16.1. Candidate selection process

Jamtara, Kingdom of Divinium, Eastern region of Rohana Federation, 2051 S.C. 146th day

“Good morning, Marcus.”

“Good morning, Heron. Have you slept well?”

“Hardly. I’m anxious. Today is the day of the selections. I get to interview for a position in a party.” Heron replied, almost gasping from just thinking about it.

“Is that all that has been keeping you up?” Marcus asked solemnly.

The mornings weren’t times when Marcus was on the clock; however, for the past two days, he had to work double shifts. And both of them knew why.

“Did she say anything after requesting leave?”

“No, and at this rate, I may need to find another worker. What in the abyss happened between you two?”

“It’s about my father. Even when he is not around, he affects my life.” Heron clutched his fist as he tried to contain the anger.

“Are you sure that is all there is to it?”

“What else could there be? The moment I told her about his potential involvement in the fate of her village, she rushed off.”

“Heron, you are indeed young and inexperienced.” Marcus quietly chuckled. “The girl fancied you. And you didn’t get the clues.”

“What do you mean?” Heron asked curiously.

“Oh, Creators forgive his naivety. Heron, she liked you, as in she would like to be more than a friend to you, kinda likeness.”

“No, you are mistaken. We barely know each other. She was just having fun teasing me.”

“You are more dense than a mule, I’ll give you that. But also, given your upbringing, a man can’t expect much in that department. So, let me clue you in.”

He gestured Heron towards an empty table. “It is too early for mead, but goat milk and crisp bread will do.”

He brought both of them two mugs of milk and a handbasket of crisp bread. Then he took a sip of milk.

“Now, you should know you are an attractive fellow. Unlike many who enter this tavern, you have yet to have any scars or limbs replaced. Which can make you a good marriage partner.” Marcus then took a bite of one crisp and continued murmuring more than talking. “Now… Emilia is maybe a cycle older than you, and she has settled into a role of tavern keeper, so she is now looking for someone to settle down with. And you were a good candidate. Until you weren’t.”

“Yeah, when I spoke about my father.”

Marcus slammed his hand on the table. “No, you idiot. The moment you were bent on going to Tiwaz. The father thing was just the last straw. She’d still have made her distance, maybe just less dramatically.”

“How do you know she even liked me? How could you tell?”

“I don’t want to brag, but as an experienced adventurer and also a tavern keeper, I have met my share of women, and they may not always use words, but their eyes will tell you what they want if you pay attention. Also, no girl will invite you to lunch out of the blue or give you hints about her favorite bakery.”

Heron rubbed his face. “I really know nothing about women. It is not an exaggeration. I focused, the last few cycles, on getting good with my skills, so I didn’t really interact with women.”

“Heron,” Marcus sighed. “The whole desire to go to Tiwaz is a dangerous route. And it is not even about what awaits you outside these doors. You already deemed your father guilty, and by the way you told me about the situation yesterday, I am more certain that you are now being driven by vengeance, than desire for answers.”

“I am fine with being vengeful, if that is what it takes to get there. My mother is still out there somewhere, and he knows where. Also, if he were part of it all, he would have the blood of many on his hands. He needs to be held responsible.”

“And is your idea of responsibility, killing him on the spot or handing him over to authorities, for which, mind you, he worked for?”

Heron said nothing.

“That answers my question. I am not your father, nor would I consider myself a friend, but as someone with experience, I ask you to reconsider. There is still time to make different choices. Why not choose a path of potential happiness?”

“Even if I were to pick a party that acts locally, there are no guarantees I’d make it out alive for long enough to retire. So, I couldn’t be a man who would make her happy. What kind of life would she live, waiting for me at the door?”

“I guess you made your choice then.” Marcus didn’t want to argue. Heron was determined to go through with his mission, so he’d probably speak against any further points Marcus made.

After finishing up his milk and talking with Marcus, Heron returned to his room to take a shower and get himself ready for the guild. He asked Marcus to ask Emilia to come and talk to him, as he wanted to set things right.

Later that afternoon, Heron found himself back at the guild hall. The receptionist from yesterday was still at her desk, organizing what appeared to be application papers.

"Excuse me," he said as he approached the desk. "I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any calls for candidates today?"

The receptionist glanced up from her papers. "There are several."

“Any of them from parties that take jobs outside Divinium borders?”

“Cross-border parties? I mean, those are rare. But let me check.” She went through her papers and looked over the party applications. “I am sorry, but it doesn’t seem to be any calls today. But it is still the first day. There are several more days for applications to be posted, so maybe you may have luck later.”

Heron was slummed. He hoped that there would be a party he could join in Jamtara. But that was a long shot. Jamtara is one of the furthest cities from any border, so most of the parties would be local.

He went back to the tavern, once again finding Marcus serving customers.

“So how did the application go?”

“No luck. There aren’t any roll calls for parties that do work outside of Divinium.”

“Yes, well, it is to be expected. We are far from the borders. Financing such trips from here would be expensive; you need a closer base of operations.”

“Then where should I go? You were an adventurer, Marcus. You probably know where I should look.”

“Well, I didn’t want to bring this up before, but if you are so bent on joining an international party, I may know some people who are currently in town who you can talk to.”

“You know some people. Why didn’t you mention anything sooner?” Heron was annoyed by the fact.

“To be honest, you have little chance of getting accepted. And not just by them. You are basing your strategy for reaching Tiwaz on joining an adventuring party, then leaving them for personal goals. Do you really think anyone would be fine with that?” Marcus was blunt.

He is right. I wasn’t really thinking this through. Heron was scratching his head, but indeed, there was no valid answer. He was being selfish.

“So, what were you going to say in the interview?” Marcus pressed on.

“I was going to be honest. I’d hoped there might be a chance for a mission that would position us in proximity to Tiwaz. I never considered just ditching my comrades. But I hadn’t thought about how they would feel about my answer.” Heron sighed. “Honesty is all I have to work with, so I’d hoped there would be some understanding if I came clean. I wouldn’t have lied, you got to believe me, Marcus.”

“Kid, I believe, and I do because if you were dishonest, you wouldn’t have been so stupid to let everyone know of your plan before the interviews.” Marcus started laughing.

“Stop laughing!” Heron cried.

“Sorry, but you are so inexperienced, it is really refreshing. I mean, I don’t want to badmouth others, but you’ll encounter worse people than you may even imagine. So, you've got to build up some character, my boy. And that may also include the ability to lie, or at least to shut up when necessary.” Marcus smiled and raised a glass with mead.

“Now, the people I’ve mentioned are a hunting party. They operate within and outside the kingdom, hunting for different monsters. Usually, they are interested in rarities and then sell whatever they get from those monsters for profit.”

“I don’t care what they do, as long as I can get to meet them and discuss the possibility of achieving my plan, I am up for anything.” Heron was adamant.

“Okay, if you say so. Then I’ll take you to the guild tomorrow to talk to them.” Marcus said.

“Oh, also, Heron, I spoke with Emilia. She’ll be back tomorrow, but she isn’t ready to talk just yet. She’s a bit embarrassed about everything, so I’d appreciate it if you don’t press for anything until she comes to you.”

“Ok, sure.”

.. / .-- .. - -. . ... ... . -.. / -- -.-- / . -. -..

Heron woke in the middle of the night. The whisper again. Is it from the blower again? At this rate, I will not get any sleep. I should ask Marcus to show me the way to the apothecary. I may need some sleeping medicine. But soon after, Heron went back to sleep as if nothing had happened.