While Gah-Hal is in adventurer's guild, Hogel and Hanna are both sitting together enjoying their food. They left some sweat loaves, some honey and two oranges for him.
As Hanna finishes her loaf she points at the one orange that Hogel has.
"You gonna eat that?" Hanna asks.
"Yes." Hogel replies.
"Okay." Hanna says.
"You still got space in there to eat this?" Hogel asks.
"Mhm." Hanna replies.
"You are an actual glutton. Fine, take it." Hogel says.
"If you are going to it eat then nevermind." Hanna says.
"Doesn't matter. We could always buy more of these. You're eating for two if I can say it like that. You probably could eat more than me and Gahes taken together." Hogel says.
"Nah, nah, I'm not that much of a glutton. It's just this type of food that I love. Sweets." Hanna says.
Hogel smiles looking at her.
"You are already getting used to luxurious life, don't you?" Hogel asks.
"Hm." Hanna thinks.
"I remember back then where just one bread loaf was a gift from a heaven. I had to fight to just survive. Now... It's just too simple for me. I don't think I will get used to such life very quickly." Hogel says.
"I did almost the same. The thing is that I wanted to work as hard as I could to have such life in future. And because I wanted that I think it's easier for me to get used to this lifestyle. Although I'm a bit expensive and almost completely carried by Gahes's generosity." Hanna says.
"Do you think it's possible to abuse happiness?" Hogel asks.
Hanna looks at the oranges and thinks.
"I think yes. Don't ask me why, because I don't know if I can explain it in my words." Hanna says.
The conversation between Hogel and Hanna shifted toward more profound thoughts about their current lifestyle and perceptions of happiness.
Hogel, looking at Hanna, contemplated her response and took a moment before speaking again.
"I see what you mean. Too much of anything can be unhealthy or even unappreciated. It's about balance, I guess." Hogel says thoughtfully.
Hanna nodded in agreement, her gaze lingering on the remaining loaf in her hand.
"Yeah, that's kind of what I think too. It's essential to keep balance, so we can truly value the happiness and comfort we have." Hanna's voice held a note of contemplation.
They both sat in a moment of silence, allowing the gravity of their conversation to settle between them. The warmth of the adventurer's guild and the lively atmosphere around them were in stark contrast to the depth of their discussion.
After a pause, Hogel smiled, breaking the silence.
"Anyways. It's been some time since Gahes left us here. Maybe he will come back in no time." Hogel says, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Everytime we see him after certain amount of time, he either comes with something new on himself or something or someone quite interesting. It's somewhat funny for me." Hanna replies at this thought.
"Watch him bring a whole bear." Hogel jokes.
Meanwhile Gah-Hal is leaving the guild building deciding to go back to his teammates.
As Gah-Hal made his way back to his teammates, the lively atmosphere of the adventurer's guild surrounded him once again. The banter and camaraderie among the adventurers continued, creating a backdrop of bustling activity.
After around 5 minutes Hogel and Hanna, still engaged in their light-hearted conversation, noticed Gah-Hal approaching. Hanna nudged Hogel and pointed, a playful grin on her face.
"Speak of the devil." Hanna said, a teasing tone in her voice.
"I'm back. Sorry for that and thanks for not actually eating my part." Gah-Hal says with a smile as he sits next to them.
"Most of the times you bring something with you whenever you are coming to us." Hogel says.
"Not this time. I didn't leave you for that long." Gah-Hal says.
"So, what have you been up to, Gahes? Where did you go if you wanna tell?" Hogel asked, leaning back comfortably.
"I just had a little chat with certain individuals. I gave them a friendly advice, but I think they didn't appreciate it much. Not surprising at all." Gah-Hal says it like he had a good time with it.
"Friendly advice? What did you say to them?" Hanna asked.
"Just a suggestion to reconsider their career choice. I could sense that adventuring might not be the best fit for them. Unfortunately they took it a bit too personally like they are trying to lie themselves." Gah-Hal explained smiling.
Hogel chuckled at Gah-Hal's description of a "friendly advice" that seemed to have been taken less than amicably by the recipients.
"So, you're spreading wisdom and life advice now?" Hogel teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Are you the guild's official counselor now?" Hanna joins in, her playful grin widening.
"Nah. It's just how I'm having fun." Gah-Hal says smiling.
The teammates sit together. Gah-Hal finishes his part of meal as everyone have a pleasant conversation.
Meanwhile, Yongbat Territory
Compared to Glazes where everything was calm, Yongbat obviouly doesn't look to be as calm at the moment. The sounds of explosions and rumbling from collapsing buildings fill the environment.
This is how the conflict between Empire of Singard and Kingdom of Yongbat looks like. The view of death and suffering is common view on such events. It was seen everywhere in certain times in history. Singard doesn't spare anyone, even children.
Thousands of Singard's knights overwhelm the hundreds of Yongbat unexperienced warrios. Outnumbered ten to one. Wave upon wave of their soldiers are unleashed upon them to clear the way for their cavalry.
Although the spellcasters put a good defence against Empire's troops, they don't seem to show signs of demotivation. They just keep attacking the town.
Hovering far behind the chaos, an old woman sits atop a horse, calmly observing the carnage through a spyglass. Her smile, juxtaposed against the devastation, hints at a sense of satisfaction or perhaps something more sinister lurking beneath the surface.
The old woman observed the chaos with a certain satisfaction evident in her wrinkled features. She peered through her spyglass at the unfolding destruction, her eyes sharp despite her age. Looking into the past, this is the same woman that Reden once accidentally saw abusing her diplomatic powers back in Castledale. She looks much older than she did then.
"Lieutenant was right. They weren't even trained properly against actual army." Woman says putting away her spyglass into the horse's bag.
"Consequences of focusing on economy to the point, their military weakened." One of the male spellcasters says.
Woman sighs.
"They thought declaring neutrality will guarantee their safety. They couldn't be more wrong." Woman says.
"Where will you go now? Report it to Emperor or infiltrate the 5th battalion?" Spellcaster says.
"King of Glazes asked for information about something that I can't tell you right now. I will go there before anything else." Woman says.
"As you wish, Lady Fae. Do you need escort?" Spellcaster says.
"No need." Fae says while turning her horse into opposite direction.
"Good luck." Fae says before leaving the spellcaster's surrounding.
As woman rides on a horse into the opposite way of the battlefield, spellcasters who surrounded her move forward to continue the assault of the town.
Next Day, Morning, Glazes
The friendly trio is lying on the bed. Hogel is asleep. Hanna is sitting on her bed with her head pointed on the floor. Gah-Hal lies on his bed leaning his head on his arm looking at Hanna.
"Are you feeling well yet?" Gahes says quietly.
Hanna nods her head with a little uncomfortable face.
"I warned you that eating all these peppers would make you sick. You didn't listen to me and now you got stomach problems especially when you never ate it before." Gahes says quietly.
Hanna keeps looking at the floor with the bucket next to her bed.
"And because of that you also couldn't get enough sleep. Luckily for you I don't need to sleep much so I could watch over you in case you started to throw up while lying and facing the celling." Gahes says quietly.
Hanna raised her head to look at Gah-Hal, her eyes reflecting both the lingering unease from her upset stomach and appreciation for his concern.
"Sorry. The spice was just so pleasant." Hanna replies quietly holding her hands on her laps.
"Okay, but you ate entire basket within a hour. That's too much for human's body to handle. I already told you that." Gahes says quietly.
Hanna once again look down on the floor and after few seconds lies back on the bed. Gahes seeing that stands up from the bed and goes to his wardrobe.
"If nothing happend until now then you will be fine from now on. Your stomach may still hurt a little, but I suppose it's bearable." Gah-Hal says quietly while taking his clothes and robe.
Suddenly Gahes changes his clothes from his sleeping outfit to his everyday outfit using magic. Once he is changed, he puts his sleeping clothes into the drawer next to the wardrobe. He rubs his face, hands and torso and goes up to Hogel to wake him up.
"Wake up. I'm going to the guild. Watch over Hanna just in case." Gahes says as he nudges Hogel.
Hogel mumbles something while moving around in his bed, before he opens his eyes and looks at Gahes.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Hogel asks with sleepy voice.
"Yea. Get your ass up and watch over Hanna just in case. I'm going to the guild." Gahes says playfully.
"Oh right. Alright." Hogel rubs his eyes and slowly awakes.
Gah-Hal goes to the door and opens it.
"This time your limited budget is 1 golden coin until I come back and I will be back in around 6 hours." Gahes says to Hanna and Hogel.
"Well. Have fun... I guess..." Gah-Hal says and leaves the room and then dorm.
As Gah-Hal left the room, the door closing behind him, Hanna and Hogel were left in the quiet dormitory. Hanna, still recovering from the spice-induced upset stomach, sighed and shifted on her bed, attempting to find a more comfortable position.
Hogel, now more awake, sat up on his bed and looked at Hanna.
"You good?" Hogel asked with a concerned expression.
Hanna nodded, albeit weakly.
"Yeah, just a bit of a stomachache." She replies.
"Should've drunk wine instead. It feels amazing drinking a bit too much of it." Hogel says.
"Yeah, yeah." Hanna replied, rolling her eyes.
Hogel stood up, stretching.
"Alright, I'll stay here and keep an eye on you. If you need anything, just let me know." Hogel says preparing to change himself.
Meanwhile Gah-Hal leaves the building and heads to where the adventurer's guild is.
"I've got a lot of time left. I will just sit there and look around. Looking forward to see Kira and Arik." Gah-Hal thinks to himself.
Gah-Hal walks forward looking around the town. On the left he sees people walking around, on the right he sees miserable people looking for valuables lost on the street, ahead there are knights carrying away some drunkard.
"Incredible view." Gah-Hal says to himself sarcastically.
After a while, as he moves, on the left he sees the man he confronted yesterday. The man that uses the dirty tricks to win the cup game. He is still there playing and cheating even after Gah-Hal's last meeting.
Gah-Hal stops for a second and looks at him with serious face. Then starts going towards him. The way he goes towards him looks like he wants to do something bad to him.
The cheating man sees Gah-Hal approaching him and the look on his face looks like he just got jumpscared. He quickly takes his pouches, cups and quickly walks away trying to avoid confrontation.
Gah-Hal keeps following him smoothly avoiding bystanders. His face serious and his walking style still menacing.
The man walks into the alley to get out of Gah-Hal's sight, but the moment he enters it, he is pulled back from the alley with invisible force which causes him to drop the cups and one of the pouch which didn't drop any coins.
As man lies on the ground and quickly stands back up, Gah-Hal can already reach him with his hand. Gah-Hal grabs the scammer by the collar and pushes him to the wall.
"I wasn't menacing enough, was I?" Gah-Hal says to him keeping the scammer by the wall.
Scammer gets on his knees and covers his face with hands.
"I'm sorry... sorry... sorry..." Scammer leans on the wall almost on his knees avoiding eye contact with Gah-Hal.
Gah-Hal maintained his serious demeanor, looking down at the scammer with a stern expression. The alley, usually a place filled with shadows and hidden deeds, became an unexpected stage for justice.
"You've been warned once. Maybe I'm not someone else, but I expected it to be your first and last warning to stop." Gah-Hal said, his tone firm.
"Please, sir! I just need money! Nobody wants to give me any other job! It's... the only thing I can do and the only thing I'm good at." Scammer pleaded, desperation evident in his voice.
"The bullshit about no other choices is the reason why people are being limited to trashy ideas. Thinking is hard, but at least it's better than going the 'first better choice' and at the end realizing it wasn't the actually better choice. But you probably won't understand that." Gah-Hal says firmly still holding scammer's collar.
Gah-Hal's words resonated with a certain weight, each sentence layered with a blend of authority and a tinge of disappointment. He continued to hold the scammer by the collar, keeping a firm grip but not exerting excessive force.
"I don't care about your sob story or your excuses. You made your choice and every choice has it's consequences. Even the good ones." Gah-Hal declared firmly.
The scammer, still cowering with his hands shielding his face, nodded repeatedly, his voice quivering as he spoke.
"I understand, sir. I won't do it again. I promise! Please, just let me go!" Scammer pleaded desperately.
Gah-Hal's expression softened slightly as he regarded the man before him, contemplating his next move.
"This is your last warning and you better keep it in mind this time. Next time I see you trying something dirty, I'm destroying you without a trace while nobody is looking." Gah-Hal warned, releasing his grip and allowing the scammer to stand up.
"Get the hell out, right now. I better not see you today again." Gah-Hal warns gesturing the scammer to go away.
The scammer sensing the sincerity in Gah-Hal's tone and the seriousness of the situation, scrambled to his feet. He didn't need another prompt, took his pouches and rushed out of the alley with a fear on his face.
Gah-Hal watched him go, making sure he disappeared around a corner before turning away. The streets, are still covered with such people, but he was the one that Gah-Hal spotted right away. As Gah-Hal continued his walk through the town, his thoughts lingered on the encounter.
"Yep. He'll change this time." Gah-Hal says to himself.
After few minutes of walking he arrives near guild. Before he gets close to the entrance, a muscled man comes out of the guild. He has an obisidan necklace which means he is adventurer. He looks pissed off looking at the way he left.
Anyway, him and Gah-Hal passed eachother and Gah-Hal got inside the guild. Once he's inside he sees that the guild is almost empty if it comes to people. Only people inside are receptionists and 3 other people sitting by different tables.
There was still quite a long time before his psychological examination so he decided to just sit and wait for his appointed time. He sits by the table where he can have a clear view on the sun's position.
As Gah-Hal sits he lays his arms on the table and leans his head on his hands. It's not like he has many responsibilites right now anyway, so he can allow himself to 'waste some time'.
With the guild relatively quiet and the time ticking away slowly, Gah-Hal felt a restlessness settling in. The prospect of waiting for an extended period wasn't the most exciting, and he decided a short stroll through the town might offer a welcome diversion.
Leaving the guild, Gah-Hal once again traversed the familiar streets of Glazes. The town's atmosphere had a different vibe during the morning. Since it's still quite early there are not many people in this part of town since there is not much to look for here except of adventurer's guild. Most people are mainly on marketplace.
Gah-Hal strolled through the quieter parts of Glazes, the morning sun casting long shadows across the streets. The air held a certain freshness, the buildings around him casting interesting patterns of shade and light. He couldn't help but notice how different this side of the town felt compared to the liveliness of the marketplace. The quietude allowed him a moment of reflection.
The streets eventually led him to a more residential area. A bit bigger houses with colorful doors and flower pots greeted him as he continued his walk. Glazes, in its entirety, seemed to offer a spectrum of experiences, from the energetic to the serene.
Gah-Hal took a seat on a bench in a nearby small park, enjoying the relative peace. He watched as a few townsfolk went about their morning routines and distant sounds of activity reached him. The sun continued its ascent, bringing a gradual warmth to the surroundings.
Lost in his thoughts, Gah-Hal sits on the bench calmly. When he checked the position of the sun, he realized it was still a lot of time left to the hour of his examination. Wanting to relax a little, he stays sitting on the bench for a little more looking around from where his is before moving on to the next part of town.
As he is about to move on, the old man with a cane barely walking on his legs sits on the bench next to him. He looks around 90 years old. He has no beard and has hair only on the sides of his head.
Gah-Hal looks at him a little then looks away. He decided to sit here for a bit longer as it might look rude to walk away right now.
The peacefulness of the park enveloped them as the morning continued its slow progression. Birds chirped in the background, and the distant sounds of the town slowly echoed through the serene atmosphere.
After 4 minutes the old man stands up once again and continues going his own way. Gah-Hal does the same after few moments. Gah-Hal walks around the park before going to the unexplored by him part of Glazes.
With amount of knights on the streets, meeting any thug or someone looking dangerous enough will be hard unless it's one of these rare meetings as back there with Gah-Hal and thugs in the alley. Open spaces may be free from this, but alleys already aren't as safe.
For Gahes it doesn't matter if he meets someone, something or not. The point in all this is for him to find something that will not bore him. Phantom, criminal or someone nice just trying to talk, doesn't matter for him.
After 15 minutes of walking he is now in the less visited place in Glazes. State of building, but also their size block a lot of sunlight making it feel and look like walking through the dead town. Fortunately it's just how it looks like and most of the houses in this part of town aren't abandoned and not much murders are going on in here. It's good to say that appearances are deceptive.
1 Hour Later
Gah-Hal already walked around the whole town just to not find anything to pinque his interest. No criminals to catch, nor things to report. The town feels so safe it's almost unreal. But anyways Gah-Hal is now approaching the adventurer's guild after quite a long walk.
He gets inside the guild and sees that there are much more people inside than there were a hour ago. Around 20 people inside where 15 of them wear adventurer necklaces.
Gah-Hal smiles looking at this and goes to one of the empty tables. As he walks he sees that even Kira and Arik are seated with 2 other adventurers. They are sitting with their backs to the entrance so they didn't see him entering yet, so boy thought about sitting somewhere where they can see him.
Boy walks through the hall to sit by some table which isn't occupied by anyone and sits with his side to the brothers. As Gah-Hal approaches the table, Kira recognizes these white hair. He nudges Arik and points into Gah-Hal's way and tells the other people by the table about him.
Gah-Hal sits confidently by the table waiting until they do something like yelling to him or approaching him, but after some time they didn't do anything. They stopped talking about boy and continued their conversation looking at Gahes askancingly once per few seconds.
Gah-Hal leaned back in his chair, a subtle smile playing on his lips. He decided to let them approach him if they wanted to talk. In the meantime, he observed the atmosphere of the guild, the interactions between adventurers and some of their equipments.
15 Minutes Later
Some time has passed as Gah-Hal lies his head on his hands moving his head a bit left and right while still looking around, waiting and eventually looking at Kira and Arik. Whatever it is, it seems like the time of waiting is finally over as man and woman enter the guild and open the door where the examination is supposed to take place.
Gah-Hal sits straight and taps the table with his hands a little from a little excitement. He stretches a little and leans on the chair with a quick smile waiting just for being called now.
Few minutes have passed and the man who went into the room comes out with paper in his hand.
"Kira Huter. Please come to the room." Man yells.
Kira smiles as he says few more words and walks towards the room. Gah-Hal's eyes follow Kira's path until he disappears behind the door. Boy then looks back at Arik with a little smile which looks malicious.
Arik seeing that ignores him and continues talking to other people sitting by the table. Boy continues to sit by the table eventually tapping the table with his hands and his fingers.
As he sits and waits patiently, he is then approached by woman. She looks like she's in her early twenties. She is both cute and beautiful, however her clothing looks provocative showing quite a lot bit of her cleavage.
"Hi there. Can I sit here?" Woman asks.
Gah-Hal takes a quick look at her before replying.
"Sure." Gah-Hal replies.
Woman then sits on the chair right next to him. She looks very cheerful and kind.
"Are you going for an adventurer?" Woman asks.
"Yes. I thought it would be a fun thing to do. I don't like being in one place for too long." Gah-Hal replies.
"Ah, I see. I'm Veronica." She says.
"Gahes. Nice to meet you." Gah-Hal says.
They shake hands.
"Normally I wouldn't talk to anyone, but you just look incredible. Your robe and clothes work really amazing with your white hair. Really amazing." Veronica says.
"Thank you very much. It fits my preferences, but it's also very comfortable to wear." Gah-Hal says.
"It looks expensive." Veronica says.
"Except of the necklace, everything else was free, because well, I didn't bought it. My parents sewed it for me." Gahes says looking at her.
"Your parents are talented then. Can I ask how old are you?" Veronica asks.
"I'm 15." Gah-Hal says.
"Ah. You are so young. Whole life ahead of you. Adventuring might be fun, but are you sure you want to do it in this age?" Veronica asks.
"Surely. It will be fine. I know I will. I'm not becoming adventurer to only do quests." Gah-Hal says drawing a wheel on the table with his finger.
"I have idea. How about I help you a little with your adventures once you pass your examination? I think examination, because I saw you getting excited when psychologists came in." Veronica suggests.
"You are right. About help... I don't really need it. I want to experience things myself without anything or anyone helping with that. But I might go on quests with you instead." Gah-Hal replies and suggests while smiling to her.
"Of course, but I actually wanted to show you something before you start. I'm a mage you know. I could maybe change your mind if you allowed me to show you what I can do." Veronica says.
As she says this, she places her hand on boy's left hand.
"That's kind of you, but I'm really fine by myself. I'm also a mage myself as you can probably see or not. I mean, I don't look like neither warrior nor mage, but well." Gah-Hal says.
"Ohh. You are also a mage? What spells do you know? What's your element?" Veronica asks.
"I dare to say that I know more spells than you. I rather not talking about element though." Gah-Hal says to her almost mockingly.
She gets fascinated to the point where she leans closer to him, placing her hand on boy's lap.
"You are confident. Tell me more about you." Veronica says.
"More about me? Well, I don't like being touched like that, that's first. I also don't enjoy what you probably have in mind right now. That's second." Gah-Hal says firmly still with smile.
Veronica waits few seconds before taking her hand away from Gahes.
"Sorry for that then. I got a little excited." Veronica says placing her hands on her laps instead.
Gah-Hal already has no doubts that she also needs something from him and it's not about being befriended.
"So you are looking for teammates?" Gah-Hal asks.
"Y-Yes. I do look for teammates. I won't be able to do most of these quests by myself so I'm asking some of the recruits in advance." Veronica says.
"After I pass the examination and decide to do some quests then I will let you know directly. At the moment I just want to be official adventurer and then celebrate for a while with my other teammates." Gah-Hal says trying to sound confident about his current teammates.
"Other teammates? Can I meet them?" Veronica asks.
"Maybe some other time. Right now they should be in their dorm. One of them got a little sick so I asked another to stay and watch over her, so yea. Right now is not the moment, but maybe soon." Gah-Hal says.
As Gah-Hal and Veronica talk, Kira leaves the room and another person is called which is Arik. Kira looks confident and has a smile on his face. He looks at Gah-Hal for a moment and then at the people sitting by the table he was on before.
As Arik enters the room, Kira takes a seat and confidently says to his 'friends' about this experience. Kira eventually gives Gah-Hal a malicious looking look. Gah-Hal does the same, still with smile.