《Altrea: New sights from another world》 Chapter 1: The orphanage life [Matthew] It was early on the morning and I was peacefully resting on my bed. Like any other normal person at this time, I was just looking for the most comfortable position so I could get back to sleep for a little longer. But like any other day around this time, my plans were ruined. The sound of children waking up could be heard, and the incoming morning noise was loud as expected. It was like they wanted the whole building to know that they were available to play around with them. They were too young to realize that being silent in the morning and let the others sleep is an important quality. Maybe the most important thing that you need to learn, in the empathy related stuff. At this point I just have given up on the matter. Could you reason with little boys about what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong? Maybe if I was miss Cleo I could tell them to stop and they would listen. But I wasn¡¯t her and she didn¡¯t share my thoughts on the matter either. ¡°Hey Matt! If you don¡¯t wake up, miss Cleo is going to be mad at you. Again¡± ¡°Yeah, besides it¡¯s your first day as the professor helper. Don¡¯t ruin it¡­ Stupid¡± ¡°Hey! don¡¯t be too mean to him, if he wants to lazy around let him be¡± The voices of my roommates could be heard. I choose to ignore them most of the time. More so in the mornings. But now they were right, I couldn¡¯t be late. So, with all the strength that I had, and the right amount of complains along with it, I got up to get ready for the day. It was hard to convince the adults here that I was ready to start helping in classes. It took me weeks to accomplish that. Long and prepared arguments were useless against them. Something about ¡®You are just too young¡¯, ¡®Patience is a virtue, wait until next year¡¯ and specially ¡®No, because I say so¡¯ were the most common answers I got. Thankfully in a moment of weakness I resorted to whining to ask for it. Not my proudest moment. To my surprise it got me the answer I wanted, Miss Cleo gave me the opportunity to help her out in math classes when I turned 4 years old, which was just a couple of weeks away at that time. All ready for the day, I went in my way towards the classroom. The halls were mostly empty, but I could hear some noise from different rooms, a sign that more people was starting to waking up. I just couldn¡¯t understand them, it¡¯s not like they had something to do that early in the morning. The system of the orphanage was a pretty simple one. All the boys and girls until the age of 2 are in care by the older kids. When they turned 3 until the age of 7 they need to help out with chores and take a lot of classes of many subjects, specially to get some basic knowledge of the world and how to survive in it. And then, from 8 (usually) onwards you could go out of the orphanage to look for a job and hopefully leave early this place. The class I was going to, was the one of the older kids. Kids of 6 years or older. They were the ones with the most responsibilities among us, so it was normal that they were to take the classes at first hour on the morning, before everyone wakes up. ¡°Little Matthew! You really came¡­ I really thought that you were just too lazy to wake up this early¡± Once I enter the classroom I was greeted with the surprised miss Cleo. Like I thought, she really didn¡¯t expect me to come here this early. It was her downfall to underestimate me. ¡°Of course, I came. It¡¯s my first job after all¡± A simple answer with a little smile and like I want to think were eyes full of conviction, or something close to that. I was really trying to be the perfect boy, or the best I could be. If I wanted to be able to leave this place I needed to behave above the expectations. ¡°I simply don¡¯t understand your hurry to go out to the town, you are just too young, who would let you work or help out there? *sigh*¡­ But the rules are the rules¡± Letting her disappointment behind her, she started to explain me my role on this class. I was just supposed to sit right on the back of the room and walk around helping the kids with the problems they had to solve during the class. There were three math courses dictated here. The first two were compulsory, in those you learned addition and subtraction in a simple way. The third course was given to the people with interest in more ¡®advanced¡¯ math, here you studied more difficult problems of the same kind as before, and multiplication with small numbers.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Right now, miss Cleo was trying her best to explain the kids about how to deal with the problems and give them examples of how useful those were in real life. Like, if the bread cost 5 bern and you had 27 bern, how many bread could you buy? Or if you were selling 3 shirts for 10 bern each, how much will you earn? It wasn¡¯t hard at all, but then again, I¡¯m not really the best person to judge. Just looking at all the boys and girls trying their best, counting with their fingers and showing faces full of concentration, told me otherwise. In the small classroom, there were just 10 students, 4 girls and 6 boys. Right now they were just solving exercises. The explanations were already over, so during the rest of the class they just had to practice. It was my signal to go there and help them. One of the boys was trying to solve one problem meant to be solved by multiplication, using addition. It wasn`t wrong, but it wasn`t what the miss wants them to learn. It was my time to shine. "Hey! Look try to solve it like this" I just went close to him and explain a similar problem that I made up on the spot "See, this way is much easier to solve this kind of problem" "Ohhh you`re right!... but how did you do it?... Can you explain me?" At first he was uncomfortable. Probably because a little kid was trying to teach him. But quickly his expression changed and showed surprise instead. "Of course... first let me show you a table that could help you" For this course the multiplication was calculated just with low numbers. 10 and 5 being the higher possible combination. Writing the multiplication table didn`t take that long and would certainly help him with this kind of problems. "Incredible! How can you remember so many numbers?!" He was impressed with the table I wrote and was not very quiet about it. The curiosity took the best of the other kids and suddenly the boy and me were surrounded by them. ¡°Ohhh so cool! How do you know that?¡± Two boys with black hair and naive look, who apparently are twins, were the first to let know their impressions. ¡°This is my second time taking this course. Never saw something like that table. Impressive¡± The older one of the group, a boy about 8 years old of blonde hair and serious expression, was giving his thoughts. While the serious guy talked, the twins got closer to me while praising me more. Too close. The rest of the kids seemed to understand the wonders of the personal space and were at an acceptable distance. So, why do they couldn¡¯t too? ¡°Hey I need help too, you now? Come with me!¡± Moving the twins to her side, a girl approach me, a very energetic kind of girl. Then she just took hold of my hand and tried to lead me to her seat. One way to see this situation, would be that she has just rescue me of the two clingy boys. But I wasn¡¯t in control at all. It was awkward. ¡°Emmm. Excuse me can you let me go?¡± Getting gently rid of her grip I continued ¡°I will help everyone, so just go to your seat and I will go to help you later, ok?¡± I finished with a little smile. ¡°Ok! But I better be the next one!¡± She said not to happy about it, but went to her seat anyway. She obviously was the kind of person that always get what they wanted. Not an unusual characteristic of a kid. Not the best either. ¡°*Sigh* That Camille¡­ She¡¯s always like that, don¡¯t mind her too much¡± The serious boy warned me, and then indicated to the rest of the kids to continue with their exercises. To my surprise the twins were very obedient and left immediately, like the rest. Looking towards miss Cleo I could see that she had a playful look in her eyes. She was practically laughing at my predicament. There was nothing I could do about it so I just laugh a little and then continued with the explanations. I went seat by seat teaching them the multiplication table, and then let them get used to it. I knew it wouldn¡¯t be something that they learn immediately, so I didn¡¯t spend too much time with each one of them. Apart of teaching the kids, I take advantage of the situation and activated my skill with everyone. To my disappointment none of them looked promising. Well there was Brook, the serious guy whose name I have just learned, and Camille, the energetic girl. Both of them had the potential to become people with great power, but neither of them reached the heights of the church woman I met three years ago. At this point I had already given up in finding someone with enough potential in this place. At the beginning, I thought that with the war going on, the increase on the quantity of children coming here would mean that some children with special talents would appear. I was wrong. ¡°Little Matthew¡± To my surprise, miss Cleo approach me from behind. Put her hands on my shoulders, and bend down to my level ¡°You are doing great, it seems that all the kids like your methods¡± ¡°Thanks! If I¡¯m being of help then I¡¯m happy¡± I replied a little nervous. Miss Cleo was a really pretty woman about 25 years old. It was hard to ignore her gaze when she was this close, her deep green eyes were captivating, and her brown and silky long hair was all over me, caressing me. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. The truth is that I have a favor to ask you¡± I expected it. Every time she wanted to ask me to do something she used this dirty trick. She knew her power and wasn¡¯t afraid to use it. I just nodded my head and let her continue ¡°Can you see the girl at the end of the classroom?¡± She indicated me to a person with a big hoodie covering her face ¡°She arrived here last month. She has no friends and is always alone. All by herself¡­¡± Her voice showed some sadness for a moment ¡°Surprisingly she is very smart and took no time to pass all the courses we dictate¡­ Reminds you of someone?¡± She asks me with a mischievous tone. The truth is I was aware of the hooded person since the beginning. In fact, I counted her as a boy since I couldn¡¯t see her face. Also, she never asked for my help nor she seemed to need it. Miss Cleo wanted me to get close to the girl. It seemed she had tried in many occasions to get close to her and failed. She also had tried to have other kids to get to know her, but all of them end up tired of the one side interactions. I didn¡¯t lose nothing with trying, so after accepting miss Cleo¡¯s wish I went towards her desk. Not immediately, first I passed over other desk and solved some questions. Maybe I was a little paranoid. I mean, no one would care if I went to talk to the silent girl just after I talked with Miss Cleo, but old habits die hard. I stood in front of her desk, but she didn¡¯t mind me at all ¡°Emm. Excuse me?¡± No reply ¡°I have just showed to the rest of the class a table that could help you with some problems. Do you want me to explain it to you?¡± That seemed to get her interest and for the first time we cross our looks. With her hoodie on you couldn¡¯t see much of her face, besides she was using some fabric around her face that showed only her eyes. Her eyes were even more captivating that miss Cleo¡¯s. The blue of her eyes was so pure that everyone could be lost for a long time by just looking at them. I was just looking at her, not saying a word, for what seemed forever. My concentration only fell when I noticed the basic information I could see from her. ¡°You¡­ you are a beastkind¡± I whisper in awe. It was my first time seeing one, and I never thought I would have the chance with the war between them and the humans happening right now. She clearly heard me, her eyes that seemed calm before, now were piercing my very soul. None of us moved, it was like we were communicating with our eyes. I wouldn¡¯t know what we could be discussing with our gaze, if it¡¯s even possible, but whatever it was, she was winning. We continued like that and without me noticing, the class was already over and everybody else left the room, leaving us all alone. Chapter 2: Friendship [Matthew] Almost all the students taking this math course, had already all the requirements to go out in town to look out for a way out of the orphanage, so if they are not helping with the younger kids they should be getting ready to go out. Miss Cleo not being here is not surprising, she¡¯s always running all over the place to get things done. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s the only adult in charge, but she¡¯s definitely the most active one. For my part, I should be going in my way to help on some chores. I¡¯m not really sure what I was supposed to do today, but it wasn¡¯t a thought that crossed my mind in this exact moment. I had something else in mind. The hooded girl had me pinned against the wall, holding me tightly from my shirt and glaring at me with not exactly friendly eyes. Not a good position to be in. She is a head taller than me and a lot stronger too apparently. I had already tried to get free from her. Not the smartest choice. One should know when to pick a battle, and this wasn¡¯t that moment at all. ¡°Talk¡± The first words she said. Her voice was soft, a little low, and especially threatening. I felt a chill down my spine. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± I said not afraid. Or at least I hoped it didn¡¯t show on my face. Her grip on my shirt strengthened ¡°How did you know I was a beastkind? What did you do a while ago?... What are you going to do now?¡± Her voice started strong, but with her last question her voice starred a little. Her second question was related when I used my ability on her. I wanted to know her potential, but she apparently sensed I did something, because the next thing I knew I was already against the wall. Her potential was just too great, she will definitely become an influential person in the future. I wanted to make her my friend by all means. Which brings a problem I hadn¡¯t thought before, how do I make friends? I don¡¯t remember nothing about my interactions with friends or family from my previous life, and in this one, the people I could call something close to a friend are some of my roommates, and it¡¯s not like I put any effort at all in interacting with them, it just kind of happen. Maybe if she becomes my roommate she would be my friend eventually, with time and stuff. But she¡¯s a girl, Miss Cleo wouldn¡¯t allow it. My thoughts were interrupted by a certain someone, who shaken me up a little bit ¡°Answer me!¡± She said with an angry tone. I had no choices ¡°Would you like to be my friend?¡± Yep, a direct approach, ignoring her questions and hitting her with something else. In the absence of a better plan, it¡¯s better to just go for it. I think. Maybe I could have thought of something better if this fox girl were not in a hurry. I was getting somewhere with the roommate idea. Her eyes showed surprise, but her wariness took over immediately ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°What is happening here?!¡± Another person appeared, it was Camille. I don¡¯t know if her timing was good or bad. It has yet to be seen. She walked towards us and stood close with her arms crossed in front of her. She wasn¡¯t as tall as the fox girl, but she tried her best to look intimidating anyway. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just getting to know Luna here¡± I introduce the fox girl to Camille. Her name was something she hasn¡¯t told me before. She loosened her grip over me and the surprised look she had when Camille arrived, turned to a confused one ¡°So, do you need something Camille?¡± In this moment, I was already free of the grasp of Luna and tried my best to act like everything was ok. The ¡®intimidating¡¯ figure of Camille relaxed and focused on me ¡°I was looking for you. Miss Cleo said there was someone looking for you¡± Who could be possibly be looking for me? I knew no one outside from here, the only person I¡¯ve ever known who don¡¯t live here would be that church woman. But she has no reasons to look out for me. I was 1-year old at that time, and she had already run an affinity test on me. ¡°Do you know who is looking for me?¡± I asked, hiding my doubts and thinking some excuses just in case I need to escape from here. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. But it was an old looking man. Maybe some merchant who¡¯s looking for a young apprentice to help him out¡° She wondered for a while, and then in an instant she reacted ¡°Whatever! Let¡¯s go!¡± She took me by my hand and started to drag me along with her. Not a fan of being taken this way, but at least I was relieved that it was not someone from the church the one looking for me. They tend to wear a certain type of clothes, so if it was one of them even Camille should be able to recognize them. I was really counting on it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Wa¡­Wait!¡± The fox girl called me out before we moved out from the room. She was still in the same place, clearly confused on what she was supposed to do. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when I¡¯m finished I will look out for you and we¡¯ll talk more, ok?¡± Just before going out I glanced once more towards her and whispered ¡°I will keep your secret I promise¡± If what I heard about the beastkind is correct then she should have been able to hear that. Once we were out in the hallways I could see much more movement compared to before. It was time for the majority of classes to start. So, many older kids were leading the younger ones towards their classrooms. ¡°Matthew¡± Camille called me. She was looking ahead, still holding my hand, and quickly advancing thru the other kids. ¡°Just call me Matt¡± It was awkward if she called me like that, no one except the adults call me Matthew. ¡°Matt¡­ are you sure it was everything ok with Luna?¡± She asked me Even if she¡¯s just a kid, it seems that it will not be that easy to fool her ¡°Miss Cleo asked me to get to know her. It went a little bad at the beginning, but when you arrived we were getting along pretty well¡± I said. At the end, the best lies are the ones with some mixed truths. ¡°Yeah, she asked me the same thing¡­ Matt just be careful with her, ok? I know we just meet today, but I wouldn¡¯t like something to happen to my little math teacher¡± She said with a little smile. Luna was clearly a suspicious person, there were not that many kids who covered their body with a lot of clothes to that extent. Besides she wasn¡¯t the most approachable girl here. But, why would be Camille suspicious of her? I don¡¯t want to overestimate my great talent to read people here, but I thought that she wasn¡¯t the cautious kind of person. ¡°Why? Do you think she¡¯s dangerous?¡± I really wanted to know. If someone suspect her, she could be in real danger. A beastkind girl among many human kids who lost their family and beloved ones against her kind, would not be too nice. At that time, we were already outside our destination. Miss Cleo¡¯s office. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But Brook thinks she¡¯s hiding something and he¡¯s not usually wrong¡± She said and then just waved me goodbye and walked away in a hurry, like she had something to do. I should alert Luna about Brook, the little I know about him makes me believe he is the kind of person who will investigate about something until he¡¯s satisfied about it. But more important than that, I was really happy that I was right about Camille¡¯s character, she wasn¡¯t a wary person just like I thought. Getting over myself. I concentrated on the matter before me. I knocked the door and waited until I heard someone¡¯s voice telling me to enter. Inside the room, there was the always beautiful Miss Cleo. She changed her clothes, before she was wearing a plain shirt and pants, now she was wearing a nice white shirt with long sleeves, and a long green skirt. It really showed her nice figure. Besides her was a middle age man, his looks and plain clothes made me think he was just a normal citizen, there was nothing remarkable about him. ¡°Welcome Matthew, please come I want you to meet this person¡± Miss Cleo indicated to the man besides her ¡°He¡¯s Carl Blosom, an enchanter¡± I felt relaxed. After Camille¡¯s description of the guy, I didn¡¯t expect nothing bad, or so I thought, because the relief I was feeling told me otherwise. I went close to him, and presented myself ¡°Hello Mister Carl, I¡¯m Matthew. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you¡± The custom in this world when meeting an older person is to give a light bow. Which I did right now. ¡°Oh! This kid has some manners!¡± He said towards miss Cleo. ¡°Of course, little Matthew knows how to behave himself¡± She smiled at me ¡°There should not be any problems then¡± He said, and then turned his attention to me ¡°Look boy, I¡¯m looking for someone to help me out in the shop I will be opening in this town, someone to learn the art of enchantment¡­ I¡¯m not interested in taking care of you or anything like that. You will not be living with me¡± He emphasized, and then pass me a paper that he had in his breast pocket. Thanks to our eye contact I was able to get basic data about him. There was almost no new information, but it was reassuring nonetheless. I could activate my ability and get to know more about him, but after my experience with Luna I decided to withdraw from doing so. ¡°I¡¯m basically offering you a job¡± He explained, and then indicated to the paper in my hands ¡°The paper I just give you is a contract. There you¡¯ll find all the conditions there are for the job¡± Confused by the sudden offer, I couldn¡¯t help it to ask ¡°Emmm I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Before I could continue I was interrupted by him ¡°Why you? Why now? Don¡¯t bother. Let¡¯s just say I am an acquaintance of the lady next to me, and I may owe her one or two favors. Besides if everything I heard about you is truth, you will be perfect for the job¡± I just looked at miss Cleo confused. I couldn¡¯t understand this development. Why is Miss Cleo doing this? What am I supposed to do now? The offer was crazy good, and I would be able to go out like I wanted, but it was just too sudden. While I was thinking what to do, Carl had other plans. He told me to think about it, and to give him an answer by tomorrow morning. And then he just said his goodbyes and left the room. I wanted to ask him more questions, but I didn¡¯t really know what questions to ask. Besides, thinking more about it, there was someone else who had the answers I needed. ¡°So, are you happy little Matthew? You will be able to go out from here like you wanted¡± Miss Cleo said. Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to help me? ¡°Why?¡± There were many question in my head, I couldn¡¯t decide the way to approach it. She sighed and came close to me. Before I knew it, she was on her knees, facing me ¡°You are a smart kid, maybe even too smart for you own good. Also, you are very responsible and you¡¯ve never have caused major problems here¡± She was talking to me with a little smile on her face ¡°But still, you have two big flaws¡± She said showing me two of her fingers in front of me. ¡°One of them has to be that I have no affinities for magic, right?¡± I had already accepted this. The wonders of being a mage, the ability to shoot fireballs or produce a water shield, was not something I still want to have. Yeah sure, I really hope one day I will believe that. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s one. This is a dangerous world, we are even living in times of war right now. Strength is something everyone needs to survive. It¡¯s not safe for you to go out of here, alone, at this age¡± She explain me. ¡°So, you contacted that man because you wanted me to be with someone you can trust¡­ But why?¡± I still didn¡¯t understand her. ¡°And that¡¯s your second flaw¡± She flicked my forehead with her index finger ¡°Why are you so distrustful? I bet you were thinking all the time about the reason I¡¯m helping you. Well guess what, I don¡¯t need a reason. I just wanted to help my best student a little bit¡± She give me a big smile and then hug me. ¡°¡­Thank you¡± It was really thoughtful from her. I had meet her just for 2 years, to think that it was enough time for her to feel some emotion, or sympathy, for me, was a little heartwarming. ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± Once out of her embrace she continued ¡°Telling you to trust people is not really a good advice. But not trusting anyone is not the answer. You¡¯ll need friends to survive in this world, people in which you can trust¡± Then, she stands up, moved towards her desk and sat down. I already knew that I needed friends, in fact all my plans once out of this place were related to get to know reliable people and, of course, make money. But, maybe my approach wasn¡¯t the right one. I should reevaluate my plans. ¡°Now little Matthew, think about what I just say, and remember to read carefully the contract you had there. You need to take a decision by tomorrow morning. I don¡¯t want to influence you, but I think you will not have a better opportunity. Became an enchanter isn¡¯t a chance you want to miss¡± Miss Cleo said, and then she makes a gesture clearly telling me to go. She was right, being an enchanter was one of few magic related professions available to me ¡°Thanks again¡­ I will definitely think seriously about it¡± I said and walked to the door. ¡°Ah! Wait, I almost forgot¡± Miss Cleo call me out ¡°How did it go with her? You know, the hooded girl¡­ Did you find something ¡®interesting¡¯ about her?¡± She asked me with a smirk on her face. Yeah, she definitely knew about Luna. Chapter 3: New sights [Matthew] I¡¯ve always wondered how Dreas town looks like. I imagined it would be like one of those villages from the middle age back in Earth. Constructions manly built with rocks and wood, streets big enough to let horses and other animals pass with no problems, and many people walking around, giving the image of a very lively place. Now, I can say that I was spot on about almost everything. When Carl came in the morning, he brought me with him to the town, after I agreed with all the terms in the contract and sign it. I was amazed, after so much time locked in the orphanage, everything impressed me. Right now, we were walking by what apparently was the principal street. It was filled with many kind of shops, inns, places to eat, and many other buildings that I didn¡¯t really know of their function, but were big enough to catch my attention. ¡°Come on boy! Don¡¯t get distracted¡± Carl said, and then fastened his pace towards one of the houses on the street. Our destination was a wooden house, not too big and not too small either. Just a plain looking house. It was unremarkable, there was nothing distinctive about it. To such an extent that if I had to give someone indications to come here, I would be in a really difficult position. Besides I am really bad with indications to begin with. Once we were inside, Carl proceed to one of the rooms in the back. The main room, at the entrance, was clearly meant to receive the clients. It was spacious and with many shelves and tables where I imagine the products Carl sell eventually will be placed. ¡°Let¡¯s begin¡± He said once he sat down in one of the few chairs of the room, by the only table that there was. ¡°I already know what courses about magic you¡¯ve taken¡± His eyes showed no emotion, if he was surprised by the fact that a boy my age had already taken all the courses there was about magic, he hid it really well. By this time, I was already sitting in front of him. Concentrated would be a good way to describe me right now. He had already told me that he had many things to do on the afternoons, and that would be for at least three weeks, when the shop will open. That means, we haven¡¯t too much time to work with. Every second counts. ¡°How you already know all the living beings in this planet have magic inside their bodies, specifically mana, which circulates by the mana veins distributed in our body¡± He begin to explain. That was the very first thing they teach us in class. Thankfully, my exposure to magic was really early on in this life. So, I took advantage in my first years of life, to try to comprehend how the magic in this world works. ¡°There is no change about this fact, the mana stays in our bodies and can¡¯t go further away. That is, until we reach the age of ten of course, that¡¯s when our mana veins connects with the world, and let us influence it¡± By myself, I achieved the understanding of how the mana could move inside my body. But, I was never able to ¡®influence the world¡¯ like some people could, no matter how hard I tried. It was until my first magic class that I understood why I couldn¡¯t do it. And then, later in that class, why I wouldn¡¯t. ¡°The most common way to do this, is to make a contract with a spirit. That way a person can generate an element and simply control it with the mana we have. The problem with this method is that not everyone can use it. Either because not everyone has affinities to begin with, or because some are just incapable of make a contract with a spirit¡± Yeah, affinities were absolute to determinate if someone had a chance to even contact a spirit, let alone contract it. I knew early on about me having no affinities, but it was in class that I understood what that really meant. ¡°For this kind of people, there are other possibilities to use magic. One of them is to use the mana to increase the strength or velocity of their bodies, what they could use in battle. The drawback is the consumption, which is excessive. Just people with an enormous amount of mana can use this effectively¡± Controlling the mana inside my body was my forte. I was able to strength my body and be faster. At the beginning, I couldn¡¯t last more than 30 seconds, but since then I¡¯ve practiced every night before going to sleep, thanks to that I¡¯ve become more efficient with the mana use. Now I can last for 5 minutes before passing out. And I still think there is room to grow a little more. Or at least I hope so, at the end is my only weapon in a physical confrontation. ¡°Then there is people like you, who has no affinity, nor a big amount of mana inside your body, but exceed in control. People like you, usually choose to live a normal life away from magic and battles¡± He stopped and watched me with more intensity than before ¡°But sometimes they choose the hard path, the one to use their talents to a better use. One of these paths is to become an enchanter, a path that you already choose the moment you signed the contract¡± He finished. I already knew about the magic professions I could aspire to be. But I never believed that I would be able to learn one. Unlike the traditional way of using magic that is very intuitive to learn, this kind of profession needed to be learnt from a teacher, or have a lot of books of the matter. And if you weren¡¯t in a healthy family, it just wasn¡¯t possible.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Yes master. I will work hard to meet your expectative¡± I didn¡¯t remember when was the last time that I was as sincere with someone as I¡¯m being now. I was really grateful for the chance to learn, and my intentions to work hard were real. I will take this opportunity. He looked at me for some time, like he was studying me, ¡°Good¡± He simply said after a while. Then he just stood up and walked towards the corner where a big bookcase was located. There were a lot of books, much more than one could find in the orphanage, although isn¡¯t fair to compare both places. The next thing I know, in front of me were placed a big pile of books. There were 5 of them, and all of them weren¡¯t exactly small. I always complained about the lack of books I had access to. I felt that I was wasting time to learn new stuff. It seems that destiny heard too well my complains and hit me hard. ¡°The first step to become an enchanter is to learn the ancient language¡± He took the first two books from the pile and put them closer to me ¡°These two books will help you to learn the language. The other three are interesting stories which will help you to practice once you have mastered it to some degree¡± He explain me. Apparently, there was nothing more to be said, because without saying a word he just walked out of the room, leaving me all alone with the books in the table. Also, there were some pens and pieces of paper. I knew what I needed to do. I pick one of the two books close to me and started to read it. It was a dictionary, there were words in a language I assumed was the ancient language, and at the side of every one of them was the definition in the common language. I checked the other book close by, and it was also a dictionary. I could understand now why Carl gave me 5 books. The study was meant to be done with the two dictionaries plus one of the other books. Translating the books using the dictionary was the best way to learn in this case. I continued with that while time pass by. I don¡¯t know how much time passed since I begin translating the first book, called ¡®How to enchant¡¯. It was a really difficult task to do so. There were just too many words, many of them had the same meaning, but were used in different kind of context. It will take a really long time for me to learn the language. For now, the only thing I could do was being organized. I identify the pronouns and write them down in a piece of paper. I did the same for any key word I found. It was really helping to made me feel some progress. A really small progress. I was supposed to study until Carl came back later. He just come by one more time just to let me know that he will be going out and just told me to work hard. I really liked the trust he put on me, he wasn¡¯t like the other teacher I had, that thought that if they weren¡¯t in front of you all the time, you wouldn¡¯t work at all. Idiots. I had already pass my attention span. I am tired of working, and at the end continuing in this kind of conditions is not healthy. Convincing myself for a little longer I finally decided to walk around the house a little. The house had only one floor and besides the main room there just a couple more rooms. One of them was clearly were Carl lived. I was a curious person, but review others people stuff was a no for me. Unless I really don¡¯t like the person, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t care that much. In my original plan, before Carl¡¯s offer, I thought about creating something with my other word knowledge to gain a lot of money. A really simple plan, but with the little information I had, the specifications always evaded me. Anyway, I still needed money to pay for a place to live, I wanted to leave the orphanage and Carl already told me that he didn¡¯t want me here at nights. There were a couple of stores close here. It couldn¡¯t hurt to see what kind of products were on sale. Decided to go out I went to the mirror at the big room to see how I looked. There I was in all my splendor. I was a really small boy, with not much going for me. I had short black hair, brown eyes, a skin slightly pale and a tired expression on my face. I arrange my clothes a little bit to look a bit more decent and to no be kick out of a store. I had a plain black shirt and brown pants, the typical clothes used by orphanage kids. Ready to go, I went out of Carl¡¯s store. Finally, I was by myself in the street, now I could really put more attention to the people. This was clearly a humble town, all the people looked ok, but no one seemed to live a healthy life. My first destination was the store at the other side of the street, it was the closest one after all. I couldn¡¯t risk being too far away when Carl arrives. Before entering the store, I could see a suspicious group of hooded persons walking by the principal street. It was obvious that they were looking for someone. They were looking in every direction and pausing at every building, it seems like they were asking something in every place and then move on to another. They still weren¡¯t that close to Carl¡¯s place, there were just too many places in between. But, I couldn¡¯t decide what would be the best thing to do. Comeback to the store and talk to them, or wait here until they go away. I will cross their path either way. At the end, I decided to enter the store, being with more people around me gave me more security that being alone with them. That¡¯s what I wanted to do, but before I could reach the door handle someone put his hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m in trouble, can you help me?... Please¡± The voice behind me creaked a little at the end, it was from someone in despair. A voice that I recognize. ¡°Luna¡± I simply said and turned around to look at the hooded girl, her eyes were red from crying by what I could see. The last time I talked to her was yesterday, before meeting with miss Cleo. I was supposed to meet her after that, but she was nowhere to be found. I thought it will be suspicious to ask too much about her, so I planned to look again for her when I came back to the orphanage. Why is she out here? Why is she crying? ¡°Please¡± She repeated. Time was something she didn¡¯t have I guess. The suspicious guys were closer and I would bet a coin, if I had one, that they were the cause of her state. I took Luna¡¯s hand and slowly hiding in the crowd I guide her towards Carl¡¯s place. The short distance between the stores seems to have multiplied by a big number. The time passed and we were still too far away. Luckily, every step counted and finally we arrived. Once Inside I relaxed. I had a really easing going life until now, I think my heart has never pound so hard like now. The problem was that these guys were coming, I didn¡¯t know who they were, but I was very sure that I had what they wanted. ¡°Thank you¡± She finally said and then she trapped me in a strong hug. She was still crying I could feel her tears at the top of my head. I was just really grateful that her mask is covering her nose. ¡°Calm down!¡± I said with a little more force that I intended ¡°They will come here, you need to hide. Come here¡± She didn¡¯t resist. It was like she put all her trust in me. I was kind of happy for that, but the responsibility I felt for her safety was just too much considering that two days ago I didn¡¯t even meet this girl. I am really weird. The only place I could think as a hiding place was behind the big bookcase. It was positioned in the corner, facing the center of the room. In other words, there was a space big enough to hide someone behind it. ¡°Luna, can you jump behind this bookcase? I will make sure they don¡¯t come here, ok?¡± I tried my best to give her a reassuring smile. But maybe my nerves betrayed me. ¡°Ok. I will trust you¡± She said, and after give me another hug she jumped behind the bookcase. She must have used mana to jump that high, that or beastkind are more frightening than I thought. So, what now? What should I do? Wait for them here? Wait for them outside? Pray for Carl¡¯s return? I really hope that Carl returns soon. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock of the principal door. Shit. They were here now. Chapter 4: Friendship 2 [Luna] Just 1 year ago I was proudly returning home with my parents after the reunion with the elves. I remember how I was thinking on the future I had in front of me. How I eventually was going to inherit the leadership of the clan. How I wanted to become the strongest among my peers, even stronger than my grandfather. How I was going to make my parents proud. Now. Now I was hiding behind what I was told was a bookcase. Fighting back the tears of keep falling from my eyes. Tears of impotence. Impotence of not being able to face those people. Those people who murdered my family and loved ones. There is nothing that I want more than vengeance against them. But I¡¯m not stupid, I know that I¡¯m not strong enough to defeat them. Besides, I understand that they are just mercenaries, meaning that someone is behind all of this. Killing them wasn¡¯t what I had to do to feel accomplished. To feel some peace of mind. *Pum Pum Pum* A loud knock could be heard from the front door. Those people were here, looking for me. I couldn¡¯t do anything besides hope for the best and have trust in the boy¡­ The weird boy who caused my actual dilemma. After the betrayal of that old human couple I was absolutely sure I would never trust anyone again, especially humans. And here I am, trusting a human boy with my life in line. It¡¯s true that I had no other choice at the moment, and that he somehow provoked me to go out of my safe place. But, my instincts told me he was trustworthy, and my instincts have keep me alive until now. ¡°Hello boy, we are looking for someone. A really elusive person and especially very dangerous¡± A voice who obviously belonged to one of the mercenaries said ¡°There is an adult who we could talk to?¡± ¡°My master should be here in any moment. He needed to go somewhere close by¡± The boy said. He was very emphatic in telling them that in any moment someone would come by. I was trying my best to hear everything, in case I needed to escape. That way I noticed that another conversation took place a little further away from the boy ¡°¡­we don¡¯t have time. She could be already out of the town for everything we know. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that she escapes¡± One of them said in a low voice. ¡°We have people in every exit of this town, she shouldn¡¯t be able to escape¡­ I know this is extremely tedious after 1 year searching for her, but if we want to get fully paid and keep our reputation, we need to retrieve her family necklace¡± Another one replied also quietly. After I heard that, I couldn¡¯t pay more attention to what they were saying. I lost focus and concentrated in my own thoughts instead. They were talking about my family necklace. They needed my necklace. They knew about my necklace. I¡¯ve always wondered how the ambush we suffer back then was so perfectly timed. It was like they knew everything about us, our fighters, ours weapons and especially the route we were using. Now, everything makes sense. The realization of my current situation hit me hard. I¡¯ve lost my family, but returning to my home, to my clan, was something that kept me going all this time. The tears that I had previously under control, started to flow with no sign to stop anytime soon. This time, my tears were of sadness. I didn¡¯t care anymore. I took off my mask, pull the collar off my neck and throw it away. I didn¡¯t want it anymore. For the first time, I feel really defeated. [Matthew] It was a really scary experience. When I saw in front of me the big group of hooded people, all the alarms in my body were telling me that they were really dangerous. I tried my best to act normal, but it was extremely difficult this time around. They wanted to enter the store, but I tried my best to convince them otherwise. I used all the techniques I could think of to buy some time. At this point my only hope was that Carl appeared to save the day. Right in clue, when the ¡®leader¡¯ of the group was starting to lose his patience. Carl make his way towards the entrance. Then, he discussed with those people about what they were doing here. To my dread, Carl agreed to let one of them to look inside the store. I wanted to refuse, Luna¡¯s safety was in danger, but I couldn¡¯t think in any excuse, so I just went along with them. The hooded man who entered was the ¡®leader¡¯ of the group, the one who was talking to me. He presented himself as simply Robert, a mercenary. The mission they were carrying, according to him, was to capture a beastkind who had infiltrate in the kingdom. I knew that it wasn¡¯t exactly true, but I was surprised for the way he phrased his lie. I was a little touched by that, lying is an art that both of us understood perfectly. In this world, there were countless groups of mercenaries. It could be a well-paid job depending on what assignment they took, and also, they were not attached to any kingdom or group. It was a kind of job that meant freedom in a way. When Robert entered the store, he took a little white rock from his pocket, and with it, started to inspect every room. I didn¡¯t know what that rock does, but I feared that it could react to Luna somehow. ¡°Why are you letting this person inspect the store?¡± I finally asked Carl while the mercenary was busy with other room. I just couldn¡¯t understand why Carl was so permissive with them. ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are looking for, but it has to be someone important¡± Carl said quietly ¡°I returned early when I noticed this big mercenary group moving in the town¡­ I have nothing to hide here and is better to not get in their bad side, so be quiet until he leaves¡± He finished and then turned his attention to Robert who just left one the rooms.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Is clear here. Are there any other rooms?¡± Robert said once he left Carl¡¯s room. ¡°Yes, this one. But you will not find much here¡± Carl said while guide him towards the room Luna was in. I just followed them. I didn¡¯t have any plan, but I wanted to be there just in case a surge of inspiration hit me before something bad happens. Robert and the rest of the mercenaries were dangerous, I didn¡¯t want any kind of confrontation with them, but that didn¡¯t stop to keep thinking in a solution for this situation. Once in the room Robert started to look in every direction, with rock in hand pointing in every direction ¡°So, there is just a table and some chairs in this room¡± Robert said to Carl with a troubled face. ¡°That¡¯s correct. I bought this store not long ago, I don¡¯t have too many things¡± Carl answered him calmly. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry, everything is alright then¡­ I will be going now. Have a nice day¡± He said his goodbyes and left the store just like that. It was very anticlimactic. I was already hoping the worst and then just like that he leaves. It was like he couldn¡¯t see the big bookcase on the corner of the room. I¡¯m sure I saw him looking in that direction, but he acted like it was just another empty space. I looked at Carl with an inquisitive look. I was grateful that Luna was safe, but the questions I had needed answers. How the mercenary was incapable of notice the big bookcase in the corner? Did Carl do something to cause that? Does he know about Luna hiding here? ¡°That¡¯s a good look you have there, boy¡± Carl said clearly mocking me ¡°If you are wondering why that guy couldn¡¯t see the bookcase, well it¡¯s because he wasn¡¯t looking for books¡± He explain me, totally failing to make me understand what he meant. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I finally asked after a couple of seconds passed with him not explaining himself further. ¡°The books are enchanted boy. Is not that simple to see them, only me can do that normally, and after you signed the contract you can too¡± He said. I tried to get more information, but I was dismissed by him. It was just my first day of learning and Carl told me to go step by step, and that I had to be patient. After that, he gave me a basket that he had brought with him when he returned. There was some food, he told me to eat and don¡¯t work too hard for the rest of the day. It seemed he was impressed with my advance in translating the book. He said to me that one boy from the orphanage will come here to pick me up so I just needed to wait for him. Apparently, Miss Cleo didn¡¯t want me to go back alone and give the task to accompany me to another kid. I wasn¡¯t too happy about it, but I was more impressed about how this boy will know where to pick me up. Carl for his part has to go out again, he had to come back to deal with the mercenaries, and thankfully for him it didn¡¯t take that long. He¡¯ll come back late at night so he told to leave the door closed and return at the same time in the morning. I guess he expected me to remember how to get here all by myself. I¡¯ll have to try to prove him right I suppose, or I will have to rely on the kid with super orientation who will pick me up. After all, it seems like Carl never knew about Luna being here. Maybe I could¡¯ve told him, but I really didn¡¯t know what he thought on the subject. If he lost someone close to him by some beastkind it wouldn¡¯t be rare that he has some unjustified hatred towards them. It was a possibility. So, for now I¡¯m on my own. When some time passed after Carl left the store, and I was sure no one was close after looking by the windows for a couple of minutes. I went to the room Luna was in. ¡°Luna, we are alone now, you can come out¡± I called her. My expectation of Luna jumping flawlessly like she did the first time weren¡¯t met. In fact, Luna didn¡¯t even respond. If I didn¡¯t know she was there and couldn¡¯t have leave on her own, I would¡¯ve think there was no one. After a minute passed and there still was no answer from her, I decided to jump to the other side. I manipulate the mana inside my body towards my legs and then jumped above the bookcase. My jump was just perfect, the perfect high to not hit the ceiling and enough to pass close to the top of the bookcase. My training was really paying off. The first thing I saw when I landed was a beautiful girl of short silver hair, a little tanned skin and some wolf hears popping out of her head, it was a really mesmerizing sight. I would have appreciated more her beauty, but her poor condition didn¡¯t allow me to do that. She was sitting in the floor hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were closed, but the tears fought the way out. What was I supposed to do in this kind of situation? In the movies, I could remember from my previous life, the guy in this kind of situation, would hug the girl and tell her some insightful speech about how everything was going to be alright. But, I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say to her, I didn¡¯t really know anything about her, nor why she was being persecuted. Now that I think about it, why am I so attached to this girl? Whatever, I¡¯m too deep in this plot to leave now. I opted to just hug her and hope for the best. I didn¡¯t know what to tell her, so my next best guess was just stay close to her and wait. To my surprise, she reacted to my hug, and the next thing I knew, she had her arms around me and her face was buried in my chest. I instinctively patted her back and held her reassuringly. ¡°I have no one¡­¡± She finally said. I didn¡¯t know what she meant, but I knew for a fact that there was a deep meaning to that. I continued caressing her back and with my other hand started to pet her fluffy ears ¡°You are not alone now¡± I finally said. I couldn¡¯t tell her that everything was going to be alright, the lack of information about her situation didn¡¯t allow it. I just can offer her my support from now on. We remain embracing each other for a couple more minutes before she talked again ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She asked, now with a calmer tone. She didn¡¯t know my name! I asked her to be my friend yesterday and she didn¡¯t know my name. I really need to improve my friendship game, give the other person your name should be on the top of the list. In case there is a list of how to make friends. [Luna] Matthew was his name (althought I think I''ve heard it before). The name of the weird boy that somehow knew about my race, and after that just ask me to be his friend, like it was a natural thing to do. The boy who has just saved me from those people. The boy in who I¡¯ve decided to put my trust on, after I¡¯ve lost my trust in everybody else. Maybe is a hasty decision to trust someone so easily, but for me right now he was someone I wanted to trust. Someone I needed to trust. I decided to tell him my story. I needed to vent to someone about my new realization. About how it was people from my own clan, my own family the ones who betrayed me. Who betrayed my parents and lot other ones from the clan. I just couldn¡¯t understand why they did that, it was something everyone knew or just a bunch a people from my family planned. Not knowing was driving me crazy. I didn¡¯t know how much time passed since I began to tell him my story. All this time I was in the same place though, it gave a sense of security being here, like it had some magic who helped me pass unnoticed. Matt just leave me once, after I calmed down, to get some food that I realized I really needed. Matt¡¯s very mature for his age. I was always told I was really intelligent, but I feel like he is in a whole other level. I am happy about it though, I feel at ease talking to him and when he gave some advice or encouraging words I could feel he really meant it. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I finally said once I was feeling a little better after talking with him. I knew I was still in danger with all the mercenaries in town, but in this place and moment with him by my side I found a little happiness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are friends after all¡± He said with a little smile on his face. Then, he took my necklace from the ground. I had already told him all about it, how it was enchanted to identify others family members necklaces, and show that you belong to the main family ¡°So the mercenaries are looking for this, right?¡± He finally asked me. What is he planning? He can¡¯t be possibly thinking on going by himself to deliver the necklace to the mercenaries. Is just too dangerous, besides they could have someone with the ability to read if someone is lying. Or worse, they could torture him! ¡°What are you thinking¡­¡± *Pum Pum* Someone was knocking the door. ¡°It should be the kid who comes to pick me up. I should be going then, Luna¡± He said to me. We¡¯ve already discussed that I needed to stay here. His master could find me, but there was no other place safer than this one for now. At least until the mercenaries leave the town. He jumped to the other side and walked fast towards the entrance. Then I realized he took with him the necklace! I couldn¡¯t go out now, he was about to open the main door. Damn I got distracted. Now, I could just pray for his safety. ¡°Matt! I¡¯m happy to see you¡± Someone said to Matt. I recognized the voice, but it was strange. The excitement on the voice didn¡¯t match the character of the person. ¡°Brook¡­ Are you ok?¡± Matt asked, I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one to notice the change on his personality. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m ok! I¡¯m just excited about what happened today. Thanks to you I was able to gain some money and even better, to being of help in trapping one of these monstrous beastkind¡± Brook said. I could guess what he meant by that, I didn¡¯t blame Matt for it. But all the timing of recent events was terribly bad. Chapter 5: Mercenaries [Matthew] After talking with Luna about her situation I can¡¯t deny that I am impressed. When the quiet girl in the math class turned out to be a beastkind I was already very surprised, but it certainly wasn¡¯t the most interesting thing about her. In a normal situation, I would keep thinking about everything she just told me. But there was a ¡®little¡¯ problem that I¡¯ll have to face soon. A problem which I¡¯m the culprit of. At first, I thought that getting rid of the mercenaries would be a difficult task, difficult but possible. I didn¡¯t have any plan whatsoever, but I counted on having enough time to work something out. Now, a new variable appeared in front of me, one I didn¡¯t even consider. Brook is the one who told the mercenaries about Luna. Camille told him about Luna¡¯s name, and I was the one who found out about it. So, the predicament I was in, is understandable. The both of us were walking by the principal street towards the orphanage. Brook returned to his usual serious self after his moment of effusiveness when we met. There was still a little smile on his face, a sign that he was really happy with his ¡®accomplishment¡¯ today. On the other hand, I was terrified. I was matching Brook¡¯s pace unconsciously. My mind was occupied with all the possible outcomes that can occur. Worst case scenario, the mercenaries will go to the orphanage to ask for any clues of Luna, which will lead them to me. The last person to talk to her, and the one to find out her identity. ¡°Matt, ahead of us is a popular store, let¡¯s go there to buy something¡± Brook said. ¡°Ok¡± I replied, but Brook was already walking ahead of me. Escape was an alternative I was considering right now, but where could I go? I had just 100 bern Brook gave as compensation for my ¡®help¡¯. And I know it will not be enough to pay for a night in an inn. Lost in my thoughts, without noticing I was already inside the big store full of people, that Brook has just entered. In the store, there were many sections, each one of them with a different kind of item. I could see clothes, accessories, books, magical items, and even pieces of beasts. The only beast I have seen until now have been horses, but I didn¡¯t count them as beasts, they are too docile for that. Unlike the ones they were displaying here, dangerous creatures that not everyone could face off. In the store, Brook got closer to me ¡°We have just a couple of hours of sun left. Don¡¯t take long¡± He said. and then went directly to the book¡¯s side of the store. It was his idea to come here in the first place. It makes no sense to tell me to hurry up, when he¡¯s the one who wants to buy something. Is he an idiot? I want to believe kids his age, are smarter than this. Anyway, back to my real problem. Another possibility could be to talk with miss Cleo. She already knew about Luna¡¯s identity as beastkind. We didn¡¯t talk too much about that matter, but it¡¯s my best alternative for now. Go by myself can be really dangerous, I can¡¯t be slaved at my age, but that doesn¡¯t mean I would be safe out there. I kept pondering about it, until something hit my back ¡°Move boy! You are blocking the way¡± A man said from behind me. I was in front of the entrance, in the same spot Brook left me. A little confused, I just move out of his way, not saying anything. Then I noticed the man in question, he was wearing a black hood, which had some blue decoration in one of the sides. I recognized the clothing, he was one of the mercenaries!... What is he doing here? He obviously wasn¡¯t looking for me. My curiosity took the best of me, so I decided to follow him for now. It was better than just reflect about my problems, not reaching any solution. Besides, with so many people here and my lack of stature, it was a perfect opportunity to spy on him. To my ¡®delight¡¯, the mercenary went to where the magical items were located. It was the spot with less people around. Which means, it was the most difficult direction for me to follow him. I hesitated for a second, my hands were sweating. The thought of being caught by him appeared on my mind. But, at the end, I knew that if I wanted to find an out to my problems, I needed every little piece of information I could find about my enemy. I tried my best to stay out of his eyesight, hiding among the people walking here and there, to not cause any suspicions. Some may think that it is unnecessary to reach such extremes to go unnoticed, considering that I¡¯m just a 4-year-old kid. But, I already was saved by luck, when Luna was about to be found out back in Carl¡¯s place. I can¡¯t expect it to happen again. ¡°What are you looking for sir?¡± An elder woman of friendly appearance said to the mercenary, once he approached her stall. I stood aside of the stall, looking at the items displayed. The woman didn¡¯t pay any attention to me, I guess I didn¡¯t look like someone with enough money to buy any item. There were many accessories, like rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and many others I didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°I recently arrived in this town, I¡¯m not looking for nothing in particular, I just want to see if there is something interesting here... What are the most popular items you have?¡± He asked. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Welcome to Dreas! ¡­The most popular ones would be the enchanted rings, but only because of the price. The most wanted are the communicational pearls¡± She said, and then took out a little white pearl. It was small enough to fit in her hand and had little glow around it ¡°This is the only spellbound object I have, and I dare to say that it¡¯s the only sold in town¡± I knew about those pearls. These, let you communicate between people who have pearls, once they had synced them with each other. Only masterful sorcerers could accomplish something so complicated. ¡°*Sigh* I guess is the same with all the small towns close to the border of the kingdom¡± He said rejected. ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t receive a great variety of objects¡­ Although¡± The woman was thoughtful for a moment, and then smiled at me ¡°Maybe I have something that may interest you¡­ Give me a minute¡± Then, she approached me with a warm smile, that I didn¡¯t like at all ¡°You are a boy from the orphanage, right?¡± She asked, I was surprised by the sudden question and just nodded in response ¡°So young and already out in the city, you must be really intelligent, huh?¡± ¡°I prefer to say that I¡¯m a fast learner¡± I said. It was my prepared answer for these cases, so I can gain humility points. Everyone loves a humble kid. ¡°And sly too! Very impressive I must say¡± She said and then took a silver coin out of a pouch she had attached to her belt ¡°So, what about a deal little boy? I¡¯ll pay you 100 bern if you do me a favor¡± She wanted me to arrange the products inside one big bag she had in the back. I accepted, because it would be too suspicious to decline, besides money. Although, I didn¡¯t appreciate her false compliments towards me. I would¡¯ve accepted anyway old woman. While I was on it, the woman returned to the mercenary. She told him that an anonymous hunter sold her a bag of products, after returning from an expedition close to the war zone. Apparently, the old woman didn¡¯t want to deal with blood or any weird thing it could be in the bag. So, what better that let a little kid to deal with it. What an especial specimen I just found. ¡°A hunter? Those things are from the beastkind¡­I guess in times of war they are dams too¡± He said, while inspecting the objects that I was leaving on the table. There was blood inside the bag. Normally, I would be freaking out about it, but the person in front of me took most of my attention. He suddenly came close to where I was, and I had to act like everything was ok. Inside the bag were many objects, mostly daggers and forearm protections, also some rings and necklaces of weird design. ¡°Exactly, normally the hunters would sell their loot in the capital. I was lucky to find one willing to sell it to me¡± The woman said. While listening to their conversation, I was struck by inspiration. I knew about the hunter participation on the war. They were granted permission to kill and loot any beastkind they will find. Besides, after so long, it¡¯s not impossible to think that mercenaries would accept an easy out of their situation. Decided to risk it all in this moment. I waited until the both of them were to immersed discussing the utility of one of the items there. When I felt it was time, I took out Luna¡¯s necklace from my pocket and covered it with the cloth I was using to clean the objects. The worst part was over, none of them saw me pulling out the necklace from my clothes. Without realizing I let out a sigh of relief. Which, for my misfortune, caught the attention of them two. ¡°All ready darling?¡± The woman said to me. Thinking quickly on the spot, I decided to lie for my life ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a little worried that I¡¯m taking too long on this and my friend must be waiting for me¡± It was the last of my preoccupation right now, but it was true. Brook must be waiting for me. Not waiting for her response, I finish ¡®cleaning¡¯ Luna¡¯s necklace, and put it close to the mercenary eyesight. It got an immediate response. The eyes of the mercenary opened in surprise. While I kept going, taking out more items and arranging them on the table. Acting naturally. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a little late. I guess you help me plenty already¡± She said and then give me the silver coin promised. The mercenary took the necklace and after looking at it for a while took out a pearl like the one the woman sold here, but his was bigger and yellowish. ¡°Boss¡­ Come here, I found what we were looking for¡± He said thru the pearl. ¡°The pearls I sell, go by 25000 bern. I can¡¯t even imagine how much will cost the one he has¡± The woman said impressed. That price was way out of the range of most people in this town. With 10.000 bern you could buy a small house. I understood her surprise. But, I didn¡¯t really care. I had a big smile on my face, if everything goes the way I think it will. Luna will be no longer persecuted. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t find the girl. Just the necklace¡± The mercenary continued with the communication ¡°In a store in the principal street¡± ¡°Yeah, that one¡± ¡°By an old lady¡± ¡°An anonymous hunter¡± I already had my money, so I said my goodbyes to the woman and left. I didn¡¯t like the conversation the mercenaries were having. This boss person was more cautious that I would like. [Brook] I really shouldn¡¯t have given Matt the 100 bern. That way I would¡¯ve had enough to pay for the book I wanted. But it was the fair thing to do. At the end, I received 1500 bern thanks to him. That¡¯s right, there is no rush on getting the book. Before learning about how to get successful trades. I need to get better in other subjects, like math and politics. Besides, I couldn¡¯t have bought presents to Amiah and Ariah, if I had spent all my money on the book. Once out of the store, I realized that I take less time than I thought. I hope that Matt does not take too long, I don¡¯t want to go looking for him. There are too many people inside, it was suffocating there. It¡¯s much better here outside. The sun was still up, but now you could notice the two moons on the sky. I really like observing the two moons, especially in a clear night, when you can appreciate them in more detail. I kept looking at the sky for a little longer, until the sound of people talking excessively loud distracted me. Looking at the direction they were pointing out, I realized what they were talking about. Three figures were flying towards here, at high speed. It was my first time seeing something like that. I knew it was because of magic. I can understand how they were doing it. But, I was impressed nonetheless. Now, more than ever, I wanted to turn 10 years old to get started in earth magic. ¡°Brook! Here you are, let¡¯s go to the orphanage now¡± Matt said beside me. It seems I was too concentrated on the three¡­ mercenaries. They were mercenaries. Why are they coming here? ¡°Wait, I want to see them descend¡± I said pointing out to the three figures. ¡°Ohh¡­ I¡¯m not a fan of magic related stuff¡­ I¡¯ll go ahead¡± Matt said. They were about to arrive, so I just let him leave. I already knew about him not having any affinities. But, I didn¡¯t imagine that it was such a sensitive topic for him. He¡¯s so mature that sometimes I forgot that he¡¯s just a child. It took just a minute or so until the three of them were above me. I could see that the three of them were using fire magic to fly. At first, I thought that they were using air magic, but I guess it¡¯s normal, considering that we are in the Eclava kingdom. On the sky, they just canceled their magic, and fell from about 5 meters. I guess they used magic to strength their legs, because they didn¡¯t show any reaction when they touched the ground. Then, they just went directly to the same store I went in. While all the people around, who were like me watching all this event, dispersed. I wanted to know why the mercenaries were in such a hurry. I know they have all the exits of the town assured. Something really big, must have happen in the store. But I couldn¡¯t imagine what it was. At the end, it was not my business. I want to know, but for now I have to catch up to Matt. Miss Cleo asked me to bring him back, and I don¡¯t want to fail her. For some reason, I feel that she doesn¡¯t like me that much. I better don¡¯t give her another reason to dislike me. I hurry up my pace and walked towards the orphanage. After a few minutes passed I started to worry a little. There were not too many people on the street now, and I still couldn¡¯t see Matt. He was a lot shorter than me. How could he walk that fast? It wasn¡¯t possible. Another alternative could be that he got lost. Which is worse. The way back is almost a straight line. How could he have got lost? For now, I just keep walking. I put attention to all the other roads that connects to the street I was in, in case I see him there. Just a couple of streets ahead I found him. Thanks Mahlussya! He was helping an old woman to carry a bag. I was really lucky to find him, he was in a completely random street. If I have started to look for him in this way later, I would have totally miss him. It seems he arrived at the lady home, for what I could interpret, he was saying his goodbyes. Who could have thought that Matt was such a good kid? Now, I will just wait for him¡­ Or so I thought. He went in the wrong direction!