The Nurturer
[William's POV]
<<January 16, 2023>>
<<Pampanga, Philippines>>
Elijah Reyes, otherwise famously known as "The Nurturer". Ever since he started working at the association, he's been making waves. I heard about him a few times from my colleagues in the legion, but I've never been one to get interested in rumors or gossip. In this day and age, people would tend to over-hype things that are trending, and I thought, this rumor or gossip was no different. With the addition of gate breaks happening left and right, I really had no time to waste with such things that don't really concern me.
It was until I was finally able to meet him in person. I would have never thought that my first meeting with the famous Nurturer is during a gate break. He looked so much younger than I'd imagined. But he carried himself with such refined dignity and maturity, that his presence alone commanded attention and respect.
Coincidentally, a member of the Legion and my girlfriend, Zehira, was trained by the Nurturer himself, which intrigued me even more. Wanting to see for myself, if his reputation truly precedes the man himself, I then gave him leadership over the legion to command. I'm not gonna lie, I expected him to crash and burn, but I was hugely mistaken. Not only was he able to command the first legion with ease, but he was also able to do so while still keeping his entire surrounding in mind. It was the first-ever gate break that I partook in, where the association's expenses for damage repairs were extremely low.
I was also pleasantly surprised that he knew everyone's name in the legion as if he'd known them for a very long time, with how familiar he is with each of them, though it was everyone's first time meeting him. After the gate break was taken care of, honestly I was deeply humbled and learned a valuable lesson. It's that, there are always things to learn. No matter how much one knows, there's always room to learn.
The way the nurturer handled the battle like a veteran commander was deeply ingrained in my mind, and after I got home, I started watching and re-watching the whole battle again and again. Comparing what I would've done, to what the nurturer has done and learning from it.
He's also very selfless and kind. Humble but also knows when to take a stand for the people he cares for. When he knew that there was a gate on the verge of breaking, he stepped up to the plate valiantly. Although gate breaks are one thing, entering gates is another. Especially if the gates are of a significantly higher level than what he's used to entering while training new hunters. But from the moment that we entered the gate, it was like he's already accounted for and knew everything to expect. He made a rotational system for us, which made everything more efficient and orderly.
And now that we've managed to defeat the mini-boss of the gate. Hope slowly started rising within me. Hope that finally, we can subjugate a gate without worrying about casualties. Yes, this gate we are currently in right now, is ranked as gold, but the time it was left unattended made it to be so it's comparable to a low-ranked platinum gate. I first thought that it was impossible and have doubted the nurturer when he said, our goal was to subjugate the gate. But seeing my spear, pierced through the goblin shaman's chest, made me into a believer.
Additionally, I'm extremely thankful for the nurturer, for nurturing the first legion in his care. We've learned so much about each other from the short time that he's led us. I would have never thought that a synergy between Everett, Louie, and I ever existed until the nurturer has tasked us to work together. Normally, Everett and Louie would focus on only supporting. But now, the nurturer has pulled something out of them, in all of us, that shows our full potential. He has the ability to make everyone shine, by exhibiting their true hidden potential, that one might not even be aware of.
As the leader of the first legion at my age and being the brother of the association's president, I have to be honest and say that the great responsibility along with the sky-high expectations from everyone around me, for me to perform flawlessly, has taken a toll on me. There were nights when I felt extremely tired, yet I couldn't get a single wink of sleep, because of the overwhelming anxiety that kept haunting me. So when the nurturer took the reigns, I felt like I could finally breathe and be myself again.
***
[Elijah's POV]
<<January 16, 2023>>
<<Pampanga, Philippines>>
The battle was over the moment William plunged his spear on the goblin shaman's chest. The goblin shaman didn't make it easy for the three boys, fighting till the bitter end. It used everything in its arsenal, but it was overwhelmed by numbers.
Our victory should call out for a celebration, but I couldn't push myself to do so. It was a bittersweet feeling that swirled inside of me. On one hand, we won, but on the other, many enslaved humans got caught up in the crossfires and lost their lives. There were about a hundred and fifty humans enslaved in the goblin breeding ground. About 80% of them, male and female alike, are pregnant with a goblin fetus, while ten died during the battle. All used as meat shields, by the goblins.
It took all of us an hour or so, to release all the human captives from their cages. While Everett and Louie administer first aid to those in seriously grave condition, the rest of us gave what little food we brought to the rescued humans. Seeing the desperate expressions in each of their faces, while they clamored for food, felt like a knife is being twisted into my heart. It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, to say the least.
Overflowing with emotions, I had to step away from it all, otherwise, I would start bawling my eyes out if I stayed.
Keeping my mind occupied, I went through dead goblins' bodies to see if there was anything valuable that was dropped. As I was doing so, strong and warm arms wrapped around me from behind, encasing me in a familiar warm embrace. I didn't even need to look who it was, to know that it was Jonathan.
"You did your best. Don't blame yourself for those that died. It's not your fault," Jonathan said in a soft and comforting voice, making the emotions I buried deep within me, rose like a raging torrent.
Turning my body towards him, I wrapped my arms around his waist, buried my face into his chest, and quietly begin to cry. I'm the kind of person that wears my heart on my sleeves. And at that moment, is the moment when I truly understood how harsh our reality really is. I've been living inside a bubble all my life, even when after the catastrophe happened. Always staying inside my comfort zone, where it's comfortable. No matter how I make it to a point that I'm always studied and informed, seeing it with my own two eyes is a complete wake-up call.
Just imagining the hardships and sacrifices that all these hunters had to go through in order to survive in this harsh world, completely humbled me even more.
After 10 minutes of crying, I wiped my tear-filled face before giving Jonathan a soft kiss on the lips.
"Thank you," I told Jonathan in a soft voice, extremely grateful that I have him in my life.
"Anything for you," Jonathan replied just as softly as he kissed my forehead.
When I was able to compose myself, I called the first legion into formation.
"I know that I've said our goal is to clear this gate, and that still is our goal. But right now, the lives of these people that we've rescued take precedence. We cannot just leave them and let them fend for themselves. I propose that we escort them all out of the gate first, to ensure their safety. From our previous battle with the goblins shaman, we at least now have an estimation of what to expect when we finally face the boss of this gate. Once we get out of this gate, we can recuperate and stack up on necessities for the upcoming boss battle," I explained my thought process to everyone, to which they all agreed without a second thought.
Nodding my head in approval, I then said "Okay guys, since we are taking a break outside first before we face the boss, make sure to take all the loots you can carry. Let's be efficient through and through."
And with that, everyone in the first legion started looting goblin bodies after goblin bodies. The rewards for clearing the goblin breeding ground, are very abundant and generous. Among the loots were high-grade mana crystals, an array of rare-grade equipment, weapons, and a lot of usable ingredients and materials for making a lot of stuff; like high-grade goblin blood, used in alchemy, and several minerals used in smithing.
But the big rewards were really what the goblin shaman dropped.
[Mask of Despair <<Unique>> (Accessory)
A mask that harbors the despair of the goblin shaman.
Accessory bonus stats: +50 INT | +500 Mana
Accessory effect: -10% Mana consumption | +5% mana recovery per second]
[Staff of Agony <<Unique>> (Weapon)
A staff that harbors the agony of the goblin shaman.
Weapon bonus stats: +100 Magical attack | +50 INT
Weapon effect: +10% for spells to critically hit]
[Ruby Heart (Ingredient)
A ruby made out from the blood of many human beings. The jewel contains an immense power, laying dormant within.]
The accessory and weapon are all good, but what really caught my attention was the ingredient item. I read from Alana's report that her human homunculus is still incomplete and is in need of a core. Cores are somewhat similar to how the human heart functions. They are items that have an abundant amount of mana stored within them. They could be anything, from stones to artifacts, and whatnot. It basically gives life to a homunculus. That is also the reason why they are extremely hard to come by and expensive.
The only reason why Alana's homunculus could move without a core is because of the constant supply of mana that Alana gives it. By using her own mana, she can keep her homunculus "alive" for a set amount of time until she runs out of it. But with the ingredient that we just attained, Alana doesn't need to supply her homunculus with mana anymore, as it will have its own supply inside of it, instead.
Without having second thoughts about it, I gave Alana the Ruby Heart.
"Are you sure?" Alana asked in great surprise when I placed the item in her hands, as tears started welling in her eyes.
"Does anyone object?" I asked everyone in the legion, to which everyone shook their heads and came to a unanimous decision to let Alana have the item. Although it might fetch a high amount when auctioned. Giving her the item instead would be for the best. Not only will it make her homunculus "alive", but it will also empower the homunculus to greater heights. Besides She's the only one, out of all of us, who could fully benefit from the item's uses.
As for the other two items, the mask was given to Sahara, while the staff was given to Zehira. Finally seeing the fruits of their labors, the first legion rejoiced. And I was extremely happy for them. But all of this is just the start. There are still more to be attained in the future, I thought with a hopeful smile.
And with that, we left the nightmarish place called the goblin breeding ground and led the survivors outside of the gate, where they could once again start living. It might be incredibly hard for them to completely move on from this part of their lives, but at least now, they have the chance to do so.