Caleb sat cross-legged on the floor in quiet practice. He was in the living room of the adventurers who saved him three weeks ago. The room was dimly lit by an overhead light, allowing him to see. In front of him was a dismantled energy rifle with all its components laid bare before his eyes. Quickly picking up the pieces, he began assembling the parts to build the gun. He moved with practiced ease and efficiency, putting the parts together after weeks of practice. Each piece slotted with each other, forming a smooth metal exterior with all the inner parts of the weapon being neatly tucked away. He inspected his work meticulously, scouring over the entire gun before dismantling it and starting again.
Caleb sat like this for two more hours before the sun began to rise above the horizon. Putting the rifle down, Caleb turned inward and visualized the gun. He saw every component that went into it. He felt every groove needed to ensure it would work. Once the picture formed, Caleb channeled energy flowing throughout his body. The energy poured into his heart, allowing him to flood the image in his mind. He opened his eyes, and the rifle was in his hands. Standing up, he walked outside to an alleyway he knew very well. He pointed the gun toward the ground and fired. The gun pulled a small amount of energy from Caleb’s reserves and shot out a force beam. It impacted the ground, leaving a small black hole. This was the newest edition to the other holes that lined the alleyway.
Satisfied, Caleb dismissed the rifle in a cloud of smoke. He began walking towards the guildhall to start a new day's work. Walking the streets of Citrine reminded Caleb of his daily commute in Etheria before the attack. Now, though, Caleb has stopped to appreciate the scenery around him. He smelled the ocean air on the wind. He could see various people starting their days all around the street. Men and women were opening stalls and putting up signs, children were running around heading towards the schoolhouse, and people in suits were rushing to their high-end jobs. This filled Caleb with a pang of loss, but he shook it off and continued his walk.
Caleb walked inside a bakery and was greeted with the scent of freshly baked bread.
“Good morning, Mrs. Winslow. What have you baked for me today?” Caleb said with exuberance.
“Oh, hush you. You get the same thing every day. I have it right here,” Mrs. Winslow said, lifting a brown bag and placing it on the counter. “Do you have any interesting gossip to share?” she asked.
“Nothing today. It's just a standard week, as far as I can tell,” Caleb said, placing a handful of coins on the counter and grabbing the bag. It was warm to the touch, and its contents smelled delightful.
Bidding farewell to Mrs. Winslow, Caleb reached into the bag and tore a piece of bread off. It tasted delicious, giving Caleb a wide grin as he walked. Reaching the guild hall, he immediately set off to find his new boss, Aria. He found her behind a large pile of papers in her office, working furiously even though the day had just begun.
“Bread?” Caleb offered to his boss, but she shook her head.
“I’m fine, thank you. I need you to start working on that stack there for me. Let me know if anything confuses you with it,” Aria said. Caleb nodded, took the stack, and moved to his temporary office. It was a bare room with a simple wood desk, an old office chair, and a window overlooking the ocean.
Cracking his fingers, Caleb focused his energy to enhance his thought process. He began filing through the papers slowly before ramping up to blistering speeds. Finishing one stack, he went back and got another. He continued this cycle for a few hours before getting a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw Emilia standing in the hall. She wore a loose shirt and jeans and seemed tired.
“You look like you just woke up,” Caleb remarked.
“Shut up. I don’t know how you can even be up right now. You went to sleep after I did,” Emilia shot back. “No amount of ‘mental training’ should allow a person to function on two hours of sleep.”
“Well, you simply haven’t done enough mental training then. Anyways, where’s Chris?” Caleb asked.
“He’s already in the training room. You're coming with me first, though. I’m starving, and you're the only one in the house that can cook,” Emilia stated. Caleb burst out laughing.
“What about the meals I taught you how to cook?” In response, she pulled out a bowl with food that was so burnt Caleb couldn’t identify the contents. This made Caleb double over in laughter, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. She punched his shoulder in response, making him wince. He grabbed his bag of bread and went to his boss’s office.
“I’m out,” Caleb said, leaving his finished work on Aria’s desk.
“Thanks, Caleb. See you tomorrow?” Aria asked.
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“As long as I’m free, I’ll be here,” Caleb responded.
Caleb and Emilia returned home and had a simple lunch before returning to the guild hall to use the training rooms.
“Wait here while I get the room set up,” Emilia said with a devilish grin. Fearing what she would set out for him, Caleb mentally prepared for his upcoming trial before the door swung open. Stepping into a large room, Caleb scanned his surroundings, checking for surprises Emilia may have set in the room. There was nothing in the room. The white walls loomed high above, smooth and unblemished. Suddenly, Caleb felt a weight land on his back before being pinned to the ground.
“How did you do that?” Caleb said while his face was pressed into the ground.
“It’s an advanced energy manipulation trick. Ordinary people tend to leak out energy regularly. However, some people and monsters can contain their energy, so it can’t be tracked. I also used another trick to blend into the surroundings, but that's too advanced for you to understand yet. Today, you’ll be trying to detect me, masking my presence,” Emilia explained while pressing Caleb’s face into the floor. Shaking her off, Caleb sat up and stared at his teacher, waiting for her to begin.
Emilia sealed the energy leaking out of her, making Caleb feel an immediate shift. Caleb had never realized how energy detection could be considered a sense until he felt it not responding to the person in front of him. Focusing, he tried pushing this sense to reach towards Emilia, but it was like straining his eyes to see a far distance. He tried various ways to sense Emilia’s energy but ultimately failed.
“Don’t feel discouraged,” Emilia encouraged. “It took me three weeks to even learn what I’m trying to teach you. It’ll take time, but--,” Emilia was cut short by Chris throwing the door open.
“Guildmaster Ember wants everyone to gather in the main hall,” Chris said. Emilia and Caleb immediately followed Chris to the main hall and waited while other adventurers gathered from around the city.
The guildhall became packed with adventurers pouring inside. Arthur and Grace arrived shortly after Caleb’s group, and they began to chat about the day's events. Eventually, the hall was so packed that newcomers had to stand outside, much to the annoyance of the newcomers. While this was going on, Caleb kept trying to stretch his senses to feel the presence of the adventurers pouring in. Occasionally, he could feel the presence of people who leaked enough energy to cause shifts in the air. He was snapped back to focus when he heard Aurelia begin her announcement. She stood in the center of the room in the bar atop a platform. Her voice was amplified enough that even the adventurers outside could listen to her words.
“Etheria has fallen,” Aurelia opened. “Monsters have overrun the city, and survivors are holding out in bunkers scattered throughout the city. The king has been notified and is mobilizing his forces around the country. He has called upon us to help in reclaiming the city. The king has offered each individual who participates a hefty reward based on their contribution. However, the danger will be high. Some of you may die; that is not a sacrifice I’m willing to make. So I will lead the adventurer’s guild as frontline commander.” This brought about a wave of murmuring. Caleb looked to his group for answers.
“The last time Aurelia fought was in the war thirty years ago,” Arthur whispered. This shocked Caleb slightly as Aurelia only seemed to be in her forties. Either she fought in the war extremely young or held her age better than Caleb initially thought.
“We will be leaving in one month. In that time, I want you all to prepare. Sharpen your weapons, practice your skills, and organize your affairs. Because once we depart, there is no guarantee of your survival. You are all dismissed,” Aurelia’s final words left a lingering impact on the crowd. Everyone began shuffling out of the guild hall with a growing sense of excitement. Even though this would be the most dangerous mission many adventurers would ever have, many were excited at the prospect of fame and fortune. However, many veterans in the crowd seemed annoyed at the idea of participating in a dangerous mission, having already seen the worst adventuring had to throw at them.
Caleb pushed through the crowd towards the bar, trying to reach Aurelia. Reaching the bar, he tried asking her for more details, but his words were drowned out by the growing noise of adventurers excitedly chattering about the mission. Aurelia, noticing Caleb, pointed toward her office, and Caleb nodded in response. Arthur, followed by the others, trailed behind Caleb and filed into Aurelia’s office. They stood in her office waiting for nearly forty minutes before Aurelia entered. She sat down and motioned for Caleb to ask his questions.
“What was the full situation?” Caleb asked, a hint of fear in his voice.
“From what Leo told me, there are no survivors on the surface. They either got into a bunker, or they escaped.” A flash of anger crossed Aurelia’s face before she schooled her expression. “Considering you’re the only person to have reported what happened, that was from the city--,” She went silent as Caleb looked downcast at the floor.
Caleb had already seen one of his friends die at the hands of a monster. He needed to know if Josh was still alive. He could feel an anger bubbling up inside him that ebbed and flowed. If he found out Josh was dead, he didn’t know what he would do.
“Any idea about the crazy scientist?” Caleb questioned. Aurelia shook her head no to Caleb’s disappointment. He could still clearly remember the conversation the ogre had with the wolf. They talked about a human helping them to win, which made him wonder. Who would be crazy enough to work with monsters?
Exiting the office, the group went to a market to pick up groceries before heading home. Entering the living room, everyone settled into chairs and the couch. At the same time, Caleb grabbed the groceries and headed toward the kitchen. He began laying ingredients out, prepping, and cooking with practiced ease and grace. He finished plating the dish and called the others to grab their dinners.
In return for housing and training, Caleb had begun cooking for the adventuring group before he got a temporary job at the guild. Even while working, however, he was still assigned as the designated chef because nobody else could fill the role. Caleb was content with this as he had spent years learning to cook and had become quite adept in the art. Sitting at a center table on the upper floor, the group began digging into the food.
“I think you're ready to go on a hunt with us,” Chris said between bites.
Grace turned to Emilia and asked, “Is he ready?” Looking up from her plate, she nodded before wolfing down her meal. Satisfied with her answer, she began, “Tomorrow, we will be hunting for razer tongue toads. They are both poisonous and venomous with their tongues being able to--,”
“What’s the difference?” Chris asked
Slightly annoyed, she explained, “When something bites you, it's venomous, and when something touches you, it's poisonous. Their tongues are versatile and are used in many crafting recipes and weapon pieces.” She turned to Caleb and continued, “It is a medium-level mission, so we can protect you even if something goes wrong.”
After the explanation was finished, the group began discussing their days and sharing stories before finishing their meals. Heading to their respective rooms, Caleb’s mind started racing at the thought of his first mission.