"Phoenix Heart"
Today was the day, It was my teams first board mission. Our first ever contribution to our guild, Phoenix Heart. We had to go meet a women in a small villiage known as Drit. The pay was a bit mediocre but being that it was our first Master decided we should try an easy one. The womens name was Marrigold, she was the inn keeper there and she need us to fight some monster that had raided the villiage a few times that week. My team consisted of three people and a cat, if you want to call the little devil that. We couldn't afford transport to Drit but it was only a four day walk from our small guild hall which was nestled in a forrest that was said to be haunted by evil spirits, but that was just a tale that the Master had cooked up so that our guild was left alone.
"Oi, Ryu we have to get going, We told Marigolg we would be there by as fast as we could."
"WE WOULD'NT HAVE TO WALK IF YOU HADN'T SPENT OUR SHARE OF THE GUILD ALLOWANCE ON FOOD FOR THAT DEVIL!"
"Its not my fault hes picky"
"Yes it is, sorry but you're an enabler, make him eat what we eat, be sides that food makes his breath stink."
"It doesn't matter now anyway, just hurry up"
"Im already done, wheres Tanuma?"
"Hes waiting out side with Cubby, we plan on taking the undergrove route since the other ways will put us behind schedule"
"I know remember it was my plan"
"Oh yeah"
The rest of our guild was either out on a mission or drunk and passed out in the tavern part of our guild the master was in his 'office' if yo could call it that it was actually amagic honing room were guild members would go for 1 on 1 traing sessions with master. I have so many found memories in that room since master raise me and trained me to use the magic i do now, he actually taught Tanuma, Jax, and I all of our magics and raised us. The guild members weren't around much they were always on jobs and if they weren't they were passed out in the tavern i didn't actually know many of them.
As me and Jax made our way out to the front of the guild we saw a winged animal circling over head as i flew closer i realized what it was, A black cat in a full business suit with a bow tie land on Jax's Shoulder
"JAAAAAAAAAAAX, Tanuma threatened to feed me that gruel again."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah he said i shamed him by not eating his cooking, but he should know that a gentleman only eat delicate food not that grub that he makes." Cubby said as he sneered at the approaching chef
"What did you say, You want to be the next ingredient in my meat loaf?!" Tanuma said sneering back at the cat
"You heard..." he was stop abrubtly by Jax bopping him on the head "OOOOOw that hurt, what was that for?"
"A gentleman does not insult another person, he kindly acknowledges the difference of opinion and then changes the topic to one that both parties agree on, now what do you say ti Tanuma" Jax said to Cubby in that annoying parental tone he always took with his little demon.
"I Apologize Chef-san for being out of line with my..."
"Oi if you guys keep talking we'll never get there" i said about a hunderd paces from them, The feeling of my first real mission was one of the greatest i had ever felt, it was a mixture of anticpation, excitement and a bit of fear. I allowed the others to catch up. Tanuma and Jax were discussing what Drit my look like, considering none of us had ever really ventured to far from the guild hale since we each of us had arrived there. It seems like so long ago...
"Ryu, come inside dinners ready."
"Yes Mama."
i turned and said good bye to the kids i was playing with as they left my yard and ran towards the house i didn't realize how hungry i was to Mama called me. As i got to the door the smell of chicken filled my nostrils. Papa was already sitting at the table smilling when i walked in.
"How was your day Ryu?
"It was great Papa, we played King of Fiore, and i got to be king, i made everyone play a game where they had to kick the ball into a target and whoever hit it hardest got to become a knight, but then i got board and we just kicked the ball to eachother. 'My stomach started to growl'
"Soumds like you worked up quite the appetite, good thing i made your favorite chicken with mashed potates and corn." said Mama as she was bringing the food into our dining room with a bright smile on her face that would cheer anyone up "Remember you have to be in bed after dinner tomorrows the summer festival and you get to be one of the celestial spirits."
"I can't wait, Hana is going to be one too shes right next to me in our parade line"
"So are you going to tell us who you're going to be yet?" asked Papa "How will we know which one is you?"
"Hana is going to be Aries, just look for her then you will see me, i want it to be a surprise."
After dinner was over Mama made me take a bath, my least favorite thing to do, but with all the excitement for tommorrow i didn't put up a fight .
"Mama?"
"Yes, Ryu?"
"When I get older I wanna be a wizard like Papa"
"Are you sure, Papa has a lot of responsibilities, He has to protect the villiage, fix problems and train all the other wizards on how to get better."
"I know, when I'm older i wanna protect people just like Papa."
"Ok, But promise me one thing, don't stay in our villiage forever, explore the world, meet new people, make so many friends and protect them all but also let them protect you and never forget that your father and i will always be with you"
"I promise Mama"
"Good night my darling boy, I love you"
"I love you too.
That morning Mama woke me up early in the morning got me dressed and sent me off to the small school in town, my class was only made up of 12 students which is why we were picked to be the celestial spirits. Hana was already there in her costume waving to me as i walked into the room
"RYYYYUUU-KUN" she yelled from the teachers desk. Hana was my best friend she had darker brown hair with deep blue eyes, her father was Papa's right hand man and also a wizard.
"Hi Hana, I like your costume."
"Thanks Ryu-kun, do you need help with yours?"
"No, I've got it" i said as i grabbed the costume from my cubby hole and walked to the bathroom, i pulled on the golden suit of armor, or a fabric look a like, and matching pants.
i also put on my fake ears which seemed to match my sandy brown hair, i looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, i was Leo the Lion, as i stepped out of the bathroom i saw that more of my classmateshad arrived and were now standing in line to put on there costumes i walked over to where Hana was sitting and sat down next to her we giggled and made jokes about everyones costume then the teacher told us to line up since the festival was about to start, we were to parade through the townsquare in front of all of the town while a small band played music that would start the Celestial Festival. But just as we were lining up a loud bang was here from outside, then another, that when the screaming start and in the middle of all that a ferocious howl could be.