Life in a new Kingdom

Not long after waking up, I entered the Guild Hall. Gale and Lukia sat at one of the tables, sharing a drink. Julia waved me over.

"The Guild Master has set everything up for your Guild status. All we need is your official name and the class you would like to be placed under. If you have experience in more than one class, you may choose to place more than one class for a multi-class." Julia takes out a Guild card. The metal is dull black, and the writing is done in white. My rank is already set to Gold, which meets most quest standards.

"Sure. Just Caleb will do. The class is a fighter ranger multi-class."

"I see. Well, you can always change it whenever you meet certain thresholds of classes to either add or mix into a single name. Gale over there moved from fighter to duelist."

"Wow, someone is making progress," I say casually.

"After you all returned, his status showed he had advanced his class further. It is a very rare sight to see, as most adventurers don't achieve that status until they work on higher-ranked quests or when they are much older. At the rate you are going, I am sure you'll get a unique class."

"We'll see. For now, I am content with this." I wait until the Guild card is complete with the magic tools that Julia uses to inscribe it. Looking at the finished card, I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Being an official member of the Guild was something I imagined.

"Hey! Caleb! Are you almost done? We would like to talk to you!" Gale shouts across the room. I sigh and chuckle under my breath.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Leaving the counter, I sit right at the table. Lukia is slightly tipsy, and Gale is holding his own with the amount he has consumed.

"Is it done?" Gale asks.

"Look for yourself." I throw the card across the table for them to see. Lukia looks closely and has a red flush. She smiles and sits back with delight. Gale nods and smirks.

"Welcome to the club!"

"Thanks; I guess we can go through what we discussed earlier."

"You weren't kidding then?"

"Dead serious, Gale. I want to join the Phantom Thieves."

"We aren't too dire in looking for another front liner or back range support."

"I do have my artifact; Lukia showed me how to cast minor healing spells. It needs some work, but I can do more than fight and use barriers." Gale looks over at Lukia, who snickers.

"Okay, you might need to lay off for a bit." Gale reaches for her cup.

"Get yer own!"

"I already do, but we all know you can't hold your alcohol."

"Nnnoooooope! I'm tipsy daisy!"

"Caleb, you mind?" He looks to me for help.

"Tsk... Barrier." Casting a barrier, I cover the top of her drink. She smacks her lips into the barrier and tries to drink the beer. When she realizes nothing comes out, she looks at me with a dead serious face.

"What's the deal."

"Making sure you don't get drunk, Lukia."

"Drop dead.... Give me my adult juice!"

"Adult juice...? Are you a child?"

"If I said no, would you let me drink?"

"No."

"Then no!" This continues painfully for another few minutes before she slowly sobers up with the help of my casting of healing to detoxify her system.

"Ugh..." She lays on the table with a gloomy look. "Why did you detox me... Now my head is swimming in acid..."

"Just try to get over it. We're looking to accept Caleb into the party." Gale rubs her shoulders.

"Mmm...Feels nice."

"You two are funny."

"Don't look at me; she just is too stubborn."

"Let her rest it off for a bit."

"Hey, Julia! Can we rent a room for a bit?"

"Sure thing, just make sure you pay me the silver coin you owe me first."

"Tsk! Fine, here!" He flicks a coin from across the room which lands in front of Julia. She wastes no time in snatching it up and tossing some keys to Gale.

"I'll let her sleep in the room while we talk." Gale lifts Lukia, carries her up the stairs, reaches the third door, and lays her in bed. He quickly walks out and heads back down to where I sit. "Sorry about that."

"She still hasn't gotten over what happened with her mother?"

"Afraid not. It's too soon to say if she will recover. All we can do is make sure she is comfortable."

"It must not be easy to see your mother that you thought was dead but actually worse than dead the entire time. Putting her out of her misery gives me some solace in the fact that we gave her a proper death."

"Thank you for that."

"No worries."

"Truly. Lukia told me that she wouldn't be the same if she were the one to kill her. I'm afraid I believe that she would have never recovered. She keeps a dagger close when she sleeps." A dark expression fills his face.

"You surely don't mean..."

"I'm unsure. But she probably wouldn't have thought twice about using it if she was the one who killed her. Let's not talk about it."

"Agreed."

A couple minutes of awkward silence follows. The other groups of patrons were mostly townsfolk having a mid-day drink. The majority of Guild Members have taken some time off after everything. Hopefully to regain their courage in this job.

"We still have a week before we move on to other jobs or quests. If you want to tag along, be my guest. Just know that we work together as one and don't put each other in danger for stupid reasons."

"Is this mean I'm in?"

"I'll put it to a vote, even though I think I know the outcome already."

"Anything else?"

"Julia snagged us a Platinum quest that was making the rounds. Reserved it strictly for us."

Platinum quests aren't no joke. They can take weeks to complete or even months, depending on the scale. Gale is the only Platinum member in the party, which makes everyone else who is Gold-ranked eligible to tag along. The rewards for some Platinum jobs can be life-changing if you are lucky.

"That is some serious stuff. What's the job?"

"Interested?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'll tell you on one condition."

"What is it?"

"Give me a proper rematch. Tomorrow in front of the Guild Hall. If you can keep up with me, then I will tell you about the job."

"You really want to show off your unique class and what it brings."

"Right on the nose."

"I can't believe you would bully your lord like this."

"Who? You? Hahaha!"

"Screw you!" We burst out laughing.

"So, what's it going to be, oh gracious lord of mine?"

"You didn't get hit with dark magic less than a week ago."

"Excuses now?"

"Not quite. Just what do you hope to gain from this?"

"I want to see if I can rely on you. Consider fighting me a fraction of the big leagues. Even if you did kick my ass more than I like to admit, tomorrow, I'll be more than focused on beating you. Unique class or not, I am not the same broken man you faced months ago and last year."

"Sure, Gale, Eckhart is gone, so I need someone who can properly push my limits."

"Tomorrow, noon."

"You got it. Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll be getting ready."

With a swift exit, I leave the Hall with the wind against my back. It carries me back to the mansion. Celia and Mei wait for me.

"You're back so soon?" Celia asks.

"Yeah, well... Gale is going to fight me tomorrow."

"Again!?" Celia bursts out.

"Did he tell you why?" Mei sits while speaking. She begins to straighten out her outfit.

"If I am going to join them, I need to prove myself to the new and improved Gale, I guess. I would be lying if I said it will be easy. He's gotten much stronger in a short amount of time now that he advanced further in his class."

"Is your arm healed for it?"

"Let's find out."

Unwrapping the bandages unveils a nasty scar where my skin broke open when I expanded my magic to take down Shaar. Along with other cuts and bruises, it felt oddly good to move it. Taking out my sword, I practice a few swings.

"So?"

"It hurts a bit, but I think with some healing and rest, it won't matter. But my swings feel lighter now."

"You've gained more strength. Also, Mei...tell me if I am wrong, but does Caleb look a bit taller?"

"I wouldn't say taller, but the young lord does look much broader for his age. His shirt is a bit tight around his shoulders."

They were right. After healing from an overload and my entire counter in the goblin's nest, my body had been going through drastic changes during my rest. I felt it when we traveled back to here. What caused such a growth is beyond me. The only answers I can pull from is that my body is hitting its growth for my age. Humans in this world tend to have multiple stages of development in their lives. I must be in my third change, as my voice is slightly changing, and my body is acting more reactively to certain stimuli. Puberty at my age was somewhat early but not uncommon. However, I still had a long way to go before I reached my full potential.

"Either way, I need to sharpen my skills before my fight with him. Celia, you mind joining me to grab Carlo."

"Of course, if that is what you ask of me."

"I need you to observe my movements while we spar. See where I am lacking and what I can do to adjust for tomorrow. Even if it's a small amount, it will bring a lot of progress."

"Just say the word."

"Alright. Mei, we will be back tonight, sorry you have to cook alone this time."

"It isn't a problem, just do your best."

With a simple nod, I leave to go fetch Carlo from the barracks to help me train. With Celia observing us, I spent the rest of the day learning as much as I can about myself and my limits. My mistakes were weeded out, and I found myself learning more of a style in how I should move my feet and shift my weight with attacks. Carlo felt the same as we went back and forth with our strikes. Even if it was half a day, I learned a lot of what I could improve on. Then, the day of the duel arrived soon. Standing in front of me, Gale with his aura filled with focus and precision. His eyes were serious, staring directly into my soul. I stared back, filled with a determined purpose and conviction that would burn anyone who would take it away from me. With a grin, Gale draws his sword, and the crowd of people reacts and watches in awe. I answer with my own stance, ready to take on such an impressive force...