Yer' A Lancer, Kid! (Or, You Are A Lancer In An Anime Fantasy Setting, Good Luck)

Alright, now that's done...

Water boy will make you wet~ (I couldn't help myself, I had to say it)

Edit: YOU SAW NOTHING!

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Elementalism is, when compared to the many other fields of the art, considered the most basic form of magic that can be performed by a Mage.

Compared to the requirements needed for the other fields, such as alchemy and golemancy, the field of elementalism is surprisingly straightforward, only requiring practice, will, and knowledge of the natural forces which are being wielded.

Of course, 'straightforward' didn't meant 'easy'; gods know how many inexperienced mages have lost their lives as a result of a failed spell, and even then, few people have ever managed to reach the pinnacle of what elementalism is truly capable of.

But in general, elementalism is considered relatively safe for beginners, and among the elements recommended for them, water is known as the 'safest' of all.

Losing control of fire? You might get burned; losing control of wind? You might get blown away; lose control of water? You get wet.

And so, under this logic, you began your steps as a mage by deciding to try and dominate the element of water!

And, as you watch the Mana turn into a steady flow of water, levitating just above your fingertips, you can't help but to think that you have taken those lessons very well...

A tiny grin appears in your lips as a thought pops in your head.

So well, that some might even say...

'Like a fish to the water, eh?' You chuckle.

Heh! Even in these trying times, it's great to know that your sense of humor is as impeccable as ever!

As you think of that, you can feel the first droplets forming on the palm of your hand, you see them gently raising, one by one, until levitating above your hand is a small ball of flowing water, small enough that you could hold it inside your hand.

Ha! Perfectly natural! Finally, you now need barely any concentration needed to do so! You can use Aquos as easily as breathing!

'Fantastic! Magnificent!' You look at your work, satisfied and filled with pride, for this is but the first step on your jourmey to greatness!

...And yet...

...For as much as you try to ignore it, there's a voice, a disgusting, taunting little voice in the back of your head that whispers poison in your ears.

'Accomplishment? This is but a novice's work! This is the easiest element! The safest! How do you dare to call it an accomplishment!?'

"Tch!" Try as you might, that part of you is right, this a very pathetic work, when one sees it from more experienced perspective, it is just a little... Ugh... Pathetic.

But! But, as you have been told before, the first step is always the hardest! So, now that you have conquered it, the rest will now be as easy as taking a stroll!

'So you say, but if this is what we have to show after all this time, then I fear for our future.' The Voice admonishes you.

'Gah! Silence!' You roar inside of your mind, 'Silence, I command!'

You 'tsk!' your tongue, irritation swelling inside your chest.

It doesn't make any sense! You should feel proud, you are a (newly trained) mage! You have learned how to summon the element of water, you can now shape it as a whip to strike your foes, cover your body, um, hand in a thick barrier of the liquid, you can even use it as a rope to grab things...! For a few seconds, yes, but still!

You should feel proud of your accomplishments! Yes, water is the easiest element to begin with, yes it isn't as flashy as fire or wind, and yes it isn't as impressive as it would be to dominate fire as your first element, but still...!

'But still...?'

"Ugh..." You dismiss the water, and fall on your back, looking at the ceiling.

'Its about that, isnt it?' You think to yourself, suddenly feeling far more tired than you should.

How long has it been since you arrived here? Four months? Five? What have you accomplished since then? Outside of just wasting your money that you took from the manor in that fateful night, you have done nothing to be proud of.

You wish for glory, authority, respect, power!

And yet, here you are, wasting away inside of your room, too fearful to take anything but the safe, pathetic work posted by people who have no one to help them to clean their homes, or take care of their children, or do some sort of public work or whatever.

Adventurer, you are not.

And now, you are on the verge of bankruptcy, without anything to show for it, this is all that you have amounted to...?

...

You breathe, inhale and exhale, focus your gaze on the ceiling.

'No.'

You can still turn this around, you can still reach for the greatness that you oh so deserve.

You stand up, take a moment to dust off your clothes,and walk towards the door outside, determination burning inside you.

"Alright then," you clech your fists, "today's the day." You nod to yourself as you open the door.

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You would love to say that you came to this city in the name of personal glory, having heard from your teacher about the dangers of adventuring and its great rewards and glory for those who came back.

You... Didn't. Like, at all.

This city, Karelia, was simply and plainly, the closest one that you cold run away to.

A city on the western frontier of the Kingdom of Zaria's domain, Karelia stood as a center of commerce, a military base, and a haven for those who had been recently cast aside by the world at large, with most of its of it's laws being enforced not by the milotary contingent of the kingdom, but by the Adventurer's Guild, as part of their deal with Zaria's upper echelon: no taxation and freedom to act, so long as they helped to protect the Kingdom's law and order and custodied their trade routes.

So, yes, Karelia is a city in which few ask for a name, last name, past, or anything of the sort! So long as you behaved, you would be welcomed!

...That said, it would be hard to deny that this makes its streets, or rather, it's back alleyways and shadowy corners into places where you can easily get fleeced of everything you own, were it be at the tip of a sharp blade, or by dancing to the tunes of silver tongued scammers and conmen.

Karelia was a city divided by it's two faces: on one hand, a prosperous haven amidst the wilderness and rampaging monsters in that lay further west, a thriving market which brings gold and strength to the kingdom, a sense of safety prevalent in it's main streets and a promise of a new beginning, no matter who you are.

On the other face, it revealed itself to be a haven for lowlifes and scum, a black market just as thriving as its main one, the safety of knowing that the guild and the military would look away so long as you behaved and restrained yourself to the shadows, and a promise of opportunity for those who wished for it.

...And, well, in your case, you will admit that perhaps, just in theory, you weren't what many would call... 'Street smart' and maybe, just maybe—

"Oooh? If it isn't the little lord! Truly, such a sight to my sore eyes in this long day." A scowl spreads through your face as your sight finally sets on the pitiful excuse for a merchant ever smiling face.

"Alphonse," you spat, "I feared that you would be here." Here, in front of the gates of the guild, under the light of the midday sun, whose seat of power resides in the very center of the city, you find yourself having to deal with this... Thing, yet again.

You had the terrible luck of meeting this horrific abomination against what is good by accident.

The day you first arrived into Karelia, you were in the unknown about the city's darker sides, and so, you unknowingly wandered into the darkest parts of it.

That's when you meet him, appearing before you, a charming smile on his face, looking oh so worried for your safety, he offered to tell you about a place to live, alongside a few pieces of 'cheap' equipment for you to get on your way.

At the moment, you were awestuck by what you thought was a man with a good heart offering you such help, and so, you accepted his offer.

Later that day, you would realize two things: one, that the 'cheap' equipment he sold you were ridiculously overpriced! You found that same kit four times cheaper that very same day!

And two, that place to reside he spoke off was a decrepit, horrible place for anyone to live, totally unfit to your standards!

Once you had the misfortune of finding him again, you demanded your money back, and what was his response? To look at you the same way one would at a particularly stupid child doing something amusing and then tell it was all 'a learning experience.'

You believe you would have committed a very serious crime if it hadn't been for his guards.

A criminal! A conman! An absolute monster who abuses of the fragile 'client-merchant' bond which lies at the heart of every social contract ever forged!

The merchant just keeps smiling, as if enjoying some twisted show, as he puts a hand over his chest, "Ah, you wound me! And here I thought we had something beautiful going on here, little lord," he wipes some nonexistent tears from his face, "but still, I believe our bonds of friendship will pull us through these hard times caused by your insensitivity." The look he gives you is the same one would give to a relative who has just been released from prison.

It bears to be noted, that smile of his has yet to leave his face.

You snort derisively, "As if I would ever be found dead being friends with the likes of you, conman!"

"Ah, yet again, you use that foul insult! How could you say that about poor little Alphonse!? I'm as honest as it can be! I'm a paragon of virtue! I'm no conman." He then has the gall to actually look innocent.

"Yes, absolutely" you roll your eyes so hard, one might fear they woukd go all the way inside your skull, "after all, it's not as if you took advantage of others dark moments, won't you!?"

"Precisely so." And the godsdammed merchant is still able to look straight into your eyes and say that, nodding to himself like that! "But now that we have cleared that up, I am under the obligation of asking you, how are you, my dear friend?" His signature smile widens ever so slightly the moment the word 'friend' leaves his lips, "you look awfully focused today, has something happened? Have you been victim to a life changing experience? Have you come to abandon the way of the adventurer?" Somehow, you can feel the smugness in his voice growing more and more for every word that leaves his lips.

You hate this man. You hate him so, so much...!

'Deep breaths, Kara, deep breaths...' Right, you musn't let this peddler get into your head like this.

You puff your chest, looking at the conman straight in the eye, "I am here for real work, conman." You take great care in emphasizing the last word.

He actually drops his smile at your proclamation, looking at you perplexed, "Really so?" He looks at you as if you had grown a second head.

"Well, yes!" Why is it a surprise that you are doing the work you singed up to do?

He does not respond, rather, his gaze shifts into honest curiosity, but before long, his smug smile and playful gaze are back to his face, "Well then, if such is your decision, then I wish you the best of luck, little lord!" Before you can leave, however, he adds one last thing, "Be sure to be careful! This place would become a little bit more boring if you were gone." Shifting into his guise of politeness, he waves farewell at you.

You shake your head, "Just who the hell do you think I am...?" Yo shake your head.

No matter, you will show him and everyone else, soon...

Not wanting to waste any more time, you head over to the doorway at the front and center of the building, and open the large doors that lead inside.

Immediately afterwards, you are assaulted by a cacophony of sounds which up until now had been muted from the outside by the thick walls of the building.

It is, as always, a very chaotic place, although you would be more than willing to admig that this would fall under a sort of 'controlled chaos': there's the natural group of drunkards in one of the many tables of the reception, small groups of people congregating together, from simply having a pleasant chat to actually enjoying dinner togther, and of course the classical sight of adventurers boasting their achievements to the others...

And yet, the employees of the guild remain in their posts, calm, professional smile plastered on their faces as they attend the rowdy bunch known as adventurers.

The shadowy, yet imposing figures sulkimg on the corners of the building make sure that the employees are able to mantain such calm demeanor, for it is their job to mantain the peace inside the building. The so called Enforcers.

You quickly make your way towards a plank of wood with multiple little papers pinned to it, surrounded by many other adventurers with thoughtful looks on their faces.

The well known bulletin board, also known as the request board, where the jobs are ripe for anyone to take.

"Alright, let's see... What should I do...?"

You look at all the requests on display, until you find one request that seemingly demands your attention.

[ ][REQUEST] INVESTIGATION: Apparently, there had been some mysterious disappearances in the nearby Loga forest; it has only been a few people and the place has always been rather peaceful, so this isn't considered a priority...

[ ][REQUEST] EXTERMINATION: Many merchant caravans have spoken of numerous monstrous creatures suddenly infesting the roads, which has made traveling to the city rather inconvenient; it has yet to cause any troubles and the creatures described are low ranked, and so, this isn't seen as a priority...

[ ][REQUEST] ESCORT: A certain elder citizen is asking for an escort in their yearly travel towards some close plains. Usually, they would do so alone, but with the sudden increase in monster activity and banditry, they would very much like someone who can defend them in case something happens...

"Alright then," You reach for the paper of the request...

Before you find another hand reaching towards that same paper.

"Huh?" You hear a voice at your side as you turn to see—

[ ][HERO] A young man with short blue hair and... No, wait, hold up a second...
[ ][HERO] A young girl with a long, flowing purple hair and green eyes.
[ ][HERO] A young girl with short brown hair and eyes.

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