Preparing

The routine for the next few days was fairly simple. Training occurred in the morning with breakfast and lunch being cooked up by Ceres and Mia. During training the first day it had been just friendly matches but following that the next few days worked on certain basic skills. Because he had decided to use a lance, Raen had been lumped in with Herran and another who used a halberd. 

The three of them practiced accuracy and speed of thrusts and lunges until breakfast and would then pair up with a close combat weapon user to train on how to use the shafts of their weapons to defend while simultaneously giving their partner practice on combat with someone who had an advantage with range.

It looked like the only ranged weapon user was Mia but considering how strong she already was no one questioned the time used cooking, moreso since everyone enjoyed the food. Ceres was the exact same, though he would from time to time come and point out flaws in defensive maneuvers or point out problems in how a weapon was being used to attack. 

In fact he had sat Raen down and explained to him that the weighted end of his lance was just as good a weapon as its pointed end. That same day he pulled Raen aside and showed him the damage it could do, smashing through the trunk of a rather thick tree. Though Raen couldn't quite get the same result, he did end up taking down a smaller sapling right before lunch. It seemed trusting in the being's aid had been a good choice.

Aside from the training done with Aldrich's group, Raen also took time to learn more about Synecca from Juin. The older man was more than happy to share his knowledge, though it was clear he was confused about a few topics which should have been common knowledge. But Juin never pressed the issue and would just smile and humor Raen, as if discussing matters with a young child.

Juin further explained about the guild and the abilities of an adventurer. The most interesting fact Raen learned however was on how Talents developed. Talents strengthened as they were used, something which seemed simple enough to grasp. However, they would eventually reach a point in which they could evolve so to speak. Raen had pressed for details and discovered that it was in a way similar to leveling up in a game. 

Each level a Talent grew by would allow for a randomized choice of evolutions. Juin had said that he had been able to see three each time, one always something he thought he wanted, one that seemed extremely practical, and the last could be any number of things. Juin had gone on to say that other adventurers shared similar stories so it was a more than safe assumption for it to be the norm.

Going off what he knew, Raen was trying to make himself as proficient with his lance before the Awakening ceremony which would take place at the district Guild hall. Apparently only those who lived close enough to the capital of Kavast would get to perform it in the official Guild hall. There would however be a test of sorts after the Awakening ceremony to help different districts of the guild decide who they wanted to acquire out of the new recruits, this happening at the main building. Juin had said it changed from year to year so there was never any real way to know what the test would be, but it could range from a competition, to dungeon clearing, or even simple displays.

Surprisingly enough it wasn't Juin who explained the breakdown of the districts but Hala. The pretty young woman had just happened upon the conversation when Juin went with Raen to the tavern and insisted on teaching him all she knew, to which the older Juin merely smirked and left the two alone even if Raen insisted back at the house that Hala was just outgoing. The old man knew of course but the look on Raen's face was too funny to not tease the young man.

Hala had then taken to dragging Raen to the library in the evening, her mother the librarian which made it easy to use a private room in the small building. The village only had so much to offer but there were a number of maps which Hala showed off proudly, hand drawn by her father by the sound of it. Mia would occasionally show up but remained far too timid to actually be involved in more than bringing a book or another map.

Surprisingly it seemed that maps had many empty holes in them, the world far larger than what humanity actually controlled. There were kingdoms and empires which held domain over particular lands but their borders ended before reaching the edge of most maps. Hala explained that exploring these unknown regions was one of the tasks which adventurers held. It was evident in the way she spoke than her wish was to be one of the adventurers assigned to exploration.

It wasn't long before there was only one day left until the caravan was scheduled to arrive. There had been no training that morning, the group instead spending time with their families. Raen of course only had Juin who by now was someone he treated in a fatherish manner but the older man was working so it left him with nothing to do. In the end Raen decided to go to the library to do a little more studying.

Surprisingly enough there was a familiar face nestled between the shelves, though one that Raen rarely saw. He had recognized the red hair before actually seeing Elise, but he didn't approach her even when certain of who it was. Since learning his name, Elise had gone out of her way to not interact with him. Raen had been forced to ask Aldrich after a particularly awkward moment in the tavern but even he wouldn't say more than she blamed herself for what had happened to the original Raen. Elise would actually be joining them as well in becoming an adventurer but she trained by herself, most likely to avoid Raen.

Leaving before she discovered him, Raen found a secluded corner and pulled out a book explaining more about the various kinds of people that existed in the known world. Considering it was a realm where magic existed, he wasn't shocked to discover that humans were not the only ones included in humanity. There were elves, beastmen, and demihumans though for each more than one kind existed.

Elves were known for living closer to wild areas, usually tucked away into expansive forests or complex cave systems. Beastmen preferred dangerous terrains near monster populations, normally nomadic and following after the large hordes. Demihumans were perhaps the most unique as they seemed to appear suddenly where monster populations disappeared and usually held traits similar to the monsters which vanished.

The book laid out a history on demihumans and how they had faced many injustices in being included into humanity. They had originally been considered monsters, which surprised Raen since they were depicted as more human-like than beastmen, so some types had been wiped out entirely or were now extremely rare. Others had been taken into slavery and were still treated as such. Those who had been fortunate were seen by the law as equal but the book's author made it clear that they were still looked down upon.

Engrossed as he was in reading, Raen had missed Elise coming around the corner and freezing in place. Her eyes were wide as she watched Raen and clearly she wanted to run. Yet as she started to back away she noticed his focus on the book and realized he hadn't seen her. So she continued to watch him as he flipped through the pages, coming to terms with the fact that this was not the same man she had grown up with. Perhaps she would never truly get over the incident, but this Raen would be coming with them to be an adventurer so sooner or later she would need to confront him.

A small cough drew Raen back from the book, looking up and then hurriedly getting to his feet while stumbling over his words. " Oh ah, sorry sorry I ah...sorry I didn't mean to disturb you Elise. Here, I'll just be on my - " Raen froze when the redhead stepped forward and prodded him in the chest. She seemed to be rather irritated from what he could tell, assuming it was his being there when really she just wanted him to shut up so she could speak.

" Just stop would you. Look, you and I are both going to be stuck in the caravan soon enough and I just figured I should do this now rather than later. " Elise took a deep breath and stepped back, clearing her throat before continuing. " I...have been unfair. You can't control your name nor could you have known what happened. I kept running away because I saw you and thought of my Raen...but I will get over it at some point. " Elise tried to smile even if she was battling with her memories at the moment. " You and I might end up working together in the future, so I just wanted you to know that if it happens I will do my best and I hope you will too. Sound good to you? "

Raen was of course caught off guard by the sudden change of face but what Elise said made sense. Who knew what the future would hold, and personally he would rather be on good terms with the pretty redhead, moreso if one day he might be relying on her to keep himself alive. Raen reached out a hand and nodded, having to wait for Elise to collect herself before shaking it. Her smile was faint but still there, and he returned it with his own.