Chapter 2.1 — The New Normal

  “Come on, where is it?” I scratched my head and looked around.

  My eyes darted back and forth, scanning everything for clues.

  I folded out a big piece of paper, containing a detailed map of the area.

  “Alright! It should be here!” I raised a brow.

  I examined the map and hoped it could reveal more information.

  “Hmm… maybe, that way?” I turned the map upside down, scratching my head.

  Suddenly the sound of branches cracking came from behind me, I turned my head around.

  An old man stood hunched down to his knees, breathing heavily.

  “Mr. Nachman, please… not so fast!” The man said, trying to catch his breath.

  “It's alright Mr. Flint! We're almost there!” I grinned.

  Two men suddenly appeared behind him, it was his bodyguards.

  I raised my brows. “Ohh, there you are guys! We're almost there.”

  The bodyguards nodded.

  “I’m gonna go ahead, so please follow me but keep your distance.” I explained.

  The bodyguards nodded and I proceeded to move slowly through the dense forest.

  A few moments later we came to an open space. The sun stood high and illuminated the opening in the forest, revealing some old runes sticking up from the ground.

  “Hmm… it looks like we might be at the right place, but where’s the entrance?” My eyes drifted around the area.

  As I continued to look around, Mr. Flint closed in behind me.

  “Mr. Nachman, the dungeon! Is it… is it here?” He asked.

  I raised my hand, signaling him to stop.

  “Wait! Don’t come any closer!” I whispered.

  He froze… his eyes slowly drifted upward.

  I turned my head back, the ground suddenly shook as something huge moved towards us.

  “What… is that!” Mr. Flint’s mouth dropped.

  I gritted my teeth. “Something you don’t wanna fight!”

  The sound of a cry echoed through the air. The beast seemed to move closer toward us.

  The two bodyguards widened their eyes, their bodies trembled.

  “Please Sir, don't tell us we have to fight that thing!” One of the bodyguards asked.

  I could hear the branches break as the beast slowly came out from the shadows, revealing a tall and massive blue dragon.

  It walked into the middle of the open space and stopped in the middle, it spread its massive wings.

  I glanced back at them. “Keep quiet! Or it will notice us!”

  The men immediately froze and snapped their lips together, holding their breath.

  The dragon walked around slowly, scanning its surroundings.

  I slowed down my breath and reached for my sword, a bead of sweat ran down my face.

  Come on… just keep moving!

  As the dragon moved closer to us, I lowered my body closer to the ground. I glanced back, seeing that my companions did the same.

  I turned my head and stared at the dragon. I tightened my grip around my sword's handle.

  The dragon stopped and looked around, it seemed to sniff the air.

  “Huh? What is it doing?” The man asked in confusion.

  I furrowed my brows. “It looks like it might be smelling something?”

  The bodyguards trembled, their faces contorted into fear—they quickly raised their weapons.

  “Don’t move!” I shot them a cold stare.

  They stopped for a moment, then slowly put their weapons down.

  I sighed and looked straight ahead. The dragon was still smelling the air, as if it was waiting for something.

  Suddenly, the scales on its body shimmered in a blue aura.

  I widened my eyes. “No way it's a—”

  “Blau Sky Dragon!” Mr. Flint interrupted.

  He looked toward his bodyguards. “The scales on that beast are priceless! I’ll pay double your fees if you kill it!”

  The bodyguards looked at each other, their faces turned pale.

  “I don’t think we’re enough people to take that beast head on!” One of the bodyguards explained.

  “Come on! I’ll pay triple! Just get me those scales!!” Mr. Flint snapped.

  The dragon suddenly raised its head, looking toward us.

  “Shut up, now!” I snapped back at them.

  The dragon hissed, it then slowly moved closer toward us.

  I gritted my teeth.

  Crap! It’s on to us!

  The dragon was only a few meters away, I looked back at my companions as they raised their weapons, their faces screaming with fear.

  I furrowed my brows, I had no choice but to act.

  The dragon opened its mouth, power surged through its scales as they shimmered brighter—ready to release something.

  Keep calm Leo, don’t make a sudden move!

  I slowly stood up and raised my hand toward the dragon, opening my palm.

  The dragon suddenly stopped. It tilted its head while staring at me, and seemed to have caught the scent of the content I had in my palm.

  I moved in closer to the dragon. The dragon’s eyes widened, it lowered its head and began to eat from my palm.

  I could hear the men gasping behind me.

  “That’s amazing!” Mr. Flint whispered.

  The dragon finished the snack, then it looked up toward the sky.

  I looked up. “Ohh… seems like it's time to go.” I grinned.

  Suddenly, the dragon spread its massive wings, taking off on the spot. The wind pressure forced us to lay down on the ground while it flew away.

  As we tracked the dragon across the sky. Suddenly, another Blau Sky Dragon appeared.

  Both dragons met in midair only to fly away somewhere else together.

  Mr. Flint's mouth dropped as he stared at the dragons, disappearing into the horizon.

  “What did you do Mr. Nachman?” Mr. Flint asked, confused.

  I scratched my head. “Well, I just gave it a little snack, that’s all!”

  “A snack? I’ve never heard that you could give a Blau Sky Dragon, just a snack?” He shook his head.

  “What kind of snack did you give it?” Mr. Flint raised his brow.

  I placed a finger in front of my mouth. “That’s a trade secret.”

  Mr. Flint blinked for a moment as he looked like he was trying to process my words.

  He then clapped himself on his knee and let out a laugh.

  “Haha! A trade secret, I see… very well Mr. Nachman!” Mr. Flint chuckled.

  The bodyguards looked at each other, seemingly confused by the entire scene.

  I kneeled down and picked something up from the ground, it was a single scale that the dragon had dropped.

  “Alright let’s keep going, the dungeon is this way.” I pointed straight ahead.

  A few moments later we arrived at the entrance to the dungeon.

  “From here just do what I've told you and you'll be fine. Also, don’t worry about the dragons, it's their mating season so they’ll be gone for a while.” I explained calmly.

  Mr. Flint nodded. “Yes of course, thank you for your guidance, you really know this forest very well… I’ll make sure to recommend you.”

  I scratched my head. “Ahh… well it's my job, I'm just glad we made it without any incidents.”

  I reached into my pouch and pulled out the dragon scale.

  “Here Mr. Flint, I know it isn't much! but it's far better than trying to fight that thing!”

  He shook his head. “No it's alright, please keep that scale as a bonus Mr. Nachman.”

  I gently pushed my hand back.

  “Also please forgive this old fool. I do trust the judgment of my bodyguards, fighting that dragon would have spelled doom for us, so I’m truly grateful for your help.”

  Mr. Flint and his bodyguards bowed, I let out a grin and nodded my head.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Anyway, I wish you gentlemen good luck.” I said and turned around.

  Suddenly, Mr. Flint called out.

  “Mr. Nachman… I know that they call you a cursed one… but I don’t believe in such a thing.”

  I glanced back at him with a surprised look on my face.

  Mr. Flint cleared his throat.

  “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, if you ever need help.”

  My lips curled into a smile and I nodded.

  We parted ways shortly after.

  “Alright, now that’s done, what's next on the list!”

  I pulled out my notebook from my pouch and flipped through it. I found the page with the quest I just completed and crossed it over.

  “Hmm… I think I might have another quest around here somewhere?” I scratched my chin while looking through my notes.

  “Ahh yes, I have a herb gathering request. Well, that shouldn't take too long for me to complete.” I grinned and I closed my notebook.

  A little while later I had gathered all the herbs I needed and put them in my bag. I took out my pocket watch to check the time.

  “Hmm… it's getting late, I better hurry up and turn these quests in at the guild. I don't want to come home too late like last time.”

  I packed the herbs and began to walk back through the dense forest.

  “I better hurry, Mother can really be scary when she’s angry.” I shivered at the mere thought.

  ***

  “You encountered what?!” The woman shouted in disbelief.

  I scratched my head as I tried to avoid eye contact with the blue haired woman in front of me. It was Lili Vein, the guild's head receptionist, she stared at me with an intense gaze—rapidly tapping her foot.

  A cold sweat ran down my spine.

  “Well, it was only a tiny tinny… super small… Blau Sky Dragon!” I said while lowering my voice.

  Lili slammed her hand into the desk. “And you didn't run away, are you serious Mr. Nachman!!”

  “Well… uhmm… I mean…well… you see…” I stammered.

  Lili sighed, she shook her head.

  "Do I really have to remind you of how to do your job? You were only supposed to guide Mr. Flint and his companions to the requested dungeon, nothing more!”

  Lili leaned in closer, the vein on forehead pounded crazy.

  “The fact that you encountered a Blau Sky Dragon is extremely unfortunate. But you should have thought about the client's safety first, and found a different route—not engage the beast!!”

  I grinned awkwardly. “Yes I know… but come on Lili, we managed… somehow!”

  Lili looked away, she looked like she was in deep thought. Then she let out a deep sigh.

  “Fine!” Lili pouted.

  “But, please remember that you're an F-rank adventurer. If you ever encounter a higher rank monster… like oh I don't know, a B-Rank Blau Sky Dragon!! Just turn around and run away! Alright?!”

  I nodded.”Yes of course, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Lili raised a brow, she gave me a look as if she didn't quite believe me.

  “I promise, I won’t take any unnecessary chances, not on purpose that is.” I said sincerely.

  “Alright, alright… but I’ll keep my eyes on you!” Lili pointed at me.

  She then continued, "Anyway, now that’s in order… Let’s look at what you’ve got.”

  Lili took out a handful of papers, processing the quest.

  “Let’s see… you successfully guided a client through the forest, you acquired a dragon scale and you gathered a bag of herbs!”

  Lili looked up. "Also, there seems to be a demand for the dragon scale, therefore I can count it as its own quest… that means you've completed three quests in a single day—very impressive!”

  I let out a smile while scratching my head, feeling a bit embarrassed. But I didn't hate being complimented by her, honestly it felt really good.

  No wonder Lili became the new head receptionist! She’s so much more gentle and kinder than the old head receptionist, that witch!

  Lili's eyes drifted around the desk, she scribbled down a few notes.

  “Alright, everything seems in order… your payment will be ready in a few days.” Lili smiled.

  I widened my eyes. “Huh? In a few days? Can’t I get my money now?!”

  Lili shook her head.

  “Unfortunately these are three separate payments that need to be processed.”

  “However Mr. Flint did pay in advance, so we can at least pay you for that quest. But the herbs and scale will take a few days to fully process.” She explained in a soft tone.

  I scratched my head. “Fine, I can wait a few days… please transfer it to the usual account.”

  “Of course.” Lili replied.

  I picked up my bag and turned around to leave, but suddenly, Lili called out to me.

  “Mr. Nachman, wait!”

  I stopped and looked back. “Yes, what is it?”

  Lili hesitated for a moment… then she lowered her gaze.

  I stared at her in confusion.

  What’s up with her?

  She then slowly looked up at me.

  “Uhmm… I just wanted to say… that I really think what you're doing is admirable!” She said, with a hint of shyness in her voice.

  I furrowed my brows. “Huh? I’m not sure what you mean?”

  “Well, I mean… the way you take care of your family and… uhmm…” She scratched her cheek.

  I tilted my head, my expression confused.

  Lili then let out a small chuckle.

  “Ahh, never mind… I’m not sure what I was trying to say.”

  “But test assured, I’ll make sure the money is transferred as fast as possible.” Lili said firmly.

  I nodded my head. “Thank you… Miss Lili.”

  Her smile grew bigger as she bowed.

  ***

  A little while later at the Nachman’s residence.

  “I’m home!” I said while slamming the door open.

  “Big brother!” A girl’s voice called out.

  Before I knew it, a brown haired girl with a loose side braid ran straight into my chest, she looked up at me with a big smile, her presence a soft radiance.

  “Welcome home big brother! How did the quest go?” she said excitedly.

  I patted her head. “It went pretty well, thanks for asking, Lara.”

  Lara smiled brightly.

  I looked around the room. “Where’s everyone?”

  “Mother is out training with Henry and father is working in the shop.” Lara explained.

  I sighed. “Dammit! The quest took much longer than expected… Father needs my help!”

  Lara leaned back and folded her arms.

  “Ohh that's alright, father did say that you've been busy with all the guild quests, so he said that he would take care of today's batch all by himself.”

  I tilted my head and furrowed my brows. “Seriously! That’s stupid! Father should know better than pushing himself too far!”

  I shook my head in disbelief and walked over to our home’s workbench. I opened its drawer and pulled out a big old book. It contained all the orders from our customers.

  “He can't craft all those Manashells by himself! What’s he thinking?!” I gritted my teeth.

  Lara looked over my shoulder.

  “Ohh… are you going to craft those special Manashells?” Her eyes shimmered.

  “Ahh, no… just the regular ones.” I looked back and grinned.

  Lara pouted. “You know, I really want to see you craft those soon! You promised you would teach me!”

  I scratched my head and smiled awkwardly.

  “Come on, don’t be angry now… I’m planning to show you soon, but you know you can also ask your father to teach you?”

  Lara turned her head away. “Yes I did ask, but father said that the way you do it is much better. So that’s why I wanna learn the technique from you!”

  My eyes shot wide. “Huh? Father said that? But the ones he crafts are as good as mine!”

  Lara scratches her head.

  “I’m not sure why. He did say something about the way you work… but honestly I’m not sure, only that he wants me to learn specific techniques from you.”

  “Ohh, I see… that's nice of him to say.” My face turned slightly red from embarrassment.

  Lara then pointed her index finger at me, her face turned serious.

  “Promise me, you'll show me next time!” She said in a firm tone.

  I nodded slowly. “Alright… yeah, I'll make sure to show you soon.”

  Lara’s face turned bright and she let out a giggle.

  Suddenly the door opened and a familiar voice called out. I turned my head toward the noise. In the door stood a brown haired woman with long hair down her back and a brown haired man with short hair, both of them wore simple battle light gear.

  “We're home! Jen proclaimed loudly.

  Lara turned around. “Welcome home mother, welcome home Henry!”

  Suddenly, Henry stared at me with an intense gaze.

  Huh! Not this again? Why does he look like he hates me?

  “Huh Leo? Weren't you supposed to be at the shop?” Jen asked, confused.

  “Ahh, well yes… but the quest took a bit longer than expected.” I grinned.

  Jen raised a brow. “Took a little longer? You're told that you only take low level quests that don't take long to complete!”

  She leaned in closer. “Did you by any chance take unnecessary risk today?!” Jen looked me straight in the eyes.

  I widened my eyes, then looked away.

  “Uhmm… no… not really.” My voice trembled.

  Jen leaned in closer, she narrowed eyes as she stared intently at my face.

  “Are you sure?” She said menacingly.

  A cold sweat ran down my spine.

  Suddenly—

  “Ahh mother, don’t waste time on such a loser!” Henry scoffed.

  Seriously! What's his problem?!

  I furrowed my brows.

  Jen glanced back at Henry, her expression hardened. “What did you say?!”

  Henry took a step back. “I mean… Come on mother! We don't need to waste our time with him—He’s cursed, heck the entire village knows he's cursed.”

  “He’s nothing but a loser, we don’t need him! We can take care of ourselves!” Henry said in an angry tone.

  Jen sighed. “Really, is this what they’re teaching you at the Royal Academy?”

  Henry shot back. “Mother! Please! Someone without Afinix and Manaflux is nothing but a menace! If we let a cursed one stay here, he'll surely bring disaster upon us all!”

  Jen's eyes shot wide.

  “Watch your tone! It's your brother you are speaking about”

  “Without him, you wouldn't have been able to attend the Royal Academy, we wouldn't have been able to pay for your fathers treatment—we wouldn't have been able to survive!”

  Henry gritted his teeth, “and who's to say that fathers illness was not due to Leo, a punishment from the heavens for housing a cursed one!”

  Lara stood frozen with an uneasy expression on her face.

  Jen tightening her fist. “Don’t you dare!”

  Henry paused for a moment… then, he slowly turned his head toward me.

  “He’s not even your real son, It would be better if he just disappeared!” Henry gritted his teeth.

  Before we knew it, a clapping sound echoed through the room.

  Henry stared at Jen in surprise as she’d slapped him clean across his face.

  Jen stood tall and stared at him with an intense gaze, her body shook.

  Henry narrowed his eyes. “Fine… have it your way!” He bellowed and turned around, leaving the house.

  Jen lowered her gaze. "Why's he like this? Did we… fail?” she said in a low voice.

  I sighed and placed my hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s not your fault, neither you nor father is to blame.” I said reassuringly.

  Jen glanced at me, then slowly nodded.

  “It's alright mother, Henry is just a big jerk… Don’t listen to him!” Lara folded her arms.

  Jen sighed, “I guess you're right.”

  She then turned to me and pulled out a letter from her pocket.

  “By the way Leo, this is for you.” Jen said and handed me the letter.

  A letter for me! I wonder who it could be from?

  I opened the letter and read its content.

  “Huh? It’s from Mirra! She wants me to meet up at the orphanage?!”

  Jen and Lara stared at each other.

  “Does it say why?” Lara asked, curiously.

  “No, it just says to meet her at the orphanage.” I sighed.

  “Are you going to go?” Jen raised a brow.

  I nodded. “Well, yes of course… I'm still waiting for a certain someone to come back.”

  Jen folded her arms. “I see… well then you better get going then!”

  ***

  A little while later I arrived outside the orphanage, hiding under my hood.

  I took out my pocket watch, looking at the time.

  “I’m not sure if she’s back after all those years… but honestly, I really—”

  Suddenly I felt a strong ominous presence behind me—my body immediately turned around, looking toward the horizon.

  A cold sweat ran down my spine, my body shook.

  “Huh! What was that?!”