"Join the academy if you want to unravel everything."
Neil's eyebrows knit together as his eyes squinted on his face drained of color.
"You finally showed yourself, huh?" Neil could only mutter those words as his calculating mind spun in great turmoil. He doesn't really know the identity of this person, but he does know who he can put his trust on.
Neil folded the letter and put it back inside the envelope along with the flyer. He then placed it back on the table and proceeded to finish his breakfast.
Neil cleaned up and took the letter with him to the furnace. He threw the envelope into the fire and headed to the door.
"Uncle Max! Aunt Leah! I'm leaving for work."
As Neil closed the door behind him that was hinged to weathered brick walls, he was immediately greeted with a crowded street filled with people wearing boots and worn out clothes. He walked along the road with the sight of identical brick houses that looked like his tightly knit together.
"It'll be troublesome to put out a fire in the slums. Oh well, they do have some pretty weird gizmos over here so i don't need to worry.." Neil walked nonchalantly on the shady streets and arrived in another brick house.
*Ding
"Shrub, it's Stanfill." Neil entered the house littered with spare parts and tools. A few gizmos could be seen displayed on shelves behind a counter.
"Kid, you were almost late again." A middle aged man wearing brown jumpers over a black shirt emerged from another room. The man had a lanky build with unkempt deep brown hair.
"Are we gonna start with the practical test right away?" Neil ignored Shrub's remarks and passed by him to enter into the room where shrub emerged from.
"Kid, it's already January. Lima's going to open by April, meaning the application and screening are almost over. Plus, you just turned eighteen. Do you really want to enter that specific academy? There's something more... suitable for you out there," said Shrub in a heavy tone as he followed Neil into the workshop.
Neil's footsteps stopped and a moment of silence followed.
"I need to. I'm curious about the world. Even though I'm apprehensive about all of this, I can only fill my curiosity there," said Neil as he proceeded to the workbench and started cleaning it.
"What do you not like about your life here?"
'Sigh' Shrub heaved a sigh while Neil only ignored him. Seeing that no words are getting through, he could only grit his teeth and continue speaking.
"I gotta be honest kid, out of all the cities in this continent, you'd probably be one of the most underperforming Technorat applicants out there. In Drevon alone, you'd probably only get ranked in the solid mid with your engineering and you're not even in the capital," said Shrub in a much softer tone as he helped Neil in organizing the workbench.
"I appreciate the concern, Shrub. But, i think it'll be a shame if the world doesn't get to see the skills that my dearest mentor passed onto me. Besides, I'm pretty much going to ace their combat assessment. So, as long as you help me out with my engineering, I'll pretty much pass. Don't you think?"
Neil revealed a big toothy smile as he put on his gloves and goggles.
"Sigh. Alright, alright. Let's begin the practical assessment. Since this is Lima we're talking about, they're probably going to make you assemble, fix, and tweak a complicated but not too bizarre gizmo. By the looks of it, they will most likely go with a gun."
Shrub carried over a box from another table which he prepared beforehand.
"I've already taught you about the parts of a gun and its functions. Take note, they won't just simply test you with the guns produced in our day, the odds of having you work on replicated artifacts are very high. Why? It's because we're labelled as the Technorats."
Shrub begun to take out its contents as he continued to speak.
"As you know, Noesis, our continent is the land of our race due to the artifacts found in the so called 'Shelters'. Although some have discovered shelters in the other 4 continents, only Noesis is heavily saturated by it. Being blessed by Goddess Alphea by giving our race the potential of engineering, the Technorat's ancestors were able to have a stable foothold in this world."
"But, what were the bases of race? Why do we have to be limited to the shackles of our foreordained capacities?" Neil asked
"Why indeed. Nobody ever found the true reason of our origins. All we know is that they are four races and four different types of arcanes for each of them."
"The Tehnorats of Noesis have the arcane of the world: Quantum."
"The Warmongers of Valor have the arcane of the living: Ki."
"The Greybacks of Desolation have the arcane of chaos: Void."
"And lastly, the Thaumaturges of Eldritch have the arcane of nature: Mana."
Shrub finished placing all the various tools and parts of the gun on the table.
"Now, I've taught you enough. This will also serve as your last day working here. Work extra hard, kid since you have no potential and any gifts related to engineering."
Shrub sat down on a stool and pressed a button of a shabby stopwatch.
"You have 30 minutes. Do your best!"
Neil immediately grabbed the traditional tools, heeding to his uncle's advice. He then proceeded to assemble the parts until it formed into a 42 inch long gun.
"Next is to fix," Neil whispered under his breath.
Neil inspected and checked the parts of the gun to see what problems are to be fixed so that it could work properly. Neil quickly discovered a jammed bolt and a non receiving magazine.
Neil proceeded to work his way into fixing what could be fixed, expertly maneuvering - evidence to his hard work.
'If only he was blessed in engineering.' Shrub thought to himself as he saw how proficient Neil has become.
"Tweak," another inaudible word came out of Neil's mouth.
'Kid, this is why we are limited by race and the gifts we receive. Those are the things that allow us to excel in other aspects that the others are lacking in. Now, what will you do with tweaking? You need the quantum in order for you to get considerable results.'
Shrub admired Neil. He always had that look of determination in his eyes. That's one of the many reasons as to why he agreed into mentoring this brat.
"I think this is how far my abilities can get me. Shrub, I'm finished." Neil backed away from the workbench to allow shrub to inspect his work.
Shrub approached the table and carefully lifted up Neil's output.
"Engineer's Eye," Shrub muttered to himself.
"Sheesh. It would've been easier if I had a gift like yours," Neil said while having a dejected look.
"HAHAHA if you think a C-ranked gift is good, kid, then you should meet my scrooge of a brother. Oh? This might be your best tweak yet. You increased the firepower by 20%. You sacrificed the durability of the barrel and the muzzle. The barrel is expected since, it's one of the most durable parts. But, why the muzzle?"
Shrub was always amused of how Neil always comes up with ways to better his circumstances. A bright mind in a giftless individual who doesn't want to succumb to fate. At least that's what Shrub sees it to be.
"Muzzles are replaceable," Neil replied with a nonchalant look.
Shrub nodded in approval in Neil's judgement.
"Okay, i guess you do use your head. Although it's not a novel tweak and some has even done a way better job in it, it's not that bad for someone like you. You pass, kid. This is the best of where my teachings can take you."
Shrub turned around and headed to the back of the workshop.
"Shrub, I just want to thank you for everything. My time here in Drevon, will forever be in my heart no matter where life may take me. I will always be indebted to you."
Neil basically grew up in Shrub's mentorship. It's not farfetched to say that the knowledge he has now in engineering was all thanks to this lanky man.
Shrub smiled as he was carrying a big box from the back of the workshop.
"Neil Stanfill, you were a wonderful student. I wish you the best of luck in your journey. May you always keep my teachings in your heart. I will give this quantum sword to you as my parting gift. It may not be much, but I know you can put it into good use. May Alphea, the goddess of creation bless you in your endeavors."
Neil received the box and opened it. An aluminum blade with a black handle filled with 4 cubes fully charged with the quantum.
"It's a primitive one, I know. It's the best one i can find for you," Shrub said in a tiny voice.
"Thanks a lot, shrub.'Til we meet again." Neil extended his hand to Shrub and proceeded to shake hands.
"Keep safe, kid. You can always come back to work here. There's no place like home."
"Yeah, there's no place like home."