(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 367

Chapter 367: Another hard goodbye

Kellen felt like a kid waiting for his parents to come back from shopping. He was holding their spot because the coffee shop was full of people. Kellen didn’t know this, nor did Brent, but apparently it was tradition at the Saturn Guild that the day of a deployment to the front lines, the Espers and Guides who were going would swarm the coffee shop for the last ’good drink’ that they would have.

Kellen kind of understood what they were doing. Alcohol was the only thing that really traveled well to the front lines. Everything else didn’t have a good shelf life, or didn’t last that long. Tea was shitty, so was coffee. Canned drinks lasted longer, but were harder to get out there therefore, they were more expensive.

So, they were all in the coffee shop even at this time of the morning. Kellen had been shoed over here, Brent and Hill chatting away to each other after they had gotten Kellen’s order and Kellen sat back, watching them.

He was glad that they were getting along. He was glad that Brent was making actual friends, not just pretending to make them. He was also glad that Hill was making friends as well, for the same reason. He still felt a little...left out. Just a little.

Kellen didn’t want to dwell on the feeling that had been filling him up over the last few days, and instead turned his attention outside of himself and towards the people in the coffee shop. It was once he’d stopped staring internally that he realised that all eyes were on him. Kellen suddenly felt confused, maybe a little flustered as he realised that everyone was stealing glances in his direction.

That was when he realised that a lot of his students were here. Of course, other Guides were getting dispatched to the front lines but in a regular Guide capacity and not a Field Guide capacity. All of the Guides that were in his classes were stealing glances towards him, even as they were chatting with their friends.

As soon as Kellen made eye contact, they began to wave eagerly.

"Guide Woods! Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?" One of them asked, getting up to their feet, their drink in hand before Kellen could even agree. Kellen found himself bombarded with questions, both serious and some not as much, from Guides across the Guild.

Almost all of the Guides hadn’t gone to the front lines before. Apparently very few had volunteered to even go and help out prior to Kellen and Brent joining the Guild, but now they were opening their minds up to the idea of going. They were full of worries. From tents, to food quality, to everything in between.

The Field Guides who were going with the first intake with Brent were nervous. Kellen couldn’t exactly tell them that they shouldn’t be. Brent, Kellen and Captain Sergei had negotiated on what gates the Field Guides were going to have access to. The reason Kellen was speaking so often with Captain Sergei was because he was the Captain that he trusted out there, he could see what the gates were up to, and give Kellen accurate charts because he had worked with him before. He knew what Kellen was looking for when it came to gate monitoring.

Plus, one of the best gates for training was the gate that the Nemesis Guild had control over.

Brent and Hill joined Kellen and his rotating cast of Guides, and a few Espers, and helped him answer questions that the people before him had felt like they couldn’t ask before. He had no problems answering them, and he watched as they all seemed to relax, their eyes warming slowly as the tension left their bodies.

Kellen was glad that he was able to soothe them, but at the same time, he felt conflicted.

He wasn’t going to see Brent for weeks, and before this, before he’d gone back to therapy and before he had to come face to face with the reality that some of the people he was friends with actually hated his guts and used him, he hadn’t cared much about separating. There was just...this nagging feeling in his chest. This worrying sensation inside of him. Kellen was doing his best to brush it off as nothing. Him just being silly, but it lingered.

Kellen grew quiet after a while, Brent and Hill still answering questions until Kellen realised that their time was running out. He wanted to give Brent and Hill enough time to get ready, and say any other goodbyes that they wanted to. He didn’t want to hog their time.

Kellen got to his feet, his tea in hand. He hadn’t even taken a sip yet, and he turned to Brent and Hill. They were both surprised, everyone was surprised as Kellen got to his feet.

"I’m sorry, I have to go get ready for class. I wish you both the best, and I know you two will do well. Captain Sergei has the best setup on the front lines, and I’ve already gotten approval for either of you if you need to contact Rhys or I urgently so don’t be afraid to go to the Nemesis Guild." Kellen told them. Brent’s eyes were wide as he stared at Kellen. Kellen put on his best smile. "Don’t have too much fun that you forget to come back." Kellen joked, his hand tight around his paper cup.

"Don’t go getting any stupid fucking thoughts in your head, alright? You stay safe too. If I hear you got shot again, I’m coming back, damn the training program. I came here as a favour to you. I don’t care about the Saturn Guild, no offense meant." Brent said, turning his head towards Hill. She smirked, shaking her head.