Interviews, interviews never change. Dallion never was particularly fond of them back on Earth, though he was never terrified of them either. All in all, he found them a waste of time. In nine out of ten cases, a person’s mind was already made up, and it took great effort for the interviewee to change it one way or another.

Given the speed by which candidates entered and left the room, Dallion assumed that the test was in the awakened realm, and possibly involved a combat scenario. As it turned out, he was only half right.

“Good luck,” Arthurows whispered as he passed by, heading towards the staircase. There was no smile, no indication of how it went, not even any words of advice. Usually when someone reacted in such fashion, it meant that things hadn’t gone well.

“Thanks,” Dallion shouted back. To be honest, he wasn’t surprised at the result. While he had helped out a few times, Arthurows was a well-known slacker and not one to overtax himself when it came to anything. Still, it would have been nice if both he and Dallion had made it on the list.

When Dallion’s turn arrived, he ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath, and went in. The lieutenant was nothing like what he had imagined. Looking at him was like looking at a person so nondescript that it was the clothes that stood out. The man was in his middle age, with thinning grey hair, though not bold, with a pale complexion, though not sickly, and with eyes that seemed to switch from amber to green every time Dallion looked at them. He was wearing an outfit that would have been better fit for roaming the Amazon than staying in the city, complete with a long-sleeved black leather jacket.

“Name?” the lieutenant asked in utter disinterest.

“Dallion. Dallion Darude.”

“Dallion.” Judging by the man’s reaction that had caught his attention. “The rookie that passed the selection trial, then threw it away trying to act like a big shot?”

The way he said it didn’t instill confidence. Dallion himself could have phrased it a lot better, but he had to concede the point.

“That’s right.” He decided to own it.

“And you think you’ll be a good match for this job?” The lieutenant leaned forward.

“Packrats don’t have to think, sir.”

The joke had an effect, making the lieutenant crack a smile. That was a good sign. All that Dallion had to do now was not lose the momentum.

“That harpsisword.” The lieutenant pointed. “Can you actually use it, or are you carrying it just for show?”

“I can use it to an extent.” Dallion drew the weapon from the sheath on his back. “Want me to demonstrate?”

“No, no need.” The man waved his hand. “Any experience in exploration jobs?”

“A bit. I’ve been Janna and Kallan’s pack rat for the last few weeks.”

“Right. Well, that’s all. Thanks.”

Done already? That was surprising. Dallion had expected at least a test of some sort.

“Well, thank you, sir.” He made a step towards the door. “So… did I pass?” He asked just to confirm it for his own sake.

“No, Dal, you did not “pass.” Not in the least.”

The response caught Dallion off guard, almost making him walk into the wall. He had failed? Why? He hadn’t even done anything wrong. The questions were so generic that… Was it the joke that had messed things up?

“I need packrats for this job, not rookies who want to use it as an excuse to score points in front of the rest,” the lieutenant continued. “Yes, I’m fully aware of all your exploits. Chosen by March, did a few good exploration runs, helped find a few lost. Frankly, the only reason I gave you a chance was because you had the common sense to actually save those poor souls, and not go slashing like a shardifly. I gave you a chance, and you wasted it.”

There was no point in arguing with that. Dallion nodded with a polite smile and opened the door.

“A piece of advice,” the lieutenant said. “You’re already in the guild. If you want it further than you are now either stop showing off or prove that you can make it.”

That was a bit harsh. Did Dallion act in such a way? All this time he thought that he had kept on the low-low, while also doing everything in his power to improve his skills and gear. He didn’t expect to be complimented for reaching double digits in a few months—although it would have been nice if someone acknowledged it—but he didn’t expect to be chastised like this for no reason either.

Don’t pay attention to him, Nil said as Dallion made his way down the staircase. Hector has always been a snob. The guy’s skilled but is such a nitpicker that sometimes even my original can’t stand him. He really doesn’t like people that stand out. That’s why it’s so difficult to find him a team. If two people of the entire crowd get to join him on this job, it will be a miracle.

“I thought you told me this would be a good opportunity,” Dallion whispered.

I wasn’t sure he’d be the one to pick it up. There is more than one lieutenant, just so you know.

For some reason Dallion was getting the impression that the echo was lying. There wasn’t anything he could base it on, just a feeling resonating in his awakening realm. If he had to guess, the echo believed the lieutenant was going to like him. How wrong could one get?

Still, go ask Estezol for a training sword. Technically, you can’t use it now, but I have it on good authority that an exception would be made as long as you ask. After all—

“Thanks, Nil,” Dallion interrupted. “Maybe some other time.”

The afternoon was particularly beautiful when Dallion went outside. There was just the right number of clouds to keep the sun from scorching down on the people below. The dryad shield had often mentioned that in the imperial capital there were a branch of mages whose sole task was to make sure that the weather was to the emperor’s choosing. In the grand scale of things, Nerosal wasn’t as important to have a mage present, but was blessed with wonderful weather most of the year, nonetheless.

Pay attention to the nice things in life, Dallion remembered the advice his grandmother had given him back on Earth. All this rushing and jumping through hoops had made him lose sight of that. In a way, he was almost pleased that the lieutenant had turned him down. If he hadn’t, Dallion would be pressing himself on and on again. Now, he had both a reason and the will to take it easy for a day. Training could wait till tomorrow. For the rest of the day, he was only going to focus on the positive things and enjoy as much of the real world as possible.

Passing by the Gremlin’s Timepiece to leave his gear, Dallion then spent several hours walking through the city with no clear goal. Carefree, yet also mindful of where he was going, he visited a few artisan districts, the entertainer’s street, and even one of the city’s fishing lakes. There were so many things to behold, so many that he hadn’t noticed before, constantly focusing on leveling up. It was as if he’d gone on a trip abroad only to spend the entire time sleeping at a hotel. The Nil and the rest of the entities linked to him felt likely agreed with the notion, for none of them said a thing the entire time he was out. Even the shield kept silent.

A time to remember, Dallion thought as the sun started its way beneath the horizon.

“Thanks, all,” he whispered. “I appreciate today.”

There was no answer, which made Dallion appreciate the moment even more. However, eventually all things had to come to an end. Taking a few more minutes, Dallion returned to the inn for his evening shift.

Jiroh wasn’t there, as she had warned she wouldn’t be, which made Hannah volunteer Dallion to help with serving customers again. In his present state, though, Dallion couldn’t be happier. Serving and mending with the same flair he had when first arriving at the inn, he managed to earn himself over a gold coin, and increase his music skills by two as a result. The items he had to improve were also sweet: a locket and an engagement ring. Dallion was even tempted to improve each more than once, but knowing Hannah’s policy, he decided not to put anyone in an awkward position.

“You’re different today,” Hannah mentioned as he was having his dinner. “What happened?”

“Lots of things,” Dallion replied with a smile. “And on your end?”

“The usual,” the woman said with even greater suspicion. “Dealing with preparations for the grand event. You sure you’re alright? You didn’t have some guardian smack you on the head or something?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just that I realized something.” Dallion took a gulp from his glass. “Always take the time to enjoy life and take advantage of opportunities offered. There’s no telling what the future might hold.”

“You’re a bit young to be thinking like that. But hey, it’s not like you listen to me for anything.” A smile appeared on her face. “Go ahead, get lost. I’ll clean up here.”

“Oh? What about the—”

“I said get lost. Or do you want to miss this opportunity?”

Dallion laughed. Hannah had the rare ability to be grumbly, even when being nice.

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll go out a bit. No idea when I’ll be back.”

“Don’t do anything crazy, you hear?”

Dallion had no intention to. Walking through safe neighborhoods, and keeping a constant eye out for trouble, he made his way to Euryale’s workshop. When he got there, there was still light coming from the inside. That was a relief—she hadn’t set off yet. Interestingly enough, the statues outside the building were much less than last time.

“Eury,” Dallion said loudly, then knocked on the door. A few moments later, he opened it and went inside. “Eury?”

The workshop was mostly empty. Business must have been booming lately, for a lot of the fabric had gone, along with most clothes and all the armor pieces. It was as if Dallion had walked in a store during the last few days of a clearance sale.

“Give me a moment, Dal,” the gorgon’s voice came from the neighboring room. “I’ll be right there.”

“Sure thing.” Dallion sat on what could pass as a workbench. “Jiroh told me you’ll be going on a job tonight, so I thought I’d pass by.”

“Tomorrow morning,” Euryale corrected. “She’s the scout of the group, so she heads out early. The rest of us will join her before sunrise.”

That was good to know, though not a terribly interesting topic of conversation. At least, not right now.

“I thought you’d be the scout,” Dallion kept the conversation going while waiting. “Because of the perception and all.”

“You’re cute, but for a hunter speed is more important to a scout than perception.” There was a distinct sound of snapping, followed by a slight metallic rattle. “Nearly done.”

Dallion didn’t have to guess that the gorgon was working. Anyone who had gone in and out of awakening realms on a regular basis knew the tell-tell signs: untypical pauses, slight change of intonation, and the momentary transformation of items from one state to another. Ordinary people didn’t see it, but for an experience awakened, every improvement sounded like a pop-corn kernel opening up.

Several seconds later the gorgon appeared wearing her typical loose robe, carrying an arm of armor. Dallion couldn’t recognize the material, although it seemed to have the appearance of bronze.

“Last minute preparations,” Eury put the armor piece on one of the free racks. “The price of being a threat-forger.” A third of her snakes didn’t leave Dallion the entire time.

“Some of your statues are gone. Sold off?”

“Broken.” The gorgon moved away from the rack. “And you really shouldn’t sit there. It’s not meant to hold heavy stuff.”

Dallion looked down, then carefully got off the workbench. At least he hadn’t broken anything. Not that breaking meant a lot to an awakened. If he’d wanted to, he could have mended or even improved the item between two blinks of an eye.

“I’ll be sure to go on a diet.” He joked, then remained silent for a few moments. “By the way—”

“Can I ask you something?” Euryale interrupted. This was rather unusual. Since he’d known her, she wasn’t one to do so, at least not in this fashion. Dallion nodded. “Are you seeing anyone?”

The question came somewhat as a surprise. It wasn’t totally unexpected. Almost every time the two had been together, they’d flirted in one way or another, the gorgon especially. Dallion didn’t expect her to beat him to the question, though. And thanks to his music skills, he could tell that she was being very serious.

“Not at the moment,” he replied. “You?”

“I’m a gorgon,” she replied, as if that explained everything. “A lot of things are different for us. I know with humans you are usually expected to make the first move, but it’s just not me to wait.”

Still somewhat at a lack of words, Dallion nodded. He had toyed with the idea of asking her out ever since she had done the same to him, but even so, he never thought anything would come of it. Was this just a casual fling? Or were things going to become serious? Dallion had no idea, but at this point all he knew was that he wanted to find out.

“Here.” Euryale gave Dallion a small gold ringlet.

“What’s this?” Dallion looked at it closely.

“An awakening blocker. It’s aimed to provide you some privacy… if you’re interested.”

Without hesitation, Dallion slid the ring on his left pinky finger.

“Where’s yours?” He looked back at her.