The silence was suffocating.

  60.

  Monique had said 70 to 90 was average and he ended up getting below even that? What type of shitty luck was this?

  She recommended finding a commercial use for the ability if the affinity was too low, but would he even be able to find a use for his hand? Maybe if it got stronger one day.

  But now?

  Evel shook his head and warded off his doubts. He decided to be pragmatic.

  In order to make a decision he considered all his options.

  First, he could quit now, before the end of the week, avoiding any challenge that may come. This would allow him to be safe from possible dangers, but his journey would end here. He could maybe stay in Orsus, or return to Yosten and try to start anew.

  Another option was quitting later on in his journey, if there was a roadblock he couldn’t overcome. If his affinity really was the issue, then at least he gave it a shot.

  Yet he may not get the luxury to make a choice at all by then.

  Finally, he could continue down the Path, and regardless of if he was able to go far, he would put in everything he had.

  The latter two options had a high chance of death, especially the last one, but he found it excruciatingly hard to discount them.

  I don't want to quit, at least not yet. A path to a better life just opened in front of me. How pathetic would I be if I didn't even try?

  He curled his hand into a fist and held it tightly in front of him.

  He wouldn’t quit.

  A defiant smile slowly formed on his face, and he immediately started planning how he’d use his remaining time.

  The second option, then.

  He fell back on one of the key principles of being a magician: preparation and practice.

  Glancing around him, Evel saw that everybody was already in the midst of discussion.

  First, I should check in with everyone, hopefully they got luckier than me.

  “Not bad Leo! I didn’t expect a wimp like you to beat me!”

  Elena praised Leo.

  “Sounds like you guys are pretty happy with the results,” Evel noted.

  “I got 83, and Leo over here got 86!”

  Evel’s eyes opened in surprise.

  Good for them! Those affinities were great!

  “How ‘bout you? Any luck?”

  Elena asked with excitement.

  Evel scratched the back of his head and replied awkwardly with a resigned smile,

  “I got 60…”

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  Elena was at a loss for words. She had been so caught up in excitement, and Evel usually seemed so composed in their few interactions that she simply couldn’t fathom him being left behind.

  “Oh…”

  She had never been good at making people feel better and didn’t know what to say, she just looked at him with pity in her eyes.

  I guess he’ll quit now, we’ll see each other around I suppose.

  “I’m not planning on quitting,” Evel replied, practically reading her mind, “And no need to feel sorry either, if I had your affinity, I’d be bored already.”

  Elena, seeing that Evel was in a joking mood instantly felt better, and nodded.

  She turned to Fern and Juniper, who were close by but talking amongst themselves.

  “How about you guys? Is the future looking bright?”

  It was the green haired Fern, who sheepishly answered with tense shoulders,

  “I got 73, and Juniper got 80.”

  “Ah don’t feel too bad, Mr. Magician over here got 60!”

  Evel was shocked at being volunteered as emotional support slash cautionary tale without warning so quickly.

  Wasn’t she pitying me a few seconds ago?

  “Hey,” Evel protested, “My wounds are still fresh and I’m already a campfire story?”

  Fern chuckled, relaxing a bit, “Sorry. But it does help though.”

  Juniper, who had been quiet until now, offered her condolences, “I suppose it could have been worse.”

  Leo looked at Evel with a flame in his eyes and added, “I’m sure we’ll find someone with less than 60!”

  Evel looked at Leo in amusement, unsure how his brain worked.

  This is their best attempt at making me feel better?

  “My bad…” Elena guiltily apologized.

  Just then, Brenton walked out of the building and into the little huddle, a big smirk on his face and directly addressed Elena. Brenton’s eyes were wide open in excitement.

  “How did you do?”

  Elena looked back with suspicion, Brenton, he looked far too confident.

  “83…”

  “83? Pffft. I got 89!”

  Elena’s eyes opened in shock,

  “Th-that’s amazing!”

  Brenton wiped some imaginary dust off his shoulders, “Eh, no big deal for a guy like me!.”

  The grin he couldn’t suppress gave away his true feelings, however.

  Elena embraced Brenon in a deep hug.

  Although she didn’t show it, Elena had been anxious that Brenton wouldn’t get a good affinity forcing them to always live a life on the run.

  But now? The future has opened up! She didn’t need to choose between Father and Brenton!

  Elena immediately caught Brenton up on everyone's affinity, and when she got to Evel, Brenton’s good mood died down.

  The vibes shifted, but Evel didn’t care to ease Brenton’s worries, he had to plan on how he should spend his remaining time here.

  Then, a few minutes later, Monique exited the building. She had assessed everyone, her job now complete, so she sent out a final message.

  “You guys are not officially soldiers yet, you’ll have that opportunity next week. There are 123 Core stage recruits in this camp now, and the 13 of you will be joining them. You’ll have access to the training grounds, the cafeteria, shops, which are all on this layer. You can find the residential area on the lower layer. I’ll be in my lab here if you have further questions, but ask others before asking me.”

  As Monique was about to turn and leave, somebody quickly asked,

  “How are we supposed to use the camp with no money?”

  Monique sighed.

  “So Arlo really didn’t explain anything to you guys? You all have been given 100 starting redits you can use at these services. You can also use your own personal riak in town. You aren’t part of the army yet so you won’t be getting paid otherwise. If anyone else has a question, raise your hand.”

  The group still had many questions, they didn’t know much about the base, the bigger world, their enemy, the Ultor Dominion, or even what they should spend the next week doing. Naturally a few people decided to raise their hands.

  Unfortunately, they found their hands stubbornly difficult to move. The blood in their own body fought back against them for control. It was a horrifying sensation, not having any semblance of control over your entire body. They remained still as statues for a few seconds.

  Monique nodded in satisfaction and undid her spell, yet everybody remained motionless, paralyzed in fear. After a few moments of silence Monique smiled,

  “Well, if there are no more questions, I’ll be heading inside now.”

  BANG

  The door slammed shut.

  The control returned to their bodies as they took some time to process the horrifying feeling.

  The group looked at the closed door in silence, unsure of what to do next.

  “Alright guys, I’m gonna go explore the camp, I’ll see you guys around.”

  Evel broke the silence, unwilling to waste too much time. He quickly headed off into the distance, looking first for the shops. He decided before anything else he needed a weapon.

  As Evel walked into the distance, Brenton looked at Elena in worry.

  “Will… will he be alright?”

  Elena looked into the sky,

  “I don’t know… 60 is brutal, personally, I would have been devastated, but I gotta say he took it pretty well.”

  Brenton nodded before Elena continued.

  “But also, we haven't known him for long and he’s very difficult to read. He could be feeling completely defeated and we wouldn’t know any better.”

  They stood in silence for a bit.

  “He looked excited,” Leo’s soft voice interrupted the silence.

  Leo’s comment took them by surprise. They weren’t sure if he was just being hopeful, or he had a read on Evel the rest of them didn’t. Either way, they wanted Leo to be right, so they accepted it for what it was.

  “On a brighter note, the rest of the results certainly call for a celebration!”

  Elena said excitedly. She was probably more excited about Brenton’s affinity than Brenton himself. Pride swelled in her heart.

  Juniper smiled wide, wrinkles appearing around eyes, “We’ll join you”

  This really marked the beginning of their journey. The group headed out back into the town, conversing along the way.

  Today was a joyful day!

  Elsewhere, a soft bell chimed as the shop door swung open. A determined young man stepped inside, his worn tailcoat draped over an equally weathered waistcoat, a cheap top hat sat atop his head.

  The shopkeeper looked at the man and asked routinely, unbothered by the poor condition of his clothes.

  “What can I get for you?”