Aldric shot up from his bed, his heart pounding and his muscles tensing. He was drenched in sweat, and his face remained in an expression of total horror. He had a nightmare, the most terrifying he's had in a while.
However, as he sat, heaving restlessly on his sheets, he was unable to remember a single detail of it. Unable to tell why it terrified him so much. Why he could still feel fear for something he didn't know.
Aldric took deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. Each exhale carried an attempt to forget something he could not even remember. His breathing now less rapid, he scrambled out of his bed, maneuvering through the clutches of his sheets that seemed to object to his departure.
He walked over to his window, each step drawing a creak of inadequacy from the aged floorboards. He reached for the window handle then swung it open, causing a rush of air to flood into the room. However, it wasn't fresh. In fact, it was anything but—instead, simply contaminated, coloured, and thick with the bitter tang of desperation.
Aldric breathed it in regardless. People like him didn't have the splendour of a choice. These parts reeked with polluted air, Aldric stayed in a neighborhood he could afford, well, at least he was able to—now he's run out of money, and being an awakened has failed to pay his bills thus far.
Aldric looked over to the floating pyramid in the distance, a dark monolith that forever hung in the sky, with a blue glow that flowed and cascaded down to the earth from beneath it—it was a gateway, one of a couple.
All appearing on earth over a hundred years ago, Aldric was told it was a gate to another realm—the expanse they called it, a place where countless worlds collide and converge. Of course, this could simply be more government propaganda for all Aldric knew. He'd believe it when he sees it—this was expanse they speak off, but if he did try to go through the gateway, he would be turned to dust, so seeing it lay out of the question for now.
However, what he could see was the power of awakened—individuals who had begun to come forward around the same time as the gateway appearing. Of course, Aldric had also called it propaganda, only first deeming it a possibility after seeing a dungeon rift himself years ago and fully believing when he became an awakened aswell.
After awakening, Al thought his financial problems were over. He'd go from poor orphan to millionaire in a day; however, fate proved itself far more cruel, as Aldric somehow managed to be one of the weakest awakened in history.
"Status," he muttered, hoping that perhaps something had changed. But every day he checked, and every day it remained the same.
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[ Aldric Voss ]
======
Markings: [The remainder] [A false existence]
Affinity: [Null]
Rank: [Warrior(0)]
Xai Energy (XE) Reserve: 10/10
Returns: (__)
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Stats
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| Strength: [2]
| Agility: [3]
| Durability: [2]
| Intelligence: [10]
| Memory: [0.3]
| Xai control: [0]
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Aldric's face contorted in shock and confusion. His status window was most definitely different from how it was the last time he checked. He was certain he had no markings, and this was his first time seeing a 'memory' stat, as well as 'returns'.
He wasn't certain what markings were or what they meant, but he knew everything that would have made him any less of a useless awakened remained constant. He was still a tier zero warrior, and his stats were still an insult to every awakened.
He'd find out about the changes, but first, he needed to make his rounds through the guilds in an attempt to be recruited if he didn't want to live on the streets.
***
Aldric sat in a rather uncomfortable metal chair, his eyes fixed on the window pane. In the distance, he saw buildings rise; they all seemed painfully similar, bereft of creativity even.
His eyes finally peeled away from the window and looked towards the man before him, a face adorned with multiple wrinkles that either told of old age or a life of frustration; the paleness in his blue eyes argued for the latter.
In their uninteresting depths, disappointment flickered with every turn of the page of the file the man held. He would go through the file, glance at Aldric, and with a sigh heavy with his disappointment, he'd look back and turn another page.
Aldric couldn't even act surprised, not even the slightest bit. He had been in this scenario countless times since he awakened. In fact, his reason for even making attempts was solely to not feel the utter hopelessness of a planless man.
"Mister Voss, I'm honestly in disbelief," the man looked up from the folder to Aldric. "In all my years working at this guild, I'm yet to see a file as terrible as this."
If Al wanted, he could have taken the words right out of the man's mouth; he's heard them enough times to memorize them, of course more by circumstance than intention.
"I know it might not look like it on paper, but I'm an extremely valuable asset to any team," Aldric began, his voice hoarse from disuse. He hardly spoke, and when he did, it was at this kind of meeting, to say these exact words.
"I have tenacity and drive, and regardless of how little it seems, my assistance always comes to show in the grand sc-"
"Listen, Mister Voss," the man cut him off. "Save me the speech. You simply are too weak for this Guild, not even for a limited contract. Honestly, I've seen non-awakened stronger than you."
Al grimaced at the man's words; that one was new, and perhaps that's why it hurt as much as it did.
Aldric sighed, one of exhaustion, as he reached forward, grabbing the file and closing it. This was usually the part where he gave another twenty-minute lecture on how the importance of teamwork could sometimes outweigh strength, but today, he couldn't be bothered.
"Well, thank you for your time... Mr. Henderson," Al said, standing from the chair, placing his file to his side as he walked away from the man's desk.
This would now make it he's fifteenth attempt at getting signed, and that's just at this guild alone. He's tried over a hundred times in total since he awakened two years ago.
Aldric walked over to the elevator, pushing the button. He looked up at the display above the elevator, the red LED counting down floors as he waited.
A woman walked and stood beside him, waiting for the elevator as well.
Her eyes were a bright hazel that matched her brown hair, flowing down her back.
Of course, Aldric had failed to notice these things, or even the fact that someone stood next to him. Often times it was very easy for him to tune out of the world and into his own head. As chaotic as his mind was, it was still far better than the collapsing joke he called a life.
With a *ding* that did well to pull Aldric from his thoughts, the elevator doors slid open. It took the girl stepping into it for him to notice she had been standing with him, and all her features mentioned prior.
Aldric followed, and with the same sound, the elevator slid closed.
Standing there, he waited for the girl to push the button for the floor she planned on going to, but seconds bled into one another, and she still didn't.
With a sigh that spoke of disinterest, Aldric pushed the button for the bottom floor, causing the elevator to begin its descent until reaching the lobby and the doors reopening with the familiar ding.
Aldric walked out of the lift, his shoes against the marble floor drowned out by the bustling activity around him as he exited the lobby.
Pushing through the revolving door of the building, Aldric strode outside, his bleached hair catching the rays of sunlight as its beams danced on his face and body.
"I'm really going to start living on the streets, it seems," Aldric muttered. "I should have just gone to college."
Aldric slid both his hands into his pockets, not in an attempt to look cool or pull out money, but to confirm he really didn't have any; they were empty, and what that meant for him was no cab and a very long and painful trek home.
"Isn't that just a good time," Aldric spat with sarcastic enthusiasm.
Readying himself with a subtle stretch of his arms and legs, Aldric began his journey, turning and heading home.
Suddenly, as he walked, a voice shot from behind him—a female one.
"Hey, mister, please wait!" The girl exclaimed as Aldric turned to her; it was the hazel-eyed girl who rode the elevator with him.
"What do you want?" he sighed, his voice heavy with disinterest.
As a man and an awakened, Aldric lacked quite a number of things, and often he went out of his way to make sure good manners was one of them.
"You've been searching for a guild, right? Well, I have an offer for you," the girl said as she extended a flyer to Aldric.
In bold at the top, it spelled "Ever Stone Guild," a name Aldric was certain he had never heard of, but in fairness, there were far too many for him to know them all.
"Is this some scam?" Aldric questioned, his voice heavy with suspicion.
"Of course not, sir. This is an upcoming guild with significant backing. It's the next big thing," the woman replied with a bright smile.
"And you're asking me to join? Have you seen my info?" Aldric questioned, knowing no guild would ever chase him down knowing it.
"We don't care about that. We have a raid coming up soon, and simply do your best, and your entry will be based on that," the woman informed. "Isn't that perfect for a low-rank awakened like you?"
She asked, a long grin splitting her face.