The Prelude to the Spider's Nest
24
The first thing Alex did upon waking was check if his sister had arrived while he was asleep, and to his disappointment, she still hadn't come. He let out a sigh of concern.
Since there was nothing he could do at the moment, Alex decided to prepare for work. He put on the slim combat suit of the association and then donned his suit to complete the outfit. On one wrist he wore a watch, and on the other, a tracking device.
With great difficulty, he had to take care of his mother, as his sister hadn't arrived and Mónica was also not there yet. He bathed her, changed her clothes, and administered her nutrients, which took about two hours to complete. To his disappointment, the kitchen was empty, and he had no money.
"Good morning, Alex, how are you?"
"Hi, Mónica," Alex replied flatly to the girl's enthusiasm.
"What's wrong? Has Lúcia not arrived?"
"Not yet. I'm a little worried. Is it normal for her to sleep at work?"
"Yes, sometimes she works overtime, or there's an emergency at the hospital and she ends up spending the night there. But when that happens, she usually calls so I can either stay the night here or come earlier."
Mónica took her phone, dialed her friend's number, and made the call. However, the call did not go through; only an automated voice replied, saying the phone was turned off or out of network coverage.
"The phone is off; maybe it ran out of battery. Since she worked all night, I guess she should be arriving soon… I think?"
Mónica also seemed concerned, but she tried to reassure Alex, and after a round of conversation, he seemed a little calmer.
"All right, you wait for her. I'm heading to the associationI'm already a bit late."
"Okay, I'll wait. When she arrives, I'll call you, is that fine?"
Alex scratched his head, realizing he didn't have a phone. He wrote down his sister's and Mónica's cell numbers on a piece of paper and put it in his pocket.
The taxi that Alex took dropped him off at the Hunters' Association. Now that he was an employee, he only needed his card to access the facilities. The building had more than thirty floors; it was huge, with many people working there, and Alex was just another one of them.
"Your Majesty, you're late. Joana and the Sword Saint have already left on a mission."
Félix looked at Alex with a hint of reproach, his hand outstretched, waiting for Alex to give him some candy.
Alex had forgotten that this was a customary habit: whenever someone came to the control room, they had to bring candy for Félix.
"Sorry, I'll bring double next time."
Félix seemed displeased.
"Your Majesty, don't forget next time, okay? I'm just reporting because you're a king." Félix's chubby cheeks looked adorable to Alex, especially because the little one's face was puffed up.
"What's there to do today?" Alex looked around; everyone was working except him, even Telex was coordinating several missions while talking.
"All teams are out on missions across the city. Since you're a rookie, I can't assign you a solo mission. For now, you'll stay with me until something comes up."
"If that's the case, then all that's left is to wait for something to happen, right?"
"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Soon there will be a request for reinforcements, or something new will come up. In the meantime, how about we play a game of FIFA?"
"Sure, let's play then. But while we're at it, could I borrow your phone?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. Here you go."
Félix handed Alex a brick-style Nokia, and Alex was surprised to see such a relic. He took a piece of paper and tried calling his sister, without success. Then he called Mónica, who said that Lúcia still hadn't arrived.
"Here it is." Alex returned the phone, his face worried; he no longer felt like playing FIFA.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty? You don't seem well."
"I'm a little worried about my sister. She left early for work yesterday and hasn't returned home."
"Your Majesty, have you tried calling her?"
"I did, but without success. The number is off."
"How about calling the hospital where she works?"
Alex sighed. He didn't even know the name of the hospital where his sister workedhow would he have its number? And Mónica didn't have the hospital's number either.
"What's the name of the hospital?"
Alex provided the details he knew about the hospital. Félix materialized a virtual keyboard in front of him, typed a few times, retrieved a number, and then a call was connected.
"Hello, this is the Hunters' Association. I would like to speak with one of the nurses."
The voice on the other end seemed to belong to a young receptionist.
"Hunters' Association?"
While she spoke, the sound of keyboards could be heard; it seemed she was looking up the number.
"Ah! Well, could you provide the name of the nurse you wish to contact?"
"Lúcia Wellny," Alex said.
After a moment, the voice on the other end spoke again.
"I'm sorry, but the nurse you are trying to reach is not present today."
"Are you sure about that?" Alex asked, his voice revealing concern.
"Yes, sir. Nurse Lúcia is not present, and this is already the second day she has been absent."
"Okay, thank you for the information," Félix said before ending the call.
***
The Spirit Guild building was located in the city center, just a few blocks away. It had more than ten floors and its own parking lot.
"You will be invading a two-star dungeon. The main objective is resource gathering for the guild, so you will not just be killing monstersall of you must thoroughly explore the dungeon. Understood?"
The vice-leader of the Blue Spirit Guild was giving orders to fifty hunters, all of whom listened attentively, their eyes serious. Among them was a beautiful young woman with purple hair tied in a high ponytail.
"Yes, ma'am," they all answered in unison.
"Many of you are new hunters, and most are one-star Stellar Hunters. Those in this situation should make the most of this opportunity to gain experience. There will be five two-star Stellar Hunters at a high level, so you don't need to worry."
The vice-leader of the guild glanced at everyone's faces before dismissing them.
"Tiffany, wait a moment."
The others left, heading toward the vehicle that would take them to the dungeon portal.