“Scout?” Ripley asked unsurely, “I thought you were dissuaded by the risk involved?”

  Enoch shrugged as he sat at the bench he’d found Ripley on outside the mayor’s building. “Well, I don’t the risk, but I can put up with it. The only reason I told you that is because, and I don’t mean to offend you here, that you seem a bit biased toward the mercenary scene. I wanted an opinion from someone who saw value in non-mercenaries as well.”

  Ripley sighed, “That would make sense from your perspective I suppose. However let me assure you that I do not for even a moment doubt the monumental role non-combatants play in the safety of cities. In fact, I believe life would be a rather dreary and boring place without them. After all, they make things comfortable, effective, and widely available. Not to mention how much they make our gear.”

  Enoch nodded, “Fair enough. Still, I’m glad I talked to him. He was pretty knowledgeable. I guess being nearly four-hundred will do that to someone… Still weird to think about.”

  Ripley chuckled and looked up. It had fallen deep into the night when Enoch had concluded his meeting with the mayor. The stars were bright in the sky, and Enoch followed Ripley’s gaze upward. He smiled widely, “You know, have you heard of light pollution? Probably not–”

  “Indeed. We’ve always put an end to it when it arises.” Ripley nodded, his eyes reflecting some memory within.

  Enoch shrugged, “Well, anyways. Light pollution is nearly world-wide where I’m from. I mean, the midwest and some remote island nations probably have little to none, but still. I haven’t seen a night this clear… ever.”

  Ripley cocked his head, “I suppose your world doesn’t have brilliance then. Disregarding its effects on magic, I think it would indeed be a pity to have a view of the stars obscured so often. I actually have a large skylight so I can look at the stars while I sleep.”

  Enoch nodded, squinting as he looked closer at a constellation. He tapped Ripley on the shoulder then pointed at it, “What’s that? It looks… no, it’s definitely moving. It looks like a spider?”

  “What? Ah, the Star Spider. A strange thing. A lot is unknown about it. The only thing we know for certain is that it has been around since before recorded history. Even the strongest experts in divination cannot scry back far enough for it not to appear. Most have given up researching it.”

  Enoch shook his head. “Well, it’s late and I need to go find somewhere to sleep. An inn or hotel or something. I’ll see you some other time, Ripley, and thanks for all your help. I won’t forget it.”

  Ripley, still looking at the stars, chewed his lip for a moment. “What’s your plan right now? Is anything scheduled?”

  Enoch nodded and pulled out a small folded note from his pocket. “Yeah, I’m going to go and settle in for the next three days. Kind of figure out the city. Then I go to the State Mercenary Association Compound here in Velocity and register as an aspiring scout so I can take a readiness class. Then, well, I don’t really know. Get to work, I guess.”

  Ripley nodded, “How would you like to take that class with me instead? Room and board included.”

  Enoch looked down at his hand, “I appreciate it, Ripley, but I know how much the regular course costs, let alone with someone like you. I’m not an idiot, you’re clearly some kind of respected merc teacher. Rooming in your house, too? That’s a nice place, with a lot of people who-”

  Ripley held his hand up, “I’m not asking for nothing now. Call it an investment slash sign of friendship. I want to help you, true. But I also stand to gain should you accomplish your goal. Access to a new world is… well, literally invaluable as it hasn’t ever happened. Also, people who come from other worlds can’t be bound for a simple and unremarkable life. I want in on the action, so to speak.”

  Enoch laughed, “So, to be clear, you’re giving me a fortune-worth of education, room and board, as well as friendship with a super-teacher… all for theoretical stuff that will only pay off very far or very randomly in the future? No immediate or guaranteed gains for you?”

  Ripley tossed his head side to side, “No, but that’s where the genuinely wanting to help you part comes in. That sign of friendship I mentioned means something to me. My friends are an… odd group, but also ones I trust and respect without fault. I’ve seen your personality, as well as your motivation. I respect you Enoch. It might seem strange to say, seeing as all I’ve really seen you do is be amazed by magic and fall from the sky, but it… well I’ll explain that later.”

  Enoch nodded, “Feeling’s mutual. Not many would do what you’ve done for a stranger. Hell, I don’t think I would have if they just popped in my house bare naked and then didn’t know what was happening.”

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  Ripley held out a hand, “So how about it? Either way I’ll say we’re friends now.”

  Enoch looked around the city, “Deal. But I have something to ask…”

  Ripley nodded with a big smile, “What is it?”

  Enoch looked up, “Are we taking a balloon up again?”

  Ripley guffawed before quickly stopping at a scathing look, “No…” He waved his hand in circular pattern, a cloth sheet seeming to fly from it and begin to spin vertically. It was soon a billowing sphere of cloth, and Enoch wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Ripley pointed at it, “Behold, my portal power. It is one of my… stranger powers, but it is very useful. In we go.” He walked straight into the ball, the cloth quickly wrapping him, then unwrapping to reveal nothing.

  Enoch sighed, “There’s gonna be a lot of sketchy looking magic in my future now, isn’t there?” He decided to stop caring as he walked straight into it like Ripley had. For a split second it felt like he’d been buried alive as the cloth bound him tightly, but then the feeling was gone as he was spat out by the ball onto the dock of Ripley’s island.

  The feeling was incredibly bizarre. The feeling between incredibly fast and instantaneous was far more different than he’d thought it would be. The feeling on his skin alone of the immediately different temperature, air density, moisture, and even light. It was jarring and left Enoch something akin to dizzy, though that wasn’t quite right.

  After recovering for a moment, Enoch licked his lips, “Wowza… Is that how you normally get around?”

  Ripley shook his head, “No. But I forgot to tell you something. As a teacher, I like to be strict and orderly. So from here until I deem you fit to be a scout, you do as I say, how I say. If it seems overbearing to you, look at my student’s death rate next to the fun, laid-back teachers. There’s a reason my family’s way is copied by so many.”

  Enoch nodded, though he was caught off-guard by the attitude shift. Even Ripley’s tone had become more authoritative. “Ah, I’d bet… But how is that relevant right now? Aren’t we going to bed?”

  Ripley smiled, and not the simple and shifty one he normally gave. It was the smile of a man about to put another through hell, “Not a chance. The day isn’t over yet. There is a lot to do before you can be a scout: bodily training, spiritual training, monster physiology and composition as well as all the known types. You need all your facets and powers, as well as gear and specialty identification. Ah, let’s not forget procedural paper-work, hierarchy, scope of responsibility as a scout, as well as the potential of becoming an independent scout. Also, Enoch, I need to grind within your skull a of what some would call benign knowledge.”

  Enoch was nearly swept off his feet by the torrent, “Whoa whoa. No way even one of those things is getting done tonight.”

  Ripley nodded, “Indeed, but what we’re doing tonight wasn’t on my list.”

  Enoch looked unsurely, “Seemed like there was a lot on that list. What did you leave out?”

  “A lot, but what I’m referring to is arguably one of the more important factors: how to eat.” Ripley said, dead seriously.

  Enoch raised an eyebrow, “Oh. Well, I’m not really hungry right now–”

  “Nope. That’s why. As merc or scout, your bodily health is, obviously important. One of the most important factors of that is nutrition. As you go up in ranks, your diet shifts from normal things to different energies. I derive a lot of energy from wind and the oceans, but others are different. You, Enoch, require some magic that your diet so far has not provided.”

  “Well, let’s go then.”

  …

  Bowen was inundated with realizations. None of which he’d come to the city for. Three weeks prior, Bowen approached his father, letting him know that he was setting off to find his facets. Without much more than a hug and small care package, Bowen was sent on his way. His parents were confident in Bowen’s survival, so they knew he would return sooner or later.

  But, now, Bowen wasn’t sure his father would accept him back should he return. Bowen’s father, Tregzial Caliphate, was… a notable figure among swordsmen. His mother Christy was too, though not nearly to the degree of Tregzial. It was the Caliphate lineage to inherit the title his father wore, as Tregzial had taken it from his father. But Bowen had come to a realization after he left home and performed his training in the fringe city of Daisy’s Cape. It was a rather plain city with little to write home about except for the impressive docking feature. There were few docks like it in the world.

  The realization Bowen had come to was that swordsmanship was not necessarily what had enamoured him his entire life. Perhaps from an outside perspective it might seem obvious, but it was a bolt from the blue for Bowen. The thing that had always motivated Bowen was not swordsmanship, but actually practicing it within nature. The city didn’t agree with him, and Bowen found himself longing for his wooded training spot next to the wildflower hills.

  After another week, Bowen finally gave up on forcing it, instead sitting down and trying introspection. Did he truly never find swordsmanship that appealing? It wasn’t bad, per se, but it wasn’t something Bowen could see himself pursuing in order to find himself. Even after a week, Bowen couldn’t shake the feeling that his passion this whole time had been for nature rather than the blade.

  With this realization came a radical shift in Bowen’s approach to finding his facets. His family, being of rather old tradition, strongly encouraged its youth to leave and not return until they had travelled and found facets that truly reflected who they were. They were still welcome, of course, but it was a sign of non-commitment to abandon one’s search for things that reflect oneself.

  Bowen had planned to travel to southern Aordia, seeking the most promising House of this generation: Ripley House. He was going to see if he could learn anything from him as the man not only had a reputation as one of the best teachers among the current generation, but also one of the better swordsmen too. In fact, unconventional swordsmanship was his forte.

  But, if nature was where Bowen felt he’d find his path, then nature was where he would go. It wasn’t too much of a shift, though he wouldn’t be passing through Velocity anymore. He would go straight to Skyplunge, then head for the northern part of the Holy Highlands. It was a major shift, but one Bowen felt confident in.