Thomas was woken by someone shaking his tent, crawling out, the first thing he noticed was that it was morning time. The fact that the camp was already cleaned up and put away took slightly longer to register. Turning to Abigail, he saw that she was holding in a chuckle.

In a half-asleep voice, he asked “What is so funny and why didn’t you wake me up for my shift?” Turning to the other person in the camp, he saw that Morgan was sitting on the ground eying him. She was in a set of clothes that Abigail must have given to her.

He said to her “Good morning I’m Thomas, nice to meet you.”

Morgan just nodded and said “Morning.”

Abigail spoke up and said “You were awake most of the night, so I let you sleep, staying up all night isn’t that bad when you get to my level. Get yourself cleaned up; your hair could use it. We are making it back to Les today so we will be moving fast.”

Thomas did as he was told, doing his morning hygiene routine and packing up didn’t take long. After getting himself cleaned up he got handed breakfast from Abigail that he was grateful for.

They set out at a fast jog; Thomas was worried if Morgan would be able keep up with them. Though as he watched she didn’t seem to be struggling at all, he did notice that she was making sure Abigail was between them at all times. Thomas didn’t take it personally; he could only guess what horrors she suffered. Following her lead, he decided to give her as much space as needed.

As they traveled Thomas noticed that Abigail would randomly change direction at times. After the fourth time he asked, “Maybe I’m wrong but you are guiding us around mana beasts, aren’t you?”

She smiled and said “Yes, I am, the goblins that fled yesterday have gotten the mana beasts active. The smaller groups are easy pickings for a lot of them. That should lead to the ecosystem rebalancing.”

As they traveled Thomas tried to ask more questions regarding what she wanted from him, but he got told to wait till they were back at the guild. They moved rapidly, but after a few hours Abigail slowed down to let everyone rest. A simple lunch was what they had again, it was thankfully provided by Abigail. Halfway through Morgan approached him and spoke in a timid voice.

Saying “Mr. Thomas thank you for helping in my rescue.”

“I didn’t do much, but I am glad you are safe now. I hope you are okay with the pace we are moving at.” He replied with a soft smile.

She nodded and said, “I can handle it fine; I just want to get back home.” With that she gave him another nod and went back to Abigail who was watching the exchange. He shot her a questioning look, but she just shook her head a little. It was clear already that Morgan was traumatized, and he was worried if she would ever recover.

That’s when Thomas realized he didn’t ask a simple question that he should of. Being only concerned with himself until now. He managed to get her slightly away from Morgan and asked in a low tone, “Hey Abigail. Are you okay? Yesterday was a lot and I never asked how you are.”

Abigail was completely startled by the question. A sad smile appeared on her face for a second, making sure she couldn’t be overheard she answered “I don’t like killing people, but I look at them the same way I do mana beasts. They caused so much pain and suffering to so many people it makes it easier to deal with. So don’t worry about me.”

Not sure what to say since he had personally never been in that type of situation, he just nodded at her trying to give her a smile. She returned it as they got ready to leave. It took hours, but they managed to get back to Les with the sun still up. It was impressive how fast they managed to move when they didn’t have to be cautious of their surroundings. The only issue was Thomas feeling winded from the run, using mana strengthening the entire time left his muscles and mana channels sore. The long run did help him notice that his strengthening technique wasn’t as efficient as he originally thought. His core was almost empty by the time they made it to the gates. He would need to work on reducing the amount of mana wasted when using the technique for long periods of time.

When they approached the gate Abigail flashed them her A-ranked card and they hurriedly got out of the way. Once inside the town Abigail pulled Thomas aside, handed him a note, and said “Go to the guild and hand a receptionist this and wait. I will be there shortly. I need to get Morgan to her family and get people to help her with everything she has been through.”

Thomas replied, “will do.” Speaking a bit louder to Morgan he said, “If you need anything let me know.” Morgan gave him a small wave of acknowledgment as he went on his way.

The walk back to the guild gave Thomas time to accept everything that happened in the last few days. From finding a small horde in the cave, to watching Abigail execute Dawns Horizon. Not to mention the raid on the mass of goblins, hobgoblins and even a goblin lord they had to deal with. The more he thought about it he couldn’t understand why he put himself into this situation.

He tried to stop himself from being angry, but he was truly mad and disappointed in himself. It wasn’t like him to dive in headfirst without thoroughly thinking about it. He had stayed alive this long from being cautious. He also knew he needed to grab opportunities when they appeared, it was just so conflicting. He wanted to blame Abigail for misleading him or something, but he knew that wasn’t fair, even childish. He is an adventurer and he needed to take responsibility for his own choices. There were plenty of times he could have walked away. He chose not to leave; he chose to stay and take the risks. He couldn’t put blame on anyone but himself.

With a sigh, the anger was washed away replaced with exhaustion, he was just tired. It truly had been a hectic few days, and he needed a good night’s sleep but before that he wanted actual answers. Luckily the guild came onto sight and hopefully Abigail wouldn’t keep him waiting for long.

When he finally made it to the guild, he went to an open counter manned by a receptionist he hadn’t seen before. Handing over the note and his guild card the young man read over both, the receptionist sputtered out “One moment sir” before bolting behind the curtain in the back.

Minutes later Liz showed up and ushered him back up to the meeting room, the same one he was in before. She handed back his guild card and told him to sit tight. She asked if he needed anything. Thomas asked if he could get something to eat and drink. Liz just nodded and left.

He was pleasantly surprised by the hearty steak, potatoes, and mixed vegetables that was brought. He said no to any alcohol, not really a fan of the stuff. After he ate Liz made sure that he had everything he needed, or if there was anything else. Asking for a place to clean himself up, she escorted him through the staff only door and showed him a place to wash up.

Quickly wiping himself down, trying to get as clean as he could without taking an actual shower or bath, he changed into his clean set of clothes. After getting as clean as possible he left the room, Liz waited for him and took him back to the room he was in.

Sitting back down he waited for Abigail. He meditated to try and refill his core as he waited.

He was woken by the sound of shuffling papers, groggily waking up he looked around the room. Abigail was sitting across the table from him eating and looking at paperwork. She was no longer in her armor but in more comfortable clothing.

In a sleepy tone he said, “How long have you been sitting there?”

She looked up at him with a small smile and said “oh only like an hour or two. It’s almost two in the morning, I would of woke you up, but I had paperwork to do, and you look like you needed it.” she paused and let out a sigh and said, “I guess you have questions for me.”

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Thomas nodded before he spoke, he took a drink of water to let the last bit of sleep clear away. Finally speaking he said “I do, why did you bring me along? Also aren’t you tired? You didn’t really get any sleep.”

She chuckled and replied “I am fine for at least a few more days, there are benefits when you get to my level. Now to get to the real question you have its simple. You are a promising candidate to join my team, I wanted to see you in action and see if you were worth recruiting.”

Curious if he was, he asked. “Well, am I?”

“Yes, you are. So would you like to join me and assist me with my work?”

Taking a moment to think about how to respond to the straightforward offer he decided to ask. “Why me. I’m a nobody, you said the branch director mentioned my name, but I know what I am capable of. From the little you have said and what I have deduced I am not nearly skilled enough to be part of whatever you actually do.” Thomas was more confused than anything, she still hadn’t told him what the actual work would entail.

She stared at him for a long moment before answering him. “Don’t sell yourself short. You have never failed a quest. Your mana type is unique, I have an idea of what yours could be or at least related to and if I am right then it is a good thing. You need training with your sword, but you absorb what you are taught quickly. Your instincts are better than most. You are what they call a diamond in the rough, I have no doubt with the right environment you could make it to my level. What I consider even more important is you have a personality and mentality suited for what I am looking for. So yes, I would like you to join. But let me ask you a question in return. Why did you become an adventurer, what do you truly want to accomplish?”

Trying to wrap his head around everything that she just told him, on top of that, that was more praise than he ever received. Thomas had a feeling he should actually be honest with her, the truth of why he decided to become an adventurer.

So, he answered her. “I told you before it was for freedom and money. Which is entirely true, I want to travel, see this world not be stuck in this town. Actually, have money to buy the luxuries I have never had but that’s not the only reason. Truthfully, I want to help people, I want to prevent other kids from becoming orphans like I was. I didn’t have a bad childhood; it was safe for the most part but there was no familial love. I was almost lucky with the fact that no one knows who my parents are. But the other kids that came into the orphanage because their parents were killed or died, they had it the worst. If I can prevent that from happening to others I will.” As he spoke, the only real friend he had growing up with came to mind. She couldn’t handle the pain, the heartbreak and escaped her own pain. He didn’t want to tell Abigail or anyone about her. That was a painful part of him he kept locked away.

Abigail looked at him with an unreadable expression before she spoke in a timid voice, realizing what Thomas told her was extremely personal. He had a feeling she could tell there was more, but she didn’t push for more all she said was “Thank you for being honest with me.”

After letting the silence hang between them for a little while she spoke up again saying “I can’t go into detail until you sign a contract but what I can tell you is we would be helping people. A lot of people, what I am working on how is important. It involves the movements of the mana beasts and monsters.”

Nodding Thomas glad that the conversation had gone back to the original topic asking “Would I be expected to execute people as well? Not that I couldn’t but I didn’t become an adventurer to hunt people. What else would I get out of joining you? Not to sound rude but I can’t eat without coin.” Raising his hand rubbing his fingers in the universal signal for money.

A teasing smile crossed her face as she responded. “Being in my presence isn’t enough compensation? I’m hurt! Kidding! but no, you would get paid a standard rate plus most expenses covered by the guild, other perks as well, like sword training, and mana training. We can go into detail after you sign a contract. When it comes to hunting people, truthfully, we will have to do it occasionally but that’s work for guild Enforcers than us. The main investigation I am on will probably last months if not years. It takes priority over any side investigation we get asked to do. Again, you will get more information if you do join.”

Closing his eyes Thomas knew this was a moment in his life that would decide his future. Was he truly content with how his life was progressing so far? Could he pass up this opportunity? Working with an A-ranked like her is rare if not unheard of. Nine Hells spending just a few days with her he already had a few ideas on what he could do with his mana. The minuscule sword training she gave him was better than anything else he had ever received.

With a long-drawn-out sigh, he opened his eyes, deciding to ask one last question. “You won’t tell me anything more will you?”

An awkward almost apologetic smile appeared on her face as she shook her head and said, “I really can’t.”

Running his hand across his face he said “Okay what is this contract you keep mentioning. That the first thing I need to look at before I even make a choice.”

A genuine smile appeared on her face as she waved her hand a large blue paper appeared between them. Before he could even read it, she spoke. “This isn’t just a piece of paper, it’s a magical contract that binds the people to it. Read it over then I will answer any questions you may have.”

Hesitantly reaching out, picking it up the paper, it was obvious right away that it wasn’t normal paper. It felt like it was pulsating, it took him a few seconds before he realized it was the mana inside the paper he was feeling. There were golden letters sprawled across it in elegant writing. He had never heard of a magical contract before.

Already questioning whether it was the right choice, he started reading the contact. What surprised Thomas was how little information was in it. So, he decided to ask, “Binding contact? A Junior Inquisitor? And you are a High Inquisitor? All that this says is, I won’t intentionally reveal anything pertaining to the work we do without permission. I will get paid the standard rate which, how much that is, isn’t even listed, and I will be working for you. The last little bit where it states this is authorized by the Council of Kings and the Adventurers Guild Master, what does that mean. More importantly how does this bind me?”

She smiled brightly at him “I would say work with me not for me. Even if I am technically in charge, I want a team not subordinates. Simple explanation is it binds your mana core with the intent behind the meaning of the contract. You will understand what it means when you experience it. I will tell you though, if you try and violate what it says it will break your core. On a side note, I will be the holder of the contract, but either one of us can break it and leave. See how it says that at the end?” Abigial walked over and pointed at the part she mentioned.

She continued saying “Where if either of us decide to break the contract, you will be able to leave without any repercussion but will still be magically forced to remain silent for five years regarding what you did during your contract. The only other thing I will say is the pay is rather nice.”

Nodding he asked, “What is the Council of Kings?”

She laughed a little and said “Its meaning is in the name. Its literally a council of all the leaders of this world. They formed it so they could easily work together to prevent great calamities. That’s all I know about it.”

He looked at the paper for a minute before asking “We will be doing good things, right?”

She just nodded at him. This was the moment, trust her and dive in or walk away from a possible future he could only dream of. A childish part of him thought this was an opportunity to go on legendary adventures like the greats from the past. Well, if he doesn’t like what he is told he can just break it and leave or at least he hoped so.

With a sigh he asked, “How do I sign it?”

Another genuine smile appeared on her face as she told him “Prick your finger, it needs just a drop of blood. Then place that finger at the bottom of the page, apply mana to it, and say I accept.”

She placed a needle on the table to prick his finger. Doing so he then pulling a small string of mana from his core to his fingertip as well. When it made contact with the paper, he felt the contract react, it slightly vibrated and glowed in his hands. In a clear voice he said “I accept”

The change was instant, the contact glowed brightly for a split second before cleanly tore in half. The half his finger was touching turned into a blue mist then disappeared into the finger that he used, he could feel the blue mist traveling up his mana channel. Just before it reached his core it stopped, it didn’t enter his core, but he could feel it was wrapped around it.

Still confused, he watched the other half turn into mist and drift into Abigail. Seeing his confusion she spoke “it binds itself to our cores, making sure both of us follow its rules. Well, you follow its rules since I am the one issuing this one but that get into high level contract making. It does make me uphold my side of it, meaning pay and other standard leadership responsibilities. The Guild Master holds my contract as a High Inquisitor. It doesn’t negatively affect you unless you break the rules. Now visualize pulling it out from around your core.”

Doing as she said he held his hand out and pictured it appearing. He felt it flow from around his core, through his mana channels until his half of the contract appeared in his hand. It was odd he could still feel the contract linked to his core even with it manifested like this. Abigail did the same and her half appeared, she said “It’s to prove there is a valid contract between people. If you ever feel like leaving all you would have to do is make it appear like this and rip it apart using your mana. Before all that let me say, congratulations on becoming a Junior Inquisitor!”

She made her part of the contract disappear again, Thomas visualized it going back to where it was, and it dissolved and went back to around his core. Wanting to get actual answers to what he will be doing now he asked, “So what are we actually doing?”

Without hesitation she said with a large smile “We are looking for proof that the Demon Cults are trying to open the Hell Gates.”

“What the fuck did I agree too?” was all he blurted out.

Abigails laugh didn’t make him feel better.