(BL) Hunting The Field Guide Chapter 266: Side story- 6 Years ago Kellen and the Captain

Kellen Woods knew that this might be his last chance to make it big.

He knew that coming to the front lines was going to be a big deal, and that it was going to be hard, but he didn’t think it would be this hard.

Cursing under his breath, he did his best to pack up his sleeping bag quickly, ignoring the way it didn’t fit into the tiny bag even after he’d folded it several tis. He could hear the snorts and laughter behind him from the other Field Guides but he didn’t pay any attention to them.

It didn’t matter that he was sleeping outside since his tent had collapsed two nights ago. It didn’t even matter that he was pretty sure soone had cut a hole into his sleeping bag last night and that he’d shivered as soon as the sun had gone down. None of that had mattered.

That was because today was the day. He was going to get that damn contract. Because if he didn’t?

He wouldn’t be able to remain on the front lines anymore.

It’d been nearly four months since his last contract. He’d been here for nearly a year and still people didn’t give him contracts that often. He had to fight tooth and nail to get the scraps other Field Guides wouldn’t take. That usually ant more dangerous contracts.

Ones that could result in death if one wasn’t careful. Ones where the Espers he would be in charge of would be a little too handsy. It was already hard given that his compatibility rating was so low, and he was C Class Guide, but the others weren’t making it any easier for him.

His teachers had warned him. He hadn’t co in unprepared, but damn it, it was worse than even they had said. He’d hidden the fact that he was a Woods as best as he could. Made sure that whenever a higher up Esper or Guide was around he was gone, especially if it was soone like his Uncle Tom, who was the head of the D.E.C.

The D.E.C. practically ran the area. If word got out that so no na C Class Guide knew the head Esper in charge? Kellen could already imagine how bad his treatnt would get. Forget slashing his sleeping bag, they might even just beat him to near death and toss him into a gate.

If you paid soone enough, they would turn the other way. Kellen had already seen it happen plenty of tis.

It was because there were no Guilds around to regulate the gates. No Espers powerful enough to strike fear into the hearts of the power hungry Espers who resided here. Kellen talked a big ga, but Uncle Tom rarely ca here, and most of the Guides here were B or C Class. A Classes wouldn’t dare to co here until they were with a Guild.

The front lines could promise riches, but that was only if you were an Esper? The Guides who ca here?

Well, they usually had a death wish. Kellen wouldn’t deny that it wasn’t an option for him, but he just...he’d needed sothing different.

He’d spent too long having everyone either looking at him with pitying looks, or with anger. Why was it his fucking fault that he was a C Class? He’d never asked for it. He just wanted to be normal. Fit in. Why did everyone get mad at him when all he’d done was been born?

They should take it up with his fucking parents if they were so mad about it!

Plus, it wasn’t as if every Esper and Guide pair had kids who awakened! They should be fucking counting their blessings that another Guide was born to help their fucking Espers. La de fucking da.

Another cog in the machine. That’s all Kellen felt like back ho.

So, as soon as he heard about Field Guides, Guides who were in charge of Espers in a different way beyond spreading their legs to make them happy, he’d jumped at the chance.

Kellen didn’t dare to dream that he was going to find a pair out here. Hell, did he even want a pair when all the Espers out here were fucking crazy? They all treated guys like him as dirt too. They only wanted girls to guide them, which also shot down his chance of getting contracts.

It disgusted him, and so of the other Field Guides had even suggested partnering up with a girl to get contracts, but Kellen would never do that. He wasn’t going to-to pimp out another human! That was fucking disgusting.

Kellen tightened the drawstring on his sleeping bag before attaching it to the bottom of his bag. Pulling the straps around, he put the bag on his back and gave one last look over his little camp. Everything was tidy, neat. If soone else wanted to use it while he was away, they could.

"Where do you think you’re going, newbie?" One of the other Field Guide’s called. She was sitting at a fire with another Field Guide, both in the sa black garb as Kellen. Both had flasks in their hands, and cruel smiles on their faces. Kellen’s grip on the strap of his bag tightened.

"They’re doing another general contract call. For a new Guild." Kellen told them and they both laughed.

"You think you have a chance?" They asked, and the other one hit her arm.

"Hey! If he wants to die for the sake of a new Guild, let him. Who are we to stop him?" Kellen’s jaw clenched. He was used to this. If he fought back, it was worse. "And, it’ll an more contracts for us." The two won laughed and Kellen forced a smile onto his lips.

"Thanks for the well wishes." He muttered and they waved him over. Kellen begrudgingly approached them and the one who’d spoken to him first offered her flask.

"Take a swig. It’ll loosen you up. You’re too tense." She told him and Kellen stared at the flask offered to him. She shook it, as if that was supposed to tempt him and Kellen sighed. He reached for it, taking it and raising it to his lips.

The liquid burned going down his throat, and he coughed, handing it back to her. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to slow the coughs down.

"Isn’t it a bit early to be drinking whiskey?" He got out between coughs and they laughed.

"We’re mourning a friend. Never ca back. Just got their remains. Never too early, newbie. Now don’t make us have to mourn you too soon." The won’s gazes were warm, even if their words were harsh.

It was this behaviour that made it so that Kellen could never truly hate the people who were trying to chase him out. It wasn’t because they were an, or cruel by nature.

They just thought he didn’t belong here. He’d been told he didn’t look like he had nothing left to lose. Who the fuck were they to tell him what he did and did not have to lose?

Kellen didn’t even belong with his own family. The only C Class among a bunch of A Classes. They didn’t say it, but he knew they saw him as an eyesore. They’d probably celebrate if their mistake of a son died on the front lines, and at least this way, Kellen could bring so honour to their na.

"I’ll be fine." Kellen told them, determination in his veins. "And I’m going to get that contract." He stated, and they chuckled.

"Well, sure, you believe that." They said, waving to him as he left one of the several small camp areas set up in between all of the gates.

The front lines weren’t a war zone in the traditional sense. It was a large expanse of wooded area where gates were prone to forming. The science behind it was still being studied, and many countries had their own versions of a front line, but this was the one his country had.

It was a huge area, covering several mountains as well as their valleys in an almost straight line. It was wide, and on a map you could trace it with your hands. It had a clear ending, and beginning, and the space usually have several active gates inside of it.

Gates ca in two different forms. There were the more common fluctuating gates, which were gates that appeared, and once cleared, would disappear. These gates proved to be a challenge, but worth it since they provided resources and fa for those who cleared them. They ca in a variety of Classes too. Most gates ranged from F Class to S Class, with the ultra rare SS Class gate showing up every so often.

As far as Kellen knew, an Ss Class gate had only manifested about three tis since the gates had first appeared. All three tis had resulted in that country, city or town being completely eradicated.

No one had cleared an SS Class gate yet.

Then there were the stable gates. These gates weren’t temporary, and instead remained around even after the Boss had been killed and the core of the gate touched.

These gates were very important since they provided infinite resources to be harvested. In a world where their natural resources were being taken over by escaped monsters, this was very important.

The resources found in these gates helped the countries who had them rebuild stronger and faster, and they were able to withstand attacks from monsters better. It was an advantage to have stable gates anywhere, but especially so when you were in the front lines.

Any Guild who owned one basically owned a money pot, and as long as they paid a portion of the funds or resources found inside of the gate back to the Country of origin, everyone ca back happy.

The contract today was for a stable gate, but it wasn’t owned by another Guild. It was owned by the governnt, and the new Guild who wanted to raid it had already gotten permission from the governnt to do so. Stable gates were still being researched since they behaved as if they were their own microworlds with different animals, plantlife, and even air compared to earth.

Kellen loved going into these kinds of gates. Not because the danger levels were lower, all gates were dangerous, but because it was so much fun to research them and find out new things about them.

It was one of the reasons Kellen was more confident about getting this contract compared to others. He’d been in this gate several tis. He knew this gate better than most? How?

Well, money talked.

Kellen happened to co from a family with money, and as much as it hurt him, he had used so of it to bribe the guards on the gate to let him in at night and explore.

He hadn’t known about the contract until a few weeks later, after he’d been slipping into several of the stable gates at night, but he’d focused on that gate after he’d heard the news.

He was confident in himself, and his research. He was going to get this damn contract. He was not going to let all of his hard work go to waste.