On hearing the guard’s words, Adrian rushed to the guild as fast as he could. He had a gist of what might be happening considering all things, this was the first real crex horde this city had faced in years after the first blight raids. Many at the guild had lost their lives, and more had lost their loved ones.
After such an event, someone had to take responsibility for the aftermath. With shaky breaths and shaky knees, Adrian rushed through the city blocks weaving his way through the alleys and roads towards the guild. And as he almost reached the building, he took a deep breath as he saw the sight in front of him.
A crowd had gathered in front of the guild. Normally this would have been an everyday occurrence, but on a normal day, they would have been cheering for the guild for its victory.
But the casualties this time had been too many. And the people just couldn’t accept that. And the result was, as anyone with a sane mind would have guessed, a riot. A chaotic, angry violent mob was making a scene in front of the guild blaming the guild master because of what had happened.
On seeing this Adrian was, in simple words, utterly infuriated. In his whole life, he had seen his father going through many things. Caesar had fought on the battlefield countless times, killed innumerable crexes, helped the people in tough times, and risked his life to protect the people whenever there were heavy calamities, attacks from raiders, invasion threats from the neighbouring countries and people thought it was normal and never paid him any attention.
But now faced with a situation no one could control, these people didn’t even hesitate for a second to raise their voices at the same man who had been doing everything he could for them. Someone to direct their anger and guilt on.
This order of thought was of course, natural for humans, it is our nature to take things for granted until it disappears. They keep high expectations from the ones at the top but always look for a chance to criticize them at the slightest mistakes.
Although Adrian knew it was obvious what would have happened, he was still disappointed. Disappointed in the people for their lowly behaviour. The very same people who had always faked those smiles to gain favour with him, the very people who had bootlicked his father, were now shouting profanities at him at the top of their lungs.
Adrian felt his blood boiling as the voices slowly died out in the background as he got lost in thoughts leaving a high-pitched ring in his ears. He felt his nails digging into his skin as he clenched his fist ignoring the pain.
He felt his eyes starting to burn as his hand moved to the sword strapped at his waist. He felt like he was about to lose control and massacre the crowd the moment he would unsheath it.
Just as gripped his sword’s handle, a hand propped up on his shoulder and he felt all his strength draining away along with the rage and he dropped to the ground as he felt like deflated a balloon.
Mikhel’s worried voice sounded, “Oh my god Adrian, you alright? Why are you sweating so much? You are burning up. Do you have a fever? And I could have sworn........your eyes looked re-?”
“Anyways, are you ok?”
Adrian turned his head slowly as Mikhel’s blurry face came into view. He wiped Adrian’s watery eyes as Adrian stood up putting his hand around Mikhel’s shoulder. Mikhel’s worried face looked serious on a level that made Adrian feel he would have hugged him right then and there if it weren’t for all the commotion around them.
Adrian brushed that thought aside as he felt a sense of peace replacing his anger. His father immediately emerged from the guild door at this moment and placated the crowd. The riot now lessened to a dim banter, and the crowd of the mob who had just been shouting at their throats were now reluctant to say anything to the face of the same man they were throwing profanities at.
And through all this Adrian could think one thing ‘Oh how quickly people change colours when faced with reality’.
As his mind cleared, Adrian told Mikhel, “Mikhel….thanks. But I just remembered I have somewhere to go. Just tell the guild master…..what we talked about……I accepted the proposal.”
With this he rushed off towards the tavern, leaving Mikhel staring at his disappearing back.
Many thoughts rushed through his head as he ran to Hilda’s. Of how many people he knew were lost, of his father being blamed even after everything he had done, of how only power is the only thing people truly respected. But one thought continuously repeated in his head.
“I have to become stronger!”
He ran into the tavern as all eyes turned to him. Hilda took one look at him and spoke just two words “BATH. NOW!”
Until now Adrian hadn’t realized he was still covered in blood and was stinking of wet fur and crow feathers. Now he understood why Mikhel looked so worried. He gave Hilda an apologetic smile as he moved to the staircase at the back of the inn that led to the baths and restrooms on the floor above.
He entered a room and closed the door behind him. As he stripped down to his shorts, he looked at himself in the mirror.
The long sessions of training with the sword had given him well-defined muscles and a well-built body, yet what was the use of all this as he was still weak and unawakened. As he was about to pick up the towel and was about to head to the tub Adrian felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, he felt like someone was watching him.
He immediately became aware of the slight sounds of breathing at his window. He inconspicuously moved towards the window and opened it inward s with surprising speed. And almost hit his face into another as he was about to look out.
Standing outside the window carefully balancing themselves on a branch of a tree near the inn, staring at him, was a person completely covered in a black cloak.
Judging by the figure, it looked like that of a woman, and Adrian felt an uneasy sensation as he recognized that he had seen the figure somewhere before. Before he could shout or react, however, the figure disappeared in a flash leaving behind a flickering silhouette of light.
Completely helpless, and knowing that any efforts to find the person would be futile now that they were gone. Adrian locked the window and put up a towel on the glass panes just as a precaution, making a mental note of informing Hilda about it.
So he sighed as he quietly took his bath and went down to find Hilda handing out a mug of beer to a gruff-looking fellow.
“Well, look who’s back all cleaned up and fresh”, Hilda said as she turned around. “Why were you stained in blood anyways?”
“I’ll tell you some other day. But firstly, has that person who killed the wolf crex that day come here again?”
“Oh you mean Aero? He did say he’ll drop by sometime today. Take a seat. You look shaken up. Drinks on me, pretty boy.”
Adrian smiled as he sat down, “Thanks, Hilda. It's just been a long day.”
“And the day just began. That speaks loads.” Hilda added.
So they sat there waiting for some time talking over random stuff. After about an hour or so of waiting Adrien grew impatient.
“Argh where is that paladin, it's been hours!!!!”
“I knew I couldn't believe that good-for-nothing smiley face.”
“Oh that's kind of harsh isn't it,” a voice said from behind. Adrian turned back as soon as he could to come face to face with Aero.
“Although I wouldn't describe myself as just a smiley face” he said with that quaint smile still plastered on his face.
Adrian looked flustered while Hilda broke out in laughter. “We should be leaving now, well before pretty lil Hilda grows tired of us that is,” Aero said with a smirk on his face.
“Oh my, as if I could ask one of the esteemed paladins to get his ass out without paying first,” she said with an innocent smile.
“Still as quippy as always,” Aero replied.
“Not any less than you,” Hilda replied with a smirk.
“Well, you two seem well acquainted?” Adrian interrupted the two looking a bit perplexed.
“Well then we will be taking our leave, let's go kid we haven't got all day after all” Aero said as walked out of the inn's door.
Adrian said goodbye to Hilda quickly and followed behind Aero.
Soon both of them were out of the city walls and heading towards the plains. “So where are we heading?” Adrian asked Aero.
“Ah, you see there's a guardian training facility built at the valley plains, just outside the city borders” he replied, “it was built here because having it near the capital city gave an easy route of training and distributing high-efficiency troops throughout the kingdom easily, plus having it near the Salvaje mountains ensured that a sudden beast horde from the wilderness wouldn’t be a problem to handle.”
“Wait, wouldn't that mean that there will be other people training there,” Adrian said with concern visible in his voice, “I don't feel like it will be the best thing to interrupt the capital troop's training, that too when I am not even part of the army, nor even an official hunter .”
“Don't worry kid” Aero said calmly to Adrian “ Currently the majority of the soldiers have been called to the Mercia borders, and the troops don't begin training till the next fall, plus I don't think anyone will be stopping a paladin from using the training grounds now”
Ah, that's right, Aero was one of the upper echelons after all, Adrian remembered, considering that he was one of the rumoured paladins, no one other than the ArchBishop or King himself would have command over him.
“So the smiley face isn't that useless after all, huh,” Adrian said to himself under his breath.
********************
After around an hour or so, the two of them finally reached what appeared to be an iron and wood barricade covering a compound near the base of the Salvaje Mountain range.
“We are here kid” Aero exclaimed “The guardian training grounds”
It was a huge open area located at the valley plains, there were what looked to be wooden towers and barricades around its perimeter and a few cabins and encampments for some lodging, there were training dummies and different equipment for body improvement plus horse stables, and at the centre of it, all a structure made inside the shallow valley chasm with what appeared to be steel gates lining the chasm, supported by numerous chains embedded into the chasm walls.
“So this is where you are gonna be training kid” Aero exclaimed with that grin on his face.” how do you like it”
“It looks great!” Adrian exclaimed with excitement visible in his voice. “So where do I start!, are gonna practice with swords, or are we starting with body training, or oh should I learn how to use some skills!!”.
“Much simpler” Aero replied as he pointed a finger straight at Adrian’s face. Green mana started coalescing around his finger as it formed into a small orb, and then instantly shot out towards Adrian’s face who managed to dodge it by swivelling his feet and turning his body adjacent to the incoming bullet of wind.
“So it's not due to the lack of ability to perceive mana huh,” Aero said in an observant tone. “ What was that about?” Adrian shouted, still bewildered by the surprise attack.
“Tell me, kid, what do you know about core formation till now, and what do you think is the reason you can’t form one?” Aero asked nonchalantly while looking around for a place to sit down.
“Well, from what we were taught, cores are formed when an unawakened person can fully circulate ambient and inner mana throughout their body in enough amount to coalesce the excess into a core granting them the ability to naturally influence mana,” Adrian replied sheepishly, uncomfortable to questions about cores due to his inability to form one.
“Good good, and why is an individual unable to form a mana core?” Aero asked again while sitting down in one of the wooden chairs he found at the encampment.
“Either because they choose not to, or because of the inability to feel mana” Adrian responded.
“And considering that you can dodge a mana bullet to the face, you seem to be one of the former'' Aero replied with a smug look on his face, “But how can that be, all I have ever wanted is to help the people at the guild as an awakened hunter!!” Adrian protested, “but yet it seems like maybe even subconsciously, you don’t want to” Aero replied.
“So what am I even supposed to do then!!” Adrian replied, his tone getting more and more frustrated.
“Simple!” Aero exclaimed, with his usual smile back on his face. “We are gonna jump-start your mana core’s development first.”
“And how do we do that?” Adrian asked curiously.
“Hold this for me will ya?” Aero said while handing Adrian a sword. “It's a standard commission mana blade used by soldiers”
“And now the most important part,” Aero said with that smile plastered on his face as he held Adrian up by his collar.
“Good luck kid!” were his last words as he threw Adrian down the valley chasm with full force.
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