Breakfast Debate

"Took your time, eh boy? I was starting to think you'd never come," Master Dunehal said with a wide grin.

Despite his old age, his teeth were still as white as ever. The room was plain and simple with not much furnishings, but it wasn't shabby and had a cosy feeling of a warm blanket.

Dunehal gestured to a steaming bowl of soup on the opposite side of the table. A tasty warm scent of turnips and chicken broth wafted around the room. "You'd better hurry if you want to make it. Your breakfast's on the table."

"I'm already quite late... I didn't mean to oversleep." Auden replied as he sat at the table and wolfed down his breakfast. His sleepy voice wasn't very convincing and Dunehal suspected that he would've definitely kept sleeping if his sister hadn't woken him up. "I don't know if there will be any quests left after I manage to make it through the registration."

"Well, It's still not too late for you to change your mind." Irvene suggested, coming down the stairs with a stressed expression. "You being an Adventurer worries me."

Auden smiled in a reassuring way, trying to look less sleepy. "You know I'm a careful person, Irvene. I can take care of myself."

"The lassie's right ye'know. There are hundreds of other careers you can choose from. Trader, craftsman, or even applying to a magic academy." Master Dunehal said, trying to persuade him. Though it was an appealing prospect to all young boys, being an Adventurer had many risks. The world was not such a forgiving place even to young people. "Your life is still just beginning, after all."

Sefrath was one of the small towns in the south of Eragaldia. It wasn't a famous town, but it was well known by Adventurers and people like such for being surrounded by dangerous hills and where beasts frequent the areas. To them, the town was like a haven, a place where travelers could rest, safe from the monsters outside the walls.

Most of the locals had never actually set foot outside the town itself except for the Adventurers. Auden, being the curious youngster he was, didn't want to spend his whole life cooped up in one place. And the life of an Adventurer seemed ideal to him. Though Auden had been to several places with Master Dunehal, it hadn't been too far from Sefrath. As an Adventurer, he would be able to go places he had never been before, like the far North of Eragaldia, to see things he had never seen. And there was the advantage of making money through completing quests. Why wouldn't anyone want to be an Adventurer?

"Master, not you too! We've already had this conversation before!" Auden groaned in exasperation. "I've been training for this my whole life. Besides, didn't you say you had been an Adventurer too at my age?"

"That was because I was just as naive as you back then. I still had much to learn. However-" He paused and looked intently at Auden over the table and Auden flinched instinctively. "However, if it is your utmost wish, lad, I won't stop you."

"You won't?" Auden asked in an excited voice.

"Of course I won't. You've been training for this, haven't you?" Dunehal chuckled inwardly, thinking, 'Well, boys will be boys. What did I expect?'

"Elder-!" Irvene folded her arms and puffed her cheeks with a pout to which Auden and Dunehal both couldn't help but laugh.

Auden got up, went over to her and hugged her reassuringly. "You don't have to worry sister, I'll be extra careful."

"Fine... What will do you as an Adventurer?" She asked, looking up at him. Her face was a bit pink from his show of affection. "It's not going to be too dangerous, is it?"

Auden wanted to assure her it wasn't going to be dangerous and put her doubts at ease but Dunehal spoke first. "Depends on what the lad's going to do as an Adventurer. Some quests can be more dangerous than others, it's just a matter of choice. There's also the Adventurer Legion, a small militia of adventurers from the guild. They aren't under the control of the Eragaldian Empire but work alongside it in the case of a war, just like most other Knight Orders."

Dunehal gulped down some more herbal tea from the mug before catching sight of Auden's displeased frown. "Of course, that's not likely to happen anytime soon, and not anyone can just join the Legion. And I'm sure Auden isn't dumb enough to take on quests he can't handle."

Auden gave him an annoyed glare to which Dunehal shrugged. 'Despite how smart he is, he can be surprisingly stubborn at times.' He thought.

"Really?" At least Irvene seemed convinced and turned to Auden. "Promise you won't take dangerous quests?"

"I promise. You don't have to worry, sister."

"Well, it never hurts to be careful, lad." Master Dunehal got up and tossed him a vial of swirling black liquid. "Somnius Powder, remember?" He chuckled. "Puts even the strongest of foes to sleep. You should be able to get out of tricky situations with this around."

"A magic potion? Isn't this incredibly expensive?" Auden gaped in amazement. "Are you sure I can take it?"

"Heh, don't sweat it, lad. I brewed it myself!" He declared proudly. "Think of it as a gift for today!

"Thank you, Master."

"May the Fates bring you luck, laddie." That was the usual Eragaldian way of wishing someone a happy birthday. Dunehal grinned and patted Auden on the shoulder before turning away and donning a cloak. "I have some business to attend to, so I must make haste as well. Don't let me down, lad."

"Yes, Master!"

"Where're you going, Elder Dunehal?" Irvene asked curiously. Dunehal went out a lot on a daily basis but other than training Auden and taking on quests every now and then, the two youths didn't quite know what he did.

"I have an impatient old friend I must meet today." He said, waving nonchalantly without looking back. "You kids enjoy yourself." With that, he stepped out of the door and into the morning streets.

"Hey, I'm 17, you can't call me a kid anymore!" Auden called after him and he heard a chuckle before the door swung shut.

"Damn that old geezer... Guess I'm going to have to hurry too." He muttered, sitting back down and finishing his breakfast quickly. He was done in a few minutes and got up to put on his outdoor cloak when Irvene stopped him.

"You seriously aren't thinking of going out like that, are you? You'd better wear your armor. What if you get attacked by a magic beast? Also, I'll be packing your pouches with potions and herbs in case of a mishap. "

She was like a steamroller, disregarding anything Auden was going to say. Auden sighed reluctantly with a smile, knowing he wouldn't be able to argue. It was going to take more time but if it could put her mind to ease, it was better than having her worry all day. "Jeez sister, I told you, you don't have to concern yourself this much."

It took a good while to actually finish preparing everything. Irvene had a really imaginative mind so she had too many worries to quell but eventually everything was ready.

"I'd come with you if only I could." Irvene said, expressing her sadness. Though she acted dependable at times, she was still childish in some aspects and still didn't want her brother to leave.

"Definitely not." Auden instantly replied. He was not about to put his sister in any sort of danger. "Not until you're of age, okay?"

"Mhm... Say, brother, when will you be back?"

"I won't be going on long journeys just yet, if that's what you're worried about. I'll probably be back every few days if I get good quests."

"Promise you'll be very careful?"

"I promise on my heart," Auden said hugging her tightly before stepping out the door. The cold morning air swirled around him as he opened the door and stepped out into the streets of Sefrath, making him shiver.

His heart leaped in excitement as he made his way towards the tallest building standing in the center of town, The Adventurer's Guild.

But unknown to them both, Master Dunehal was not in such high spirits that morning as he seemed. Worrying concerns weighed on his mind as he turned away from the main streets into a deserted alleyway.

'Trouble is brewing once more...' He thought, pulling a teleportation scroll from his pocket. 'After all these years, they've finally started to make a move. And on this day no less. Could this be the work of fate or merely an uncanny coincidence?'

There was a quick flash of light in the alleyway as he muttered something and tossed the scroll into the air. It glowed a brief moment before it vanished along with the caster.