(BL) Hunting The Field Guide

The group of Espers Hill had selected for Kellen were waiting near the door for them. They took up the space that was covered in mats, and all stood there nervously. They were staring at the trio warily, and Kellen wasn't sure if it was because he was flanked by two lieutenants or if they had seen him run the obstacle course. If it was the latter, he couldn't help them. They'd just have to come to terms with the fact that some Guides weren't soft and gentle all the time. It wasn't the first time Kellen would have received these kinds of looks, so he knew how to deal with it. Ignore them. 

"Thank you for coming." Kellen said to them as he came to a stop in front of them. Casper came to a stop next to him while Gunther found a chair and sat down a short distance away, giving the appearance of leisure. Kellen knew, as did the Espers before him, that the man could move quickly. If they'd watched them run the obstacle course, they knew that. They also knew Kellen could move even quicker. "I appreciate you being so willing to help me. I have a somewhat awkward request. Could I ask you to move into a line from lowest Class to highest Class?" The Espers shuffled around without complaint and Kellen smiled. They all had stoic faces on now, as if they were about to go into a gate. "I'm going to try to take as little of your time as possible. I've recently had a change in my Class, which I feel some of you may know. Because of that, I need some help testing out the level of my new powers, and their depth. We'll only be doing basic guiding, even when I ask for you help again in the future. Lieutenant Casper will be keeping track of the level of guiding I've done by measuring you before and after I've guided you. I'll only be doing a quick guiding session, about 5 minutes each. You are free to leave once he's told you so." Kellen felt he had said all of the important things, and after sharing a few, quick words with Casper about how they were to go about this, they set to work. 

Kellen started at the lower Classes, before working his way up. Gunther, since he was bored, offered to be in charge of the timer while Casper was busy with managing all the data and checking the Espers. Kellen kept moving down the line. It was a surprisingly painless process that went by faster then he thought it would. Casper didn't tell Kellen any of the results until after all the Espers had been used and also had left. He hmmed over the charts in front of him, and Kellen wondered briefly if he had missed Casper bringing the electronic data pad in his anger earlier. Gunther moved from the seat he had taken and joined the two of them.

"We should speak about the results in my office." He murmured, his eyes still scanning all the information. Kellen nodded and began gathering his things from the cubbies, leaving the Guide to mutter to himself as he changed back into his uniform. Gunther followed after him, also changing back into his Esper uniform and also showed Kellen where he could drop off the gym outfit he had picked up. The guild supplied them to everyone, and kept fresh clothes in every gym. They even washed and laundered them every day. Kellen appreciated the man's help. 

They joined Casper near the front door, who seemed to have his head out of the clouds now that he'd had second to go over everything on his own. Nodding at the two beside him, he led them to the Guiding Division. Kellen could feel everyone's gaze on him, and he did his best to keep his features flat. Casper only stopped briefly at the desk before his office to let his assistant know not to bother or interrupt them unless it was an emergency. The young, fresh faced man ducked his head, his eyes following the three powerful people into the office before the door closed behind them. Gunther settled onto one of the couches quickly, relaxing, while Casper spread out his findings on his desk. Kellen followed him, standing beside him as he looked over all the data he had collected. He hadn't been sure that Casper would have been this thorough, but he was pleased to find out he had been right about him. That, and he also knew the Captain wasn't someone who'd hire incompetent people. 

"So, looking over everything and averaging things out, right now your guiding efficency has gone up by 50% for those C at the Class or lower level, and slowly decreased the more you've gone up. Since we have no S Classes in the building right now who aren't the Captain, we can't be sure, but with A Class Espers you've raised as well. Averaging it out, overall you have increased by 30% compared to your previous scores. I feel like those scores are older, so take this with a grain of salt." Kellen whistled.

"They made me do a test again when I arrived at Guiding Center B, so they're only about six maybe seven months old." Kellen informed the Guide, and Casper's eyes sharpened. 

"Really? I could have sworn..." He went over his data pad, and Kellen watched as he pulled up Kellen's Guide file. He checked that what Kellen said was correct before sighing. "Well, shit Kellen. That's incredible. Especially since these tests are with Espers you aren't compatible with." Both of the Guides stared at the data in front of them, a little stunned. Gunther, however, had a blank look on his face. 

"What do all those fancy numbers mean, Cas?" He asked and Casper fixed his glasses.

"It's incredible growth. If he didn't have a pair he could be used by any Esper, anywhere, and that's only when he's held hands with someone for five minutes. For someone who has been a Guide for so long, it's miraculous. Kellen could basically function as a universal Guide now that he's an A Class. His control is so immaculate that he guided every Esper to the same level, no matter Class. It's amazing to witness." Casper's cheeks were flushed as he spoke, clearly excited, and Gunther's lips quirked slightly. "Now, that could change the longer he uses his powers, but I don't think so. It also isn't something we need to look into further since Kellen just wants to get a feel for where the edges of his powers are, and the depth of them. Kellen, how do you feel after guiding so many Espers? Do you feel tired? Weak?" He asked and Kellen sighed, rolling his shoulders. He opened his jacket to check his body too. He hadn't lost that much weight, even after guiding about 10 Espers. It really put into perspective what a beast the Captain was. 

"I honestly feel fine, which is something I never could have considered before. I used to be exhausted after guiding five people throughout an 8 hour day before. Guiding 10 people for five minutes of varying Class without taking a break in between and feeling fine after? I wouldn't have even dreamed of that before." Kellen could feel the excitement boiling inside of him. "This is so refreshing." He admitted and Casper smiled, pushing up his glasses.

"I'm glad you're pleased with the results. I'm going to send these to Green so she can examine them herself, and also use them to compare your scores from your sessions with the Captain. Now, are you feeling up to a lesson now that you've worked your body?" He asked, and Kellen nodded. He'd put it off because of the Captain before, but not now. Casper pointed for him to sit on the couch across from Gunther while he gathered some materials from inside his desk. Kellen did as he was told, staring at Gunther who had sprawled out across from him. He had his eyes closed, a soft smile on his face, and seemed completely at ease in this office. Kellen didn't know if that was just the upper management of this Guild, the Espers the Captain chose to hang around, or a Gunther thing specifically, so he didn't stress about it. Casper came back, handing Kellen a stapled set of pages before sitting next to Gunther on the couch. Kellen noticed how Gunther didn't move over for the Guide, and how Casper leaned against the Esper.

Narrowing his eyes, he turned his attention back to the papers in front of him. 

What Casper had given him was a print out he remembered seeing when he had first awoken as a Guide. It was a vague memory, and brought back some fondness before he found out his Class. His Dad had been so excited that he'd awoken as a Guide like him. The paper was covered in drawings, with the words "Welcome, New Guide! What to expect with your new powers!" Kellen smiled before flipping the page over. The next page was a table of contents, going through each Class, standard powers, along with the basics of guiding in a kid friendly way. Kellen glanced at the Guide across from him, who noticed his gaze and smiled. 

"It's juvenile, but works. Go straight to the B Class distinctions, and we'll go from there." Kellen nodded, flipping the pages until the bright banner of "B Class" filled the page. Under it were childish drawings of Espers and Guides. 

'B Class Guides are easy to spot in a crowd! If you are looking for someone who is reliable and kind, look no further! Anyone who is a B Class is particularly good with their eyes! B Class Guide is very important since they are able to tell intent in Espers who have gone past the point of safety into a level we call, 'Surging'. It refers to when Espers use their powers and sometimes forget to get proper guiding, or in extreme cases, can't get proper guiding. Back in the day, this used to happen often, but nowadays, it's a very rare occurrence.' 

Kellen snorted as he read that last sentence, before he continued reading.

'To test if someone is a B Class Guide, versus a C Class Guide, they are taken to a safe environment where an Esper has agreed to surge. Then they are asked to check and see what the Esper plans to do while they are surging. If they are able to guess correctly, they are a B Class Guide. Hurray!

Other things to note that differentiate B Class from C Class is the jump in container for the Guide. Like we said previously, all Guides and Espers have a container inside of them that holds their powers. For B Class Guides, their container is about double the size of a C Class Guide, meaning that if they train their powers, they are able to Guide more then C Class Guides. This makes them more helpful, and beneficial to the Espers around them. With their ability to detect when Espers are about to 'surge' and their larger container, B Class Guides are very important to everyone.' 

Well, this sounded familiar. Kellen had only skimmed this when he was a child, assuming he was going to be an A Class Guide like his father. How wrong he had been back then. Sighing, Kellen flipped the page. The A Class banner brought back the sense of dread he'd felt as a child when he'd come home from his test with his results. No wonder he didn't remember reading this book, and only remembered the cover. It wasn't associated with good memories. 

'Unlike the other Classes below them, it is very easy to tell if someone is an A Class or higher Guide. That is because of the one obvious manifestation of their power, their eyes! When A Classes activate their guiding powers, their eyes glow a vibrant sky blue. This is the case for all A Class Guides, no matter their previous eye colour, race, gender, or anything else! This is one of the few very obvious connections between Espers and Guides.

But, this does pose a problem if someone is trying to tell the difference between an A Class, S Class, or SS Class Guide. All three of these Classes have eyes that glow blue when they Guide, but it shouldn't pose a problem in everyday life. Since most S Class and SS Class Guides do not advertise that they are so, for their own safety! We at the Guiding Academy encourage this behaviour, since a safe Guide, is a happy Guide.

Another way to tell if someone is an A Class Guide without checking if their eyes glow blue while Guiding, is related to the feel the Guide gives off around others. All Guides are healers of the mind, but A Class Guides take this to another level. You will always feel comfort around an A Class Guide, especially after they have just guided someone. This encourages others to protect them and keep them safe. If we were to use a power measure on an A Class Guide, you would be able to get a light reading on them. Meaning, that this light, comfortable feeling is being released from the Guide in a short radius! This is also something S Class and SS Class Guides experience as well, but in a wider radius. Just remember, just because you are an A Class Guide does not mean anyone in entitled to you or your powers. You are always encouraged to help others, but you do not owe them anything. Any time anyone tells you that you are supposed to help them, you can always say no!'

Kellen stared at the words on the page. He thought about looking at the last couple, but flipped the document closed and placed it on the coffee table before him. 

"So...A Classes act as a buffer for the higher Classes?" Casper's lips quirked at Kellen's first observation. 

"Well, that's the simple answer. I like to think of us as the barrier of entry. Or like a shadow guard for the higher Classes. There are a few other A Class Guides in the Guild, but we have no S Class Guides. I've only met two in my lifetime and they were heavily protected. The theory is that the reason why Espers get so obsessed with A Class and higher Guides is because of that little tidbit they threw in at the end." Kellen frowned in thought. 

"The radius thing?" He asked and Casper nodded. 

"Yes, the radius thing." He quoted with a smirk. "No one below A Class can do it, and it's unconscious. We're doing it right now even as we speak and we aren't aware of it. That alone makes it dangerous, but it also sometimes allows monsters to know where we are in gates. That's why its so dangerous for untrained Guides to go into gates." Casper shifted the data pad towards Kellen. "Speaking of gates, I've already brought up the idea of getting more training to be on the front lines and we already have a few takers. Here's a list of first few takers. It's only a few, about five or six. Is that enough for a proper class?" He asked and Kellen looked over the list. Several B Class Guides and 2 C Class Guides. No A Class Guides. 

"A smaller group will be easier to manage, especially on my own. If we manage to convince Brent to join us it would make it easier. If we get more then 20 and I'm alone, it will be a struggle, but I'm not going to tell anyone no. I haven't started the outline for the courses yet, so I'll have to get that to you at some point in the future, but I assume you guys have a basic outline for your other program, right? I also assume someone runs that?" Gunther turned his head away, a smile on his lips while Casper sighed. Confused, Kellen stared at them. "Right?" He confirmed and Gunther chuckled. 

"We used to." Casper told him. "And then the old teacher got into an accident, and then the replacement got into an accident, and then the newer replacement got into an accident. Honestly, I think we were either cursed, or someone wanted someone specific as the instructor." Gunther laughed at Casper's exasperated tone.

"Someone? Who?" Kellen asked and Gunther turned his black gaze towards the Field Guide. 

"We wanted you to be the instructor. We were going to contract you out of Guiding Center B, and had plans to approach you within this week, but then the new gate broke and you went up in Class. Funny how things work out." Gunther's black gaze sparkled as Casper shook his head. Kellen sat in shock at the new information he'd been given. They'd had every intention to not leave him alone once he left the front lines. They had been biding their time. Kellen felt his face flush. The Captain hadn't let him go, he had been laying a long term trap, only Kellen had tripped it before it was ready. 

"It was going to be a very lucrative contract too. Lots of benefits and perks." Casper's blue eyes sparkled just like Gunther's. "You just had to go and get a 90% match with Captain Thatcher, didn't you?" He teased as he stood up. He stretched before moving towards his desk. He grabbed a set of keys before spinning towards Kellen and Gunther. "Remember that office space I showed you in the research department? They've finally cleaned it up so now you can go declare it as your own. These are the keys. They like to go old school since sometimes magic goes haywire there and messes up the locks. Plus, the team leader is there now and she wants to meet the newest member of her department, even if it's only in a peripheral sense." Casper seemed at ease, and Kellen got up slowly. Gunther too, stood and the three of them once more left the office behind, Casper in the lead. Kellen trailed behind the two Espers, a lot on his mind.