Finn opened the letter Amelia had given him with the mission information as he walked alongside Darwin toward the bridge over the Great Cliff. It was 4:30 in the morning, the sun hadn't risen yet, but Finn and Darwin decided to leave early.
"So? What does it say?" Darwin asked, yawning.
"You know, the usual stuff. Highly coordinated goblins attacking adventurers from the shadows, sightings of hobgoblins and ogres cooperating together... and a strange goblin that can use magic. Nothing new," Finn replied, putting the letter away.
"Tch, can't they be more specific? I mean, it's always the same. 'Goblins were sighted in the forest across the Great Cliff,' but where the hell were they seen? The forest stretches into the lands of three different kingdoms!" Darwin exclaimed angrily.
"Yeah, they're never specific about locations..." Finn confirmed.
Finn and Darwin continued walking for hours until they reached a familiar fallen tree. The two stared in disbelief at the tree in the middle of the road, since in all this time no one had deigned to move it.
"Seriously, no one wanted to take the time to move it?" Darwin wondered, astonished.
"I think so. I mean, it's impossible no one has seen it. Some adventurers passed by here just a few days ago," Finn said.
Extending his hands, Finn struggled, pulling the tree with his telekinesis while Darwin helped him push it. In the end, the two managed to move the tree to the side of the road.
"Ugh, it's still as heavy as before..." Darwin said, wiping his sweat. "Although, why did you use your telekinesis and not your hands? Isn't it easier?"
"Actually, no. The day I was training my telekinesis, I discovered that once you fully develop it, you can exert a force 1.5 times greater than your normal strength," Finn said, surprising Darwin.
"Really? And why isn't that in the books?" Darwin asked.
"I think they just didn't know… in fact, I think there's a lot of this magic they haven't discovered yet," Finn said, looking at the palm of his hand. 'I wonder if I can develop this ability to the point of being able to use tactile telekinesis? That's a magic I definitely want to have…' Finn thought.
"That's very likely true. After all, there are still many magics that are constantly being developed, and other magics that have been discovered and quickly abandoned" Darwin affirmed, believing Finn.
"I hope so. I have high hopes of developing this magic…" Finn said.
The two continued on their journey, as it would take them three days to reach the bridge over the great cliff.
—
At the Freewalker Guild, Cristel finished packing the last box of clothes into one of the guild's unoccupied rooms. Amelia, who was lying in bed, looked at Cristel with her typical bored look, not even offering to help. "I didn't think you'd bring Finn's things to the guild yourself," Amelia said.
"Well, he didn't have that many things to call someone to help me. I barely filled these two boxes with all of his belongings," Cristel said. "Although I'm surprised they left so early, I wanted to say goodbye."
"Yeah, they said something about wanting to finish the mission as quickly as possible" Amelia replied. "Although, what surprises me is that you're so determined to help Finn. Why are you doing it? Until not long ago, he was nothing more than a stranger to you."
"For many reasons, beign honest" Cristel replied as she lay down on the bed next to Amelia. "Finn, like Darwin, has incredible potential to be a great adventurer, I'd say even greater than mine."
Amelia rolled her eyes at Cristel's response and turned to look her straight in the eyes.
"Ugh, you're just like the master. You two always answer with the same thing. What the hell do you mean by potential? Because if I remember correctly, at their age you were already a B-class adventurer, while they're still D-class" Amelia said, frustrated. "Even I was already C-class."
"HAHA, don't confuse talent with a person's potential," Cristel laughed. "Although you're right that I'm more talented than them. Even Merlin himself said I was the most talented adventurer the Freewalker Guild has seen in the last 200 years… But tell me, Amelia, what good is so much talent if my maximum potential is only reaching A-class?" Cristel asked seriously.
"I don't think I understand…" Amelia said, confused.
"A person's talent lies in the speed at which they grow to reach their maximum power, their full potential. Potential, on the other hand, lies in a person's ability to grow and develop. In other words, talent is only the speed at which an adventurer can grow and develop their maximum abilities, while potential determines how much power we can achieve. That's something established since the era of the great tree, the seed of life." Cristel affirmed. "I can feel it, Amelia. I can feel my body reaching its limits. My muscles, magic, my anima—everything in me feels so full, as if there were no room for anything else. And that drives me crazy, knowing that at such a young age I won't be able to grow any further… The same thing you felt when you obtained your new anima, wasn't it?" Cristel asked, surprising Amelia.
"So that was it… When Merlin told me I could recreate an anima, I felt an enormous joy. I believed my life as an adventurer would continue. However, when I was finally able to recreate it, I felt so full and empty at the same time. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see any change, no matter how much I trained and fought." Amelia said sadly. "At first, I thought it was just a matter of time before everything returned to normal, but then the mission happened where I was attacked by the renegades, and that's when I turned to Merlin. He informed me that my anima could no longer grow because it wasn't the original one. He told me that I only had the capacity to have the exact same power I had before my original anima was taken from me… That's happening to you, right? You're reaching your peak."
"That's right. I estimate that once I reach Class A, my body and magic will no longer be able to fulfill my heart's desires" Cristel said. "But they're different. I can feel it. Grandfather could feel it too. That's why he chose them as explorers. They'll grow slowly, but with enough time and effort, their potential will take its toll, and then their talents will explode like no other."
"But what do you gain from all this? Why do you help them so much?" Amelia asked.
"Well, like I said before, there are many reasons behind this, and I want you to know that my help is genuine. I want to see them grow as adventurers," Cristel said, smiling slightly, but then she put on a more dreamy look. "But to be honest, I also have hope that one of them will help me overcome this problem somehow."
"Overcome the problem?" Amelia asked.
"That's right. I think if I can help them grow as adventurers and then we team up, then I too can acquire at least a little of that enormous potential they have…" Cristel said excitedly.
"I don't think it will work that way, Cristel" Amelia admitted.
"I don't care. I have to try at least. I won't stand idly by and watch my youth fade away while I remain a mere A-class member" Cristel said determinedly. "And that's why I will help Finn understand the world better. I can't allow someone like him to be consumed and overwhelmed by the ways of this world, not when I'm here to help him."
"You know, that tone you use when you say you can help him irritates me a little. It's like you're saying I don't have the necessary knowledge to do the same… Are you calling me stupid?" Amelia asked.
"HA, you know, you've also been pretty defensive since I asked you about Finn and Darwin. Are you afraid I'll take away the only friends you have, sweetheart? But hey, if the shoe fits…" Cristel replied, making Amelia flinch.
"Huh? Sorry!?" Amelia asked, offended. "I'll remind you that I'm the one who introduced you to them… and I'm not the one who's been with just one friend for over seven years."
"Excuse me!?" Cristel asked, offended this time.
"Anyway… how much could you teach Finn anyway?" Amelia asked.
"You know how he gets with sexual topics, slavery, and all that. I mean, after all, you haven't told him about the chocolate mission yet" Cristel mentioned, surprising Amelia.
"Tch, I knew I shouldn't have told you…" Amelia replied with a slight blush. "But I don't regret anything and I would definitely do it again!"
"HA, I don't know if this is bravery, nerve, or if you just forgot that's not the way to talk to your superior" Cristel said.
"No, that's the way I talk to my friends" Amelia replied, causing Cristel to roll her eyes with a slight smile. "By the way, Finn's old team came to the reception this morning."
"Oh, and what did they want?" Cristel asked curiously.
"They were arguing about the new guy not fitting in well with them, and they wanted to reinstate Finn to their team" Amelia said.
"And what did you tell them?" Cristel asked.
"I told them no, of course. Finn and Darwin are already an official team, and they're also explorers. You can't just break up a team on a whim" Amelia replied. "Besides, now I can finally follow both Darwin and Finn's missions without any problems, since they're both under my supervision."
"Well done. In fact, I think I'll also put my missions under your supervision instead of handling them myself. That would take a lot of the load off my shoulders" Cristel said.
"Ugh" Amelia complained.
—
Three days had passed since Finn and Darwin had left, and today they had just arrived at the great bridge over the cliff. Finn stopped to contemplate the large stone pillars that supported the enormous wooden bridge. The bridge was so large that several wagons of goods could cross it at the same time.
"It's quite a different atmosphere when you're not falling through the air" Finn said.
Finn and Darwin walked across the lonely bridge, which made them curious since everyone from adventurers to merchants was supposed to be crossing it. When they reached the other side, they could see that the main road showed slight signs of neglect, as the usual wagon tracks had been completely erased by the air and the earth.
"It's very lonely for a main road between kingdoms" Finn commented, and Darwin nodded.
"Yeah, I don't like this feeling at all" Darwin said.
They continued walking for a few more hours. They wanted to reach a somewhat clean, treeless area so they could sleep peacefully. At dusk, the two arrived at what appeared to be a small lake, which Darwin looked at curiously.
"Mhp, I don't remember seeing a lake around here before... Is it artificial?" Darwin wondered.
"Artificial lake? How do you create a lake out of nowhere?" Finn asked, looking at the lake in front of him.
"Simple, water magic. Surely some powerful wizard passed by here and wanted to cool off for a moment, so he created the lake" Darwin speculated.
"Do wizards usually do that?" Finn asked.
"From time to time, and only the most powerful, since not many can generate that much water from the air" Darwin affirmed. "It must have been Merlin. I've heard he likes to take breaks between his travels from kingdom to kingdom."
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
The sound of the bush leaves behind them startled them and they quickly put them on guard. Finn and Darwin stared at the bush, which continued to move for a few seconds, until a small blue ball emerged from the bush.
"What is that?" Finn asked, looking at the strange ball.
"It's a slime… well, that confirms my theory. Slimes are born from water created by magic and left stagnant for too long" Darwin said, putting away his sword.
"I see" Finn said, nodding as he put away his sword as well. He then approached to touch the slime. "It seems harmless."
"They are, or at least to us" Darwin confirmed, also touching the slime. "This little creature usually feeds only on leaves or branches since they can't dissolve flesh or bones at all."
"That's good," Finn said, lifting the slime. "It feels weird and it's very moldable… wait, give me a second," Finn said, putting on a big smile, causing Darwin to turn around.
"What are you going to do? Monsters aren't for playing with" Darwin said.
"Look!" Finn called. "I'm Amelia now!"
Finn had put the slime between his pants and underwear, and with his telekinesis, he shaped it to look like he had a huge butt.
"Ha, how do you shape it to make it look like a real butt?" Darwin asked, letting out a light laugh.
"With my telekinetic magic, now wait, give me another second…" Finn said, shifting the slime onto his chest, making it look like he had big breasts. "Now I'm Cristel: You two must be training to be great explorers."
'If Cristel and Amelia saw this, they'd kill us' Darwin thought, laughing.
"This thing is very useful. How do you kill one of these things?" Finn asked.
"With fire, if I'm not mistaken" Darwin replied. "Why do you ask? I thought you liked it."
"Yes, I liked it. I just want to avoid anything that could harm or kill it" Finn replied, as he molded the slime with his telekinesis until it looked like a whip. "No matter how much I stretch it?"
"It shouldn't. It's a slime after all. Even if you split it in half, it can still come back together" Darwin stated, making Finn nod.
"I see…" Finn said, then glared at Darwin maliciously.
Before Darwin could react, Finn swung the slime whip, whipping Darwin so hard that he winced in pain.
"Ahhh, asshole, that hurt!" Darwin yelled, trying to rub his back.
"This is definitely going to come in handy…" Finn said, ignoring Darwin. "Fly away, Darwin!" Finn yelled, using the whip to grab Darwin's foot and throw him into the lake.