A Request

Zale sat back on the couch and flipped through the pages until he found his registered skills. It was a list of the blessings he'd received from God. All were combat type abilities, both passive and active.

Body Enhance

Fireball

Fire Wall

Flamethrower

Magic Armor

Barrier

Scorched Earth

Ice Spike

Frost Breath

He continued to scan the list while thinking about ways to manage magic while being unable to manipulate it. "If only I had some skills like smiths or enchanters," he griped, tossing the folder onto the wooden coffee table between the couch and the TV.

He went to another room where his desk and computer were and booted up the PC. Zale spent the next couple of hours researching various skills and thoughts about the blessings but came up with no solution to his problem. His stomach rolled. Rather than going to eat, he retired for the night feeling defeated. His blanket and a cold fog of depression covered him as he sank into his thoughts before eventually sleeping.

Dawn brought with it a phone devoid of notifications, even from Meru. Zale felt his stomach tighten, terrified that he'd made a mistake by telling her. He took a deep breath then. "She was in a raid yesterday. She always sleeps in after an evening raid," he convinced himself, but the pit in his stomach was not settled.

He pushed himself out of bed, showered, and dressed. The sun was already warm by 8 A.M., and Zale left the house to find breakfast and some coffee. The warmth brought life back to him. He took deep breaths as if they could flood his body with energy. Though they didn't, he felt minorly better as he worked his muscles. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, and toast, with half the toast left on the plate.

Though he couldn't finish the meal on his shrunken stomach, he was happy with the meal. "You alright, sugar? You so thin and pale lookin'," the waitress said while Zale sipped his coffee.

"I'm fine. I just got out of the hospital, so I'm taking it slow," he replied with a smile.

"Oh, alright, sweetie. You do you then. Hope you feel betta soon," she said in her heavy accent.

Zale tipped his head politely and, as he left the establishment, left a tip which he hoped was generous enough. Once outside, his phone rang in a familiar jingle. "Hello, Zale speaking."

"Zale! It's Effie. Glad you answered so fast," came the voice from the other end, "Listen, we have a group of newbies going into No Man's Land this evening for training. I know you're fresh out of the hospital, so to give you some easy work...ya know."

Zale nodded to himself. "So you want me to be an instructor?" he clarified.

"Well, something like that," she laughed.

Zale could practically see her curly blond hair bouncing with her laughter. It made him cringe just remembering the things she'd ask with that laugh. Effie had caused all sorts of trouble for him. Whether she meant well or not, though, she'd helped him out of more than one tight spot. He couldn't turn down her requests.