"Tell me something Talon, what do you think about your nightmares?" Paul asked Talon.
"I don't want to be disrespectful, sir. But how do hell do you even know about my nightmares? Damien knew about it because he was with us. But this is the first time we met." Said Talon in a cautious tone.
"It's good that you are not trusting." Chuckled Paul to himself as he continued. "Damien already told you about my Foresight so-"
"How do you know that he told me about it." Cut in Talon.
"If you wouldn't cut into me while I speak, then you would know because I was beginning to tell you!" Paul almost shouted the last part as the veins on his forehead showed up.
"Don't have to shout, you old fart…" Muttered Talon under his breath, but to his misfortune, Paul heard him clearly.
"I heard it, you little shit!" Paul roared, scaring the hunters guarding his door outside as they rushed in, checking their safety.
"Sir! Is everything alright?" Asked one of the guarding hunters.
As Paul rubbed his temples, he just waved the Hunters away as he took a deep breath and sighed.
"Now, answering your previous… completely unnecessary question. My Gift does not have real uses in combat situations. But my Foresight is one of the clearest among the gifted. While the others 'use foresight in their dreams, I can use mine consciously when I want, although at a price. Now, answering how I knew about everything, My Gift has other uses, I can see things through the eyes of others."
Paul finished his explanation, as he sighed once again, finally calming down.
As he looked at Talon, preparing to ask him if he had any questions, his blood pressure rose to the air yet again as he saw Talon casually looking around the room, clearly looking around instead of listening to him.
"Don't hit him… Just don't hit him!" Muttered Paul to himself as he demonstrated the self-discipline of a saint.
Before Paul could truly lash out at him, in an instant, Talon turned serious as he asked:
"Say… does that mean that my dreams are showing me the future?" Asked Talon, with fear present in his tone. As he observed him, Paul's tone warmed up.
"Yes, they show you fragments, they come true most of the time." Informed him, Paul.
"They come true?" This time, the playful and nonchalant attitude he sowed most of the time was nowhere to be found as was truly terrified.
Every time he remembered the burning man from his nightmare, he shuddered in fear.
"What did you dream of?" Asked him Paul, not answering Talon's original question. Yet Talon did not say a word to him, still in panic.
"You don't have to be afraid, whatever you see can… no, it will be changed, I give my word on that." Paul consoled Talon as he was standing up from his seat.
"Talon, why don't we continue our talk while I show you something?"
This was not truly a question as Paul would just leave him in the office alone. And the last thing Talon wanted at the moment was to be alone.
As the two walked beside each other, Paul continued "Your Gift has a lesser version of foresight because it's closely connected to dreams"
"And how do you know this, not even Damien knows exactly what is my gift, so how do you know?" Asked Talon, his tone laced with doubt as he almost became hostile.
"You would have told me about it later anyway, I just saw it with Foresight." Explained Paul.
After walking for more than three minutes in the almost empty hallways, Talon couldn't help himself and asked, "Where are we going exactly?"
"I saw you kill those beasts," Grinned Paul at him.
"Because you were the one who killed them, you have the right to get their parts forged into equipment, one of the better rules in the hunters."
Hearing this, showed a gleam in Talon's eye, he could not remember exactly what he killed, but after he woke up, they told him about the horde, so he probably going to get himself some amazing equipment.
Equipment that is sold for a lot of money, is something that Talon could never even dream about.
"Oh, before I forget, your only usable move in combat is your mist, and that does not help if you are always out of control, that is a sure way to get yourself killed, that's for sure.
Today you will meet your team, but tomorrow, Damien will become your teacher, he will help you master your power. Hardly know anyone more capable person than him, even if teaching is far from being his strong suit…" Finished Paul with a dark tone.
"What do you exactly mean by that?" Asked Talon, not liking the sound of Paul's tone.
"Well, you wouldn't be the first pupil of Damien… he had two others before you. Both of them hate him with a burning passion."
"Is it that bad?"
Paul only nodded slowly as an answer which made Talon's blood run cold.
'He seemed like a nice guy, probably not going to torture me… that much.' Hoped Talon.
As they slowly got closer to the Hunter's forge, the heat became close to unbearable.
"Hey, old fart, are we in hell?" Talon managed to mutter through gritted teeth as the scorching heat surrounded them, which almost made Talon hallucinate.
"Listen here you little shit, it's Sir, or if I'm being generous, you can call me Mr. Paul. Am I understood?" Barked Paul as he slowly unclenched his fists.
"Understood, sir…" Talon waved dismissively, and Paul's unclenched fist instantly clenched back again.
"Why wasn't he this hard to manage when he was with Damien, All-mother, All-father, give me patience, if you give me strength, I will strangle him," Paul murmured his silent prayer while trying to both ignore the heat and Talon.
While enduring the torturous heat, they arrived at the blacksmith forge, where the heat just worsened.
More than a dozen forges could be seen, in there, three to four dwarves working on metal or other material.
"Makar!" Shouted Paul to one of the dwarves.
"Eye, Paul, how can we help ya?" Said the dwarf named Makar as he made his way towards the two.
"This little sh-, this little one needs equipment forged from some monsters, mostly green-rated ones, but he managed to kill a blue-rated one too."
"Ye want to forge the blue-rated one too, eh?" Asked him, Makar.
"No, not yet, that one will be forged into a weapon but we don't know yet the weapon he will use. The boy will come back here alone when he decides on the weapon, until then, just forge him some light armor from the green-rated beasts, that probably serve him for a while.
"Ye can trust us for the armor, will be ready for tomorrow, hah." Laughed Makar as he strongly patted Talon's back, almost knocking him over in the process as he walked back to his forge.
"This is why we came, here, walk me back to my office."
'Asked' Paul, but it was more like an order, and as the two walked away from the forge, Talon could breathe normally again.
"How can anyone work under those conditions? For a moment, I thought we'd die from the heat," complained Talon, managing to annoy Paul even more with his whining.
"Stop whining!" snapped Paul, his patience wearing thin. "Anyway, they work with special equipment; they hardly even feel the heat in those," he explained tersely, hoping to quell Talon's complaints before they escalated further.
"Do you have any other questions, or are you planning to bug me later?"
"Actually, yes. Why did you say that Damien can teach me weapons? You said it as if he knew every single one."
"Because Damien mastered almost every weapon there is."
Hearing this, Talon just stared at Paul with a dumbfounded expression, not believing his own ears.
"Well, it cost him almost thirty years to master, them but he did manage, heh."
Chuckled Paul to himself. This time, Talon was shocked even further, barely picking up his jaw from the ground.
"What the hell do you mean, thirty?! He barely looks thirty as it is!" Shouted Talon in disbelief.
"Gifted age was slower than non-gifted, I'm way above hundred years above myself."
As he said that, he looked back at Talon, waiting for another shocked expression, yet Talon did not show any facial expression as he hoped.
"Yeah, that does not surprise me a bit," Talon said.
This time, Paul's veins almost popped on his forehead as he stared blankly at Talon, using every bit of willpower to restrain himself.
"He is just a kid, don't hurt him, just don't…" murmured Paul to himself, giving his very best as he grinded his teeth.
As they reached Paul's office, Damien could be seen leaning on the wall, next to the office door.
He waved at the two when as soon as he saw them.
"Sorry you had to wait Damien, but I accompanied Talon to the forge, tomorrow he get's some light armor from the beast's he killed.
"Congratulations Talon, you have gear, even before your First hunt! Oh, and by the way, one of the guys will lead you to the barracks, Thorn is already waiting for you. You will meet the others too."
Said Damien, as one of the hunters walked to Talon's side then lead him away to the barracks.
'Finally.' Talon became excited, he waved to Damien and Paul as he walked away with the hunter.
Then the two walked into Paul's office and sit down.
"Do you really think that he is that-" Paul interrupted Damien.
"No, not yet, he is not that monster yet… we will lead him to a better path, no matter what!"