The town of Opal was a midsized town in the Esterin kingdom which used to be a mining town more than a decade ago. The town soon grew up to be a thriving place even when the mine was exhausted. The secret to the exceptional vitality of the town was the Desolate forest it bordered. The forest was a treasure trove for hunters and foragers alike. Precious herbs and wild magical beasts could be found in the forest. The price they fetched varied from a handful of silver coins to dozens of gold coins depending on their quality and rarity.

Merchants from all across the kingdom came here to purchase precious herbs and remains of the magical beasts. The hunters that hunted in the Desolate forest were not average people as they could do naught but struggle helplessly when pitted against the powerful magical beasts. They were all warriors or wizards who had battle force or mana.

Maybe it was because of the rowdy occupants or the nature of their job, fights broke out regularly in the town. Brawls in a bar, fights over women, heated arguments, these were nothing but common occurrences. And like in most fights, the parties involved rarely got away without any injuries.

"F**k! That hurts. Can't you use the numbing potion?" A rough looking fellow shouted as he watched a young man extracting a big piece of shattered glass from his arms. The gnarly looking wound was a result of a scuffle. The young man pulled out the pieces of glass from his wound in a practiced manner. The process hurt like hell and he let out curses every so often.

The young man had black hair and brown eyes. He was a young man who had just reached the age that qualified him for the word 'man'. He spoke in a calm manner, "The numbing potion will be extra two silver coins. I know you aren't gonna use it, but I will ask this just to shut you up. Are you willing to part with two silver coins for it?"

The injured man looked at the doctor sourly and found his handsome appearance to be turning ugly by the moment. "Forget it. I could drink and eat to my heart's content for five days with that sum. Just get this over with already."

The treatment proceeded without any incident and the doctor bandaged the wound. "How much?" The patient asked in a rude manner while taking out his money pouch.

The doctor paid no heed to the patient's unfriendly tone and held up a single finger. The rough fellow took out a single silver coin and handed it to the doctor. Just as the fellow left, a boy of around 12 years of age entered the small makeshift treatment room. He began cleaning up the mess from the earlier treatment. The boy seemed to be used to it as the room was clean in no time.

"Go bring me my lunch. Remember to tell Housen to add more meat. Also, make sure he isn't filling his own belly with my order."

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"Yes master Vincent."

The boy hurriedly left and headed towards 'Jeweled Inn' a decent tavern in the town. The tavern was lively even now. The customers were drinking and laughing loudly. The barmaids were pretending to be entertained while listening to the customers bragging about themselves. Only the maids themselves knew how many times they had heard it already.

Erik entered the busy bar and silently made his way to the kitchen. He stopped before a fat guy wearing an apron. The fat guy looked at the little guest and asked, "Is he asking for lunch already? It's such a busy hour. Can't he just eat from somewhere else? Always making me work when its already so tough."

Erik ignored Housen's complaints and said, "Master Vincent said to add more meat."

"Alright alright punk. I heard you. Go wait somewhere else. It will be ready in a while."

"I am gonna watch you. He told me to make sure you weren't eating from his order."

"This punk! Now why would I eat from his order. Do you think I don't have anything else to do that I would eat from that arrogant prick's share?"

"Stop it Housen. You were caught red handed twice already. Besides if you got so many things to say, why don't you tell them to Master Vincent directly?"

"Tsk.... I will let it go this time. There better not be a next time. Besides what's so good about him. Imagine being a doctor who can't even clean the blood and filth from the treatment just because he doesn't like 'dirty things'. You should stop addressing him as Master this and master that."

"You should grow up a little Housen. You are already twenty two and you are stuck being a chef in a tavern. Master Vincent is only 16 and a wizard to boot. He has made a name for himself in less than a year already. You should aim to do something worthwhile as well."

"What is this brat saying? I need to grow up? Seems like your brain has been eaten by maggots by associating with him too much. Seems like I need to talk to Cathy about how you are behaving."

"My sister won't mind it. Besides I am just stating the truth."

Housen clicked his tongue in annoyance and prepared lunch for the arrogant customer. He wanted to refute Erik's words but had nothing of substance to say. The young wizard had come here less than a year ago and established himself as a capable doctor already. Even he had to admit that he was somewhat amazing. 'If only it weren't for his terrible attitude'. Housen thought to himself and handed the prepared meal to Erik.

Erik was heading out of the tavern when Cathy, his older sister called out to him and handed him a letter. He had been learning to read and write from Vincent and helped out at the clinic in return. He read the words "To Vincent Ember" in the envelope and put it in his pocket. The young boy swiftly made his way towards his workplace with the wrapped up lunch and a letter.

Vincent received the letter and a rarely seen smile crept up his face. He had his lunch in a separate room where no traces of medicine or similar things could be found. He closed his clinic early that day and made his way for Jeweled Inn. He greeted Housen, Cathy and Wendy before heading to the room he rented on the floor above. He took out a pocket watch from his clothes and put it gently on his study desk. The envelope was soon torn open and the letter was firmly held in the young man's hands as he began reading its content.