Christopher woke up bright and early for what should be another productive day. He would start with his usual training session under Sin, and after he would set out for the Lumen Constructors. He felt a slight nervousness at the prospect of his first job interview.

But first, as he now always did after waking up, it was time to use his topped off Soul Force after a night of sleep. He felt well-rested and he was still in a good mood after his success with the Soul Heat examination. As he got out of bed, he noticed another Wazan on the windowsill, which was what the small pink lizards were apparently called. They were clearly harmless, and they therefore no longer fazed him at this point.

He grabbed one of the larger metal spheres from his pouch and poured in the Soul Frost effect. He was glad that objects he imbued would not hurt him because he could sense the metal becoming dangerously cold. He made sure to keep the metal in his palm while the frost slowly dissipated.

He smiled as he remembered the reaction from Tamas the day before. Clearly, she had not expected his rank to reach Master five. He had recollected the details of his exam to the Tinos family, as they were interested in the details of the test. Tamas was curious about his examinator and was incredulous at him not having his name. However, when he described the man in detail, she seemed to think that she knew who he was. Apparently, he was a somewhat distraught faculty member that mainly focused on new research avenues. She did not know his name either. At least she understood a bit better why he had not gotten much out of the man. She was also surprised that he had not been allowed into the Academy, but she was still not willing to describe the interior herself, saying that one had to see it themselves to believe it. It did not make him any less curious about the secrets of the Academy.

There was a nervous energy developing all over Lumen, clearly, the danger they all faced had finally seeped into the public conscience. The threat from the Blight was now a constant chatter everywhere he went. Things were no different during his morning training session.

They were joined by a young woman that he recognized as belonging to the military of the city due to her uniform. She stood at attention next to Sin, probably waiting until all the trainees had arrived. The uniform she wore consisted out of hues of green and brown, similar to those of the city guard. The colors merged perfectly with that of the surroundings, both within and outside of Lumen. A metal emblem marked her position, but Christopher was not yet familiar with the different ranks within the Lumen military. Her crest was two half circles connected by a horizontal line.

Once all of them had arrived, she explained her presence. She introduced herself as Lieutenant Nellas from the Lumen Forces and also as a priest of the Adenium Church. Her task was to administrate the warriors of the Church over the Lumen Forces, which was what brought her here today. She explained to them that they had a responsibility of helping in the defense of Lumen, speaking as if it was natural that they would be joining the effort. Joining the Lumen forces when the city was attacked was one of the requirements for them to get the free training classes. Nevertheless, some of the other trainees looked outright sick at the explanation.

Christopher himself thought this was perfect, feeling like this was exactly where he should be, but understandably some of the others were quite nervous about the situation that they now found themselves in. They had joined the training classes two weeks before him, long before the Blight had shown any inclinations of attacking the city. Lumen had not been seriously attacked for generations, so many of the other trainees had not really expected to be taken up on that clause. Had Christopher not been summoned here with the purpose of fighting the Blight, then he would probably have felt the same.

Lieutenant Nellas handed them their postings. He was both excited and nervous at getting his assignment. He would have to make his way to battlement fifteen at the eastern side of Lumen. Luckily, they had not completely separated all of the trainees over different units. He would be joined by four of the other trainees. Bara was one of them.

They would be meeting with their units the day after tomorrow to get familiar with their battlements as well as their fellow soldiers. He was sure that there was a lot to learn in order to form a cohesive unit. Lieutenant Nellas explained that they would also learn some of the tactics that would be deployed to fight the invaders.

Once Lieutenant Nellas left, his fellow trainees quickly burst into both excited and nervous talk about the Lumen Forces. Some like Arlo and Hozil looked determined at the prospect of being a part of the defense, while Hito and Bara looked almost sick after being enlisted. He could understand and respect both points of view.

The training of the day did not bring any progress to his attributes, but he did feel that his skill with the dagger was showing some progress. With the bow, he actually managed to hit the target three times today, although there were still many more failed attempts.

After the training, he washed up and finally made his way for the location of the Lumen constructors, his Soul Heat license safely packed under his armor. If he ever managed to make any money, he should really consider getting a second set of clothing. His current leather armor had holes in it which sometimes got him some strange looks. Maybe it was not the best attire for a job interview, but it would have to do. Wearing armor at least was a somewhat common clothing trend among the people.

Despite receiving directions, it took him a bit of time to locate the proper place to make his inquiry. He first arrived at the headquarters, thinking that he would be able to apply there, but nobody of note was really present. He was redirected to one of the workshops that was situated close to the eastern gate of Lumen, he was sent there to find someone called Orello. The workshop was a flurry of activity, everyone seemed to be processing materials or tinkering with one device or another. Some of the plated horse-like creatures, which were called Horrol, were transporting carts full of materials to and from the workshop. The ground was covered with Sawdust and wood chips.

He had hoped that he would be able to announce his arrival and intention to someone, but no such luck, everyone seems to be busy with their work. Tools and equipment were making unfamiliar but loud sounds all over the workshop. There were plenty of strange devices, many in the process of being build right now. He saw one of the workers pour in some unfamiliar Soul Effect into one of the finished constructs. There was not really any reception for visitors, he could only hope that someone would point him to Orello.

He asked a nearby woman that was tinkering with a Soul Device. She pointed him to a very tall middle-aged muscular man with a thick head of black hair and a large black mustache. He was currently in discussion with one of the workers, making wild and sweeping gestures. Orello looked like an intimidating figure, but Christopher stepped up to him with determination when the man had finished his discussion.

“Hello sir, my name is Christopher, do I have the pleasure of speaking with Orello?”

Orello chuckled. “I suppose you do have that pleasure.”

“Great, I am here to apply for a job with the Lumen Constructors.”

Orello gave him a good look over. The man might be the same height as him, but he was very broad and his body was covered with muscle, making Christopher seem tiny in comparison.

“Is that so, do you have any experience with construction or building devices?”

“No, not yet, but I am hoping to learn"

Orello did not seem perturbed “Have you ever build something before? Are you able to work with any of the tools that you see scattered around the workshop?”

“No, not really, but I am willing to start from the bottom.”

“I see, no problem, I suppose that could be stamped in quickly. Do you have any references from a previous job?”

Christopher could not help but put forth a long face at this question. “I’m afraid not, I only arrived in Lumen recently.”

Maybe it was his expression, but Orello laughed, apparently thinking it was hilarious. “I am surprised that you want to work here, you should know that the work can be quite tough. How about your Soul Force abilities, I see that you are holding a license? We are always in dire need of Soul Mages.”

Christopher breathed out in relief, happy that he was finally able to show some competence. He handed his license to Orello. “I have recently acquired this license for Soul Heat, I also am somewhat decent at Soul Frost, but I still need to acquire a license for that effect.”

Orello took a good look at the license. “Oh, excellent, I am surprised that you managed to achieve Master five in Soul Heat at your age. That is also one of the Soul Effects we have the most need for.” He stroked his mustache, which was soon covered with sawdust from the man’s fingers. “Would you be willing to demonstrate some of your ability on one of our constructs?”

“Of course, just tell me what you need.”

“Just follow me, I think I might have just the thing.”