Chapter 2 - The State of the New World
Manuel
The chunk of Aptonoth was still warm, wet, and soggy as Manuel kneaded the lump of meat in his hands. Every time he squeezed on it, a little bit of liquid would find its way down the side of his hands. Manuel tossed it in the air, catching it with a loud slap as the chunk of meat found its way back in his hands. More liquid escaped and crawled onto the back of his hand. Manuel could feel the oils create a massive, greasy drop when it joined with the rest of the juice that escaped the inch-thick cut of meat.
When Manuel first started working at the Monster Den, it was always the texture of the meat that got to him. It was not the sour smells from the stacks upon stacks of meat to be prepared and fed to the captive monsters. It was not the primal fear that gripped the corners of his mind, threatening to take over his body and mind, whenever he stood face to face with Tigrex or Rathalos. It was always the smell of uncooked meat. Manuel's stomach tossed and turned as an instinctive urge called upon him to cook it and enjoy the cut like a modern man. Through pure willpower and nearly a decade of desensitization, Manuel almost was comfortable with the raw meat texture. Almost.
Manuel held the cut in front of a massive iron cell that towered nearly 25 yards above him. Thick, impenetrable rods of tempered steel fused with malachite ore interlocked vertically and horizontally with each other to form an unbreakable weave of metal. Every intersection was studded with a simple knob that only further solidified the cell wall's strength. Nothing could get out. Nothing could get in, save the inch-thick cut of meat squirming in Manuel's fingers.
Manuel tossed the strip of meat inside with the precision gained through thousands of throws. A black beak emerged from the shadows of the cell and clamped down in a swift, single motion. The monster in the cage had finally revealed itself, after being goaded out by the smells and sound of its dinner.
As the monster chewed on the relatively thin strip of meat, the rest of its massive black body revealed itself as it entered the tessellated shadows of the iron bars. It's fur, smooth and jet-black, ran from the monster's jagged beak down the length of its long scaly tail. The monster kicked its hindlegs from under it and laid on its side. The smooth scales of its underbelly sucked in the dim light; the color contrasting the dark fur with a lighter shade of black. The monster swallowed its food with such content and bliss that made the creature seem like a living contradiction, a primal danger posed by its body crossing paths with it enjoying a serene, peaceful meal. Perhaps it was the fearsome scythes that lined the edges of the pseudo wings along its forearms. It walked up to the edge of the cage with soft eyes that begged for another strip of meat.
Manuel gripped another piece of meat, wincing a bit as it deformed between his fingers, then tossing it into the cage again. This time, he threw it near the top of the cage, where the metal weave met reinforced concrete and steel. The monster jumped up. One that had never seen a Nargacuga leap towards its prey before would have been shocked at the speed and intensity of the leap. It bit down into the fresh cut of meat and immediately smashed into the rocky roof of its cell. It fell on its back. The monster padded its head and growled in frustration. Manuel laughed.
"Toying with the monsters again, meowster?" said an irritated voice.
The round, pudgy felyne stared daggers at Manuel. She had had enough of his shenanigans by now.
"Peaches, I'm not 'toying with him.' You've seen us do this every day. And how could you resist that face?" Manuel said, gesturing towards the Nargacuga peacefully tearing into the strip of Aptonoth.
Peaches was indeed able to resist it, though. Her normally soft, droopy ears had hardened with the deep scowl on her face. Manuel had always been one of her best workers, but his only competition was the lazy felynes that weren't able to fulfill other, more important roles in Astera. It was a very low bar to pass. Much to Peaches' discontent, Manuel's workday always ended whenever he started to play around with the Nargacuga in the cage.
Then, she smiled, "Well, if you want to play around. Go ahead"
"Are you trying to say you're not upset at me slouching today? Wow, what a surprise."
"Ah-ha. It's because we both know this is the monster's last day here. Let me make myself purr-fectly clear when I say this: that Will-boy will end that monster in the Arena tomorrow," She said, a sinister grin appearing on her warm, fuzzy face. "Don't look so sad, meowster, I'll finish your work for the day. Maybe that'll let you enjoy the monster's last day here. M'kay, Meowster?"
Manuel's sunny expression dimmed. As Peaches' began pushing the cart of meat to the next cell, Manuel thought of tomorrow. It was the last day of the annual A-lister exam. Unlike the years before, only three other hunters had been able to pass the arena test. And unlike the years before, Manuel couldn't keep the monster from the arena based on the excuse that it was too small. Whatever Manuel tried to do, Will was going to fight the Nargacuga in his A-lister exam the following morning.
Manuel sat on the gravel in front of the cell, staring into the cage. The monster lumbered over to the side of the cage and sat down behind the metal weave of its cell. If not for the loose gravel that shifted with the daily cleaning and sweeping, an imprint their bodies would have been etched into those same positions from all the times they sat there before.
They started this little tradition of watching and waiting four years ago when the Nargacuga first arrived in Astera. A group of hunters had spent over a day tracking and hunting down a Yian Gargua. Their assignment had taken a heavy toll out of their stamina, so they spent the night at one of the campsites. That's when the monster had attacked their camp. More specifically, that's when the monster had attacked their food crate. The following morning, no one had noticed the mysteriously heavy ration box as they transported the remains of the Yian Garuga on the return trip.
Their handler had found the monster sound asleep in their supplies after the group arrived back at Astera. Not knowing what to do, they let a researcher take the monster into his private quarters. The research team was ecstatic, considering they had never had the opportunity to perform live observations on a pre-adolescent monster. They kept the monster hidden from the rest of the guild for a brief time. A live monster was too valuable to just throw into the arena. Unfortunately, their fears came to light when the 7th Fleet Commander heard the monster cries from a wyverian's house. The researchers argued that the monster releasing the monster would set it up to die alone in the forest, but the 7th was adamant that a researcher could not house a monster. It was too dangerous.
The very next day, the Nargacuga arrived in the Monster Den and met Manuel. The monster had refused to come out of the shadow-covered corners of its cell at first, not knowing if the man with the squishy meat was a friend or an enemy. Peaches had wanted to let the monster starve. Let the ungrateful die, she would always say. It took Manuel three weeks of coaxing to get the monster to eat in front of him.
For Manuel, at least initially, it was his best shot at avoiding cleaning the soiled cells or pushing the heavy cart of meat for other monsters. He would sit down in front of the cage and wait for the Nargacuga to cautiously put one step in front of the other until it found itself eating out of Manuel's hand. Then, the two would just sit together, enjoying each other's companionship.
Their routine continued to this day, with some minor differences. The monster had grown nearly three times its original size. Once the Nargacuga got too big, Peaches and the other Palicos working in the Den began giving Manuel earfuls about how the monster would bite his hand off one day. Manuel shrugged it off but stopped letting the monster eat from his hands, leading the two to begin the game they had now.
Though they were near inseparable, Manuel was not so aloof that he failed to understand the reality of their relationship. The Nargacuga was, at its very core, a monster. Manuel was not oblivious to the looks the Nargacuga gave hunters and Palicos that visited the Den as they gloated over their captured monsters. He could see it, the bitter embers of a slow-burning resentment, growing behind the monster's amber eyes as it grew into a young adult. It knew the men with metal swords, shields, and guns were dangerous. Part of Manuel wished he could go back to simpler times when the monster was a child. Still, Manuel knew better than that.
Heavy metal steps echoed down the Monster Den, reaching into the empty cells and stirring the few monsters residing in the Den. Manuel stood up and looked down the long corridor to the exit. A tall, well-built man donning a heavy suit of armor strutted down the hall. The red leather panels draped down from the shoulder to show the proud fleet commission emblem. He wore the commission issued slinger on his left arm and a dark, eltalite shield on his right. A fearsome sword hung on his side and singled against the chainmail as the hunter walked towards will. He stood nearly a head taller than Manuel. The hunter smiled when he saw Manuel, offering his hand. Manuel grabbed his hand and stood up.
Manuel looked into the hunter's eyes and frowned, "Will, you seem like you've seen a ghost."
Will shifted his feet as he tried to push the anxiousness that reeked out of him back inside himself. Will's irises dashed back and forth across his eye, bouncing between Manuel and the monster in the cage. He closed his eyes and took a quick breath. Then he gleamed with such confidence it seemed as if he could take on a horde of monsters by himself.
"Manny, Manny, Manny. My man. Can I tell you something? No, don't say anything, because I am going to say it: I am ready to crush this exam," Will said.
Manuel laughed, "Really? So this must explain the hour-long conversation we had last week about you 'never being able to graduate the B-list'?"
"Hey, we agreed to not bring that up again, so long as I pay for our extravagant meal today," Will said, wagging his finger. He brought his fingers to his lips and loudly kissed them. Then, with a funny accent, said, "And Manuel says, 'Oh Will. You're so great and brave. How can a slug, like myself, ever repay you?' And then I say, 'It's simple, my friend. You watch me destroy that monster in the arena, tomorrow."
Will unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the cage, aiming the tip of his blade between the monster's eyes. The Nargacuga stood forward and began to growl, knowing full well what being at the end of a blade meant.
"Hey, hey, let's not get too hasty," Manuel stammered. He stepped in front of Will and pushed the sword down. "You have a big fight tomorrow. No need to get ahead of yourself."
Will tilted his head. "Manuel, you know, you are always so quick to come to the defense of these monsters. And THAT monster in particular."
"No, no, no. You misunderstand me. I take care of all the monsters here."
"Then, how does this one stay here for four years while the others come and go by the end of the month? Is this thing your pet?"
"No, it's not my pet. It is just a monster."
"Oh, good. I mean, I'm going to have to kill it tomorrow, so I was worried how that would make you feel." Will said. Will noticed Manuel sadden as soon as he said these words. Will decided to lighten the mood.
"Manuel, did you know I am also somewhat of a detective?"
Manuel shook his head, confused.
"Ah, yes, what do we have here?" Will inspected the print that Manuel left in the ground outside Nargacuga's cage. He squatted down, tracing the outline of the print with his finger. Will said, "Hm. Judging by the size of this and the shape, there can be only one logical conclusion. You clearly have been skimping out on your leg exercises!"
Manuel punched Will.
"Huzzah!" Will exclaimed, "I have cracked the case!"
The two of them broke out in laughter. Though the circumstances were different on this day, these conversations were part of their routine. Will usually came into the Den after he had finished his daily assignment. The visits were always a breath of fresh air to the dim cavern that housed the monsters. Even with holes bored into the ceiling to allow sunlight into the cave and torches lighting the sides, the concrete and rock that lined the side of the walls had an odd way of sucking the life out of the room. Furthermore, having only a few monsters in the monster den rather than the dozen that they normally maintain didn't help either. Most of the monsters had already been offered as trials and tests for young hunters in the annual exams this year, leaving only the Nargacuga, a Rathian, and an Odogaron.
When the two stopped arguing about who had been in better shape and who could definitely wrestle with a Rajang, Manuel began to think about Will fighting in the Arena. Will would be facing off against the Nargacuga in the cage behind him the next day.
"Will," Manuel began, "You don't have to do this."
"What do you mean?" Will asked.
"Risk everything to become an A-lister. The B-list is fine. You still get to hunt some of the dangerous monsters. The only difference would be that you're under supervision rather than in-charge."
Will sighed, "I'm doing this because I want to, Manuel. In fact, I can give you a reason why I'm not doing it. I'm not -"
Manuel cut Will off, "You don't have to be a hunter because your mom is the sapphire star."
"Manuel!" Will shouted. His eyes were enraged but quickly died down into quiet agreement, "I know, Manuel. And that's why I can tell you that I'm doing this for myself."
The two sat in silence. Though the pause in their conversation only lasted a few seconds, it felt like it had been stretched to minutes. Will had spent endless hours agonizing over this same conversation. These same thoughts.
"Will, you are not your mother. You are Will. That's all you need to be."
"Manuel, if you say that, then you should get it. I don't need to have a say in my future if this is who I want to be. I am the son of the sapphire star and I am proud of that. I am going to be a hunter. That is who I am."
They stood in place, reflecting on who they were and who they wanted to be. Then, they made a promise. They made a promise to stand up for each other when the other had fallen. To lift each other up and to help each other grow. To fight anyone that dared cross the other. They engraved the promise in their hearts with a handshake and a fistbump.
The other two monsters started roaring, just now smelling and hearing the sounds of the two friends. That's when the roars began. The cries of the monsters echoed off the walls and shook loose gravel off the ceilings. Every reverberation the roars from the walls shook Will and Manuel to the core. The round, pudgy Peaches was absolutely infuriated at the racket.
"You meowsters need to leave, NOW!" Peaches said, standing atop the cart of meat. She walked towards the monsters with sleep darts, muttering about the future being doomed and the boys being ingrates.
The two walked away from the Nargacuga's cage. The two crossed empty cage after empty cage on their path to the exit of the Monster Den. Walking through the corridor always left Manuel with a sense of awe, knowing that a group of people had created everything in the Den. From the cement walls to the interlocking bars, man had etched itself into the mountainside when they created the Monster Den. Yet, the fantastic cavern had now let off a sense of unease, like that of an abandoned house.
The two left the Den, leaving Peaches to figure out how to calm the monsters down. The Rathian and Odogaron continued to roar at each, trying to establish their respective claim to a territory despite being confined to their cells. However, the Nargacuga did not join them, like it normally would have on any other day. The monster could feel it. Things were going to change.
The fall of Seliana had been the catalyst for change within the Research Commission. Refugees from the city arrived in boats charred by ice, barely able to float on its own. The few that openly spoke of the incident were possessed with the special kind of madness only found at the brink of death. An older handler had seen entire packs of thick-skinned and furred wulg frozen solid, but they were laughing at her and the colors of their coats shifted from black and white to green to blue to grey. A researcher was frantically tending towards a hunter, who was suffering from an irregular form of hypothermia. The felynes aboard the ship said the warm and hearty food from the Seliana kitchen tasted bizarrely cold, claiming it burned their mouths while also freezing it shut. The only thing consistent among all accounts was the rapid formation of massive blue claws of ice that tore into the shops and buildings built by the residents of Seliana.
Two things were made clear after accounting for all the scattered and contradictory statements. First, the 6th Fleet Commander and the A-list hunters were lost. In vain, the commission sent messenger Palicos and Cortos to the Hoarfrost to scout for the remains of the previous star hunters. They never returned. Second, the failure of the 6th fleet to protect Seliana made it clear to the research commission that their hunters were ill-equipped to deal with the novel threats of the new world. The 7th fleet would need to become better, stronger, and more versatile than those before them. They needed someone to restore Seliana to its former glory. After a year-long search, it was clear that only one candidate could lead the 7th Commission: the former sapphire star of the 5th fleet.
As soon as she arrived in the new world, she made dramatic changes. The first and most significant change the 7th Fleet Commander made was to instate a graduation program to facilitate the growth of young hunters. Every four years, hunters could progress through four different "lists": The C-List, the B-List, the A-list, and the S-list. To progress to higher lists, the hunters would need to fulfill a variety of tasks based on their list. Then, they would be able to take one final graduation exam every four years to progress to the next list.
At the age of 12, any able body individual can enlist into the C-list so long as they fulfill basic physical requirements. This ensured that even basic recruits could wield something as heavy as a greatsword or heavy bowgun. C-list hunters take on low-rank quests and spend most of their time gathering rare materials or killing small monsters from various locales surrounding Manuel's home, Astera. The more experienced and mature C-listers were assigned to quests with assistance from a B-list hunter to track down and kill large, low-threat monsters like Great Jagras or Tobi-Kadachi. By the end of these four years, even the most hot-headed hunters had been trained and molded into soldiers of Astera.
Eight years ago, Will and Manuel both signed up as soon as they were allowed to become hunters. However, Will was the only one that progressed to the next ranking, the B-list.
B-list hunters are given more responsibility and are permitted to take on high-rank quests. This allows them to lead groups of C-listers for weaker large monsters, such as Great Jagras or Paolumus. More importantly, It also allows them to form groups of four to hunt more dangerous large monsters, such as Diablos or Rathalos. Most hunters in this rank plateau at this rank. Some settled down and started families, leading them to choose easier quests out of fear of getting injured or killed. Others find another passion in their life, such as researching the ever-changing ecosystem or sailing to other new, distant cities in the New World.
Those that show remarkable fighting prowess are permitted to join the few dozen hunters that populate the A-list. A-listers are celebrities within the Commission, having both the strength and smarts to take on any monster. Most people train their entire lives aspiring to join the A-list, but few people make it. Those that are on the A-list are truly fearsome hunters capable of taking on any monster.
However, even A-listers are forbidden from fighting elder-dragon level threats alone. It would be foolish to send in a lone hunter against monsters capable of leveling an entire ecosystem. Although rare, these monsters regularly bring entire teams of A-listers to the limits of their talents in their fight to take down. Quest failure rates are astonishingly high compared to other A-list assignments. For example, reports of a Teostra disrupting the Wildspire Waste region required two separate teams of four to take down.
Only three hunters in the New World have been granted permission to take on these monsters alone. They are the legends of the research commission, the S-list hunters. Of the trio that received the honor of becoming an S-lister, only one of them is currently among the people of Astera. It is the 7th Fleet Commissioner, Ramona Champlain.
The second major change following the arrival of the 7th Commission was the expansion of Astera's borders. Though the dense trees and vines under the Great Tree of the Ancient forest to Astera's west proved to be impenetrable, Astera grew into the Magnaros Ridge, the mountainsides bordering Astera's north created by Zorah Magnaros, and the Southern Hills, the dry grassy hillside bordering Astera and the Wildspire Wastelands. The expansion was extremely costly to the Research Commission, which had been forced to merchant families and renowned hunters to fund the operation. Nonetheless, the growth of Astera ensured the 7th Fleet had the few vital resources it needed: trade and people.
The old wooden and iron pier built by the 5th Fleet looked like a rotting mess in comparison to the grand stone walls surrounding the castle and city square built to its east. Most of the new arrivals in Astera lived within the safe walls surrounding the city. There, flourishing trade had kept the city square near constantly filled with hunters and handlers of the 5th fleet and merchants and new arrivals from the old world.
The plaza and surrounding streets had quite possibly everything imaginable. Rare metals from the old world were sold alongside the exquisite rocks found in the Guiding lands. Smiths had moved the bulk of their sales from the old Astera hub to the main city, selling and melding weapons crafted from rare monsters. Merchants sold fancy outfits, lined with rare fabrics and cloth weaved from the colors, scales, and coatings from the rare abyssal lagiacrus to the fearsome beast Lunastra.
Most individual quarters have moved inside the city walls. The citizens of Astera no longer needed to live in cramped, moist quarters that the people of the 5th Fleet lived in. Towering complexes made of stone and wood were scattered about the various city blocks. They housed the busy and extravagant shops, restaurants, and eclectic services on the first floors that attracted so many to Astera. Above those, the various merchants, handlers, and travelers lived inside the relatively pleasant apartments within city walls.
However, as much as the city around Astera had grown and changed with the times, the main hub of Astera had remained nearly the same throughout time, save the stone building taking the place of the former table of the 5th Fleet Command Center. The central hub was still filled with hunters, handlers, and sailors. Merchant sailors threw out hilariously high prices only to be countered by an equally ridiculously low number by various hunters, gradually finding their way to a happy middle price for a small potion. Hunters flocked to the old wyverian standing on a strange purple pot, tossing in hard-earned materials in exchange for either useless or extremely valuable ones. Even after all these years, the old wyverian refused to let others know the secret of the pot. Handlers and their hunters rolled down the stairs after gorging themselves on the meals prepared by the kitchen higher up the waterfall that roared in the background, pouring into an ocean visible in the gaps between the wooden and iron pier. Towering over the organized chaos of the hub was the botanical garden, growing varieties of bugs, flowers, and seeds for the fantastic concoctions brewed up for every hunter's quest.
Will and Manuel walked into this hub from a doorway adjacent to the massive iron gate behind the researcher platform. There, the white coats frantically scrawled down note after note of a recently captured Banbaro. Though they normally didn't have much time to study each monster, they were caught by surprise by the arrival of this Banbaro. An A-lister had captured one out of spite for interrupting one of his assignments.
The dirt path edged around the platform skirted around the platform, leading to the main hub. The two walked up the long winding staircase to the kitchen, where Will flashed a gourmet voucher to the chef. The massive, horrifically muscular Meowster chef smiled and took the voucher. He cooked up a massive feast, using the freshest cuts of meats from various herbivores and large monsters throughout the New World. Only the best for one with a gourmet voucher.
The entrancing smell and glistening meal had attracted other hunters to Will and Manuel's table. The two had been inhaling their food so ferociously that they hadn't noticed the two young C-listers donning the standard iron armor given to recruits. The two C-listers sit down at their table.
One of them broke Will and Manuel from their food spell, "My name is Marcus and I want to be a great hunter like you!"
"Huh?" Will looked up, speaking with a mouth full of Glavenus thigh.
"Yeah!" The other hunter, Mike, said, "We're going on a quest and we want you to tell us how you always do it."
Will swallowed his food and spoke up, "What do you mean?"
Marcus made swift cutting motions with his hands, "Slice up the monster with the sword and-"
"Bash it in with your shield!" Mike finished, smashing the table for emphasis. Then he said, "Tell us what an A-lister would do!"
"Boys, I'm not an A-lister yet," Will said. A small glint appeared in Will's eyes. Manuel groaned, knowing full well what was to come and started eating again.
"But, HO-HO!" Will stood atop his wooden stool and put a foot on the table, rattling the food and spilling Manuel's ale onto his lap. Will said, "Allow me to tell you of a valiant fight, one that truly defines the spirit of what the A-list will and always has meant to be!"
The two young boys sat, already completely entranced by Will's fantastic tale.
"There I was, fending off a Rathian who had been reported attacking groups of C-listers during their gathering quests. I had it on the ropes, the fight was not even close. Every time it would go for an attack, I would counter with a slice of my sword or a bash with my shield. That's when I heard it. The mighty roar of a Rathalos and the beating of its evil wings. Now, what would be the best thing to do in this type of situation?
"Fight them both!" Mike said.
"Are you crazy, Mike. The Rathalos would cook you alive. You can't fight them both." Marcus said.
"You're both right," Will said, "We are smarter than these monsters. So what did I do? I enraged them both and the monsters followed me to a hollowed-out section of the Great Tree. Once the two were in, they couldn't fly nor could they fight without hitting each other. So beating them was as easy as angering them off until they were so mad that they killed each other for me. I dodged tail swings and fireballs, tossing in savages slash and heavy bashes whenever I could. After four hours of fighting, the two monsters finally were defeated and I was victorious. So what do you think of that story? You kids need to use your head if you hunt these things."
Will sat down, proud of himself and his wild tale, as the boys reflected on his question. Manuel had nearly finished the meat platter and began moving onto the fruit that lined the outside when Marcus spoke up.
"That's so cool! I wish I was an amazing hunter like you." He said.
"One day, kid." Will laughed.
Mike was not impressed though. "That wasn't that cool. The 7th would have fought them together in the open, like a brave hunter."
This infuriated Will. "Then you don't know what you're talking about! She's not as great as you think!" Will shouted, flipping Manuel's fruit plate off the table.
"Will, stop," Manuel said.
Will didn't listen. "All those legends you hear about her, are legends. Legends. That means fake. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Fake"
The boys were frightened, scooting back to the far end of their stools. Manuel thought that Mike had started to cry a little. Manuel stood up and walked over to the boys. He kneeled and wiped the tear that had started to form in Mike's eye.
"Hey now, Will's trying to say that...," Manuel paused, thinking of what to say. "He's trying to say that legends are there to inspire us. Everyone has someone they look up to and someone they want to become. Someone to believe in."
Mike sniffled, "Really?"
"Yeah. Now, you should head out on your quest. You don't want to keep your B-lister waiting."
Marcus spoke up, "Yeah, Mike. Let's go. The B-lister doesn't want us here anymore."
The two boys got up and ran down the stairs, leaving Will and Manuel to clean up the fruit that splattered the floor. A thin orange Palico had walked up to help the two, but Manuel shooed her away. The two finished cleaning up their mess and sat down at the table again.
"Will," Manuel said.
"I know," Will interrupted, "I just… I keep hearing people spouting lies and I can't stand it. Hearing people saying wrong things. Saying they know my mom. Like she's some great hero. I know what she's really like"
"But she IS a great hero, Will. She saved Astera. She saved Seliana."
"Well look where that got the Commission now, Manuel. Seliana is gone. And everyone acts like having her in charge will prevent the same thing from happening again. Some hero will rise and save Astera. Save Seliana. She's not letting that happen!"
"Will, I think you're just tired."
"Are you serious, Manny? You know she has blocked me every step of the way. I mean think about it. Really good assignments getting passed to other people; people that don't deserve it. Me not being able to go hunt the more dangerous monsters with the other new A-listers. The ones that passed the A-List exam this year. They got there because my mom didn't interfere with them. I had way more obstacles put in place because of my mom."
"Will, it's going to be okay. When you're an A-lister, you won't have to listen to anyone. You can join any quest you want. You won't have to live under your mother's shadow, anymore."
Will sighed, "Yeah. I guess you're right."
"It's getting late, Will. We should get some sleep tonight before tomorrow."
The two young men finished cleaning up their plates and handed it off to the Grand Meowster chef. They walked down the winding staircase, without saying a word. When they reached the main hub, Will and Manuel gave a weak goodbye to each other before heading in different directions.
Will headed down a craggy path that led to his private quarters. Since arriving, the 7th fleet commander's private quarters were placed smack dab in the center of the city. Will passed through the town, waving to the various townsfolk that recognized him. The rising star, they would say. Will kept his thought about that to himself as he climbed to the top of his housing complex. The Champlain's lived at the top of the complex that overlooked the central square, giving him a view of the torchlit town and the handful of people still wandering about the city.
Manuel walked along the outside edge of the city until he found a house, tucked inside the few bundles of forest that remained in Astera. Despite the massive development surrounding the city, his grandfather's house remained untouched. The same beaten, dirt path still led up to the warped door. He entered into the barebones house and flopped into his bed, tearing his leather outfit off and tucking himself into his bed in a single, concerted motion.
The sunset covered Astera in the shade of night. The two young men tried to get some sleep. The two of them both tucked themselves in the sheets and shut their eyes, waiting for tomorrow. Still, the anticipation of the following day kept them wide awake. Deep in their hearts, they knew the consequences of the A-lister exam. The next day would shape the rest of their lives.
A/N: Thank you for reading. Feedback always appreciated.