monster Meat'. He scoffed at it, as he continued on walking.

He was now in front of his two-storey house that was in a working condition, at the best of times. He put a smile on, as he headed in.

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"Why are you so late?" a girl asked, one much younger, and better looking, than him. "The food's already cold. Like normal," she added, under her breath. It was loud enough for Sebastian to hear.

"How's my sweet daughter, Sophie, doing?" he asked, going in for a hug. She dodged his arms, expertly spinning him around and placing him on a chair.

He laughed, jokingly asking, "When'd you get so good at that?"

"Since Mum taught me," was her grim reply, shutting the joking mood down.

"Wait, did you wait for me?" He noticed the full table, with two plates of food. His face twitched, though he kept a smile. "Don't do that! Children need to eat."

She sat down in front of him, picking up her utensils. "It was just that I wasn't hungry, until now." She refused to say anything to his questions.

"How was school?" No reply. "Who did you learn to cook from?"

The rest of the meal was silent.

Sophie piped up, moving to the kitchen counter, soon returning with something in hand. It was a closed envelope that she placed in front of him. "You got mail," she stated.

Sebastian picked it up, finding no return address. 'That's odd,' he thought, though he didn't continue thinking about it. Most of his mail were scams with no return addresses anyway. The strange thing about this one, though, is that they spelt his surname correctly. Sebastian Isolmn was his full name, though it was pronounced differently.

He didn't open it then, instead conversing with Sophie until 11 p.m. He kissed Sophie's forehead, before she went to bed.

He was in his room when he opened it, using a flashlight he had. He held the light using his mouth, using his hands to underline the words he was reading.

It wasn't until after midnight that he had finished reading it, even though it was a short letter.

He turned off the light, carefully thinking of what he just read. Basically, it was a test that had a workplace's best craftsman, whatever the craft, in a competition with other people. It said there were only 30 other people in it. It didn't mention what the winner would get, but it was by a famous guild. Olympus, ruled over by 11 people, was a world famous guild revered by the masses for protecting cities against Monster attacks.

In terms of time and location, it was in three days, at the HQ. Plane tickets were already paid for, which was nice. However, Sebastian couldn't take the offer. He crumpled it, throwing it into his bin. It was mostly empty, besides for a few miscellaneous items.

He changed his clothes, before sleeping. With much trouble, he did.

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