Ellion and Mazz were about ten minutes away from the old man’s workshop. Mazz was still surprised that he saw what Zekion in its physical state looked like. The glow on the edges was mesmerizing, and the amount of cosmos radiating from it was intense. He had a better understanding of why mages, even those who excel at using magic, also use enchanted weaponry.

‘Impressed, huh?’

‘What?’ Mazz asked.

‘That impressed you. I can tell.’

‘How so?’

‘You stayed quiet the whole walk back,’ laughed Ellion.

Mazz mocked his laughter and said, ‘It’s just that where I’m from, you don’t see something like that every day.’

‘You must really be from some backwater village.’

Ellion got no response. ‘Hey, no need to get all upset about it, kid. I was just joking.’

Still no response.

Although he didn’t mind the silence, he knew he had to break the ice somehow. If Mazz ended up leaving the company after what he said, Roslyn would tear him a new one. ‘Hell, even if you weren’t, I guess experiencing what you just did would be a rare sighting for just about anyone, especially people from the North and Western parts of the country.’

‘You’re right.’

‘What was that?’

‘What you said about me being from a backwater village— You’re right. I am from a—’

Ellion pulled out his arm to stop Mazz from walking any further. ‘Listen kid,’ he took a deep sigh and pulled his arm back. He scratched his head and thought about what to say next. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. Let’s just move on and get this assignment finished, okay?’

‘Alright.’ Mazz responded.

The rest of the walk was awkward and quiet until they got to the front of the old man’s workshop. Ellion opened the door for Mazz and they both entered the building. The old man walked from the other room and headed toward them to receive his package.

‘Here you go, elder.’

Ellion passed the bag of pure zekion to him. After he received it, he opened the bag and a stream of silver light beamed from the opening. This had put a smile on the old man’s face. He closed the bag and placed it behind him on a shelf and turned to Mazz and Ellion who were waiting for their payment.

‘Thank you so much.’

‘Not a problem. Now, do you mind paying us, and don’t forget the interest please,’ Ellion replied.

‘Oh yes, of course!’ The old man walked away from them to get the money from the back of his store.

Mazz, still annoyed, stared at Ellion. He looked back at him and shrugged his shoulders, ‘What? I said please.’

He still refused to speak to him. Instead, he rolled his eyes and watched as the old man came back with the promised amount for the assignment and a bit more that was asked from him.

‘This should be enough.’ The old man stated as he placed a small wooden box on the counter.

Ellion picked up the box, it felt heavy, and he shook it near his ear. He heard the cling of the dawn banging against one another and nodded his head. ‘Sounds about right,’ he said with a slight smile upon his face. He passed it over to Mazz, who took the box from him, and waved his hand goodbye as he turned around to leave the shop.

The old man was so pleased that as soon as Ellion turned from him, he guided his attention toward the bag of zekion. Mazz stared at him for a bit, wondering what the old man had planned to do with the mineral. The possibilities seemed almost limitless. Despite who he ended up with for his guide and how Ellion treated the old man when they got there, the result of the assignment ended on a positive note. Mazz smiled at the thought of that. If he could make anyone he helps down the line while staying as a mage for Rigel, then working for them isn’t all too bad.

Mazz turned around and headed straight for the door. As soon as he went for the handle, the door swung open and knocked him back against a small bookshelf behind him.

‘Whoa!’ Mazz cried out. He grasped on to the top of the shelf to stop himself from falling. After regaining his balance, he looked up and saw three men in the workshop with him and the elder.

The man closest to him had no shirt on revealing two scares that marked his chest. He had black pants on that were ripped at both knee caps. His eyes were brown and the color of his short spiky hair, matched. Mazz saw that the man’s hands were scarred as well. Damaged on the knuckles, he definitely had more than his fair share of brawls. This man stared right at Mazz and Mazz stared right back for a short time before turning his attention on the other two.

The next man beside him was a bit shorter than the one closer to Mazz. He wore a dark brown sleeveless vest with no shirt underneath and had navy blue pants on with the right pants leg rolled up. His olive-green hair was curly but messy, and his eyes, which was a darker shade of green, seemed reckless. He had kept his hands in the outer pockets of his vest and ignored Mazz who was no longer leaning against the bookshelf.

The last man, who was taller and more muscular than the other two, also ignored Mazz, but Mazz certainly didn’t emulate the same level of acknowledgment. This man wore a gray long-sleeved shirt with emerald-colored bandages wrapped around his forearms. He had on dark gray baggy pants with the same colored bandages wrapped around his ankles. There was no hair on the top of his head, but he had a black goatee.

‘What are you staring at, kid?!’ The man with no shirt on stated.

Mazz shook his head, ‘Nothing. I was just about to—’

‘Then go on! Skedaddle.’

Mazz turned away from the man who was speaking to him and looked at the elder who’s joyful attitude had faded. The elder looked at him and smiled, but the sight of his expression made Mazz’s stomach turn. The bottom half of the old man’s face told Mazz that he would be fine, but the top half cried out for his help. He knew the old man was forcing the expression he had on his face, after all, Mazz was an expert.

‘Go on kid, everything is alright,’ the old man told him.

Mazz nodded and looked back at the three men. This time, both the shirtless man and the one with the vest on were staring at him. He ignored them both as he left the shop.

The sun had started to set. The sky was painted an orange hue. When Mazz walked out of the shop, he saw Ellion outside underneath a tree from across the shop. He inhaled some of the karono still left in his pipe and exhaled it while walking toward Mazz.

‘What took you so long? It’s getting late and I don’t want to be late for dinner.’

Mazz looked back at the shop, ‘Did the guys who just walked in there seemed off to you?’

‘Everyone in this damn town seems off to me,’ he shrugged. ‘Just a part of that Pulm flair I suppose. Come on kid, we should get going.’ Ellion started to walk away.

‘My name is Mazz,’ he sighed.

After he took a couple of steps forward to follow Ellion, he heard commotion coming from the shop. Immediately, Mazz turned back around to make sure the noise he heard didn’t come from the shop, but he heard the sound once more followed by someone shouting.

‘Ellion, we have to go back!’

Ellion turned to him, ‘Why? You didn’t forget our payment, did you?’

‘What? No!’ Mazz looked at him, ‘I think the old man is in trouble. We have to make sure he’s alright.’

‘Sorry kid, but no can do,’ he shrugged.

Mazz took a step back. He was surprised to hear what Ellion just told him. ‘But, why not?’

Ellion walked over to him and when they were about a few feet a part from each other, he stopped and answered. ‘That’s not how Rigel operates anymore. We don’t work for free. If he wants us to deal with those thugs in there, he’ll have to request it and wait until we receive the job.’

Mazz’s eyes widened.

‘That’s just how things are, kid.’ He stuck his pipe into his mouth and inhaled the smoke.

Without hesitation, Mazz threw the box of dawn at him. Ellion reacted fast and managed to grab it without dropping the box nor the pipe in his mouth. He looked up at Mazz to see him sprint into the old man’s shop.

When Mazz entered the building, he saw the old man on the floor with the guy who had no shirt on standing over him. He also saw the bag of zekion in the hands of the tallest guy in the group. They were all staring back at him.

‘Well look who decided to come back.’ the man with no shirt pointed.

‘Get out of here!’ the elder pleaded. Mazz took not on how painful it was for him to speak.

‘Listen to the old geezer. This is your final warning,’ the other man with the vest on stated.

‘I think we should teach this brat to stay out of grown folk’s business.’ The man with no shirt walked over the old man, who was still lying on the floor. As he got closer to Mazz, the one who held the zekion in his hands pulled out his arm to stop him. Mazz’s focus was now on the guy who didn’t even acknowledge is existence.

‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ he demanded with a stern voice.

‘My name is Mazz Dragin. I’m a copper rank mage from the Rigel Company.’

While Mazz introduced himself, the man with no shirt started to recognize where he’s seen him before. ‘I remember you now!’ he shouted. He walked pass the guy who stopped him and turned back to look at them. ‘Hey Dion, Roy, this is the kid who took his magic screening exam and blew the whole thing!’ he laughed.

Roy, the man with the vest, chuckled at what he said. ‘That’s him?! Didn’t he pass like only one of the tests? How many of them were there again, Werner?’

‘Five!’

‘Five?!’ Roy busted out laughing. Even Dion, who was clearly the man in charge, laughed at the thought of someone like Mazz stepping up to them. ‘What did he pass?’ he continued.

‘Who cares!’ Werner began to look at Mazz, ‘Listen brat—’

Before he could finish his sentence, a fist made contact with his right cheek. It was Mazz’s. Everyone in the room watched as Mazz sent Werner flying into a wall. The impact left the concrete crack and Werner unconscious.

‘Werner!’ Roy cried out. As soon as he made his way toward Werner’s body, Mazz spoke up which made him stop in his tracks.

‘One out of five ain't all that bad. Especially since the one I passed was physical prowess.’ He stood in front of the only two guys left standing ready for a fight he knew he could win.

‘So, which one of you are next?’ he smirked.

TO BE CONTINUED