Franco sat on one side of a table while his four new teammates sat on the other. They all had grabbed breakfast which was still the bowl of oatmeal portage with lots of dread fruits and some cinnamon in it. Just like what Innosaa had given him a few hours ago, but he felt hungry again and thought that was a good sign of him recovering. The sun was well up now and the day was warming. They sat outside under the sun with rubble as their stools and a few planks of wood over two larger stone blocks as a table between them. They eat in silence for a minute before he decided to get this part over with. He left his spoon in the bowl and took a swig of water from his cup before speaking.

  “Well since I’m the new one here and Master Helmric was so kind to convince you all to accept me I guess I should start. I’m Franco Young apparently, now that sounds right to me but also feels off. I think I didn’t like my name. I’m from Abigail or that is where Franco Young said his team was from.” He could see their interest in him grow as his lack of memory became clear to them.

  “The first thing I remember is lying on my side in pain but with blurry vision and a very fuzzy head as a fight happened around me. Then passing out.” Franco trailed off as he remembered that people had picked him and pulled him away from the fight.

  “Wait, are you ducky?” Franco asked, pointing at Oaken. The Kimber trilled in anger and embarrassment as his team laughed. The red headed woman spit her spoonful of food back into her bowl as she laughed. Which caused the group to laugh even more.

  “Are you the group that pulled me out of that fight and the other man I was with?”

  The shorter older woman looked over her group with a smile on her face before reaching over the table, hand out in greeting. Franco shook it and returned her smile with his.

  “I’m Frazier, team captain. Level 4, [Adventurer] build is my goal. This here young Elf is Maph, his full name is unpronounceable elfish so don’t worry about it. A Level 6 and is looking like a true [Warrior] more each day.” She said with a smile on her face while her hand rested on Maph’s shoulder.

  “I’m 52, so older than everyone here by a lot.” Maph said defensively before taking another bite. Something tickled the back of Franco’s mind, a memory or just knowledge he had known but he just suddenly knew now.

  “How long have you been out of your village? And isn’t fifty the age of adulthood for elves even if they can start gaining levels at forty?” Franco asked but he felt like he knew the answer.

  “What!” Both the red head and the Kimber turned to look at Maph. Who hunched his shoulders and gave Franco a death stare for a second before his face blossomed red. Frazier just chuckled and slapped Maph’s back.

  “I told you they would find out, you should have told them last year how much of a kid you really are”

  “I’m still fifty-two years old. Who cares that I have only been out of the village for two years.” Maph said, taking another bite of his breakfast.

  “I don’t know how I know but it’s uncommon I think to see an elf your age out in the world, right?” Franco asked. His old memories or knowledge just returning to him this morning had been strange each time.

  Maph hunched lower but Frazier just kept patting his back as his other two teammates laughed while acting offended.

  “Well Franco that’s a story for another day. Anyway.” Frazier glared at her laughing team mates to get them in line before continuing. Now pointing her free hand to the woman next to Maph. “That red head is Sarah who is only 18, the youngest member of our team and level 5. I’ll give you one guess as to what she is building to.”

  Sarah just rolled her eyes at Frazier before stealing glances at him while she ate.

  “And that is Oaken Finstrider. Level 6 magic build. Fancies himself a [Wizard] but let’s see what classes he actually gets offered at 10 and the reason our team is even on this expedition and now the reason you get to join us.

  “It’s not my fault,.” Oaken said quietly.

  “Well it’s a pleasure to meet all of you and I know Master Helmric didn’t leave any choice but I do appreciate letting me join you. I didn’t want to leave after all that happened the other day. I feel like me and Desanigh are not done with each other.”

  The four in front of him grew a bit more somber at the thought of those who had died. Franco didn’t want to let that emotion set in, especially now when first impressions were so important.

  “Well like I was saying. After you all saved me I have a vague memory of leveling up twice.” He paused letting the surprise play across their faces. “To level seven. It’s one of the reasons why I lived or so thinks [Healer] Innosaa and between my abilities and gear Master Helmric thinks I am going for [Spellslinger] or [Spellsword]. Which feels right to me.”

  “What wands do you have and if I don’t know the spell will you let me study them?” Oaken said speaking faster than ever his father had. While Sarah whistled in surprise.

  “Oaken.” Frazier chided him.

  “What?” he asked, feigning shock at the reprimand in her voice.

  Franco waved his hands as if brushing off the comment. He needed to make a good impression and fit in. Be a good teammate. That was what his instincts or maybe his [Spirit Mind] was telling him. As much feeling as thought or memory. “Of course Oaken. I was going to suggest the same thing once the boss here said you were going to be a [Wizard]. In fact after breakfast let’s find a space to practice. As much for myself as for you all so we can all find out together what I can do. I only really have partial memories of the last two days and that’s all.” Franco said.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  He really didn’t know his own strength or capabilities. He felt like he was a good fighter but was that just bravado? He wasn’t sure. His actions this morning were based off these gut feelings or senses of surety but he had not really put them to the test. A spar would be good for his state of mind and whether he could trust these feelings or not.

  “Practice rules, boss?” Franco asked as he unhooked his saber from the belt and put it on the makeshift table. Picking up a blunt training saber that was more wood than metal. Swinging it to test the weight. It felt pretty close to his sword so he took it along with a training wand of magic bolt and one of shock bolt. Both wands clearly labeled as training aids as they shot a spell the same speed as the real ones but left just a glow of red light where they hit, the light lingering for a few seconds, nothing more.

  “No offensive skills or blows to the head. Just a friendly spar with our new team mate, right Maph.” Frazier said to the both of them

  “Fine,.” Maph said, swinging his two handed training longsword. “My real blade has durability and a magic splitting enhancements. So I will block your spells with my blade”

  “You will try,.” Franco said with a grin on his face.

  He knew he was talking big as that felt like the way it should be done. He was operating on almost pure instinct and had been since they had sat down for breakfast. Half the things he had said were a surprise to him but he just went with it and so far it seemed to be working. Hopefully his old self knew what it was doing.

  After breakfast they had found the training yards that had been set up. All of them along the inside of the old ruin wall, west of the main gate with training dummies, targets and sparing areas all marked off by rope and run by one of Master Helmric’s assistants.

  Franco walked his side of the old dirt roadway marking his steps. The training area was about 30 feet wide and 60 long, he thought. Maph might have a spell or two, he is an elf but I don’t think so if he is building a real warrior build or whatever Frazier said Franco mused. He set himself well in the middle of the training area but at least 10 feet out from the center point. Saber in his right hand, magic bolt training wand in his left. This one only had 6 charges so less than his real one but it should be more than enough.

  “Ready” he said as he brought his saber up and moved his body into what he knew was the correct position. Right leg forward but his right foot at an angle to his opponent. This wasn’t some tradition bound duel, left leg just half a step back with his left foot turned in towards him a little. Knees bent. Left hand with wand held straight in his left arm across his stomach with his left hand just in front of his belly button wand pointed at Maph along with his saber. Maph with his training longsword held up, in a two handed grip slightly to the right of his chest edge slightly toward Franco. Franco smiled as he suddenly knew what the elf was going to do like he had seen it a thousand times before in training.

  “Go,.” Frazier shouted. Maph was an explosion of speed and moved straight toward him, faster than most could around their levels. Longsword already moved up and slightly out so he could drive the blade down in a swing and cut right through him. Franco continued to smile because he had guessed correctly, so he moved as fast as he could, stepping into the attack his [(Passive) Fleet-Footed] ability allowing him to bring his saber quickly up to parry the longsword close to its guard with the top third of his saber and drive it out and away from both of them. As soon as their blades touched Franco loosed his wand up towards Maph’s face now mere feet away. With his longsword out of position Maph eyes widened just a fraction as he let go of the sword with his left hand while he activated [Dodge]. The ability allowed him to spin away fast enough that the loose spell passed his face by inches. His body now spinning away from the loose spell with his left hand free he turned himself inward towards Franco, trying to grab him with his free hand as he brought his sword back into the fight.

  Franco had another idea and this time lunged into Maph's grapple attempt. With his saber in a much better position he brought it back to his body as he swung the saber close in for power not finesse and batted away Maph’s free arm and quickly loosed two spells from his wand. One where Maph was and one where he thought he might [Dodge] to. Maph was so caught off guard by the aggressive move and parry that he didn’t see the practice spell until it hit him in the throat.

  “Kill,” Frazier yelled.

  Franco quickly stepped back holstering his wand and swinging his sword to get the numbness of that last blow out of his arm.

  “Good spar Maph, you almost had me there.” Franco said. He thought the little white lie couldn’t hurt.

  “Holy Cows, you’re faster than Maph.” Sarah said from the side.

  “That lasted seconds and he wasn’t even close to hitting you." Oaken added, looking impressed.

  “Not bad Franco. Nice footwork. Do you think you were trained in the Saber.” Frazier asked as she walked over to the two.

  “I think so, I know my first Skill was [Sabers]” he answered keeping his eyes on Maph who did not look happy.

  Frazier walked over to the elf and patted him on his arm with a smile on her face. “So what do you think, oh old and mighty warrior.”

  Maph sighed and rubbed at his throat with his left hand. He talked loud enough that their group could all hear. “He’s good, and you are right, Frazier he is trained. Faster than me at level 7 which is surprising from a human. Any elf or half elf in your family.” Maph asked.

  Franco just shrugged his shoulders “I don’t know Maph”. Maph looked upset for a half a second before his face changed as a thought ran through his eyes. “Ah sorry, it will take me some time to get used to that. You do not act like a man who has no memory”.

  “It’s like a story. Are you a prince in disguise Franco? Oh, the Prince of Abigail now that would be something.” Sarah said from where she stood. The end of her braid in her left hand as she absently played with her red hair while she casually tossed knives at a target a good twenty feet away from her. Landing them more often than not.

  “No idea honestly. My so-called past is just the information that Master Helmric had and who knows if that was right or not. I have no idea but for the most part it feels right so far.”

  “Well secret prince or a half elf ancestor or not you are good Franco. I think once you run out of spells in that wand I could beat you or with my [Shield Bash].”

  “Maybe, but I have abilities also, [Extra Charges] for my Wands and [Instant Recharge] for a wand.”

  “What, those are amazing wand abilities.” Oaken yelped from where he was sitting near Sarah, one of Franco's wands in his hands. “This wand of magic bolt recharges and has nine charges in it. It's

  as good as you can get for a bronze rating. A few more charges or a faster recharge or just a slightly better spell and this would be a Silver rated wand and all these wands are this good.”

  “Secret prince indeed.” Sarah said and made eyes at him. Frazier and Maph both laughed while Oaken looked up at the girl next to him to see what they were laughing at. Franco felt a bit uncomfortable at their words. Was his gear really that good for Copper ranked?

  He coughed to clear his throat “Well you are on the right track with me Maph. Get in tight and make me more worried about your sword then where I am placing my spells and it would be a lot tougher for me if you had a shield. Want to practice just blade to blade, no spells or abilities?”

  Frazier patted Maph on the arm again and turned to Franco and gave him a thumb’s up before she started walking to the side of the spar area. “Good thinking, you two follow me over to that target range and we can all practice range attacks.” She said to Oaken and Sarah as she pointed to targets in the area next to them. Maph watched her walk away for a second before bringing his eyes to Franco’s.

  “Only blades sounds good to me. Let’s see how a secret prince dances.” Maph said with a smile on his face as he raised his practice longsword.