In the 2 week long trip that followed, the mercenaries moved like a well-oiled machine. With the information that Hektor provided, Lufan's skills with the bow and the leadership of Teksar they held a record of no lost lives during the trip.
They say that a lot of growth can happen on the battlefield, the small growth in Hektor's aura reserves was a great sign of this.
"Status"
Name: Hektor
Title(s): Young Soldier
Mana: 1,320/1,500
Aura: 2,372/2,500
Personal Skill: [Manifest Minion]
Skill(s): Markluzian Spear Art, Mana Barrier, Mana Bolt
Souls: 94
Upon getting a hefty payment of 250 coins each the mercenaries decided to go their own separate ways.
"I hate to say goodbye, so here's a bird to keep you informed." Hektor handed out a bird to most of his companions.
"Hahaha, exchanging of letters aye? Not a bad idea." Teksar gave the young man a pat on the back.
"We will be in the city for a while Hektor, don't be afraid to call for us if you get into any trouble." The archer stated, gone was his often serious expression.
"If you're here to get stronger, then you should head to the nearest dojo. If you can't find a master there then the capital really is your last resort."
He waved his goodbyes to the others before heading to an inn.
"Number 1, how many carrion feeders survived the journey?"
Squawk. Squawk.
"Just two huh… understandable." He walked towards the inn, waving his plaque at man behind the counter.
"How much is a room for the night?" The boy asked, from the plaque he carried to the small group of birds that followed him the tavern-keep had no idea as to what he could expect from the young man.
"10 coins for a place to sleep, 15 if you want a room."
Hektor didn't even try to haggle, he happily took out a small pouch. "Three nights, I want a room for three nights. And here's extra for the food, I was out on a long mission you see and I could really use some rest."
The tavern-keep handed him his keys. "2nd floor, third room to the right."
"Got it. Thank you!" He waved goodbye and he was on his way.
The others could only watch as dozens of crows and ravens followed the young man.
"AHA! Now I remember!" A random patron of the tavern called out as he clasped his hands together.
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"A hero from the frontlines! A child soldier who commands the power of birds. Carrying a spear and a shield, he's one of the people that the fourth prince almost took in as his knight!"
"A silver plaque with a mark for heroism, by the gods! Barrog YOU MIGHT BE ON TO SOMETHING!"
Hektor couldn't even hear anything from his room upstairs, he simply waited for his food to arrive and deliberated on which preset to take.
He had 94 souls to work with, closer to 140 if he didn't summon any birds during his travels but the army of birds that he had was justifiable in his opinion. "I can just check out the dojos and the magic academy tomorrow, what matters to me now is finding a usable low-class minion aside from the crows."
"Why must my ability have this gambling feature?"
[A random Low-Class Minion preset has been unlocked.]
[Bat Cost: 500 Mana, 5 Souls]
Not a bad preset, he thought to himself, it was one that he could test right away. "But it fills the same role as the crows, though I have heard that they can see well at night."
[A random Low-Class Minion preset has been unlocked.]
[Miniature Flame Sprite Cost: 1000 Mana, 5 Souls]
Hektor has heard of spirits before, summoned either through magic or skills. But sprites were something that his uneducated self was unfamiliar with.
"Add that to the list of shit to finish."
But for now, he happily ate the shepherd's pie before heading to bed.
---
Teblez was home to a dojo owned by a Master Martial Artist, a magical academy and a barrack building housing the regular soldiers stationed in the city. The barracks was scratched out almost immediately in the young man's head as well as the expensive to visit magical academy.
"So I might as well test my mettle, who knows… maybe the master will take me in."
"Dojo of the Blue Tiger" Hektor muttered the name as he followed a line to the entrance.
"For those who wish to tour the dojo, head to the left lane." A man wearing a black garment with blue trimming welcomed the visitors. "To those who wish to test their skills, please follow me."
Only two other boys followed the man with Hektor sticking close behind them. Hektor could tell that the swordsman was also a combatant while the larger boy seems inexperienced.
They were taken to some sort of testing hall. With an old man along with most of his students wearing the same black and blue uniform. Each of them carried an assortment of weapons with them. The old man who Hektor assumes to be a master gave off the same feeling as Madivak, clearly in a level that was far too high for him to even grasp.
None of the disciples caught his eye, but Hektor knew from just a glance that all of the adults in the area were comparable to Teksar and Lufan in terms of skill. They seem to be instructors but none of them were even remotely close to the level of the master that Hektor was staring at.
"Bow." The guide commanded them.
The two boys bowed their heads and Hektor simply followed their lead.
"Introduce yourselves one by one." The guide pointed to the lanky swordsman in front of Hektor.
"Tarik sir, fifteen. I practice the One-Handed Markluzian Sword Art." He then took out a wooden plaque. "A mercenary by trade, sir."
"Bert, fifteen. I have no experience with martial arts." He then pointed to his bracelet. "I am a merchant by trade, sir."
Hektor pulled out his silver plaque and showed it to the guide. "Hektor, fourteen. I practice the Markluzian Spear Art. Mercenary by profession."
"You will all be tested one by one through sparring with one of our disciples, do not be afraid to go all out." The master himself spoke.
"First up, Bert." The guide called out.
Bert was a taller teen, he was built like an adult in terms of stature. Standing at a sizable height of 6 foot 1. The master sent out a smaller teen, around the same height as Hektor.
"You may begin!"
Bert wasted no time in sending out a punch towards the smaller boy, a strike that could knock a regular man out cold. But all he caught was air as the boy stepped back, cleanly dodging the hit.
Bert pulled his fist back and looked at his opponent once more. 'If he's just going to dodge then I might as well do my best to hit him!"
He unleashed a flurry of blows, from punches to kicks. He even tried to grab hold of him but nothing he could think of or even try to do could get to his opponent.
He would soon exhaust himself, a single punch to the stomach sent him reeling in pain.
"You have a decent body, while fifteen is a bit late to start learning martial arts… you still have the potential to join our dojo." The guide quickly picked the teen up and brought him out of the circle.