A field mission ?

This time the perspective was back to Morrigan; time was on his side that day. He had arrived early, leaving all his things in a place that would become his favorite spot in the knights' cabin, a place close to the hall where training and combat took place.

That day it was the case that Morrigan had arrived early; there were very few knights present when he approached the canteen. He then said to himself, "What a cold and lonely day here. I think I arrived too early. Is the speed at which a horse can move someone in Runegard really so different?" he asked himself as a voice responded.

"More than you imagine..." It was an adult voice, deep and strong, coming closer with the delightful smell of fresh coffee. It was well brewed and with milk, magnificent. He approached, placing a bottle and a cup on the table, offering it to the boy. "You're Zi'o, right? The boy who knows how to use Aura. My name is Paul Whitegraves. I was in the kitchen making coffee. I always arrive early. I was thinking of inviting you. You've been talked about a lot among the knights, and I decided to test you..." Morrigan swallowed hard, pouring coffee into his cup.

"To test me?" He asked somewhat anxiously. "You are skilled. You work for the same division as me, so when I saw you fighting, I thought, 'Maybe this boy is what I'm looking for. Someone to help me against Hex creatures. The battlefield outside the city is very dangerous... and you can fight these monsters, just like I can. So... if I offered you a higher position in exchange for four weeks of your life... what would you say?" Captain Paul was broad, muscular, a man with an orange beard just like his hair, a beard that extended from his ribs and outlined his lips, with a gap in his chin. He had a scarred eye and a smile with one golden tooth.

"I'd like some time to think, but what will these four weeks entail?" Morrigan's standard response was always that. The captain then sat beside him, and several knights began to enter, greeting Captain Paul. "A field mission. You would go out with me as my squire and fight with me against severely strong creatures, like the one they say you defeated... You'll become much stronger much faster than by staying here and wasting your talent. You were born to fight, to achieve great things in life, not to be a low-ranking lackey... Besides, you would be my squire. Dante is the squire of the first captain, Cedric of the second captain, and you would be my squire... We would show everyone that we are the best..."

Undoubtedly, he was greedy, but his words were full of life and smiles, indicating that despite his gigantic villainous appearance, he had a good heart, at least in Morrigan's view. "A field mission?" Morrigan sighed. "I need a day to respond. I need to talk to someone, and then I can decide..." The captain then hugged him happily, almost knocking the coffee out of the boy's cup. "We'll make it, Morrigan. I trust your Aura. You have the spirit for it!" he said excitedly, while everyone began to comment in the corners. It seemed the squire of the third captain was decided...

Morrigan then excitedly said, "Alright, alright, can I meet you here every morning like today?" The boy asked as the captain picked up the coffee bottle and said, "Certainly, the best are up early and acting ahead!" he encouraged the boy, pointing at him with a smile where the gold of his gold tooth shone, making him visibly elegant.

Morrigan then stayed silent for a few seconds, drinking coffee until Cedric appeared, alone that day, the two weren't with him... "You arrived early. Did you fall out of bed?" he asked cheerfully, touching the boy's forearms enthusiastically. "Yes, today I arrived very early..." the boy affirmed, while Cedric saw Captain Paul still leaving the place... "Did you happen to be summoned by the Third Captain?" Cedric asked, as Morrigan turned to the side, drinking coffee to try to disguise it, failing miserably. "You have no idea what this man does. He's a machine. He wakes up early, trains tirelessly. He's the Third Captain because there's a fear he'll rise in rank and become a General with this attitude..." Cedric said with some drops, talking about Paul. Morrigan thought it was normal; being greedy was an enviable characteristic...

"I intend to accept his proposal. I think I have a lot to evolve with someone like him..." Cedric seemed a little worried. "You're going to get into fights where you could get very injured, Zi'o. You don't have enough training yet to go around like that..." responsible and worried, Cedric affirmed, while the time for the first training was about to begin...

"Leave him, Cedric. Don't soften the boy up... He needs to get strong!" Dante's voice drew everyone's attention in the room, and he was standing off to the side, arriving wearing his equipment for training... "He was chosen by merit and innate ability, unlike you, who took a long time to earn your position..." Dante seemed to smile maliciously at Morrigan, patting him on the shoulder. "Let's train. You'll be my partner today..." he pulled Zi'o out of the chair while Cedric seemed to grind his teeth with hatred, holding Dante by the shoulder. Some knights seemed frightened by a possible fight...

"Say that again, and you'll find out that I'm not just made of good manners!" Cedric said as Dante tried to remove his hand, but it was stuck to his clothes. Morrigan, with some drops, said between the two, "Can we stop this?"... Before they let go, which actually made them stop, it was the sound of a photo being taken by an excited girl wearing simple leather clothes with a Leomurd family symbol on a bag full of photos falling to the ground...

"Is this the Captain Trio? Morrigan, Cedric, and Dante?... Will we win this time at the end of the year since we have all three?" the girl mentioned, trying to make a big story for the news, while running away laughing and knocking over several photos...

"Let's settle this in today's training, Cedric!" Dante said, releasing Morrigan as the knights heard the bell ringing; it was time for the first training session.