Dev’s confidence that he could convince his friends to partake in his startup Adventuring group made Aida wonder how difficult it actually was to create an Adventuring party. The next time Kuri was back at school, she cornered the Adventurer and interrogated her about their startup costs.
Kuri was more than happy to indulge Aida’s questions, seeing it as a break from being asked to fight all the time.
“But why the sudden interest in business, Aida?” Kuri inquired as she sipped at her cold coffee. They were comfortably nestled in the breakfast nook of the cozy kitchen in the Affiliates' lodgings on a Sun Day afternoon, Kuri having just returned from an expedition in the Western Woods. “Are you looking to get into logistical support? I’m sure Kawa and Lula would be more than happy to hire you for that role.”
“I got into a discussion with Dev about how realistic it would be to start an Adventuring company,” Aida said offhandedly, glancing over the notes she had taken while interviewing Kuri. “He made it sound really easy, but when I was talking with Sue she had the opposite impression of the process. I thought it would be easier to draw an accurate conclusion if I asked one of the premiere Adventuring groups who I just happen to be on friendly terms with!” Aida give Kuri a cheeky ink-splattered thumbs up, making the young woman giggle.
“You really are one of the smart ones. Actually asking for information instead of just making assumptions.” Kuri yawned, stretching luxuriously as she did. “Anyway, as you can see, you really don’t need too much baen to get started - the biggest driving factor is motivation. You can always battle back monsters, you know? You don’t need fancy equipment or whatever, especially if you know how to use your mana and are careful. Potions and quality weapons, a soft pillow to lay your head on at the end of the day - those are luxuries that can help you recover better, but not necessary if you’re first starting out.”
“So in your professional opinion,” Aida started, reaching for a sip of her tea. “Do you think the average Maglica graduate has the skill to be an Adventurer?”
“Of course,” Kuri said immediately. “I mean, think about it. Before mana became this well-understood, our ancestors were fighting monsters with sticks and rocks. You guys get physical and mana training here, and are all powerful enough in your own right to fight off a regular beast in the woods - especially in a group. The only real thing you guys are lacking is experience.”
Kuri leaned towards Aida, a small smile on her face. “Honestly, I think even you could be an Adventurer as you are now. You just need a little bit more exposure to real-world conditions, and you’ll see it’s all the same as in school - maybe even easier, because you don’t have to worry about combat rules or trying to outsmart someone equally as smart as you.” She flicked Aida’s forehead affectionately before leaning back in her chair. “Anything else before I go back to my room for a nap?”
“Nope! You’ve been a great help. Thank you so much for taking the time,” Aida said as she began collecting her ink bottle and notebook while Kuri rinsed her cup at the sink. Kuri fluttered her hand at Aida, shaking some droplets of water onto her.
“Please feel free to stay here and finish up your notes! You seem like you still had some thoughts. With most of the other Affiliates out of the house, I’m sure the remaining Affiliates feel comforted having some life in here,” Kuri said with a smile. She lowered her voice. “By the way, Healer Vega isn’t going to be back until later this star cycle, so it’s safe for you to linger here.”
“Well, if you insist.” Aida reopened her notebook to a fresh page as Kuri put away her cup, bidding Aida farewell with a smile and another yawn.
Aida stared at the blank page, her mind slowly chugging through the information she had learned about establishing an Adventuring group. Kuri hadn’t minced any words, and neither did she try to glamorize the reality of being an Adventurer. She had given Aida precise information, making her feel like she was missing something important. Surely it isn’t that straightforward?
Kuri had impressed upon Aida that the most important characteristic that made a successful Adventuring group was essentially willpower.
“It doesn’t even matter if your group has nothing; if everyone is committed to the same goal, then you’ll make it happen.” Aida had to admit it sounded like the kind of platitude the lucky few who found success would say; something that was easily quotable, technically correct but didn’t acknowledge all the other factors that went into being successful. Survivorship bias.
But if she were to take Kuri’s words at face value just as a starting point…Throw out all my misconceptions.
Aida listed out everything she knew of the leads, and what she knew of Dev’s friends. They’re all relatively well off, and Kuri said having baen is just a boost that makes the job easier, but isn’t necessary to the actual job…
Even though she had no idea how Dev’s friends felt about becoming Adventurers, Class 2’s team composition was already looking a lot more promising in terms of success rate - purely because of how chaotic Class 1’s motivations in becoming an Adventuring party were. Levi and Caleb already made it very clear their first priority is their family and business, and Ezra seemed pretty apathetic about being an Adventurer…but Lara seems like she’d rather deal with family things also.
Sue was the only one who wholeheartedly wanted to become an Adventurer, and though her family was well-off enough to perhaps support her individually, she wouldn’t have enough to entice other Adventurers to work with her. So Sue’s aspiration of joining the Gullbeaks was still her best bet.
But what about when Sue was supposed to save the world? The Gullbeaks were strong, but there had to be a reason the boys were the leads as well. Aida was ninety-nine percent certain that in order to save the world, Sue needed all three boys in her party when they faced off against The Evil, at the very least.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Huffing out a frustrated breath, Aida moved on to Class 2’s list. All the boys were from relatively well-off families, so presumably they would all have support while they established themselves. Individually, Class 2 didn’t have the combat prowess to beat Class 1, but their friendship and already-established bonds meant they would likely present a challenge to Class 1. Aida had to admit that even during their regular school training sessions, and most recently demonstrated by the game of Flying Needle among her classmates, the boys seemed to have a synergy that made their team formidable.
She hated to admit it, but if there wasn’t a storyline to preserve, Aida would have put her money on Class 2. In the sparring matches Class 1 had several moon cycles ago, they all had their own ideas of how to best do things, and didn’t work together well. From Sue’s casual grumblings recently, it seemed they still hadn’t improved their coordination. Aida had assumed they just had high standards and that they worked well together when it mattered, but the existence of complaints indicated there was a fundamental lack of trust between them - or at least Sue didn’t trust the others.
Dev, Pritchard, Myk, Shon, Abedi…they’ve already proven themselves in classes. But how is this going to work when they aren’t the main characters of this story?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Aida!” Sue bounded up to Aida as she headed back towards the school, her sparkle firmly back. “How was your visit with Kuri? Did you get all you needed from her?”
“Yep, she gave me more than enough,” Aida replied vaguely, her thoughts still swirling. “How was your training session?”
“Better than ever before,” Sue declared confidently, lifting her arms in bicep curls to showcase her strength. “It’s like getting poisoned unlocked some sort of power in me - it was terrifying while it happened, but I smoked the arena. And it was me versus Ezra!”
“Really?” Aida stared wide-eyed at Sue. “…How is he feeling?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt him,” Sue reassured Aida hastily. She reconsidered. “I mean, if you want me to, I won’t be so gentle next time…”
“No, of course not!” Aida peered into Sue’s eyes. Innocent lilac eyes blinked back at Aida. “You’re sure you’re fine?”
“Of course! Healer Bokar said there were no lasting effects, and I’ll be seeing him and Healer Luk tomorrow for them to check me over again.” Sue skipped by Aida’s side, her blonde ponytail swinging jauntily behind her.
Despite Sue’s insistence that she was fine, and her overall demeanor really did seem to be fine after her ordeal two star cycles ago, Aida still couldn’t help but worry. The slack expression, lack of recognition when she first looked at Aida…it was haunting.
“Come on, cheer up,” Sue cajoled, reaching out to pinch Aida’s cheek. “I’m alive and well!”
“I know, but…” Aida bit her lip. “…you still can’t remember what happened in the Western Woods?”
Sue shook her head, the corners of her lips turning down. “I can’t, but I have no other memory issues once I’ve recovered. It was just that one short segment.” Sue wiped the air in front of her face with both hands, indicating utter blankness. “Poof. Nothing. I remember getting there with Class 1, and I remember walking out of the woods towards camp. No more than a few hours of memory lost.”
She looked towards Aida. “Did Kuri say she found anything when she came back?”
Aida shook her head. “No, they swept the same places you all got separated, but found nothing. Not even a trace of whatever plants were supposed to have poisoned you, so she said they likely can’t replicate whatever effect you experienced.”
Sue sighed mournfully, her lips in a cute pout. “What a shame. I think I’d like to go through that again, but under more controlled conditions…just so I can get stronger, you know?” she added cheekily, elbowing Aida before Aida could admonish her for being so reckless.
“You really are unbelievable,” Aida muttered, rubbing her ribs. Sue giggled before throwing her arms around her, enveloping Aida in a warm, tight hug.
“Don’t worry, Aida. I know that was a scary time, but I promise you, if anything bad ever happens to me, I’m not going to go down without a fight. I won’t go down that easily.”
Aida sighed into Sue’s shoulder, wrapping her own arms around Sue’s slim torso. “I believe you. But it’s still hard not to worry.”
“And that’s how I know you’re a good friend!” Sue pulled back, smiling brightly at Aida. She brushed the hair behind Aida’s ears before clapping her hands on her cheeks. She lowered her voice as she pressed her forehead against Aida’s, speaking more seriously. “I know I’m acting like nothing bad will ever happen to me, but…I really believe it. I’m…strong. I can take care of myself. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Aida’s heart thumped as she stared into Sue’s eyes. In those pinkish depths, she saw the same fiery yearning for life, the sparkle that came from within instead of a mere reflection of light from the outside. But also, an overwhelming confidence and fearlessness that stirred something in Aida.
Sue really believed what she was saying. And who was Aida to try to convince her she was wrong?
Main character energy for sure. “…Okay. Just be careful, please.”
The lilac eyes crinkled into crescents. “Always!”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Aida stared at the chart she drew after talking with Sue. Her preliminary list in the Affiliates’ lodgings had been drawn up with trepidation, more of an experimental viewing of how Classes 1 and 2 could measure up to Kuri’s criteria of what would make a successful Adventuring group. Her evaluation was limited by lack of knowledge, of course, but she had further limited the possibilities by her expectation of what was supposed to happen.
But the determination in Sue’s lilac eyes had awakened something in Aida - something that may not necessarily have eliminated the fear of not knowing how the story would go, but it had certainly quieted the fear enough for her to open her mind to other possibilities.
She didn’t know what was supposed to happen, but just like what Kuri said, and what Sue believed, and what the age-old adage said: where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Aida took a deep breath, firming her resolve. If she really was supposed to save this world, at least now she had plans. She had an ideal plan: Sue, Caleb, Ezra, and Levi would band together to defeat The Evil in a big climactic fight while the rest of the world waited with bated breath; she also had several backup plans, where if the leads refused to work together for one reason or another, she could perhaps influence some other Adventurers - the Gullbeaks for sure, Class 2 in a worst-case scenario - to chip away at The Evil.
If it wasn’t up to her to save the world, well…at least these plans wouldn’t go to waste. And if they did go to waste, at least she tried. If her influence as a side character really meant nothing, then nothing she did would matter.
And that’s okay. At least I tried.
Grabbing a fresh sheet of paper, Aida began scribbling, working backwards to break her plans down into more tangible objectives.