Day of Progress

Luck, smarts, skill, and most importantly, an imagination that brings everything together.

All things required to be an outstanding hunter. At the very peak of what is knowingly possible stand The Judges. A symbol of hope and protection. The barrier of entry for this esteemed title that only allows for one of every element is to display your prowess against the current judge, and take their place.

Three years ago, Amaris, one of the youngest judges of the generation at the age of 22, took that place. The bundle of white hair rustled in the wind, and standing below was Landon Ruby, the number one ranked Hunter Captain, and Rodrick, the Lava Judge.

Lava is a rather cruel element. It combines earth and fire, and is what unknowingly makes up the unfathomably deep parts of the world. Liquid that is as hot as fire, and flows similar to water only slower, alongside its properties that allow it to become tougher than steel.

"THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COUNCIL!!! I WANTED TO COME HERE MYSELF TO TELL YOU WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS!!! THE WALL WILL RETURN AND WE WILL PROSPER LIKE NO OTHER!!!"

The words of Amaris slightly confused the people of the kingdom, but were quickly washed away by the hype and excitement coming from his voice.

This was the seventh time he had said this, but stopped when he saw the face of Elijah… The long arm covered with teal and white leather pointed directly towards Elijah who had climbed a newly constructed metal street lamp. The hand quickly formed into a thumbs up, and seconds later Amaris disappeared into the sky leaving a trail of cold water droplets hitting the roofs and streets of Centerpool.

The crowd chattered for only a couple of minutes, then quickly dispersed with Elijah following suit. Goosebumps were tickling the white skin of Elijah. During the change in the way people lived, the natural tans from the people had slowly turned pale. The effects would not be by any means negative, but could possibly have an impact on the general health of the people in very small amounts. The truth is that some people are just more resilient than others. Life is unfair that way.

During Elijah's old life, so many people around him would live horribly. Processed and fast food, minimal sunlight, and minimal movement. Yet they were not only running laps around people with their health they didn't even care about, but also the money they made. Unfortunately, Elijah was given a multitude of disadvantages from his early childhood. There was no way for his parents to know the best way to do everything. A good way to put this is how certain outbreaks of diseases have taught people who are aware that most people are slaves.

However, there is another side to the argument explaining how people are simply afraid to die. Anyone would gladly take a solution for a problem that could cause their death.

A small amount of anticipation and happiness was within Elijah during this moment. All he had were advantages…

The Weltor estate welcomed him with warm hugs and a hot meal. Eggs, veggies, and a newly acquired slab of beast meat. The entire kingdom was slowly integrating beast meat with their meals in small portions. If it had negative effects, they would be caught before any long term damage was done.

Every single member of the household was present. Julian recently had a scare, and debated on joining Elijah's party. Being within a party with people your age is crucial, even if the people you are around are behind in age. Novius and Alexia had returned earlier today from a mission with Theon and Raylen. They accomplished their goals, but relished in the idea of an earth mage joining them. On the third floor of the Weltor estate was where the trio would regroup.

"Does that mean you will be joining us on the next mission?!" Alexia grabbed the wrist of Elijah and pulled him into the room.

The reason for the hesitation was because he didn't want to say no. The problem was that he saw a similar letter on his bedside table. A letter that likely meant a new mission. Another point of hesitation was the fear of seeing his friends die. He had noticed his mental health had improved tremendously over a short period of time, but didn't necessarily know why. 

Was it… tragedy itself?

Or was it overcoming tragedy?

"I — I'm sorry, but I can't fully say yes yet. I have another solo mission from Amaris, and I assume they are just going to keep on coming until the tournament. Although…" Elijah walked more into the room and pulled two slightly glowing objects out of his spatial storage. "I have these two orange beast cores. I wanted to give them to you in case you can use them. If not, I'll just give them to the guild."

Novius' eyes widened at the sight. He quickly switched from praising his strength and asking about the details, to thanking him with a definite yes. "You know Elijah, beast cores are rather peculiar due to their nature. All beast cores are always given to the guild no matter what. And honestly, I am thinking about giving them to the guild as well. But, the affinity inside of these two cores can be used for technical purposes. If we got an orange kappa core, we could eventually embed it within a stick, and have it shoot out a single spell that is predetermined. This is not a very popular option because once the core runs out of mana, it will no longer be affected… an empty shell…"

"What?! Is there a way to refill the mana within its core?" Elijah was flabbergasted at this piece of knowledge.

Novius slowly walked to his bed, and shook his head while looking at his bare feet. "Not that I know of. Everything within the kingdom is always shared with the people, so if there was, we would know."

Elijah's hopes were crushed. The possibilities that came into his mind were endless. Magical tools that would emulate a single predetermined spell. It is a literal trump card in your pocket!! "Okay I understand, I am going to keep the bigger one for luck. It came from one of the gorgons I told you both about."

The three nodded their heads and went their separate ways to sleep. After Elijah's eyes had closed, he kept thinking of how the gorgon possibly had an affinity no one has ever heard of. These beasts showed up in the last one-hundred years, and have slowly grown in number, so not much research was done. It was simply agreed upon that the gorgon had pure and unrivaled strength.

What causes an object to speed up or begin its motion?

The gorgons strength made sense with its size, but it seemed too unnatural for the sharp eyes of Elijah.

Force was the first word that came to mind. The question that was running laps in his brain was whether it was an element of this world, or simply part of gravity.