Journal of Ronald Peter Venendez ch.3

I walked at least eight steps out of the guild and yelled, "Yes!" I was excited for the first time in six years. There was only one problem, I wanted to get a house and get a life before I would just go on a long adventure and get my family back. Besides, I would have no money for food, all I had was strength potions. Maze told me there was a lot of training in the real world. He also recommended that I train more on my magic.

I didn't know where to go first, but I remembered that Maze gave me a map and told me to go to Fleeville, a town a little east of the guild, to get a job. When I first walked in the town gate, I saw an arena, and a training area, and that’s when I thought to train there later after I get a house. I had to find work first. It would probably take me a while to get enough money to buy a house. On the way to Fleeville, I was wondering what I could possibly do.

When I got to Fleeville, I started looking in the pubs and shops for a job. I went to the Barbershop. Michael the barber offered me a job. He wanted me to clean up after him, but he was a messy cutter. Besides, I wouldn't get paid enough. I went to another pub and the bartender said that the restaurant across the street needed a chef. I didn't even know what a chef was.

I went across the street to talk to the owner of the two-story restaurant. As I went around to the back, right before I saw the owner, I saw a sign that read "Leo's Kitchen." I asked him, "Is your name really Leo?" He told me it was really Thomas. I asked him what a chef was; he told me it was a cook. He asked me if I knew any cooks that would be willing to work for him for a good price. I told him that I could cook and would be willing to work almost full time. He accepted my offer and said that there was a guest room that I could live in upstairs until I got my own house!

My first day at work was hectic, there were at least one hundred customers there that day, and I had to cook roast beef, pork, salmon, and even trout! By sunset, I made more than 600 gold pieces. A house costs 60,000 gold pieces. Only about four months to go!

Through the next six weeks, I was getting better at my job. I got promoted to manager! I got to do every job: cook, serve, and even clean. I got paid almost twice as much as I did when I first started working at "Leo's Kitchen." Over those weeks I met at about a thousand people!

I met a new best friend; his name was Lawrence. His hometown was Erosa, a small town a little north of Fleeville, which was an easy target for bandits. He would have worked in Erosa, but that town was so small, he had nowhere to work! Lawrence worked with me for a few weeks but then Thomas fired him. Lawrence was the funniest person I've ever met. He also used to make jokes. Unfortunately, a week after he got fired, he was killed in a bandit raid in Erosa. I miss him already. I wouldn't cry, what good would it be to do that.

After the next six weeks, I finally had enough money to buy a new house. I first went to Maple Street, since Thomas said there were lots of houses on Maple Street that were for sale. I found one house that I liked. It was a one-story house. After I paid the man, I went to Thomas and quit! He gave me all my stuff, and I packed it all into my new house!

I wanted to get to the arena and training area first thing in the morning. When I got up I ate and headed out. Once I got to the training area, I met the trainer. His name was Andrew. He told me I didn't need any training on combat, so I asked him for magic training. He sent me to the other side of the training area to talk to a man named Seereas.

Seereas taught me how to do many attack spells, surround spells, and my personal favorite, physical spells. Attack spells are, of course, used for an attack. To use an attack spell you had to concentrate on the target, and keep your right eye closed, and then yell the attack. One example of an attack spell is a fire bolt which knocks the enemy out, then sets them on fire.

Surround spells were the hardest. To use surround spells, you have to concentrate on the targets (more than one), close both eyes and yell the attack, like "Force push!" A force push knocks all the enemies around you off their feet. Force push is my favorite surround spell.

The easiest kind of spell is the physical spell. To use the physical spell you would have to concentrate on the target, keep both eyes open, clear your mind and think of a spell. You actually get to make your own spell. I made up "mind push" which cleared all the minds of the people within twenty feet in distance.

The trainer and I became really good friends. We often celebrated my accomplishments and eventually my leaving over a pint. The day that I was to leave, he asked me if he could go with me to get my family back. He was a better mage than me. I asked him if he was sure about that, since it would be a dangerous trip and he had a family. He said, "It would be an honor." That was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

We got out of the pub and headed for the trader’s shop. We talked to the shop owner and he had 23 strength potions. He also had mage power potions. Mage power potions were to give you energy to use more magic. When you use magic, you get fatigued, which gets annoying, that's where magic power potions come in. I bought two magic power potions and ten strength potions. I also bought myself a new leather cuirass and some boots.

After Seereas got his stuff packed and said goodbye to his wife and kids, we set off. That’s when I felt like a real hero!