Chapter 10: 1.5

He wasn't entirely sure how much time passed.  Trying to meditate while the sounds of shouting and screaming incoherently bounced around the halls outside, occasionally punctuated with earthquake-like vibrations or sounds of explosions, was both difficult and good practice.  It did mess with his sense of time and made any kind of concentration on mana manipulation nearly impossible.  Before too long, however, the loud sounds outside of his little room finally stopped and moments later he received a new prompt.

Your mentor is no longer available.  A new mentor will be assigned to you shortly.

That was probably as good of an indication as anything that things had finally finished.  A few more minutes after that he heard the sounds of two vaguely familiar voices conversing with one another as they approached the room he was waiting in.

"-think that she would dare attack priests.  In the temple, no less!"

"I did try to warn you.  Hopefully that'll help you take it to heart when I saw to make sure you keep an eye out for the next few years as well.  They're a vindictive bunch willing to murder over simple insults and slights.  We did more than that today, so I can practically guarantee that they'll be plotting and planning and aiming to attack here before too much longer."

"That...I will take your advice to heart.  How they have not been claimed as heretics yet..."

"Discussions for later, Father."

The door finally opened and both men came in with dark looks.

"Alright, kid.  I'm not really the 'beat around the bush' kind of guy.  I got good new, bad news, and worse news.  The good news is that business is all taken care of so you shouldn't have to worry about it.  The bad news is that now you're way behind pretty much everyone from any other group and putting everyone else on hold just so you can catch up isn't exactly fair to them.  The worse news is that the rest of your group is pretty much out for the count.  They've all been traumatized too heavily and I honestly suspect mind magic at play as well.  Either way, you're pretty much alone and left behind now.  That said, it's not like you can't go ahead and join another group anyways.  You'll have to work a little harder, probably, but it's not impossible.  I can guarantee that none of the other mentors are going to treat you like that thing did."

"Um..."

"Right.  I figured that might not quite suit you based on how I found you.  Here's the thing, there.  Although I kind of wish you had told another mentor or priest about that sooner, I still got to comment you for choosing to get out like you did and making your own way.  Now, I won't say what it is I think I saw but I will say that I serve a particularly freedom loving god.  All that crap about forbidden skill this and illegal skill that is just that, crap.  At least as far as he and those who serve him are concerned.  So as long as your secrets aren't about something like you being involved in wanton mass murder or some other stupid crap like that, then it's a secret I'll take to the grave with me or until you do become involved in such.  I think I've earned at least a bit of your trust already, so I'm willing to take under me as your mentor but if we go that route then there's going to be a few minor inconveniences that we'll have to agree on how to deal with.  Interested?"

"I will say my piece as well, child.  He did not give you any lies in anything that he said.  Having said that, I must tell you that if you do indeed have a forbidden skill as was implied, I cannot condone it.  I will say no more for the moment in lieu of what has already transpired today but I would highly recommend you listen to my wisdom and rid yourself of any such skill at your earliest convenience.  With that I will take my leave and allow you to talk more privately with one another.  This room shall be remain undisturbed for the next few hours."

Having said what he wanted to say, the priest left them alone, closing the door softly behind him on the way out.  He thought about his options that the dwarf had given him for a little while.  The dwarf made no move to interrupt his thoughts, which he appreciated, and after some serious thinking he finally came to a conclusion that he thought the dwarf could accept as well.

"Let's say I'm okay with accepting you as my mentor.  Does it have to be immediately?  If I'm really as far behind as you say I am, then would it be okay to put it on hold for a little while and let me kind of do my own thing until you can take me on and bring me up to par or whatever?"

"That's...a bit of weird way to put it but basically what I was going to say anyways.  So my idea here is that I go ahead and take in my group, just so we don't have to deal with it later.  Then I'm going to ignore you for a while.  Ya, I'm not good at making things sound nice, but whatever.  Once I get all my current guys up to the next layer then I can start focusing on you.  Honestly, I thought it would be a pretty good deal since I can help guide you one on one and all that."

"Ya.  That's kind of how I'd like things to go to.  Just one thing, though.  Since I basically have a kind of safety net of immortality as long as I don't hit the net layer, I want to take as much advantage of it as I can.  I might end up keeping you down here for longer than you intended but if that's a deal breaker then I think I'd rather just keep doing my own thing and try to learn what I need to by reading or asking around like I was already doing."

"Hmm.  Actually, that's not too bad of an idea.  I don't think you're the first to ever come up with it but most people just want to move up as quick as they can.  I don't really have a lot going on elsewhere right now anyways, so I'm fine with that.  So where are you staying at?  As soon as I'm done with my current group I'll come find you and we can get started."

"Well.  I've been staying in a tree near where you found me.  Or the library, I guess.  Maybe I could get an inn now though?  Uh...quick question.  What's the best way for a newbie like me to get some decent cash?"

"Cash?  You mean money?  It's called coin instead of cash in Aeon, just so you know.  Honestly I'd say chore type stuff is the safest and easiest but you could also go the slightly more intense route and grab some monster parts or plants and stuff out of the town.  Either way, you'd need to check at the guild building.  Just ask the front desk and they can point you in the right direction.  Other than that, feel free to ask me whatever you might need whenever you see me.  I can't guarantee that I'll be able to answer but I'll do what I can.  Deal?"

The dwarf extended his hand for a handshake so he took it and immediately received a prompt.

Would you like to accept Randy as your new mentor? Yes/No  

He chose yes and looked up to see a look of slight confusion on Randy's face.

"Say, kid.  It's been a while since I had a student that wasn't already assigned so I'm not sure if things changed or not and I don't want you to take this the wrong way.  What's your name?"

"Don't have one."

"...Well, okay then...kid it is."

"I can live with that.  Considering I'm aiming to maybe pick up a gun slinging class, it kind of fits."

"I don't follow."

"In my old...life?  World?  I don't know.  Back there and sometime in the past, people who were considered fast and good with pistols were called 'kid'."

"Huh.  Works for me.  I'm going to get back to my job.  I'll come find you in a few days."

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Randy left and he stayed behind to think to himself for a little longer.  He hadn't ever really thought about what he should call himself since he had opted out of having a name.  He honestly thought it would be a fairly common decision but based on Randy's action maybe it wasn't.  Whether he really did end up choosing a class based on using a revolver, he didn't plan on not using it anymore so being called 'kid' was almost a complement as far as he was concerned.  Not to mention he was supposedly a member of a long-lived species now while being young even for a human.  He figured he might as well make it official in his mind until something better came along.  His...well, not name...alias from now on would be Kid.

Feeling good about having an official alias now, he got up and made his way in the direction of the guild.  He only had to ask about four times how to get out of the temple.  It was a bit liberating to be able to walk around without worrying about being spotted by other salients.  He never realized realized just how much tension he was constantly under before now and his whole body felt a little lighter now.

The guild building was, unfortunately, a big disappointment.  In fact, other than the library and temple, most other buildings in the town seemed similar in size and design.  It was a one story building made mostly of stone with some wood here and there and looked almost the same as the general store aside from the sign indicating the general guild painted over the door.  It looked kind of like shield embossed with a set of weighing scales, a sword and a brush behind it, and encircled with a wreath.

The inside was equally unexciting with the reception desk immediately to the right and almost attached to the doorway itself, a posting board covering the wall to the left, and a long counter stretching from left to right a few steps further in.  The main room he walked into was probably about half the size of the entire building but somehow felt even smaller with how it was laid out and he thought that if there were ever more than five people in here at any one time to get things done that it would be crowded.  Behind the long counter was a group of three staff who were standing and leaning against the back wall while chatting with each other and there was one more person sitting behind the reception desk to his right looking through a few papers.

He identified all three as human workers as the lady behind the reception noticed his presence and looked up to greet him with a smile.

"Hello!  How can I help you today?"

"Uh, hi.  I, uh, need to make money, I guess?  I was planning on going hunting and wanted to know what I needed to bring back or something..."

"I see.  If you aren't registered yet, would you like to register with one of the guilds?  Registering with the Hunter's Guild or Adventurers Guild will help you get more money from what you bring back as well as each providing some of their own benefits."

"Umm.  Would not registering actually hinder me in any way?  I kind of just want to sell off what I can from what I kill so I have money..."

"Well, it won't really hinder you here, no.  In other layers it might be a minor inconvenience to not be able to get priority service but if you aren't looking for the other benefits provided then it probably won't be too different.  Both of the guilds I mentioned can help with inn and shopping discounts, for instance."

"I see.  I think I'll hold off on that for now.  I would like to learn what I need to bring back though.  I only have my backpack to carry stuff, so..."

"I see.  Well, if you can bring back some of the animals you've hunted then we can also provide a dismantling class where even if you choose not to pick up the skill you can at least use the knowledge to bring back only what you need from your kills after that.  If you register with one of the guilds then you would also be allowed to take certain other classes that can help you learn other skills that are sure to help you whether you pick up the skills or not as well as rent out some spatial bags, rings, or amulets."

"I am considering registering at some point, I just want to wait a while until I have a chance to talk it over with my mentor before I make a decision.  Sorry.  So, what should I bring back to learn dismantling?"

She pulled a map out from under the desk and opened it up so he could see it as well as she started pointing things out to him.

"So here's the town.  Over here and here are some nearby easy area with few major dangers.  Most of what you'll find are deer and rabbits.  Be careful with the deer as some of the males can get somewhat territorial, though.  If you can bring back one or two of each then it should be enough for a good demonstration and we can take the price out of you selling them to use as well."

"Got it, thanks.  I'll try to be back before long."

All of the staff waved at him as he left again.  Since he already knew the area around the tree the best, he headed in that direction.  As he approached the edge of town he stopped and turned back around to head to the general store instead.  There was no way he was going to be able to put several dead creatures, especially deer, in his backpack.  Especially since he didn't want to drain their blood like he normally did this time around.  He was hoping that the store would have something that he could buy or rent for cheap that would help him out with bringing back as much as possible at once.

He walked in and announced what he was looking for exactly.  The man offered him a few different things and eventually accepted renting out a small trolley that was typically used for moving carrying crates around.  He paid 300 coins to the shopkeeper to rent it for a full day and swore to make sure it was returned clean and undamaged.  Once again he headed towards his tree, this time with the trolley in tow.  He didn't want to bring the trolley all through the woods, nor did he want to just leave it out in the open, so he brought it only a little ways past the tree line and hid it behind a decently large tree while making note of where it was.

He didn't want to waste any time so he started trekking through the forested area once more, this time in a direction that he hadn't yet gone, as he searched for prey with all of his senses including Detect Life.  He decided not to try and waste any of his time with working on any other skills for the day while he put his full focus on making sure he could hunt as much as possible while he could.  After a few hours, and with still a little time before evening came, he dragged his second deer over to the pile of corpses he was stacking near where he had hidden the trolley.  He pulled the empty trolley back out to the road and piled on his two deer corpses and five rabbit corpses before rushing back to the town again while pulling the trolley.

When he got back to the guild he was relieved to see that they hadn't closed up yet.  He stuck his head in the door, not wanting to leave the trolley unattended, and shouted his greetings to the startled staff.

"Hello again!  I have a few kills here, so where should I bring them?  I don't think it would be a good idea to bring them in here..."

"Umm...right.  Just bring them around back and someone will be there to help you in a moment."

He nodded and did as he was told.  After a few minutes one of the men from the group of three showed up with a leather roll which he unrolled on the ground nearby to reveal a row of knives, each slightly different from the other.  The man looked over at the corpses on the trolley and then pulled two of them from the roll before walking up to inspect the bodies closer.

"Honestly, we didn't think you would come back today or with this many, really.  Good job, there.  So, I guess I'm going to teach you how to do dismantling then.  I think we have enough daylight left as long as you're a reasonably quick learner and aren't too squeamish or anything.  I'm David, by the way."

"I'm Kid.  I don't think I'm all that squeamish, so hopefully this won't take too long.  Even if I don't get the dismantling skill, at least I can learn the main parts I need to bring back from now on."

"Don't be so quick to dismiss the dismantling skill, Kid.  I see you have a knife on you already so here's a little tip.  The dismantling skills can be used with most of the smaller bladed weapons during a fight as well.  Gives a nice little boost at higher tiers, too.  It's enough to keep it in consideration."

"I'll...remember that.  I don't really plan on knife fighting anymore than I can help it, though.  If I'm in a knife fight then it's as a last resort and I'd rather work on getting the skills to help me from getting to that point before getting the skills that help when it's at that point.  If that makes sense..."

"Meh.  To each their own, I guess.  Just keep it in mind.  Alright, let's start with these rabbits since you have enough to make a few mistakes with."

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