It is Always You!

“Hello year four applicants.” Xentel greets the, about, score of us standing about in the courtyard. “A surprising number of you made it to this last year.” The guild master continues before whistling. How many do they usually get in the last year? “This is your graduating hunt.” He continues his tone returning to a more serious one. “So two of you will be paired up with a master and go on an official apprentice ranked hunt.” The troglodyte explains beginning to pace the dais. “If you succeed in this hunt, you will be official apprentices of the Slayer’s Guild!” He finishes with a large smile.

-- -- --

“So why are we always paired up?” I ask looking at Goodswell standing across from me.

“A good question.” Goodswell replies looking at the master standing between us.

“Plus we somehow start and end our time as applicants with you.” I say sideyeing the master.

“You think it’s rigged.” Nadia sighs in annoyance. “I have no idea, alright?” She says defensively. “I have nothing to do with the selection process. They already stuck me on counseling duty, I ain’t doing anymore than that.” She explains.

My gaze falls back to Goodswell. I am ninety-nine percent certain it is rigged but I suppose not every master would know about all of it. I sigh in acceptance, I will never know the answer probably.

“Our hunt is reported to be some kind of wyrm or serpent.” Nadia says pulling out a piece of paper from a pocket.

“Why do you say ‘reported to be’?” Goodswell asks the beanpole woman.

“People aren’t exactly perfectly reliable as a source.” The master explains before handing the paper to Goodswell. “It’s in the large area of uninhabited swamps south of Seruna.” She adds with a sigh.

“Swamps are bad enough, I hope the reports are correct.” I mutter looking at the paper. It is but a simple silhouette shaped like a big snake or wyrm. It is quite blurry, like those photos of Nessie. Now that I think about, it looks almost exactly like Nessie. Is there some kind of magic item that is a camera or a spell maybe? There is this odd part that looks like a strangely placed fin as well...

“Are they?” Goodswell inquires probably to me. I look up to the boy but cannot answer as swift as Nadia.

“All kinds of disease carrying stuff in there.” Nadia answers. “We should be alright though since we have a mage.” She adds looking at me. I think I now truly understand Dandelion...

-- -- --

Nadia sits at her desk looking at me across from her. Goodswell stands to the side of the desk, probably thinks it is beneath him or something to sit in front of a desk.

“I’ve been wondering something Master Til.” I say.

“What is it?” The master looks up at me with a raised brow. I look around the room at the various plants.

“Why do you have all these plants?” I inquire. I look back at Nadia before I continue “Only a mage would have so much of an element around them.” Nadia has not moved a muscle. “Well unless you’re ridiculously showy.” I add with a shoulder shrug.

“When I was an applicant.” She begins looking at the plants around her room. “I was part of the magic division. Then I chose to be a Battler.” The master continues seemingly ignoring my questions. “I transferred to Vanguard in my third year.” She finishes looking back at me her face betraying no emotion.

“So how much magic do you know?” Goodswell asks breaking the tension before it can truly build up.

“Not much.” Nadia answers leaning back in her chair. “Some basic healing and can enhance my own physical attributes.” She explains. “And also summon a weapon to beat something to death.” The master adds.

“Then you can provide some magical back up to Yamakuma if necessary.” Goodswell says with unearned confidence.

“Not really.” The woman says without even letting the boy breath before crushing his idea.

“It might not be a terrible idea to refresh your memory on at least some spells.” I interject. The other two look at me before I add “Just in case something were to happen to me, you could at least heal or something.”

“Good point.” Nadia replies.

-- -- --

This is my first time actually seeing the teleportation room of the academy guild hall. It is so gaudy… Stain glass mosaics of various hunts, statues of Skadi etched into the walls.

“How often have either of you teleported?” Nadia inquires to the two of us walking to the middle of the circle.

“Several at this point.” Goodswell answers stepping next to the master. I grab my gut hoping it will be better than before.

“Through a circle, only once.” I reply walking to the woman’s other side. “Hopefully I won’t pass out this time.” I mutter.

“So do I.” Nadia retorts. “We can’t have only two of us do this. Even as a master, I’m not invincible.” She explains.

Goodswell simply facepalms and groans in both annoyance and disbelief.

“You all ready to go?” Rato asks the three of us while walking over to a pair of other guild members.

“As ready as we can be.” Nadia responds with a salute.

The two other casters walk around us to other parts of the circle before stopping and making a triangle between the three of them.

Everything in the room goes quiet except for my loud anxious breathing.

“Where light travels there is always shadow.” Rato chants striking his staff against the ground. A part of the circle begins to glow. “Only shadow can travel faster.” The troglodyte continues the chant as the other two casters hit their staffs against the circle as well lighting more of it. The other casters join the master in the final part of the chant “Through the merging of shadow and light the travel of all of the worlds will be swifter than even the gods!”

Teleportation is still awful.

I can barely see the spinning room before I empty my stomach onto what I hope is the floor.