Joining a Guild

The day had almost elapsed and there was about another hour of the recruitment day before it ended. Ares continued to browse the stalls of various guilds almost completing the whole square before finding a small dark area. This was a corner dedicated to dark guilds. This area was mostly sheltered with a huge tent like roof above it.

Upon entering he could see the larger dark guilds at the front, necromancy, absorption and eclipse guilds. Further back were more abstract guilds including the blood, sand and glass guilds. Ares bypassed these and made his way to the back where an image of a planet was adorned to the front of a particularly tatty guild. There was an uninterested looking middle-aged adult sat behind the table with his feet on a stall and his eyes shut. He was wearing a beige robe and seemed to be very tanned.

Ares was about to speak when the seemingly asleep adult spoke.

"You that kid Beckett told me about?" He opened his eyes slightly and looked sideways towards Ares.

"I guess that would be me." Ares admitted.

"Took you long enough to make your way here, you get lost or you just too stupid to ask for directions?" The man retorted drawling his words out as he finished the sentence.

Ares shrugged.

"Guess I was too stupid, I didn't realise you would be situated in the back end of nowhere." Ares added.

The man sat up opening both his eyes, he briefly scanned Ares up and down.

"I like you kid, its 15 Amethyst crystals to join. School starts in a week." Ares noticed at this point his accent was likely from another city.

"15? I thought the price was 10?" Ares asked. He hadn't seen this kind of money in a ever and giving it up easily if he was being ripped off didn't feel right.

"Its 15 if I say it is. We in the space guild have to accommodate for something others don't have which is why it costs more." The man explained a sly smile across his tanned face.

"What's that" Ares inquired.

"Lack of money." The man laughed shortly before slowly shutting his eyes once more.

"That's the price take it or leave it. I can promise that I will at least give you the magic training you suit best; even if it is somewhat lacking in depth." The man said his eyes shut.

"What do I call you?" Ares asked.

"Call me Mars" The middle-aged man replied a grin on his face his eyes still shut.

"Ok Mars, here's the money. Where do you want me for the lesson?" Ares placed fifteen amethyst coins onto the table. It did hurt Ares to part with such a large figure of money but he knew it was almost impossible to keep hold of such a large figure in the city. It would be better to spend most of it now then walk around like a fool carrying such wealth.

Despite his quick payment this wasn't a decision that Ares had come to hastily, following his talent rating he had thought about his options carefully. If the magic circle was a curse he would try to remove it, this would require either great skill or vast amounts of money, well-trained mages were very often rich. Despite being a weak dark guild Ares had to accept space magic was what he would be most skilled at and therefore likely to earn the most in.

"In one week come to the west of the city near the slums, and read this before you come." He threw a thin book with a golden sphere on the front into Ares's chest. Ares glanced at the unmoving Mars who had assumed the same lax position as he had prior to Ares arrival. He glanced at the coins he had placed down knowing that Mars hadn't moved; the coins had vanished. Ares turned to walk away and took one last glance at Mars to see that there was an amethyst coin balancing on his knuckles.

Magic indeed.

Ares placed the remaining 5 coins into his shoe and made his way back to the Railway. The journey was uneventful and he arrived home before it got too late.

The next day after he woke up Ares decided to speak with Carl. Once again Ares looked down to see his body slightly healthier than the night before and again, he could not explain why this had occurred.

While Ares was due to work in the day he was still up after Carl. Despite being somewhat handicapped by having only one full arm Carl was outside chopping wood. His huge body made short work of the small logs chopping them cleanly in two.

"Carl" Ares shouted approaching him.

"Hello son, what is it I can do for you?" He said in a friendly manner.

"Carl, I want to speak to you about magic." Ares said finishing limply, he had no idea how Carl would react hearing he had paid to join what was essentially a boarding school without even speaking with him.

"Yes son, what's up?" Carl looked to be slightly confused.

"I went to the recruitment yesterday." Ares hesitated.

Carl remained silent it was clear to him there was more Ares wished to say.

"I have signed up to become a mage." Ares said glancing down at his feet. There was a moment of silence in which Ares felt like the world was ending. Carl had brought him up and despite never really saying it he was a father to Ares and his opinion mattered deeply he had no idea what to expect.

Ares was suddenly engulfed by a warm and tight embrace. Carl had dropped his axe and put his arm around Ares.

"Son, it doesn't matter what you do to me as long as you are happy, the mine was never going to be the end for a man like you." While Carl wasn't a mage he had a basic understanding of how large a decision this was.

Ares was overcome by emotion. He didn't shed a tear but instead fiercely hugged his adopted father back.

"Thankyou." He said loudly. Whispering "Father" quietly after. While he believed it to be unheard Carl smiled a genuine happy expression on his face. This of course was hidden from Ares.

After Ares told Carl about this choice he explained he had earned a little money and gave over all 5 remaining purple amethyst coins to Carl. Carl was shocked by the money but did not question Ares as to where he had got the money, he only promised that the money would be put into improving all their lives.

Ares did not intend to go to the mine any longer. It had been 5 years of work but he wasn't going to be destined for a life of dirt and humiliation at the hands of Grant any longer. Having made this decision he went to speak to Alex and tell her of his decision. After speaking to one of her brothers he was told that she had gone out at the start of the day.