A moment later, the training room console chimed again.

  Archery training sessions complete.

  Individual archery training session results are available as printouts at the main console.

  Please collect all your belongings and exit the training area within the next ninety seconds.

  Thank you for using the Adventurers Guild’s training area.

  We recommend visiting the Guild’s spa after a heavy training session.

  For only 3 silver, experience half an hour of bliss as trained attendants cater to your every need.

  Why not book a group session and enjoy a 10% discount.

  Have a nice day.

  Jack sat down hard on the nearest table, his chest rising and falling with laboured breath. Toma flopped beside him.

  “That… was amazing,” the boy whispered.

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “It really was. You’ve improved.”

  Toma beamed from the compliment.

  Ella leaned against a brass post, grinning as she massaged her shoulder. “Best session yet.”

  Nessa nodded, still pacing, full of post-battle energy. “We made a good team. Same time tomorrow?”

  Toma nodded with enthusiasm, but then looked to Jack.

  Jack looked at them all… at Toma’s flushed, hopeful face, at the girls’ glowing expressions. He felt the ache in his arms and legs, the mild sting of aether-burn on his leg where he’d been hit. He smiled at how contented it made him feel.

  He closed his eyes and thanked the Gods for this second chance. For a little while, the weight of what he’d done, of what he might still have to do, felt further away. “I needed this,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

  The soft female voice spoke again.

  Please collect all your belongings and exit the training area within the next sixty seconds.

  Thank you for using the Adventurers Guild’s training area.

  The Guild bar is open twenty-four-seven, where there is currently a special on Drow Special Brew.

  Have a nice day.

  Jack and the others collected their session printouts. He winced when he saw the numbers. I had fun, that’s what matters.

  The group exited training room 13, chatting and laughing as they stepped back into the training wing corridor.

  Jack, Toma, Nessa, and Ella headed towards the main Guild hall in good spirits, chatting about their archery session in Training Room 13. Toma was a ball of energy, the others more restrained as they caught their breath after a hard training session.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Same time tomorrow?” Nessa asked Jack.

  Jack thought for a moment. “Not sure yet. I’ve got something on this weekend and need to be rested.” He glanced at Toma, whose shoulders had slumped at the news. “Depends on how I feel in the morning.”

  Nessa and Ella both nodded in understanding.

  Toma looked as though his best friend had told him he was moving across the Kingdom, never to return.

  Jack couldn’t help but smile beneath his mask.

  “Well, we’ll both be here, same time tomorrow,” Ella said, patting Jack on the arm. “Wouldn’t be the same without you.”

  Jack nodded.

  “We should head home,” Nessa said to Ella. See you soon, Toma. You’re improving fast.”

  Toma flushed at the compliment. “Thanks. See ya.”

  With that, the pair of young women headed towards the Guild exit.

  “Toma, follow me,” Jack said as he walked to one of the wall-mounted display consoles.

  Toma trailed behind like a lost puppy, still looking gloomy.

  “Have you joined the Guild yet?” Jack asked.

  Although the Adventurers Guild primarily served adventurers, anyone over the age of fourteen could join for a nominal fee. To encourage membership, the Guild was subsidised by the crown; fourteen-year-olds could join for 50 coppers a year. The price increased to 1 silver at sixteen.

  Toma shook his head. “Can’t. Got no coin.”

  Jack entered Toma’s basic details into the Guild system while the boy watched with a puzzled expression. “Put your palm here,” he said, pointing at the hand-shaped section of the display, which shimmered with heavy rune enchantments. He noticed Toma’s hesitation. “Trust me.”

  Toma placed his hand on the display. The runes beneath his palm glowed blue. To the side, a message appeared, ‘Registration in process. Please insert 50 coppers to proceed.’ The boy looked at Jack as if to say, ‘I told ya so’.

  Jack dipped into his coin purse and began inserting coins, one after another. The Guild system had a credit facility, so adventurers could pay in advance.

  Toma’s eyes widened as he watched his registration complete and his balance tick upwards. He was now a member of the Guild, with credit.

  “I-I can’t take all your coin,” Toma stammered. “I can’t. My dad says a man…”

  Jack chuckled. “Trust me. It’s not that hard to earn coin as a scribe.” He kept feeding in silvers until Toma had a balance of 9 silvers and 50 coppers. “If you’ve got a problem with it being a gift, consider it a loan from a friend.” He knew how proud people could be. “You can pay me back in a few years when you’re an archer.”

  The speechless boy nodded.

  Jack could earn more than that in under two hours crafting [Chronos Sphere] spell scrolls. More importantly, this made him feel good, and he needed that more than the coin. “There you go,” he said. “That’ll keep you going for a while, so long as you’re careful.”

  Toma stood open-mouthed, staring at the display screen which showed his Guild details, tears welling in his eyes.

  “No spending it on spa sessions,” Jack joked.

  “No, I won’t. I promise,” Toma said. “It’ll all go on archery.”

  If the boy stuck to group training sessions costing 10 coppers or fewer, the credit would last him over three months.

  Jack patted Toma on the shoulder and was rewarded with a sweaty hug from the grateful teen.

  “Thanks, Jack,” Toma sniffed. “You don’t know what this means to me.” He clung to Jack like a lifeline.

  He had a fair idea. As a farmer’s son, Toma wouldn’t have had much spare coin. Access to the Guild’s training rooms would all but guarantee him an archery class. And even if his bow broke, he’d be able to use the Guild’s.

  A few of Jack’s own tears slipped down his cheeks. “I’ve got to head home, or my mom’ll get worried.”

  “Thanks, Jack,” Toma said again. “Thanks.”

  “See you later, Toma,” Jack said as they exited the Guild, heading off in opposite directions.