After appreciating the majestic scene, Discal pondered for a moment. With this, there might be no need yet for him to move to a town. He could just stay here until he learned how to fight, until he learned how to keep himself alive. By then, if a similar incident happened like last time, his life would be up to him to decide; neither men, nor the Gods would control his fate. Resolved and determined, he set his goal to be someone whose life was his own.

Having a goal made him feel reassured. The only thing left was to take action in making it true. He let out a turbid breath, before turning to the man by his side, and said, “Friend, I’d like your help with something.”

*

After receiving the goodwill of the man named Alvan, he made way for Sateya. But once he was there, he was taken aback as he could see men, elves, dwarves and beastmen filling the streets. There were no gaps he could find, nor a moment of pause he could use to get through. He had no other choice but to mix with the crowd. He gritted his teeth at the sight of the living wave and pushed through.

But when he found himself to be one of the masses, he found Sateya to be an admirable place. It was lively, completely unlike the desolate village he came from. The experience made him glad that he left, although the clamor caused his temples to throb in pain.

He turned corners, walked through crowds, and passed by shops until he found himself just outside a building with a set of double doors. It had stone as its foundation, a rarity he discovered as he noted the many wooden buildings on his way here. With a sweep of his gaze, he found the building to be more impressive than any other in its vicinity.

He looked above, and saw the unique insignia of the Adventurer’s Guild: the crest of the feather and the wind. He stood there for a moment as if in disbelief.

“I’ve come a long way,” he muttered.

The village he came from was destitute and poor. The standard of living there was to live day by day. They survived, though barely, on what little food they received from the huntsmen that head out. Water was also scarce, and thus, they were forced to trade what meager resource they have with other villages nearby. It was a grim time, a memory in life he would rather not evoke.

He shook his head as if to shake away his past. “A new start...” he spoke to himself in a meager voice. He then turned his gaze back to the door below, and coolly walked through.

As he stepped in, he saw a remarkable lobby that fascinated him. Tables of all sizes were set down across, and by them sat people conversing in both hushed and boisterous tones. Ornaments unique to the outpost, like the hide of beasts and their skulls occupied the walls. Further by his side, massive noticeboards could be seen with dozens of parchments attached.

He was thoroughly stunned at the sight, as the difference in quality of where he once lived was too big. But the most stunning of all was the lighting. He realized the place was auspiciously bright, and not as irritating and ineffective as candlelight. Curious, he swept his gaze in search for the source and spotted small half-spheres scattered by the ceiling and the walls.

Magic! he thought.

These were items crafted by the many Artificers in the Empire, with magic at its base. The item in this case, the half-sphere, emitted light using mana as its fuel. It was surprisingly of low-cost, but not low enough for a former villager like himself to afford. Thus, it astounded him on the convenience of magic and more so for the high capabilities of the Guild to afford them in bulk.

His curiosity settled, he returned to what he was here for. He scanned the room again, and eventually found a prominent counter at the far end. He headed over, and there, he encountered a well-dressed lady situated behind. Or more appropriately, a female beastfolk of the catkin.

He greeted her courtly and politely. “Greetings, felisha.”

The catkin jumped in surprise. She looked at him and the surprise transformed to amusement. She spoke, “It seems you’re a learned man.” She paused as she let out a smile. “But not enough it seems to learn that it would only damper a woman’s interest by strolling here unclean.”

Discal’s face twitched as he looked at his ragged and unwashed state. He flashed a wry smile, and said, “...Indeed.”

The catkin giggled at the sight. Satisfied, she proceeded to ask, “What brought you here, traveler?”

“I would like to put up a request,” Discal replied.

“And what would that be?” she asked again.

“I would like to learn on how to fight,” Discal promptly said with serious consideration. His embarrassment from before was immediately pushed aside.

“Learning to fight? That’s a very strange request,” she spoke her thoughts. “Well, never mind. What do you want to learn?”

“To fight,” Discal repeated.

“…I see,” the catkin said in complete puzzlement.

Is this man making a fool out of me? To test her concern, she looked at his eyes. Gifted with heightened senses by her catkin self, no small detail could escape her vigil.

She focused at him, and her own pair of pupils started to dilate which heralded a plethora of changes.

Her hearing started to become more sensitive as she could hear him breathing, and even the rhythm of his beating heart. Her eyes started to turn, into something that could see far more than a normal man. She could see everything, down to the slightest of movement such as when his muscles flexed. She was bringing out the catkin blood in her for such a simple matter.

But in the end, she found nothing. His breathing was at ease, and his eyes did not avert from hers. She found nothing at all that implied that the man in front was making a fool out of her. To put bluntly, he was a genuine sap who really did want to learn, though a strange sap that was unnaturally pale. Her pupils returned back to its normal state.

She shook her head at the confused Discal, and continued on.

“What I meant to say is: what do you want to learn precisely?” she asked with a professional smile. “Don’t tell me you haven’t handled a weapon before?” she ended with a soft laugh.

But her laugh was abruptly cut short as she got a response she did not expect.

“Yes. Isn’t that what I just said?” he said with a bewildered expression. “I want to learn on how to fight. Starting from the basics, and also, if it’s possible, I would also like to learn things related to surviving out in the wild.”

“You’re a novice?” she asked while baffled. “Here? In an outpost?”

Discal replied, “Novice? I guess I am.”

She was stunned. It took her a moment to process what the man had just said, and how ridiculous the situation was. As if practiced beforehand, she moved one of her hands to rub the bridge of her nose and heaved a dreary sigh.

He’s not making a fool out of me… He’s making a fool of himself!

She tried to speak up but decided to not do so. Apparently, the man completely was oblivious to the significance of what he just said. To her who was an adventurer herself, it was unheard of for a lone novice to be found in an outpost. She tried to reason that maybe the man was a noble of sorts, or a merchant even, and managed to get here through special means but his clothes denied such facts. In the end, this was a very special case, thus she gave up in thinking any further.

“For your request… There’s no problem in finding someone who’s capable enough to teach you,” said the catkin while regaining her former composure. “But, finding someone who’s willing is a different matter entirely. The best I could do is to assign you to a low ranking party. From there, you could learn on your own.”

“A party?” asked Discal. “You mean an adventurer party?”

The catkin nodded. “In other words, the party itself will be the one teaching you. An outpost just does not have the proper facility.”

Discal seemed to be unconvinced. She spoke to quell his doubts.

“Don’t misunderstand, traveler. Sateya has a lot of ways to solve your predicament, such as hiring a personal instructor among its ranks. But even if you do have the coin to do such a thing, I highly suggest you to do otherwise…” she ended as she gave Discal a meaningful look.

“I understand,” said Discal without showing signs of whether he truly understood or not.

The catkin nodded again, this time in approval. “By tomorrow, you must be here as the request should be taken by then. And oh, there’s no need to worry for the payment. Your time in service for the party would suffice.

“Any more, traveler, you would like to ask?”

Discal stood there for a moment while under the gaze of the catkin. He contemplated some matters for a moment before he gazed back.

“Ah, yes. Considering you’re already aware that I’m a novice, felisha,” said Discal as he placed emphasis on the novice. “I would like to know more about the Guild and anything that may be of help. And, ah, your name as well…”

She chortled at the man’s meek display by the end. “Before that, traveler, shouldn’t you introduced yourself first before asking for my name?”

“Ah… quite right,” responded Discal as he extended out a hand to the catkin. “Discal, a scholar.”