Card Apprentice Daily Log

Date 22 Mar 2321

Time 17:12

Location Sky Blossom City, South Zone, Helen's Homemade bread. 

"Now that you know, could you call Ronnie now, he seems to have added uncle and auntie Wyatt to the blacklist while I do not have his unique Qr code." Informing Jackie about the situation l asked her to call Ronnie.

"How is calling Ronnie of any help? It will only add to his worries." Jackie knew how hard Ronnie was working for her and the baby, instead of going to high school like normal teenagers of his age he was doing daily labour to gather enough money to rent a nice house in a good neighbourhood. 

He already has a lot on his mind as of now, telling him that his father-in-law is out for his blood and has lodged a false complaint against him also offered a bounty for his head. This would not help him anyway, it would only make the situation worse. 

"Fu<k, get it through that thick head of yours there is a bounty on his head, forget about the bounty by now his wanted and your missing person posters should have been circulated in all of the Sky Blossom city police stations… don't you get it, it's not safe for him to walk around he is a wanted man now. Call him and ask to come here." Seeing Jackie still not willing to call Ronnie I was annoyed and stressed about the consequences once Ronnie gets caught. 

"What's the use of calling him here, how will it help the situation? It's better if he goes into hiding." While engaging in the argument with Wyatt using her mental strength Jackie quite sent a message to Ronnie using her grimoire and asked him to return to their room. 

"Running from your problems again! That's what got you in this mess in the first place. Listen to me you and Ronnie need to clear everything up at the police station, report what happened and clear Ronnie's name before it's too late." I tried to talk sense into Jackie but she was adamant to stick to her ways. 

"That way my father will know about my whereabouts and separate me from Ronnie maybe even have me undergo an abortion." Jackie shook her head resolutely and did not even consider my advice. 

"Is your brain filled with shit! You both are of legal age, nobody can force you to do something you do not want to do. 

If you are brave enough to runway from home then you should be brave enough to fight for your freedom and face your problems head-on. 

After you clear Ronnie's name, we can hire a lawyer and reverse sue your father for defamation and false allegations." I knew being aggressive in this case will only achieve reverse results but I could not control my anger seeing Jackie's foolish stubbornness.

"You want me to sue my dad! Are you out of your mind, there is no way I would do that." Jackie answered resolutely. 

"I am not asking you to send your father to jail, I am asking you to fight back for your unborn baby. If you don't fight back and just keep running then you are just avoiding the inevitable. 

We sue your father enough to scare him into leaving you and Ronnie alone. Otherwise, the way he is acting he won't stop until he kills Ronnie and if he knows about the baby in your belly, the same fate as its father awaits the baby. 

Think about it, nothing is ever achieved by running away, aren't you tired. maybe it's okay for you and Ronnie but what about the baby. How are you going to raise a baby when you are on a run?" I tried to reason with Jackie with one thing she cared about the most, her unborn child. 

"No… he wouldn't… my father won't harm my baby and Ronnie… I won't let him. Tell me what you want me to do?" Mother's love is unmatched and Jackie was resolved to protect her baby no matter what. 

"First ask Ronnie to meet us here, then together we will go to 89th precinct to clear Ronnie of all the charges. Afterwards, we hire a lawyer to press charges against your father enough to knock some sense into him."

"Why 89th precinct? Isn't the 77th precinct nearby." 

"89th precinct police chief Denise is my mother's friend. She may be of our help and things will be a lot smoother over there." 

"Oh! How could I forget your parents are silver grimoire holders, with them supporting us we do not need to worry! No more running." 

"Unfortunately they are not here, so how about we proceed as I planned." 

"Okay, wait I will call Ronnie." 

…

Date 22 Mar 2321

Time 17:18

Location Sky Blossom City, East Zone, Zhang Financiers Main Office. 

"Fourth I heard a potential recruit is refusing to join our Zhang mercenaries, is he looking down on us." Ben Li asked one of his cronies.

"No Brother Li, it's just his baby mama back home, she doesn't like the idea of him becoming an adventurer. He needs some persuasion." 

"Then handle it soon, uncle is coming tonight I do not want to see him disappointed."

"Don't worry brother Li, our people are persuading him in the basement as we speak…"

"Good, I will not forget your contribution Fourth. How about you come to the airfield to receive uncle with me?"

"Really! Thank you, brother Li" 

…

Date 22 Mar 2321

Time 17:23

Location Sky Blossom City, South Zone, Helen's Homemade bread. 

Jackie's face was pale with fear and nervousness, thinking the worst as Ronnie was not picking up her call and the messages she sent earlier were marked unread till now. Which could only mean one thing that Ronnie has not responded to his grimoire for a while now.

Grimoire is a part of a card apprentice if he/she is not responding to it means either the card apprentice is asleep or not able to use it. 

It is still early evening, there is no way Ronnie would be sleeping now unless he is knocked unconscious or worse…

Seeing calm and collected Jackie suddenly turn pale in fright I knew something was not right and asked her, "Jackie what's wrong?" 

"R-ronnie… he is not answering the call or reading the messages I sent him a while back. Something is happening… my gut is telling me he is in trouble… it must be them… Wyatt! Ronnie is in trouble he needs help… we need to find him" Jackie grew frantic, was it her pregnancy brain or something else, Jackie was freaking out and her emotions were all over the place. 

"Jackie calm down! Explain it to me, why do you think Ronnie is in trouble and who are the people you speak of?" It was hard but Jackie finally calmed down and explained to me. 

When Jackie and Ronnie eloped to Sky Blossom city, they did not carry much money on them as eloping to sky blossom city was a sudden impulse under the stimulus of fear of Jackie's father and the village guard chief finding out about the pregnancy. With the money they had on them, they used it for room deposit leaving them with enough money to feed them for 3 days. 

Feeling the urgent need for money they both decide to get a job. Ronnie was against Jackie getting a job but apparently, Ronnies was not the head of the family Jackie was.

Thankfully on the 2nd day listening to Jackie's circumstance, the bakery manager hired her. And Ronnie found a manual labour job at the city airfield. 

Fortunately, Ronnie could handle the manual labour thanks to the physical strengthening card gifted to him by his father, but the workload was also equivalently more. Unfortunately, he caught the attention of the city's lowest of scum the Zhang mercenary.

Seeing his age and potential Zhang mercenary asked him to join them and seduced him with romanticised adventure stories and promised him strength and wealth in a short time.

Being young blood Ronnie easily fell for their sweet words and false promises seeing the fastest way out of his current misery he ended up deciding to join the Zhang Mercenary but when he told the good news to Jackie she filled the table in anger and frustration.

'I ran from my home trusting you an unreliable man and now you want to go and die in some dungeon leaving me and our unborn child to fend for ourselves in this cruel world. how can you be so heartless?' When Jackie shared her worries with Ronnie, He understood he had to put his dreams on hold and be a responsible man like his father. So he promised Jackie that he will not join Zhang Mercenary. 

But how could a dog let go of the bone in its mouth so easily, similarly Zhang mercenary did not give up on Ronnie and kept harassing him in his workplace until he was fired yesterday. Thanks to Jackie's persuasion and sweet whispers letting go of his frustration today Ronnie went out to find a new job and now she hasn't heard from him yet. 

"It's them those bastards why don't they let us live in peace, they must have done something to Ronnie. Wyatt, we need to find Ronnie before…" Jackie was once again distraught with fear and anxiety.

Zhang Mercenary, being occupied by my busy schedule I almost forgot about them. I see they are up to no good once again. To think they would come knocking on my door themselves before I found them to settle the old scores between us.