Ch 23: First Official Mission

In the morning Baldeur ate breakfast with his family before heading out to the Trade Company's Branch office for this district.

He reported to the training coordinator, Master Everett Burnal, along with Aisling and Jin.

"I'm really proud of all of you. Zeerous hasn't had a batch of recruits as good as all of you in years." Everett said.

The three of them had smiles on their faces at the compliment.

"At the same time…" Everett then released condensed Mana, causing the air around them to thicken. It became difficult to breathe, as the gravity around them became unbearable.

Jin was able to resist since his Qi made his body heartier, but Aisling really struggled against the pressure.

Baldeur had to partially fake his discomfort since they didn't know his Qi made him also sturdier. But the power that was on display was still impressive.

"...There will always be someone better. You're not arrogant young masters and misses that can throw their weight around just because you think someone has offended you. You work for the Zeerous Trade Company. Your pride isn't as important as our profits." Everett continued.

He then retracted his Mana.

"Of course that doesn't mean that you need to be pushovers. Just don't be an idiot about it. Follow the lead of your seniors and you should be fine." He said.

"Yes Master." The three of them replied.

Master Everett was a much older seventh circle mage that was brought out of retirement to oversee their training. Or more precisely, Baldeur's training.

Volundr's small gamble had the full support of the Main Office in making sure that Baldeur received whatever resources he needed to succeed.

As they left the training area Ulmira was waiting for them.

"Congratulations on completing your training." She said.

They gave their thanks in reply.

"Jin, you'll need to report to acquisitions." She handed him a letter with his official assignment. It looked like he was going to be a part of the department that sought out unowned resources beyond the gates.

"Aisling and Baldeur if you want to come with me." They followed her as she went to Master Volundr's office.

Inside were Volundr and a man named Piaras.

"Ah you finished your training just in time. Your talents should come in handy for this assignment." Volundr said.

Piaras had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. He didn't want to babysit some fresh recruits. Doubly because their mission was going to be time sensitive.

"What's the assignment?" Aisling asked.

She was very nervous but wanted to show her worth as soon as possible. And her demeanor showed that.

Baldeur decided to give the impression of the same nervous energy he felt from her, just so he didn't come across as arrogant.

"One of our acquisition teams hasn't reported back in. They're a week overdue. You'll be on a team of six with Piaras as lead. He'll give you the details with the rest of the team." Volundr said.

"I'm glad to have you aboard." Piaras stood and shook both of their hands.

He might not have been happy about their addition to his team but he knew that Volundr had high hopes for them, especially Baldeur.

Which is why he wasn't stupid enough to take out his resentment on them. Of course if they didn't pull their weight, he'd be more than willing to let them have it.

After that they left the room to meet with the rest of the team and go over mission details. Ulmira approached her boss once the door closed.

"You aren't going to tell them about the little problem on that world, are you?" She asked with a smile.

"Piaras is aware that it could be an issue, I'm not that sneaky. But I'm curious if our golden goose will stumble on it and how he'll handle it." Volundr said.

"Any thoughts on what he'll do?" Ulmira said.

"Of course, I have many. I just have no idea which of those thoughts will come true. But we'll know how to best use our wunderkind once he gets back." Volundr said.

In one of the small meeting rooms, the three other members of the team were waiting for them.

Piaras introduced him self more properly. He had Anodular as a Source with four aspects of nature; fall, the lunar cycle, the coming storm, and the wild hunt.

Sigurd was a Mana source user that used his magic as an arcane warrior. While he was only in the third circle, those that trained in martial methods were considered to be one circle higher in terms of abilities.

Haydn was a typical mage in long robes and a dark red owl on her shoulder and was in the fourth circle.

Derbail was the healer of the group with spring and summer as her Anodular aspects of nature.

They clearly outpaced Aisling and Baldeur in terms of power and experience. At least on the surface, in Baldeur's case.

After Piaras gave introductions, he gave the rundown of the mission.

The world they were headed to was called Axendre. Its Sources were Mana and Anodular. The Explorers Union had reported that a rare Blue Rooted Elm grew in some valleys in a mountain range a 15 day journey from the gate.

Their Trade Company had purchased this information and sent a team to acquire a few of them.

The other important aspect of this world was that it was newly connected, the gate only activating seven years ago. Currently it was classified as a neutral low tier world.

But with exploration and relations being so new, anything could change in that regard. Hidden powers or those not yet encountered could upgrade it to a mid tier world, while a simple misunderstanding could turn the local kingdom hostile toward those coming from the City of Gates.

Volundr was overjoyed when this mission came along just as Baldeur finished training. It was a great opportunity to see what type of asset he put so much work into.

Of course he wanted them to succeed and wouldn't have put him on the search and rescue team if he thought he'd be a hindrance.

Piaras then dismissed them, telling them to meet at the gate in six hours.

Before Baldeur went home to let his family know he'd be gone for a while, he thought he'd stop by some of his favorite people around the branch office.