Chronicle of the Eternal: Volume 1 (30 page)

One week has passed since
Regal returned to Bluemist Academy, and it is time for the students to once
again delve into Theore Substructure. A quarter of the students have already
reached level 10, so the procession into the dungeon is smaller than usual.

Regal’s squad, minus
Piora, are one of those entering the clock tower. Veronica, Astore and Kilde
didn’t enter the dungeon the previous time while Regal was missing, so they
haven’t reached level 10 as of yet.

Veronica has been
especially close to Regal over the past week, sitting shoulder to shoulder
during lunch, walking home together every day, and even meeting him at his
house in the mornings to walk to the academy together. Now that they are
entering the dungeon again, she is wary of what happened last time and stays
even closer to him.

By the time they reach the
third floor, Regal sees the flag left by another squad claiming they reached
here first. A second or third squad who came after the first had scribbled
profanities onto the flag, making Regal laugh quietly as he passes it.

“We’re all near level 10,
let’s quickly reach it then leave to celebrate,” Regal happily says as he
chooses a random path leaving the entrance room.

Regal is particularly
cautious when exploring the third floor of Theore Substructure this time,
paying close attention to his surroundings and staying far away from any
shafts.

Half a day and nearly a
hundred Serf later, Regal is the final person to reach level 10. Reaching level
10 is the first milestone for every hunter, and Regal feels relieved to finally
reach it. He happily puts the three stat points from levelling up into agility,
increasing his speed again.

“Where shall we go?”
Veronica asks Regal, speaking softly into his ear.

“There is a nice
restaurant on Market Street that I know of. Let’s go there.”

“Okay, what about Piora?
She is a member of this squad too.”

“She should be waiting for
us outside the dungeon.”

Just as Regal told
Veronica, Piora was loitering around outside the entrance to the clock tower
when Regal and the rest of the squad emerges. She complains to Regal that he is
too slow in levelling as soon they exit the dungeon before happily gossiping to
Veronica while they leave to celebrate.

Regal leads them to Sunny
Hill Restaurant, the place he learned how to cook. There are already several
customers sitting inside the shop and at the tables out front. Some are already
eating, while others are talking with their comrades while waiting.

“Regal?” A curious voice
sounds from the back of the shop.

“Sampson!” Regal gives the
restaurant owner a broad grin as the rest of his squad enters the shop.

Sampson walks over and
claps Regal on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen you in a long time. I was
beginning to think you had forgotten about me. Who are all these people?”

“I will never forget you,
Sampson. This is the rest of my squad: Veronica, Piora, Astore and Kilde. We
came here to celebrate reaching level 10.”

“Hah, a celebration to be
sure! Come, have a seat over here and I will bring you out some menus. Just for
you, today’s meals are free of charge.”

Regal and his squad are
surprised, especially Regal, and they give their genuine gratitude to Sampson
before following him to a table near the shop window. Five menus soon follow
and are placed in front of the five students.

Astore, Kilde and Veronica
calmly and methodically look through the menus while Piora scrunches her
eyebrows in indecision. Regal already knows every item on the menu, so has no
need to look through it to decide what he wants.

After a few minutes,
Sampson comes out from the rear of the store to service Regal’s group himself.
He brings some empty glasses and a large bronze jug of fresh water for them as
well.

Astore and Kilde both
order the onion soup. Veronica chooses the same as Regal, a smokey guar meat
bouillabaisse. Piora ends up reluctantly choosing a chicken paillard with fresh
herbs. Sampson writes down the orders with surprising speed and then returns to
the rear of the shop.

“I know I am the leader of
the squad at the moment,” Regal smiles at the others while talking resolutely,
“and I understand that most people split up and make their own paths after
graduating. I however want all of us to stay together, so I wanted to ask if
you will all come along with me after graduation?”

Veronica is the first to
answer, blankly stating, “I will come with you regardless of where you want to go.”
Astore and Kilde also accent her words with a nod of their heads.

“Where are you planning to
go?” Piora asks curiously.

“There is a place, far to
the west in unmapped territory called the Forest of Dawn. I found, umm, rumors
stating that it is a good place to start a community.”

“If it’s in unmapped
territory, it’s not close to Theore at all. Being so far out, are you sure it
is a good place to start a new community?”

“Yes. The rumor was very
specific that it was. Anyway, if we’re in unmapped territory, other communities
will be less likely to attack, giving us a chance to gather others to join us.
It won’t be easy, but we could do it.”

Piora thinks for a while
in silence, before eventually smiling and saying, “It sounds like it will be
interesting. I will stay with you and explore this new area. How far is it?”

“I have no idea. I only
know the general direction.”

Sampson soon returns from
the kitchen and lays out the dishes on Regal’s table, filling the restaurant
with an intoxicating aroma. The service is truly fast, so much so that several
hunters shout questions and complaints on where their orders are and why the
new group was serviced first. Sampson quells their anger with a shout of his
own, causing more than one person to shrink back at the surprising ferocity in
his tone.

Regal’s squad relishes the
food that makes even Regal’s improved cooking taste bland. It is the difference
of experience in cooking. Piora’s eyes light up at the taste and she stares
intently at Regal, using her eyes to try pass the message that she expects his
future cooking to become this good if she is going to continue travelling with
him.

The five students finish
their meals in delight and Regal spends some time answering Sampson’s curiosity
on all the crafting skills he has mastered and everything else that has
happened since he finished learning to cook. After that, he leads everyone out
of the restaurant where they all head home in different directions, except for
Veronica, who stays with Regal for the rest of the day.

***************************************************

During the following
months leading toward the end of Regal’s final year at the academy, more and
more students reach level 10 at an increasingly fast rate. The final two weeks
were void of any lessons and dedicated to entering the dungeon for any students
who still had not reached level 10. There were only four students who fell into
that category, and they finally reach the threshold two days later.

After those two weeks in
the dungeon were over, it was finally time for the fourth and final
inter-academy tournament. The colosseum was packed with people, so much so that
not only every seat was taken, but there wasn’t even any room left on the roof
of the seating area.

Piora once again took the
position of one of the participating students, while Regal played the role of
supporting Piora with his equipment. Some students from other academies copied
their method and have someone support them with custom equipment. Unfortunately
none of those people could compare to Regal’s skill in crafting custom weapons
and armor so the effect wasn’t as large.

During this final
tournament, Piora gave it her everything and shone brightly like a firework in
the night sky. One opponent after another was defeated by her, reaching all the
way to the semi-finals before finally losing to the previous year’s tournament
champion.

Piora ranked in fourth, finally
outshining Lawe who was thirtieth. Hazel took the seventeenth rank, and spent a
lot of time frowning at Piora who suddenly rose in the rankings and took the
highest position from their academy.

All of their rankings made
the Bluemist Academy students extremely prideful to call it their academy, some
even getting accepted into outside communities with better than average
conditions simply because they also attended Bluemist Academy.

Regal was the same as
usual during and after the tournament as he helplessly fights off all the
persistant people trying to get him and Piora to join their communities.

However, all the
excitement from the tournament eventually calms down, and it comes time for the
students’ graduation ceremony.

In the Bluemist Academy
field, a large formation of chairs are placed with all the students and their
parents seated. Any friends and other acquaintances stand behind the throng of
seats to watch from the rear.

In front of all the
students and parents, there is a wide stage where the teachers sit and will
make their announcements to the students. Behind the stage is an intricate
arched backdrop of large bronze and silver gears, making Regal stare excitedly
at the exquisite craftsmanship. The eyes of several other students who aim to
become craftsmen also light up one after another.

The teacher for class 1,
Mr. Razor, is the first to stand up and approach the front of the stage in
front of all the students.

“You have all been
dedicated in your studies during the past four years. I have personally taught
some of you and passed on a large amount of knowledge about this world we
possess, how to live in it, and what the dangers are out there.”

“We have nothing more to
pass on to you other than your own personal identity and transmission plates.
They will be handed out at the end of our speeches, so make sure to register
your friends’ plates with yours so you can communicate from anywhere in the
world.

“Your path in this world
has only just begun. Each and every one of you likely have your own
aspirations. Some of you may share goals, while others may have completely
different ones. All we have done is prepare you for this world, and hope that
you become great hunters.”

“There is much on my mind,
many things that I wish for you to have experienced before entering the greater
world of Grandosa, but that is all I have to say to you for now. I will step
back down and let Mr. Hanya continue with his speech.” Mr. Razor bows to the
crowd and returns to his seat.

The mysterious class 2
teacher, Mr. Hanya, approaches the front where Mr. Razor was standing.

“Congratulations to all of
you on graduating. You are now hunters with all the privileges included. Once
you have received your identity plates, you will be entitled to register at the
Hunter’s Association, open a bank account with Yggdrasyl, and even choose your
own class. There is a large appendix of well-known classes at the Hunter’s
Association for anyone who needs a reference.”

“I also want to talk to
you about tradition. Our immortalis race has many traditions, most of which you
have come to know throughout the years. Our greatest tradition however, has to
do with all of you.”

“Some of your parents
belong to great guilds and communities, as each of you know. The world randomly
selects a parent for each and every Immortalis. Each one was given the choice
as to whether they wished to adopt you into their family, or not. Most people
choose to do so, as the opportunity may not present itself again for the next
fifty or a hundred years.”

“The great tradition of
ours is precisely this. Our race of Immortalis is one great big family. No
matter where we live, how we live, or even when we are fighting amongst
ourselves, we are still one race.”

“Now you are adults, and
it is up to you to decide where to go next. Some of you will surely continue to
live within the city where it is safe, while others will go out and learn about
the world, becoming stronger in the process. You are now leaving my care, so
all I can do is wish for the best for all of you.”

Mr. Hanya returns to his
seat and the class 3 teacher, Miss Yatta, is the third teacher to step forth.

“You are all no longer
children, but hunters ready for the world. I am Lorene Yatta, a part of Chau
Guild. Now that you are all adults, perhaps we will meet again. I’m still
single and looking for a husband too. But I will warn you, I’ll only marry
someone from the Chau Guild. You know where to find me.”

Miss Yatta gives a
flirtatious wink toward the students who are now adults before Mr. Razor
quickly gets up and forces her back to her seat while chastising her for
advertising her guild.

Mr. River, the class 4
teacher, is the last to get up. He lazily walks to the front of the stage and
says, “Congratulations.” He then immediately turns around and walks back to his
seat.

Most of the students are
shocked at his lack of effort and interest, but all of the class 4 students
just sigh. They have been Mr. River’s students for four years, and have been on
the receiving end of his lack of motivation the entire time. They wouldn’t have
been surprised if he only nodded, or had even just spoken from his seat.