IX

  Kaz woke up the next morning, feeling well rested and excited to begin his journey. He was glad that Miss Astreta caught him in the act of trying to run off in the night, as he was given a small mental glimpse of his mother. It also assured him that he was not a Demonspawn, well hopefully he wasn’t. He gathered his stuff again and exited his room. He sought out Miss Astreta, and they said their goodbyes, a lot less emotional than they were yesterday. Kaz promised to visit her one day.

  Walking out into the street, he basked in the sunlight. At this point he didn’t care who saw him, as he was leaving this town. He pulled out his map and looked at where he wanted to go. He decided to go to the nearest town to the Northwest, named Sarus. He wasn’t good at measuring distances yet, but he assumed it would take around a week by foot. He had his supplies from the Guild and rations, provided by Miss Astreta. He tucked his map into his bag and started walking towards the North Gate of the town.

  He was glad he woke up early as the streets were pretty empty, as the day was just beginning. He mostly saw the old members of their town shuffling around, and those who were opening their food stalls, getting ready for the breakfast rush. He wanted to stop by one of the food stalls, but he realized he only had 5 Copper Tokens. That was another issue he was going to have to address. Hopefully he will be able to pick up Quests from the next town and earn some kind of funds from that.

  As Kaz walked through the town, he couldn’t help himself slowing down and going down memory lane. He walked by shops that him and his friends would go to, buying sweets, food, toys, etc. He stopped by the school that was along the way. He had to go there for 5 years to learn a bunch of stuff he already forgot, which showed how important it really was. He rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed at himself for not taking schooling seriously before, and continued walking on.

  Unfortunately for him, along the way, he would have to come close to the Mage Academy of his town. It wasn’t anything special, if anything it was far from it. But if only received one more star, this is where he would’ve gone to. He would’ve stayed in this town for way longer. He felt his heart drop slowly into his stomach, becoming numb.

  Kaz still would’ve been close with his friends. But instead, here he was, walking alone in the early morning, leaving town because simply, no one wanted him there. He sighed and kept on walking, his feet dragging slightly as he pushed himself to keep moving. As he was getting close to the gate, he had to pass by the Archer Academy.

  The Archer Academy was shrouded in trees, trying to replicate the forest that was a bit beyond the walls. Each Academy tried to cater to the environments where their Calling should excel in, to help stimulate the beginner’s growth. As he was admiring the Academy, he heard a voice that froze him in place.

  “Hi there, whatcha looking at?” It was Meisha’s voice.

  He just stood there, unsure what he should do. Should he make a run for it, should he try to talk to her? As he was about to make a decision, which was to just ignore her and walk away, a second voice spoke up, “You alright there? Do ya need some help?”

  It was Viragor’s voice. Kaz deeply sighed and turned around, mumbling, “Hey guys.”

  Both of them looked at him as he pulled down his hood. There were two different reactions which surprised him. Meisha quickly huffed and looked away, finding interest in the building that was opposite to where he was standing. She didn’t respond to him. Viragor only gave him a strained smile.

  He spoke up first, “Well, this is quite awkward, sorry about that Kaz. What are doing up so early in the morning, and also why were you just staring out at the Academy?”

  Kaz didn’t know how to respond. He took in their appearance, which only made him only a bit more upset. They were both wearing their new Academy outfits. Since Viragor was assigned the Calling of the Cleric, he had a beige colored robe put on, without any embroidery along the edges as he was a first year. On the other hand, Meisha had a leather tunic with a light green shirt underneath, and fitted leggings, tucked into new leather boots.

  Kaz found his wording, all of it spilling out of him quickly to get it over with, “I was just passing by, and decided to take in the view of the Academy. I am heading out of town because I am no longer accepted here. It is a bit unfortunate that I ran into you two, but it is what it is. I will be going now. Bye”

  He quickly spun on his heel and started to walk at a brisk pace.

  “Whatever,” he heard Meisha mumble under her nose.

  “Good luck Kaz, I wish things turned out differently. I hope I get to see you again one day,” Viragor spoke out to him, his voice tinged with sadness.

  He fought the tears pooling up in his eyes. Why did he have to be such a sorry excuse of a Gnome?

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  Kaz finally made it to the gate after walking briskly, and it seemed way bigger in person. It was easily over ten times his height. The iron enforced wood was pulled up, the chains holding it in place. He wondered how much resistance that gate could hold, but he hopes he never has to experience finding that out.

  There were three Guards on the ground who were currently talking to a Merchant who was coming into the town with his wagon. He knew he didn’t have to state his business as he was leaving the town, not entering, so he decided to step around and be on his way.

  A firm hand clamped down on his shoulder. He instantly froze, feeling as if something had a hold on time. “What do you think you are doing.”

  He looked up to see one of the Guards had broken away from the group questioning the Merchant. He looked down at Kaz with no emotion in his face. He was a Human who looked to be on the more experienced side of life, gray hair mixing in with his once black hair.

  “I am on my way to Sarus, sir,” Kaz squeaked out, his voice pitching higher than it usually does.

  The Guard pulled down his hood, and his eyes instantly softened as he recognized the Gnome everyone had been talking about. He removed his hand from his shoulder, and sighed, his shoulders slightly slumping down.

  “I know why you are leaving this place, and I don’t blame you. Young one, please be careful, stay along the roads and do not go deep into the woods. The farther you stray from the road, the more powerful the monsters are. I highly recommend trying to hitch a ride from a Merchant who might be heading up there. You can wait here with us, and we can arrange something for you,” he recommended, genuine emotions in his voice.

  Kaz actually thought about the proposition. It would honestly be the best course of action for him. He could always wait and find a group to adventure with in Sarus. But, he would be relying on others, and he already accepted his fate at being a solo adventurer, being alone. His Calling was one of solitude. He liked the sound of that. He will never place his trust in anyone, as one little thing will cause a rift between them, even when it wasn’t in his control.

  He squared his shoulders and tried to appear confident, he stated to him, “Thank you for the concern, sir. But I will try my luck in raising my Resonance and discovering more along my Calling. I promise not to get myself into any dangerous situations, if I can prevent it.”

  The Guard looked at him, doubt filling his eyes, but he just accepted it, shaking his head. “Alright,” he says. He quickly looks over him, and frowns. Kaz titled his head in slight confusion. The Guard then simply asks him, “Young one, where is your weapon?”

  Kaz was utterly confused at his question? What did he mean? He was a Mage, his Skill Abilities were his weapons. He reiterated his thoughts to him, “Sir, I am a Mage, despite what people think. My weapon is my Skill Ability, [ Mana Burst ].”

  The Guard looked back at him, slightly confused, “Okay, but what about when a monster comes close to you, what are you going to use? Mages at the beginner stages are good at long range, but up close, they are dreadful.”

  Kaz scratched his head. He had a point, but what about it? He would just attack from range and run whenever the monster would come close to him. The Guard thought for a moment, then he thought of something, snapping his fingers, “I got it.” He reached down his belt, where he had a small dagger sheathed. He took off the dagger in its sheath and held it out to him.

  Kaz, hesitant to take it, explained himself, “Sir, I cannot afford to buy that from you, or repay you in any way.”

  The Guard laughed and slapped him in the back and put the dagger into Kaz’s hands. He then told him, “Young one, my name is Merin, all you have to do is tell me your name and make me a promise to come visit me when your Resonance overshadows those at the top of our Realm.”

  Kaz felt a warmth spread throughout him as he graciously took the dagger. He looped it into his leather belt, the dagger weighing it down, but it felt reassuring to have something in case a situation got a bit dangerous. Maybe not everyone’s so bad after all.

  “Thanks, Merin, my name is Kaz. And when I come back here one day, I will make sure to find you and repay you back tenfold,” Kaz declared to him.

  Merin clapped his back a few more times, and on the last one, pushed him along, “Follow the voice inside of you, Kaz, and may your Calling be filled with purpose.”

  Kaz waved as he walked away and pulled up his hood as he turned back around, walking along the road towards the forest. He followed the road, which was quite smooth for something outside of the town, as it transitioned from cobbled stone into hard packed dirt. He reached the edge line of the forest, and turned back to look at the town he grew up in.

  He would remember Forith, for all its good things, because there were plenty, he wouldn’t lie to himself. He knew that he would’ve had to leave anyways to gain Resonance, but this was too soon. It was honestly a shame it had to come to this, he thought. He turned around and walked into the forest.

  As he walked along the road, he tried to keep his composure. Every little sound made him jump. Every time he would pause and ready up his [ Mana Burst ], ready to attack the monster that was obviously waiting to pounce on him. He then slapped himself in the forehead, realizing he hasn’t even cast [ Mana Burst ] once.

  Steadying his breath, Kaz cast [ Mana Burst ] for the first time. He didn’t know what to target, so he just sent it towards the tree. A little silver glob, it would be generous to call it a ball, shot out from his hands, striking the tree. He felt the rush of mana leaving him and manifesting into that shape. He predicted it took him roughly three seconds to manifest the mana and then shoot it out, but he decided he should try it out a few more times, just to get used to it.

  He cast it three more times and quickly checked his mana levels. He summoned his [ Archive ] and checked his [ Status ], and his Mana Points were down to 30. He decided it would be a good thing to reserve his mana because something would surely attack him as he went further into the forest.

  Hearing a rustling sound to his left caused him to freeze, and he panned over to the spot where he heard the sound. The sound continued as the shrubs began shaking slightly, and he knew something was coming. Then a glob of green popped out before the shrubs.

  The green looking Grass Slime paused and shifted towards Kaz. Kaz hesitated, unsure what to do. He rushed to begin casting [ Mana Burst ], anxiety spiking as he just used a lot of his mana testing his Ability and aimed towards the slime. His mana construct formed and it streaked towards the slime.