(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108: knowing your limit

"Kellen! Are you alright?" Gwen’s voice was shaking as he coughed. He sucked air into his lungs again before looking up. Gunther stood behind the panicked Gwen, and gone was his cocky, excited expression. Instead, his face was stern as he looked Kellen over.

"I’m sorry Kellen." He apologised, his tone somber and Kellen coughed again. He rubbed his throat. It felt sore, but he knew it was only temporary. It should be fine tomorrow, maybe even later tonight.

"I-It’s alright. I almost called a stop to it at the S Class level." His voice was a little scratchy, but nothing painful. Gwen’s eyes were saucers.

"You’re a Guide! You have a weaker body than us! You should have!" She was very upset, and Kellen grinned at her, reaching out to touch her face.

"Come on Gwen, this isn’t the worst I’ve had before. Gunther stopped it in time." Gunther and Gwen didn’t seem appeased.

"Kellen, you know better than most that S Class bots are set to kill. You should have stopped me if you weren’t sure you could handle it. You aren’t a new recruit in this sense." Gwen nodded along to Gunther’s words, her eyes watering. Kellen smiled sheepishly.

"I kinda wanted to see how far I could go, you know?" He suggested mildly and the sigh that left Gunther held a piece of his soul.

"Well, small blessings. You got farther than all of the new recruits. You made it to the minute and a half mark against the S Class bot." Gwen sniffed.

"I made it to a minute, just so you know." She bragged, and Kellen smiled.

"Glad to know all of Mom’s training worked out for you." There was silence in the room as the other had no idea what to do. Kellen coughed again. "Well, I still failed, didn’t I Gunther?" Kellen asked.

Gunther seemed conflicted. It was clear from everyone’s reactions that Kellen’s match was the only one where the bot got it’s hands on the person it was fighting. Kellen confirmed this when, instead of being angry that some random Guide got a better score than them, the new recruits were all in shock.

Right. They hadn’t gone to the front lines before.

Kellen stood up on shaky legs, exhaling slowly. "It’s fine, Gunther. I accepted the dangers when you two told me about them. I’ll accept the punishment as well. Step away Gwen, unless you want to get soaked again." Kellen told her and she shuffled away. Gunther still seemed torn about it, but when Kellen gave him a stern look, he sighed.

His eyes lit up once more, and about a bucket of water rained down on him. It was cold, and upsetting. Kellen shook his head, shaking water droplets out of his hair before pushing it out of his face. Gwen sighed.

She wasn’t really looking at him, but glancing around the arena and at those around us. Kellen could tell that the mood had gone down, and Kellen worried that he was the reason.

Gwen’s eyes lit up suddenly and she turned towards Kellen, her eyes sparkling. Kellen was once more glad that she bounced back so quickly from scares. It would do her wonders on the front lines.

"Well, I think going up Classes made you stronger. Did you want to spar?" She asked and Gunther’s eyes widened.

"Is that a smart idea? I know you’re strong, but going against Gwen...." Clearly, he was more shaken up by the bot choking Kellen than he thought. Kellen walked over, patting him on his shoulder.

"Then do you want to spar with me?" Kellen suggested and he paled. Kellen grinned at him. "I wouldn’t worry too much Gunther. Gwen and I have been sparring on and off for all of our lives. She knows when and where to push me." He wrapped his arm around Gwen’s shoulder when she came to stand beside him. "Plus, if I get beaten up by my little sister, I’ll never hear the end of it from Mom." Gwen pushed his arm off of her, for her to wrap her arm around his shoulders. She had to stand on her tiptoes to do so.

"Come on Lieutenant Gunther! You’ll get to see us in action! It won’t be as impressive as when Lieutenant Hill and Captain Thatcher sparring, but we’re trained by the same Esper. Kellen’s really good, as we all know. Plus, I’m excited since it’s been forever since I beat his ass." Gunther glanced between the smiling faces of the siblings and sighed. He ran his hand over his face, clearly fighting a demon of some kind.

"Alright. I’ll clear the arena first, as I don’t want to be the reason either of you slips." Gwen and Kellen in unison reached out and patted Gunther on his shoulders. A look of confusion and horror crossed his face before he stepped away from them. He muttered something under his breath that Gwen was able to hear. She chuckled.

"What?" Kellen asked and she grinned.

"He said we were the reason he was going to have early hair loss." Kellen matched her grin.