“Absolutely Not!”, Ingrid yelled,”Karl I can’t believe you! Going against my wishes like this!”

Heath sat on the bed as his parent’s argued, well his mother argued.

“Ingrid I support ya in all decisions, but this ain’t yer decision its Heath’s. And I will support him, I’d rather he be in good hands than have him run off and get himself killed cause ya didn’t listen to him.”

Karl did not yell, but stated resolute, unflinching. Heath was impressed by his father more now than ever.

“He’s a boy Karl! We decide what he can and can’t do!”

“No. He may be only thirteen, but he is bonded and has fought monsters. Ya don't wanna accept it, but he is gonna either be a trekker now or later.”

“Then later! It’ll give us time to change his mind.”

“Ya time, not I. I won't push him away, and that's all ya do if ya keep doing this.”

Karl looks at Heath and smiles,” My boy will be a trekker.”

Then looking back at his wife, Karl smiles softly, “Ingrid, ya are the love of my life, but I won’t let ya deny Heath his dream, cause yers turn to a nightmare.”

“Now I’mma take Heath to the guild, he will be signed up. That’s that. Now ya can come with or ya can stay here mad, but it aint changing.”

Karl gestured for Heath to follow and went to the door.

Heath reached for his mother’s hand, but she jerked away turning to face the wall, “Go.”

Heath gives his mother one last look and follows his father out of the room.

The two walk down the stairs of the inn into the common room, where Nadia waves at them while playing with some of the other children.

As the two leave the inn Karl speaks up, “ Yer ma will come around, just give her time.”

“I know Pa.”

With these words the two walk toward the Trekker’s Guild.

  Heath and his father walked through the double doors of the guild and were instantly overwhelmed by the sounds and noise. Men and women of various builds were gathered around tables eating and drinking. On a far wall was a large wooden board with papers pinned to it, on the opposite wall was a large counter with bottles on shelves behind it with a swinging door next to it.

Heath had been inside the guild many times during monster surges, but it was never like this with most of the trekkers out fighting, save for the one or two left behind to help the guild master and employees defend the children and elderly incase of an attack on the guild.

Directly in front of them was a large counter desk with a young blonde woman behind it in a green and white uniform, a green cap to match it.

Noticing the two gawking, the woman came out from behind the desk and walks up to them, “Can I help you two?”

Pulled from their stupor, Karl clears his throat, hand going to the wooden box under his arm unconsciously, “We’re here to sign my son up and make him an account.”

The woman looks at Heath up and down, “ How old are you, young man?”

“Oh, umm. I’ll be fourteen next month.”

The woman gave him a sad smile, “ I’m sorry, but the guild requires its members to be sixteen. You can come back in a couple years.”

Karl cuts in, “ We were told by a memb-”

Just then a cheerful voice calls out, “ Mary it’s alright they’re with me.”

The three look up to see Sebastian walking toward them, mug in hand, cheeks rosy from the drink.

“Trekker Sebastian? You know these two?”

“Yes”

“That is well and good, but the rules cleary state tha-”

“That a person must be sixteen to join the guild..unless they are given indorsement from a team in good standing with the guild and has the permission of a parent or guardian.”

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Looking at Karl and points, “Parent,”, points at himself, “trekker in good standing.”

With a self satisfied smile adds, “Sounds like to me there is paper work to be done.”

The clerk looks from the halfling then back at Heath and Karl.

With a long, suffering sigh and slouching shoulders, “ I’ll get the paperwork started.”

As the clerk walks away, Sebastian claps his hand together, “ With that taken care of, let's introduce you to my captain. You can meet the other two tomorrow, Olaf is taking it easy after the battle and Sven is at the repository…. reading.”

Heath and Karl follow the swaying halfling to a table in the corner of the room where another blonde sat, though instead of a cloth uniform this woman wore leather armor with daggers sheathed at her hip.

The blonde looked up from her plate and offered a smile when the halfling plops down across from her, seeing Heath and Karl she gives a nod and politely gestures at them, “ Is this who you were telling us about?”

The halfing nods with a smile, “ Leanna this Heath and his father, Heath ….”

Sebastian looks blankly at Heath’s father… who he did not know the name of.

“Karl.”, Karl offers blandly.

“And his father Karl. Heath…Karl this is Leanna. Captain of The Wild Jacks.”

Leanna gives Sebastian a sideways look, and shakes her head, and then addresses the Brims, “ It is a pleasure to meet you both. Sebastian has convinced me and the others on our team to take Heath here,” she gestures at him, “ on as a junior member and train him until he is old enough to become a full member….”

Then adds hesitantly, “Should he have the ability to bond with a second spirit, as is required by the guild of its full members.”

Heath shifts nervously and looks at his father, “ They do?”

Karl nods his head and says, “ I don’t believe it’ll be a problem.”

“It won’t?”, Heath asks.

“Okay then Heath, welcome to the Wild Jacks.”, Leanna says and holds a hand out to Heath.

“Well go on boy.”, Karl says looking down at his son, smiling with pride in his eyes.

Heath takes the woman's callused hand and shakes.

“Cheers!”, Sebastian yells jovially, raising the mug to his lips.

“Alright let's go fill out some paperwork.”, Leanna says standing up.

----------------------------------------

  Heath walks through the streets with his father, a wooden badge with his trekker id number, HB0055231. With this badge he would be recognized by other guilds as a junior member and would give him access to his account with the guild, which held forty-two gold, twenty-three silver, and four copper. This was after the silver and coppers had been converted to higher pieces for ease of accounting.

When the total, Heath thought his eyes would fall from their sockets and his jaw nearly hit the floor. How had his father kept so much money from his mother… and had given it to him.

“Pa…thank you. I can give the coin back if you want. I know it's a lot.”

“It’s for yer, to keep.”

The two walk in silence for a moment then adds, “No need to tell ya mother.”

Heath laughs, “ Of course, Pa.”

They walk minds wrapped in their own thoughts.

As they pass the mayor’s office they see that a crowd had gathered outside and seemed less than pleased.

“What’s that about?”, Heath asks his father.

“Not sure, probably wanting a palisade built, again. May get it after two attacks in a month.”

“Palisade?”

“Big wooden wall around the town.”

“Oh, that’d be smart.”

“Ya it would.”

Heath and Karl found Ingrid at their house, sitting against the wood wall, Nadia napping with her head in her mother’s lap.

Ingrid smiles down and combs a strand of hair from Naida’s face.

Seeing Heath and Karl approaching she gestures from them to come closer after they had stopped upon seeing her.

“Its okay, I’m done yelling and fussing.”,”, Ingrid says with an apologetic smile.

“My love would you take Nadia back to the inn. I think it’s time Heath and I have a talk.”.

“The talk?”, Karl asks eyeing his wife with an emotion Heath couldn’t place…. was he sad..or angry.

“Yes, dear that one.”

“I thought we’d do that together.”, Karl says with an unusual edge to his voice.

“I know, but it's now or never. I don’t want Nadia here for this.”

“I’ll find someone to watch her, don’t tell him….”, Karl looks at Heath, an array of emotions dancing in his eyes, “my part before he returns.”

“Of course.”, Ingrid says, her eyes not leaving Heath’s confused face.

Karl bends down and takes Nadia from her mother, being careful not to wake his daughter.

“I love you, Karl.”

“I love ya too, Ingrid.”

Karl stops as he passes Heath, “I’ll be right back, son.”

After Karl is gone, Heath and his mother just stare at each other.

“Heath, I’m sorry.”

Heath doesn’t know what to say.

“Heath, I have something very important to tell you and you may get upset, but I want you to try and listen.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Ingrid takes a deep breath and meets her son’s eyes, “Heath…. My father was a trekker…and so was I.”

“What?”