Chương 33: Shopping Therapy

Oliver and Evan looked at each other, stunned.

"Why would he throw this party if he failed the test?" Oliver asked.

"He didn't want the others to know," Kai explained.

"He's a pretty social guy, quick at making friends, and he already made all those plans with the people we met during the exams about all the fun stuff they would get into at the Academy. I don't think he's ready to tell them yet."

"What about you?" Evan asked quietly.

"Did you get in?"

"I did." He looked at his feet, frowning.

"That's probably not helping things."

"What is going to happen next?" Maya asked.

"With Luca, I mean." Kai was still staring at the floor.

"He's going to return to our home village. His family is going to be very disappointed. It took them a long time to save up enough money for his affinity crystal and the entry fees for the Academy exam." Oliver sighed.

"I know how that feels."

"But it wasn't all for nothing, right?" Evan asked.

"He's still a mana user. He can join a guild and build a career that way?" Oliver looked at Evan, and his face lit up with excitement.

"Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?" Evan grinned.

"We should totally ask him to join our team." Kai looked up, and his frown slowly faded into a more thoughtful expression.

"His parents are probably not going to like it. Monster hunting is a dangerous profession. They wanted him to have a nice, safe job as a healer somewhere close to home, but Luca… I think Luca would like it." Evan gave Oliver a nudge with his elbow.

"Come on, let's go find him. Maybe we can save his evening after all." They left the stuffy, overcrowded party to look for Luca. He wasn't in the hallway or the stairwell, but eventually they found him outside, in the dark backyard of the boarding house, sitting on a low stone wall surrounding the large tree in the middle of the yard. He looked up when he heard their footsteps, but turned his face away immediately.

"Go away." Evan and Oliver weren't deterred by his moody response. They sat down on either side of him, despite more mumbled protests.

"Kai told us what happened," Evan said, keeping his tone gentle, knowing how much of a sore spot his failure was for Luca. He only got a noncommittal grunt back from him.

"Don't take it too hard, man," Oliver said.

"The Academy is famously difficult to get into. You're not the first or the last talented mana user they rejected. Just think about Theo Larellin. He didn't make the cut, and he went on to do great things." Evan didn't know who Theo Larellin was, but whoever he was, his example did not seem to inspire any more confidence in Luca.

"That's not the same," he said, voice strained.

"Theo Lareillin didn't have parents who put all their savings into making him a proper healer."

"You can still be a proper healer," Oliver said.

"But not an Academy-educated healer." Luca stretched out his legs with a frustrated huff.

"My whole future depended on the Academy. I have no idea what I'm going to do next."

"Yeah, about that…" Evan sat up a little straighter.

"Oliver and I just had an idea about that." Luca raised his gaze, and Evan spotted a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"What idea?" Oliver smiled.

"We're just a two-man team right now. We could use a third man. Especially a healer."

"Every team needs a good healer," Evan added. At least that was the case in video games, but he assumed it held some truth for real monster fighter teams as well. A healer would've been really useful when Oliver's leg got smashed by the Mud Golem. A faint hint of hope appeared on Luca's face, but just moments later it was replaced by more anger and sadness.

"I'm not a good healer, though. I'm a rank 1 Academy washout."

"We're not picky," Oliver said quickly.

"We'll take anyone we can get."

"Uh, Olly, I'm not sure that's a great way to phrase this," Evan said, watching Luca's shoulders slump some more.

"What he meant to say was that we believe you have talent and that we would be happy if you would develop your skills some more in our team." Oliver cleared his throat.

"Yeah, what Evan said." Luca still looked torn.

"Hm… I don't know. My parents would hate it."

"It doesn't have to be forever," Evan said.

"You could try it out for a few weeks, maybe a few months. Get some experience, maybe rank up, figure out what you want in life… can't do any harm, right?"

"Unless we're killed by a monster," Oliver added. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Which won't happen, because we'll have a very capable healer with us," Evan said, looking at Oliver sternly. Luca ruffled his fingers through his shaggy blond hair and let out a long breath.

"You know what… screw it. I'm in!" Oliver cheered, and Evan clapped Luca on the back.

"Good decision," Evan praised him.

"Should we add you to the party right away? To seal the deal?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Luca said. Evan accessed his menu. For the first time, he noticed he now had four slots in his party screen instead of three. The result of ranking up to rank 3. [Do you want to add Luca Kamanoa to your party? Slots available: 2/4. Y/N?] Evan confirmed, and a moment later Luca appeared in his party list, all his stats available for view.

[Name: Luca Kamanoa Affinity: Water Rank: 1 Rank Progress: 72% Health: 34/34 Mana: 36/36] [Strength: 3] [Endurance: 6] [Speed: 6] [Dexterity: 8] [Perception: 5] [Spirit: 7]"You're pretty close to ranking up," Oliver said.

"I bet we can get you there in no time once we're back out there, hunting monsters."

"I'll need to buy some proper gear before we head out," Luca said.

"Some armor, because I really don't want to be torn to shreds by some monster's claws. And maybe a weapon? Healers stay in the back line, but it might be smart to have one with me in case things go haywire."

"Oh, we know just the place to shop," Oliver said.

"You might even get a discount. Do we need to go to the auction house, too? Do you need skill gems?" Luca shook his head.

"No, all my ability slots are filled. Feel free to take a look." [Current Pull - Tied to your Dexterity attribute Conjure a flow of water to drag objects, allies, or enemies toward a chosen point. Mana Cost: 15 Cooldown: 2 minutes Increase your Dexterity attribute to improve this ability.] [Refreshing Mist - Tied to your Spirit attribute Summons a restorative mist that replenishes a small amount of health and mana. Mana Cost: 24 Cooldown: 3 minutes Increase your Spirit attribute to improve this ability.]"Looks good," Oliver said. You've got lucky with those skills, Luca. You have a healing power already, and this Current Pull is just pure gold."

"We still should go to the auction house," Evan said.

"You still need a new gem to fill your rank 3 slot, Oliver."

"Ah, I've been thinking about that. I might leave the slot open for now. We don't have the funds to get any of the good gems." Evan sighed.

"Did that auction spark a taste for expensive skill gems in you? We could probably scrape together enough money to grab a cheap one."

"It's not like I'm angling for the kind of stuff they sold at the auction, but you only get so many skills and I don't want to waste my slots on cheap stuff just because money is tight right now. To be honest, I don't really have an idea of what I want at all. I keep reading through that guild manual, but there are so many options I'm not sure what to choose."

"Same here," Evan admitted. Being so new to the world of magical abilities made it especially hard to pick a gem. Oliver had at least seen a couple of skills in action. All Evan had to go on was the guild guide, and that kept things pretty vague.

"Maybe we could ask Alex?" Oliver suggested.

"Who's Alex?" Luca asked.

"A friend of ours. She's rank 11," Oliver said, a hint of pride in his voice. Evan knew rank 11 was a pretty rare achievement, and being on friendly terms with a high-ranker was a big deal. High-ranking mana users were the celebrities of this world. As expected, Luca's eyes went wide.

"Rank 11? I've never met a rank 11 in person. Years ago, a rank 9 monster hunter came through my hometown, but I only saw him from afar. Let's totally go meet your rank 11 lady friend." Luca was in great spirits when they returned to the party, which did not help with his alcohol overconsumption. He paid the price the next morning, with a terrible hangover. Evan and Oliver dragged their new team member out of bed anyway.

After a lot of groaning and complaining, they managed to convince him to put on a fresh tunic and took him to the monster hunter guild headquarters. Becoming a monster hunter seemed to do wonders for Luca's headache. By the time they walked back out of the building, a new copper badge pinned to his chest, he was in a great mood. They visited Gregory's smithy next, where Maya was nursing her own aftereffects of the party. She winced every time a hammer hit an anvil, which in a smithy, was quite often.

Gregory scolded her for coming to work in such a sorry state, but Evan saw the twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm not really angry," Gregory admitted quietly, once they were out of Maya's earshot.

"You're only young once." Evan grinned.

"True. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

"Who's Jack?"

"No one. I just wish I'd gone to a few more parties when I was Maya's and Luca's age, that's all."

"You still have plenty of time for parties, my boy. But back to business. What can I do for you today?"

"Our new team member needs some basic gear. He's a healer, so we're looking more for something to keep him alive than something for killing effectively." Gregory took a step toward Luca and studied him head to toe, rubbing his chin thoughtfully until Luca squirmed under his appraising gaze.

"Healers need mobility first and foremost," Gregory said, more to himself than to Luca.

"You'll need to zip around the battlefield to support the rest of the team, and when trouble starts brewing, you're better off running than fighting, so yes… mobility."

"But something strong enough to keep my innards safe from monster claws and teeth, right?" Luca asked, sounding a little unsure.

"A sturdy leather armor will do," Gregory decided.

"Come to my back room. I'll take your measurements." Luca looked a little disappointed until they returned from the backroom and Gregory presented him with a set of light leather armor, dyed in navy blue with white accents, that looked incredibly stylish. With a wide smile, Luca walked around the mannequin that wore the armor Gregory had in mind for him. He traced his finger along the white accent at the hem and nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yes, that's so me. The girls will love it."

"They sure will," Gregory said with a chuckle.

"The armor will also keep your innards safe from claws and teeth."

"I'll take it. Just name your price." Evan raised his eyebrows.

"Big spender, huh?" Luca laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I have all that money my parents gave me to buy books and supplies for the Academy. Might as well put it to good use." Their new team member seemed to deal with his Academy rejection trauma via some shopping therapy, because after taking the armor he also bought a sleek shortsword and a dagger. When he started looking at shields, Evan and Oliver decided to step in.

"I think that's enough for today," Evan said.

"We should go visit Alex now. Remember, Luca? Our rank 11 lady friend."

"Oh, right! The rank 11 lady. Yes, I still want to meet her for sure. Do you think I should wear my new armor? Do you think she would like that?" Gregory barely managed to hold back a snorting laugh.

"I'm sure she would, but I'll have to make some adjustments to the armor with your measurements. You can pick it up tomorrow." Luca's shoulders slumped a little, but Evan gave him a clap on the back.

"Don't worry. She would've rejected you with or without armor."