Alden stood staring at where the tree line marked the start of the forest. In his head, he was wondering who came up with this tradition.
He had to be sick!
I mean, why was it mandatory to even give a shot at beast taming before trying other trades?
It should have been a matter of choice; they should be allowed to decide what they wanted.
Then again, what if no one chose beast taming?
'Well, there was no chance of that happening as long as people like Tomel still existed,' Alden thought.
Still, the kingdom could not work like that. I mean, not that he had seen it, but he had heard that surrounding kingdoms like Darhon required kids as young as eight to contract beasts.
Word had it that Darhon mostly had dragons. So naturally, almost half of their beast tamers were dragon riders.
It was said that if Darhon chose to attack a kingdom, the poor place would be burning like a smith's furnace by sunset.
Well, it wasn't to say that Gadlon wasn't strong... I mean, it was perhaps the only thing keeping Darhon from carrying out the said threat in the first place.
Most small kingdoms that felt threatened by Darhon had allied themselves with Gadlon for protection.
After all, wizards and mages from the Gandavale Magic Academy were a force that even Darhon's army of dragon tamers didn't fancy a war with.
So yes, the king couldn't afford to leave anything to chance.
It was kingdom first.
"Go on, boy," a voice said, and Alden turned to see one of the beast knights standing next to him.
"All the others have gone, or do you plan to use your amulet already?"
Alden turned to look around in surprise. Indeed, he was the only one who had been left behind.
The rest seemed to have been swallowed by the waiting trees.
His eyes momentarily fell to the amulet as he considered what the beast knight had said. It did not sound half as bad as he made it.
In fact, that was what he was planning to do, only... well, not in front of anyone.
He would give it some time until he felt like he would not be the first one... until someone else pressed theirs first.
With a deep breath, he swung his supply rucksack onto his shoulders and unwillingly trotted into the forest.
****
Alden had not planned to move beyond just a few trees, but then he kept feeling like the beast knights who were patrolling the edge could somehow still see him. But when he had walked deep enough without anything justifying his fear, Alden's courage slowly began to creep back.
He was inside the forest, after all. What if he somehow got lucky? What if he met some creature that could awaken some cool skill or ability in him, Alden wondered.
Master Doran had, after all, admitted that a beast did not have to look physically powerful to grant great abilities. I mean, if that was the case, he might chance to come even across a fire fox... or maybe... maybe even some unique bird like an eagle?
The point is... if he was somehow lucky, he might actually get a chance to join the school at the capital... and that... that had to mean something even for him.
Alden was not what one would call ambitious, neither was he power hungry, but if there was something that flooded his heart with an insatiable desire, it was the lure of adventure.
Were it not for the fact that Clark had informed them that the fire had purposely been made to stir the creatures in this forest, he might have actually enjoyed this.
Alden was an only son from a family of six: his smith father, his housewife mother, and three sisters.
His life since birth had been shaped in preparation for inheriting his father's smithy and continuing the family trade.
The problem was that even for commoners like him, dreaming was still free, and thus Alden often found himself hoping there was more to life than what he currently had. Maybe he would be the first in the family to reach the kingdom's capital...
As all these fantasies were going through his mind, Alden suddenly realized he hadn't paid much attention to where he was going. He stopped for a while as he tried to picture the path he had taken.
Had he deviated a lot from the straight path he had planned on taking?
"Ah," he said carelessly as he unslung his rucksack.
There was no need to worry; he had, after all, gone far enough.
He would just find somewhere to relax and enjoy his food, get a taste of what castle meals felt like, then he would press his amulet.
After walking around for a while, he broke through a clearing that was just perfect for what he had in mind.
The place looked like it had just been prepared with people like him in mind.
It was a broad clearing with just a single tree at the center of it. All around it was surrounded by sparse shrubs, which meant he could see all around him just in case something was lurking there.
Alden eagerly moved to a spot right beneath the tree where the surface was cushioned by cozy leaves.
He lowered his rucksack before sitting down. Perfect!
The place felt like it was layered with thick wool, the ground was even, and coupled with the fact that the shade from the trees cut off the scorching rays, it felt like a paradise.
In fact, Alden now adjusted his plan.
After the meal, he could even enjoy a nap here until he felt like the sun was about to set.
By that time, most of the others would have returned or used their amulet. So when he eventually used his, even if he returned empty-handed, he would still save himself and his family the shame of looking like a coward.
They would all see he had given his best and held on as long as he could.
He reached within the rucksack and pulled out the wrapped package that he had noted way earlier.
This was the dried and salted meats that had been roasted in herbs.
The scent had been torturing his belly since he had noted it was there. But now... now nothing was stopping him.
"Get your buttocks off me, wish hunter!"