The first of many puzzles from Aba

It's been two days since I started to train Samantha. She follows all my instructions almost perfectly. We flew through ally blessings in 30 minutes. THIRTY MINUTES! Normally that takes a week since you have to be willing to protect who you think is an ally. Along with channeling mana from your heart through the surrounding area to the one you want safe. Maybe it's because we have fought side by side and I'm not some random kid from class like when I was learning this incantation.

The rapid jab she had sorta self taught herself in the forest so that was smooth sailing. Then for the spear throwing, her comparison of "Oh so like a pitch fork you just need to balance it before throwing it into the straw bale" was a bit of shock to me. That training went extremely smooth for close range and then only a few hours of practicing for long range. But she keeps messing up the poison mana.

Channeling poison mana is fairly simple. You feel the tingly pricks when you speak your mana into your weapon and think of the pain you want to inflict on the opponent. The simpler the better because once you get the ailments down you can add multiple poison ailments at a time. You want them coughing up blood? Just think that when you add some poison mana to your weapon. Or if you want your opponent blinded, weakened or slown down. Really any slight of hand that can give you an upper hand in a fight. (Outside of beings immune to poison attacks then everything is null but there is plenty of other attacks to pick from.)

But no. She has not shown any signs of channeling poison mana. Normally there will be some sort of color change on the weapon and then allies can see the fine purple or green mist of a trail for poison. But there is nothing for her. She can toss around barriers like nothing so this should be simple!

Maybe if I take her on a hunt it will help trigger what ever she needs... That's it! Experience is the best teacher!

I pop up from the pew in the cathedral.

"Leaving me so soon?" Asks Aba. His voice bounces off the walls quietly. Then his presence moves in the shadow under the long pew bench.

"Yea, sorry, I came here for a quiet place to think." I reply standing at the end of the pew looking back at where I was sitting.

"So that's why you were ignoring me." A faint chuckle follows his comment.

My heart sinks thinking that I had accidentally ignored him. "I'm so sorry! I-" Aba cuts me off.

"I'm only teasing. I knew you wouldn't hear me til just now so I sat and enjoyed your silent company. Did you find the answer you were looking for?" His presence is now closer.

"I think so. Oh... You wouldn't happen to have any small jobs laying around that could put a certain trainee into a life or death situation that forces her to channel poison mana by chance. Do ya?"

Aba chuckles and his presence moves to the front of the cathedral. "It might not be life or death but head south for an hour. Something might show itself."

"Thank you!" I cheer and run out the cathedral. Just outside I notice a flier on the community board about a monster den. If Samantha needs more practice a monster den would definitely do the job. Then I finish my run down the streets for home.

Normally I would hound Aba for more details but since he said it wasn't life or death for my trainee then I should be able to take whatever it is on if need be.

"Samantha!" I yell almost busting down my front door. Thumps and crashing comes from Samantha's room.

"What?!" She shouts nearly breaking down her bedroom door.

"There is a job an hour south from here!" I inform her heading to my room to get changed.

"Alright! Will it be enough money for me to buy the baking dish I saw yesterday at the market?" She perks up.

"I didn't ask about payment. Shoot. Well if not, I did see a monster den posting on the outside of the cathedral when I ran out of it just now. We can try that after the demon thing tomorrow."

"Yes!" Samantha dives back into her room and I can hear rummaging for gear.

Out the corner of my eye I see a faint purple mist rolling on the floor by Samantha's door. By the time I turned my head back though it was gone.

She couldn't have. Could she?

After only ten minutes we are both geared up in a bit of leather. Samantha has her spears and I have my bow and arrows then tucked in my boot are throwing knives.

We head out the south gate towards some mountains. The dirt path winds gently over the hills as merchants found the easiest path from this village to the next. Soft crunching of gravel grinds under our feet. In the distance the brown fields are being worked so the farmers can plant their crops. The air is thick with the scent of fishy mud. 

Either worms smell like fish or fish smell like worms but to me they are the same.

"So what's today's job?" Samantha asks.

"No idea. There shouldn't be anything too strong this close to Bellamy though. Map." I say summoning a map infront of me. 

I pinch my fingers so the holographic map shows more of the surrounding area. Funny how it responds like a touch screen. The road winds a bit then forks at angles going south east and south west. 

"Looks like we will be off the trail here soon." I comment.

"Kay." Samantha replies.

We walk til the road forks. Then we step into a forest with tall budding trees swaying in the breeze. I believe people come to this forest to hunt for mushrooms.

Beep beep beep. Beeps my hour long timer.

"Keep your eyes open. What ever our job is, it should jump out at us any moment."

"Jump?" Samantha is on guard.

"Metaphorically speaking." I say reassuring her.

My map shows an into the ground arch way up ahead. I swish the map away with my head.

"Really Aba?" I whisper under my breath.

"What?"

"Riddles, circles and games. Sometimes I can't tell if he is a toddler or a mastermind." I say loud enough for Samantha.

"Who?"

"No one. I don't feel like being struck down by lightning but I needed to vent."

Now we are standing right infront of the monster den entrance. Samantha will not have to duck inside the tunnel but I will if I don't want tree roots in my hair. The soil, sticks and grass archway seems to almost breath meaning there are a lot of enemies in the dark below. The tunnel's entrance goes down into the ground aways.

"Well, this will be fun." I state stepping toward the den.

"Ummm." Samantha hums timidly.

"Scared of the dark? Don't be, these tunnels are usually pretty well lit." I turn to face her.

"I can see in the dark alright. Just scared of what's lurking in there." She shudders.

"Oh usually just small fry. Grubs, hornets, flies, pretty much over grown insects. Farther south you get over grown reptiles."

"So we are here for little bugs?" She holds her hand up showing a 3-4inch long measurement.

"Oh no, more like." I hold my arms out as far as I can reach.

"Why so big?" Samantha shudders. 

"Thats because they can't regulate mana sometimes. The mana puts their growth cycle on overdrive and bam big bug, arachnid, reptile and the occasional mammal." I inform her.

"Arachnid....." Samantha wonders on that word for awhile.

"Well you ready?" I ask.

"I don't really have a choice do I?" She asks.

"You do. If you don't think you can handle it you can decline but Aba usually doesn't give jobs to people that aren't ready for them. At the very least will pair you with someone that can help with the job. So do you feel like you can handle the job?"

"You said they are small fry and you will be with me right?"

"Well yea, that's why I'm here."

"Then I can handle it. We need the money." She states.

"Alright." I reply turning towards the den. "Let's do this."

After a short walk inside the tunnel bioluminescent mushrooms, plants and insects glow lighting our path. It also helps we have enchanted boots so we can see the path for a short distance around us.

We walk into a larger opening where I can easily stand up straight. I look over my shoulder as Samantha who is scanning the area on high alert.

"You alright?" I whisper.

"I feel something. Like something is here." She glances up and freezes.

I slowly look up. On the ceiling the glowing fungus seems to move but only because a million legs were moving over it. For I was looking at an eight foot long murderous centipede.