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Heavy rain hit my shield as I ran thought the forest. I cursed myself for being impatient with a storm so close. Now I am soaking wet, lost, and most likely dead when I get back if this storm doesn't kill me first. I saw something in the distance, "is that a house?" If it was, then it is good fortune I found it. Without a second thought I ran up to the door and opened it. When I opened the door, I wasn't expecting to find a guy in his underwear to be sitting by the fireplace. "Oh sorry," I closed the door and walked away. Then I remember it is raining outside. I turned around and went back into the house, "uh...Hello."

"Hey," he said, "I guess you were looking for shelter too?"

"Yeah, is it okay to stay here?"

"Well you are already inside, so make yourself at home."

"Thanks," I put my bag on the table, "sorry to just barge in your home."

"It's not really mine; it actually belongs to the Hunter's Guild. I just have a spare key."

"I see," I unfastened my shield and sword. I stared back at the cat, "so what's your name?"

"Connor. You should dry off. There are towels in the closet you can use that." He pointed at a door, "Also take your clothes off."

"What, why?"

"Because your clothes won't dry if you keep them on."

"But these are my only clothes."

"So? I only had one set of clothing and I still took them off."

"But you weren't expecting company!"

"And you are? Just take them off." I reluctantly took my clothes off, I didn't want to be in my underwear, but wet clothes are not exactly comfy ether. "There isn't a dryer here, so wring your clothes and put them on the wire."

I walked over to the sink, "why isn't there a dryer? Also, where are the light switches?" Looking around, it doesn't look like it has many things found in a regular house.

"Hunters don't exactly live here twenty-four seven. It is designed just to be a place to spend the night and leave in the morning."

"That sucks," I continued to wring my clothes and get as much water as I can get out of them. After a few minutes of wring, I put my clothes on a wire. I grabbed a towel then sat next to Conner in front of the fire place.

"You never told me your name."

"Oh, it's Oliver."

"So, Oliver, do you usually sit this close to people in their underwear?"

"Sorry," I moved away. We sat in silence for awhile, the only sounds were the rain hitting the building and the crackling of the fire wood. "so," I struggle to think of something," what were you doing out here?"

"Gathering herbs," Conner answered.

"Herbs, are you some cook?"

"No, I am an alchemist."

"An alchemist, you mean those people who make potions and stuff?"

"Yes, I am one of those people," he sounded annoyed.

"Sorry, my town doesn't have an alchemist so I never meet one before."

"Where are you from anyway?"

"Corwell, we should be close to it."

"I see," again we were silent.

"So where are you from?"

"Avicebron."

"Where is that, I never heard of it?"

"It on another continent. I came here for alchemist training, specifically to get a recommendation so I can take the exam and get a license. So why are you here?"

"Ore," I responded, "I am a blacksmith, or to be specific, a blacksmith apprentice."

"Couldn't you just order some?"

"Not in my family," I answered," besides being blacksmiths, we are also fighters and mercenaries. A majority of the materials and ore we use are things we collected ourselves. Besides this was from a new mine opening up, we needed to know the quality of it before we made any business decision."

"Like what?"

"Like a lot of thing. Quality, hardness, melting point, and seeing if it can hold magic."

"Your family makes magical weapons and armor? Don't you need a special permit from the Mage Council?"

"Yeah," I went and grabbed my bag on the table, "we are also told how to handle and smelt it as part of our training."

"What could go wrong?"

"You don't know," he stared at me blankly, "at best, the metal is useless and we turn it to scrap. At worst explosions." I try to examine the ore in my hand. The terrible lighting made it hard to make any details about the ore, "Do you know where the candles are?"

"I got something better," Connor started to snap his fingers a few times. A small ball of fire left the fireplace and started to float towards me.

"Whoa, you can use magic?"

"No what you are seeing is a rare natural phenomenon that happens in very specific conditions and I just happened to snap my fingers at the same time."

"All right, hold back on the sass." Using Connor's orb of light, I started to examine the ore. Just from eyeballing it, I can tell it is of the same quality anyone would expect from the Titan mining company. But without all the equipment from the workshop, I can't tell some of the more important stuff needing for smelting and forging. Again, the only sound was the crackling fire and rain.

"So," Connor said, "that sword and shield, did you make them yourself?"

"Not without help," I drew my sword out of the sheath, "you may not see it, but the blade is dull in some places. The hilt also is slightly big, meaning the blade would come lose if the rain guard isn't securing it."

"It just looks like any other sword to me."

"Yeah, but any flaw in the blade could mean death in battle." I put my sword back in its sheath, "my shield is also a problem. I couldn't distribute the metal evenly, so some parts are weaker than others."

"If they are so bad, why are you using them?"

"Because it is tradition to only use only weapons we make with our own hands. Using weapons made by other people is opening saying you don't have faith in your creations, it the same as saying 'use someone else for all your weapon needs'." After I finished going over the ore I collected, I realized how hungry I was, "so do you know if there is food here?"

"Yeah, mostly canned stuffed since they last for so long," for the first time since I got here Connor moved away from the fire and went into the kitchen. He opened a cabinet, "don't expect anything fancy."

He called over the ball of light I was borrowing, "So what's on the menu?"

"Beans, corn, some sort of jam, or if you are adventurous, some meat that has been in a can for about...15 years."

"anything more recent and possibly safer to eat?"

"Hold on," he pulled out some more cans, "3 years, 4 years, oh here is chickpeas canned this year they should be safe."

"Great, how do we cook them?"

"Well we can it right now. Canned food is pre-cooked and can be eaten right out of the can. That's why the Hunter's guild stock their outposts full of the stuff." He grabbed another can, "now where is the can opener?"

"I can open them," I went to my pants that was still drying and pulled out a pocket knife. "hand me a can," Connor gave me the can he found earlier. I placed it underneath the ball of light, "my cousin showed me this trick a while back." I placed the tip of my knife to the lid and tapped it a few times, enough for it to puncture the lid, then I pulled the knife out and repeat the process alongside the rim. With it now covered in holes I then pry the lid off, "and that is how to open a can with a pocket knife. Hand me the other one." I pry open the other can while Connor hand me a spoon. By the time I finished, Connor had already started eating. I joined him at the table and took a bite of the chickpeas, they weren't bad, but I couldn't call them good either. "maybe we should have cooked them a bit."

"Do you know how to cook?"

"No."

"Nether do I so we are stuck with this." We Continue to eat in silence, when we finished Connor spoke up, "So what made you want to be a blacksmith?"

"huh? I told you, family business." I threw the empty can into what I hope was a trash can.

"You also said that your family is also full of fighters and mercenaries. Not to mention all the other stuff you can do to earn a living, so why a blacksmith?"

I thought about his question, but I couldn't answer. It wasn't like I was forced into it or anything. Nothing was stopping me from going into another occupation if I choose to. So, I just said what I felt, "I really don't know. Nothing is stopping me from leaving and nothing else caught my interest."

"What a half-assed answer."

"So, what about you then. What made you want to be an Alchemist? You did that glowing ball of light so you must be able to use magic."

Connor was silent for a bit. "Avicebronis a Magocracy, you know what that means right?" I shook my head, "It means magic is everything there. Most of the jobs there requires lots of skill with magic. Because of that, people like me who struggle with magic, have trouble finding work. That ball of light I made is basic, a child with average talent can create it easily. Alchemists are one of the few jobs in Avicebron a person can be successful even if you can't use magic."

"is it hard," I asked like an idiot.

"yep, it requires years of studying just to get your foot in the door. After that you have to go to multiple licensed Alchemists and apply for apprenticeships and get multiple letters of recommendations saying they believe you may have the qualifications to take a license exam. If you fail that, you have to get more letters as a way to try again. The whole process could take years and I just started my first apprenticeship."

"What are you going to do after getting a license?"

"I would probably join an atelier and would be there for the rest of my life."

"Couldn't you just open your own atelier?"

"Avicebron has hundreds of ateliers in it city specializing in everything, not to mention the ones across the continent. How would I succeed with that much competition?"

"What about Corwell? We don't have an alchemist there, so I doubt you would have much competition, and I heard some guilds having trouble with some requests since they don't have an alchemist to make them. So why not come to Corwell"

"uh...sure I will think about it," Connor backed away from me.Was I too aggressive? He looked out the window, "the rains not letting up, so we might as well spend the night here and head out in the morning." Connor showed me where the bedroom was. The room had multiple bunkbed to sleep in, "go ahead and pick one, I will join you after I take care of the fire." I lay down and covered myself with the thin blanket on the 'bed', which felt more like a board with sheets. Connor picked the bed across from me and lie down as well. "goodnight," he said as the ball of light he made extinguished itself, leaving use both in darkness. "So, Oliver, did you mean what you said?"

"About what?"

"About wanting me to come to Corwell. Do you want me to come?"

"I do," that was the last thing I remember before I fell asleep that night.

"Oliver wake up!" I awoke with a jolt, in front of me was Cena, "what are you still being asleep this late?"

"Sorry," I yawned, "I worked all night to make sure the paper work is in order." I grabbed the folder I finished last night and hand it to Cena, "can you make sure Dad gets this." My body ache from sleeping at my desk, "shit," I cursed. I looked at the time it was 11 am, "why did you let me sleep for so long?"

"I just got here to pick up some finished work to deliver. I wasn't aware you were here. Anyway, do you mind help me with this delivery, they ordered lots of tools and I need help carrying them all."

"Fine just give me a minute to wake up." I stretched my body thinking back on that night years ago. It been ten years since that night and my thought always seem to focus on Connor. After we parted I try to keep in touch but nothing came of it. Maybe I sent it to the wrong place or maybe he was just ignoring me, but soon I stopped trying. But still I keep wondering about him.

"Oliver are you going to help or what?"

"Alright Cena, I'm coming." I grabbed the tools and followed Cena outside. "So, do you know who ordered these tools."

"Just that he is an alchemist that just move here. He said that he needed to replace a lot of his tools since they broke on the way here. Said he needed them fast." Part of me hoped it was Connor, but knew the chances are slim. But someday I will see him again, I know it.

We arrived at the atelier, "this the place, right?" the building was plain only having the sign 'alchemist' on the outside proving to the be the atelier. Not a creative person, I guess.

"Yeah, I came here before to conform the order. He said head leave the entrance unlocked so we can go in."

The inside was better, everything looked organized with some products lining the shelfs. "Hello," I yelled, "we're with the Anvils dropping off a delivery. Anyone here?"

"Hold on," a voice in the back said, "just finishing something up back here." The sound of his voice sounded familiar to me. Then he came out and saw me, "it is nice to see you again, Oliver."