(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 267

Chapter 267: Side story- 6 years ago Kellen and the Captain part 2

There were a lot of people on this side of the front lines. He normally avoided areas like this, where the bustling of others could be noticed. He was mainly worried that someone would see him and think of his Mom. It was the reason he’d buzz cut his hair. You could barely tell he had black hair like this, and blue eyes were a common shade.

No one would be able to say he was Esper Woods kid when he looked like this.

He could pick out the few Guild tent cities over here and Kellen clenched his hands around the straps of his backpack.

He wasn’t envious of those who joined Guilds. It wasn’t something he could be envious of. C Classes were treated terribly in this world because they were considered ’common’. He’d realised that reality when he’d been trained with C Class Espers and had been expected to perform to the same level as them.

Even though Guides were known to be slightly weaker then their same Class Esper counterparts. Even though Guides had different duties. Even though Guides were viewed as fuck toys and then discarded once they were of no more use.

How many times had he heard stories of Guides being thrown away in gates because they were ’just C Class’ and could be easily replaced once they left the gates? It was infuriating, and honestly, it didn’t matter if you were with a Guild or not.

All C Classes were treated that way. It drove Kellen up the damn wall, but that was the reality he was in now.

He hadn’t realised how damn privileged he’d been before when it was assumed he’d turn out as an A Class like both of his parents. Hell, no one had expected him to be a Guide. He’d been assumed to be an Esper until he’d awoken.

He’d even thought he was going to be an Esper. It had been quite the shock to find out that he wasn’t going to get cool powers like his Mom and instead was going to have to be a safe, warm spot for Espers to heal.

Kellen didn’t have a healing bone in his damn body. He was too rough around the edges. He’d always been that way. Even his Dad, his soft, wonderful Guide Dad, had been shocked. Honestly, it would have made more sense that his sister, Gwen, who hadn’t awoken yet but probably would at any moment, had come out as a Guide.

It was unlikely now, since there hadn’t been any recorded instances of an Esper and Guide pairing having two of one awakened type. So, Gwen was either going to awaken as an Esper, or not awaken at all. If the science held up, but who was to say? It wasn’t until a few years ago that any of this was even being investigated seriously.

Kellen glanced around the wide, cleared area. The ground underneath his feet was hardened dirt, a surprise since he would have assumed that the Guilds would have paved the area or some other ridiculous shit. The air was crisp, and he could tell that fall was coming.

Soon he’d have to start worrying about winter, and what that would mean for the front lines. It usually meant sleeping in the same sleeping bag as another Guide since it was dangerous to do that with Espers you didn’t trust. Since Kellen didn’t have anyone who he could trust, he usually just figured it out on his own.

Even if it meant he’d worried he’d almost frozen to death a few times.

He was tough. He could get through this. He didn’t need help. He didn’t need handouts. He didn’t need anyone. He could do this without his parents, without his friends, without anyone else.

He could be more than what everyone made him out to be.

Kellen scanned the area, checking the signs until he noticed the newest of the Guild signs. It wasn’t a wooden sign that had been pounded into the ground like the others, and instead was a banner spread between two wooden poles shoved into the ground.

Written in a sprawling script was two words. Saturn Guild.

That was the new Guild that needed Field Guides, and who Kellen was hoping would take a chance on him. He was smart. He was a good researcher. He was fast, too. He could do this.

They were also offering mere pennies in comparison to the job they were asking for, so Kellen knew that many of the big names wouldn’t be here. At least, he hoped so.

Marching towards the marked off area, Kellen noticed that many of the tents in the area were decorated with an army green and black pattern. He assumed that was the colour of the Guild since that was what most of the Guild’s did in the area. As he approached, he noticed that there was quite the crowd and gathering forming near the doors of the largest tent.