Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Respect your instructors, please! part

At the same time Lorenzo and Ryu were speaking, Bob and Luke were outside the city on a quest. Risa, their instructor, was a bit disappointed at first when they were assigned to her. Not because they were weak, on the contrary, they jumped straight to D rank after their first mission, which meant they had unlimited potential to rise up once they pass the trial period. But she was way more interested in Ryu because when she faced him in battle, she experienced something she had long forgotten.

Fear, not the kind of logical fear that made one question if everything would be alright in the end, but a primal fear that struck every nerve of her body. It was an exhilarating experience that made her think about him the whole day.

When she offered to spar with him her intention was to scare him in front of his friends and make him fail, by outing an intense killing intent that would render any adventurer below C rank powerless. Ryu looked so weak into her eyes she didn’t expect to even use her weapon against him, let alone losing.

That’s why she was taken by surprise by this long forgotten feeling. It was an emotion so intense, she mistook it with something else.

Now she’s watching over Ryu’s friends as they make quick work of an E rank beast most common in the prairies near Celarent called louders. Bigger than a dog, these cricket like creatures had special thorns in their back legs that produced an eerie sound at night and they would swarm up on adventurers. But just like many other creatures, they were almost powerless during the day. Their bright red color made them stand out in the grassy fields which made hunting them an easy task, but their hard carapaces turned them into a fearsome opponent to any unarmed adventurer.

Bob and Luke had gotten better at fighting together and were feeling really good about themselves. Especially Luke who wanted to show his best qualities in front of her and would take every chance to flirt with her.

“Say, Risa, if I manage to kill forty of this things would you go out with me?”

.....

He said with absolute confidence.

“I’ll tell you what, kill a hundred and I’ll suck you dry”

She replied completely unfazed. To say Luke was in high spirits after hearing her would be an understatement, yet Risa knew all too well that finding a hundred louders in a single day was an impossible feat, no matter how strong an adventurer is, there’s only so much time in a day. But that didn’t stop Luke from trying until he spent the last of his stamina.

“Come on boys, let’s go back to the city”

Risa commands.

“I- I can still fight”

Luke says amidst heavy breaths.

“Ohh, are you defying your instructor’s orders? Do you know what happens to naughty boys that question their instructor’s orders? they go back to Celarent in their birthday suit. You can’t keep fighting because you already broke your main weapon and your spare is about to break, that’s why it’s important to bring supports on long quest. Now get up your asses and start jogging back to town, If I get there first you’ll be punished”

Risa accompanies the threat with an evil grin that makes them both stiffen up.

“Yes ma’am”

Risa’s teaching method is one that doesn’t work on just anyone. If it was only about raw power she would be one of the best instructors in Celarent but she lacks the ability to deal with people. Instead, she relies on flirting and tough love, making every rookie in town both excited and scared of working with her.

But for Bob and Luke the situation was completely different, they were bewitched by her easygoing attitude and flirty character. She made them feel special from the minute they started training with her.

At first they didn’t know what to expect from Risa, she didn’t look as reliable as Lorenzo, but training consisted mostly in sparing and pointing out mistakes. It was also fun for them to have the undivided attention from a beautiful woman and her bold attire made them feel time flew by.

The quest they just finished consisted in killing louders to keep the roads safe for travelers. Not many people decided to travel at night, precisely because of wild beasts and monsters, but keeping the road clear was one of the responsibilities of every city.

“Miss Risa, what exactly is the role of a support?”

“They assist in everything, from setting up tents to carrying spare weapons, they even gather materials. We could’ve made some extra cash by selling hard shells, but it’s tricky to harvest them from louders and you went overboard killing. It’s getting late and if we don’t make it back before dusk we might be in trouble”

Bob gulped down his saliva and started jogging a bit faster.

When the city gates came in sight they were relieved, there are not many strong monsters that dare to get close to the city walls, and even if they do they get killed instantly by guards with the nightvision skill.

“I know guys, since you did so well today why don’t I let you buy me a beer today?”

Luke eyes were sparkling in joy at Risa’s proposal.

“It would be my honor!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t join you today, Veronika is waiting for me at the inn”

“Oh, that’s too bad”

Luke replied to Bob’s refusal with a wide smile.

After separating from Bob, Luke and Risa headed to her favorite tavern. It’s a place well known for their quality ale and their cheap prices. Risa was considered a wealthy woman, even by Celarent standards, but all she needed to be happy was some peace and a good drink.

“Tonight, I’ll teach you how to drink!”

Risa said clashing her mug loudly against Luke’s.

“I’m quite confident in my drinking”

Luke said with a flirty smile.

“Is that so? how about this, the one who passes out pays the bill”

She said with a vicious tone and a sharp gaze. Just as Luke was about to reply, Lorenzo appeared on their table making the young adventurer click his tongue.

“Mind if I join you?”

Lorenzo asked, but took a seat without even waiting for a reply.

“Did you finally grew a pair and decided to challenge me to a drinking contest?”

“No way Risa, I’m just here to chat”

Lorenzo said placing his hands forward as if he was trying to stop her.

“Are you sure you want to talk in front of the kid?”

“Who are you calling kid? I’m getting tired of being treated as a child”

Luke snarled.

“I’m sorry mister grown man, I don’t know how were things back on the crappy town you came from, but in here you become an adult at 21 years old and judging by your soulbound card you’re short a couple years”

Luke’s face turned bright red at Risa’s remark and he melted over his chair.

“Risa, I wanted to ask you, would you be interested in trading pupils? I’m interested in those two and you could have Ryu”

“Read the mood you old geezer, can’t you see we’re celebrating?”

“What are you celebrating?”

“We just came back from hunting louders”

“and?”

Risa drank a sip of ale while showing five fingers in front of Lorenzo.

“What? they managed to kill five louders?”

“Five? fifty, and we only came back because this idiot broke his sword”

Lorenzo’s face was that of a ghost. If only he managed to keep them from the start instead of the useless weakling he was assigned, he would have gotten a huge commission plus the money share from selling materials. Just a few quests with them and he may even be promoted to B rank again.

“I wouldn’t look down on Ryu if I were you, I know he’s weak, but he’s strong in his own way”

Luke said in a serious tone that surprised both instructors.

“He’s kind of handy when it comes to traveling, but that’s not it. He’s cursed and there’s nothing I can do to help him”

“Hey hey! are you serious? why are you telling me that? if you wanted me to take him under my care you should have at least tried to hide it from me”

“There’s no point in doing so, you would find out anyways and I don’t want you to hate me because of that”

Lorenzo shrugged.

And that night Luke was so drunk he couldn’t find his way home, he couldn’t find the way out of the tavern either, in fact, he fell asleep on the table and his memory of what happened that night was as scarce as his coin purse in the morning.