"So, are you going to tell me how your mission in The Catacombs went?"
Elijah's heartbeat thumped loudly in his chest as his head dipped facing the floor. The soft bed underneath his rear slumped slightly. "I- There… We failed the mission, and three of my friends were incinerated…"
"What the hell?! What happened?!" Amaris moved closer to Elijah when he saw tears coming out of his eyes.
Elijah himself had not expected himself to cry, but maybe the reason for his tears was because of not feeling guilty or sad like he should be. "We were betrayed."
"I expected as much. Did you report it to the guild?"
"No, That crazy man Andal told me to keep it silent, or else the chances of it happening again were almost certain."
"Good. Are Novius and Alexia okay?"
"Yes, they survived, but the son of Lorsen Creveron did not survive. I am worried that now I will never have a chance of helping you on the frontlines."
"Pff, don't worry about that. Once you reach the orange core, I can use my authority to take you on missions. Most of the beasts close to the gates are orange core beasts, and become stronger the farther you go out. With your strength, I would suggest taking on a red core mission by yourself. A mission where you don't have to hide your abilities."
"Really? Is that possible?"
"Yes, only if it is approved by the guild, or given to you by someone high up. That person can be me."
A voice randomly resounded from the pocket within Amaris' chest calling for a meeting. "I have to go, but do not talk to Abel without letting me know. I'll have a couple of easy red core missions for you within the next couple of days to complete by yourself. Have a good night of sleep."
"You too." Elijah was not at all perturbed by Amaris telling him to have a good night of sleep. That saying was custom in this kingdom, as sleep was something everyone prioritized. There were a couple of things Elijah had also wanted to get off his chest, like using mana to strengthen his body again, but it seemed it would have to wait.
Amaris gently closed the door, and said hello to Alexia who was leaning against the wall. "It seems there was someone waiting for you Elijah."
"Are you really going to go back into The Catacombs by yourself?" Alexia asked with worried eyes.
Elijah first found himself thankful she did not hear the first part of their conversation, or at least for now he assumed she did not hear anything about the Kingdom of Gion. "Yes, I am. I can't stop just because of what happened. I don't want to stop."
"Okay, that makes sense. I still can't believe what happened, but I also want to keep going. I understand I won't go with you on your mission, but maybe I will go with the rest of our party."
"That is nice to hear, Alexia. Have you heard anything from Novius?"
"No, I haven't seen him even once. He has been in his room ever since."
"Okay, I won't bother him."
The night ended with rather happy thoughts running through Elijah's mind. Preparations were made within his mind, but one action he needed to take care of was getting his hands on Novius' invisible suit again. That could be an incredible boon for him, but also a crutch that would not help him in the long-term.
…
"Elijah! I have a letter that is addressed to you! It says no one can open it but you!" Phloria was at the door greeting the mail man when she yelled at Elijah who was calmly stretching in the room next to the living room, the free space full of padding meant for working on your physical body.
Elijah got up from his cossack squat position, and ran through the living into the hallway that led to the grand foyer. The distorted light of the late-morning shone through the glass of the foyer. One of the few items in this kingdom that was made by the people and didn't solely originate from magic, was glass.
The letter was gracefully handed to Elijah, and without hesitation, it was opened.
"Are you going to tell me anything about it Elijah?" Phloria was staring at Elijah's actions of opening the letter with haste.
"Uhh, haha. Amaris sent me a mission he grabbed from the guild. It's nothing special. I just have to grab some things from the hunter market."
Phloria grabbed Elijah's chin. "You aren't going to be dying on me right?"
"Never, will I ever die to a beast. This mission sounds really easy from the type of beast I will be facing. Simple tunnel moles that are also going to be in few numbers. There is no need to worry."
"Okay, I guess with five of you that sounds easy. You do after all need to complete a mission. Although, I am surprised that you are all ready to get back to it after what happened."
Elijah didn't feel the need to tell the truth as he had full confidence in himself without needing to hide his abilities, not that it would even be a problem with his four friends. "I need to get going, I also have the hunter tournament that I need to prepare for. I'm going to get some custom shoes."
After hugging his mother tightly, he put on his shoes, and set off for the Western Hunter Guild. The white pants and tan button up long sleeve coat inlaid with gray goat fur made him feel quite representable, and also allowed him to blend in with the normal attire of the kingdom. Instead of taking a carriage, Elijah had decided to walk to a specific shop he once saw close to The Lavden restaurant he remembers eating at. The restaurant itself was obviously not operating normally, but did operate as a place to receive the rationed food.
Once the door to a small shop opened, a small bell rang followed by a welcome from the attendant at the counter. The shop was lined with exquisite pieces of leather and cloth garments meant for hunters. Everything was in the same color, but could be dyed using the pigments that came from different fruits and vegetables. "Welcome young one! To what do I owe the pleasure of helping you with today?"
Elijah finished looking around, and calmly took the black leather shoes off his feet. These shoes were very simplistic, and provided the perfect amount of room for his toes. Cotton laces held them tightly, and had a medium amount of cushion meant for absorbing the blows of the harsh earthen ground. "Would you be able to cut openings in the bottom of these shoes so I can use my water magic while walking? I will also buy a new pair of shoes from you just to have both in case it doesn't work out the way I expect."
"Hmmm, that is a rather odd request. But I suppose if you buy a pair of shoes from me I have no reason to say no." Elijah handed the pair of shoes to the man. "This shouldn't take long, and based on the idea you use water magic, shall I make vertical openings in the shoes?"
"Yes, that is exactly what I had in mind."
The burly man had some pep in his step from seeing such a smooth talking young fellow like Elijah. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the young nobles who relished in their parents' success.