《Blissfully Magical - Adventures in The Magic World》


 AITMW-ch1-Eve of the beginning

    Walking down the street Adam''s mind was going crazy, he couldn''t wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow! It was so soon and also so far away.


    He was 185 cm tall, had shoulder-length brown hair tied in a bun, and beautiful green eyes. His silhouette was lean with a moderate amount of muscles. Around him, a snowy landscape was seen, behind him were houses of the villagers and dimly lit streets of Ferston. In front of him the plain spread out, with rarely growing trees covered in snow, reflecting the moonlight. In the distance was seen the forest''s dark line.


    In the middle of the plain, between the town and the forest stood a lonely house, it was the house in which Adam lived.


    He waited years for this moment, the next day afternoon was going to be a grand celebration in the town. All the children who became fifteen this year were about to awaken their mana.


    While everyone had some mana inside them, most had only a little bit, barely a noticeable amount. The rest, a smaller portion, has more mana, enough for it to be useful. Even among the smaller portion, there are two sides, those talented and those not. Talented ones have what it takes to become a mage, the rest can not. While they are ''talentless'' those who become warriors aren''t pushovers either, some even have talent, but for the aura, and type of mana used by warriors, but that''s information for another time.


    In Ferston, children''s dreams were centred on becoming warriors, only an elite few could become a mage, and parents wouldn''t set their children for a near-impossible possibility. In fact, mages are so rare, that there is normally only one for a town, not one awakening every year, but one existing.


    Adam also didn''t have his ambitions set high, he was proficient in using a bow, and he hoped to at least have enough mana to become a warrior.


    Adam''s goal was to become an adventurer and travel the world. He didn''t want to stay in his hometown, nothing was keeping him here. All his relatives died while defending the town in the monster tide generated by the first dungeon in the area. From then on he was being taken care of by Derek Puffypaw, a local hunter who owes his life to Adam''s late father.


    After his parent''s demise, Mr Puffypaw took care of him and taught him how to shoot a bow and skin his prey. Living with the hunter wasn''t so bad, although he could never give him parental love, Mr. Puffypaw cared for him, he was like an uncle to Adam.


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    Just as he was thinking about his everyday life he arrived at his current home.


    Adam lived in a cobblestone cottage on the outskirts of Ferston, it was a two-story house with vines falling from its red-tiled roof. Dark smoke coming from the chimney signalled presence in the house. In front of the residence, there were pots covered in snow and at the back, stables were located. Also beside the doorway sat a puppy-looking snowman.


    "Hi! What''s for dinner?" Shouted Adam while walking inside, Derek sat on a couch in front of the fireplace, warming up his feet. He was a middle-aged man, with a soft face, dark-yellow hair, and a little beard. He had blue eyes. His posture was worthy of a Hunter, with wide shoulders and nicely built muscles. Although it wasn''t seen because of his sitting position, he was a high person, nearing 2 meters high.


    "Whatever you caught." Barked back, Derek.


    "Well, I''ve got a rabbit" Answered Adam


    "I suppose it will have to be enough, although couldn''t you catch something bigger? I still have to pay the mortgage so every copper counts." Complained Mr Puffypaw


    "Sorry I was so excited about tomorrow, I startled a whole bunch of deers."


    "By the way, did someone come here with a package?" Added Adam.


    "Yeah, I left it on your bed...What''s inside?"


    "Armour!!, ordered from the best leatherworker in Ferston!" Adam gathered money on the side for 4 whole years to eventually buy armour for his first fights as an adult.


    "Aaaa... I guess the only thing you are more excited about is tomorrow''s ceremony."


    Derek knew about Adam''s fascination with fighting and even entertained the idea of him preparing for his adult life as an adventurer by hunting in the forest. Derek himself was considerably gifted with mana, not near enough to become a mage, but sufficient to develop nice shooting skills and become a successful hunter, which is arguably a well-paying job, not everyone can venture into the deep woods and return alive, returning with prey is even harder.


    Of course, Adam wasn''t allowed to venture deep enough inside the forest to encounter even the most feeble of the beasts, but he was still content with what he got. As an adult, he would begin to train with his bow and he would eventually be strong enough to care for himself not only at the outskirts but even deeper. That is if he had enough mana to begin the training.


    Adam disappeared from Derek''s view and came to his room. Inside his room, there was a bed and a closet on one side and on the other stood a simple table with a chair. On the bed lay a package, Adam opened it and saw a set of leather armour consisting of boots, jacket, pants, and vambraces. The armour was simply done, hard leather on the outside and soft fur on the inside to alleviate collisions and skin irritation.


    After checking if it fits, Adam came to the kitchen and made a simple stew from rabbit and some vegetables.


    After eating he went to bed, for he had an exciting and potentially exhausting day ahead.

 AITMW-ch2-First day of the year

    Adam woke up in the middle of the night.


    The stillness of the night was broken by the weather, the winds roared and blasted in the house alongside snow, and thunders roared in the background. It was a massive blizzard combined with a thunderstorm.


    The weather wasn''t unexpected though. Everyone knows that the first day of the year starts with weather anomalies. The situation was like that in every place in the world, the weather was a welcoming song meant for new adults from around the world.


    Adam laid in bed for a few hours, getting up wouldn''t lead to anything productive either way, as there was no way someone was going to go outside in this weather.


    He started to daydream about the future, where he would go, what adventures awaited him, and who will he meet. Time flew by quickly, as Adam''s mind wandered.


    The weather gradually decreased in its aggressiveness. But before the world returned to silence, Adam started to convulse.


    A groan escaped his mouth, his muscles spasmed. Soon after, he relaxed and moaned.


    He was just attuned with mana.


    He felt filled as if he was an empty vase his whole life, and now someone filled him with hot water. The sense of fullness was overwhelming, his body was hot, in a pleasurable way. He felt incredible, calm and relaxed so much that he fell asleep again.


    Sleeping this way was amazing, he woke up sometime later, to the smell of fried eggs.


    Now, after cooling down from the initial excitement, Adam tried to feel the mana inside his body. He didn''t know what it was supposed to feel like, or how much it many, but he was already filled with hope.


    One of many rumours about becoming a mage was that people with talent were filled with incredible pleasure during their attunement, if that sense of fullness didn''t apply, he didn''t know what could.


    Now, he tried to see into himself, like imagining the position of his organs. What he felt was a vast amount of power, stored about evenly throughout his body. There were two main congregation points where its density was higher though, around his heart and brain.


    Adam''s face brightened up, as he realised the greatness of the situation.


    He could become a mage!


    After calming down, he put on his clothes and walked out of his room.


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    "Well, guess who got up! Our little princess finally decided to grace us with her presence!" Said Derek while cooking something deliciously smelling on a pan above the fireplace.


    "What are you cooking?" Asked Adam


    "Eggs with bacon. I would make something grander for your first day amongst adults, but someone was supposed to wake me up, and guess what? He didn''t." Answered sarcastically, Derek.


    "Sorry, I just had my attunement, It was amazing!"


    "Congrats! So, you are going to try aura? I can''t wait to show you some moves."


    "I think I have a shot at becoming a mage, actually."


    "Seriously?! Why do you think so?"


    "I''ve got the signs! It was an amazing feeling, like I was full, whole."


    "Whoa. Seems serious, but remember to not let it get to your head, nothing is certain."


    "Eat quickly and go, they surely already started at the square." Added Derek after seeing That Adam was staring with a blank face at his egg.


    Adam quickly finished his meal and ran out of the house. Luckily today was rather warm with about -3* Celsius and he didn''t have to wear anything more than his new armour and a coat, as a resident of the town that is nearly always covered with snow, Adam developed minor resistance to cold.


    While running to the town square, he passed many people heading in the same direction and nearly every one of them was his age. While not everyone wanted to become a fighter, even if they had a talent for it, every new adult was obliged to take part in a seven-day training, it was always better to be overprepared. Thou, calling a seven-day training an overpreparing is an overstatement, it''s a minimum, especially after a beast tide destroyed the town a few years back.


    After Adam arrived at the square, he quickly came to the magic stall. Which was empty, and that wasn''t a surprise.


    There were a lot of stalls in the square, one for each weapon possible to learn. The magic one was more of a formality, Adam heard that there is only one in the capital, where they have a genuine one. Behind the stalls stood instructors, who were just guards proficient in a weapon type represented on the stall. That''s the reason the magic stall was useless, there was no instructor.


    The problem with learning magic was simple. Not only do you have to pass ridiculous requirements to start practising, but you also have to hire yourself a teacher, or a master. The first one is if you are wealthy enough to pay for such education, the second would mean essentially becoming a servant.


    While it is possible to learn magic without a teacher, it''s much, much harder. The warriors have much easier in this aspect, not only is their preferred art easier to comprehend, but there are far more people willing to teach how to use a sword for example.


    Adam looked around the stalls and noticed a few patterns.


    Most of those who willed to become fighters grouped around the swordsmanship instructor, while many were also in other places, that where the biggest group was located.


    He knew most of his peers around the town, there wasn''t that much of them anyway, so it was easy to recognize who wanted to do what.


    Those who preferred calm life, on the other hand, were mostly located near the spears section. It wasn''t surprising, as adults always said that the spear is the thing to reach for when defending if a beast tide came. It was just very simple to use, at least at the most basic level, and was very effective at what it did. Another factor was that spears are super common, to make a spear, you need just a stick and a sharp stone, not a lot of requirements.


    After looking around, Adam headed towards a training plaza, located behind Ferston. That''s where the rest of the ceremony was about to happen.

 AITMW-ch3-Briefing

    In the middle of the training field, a platform was built. Around it stood clerks behind counters, writing down the career choices of every young adult of Ferston.


    Right after arriving, Adam went to the counter and tried registering as a mage to be.


    "Hello, what''s your name?" Asked a young lady in a clerk uniform.


    "My name is Adam Axigna."


    "What are your plans, do intend on becoming a fighter?" She asked.


    "I intend on becoming a fighter, a mage, in fact." Adam answered.


    "A mage? Good for you, just don''t go around talking about it before you become one. It''s a very ambitious goal, and it''s most likely you won''t succeed, save yourself the embarrassment." The clerk in an instructive tone.


    "Now, before you leave, please answer a few questions, The questions come from the mayor''s office and their purpose is to find out the current trends among young adults."


    "Ok, go on." Answered Adam.


    "If you don''t manage to become a warrior," The girl looked at him and added: "Or a mage, which profession would you pursue, do you have qualifications for it?" She asked.


    "Ehh... maybe a carpenter? I have done some things from wood with my uncle, so I have some experience."


    "Okay, so a little practical experience, no qualifications. Next, this is a deep one, so think it through. If for example, a weather disaster of massive proportions struck the town, would you be ready to immediately leave and head to the place in which you would be safer, without thinking of other people who may stay behind? Would you be able to leave the history behind and go into the world?" The clerk questioned.


    "............"


    "I''m not sure for the first part, it probably depends on who stays behind. For the second part though, I can say yes with certainty. That''s actually part of my plan for the future, to go on an adventure and explore the world." Answered Adam.


    "Well, thanks for your trouble, you are free to go. ''Your first adventure awaits you further on the field, where the briefing will commerce.''" The girl smirked.


    Adam smiled back at her, said his goodbyes and left.


    Walking towards the briefing site, Adam saw Ethan, the son of Derek''s colleague, and Adam''s friend. They learned how to hunt at the same time, so they were sent on their first ''solo'' hunts together.


    Ethan, actually Ethan Venator was 180 cm tall and had short and curly red hair and blue eyes. He was of the bulkier build, it''s enough to say that he was two times heavier than Adam, despite being shorter. All that additional mass came from muscles. He was obsessed with strength. Although both Adam and Ethan were trained hunters, only Adam considered having become an archer, Ethan always wanted to be a close combat fighter, something that made him weirdly excited. As both of them wanted to be warriors from a young age, they always planned to train together in the future.


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    "Oh, at last, you came Adam!" Shouted Ethan as soon as he noticed him.


    "Ehhh, fuck off? I am not late. I am... I have arrived maturely."


    "Huh? Bullshit, do you have the mana necessary? I have! The legend of a spearman from ferston is going to be heard far and wide! Even the Emperor will know my name!" Quick riposte was followed by Ethan''s praises of himself.


    "Yeah, actually, I think I have a chance at becoming a mage.'''' Said Adam.


    "Seriously?" Ethen stopped in his tracks stupefied. "You aren''t joking right?"


    "No, I believe in my chances, that is if I get something or someone to guide me a bit." Adam answered calmly.


    "Wow, that''s great!" Ethan exclaimed enthusiastically.


    "We will talk later, the chief guard is coming." Stated Adam.


    Adam found himself in a nice spot in the shade of a tree and waited for the speech to start.


    After waiting for several minutes Adam was startled by a sudden commotion, chief guard, Edgar Steelarm had come.


    Edgar didn''t look like your normal guard, even among those who are higher than him in rank, he stood out. As a mage, being a guard was a rarity, especially a low-rank one. Although being a chef guard was the highest post in Ferston, In larger towns and cities there were people with a lot more authority. No one knows why an esteemed mage became guard chef in Ferston, and no one will investigate it, it would be terrible to lose only one mage in the town apart from the mayor.


    To put the rarity of mages into context, for 7000 Ferston inhabitants, there were only two mages, and Ferston, which can be classified as a soon-to-be small city because of a dungeon, was exceptionally full of mages amongst other towns. In normal villages mages were non-existent and in a better-off town, statistically, there was one mage per 15000 inhabitants.


    Anyway, Edgar could be easily identified amongst other guards because of his robe. He wore a light grey robe on top of the guards'' standard light armour. Leather armour was made from some sort of grey hide, sheltering the wearer from cold and minor hits. Light-grey robe, which lay on top of Edgar''s shoulders implied his element affiliation. Light-grey represented mages specializing in metal magic. He had a sharp, triangular face, light brown hair, and not a single hair on his face.


    "Welcome young aspirants! Today is the start of your mandatory training week in which we will prepare you for adult life, from today onwards to the next Wednesday you all will try your hardest to improve yourself and gain as much as possible from lessons and practical exercises. Guards in cooperation with the mayor created basic training for each close combat category. Training with representatives of each field will begin in an hour and will last until midnight. Tomorrow, the training will also be hosted here and will consist of exercises and training regimes. After tomorrow, instructors will guide you to the outskirts of the forest, where you will gain practical experience, as that''s the most important part of combat. Of course, you don''t have to worry about encountering beasts you can''t handle, those terrains have been cleared from the major predators by the guards in the last few weeks. Remember to do your best, as in the end, it''s you who will decide your life or death."


    After the speech, most people have gone home to prepare for training, with the rest already starting. But before Adam would start doing his own, he had something to do.


    "Chief guard Edgar, please wait!" Shouted Adam as he ran towards the man.


    "What is it, boy?" Replied Edgar while going down the platform.


    "Could you please help me? I believe I have a chance at becoming a mage, but I don''t know anything about how to." Pleaded Adam.


    "Hmm... I suppose I could advise you a bit, potential mages are rare. Hmmmm...... Let''s do it like that, you will owe me, or my son if you become a mage and I will tell you the basics of the trade, nothing too serious but still, how about that?"


    "Yes, please!" As Adam said these words, his face gained colour and he stared at chef guard Edgar in anticipation.

 AITMW-ch4-Edgars explanation

    The chief guard took Adam to his house, reasoning that it was time for his afternoon tea and it would be nicer to talk with a cup in hand. They walked through the paved, main road streaking across the town, snow was arranged on the side in large hills, another thing that changed with the appearance of the dungeon. As guests in the form of adventurers, army teams and others started arriving in Ferston to access the dungeon, where they could find some nice artefacts, the mayor started to care for the town''s appearance and availability. Homeless were employed to clear snow, main roads were paved and equipped with high lamps to illuminate the area and taverns in the central region were renovated.


    Edgar lived in a small mansion at the centre of Ferston, around it were houses, restaurants and shops. In this area, projects related to the town''s ascension to become a small city were built, such as a branch of an adventurers guild or auction house. Chief''s mansion was a 3-story building, built from white stone, with decorations on the walls and fancy frames, it looked like a house of a noble. In front of their mansion, there was a roundabout, in summer filled with flowers, now it was just a snowy circle with a paved road around it.


    Adam, following Edgar, entered the building and headed to the other side. Behind the mansion, there was a small frozen pond with a peninsula in the centre. On the peninsula, stood a wooden patio under which was a table and four campfires around it.


    After both of them sat around the table on the patio, and tea was delivered to them by a maid, Edgar started thinking about what to say.


    "Now, what I''m going to say are basics of the basics for any aspiring magician, anything further would be considered too precious to give to anyone aside from your disciples, so remember not to give away your research to anyone." After taking a sip of his tea, he continued.


    "Let''s start with the classification of magic, there is no superior element, although there are affinities that are more powerful against some others, such as water against fire, in the grand scale of things, elements are all equal. Every mage has some affinity in which they are better than in others, we call it, their main element. Mine is metal, I am proud of it as it is very rare and displayed for others to see, but not every mage will tell you their main element, it''s considered personal information and it''s rude to ask about it."


    "Apart from elemental magic, there is also pure one, while elemental magic is based on your understanding of the elements, pure magic builds upon your understanding of mana. It''s considered the hardest to learn, the while it has its own visible and touchable form in the form of mana crystals, It''s a lot easier to understand the elements by watching them in nature. As the hardest to learn, it has its advantages, It can''t be influenced by the outside environment and has a natural ability to defend against the elements. while we are at it I need to tell you about environment suppression, for example, in our area, fire magic is terrible while ice magic reigns supreme.


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    As mages need to convert pure magic in their bodies to elemental mana of their desired type through their understanding of said element, to cast an elemental spell, mana of the outside world makes it harder for their magic to convert, or convert it on its own. For example, if I released my mana into the atmosphere if I stopped manipulating it, it would gradually become pure or ice as in the surrounding areas." The mage took a break to take a sip from his cup


    "What''s a mana crystal? I have never heard about it." Asked Adam while Edgar drank.


    "As I said, it''s crystallised mana, it''s no surprise you never heard about it as they don''t appear in Derdania. The nearest mana crystal mines are in the empire in the south." Answered the man.


    "Why aren''t any in Derdana?" Inquired Adam.


    "That''s a complicated topic, there may be some in the mountains, but we have no way of accessing them."


    After another tea break, the mage started from where he ended before Adam''s inquires.


    "Along with our understanding of elements, we learn their language. It is not like a conventional language though, its spelling and writing differ from mage to mage. it''s not about their different understanding, but just that everyone has a different interpretation of the said language. if you looked at fire runes written by two mages who comprehended the same concepts, you wouldn''t recognise them as the same language. That''s "Spellspoke" runes, the private language of every mage.


    There is also the other type of rune, the "Worldspoke" runes. Those are mostly used by non-mages. It''s just like spellspoke runes, but they belong to the world and can be used by anyone, they just have to know how to write them.


    Now, about casting spells. At the start, you should try casting spells along with using worlds to associate with each spell. I make the process of casting easier. After getting familiar with a said spell, you should be able to use it without saying their name out loud. It''s far better, especially in combat situations. The last type is runes, or ''weaving'' as some call it. It''s like writing in the air, but I won''t elaborate on that. Creating pre-loaded spells ready to cast at a moment''s notice, mages advanced in this technique can even create multiple spells augmenting each other, without the need to multicast." While saying the last line, the mage stared into the distance with dreamy eyes.


    "Start with trying to project your mana outward, that''s the most basic form of mana manipulation."


    The mage explained some other things for another hour, but they don''t interest us. Adam, excited to try magic for the first time, thanked him another time, finished drinking his tea and said goodbye to Edgar. While he was leaving, The head guard told him not to worry about the mandatory training, and focus on magic.


    While running through the town, Adam thought about what he heard at Edgar''s house


    ''What element should I try to manipulate first? The chief said the environment should support me if I used ice mana, so that''s a first pick. Though, trying pure magic shouldn''t harm me in any way.''


    After arriving in front of his house, Adam went inside, grabbed some warmer clothes and sat outside.


    He tried to feel the mana, which proved to be as easy as opening his eyelids, then he focused more on what it did, than where it was.


    The mana, which filled his body felt more incredible the more he studied it, it flowed smoothly through his body''s veins alongside blood like a warm, curious friend.


    Feeling it was easy, but what about projecting it outside?

 AITMW-ch5-Magic

    The mana moved inside him, like a snake. From one point to the other, then to another one and another one, until it returned to its original position. It circulated in exactly the same way every time. Flowing along blood, it congregated in the brain and heart. While there were two points with the most concentration of mana inside Adam''s body, they weren''t the same.


    The heart was like a vault, in which mana was segregated and sent to the rest of the body. The brain though, was more like a fireplace, where firewood was replaced by mana. nearly all energy sent there was spent and disappeared mysteriously.


    Apart from those two, there was another phenomenon happening around him. His body acted like a swirl in the water.


    Adam heard somewhere, that even though swirls are very rare in the lakes of Derdania, they are incredibly dangerous. At the surface, water comes in, and is sucked inside with incredible force, but on the inside, deep underwater, all that was sucked inside is dispersed across the lake, sometimes in a linear fashion, sometimes chaoticly.


    Something quite similar happened with mana around Adam''s body. Mana was attracted towards him, towards his heart. Then, as it spread across his body, some of it seeped outside. The mana was constantly being attracted to him and leaking from him, while it was a weird situation, it was true.


    This cleared up something in Adam''s brain, as a mage, Edgar must have felt this, as he agreed to help him. ''So that''s why he seemed to be so nice to me!'' Thought Adam. While this cleared things up, it also made Edgar''s persona as a wise and polite man shake a little inside Adam''s brain.


    Ending his search inside himself, Adam moved to what proved to be the more difficult part.


    At first, he tried to move the mana outside his body directly, but that was hard as hell to do. It moved a little, but not enough to call it a ''move''. Adam felt like a child trying to lift a heavy rock, it twitched a little as he tensed his muscles, but just as he loosened a little, the rock returned to its original position.


    ''Head guard told me to ''project'' it outside. A weird word indeed, but I think I understand Mr Edgar''s intention, I need to take the mana from my own body.''


    Adam tried to move mana inside his body towards his right index finger, and he instantly regretted it. Mana burst out of his finger, making a small but bloody hole in it, while mana moved through his whole body to the finger, he noticed that it hurt, but not in all places. Veins and blood vessels felt secure, and unharmed by his rash action. ''Maybe I need to use them, just like mana circulates through my body?"


    He tried again. This time, he tried moving only a small amount of mana, thru his veins towards his index finger.


    Mana flowed nicely, accommodating veins inside the finger and waiting for further orders. Adam prepared himself mentally for some injuries, and willed mana to flow into the atmosphere. This time, unlike the mana that escaped his body naturally, mana in the outside world tried to suppress his own. He didn''t retreat from the challenge though, he steeled himself and fought back, eventually winning against the unruly world. After a moment of struggle, atmospheric mana seemed to retreat a little, while it still fought against him, it wasn''t that bad. Controlling it was easier than Edgar told him it would be.


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    For the next few hours Adam played with his mana, he made a few discoveries, such as that worldly pressure is generated each time he manifests his mana in the air and is greater in accordance with the amount released. Also, he realised that when he leaks mana outside his body and clears space for more, his heart sucks atmospheric mana faster and faster, like a whirlpool hungry for more water. The less mana he had in his body, the faster was it sucked inside.


    He made his mana move with different speeds and directions, changed its density, making it smaller or bigger on a whim, and changed its form drawing different figures in the air.


    The thing is, he played with incorporeal mana. Form which doesn''t interact with the material plane. Thus counting more as a trick, means to amuse children, than magic. To evolve it into something more useful, Adam had to figure out how to change its form, to one that could be more corporeal.


    He arrived at the only possible solution, the only one he thought of, and could potentially perform. It was to increase the density. While he changed it before, he didn''t really focus on making it as dense as he could so, now came a time for that.


    In the next hours, Adam made serious progress, on how to make material projections. The trick he thought of worked well, when it couldn''t compress further, he needed to will it to stay in that state. By itself, mana can''t become tangible, but in such a compressed state, the barrier between tangibility and intangibility became so thin, that the outside could finally affect the mana physically.


    This outside interference was the missing piece. When Adam punched his construct, his fist was stopped and he felt his control over the mana waver, and return to normal as it returned to its fluid, nearly incorporeal form. Controlling solid mana was too hard for Adam''s current skills, apparently.


    ''That''s problematic, if I want to defend using it, I can only withstand short bursts, not a continuous push.'' He thought.


    Now, Adam decided to create his first spell. When Edgar explained the process, he mentioned that at first, he needed to become familiar with the soon-to-be spell and name it, so that the spell is anchored to his brain by something.


    The first spell he wanted to create was a defensive one. After all, what purpose does attack capability have, if you can''t defend yourself?


    To his luck, the arcane magic he just learned was very compatible with defending. But to create one, he needed to think of a form and name for his first incantation and train it enough so that the name acts somewhat like a muscle memory.


    As Adam was making his first spell, night fell. By the time Derek started to worry about his nephew, the boy in question returned home.


    "Uncle, take your bow and come with me I want to show you something!" Shouted Adam as soon as he barged into the house.


    "What''s the matter, can''t I go to sleep already? I waited for you enough today." Barked back, clearly tired Mr Puffypaw.


    "Come with me, I promise you won''t regret it! I''m waiting outside!" Said Adam as he was leaving the cottage.


    After going outside, Derek was asked to shoot Adam with an arrow, Thinking that his foster child had gone nuts, he hesitated, but who would refuse to shoot someone, when they want it? Especially after that, someone frustrated them.


    So... Derek prepared his bow and shot an arrow towards Adam''s leg.


    "[Shield]" Uttered Adam, the name of his first spell scattered in the wind. As he cast, a transparent, bluish barrier rose from Adam''s outstretched hand.


    The arrow stopped as it encountered the magic obstacle, and ricocheted to the side, as the magic shattered, then dissipated after breaking out of Adam''s control.

 AITMW-ch6-Elemenetal magic

    The shield shattered and dissipated, leaving Adam with an unobstructed view of his uncle.


    Derek was shocked. When Adam left home in the morning, he didn''t believe in his nephew''s ability to learn magic, even thou he shoved signs of talent. And to learn magic in such a short time? Even if it was a very basic spell, Adam proved to be talented.


    He had some hopes, but hopes weren''t enough for his protegee to attain the mystical status of a mage.


    "What the fuck? How were you able to learn magic in that fast of a time?"


    Shouted shocked Derek.


    "I guess I have some talent, just as I said in the morning." Shrugged Adam.


    "Also, the head guard was nice enough to introduce me to the basics. Without his help, I would have no chance at magic for the foreseeable future." He explained. Truly, without a pathfinder, he wouldn''t be able to learn anything, at least until he got lucky enough to figure something out himself.


    "Oh, be careful with taking freebies, although Edgar Steelarm seems like a good guy, associating with him would bring you a lot of trouble. Whatever reason he has to stay in our town, with a measly head guard position, while being an esteemed mage, it can''t be good." Warned the uncle, it was his duty as Adam''s guardian after all.


    "Well, I do am in debt for with him, but I think it was a fair trade, or even one better for me than him, after all, I only have known rumours about magic before."


    Derek didn''t leave a further comment, there was no need for that.


    -----------------------


    The next morning, Adam woke up excited.


    After all, today he would try elemental magic, which was supposed to be easier than arcane one. The thought of having elemental magic at hand made his blood boil with fervour.


    During breakfast, Adam had some doubts about what Edgar said about environmental mana and the power of elemental spells. Sure, it made sense that mana outside powered up or disturbed some elements, but would the same element as environments, be most effective against monsters of the area?


    ''Wouldn''t monsters evolve to be more resilient against an element of the area? Didn''t animals living in cold areas develop, fatter, more cold-resistant skins?''


    As such, being doubtful about his choice, Adam asked Derek about it. he was an experienced hunter so he must have known such things.


    "Hmmm, yeah you are right, from what I know local animals have thicker furs and are more resilient to cold than ones living behind the mountains, far in the south where the weather is warmer. But I don''t think that would change something in your case. You said you want to learn ice magic right?"


    "Yeah, the head guard said it would be the easiest one to learn." Answered the nephew.


    "Well, as far as I can tell, ice magic is all about shooting ice from your fingers. Thicker furs will definitely be a problem, but not one you can solve. What you can do though, is focus on sharpness rather than the mass of your magic, if that does even apply." Explained Derek.


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    "Why, wouldn''t a heavier object be a deadlier one?" Asked Adam in confusion.


    "It does, but against thick furs, it is less efficient, that''s why no one who focuses on fighting monsters in ferston uses blunt weapons, the fur acts as a pillow, making the effect of the strike weaker"


    "Ohh, if you use a spear for example, wouldn''t it just tangle in it?" Asked the curious boy.


    "Yeah, that''s why any sane person will take more than one spear while hunting." Derek''s somewhat wise words ended the conversation.


    Adam was easily convinced by his uncle''s reasoning, and with his resolution revived, he headed out outside, to explore a wide world of magic once again.


    Firstly, he warmed up. It was just his second day of using mana after all, it was normal for him to feel out of touch. Throwing rocks in the air, and trying to create a shield underneath them proved to be a good exercise, and soon, Adam was once again able to cast his first spell on a whim. Of course, not before failing spectacularly a few dozen times.


    Now came the time to learn elemental magic.


    Chief Guard Edgar taught him that to use elemental mana, he first needed to feel it in the atmosphere, or in its natural form. Then, he had to understand a bit how it worked and put that knowledge into his mana, effectively creating elemental mana.


    after managing to create their own elemental mana, the mage had to take it out of their body, and there the major difference between elemental and arcane magic came to light. All mana yearned for its natural form, yet not all mana had one.


    For example, while using fire mana, after taking it out of the body it would fight the mage to become fire, the same fire that burned down forests and warmed up houses. other elemental types would desire to become their own natural counterpart. A mage could suppress that desire and use it in ethereal form, just like arcane magic always stayed, it was the only exception, as pure mana didn''t have a ''natural form''.


    Ice was simple to understand, just like everything else if you watched it for a period long enough. Adam lived in Derdania, a place shrouded in snow and ice for most of the year, so he had enough of the sight.


    Changing the mana inside his body proved to be easy, much easier than he expected. The same applied to projecting it outside, though that was probably because he knew how to do it with pure one.


    After taking Ice mana out of his body, Adam felt that aside from environmental suppression, his ice mana also started to rebel. It wanted to become ice. Although keeping it in this form was very hard, and taxing on his mind, Adam experimented a bit with ice mana in its ethereal form. Apart from the fact that it felt chilly to the touch, it acted exactly like arcane magic.


    After Adam dissipated this deployment of mana and summoned forth another, he let it become ice. As soon as it changed form, manipulating it became nearly effortless, at least in comparison to the same mana in ethereal form. The floating ice fought off the environmental suppression and didn''t rebel even a bit.


    ''So that''s why pure magic is considered to be the hardest, elemental ones, just don''t have any suppression burdening the mage on them, aside from the ethereal form, but who in the sane mind would use an ethereal form for extended periods?'' Thought Adam.


    There was another style of magic that Edgar told him about, instead of controlling their own mana, mages sometimes took control over the environment. The thing is, the chief guard didn''t tell Adam how to do it, only that it is possible.


    So, Adam started the work, new spell wouldn''t learn itself.


    His spell of choosing consisted of a block of ice shaped like a spear, a butt much smaller, basically, a featherless arrow. This [Icicle] was thrown into the air by Adam''s mana, which acted as a bridge between the icicle and the mage. Adam could freely control it in a 5-meter radius, any further and it was like a shot arrow, not changing course if not hit by something.


    He tested the spell before completely immersing himself in practice, he shot an arrow at his uncle, who was hidden behind a shield, and then he did the same with [Icicle]. The result was that the spell was comparable to normal arrows. he didn''t expect it to have such a good outcome.


    While casting this spell wasn''t much harder than his first one, learning it by heart was much harder, and it took much longer.


    With that done, Adam''s capabilities as a mage rose dramatically.


    Those traits would prove to be very useful, as tomorrow was the scheduled first outing for the new adults, and our new mage didn''t want to miss it.

 AITMW-ch7-First fight

    It was Friday, the third day after awakening.


    Streets of Ferston were covered in snow, as a blizzard passed by in the night. A lot of social workers were seen, clearing the snow off the road. The town brimmed with life and happiness. People were in a festive atmosphere as the first week of the year always was filled with parties, weddings and other ceremonies. The only people that didn''t fit in the picture were, the youngest of adults, already of age, but not too much different from children.


    Their moods seemed to be terrible, on their faces were seen emotions such as fear and stress. They were worried about the upcoming hours.


    On the third day of the year, ''little ducklings'', as that''s how others called them, had their most stressful day of life. Today, they would experience their first battle, they would fight for the first time. At least most of them, some incompetent parents didn''t manage to safeguard their children or said children were too fearless and ventured too deep into the forest. Unfortunately, in both cases, things ended tragically, with the luckiest child coming back without an arm.


    People before the age of 15 just weren''t supposed to fight, yes they could be strong and agile, but they had no chance against magical beasts. The first time a human can operate mana inside their bodies is during their 15 birthday and mana is just too important for fighters in this world, even those who can''t display it outwards depend on its augmentation and reinforcements.


    Every fighter, or fighter-to-be and even some high-end jobs require people to advance themselves, absorb mana and ascend beyond manaless body standards. While warriors''s absorption techniques were very easy to acquire and could be bought for money, techniques used by mages were not, another thing making mages a reclusive, rare profession. Soon, Adam will also have to face the challenge of getting a technique, or maybe developing one himself, but that''s a thing for the future, not a far one, but still.


    Walking amidst the crowd, Adam left the central street and entered the central square where stood loads of ''little ducklings'' already. Near them stood a wooden platform, which was before on a training field. Soon-to-be fighters waited impatiently for guards to take them to the forest.


    Amongst the others, the most eye-catching was Max Steelarm, son of the head guard, and the only person the general public believed to become a mage among all little ducklings. He stood at the centre of a well-armoured group of youths, clearly comfortable in their attire. They had parts of steel armour on themselves and seemed to be accustomed to holding their weapons. But what caught the eye the most, was what Max was wearing. His leather armour, made from grey fur, was covered in sharp metal plates, tucked in specially designed pockets.


    It seemed that Max inherited his father''s affinity for metal, Adam figured that creating metal was way more mana-expensive than ice, so having a pre-created shard tucked away and ready for battle was a great strategy.


    Other people were generally equipped with a shield and a weapon of their choosing, only the ones who aspired to become a fighter wore armour, mainly created with leather, but some people appeared wearing plates.


    When Adam arrived at the square, he was greeted by whispers from the crowd. Apart from Max, he was the only one without any weapons.


    Walking near a group of close-range fighters, Adam was greeted by Ethan''s smiling face.


    "So how was it? Learning magic I mean." Asked Ethan loudly.


    "Inspiring and fascinating."


    "But, did you succeed?" Said Ethan, worry seen on his face.


    "Yes."


    "WOOHOO!!" Shouted exited Ethan. Keeping his friend''s abilities a secret wasn''t his concern.


    This short conversation ended abruptly when ten guards stepped on stage. All of them were in somewhat casual clothes, long coats with the town''s emblem being the only thing betraying their identity. Most of them carried a short sword at their hips and a long, rectangular shield at their backs. The only exception was a man in the centre, carrying a warhammer with one end spiked and one flat, instead of the sword. Women amongst them were no exception to this trend.


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    "Today, as you already know, we will begin your actual fighting experience. We will venture to the outskirts of the forest and fight beasts that we find. Please gather in groups of ten or so, and then we will begin."


    Adam and Ethan grouped up with Ethan''s training buddies, who were more than eager to see if Adam''s claim about being a mage was true. As they got assigned to their guard, the guard captain, who wielded the hammer, started going towards the forest.


    The guard they were assigned to, was a woman in her twenties, nearly twice their age, she was quite pretty but not that breathtaking.


    Adam was curious about why all guards except the captain had the same weapons. It was weird, rarely do you find ten people with the same specialisation, especially in the same team. So, he asked their guide.


    "No, it''s not like that." She answered politely.


    "You are right to say that everyone has their specialisation, but as long as we don''t become powerful enough to lead our teams, cooperation is more important. Some teams have more diverse settings but most of it is like us, using a large shield to create powerful defensive formations. There always is another weapon apart from the shield, ours is a short sword."


    "What about the team leader? Why does he have a different equipment?" Wondered Adam.


    "It''s just what he likes, when you are capable enough to lead a team, you can use whatever you like. "


    With Adam''s curiosity out of the way, the group neared the forest, not some outskirts filled with small animals and occasional deer, but more of an inner forest where magical beasts live.


    The forest near Ferston wasn''t always filled with danger, before the dungeon appeared, areas around the town were relatively safe and calm. Only afterwards did the number of monsters in the surroundings rise.


    Although prosperity somewhat comes in pair with dungeons, the first years of the dungeon''s existence bring forth tragic disasters. The same was true with Ferston. In the first few months of the dungeon''s existence, more than a quarter of the town''s population had died. Including Adam''s blood relatives. Only after a few years, things calmed down.


    "When travelling through the forest, always stay vigilant and have an eye on me. Follow me and repeat what I do. It''s a matter of your life or death." Warned them the guardswoman.


    As they wandered through the forest, nearby beasts were assessed by the guard. Then they argued about who would kill each of them. It was their first true fight, so each team had to have at least two members.


    The first ones to go were a trio, two women and a man, Adam somewhat knew them as they were only triplets in town, and guard captain''s children. The girls, both had a sword and a round shield, while the boy had a bow.


    Their prey was a huge snail, its enormous shell reached almost a metre in height. The distinctive feature of its species was horns on their heads, while the horn was in the way when the snail covered in its home, it was a massive advantage in fight.


    The guardswoman held a little, it had great explosive speed. The snail could explode the mucus underneath them, accelerating them and giving them temporary explosive power.


    Triplets attack strategy was simple, girls would approach it from the sides, while the boy startled it and led it in the wrong direction by shooting arrows at it.


    As the fighters approached the snail, swordswomen exchanged glances and separated from one another. They moved circularly, making enough space between them and the monster. They stepped carefully, trying not to make any sound aside from the crunch of the snow below.


    A sudden arrow, shot from far away, startled the snail.


    It began to head in the direction of the noise while girls sneakily followed it on the sides.


    Another arrow landed a bit farther than the last, alerting the snail.


    The monster shrank into its shell, spread fluids behind itself and turned in the direction of the noise.


    Snail shot forward at breakneck speed, brushwood bent and cracked in its wake, making distinctive snapping and cracking sounds.


    Girls run after it, regardless of the noise generated. Having arrived next to it they hit it from both sides, breaking the shell a bit.


    Snail, surprised, turned left towards one of the girls and swung its horn.


    The girl got hit in the leg, barely managing to get out without a major wound, while an arrow penetrated the snail through one of the cracks in its shell. Next came the sword, it sank into the snail''s flesh from behind, through the crack.


    Agonizing shrieks spread to the surrounding area, and the snail''s head flew, as the girl''s sword made a silver arc in the air.


    "woohoo(!!)" Triplets let out a silent cry of victory and made a silly dance in celebration. Their first foe was slain.


    immediately after celebrating the victory, they came to the guardswoman for information, about what to do with the body.


    "If anyone has some container, you could gather its fluids. It''s good for a kindling." She said absentmindedly while looking at the blood dripping down the girl''s leg.

 AITMW-ch8-Spear in the gut.

    Adam finally thought that his service was needed and started to gather mana at his fingertips, when the guardswoman started a rant about safety, precaution and being cautious.


    "...You can''t just ignore me, young lady, you were reckless, what I am supposed to tell your dad when you return without a leg?"


    "No worries, I heal fast, and besides it''s just a small cut, Dad won''t notice it." Answered cheekily the girl that made the final strike.


    "Hey! I am here worrying about you and you ignore my words, how did your dad raise you?"


    "Heh..."


    "All three of you, besides her injury, it was okay first fight, even with your dad''s training. You need to be more careful and make more use of your shields. You need to train hard because, by the end of this week, all of you who aim to become fighters should be able to kill such a weak beast alone."


    At this moment the guardswoman noticed that Adam was tinkering with something.


    "What are you doing?" She asked.


    "A bottle." Was Adam''s answer.


    "What? A bottle?" The guardswoman was flabbergasted.


    "For the snail''s slime, of course." Answered Adam, not without stopping.


    "What? Wait how are you able to sculpt something so exquisite from ice?"


    "Magic."


    "Stop with the sarcasm, cheeky bastard." Said an angry guardswoman, still not noticing that Adam told the truth.


    "Magic." This time it was Ethan who said it. He observed the whole process from the start, as did most of the group.


    "Magic? Why do you insist that''s the case?... OH FUCK, how were you able to learn magic in that short amount of time?.... Oh sorry, you don''t have to answer me. But why are you making a bottle?" Guardswoman finally remembered that in her team was an aspiring mage. From the start, she didn''t know if he was just an additional weight for her to carry or an actual deal. She assumed the first option, but it seemed she underestimated him.


    "For the slime, triplets will have to give me part of what they gain from the sale, of course."


    "Aahh, of course."


    With that troubling question out of the way, the group could finally move in search of new prey.


    As everyone was curious about Adam''s magic prowess, He and Ethan were chosen as the next group to fight.


    It looked like the outer rings of the inner forest weren''t too full of beasts, because, for the next 30 minutes, the group hadn''t found any.


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    After the next few minutes of walking through the snowy forest, in which the sun barely shines past the treetops, the guardswoman finally saw some promising prey.


    It was a 2-metre tall moose, with its wide antlers reaching an astonishing 0.9 metre out of its head. It had strong legs, which ended with hooves and fur unnaturally fluffy. The most unsettling thing about the monster was its teeth, which looked as if stolen from a wolf. As the beast walked through the snow, it looked around for potential predators and promising prey. Despite them being merely 40 metres from it, it didn''t notice them.


    Ethan set off first, being a vanguard. while Ethan was moving toward the moose, Adam prepared [Icicles], he could hold about 4 of them in ready if pre-emptively created.


    Ethan neared the beast, he was about 10 metres from it when it noticed him. The beast concentrated on Ethan and charged. It ran surprisingly fast crossing the distance in no time.


    Adam, seeing as Ethan flew through the air after being smashed in his shield by the beast, shot two Icicles at the moose. One of which even hit.


    The icicle hit the beast in the leg, making it stumble as it started to run again.


    This time, the moose targeted Adam, it ran at him with its ferocious antlers prepared to strike, and crashed into a [Shield], in which Adam poured nearly all of his mana as soon as he saw the beast move in his direction. The beast came to a sudden halt, being stopped by Adam''s barrier before it dissipated into thin air.


    "SPEAR IN THE GUT" Shouted Ethan, who after standing up, charged at the moose.


    As Ethan arrived near the beast, he threw his shield on its head, to stun it, and grabbing his spear with both hands, threw himself spear-first at the moose.


    The spear, pierced thru the moose''s, as Ethan said, gut. Ethan tried to recover and attack again, but the spear was stuck. He let it go and ran away, around Adam in search of safety.


    In the meantime, Adam erected the barrier once again and combined his two remaining icicles into one larger.


    Moose, trying to free itself from the spear, was throwing himself in all directions, when he abruptly came to a stop. Some parts of its body still twitched, but its head was surprisingly still.


    Unsurprisingly, if you have seen the spear-like ice stake impaling it to the ground.


    "Yes!!" Shouted Adam, he was excited for his first kill. And, Ethan echoed him.


    "Calm down, you little shits. Why did you attack it with no regard for your life, or a plan?! Especially you Ethan you should be more focused and ready to dodge at any moment, for your life depends on it, but you were reckless and too excited to see the danger you were in." Shouted the guardswoman in anger. This was apparently about to be a very stressful day for her, especially if the next teams remained on the stupidity level of their predecessors.


    "Without that ridiculous barrier of Adam''s, you would both be dead."


    After the guardswoman''s rant, the hunt proceeded as planned. The two teams that didn''t fight before managed to kill their beasts with minor injuries. The hunt continued for the next five hours, during which Adam and Ethan were able to kill two more monsters.


    Three kills spread around two people wasn''t a good number for any self-respecting hunter, but for two novices, who for the first time battled with their lives on the line, it was a very impressive result.


    For Adam, killing these beasts was very refreshing, he managed to get two of the killing strikes and in both instances, he felt like a heavy burden was lifted from his heart.


    For his sister, Emily, and his dead parents, There will be no mercy granted to the beasts.


    ----------------------------------------


    Time flew fast as Adam hunted in the mornings and afternoons and trained his magic in the night.


    He parted ways with Ethan as his partner in hunts, being a team proved to be inefficient and even dangerous, Ethan just believed in his friend''s capabilities too much. Too many incidents happened because of that, so Adam started to venture with random teams each time, and Ethan reunited with his friend from the initial training.


    That''s how the first week of the year ended, with Adam constantly hunting in the outskirts, slaying the weak beast and training magic all the time.


    Soon, the preparatory week would end, as a ceremony neared.

 AITMW-ch9-Ranks and snow

    As far as Adam knew, the ceremony marking the start of the year varied in every place in the world, in Ferston, its residents celebrated ''Warm Hearts Day''.


    Derdenia''s, which is the kingdom in which Ferston is located, traditions are centred around Pruina, the goddess of winter and households. As the goddess gives people warmth during wintertime, celebrations mostly consist of contradictory themes, the warmth of the fireplace inside one''s home fighting against the freezing coldness of winter.


    The day was the most important day for all Derdanians, not only did it mark the seventh day after the new year, symbolizing the already started year, but fifteen-year-olds were also introduced to Adult society. It consisted of a day full of attractions provided in towns and cities by local governments. While most of the celebration differs every year and in each town/city, there are few main points that every party celebrates with.


    Firstly, Adults embrace the cold in respect towards the warmth, not all but most of them don''t wear anything on their torso all day. Of course, children are prohibited from such activities, they would die from the cold without the resistance gained by living all those years and enhanced by mana flowing in their veins.


    The celebration centred around a gigantic fire set on the main square of each city. Fire is built by all of the residents, making it a joint effort to make bonds and a homely atmosphere around the city. A hearth is built to make the tallest and hottest flames possible. The fire is lit at dawn and is expected to last till midnight.


    Third, and the last consistent tradition is the ending ceremony, during which Young adults, freshly turned fifteen-year-olds, who have awakened their mana on the first day of the year, go up on a platform and introduce themselves to adult society, sometimes showing off their skills if they have any worth of note.


    For the little ducklings, the day is stressful.


    Waking up and seeing those happy people all the time, while you still have to train under the guidance of the guards? No one wants that.


    Going up the podium and introducing yourself to the entire town? Can you imagine something more stressful?


    And of course, their future job. After all, it''s the final time to decide on your career, anything later and you will be behind your peers.


    The final product is a unique combination of slightly depressed teenagers and topless adults running around with logs of wood and alcohol in their hands, while children play around the fire in the background.


    ----------------------------------------------


    Adam looked out the window while eating breakfast.


    Today, traffic next to Derek''s house was unusual, normally one or two people would walk by, and sometimes someone would come in to say hi or ask Derek to hunt a monster, it was quiet most of the time.


    Today though, carts rolled by every fifteen minutes or so. A lot of people got engaged in acquiring wood for the fireplace. The storage of timber was located near the woods, so they had to travel quite some distance to deliver the wood to the central square.


    It was quite engaging, and very relaxing, not to say he was slacking off while his peers trained in the field. He performed a simple exercise, proposed to him by his uncle actually, he watched the passerby and their carts and made a flat sculpture of them with ice magic, making it follow their moves.


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    The thing about the magic though, was that he had no idea how to progress, he had basic skills, but no method of advancing his rank.


    For example, the chief guard told Adam that there were five ranks of magicians inside the kingdom. It wasn''t some arbitrary, superficial rank, but one based on the number of ascensions a person went through. There are Aspiring magicians, Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Masters in order. Adam and Amx Steelarme were obviously aspiring magicians, but at which rank did Edgar stand? Who knows.


    Similar was the ranking of aura users, the only difference was the warrior prefix and that instead of a Master Mage, they were called Weaponmasters. Their name could be smugly combined with the rank name, so it was.


    The biggest difference in the status of a mage and a warrior was the availability of their absorption technique. While warriors could just go to the army for some time and get a technique, with various stages of completion depending on the rank acquired in the army, Mage''s situation was very different, to get a technique, the most common practice was getting a master of their own, who would guide the aspirant through their journey.


    Creating their technique was also possible, for both warriors and magicians, but it was most importantly - risky. While creating your one, you could easily hurt yourself, or even lead to your death.


    The most practical way for Adam would be to get himself a master, but that would mean he would basically become a slave, and he would have no idea what his master would expect from him.


    What Adam did know though, was that without an absorption technique, he would stay at the lowest rank forever.


    It wouldn''t be a problem for Max, the Steelarm family definitely had their own techniques.


    One way for Adam to acquire one would be to ask the chief guard about it, but the price Edagr may ask for may be too high.


    ''I need to consider all options, hastily decision would haunt me, but on the other hand, asking about it isn''t a bad idea, if he asks for too much, I can always refuse.'' Thought Adam.


    After coming to that decision, he ended his exercise and he went outside. The day was quite cold, and the snow was plentiful, luckly, many people walked the road to the town today, so the snow there was packed, and didn''t spill into the boots of the aspiring mage. The sky was clear, with the sun poking its head from a distant mountain range illuminating the valley and woods around in a gold-ish hue.


    The cold conditions didn''t bother Ferston''s residents as much as one could think, some even were happy that the contrast between cold air and the heat of the fireplace would be so high, that it made the unique atmosphere of the festivity.


    When Adam arrived in the town, he noticed that guards had their tops taken off, not only men but women too. Even though almost all of them were shaking in the cold, and probably embarrassed about their nakedness, it was nothing that a quick sip from a flask couldn''t alleviate.


    As Ferston wasn''t near any borders with neighbouring countries, even guards on active duty could partially participate in the festive atmosphere of Warm Hearts Day. Although they still couldn''t leave their positions, all traditions that could be performed while being on guard duty and didn''t compromise their readiness were kind of turned a blind eye to. That''s the reason that all around Ferston, mini fireplaces were being erected by the guards. Alcohol on service wasn''t something that came along with the celebration, it is just an all-year tradition.


    On all the streets, there were stalls selling food and other things. every house was decorated with ice and torches and people walked in their fine clothing, or half of it. Chief guard Edgar''s manor was no exception it was the most decorated building Adam had seen this year, with ice and fire intertwining around each other, it was mesmerising. Evidently magical in nature, ice torches stood among other decorations, their tops lit up with a fire, that didn''t melt its support.


    Servants of the manor recognised Adam from his earlier visit, around a week ago, and went to notify their master, leaving Adam in front of the gate.


    A few minutes later, they came back, this time bringing along their master. Along with them came Edgar''s son, Max and his friends with whom he fought throughout the week, he knew all of them, but didn''t spend a lot of time with them.


    "Hello Mister Edgar, I came because I''m in a peculiar situation, and you as a senior mage are the only person I can turn to. Please hear me out" Asked politely Adam, after making a slight bow in front of the host, as a sign of respect and a greeting.

 AITMW-ch10-Dawn

    "Hello Mister Edgar, I came because I''m in a peculiar situation, and you as a senior mage are the only person I can turn to. Please hear me out" Asked politely Adam, after making a slight bow in front of the host, as a sign of respect and a greeting.


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 AITMW-ch11-After Dawn

    The last event of the holiday was coming fast. As dawn arrived people all around the town were moving towards the central square, again. this time, it was a genuine ceremony.


    The mayor was standing on the elevated platform, waiting for everyone to gather.


    He was a short, middle-aged man, dressed in a long brown coat with crystals embedded in the pauldrons. His short blond hair was hidden underneath a hat made of some kind of fur. He was rather tall, standing at around 185 centimetres, similar to Adam. His eyes were blue and shined as if they were a pair of crystals, reflecting the sunlight.


    "Good morning my dear citizens. I am honoured to announce and lead, the final event of The Warm Hearts Day, The Intruduction Ceremony!" The mayor, named Rudolf Crismont looked around the crowd, checking their reaction. He smiled, as his words were taken by the people with enthusiasm.


    "As you all should know, firstly, we will interview and introduce every and all of those new to adulthood, the new generation. After that, we will proceed with reminding ourselves of the great deeds and feats achieved by Ferson and its people in the past year. Then, of course, I invite you all to stay and party with us all, in the morning. The day after, hahaha! " Chuckled the mayor.


    "First, following the alphabetical order, let''s welcome Alan Goose! Also, I forgot to mention that we have two special people to introduce, and we will save their part for the last! Now, let''s greet Alan with a warm applause!" Shouted Rudolf, announcing the first ascender, and welcoming him on stage.


    "Hi! I''m Alan Goose" The boy introduced himself.


    "Nice to meet you, Alan. What are your plans for the future? I see that you got a sword by your side, so, I guess you want to be an adventurer? It''s a very popular dream, thou not achieved that often." Guessed the mayor.


    "Not exactly, though your guess is somewhat accurate, Master Rudolf. I want to join the guard corps, just like my late father." Replied Alan, with a proud expression on his face.


    "Amazing choice, young man. I am sure your father would be proud of you, being a guard is an honourable job, a service to the community."


    A few quick questions later, The mayor took out a piece of paper and announced another person to come up and introduce themselves.


    The next person stepped up a podium as Alan walked down. It was a girl, one of the prettiest this year, but Adam wouldn''t notice such details, as his focus was located elsewhere.


    He had to tell his uncle, Derek Puffypaw, about his decision. About his earlier-than-expected departure from Ferston and his destination, the capital.


    It was a hard thing to do, considering it would mark a moment after which he could not turn around and change his heart, it would potentially be one of his last talks for a while with his adoptive father, who cared about him for years till now, a role model who served as a lighthouse for Adam in ways of behaviour around others, approach to public opinions, hard work and many other skills essential for a young man to live a happy life.


    Now, he had to say his goodbyes and pray that he would see him again.


    Adam turned to Derek, who was standing next to him amongst the crowd.


    "Uncle, I have a very important thing to say, could we move to the side, for a bit of privacy?"


    "Ok... Sure?"


    After moving to the edge of the square, and taking a few deep breaths, Adam was finally prepared to say his line.


    "Head guard Edgar made a proposition to me. I agreed, and I am going to the capital with Max, the head guard''s son." Adam said quickly, as to take it out of himself.


    "That fast? Well, you''ve got me surprised, but I... May surprise you more." Derek looked surprised, but more so, concerned and afraid, as he made a very quick and decisive decision.


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    "I want to come with you. You definitely... wouldn''t survive a day out there without me, lad" He probably wanted to sound sure in his belief, but his voice betrayed him, making Adam sure that Derek was not sure about what his nephiews answer would be.


    "Are you sure? You spent all your life here, all your friends live here not to mention you have a beautiful house. Wouldn''t you like to stay?" Adam was worried, he didn''t want to make his uncle leave ferston against his will. Despite what he said, he really wanted him to come as it would make the future way less scary.


    "That''s exactly why I want to go with you...., I haven''t seen anything besides these woods for over 30 years. Regrettably, I would leave my house, but maybe I could sell it before departing.


    As for my friends..., at this point, even while staying amongst them I feel like an outsider. They all started their own families... I am not well fit amongst them." Derek stared at the scene, watching as another person walked up on it while waiting for Adam''s answer.


    "Okay,... I will gladly accept your company. But what could you possibly do when I am in the army with Max?" Wondered Adam. The hunter had formidable skills in the field, but to his nephew''s knowledge, he wasn''t in a good relationship with the guards and the army. And him becoming one of them was weird for Adam to think about.


    "I.... will probably work as your attendant, surely a mage must have one. And I am eager to discover what attractions capital holds.." Derek''s eyes glistened for a moment as if he imagined something amazing.


    "So you just want to laze around? Be warned, if I buy a house I will need a a butler to sweep the floors, a mage can''t be forced to do things like that on his own." Answered Adam brazingly.


    Adam was ecstatic about the possibility of using his uncle to do chores for him, now roles would turn around. But before that, he felt the rough palm of his uncle''s hand on the back of his head.


    ------------------------------


    The Introduction Ceremony was nearing its end. The last person just stepped off the stage when the mayor announced the special introductions.


    "Now, I would like to invite Adam Axigna and Max Steelarm to the stage. Rumours say those two managed to tame the mana, and become mages! Let''s introduce them with a round of applause." Said Rudolf Crismont, his eyes sparkling, as if it were his children that brought him pride and glory as a mayor of Ferston.


    As the boys walked on the stage, most people stared at Max, leaving Adam with relatively no attention on him. The reason for such disparity between their eaycatchingness was clothes. Adam was dressed in his leather armour, while it looked cool and all, it was nothing extravagant or rare to see. Max, on the other hand, was dressed in a greyish robe, shining with a metallic lustre, underneath which was a collection of spikes and blades made of metal. Much cooler and eye-catching than plain brown armour.


    "Hi boys, would you like to tell us about your plans for the future?" Asked the mayor.


    A moment of silence ensued, as the boys weren''t eager to come in first.


    Eventually, Rudolf lost patience and set the speaker.


    "Max, what are your plans?"


    "I was planning to go to the capital. Father told me that going to the military there is a wise choice." Hidden Noble answered, with a bit of annoyance heard in his voice.


    "Oh, you are going to join the army? Not a thing I would do, but I guess your father knows best. Well, I wish all the best for you, young junior. Remember me when you become someone high in the hierarchy, I''m just a pitiable mayor." The man joked, at least that''s what Adam thought.


    "How about you,... Adam?" Apparently and obviously, the mayor didn''t remember Adam''s name off the top of his head.


    "I plan on coming with him. It''s always better with a company. Besides, I always wanted to visit the capital, I heard there is a huge tower in the middle, its tip reaching the clouds. " Answered Adam, with a little dreamy voice.


    "I was there, before, and while the tower exists, unfortunately, it doesn''t reach the clouds. It is very beautiful though.


    As for you joining the army, aren''t you scared? Serving in the army is not the safest job of all, especially for an aspiring mage such as you. I am sure you would be welcomed with open hands by essentially every noble house if you offered them your services.


    Even talentless mages are very valuable for their big mana stores, a talented one like you is priceless. Not literally of course."


    "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Rudolf. I will go to the Capital either way, but I will think it over, over there." Replied Adam, and even though what he said, seemed honest, no one standing on the platform believed it.


    The interview continued, as the host asked a lot of questions to the boys, it made people wonder; who thought of that many questions? It was simply incredible from the bystander''s viewpoint.


    Afterwards, The ceremony quickly ended, but people didn''t scatter just yet. The party after was just about to begin.


    Many fights ensued and grudges were solved as residents of Ferston ended the year with a blank card, and with wishes, dreams and aspirations for the year ahead.


    Adam and Derek, on the other hand, walked out just after the ceremony. Even though they would gladly stay and party with their friends and colleagues, they had a house to sell. Besides that, being one of the focal points wasn''t something Adam wanted at that kind of party, and with him becoming a mage, even the mayor''s extensive list of questions couldn''t put an end to citizens'' curiosity.

 AITMW-ch12-Blizzard

    The blizzard raged outside of the carriage''s window, its frosty winds smashed into the walls and seeped inside.


    The carriage wasn''t alone, a few others rode behind and before it, full of guards, maids and people that wanted to come along. Inside the carriage were two people, Max and Adam who were of the highest ranking among the convoy.


    "This fucking blizzard will break my eardrums!" Raged Max while trying to look out of the window without freezing his nose.


    "It''s not so bad. Think about those guys on horseback, they must be frozen solid. By the way, aren''t you amazed by the roads? I just can''t stop thinking about it. In the middle of a blizzard, and we are not lost, riding relatively fast, and we aren''t jumping around... I may be in love with this road." Adam was mesmerised by the royal roads, which made travel smooth and somewhat safe. While Ferston also had paved roads in some places, being in a town, a person can''t appreciate a well-done route, as all journeys end earlier then in half an hour.


    "I don''t get it, a road is a road, nothing more. What interests me thou, is the storm. Can such a thing be done by magic? What applications would it have?" That was the reason for Max'' cold nose and bleeding forehead. He was too enthusiastic in admiring the destructive power of the snowstorm, so enthusiastic even, that he didn''t notice a brach flying in his face.


    "I think it''s possible. If I advance a realm or two I may recreate it, though I will need to learn wind magic." Adam liked the idea, of being able to throw his opponent without harming them substantially or creating tornadoes that destroy everything in their wake. The wind was a nice element for him.


    "Why don''t you try? I would also, but unfortunately, I have no talent for it. By the way, you should try all elements you can, you never know what elements react to you."


    "Yeah, I will, but only after we arrive, it isn''t a good idea to try magic in a carriage." If he tried it, and something went wrong he could potentially destroy their mode of transportation, and it wouldn''t be a nice thing.


    "Well, when you do, tell me. I am eager to see if you succeed."


    "How about you? Can you use anything else besides metal?" Asked Adam in return.


    "I can use earth magic and some fire, but only earth and metal are usable in reality. The most I can do with fire mana is to light some twigs." Said Max with an annoyed expression.


    "Sucks to be you I guess, wanna bet on whether I can use wind magic or not?" Asked Adam in return.


    As the boy bickered, the wind blew, just like it did for last few hours.


    The convoy left Ferston two days ago, and given the distance between the town and the Capital, at best it would take them another two to arrive at their destination, at worst another two would be needed.


    So, what did Adam do with all that time, considering that he couldn''t train or research his magic?


    He was very busy, he had to do something he never imagined was a must for him. Create his absorption technique.


    Why?


    That''s a stupid question.


    It''s obvious.


    He just doesn''t have one.


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    And where was he supposed to start?


    Of course, asking someone who knew something, at least more than him, it not that hard to do considering the complete lack of any knowledge in the field that Adam possessed.


    Ending the neverending stream of riposts and sarcastic remarks, Adam finally asked.


    "So, what did your father teach you about absorption techniques? you were supposed to tell me, and now is a pretty good time to do so."


    "Okay... where to start form...


    Ahh.. let''s start form telling you about how are techniques supposed to work.


    When mages reach the peak of their realm, which by the way is quite easy to feel, Dad told me it''s like a surge of ecstasy filling the body to the brim, but it''s supposed to be different for each person, so don''t expect a specific thing. The iron rule about it is that you will know with certainty when you are ready to ascend." Explained Max, while staring out of the window.


    "How about warriors? Is it like that for them too?" Questioned Adam, straying off the topic for a moment.


    "Heck if I know! Ask me about the way of mages, not warriors, about those, I know only rumours." Replied Max aggressively.


    "What rumours?" Adam didn''t give in.


    Max turned his head from the window, only to return it to the previous position after looking at Adam, and deciding it was not worth quarrelling with him.


    "I heard they feel terribly exhausted, but also full, like with us." He answered.


    "Nice, so we are better."


    "Okay, next. The absorption technique should be actually called a ritual, it would describe it more accurately."


    "Why?" Interrupted Adam.


    "Stop cutting me off, let me finish, then will be time for questions." Stated Max, with an authoritative tone.


    "As I said, it''s more like a ritual, you only need the absorption technique at the peak of each realm, to ascend to the next. Every technique has a different set of things to do during ascension and will last a different amount of time. Some may last an hour, some a day, but that''s not a thing by which you can measure if the technique is good or bad, though the faster ones are more liked, as they are less taxing on the user." Explained the noble.


    "Now, during the first ascension, all mages form a core in their body. The place where they do it depends on the technique and the person, but when creating your own, try to avoid important organs. the core must act as an anchor of the soul to the body, and also as an energy storage. Without it, the difference between aspiring and beginner magicians would not exist.


    Others, such as aura users and beasts also develop a core but compared to mages, they develop it much later. The beasts for example normally form it in the Intermediate realm. It also depends on the beast''s bloodline, maybe if it were some legendary beast, such as a dragon, they could for the core faster. As for warriors, does vary but instead of bloodline, most possibly the main factor is talent. The earliest case I heard about was of our kingdom''s High Commander, sir. Clemes Estron is rumoured to be the most talented swordsman in the history of the nation. He created his core in ascension to the elementary realm, just like mages do." Max must have been fascinated by the topic, as his mouth wouldn''t close.


    "Even beasts have cores? Can I see one?" Asked Adam.


    "You can, there are many of them on sale in the capital, but I would recommend you to dig into a beast yourself, to see how it works."


    "Wo, that''s a good idea, I will think about it. By the way, why do we hurry so much? We left Ferston a week later than you had planned, what difference would one day make? " Asked Adam while looking out of the window, the blizzard started to end, as rays of sunlight pierced through a thick veil of flying snow.


    "Our delay is exactly the reason, as we are already late, it would be best to hurry up. Besides, In about six days is a party at the king''s castle, as this year many of the noble blood are starting their adult life, they want to meet and get to know each other. But that''s not important for us, what is important is that my cousin will attend the party and we need to get him to know you."


    "The crown prince? Wow, I didn''t expect to see his majesty so soon." Answered astounded Adam.


    "For you, it will be a fellow magician, so remember to speak to him by name, if not, he may think you think of him as not worthy of yours''s respect as a magician, and thus called hum his royal title, not not the magic one."


    That was something Adam had a hard time wrapping his head around, all his life, nobles seemed to be haughty young masters who would kill him if he looked at them wrongly, calling them by name surely wasn''t on the list of things he thought he would do this year.


    ''I guess I shouldn''t trust rumours, especially as a mage. It sure is wonderful how fast a perspective can change. One day you''re just a hunter, not even a full-fledged one, and when you turn around the next day, mana flows through you unobstructed, and you make friends with the royal family.''

 AITMW-ch13-Arrival

    It has been three days since the blizzard ended. A day was lost due to a wheel malfunction.


    Today, the sun shined above the horizon unobstructed, lighting the plains up in its warm gaze. It was winter though, so even in the sun, men shivered in the cold.


    The convoy already rode for about 4 hours today, as it neared the Capital.


    "Wow, It''s as you said, beautiful." Said Adam while looking out of the window.


    In the distance, high walls presented themselves. They were built out of wood, with the foundation made of stone. Towers presented themself in regular intervals, sticking out of the walls. Above the walls, there were visible roofs of high, wooden houses and a few stone buildings, towering above the others. The most eye-catching was a tower, a beautiful one, with carved sides, made to look like one big sculpture, at its top was a clock, it presumably was on all four of its sides, but from this perspective, only two were seen.


    ''That''s probably the tower mayor talked about. It was supposed to be beautiful, but from the distance, I can''t really see it that well.'' The newbie in magic thought.


    It was the highest building in the city, but it didn''t seem to be the most important. Next to it, stood another building, big in all directions. Wide, high and long, it had a highly situated roof, full of windows and a few smaller towers on the sides. What was below the roof could not be seen from Adam''s perspective.


    "I assume that the big one is the king''s castle, but if that''s the case, what is the big tower for?" Adam asked Max, as the latter had been here a few times before.


    "You are right about the big one, as for the tower, it''s called ''Magic Tower''. The Magic Tower is a place made to please all the magicians in our kingdom, it serves as a luxurious accommodation and a research facility. Every mage that is currently in the Capital, lives there. Well, apart from the royals, as they live in the castle that is next to it."


    "What if there were more mages than there are rooms in the tower? Would they sleep together?" Wondered Adam, sharing a room with a pretty sorceress would certainly be interesting.


    "No, the highest ranking ones would stay in the tower, while the king would need to find a place to stay for the rest. But such a situation will likely never happen. While only a part of the kingdom''s mages stay in the capital, with most of them staying in big towns and cities, if there were too many mages in the capital at normal times, without any occasion, the kingdom would probably build another tower. If there were so many mages, the royal treasury would definitely have the funds for that.


    By the way, we will also live there."


    "Won''t you go to the castle?"


    "No, I am not in the direct line, so, the Tower is a place for me. or I will go to my mother, I don''t know yet." Uncertainty tinged his tone.


    "..Well, anyway, Do we have any plans today, or am I allowed to just go exploring?"


    "Nah, we will join the army the day after the party, as for the days before, you are free to do anything you want."


    "Nice!"


    As they neared the gates, some guards came out to inspect them. The Kingdom didn''t have any war ongoing, as it didn''t have any real neighbours. The nearest country was across the mountains. But still, in the Capital, to enter you had to go through rigorous checks at the gate. It was made to lower crime activity in the city, control contraband, and search for wanted criminals.


    Guards checked the carriages and wagons with baggage, but kept it simple, as the group was led by the king''s nephew, and no one would want to make someone like that to be angry at them.


    After crossing the gate, Adam saw the main street. In the distance, there were seen silhouettes of the Magic Tower and the castle. The street was wide, enough to place four carriages side to side across it, and still have some space for pedestrians to walk thru. The sides were occupied by stalls, that were placed before resident''s porches. Buildings along the way were mostly built from stone, unlike the rest of the city, with beautiful carved figures and faces placed on the walls. Most of the buildings were townhouses, where the richest citizens lived. Among them were other structures, one of the nearest to the gate, for example, was Adventurers Guild''s main branch.


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    People on the street were mostly walking around, minding their business, buying from the stalls or returning from work. Some were hurrying somewhere, but most were walking calmly. Among them, from time to time were seen groups of guards, waking in teams of four, patrolling the street.


    On the road, there weren''t many carriages or any kind of wheeled forms of transport, which could be attributed to the late time. The day was nearing its end, after all.


    Sometimes, a smaller road branched out, clearly less luxurious, but still well maintained.


    The convoy was met with curiosity, a lot of people looked their way, taking amongst themselves and pointing at the crest of Steelarm''s that was adorning the outer walls of the carriages.


    When they neared the Magic Tower, some of the tower''s staff came to greet them.


    "Good evening young master Max, young master Adam, we will take your luggage to your rooms, but please wait for the tower administrator to greet you. He will be here in no time." The one who talked was a middle-aged man, in a butler''s uniform. When he was talking to them, he performed small bows in their direction.


    "Young master?" Said Adam, flabbergasted.


    "That''s a title non-mages are supposed to call us, it will change to master when we reach the Advanced realm or we aren''t young enough to call young." Answered Max, he wasn''t surprised about Adam''s question, as if he got used to his curiosity.


    "How did they know about me? We just arrived?" Asked Adam in confusion.


    "Dad sent a messenger as soon as we started to delay the journey, The messenger must have told them about you. A shame, I would like to see you sleeping on the street." Answered Max.


    "Huh???"


    Max didn''t respond, and soon a young man walked out of the building, looking as if he had run a marathon.


    "Hello Max, nice to meet you." The man greeted briefly with Max, then took Adam''s hand. "I am sorry for being late, in my defence, I can say that master Galeb had some matters to discuss with me." Said the man, supposedly a tower''s administrator.


    "Hi, Steven, how have you been?" Asked Max.


    "I have been great, as you see I''ve become the tower''s administrator. we can go to my office and I will tell you everything, but firstly, would you introduce ourselves?" When Steven said that, he looked at Adam and greeted him with a firm handshake.


    "It''s nice to meet you" Stated Adam while returning the gesture.


    "Oh, yes.... right. This is Adam Axigna, my friend and a talented mage who will serve in the army at my side for the next six months. " Max told Steven while slightly pointing at Adam with his hand, then he turned around and did the opposite." This is Steven Steelarm, my older cousin from my mother''s side. His talents lay in administration, so he was put in the position of tower''s administrator."


    "Could we leave you, we have lots of things to talk about. The staff will help you with your baggage." Asked Max, he was trying not to sound rude, but he failed miserably.


    "Ok, I don''t mind." Adam didn''t hold a grudge, he understood that there was no place for him in their conversation.


    As Max and Steve were heading into the tower, Derek came to Adam''s side.


    "So... do you have any plans for today? Because I would like to go and see the city." Derek couldn''t hide his excitement, which was painted on his face.


    "I changed my mind, I will go to bed earlier, but you can go yourself. Maybe you can find some pretty lady if I am not by your side, stealing all their looks." After a conversation with the nobles, Adam finally felt his tiredness, which accumulated over the whole journey.


    Derek said his goodbyes and went in the direction of a restaurant he saw while going thru the city, not bothered by Adam''s bullshit.


    Adam on the other hand, started looking around the tower, curious about its surroundings. The Magic Tower was located in the main square, surrounded by it. Next was the castle, which was.. underwhelming. When someone thinks about a castle, a stone structure, made by connecting a few big blocks and dozens of high towers appears in their mind. The castle on the other hand was.. bland. If not for its decorations it would look like a table with an extraordinarily thick countertop, flipped upside down.


    After looking around for a while, Adam headed to the tower. On the ground floor, there was a reception with a few attendants waiting. One of them took Adam to his room.


    Adam''s chamber was located on the ninth floor. Walking upstairs was an excruciating task. He understood why Steven looked like he ran a marathon.


    The chamber was luxuriously decorated. Pretty flowers stood by the walls and carpet lay on the floor. In front of the door, there was a big bed, above which light came to the room through the windows. There were two other rooms connected to this one. One was an office, filled with blank bookshelves and with a desk in the middle, situated so that light shined on the table from behind. The other one was a washroom. Within it was a tub of water, for some light cleaning and a bucket under a seat. An emergency toilet.


    After looking around Adam lay on his new bed and fell asleep immediately.

 AITMW-ch14-The Magic Tower

    The room was dark as Adam got up from his bed. Looking around in confusion, he was sure he slept for a long time.


    After looking, he found a set of clothes on a chest in the corner. He put them on and came out of his room. While walking down the stairs to the reception, Adam found the answer for darkness in his room, it was just bad positioning. His room was situated on the west side of the tower, which meant that light would fall directly into it only in the afternoon. It seemed he got a room for the night owls, not for early birds.


    After walking down to the reception, Adam was led to the dining room by an attendant.


    "Young master, the tower''s administrator asked us to tell you that he is eager to show you around the capital, should I inform him that you accept his proposal?" Asked the servant formally, after bringing him his breakfast.


    "Yes, please tell him I am very interested." After all, sightseeing with a local would surely be better than alone.


    Adam devoured his meal, very nicely done eggs with excellent sandwiches, and went to the room next door, a sitting room. He sat there on a big cushy chair and took a book from a nearby shelf, waiting for Max''s friend to come.


    The book was about the kingdom''s political situation and dungeons. Obviously, Adam wasn''t the best reader in the world, or even close to decent, but understanding a book wasn''t a problem for him, at least if given enough time.


    From what he read, he found out why the adventurer system existed. He wondered about it some time ago, why create a job centered around killing monsters when there are hunters and an army in place? Why let unsupervised people enter dungeons, and get rich by finding artefacts and precious materials?


    Well, the book''s author had the answer. If the guards and the army conquered the dungeons constantly, there would be no one to protect the towns, cities and the few villages of Derdania. Thus, the Adventurers Guild was founded, with the right to venture into the dungeons, and plundering the riches within, it quickly became a popular occupation for young, energetic people. While the job was dangerous itself, the registered adventures also had the obligation to defend the population centres.


    Just like that, the problem was mostly solved, and also, the royal army acquired itself a place to search for talented fighters.


    But everything has a dark side, the Adventurers guild is no exception.


    While the safety and defences from the wild increased, the safety inside the cities fell drastically. Adventures unable to fight monsters anymore, restless people constantly searching for the source of danger and those who realised that fighting humans is usually easier than fighting beasts. They all started to wreak havoc, creating gangs and other criminal groups. In turn, the number of guards on duty increased, but the problem didn''t disappear.


    Before Adam had a chance to read about the political situation of Derdania among its neighbours, Steven, the tower administrator came to the room.


    "Good morning, young master Adam."


    "Good morning Steven, Adam will suffice." Adam felt quite weird when people talked to him with such a title.


    "As you say... Adam. Would you like to head out immediately or first see the rest of the tower?"


    "I would like to see the tower."


    "Then, I will lead. you must have already seen the rooms that are available to residing mages. Apart from them at the top of the tower is the observation deck, from which, a beautiful view of the city can be seen. Apart from it, private chambers and rooms on the ground floor, on the tenth floor is my office." While telling Adam about the tower, Steven guided him through the ground floor to doors that were the furthest from the main entrance.


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    "Now, these doors lead to the second section of the tower." They stepped down the stairs, that were hidden behind the doors.


    "On the right are the baths, where all residents can relax and wash themselves. I might add that it is prohibited to bring others with you, it''s a private place, meant only for mages... And me." Said Steven pointing at the right tunnel, one of the three present at the end of the stairs.


    "On the left are the laboratories, to get one you need to ask me and it will be prepared for you. It is strictly prohibited to visit someone else''s lab without their consent, and there will be consequences if something like that happens."


    "What kind of consequences?" Asked Adam.


    "For you? You would probably need to work for said mage for some time or need to compensate them in some other way, for example by giving them your own, personal research. But if it was someone else, not a mage, high-ranking aura user or an important official, they would be hanged."


    Silence ensued after those words.


    "..."


    "So, to what leads the central tunnel?" Asked Adam after a while.


    "It''s a path outside, after splitting, one leads to a house in the city and the other outside of it. It was supposed to be a retreat path if some lunatics started to wreak havoc around the tower, but it''s used way more often than when those things happen, as the situation was last seen around forty years ago."


    "Let''s see the baths, then we will go to see the city." Said Steven, leaving the matter of questionable escapades behind and leading Adam to the right tunnel.


    Behind a door that was at the end of the tunnel, spanned a huge hall with multiple heated pools. Some of them were hidden behind moving walls, but most of them were left in the open.


    Around them were doors, Steven said that they led to private changing rooms. The floor was made out of wood, which sounded as if it were hollow underneath.


    "Hi!! Are you new around here?" Shouted someone from one of the pools.


    Adam turned in that direction and saw a beautiful woman, only wearing some clothing around her breasts and nether region. She had shiny blond hair and blue eyes and was quite tall, about as high as Adam.


    "This lady here is Cynthia Jaston, the young lady of the house Jaston and Intermediate Mage." Steven introduced the lady.


    "Good morning senior Cynthia, I am Adam Axigna, an Aspiring Mage. I am new here." He introduced himself, following the example of how Steven introduced the stranger.


    "Hello, nice to meet you, Adam." Replied the lady.


    "We are on a tour around the Capital, would you like to join us?" Asked Steven.


    "It would be my pleasure! Please wait for me as I change my clothes." Answered Cynthia, before heading to the changing rooms.


    "I didn''t expect it to be coeducational." Adam was amazed, and his face was red.


    "That''s why there are changing rooms, you will find there some clothes to wear while in a bath. If you want to go in without those, you need to go into a private pool." Explained Steven.


    "By the way, be nice to Cynthia, as she may help you someday. She is very talented, as she reached the intermediate realm in only one and a half years. Also, she specialises in nature magic." Steven''s eyes betrayed his admiration for the woman.


    Cynthia came out of the changing room, already wearing her robe. It was the same as Edgar''s and Max''s robes, but with a different colour scheme, her was full of green patterns on a brown background clearly associated with her nature specialisation.


    As they ascended the stairs, Adam suddenly spoke.


    "Senior Cynthia, could you tell me how to get a robe such as yours? I''ve seen two Mages, apart from you and myself, and they both had robes that were very similar to the one you own." Adam also wanted such a cool robe, he just didn''t know how to get one.


    "Oh, a robe? .... You need to register yourself as a mage at the local authorities. Just go to the Adventurers guild''s branch or the castle and they will check if you are a mage. If you are, you will get a robe and registration." Answered Cynthia.


    "Wait, if there is such a procedure, then how come I can live in the tower? Shouldn''t I be tested beforehand?" Asked Adam when entering the reception.


    "Huh??? You live here without registration?!" Cynthia was genuinely shocked, and it was seen on her face.


    "You have got a recommendation from Master Edgar. If he says you are a mage, we believe. Though you still have to go through registration, that''s the law." Steven erased their doubts.


    "Wow, you know senior Edgar? Impressive." Interjected Cynthia.


    "He is a chief guard in the town I came from. And Max''s dad, so yes I know him a bit." Elaborated Adam.


    "Soo....., where would you like to go first, marketplace, main road or do you have something else in mind?" Asked Steven, while looking at Adam.


    "Senior Cynthia, could you recommend me something?" Asked Adam in turn.


    "The marketplace should be a good idea. There are lots of interesting things to buy there at this time of the day."


    "Then, let''s go to the marketplace." Said Adam, facing Steven.


    "That way."


    They went further north, in the opposite direction of where the main gate was. After walking through the main square, they entered a wide road. Not as wide as the one mentioned before, but definitely bigger than the others. At the end of it was a huge plaza, filled with stalls, shops and big tents, where merchandise was sold.

 AITMW-ch15-A fucking mage?

    The marketplace was big. A lot bigger than the main square at least. It felt very spacious, as it wasn''t filled with tall buildings like the main square.


    In the centre of the marketplace were some fighting ranges. Those were fenced all around and had earth as a footing. People fought inside some of them, with observers standing around.


    Apart from the fighting rings, stalls occupied the plaza. The stalls were selling merchandise of differing sizes and uses, some with vegetables and food, some with low-quality armour and weapons. There were no precious items there, as those were sold only in specialised shops or by merchants who travel around the kingdom and sometimes to the empire, in their stalls on the main street.


    There was a lot of empty space in the marketplace, making it feel more vast and spacious than it is in reality. Some of it was used by children to play, some had adults dancing and celebrating something, or training with their weapons, but most of it remained completely empty.


    At the edges of the square stood big shops, warehouses, bakeries and restaurants. Around these establishments, a lot of guards were walking around, in contrast to the rest of the marketplace.


    And that is where Adam, Steven and Cynthia were. They had already seen everything in the marketplace and were heading into one of the best restaurants in the city, at least in Steven''s opinion.


    They sat on an open terrace, with a view of the city and ordered their dishes. Steven and Cynthia knew what they liked there, so there was no problem with their decisiveness. But Adam was a whole different story, as Steven was paying for the whole meal, Adam didn''t have any reservations concerning money, his problem lay elsewhere.


    Adam just didn''t know what those dishes were, for example,- "Golden King Laying Waste To His Enemies". What was Adam supposed to think? Was it a chicken, a slice of pork or some other meat? Or They just wanted to confuse their customers and in actuality, it was a broccoli in breadcrumbs? Looking at the prices also didn''t help, as everything was expensive, and it was impossible to distinguish a large meal from an appetizer by its price.


    Eventually, Cynthia had to order instead of him. He got some kind of porkchop with potatoes and cauliflower, in a weird sauce. Called "Grandoise Yet Grounded".


    "If I ever meet the person in charge of naming these dishes, I will have to have a long conversation with them. Just how do they come up with them?" Complained Adam.


    "Who are those people in the rings? They seem good at fighting." Said Adam, after finishing his meal.


    "Mmm... They are probably a part of some gang. It is common for ex-adventurers to join one. The matches they are holding are completely rigged, by the way." Answered him, Steven, munching on his steak.


    "There weren''t any gangs in Ferston. Why would someone join one?" Asked Adam in curiosity.


    "The reason behind that is Master Edgar, I heard he eradicated all troublemakers when he first arrived. And about them joining the gang, it''s probably because they don''t work at Adventurers Guild anymore." Answered Cynthia, deep admiration was heard in her voice as she talked about Ferston''s Chief Guard.


    "Why would they leave? I guess they could after amassing an impressive amount of money change their job onto something more stable, but they don''t look like a respectable stonemason or a merchant would." Questioned Adam again.


    "It''s not their decision, Adventurers guild has very strict regulations when it comes to the condition of adventurers. If they have even a minor injury, they can''t participate in raids until it heals. Those of the adventurers that retire early are either very rich or had some serious injury that didn''t heal properly and in turn, made them incapable of earning money as an adventurer." This time, it was Steven who satiated Adam''s curiosity. He seemed knowledgeable about such topics.


    Silence ensued from this point onward. They finished eating their meals and after Steven paid for everything, walked outside.


    Next on their list of attractions was a cathedral of the Goddess, specifically Pruina the only god worshipped in Derdania.


    The cathedral was massive, not as much as the Magic Tower or the castle, but huge in its own right. Its exterior was simple, yet majestic, terrifying even.


    The smooth stone it was made of had this weird property, It made it reflect light like a piece of ice or a mirror. But it was far from normal mirrors, when you were around the cathedral, your reflection may have appeared on any part of it, the roof, a wall, or even the altar. No one knew if someone wasn''t observing them, unsuspecting and clueless, while they walked past the church. this made staying around the cathedral an uncomfortable, creepy experience during which no one knew if some stalker was peeking at them.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    No wonder all houses around had thick, dark drapes in the windows, always pulled all across the opening.


    Adam and his company left that place as fast as they could, while also trying not to look suspicious.


    Eventually, they arrived at the central square.


    "Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to. It was nice walking around with you too, I will look forward to you inviting me again." Said Cynthia, making her leave.


    "Goodbye, Miss Cynthia." Replied Steven.


    "It was nice to meet you, miss." Adam said.


    When the girl left, two of them stared after her for a while, and then an awkward silence came.


    "So, do you want to see anything else?" Asked Steven, finally breaking the silence.


    "I would like to register as a mage, where do I have to go?" Asked Adam after taking a moment to think.


    "At this time of the day?... The easiest way would be going to the adventurers guild, you just have to mention what you came for to the receptionist and they take care of you" Answered the tower administrator. " If you intend to register now, I will take my leave, if you don''t mind of course." He later added.


    "No, thank you for your time, I will manage on my own from now on."


    After saying their goodbyes, Adam and Steven went their own ways,


    As Adam walked through the main square, and then the main street, he noticed there were more people on the streets today. The most likely reason behind that was the time of the day, right now, the sun was still somewhat in the sky.


    When he reached the guild''s house, he was flabbergasted, shouldn''t the main headquarters of a guild spanning an entire kingdom be more... luxurious?


    Although the building was made from stone, had carved sculptures on walls and was rather clean, after a brief look, the imperfections were seen. Adam noticed that the wooden floor was worn out, forming small cavities within, and had cracks appearing occasionally, the sculptures on the walls were cracked, with small bits and pieces broken off on the corners. It was generally in a bad state, intensive renovation would be needed to bring it back to its former glory.


    As Adam headed inside, he had to push through the people standing all around. As he approached the receptionist''s desk, he was stopped by a group of men.


    "Don''t you know, that queue is supposed to be entered from behind?" Asked a man in the centre, a huge one, with an axe by his hip.


    "Ha! Just like your mother, Frank!" Laughed his companion.


    "Fuck off!" The man supposedly named Frank turned around and punched the other one in the guts.


    "Hay! Not fair! You asked for it!" The attacked man bellowed, clutching his stomach.


    "I came to register as a mage. Do I also have to wait in line?" Answered him Adam, who genuinely didn''t know.


    "You want us to believe you are a fucking mage? Then I am Helga, The Saintes of Pruina herself!!" His words were met with a peal of laughter all around them.


    "Well, as you say, I will go to the end." Angering those guys wasn''t a good idea, so Adam chose a pacifistic approach. Waiting for a bit wouldn''t hurt him either.


    "Oh, no! You piqued our interest. Show us some spells and we will let you through." Frank, who was definitely drunk, seemed to have fun from the situation.


    "Ok, that will do, [Icicle]" Adam cast the spell he was most proficient with at the moment. Actually, he didn''t have to say the name out loud anymore, he was familiar enough with his creation to silent-cast it, but he didn''t want to show off before a horde of drunk men, and some women also.


    Ice spike manifested in the air, above his outstretched hand. Adam moved his hand slightly in a circular motion. the icicle followed suit, flying in circles around Adam''s palm.


    "Whoa!!!" Loud gasps were heard in the audience, and the face of the drunkard darkened slightly.


    "I''m sorry, esteemed mage. Recognising one such as your distinguished self without signature robes of the mages is a task beyond my small, humble brain." Even though the alcohol percentage in his blood was high, the man was still smart enough to turn the situation around and laugh with Adam, instead of laughing at him.


    "That''s exactly the reason I am here, to get my robe." Answered him Adam excitedly.


    Adam started moving again, and people got out of his way, this time they were doing it very willingly. Now, as people stopped blocking his vision Adam could finally observe the interior of the guild.


    On one side, there were three counters, with attendants sitting in them. That was a part where people got registered as adventurers and applied for a raid. Adam also needed to go there, to get the robe he dreamt of last night.


    The other side of the room was a tavern or rather a bar. Adventurers drank and chatted among themselves as they waited for their turn at the counter, having one of their own inside the line, waiting or just sitting around for the company.


    He soon reached the counter, without any problems on the way from the drunkard''s position.


    "Hello, what can I help you with?" Asked the female attendant, who sat behind the counter. She had seen the commotion that happened before, so her question was strictly formal.


    "Hi, I would like to register as a mage." Answered politely, Adam.


    "Okay, the law requires me to ask you to cast two different spells in quick succession, could you do it for me?"


    Adam complied, and cast the two spells of his, [Icicle] and [Shield], one after the other.


    "Is this enough?"


    The attendee stared blankly at the transparent sheet slowly disappearing from her vision, dissipating into the air.


    "...Yes.. certainly. Now, please write your name, last name and main element on this paper. And that would be all."


    "Sooo, how much do I need to wait for my robe? An hour? Two?" Asked Adam eagerly, he couldn''t wait to own such a cool thing.


    "No, you must have misunderstood, young master, you will have your robe and certification delivered to the Magic Tower, where it will be possible to get it from the reception. In about two days'' time. Another two days will be needed for the completion of the spare robe, but it will be delivered directly to your chamber at the tower after it''s done and you have acquainted yourself with the room." Said the Attendee with a flat tone, after reading the rules and regulations about the topic from a thick book.


    Now, it was Adam''s turn to stare at her blankly.


    ''No robe?..''

 AITMW-ch16-Windy Outskirts

    Adam woke up frustrated, he didn''t get his robe! He wasn''t a very impatient person, but the robe situation caught him off guard, It made him nervous and frustrated as when he was walking to the adventurer''s guild the day before, he was expecting to leave with the garment on him.


    He put his clothes on, unfortunately not as cool as a robe, and went downstairs. While eating his breakfast, Adam met an eccentric middle-aged man.


    His name was Galeb, he had a somewhat prominent belly, short blond hair and blue eyes. He had a pair of golden-framed spectacles on his nose and a green robe wrapped around him.


    Adam''s first thought was that the man was related to Lady Cynthia, judging by their hair, eyes and their main element. But that speculation turned out to be wrong.


    Galeb introduced himself as a patriarch of a powerful noble family, the Harop noble family, which was a bloodline of nature mages, that dominated the field of agriculture augmentation in the kingdom.


    Apparently, he just arrived in the Capital, two days before Adam, to bargain with the king for newly cleared-up land. The aftermath of deforestation was caused by repairing Capital''s walls after a horde attack and the king''s aggressive construction politics.


    "That damned king won''t do me a favour and cut those costs! thousand gold coins are definitely too much to ask for merely twenty hectares of land!" He shouted while complaining to Adam while eating breakfast.


    The man felt weirdly comfortable talking to a stranger, a 15-year-old boy whom he saw for the first time merely half an hour ago. Also, Adam later found out that his eating companion failed to mention that the land was already mostly prepared and ready for cultivating the crops, and from Adam''s knowledge, the price the king offered him for it was outrageously cheap, as if the king just wanted to get rid of that land.


    After a heated debate with an unreasonably greedy noble, Adam went outside, towards the northern gate, which was in the direction of the marketplace.


    He headed there to fulfil one of the plans he made while travelling. Even if only partially.


    When Adam was sitting in the carriage all day long, he came up with one thing to do after arriving in the capital. Today, he planned to research wind magic and judging by how fast was he able to use ice magic, he had a high chance of success today. Maybe even create a wind-based spell.


    After arriving at the marketplace, Adam went further north, to the Poor gate.


    While Main Gate was named first, then the road and parts around it followed, naming themselves the main/central district, Poor Gate had a directly opposite story. The Poor Gate led to the poorest district of the city, just as the name of the gate implied.


    He heard about it from Steven and Cynthia when they were touring the Capital. While it was called the district of the poor, those who lived there weren''t the poorest, they actually had a house.


    It was placed outside of the northern gate and had its own, smaller walls. Though, even if it had walls, every inhabitant of the commoner''s district goes to find shelter in the marketplace while hordes attack.


    Walking through the gate could be shocking. On one side are clean roads, paved and maintained. On the other side, roads didn''t actually exist, there were just paths, earth flattened and hardened over time by pedestrian soles. There was also a huge difference in housing, as houses in the commoner''s district were covered in mud and other filth. But it had to be admitted that those houses were in relatively good shape. A few missing planks here and there amounted to the most severe damage Adam had seen in the district.


    There were also some stray dogs and cats walking around, in the inner parts of the city, those were either taken outside by the guards or were pets of citizens, here they just lived on the streets and ate scraps thrown out by the residents.


    And yet, despite poor roads and somewhat damaged houses, Adam felt it wasn''t a bad place to live as it reminded him of Ferston, where paved roads are a rarity, though, in Ferston houses were better than those in the poor district.


    While talking with Steven and Cynthia, Adam found out that decent housing appeared here relatively recently. As the current king ascended the throne, he started to initiate a large number of projects all across the kingdom. From paving royal roads to building fortifications in cities and towns in dangerous areas, all of these projects gave the poor people, who didn''t have stable incomes, decently paid jobs.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Adam traversed the whole district and came out of the city through the gate. A nameless one this time.


    A great plain spread before him, white snow covered everything in sight, from occasional boulders to lonely trees. Frozen earth carried inhabitants of the Capital through the winter, growing an abundance of wheat and vegetables in the season. Now it remained empty, with wind dancing in the snow.


    That was Adam''s destination, the windy plains behind the city. An ideal place to feel the wind mana for the first time.


    --------------------------------------------


    Firstly, to make everything easier and more comfortable, Adam checked where the wind came from. He licked his finger and raised his hand above his head. Adam felt a slightly colder sensation from the direction parallel to that of the city, from the gate''s right to left.


    Then, he created a flat icicle and cleaned a spot on the ground from snow, so that he could sit there comfortably, and return to the tower without wet, or possibly frozen, pants.


    He sat down and started to focus on the wind. How does it behave? Why was it flying in this direction? What was its purpose? Adam asked himself those questions, and many more, trying to understand the wind.


    Before, when comprehending ice, he had massive experience in that regard, as snow, ice and cold were important factors to take caution of in everyday life. When Adam woke up in the middle of the winter, the cold would probably seep into the room, effectively making them experience a part of the ice element. When he got out of the house, and accidentally stepped in a high pile of snow, burying himself and completely wetting his clothes, he experienced the gradual change of state, that was a part of the ice element, that would occur as long as heat existed. Then when he walked and slipped on hard, slippery ice Adam experienced the second change of state, in the opposite direction, and smooth hardness that the ice element brings forth.


    Now, wind was also important, but not as much - especially in the cold northern plains, where wind only acted as a booster for ice to do more chaos. The wind here was frequent, but not very intense.


    After pondering about it for some time, Adam got up and started to walk around, in random directions. After a while, he changed the course, still randomly. He repeated this manoeuvre several times. Changing his speed in each of them.


    What he tried to do, was to feel a difference in the wind, and he succeeded.


    As he walked around, the wind''s intensity changed, it didn''t stay the same for long periods. After a while, the wind completely changed direction, there was also a place where the wind was non-existent. It changed all the time. And it somewhat followed the landform, in small depressions, the wind blew lighter than on higher terrain.


    Thanks to this little experiment, Adam remodelled his definition of wind.


    Before, he thought that wind element was just air that moves around, in random directions, chaotically.


    But now, as his understanding improved he realised that wind elements didn''t focus on wind, travelling particles of air. But on the whole concept of air, all of it. So even a patch of air that didn''t move around, that can''t be felt on the skin, also is a part of the wind element.


    How did he arrive at that conclusion? As he moved and felt the wind crash into him, even if a strong whiff blew on him from the back, if he moved fast, he felt the air on the front also. It meant that wind was everywhere, but was felt only if someone was fast enough, be it air or a man.


    After his experiment, Adam returned to his spot on the ground. It was still mostly uncovered, but some snow was blown on it by the wind. Adam cleared it a second time.


    He sat down and concentrated, trying to feel wind mana in the air, however ridiculous it sounded.


    It proved not to be a hassle for him, maybe because of his earlier preparation, or he was just talented enough to communicate with it. Either way, he proved to be attuned to wind mana.


    Afterwards, Adam changed the mana inside himself to wind elemental one, raised his hand and let it out. Keeping it in ethereal form proved to be as hard as he remembered from his experience with ice mana.


    Wind mana was greyish-blue in colour, quite similar to ice mana''s arctic blue. Unlike ice mana though, it yearned to be free, scattered across the land. It was much harder to compress because of that. Additionally, while it was harder to compress in ethereal form, Adam found that it moved way easier around than ice mana, he concluded that it wasn''t a matter of wind mana''s mobility, but rather ice mana''s will to stay in place, not to move.


    After playing with its ethereal for a bit, Adam released his hold on it and let it change into its physical form, not letting it scatter at the same time.


    The greyish-blue hue disappeared immediately. Adam still felt it though, it was still under his control after all. But aside from that mystical feeling, the only thing that marked its existence was a tingling feeling on his hand, a wind within, created by the movement of air controlled by Adam.


    "Wow." Said Adam unconsciously, fidgeting with the air between his fingers, which gave him an incredible sensation.


    "Pheww, it will only go downhill from now on." He said to himself.


    Now came the spell part. Adam thought that only after creating a spell, a mage can boast about learning another element.


    He decided to create a non-lethal attack. He didn''t have a spell like that, [Icicle] created wounds and potentially killed his opponents and [Shield] was a defensive spell.


    Adam started circulating mana from his heart to his fingertips, changing it into wind mana along the way. Firstly, he built up pressure, slamming mana into the furthest ends of blood vessels and compressing it there. Then he released the mana into the atmosphere, accelerated by the pressure and free nature of wind, the air had blown off nearby snow, raising it in the air across dozens of metres.


    He could have accomplished similar power using mana he took out of his body, instead of preparing it inside. But this way had its advantages, if he wanted a quick strike without any follow-ups, it was more mana efficient than the other method, and it could be released more stealthly.


    After finalising his concept, Adam started to train his mana memory of the cast, at first while using the name he had given to the spell.


    That''s how [Sway] was created.

 AITMW-ch17-Let the party begin.

    Adam returned to the Capital in a cheerful mood, he had done what he came for, and even more.


    While walking through the commoners'' district in the evening, he had seen the same old but stable houses with some planks sticking out of them and people walking on the streets who seemed tired but happy to go back home. Some strays, lay among the walking, cuddling among people themselves to keep the warmth. The animals weren''t a rare occurrence, so no one really paid attention to them, unless they just got outside to give them the scraps of the dinner. Some cats jumped on the roofs, moving in the direction of their homes.


    One in particular was very interested in cuddles, a grey molly, female cat. Generally, a very pretty cat, she would seem like the cuddliest little beast if her ears weren''t damaged, and even that diminished her snuggleness only slightly as that scale was elevated beyond reason by her chunkiness.


    She clung to the legs of nearby pedestrians, begging for cuddles, or more probably, food.


    Adam approached the cat and bent over to pet her. After feeling his touch, she attached herself to his hand, not letting him go without a fight. Adam didn''t mind a cat begging for attention and petting her even more. After a moment he noticed that the cat was swollen, not fat. He picked her up, above his head and inspected her. The cat wasn''t truly chonky, she was pregnant.


    ''I guess even though learning magic went relatively easy, it still was quite tasking on my mind. I need to lay down, if I confused a pregnant cat with a chunky one, who knows when I will confuse a carriage for a house.'' He thought.


    Adam didn''t know what to do next, leaving her by would crush his heart. He was just standing there, with a cat in his arms, thinking of what to do next.


    Eventually, his conscience won, and he took the cat for a snack.


    Pedestrians were watching him from the corner of their eyes, wondering what maniac would just get a cat from the street and go with it somewhere. Was he just a good-hearted man? Or maybe they thought he was a cat meat conesseur?


    Regardless of bystanders'' ideas, the boy with a cat in his arms arrived near a stall, where meat was sold


    "How much for a piece of meat? One that wouldn''t outright kill this little girl from overeating." Adam was aware of the dangers of giving too much food to a starving person, as the cat didn''t have a healthy amount of fat, he assumed it was starving.


    "Four coppers." Answered the seller.


    Adam paid him and left with a cat, poking its head in the direction of a peace of meat wrapped in a big leaf.


    -------------------------


    Adam woke up feeling something slap his face, opening his eyelids he saw the cat on his chest, staring deep into his soul with its sparkling eyes. She demanded food.


    -------------------------


    "So, what''s up with the cat?" Asked Max during breakfast, apparently, news spread quickly. "Steven thinks you will keep it, but isn''t it pregnant? I will sure be bothersome"


    "I don''t know, I took it out of pity. My conscience didn''t allow me to leave a pregnant kitty in the cold." Now, he had to do something about it, take the responsibility. "I will keep it until she gives birth, then I will think it through again."


    "Feline aside, after hearing about the cat, I didn''t send you your suit for tonight''s party, the cat would cover it with fur. Come to my room after breakfast to collect it. I am living in chamber 32."


    Now came the difficult part of the morning, after Max''s persuasion Adam let Steven teach him how to properly behave at the table, which was honestly horrifying.


    After waiting for the teacher to show up, the torture began.


    First was the posture, not that hard to accomplish, but harder to maintain. Then came manners of speech, as Adam was prepared to speak to such people by the title of lord, it wasn''t that difficult. But the worst was left for the end. The cutlery.


    "Which one is for salads?" Asked Steven. To which Adam responded by pointing at the smaller fork.


    "No that''s for the meat, try again." Steven taught with an iron hand, hammering knowledge into Adam''s mind. It turned out that the bigger one was for salads.


    Comparing it to comprehending a new element would be asking for a beating. Elements at least made sense, but who the fuck used a larger fork for salads and a smaller one for meat? Those people lost their minds.


    --------------------------------------


    Adam ended up meeting with Derek after collecting his new suit.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Derek got himself a room inside one of the better taverns, near the central square. Adam got to know that he spent his days in leisure, waiting for his nephew to come to him, and update him about their current situation.


    Why would Adam meet up with Derek? He was supposed to meet him after acquainting himself with the capital, but he forgot. Well, either way, his uncle just got himself his first job as Adam''s attendant. He became a cat sitter.


    -------------------------------


    Many carriages were present at the central square this afternoon.


    From each carriage, came out one or two young nobles and headed to the castle, which was specially decorated for the occasion.


    Adam came with Max, on foot. They were dressed in fine clothing, a jacket, pants and a white shirt. All under a coat that was supposed to be left at the entrance of the building. All with Steelarm''s insignia on them. Adam''s jacket and pants, were arctic blue, indicating his affiliation to the ice element. Max''s one was grey, on the other hand.


    They walked into the castle and were led by an attendant into a huge hall, decorated with gigantic chandeliers, fine carpets, sculptures and paintings. Across the hall, stood many tables, filled to the brim with delicacies.


    The hall was already full of people when young mages waltzed into it. Despite it being a party focused on this year''s ascendants, most of the older nobles, of the new generation, came either way. Despite this, not that many people were present, after all only a few years divided the youngest and the oldest of people present.


    "Adam, be careful and remember to speak politely to everyone, but don''t use titles for anyone, apart from our seniors." Reminded him Max, to which he only nodded.


    After Max''s reminder, they separated. Max had some friends in high positions to greet, and Adam decided to look around and get to know some people.


    Adam felt weirdly suppressed inside that hall, everyone apart from him was familiar with this type of situation. His nerves were going crazy, even more than when he first hunted monsters, back in the first days of the year.


    The young mage couldn''t decide who to approach, he made up his mind several times but every time, he just chickened out. Eventually, he saw a group of people, nobles like everyone else here, chatting and suppressing their laughter in a side of the hall, beside one of the tables.


    Seeing the cheerful atmosphere and happy faces, Adam gained enough courage to approach someone other than his own shadow.


    "Hello, do you mind me joining your conversation? I am Adam Axigna, an Aspiring Mage" Adam introduced himself, for him, coming near strangers and starting a conversation was truly a hard task, but not impossible.


    The strangers, he chose were two boys and three girls. All wore fancy clothing, with four different crests on their garments.


    "Nice to meet you, I am Feers Galeb, the young master of the Galeb family." It was the tallest that spoke first. He towered over Adam and had blond, short hair and blue eyes. His clothes had the crest of the Galeb family on them, the same that was on senior Harep Gabel''s robe. While introducing himself, he gave Adam a handshake. It seemed that he was used to dealing with mages, who don''t use his official title.


    "I''m Cesar Malmond, the future Duke of Malmond." The second boy introduced himself haughtily. He was slightly taller than Adam, probably around 190 centimetres tall. Had black hair, longer than Feers, and Black eyes. He also shook Adam''s hand.


    "Hi! I am Eloy and this is my twin sister, Heloy. We are daughters of Count Rasto." The first sentence was said by Eloy, and the second by Heloy. They were near identical, beautiful figures, with long brown hair and blue eyes. Despite their identical appearance, Adam could still recognise each of Rasto''s twins, like probably everyone in the hall as the twins wore different clothes. Like, how stupid would someone have to be to let identical twins wear uniform clothing on a gala?


    "Hello, my name is Sylvia Warbear. I am a daughter of Marquess Warbear and I am also an Aspiring Mage, just like you, Adam." Said the last girl. She was slightly short, shorter than anyone here, she was about 160 centimetres tall, with heels on. Her figure wasn''t very pronounced, but admirable. Sylvia had long Brown hair and green eyes, not as green as Adam''s, his were a lot more vivid. Her dress was red, if she had the same standards as Max in assigning colours for clothing, it meant she was a fire mage.


    "So, what brings you to the capital? I heard Max Steelarm brought someone along, are you the person I heard about?" Asked Feers, after everyone ended up introducing themselves.


    "Yes you are right, I came with Max as his subordinate for the next six months. I am in debt with his father after he helped me. What about you? Do you live here, or did you come only for the gathering?" Asked Adam in return.


    "No, I live in my family''s territory. I guess I would come here more often if I was an heir, but as you can probably tell, mana doesn''t like me." Answered Feers while looking down at his clothes.


    "Miss Warbear, how about you? I didn''t see you in the Magic Tower." Inquired Adam. "Though, it would be understandable, as I spent most of my time sightseeing the Capital."


    "I just came to the city. There was no possibility of you walking into me. But maybe we could exchange some pointers someday? I would really like to hear the perspective on the magic of someone my age." Asked Sylvia, looking into Adam''s vibrant green eyes.


    "Surely, I would love to." Replied Adam.


    "Max lived in the south from what I heard, is the weather there hotter than here, just like rumours say?" Questioned Cesar, the future duke, after a brief pause. Curiosity marked his voice. "I always wanted to go there, but my dad told me off by saying that there are dangerous monsters in the southern forests."


    "I didn''t know about the latter part, as I rarely left the town and even then I haven''t ever ventured deep into the forest. But from my experience, the weather between here and the town of Ferston isn''t much different, apart from the winds that blow harder here. Though, I can''t say for sure cause of my short stay in the Capital." Replied Adam.


    Just as one of the twins was about to say something, a bell rang. Everyone turned in its direction and saw a young, handsome boy standing on a chair. Crown Prince, as Adam later got to know, Alan Derdenia, had the same black hair as his cousin and uncle, a triangular, handsome face and blue eyes. His clothing was black, with white stripes and the royal crest on the chest. The colouring got Adam confused, he was dressed in black as if his main element was darkness, but the royal family was famous for being an iron-affiliated leanage.


    "Hello, I am Alan, the crown prince for those that don''t know that yet." Stifled giggles escaped the mouths of some dumbasses without an ounce of sense of humour." I would like to thank you for accepting my invitation, and officially start the party!"


    Cheers erupted in the audience, followed by pairs walking toward the centre of the hall.


    To the dance floor.

 AITMW-ch18-Party begun, party ended

    Many pairs danced in the centre of the hall. Some were siblings, friends or acquaintances but most were couples. Believe it or not, most nobles above sixteen years of age were either betrothed or married, which made Max and the people Adam talked to, somewhat outcasts, it was also one of the reasons they were at the table as a group in the first place.


    They danced flawlessly, many years of learning didn''t go for nothing. Despite the overall ability to dance, among the nobles, some cached Adam''s eye, trained to spot rabbits in the grass, but also good for other things. Those were mainly males, but not exclusively. Adam found them to be even more fluid than the rest, they were gracious, confident and knew exactly what they were doing, they also had an amazing sense of space, knowing where pairs were around them.


    At the time, the young mage was sitting on a chair beside Sylvia, who also wasn''t very fond of dancing. They were left alone after Feers and Cesar took the twins to the dance floor, Eloy and Heloy respectively.


    "Are they aura users? I haven''t seen one of them dance, but they move way better than the others, so..." Asked Adam.


    "Yes, they are." She replied. "I know a few of them, some of them are even in the Intermediate realm already. Few of them though, only reached elementary a few days ago. " She pointed at a guy dancing awkwardly in the corner of the dance floor, his partner didn''t seem to mind, she was probably proud of him.


    Silence ensued, as Adam and Sylvia watched couples dancing on the floor.


    "Why won''t we dance? I can even keep to myself that I asked you, not the other way." Asked Sylvia after a moment of deliberation.


    "I''m sorry, but I must decline. I would only make you and myself a laughingstock." Adam decisively declined. "My experience with dancing doesn''t go further than watching girls dance during Warm Hearts Day."


    "Warm Hearts Day?" Inquired Sylvia, after a moment of silence, acknowledgement of Adam''s inability to dance.


    "The celebration at the end of the first week of the year." Explained Adam.


    "Ahhh! I know it as Ascension Day, that''s what we call it in the capital. As in ascension to adulthood." Explained Sylvia.


    ---------------------------------


    Adam talked with Sylvia through the whole dance period. It turned out that she was born in the capital and somewhere else, the name of which Adam forgot in moments. As a daughter of a marquess she had everything she wanted, but would be given to some other noble as a bride, to expand their friendship.


    That''s the essence of being a daughter of a noble house, in this kingdom at least. Beautiful life, but not one you choose.


    Everything changed on the first day of the new year She was taken to a mage to test if she had any possibility of becoming a mage. Inside her family, that just became a fruitless tradition, as they had no magical legacy.


    Despite the odds, she showed potential, a large amount of mana and an affinity to the fire element. That was a game-changer for her.


    In this aspect, Sylvia was no different from Adam. She had to thread the magic path on her own. And after becoming a mage, her biggest fear disappeared. She could now decide her fate.


    However, when Adam intended to create his own technique, Sylvia told him she was already in the process of searching for a master. She wasn''t in a hurry yet, as she had a lot of time before she reached the peak of the first realm, but the question of whom to serve stayed in the back of her mind all the time nevertheless.


    They talked about a lot of different topics, from their backstories to the folklore of their homes and local traditions. It turned out that most of the traditions were very similar, with tweaks here and there. Their upbringing was completely different though.


    -----------------------------


    Adam was sitting at the table with his chatting group, Feers, Cesar and the twins had long since returned from the dancing floor and have been talking with Adam and Sylvia about various subjects for a while now.


    "Did you guys hear about the gangs'' increased activity lately? There are also rumours of forest bandits around the capital, though I am inclined not to believe them." Asked Cesar.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Yes, my dad is worried that our caravans will be attacked. He said that for mountain bandits to exist, they have to have a powerful leader or a wild beast would just eat them all in a jiffy." Interjected Feers, who frowned with worry.


    "Max told me about those gangs, shouldn''t everyone there be somewhat crippled?" Inquired Adam, curiosity marked his face.


    "I heard some of the adventures just end their career prematurely and become bandits. How can they do something like this?" This time it was Heloy, her eyes shone, excited about the whole situation.


    "~Do you think they will do something bad? Then a hero will take them down and take me as a reward!~" Adam overheard Eloy excitedly whispering toward her sister. The twins definitely read too many fairy tales.


    "Hey! Don''t joke about something like that!" Cesar scolded them, apparently everyone heard them, as he sat at the opposite end of the table.


    "Coming back to the topic, I think you will have to deal with them when you serve in the army, Adam. That''s the type of task they give to recruits."


    "What? Why would they do that? Those guys from gangs could probably take down an amateur squad on their own! Even those who lost adventuring license due to an injury!" Adam was astounded by the information, he wouldn''t have to fight against experienced adventurers. Right?


    "I agree with you, most gang members are leagues above recruits, though some are around your power. Either way, they normally send newbies against them, to teach them humility or some other bullshit." Said Cesar with his jaws clenched.


    As he was speaking, Max came to their table.


    "I also heard about that, I will try to get our squad out of this mess, but I can''t promise anything." From the way he talked, Adam understood that they knew each other, but that wasn''t surprising. "I see you gained some acquaintances Adam, I didn''t think it would be this easy for you."


    "Despite my crude manners, I''d say that people flock to me." Replied Adam with a mischievous grin.


    "Pfft..." Sylvia nearly spat on herself. " Ha, then you must also be an excellent actor, fooling us through all the evening."


    "What can I say,... I am a man with numerous skills." It seemed that the presence of a familiar face gave Adam a confidence boost. Enough of it for him not to blush when he said these words.


    "Adam,... As much as I am pained by the words that I say, we must start to leave. Tomorrow we will join the army, and I wouldn''t like for my second in command to not be in perfect shape." Max abruptly changed the subject. "I will wait for you another half an hour, then I will just take you by force."


    "Your wish is my command!" Replied Adam, somehow keeping a straight face.


    Max however did not and had an embarrassed smile when he was leaving.


    "So..., do you have some advice for a novice soldier?" Adam turned to his interlocutors.


    "Don''t risk your life, it''s not worth it. Especially for you as a mage, superiors will at most demote you, or give you a fine if you escape from a fight." It seemed that Cesar had a lot of knowledge about it. "My older sister is in the army, and as a mage, she is treated with respect, and has some looser restrictions and punishments."


    "Another thing to remember is to always keep a defence spell at ready. Being an ice mage you probably can create them easily, so use them without restriction." Interjected Sylvia, she was speaking with quite grief for a fire mage, creating defence spells was nearly impossible, and surely fighting instructors her father hired for her bothered her enough about it.


    "Thanks.... what will you do after the Party?" Asked Adam everyone and no one at the same time. Everyone knew what he would do, but he knew nothing about their plans.


    The first to speak were the twins. "We will go home, to the the City of Rasto in the west. There is nothing to do here, so, after the party, we will just leave."


    "I''m also going to the west, but to Malmond city, where I will join my father''s army." Replied Cesar. His father having an army wasn''t a weird thing, all noble houses had them.


    "You too? At what position may I ask?" Adam questioned, surprised.


    "Yes, I will command over a few small squads, while joining a campaign against local monsters. Brolfs have fucked like rabbits for few years, the cause is unknown but there is plenty to exterminate." Brolfs were a race of monsters that looked like a mix of bear and wolf while regaining the best characteristics of both species, the strength and team fighting instincts, which made them extremely dangerous.


    "Best of luck" Commented Adam.


    "I for a change will stay here, however, that shouldn''t be a surprise." Said Sylvia. it was true, no one was surprised, Sylvia had a deep connection to the capital. Not only was her family home here but also the capital was the best place for a novice mage to develop themselves.


    "I will also stay, my father got me to oversee our business here," Feers concluded the conversation.


    The group talked for a bit more, and then they went to the entrance and bid farewell to Adam, after which they returned to the table.


    The party hadn''t ended yet, it would go on for another few hours, but Adam and Max already left. Adam''s new friends, however, decided to stay until the end, it would be a waste to leave early from a party they travelled days for. Also, they had to talk to someone else, after taking in a close group for a few hours. Meeting the prince was another thing on their list, which Adam should probably also do, but escaping early made the thing impossible.


    When Adam was leaving the hall, he had seen the crown prince from afar, who still talked to the guests, changing speakers frequently. He still emanated confidence and had a lot of energy to spare, and he would need it as the party was at most halfway done.


    ''It''s such a bother to entertain your guest for hours, only to earn their favour and not displease them.'' Adam pitied the prince, for he would commit suicide rather than do something like that.

 AITMW-ch19-Camp

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 AITMW-ch20-Sway A Little

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 AITMW-ch21-At the table

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 AITMW-ch22-Names Are Important

    "Hi, I am Max Steelarm, and I will be your team leader." He introduced himself right after entering the tent. A new, blue hood adorned his shoulders. A characteristic symbol of team leaders, which in Adam;s opinion will quickly be forgotten by its owner.


    Without further ado, Max went to the point. "Commander gave us our first mission, we will start it tomorrow. Any questions?"


    "I have one." Said Adam. "Should we get some kind of training before going on a mission?" He asked.


    "We already went through the training." Watt answered instead of Max.


    "Huh? When?" Questioned Adam in bewilderment.


    "While you were selling your uncle''s house. We didn''t quite hurry up while coming here." Said Max.


    "Ahhh, sorry..." Adam felt ashamed.


    "About the task, young master, do you know any details?" Asked Kyll. He seemed to be acquainted with Max, not a weird thing considering that he worked at his household in the capital. Even if Max lived all the time in Ferston, there was no way he never visited his mother and younger siblings there.


    "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have some information. But not much is needed anyway." Max sat on one of the beds and continued. "Our mission is of extermination type. We are to hunt all monsters in the vicinity around Viscount Jarder''s mansion. The area is located deep in the woods, so though our mission states ''exterminate'' it focuses more on scouting if there are any powerful monsters nearby. We have to kill all monsters we find and can take on. No daring fights."


    "Why is monster extermination needed? And are we enough to take the beasts on?" Asked Iler, and most people''s eyes darted between him and Max. They also wanted to ask this question.


    "Viscount Jared is organizing a party for his son''s twentieth birthday. There will be a lot of activities in the woods, so he has sent a request to the military. As for if we are enough, we should. The area is near the capital so nothing too powerful should be there, and if there is something we can''t take on, we can ask for reinforcements."


    "Assuming it doesn''t eat us first." Adam added.


    "Yeah..." Answered the team leader.


    "We shouldn''t have such a problem, beast around the capital are generally afraid of humans, and don''t attack if not threatened." Explained Marta, as a local, she knew some things about the forest that Max, didn''t.


    "Oh, that''s good to know." Said Max.


    No one spoke for a few moments.


    "Can someone just hire the army to do their chores? Isn''t that what the adventurers guild is for?" Asked Adam, breaking the silence.


    "With proper payment, yes. We live in quite peaceful times, so the army isn''t needed that much. Aside from the beast tides." Answered Max.


    "Seriously? That sounds more like mercenaries than an army." Commented Adam.


    "Well, you''ve got a point." Max agreed with him." But it doesn''t matter to us, as long as the king is the highest authority for the army.


    Back to the topic, we will gather tomorrow just after dawn in front of the camp, in full gear and ready to kill some beasts." Max ended his speech with a fist raised high in the air.


    Watt, Iler, Kyll and Berta raided their arms too, in some kind of act of solidarity. No one smiled, they probably thought when to go to sleep. Waking up before dawn wasn''t anyone''s dream.


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    --------------------------------------------------


    Adam finished petting the cat, said goodbye to Uncle Derek and left the Inn.


    Outside, Max sat on a bench beside the inn''s wall. "How''s the cat?" He asked while standing up.


    "Good, she gets along with uncle quite well. By the way, is there any animal physician around here? Or do I need to go to the outskirts?" There had to be some, as there were massive amounts of animals on farms outside the city.


    "Yes, there is one specialising in cats and dogs, not even hunting ones. They are surprisingly popular inside most of the cities." Said Max, watching as a Lady walked her dog around the square. He had a slight frown on his face As if he imagined walking into the shit left alone by the pet''s owner.


    They turned westward, towards the army camp.


    On their way there, they passed by a caravan, filled to the brim with soldiers.


    "Where do you think they are going?" Asked Adam.


    "Do you see the crest? That''s the Malmond family''s crest. They are probably Cesar''s escorts, Malmond city is far away, much further than Ferston, so I wouldn''t be surprised if they needed this many people to get there safely, and on time."


    The caravan passed by, unobstructed by the boys who started moving again after the column left.


    After a while, they arrived by the gates of the camp. Few people stood there, waiting.


    "Hi!" Adam greeted his teammates.


    "Hello!" They answered, with Berta being the loudest.


    By the gate, stood the whole Max''s team and a few members of other teams.


    There were about six people apart from Adam''s teammates.


    "Hello, I am Adam, do you also have your first mission today?" He asked them. Experienced teams would have their meeting place, not meet before the gates, like some hooligans.


    "Hi, we are ''Shadow Swords'' and no, we had our firstie like a week or so ago." One of the strangers answered him, but he didn''t seem eager to talk any more than that. He also seemed to be a little embarrassed about their name.


    Adam didn''t mind his reluctance, as he found a new thing to focus on.


    "Max, what is our team''s name?" He asked him.


    Max looked at Adam and said flatly. "We don''t have one."


    "Then we have to create one!" Adam said with sparkling eyes.


    A moment of silence.


    "What about ''Metallic Freezers'', it would refer to you two''s affinities!" Berta was the first one to think about one.


    Adam finally turned towards his team members to see Berta talking.


    Berta wore medium armour. It was made from hard leather, with metal plating in a few unmovable places and chainmail coating in highly movable and important ones, such as the waist and armpits. She had also iron pauldrons and a helmet. On her back, hung her huge sword, and she had a knife by her side.


    Next to Berta stood Watt. He was wearing full-body, heavy armour. It must have been a gift from Steelarms, like probably most of the team''s gear. The armour was coated in some cloth, making it shine less. He was leaning on a gigantic shield. It was rectangular, with a slight bend on two sides and it reached his waist in height. Shield''s front was decorated with Steelarm''s crest. At his waist, hung a short sword and a dagger.


    Behind them, Iler sat on the grass. His sword lay beside him, together with his helmet and a medium-sized kite shield. He was wearing medium armour, the same one as Berta, but in his size. What differentiated him from her was his helmet, While hers was a standard one, with defences for ears and nose, his one covered practically the whole face, leaving only eyes visible. It had a raised mask that helped with that.


    Kyll stood somewhat at the sidelines, sitting against a tree. He wore armour that was something between Watt''s one and Berta''s armours. It was quite heavy, but also way more flexible than the heavy armour the defender wore. At his lap, lay his spear, which he was currently fiddling with His kite shield lay at the side.


    The last one, The red-haired Monica was sitting quite close to Adam''s current position. She was weaving something from the grass. Her bow rested by her side, together with two quivers full of arrows and a knife. Her attire was the lightest in the group, aside from Adam''s. She wore leather armour that was enhanced with chainmail. On top of that, she wore a cloak, coloured in different shades of green. She also had a deep hood, probably to hide her fiery hair, which would be very eye-catching in a snowy forest.


    Back to the conversation.


    "''Metallic Freezers''? I don''t think it slides from the tongue smooth enough." Replied Adam.


    "How about ''Refrigerators'', I heard rich people have cellars made from metal, with runes cooling the inside. Just like Berta''s proposal, it would refer to the main elements of two mages in our team." Suggested Iler, while talking he sketched in the dirt. He drew a rectangular device with a door on one side. He had a dreamy face while talking.


    "That''s right, the device is very good at keeping the food fresh. It''s a good idea." Said Max before Adam could interject something.


    "Do anyone have any other Ideas?" Followed up the team leader.


    "Maybe Iro-"


    "No? Then ''Refrigerators'' it is." Max interrupted Adam with a slight smirk on his face.


    That''s how Refrigerators came to be. to Max''s amusement and Adam''s anger.

 AITMW-ch23-Crushed Under Refrigerator

    The Refrigerators travelled for about an hour, before reaching their destination. It wasn''t very far away, they just walked quite slowly because of the snow, and their rather heavy equipment.


    To reach the Jared mansion, they had to travel by a path through the forest, not being in the open for even a second. Adam used the situation and gathered a few winter mushrooms to give his uncle as a present.


    The mansion was big but not huge, around double the size of Steelarms mansion in Ferston. It was a wooden building, with stone foundations reaching the lowest windows. The mansion had a big, sloped roof which shined numerous windows and stuck out a small tower, with a similar sloped, pointy roof. The colours of the roof were invisible, as piles of snow lay on the building.


    A few men exited the building, after seeing the newcomers.


    "Hello, I am Marty, a manager of this mansion. I suppose you are Max Steelarm''s team? Am I right?" Introduced himself to the man in the middle. He was quite old, in elegant attire, at which a thick coat was thrown.


    "Yes, you are right, I am Max Steelarm, leader of this team. Leader of ''Refrigerators'', as we chose to name ourselves" Saying the last line, he looked sideways at Adam.


    Max introduced himself as a leader not as a magician, even though mages had a higher standing than the army''s Team Leaders. He had done so because as he was in service at the moment, it would be impolite and unprofessional to address himself by his personal title instead of a position in the military during work hours


    "Nice to meet you, young master. Would you like to have something to drink first, or will we discuss the hunt immediately?" Asked Marty. The butler was very polite and used Max''s more important title while talking to him, probably because of Max''s background, or because he was just a nice person. Who knows.


    "No, I would like to deal with the monsters as fast as I can." Answered Max.


    "Very well, let''s start with what you might encounter. In the area around the mansion, if there are some beasts, most of the time they are either Elk, Lynxes or Wolves." Started the manager. "Elks are the least concerning ones, as they are herbivores and live practically alone, sometimes in small groups. They don''t attack us unprovoked, though they are the most powerful individuals, among the three. Lynxes are more dangerous, they aren''t afraid of humans and attack us sometimes, but rarely seriously, most of the time they steal our food or inconvenience us in some other way. The most dangerous ones and your priority targets are wolves. They live in packs and sometimes hunt our servants who venture out into the woods when they are very hungry.


    When you see the first two, there is no problem if don''t take care of them, but kill all wolves you find, and other potentially dangerous animals you might encounter." Explained the butler. The organizer evidently cared about the safety of his party, which seemed to be planned in the forest, despite the snow and cold.


    "Where do you think we will find them?" Asked Max.


    "Wolves are mostly seen about five kilometres southward from here, but not only. Lynxes and Elks are seen all around the forest, apart from the south, too many wolves there."


    "Thank you for the info, and excuse us, as we will depart immediately." Max ended the conversation and walked to the south, the rest of the team after him.


    They walked quite the distance when the forest quieted, unusually so. That meant they were on a good course. In every forest, animals would cause some ruckus, they had to give off some noise every now and then. The only instances when it was this quiet were when some predators were nearby, normal animals hid, and stayed as quiet as they could, as their lives depended on it.


    There were also other possibilities, such as when a huge hunt just ended, and when all animals in the vicinity were dead. Such a situation may also suggest the appearance of an apex predator.


    Adam heard that such situations only happened in the deepest parts of the wilderness where high-ranking beasts run rampant. The difference is, that in those areas there were no normal animals. The most powerful beast in the area would kill and eat all other monsters and attack others with its level of power. Some people think that they do that in preparation to cross a major boundary in their realm. Some think that they just go insane. Adam himself always thought the first option was the right one, and in the light of the knowledge he recently gained, the rumours made some sense.


    They walked a threaded path, guiding them among the trees and bushes covered in snow.


    "Keep vigilance at all times, wolves in this part have very bright fur that blends easily in the snow." Warned Watt.


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    "Right, about time. Assume your positions in the formation and get your weapons." Ordered Max.


    The formation he talked about was a defensive one, which they created while travelling to the mansion.


    Watt stepped out, taking the vanguard, he held his shield before himself with both hands. He still wasn''t strong enough to hold it with only one arm and move fast at the same time. Because of that, when travelling he was well-defended but without the ability to counterattack.


    Behind him, at his left, walked Kyll. His spear in his right hand, and a shield in the other. He looked as if he was having a stroll, as he effortlessly marched forward. Not a weird thing, as he was the only Elementary realm in the team.


    On his right was Berta, with her sword unsheathed, ready in hand.


    After them, Max and Monica were next in formation. They walked side to side. Monica had her bow in hand, one arrow knocked on and a few others held in her bow-wielding hand. Max''s metal shard orbited them, at low altitudes so they wouldn''t obstruct her in shooting.


    Adam and Iler closed the formation. Iler was the furthest from the lead and was constantly checking his back in search of potential attackers. A transparent shield was hovering behind him. The shield was cast by Adam, while it wasn''t the best defence, it would be priceless against a sneak attack. Adam couldn''t make it follow Iler, so he made it so it hovered two metres behind himself. Iler had to be in that gap for him to be defended by it.


    They walked like that for the rest of the way. Meaning, another three kilometres or so.


    After a while, they found some fresh tracks in the snow, pawprints of a large number of wolves.


    ---------------------------


    Adam crouched beside Max, as they stared at the clearing before them. Their companions were hiding in the bushes behind them.


    The clearing was quite small, smaller than the makeshift arena at the camp, but large enough to contain a few tents. Inside the clearing, a few holes were visible in the snow.


    Wolves burrows, guarded by two of the canids, alert and ready to defend their pack staying outside and observing the surroundings.


    "~How many do you think there are of them?~" Adam whispered towards his leader.


    "~At least ten, I''ve spotted four pregnant ones, so we must expect ferociousness.~" Answered Max, also in a hushed voice.


    "~Monica, come here, you guys prepare to engage.~" Whispered Max towards bush lovers. "~ I and Adam will kill these two from here, while you will watch out for any other and shoot immediately when you notice them. We start on three.~" The last sentence was directed towards Adam.


    Adam cast [Icicle] a few times and combined it into a larger projectile, in appearance similar to an arrow. ''I need to make a few other attack spells, modifying icicles is so bothersome'' he thought.


    "~One~" Max started counting.


    Adam gathered mana in his fingertips, casting [Sway], and having it on standby.


    "~Two~" Monica knocked an arrow on, while one of Max''s biggest shards was in front of him.


    "~Three~"


    Theeeew - Ice and metal flew through the air, cutting it and causing a whizzing noise to go around the area.


    Ice arrow hit its target first, as it was propelled not only by Adam''s mana manipulation but also by Adam''s other spell - [sway]. It hit the wolf under its ear, killing it instantly. The shot itself was quite the gamble, as Adam never combined the two spells together before, but it proved to be very successful.


    Metal also hit its target, but it killed in a much more gruesome way. The wolf''s head was chopped off from its neck, connecting to the rest of the body only with a thin piece of skin, quite brutal I would say.


    The wolves noticed the commotion and left their burrows, there were nine of them. A slight miscalculation on the team leader''s part.


    Watt, Kyll, Berta and Iler got out of the bush and arranged themselves in a defensive formation. With Watt and Iler in the centre, Berta and Kyll stood by their sides, defending the archer and the mages.


    As they arrived before their companions, an arrow whizzed through the air, burying itself in the wolf''s eye. Somehow, all the shots until now were successful, a miracle, or maybe beginner''s luck.


    Only eight were left to go.


    The pack spotted the attackers and charged in their direction. With every intention to kill, they wouldn''t just leave the murderers alone.


    Another volley of projectiles flew through the air, metal ice and a wooden arrow raced against each other who would reach the wolves first.


    This time, there were only two causalities. Icicle proved to be ineffective without a windy boost. Thou, it also hit its target.


    Six wolves remained.


    The fastest member of the pack arrived before the party, Watt moved in its way, slamming it with his shield. Berta quickly slashed at the beast with her big sword, ending its life.


    Five more to go.


    Two wolves attacked the other flank, Kyll took one of them on his spear, keeping it at bay thanks to two spikes near the spearhead. The beast flung around for a bit, but it stopped, after having its arteries cut by Iler''s sword. The other wolf charged at the boy, and bit him on the shoulder, knocking him over. The pauldron absorbed most of the jaw''s power, but not all of it. Iler let out a shriek of pain and struggled to get the beast off of him.


    Another hail of projectiles hit the pack. They hit the wolves that run after the second charge, at Kyll and Iler. Two of them were removed from combat.


    Three beasts left.


    Kyll, seeing his partner in need, quickly took the spear from the dead wolf''s body, and thrust it at the attacker with all his might. best''s head popped like a watermelon, splashing blood all over Iler.


    Another wolf appeared from Watt''s side, sneaking past him and Berta, it headed towards Monica. Just as she was about to be crushed under the beast''s charge, a transparent shield appeared before her, stopping the wolf in its tracks for a second. That second was enough for a piece of metal to fly through the dissipating remains of the shield and hit the wolf in the head, killing it.


    Last one.


    The final one was struggling under Watt''s weight, who used his shield to smash, like a wild refrigerator slamming its prey to the ground. Its life was ended by a quick jab delivered by Berta with her two-handed sword.


    "Phew..." Adam heaved a breath of relief, the first fight for today, ended.

 AITMW-24-A Predator

    A giant shard of ice flew straight through the head of a solitary Elk. Its brain matter splattered in all directions, painting the surroundings red.


    It was Refrigerator''s third Elk today, a seventh if counting from the beginning of the mission. They had an easy time while fighting these in comparison to the rest of the beasts. Elks weren''t as observant as lynxes and didn''t travel in groups like wolves, so one powerful spell, from a considerable distance was everything required to kill one.


    It was the third day of the hunt, the last one. They didn''t encounter any problems throughout these days. The injury Kyll got on the first day was the only one they got as a whole.


    They got him checked by a physician just after returning to the base each day, and his injury was healing nicely, it wasn''t anything serious after all, only a few bruises and scratches. His armour took the bulk of the damage.


    Currently, they searched the forest for the second time today, the first being before lunch.


    Adam was the one to kill elks, as his magic had the best offensive potential if given enough time. Monica, on the other hand, dealt with lynxes, as these little bastards were too sharp not to notice Adam before he neared them. With wolves and different, unexpected creatures, they dealt as a team. It simply was the safest and most efficient way.


    "Whew, if only dealing with wolves was this easy." Commented Adam.


    "The hunt would lose all its charm, and become a slaughter." Said Monica.


    Adam walked over to the elk and created a thin layer of ice on its skin, preventing the odour of a dead body from spreading around and preserving it until servants from the mansion came to gather it.


    It was something he persuaded the butler to do, as he couldn''t watch as the beasts they hunted were wasted, killed in vain only to rot in the empty forest.


    "Iler, note another elk. About four kilometres northwest from the mansion." Ordered Adam, watching the sky in search of the sun.


    Iler got a role in gathering the carcasses, he noted how many were of each kind, and where they were for servants to find more easily.


    After noting it down, the team killed another three lynxes and an awakened deer. Why a deer you ask, wasn''t it a normal animal? Well, the classification of monsters at lower realms is confusing, what differentiates a monster, a beast from a normal animal is mana. When the normal animal starts having mana it starts being called a beast.


    Don''t mistake a beast for a magic beast or aura beast thou, as the second and third are far more dangerous and powerful. It''s like with intelligent creatures such as humans, if a beast is a boy who turned fifteen and now has some mana in his body, a magic beast is the same boy but, he is a mage now, the same goes with aura. Although aura beasts appear relatively later in realms than magic ones, the magic beasts are the far rarer ones. It''s once again like with humans and their cores, magic beasts have mana from the start and aura ones acquire it later.


    The Refrigerators surveyed the area once more and travelled back to the mansion afterwards.


    There, someone waited for them.


    A group of four armoured men and a woman in a cloak sat under one of the patios scattered around the mansion. They sat there around the table, drinking something hot.


    It was Captain Garry and Brad, alongside the rest of their team.


    The team was composed of two swordsmen, Garry and another man, An archer who was a woman in a cloak, Brad as a spearman and another guy clad in heavy armour, a main defender.


    Captain Garry came to them with a question, after they noticed the arrivals.


    "Hello, let''s get straight to the point. So, where is the monster you were talking about? And, did you notice what kind of beast was it?" He questioned.


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    "We found its tracks in the southeast, about 7 kilometres from the mansion. Adam will tell you more about it, as he was the one to notice its tracks." Answered Max, turning his head in Adam''s direction and showing him to speak.


    "It was presumably a big wolf." He said.


    "What made you think so?" Asked Garry in return, with a straight face.


    "Well, there were many paw marks on the snow, looking like the ones that wolves leave, but much bigger. Like three times normal. Another thing that pointed in the direction of a big wolf was the number of peed-on trees. The guy didn''t do it in one big swoop but marked many trees with as little amount as possible. It could also be a dog, but I don''t know if it changes anything." Adam ended his tirade in the most serious tone he could muster.


    "Okay, that explains your thoughts." Commented the captain. "So, do you want to watch us as we kill it? It can''t be stronger than the intermediate realm, the apex predator is known and observed all the time, and it is a bear that wouldn''t tolerate such a powerful wolf in its forest. But it will still be dangerous as it could be an aura or magical beast, so you would have to take care of yourselves. Any eager?"


    A moment of silence ensued, as everyone from Adam''s team considered the decision. Sure, seeing the fight would be epic, like a glimpse into their possible future. But is it worth it? Is it worth risking their lives for a show?


    "We will all go." Ordered Max. "We have Adam and Watt as a defence, I am sure that if they combined their efforts, they will protect us from an Intermediate beast for a while." His reasoning was valid but unchecked.


    The Refrigerators, having nothing to say, complied with his order.


    The whole group left to hunt the beast, towards the southeast.


    -------------------------------------


    The huntress, a woman from Captain''s team was searching the peeing site where Adam first spotted the traces of the monster.


    "He sure was a big one and certainly a wolf. Do you see these claw marks? They couldn''t belong to any dog, and their symmetry also points towards a wolf." She said, pointing to some decently preserved pawprints with a stick.


    "How long ago did you spot these?" Huntress asked while looking at Adam.


    "Yesterday around noon." He answered.


    The huntress stayed still for a second or two, thinking.


    "We will go with its trail, hoping it isn''t lost. You should also look around as we go. He doesn''t walk in this area very often, according to these tracks.


    And they did, a large Elk lay further southeast, its head ripped from its body, bloody trail was the only thing that was left of the rest of its body.


    "It may have been rage hunting, or it has cubs. Thou the second possibility is slimmer. It was probably becoming a wild beast,  if it was advancing to the fourth realm, it wouldn''t bother itself for with any part of a Feeble beast''s body apart from its heart." She definitely had a lot of expertise on the matter.


    About the Wild Beast thing, it is the beast''s counterpart of the intermediate realm. The equivalent of the Basic realm is the Feeble Beast, and for Elementary is the Ordinary Beast. The Advanced realm correlates with a beast Warrior and the Master realm beast would be called a Lord.


    The way people name the real is quite confusing, but the worst is the second one. You see, the rank as a whole is called ''Elementary'', but no one is called elementary warrior, or elementary beast. Mages and warriors use ''beginner'' instead of ''elementary'' and beasts are called ''ordinary''.


    A similar situation happens in the first, basic, realm, where beasts are called ''feeble'' and humans ''aspiring''


    Whoever decided on the naming of the first two realms has been definitely thrown off the cliff as a child, and fell on his head. After all, all other realms use the official realm rank for humans. Beasts still have different names, but that is inevitable, no one would want to be called the same as an animal.


    They travelled another few kilometres, before finding the wolf. And it was monstrous.


    The wolf lay on a small hill, which was covered in remains of his meals. The spot wasn''t very open but gave him a nice advantage when spotting animals in the vicinity. The weird thing was the absence of its brethren around him.


    Adam observed the beast, it had light grey fur all over its body, thou it was currently painted red with blood in some places. Those red spots were the main reason they noticed the beast from afar. The wolf was huge, over a meter tall while lying down on the ground.


    "Okay, Haga, you will shoot at it from this tree as we approach it, shoot when it notices us, or I raise my arm above my head." Captain told the huntress, who was apparently called Haga.


    "You guys stay here, and listen to her if anything out of ordinary happens." He ordered the newbies.


    Garry, Brad, the defender and the swordsman left towards the beast. They walked in short intervals from each other. Side to side, so if the beast attacked unexpectedly, they could circle it quickly.


    They stepped carefully, trying to soften the characteristic crunch of snow under their boots and not to step on some unfortunate twig.


    When they were about forty metres from the hill, Garry raised his arm.


    Haga, who situated herself on a branch of a big tree, raised her weapon, drew her bow and shot.


    The arrow glowed slightly just as it left Haga''s vicinity, it flew through the air towards the beast while making no noise.


    The wolf was hit in the eye, to which it responded by roaring and raising itself above the ground angryly.


    Its head turned slowly in their direction, noticing Adam''s group, but it quickly turned towards Garry and the others.


    The beast grinned ferociously, staring at its attackers.


    It growled and charged towards humans.

 AITMW- 25 - Questionary

    The beast curled up as much as its huge body allowed, and jumped. In seconds it crossed over thirty metres, dangerously nearing Garry and his teammates.


    They tensed in return, ready to dodge, as blocking such a beast''s charge can be done only by professional defenders, and even then, they have a high probability of being knocked into the air. Well, the defender didn''t prepare to dodge, he stepped forward and braced himself for the impact. As he prepared, his shield and lower body started to emit a faint hue.


    But the impact never came.


    The wolf circled them and attacked the other swordsman, who in turn threw himself to the side, avoiding a murderous paw.


    The captain capitalized on the situation and neared the beast in an instant, then he swung his hue-covered sword at the monster. Wolf tried to escape the pursuit of the blade but didn''t manage to do it in its entirety.


    Garry''s sword cut deep into its side, leaving a bloody wound behind.


    The beast backed off from the fighters, making as much distance from the dangerous swordsman as it could. Unfortunately for it, it backed off into the defender, who used his shining mace to his it mightly in the beast''s kneecap.


    A loud crack resounded throughout the forest, as a wolf''s bone shattered.


    The best stumbled, stunned and practically deprived of a leg.


    A string cracked and another arrow flew through the air, this time it didn''t shine, but it travelled much faster. It hit the beast in its torso just before its front leg, the one before the crushed knee. The arrow stuck in the flesh, hindering its movements.


    Garry, approached the Wild beast from its incapacitated side, together with Brad. The defender and other swordsman neared from the other side, the first covering the second with his shield.


    Brad thrust his spear in the front leg, making a safe passage for Garry to advance towards its head. At the time, the defender fought with the wolf over his shield, which was clutched in the beast''s enormous jaws, The swordsman behind him helped as he could, keeping his companion in place, not letting their enemy throw them in the air.


    The eyes of two swordsmen crossed, Garry nodded in the direction of the wolf''s head, and the swordsman answered with a nod of his own.


    Suddenly, he let go of the defender he rushed in Wild Beast''s direction, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The wolf noticed it immediately, tuning its defences towards the attacker and letting the shield go. It raised its paw and bared its fangs, ready to strike.


    But the strike never came.


    The wolf''s head rolled on the ground, cut off cleanly by the captain''s shining sword.


    The wolf died, and its body fell to the ground.


    Captain approached the wolf''s corpse, cut into its torso and took a bloody orb, from inside.


    The fight ended, and fighters started to go down the hill towards their companions.


    No one suffered any injury.


    -----------------


    After gathering themselves, the group went back to the mansion. It was the Refrigerator''s last day here, as the party would commence the day after tomorrow, so they walked in a light atmosphere.


    "Captain, I have a few questions. Do you mind answering some?" Adam asked Garry while walking on the forest trail.


    "I don''t mind, go on." He acknowledged Adam''s request.


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    "Firstly, You, Haga and that Defender used something similar to mana, The thing that glowed on your weapons. It was aura, wasn''t it?" Adam had to quench his thirst for magical knowledge, then he would ask other questions.


    "Yes, It was an aura. I am myself an intermediate swordsman, as you know. All intermediate realm fighters already know how to use aura and have their cores." Answered Garry.


    "Aha, so... what''s the difference between aura and mana? Could I also use it?" Inquired Adam.


    "I don''t think so. There is a big difference between mana and aura. While aura relies on mana to exist, it is a different energy. Don''t get me wrong, it is rumoured that people in the southern empire can use both, but from what I hear they require both talents in those two energies, and a fitting absorption technique. I doubt you have the first, let alone the second." Garry explained.


    "What about its prowess? I noticed that when Haga used her aura, her arrows would be much stealthier, and when you used it, your sword was much sharper, I guess. I haven''t seen you use the sword without aura, so I can only speculate. Does aura work like an enhancer, which strengthens the aspect chosen by the wielder?" Asked Adam, while also sharing his observations, in the hope that showing his eagerness and perceptivity would make the captain divulge more of his knowledge.


    "Yes, it acts like an enhancer, and it''s left in the wielder''s imagination and ability to make it enhance something."


    "Oh, what about that ball that you cut out from the wolf? Was that the core?" Asked Adam while looking at the captain''s bag, where the orb was located.


    "Another right guess. We were lucky it was freshly ascended, if not, it would use aura against us."


    "How would that look like?" Adam asked in puzzlement.


    "Some are faster, some stronger. Most use it to sharpen their claws and teeth. But I remember one unique one.


    We hunted that one around two years ago. It was a massive bear, that terrorized a small town a few hours north of the capital."


    "Yeah, that one was crazy." Interrupted him the defender.


    "Ey! Don''t interrupt me when I tell a story!" Said the captain angryly towards his subordinate.


    "Okay, okay, just don''t shout at me." Replied the defender.


    The captain threw him a glance and continued.


    "So, we found the bear deep in the forest, where it made itself a lair.


    We tried to fight it multiple times, but it was elusive, the smart bastard even changed homes after we went there a few times.


    Eventually, we managed to attack it, which was honestly a mistake. After a moment, the beast created something like a halo, enveloping it from all sides and angles. The problem was, that it was corporeal, meaning it gained like one or two additional metres in height. And all those additional meters also functioned as a shield.


    We as we are now, would probably take care of it, I think. But then, it was us who ran from it, instead of what happened before..." The captain ended his tale with a long sigh.


    They continued the question and answer session while walking down the forest path. Towards Viscount Jared''s mansion, then to the camp.


    ------------------


    After the mission ended and everyone was left to their devices, Adam and Max left the camp and went to the city. As their first mission already concluded, they wouldn''t get another one for at least three days, if there was no emergency.


    Max chose to visit his mother and younger siblings. He didn''t see them for a few months, and even after they arrived in the capital about a week ago, he had some urgent matters to attend to, making him unable to visit his family. He asked Adam if he wanted to meet them, but Adam refused, not wanting butt in the reunion.


    Either way, he had important things to do while on leave from the army. He had to finally start making his absorption technique.


    The first thing on his list was obtaining an intact corpse of a wild beast, a corpse in the intermediate realm. He also had to learn how to dissect it, as his expertise in butchering only applied to a small game. He learned that such beasts had a core, and today, it was proven true. He intended to check with his own eyes, how the core looked inside the beast, what distinguished a beast with a core, from that without one, and few other things related.


    There was only one problem delaying his research, money.


    He had very little of it.


    But it wasn''t a huge problem, as, after asking Max about it, the answer was simple. He just had to borrow the gold from a bank. Apparently, mages were trusted by nearly every official facility, so getting a loan shouldn''t be hard.


    In the capital, there were two active banks. Royal bank and bank of the Casfon. Casfon were a noblehouse dealing in various businesses, mainly in banking and merchandise trading. The head of house Casfon was a Marquess.


    Adam was heading towards the royal one. Even though Casfon Bank was generally more trusted by the public. Both banks were supervised by the kingdom''s administration, and as the King was both the highest supervisor and the owner of the royal bank, common people trusted it less. After all, there was no one to supervise the king.


    But that wasn''t a problem for Adam, as the king''s nephew was his friend. And that friend gave him a letter for loan officials, vouching for him.


    Even if he wasn''t Max''s friend, Adam wasn''t that cautious and suspicious. What would the King even gain from embezzling his own money?


    But first, he had to go and change his clothes. Bloody sleeves don''t make a good first impression.

 AITMW- ch26 - Money is probably important, I guess?

    While Adam was changing his clothes inside the Magic Tower, snow started to fall outside.


    Even though it troubled Adam a lot, he went outside.


    He changed to an arctic-blue-coloured robe. The same that he got a few days ago delivered to his room.


    He didn''t wear it while fighting, as it was too fine of a garment for him to tear apart, despite his earlier complaints about Max''s clothes.


    Not only was it beautifully blue, with a unique shade that was nearly the same as a piece of clear ice, but it was also made to be functional. The robe was thick and warm enough not to wear anything else while walking down the street in the winter, which came with its weight, but who cares if such a cool thing weighs a bit? Outside and inside of it, a substantial amount of pockets were sewn in, to serve as reliable storage for different things. The robe also had a big hood, that could cover the whole face of the wearer if fully stretched. The underlining was also made from smooth material to make it as comfortable as it could, apart from parts near holes, such as forearms and neck area, where instead of a smooth material there was fluffy fur.


    Did I mention the pockets? There were many types of them, some were long and deep, and some little and tight, but very secure. There was also one that could be extracted from the garment, by unhooking a button.


    Now, equipped with an awesome robe, Adam headed towards the royal bank, for his first loan, maybe also a  last one, but who knows?


    The snow fell on the ground all around, slowly making piles build-up while the sun was slowly creeping towards the end of the horizon, somehow unobstructed by the clouds, marking the end of the day.


    The white powder reflected those rays, making beautiful lights flicker across the paved roads of the capital.


    Royal Bank was located in a corner of the central square, the building was made entirely from stone. Its walls were clear, and uninteresting as the only things that stood out of them were windows. The roof had a sharp angle, pointing towards the sky but was featureless. In conclusion, the Bank''s headquarters looked slightly sad, and depressing.


    Adam entered the reception, a big room at which end stood a counter. A few tables and chairs were laid for guests waiting for their turn to sit on.


    Right now, the reception was mostly empty, with only a receptionist and three guests inside. Including Adam.


    The mage sat on a chair and waited for his turn.


    While waiting, Adam heard what were those two other people here for. The first one was a woman in expensive clothing, she actually didn''t have any business here, she just hid from the snowstorm and sat in her chair near the window, observing and waiting.


    The man was more occupied, he was here to get a loan, just like Adam. He wanted to create a merchant company, and he has done well so far. The man already had people to act as guards and other positions in the caravan occupied, he also had merchandise to sell. The only thing left was to buy, or loan wagons and horses, and his caravan would be ready to go.


    Apparently, he had to set things in unnatural order, because he couldn''t get a loan from the bank without proof of competence.


    Eventually, after showing the official all he already accomplished, he got what he came for.


    The man ended his business in the bank and left the building not bothering about the snow. It has to be said that he was given a huge loan, amounting to a little over 300 gold coins.


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    After becoming the only customer, Adam went to the counter and greeted the man behind it.


    "''Hello, I am Adam Axigna and I would like to take a loan, I also have a recommendation letter for it." He introduced himself, giving only his name as his occupation was evident by his attire. He also told the attendant about the letter to speed up the work they had to go through.


    "Good evening young master Adam, do you have a specific amount that you would like to loan?" Asked Attendant.


    "No, as a matter of fact, I do not know how much the thing I would like to buy would cost. Could you help me with that?" At that moment, he felt like a fool, who doesn''t know how much they want to borrow?


    "Don''t worry, I am qualified to help you. What would you like to buy?" Questioned the assistant.


    "I wanted to place a bounty in the adventurers guild, three of them actually. All would be about acquiring nearly intact corpses. The first two corpses would be an intermediate beast and an elementary beast of the same race, preferably related to each other. The Intermediate beast would have to be with a magic core. And another Intermediate beast with an aura core, preferably of the same race, but not necessarily." Listed Adam. the reason that he didn''t insist on an aura-cored beast of the same species was that beasts in certain species had predispositions towards either aura or magic, rarely did some get a core outside of their inclinations. Searching for one of such rare creatures would be costly, and would take a lot of time.


    "So, two wild beast''s corpses and one of an ordinary beast. The basic Normally, the standard price asked of a bounty for a Wild beast''s carcass is 10 gold coins, while ordinary beasts go for 2. Your restriction towards race would raise the amount by about 50%, and asking for nearly intact ones would also raise the price by another 25% of the basic amount. When asking for a specific type of core, aura one raises another 25% while magic cores by 50%." Explained the attendant.


    "In conclusion, the ordinary beast''s corpse would cost about 3,5 gold coins, the magic-cored wild beast for roughly 22,5 gold coins and the aura-cored one would cost approximately 20 gold coins." While concluding his calculations, he wrote them down on a paper and showed it to Adam. "The whole price would sit at 46 gold coins, but I recommend loaning a bit more in case of unexpected occurrences. We can give you a good offer, so you shouldn''t have a problem with paying us back."


    "Why are those so expensive? I tried to sell some ordinary beast''s corpses, and I couldn''t get a price higher than 70 silver, and that''s for a big one." Asked Adam in confusion.


    "Well, it''s because you place a bounty, not buy one from a street, and the fact that the Adventurers guild takes a cut from every transaction made through them also adds to that. It''s like ordering a shirt from a tailor in comparison to buying a shirt from a friend who didn''t use it." Explained the official.


    "Okay, at what per cent are you able to lend me the money?"


    "It depends on how much you want to loan and for how long. How about 45 gold coins?"


    "Let''s assume I want 45 gold coins for six months, what per cent do I return?"


    The man behind the counter stopped talking for a bit, he reached for a pen and a piece of paper, alongside a booklet from a shelf and started to calculate something, presumably the offer hef for Adam.


    "7,5 per cent is the best I can do, including your benefits as a mage and a recommendation letter from young master Max. Your final return amount would be 48 gold, 37 silver and 50 copper." Stated The Attendant.


    "Just to be sure, if I return the money early, do I owe you less, or still have to give the whole 48 gold, 37 silver and 50 copper?" Asked Adam in curiosity.


    "You have to return the whole amount regardless."


    "Hmm, okay..., we have a deal. Do I have to sign something?" Said Adam.


    "Yes, please wait a second, I will go for the documents and the money."


    The attendant left for the depository.


    Adam already had an amount that he could borrow in mind while going to the bank, but he still needed the staff to help him in deciding the final amount loaned as it was his first time. And it''s always better to ask a professional for help.


    At first, he wanted to borrow 60 gold coins, as that was his salary for six months of serving in the army as a mage. He figured that anything above this threshold wouldn''t be a safe amount to borrow, as he didn''t know what his earnings would look like if he left the army after paying Engar Steelarm back.


    So, when he heard the amount attendant proposed to him, he was quite satisfied with it already, it would mean he had about 12 gold coins spare, and practically nothing to do with them. After all, after arriving in the capital, the only thing he bought was food for the cat, everything else was free. Even his stay in the tower and the mage''s robe.


    Soon, the man returned, holding a few pieces of paper and a jingling pouch.


    Adam signed the document, took his copy and left the bank 45 gold heavier.


    The day was soon about to end, so he headed towards his sleeping quarters, The Magic Tower.

 AITMW- ch27 - Duality

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

 AITMW- ch28 - Travelling

    The gallows disappeared overnight.


    That was the first thing that Adam noticed after leaving the Tower in the morning.


    Today he was supposed to return to the camp, as The Refrigerators were about to have its next mission. And he was about to do that, even thou the weather didn''t make it easy.


    Snow fell from the sky for some hours already, and it didn''t look like it was about to stop. The world was white, and there was nothing you could do about it if you weren''t a god or something.


    The whiteness reminded every pedestrian about the plague of the northern winters. Blindness. The snow was the reason for large hoods being over every head and prohibition or riding mounts inside towns in the winter season. Sunlight reflected off the white surface and blinded the people on the streets, sometimes if they stared at their feet long enough, they became blind permanently.


    Adam walked through the white city, his hood obscuring his vision. he walked mostly on memory, as even his hearing was dominated by falling snow.


    Luckily for him, nearly no one was on the street beside him. Well, who goes outside during a heavy snowfall?


    Another thing that helped him in surviving the experience, was one of his spells. The appears that [Shield] was a great tool to keep snow from falling on himself, as the powder turned out to have so little force that the spell could withstand it, thou now he had a white sheet above his head. And it looked slightly silly.


    ----------


    When Adam arrived in the camp, his arrival forced the guards to stop building a snowman and identify him. After coming close enough to see ornaments on his robe, they returned to their activities.


    Also, he nearly brought all the snow that was carried on his spell inside. Only just before the entrance, did he think about all the mess it could make and deactivated his improvised anti-snow defences, ao course after moving it from above his head.


    Inside, the rest of the team already waited for him at the table. When they noticed him, they swiftly greeted him and went together to the Army''s stables. To get a wagon of their own.


    Today, Refrigerators were supposed to escort a group of people to a work camp. Don''t misunderstand me thou, it''s a good type of work camp, where poor residents of the capital are given the opportunity to get themselves some money in return for low-requirement labour.


    Adam already heard of this before, while talking with the patriarch of the Harop family, Galeb for the first time.


    Supposedly, The king started a variety of projects across the kingdom, from roads and buildings in the far west and east to forts guarding forests and mountains in the south.


    This work camp was located in a relatively safe zone, where workers cut the forests, and made places for fields. Adam''s team was chosen because of two mages located in it, Without Adam and Max being in the same team they would never have been made to do an escort mission instead of a more experienced team.


    ------------


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    After getting a wagon and packing all the supplies they needed, the team headed to the commoner''s district outer gate, where people they were supposed to escort waited alongside their guide.


    "Hello, we are The Refrigerators, we are going to escort you all to the camp." Welcomed them, Max, as the team neared a quite sizable caravan that was waiting in the snow, outside of the gate.


    "Nice to meet you, I suppose you are young master Max? My name is Slerr and I will be your guide for the next few days." The man introduced himself.


    "Yes, I am, Nice to meet you Slerr. I would like to set off as fast as we can, please notify me when you and the rest of the people are ready to depart." Max ended the conversation, firmly establishing his position as a leader of this caravan.


    Nearby the gates, five wagons were parked, a horse attached to each of them. The workers packed their clothes and supplies on their rides in a hurry, also believing that swift departure would be the best option.


    The caravan left the capital in about half an hour, heading to the east. They travelled for a whole day, sitting on the wagons and guarding the passengers. Adam and Max split up with half of the team each, Max guarded the front and Adam the rear.


    Nothing of notice happened that day, probably because of horrible weather, as the blizzard ended only in the evening.


    They made a camp for the night, and set rotating night guards with one of the Refrigerators as a core and a few workers as his helpers and eyes.


    -------------


    The next day was just about as exciting. The weather was bad, thou not as bad as the day before, and monsters kept a good distance out of the caravan.


    This doesn''t mean they didn''t see them, Adam noticed at least five different individual beasts that were in the forest next to the road. And it was just ones he found. Kyll for example saw a wolf pack moving along the treeline, thou it has to be taken with a grain of salt as no one else saw them.


    At the end of the second day, they arrived at the work camp.


    The camp was located on a small hill and surrounded by hundreds of metres of fields, filled with stumps left from a lively forest. The forest in question still existed, but much farther from the camp than it was not long ago.


    Nearby the camp, the soil was plowable, the stumps and roots were dug out and placed on one of a few, big piles of firewood, where it was dried under big blankets that shielded the wood from the snow. Looking at the long, clear fields surrounding the hill was an astonishing view, showing the power of human ingenuity.


    The camp in itself wasn''t so magnificent. There were only a few tents, which were used as canteens. The rest of the buildings consisted of barracks for the local garrison, a few warehouses, the officer''s building and a long wooden building serving as living quarters for all the workers.


    The Refrigerators stayed in the camp for the following day, resting. The workers, in the meantime, loaded another five additional wagons with wood, already processed to planks and long logs. The wagons that arrived alongside Adam''s team were also loaded up but with people and their things. As new workers arrived, the previous turn was about to return home and get their money there.


    The next morning, the camp returned to its normal number of inhabitants, as The Refrigerators and other members of the caravan made their way back to the capital.


    The journey this time was a menace, beasts came too close and some even attacked, forcing Adam''s team to kill them.


    But the worst was still to come.


    The night fell, and with it, the travellers fell on their bedding in a makeshift camp created for the night.


    It was peaceful,... until it wasn''t.


    Shouts reverberated throughout the temporary camp in the middle of the night. Watt''s voice was hearable above all.


    "Wake up and prepare to fight! We are under attack!" He shouted.


    Adam jumped out of his tent, a dagger in hand and looked around.


    Fire in the centre was still burning, and a few sausages burned to the crisp lay in the embers. The wagons that were stationed in circles around the camp were lighted up with torches of people erratically running around. The workers, defenceless slowly gathered in the centre of the camp, torches in their hands outstretched in all directions.


    Adam finally noticed Watt, who stood on the wagon on the opposite side of the camp.


    An arrow was embedded in his shoulder, as he was staring into the darkness outside from the side of his shield.


    There, in the shadows, a group of bandits run towards the camp, the fastest of them having only a few metres to travel, before arriving before the Refrigerator''s main defender.

 AITMW- ch29 - Murder

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 AITMW- ch30 - Reminescing

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 AITMW- ch 31 - New life, new blood

    Two weeks have passed since the caravan returned to the capital.


    While Watt and Kyll were in the care of physicians and priests, the rest of the team was set in a semi-active state, meaning that they were still in service, but they didn''t receive any missions until their team returned to its former state.


    But that didn''t mean they had all those days for themselves, army command made sure that they had things to do.


    Day after day, they served on the capital''s walls and streets, serving as temporary guards. During that time, they got to know how hard of a job is to be a guard, a defender of peace and justice among the people. Not only did they need to solve citizens'' disputes, while preventing any violence from occurring, but they also had to keep vigilance at all times to save an endangered life or catch a criminal on the run.


    Only Adam liked the job, it was boring, but in contrast to straightforward killing performed by the army, the guard corps solved problems mainly by persuasion, sometimes by being scary, but if they had to resort to violence the guard corps were ordered to keep the criminals alive as much as their abilities allowed them, it suited Adam much more that army''s approach, especially after the incident from two weeks ago


    Adam still had a problem with blood, which made him unable to dissect and study corpses that arrived in his laboratory. That was a huge problem, while his aversion to killing only made him more inclined to use non-lethal attacks, fear of blood, a trauma hidden deep inside his mind that attacked at the sight of the red liquid was a serious obstacle in his research of magic


    As of now, Adam was out of service, his shift started early in the morning and ended at noon. Right now, he was sitting in the Tower''s library, looking through the books about fauna and flora.


    Flora''s part of these books mainly focused on Alchemy, an art that focused on making various concoctions and pastes that had many different effects. For example, one of the most basic stuff the texts talked about was potions and balsams enhancing and aiding in healing. These medicaments were used on Watt and Kell, maybe alongside the rare healing magic, by the priests and physicians to hasten their recovery. Of course, it was a description of effects and applications, not a method to prepare them. No one sane would place such a valuable recipe inside a book that lies in a library.


    Suddenly, the library''s doors flipped open with a bang, a person with a white apron barging inside.


    "Is Adam Axigna here?!" He shouted.


    A few of Tower''s inhabitants that stayed inside the library at the time, including Cynthia, turned with curiosity towards Adam, who in turn stood up and approached the stranger.


    "Here I am, what can I help you with?" He asked, curiosity mixed with worry clear in his voice.


    "Come with me." He answered and took Adam by hand outside, in the direction of the exit. Then he continued. "I am an assistant working for Dr. Rew, Mister Derek and my employer sent me to find you and bring you to the clinic."


    "Is the cat finally giving birth?" Guessed Adam.


    "Yes, that''s right."


    Hearing that, Adam quickened his steps towards Dr. Rew''s animal clinic, he knew where it was as he was the one to find the animal doctor.


    The clinic was located inside a tall wooden house, on the outskirts of the main square. Adam entered the building and waited for the assistant to lead the way further inside. They walked through a reception a few corridors and headed upstairs. They arrived in a lobby before a room with a glass wall, ideal to observe what was happening inside without bothering the doctor at work.


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    Adam walked over to the glass and waved over to Derek who stood at the opposite side of the sheet, near a table at which the cat lay.


    Doctor Rew was also inside the room, he turned towards Derek and said something, which was followed by Adam''s uncle leaving the room.


    "Hi, do you want to enter? Doctor says that it wouldn''t make a difference." Asked the uncle.


    "No, I will stay here. Do you mind if I bring a chair closer to the window?"  Adam asked the assistant.


    "No problem." The assistant answered.


    Derek returned to the room, this time alongside the assistant, who came to help his boss. In the meantime, Adam did as he said and sat down on a chair, which he placed near the window.


    The cat lay on the table, she was restless, looking around and trying to go into a corner of the room, she was held by the doctor in place.


    After a while, she started to pant, The doctor let her go as she stopped trying to walk away and lay on the table, shaking around in discomfort. Then, she started contracting, She lay there on her side and her abdominal muscles were visibly moving.


    Then, the next phase started, and fluid leaked from her rear end. Adam read a book while preparing himself for the birth of the cat, and knew that fluid leaking from the womb meant that membranes surrounding the kittens inside, ruptured and fluid oozed from inside.


    After a few minutes, a bubble along with a head inside emerged from the cat''s rear. The future mom pushed for several more minutes until the newborn escaped the confines of its mother''s womb.


    The doctor signed towards Derek so he would stay away, as the mother took off the membrane of her kitten, and then cleaned her baby.


    Queen, as the book named the cat in labour, started to give birth again, this time, after all the pushes and contractions, a disgusting piece of meat emerged. Thanks to his research Adam knew it was the Placenta, an organ which gifted the kitten with nutrients, and air and kept it alive.


    Shockingly The Queen started to eat it. The doctor didn''t intervene, what''s more, he stopped Derek from intervening. He said something to his assistant, who then proceeded to come outside.


    "I''ve come here to ask you if you have any questions. Cat births are usually accompanied by a big pile of questions from their owners, so don''t fear to have doubts." He said after sitting next to Adam.


    "No, I''ve prepared myself. You would be shocked if you saw how many books on animal anatomy are in the tower." Answered Adam.


    "OK, just in case, I will stay here so feel free to ask questions."


    The situation inside the room returned to normal after a while, as the Queen continued to give birth.


    That was a long one, the cat strained herself for a good half an hour before another kitten emerged. Then, the situation repeated itself, with one difference, the two newborn kittens were the ones to eat the questionable part of flesh this time.


    Dr. Rew checked their mother as they ate, he laid his hand on her stomach, probably checking if there were any kittens left. He said something to Derek while the tired cat licked her children clean from the blood and other fluids.


    That was the moment when Adam noticed that the sight of blood didn''t bother him, he was so focused on the fate of the cats, that he didn''t associate the blood covering newly birthed with death and murder, as he was doing before, even if not consciously.


    He saw blood in new sight, those two kittens wouldn''t get to live if their mother didn''t bleed, The blood allowed them to live, empowered them, enabling them to breathe, taste, sniff and soon to see. It is no wonder that people use the word ''lifeblood'' to describe something essential, bringing wealth and abundance of life.


    Now Adam saw blood in a new light, and while it still marked moments of pain and death and was a universal symbol of evil, from a wider perspective it acted like a spy, an unseen caretaker plucking weeds from the kingdom and helping to keep order. As soon as the spy is exposed, it marks the weakness of the kingdom and its soon demise or downfall, but as long as the spy stays unseen, the kingdom prospers and develops.


    While the comparison he thought of wasn''t the best one, to describe the unseen workings of the blood. It still made him feel better.


    The blood would remind him of death and murder for the rest of his life, but maybe now, it would stop haunting him.


    With the birth of two new creatures, Adam was freed from the chains he bound himself with. Seeing blood in a new light did that much, for young mage''s mental stability.

 AITMW- ch32 - Walking cuteness

    After some time, during which the doctor performed tests on the newborns and their mother, and fed them something, Derek and the Doctor left the labour room, leaving the cats behind.


    "So, do you have any names in mind?" Asked Rew, while looking at Adam.


    "Wha...?" Adam woke up from the trance. "Ah, no. No, in fact, we don''t have a name for the mother either. We called her "Cat" until now, but it might be a problem now." He answered.


    "Seriously? That''s a first for me, I have never had a patient without a name. Maybe Suzy?" Said the doctor, his face expressing his surprise alongside the gesticulation of his hands.


    "It''s a nice name, we will think about it. But now, let''s finalise the payment. How much do I owe you?" Questioned Adam.


    "Depends on whatever you want me to keep the cats for a few days to observe if they don''t have any issues." Said the doctor.


    "No need, I don''t really do anything all day, so I can observe them. If I see something suspicious I will bring them to you immediately." Answered him, Derek.


    "Are you sure?" Adam asked his uncle.


    Derek responded by nodding.


    "So, how much?" Adam asked the doctor again.


    "One gold and 5 silver, but let''s round it up to one gold." Answered the doctor, generously.


    "Are you sure?" Adam asked, repeating the question he asked merely a few moments ago. At the same time, he took out a cold count from his pouch and handed it to his talker.


    "Yes, go on. The cats need rest, and you probably too." After all, they already spent some hours in the clinic.


    Adam didn''t voice his concerns anymore, he took his uncle and the new additions to their family, then left.


    When the kitty''s family was already outside, the assistant voiced his concerns.


    "Normally, you fight for every copper, what made you change your approach, boss?" He asked.


    The doctor looked at his apprentice and said. "That''s an important lesson for you Fred, remember what I say." He looked him deep in the eyes and continued. "The best moment, the only moment when you, as a respected physician give freebies is when a potentially powerful person comes and they are broke. If you offer a gift to a wealthy person, they will think it is an offence, that you insinuate they are poor, or not respect their wealth. But if they truly don''t have money they will appreciate the gift, as long as it isn''t given in public. Another thing to note is that the most promising, the most certain people to become someone of power are young, still inexperienced mages. And normally, they aren''t well-off."


    -------------------------------------


    The kittens went with Derek to his apartment in the tavern, as Adam is mostly outside, where he can''t take care of them. Before separating and going to their respective homes, Adam and Derek were in a deep conversation about the kitty family.


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    They changed their minds and wanted to keep them, but didn''t know how would the supposed Suzy react to such a thing. Would she be happy that they keep them close? Or would she try to escape with her children? Despite their worries, they decided to at least try.


    The main factor that started this discussion was the cuteness of the kittens. You see, Suzy was cute as shit even while pregnant, and that abundance of fluffy happiness was passed on to her children, though only after the doctor washed them in collaboration with their mother.


    The older one was a little darker than his mother, he had a lighter belly and neck and white stripes on his head, but was mostly dark grey.


    The younger of the siblings resembled Suzy more, he had the same white underbelly and neck area as his mother, and additionally white stripy socks adorned his feet. White stripes were also on his face and tail. His main colour was the same as Suzy''s, light grey.


    While the two brothers still didn''t see anything, anyone who saw them felt their inner cute-meter explode due to overloading happiness flowing inside their chests. And that was when their eyes were still in factory colour, who knows what heights their cuteness will reach when blue changes to something different, and the little fluffyheads learn how to beg for food.


    But let''s come back to the present time.


    Adam just left Steven''s office, where he asked him to arrange someone who can teach him to butcher, and disassemble corpses without damaging them. Adam already knew the basics about skinning and preparing meat, but those were abilities of a hunter, crude and fast ways to get usable hide and meat.


    Not the careful skills of a surgeon trying to find the cause of death, or in Adam''s case, studying a monster''s anatomy.


    Steven told him that a meeting would be arranged, but for such a service, Adam would have to pay up. Not that much in Adam''s opinion but still a considerable amount of money.


    Dealing with all his plans for the day, Adam returned to the library. Getting himself a teacher, he wanted to prepare himself for the lesson, and maybe cut down on the costs of the lessons.


    ------------------------------


    "So, you are learning how to cut nicely?" Asked Max, flabbergasted.


    "Yes, if I don''t cut nicely, what will I learn from the corpses I bought,  colour of their blood?


    And when I tell you that they were quite costly, I mean like a lot. My uncle''s house was only about four times as expensive. And you have seen it, it was really nice." Said Adam in response.


    They walked towards the Tower right now, returning from their shift on patrol.


    "Anyway, have you heard about Kyll? Baldie will exit the hospital tomorrow. Which isn''t exactly unexpected, he is in the elementary realm after all. " Max changed the subject.


    "Yeah, I heard. Good for him, though it''s a shame that Watt still hasn''t recovered. Poor bastard, I can''t imagine having my leg pierced all the way through."


    "Yeah.... When I was nine I had an arrow in my arm, even if it didn''t go all the way through, it hurt like hell." Said Max.


    "Ha! I nearly forgot about that. Head guard''s son shot himself in the arm!" Some red colour appeared on Max''s face, making his embarrassment clear. "What was interesting thou, was that there were two camps of thought there. One, occupied by all kinds of old ladies who would worry about his health, and the other taken by everyone else, wondering how a person shoots himself in the arm with a bow. A wonder indeed." Adam turned his head towards Max, and a playful smirk adorned his face.


    The rest of the way. The boys walked in silence. Max with his head low, embarrassed, Adam with a straight back and smiling face, proud.


    Back in the Tower, Adam stepped down to his laboratory, where his teacher waited, with some training corpses (animal, of course) and tools. He sat on a chair near the door to the cooling room, in which Adam''s subjects waited for him.


    "Hello, I am Adam." Adam introduced himself.


    "Good afternoon, my name is Elgu, a pathologist, I suppose you are my student?" The death doctor asked as he stood up and gave him a handshake.


    "Yes, I am thrilled to learn how to strip the dead of their flesh!" While saying that, Adam raised his clenched fists towards the ceiling, with a wild grin on his face.


    Elgu seemed unfazed by the mage''s theatrics, apparently, he wasn''t in a joking mood.


    Or he was just very professional about his craft. A lesson in teaching art that could be perceived as the basics of necromancy was awaiting him, and he wasn''t eager to be accused of teaching that vile art.


    Not again.

 AITMW- ch33 - Butchers apprentice

    Elgu looked at his new student and started the first lecture. "The first, and most important rule of doing an autopsy is having gloves and a mask. Believe me not only it is outrageously disgusting when some blood splatters into your mouth, but it is also dangerous. You never know if a corpse you are operating on doesn''t carry some terrible disease, or its blood is simply poisonous." A grimace appeared on the teacher''s face as if he experienced the horror himself.


    "Oh, do you have spares? I didn''t bring any with me."


    Luckily, Elgu was prepared. He gave Adam a quick scrutinizing look, before turning around to reach for the supplies.


    "It''s not necessary, but you may also get out of that pretty robe, it would be a shame if it was dirtied. Thou, I am curious how would that blue look after giving it a little contrast."


    Adam looked down, on the robe he was so proud of, its arctic blue colour would definitely make blood visible, not that he wanted any of the red fluid on it. "Yeah." He said.


    If a flash, Adam stood only in his pants and a shirt, a cloth mask on his face and leather gloves on his hands.


    "Let''s start." Aspiring gut-cutter said.


    ----------------------------------


    Elgu started to cut into a rabbit that layed on the table. Firstly, he cut its belly open and took its guts out making slow, experienced cuts in places where they connect. Then, he took out the heart, lungs and liver. All the while asking Adam various questions, on topics regarding bodies of beasts and animals, humans also.


    Adam knew a surprisingly big part of the answers, the product of his not-so-long study in the library.


    When he didn''t know something, Elgu stopped to explain to him, why is that the case and what is the case, showing him the whole way of thinking that led the best of doctors and researchers to conclude the answer as it is.


    When the gutting of the rabbit''s torso was completed, they made their way to its head.


    "The rabbit''s head is small, which will help you to learn how to be precise. You should treat it as a general practice, as while handling the brain is a great ability, that''s not something that I will teach you. In my profession, I extract the brain only if I am ordered to, because if I am asked to operate or try to deal with an injury to the head, the patient can be considered dead either way. And if they need to identify the cause of death, I don''t need to be that careful around the brain." Elgu talked while cutting into the skull with careful saw cuts.


    Elgu was mainly a pathologist, but he also worked as a surgeon, getting things out of people, or sometimes even helping priests and healers while treating wounds or ailments hidden deep in the body, when they needed to inject their energy as near as possible.


    After getting everything he could out of the rabbit, he started to sew it back together outside of the body. "That''s one of the techniques used while studying the structure of organs in the unfamiliar creature, You can also skin it and get the bones out first, but the first method is less risky in terms of destrouting the organs. My teacher always said that if I found a new being worthy of study, the first one was the way to go, then I could see how the bones worked, never in the opposite order." He had done the second technique next, and as he said, the organs were more damaged than with the first.


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    While he was very experienced with cutting and sewing the flesh, breaking the bones off and taking them out without damaging organs was not something he had done often.


    After completing the work on the rabbit, Elgu told Adam to dissect one himself.


    This time, the work was only accompanied by Elgu''s thoughts and hints. He walked Adam through the process, telling him what and when to do. But even with an experienced surgeon telling him what to do step by step, Adam still messed up a lot of cuts, not even mentioning sewing. It was nothing like sewing normal cloth, not only did piercing the skin require more strength, but sometimes when he made the hole near the edge, the skin tore apart under the stress.


    And that continued to the end of the lesson. After a few first attempts, Adam started to damage the tissue less. When his teacher noticed that, he started to ask him questions again. Firstly the basic ones, for which Adam knew the answers most of the time.


    Near the end of the session though, the questions grew harder and harder, Adam still had an answer for most of them, thanks to his great memory, but the number of questions to which he knew only a partial answer or didn''t know any at all grew rapidly.


    Their session ended along with the rise of the moon. Elgu went home, and Adam to the dining room.


    He ate very fast, barely speaking to anybody there, he still had to go to his uncle''s apartment and snuggle some kitties before going to sleep, and it was already late.


    ----------------------------


    This week was a little different from the two before it. The wall stopping Adam''s progress for the last two weeks disappeared, and with it, Adams''s curiosity and ambition grew anew.


    The young mage had his schedule stretched to the brim, with carefully planned breaks to eat and learning sessions after and before patrols. Before patrols, Adam read the books in the Tower''s library, not blindly for the first time. He took Elgu to show him which books were worth reading and recommended the sequence in which his temporary pupil should read them, not to get something too advanced for the time.


    After the patrols and eating lunch, he practised with Elgu in the laboratory. They changed the type of corpses every second day. Which was really fast, for comparison, if it was a serious apprenticeship not a crash course, Elgu wouldn''t allow a change for at least a week or two.


    Adam''s wallet thinned considerably through this week. From the 45 gold coins he loaned, 40 were used to acquire the corpses, and another four went to Elgu''s pocket, only 1 gold coin remained beside Adam.


    That is if he didn''t go to the vet. But he did, and barely anything remained of his money.


    Fortunately, he didn''t plan to learn how to gut for more than a week. If he did, another loan would be needed, or he would have to wait for his pay to arrive from the army.


    On a different note, with the variety of flesh Adam cut into, he started to feel as if he was taking lessons from a butcher, not a surgeon.


    About butchers, Elgu also told Adam how to determine if you can eat parts of monsters.


    "You just have to cut it out, preferably boil or roast it. Then give it to the most undesirable member of your team. If he dies, it''s not something you should eat." Morbidly serious pathologist presented his similarly dark humour.


    "What if I choose a girl? Do I try again with a boy?" Adam seriously replied, curiously glancing at his teacher.


    "Yes." An Answer reverberated throughout the silent room.


    ----------------------------


    At the end of the third week of building leg muscles, by walking around the city. And the start of March, Watt was finally released from care under the healers.


    His injuries closed, his body healthy, and his spirit ready for an adventure, or a mission to be exact.

 AITMW- ch34 - New task

    People cheered in the background, their shouts were deafening. Recipients of their attention, The two women pummelling at each other, obviously didn''t keep their attention on their fans.


    The blonde was too focused throwing an uppercut in the direction of Brunnete''s chin.


    Unfortunately, the brunette had better reflexes, the blonde''s fist missed her by a few centimetres, as she stepped to the right, her left arm hooked and quickly approaching the blonde''s cheek.


    The blow landed, throwing the blonde off balance, and stunning her.


    Her opponent used the moment to knee her in the abdomen.


    The blonde was thrown to the back, and the impact of the blow squeezed the air out of her lungs.


    Another fist flew through the air, hitting the blonde on the side of the chin. The fist returned to its owner, leaving the girl lying down on the ground, unconscious.


    Roars of victory reverberated through the tavern, drowning out shouts of misery and anger.


    Adam took out five silver coins out of his pocket and gave them to Max.


    "Told you, she has waaayyyyyy more experience in the field. I rarely have seen her lose, and when that happened, that were true warriors who fought her!" Said Max with a smile, counting coins in one hand and drinking beer with the other.


    "But she looked so promising! So smug and pridefull!" Wailed Adam, thinking about the money he lost.


    "Well, looks like you will take care of today''s check! We are all happy for you to win." Interrupted Monica, staring at Max and chugging her glass.


    "Yeah, right. Don''t forget that I am still mad at you, how could you not tell me that you all were going here in the evening?" Unsettled anger rose in Adam again.


    "As I told you before, and before then, we thought that it would only interfere with your studies, and we don''t want that, someone has to sew Watt up when another hole appears on him." Responded Max, gaining a rare disapproving stare from Watt himself.


    "About holes, which hole do we have to check this time?" Asked Monica, curious about their next mission.


    "There will be no holes. We got a very interesting task this time. The Governor of the village of Grimos wanted an investigation team from outside the village. We will investigate disappearances of livestock from all around the settlement." Answered Max.


    "Why would they want someone from the outside to search? Wouldn''t getting their guards to do it be more practical?" Questioned Adam.


    "Normally, yes. But this time, guards are one of the suspects, so people without any possible gain are needed. That''s where we step in."


    "What about beasts? Couldn''t that be a powerful beast who steals the livestock? We are not an appropriate group to hunt one." Interjected Watt, looking at his newly healed leg. A perfect example of their weakness.


    "Don''t worry, our mission is to find the culprit, not to catch one. and even if we encounter a beast, it''s a green area, after all, we are going to a village."


    "O! Another pair is going to the ring! I bet thirty copper on the buff one!" Adam noticed guys walking toward the arena and tried to get some of his money back, unfortunately unsuccessfully. Which only worsened his already miserable financial situation.


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    ------------------------------------------


    In the morning, the weather was very beautiful, the sun gazed on the icebound plains, bathing them in sunlight, warm enough to feel on the open skin, but not enough to melt the snow.


    It was also quite chilly, but this Monday morning was one of the rare windless ones, so cold didn''t penetrate the thick coats of the warriors and robes of the mages.


    Even thou the sight was beautiful, there was no one to observe it. There were a lot of people thou, though it was just that their heads sunk down from their necks, not a sound emerging from their throats to blend with the thud of wagon wheels and claps of horse hooves striking the paved road.


    The wagon filled with seemingly dead people rolled ahead toward its destination when one of its inhabitants shook and stood up to slap another.


    "Wake up you lazy fuck!" Shouted Adam in Iler''s ear, who only then started to move, and clench the reins to keep horses in check.


    "Don''t shout so loud! I am awake!" He returned in the direction of Adam''s.


    "And it better stay this way." Stated the mage, before returning to his seat.


    The rest of the sunken heads stared at the encounter with a mix of sleepiness and pain, as loud voices reverberated through their skulls painfully.


    ------------------------------------------


    The village of Grimos was the smallest settlement Adam saw in his life. Yes, he saw only two, one soon-to-be city and a capital city nonetheless, but still, Grimas was a small place, the size of about one-eighth of commoners district. Max told them that only about three hundred people lived here, which was a weird number of residents for Adam.


    ''How do they even occupy all the positions and jobs necessary for a society?'' He thought.


    The village, even if less populated than the capital, felt lively and occupied. On a windless, and sunny day like this, children played on the streets, while adults minded their business, doing their work. Most of the families had their own farmland, which wasn''t currently occupied to the brim, not like in the summer, There were far fewer plants that could survive and thrive in winter.


    The wagon, full of young people, arrived in the early evening, and strolled forward towards the biggest house in the village, assuming that''s where its governor resided.


    Max knocked on the door, but not hearing any response, he knocked again.


    "What?" Shouted a voice from the inside, clearly annoyed.


    "Hello, we are the team called from the capital." Responded Max.


    Adam stood to the side, and a slight smirk made its way on his face when a man with a towel wrapped around his hips opened the door.


    "Ahhh, if you thought I was the governor who called for help, you are mistaken, he lives in the fifth house to the right." He spoke while pointing in the direction he was talking about. He seemed experienced in dealing with this type of situation.


    As the host closed the door, Adam heard him mutter. "I really need to put a sign up here, it''s the fifth time this month."


    Max, stepped aside from the door and headed towards the governor''s true house, seemingly unbothered. His subordinates, thou, were trying their hardest not to burst laughing behind him.


    The next session of knocking proceeded, this time successfully summoning a person after the first wave. The host was a middle-aged man, wearing a a brown coat with a red circle at the back and red stripes at the shoulders. It was the governor''s robe, made to make finding local authority easy.


    As long as they weren''t in their house, it seemed.


    The man invited them inside, to explain the situation.


    He wasn''t one to play around, after exchanging greetings and sitting by a table, he went straight to the point of the Refridgerator''s visit.


    "Let''s start with Lessie''s cows, who disappeared some time ago in the middle of the night. There were three of them, all mottled, with a semicircle burned to their skin. Lessie lives at the south end of the village, her house is the one which is nearest to the forest.


    Next would be Mathel, whose goats seemingly vanished, also in the middle of the night. His animals were taken five days ago from a farm on the north side, similarly, it''s the nearest to the forest. Those animals also have a semicircle burned on their buttocks..."


    The Elder told them about another three groups of animals that were stolen. What connected each of them was that they disappeared in the night, at the end of the village, either northern or southern.


    The Refrigerators wrote down details of each loss, said their goodbyes and went outside of the village to make their camp.


    The settlement was too small to have a tavern or other form of accommodation for travellers. This is another thing pointing at the greatness of the loss of such a large number of animals. If not found, their ex-owners would find themselves in quite the pickle.


    Most of the lost were cattle, which help greatly while ploughing the fields, give the farmers milk and eventually are slaughtered for meat.


    Without them, villagers will have a hard time surviving next winter, or maybe even this one.

 AITMW- ch35 - Investigation

    The next day was much worse, weather-wise.


    The clouds blocked the sun, making the atmosphere solemn, winter wind blew with power and coldness, lifting the snow off the ground. Although the day was cold and unpleasant, it was well received by members of Adams''s team, it helped them.


    Today, they were supposed to interrogate the victims about the animals they lost, and other things that may be related to the robbery, or is it technically an animalnapping? (animal kidnapping)


    Adam and Monica went as a team to look into the case of someone called Lessie, who lost three cows.


    They went north of the village, just after eating breakfast in the camp. The houses on this side of the settlement were smaller than the ones on the west, where The Refrigerators entered the village.


    The lesser volume didn''t mean that they were poorer, the villagers couldn''t be classified as poor or not poor, as normally that is described by the ability to purchase food or other necessities. The villagers were mainly self-reliant on those, so calling them poor would not do them justice. another thing to notice was that the streets were clean of children, maybe it was a part of the village filled with younger people, who just still hadn''t become parents.


    Houses built in Derdanian villages were relatively not that hard to build, they were constructed by using logs with chopped holes to fit each other, and such buildings can be modified afterwards, for example, to build additional chambers for the children.


    Using the hits from the governor Adam and Monica easily found the house of the first victim, Lessie.


    Her house was rather small, but not the smallest in this neighbourhood. It was located at the edge of the village, making it the closest to the fields, which was convenient for work, but was quite dangerous because of the same reason.


    It had another building beside it, with a fenced ground before it. I was a barn, in which animals resided in the winter and where food storage was located. The animals themselves were inside the barn or were all stollen, they didn''t know if those three cows were all of Lessie''s livestock. No animals were visible outside.


    Adam knocked on the front door and waited for the householder.


    A large man opened the door, shocking Adam and Monica.


    ''Wait, Lessie is a MAN?'' Thought Adam to himself. Monica probably thought something similar.


    "Hello?" The man said.


    "Hello? Are you Lessie?" Asked Adam in bewilderment.


    "No, why would I?" The man answered.


    "I thought Lessie lived here." Said Adam, while Monica speechlessly stood behind him.


    "She does."


    "Huh?"


    "Hmm?"


    ''''...........''''


    "So, is she inside?" Monica finally broke the awkward silence, at last asking the right question.


    The man turned his head towards the girl. "Yes... Wait, who are you?"


    "...I am Adam, and she is Monica. We are members of the team who were sent here to investigate a theft. We wanted to ask Lessie about things related to her cows and possible thieves." Adam composed himself and introduced them.


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    "Ohh, yeah, come over. I am sure she will gladly answer your questions." He turned around and yelled inside. "Hey! Lessie, investigators came over to ask about the cows!"


    As they entered the house, they saw a young woman sitting at the table, knotting something. When she saw them, she stood up and walked over, with a hand outstretched.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Lessie, but I suppose you already know that. The handsome man who let you in is Buford, my boyfriend." She introduced them both.


    "I am Adam, she is Monica." The mage introduced them in return. "We would like to ask you some questions related to the robbery, can we sit down and talk?" He asked next.


    They sat around the table and waited, as Lessie went to get them something to drink.


    "Here you go, It''s not much but it''s very fresh, Bufford brought it from the stream this morning." She put down the cups on the table, filled with cold, fresh water.


    "No problem, let''s start with the questions." While Adam started the ''interrogation'', Monica took out a notepad and a pencil.


    "We were informed that your cows disappeared about two weeks ago and that they have a semi-circle burned on their... side. Is that true?"


    "Yes, they disappeared about two weeks ago, overnight from Saturday to Sunday."


    "Did you hear anything out of usual that night? Any signs that something went wrong before seeing that the cows are absent?"


    Lessie stayed silent for a while, then she shook her head.


    "Ok, we would also want to know how much of your property those cows represent, would their absence throw you into debt to survive or are they irrelevant to your well-being?" Adam asked. All the while, Monica was writing down the answers, to questions they had written down beforehand.


    "Well....., They were a considerable part of my wealth, but I can go on without them." She answered.


    "Okay, next question. Do you have any enemies in the village? Someone who could do something to you purely out of spite. For example, they could lead the cows in the forest to be eaten by the monsters, which would explain the whole village not finding them after two weeks." This question was the most important up to this point, but it was also very hurtful to the victim. Thinking that someone could be so mean and hateful enough to do something like that without any gain would devastate anyone if they thought too hard about it.


    "No...., I have a good relationship with everyone I know. You know, I and Buford are getting married next month, and the whole village is invited. I can''t imagine anyone doing something so vile." She quickly responded.


    "How about opportunists? Are there some people who wouldn''t turn away any money?" Another question was asked, another one that wasn''t very nice to hear.


    The girl was silent for a while, thinking.


    "What about the Morris? He is a huge scrooge. And the guards, they are known that if it isn''t a very big crime they may throw it under the carpet with a bit of money." This time it was Buford who spoke, instead of his future wife.


    "Oh, isn''t that why we are here? That your village doesn''t trust its guards enough to let them conduct an investigation. That''s a very good take, we will see it through." Said Adam.


    "Please don''t make it hard for them, We don''t trust them to investigate this, but they are very good with normal things, and them stealing my cows is very unlikely. Like extremely unlikely." Defended Lessie.


    "Ok, do you have something else to say? Some lead to follow?" Finalised Adam.


    "No, but could you tell me where you live, so that I may go to you if I remember something new?" She asked.


    "We are living in a camp outside of the village. Also, can we see the pen as we are heading out?" Adam asked.


    "Yes of course. Have a nice day." The future marriage walked them out.


    "Have a nice day too." They said their goodbyes in return.


    The pair of novice investigators searched the pen, but snow, mud and wind covered all possible tracks. The fence wasn''t damaged, so someone had to open the gateway to let them out.


    "You know, it''s a weird case. A person or a group stole many animals from all around the village, and none have seen them. The only thing I can understand from what we know is that the animals were transported somewhere through the forest, as all the households that were robbed were at the ridge. But how did they identify the targets? How did they get them to leave their homes without any alarming noises? And what did they do with them afterwards?" Asked Monica, it was a puzzle if she talked to herself or to Adam.


    "I bet the other victims have a similar situation to that of Lessie, somehow wealthy, enough to survive without those animals. And if my guess proves true, there must be a person inside the village who chooses targets and has enough empathy to choose people who will survive.


    By the way, that has to have been a team. There is no way to herd such a large number of animals by themselves, and someone has to feed and take care of them, assuming they haven''t died yet. So, someone who wouldn''t be noticed if he or she disappeared in the forest for whole days." Adam also seemed to talk without a conversationalist.

 AITMW- ch36 - Investigation p.2

    "So, we didn''t learn anything new. Apart from that the thieves were smart." Concluded Monica.


    "Nah, I don''t agree, We can also ask that Morris person about his version of the story. But I don''t think that he is the crook. He would be immediately suspected if his wealth came from unexplained sources. And based on the size of his property, planning such heist would not be profitable enough for the risks." Adam disagreed.


    "Either way, let''s now go to the meet-up." Monica eventually said.


    ----------------------------------------------


    "Our guy mostly talks about his neighbour, apparently they have some huge issues between them. But I don''t think that the neighbour is the thief." Said Kyll, in the centre of their camp. While they were roasting their food above the fireplace.


    "But we also got some other suspects from the victim. I think he is overly distrustful, but we will have to check them, or at least their livestock. But that''s for tomorrow." Added Watt. He, Kyll and Iler went to ask out someone named Mathel together, and their results were about the same as those of Adam and Monica.


    "Yeah, Seill also talked about a lot of people, but I think that they just want to have the investigation go far and wide, hoping for a miracle rather than suspecting their neighbours. Also, he too talked about Morris." Max added his piece to the conversation. "The guards, on the other hand, were not very useful, they told us that they were not present at the sites in the time of theft, there were just too few of them on guard in the night."


    "So, the most popular suspect is that rich guy. How about me and Monica will go interrogate him? We have more people than victims to interrogate either way." Asked Adam, while talking about victims still to interrogate, he spoke about those they were supposed to ask out in the evening, as another two people were robbed aside from Lessie, Mathel and Seill.


    "That''s a good idea. In conclusion, after we eat, Kyll''s group goes to Reich, mine to Sorut and Adam''s to Morris. Afterwards, we go around asking the villagers, remember to question children, as there is more likely to tell us what they know without any ulterior motive." Max ordered the team.


    A silence prevailed for a few minutes, as they ate their meals, mainly some roasted meat and potatoes.


    "It''s weird, don''t you guys think? ¡ª¡ª It seems it was a planned theft, but there are no criminal groups around, no truly suspicious people. ¡ª¡ª And where the fuck did those animals go? They couldn''t just dissipate in the air." Complined Iler, between taking aggressive bites of his potato.


    "That''s what I said!" Said Monica.


    "I think we should check the woods tomorrow, it''s the most likely place to find traces of those animals." Said Adam.


    "We will think about it in the evening. Lest finish eating and go to the village." Max stifled the conversation.


    ------------------------------------


    While walking towards Morris''s house, Adam and Monica asked some people about the guy. After all, they didn''t know how he came to be the wealthiest man in the village or anything about him, and such knowledge would surely be useful in the next few hours.


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    Fortunately for them, everyone in the village knew the story, every kid wanted to copy it and become the richest in the village, just like every kid in Ferston wanted to find an iron deposit, buy that land and start their own mining company. It doesn''t seem like it, but there is a bustling mining industry in Adam''s town, thou for the moment it is still smaller in size than their leather and carpentry industries.


    A random kid told them his story:


    - Long ago, Morris Wheelbarrow was an ordinary villager. His fields were relatively small and unfertile, and his cows often fell sick, but he didn''t stop trying his hardest even when a harvest didn''t bring him enough bread, and cows lost the ability to produce milk. To survive the winter, he had to eat the cows. Local children envied him because there was meat on his table so often, While they tasted it only occasionally, then they started to pity him when their parents explained to them what that meant for him.


    Death was nearby, at the end of winter he ran out of meat and had to resort to begging his neighbours for food, which he was given, but never without any price attached. One day he was asked to work on the field of his benefactor, the other, he had to clean the barn from vermin. None of the works he was asked for were gracious, and they all stole his time to work on his field, making his next harvest even poorer than the last. That winter, he nearly died several times, not only from hunger but also from cold, and a rat colony that nested itself in Morris''s house under his negligence,


    While working his ass away in the summer, he met the Wandering Mage from the Harop family. A person going around the villages and smaller towns and offering his services in exchange for money, and experience valuable only to novices in the field. The mage had grown to like him while he stayed in the village, they met often, as he was sent to serve and help the wanderer and his guards. In the end, the mage helped his new friend, giving him a chance to straighten his matters and live the winter in relative comfort as he finally found time to hunt down the rats.


    Next summer, Morris got enough time to take care of his field for, the first time in years. The mage returned to the village this year, and helped his friend again, this time by enhancing his yield a few times over.


    The mage and Morris became lifelong friends, no one knows why the mage still comes every year to the village, even after his wandering phase, but most believe that Morris is the reason.


    While no one doubted his friendship with the mage, everyone knew Morris used their relationship as much as he could. His animals often were pregnant and delivered healthy, and his fields stopped to have worse phases, every year was bountiful. After some years, Morris''s solitary strength became not enough to plough all his fields, which he expanded on every opportunity. Because of that, Morris started to hire workers from poorer villages. And with that, life made a full circle, from a worker who starved each day, he became the employer, who fed the starving.-


    The story was long, and probably changed a bit by the adult to push principles into their children with it. Not only did it promote hard work and an unbending will to survive, but it also taught their children that it''s okay to ask for help and not to be ashamed of their situation, but they should also assume to expect to be asked something in return.


    A densely packed moralizing children''s story, I would say.


    The story also heroised the mages, but that was the part that could not be decided if it was changed by only hearing the story from the third hand.


    They asked a few other people about the story, but it didn''t change much from the children''s version.


    Adam and Monica eventually reached Morris''s house, this time they looked at it thoroughly, as the time didn''t chase them today, not like when they just arrived in the village barely day before.


    The house was very similar to the one Adam''s uncle had in Ferston, but about three times bigger.


    It was mainly a wooden structure with stone-based lower walls, making the foundations. The roof was made from planks and clay, and it looked exquisite in the forest of roofs made from hay, with few of its structural siblings looming in the distance. The house had a second floor, which was its biggest marking point. No other house in the village could boast such a thing.


    Adam felt that it only lacked a snowman before its doors for him to recognize it as the home he grew up in. Or three of them.


    In that familiar house, a possible suspect lived. His history is probably different than the stories have told.

 AITMW- ch37 - Investigation p.3

    Morris answered the door the same way as before, in a skimpy outfit consisting of a simple towel around his hips.


    "What?" He asked the two newcomers.


    Monica who didn''t see the man before, only heard his words, was baffled as Morris didn''t look like a villager. He was muscular, but it was obvious that it was more of a visual preference to keep something on the bones rather than a need for strength. He looked as if he worked out, like some of the soldiers at the army camp back in the capital, not as if his muscles were formed by long hours of work. He wasn''t very tall but still had considerable height, somewhat amplified by his long, straight blonde hair. He was incredibly handsome, his eyes were sparkling in the sunlight. He looked like a twenty-year-old would look, for a person in their forties he was impossible to recognise as such.


    "Hello, can we come in? Or did we interrupt something?" Asked Adam who stood in front of the host.


    "What''s your business?" Inquired Morris, who looked for a second at Adam''s face and asked again, after realising he had seen the guy before. "Didn''t I tell you where is the governor''s house already? Why are you bothering me again?"


    "We wanted to ask you some questions about the thefts in recent times." Said Adam.


    "And what connection do I have to them? What''s your iquire?" Asked Morris with annoyance.


    "That''s exactly what we want to find out. Let me clarify that we don''t hold any ill intent towards you, but when such a big wave of robberies hits, it would be stupid not to ask the wealthiest man in the village about his opinion." Adam assured his interlocutor.


    Morris sighed and answered. "OK, wait in the living room while I change my clothes."


    Adam nodded at Monica and went inside, his companion behind him.


    The living room was quite nice, but not in a way that would be expected after seeing that this is the biggest house in the village. The room was cosy, with a table in the middle, surrounded by plain but comfortable chairs. There were some rugs on the walls and a fireplace in the corner, warming up the room.


    Morris returned and sat down on the main chair by the table, next to Adam and Monica.


    "Ask and you will be answered, or not." He said after taking his place.


    Monica took out her notepad and a pencil, while Adam started to ask questions.


    "Let''s start with the simple ones. Do you have any connection with the robberies or the crime activities in the village of Grimos? Do you have any knowledge about people who could be, or know something about the robbers?" Asked Adam.


    "No. I don''t have any connection with any crime circles, and as for suspicious people, I would say that the victims are quite as such. How come none of them notice the thieves?" Accused Morris.


    "Well, but why would they do that? I don''t see any benefit in them losing their animals." Replied Adam.


    "Oh, they would get a huge compensation from the person who robbed them, if they could prove it true. That''s probably why you were told I was one of the suspects. But let''s be real, I have nothing to gain from such thefts, my herd is the biggest in the surrounding villages, some few animals would add nor deduct from my wealth." He explained, and what he said made much sense in Adam''s head.


    "Okay, let''s leave those behind. Did you leave the village in the past few months? Going to the city, selling cattle, everything counts." The mage set the next question.


    "Yes, I went to the neighbouring city about a month and a half ago." Answered Morris.


    "In what purpose?"


    "I was visiting a friend, one that I met through my connection with Todd. If you don''t know, Todd is the wandering mage from the Harop family who helped me to rise from the rubble." A strange glint passed by in Morris''s eyes.


    "Ok, how about..." Adam''s next question was cut off in the middle of the sentence, as a knocking sound came from the front door.


    "Ehhh, I will annswer it." Morris stood up and opened the door.


    A villager stood outside, he was visibly tired and out of breath.


    "I am looking for the investigators, Adam and Monica. Are they here?" He asked the host after catching his breath.


    "They are here, as you see." Answered Morris, turning his head towards the living room and gesturing for his guests to answer the man''s inquiry.


    "Oh, I have news!" The messenger outcried when he saw them. "Another robbery happened this night, at the Torak''s farm. Come with me, your leader wants the whole group to investigate the area." The man stopped talking and started to walk quickly in the southern direction.


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    They marched in silence and arrived at their destination.


    The southern part of the village was quite different from the northern, it was full of large households, telling the story of the town. After seeing those two areas, Adam concluded that the northern one is very new, while the southern one is way older, making it home to bigger, families, or sometimes even second or third generation. While the north was inhabited by those who didn''t want to live with their parents or arrived from different places in search of new life.


    It was also seen in the residency in the central parts of the village. Morris, who is middle-aged lived in the western district, and that matched with his rise to wealth, which happened some time ago, but when the village was still expanding rapidly.


    Torak household was on the rim, like the other robbed places. But there was a major difference between this example and the others. This time, when Adam arrived before it, no animals were heard from the inside of the barn, it stood open and empty. Its doors pointed at the fence, which was devastatingly destroyed.


    "What the hell happened here?" Adam questioned out loud looking at the fence


    "A ferocious herd of animals charged through.." Max said, emerging from the barn. "This time, the thieves made quite the ruckus.


    "How did we not get notified of it before, it''s nearly noon!" Adam questioned the man who brought him here, anger hidden in his voice.


    "We think the owner of the animals followed them in the forest the second he saw the damages, We didn''t want to send for you as it could be just something else, the animals may just have been scared, which could be caused by many reasons." Answered the messenger.


    "Huh?" Anger didn''t leave Adam''s voice.


    "Leave him by, we will venture out into the forest in ten minutes. The owner of the livestock is still in there, so finding him will be our priority." Max announced his orders.


    "Okay." Agreed the ice mage.


    In the meantime, Adam took a closer look at the tracks left in the snow. Near the barn, the footprints the animals created were calm, shallow and steady as if the animals took a stroll. That changed about halfway to the fence, there the footprints became more erratic, deep and explosive, meaning that their makers sped up fiercely.


    "Something out of the ordinary happened here, It looks as if something scared the animals right after they left the barn, making them crash through the fence." Adam talked half to himself, half to Monica.


    "Maybe it was their owner? The messenger told us that he went after them immediately." She guessed.


    "Nah, it''s practically impossible, They wouldn''t be scared of the person who takes care of them on a daily basis. That would be messed up." He commented.


    "I would be scared if my mom visited me in the middle of the night, or even early in the morning." Monica remarked.


    "You live with your mother? I thought you slept in the camp." Adam asked.


    "Depends, if we have a longer break I go to my parent''s house in the city. It''s much more comfortable than a tent, no matter its size... My mother was a famous adventurer you know?


    She supposedly met my father when he was on a business trip in Holrom City, he was a wandering merchant back there. Now, they stay in the capital all the time.


    How about yours? I have never heard you talk about family." The archer asked after having loosened up a little.


    "I am the last one left from my family." Answered Adam.


    "Oh... I''m sorry." Apologised Monica, her face full of pity.


    "Don''t ''Oh..'' me, I''m over it. It happened a long time ago, during a beast tide, when no one knew there was a dungeon near Ferston. My parents were in the forest teaching my older sister how to shoot the bow when it happened... I heard they died as heroes, many monsters were slain by them as they tried to return.


    From then on I lived with my ''uncle'' Derek. He isn''t really my uncle, but he was a close friend of my father''s, so I guess he is the closest thing I have to a family.


    And he became even more after that, a father figure and a mentor." Adam smiled weakly, looking down at his hands, which still had marks from the use of the bow and other work Derek taught him, and made him do instead of him.


    Monica stood in silence, listening to Adam''s monologue. She didn''t know what to say, she never comforted people. In the end, she said silent, figuring that saying something improper is worse than not saying anything.


    Time to venture into the wilds came fast, as both of them were lost in thoughts. Adam reminisced about his lost family and Monica thought about what she would do if her parents passed away.


    The whole team of ''Refrigerators'' gathered at the forest''s opening. They grouped themselves in their usual formation and set out towards the deep, relatively safe forest.


    The tracks were exceptionally visible, especially the human ones, which were alone among the animals. That brought some confusion between the team members, cause they believed someone else had to lead the animals, but there was only one track - The owners.


    They followed them for a long time, deeper and deeper into the woods. Though they went further away from the village, the safety of the surrounding areas didn''t change. It wasn''t a green zone for no reason.


    The monsters here weren''t very powerful,  so much so that the village''s guard team led the surrounding animals to be scared of humans. And the most powerful person in the village was only in the intermediate realm.


    Eventually, they arrived in a small valley, inside which was a clearing. The trees towered above on the higher grounds all around, while the grass of the clearing was full of flowers and small bushes with plenty of fruits.


    They walked closer to find out what caused such abundance in the area, as it was a very abnormal sight in the winter. There was also no snow in the clearing as if the winter didn''t touch it at all.


    The high grass, covered up the plenitude while rocks scattered on the ground, piling into small heaps and sometimes covered with moss.


    Berta walked closer, deeper into the clearing and bent down to take a look at those weird pieces of stone.


    She took one of the ground, it was long, with bulbous protrusions on both sides. After scraping off the moss and the dirt, an unnaturally white colour revealed itself, as if the snow returned.


    The warrior was cleaning off the rest of the rock when she concluded what she held in her arms.


    I was a bone.


    The clearing was full of bones.


    Berta jumped back after realising what she held, throwing it away at the same time.


    "It''s all bones!" She shouted in horror.


    "Keep calm and prepare to fight!" Ordered Max, who stayed clear-headed.


    The Refrigerators gathered into a defensive formation when a low growl escaped a cave on the other side of the clearing, one which no one managed to notice before.


    A huge puma stood there, growling at the newcomers. Its muscles tense, ready to pounce and rip the outsiders apart.

 AITMW- ch38 - Investigation p.4

    The beast growled at the team, seemingly unhappy about their appearance. It paced from side to side, watching its soon-to-be prey, as they arranged themselves in a defensive formation.


    An arrow and a few ice shards appeared from the small crowd of humans, heading straight at the predator''s head, an ambush was unsuccessful, as the hunter knew how to hunt, and how not to be hunted.


    The puma dodged the attacks, stepping to the side, then running awry towards its attackers, it looked as if it planned to circle the intruders and attack them from another side.


    Yet, despite its obvious intentions, the big cat prevailed in its straight run, directly into the bushes, where it disappeared from human eyes.


    The human formation changed its shape at this time, the main defence moved according to the predator''s position. Then, they waited for it to reveal itself, along with its attack.


    Nothing happened for a while, apart from some sounds echoing through the forest, from different angles and heights each time. Max knew that big cats could climb trees very well, it was a part of his education as a noble, and a team leader.


    His orders as a team leader were for the defenders to immediately follow those noises, while still watching out for attack from the bush the puma ran into.


    Neither of those directions happened to be correct, an attack came, but neither it was seen by the companions, nor did they accomplish to defend against it.


    "AGGHHHH!!!"


    A horrendous scream escaped Adam''s mouth as he was suddenly thrown into the air, his shield shattered, his coat and armour shredded and painted red. A gash appeared on his side, running from his right shoulder towards his nether region, but fortunately not reaching it.


    He stood at the side of the formation, in the direction of the cavern.


    A few seconds later, loud noises reverberated from the bushes a few metres from the place Adam got hit from.


    A big cat revealed itself and pounced on Watt''s shield. It smacked its paw, striking the armoured giant and escaped to the forest again, an arrow after it.


    Watt despite the strike remained firm and attacked back, but his short sword didn''t meet its target. Actually, this attempt left him more unstable than defending against the cat, he stumbled but didn''t fall, and returned to his place in the formation.


    The puma seemed lucky, not only the sword didn''t reach it, but the arrow also missed.


    Berta rushed towards Adam and helped him to stand up. She will now protect him, that''s what her role was mainly about, being somewhat a defender, but mostly a situational one.


    After Kyll and Watt suffered injuries a few weeks before, the Refrigerators concluded that they had to have a person who could take care of the wounded. In consideration of their roles, the position was assigned to Berta, and she had to take a course on more advanced methods of fast aid. She was the best candidate, as she didn''t contribute to the ranged fight, and could somehow defend. Iler was the second pick, he used a shield, which increased his defending capacity far above that of Berta''s, but considering that he was worse at first aid and that they needed him more in the first line of defence, the girl was the chosen one.


    But even then, they had to change Berta''s equipment a little, adding a shield to her stock. It was just too useful not to, just because of Berta''s personal preference. She got a small one, though.


    Using her relatively new knowledge about wounds, the swordswoman took out a clean piece of cloth and wrapped it tightly around Adam''s torso and put some of it underneath the tight one, just above the wound, to stop the bleeding temporarily.


    Adam himself wasn''t a big help to her in this, as he was still shocked by unexpected pain. He was rolling around, hugging himself when Berta arrived by him.


    Silence prevailed for some time after the first clash. No worrying sounds came from the forest, and no animals were seen by the team, excluding the birds that flew above them, obviously.


    Refrigerators used this opportunity to change their position and moved to the dead centre of the clearing. Making as much space from both the forest and the cave as they could.


    "What the fuck was that?" Exclaimed Berta.


    "What, did you see something?" Asked Max in anticipation.


    "No, it''s just that the attack Adam received doesn''t match with the puma at all, it''s as if he was struck with a whip." Explained Berta.


    "Maybe it''s some sort of wind attack? I heard that some of those are described as blades of whips." Wondered Iler.


    "No, if it could send some attacks like that, we would be already dead." Said Max. " It would attack us from the trees, and catch us off-guard. I don''t believe we could defend against an attack like the one that struck Adam, it was too powerful, without his shield Adam would be probably split in half. On that note, focus on creating shields around us." The last thought was meant for Adam, who started to create the shield again. This time around all of them, which was possible only because they gathered together closely. Even then, such magic was draining Adam like never before.


    "Focus, we all need to attack it when it appears again." He added.


    The conversation ended there, and the fighters turned all their focus on the environment again, waiting for the predator to appear again.


    And it did.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The puma attacked Kyll, who unfortunately for it, was ready to defend. It didn''t manage to surprise the fighter who already had about a year of experience. Another thing to consider was the shield that Adam raised, which shattered after stopping the big cat for a second.


    Kyll blocked the paw strike with his shield and counterattacked in response.


    His spear swooshed in the air towards the limb which ricocheted from his shield, which was just at the distance the blade needed.


    The spear slash struck true and cut off something before the cat managed to react. Kyll tried to attack it again, this time by stabbing, but his target rapidly escaped, an arrow after it. Missing again.


    The puma disappeared into the forest, a third time during the encounter. It didn''t seem to like fighting one on one. Or just in close quarters.


    In the meantime, Kyll looked down to see what he cut off from the panter. It interested him because his strike didn''t feel as if it cut a paw off, it was too easy for that.


    And he was right in his guess, it was no paw.


    It looked more like the end of a tail, the tail of a rat to be exact. Pink and skinny, nearly no bone inside.


    "Hey! There is something wrong with that beast. It cut off a pow and a tail came off." Exclaimed Kyll.


    "You cut something off? I watched it escape and it didn''t look harmed at all." Interjected Monica. "But I noticed it''s unnaturally good at dodging, none of my shots meet its mark. Which is weird, it''s big and the distance is laughably small. I should be able to hit every time." She added.


    Adam didn''t add anything, even though he had a lot to say, as he was occupied with creating the shield again.


    Fortunately, Berta also had similar thoughts. She walked over to Kyll and took a look at the severed tail, supposed paw.


    "It matches Adam''s wound." She stated.


    "But it''s a puma! Its tail is fluffy and still on its butt!" Denied Monica.


    "Then what the fuck is this?" Exclaimed Berta.


    "Stop shouting, we have to figure it out, but let''s not lose cool." Commanded Max. " Also, the puma is acting wrong, it should have already escaped after the first failed attack, but it''s still here, fighting." He added afterwards.


    "Maybe there is something in that cave? The cat defending its young wouldn''t be surprising." Added Iler.


    "How about we retreat? It won''t go after us if it is defending its offspring." Offered Berta.


    "No, we have to find Mr. Torak and all the clues we have lead here." Said Max. "And that''s what we are going to do. Watt, lead the way but stay vigilant. There might be another one inside." He ordered next.


    And that is what happened, Watt led the way while Iler closed the procession.


    It seemed that they had a point, as the big cat attacked again, unusually fast after escaping, right after they started heading in the direction of the cave.


    This round was the most unsuccessful for both groups. The puma missed Kyll, who it wanted to smack. Though it looked like it hit. And the Kyll''s thrust didn''t manage to strike it either.


    Eventually, Watt wandered cautiously inside the cave and looked around.


    "There is nothing in here. It''s empty." He concluded his observations after a few moments. "Like, suspiciously empty."


    "Let me take a look." Said Max, as he walked inside.


    The cave was suspiciously empty indeed.


    It was very shallow and there was much light inside. No nest, or any other bedding that the puma or its children could use. The younglings were also absent, proving their theory false. But Max didn''t give up, he walked a bit closer, with Watt at his side to defend him and took a closer look.


    What he discovered was that the walls were dubious. They were too similar and straight, also the lighting didn''t feel right on them.


    "Step back." He ordered his defender and manipulated metal from his armour to fly off. Afterwards, he sent it to the suspicious walls.


    One of the walls stood firm, making the metal ricochet at the other one, which in turn, proved to be false.


    The second wall didn''t react to the projectiles at all. They just went straight through, as if it was nonexistent.


    The first salvo didn''t do anything apart from creating some sound from hitting a wall inside. But when the metal mage sent another few shards, a more promising reaction reached the team''s ears.


    A shriek of pain reverberated throughout the cave, and with it, the wall disappeared, scattered like sand art kicked by a bird.


    Behind it, a horrible scenery was unveiled.


    Blood, guts and various parts of bodies. Goat heads, covered in guts and grime, half-eaten legs and cows torn apart, and eaten from the inside out. Among the others, barely dead bodies were also present, the animals stolen from the village were seen littering the ground, and some even looked like they were alive, but they were not.


    It was a good thing that the only people who had to see this place were Max and Watt, it wouldn''t be nice for anyone, especially Adam, whose trauma had been alleviated only recently.


    Everything was there, and that''s why it was so dreadful and abominable.


    Among the various body parts, two places brought Max''s attention the most.


    The human body, torn apart and lying on a pile of corpses. Dead, that''s the status of the person they had to find, and potentially rescue.


    Another point of interest was the reason for the miracle wall, supposedly. It was a dead creature, but one that Max didn''t recognize. It was a relatively large cat, not a big cat as the puma was, but just a larger-than-usual cat. There was a difference between it and a normal larger-than-regular cat, it had a long body as if it stretched all the time, and an even lengthier tail, which was furless and very skinny. The tail alone was maybe four times longer than the body.


    The beast was also fat beyond belief, which may have been the reason for such a large amount of prey hunted by it, or its partner.


    Max knew it was the source of the magical wall, as it had a large, metal shard inside its head. Basic logic told him that its death was the reason behind the disappearance of the illusory curtain.


    Beside the horrific creature lay a bunch of eggs, black and slimy, certainly that was the reason for the puma''s aggression and perseverance in guarding its nest.


    "I found Mr.Torak. We will now kill the beast and then return to the village. Adam, could you can a wide cone of wind out of the cave?" Ordered Max, and his last question was related to his suspicions. He thought that the puma may be an illusion, like the wall was.


    "I think I can, but  will have to put down the shields." Answered Adam.


    "Do it." Replied the team leader.


    Adam grunted, and moved to the entrance, already gathering wind mana in his hand. Preparing an unusually large [Sway].


    The wind gusted as he outstretched his hand towards the clearing. It roared and ravaged the flowers blooming on the bones, eerie evidence of death inhabiting the surrounding area for years. And some weird-ass flowers, thriving on the bones in the winter.


    The wind flew through the air, hitting the visible and not.


    Max''s intuition was correct, the beast was an illusion, created by a creature similar to the one in the cave and it was thrown against a tree.


    Evidently, these species weren''t very sturdy or heavy, unlike their magical abilities and their powerful tails, they died very quickly, and that''s what happened with the supposed ''puma''.


    Its head popped as it hit a tree, after being blown by Adam''s gust of wind.


    "Ok, I think that''s it. The beast is dead and our objective has been found, despite its bad condition." Said Max. "Berta, you will help Adam. Iler and Kyll, you guys take the body, we don''t want to make anyone come here for it. Monica, you take some of those flowers, I haven''t heard about anything like that. Watt, lead the way." He ordered his teammates.


    The Refrigerators did their tasks and started returning to the village. They had some things to do.


    Adam was injured and needed urgent medical attention.


    The family of Mr Torak had to be informed of his death.


    That''s not even mentioning those who lost their livestock.


    But before going, they had to do one final task, check if the beasts were really dead, and make their unborn offspring return under their parent''s illusory paws.

 AITMW- ch39 - Investigation - conclusion

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

 AITMW- ch40 - From snout to tail

    The city was weirdly grim that day.


    The streets felt empty, even though a multitude of people walked and interacted there. Everyone was moving as fast as they could, making their way towards their homes or places of work as soon as they ended their errands.


    The sun seemed gloomy, its rays barely registered in the eyes of citizens, and the wind blew morbid coldness deep into every passerby''s bones.


    The city was stale, seemingly empty and quiet.


    The city waited for something to happen, something massive hung above the capital. A sword of Damocles, waiting for its time to strike.


    But every rule had its exception, this time it was Adam.


    Despite a constant state of carefulness regarding his injury, being continuously wary of the way he walked, not to make a wrong move and hurt himself, Adam was happy. He was finally able to perform his research, which got postponed for nearly a month.


    The Refrigerators returned the day before, and they went their separate ways soon after, as they got a long leave after a somehow successful mission.


    Adam went to his uncle''s room, inside the tavern, where he and the kittens resided. Suzie, Frank and the second kitten were present as he arrived.


    Suzie was the mother, they agreed to name her that way after the doctor suggested it. Then they decided to name one kitten each, Derek already found the name of his one, and named it Frank. Suitable name, but not one that Adam would choose. For him, it was too simple.


    The kittens were still blind, but they would soon gain sight, so Adam had to start thinking about a name for his one. The little furry bastard seemed to distinguish him from Derek even if he didn''t say anything, as if he saw them somehow.


    The kitten play time ended after Derek told Adam about what he was doing while his protege worked in the military. It appears, that Derek got himself in quite the company, some nobles started to invite him to the parties, befriending him.


    It was definitely an effect of being an uncle to a mage, but Derk didn''t let that discourage him and started to appear at those parties, making friendships and connections. He explained to himself that he acted as Adam''s proxy into high society.


    Eventually, the mage''s uncle mentioned a widow his age. Her husband died a few years ago on a mission while in the army, and she became the sole owner of their wealth. She hadn''t had any children and turned out to be quite a party woman.


    She was the host of most of the gatherings Derek attended. Yet, the woman didn''t squander the money on parties without any thought to it, the fun was a part of her motives, but mostly, she created a net of connections there, and grew her late husband''s fortune in many ways, by trading and investing mostly.


    Adam caught a sparkle flying through his uncle''s eyes as he talked about that impressive woman.


    The meeting came to an end earlier than Derk would have liked, but his nephew had an important thing to do.


    The research had to begin!


    --------------------------------


    Adams Lablatory was clean when he entered, but it would soon change.


    The first thing he did was to get one of the corpses from the freezing chamber, the one which when alive, was an intermediate magic beast.


    Andam had three of those, two from the same race, with varying ranks, one elementary and one intermediate, with a magic core. The third corpse was of another race, intermediate with an aura core.


    The first two were ice-elemental wolves, and the third was an owl. It was quite weird that an owl, an animal considered to be very smart used aura instead of mana, which was thought of as the more mentally stimulating one.


    The mage had some problems with moving the wolf corpse, which was considerably large with his broken bones, but he somehow managed. Keeping it in a freezer for a week or two also didn''t help, as it stifled the body and made it too cold to touch for extended periods of time.


    Fortunately, it didn''t freeze. If it did, Adam''s money would go to waste as the beast''s flesh would break apart when the droplets of water inside would crystallise.


    It was comfortably soft, firm enough not to need another hand beside the cutting one to hold it, and plenty soft to cut into it. Actually, it was softer than right after death, every decent hunter knows that you have to wait a bit before cutting the meat from the bones, Adam learnt from his dissection teacher that the phenomena are called ''postmortem concentrations'' and they appear in every dead body, including humans.


    It was quite funny if Adam would continue with his non-existent muscle building and deterioration from not doing any manual labour, His biceps would be the hardest, only after he died.


    Which meant he had to start training, even if just for the looks.


    When the body arrived on the table, it was time to fetch tools. Adam didn''t have anything which could even remotely substitute real dissection tools, such as razor blades, tongs, saws and those weir things used to hold already cut flesh open. That''s why he borrowed the equipment from Elgu, the pathologist who taught him how to cut people. Which retrospect sounds macabre.


    Having brought the gear and prepared everything, including a few buckets and containers, Adam started cutting.


    The first thing that came under his blade for the wolf''s torso.


    Adam wanted to see how the heart of a mana attined animal looks, is it different, evolved?


    Does it work as the mana collector like in his own body?


    These questions lingered on Adam''s mind, they were making him wonder, disturbing him for a long time already, and they weren''t all, only a small part of the mage''s curious mind.


    After cutting the skin, bones appeared in Adams''s vision. Now was a hard part, to saw apart the bones while preserving the flesh around them.


    Firstly, Adam severed the meat all around the bones and used that weird tool to pull it apart, giving him an easier and better view. Then he used the saw to cut the ribs, it wasn''t easy but he managed to do it while damaging only a little bit of tissue around.


    Now, the heart was open to see.


    It was very unassuming, looking like every other heart Adam had seen. Nothing made it special at first glance. It was red, had four chambers and was connected to a multitude of veins and arteries.


    There was no magical aura, no special colour or uneasy feeling.


    The blood vessels were also normal, small and big, they varied in size but all connected to the heart there were blue ones and red ones, like normal.


    ''There are three main arteries here..., they connect to the aorta like they are supposed to.... Wait. Three?''


    Adam had a sudden revelation as if a switch was turned inside his head.


    There was another artery!


    What was it for and why was it bluer than the blue one?


    Normal arteries were red and blue, it was weird Adam didn''t notice it earlier, but the third had a distinctive, blue colour, different from the colour on the blue artery, a blue hue and was way more transparent than it should be.


    Adam started to follow its trail, cutting the flesh around it and making way for him to see. The unusual artery was clinging to Wolfe''s spine, spreading towards the brain.


    Now Adam had already created some theories for what the vein used. One thing that he knew about the brain of magical animals, and creatures in general is that is where the mana core is located.


    In Derdanian culture, while the heart is the house of mana, it''s the brain that is the most sacred place in the body. It''s thought that the brain is the gateway for the soul to communicate with the rest of the body.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Also, the power of someone''s soul is thought to affect their talent in handling mana.


    To check if his theory is correct, Adam had to split the skull apart. He was taught about it by the pathologist, but it was still risky if he didn''t want to damage the brain.


    ''Here we go.''


    To begin the procedure, Adam started by peeling off the skin from the wolf''s skull, leaving the bone naked and free to see. The weird thing about the skulls was that they aren''t one bone, and it isn''t about counting the jaw as the part of the skull. The dome-like bone just looked like a big ball that the kids played with in Frston, on its surface there was a net of seams, natural connections between different bones that together create the skull.


    To take it apart, knowing where the various parts end and another begin was very useful. To uncover the brain in the least damaging way, the surgeon has to take away the whole part, carefully so that it doesn''t break apart and injure the organ.


    Of course, it''s a technique used in Derdania, not the bastion of medical knowledge and discovery, and Adam wasn''t sure if it could be used on living patients, as his knowledge was imparted to him by a pathologist.


    The part he took out was near the spine, at the bottom of the skull. The vein entered the brain there, to see more Adam had to remove some of it.


    It was a regrettable move, as his last half an hour was spent removing the bone so that the brain wouldn''t be damaged, and now he himself was damaging it.


    Getting rid of that portion of the brain was easy compared to the bone, mainly because the mage knew nothing about how to do it. Without guidelines, there was nothing he could do wrong, at least in this sort of thing.


    Underneath the brain tissue, deep inside the skull, the core was located.


    Now, it was a transparent orb, without any life or vibrancy. Thou it still had a small hue, it was empty. Normally, the core would have a colour and texture, depending on the attribute of the mana its owner used. If not removed in the first few hours after death, the mana inside would dissipate.


    It could still be used as a battery, but every time a core is recharged by someone after its owner''s death, its capacity falls to about half of what it was before. So, considering that recharging mana cores is an expensive procedure, as it needs mages'' involvement, and that it deteriorates very quickly, if not removed quickly, its value falls dramatically.


    Around the orb, a multitude of small vein-like tubes stretched out in all directions. Starting at the core and travelling to the end of the brain. They played a vital role in the dissipation of mana after death. If they were cut from the core, its gates would close, if not, the mana would go out until the mana density inside the core was the same as in the atmosphere.


    That''s all Adam knew about those mana channels, and that''s knowledge every kid gains at a seminar before the ascension day to know how to harness the ores if they ever hunt a beast containing one.


    Without concrete knowledge, Adam had no clue about what more those veins could do.


    The main, thick vein connecting the heart and the core makes sense. The core acted as a storage so there had to be a way for mana to move from the generator, or a collector to be exact, to there, but those veins in the brain made no sense to Adam.


    ''Well, I will have to ask someone about it, if it connects to the brain, it must be important. However, I also have to figure out if humans also place their cores in the brain. Such a mistake would be horrifying... And also somewhat funny..'' Adam thought.


    Now, that he investigated his findings, the mage returned to the heart, in search of something more.


    After seeing the transparent veins in the brain, Adam obviously checked for something similar around the torso. The search was long and arduous, as Adam had to be careful of the tissue and the organs, for he still didn''t know if they were of some use.


    ''Oh!''


    Eventually, he found some of those pathways, there were few and far in between, but they were there.


    There was one leading all the way to the tip of the tail, it was more similar to the transparent artery than the mana veins in the brain, as it was singular and didn''t spread as the veins did. It led from the heart to the tail, in a somehow straight line.


    The other two were located in the canine''s hind legs, they were similar to the tail one, but they spread around the paws of the animal, unlike the first one.


    After seeing those, particularly organs. Adam concluded that they acted as pathways for mana to go when the beast cast its abilities. The tail one could for example create some long-range attack, as the line didn''t spread, it was concentrated. The leg ones, on the other hand, could serve as some kind of enhancement, they spread wide across the paws, suggesting some larger spells, size-wise.


    ''Whooo..., that seems to be all.''


    After checking a few other things, Adam completed the research on the canine, at least the first specimen.


    Now, came time for him to conclude his findings and note them down in a book he brought with himself to make his first grimoire, or whatever the mages called their notes.


    After cleaning his hands, Adam sat in front of a table. His chest was in pain after more than two hours of leaning a bit forward, so this moment of rest gave him some relief. Then he started to write, but not too fast, he didn''t have much experience in this type of stuff, and he really wanted to be able to read it later, if not, the whole endeavour would be futile.


    -...These ''pathways'' go all the way from the snout to the tail of the animal.


    I think the ones leading from the heart to the brain act as the way for the mana to go to the ''storage'', the core, from the heart which gathered it from the atmosphere.


    The ones going from the heart to the limbs probably help the canine to cast its abilities.


    I am clueless about the ones spreading in the brain, they don''t seem to help with casting abilities. Neither do they look important for gathering mana....-


    After the first session, the mage went outside to eat something and rest for a while, he still had to dissect two other animals. But he didn''t leave the laboratory without changing his attire, a bloody mess of his clothes didn''t look good enough to even walk in the severs.


    Of course, the bloody clothes weren''t his robes, he wasn''t a fucking retard.


    ------------------------------------


    After a quick bite, Adam returned to the messy laboratory. Where the wolf''s dissected corpse was still lying on the table.


    Adam asked one of the servants working in the tower to help him. They brought another table in the chamber. He still didn''t want to get rid of the wolf carapace but had to have some space for its less-powerful counterpart.


    Having cleaned a bit, the mage pulled the next corpse from the freezer with the help of the servant and dismissed him afterwards. The corpse, not the servant.


    This session was different from the first one, Adam wasn''t looking for things out of the ordinary comparable to normal bodies, now he looked for things he found in the first corpse, to see what arrived at the elementary realm and what was at the intermediate.


    This time, he started at the head, having figured out that checking the weird veins came first.


    He split it open, just like its predecessor and sighed, as he cut the brain flesh. It was gross, he didn''t recognise the churning in his stomach as a symptom of deep disgust and repellence while checking the first wolf, he was too excited at the time. Now as he cooled down a bit, his work started to make him sick.


    It was harder to make himself cut the flesh apart, his thoughts wandered to recent situations. He hadn''t seen the monster''s cave in all its glory, but even a glimpse inside gave him a headache and softened his knees. The gutted remains of the animals inside were very similar to the bodies that lay on his tables.


    There were few differences among these two though. But not ones that made him feel any better.


    They- he and the monsters both made their prey into a gruesome picture, the difference was that he played with long-dead bodies, in search of knowledge, and the monsters killed their prey for food, to feed their future children.


    Adam felt evil, even the monsters had more respect for the dead than him at the moment. Was it necessary?


    Eventually, Adam suppressed those feelings. Though his actions were morally questionable, If he had to sacrifice a bit of his conscience for a chance to expand his knowledge and explore the world, he would do it. To an extent.


    The second wolf was a complete waste of time.


    Adam didn''t find anything in its brain out of the ordinary, in truth the whole body was just like a normal wolf.


    The muscles were bigger and harder but were still the same muscles, just enhanced. The same applied to the bones and overall structure of the monster. It was just a big, tough version of itself.


    Adam concluded that the monster''s ascension from basic to the elementary realm didn''t give them anything special, it was like evolution in which the monster would become a better version of itself, healthier, faster, stronger, and possibly more intelligent.


    ''I wonder if warriors also have such progression. They gain cores around the same time, so it would be quite logical.''


    Adam moved on, he still had a bird to check. It was late already, but he figured he would finish the research today. The mage didn''t have anything to do the next day, so he would rest and clean the lab, or maybe search for some more information in the quest to create his technique, but he still hadn''t decided.


    The aura manipulating owl was a big bird, with around two metres of wingspan. It was all white, a camouflage perfect for the snowy plains of Derdania.


    Adam followed the same procedure as with the wolves, by firstly cutting his way into the torso and checking the heart and its surroundings, then examining the brain.


    What he noticed shocked him quite a bit.


    The aura monster didn''t have its core in the brain, it was tucked under the animal''s heart. But that''s not what piqued his interest, it was common knowledge after all. What interested him was what came from the core.


    While in the magic beast, the magic channels were quite big, and solitary with some exceptions, the aura channels were different. They spread throughout all of the bird''s body, focusing mainly on muscles used for flight and in the near-skin area.


    Also, there were no weird veins in the brain.


    The aura beast had a much more developed circulatory system for the energy, but it had lesser capacity than the one in the magic beast. The channels were more numerous but far thinner and more fragile.


    Also, the owl''s muscles were comparable in hardness and density to the ones Adam saw in the wolf''s corpse, the elementary one. It was an astounding achievement for a bird of prey to be comparable in physical strength to a wolf, even one a rank below.


    What Adam also knew from his interactions with some intermediate and advanced warriors inside the army camp, was that aura was an excellent tool to strengthen the body.


    He didn''t know if the bird enhanced its muscles with its aura, but it was nearly certain that it helped itself keep quiet as the archer from Captain Garry''s team did to her arrows. That''s what the owls were famous for, after all.


    After writing down his findings, Adam cleaned spilt blood and body parts that fell on the floor. It would be much more difficult to clean it if it condensed, so he did it right after ending his research, instead of the next day when he planned to clean the rest of the mess.


    After closing the lab shut, the mage went to his room and left his newly started book on a shelf there.


    ''I need to find a good name for it, it''s my first book after all.''


    After a day of hard work, he fell on a bed like a log, after taking the dirty clothes off.


    He didn''t know at the time, that the night sky would soon find itself a new source of light.

 AITMW- ch41 - Normal Day In Abnormal World p.1

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 AITMW- ch42 - Normal Day In Abnormal World pt.2

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

 AITMW- ch43 - I was wrong, it may not have been a normal day

    Adam stared at the shining object in horror.


    Something like that could never mean good things, especially when the capital''s residents pack away in a hurry under its light.


    The young mage looked down, at the crowded streets. It felt like the roles of night and day switched, the day before, he barely saw any pedestrians, but tonight, the streets were full.


    Someone knocked on the door, while Adam was still staring outside the window, he was immersed and didn''t notice when the person banging the door entered without approval.


    "Adam, pack away. We are leaving the capital in an hour. Be with your uncle before the tower in time, or we are leaving you behind." Stated Max, who entered the room, only to disappear right after.


    Adam looked behind but didn''t manage to see anything more than a door closing itself.


    He heard his friend though, so he took a backpack from the corner and put there his necessities. His spare Robe, some underwear, a knife and his book from the office next door.


    He wore his armour, at which he put the robe and left the room with all the baggage. He didn''t exactly have many things under his name, but everything was valuable to him.


    After quickly descending the staircases, dodging all the people around and walking out of the tower, Adam headed towards the tavern his uncle stayed in.


    It was relatively near, so the journey took him only a few minutes, even when he had to dance between the passersby, who had their own things to attend to.


    he entered his uncle''s room in a hurry and immediately proceeded to wake him up.


    "Wake up! Pack your things and Suzie, I will take care of the kittens. We must leave the capital in under an hour, it''s an order from Max, so we are not going to question it." He told his uncle.


    The man in question didn''t ask any questions, he put on some clothes, took his things, money and a few spare clothes. Then he reached out for Suzie and placed her in a big pocket in his jacket.


    Adam also didn''t ask any questions after being ordered by Max to prepare, his mind couldn''t comprehend the situation as some joke or something else, which was not an emergency.


    And everyone knew, that in an emergency the best thing you could do was to listen to your superiors.


    Just like his uncle, Adam also pocketed the cats, he thou, had two of them inside his robe.


    Miraculously, the animals didn''t protest, which was odd but appreciated. They thought Suzie would try to escape the embrace of the jacket, but apparently, the animal felt the seriousness lingering in the air and acted accordingly.


    Two of them, a young mage and his uncle, ruched through the halls of the tavern and then through the mains square. Only stopping after arriving at the tower.


    There, Few carriages waited, between them stood Max, wearing his robe and equipment, and carrying a bag in his arms.


    "Come here!" He shouted at his second in command. "Get in, we are leaving in a few minutes." He told them while getting into a carriage.


    Adam went inside, but there was no place for Derek in the carriage Max went in.


    "Go to the next one, if they ask you who you are, Tell them you are Uncle of Adam Axigna, the mage and Max Steelarm told you to board that carriage." Ordered Max.


    Derek went to what he was asked for, and in a few moments, he shouted from the carriage next to Adam''s.


    "I got in! Don''t worry about me"


    Only now did Adam relax, at least somewhat. And looked around in the carriage.


    Inside, There were four people, six if you counted the cats in Adam''s robe.


    All four humans inside were mages, or at least Adam thought so.


    Obviously, two of the four were Adam and Max. They sat opposite each other, next to the door. Adam sat in the forward direction relative to the carriage, Max opposite.


    Next to Adam sat a young woman, he identified her as Sylvia, the fire mage he met at the party. It somehow happened that they never met after the night at the castle, their schedules were just too different.


    Sylvia had long Brown hair and green eyes, not as green as Adam''s, his were a lot more vivid. She wasn''t the tallest person but had a considerable height nenetheles, thou it wasn''t seen as she was sitting down in the carriage and her figure was very beautiful, but it was also hindered by sitting down and the robe she wore. She had a red mage''s robe on herself, it was loose, enough so that her fabulous figure remained just in Adam''s memory. She wore a more fitted dress at the party.


    The last person was Cynthia, the plant magician, who somehow wasn''t from the Harop family. Because of her element, her robe had a multitude of green patterns on a brown background.


    She had blond hair and blue eyes and was the oldest in the carriage.


    The oldest doesn''t mean the bravest though, she shaked like a leaf while looking out of the window.


    In comparison, Max, Adam and Sylvia were relatively calm, they also had erratic breathing and looked worriedly out of their windows, but their fear didn''t show on their faces.


    "What is happening?" Adam composed himself and asked no one in particular.


    "I don''t really know, The royal castle ordered evacuation to the south while I was returning from my family''s mansion, only after a while, did I notice your absence and go to wake you up." Explaine Max.


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    "What about Monica, Watt and others? They were in the army camp, did the order reach there?" Asked Adam in worry.


    "There were guards walking from door to door ordering an evacuation, so I expect that the army will follow after us. As a rear guard probably." Said Max.


    "Are there even so many carts in the capital?" Wondered Adam.


    "If there isn''t, some people will have to walk." Answered Sylvia.


    "Where are we even going?" Asked Adam. He was confused, and that state of mind was the one he hated the most. Not understanding the situation he was in was infuriating, it made him restlessly voice every question that came to his mind.


    "Please, shut up. Let''s just wait and see what happens, I can''t take your constant blabbering." Explained Cynthia, the quivering mess she was, found enough strength in herself to shout at her travel companions.


    Adam forced himself to remain silent, but it didn''t stop the wave of questions from forming in his mind. He could wait a while, but not forever.


    The four of the mages, inside the carriage remained silent, as the vehicle started to move. Shouts of guards and soldiers who stood on both sides of the road and ordered the people around filled their minds.


    The carriage, just like the few which stood next to before the tower, blended seamlessly into the constant stream of vehicles, moving southward, towards the main gate, and then into the forest.


    The carriage was filled with warm, red light, coming from the object travelling the sky. When the evacuation began, it just barely appeared on the horizon, travelling from south to north, it was incredibly far, and yet it lighted up the whole city.


    Now, it neared a bit, only slightly, despite the hours that passed.


    No one fell asleep that night, not another time.


    --------------------------------------


    In the morning, the caravan was still en route, not having taken a break for even a moment after leaving the capital.


    They didn''t move as fast as one could imagine, horses were scarce, and no one wanted to overwork them to death. Soon, they would have to set camp, to let the animals rest.


    Adam looked out of the window while playing with a bit of mana in his hands. He was nervous and curious, the fact that he slept the whole day before also didn''t help him get a quick shut-eye.


    His companions thou managed.


    Max and Cynthia slept on the bench opposite of him, their feet resting on his own and their heads hanging as they sat.


    Monica also slept, but she found herself in a more comfortable position.


    After confirming that Adam had no possibility of sleeping, and asking for his permission, she sat with her legs on Adam''s knees. She rested her back against the wall of the carriage, and let her head fall to the side, on the back wall.


    The kittens slept soundly in Adam''s pockets, they were accustomed to sleeping the whole day, so changing Derek''s apartment''s floor to a cozy pocked didn''t mean much to them.


    Apart from the cats, the travellers didn''t sleep well, it was quite impossible. Not only were they worried beforehand, but the constant shaking of the carriage also didn''t help. They woke up from time to time, before falling asleep again.


    ------------------------------------


    The gigantic convoy stopped by midday.


    Adam stared in amazement at the huge, artificial plain, that was seen from his window.


    The plain was clearly a lush forest before, but under the light of two suns, it transformed.


    The clearing was surrounded by a palisade, above which tree crowns were seen.


    When Adam''s carriage entered the clearing, the palisade was already completed, and the remaining wood was used to build a huge, low roof. under which many fireplaces were lit, to heat up the travellers.


    The floor was what interested Adam the most, though.


    The ground around the road was incredibly flat, with only a few mounds made from scattered dirt. Apart from the earth, the pavement consisted of cleanly cut stumps, left by the trees.


    ''What happened with them? There are no cutting marks, the trees were cut just the by erath, which is impossible...'' Wondered Adam.


    "That''s the work of my uncle, the king. Or other Master mage, I''m not sure." Said Max, After seeing the puzzlement in Adam''s eyes.


    The young metal mage woke up some time ago and joined Adam in observing the world through the window.


    "How?" Adam wanted his friend to elaborate.


    "How I am supposed to know? He is the master mage, not me," he answered.


    "How about the second sun?" Asked Adam again.


    "Don''t know either," Max said.


    Adam looked out of the window, at the two suns and immediately regretted it. His eyes hurt from looking directly at them, mostly at the first, original one.


    "How is it, that there is a gigantic, flaming object in the sky, at which we can''t look directly, and no one questions that? I''m talking about the original one, of course." Wondered Adam aloud.


    "No, that''s normal. It just was there all our lives, so everyone is familiar with it. What I wonder about more, is why people believe in gods when such a thing is presented to them every day. Like, has someone seen a god? I don''t think so.


    Has someone witnessed a sign of his or her power? Also probably no.


    What about the sun? Everyone has seen it, and everyone witnessed its power. It brings the day, lights up the world and fights back the cold!" Ranted Max. Adam didn''t know about the quarrel his friend had with his mother the day before, but he heard a few of his extremist anti-gods opinions. After all, he had been on his team for more than a month already.


    Fortunately, Max didn''t start religious arguments with every stranger he met, or any stranger for that. He voiced his opinions as a response, most of the time.


    Now, while Adam didn''t support his friend''s beliefs entirely, some things in his speech irked him quite a bit. He didn''t feel like the time was right to quarrel about gods and stuff.


    It was time to work, or rather find out if there was work to do.


    "Let''s go find someone in command. I can''t just sit here while my help may be needed." Adam stated.


    "Oh, yeah." Max came to his senses. "Do we wake up the girls?"


    "Yes, let''s notify them about the break. They might want to stretch a bit, after being cramped here for hours." Adam said. He also wanted to ask them if they wanted to go with them and help. They were mages after all, and magic is useful in nearly every situation.


    Adam took Sylvia''s legs from above his knees and put them on the floor of the carriage.


    The girl woke up a bit and looked at Adam questioningly. In response, he nodded his head in the direction of the window, from which various tents surrounded by a palisade were seen.


    "Miss Cynthia," Adam called out to the plant mage who slept next to Max.


    Nothing happened, The girl didn''t even move.


    Max saw that, so he nudged her in the arm.


    "~what??~" She asked weakly.


    "We have arrived in a camp. You can go out and stretch or something" Said Max.


    The girl raised herself and looked out of the window. She looked worried at the start, but the sight of many tents, and people walking around with food or wood made her calm down a bit.


    "Me and Max are going to find someone in charge and ask if they need any help from us. Do you want to join us?" Adam addressed both of the girls.


    "Yeah, I will come," Sylvia answered immediately.


    "I may join you later, I have to warm up. This carriage is too cold for me." Said Cynthia.


    As they said, they have done. Adam, Max and Sylvia went out in the direction of where most soldiers were, just after their carriage parked between other vehicles.


    While walking, Adam saw his uncle, who walked towards one of the fireplaces under a roof, with a cat in his arms. He waved at him and walked up to him for a second.


    After leaving the kittens with their mother, Adam returned to his companions and headed together towards the working soldiers to ask them for directions towards their superiors.


    While the trio was eager to help, they also wanted a job according to their status.


    It would be plain stupid if an Ice mage was making food, or digging trenches.


    However, Adam doubted the second thing would be needed. In his opinion, the camp would last only until the rear guard reached here and took orders from the commander, namely, the king.


    Then, the convoy would start to move again, in order when they arrived, just as the horses gained back some strength.

 AITMW- ch44 - Ferston, once again

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 AITMW- ch45 - Moment of pleasure

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 AITMW- ch46 - Frozen In Death

    Adam woke up early, intentionally.


    The people sleeping around, on beds beside him and in rooms adjacent to his, either were calm and quiet or their snoring emitted rhythmic sounds.


    He woke up quietly and only due to his will. Such a thing would be hard for people such as Max, who lived all their lives in luxury and had servants who helped them wake up on time, or for those who lived in proximity of a farm, where roosters signalised the wake-up time. But for Adam, who lived quite far from civilisation, with no roosters in proximity and no servants, such a thing was the norm.


    He was able to wake up approximately when he wanted the night before, it was a very useful ability, which his uncle unfortunately hadn''t gained. That''s how Adam became a Puffypaw''s household''s rooster, who woke the homeowner every dawn, well, nearly every.


    That didn''t mean he liked to wake up early, quite the opposite. But that''s beside the point.


    Outside, the darkness still shrouded the realm, occasional torches held by soldiers walking around on duty and a few streetlamps were the only sources of light, fighting against the shadows of night.


    Adam headed west, in the direction of his least favourite part of the town.


    There, Ferston''s church stood, and outside of western walls, the cemetery unfolded.


    Adam wasn''t a pious believer, he hadn''t stepped under the holy roofs since his family''s funeral. That didn''t mean he didn''t believe in the gods, or the Prunia, goddess of winter and household hearth in particular, in fact, he was sure about their existence. It was just that he didn''t support them, just like a commoner may know of their Lord''s existence, yet hate him, Adam didn''t have any sympathy towards the divine beings.


    Despite that, he agreed with the local church in some matters regarding philosophy, festivities and spiritual rituals, especially the funeral ceremony, which gave the common people a last moment to say their farewells to their beloved.


    As he walked through the empty streets of Ferston, Adam reminisced the first, and hopefully last funeral he attended.


    ---------------------------------


    It was a dark, cloudy day. The ground was moist, and puddles formed here and there in holes between cobble slabs, of which the road was made.


    Adam walked with Derek, his father''s best friend, behind a church''s procession.


    There were several bodies carried by the young priests, on the big, white cloths.


    They were warriors, defending the town against unpredicted adversaries, who died in honour, protecting their families, friends and even enemies.


    But it wasn''t the only group, there were two. The others were the innocent victims. people who didn''t know how to fight, and didn''t want to fight. Caught in a crossfire, or hunted by the rampant beasts, during the first wave.


    Adam''s family was both, unfortunately.


    His parents, a warrior and a hunter, died as heroes.


    His sister died as a victim. An innocent child among bloodthirsty beasts and fighters maddened with rage and desperation.


    "Calm down, you are not alone." Derek comforted his young companion. "Everything will be all right, you have my word."


    Adam sniffled, as Derek wrapped his arm around his back.


    "How" He asked. "They died. They...all died."


    Adam''s head fell, but he still followed behind the procession, behind his whole, fallen, family.


    "Didn''t you want to see the world? I will help you with that. You know I am a good hunter, if I train you, you will be able to tread the world, even alone." Assured him, Derek.


    "But what''s the point of that if I can''t tell them stories of my travels? What is the point of seeing the world, if can''t show it to anyone..." Adam''s head raised itself for a bit but fell again soon after.


    "Well..." Derek took a moment to think, not to discourage his nephew. He needed a goal to get a hold of himself. "Their spirits will follow you, and see what you see. They loved you deeply, and as the church of Puruinia says, if you die with a deep connection to the earth, your spirit will stay behind, in search of that connection," he explained, even though Adam already knew this stuff. His mother took him to the church every week.


    "You think so?" Adam asked, raising his head.


    Now, Derek could finally see, the big, round tears falling out of Adams''s green eyes.


    "I am sure. They will look at you from the heavens, or wander with you. No other option." Assured him, Derek.


    Adam nodded his head and speeded up his march.


    The procession was grim, no one spoke, apart from occasional remarks exchanged between the adepts as they carried the bodies. They berated each other when the formation crumbled, and some parts of the cloth touched the ground.


    After half an hour, which felt like an eternity, they arrived near the western walls.


    Here, outside of the town, the cemetery stood.


    It was the least arable plot of land in the vicinity, which after proving to be pointless for crop cultivation was changed into a cemetery.


    It was an area surrounded by a low, stone wall. More decorational than defensive. Inside, many little podiums stood.


    The podiums were either empty, and clean, marking them as old but taken care of graves, or were covered in reddish residue, with some scraps on top.


    The scraps on top were rotten and largely destroyed hearts, placed as a tribute to the dead. The residue was created by the blood which hardened on the stone podiums.


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    Looking at one of the dirty graves, Adam asked his uncle something that bothered him for some time already.


    "Do you think they will visit us that day?" He asked.


    "Maybe, maybe not. We will prepare the hearts either way when the time comes." Answered him, Derek, deep in thought.


    The main ceremony started, as the abbot stood at the side of the cemetery.


    Around the priest, multiple deep holes were dug out. They were vertical, very deep but also not so wide.


    The ceremony proceeded, but Adam did not, his mind went blank at the sight of the graves, with his family''s bodies in the corner of his eyes.


    He stared at the holes for a while, not moving a single time. The appearance of their eternal resting places made the situation seem way more real than before.


    If he looked like he was dreamwalking before, mindlessly following the crowd and his uncle''s guidance. Now he was awake, standing before the graves of his parents and sister, who died without a warning, on a sunny day, without a warning of the impending disaster appearing beforehand.


    If he was older, or his father didn''t know Derek and couldn''t leave him with the hunter, Adam too, would now be dead.


    He stood motionlessly, in the brightest clothes he could find. His hair was messy, not because of a tradition, but rather inability to take care of it by two men, who stayed alive. Adam was clean and had a fresh heart in a bag, which he clutched to his chest unconsciously. He was prepared to help his relatives on the journey to the afterlife.


    Yet, standing before their future graves, despite all the physical preparation, he wasn''t ready.


    Confronting the gaze of Death, he could not let the souls of his family go.


    Unfortunately, it was not his decision. He held no power over death. No strength against fate.


    Derek''s hand woke Adam up from his stupor, the priests prepared the bodies before lowering them into the holes, and Adam''s attendance was now necessary to conclude the ceremony.


    The three bodies layed together, next to three holes that looked just like all the others. Near them, three wide podiums stood and waited to be brought above the grave holes.


    "Now, take the bucket and pour the water down the grave as soon as we lower the body. We will start with your father, then your mother and your sister will be last. Okay?" Asked the priest. After seeing him nod, he clarified "While you do that, I will chant the prayers, so don''t mind me."


    The priest went to a spot above the first grave, where Adam¡¯s father was supposed to lay. At the same time, his helpers, younger priests, took the dead man¡¯s body and raised it to a standing position.


    When Adam took his place, with a bucket full of freezing-cold holy water, the men started to lover the body into the ground, bit by bit Adam¡¯s dad disappeared underground.


    During descent, the abbot chanted his prayer.


    ¡°Oh, great warmth amidst the winter, Goddess watching over frozen plains, hear our pleas and guide this Lost Soul to the afterlife, in your heavenly halls shall he take place, and rest for eternity. Standing in your warm embrace, may your mercy rest on this soul frozen in death.¡±


    Adam slowly approached the hole, in which his father rested.


    The man was standing upright, supported by some wood attached to his joints. The dead body was straight and will be for eternity.


    Derdanian tradition says that those who die in battle with good intentions, or in defence have to be respected. Those who didn¡¯t falter during their last hours will stand upright even in death, not bending their back to anyone.


    Adam stretched his arms and poured the freezing water down the hole.


    Leaving the bucket, the holy liquid seemed to condense, and after splashing around at the lowest point of the grave, it finally solidified into clear, spotless ice.


    ¡°Oh Great Goddess, whose mercy warms our fireplaces, accept this man, Entombed In Ice into your celestial kingdom, let him rest in your holy warmth until his soul craves life again.¡± The priest chanted again, as one of his men poured more water down the grave, this time normal, yet still freezing immediately after touching the holy ice.


    Soon the grave was filled with ice, and the grave was covered with a podium.


    Adam took a bag from his uncle and walked fromward towards the podium.


    "We sacrifice this blood, as a tribute to the Holy Majesty and her Angels, guard the soul of our friend and father against the Endless Death" This time it was Dorian who spoke, finalising the vocal part of the ceremony, at least for this one, dead man.


    Then, he took out a fresh heart from the bag, cut it open with a knife and rested it atop the altar. The altar covered the grave in which Adam¡¯s father rested.


    Eternally Frozen in Death.


    ¡ª-----------------------------------------


    Adam was walking to the west, among the houses left by their inhabitants and amidst the silence of early winter morning.


    Just a moment ago he was reminiscing about that day... but now, he was focused.


    he was about to leave the safe confines of the town''s walls and enter the outside, where the cemetery was located.


    The gates were bolted, but Adam''s muscle mass didn''t diminish enough yet for him not to be able to lift the bolt. Opening the doors proved to be harder though, but a quick, but powerful [Sway] proved to be an excellent door opener. Where Adams''s arms and legs faltered, a powerful gust of wind, charged for a while, prevailed.


    Outside the gates, the landscape was different than he remembered.


    The animals haven''t yet approached the town walls, still being cautious of humans, but some monsters already gained enough courage to roam the fields around Ferston.


    Some sights of battle were visible, one or two dead bodies, gutted by the predators adorned Adam''s field of vision. Snow was scattered in a few places, indicating something crashing through the area.


    Adam turned towards the cemetery and slowly started to walk in that way, as he did that a small head popped out of his pocket.


    "Meow!!?" The cat meowed curiously, looking around.


    "Oh!" Adam immediately caught the drift and gently moved the kittie''s head in his direction.


    The cat''s eyes were wide open, still blue but with some different coloured parts. The cat finally gained sight, and his eye colour started to change, from Adam''s observation, from blue to green. But it was too early to recognise it as a change set in stone.


    "So, you will think of me as your mother from now on?" Adam asked the cat, who obviously didn''t reply.


    "Well, go back inside, you will freeze your ears out if you stick out like that." This time the at seemed to understand, and hid itself into Adam''s warm pocket.


    The young mage continued his march towards the cemetery, which he soon found out looking not as he remembered.


    That was nothing surprising though, he didn''t visit the cemetery more than once or twice a year, and even then he didn''t pay attention to details surrounding him while he visited the graves of his dead family members.


    There were far more graves than he remembered, in fact, the low wall surrounding the cemetery had to be moved to contain more burial sites.


    Adam took only a brief look around, catching a few details such as the low number of hearts on the pedestals and their concentration in one place, then he focused on three graves in the middle of the graveyard.


    The three altars stood empty but also clean. Adam made sure to take care of the graves before setting out to the capital.


    The young mage crouched down to the level of the pedestals and performed a simple prayer.


    "May thine souls rest in peace, among the Goddes''s embers warming you up in the heavens." The player was a traditional blessing for the dead, told while visiting their graves.


    Adam sat in the snow, staring at the stone altars, under which the frozen remains of his family remained. He lost his feeling of time, as when he woke up from his thoughts, the sun started to rise above the horizon.


    Adam stood up, said his final goodbyes to the graves and went in the direction of the gate.


    The cemetery returned to silence, with occasional gusts of wind scattering loose snow around.


    From time to time, the wind would position itself in a way that would send the snow at three flowers made from ice, protruding from the ground before three, similar altars.


    Gradually, the snow would keep growing on the ice beauties to cover them up completely sometime in the future.


    In the meantime, Adam would be long gone from Ferston. Having done his final goodbye, and gifting the dead one last present, Adam was quite satisfied about the visit.


    That is, if a visit to the graveyard could possibly be satisfying, and not deeply saddening to the person visiting.


    But now, Adam left the dead behind, throwing their mortal image from his mind, and accepting the reality.


    They were dead, he was alive. Adam was determined to show their souls the vast world, as their last remaining pair of eyes.

 AITMW- ch47 - The Fortress

    The Southern Forest was mostly uninhabited and unpassable wilderness. It stretched as far as from the Fire Mountains to the Ferston''s doorstep.


    In fact, the existence of the great forest was the reason for creating the Town in the first place, only afterwards did a dungeon appear nearby, bringing the necessity of constant surveillance and checking the population of monsters inside.


    The woodlands were inhabited by powerful monsters, not like the forests scattered between different Derdanian cities and towns, in the northern part of Derdania, where the landscape consisted mostly of plains and hills, with forests scattered in between.


    Thus, the land was unoccupied.


    The most ''southern forestish'' town would be Ferston, with The Fortress and its town satellites at the second place.


    Despite its closeness to the woodland, Ferston was relatively safe. Beasts who were powerful enough to endanger a town protected by two mages, of which one was a master who either didn''t see it as good prey or didn''t live close enough to consider the possibility.


    But now, the situation changed.


    The caravan travelled through the woods, filling the only road maintained in the Forest to the brim with wagons, horses and some people walking on foot. The capital''s guards and army scattered more evenly across the whole span of the convoy, waiting for a best to attack.


    And it was sure to attack.


    The monsters inhabiting the woods rarely have seen humans, even rarer did they fight with them. So, none of them feared the caravan, for them it was like a migrating pack of animals, fragile and weak.


    And attack they did.


    The first was a pack of wolves, which attacked from the front.


    The beasts were dealt with by the warriors inhabiting the first carriages, swiftly and nearly without sound. The beasts were weak compared to them.


    A few other packs attacked, other parts of the refugee group, but Adam didn''t have a chance to witness those fights. His carriage was at the lead, like the day before.


    Inside the wooden vehicle, augmented by iron bars, sat Adam, Max, Cynthia and Sylvia. Also like before, no one changed carriages apart from Frank, the kitten Dorian named. His brother stayed though.


    Adam stared into Max''s eyes, relentlessly seeking eye contact. His friend though, didn''t like that and turned his head towards the window.


    In response to being ignored, Adam sent a weak [Freeze] at Max''s leg, specifically a part that had exposed skin, because of him stretching the leg.


    "Ouch, what are you doing? You will freeze me!" The metal mage complained.


    Adam, seeing his reaction, nudged Sylvia with his elbow.


    She, in turn, stretched her arm and sent a small ember towards the spot affected by Adam''s [Freeze].


    "You too? Stop it!" Max shouted, while simultaneously moving his leg from the point of impact.


    "You were supposed to train. How am I supposed to figure out ascension rituals if you din;r undergo one?" Nagged him, Adam.


    "Yeah! Right! Work till your head hurts, or we will have to use the oscillating temperature therapy." Added Sylvia.


    "What?" Adam asked, confused about the name.


    "Ugh, nothing, let''s just call it with another name, this one sounded better in my head than out loud," Sylvia responded, her brown hair fell down and covered her face as she curled up in embarrassment.


    "Do you really have to nag me so much? I will train, but the sight outside the window is so beautiful right now, it would be a shame to lose it just for a few more minutes of practice" Max said, looking lovingly out of the window.


    "Quit the bullshit. It''s winter, and we are in a forest, there is nothing apart from the white ground and massive amounts of trees outside." Adam nagged again. "Start practising, or else..." In the end, Adam summoned a piece of ice, to float over his hand. A clear threat aimed at the metal mage''s comfort.


    Max succumbed to the oppressors and began his practice, which consisted of materialising a piece of metal, and then forming a shape, given by either Sylvia or Adam while simultaneously manipulating it around the carriage.


    While the trio argued and then trained, Cynthia the nature mage slept soundly, apparently, she liked to sleep, a lot.


    That''s how the journey went for our mages, they mostly trained, or forced someone else to train while in the carriage, then did their voluntary duties when the caravan settled down to let the horses rest.


    About the camps, there was one thing good about the southern forest, which in fact didn''t from it, but from the fact that now, the caravan was moving behind another group of people, led by Edgar Steelarm, Max''s father.


    The Master mage led citizens of Ferstion in the same direction King led the capitalizens, to The Fortress. As such, the campsites were already ready and waiting when the royal convoy arrived, left by Edgar and his people.


    Of course, as with everything, the weren''t only pluses to the campsite situation. Steelarm¡¯s convoy was way smaller than the one led by his older brother, and as such, the campsite was too small for all the capitalizens to fit there.


    So, now instead of a circle, the Camp looked like the infinite sign, or kicked eight. Another circular plot of land was cleared by the King or some other powerful mage. There was really no way of telling whose magic did that, at least Adam couldn''t.


    In the camp, many fireplaces needed a spark, shit was plentiful and the food begged to be freshened up. The only thing they lacked, were holes to dig.


    If we are talking about holes, it would be also good to mention that Max changed his tactic while preparing the foundation for the palisade. Now instead of using earth magic to take the ground apart, he started to create a shovel-like piece of metal, which he then used to dig.


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    The change was brought by his need to train in metal magic. He didn¡¯t look like he cared about the being behind Adam, but deep inside something told him it was unacceptable, he knew he could do much more, be better, and that infuriated him. He was a very competitive person, the fact he didn¡¯t show that normally, was due to the fact he had no one to compete against.


    But now, Adam and Sophie were his rivals, competitors on the road of magic. Now he had to get serious.


    The journey continued, and the forest seemed never-ending.


    Five days it took them to cross it, five days filled with trees, bushes, snow and surprise attacks from the nearby monster packs. Some people even though they would never reach their destination, that they were lost in the unexplored wilderness, but anyone somewhat knowledgeable knew, that getting lost in the Southern forest was impossible, there was only one road, after all.


    They reach the southern outskirts of the forest, and an unbelievable landscape unveiled itself before them


    From between the treetops, high, unreachable mountains poked at the sky, dominating the surroundings with their majesty. The Fire Mountains were visible from Ferston too, but to a much lesser extent.


    There, the domineering peaks looked like a landscape painting, visible in good weather, and calming the minds of onlookers.


    Here, the observer had to tilt their head to see the summit, the peaks occupied all of their vision.


    Beneath the mountains, a vast valley layed. Its magnitude was barely visible from the traveller''s current position, as it was located on a highland


    A huge mountain stood next to the valley''s entry, acting like a peninsula and blocking the sight of the rest of the plateau.


    Before it, a town was located, similar to Ferston in shape and size, but very different at the same time.


    Also, it was guarding the entrance to the forest, similar to what Ferston did on the other side of the path.


    Here, the stone was abundant, even too abundant some may say. So while in the plains the stone buildings were a luxurious rarity, in the mountains they were fairly common. Not cheap and everpresent, but still present on every street.


    The town had an edge against the capital, even. Its walls were fully made from stone, and as high as the ones defending the main city.


    The caravan didn''t stop in the town, despite the need to let the horses rest in a few hours. Apparently, The Fortress was near enough to reach it before nightfall. Also, they wouldn''t find anyone there either way. The walls were empty, and no one went out to greet such a big group of people emerging from the forest.


    As such, King ordered to ascend the hills and enter the valley''s plateau, leaving the ghost town behind.


    And so they did.


    After ascending the steep hills, the caravan finally entered the vast valley, covered in snow, just like the rest of Derdania.


    Some rivers, or rather streams were visible and clearly heard by the travellers as the water fell down, from rock to rock, splattering around and making a ruckus. It then flowed down, in the direction of the woodlands, to form a river somewhere among the trees.


    Having finally left the confines of the dark forest, those who sat on a horse took off their hats and enjoyed the warmth of the sun, falling on their skin. Unfortunately for people in carriages and roof-covered wagons, the sun couldn¡¯t penetrate the upper covers of their vehicles, so they had to satisfy themself with those of the sun rays that managed to fall through their windows.


    The sun, to the disappointment of both parties, wouldn¡¯t be around for long. The high mountains surrounding the valley¡¯s plateau effectively blocked its light in the early morning and just as now, afternoon.


    Just as some refugees noticed when they first saw the entrance to the valley, it was shaped like a bay. The highland was surrounded from most sides by high, unclimbable mountains whose slopes and scarcely forested sides occupied most of the surrounding landscape, clearly standing out from the vast, yet flat valley, white from snow.


    In contrast to the forest spreading into Derdania for days of travel, growing just outside the valley, the highland was barely green, even scarcer than the mountain slopes surrounding it. Some conifers grew here, but they were rare and far in between.


    After crossing the entrance to the valley, the abandoned Town, which the travellers admired for the amount of stone used in the buildings, disappeared behind the mountain that acted like a peninsula for the valley¡¯s bay. The current ghost town was located outside of the valley, so it was no wonder that they lost it from sight.


    Instead, few others appeared. Similarly to the first one, the number of stone buildings astonished the refugees. In their mind, the capital was the most prominent city in all of Derdania, but here even the towns had more of those expensive and difficult-to-build constructions than their home city. This site only raised their curiosity about The Fortress, rumoured to be the size of a small city, despite its militaristic function.


    Adam¡¯s carriage moved without stopping, the King wanted to reach their destination before nightfall, and for that, there was no time for leisurely sightseeing. That is for the carriage driver, he and his fellow mages had all the time in the world to admire the snow-covered peaks and their surroundings.


    Yet, the pleasant-sounding time was filled with terror, among the curiosity and awe.


    The landscape was different from what they had usually seen, the mountains felt domineering, unreachable and beautiful at the same time, they were their main focus related to the artistic majesty of the place, but they didn¡¯t occupy the major part of the mage¡¯s thoughts.


    What did though, where the towns, scattered at the edges of the valley, were easily seen from the side windows of the carriage.


    There were a total of three of them, four if the one outside of the valley was counted. Each was beautiful in its own right. Big, stoney and with tall walls, clearly built with defence in mind, yet still pretty. Outside of their perimeters, few crops durable enough to survive winter grew, but some of them looked damaged, even from a distance. It wasn¡¯t damage caused by the harsh environment, it looked to be caused by vermin, and other animals feeding off the human¡¯s work.


    The communities were abandoned, and with them, everything outside and around. The bastion-like towns were empty as if something scared the residents out of their safe homes.


    And that scared the mages, riding in the carriage towards a fortress. They were also escaping from something, but neither of them knew what they were running from.


    If these settlements¡¯ defences weren¡¯t enough, what difference did The Fortress do?


    Time flew by, and soon the caravan reached its destination.


    At the very end of the valley, deep inside the Fire Mountains, The Fortress stood, guarding the pass that stretched far into the south, and was the only way to reach Derdania from the continent.


    The Fortress was a massive citadel, built on the side of the mountain.


    Its back pressed into the mountain slopes and stretched down in a semicircular fashion.


    From where the caravan was, multiple towers were seen, stretching towards the clouds. The impressive buildings, visible against the mountains behind them, were similar to The Magic Tower, which nested in the centre of the capital, but much smaller. Instead of having about 30 stories, those towers were about 10 stories high. they were all the same, but due to the difference in height they were placed on, none of them shared the same highest point.


    Apart from numerous pillars, a multitude of roofs were visible from behind the walls. The citadel had a few levels, each going higher up the mountain. There, buildings stood proudly, each level visibly higher than the one before. Each storey was also divided by a wall, defending the higher levels in case the lower ones fell to the enemy.


    The walls that encompassed the whole structure were big, much bigger than the ones in the nearby towns, and comparing them to the ones surrounding the capital would be humiliating for the architects who designed the massive fortification.


    From the wall, three outposts stretched into the valley. The outposts were basically the gates leading into The Fortress. Each of them consisted of a bridge, built above a frozen moat, and and a square bastion on the other side.


    Only after going through the bastion, someone could get on the bridge, and assuming the drawbridge was down, then get inside the citadel.


    "Huh, so that''s why the castle back in the capital looked so lacklustre. All the budget went for this.... huge thing." Commented Adam, and immediately after, he got hit from the side by Sylvia.


    "Auch" Adam complained.


    The girls just looked at him disapprovingly before going back to looking at the gigantic structure, clinging to the side of the mountain.


    The Fortress was truly a monstrous citadel, worthy to defend Derdania from southern foes.

 AITMW- ch48 - Reverse Babel

    The bastions turned out to be even more defensive than the group previously thought. As they entered the buildings, they arrived at an enclosed square, surrounded by the bastion from all sides. The walls had places for archers to stand, and reign death at the newcomers, if deemed enemies of The Fortress.


    Only after the group of stationed guards inspected the arrivals, did the iron gates leading to the bridge open.


    The bridge itself was both amazing and scary. It was high above the ground, and heavy, luggage and goods-covered carriages, and even heavier wagons slowly moved on it. The planks below squeaked with agony, but the structure remained stable during the ordeal.


    Entering through the main, centre gate, the sigh of the citadel''s innards unfolded before them.


    Each street ran in a semicircular fashion, following the walls and storeys of the fortress. Three streets didn''t abide by this rule though. Each of them started by a gate of its own, and went straight ahead, towards the main hold located at the highest point of the fortress, storey-wise. The rise between each level was not high, and the carriages didn''t have much problem riding up the slope towards the hold.


    Somewhere along the way, Adam''s carriage, along with some riding behind it, and those before split from the rest of the vehicles.


    The front part went ahead, up the mountain towards the main part of the stronghold, and the rest split towards three other places, each being a drill square which also acted as a normal square.


    The spearhead of the convoy stopped only at the second highest level, which was the highest point a carriage could go. Further, there was no place to park the carriage, or even drive it.


    There, on a small square, a group of people waited for arrivals.


    The Group consisted of two men in fancy clothing, an elderly woman similarly clothed, and a few servants.


    One of the men was Egar Steelarm, easily recognisable in his grey mage robe which looked different than Adam remembered, now, it featured Stealarms crest which looked like two crossed metallic forearms and golden embroidery outlining the thick cloth. Characteristic black hair shined on the man''s head. The golden embroidery showed his rank as a Master mage.


    Next to him, a man dressed in more noble-like attire stood. Knowing the political landscape a bit, it was easy to understand he was a powerful warrior, just as every high noble who coincidentally wasn''t a mage. His attire was more formal than mage robes, yet it was practical also. The man was dressed in a close-fitting jacket, closed on his chest and hiding what was underneath, along with trousers, it was black with a side of green. His hair was light blond.


    The noble reminded Adam about the Harop magic family''s patriarch, the nature mage who came to the capital to haggle with the king about a piece of deforested land. The difference between them consisted of the neble being muscular, and looking more sane than his magical counterpart.


    ¡°Is he part of the Harop family? I met their patriarch, and they look quite alike.¡± Adam asked his more socially aware friends.


    ¡°He is the patriarch of the Harop family.¡± Answered him, Max.


    ¡°How so? The one I met was a master mage, I doubt he would lie.¡± Adam questioned further.


    ¡°Ahh... You should go out with nobles more often Adam.¡± Scolded him, Sophia. ¡±Powerful noble families generally have two branches, one normal, noble side filled with people. The other one is magical, where mages of the family are gathered. Both have their own patriarchs, or matriarchs as it would be stupid to expect a warrior to govern over a mage.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Apart from the royal family, we have only one branch, the magical one. And only the oldest child is its member, the rest split into their own families, noble and magical alike.¡± Max added a piece of his own.


    "So, he is the patriarch of the noble side of the Harop family? What''s his name?" Asked Adam, after being fed the knowledge he would probably never use again.


    "Calep Harop, Duke of the eastern territory. " Answered him, Max.


    "So Calep and Galeb, either they are twins, or their parents had a weird sense of humour." Commented Adam.


    "They are a rare case when twins have different talents in magic. Also, refrain from mentioning such observations when talking to people, it''s rude." Scolded him, Max.


    Adam pretended to listen and agree with what his friend said, then turned towards his window once again. This time, to take a closer look at the lady standing by the king''s brother and the eastern Duke.


    The woman was considerably smaller than the men surrounding her, but she was definitely the boss among them.


    She stood at the forefront, waiting for the arrivals with elegance and dignity.


    She wore a golden embroidered black robe, similar to the ones mages such as Edgar wore, but way more decorated. It featured luxurious fur falling off her shoulders and around the ends of the holes, it was close-fitted and made of some kind of silk.


    The woman had black, greying hair flowing down her visage. her eye-clour could not be recognised from such a distance, but for sure, she had the look of a domineering predator, proud and condescending.


    Apart from greying hair, a few wrinkles adorning her face indicated her older age.


    The wagons riding at the front stopped right before the group. From those, the King, his son, the Royal Swordmaster and a few other people whom Adam didn''t recognise stepped out.


    Adam''s carriage, on the other hand, finished its journey at the side of the small square.


    There, the quartet of mages went out of the carriage and found themself a bench to sit on.


    "We will wait here for my father, you too can go wherever you like," Max told the girls.


    "I will wait with you, I always wanted to see what Mister Steelarm looked like," Sylvia responded.


    Cynthia nodded as her female companion stopped talking and sat on the bench, it seemed she also wanted to wait with them.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The sitting session wasn''t long, as the group standing at the centre of the square quickly started to walk in the direction of the main hold. That is, apart from Edgar Steelarm, who saw his son nearby.


    In the meantime, Adam sniffed around in the mental libraries of his friends and found out that the elderly woman who went out to greet the king is in fact his mother.


    Late Queen was rumoured to be an excellent mage, specialising in the elusive, and widely unknown element of darkness. After her husband''s demise, she travelled to the south, to become the Fortress Lord.


    Apparently, Max met her only at important gatherings as she wasn''t emotionally connected to her family, or at least she never showed that.


    On the note of her being a darkness mage, the prince also had a black robe. Already at the party in the castle, Adam and Max speculated if the crown prince had darkness affinity, based on the colour of his clothing. But only now did they find something pointing towards the accuracy of their theory.


    Edgar approached the group swiftly, he didn''t want to waste time in such chaotic times.


    ¡°Max! I am happy to see you well.¡± He told his son as soon as he neared the bench. ¡°Are your siblings and your mother here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they came with the caravan, mother was hard to persuade, but I  somehow managed. They are safe.¡± Replied Max, putting his father at ease.


    Edgar heaved a sigh of relief, composed himself, and then addressed the group of mages as a whole.


    ¡°Head to the southern tower, while they serve a more defensive function here, they are still mages¡¯ home. There, practice until you can''t move, the faster you advance, the better.¡± He looked at them curiously then added. ¡° I will talk with Max later today, he will then deliver the news about the current situation to you.¡±


    He seemed to gather himself to leave them alone and chase after his mother and brother, but Adam stopped him, with a question.


    ¡°What about me? I don¡¯t have an absorption method, but I am already at the peak. I planned to observe Max¡¯s ascension and from it figure out a way, but that would take a very long time.¡± He stated.


    Edgar showed signs of surprise, but quickly composed himself and answered his junior.


    ¡°I will ask my brother if we want to make an exception and give you more clues, without any benefit on our side. The situation may make such a thing necessary either way.¡± Saying the last parts, he was already walking away, towards the main hold.


    Watching him leave, Adam felt weird. On one hand, he was happy to have the possibility of gaining further knowledge about magic and absorption methods, but on the other, he fared what may cause mages, otherwise defensive of their information, to give something out without a direct gain.


    The king''s brother turned around yet again and shouted at his son from a distance.


    "Max! Come with me!" He shouted.


    Max looked at him, then at his friends who sat on the bench with him. The metal mage stood up, shook off some snow that gathered on his robe and went after his father.


    "I''m sure you will be able to find the southern tower by yourself. I will meet you there in some time, bye!" He called out behind himself as he was moving away.


    The trio sat on the bench in silence for quite a while, staring at the stone structures around them, and those on the platforms below, visible from the balcony next to the bench at the side of the square.


    The buildings were sloping down, with occasional taller structures peaking out of the otherwise stagnant fall between each platform.


    From the main square located at the peak of the stronghold, just outside the main hold, the three drill plazas were clearly visible. It was easy to see all the people who went around there, and in case of defences being breached, to rain arrows or other more magical attacks at the invaders occupying the squares.


    The three roads leading towards the higher sections of the citadel were also observable from the gates to the finish, few posts were located along the way making the streets more defensible.


    In comparison to defences facing the lower levels and the entrance, from each higher platform, it was super easy to attack the lower ones, no fortifications faced upwards of the citadel, making it incredibly easy to defend, but also nearly impossible to reclaim if the enemy somehow defeated the original defenders.


    Looking at the amazing structure, Adam got bored. While it was a great sight, he was too eager to talk to Master Egar again and ask him various questions that accumulated in his brain over the journey, and even before that time. Thinking about it, and having remembered that they don''t have any responsibilities in the citadel apart from raising their learning curve, Adam made a decision.


    The fastest and most efficient way to pass time was sleep.


    Adam reached into his pocket and took out a fluffy cat who rested there, occasionally peaking out and looking around.


    "How about that Parcas? Do you want to sleep with me?" he looked at the cat questioningly. to which, the furry ball seemed to brighten up. "...Yeah? Ok, let''s go and find some comfy bed." Adam did a quick scratch under Parcas''s chin and hid him in the pocket yet again.


    "You named the cat ''Parcas''? It''s unique, but I guess it''s not that bad actually." Commented Sylvia, hearing her friend talking to the animal with a name, for the first time.


    "I also thought you would fuck this up massively. Well done Adam." Praised him Cynthia, who was surprised just like her fiery companion.


    "Yes," Adam replied simply.


    "If I may ask, why did you choose this name?" Asked Sylvia.


    Adam stood up and offered his support to the girls.


    "Let''s talk as we walk, we have some distance to the southern tower anyway." He said, pointing to a distant roof, towering over buildings on the right side of the citadel, facing the main gate from the direction of the keep.


    They strolled through the streets, partially downwards as the tower wasn''t located on the highest platform. The trio had to stop a few times, and let the carriages through, as they transported goods to the storages located near the main keep. Many people walked around, carrying their stuff. They walked from the direction of one of the squares where they got their assigned housing and some food for the rest of the day, and towards the said places, shared with other people as there was too little space for such a huge number of humans to live in comfortably.


    "I have to find my uncle tomorrow, do you want to go with me? Oh, and Monica, Watt, Berta, Iller and Kyll! I completely forgot about them amidst this chaos..." Lamented Adam.


    "Yeah, I will come, I wanted to see the rest of the citadel either way. But firstly, tell us about the cat''s name." Sylvia was curious; how could someone like Adam figure out a decent name? The technique had to be written down and passed to the latter generations, it was too monumental to leave it behind with Adam, and not spread it to every corner of the world.


    ¡°I will probably never tell you two the whole story, or the meaning, but I can tell that ¡®Parcas¡¯ are two words from a different language, mashed together,¡± Adam said.


    ¡°Different language? I thought everyone used only one?¡± Cynthia half-asked.


    ¡°Apparently, there were many languages before, but the gods figured out it was super inconvenient and enforced one, common language on all creatures in the lands. That''s what the book I found in the Tower¡¯s library said, at least.¡± Explained Adam.


    ¡°Huh? Why would you read such a book? I thought you concentrated your efforts on magic all the time.¡± Commented Sylvia.


    Adam blushed a little but answered her question either way.


    ¡°I¡­ Thought it was the runes, and as the book was partially a dictionary, some of the words stuck to the back of my head. That''s how I created the name.¡± He revealed.


    ¡°What does ''Parcas'' mean?¡± Sylvia asked after chuckling at her friend''s foolishness.


    ¡°I said it already, you will never get the information out of me,¡± Adam said with all seriousness he could muster, which seemed really suspicious to the girls.


    They pestered him for Parcas¡¯s meaning for the rest of their walk to the southern tower. Which was way longer than they expected, especially as they had to return to their carriage for the luggage they forgot to bring along.


    The Tower was located in one of the middle platforms, at the left side of the citadel if someone watched from outside, and on the right if they were on the peak. It was quite small compared to The Tower, but that was expected. The capital''s symbol was a monstrosity reaching the clouds, if they flew low enough.


    Inside, the furnishing was more practical than luxurious. The rooms were located along the sides of the stairway. Each chamber was about the size of Adam''s apartment in the capital but was designed for two to live in. As such, Adam took the bed he liked better and half of the furniture, leaving the other half for Max. The girls also opted to remain together and placed themself in a room adjacent to the boys''.


    Time flew by, and Adam was woken up by a familiar voice, calling him from the stairway. Max returned to share the news and wanted them all to gather in the girls'' room.


    Reluctantly, the icey mage stood up, placed a still-sleeping cat into his pocket and headed towards the door.

 AITMW- ch49 - Day of Reckoning pt.1

    In the morning, no one wanted to wake up.


    But not everyone could choose.


    Adam, and his partner in despair, Parcas, layed on their bed and stared at the ceiling. They didn''t want to leave the comfy sheets and go outside, but the time in their cosy lair got more annoying with each minute.


    For most of the night, Adam was too tired to notice, and Parcas just hid under the blanket and between his Master''s legs. But now, as the mage got some quality sleep and woke up, the cat also peaked out of the covers. He listened with his owner to the annoying, blood-boiling sound coming from the other side of the room.


    There, Max slept quite comfortably, for him that is. For others, his constant loud and inconsistent snores made the morning a nightmare. A moderate one.


    Eventually, Adam got fed up and acted his frustration out.


    ¡°Arghh!!¡± Screams of surprise and horror escaped the metal mage''s mouth, unbecoming of one of the noble lineage.


    He turned around, facing the other side of the room, and staring intently at the assailant, asked.


    ¡°WTF?!¡±


    Adam just looked at him blankly, raised his arm and sent a slow-moving [freeze] towards Max¡¯s torso.


    The noble quickly got up, dodging the frosty bullet,  he was holding his back all the while, massaging a cold spot there.


    ¡°What''s your problem? Why do you have to wake me up like that!¡± Max bellowed angrily.


    ¡°You snore like a dragon, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if girls heard it in their room¡± Adam retorted, while petting his cat. ¡°Either way, we have to get up, it''s quite late already. You especially, didn''t you get any advice on how to practice from your father?¡± Adam added, changing the topic towards the object of his curiosity.


    Max, sat on his bed, while wrapping himself with his covers, to ward off the coldness of the room and replied, not so angry anymore.


    ¡°Not exactly, there isn''t a way to increase the speed of advancement, and even if there is, it''s certainly not in our kingdom. What he gave me were the guidelines for the ascension ritual, and things I have to practice beforehand.¡± He replied.


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Adam probed further.


    ¡°I''m not telling, it''s not my knowledge to share. I can tell you though, that the conversation my father had with the king was somewhat successful, you have much to look forward to.¡± Max decided to raise expectations of his friend a bit, despite knowing the conversation was supposed to happen only about now, during breakfast.


    Adam¡¯s eyes widened, and he threw his arms upwards in joy.


    Stopping his outburst of happiness, Adam quickly put Parcas aside and stood up to change clothes into something more fitting for a citadel city located in icebound mountains. Also, he found it weird that such a cold region was called the Fire Mountains, contradicting its nature.


    ¡°Hop hop! We have to eat something before we depart to find Mister Edgar, so hurry up!¡± Adam shouted at his companion while putting a cat into his pocket.


    ¡ª--------


    Apparently, to eat breakfast, they had to find a food distribution centre nearby. There were too many people in the fortress for it to function normally, so everything was made in bulk, the same applied to food.


    Coming out of the tower, the boys woke Cynthia and Sylvia up, having remembered that they wanted to go with them to visit their friends from the army. Who Adam forgot about again, when he shouted at Max in the morning.


    His goal of seeing the master mage, and confirming Max¡¯s words had to be postponed, unfortunately.


    In its place, a visit to friends he hadn''t seen for about a week, returned.


    The meal was filling but was only slightly better than plain rations.


    After quickly ending their stay at the canteen located slightly below the tower, the four mages headed even lower, towards an office located near one of the gates.


    There, they planned to find out where the warriors were stationed, or which homes were chosen for them.


    The citadel city was bustling this morning, not only people looked around for their friends and walked around with baggage, finding a good place for it. But also there was a third group of people, ones relocated. Earlier that morning, scouts riding dar ahead of Duke Malcolm''s caravan arrived at the citadel city. Thus announcing that the western lord recognized the danger, and was heading this way.


    Because of that, management of the fortress had to make space for another, third city worth of people to stay in the humongous structure.


    It was a perilous task, as even now, most of the people had an order to stay at their accommodation, with only soldiers and those with other tasks such as managing inventory going outside. Apart from those who were currently relocating there were no de facto civilians on the streets.


    The whole capital, the eastern city of Harop, obviously governed by a family with the same name, and a few big towns were already residing in The Fortress. Even though the numbers suggest most of the town governors didn''t depart after seeing the ''second sun'', three cities'' worth of population in combination with some big towns made up a few hundred thousand people, nearly half a million, even. That number equalled roughly half of the kingdom, which would be very hard to accommodate in only one fortress.


    For now, the problem wasn''t that big, as in preparation for incoming disaster everyone was given food and accommodation for free, only being expected not to hinder the work of Master mages, as they prepared the citadel''s defences.


    But the huge issue would arrive later if they manage to survive. Keeping nearly five hundred thousand people in this citadel city was impossible, and the return to their original homes was also a pipe dream.


    Even though Adam was aware of the issue, he didn''t care about it. Not that he was heartless, or didn''t care about the wellbeing of the civilians, but rather he was deeply conscious of his powerlessness in this situation. And also that it was a problem for the future, for now, they had to survive.


    As they neared the housing office, they were greeted by the clerks who recognised the insignia of Steelarms on Max''s robes and offered their services.


    After a quick skim through the books, they found what happened with the boys'' comrades.


    Berta was stationed on the walls, on the lookout along with Iller. They were assigned for morning duty, so seeing them wasn''t a good idea.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Kyll was sent to serve Max''s mother, as he was primarily the Steelarm family''s butler before a warrior at the army''s pay. They would also leave him alone, he had too much on his hands already as he had to take care of Ms. Steelarm, who hated going out of capital.


    That left them with Monica and Watt.


    Monica was also on guard duty, along with Berta and Iller, but today, she was granted leave. At her mother''s request. They were said to leave the citadel and stay in the snowy plains just outside of the gates. The clerks didn''t have any information on why did they leave, unfortunately.


    On the other hand, Watt was non-existent in the records. There was no mention of him entering The Fortress.


    Shocked, Adam questioned the officials, and the officers responsible for writing down the names of the entrees, which gave no result. Watt was either missed by the guards or truly didn''t reach the citadel.


    Max''s father was also supposed to be outside, in the plains, so they decided to pay Monica a visit. But before that, Adam asked the clerks about his uncle.


    Derek Puffypaw was apparently hosted in a private house of a wealthy noblewoman. Who took her friends inside to keep them out of common accommodations. She fortunately had a house here, as her deceased husband was a proficient trader, who sometimes wentured into the empire with his goods.


    Confirming that his uncle was okay, Adam and the rest went out, towards the gate nearest to them. The centre gate.


    From there, they walked through the bridge and the bastion, arriving outside of the fortress.


    The mountains loomed over the valley, encased in snow and blinding in the sunlight. Between them, a massive wall was being built, as if rising from the ground.


    It was the master mages, especially Edgar Steelarm, The King, and another one who specialised in earth magic. They manipulated the ground and created a gigantic hill which closed one side of the valley''s passage from the outside, and steadily progressed towards the other end, to close the vicinity of The Fortress like a bubble without a roof. There was an exception though, they didn''t manipulate the ground around the road, streaking across the plain, as they still waited for Duke Malmond''s convoy.


    Adam had to restrain himself, almost physically, not to go in the masters'' direction immediately and assault them with a barrage of questions. Unfortunately, it wasn''t a time for this right now, but he would definitely seek out the answers in a few hours, or less.


    Now though, they headed towards the mountain located to the right of the citadel, where Monica and her mother were supposed to be.


    There, the four mages found a small grove. Trees there were scarce, and the end was visible from one side to the other. Inside, few figures stood.


    After walking for a while, Adam and the rest found themselves amidst the trees, where the sight was much better than before.


    The group was composed of three people, two women and a man.


    The man stood to the side, leaning on the tree, looking around and talking with the older of the girls.


    The women, on the other hand, sat on the ground, cleanly scraped off from the snow. Earth around them was arranged in some sort of formation, looking like figure eight, which had one bigger and one smaller circle. from the digit, some runes were going out, like tentacles.


    One of the girls, Monica, sat in the middle of the bigger circle. Her supposed mother located herself in the other, smaller one.


    "I don''t think we should distract them, let''s stay here and wait for them to finish." Cynthia gestured for others to stop walking, as she said those words.


    "Why? You know what they are doing?" Adam asked her in response.


    "Do you know if her mother is capable of using aura?" Cynthia responded with a question of her own.


    "Yeah, I think she does. Monica told me that her mother was a famous adventurer before settling down with her father, so she surely has the ability to handle aura." Adam told her, with a somewhat questioning look on his face.


    "Then I do. They are performing an ascension ritual. Monica is becoming a beginner warrior, a human in the second realm." Cynthia finally explained.


    Adam was shocked, but was only him. Sylvia and Max didn''t show any peculiar reaction, to them the news wasn''t that astonishing.


    "Wait, wait, how? Is she that talented?" He asked with wide eyes.


    Sylvie eyed him in annoyance.


    "You are the one to speak, mister ''I am already at the peak! But I unfortunately haven''t created my absorption technique yet...." She said.


    Cynthia sighed and came to Adam''s rescue.


    "Warriors have a different ascension process than mages, especially during the first ritual. While we have to learn a complex technique and familiarise ourselves with mana, they just need to nourish their body beyond normal limits." Cynthia was the only mage in the second realm here, so her word did mean a thing, especially concerning ascension rituals.


    "How do they do that? I mean, how can they nourish their bodies so much during only one ritual?" Adam''s curiosity unveiled itself, once again coming out of its cocoon.


    "Through aura, and I guess mana would work too.'' Cynthia shortly explained. After looking at Adam''s pleading eyes, she continued.


    "They perform the ritual with someone of their bloodline who can control aura, and slowly strengthen their bodies. If they don''t have anyone like that, there are more complex, and material-heavy solutions available."


    The nature witch stopped her monologue, but someone else picked up after her.


    "They also don''t have any requirements before the first ascension happens, apart from the ones involving the process of the ritual, which Cyntia mentioned. Lucky bastards can have their ascension just a few days after the New Year''s celebrations. And that''s accounting for the fact that they have to get accustomed to the mana flowing through their bodies, however small it is." Sylvia said with a tingle of jealousy heard in her voice.


    "So, why don''t they do it earlier? It is nearly four months after the new year started, and only now is Monica undergoing her ascension ritual. Not to mention Watt, Berta and Iller, they are still in the first realm despite the ability to go higher." Asked Adam, clearly confused. If he had the opportunity to perform a ritual, he would do it immediately, he could not understand why would someone remain in the first realm, which isn''t even a proper realm, instead of going to the second.


    "What about that guy named Kyll? What about him?" Sylvia noticed that Adam didn''t include that one.


    "He is older than us by about a year, and he is already in the second realm. Before today, I thought it was impressive." Answered her Adam, with some disappointment in his voice.


    "Oh, to answer your earlier question, they wait quite long because of a few different reasons. One may be that they don''t have relatives with aura, and have to save up enough money for the ritual. The others may just be scared of the aura strengthening their bodies, which is a rather common problem that makes people leave the army in favour of becoming craftsmen or farmers.


    Another one is that just like mages, warriors prefer stability over speed. And as such, they first train to their peak in one realm, before moving ahead. That way, they get used to their new, enhanced bodies, faster." Sylvia was apparently quite knowledgeable in the subject, which isn''t surprising, considering that her magical talent was a huge shock to her family. they surely made her learn all manner of things about being an aura warrior, just like most of them members of her lineage.


    "Oh, that makes some sort of sense." Said Adam, mostly to be nice, as he still couldn''t comprehend the concept of postponing an ascension.


    "Well, it looks like we have to wait for some time," Max said, looking at the girls in an eight-shaped formation, who didn''t look to be finishing any time soon.


    In response to the metal mage''s words, Adam cleared a patch of snow from around a tree and sat down. Then, he took a cat out of his pocket and started petting him.


    "So, what about your families, girls? Max''s and mine are here, in The Fortress, but what happened to yours?" Adam asked when everyone sat down, to pass the time.


    Sylvia looked in the direction of the citadel, while Cynthia just looked at the ground with thought.


    "Mine is there also, we lived very near the capital and they quickly found out about the citizens'' departure. they travelled at the back of the convoy the whole time." Sylvia said, still looking towards the monumental structure located a few hundred metres from them.


    "Did you meet them yet?" Adam questioned.


    "Yeah, yesterday after Max came to the tower. My family owns a house here, just like nearly all other noble families." Clarified the fire mage. "What about you?" She turned towards her female colleague.


    Cynthia raised her head and looked around.


    "I''m not sure, my father travels a lot so I don''t know where he was at the moment the ''second sun'' appeared. I''m sure he headed toward the capital immediately after seeing it, but afterwards... I don''t know." She seemed sad, talking about her father. Cynthia was the young lady of the house Jaston. Or rather, the only lady. Apart from her and her father, no one else survived a plague that spread in a seaside town which belonged to the house. After they lost their relatives, Cynthia settled in the capital, and her father started to wander around as some kind of mage mercenary.


    "I''m sorry to hear that. He will surely arrive with Duke Malcolm''s convoy.'' Adam assured her.


    "Yeah.." She answered, unsure.


    The four mages sat under a tree for some time, watching the scenery, and two women sitting some distance before them. Monica''s dad, who stood guard around his wife and daughter, noticed the mages as soon as they arrived but didn''t do anything, seeing they didn''t disturb his daughter''s ascension.


    Soon though, one of the women in eight-like formation stood up, and the other fell face first to the ground.


    Monica finished her ascension, and maybe, but only maybe, Adam finally could go question Master Edgar about the process, after nearly half a day of gruelling wait.

 AITMW- ch50 - Day of Reckoning pt.2

    Leslie, Monica''s mother, and wife of mister Henry Genfor, stood up from the frozen ground and shook off the snow from her jacket.


    "Hello! Who do we have here?" She shouted to the group of mages standing below a tree some distance away.


    "It''s us!" Adam responded.


    "Us who?" She asked again.


    "Me, her, him and her." Adam counted out, pointing at himself, Sylvia, Max and Cynthia respectively.


    "You, her, him and her, who?" The retired adventuress didn''t give Adam any satisfaction. She was determined to win this ridiculous conversation.


    "I, a man in an arctic-blue robe, her, a woman in a red robe, him, a man in a greyish robe with a crest of sorts, and her, a woman in a brown robe with green patterns." Adam continued, unyielding.


    Miss Leslie crossed her arms and looked at Adam with a deadly stare.


    Adam looked back, also raising his arms to his chest, he even put out one of his legs to the front.


    Four people looked back and forth at the two, five if you counted Monica who was still sprayed on the ground, breathing heavily. Of the five, all were confused about the current situation.


    "Okay, stop this charade." Mister Henry asked them.


    In response, they looked blankly at him.


    "Who is he?" Adam asked.


    "He is he." Answered Leslie.


    "He who?" Adam questioned again.


    "A man, in a coat. And trousers I suppose." The retired adventuress responded.


    Once again, they stared at each other. In silence, neither of them had an idea how to continue.


    In the meantime, Monica got on her butt, from a lying position.


    "Mom, Dad. This is Adam, next to him stands Max, and the two girls are probably their friends. I hadn''t had the pleasure to meet them before." The archeress dissolved the situation, to her mother''s and Adam''s disappointment. As she talked, she eyed the arrivals with surprise and curiosity, not having anticipated any guests to appear during her ascension ritual.


    "Oh, good morning Adam, Max, and girls. I am Leslie, Monica''s mother. I heard about you boys, two mages in one team, Monica was being very lucky when she was picked by Steelarms." Hearing that one of the newcomers was Max, who was basically her daughter''s employer, the woman changed her approach to a more formal one.


    "Oh, no. She won the job by herself, there was no luck involved. You trained your daughter brilliantly, miss Genfor. As expected from such a renowned adventurer like yourself." Max awoken his diplomatic self, and praised the woman.


    "Why did you come here?" Monica butted in the exchange of pleasantries between her mother and her boss, which irked her way more than the banter from before.


    "To check on you. You are the only one from our team who is available at the moment, and we haven''t seen you four for about a week. In fact, until this morning we didn''t know if you left the capital with the caravan, or perhaps stayed behind." Adam explained.


    "Watt did." Monica faintly answered.


    "What did Watt do?" Inquired Max.


    "He stayed behind. Or rather, he went in the opposite direction." The girl said.


    Now, the group of mages had already neared the ritual site, where Monica sat, and along with her parents, they formed some sort of conversation circle.


    Sparks flew through Adam''s brain as he connected the dots.


    "He went for his family, didn''t he?" The ice mage asked, with not so icy voice.


    "Yes, he did.... we tried to stop him, but he was impossible to persuade," Monica said, with her head hanging low.


    "That''s why his name wasn''t in the registry..." Max realised.


    Silence ensued, as the trio thought about their friend.


    The rest of the group, namely Sylvia, Cyntia and the Genfor couple didn''t know what to think, they didn''t know who Watt was. Even more mysterious was his character, which made the situation not that surprising for those who knew him. The warrior would rather die with his family than let them go without trying to save them.


    ¡°Well, we can only hope he arrives before the catastrophe swallows him and his family.¡± Adam reasoned, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.


    Leslie and Henry started to walk away.


    ¡°We are going inside already, come home in at most an hour, you have to rest. But you can stay with your friends for the time being if don''t do excessive movements.¡± Monica¡¯s mother addressed her as she headed towards one of the bastions sticking out of the citadel.


    ¡°Okay, I will be there in time,¡± Monica promised.


    When the couple walked away, the mages sat down on a relatively dry scrap of land next to the archeress.


    ¡°Hello, we didn''t introduce ourselves, I''m Sylvia.¡± The fire mage offered her hand to the newly ascended warrior.


    ¡°Monica.¡± The archeress replied in kind.


    ¡°I''m Cynthia.¡± The nature witch also revealed her name as she handed out her hand.


    After the girls introduced themselves, Adam started to ask questions, not constricting his inquisitive nature.


    ¡°So, why did you perform the ritual today? I heard that going through it so soon is quite rare, despite the widespread ability to do it way earlier. Which is honestly ridiculous in my opinion.¡± Adam focused on Monica, waiting for an answer.


    Monica stayed for a moment, thinking about the answer.


    "Mum said I can, and I didn''t see why would I not." She explained.


    "See! I told you they wait for nothing!" Adam shouted with fervour, his theory was right.


    Max looked at his friend with a tired expression.


    "That was a general rule, not accounting for exceptions." The metal mage retorted.


    "Why would she be an exception?" Questioned Adam.


    "Because her mother is an exceptional warrior. She had the right training and genes." Max explained.


    "Huh? I still think that''s complete bullshit." The ice mage didn''t give in.


    "..."


    "What about your journey here? We were at the front so we didn''t really see how the later parts of the caravan operated." Adam asked, after seeing that no one wanted to say anything concerning the earlier topic.


    "We just followed King''s lead. There isn''t really much to say as no monsters attacked the back, I heard that the king and royal guards scared the beast enough. As for us, we just followed along. We had some shifts assigned as the eyes, but nothing much happened. [...] It was boring, but at least there were some nice views before the caravan entered the Southern Forest." After a moment of deliberation, Monica recounted the journey, and what she experienced along the way.


    ¡°By the way, weren¡¯t you injured?¡± Monica asked, seeing that Adam was well, entirely comfortable in a position that should pain him, considering his broken ribs.


    ¡°That healer was shit. He misdiagnosed me, with such calmness and sureness in his voice that I didn¡¯t go for a checkup in the capital, only to change my bandages. But when I was doing something later that day, I realized that I could move without hindrance, which led me to believe that the ratcat beast, or whatever it is called just left a flesh wound on me, without any damage to the bones.¡± Adam didn''t even realise when he started to rant about the faulty treatment he received from a village healer, which to be fair, was to be expected from someone from such a small place.


    ¡°So, you didn''t go to check it with someone more reliable?¡± Monica asked.


    ¡°No. Though I probably should¡­¡± Now, Adam started to worry again. Maybe he had broken ribs, or something even worse?


    Time flew by like a hawk, and soon, Monica had to go to the citadel and rest for the rest of the day. To be fair, she should have done that way earlier, but she decided to stay for a bit and talk, as she hadn''t seen her friends for about a week. That time wouldn''t be considered long if the situation wasn''t so chaotic.


    The group of mages walked Monica to the nearest bastion, where the company split into half, by gender.


    Monica went to her parents, to rest after her first ritual while Sylvia and Cynthia headed towards the tower where the mages slept. They intended to train a little and look around the citadel.


    The boys, on the other hand, went outside of The Fortress once again, to find Max''s father, and ask him about the result of his conversation with the king.


    Adam hoped the news would be good, and he would get to learn, while Max just went along with him, out of curiosity and boredom.


    ------------------------------------


    ¡°I can teach you some things, more than we normally tell those who become mages without any heritage.¡± The metal master answered Adam¡¯s question, which obviously concerned whether would he be taught something.


    ¡°If I may ask, what are you allowed to teach me?¡± Adam was curious beyond belief, excitement buzzed in his head like a swarm of bees.


    ¡°Runes. Mainly runes, maybe some basics of rituals if you are worth it.¡± As he talked Edgar stared in the distance at his brother, the king, who raised massive amounts of earth and formed a big hill. It was his turn, as Edgar went to greet his son and rest a little, from the monotonous mountain raising. Also, to recover his energy stores.


    ¡°What can I do to learn the rituals?¡± Adam asked. He was focused on the master mage, not noticing the surroundings even a bit. Even his friend escaped his perception while standing right next to him.


    ¡°Be a good student, and a Derdanian at the core. I won''t teach you if you don''t want to support this country, while it is at its lowest. Also, if you turn out to be stupider than I thought, there will be no point in teaching you.¡± The master mage stated ruthlessly. He was nicer in Ferston, but apparently, the circumstances made him act more strictly towards those lower in status than him. Good, if a master doesn''t have authority, the country would fall to ruin even without the ¡®second sun¡¯.


    ¡°I will do my very best¡± Assured Adam.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Boys, do you know why we are building this barrier?¡± The mage asked.


    ¡°To block the disaster?¡± Max tried to guess.


    Edgar looked behind, at two young men standing next to each other.


    ¡°How about you, Adam? What''s your guess?¡± The master repeated the question.


    Adam was silent for a moment, before slowly turning his head from left to right, repeatedly.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I have no idea, apart from what Max already said.¡± He confessed, somewhat defeated.


    ¡°Good. Baseless assumptions are worse than no assumptions. And my son¡¯s guess was as close to the truth as it was possible.¡± Edgar moved his hand upwards, raising the earth in the form of three stone chairs.


    ¡°Sit down, I will teach you until my reserves are full, then you will go back to the citadel. You should stay too, Max, I''m not sure if I told you this before.¡± The most senior of the three sat down in a chair of his making, welcoming the others to do the same.


    ¡°Let''s start from something not related to runes, more of an anecdote than an actually useful piece of information for the current you.¡± The master started.


    ¡°Do you know why stone buildings are so expensive in the plains? Despite the fact that we don''t lack earth mages capable of creating stone?¡± He continued.


    A moment of silence ensued, as the boys thought about appropriate answers.


    ¡°... The process is energy-draining, and eliminates the profession of masons if properly exploited?¡± Adam half asked, half answered.


    ¡°That''s not the main reason, but it''s good enough. What about you?¡± Edgar turned towards his son.


    Max just shook his head from side to side.


    ¡°You see, it''s mainly a problem with magic. Not one with ethics or personnel.¡± The mages stopped for a moment to create a moderately sized piece of rock, flying above his palm. ¡°While we can create structures out of mana, they are not eternal like a normal rock. This one will dissipate in a few days at most, the mana I made it from will scatter and the stone will disappear. There are methods of making magical structures more resilient to time, or precisely to mana erosion, but they are scarce, hard to master, and inefficient in comparison to other options. Do you know what other options we have?¡± Edgar questioned again.


    This time, it was his son who responded nearly immediately.


    ¡°Manipulation of already materialized mana.¡± He said.


    Adam watched with intrigue as the master nodded in approval.


    ¡°Correct. Instead of creating constructs, we manipulate already existing ones. In this way, earth magic is no different than masons'' work. Now, as you know this, can you tell me what we are looking at?¡± Edgar said while pointing at the massive wall standing some distance away. Built by the king, who rode a horse next to it while holding a staff above his head. The mana concentrated, and fell on the pile, becoming solid rock and fusing with the rest of the high hill connecting the sides of the valley.


    The boys looked in that direction, focusing on the defensive measure, created by the king and his brother. They thought there was also supposed to be another mage here, but they were unable to find him.


    ¡°A hill-like wall, running across the valley. Created by your magic...¡± Adam started to explain but stopped in the middle as if he got a revelation. ¡° It will disappear, doesn¡¯t it? You create it from the atmospheric mana, not from rocks lying around.¡± He guessed, quite correctly.


    ¡°Yes. That''s right, in about a month, mine and my brother''s work will be nowhere to be seen, as the mana will dissipate. That''s why we made it only now, even though I arrived at the citadel four days ago. We have to make a barrier that will last as long as it can, so we started making it at the last moment.¡±


    Edgar stood up, slapped his knees and went in the direction opposite the hill-like wall.


    ¡°Come, now I will tell you the basics of rune creation, which is the most fundamental thing in making a new absorption method, and in rituals as a whole.¡± The mage welcomed his juniors to follow him.


    ¡°What is the reason for runes¡¯ importance?¡± Adam asked while walking after Max and his father.


    ¡°... What do you plan on doing after your half-year service ends?¡± Edgar answered the question with one of his own.


    Surprised by the unexpected inquiry, Adam stumbled but managed to avoid crashing into the ground. After a moment to compose himself, he answered honestly.


    ¡°I planned to go south, see the world.¡±


    Edgar thought for a moment before replying.


    ¡°That''s it? No other goal, or major desire?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess I would like to make a family someday and settle down. Adventure isn''t a trade friendly to children.¡± Adam confessed.


    The three of them walked for a while in silence, before Edgar stopped.


    ¡°I guess we can work with that, would you be interested in becoming an emissary? An ambassador of sorts.¡± He asked the young ice mage.


    ¡°Maybe, from what I heard, it would be necessary to travel a lot, so it would suit my preferences,¡± Adam answered after recalling what an ambassador is.


    ¡°Good, remind me to explain rituals after we end with runes. It''s better to do them in order.¡± Engar said while smiling, assuring Adam about his hopes. The master mage was pleased, soon Derdania would need people to connect the realm with kingdoms far away, and Adam was a good choice for an ambassador in Edgar''s opinion.


    ¡°Okay, first of all, do you know what runes are?¡±


    ¡°A written representation of spells,¡± Adam answered.


    ¡°Yes, runes are written spells, but more than that, they are written will of the mage who created them. Spellspoke runes that is, Worldspoke ones have nothing to do with mages. I will not dwell on the uses and history of runes, but there is one thing important enough to mention.


    The difference between Spellspke and Worldspoke types is centred around their power, not use. While Worldspoke runes have set output and effectiveness, the other type is bound by its creator. If the creator is very talented, a Spellspke rune created by him will be vastly more powerful than a corresponding Worldspoke rune, if the creator is a retard, on the other hand. His rune will be far less powerful. That''s why mages rarely create their own runes, as they prefer to use known Worldspoke runes.¡±


    Edgar ended his monologue, and stepped forward, raising his arm simultaneously.


    ¡°Now, about how to create a rune. Max, what rune should I create? Give me a simple one.¡± Master mage asked.


    ¡°A cow figurine,¡± Max said plainly. He stood somewhat to the side focusing on his father''s words, he too did not yet learn about the runes.


    "Okay, cow figurine." Egar raised his palm, at which a sculpture resembling a fluffy cow rested. "Like that?"


    "Yes, just like that," Max answered.


    The senior mage signed to the boys so that they would arrange themself in a circle.


    "Now, I will show you how to make a rune, then I will explain and then the time for questions will come." Edgar addressed the boys.


    Having said so, he started to raise a pedestal from the ground between them, so that each of the trio has a good point of view.


    Then, at the top, an image resembling a cow''s head appeared. It was made as if someone engraved the lines on the podium. The cow wasn''t particularly beautiful, it was more of a hieroglyph than art, meant to convey a meaning not to stun the audience.


    Egar raised his head above the engraved podium, with a metal shard orbiting it. After a moment, the shard closed up to the hand, and cut it to the blood. The liquid was brown, it seeped from Edgar''s wound with small droplets in regular intervals.


    The mage waited for a while, as the blood flowed into the engravement. He took his hand back only after the rune was filled to the brim, but hadn''t overflowed.


    Afterwards, he used his other hand to mark his forehead with a bit of blood taken from the nearly overflowing rune. The mark was irregular, without any pattern.


    Then, touching the rune with one hand, and holding his forehead with another, the mage started to recite.


    "May the Blood recognise [Cow Figurine]!" Edgar''s voice felt like a drum, banging at Adam''s ears, making him nauseous. He recited quietly, yet his voice spread far and wide.


    "As Blood flows, Mana remembers." He finished.


    Adam stared in the distance, enduring the aftereffects of hearing a spell being cast. He had heard how spells played with the minds of onlookers, how the words were recognisable, yet different for each listener. But he never before experienced being on the other end of the equation. Nobody had ever cast a spell in his presence, a verbal one, that is.


    While [Cow Figurine] was mediocre in power at best, the ritual conducted by a master mage was mind-shaking to onlookers regardless of its purpose.


    Overcoming his stupor, Adam looked around.


    Nothing changed, apart from Max, who now laid on the ground.


    "He fainted from the pressure," Egar explained, seeing as Adam looked at his friend in confusion.


    "But.. I didn''t," Adam muttered.


    Edgar looked at the young man with an inquiring look.


    "Apparently, you are the more talented one. Wake him up, we don''t have all the time in the world." He seemed unfazed by the state of his son as if he had seen him like that before.


    Adam conjured [Freeze], without saying anything.


    "Aaa!" Max jumped to his feet. "Three times in one day? can you please leave me alone!?"


    "You managed to faint three times today?" Edgar asked, with a mixture of curiosity and concern.


    "No! That dumbass shoots me with frost at every chance he gets!" Max replied angrily. He bent down and took a handful of snow from the ground, before sending it in Adam''s direction.


    Adam stepped to the side, avoiding the lethal attack and looked back at master Edgar, who eyed him while hiding his smile.


    "What can I say, I am diligent in training." The ice mage shrugged his shoulders, before blocking yet another deadly barrage of snow with a [Shield], before it dissipated into the atmosphere.


    "Good, keep up the good work, but now, stop fighting. I will explain what happened." Egar started. "Firstly, I created a mould in the shape of my preferred rune. Remember to be careful about its depth, as that too, is recognised and later matters..."


    "W.." Adam wanted to interrupt, but Edgar looked at him scoldingly and continued with his speech.


    "...Then, I infused my blood with mana the spell uses, and with my experience about the spell. It''s a difficult technique, and there are no shortcuts to learning it, you have to go with your instincts to accomplish it.


    Using already infused blood, which changed colour due to the type of mana I used, I filled the mould. Remember not to overflow, but keep it on the edge. If your blood goes out of the form, the procedure has to be repeated from the start.


    Afterwards, I used the bit that stayed above the surface of the mould, to mark my forehead, and thus create a connection with my brain, where the soul resides.


    Using the infused blood as a medium, I connected myself with the rune and started a chant. You don''t have to say the things I said, but rather the meaning, the chant is not set in stone.


    Saying the words, you have to infuse power into them. But that is actually very easy, you do it every time you vocally cast a spell, without noticing.


    And that''s it, the rune connects to my soul and my bloodline." When he finished the monologue as if to prove himself right, Egar conjured a stone plat above his palm, with the rune engraved on it.


    "Max, infuse your mana into it." He commanded.


    When Max did so, a stone cow slowly manifested on top of the engraved plate.


    "Now, questions." The master mage said.


    Adam found himself in his element and eagerly started to ask.


    "How should I choose the shape of the rune? Should it resemble the spell imbued into it?" He questioned.


    "There is no difference whether you make it a dot, or a dragon. the only requirement is that you should remember it, but that is easily solvable by having a notebook. But, you shouldn''t make it three-dimensional, as it would be horrible to engrave things." Edgar explained.


    "What about the usage? Can everyone use the rune you just created?" This time it was Max who asked.


    "Everyone can, but not everyone can create it. You can create it as my blood flows through you, but Adam can''t."


    "Can I use the runes without creating a physical medium? Like that, for example?" Adam asked while shoving a version of the [Cow Figurine] rune made using his arcane, pure magic. Just like when he created [Shield]. The rune floated in the air, blue and translucent.


    "Yes, you can. That is actually a major part of ascension rituals. And their hardest part, at least for the majority of people..." Edgar was amazed, seeing the flawless rune floating in the air. Controlling pure mana was considered to be the hardest form of magic.


    The questions piled on, mainly from Adam, but also from Max from time to time. The Steelarms grew to be terrified by Adam''s curiosity, and ability to ask intelligent, yet bizarre questions like ''If you perform two rune creation rituals at the same time, would they work separately, or would they need to be used together?'', to which Edgar had no idea how to respond.


    "Okay, stop. I have little time left until my reserves are all filled, so I will brief you on the basics of rituals before we have to split." The senior mage stopped the barrage of questions and moved to another topic.


    "There are two types of rituals, those which need runes, and those which don''t. The second type is scarce, and even I know only a few of such, apart from the rune creation ritual. Each of them differs, but they are generally easy to perform.


    The second type, in which we can put the ascension ritual, is more complex, but also all of them are similar. Apart from rituals, more complex spells also belong to this category.


    Just as I said before, the main part of rune-based rituals is creating runes in accordance with what we want to accomplish. Most of the time we use runes on some plate or other physical medium, but in situations like the ascension ritual, where the mage''s body is involved, the runes must be created just like you create your shield spell. From the ethereal form of mana." Master concluded his lecture.


    "You will understand it better after Max goes through his ascension, for now, this must be enough for you." Edgar turned to Adam.


    "Thank you, I couldn''t possibly learn this much by myself." Adam foregoed his curiosity and expressed his gratitude.


    "Good, now go to the citadel. Duke Malmond''s convoy should arrive at any moment. The wave after it." The master mage ordered.


    Just as they were said to, Adam and Max headed towards The Fortress. After crossing the bridge and going through the gates, they went towards the tower they slept in, where they met the girls.


    "So, how was it?" Sylvia asked the arrivals.


    "Good, Master Edgar is an incredible teacher." Adam praised.


    "Did you learn anything? Or are you just being nice?" Sylvia questioned, with an inquisitive look as she scanned the ice mage from head to toe.


    "I learned how to create runes! And I am going to try it out tomorrow." Adam stated proudly.


    "Oh, nice. Will you show me?" Sylvia asked.


    To answer her question, Adam turned towards Max, with a questioning look on his face. Seeing that his metal-bending friend nodded his head, Adam assured the girl that she will be by him when he will try to create his first runes.


    As the time flowed, and darkness neared, the group of mages went to the roof of the tower, waiting for the arrival of Duke Malmond''s convoy. They were not left disappointed, as the first carriages started to appear from the small gap between the hill-like walls some time after they returned to the roof with their supper.


    When the carriages entered the citadel, the four mages could finally see Malcolm''s crest, a bear''s head sliced in half by a sword, with each half pierced by yet another pair of blades. About at the same time, the gap left for the road started to close, as the caravan entered the plains before the citadel.


    "How will we house so many people? The Fortress is full to the brim as it is." Adam asked, seeing the huge number of humans following the Duke.


    "Yeah, even the towers are nearly full, despite housing only the mages," Cynthia commented.


    "I think the squares will be made into temporary lodgings," Max added something from himself.


    "That''s a viable option, but there is still too little space," Sylvia stated.


    They had nothing to do or just didn''t want to do anything, either way, the mages stayed on the roof to the nightfall.


    They observed as the king and Master Edgar finished the wall, and as the third mage, who disappeared somewhere returned by crossing the hill-like wall. Together, The trio returned to the citadel and no one was left on the plain between the finished barrier and The Fortress.


    Fate was merciful today, no one died when many could.


    Sometime after the master mages returned to the citadel city, the wind grew to a speed unheard of before.


    On a bright night, illuminated by the moon, and reflective snow that covered the world, trees bent in half, and snow flew around.


    Everyone had to find a safe place for themself, as staying in the streets was a death sentence. The same was with the roof, and the four friends had to find safety in the boy''s room, from which they had a clear sight of the barrier raised by the royals, basking in the moonlight.


    Soon after, water started to pour from above the barrier.


    Waves upon waves fell into the valley, making it into one big basin. On one side of the small lake was the hill-like wall, on the other was the citadel.


    "So that''s what you meant when you said a wave will arrive," Adam commented, looking at the top of the barrier with fear. "If the king''s barrier fails, we are majorly fucked..."


    Silence ensued, as the mages stared in the distance.


    The water stopped arriving in waves from behind the wall. Instead, a few waterfalls became a thing, by which the basin''s water levels started to rise.


    If it went on, The Fortress would find itself underwater in no time.

 AITMW- ch51 - Seaside Mountains

    Stars shined in golden light, illuminating the mountains covered in snow. The night was bright, and the surroundings were easy to see, especially from a high point such as the tower''s roof.


    Many people traversed the streets, despite the night. No one could sleep, and everyone wanted to somehow pass the time.


    Some went around, delivering supplies to each house, or buying them from people with considerable reserves.


    Yet another group of people went from house to house, offering their services. A number of them were physicians, who lost their practices alongside their homes and now needed gold more than ever. Some were seamstresses, tailors or shoemakers,- their services were widely needed after the long journey. Most people went by foot, after all, and their shoes weren''t prepared for such an endeavour.


    Apart from them, there were also people desperate for survival, willing to go far, for every coin...


    While the poor fought for their lives on the citadel''s streets, nobles, merchants and generally healthy people stayed in their homes, or the homes of their friends and worried about the future.


    Worry was the privilege of the rich, something only people living in beautiful houses, castles filled with servants, or high towers could afford. Apart from them, no one else had the time to stop for a moment, and think about the future, they were too busy living in the moment.


    One such place was a tower, located on the higher levels of the citadel, in its southern wing. It was a tall, majestic structure, with a rooftop balcony, and a small garden surrounding it from all sides.


    On the said rooftop balcony, Adam sat in silence, petting Parcas and staring in the distance, at the waterfalls filling the plain with water. The wind subsided some time ago, and he once again could sit on the top of the tower, instead of in a dingy room.


    Next to him, Sylvia and Cynthia played some card game. They lost interest in the disastrous phenomenon after changes stopped appearing, and the scenery became monotonous.


    The one who was absent was Max, who went to the main hold to ask his father what would happen next.


    ¡°How can you be so calm? The water level is rising by the minute, the citadel will be eventually consumed by the element.¡± Adam turned to the girls, without stopping petting the cat on his lap.


    ¡°It''s a difference in perspective, you live in a distant town, suspectable to disasters much weaker than the one currently happening. We were raised in the capital, at least partially. The capital was the home to nearly all master mages in the kingdom, regardless of the danger, if they came out we would be safe.¡± Sylvia explained.


    ¡°She is right, we have nothing to concern ourselves about, nothing we can do. Masters will control the situation eventually.¡± Cynthia assured the ice mage, who remained sceptical about the whole thing.


    ¡°Why do you put so much trust in their power?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Because they had never disappointed us. You just didn''t see them in action enough, if you had, you would be as calm as we are.¡± Cynthia stated.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t? I have seen two people raise a small mountain range with magic in a matter of hours. What more do I have to see to have realistic expectations about Masters¡¯ powers?¡± Adam asked with irritation in his voice.


    ¡°We watched as master mages turned the tides of a battle, one of them. While warriors in the same realm fought with the beasts and struggled against the opponents, the king arrived and the battle was practically over. Metal blades flew everywhere, heavy and sharp, cutting through every beast in sight and avoiding the warriors. A one good mage is better than an army Adam, here we have nearly ten masters gathered. There is nothing to fear. Even the nature.¡± Cynthia told him, with deep admiration.


    Adam stopped arguing, as he saw that it went nowhere. Instead of worrying though, he started to make some practical use of the time. He wouldn''t be able to sleep either way because of the uncertain situation.


    ¡®What rune should I make first?¡¯ He thought. ¡®My first spell was [Icicle] but it''s a fast and easy spell to cast, it''s unimpressive and simplistic. Unworthy of being my first rune. There are also [Freeze] and [Sway] other spells that every mage who tries, and has the necessary affinity can master. Then, there is also [Shield], that''s one hard regardless of the rank of the mage, apparently. Master Edgar was impressed by my use of it. I guess that''s it, that will be my first rune.


    Maybe it will be easier to control in that format, that would be very useful. Or, it will finally be fully physical?.... Nah, that''s not possible, runes are created using spells, not the other way around.¡¯ Adam settled on making [Shield] his first rune, but to create it, there was a long journey still ahead. Relatively long.


    Adam stood up and went downstairs, then out of the tower. Next to the structure, there was a small herb garden, made by the permanent resident of the tower.


    ¡°Sylvia! Come down!¡± Adam shouted upwards so that the girls would hear him. He remembered the promise he made to the fire witch, and summoned her as he was about to try creating his first rune.


    ¡°What?¡± A voice fell from the top.


    ¡°I will try to create a rune in a moment, come if you want to watch!¡± Adam responded.


    No further communication happened between the two sides until Adam noticed the girls coming out of the tower. Despite her earlier disinterest, Cynthia came too.


    Seeing that his audience arrived, Adam started to prepare his ritual.


    Having much smaller mana reserves than Master Edgar, the young ice mage had to make the initial engraving on a small plate of ice, and sit down to reach it. Unlike his senior, who just created a platform to make it more comfortable.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The engraving he chose was a hexagon created with two triangles and a square. The two triangles were very pointy and had one side the same size as the square, where they overlapped on the top and bottom of said figure. The engravings were very shallow.


    The moment he finished the plate, Adam realized that he didn''t have his book with him. But considering that he wanted a separate one for his runes, he didn''t go upstairs for his grimoire.


    Now, came the time to cut his skin and fill the engraving with mana-rich blood. But how does one infuse it with said mana? And the spell?


    Adam tried to just move his mana into the place he wanted to cut and then split his skin a bit. Barely to the blood.


    Droplets came, but instead of the blue blood, like it was supposed to be after infusing with pure mana, the blood was naturally coloured.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sylvia asked, seeing the annoyance on Adam¡¯s face.


    ¡°I failed to infuse my blood with mana,¡± Adam said automatically. He didn''t focus on the conversation, instead, he pondered deeply about the problem at hand, literally.


    ¡°Oh, how do you plan to do that?¡± Sylvia inquired, staring at the drop of blood, clearly visible on the blue plate.


    ¡°I don''t know yet. If you stop talking, I may figure it out faster.¡± Adam replied, this time more consciously.


    Going through all the earlier steps, Adam found himself at the point of drawing blood. This time, he used much more mana, filling his veins to the brim. And then proceeded with the ritual, marking a new icy blue plate with his blood.


    But aside from the fact that the skin broke much easier, due to the pressure it was under, and that the blood splurted out like a fountain, nothing changed.


    "Ugh..." Adam sighed.


    "Did you do everything like Master Edgar said?" Sylvia asked. Her perception of Adam was that he was a magical genius, so him not being able to accomplish something, confused her.


    "He didn''t tell me how to infuse my blood with mana, only that I had to do it," Adam explained.


    "So you are going to just try all different methods that come to your mind until one works?" Sylvia asked, before turning to her left. "How about you? Can you tell us how to do it?" She asked Cynthia, having remembered that her female friend had long gone through her ascension.


    "You give me too much credit, I have never created a rune." She responded, flabbergasted that someone would even think that was the case.


    "Really?" Sylvia asked in confusion, a second time in a few moments.


    "Well, my family had a lot of mages, but that''s beside the point, most absorption techniques use Worldspoke runes. Only lunatics like Adam and overly cautious bloodlines use Spellspoke runes for their techniques." Cynthia explained.


    "What about normal usage of runes? Don''t you get that immaterial need to create a rune just for yourself? Because that''s what drives me right now, I don''t even have any idea what rune to create for the ritual, after all." Adam half-asked half-explained.


    "No, I have no need for that. I don''t use runes often, and even if I did, I have access to a huge collection of Wordspoke runes, there is no point in creating one..." Cynthia said.


    Hearing that, a very weird expression formed on Adam''s face. He just looked at her, trying to figure out why would someone not want to create their own rune.


    ''Why would someone not want to create a rune? That''s... like the coolest thing ever... And why does she have her socks pulled over her shoes???...'' Adam couldn''t stop himself from staring, and noticing some peculiar things along the way.


    "Stop staring at my shoes!" Cynthia reacted explosively seeing that Adam hung his eyes over her for a bit too long.


    Adam didn''t respond, he only turned around and started to create another plate in a blatant attempt of putting the situation under the carpet.


    -------------------------


    Seven ice plates and nearly a litre of Adam''s blood later, Axigna had to stop his fruitless attempts in favour of talking with Max, who returned with the news, of what will happen next.


    "There is nothing we can do. Dad ordered us to stay here and practice." Max said as soon as he arrived.


    "What about the masters? Will they do something about the flood that nears us as we speak?" Adam asked in worry.


    "Maybe they will do something. Maybe not. Dad told me that if the water rises to the level of the bastions, they will create a second wall, just outside the Citadel." Max explained, with a sour expression.


    Adam sighed with relief and looked in the direction of still growing lake.


    "Good, that''s good..." He said.


    While Adam basked in relief, Sylvia took a good look at Max.


    "What''s happened? You seem worried, even more than Adam was just a few moments ago." She asked, looking towards the metal mage.


    Max sat beside Adam, who was lying on the ground at the moment. He sighed with worry, in contrast to the delighted expression on his fallen friend''s face.


    "Ehh..., the biggest problem isn''t the disaster itself, the wave will eventually return to the ocean. But what it will leave behind.... will be a frozen wasteland."


    "What do you mean?" Adam raised himself on his arms and asked with concern.


    Max sighed, then pointed towards the barrier, defending the citadel city from the abrupt and vicious flood.


    "There are massive amounts of water there, enough to spill above a four to five-meter tall wall. Now imagine the southern forest, the plains, or even the seaside. We are located way above the water level, and the water won''t leave that fast. Even here it will take weeks until the barrier becomes obsolete." Max took a break, to swallow his saliva. "Now, imagine the ground underneath. It is soaking with water right now, and it will remain soaked after the wave comes back." Max stopped, staring into the distance as if he could see over the mountains, and his eyes could reach Derdanian plains.


    "It will all be a one, big bogland, swamp unfit for human settlements..." Cynthia commented.


    "And even before that, the infrastructure is ruined, forests devasted, and animals all dead." Max finished.


    Silence ensued, as the mages realised the situation.


    Some guy started to run while screaming something uncomprehensible after hearing their conversation through the wall, which separated the herb garden from the street.


    "So... what''s next?" Adma asked after a long moment of silence.


    "Dad told me that we will consolidate the highland." Max paused to mark his words, moving his hand to show the area between the mountains. "Then we will move south."


    "South?" Cynthia asked in surprise. "But that''s empire''s territory.."


    "I don''t know how, but Dad didn''t seem worried about the relocation. Well, there is no point in worrying either way, he and uncle have to find a place for the citizens to live, the highland is too small for all of us." Max explained.


    "It actually makes sense, he asked me if I wanted to become an emissary or an ambassador. Like if Derdania was about to come out of seclusion." Adam commented, remembering the conversation he had with Master Edgar earlier that day.


    Max nodded, in agreement with what Adam said, he was there too, after all.


    "Seclusion? We are not secluded, many merchants trade with the south. Even the dead husband of your uncle''s new friend did that." Cynthia argued, seemingly offended.


    "Nah, trade doesn''t mean we aren''t secluded. Look at the southern forest, you have to have considerable wealth, or power to cross it. The highlands are practically a different country from the Derdanian plains." Adam argued back.


    "I agree with him, Cynthia. Most people don''t even know what is the actual name of the empire." Sylvia joined the fray.


    "For example, me," Adam said with weird pride.


    "Seriously?" Cynthia asked, stunned slightly.


    "Well, then what is the name of the empire, Miss Knowledgeable?" Adam asked.


    "Eehh... I don''t remember..." The nature witch mumbled.


    "See?" Sylvia sneered.


    "How about you, and you Max?" Cynthia hit back.


    "Well, I meant myself," Sylvia stated.


    "I know, but I won''t tell you. You guys should know more about geography, especially you Adam." Max said, but it is unknown if someone believed him.

 AITMW- ch52 - Derdania Will Resurrect

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

 AITMW- ch53- Muddy S...

    A few hours passed, and the banquet in the mountain with them. Adam and the rest of his companions went outside the dingy halls, carved in rock, together, arriving in the midday sun.


    Adam, Max, Sylvia and Cynthia were walking towards the inner wall''s gates when the mage in an arctic-blue robe started the conversation.


    "So, what assignments did you get? I will become a junior emissary, under senior Algier." He proudly announced.


    "The advanced wind mage? I heard he can fly."Cynthia responded dreamingly.


    "He told me so, but I won''t believe it until I see with my own eyes," Adam commented.


    "There is no reason not to believe, his fame flies high, so high that even my dad praised him a few times," Max said.


    "He did seem trustworthy," Sylvia admitted, remembering Algier''s face ever lit with emotions. He just had no ability to hide his thoughts.


    "Okay, okay... he does fly. What about your assignments?" Adam admitted his wrong, after being forced into a corner by his companions.


    "Dad returned, so I will be his apprentice. So, we will probably be helping with cultivating the fields in the valley. Those that existed are destroyed beyond reason, and even if they were still present, we would have much more to make to keep the population fed." Cynthia explained. As a nature mage, it was obvious she would be an exaggerated gardener.


    Normally, mages proficient in enhancing plant life, or creating entirely new flora would charge hefty sums for their services. Even wandering apprentices, low in realm and skill, charged their customers - though not as brutally as their seniors, their services were affordable for nearly anyone.


    But now, the Kingdom was in a perilous state, there was no arable land, far too little living space, food was becoming scarce and diseases spread. So, to hastily raise the state of the state, the King issued an order changing the politics of the kingdom.


    Some people in the far south have special names for types of nations, authoritarian, absolute, communist, capitalistic, democratic,- that''s only a few of them. Normally, Derdania would be categorised as an absolutist-capitalistic kingdom - The King had all the power, all decisions could be vetoed by him, and all land was his. Virtually, the only thing keeping the king from taking a horse from some random merchant was his own ethics, and maybe fear of rebellion. Nobles had some say, and if united could force the king into action, but that''s it. This is the absolutist part, and that didn''t change.


    What did change, was the capitalistic part. Before, money was second under the king, you could buy virtually anything - from real estate - through armour and animals - to services. You could become wealthy, and fall into utter poverty.


    The king didn''t confiscate the belongings of people who had them, that would stir too much chaos and wouldn''t be economically good in the long term. What the monarch did, was render them useless for the time being.


    For now, the food was rationed by royal officials, no one could buy or sell land, and no one could generate profit from essential services such as food, medicine and housing -they all were under the king''s iron hand.


    the people who worked in these industries were employed by the monarch and would be released from the service only after the kingdom regained its footing, and competition became more economically viable than kingdom-mandated standard prices.


    "What? Did that shock you three?" Cynthia asked, after a moment of uncomfortable silence.


    "Oh?" Adam snapped out of his stupor.


    "So, how about you? probably something more official, administrative?" The nature witch turned towards Max, avoiding Adam''s dumb look.


    "You guessed quite right. But that''s something you will probably hear for the first time, as the plans haven''t been completed yet." Max stopped to pat Parcas''s head, which peaked out of Adam''s pocket. "as you probably know, The Fortress, or rather Breakwater City, is too small to accommodate the whole population. And there are only three Towns viable for reconstruction in the valley - still too little space.


    As such, the Royal Council decided to build a massive city from the ground up. Not only would that solve the overpopulation problem but also the city could be designed in whatever way we imagine, not repaired from rubble like the towns.


    I will be my dad''s assistant. Also, I heard they plan to make him a Grand Duke and oversee the project from the top while Dukes will govern halves of the city." Max ended his explanation as they arrived near the edge of the balcony of the top square, where they sat down on a bench.


    "Wow! That''s exciting! Where will the city be located? The valley is too small to house residents of another two cities, apart from Breakwater and the towns." Adam referred to the capitals of dukedoms, two other cities besides the capital that existed in the old Derdania. The math added up so the valley would house its old residents - citadel and towns in the highland - and residents of the capital and the few scarce towns who evacuated, like Ferston. Of course, it was only mathematical, in reality, the new city would be a mix of people from different places in the old Derdania, just like Breakwater City.


    "You know that there is a passage to the south, through the Fire Mountains right? It''s the reason for the citadel''s existence" Max started.


    His companions, sitting on the bench side to side with him, nodded.


    "So, while near us the passage is narrow and dangerous, when you travel down south you will gradually go down, eventually arriving at a place where the path becomes wider and enters a valley surrounded by mountains. Much more surrounded than the highland we are currently on, as the mountains are all around it, for days of travel.


    There, the city will be located.


    At first, forests just outside the mountains in the south were considered, but the valley is much easier to defend, and will make the expansion south go smoothly." Max explained. It seemed that for a while, Derdania, or rather New Derdania, would be a mountainous kingdom - located in the valleys surrounded by high peaks.


    "Expansion south? So that''s where the next settlements will be built?" Adam inquired, having caught on a piece of information from his friend''s explanation.


    "Yes, while the new city would make accommodating all the citizens possible, it would not be efficient, and we would still lack food. Towns must be created in the south to build farmlands." Answered the metal mage.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Why not north? The water will fall in a few months and I am sure that the southern towns will not be created until then." Adam asked.


    "The north is useless, barren land. Here, in the highland, we need the nature mages just to make cultivating corps possible, imagine what efforts we would have to put in to recover lands covered in water for more than double the time." Deep regret and frustration were heard in Max''s voice, as he talked of their ancestral lands so unfavourably.


    Silence fell on the group, as they thought about their lost homes, and lost comrades.


    While Watt returned safely from his escapade, Adam still lost a friend due to the wave. During the month they stayed in the citadel after the initial adrenaline and fear subsided, Adam started to search for his childhood friend - Ethan Venator.


    The hotheaded youth was very unlucky, he decided to join a merchant''s caravan as a guard - just a week before the second sun arrived.


    Searching for adventure, maybe after being inspired by Adam, he died in vain, without a purpose or reason.


    The only thing Adam could do was hope that his friend died quickly, without pain.


    The young mage knew it wasn''t his fault, that he wasn''t responsible for Ethan''s decisions or his life. Yet, he felt horrible - not only would his friend survive, given that Adam had invited him to go with him to the capital, but he also didn''t search for him immediately after arriving in the citadel. Only after a few days passed, while he play with magic like a child with a new toy.


    Regaining his composure, Adam tried to move the conversation forward.


    ¡°What about you, Sylvia?¡± She was the last one to tell them about her future. Maybe because in the Ned, she declined Adam''s offer to teach her. She trusted him, but not enough to base her future on his techniques, unproven and used only by him- someone vastly more talented than her.


    ¡° About a week ago, I asked the king to help me in choosing my master. In the end, I need one - I¡¯m not like you, Adam.¡± She looked at him, with some regret and maybe a bit apologetically. To which he replied with an understanding expression, partially skewed by the corrosive thoughts filling him a few moments before. ¡°And the king did as I asked. I will be an apprentice under Fither Burnborn. He is an advanced mage and a forgemaster at that.¡± Sylvia explained.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Max explained.


    Cynthia also seemed astonished by the revelation, her eyes opened wide, and her jaw dropped a little.


    ¡°Just to be sure, forgemasters are very famous smiths, right? Or something more?¡± Adam, ever-clueless about the higher society, asked with an unsure expression.


    ¡°More, it''s like if you said that swordmasters are ¡®just¡¯ good warriors.¡± Answered Sylvia sharply. She was offended by Adam''s lack of knowledge concerning her future profession- just like an apprentice to be should.


    ¡°In terms of wealth and prestige - it''s the best what a fire mage can become,¡± Cynthia added, proud of her friend.


    "If that''s the case..., congratulations!" Adam said unsurely, he still knew nothing about the trade, but further questions would only bring him more shame.


    "So, what do you plan for the rest of the day? I was thinking about creating a spell for continuous whirlwind- and try to fly, before making a list of things I need to take on the journey." Adam swiftly changed the subject.


    "Also, do you think I should take this little guy with me?" He pointed at the small beast hiding in his pocket.


    "I would," Sylvia answered the second question. "I don''t see a reason why should you not take him with you. Maybe apart from being separated from his mother - but that''s a minor thing and it would happen eventually."


    "It''s an animal- there is no reason it should leave its master," Max added his piece, quite ruthlessly.


    Cynthia didn''t follow the trend and answered the first question instead.


    "I will probably go outside the citadel- see the wetland and what I will be dealing with. Also, when you test that rune of yours - do it there, otherwise you will at least break a bone." She advised.


    "Oh, nice idea - I will keep that in mind," Adam responded happily, they forgot about his blunder.


    The conversation went smoothly, but soon - they went their ways.


    Adam towards the tower, to try his best at flying.


    Cynthia headed down, with the gate as a destination.


    Sylvia went sideways - towards her future master''s forge, she had to greet him and satisfy her curiosity about him. A long list of questions lingered in her mind.


    Max was the only one tuning around, as he went back to the main hold, to find his father.


    -------------------


    The rune was simple yet elegant, shining in the blue confines of the icy plate. It was a variation on Adam''s earlier rune - [Sway] which was his second creation after figuring out the way to imbue his will into blood.


    While the first version looked like three wavy strings fluttering on the wind, this one featured them encased in a circle - a rule of sorts.


    To fight against cofusion, and ease the recolection of his runes, Adam decided that if something is repeatable, or apliable in other spells - he will mark all of them the same.


    Encasing in a circle- meant that the spell was continuous. In other words, it siphoned mana out of him until he broke the connection.


    None of his earlier spells were continuous, and their runes remained the same.


    [Shield] gathered an amount of mana and created a barrier out of it - which broke with a somewhat major impact so it was not economical to pour mana into it all the time, the result wouldn''t change.


    [Icicle] is a combat-related spell - making a projectile to throw telekinetically at the opponent - continuous flow would be stupid as it would only make the ice grow bigger endlessly.


    [Sway] was like his older brother- one, explosive burst of wind, throwing opponents off their feet. The continuous flow would only make the rune generate another [Sway] just after releasing the earlier one - which could be good but wasn''t really practical.


    That leaves [Freeze] which is a combination of [Sway] and [Icicle], and that should tell enough of a story.


    [Constant Gust]- As Adam decided to name his newest spell- was a totally different story. The only things that mattered in it, were power and continuity.


    The rune was etched in the ice- now came the bloodletting.


    Adam focused on the blood in his index finger and willed his mana to move there - like he was about to cast [Constant Gust]. That was the way he found to enrich the mana with his will - he acted as if he was about to cast the spell he wanted to make a rune of.


    Blood spilled, and the rune was soon filled to the brim.


    After marking his forehead, and connecting himself with the rune, Adam started to chant.


    "May the Blood recognise [Constant Gust]!" His voice felt like a drum - filled with power and authority just like the King''s in the morning.


    "As Blood flows, Mana remembers." He finished.


    Now, Adam''s arsenal was composed of five runes, alongside its spoken/thought counterparts.


    -----------------------------


    Thinking about it - why did Adam need to create a rune? Couldn''t he just use the spell?


    He could, and he still can. But the thing is, that if he used a spell - it would be much weaker and would drain him faster.


    The weird thing about runes, the ones created with mana, levitating in the air- is that they all seem to be part of the arcane element as if they were made of pure mana. Regardless if they are a firestorm or a brick creation rune.


    Adam found out about that way before Max reached the peak, and was able to ascend, so he had plenty of time to think about it and decide whatever that fact may convince him to make his core artibuteless- or rather arcane-attuned.


    After much consideration, he did exactly that.


    That''s why, while standing in the open air before the citadel and wetting his socks in the muddy earth, Adam created runes under his palms, facing the ground.


    Soon, two circles with waves inside them appeared - green in colour, yet still arcane.


    The young mage took a deep breath - and activated the runes.


    Mana poured out of him fast- the fastest it has ever had, as a whirlwind gathered under him.


    The wind hit the ground, picking up the mud and sending it flying metres in the air. But Adam didn''t move.


    The mage increased the output, siphoning his reserves even faster than before.


    Nothing happened.


    Frustrated, Adam gave his all - blood started to drip from his fingertips, as the mana tore them open escaping his body - his attributeless core was emptier every second.


    And nothing happened.


    Having eventually given up, Adam severed his connection to the runes and tried it with spells.


    But the results haven''t changed.


    The wind roared, throwing the damp ground around and making deep cuts in the earth, but it didn''t move Adam by a centimetre.


    Finally, he understood- his spells didn''t have an anchor, no backbone to support itself. Adam was throwing a rock at his feet - expecting it to push him from the ground.


    In a distance, among various flowers, Cynthia stood and laughed - at her friend''s miserable attempts at flying.


    She probably expected the result, as she looked with satisfaction at Adam who tried to take the mud off his clothes- without success.

 A Question for readers

    filler words you can appreciate, or ignore---> randomly generated 500 words(or slightly less):


    "apple banana cat dog elephant fish giraffe horse igloo jelly kangaroo lion monkey noodle orange pear quail rabbit snake tiger umbrella violin whale xylophone yogurt zebra ant bat cow duck eagle frog goat hen ink jug kite lamp mouse nut owl pig quack rose sun toy vase wolf x-ray yawn zit anchor boots candy duckling elf feather guitar hammer insect jacket kettle ladder marbles necklace onion parrot quill ribbon spider table unicorn violin wand xylophone yoyo zipper apple banana cat dog elephant fish giraffe horse igloo jelly kangaroo lion monkey noodle orange pear quail rabbit snake tiger umbrella violin whale xylophone yogurt zebra ant bat cow duck eagle frog goat hen ink jug kite lamp mouse nut owl pig quack rose sun toy vase wolf x-ray yawn zit anchor boots candy duckling elf feather guitar hammer insect jacket kettle ladder marbles necklace onion parrot quill ribbon spider table unicorn violin wand xylophone yoyo zipper apple banana cat dog elephant fish giraffe horse igloo jelly kangaroo lion monkey noodle orange pear quail rabbit snake tiger umbrella violin whale xylophone yogurt zebra ant bat cow duck eagle frog goat hen ink jug kite lamp mouse nut owl pig quack rose sun toy vase wolf x-ray yawn zit anchor boots candy duckling elf feather guitar hammer insect jacket kettle ladder marbles necklace onion parrot quill ribbon spider table unicorn violin wand xylophone yoyo zipper apple banana cat dog elephant fish giraffe horse igloo jelly kangaroo lion monkey noodle orange pear quail rabbit snake tiger umbrella violin whale xylophone yogurt zebra ant bat cow duck eagle frog goat hen ink jug kite lamp mouse nut owl pig quack rose sun toy vase wolf x-ray yawn zit anchor boots candy duckling elf feather guitar hammer insect jacket kettle ladder marbles necklace onion parrot quill ribbon spider table unicorn violin wand xylophone yoyo zipper apple banana cat dog elephant fish giraffe horse igloo jelly kangaroo lion monkey noodle orange pear quail rabbit snake tiger umbrella violin whale xylophone yogurt zebra ant bat cow duck eagle frog goat hen ink jug kite lamp mouse nut owl pig quack rose sun toy vase wolf x-ray yawn zit anchor boots candy duckling elf feather guitar hammer insect jacket kettle ladder marbles necklace onion parrot quill ribbon spider table unicorn violin wand xylophone yoyo zipper carpet arrow pencil cloud fish apple candle elephant guitar duckling bookshelf pineapple cat dog lamp umbrella rainbow butterfly tree flower keyboard snake tiger lion giraffe monkey dolphin jellyfish octopus kangaroo koala bear penguin raccoon zebra violin xylophone flute trumpet saxophone tambourine igloo snowman firework astronaut rocket planet galaxy comet asteroid satellite moon star sun butterfly dragonfly ladybug beetle cricket grasshopper cricket spider ant snail slug centipede millipede caterpillar worm earthworm leech mosquito fly bee wasp hornet dragon snake lizard gecko chameleon iguana turtle tortoise alligator crocodile snake frog toad newt salamander axolotl fish shark whale dolphin jellyfish octopus seahorse starfish crab lobster shrimp mussel clam oyster scallop squid"


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 AITMW- ch54 - Farewell

    Animals - despite their overall stupidity, and inability to communicate with humans, they really seem to know what their masters tell them.


    Maybe due to their familiarity with the person speaking, or general emotions the orator emanates, or maybe they slowly adapt to human language - vaguely remembering the meaning of certain words. Either way, while they seemed to understand humans to an extent - humans themselves have trouble guessing what''s on their pet''s minds, most of the time.


    But this was not one of those times, now,- both Adam and Derek clearly understood the feeling of their cats.


    For the last couple of days, the animals stuck together, even Parcas abandoned Adam''s pocket - in favour of spending time with Frank and Suzy. They played, slept and ate together, the two other cats pampered Parcas, as if they knew it was their last meeting in a while.


    Now, boys and their mother rubbed heads against each other, in an act of affection. Between the rubs, Parcas and Suzy looked worryingly in the direction of their masters, who talked with each other by the table. As if expecting their separation to occur at any time.


    By the table, Adam and Derek hadn''t been alone - Ms. Daria Gertel was with them. She was the wealthy widow, which Derek befriended in the capital.


    Derek used the opportunity to acquaint his nephew/adopted son with his dearest friend.


    "So, you are heading into the empire? Be careful, my late husband always told me that dealing with them is dangerous - hatred between our nations runs deep,... and they are quite ruthless." The widow warned.


    The conversation was going on for about an hour now, and the company already started to be somewhat comfortable among themselves.


    "Ho so?" Adam asked in puzzlement. "I haven''t even heard what their empire is called, not to mention bearing a hatred towards them - and I am sure that my stance represents most of our country."


    "Here, we see an example of the royal court''s incredible ability to control information - while the common people don''t bear any remorse towards our southern neighbours, the royalty hates them so much that they erased their existence out of their subject''s minds." Ms Gertel explained with sparkling eyes. "Though, this particular example might not be so good as I thought a moment ago - we were, and still are, a very closed-off realm, where news from the outside world rarely reach. Erasing someone''s or something''s existence from common folk''s minds is a simple matter of not spreading knowledge about them." She added with slight disappointment.


    "Oh, that would make some sense. But what about the reason? Do you know why the nations hate each other?" Adam asked.


    Sitting in between them, Derek couldn''t quite follow their conversation, and he was getting irritated.


    "Unfortunately, no. But I might have an idea about who, apart from royalty holds such knowledge." The widow raided Adam''s curiosity.


    "Who do you have in mind?" He asked.


    "You see, from what I know the main guardian of yours and Mister Algier''s will be Fenfallal Abedy the Royal Swordmaster - which I am quite surprised was deployed on the mission, instead of defending the king. But I digress, mister Abedy comes from an ancient noble lineage, comparable in age to the royal bloodline. He probably knows much more than us, about Derdania''s history." She enlightened Adam, who in turn fell into silence, thinking about how to get information out of him.


    Coercion? - would that work on a royal swordmaster? No, Adam''s best bet was on the warrior to tell him willingly, so he planned to ask in the most boring environment possible - raising his chances.


    "I am sorry to interrupt, but can we change the subject?" Derek asked, trying to hide his irritation. "I can''t quite wrap my head around the whole matter." Which was probably a lie - possibly, he was just bored.


    "Okay -so, what do you two plan to do in the coming months?" Adam asked, giving his uncle what he wanted.


    "I will help Daria to set up a room and dine businesses in the new city." Derek boasted.


    "You mean, a tavern? Who would use it?" Questions buzzed in the young mage''s head.


    "Yes something like that, but as the travellers will start to arrive in two years at the earliest - the establishments will be more focused on being a restaurant or a bar, with few rooms available for rent." Ms Gertel explained.


    "Oh, that makes sense. But - don''t get offended uncle - why is he necessary for you? I''m sure you could handle it yourself." Adam asked the widow.


    She smiled in response, casting a brief look at Derek - and answered:


    "I won''t leave a space for competition to rise, so I need to cover both the new city and Breakwater City at the same time - I have the funds, but I still need a representative. Luckily, Derek offered himself as one. Considering his experience at assessing meat and vegetables he gained as a hunter - he is a solid candidate for a restaurant administrator." She praised.


    "I... didn''t expect that, but I guess that''s right - he will do well in a semi-wild area, building a restaurant business." Adam half-joked, half-praised.


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    "But aren''t you afraid of the competition? There must be many ex-restaurant owners who came from either of three lost cities."


    The widow thought for a moment before answering.


    "Not really, I have hired most of them already, or rather their staff. they have experience, and I have the money and connections. Thir ex-bosses aren''t as good at politics and wouldn''t be able to compete with me in the aspect of setting the restaurants quickly - and they know it, that''s why some of the smarter ones asked to administrate my locations." She explained.


    Hearing that, Adam got slightly confused - if she had those capable and experienced people under her already, why hire his uncle?


    "So, you fear they might try something funny, and made my uncle overseer them?" He guessed.


    The widow''s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly composed herself.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect you to figure that out. That''s right - he is more of a policeman and a spy, than an administrator" The widow said unbothered as if the man in question wasn''t sitting at the same table.


    "Yeah, that makes much more sense - I bet they will fear him," Adam commented, looking at his uncle''s physique - he was a behemoth of a man even while sitting. A two-metre-tall man with broad shoulders would cause every mortal to be at least a bit scared.


    The conversation went on, but the conclusion could be summed up in a few words- Derek will be busy when Adam is gone, and his connection with the wealthy widow seemed to grow at a visible rate. Adam even started to wonder if he should expect some children when he got back from the journey. But he wasn''t sure if he should call them siblings, step-siblings or maybe something else entirely.


    Having bid farewell to his uncle, and let the animals say their goodbyes, Adam took Parcas and went towards Fther''s Burnborns forge - Sylvia''s master was tasked with making equipment for the Envoys.


    -------------------------


    In the week between the start of the journey and the King''s speech, Adam gained a few crucial abilities he would need in the wilderness. Among the various things, the most important one was also the hardest to learn - horse riding.


    A basic ability for nobles, and a thing most people eventually learned. It was necessary for travel and work, except when a person had carriages or wagons available - just like Adam had while being part of Max''s team. As for before that, the one riding horses and delivering goods was Derek, while he buried his nephew under more unpleasant work.


    But now, for the delegation, Adam had to learn how to ride a horse, as the journey would not allow for clumsy wagons.


    That''s why, while riding to the south - uphill towards the mountains, Adam was seated on top of Los, a young brown horse given to him by the royals.


    Behind Adam, the vast valley shined in pristine white as the morning sun illuminated the world. Behind it, Breakwater City''s citadel was hidden in the mountain''s shadow.


    There, Max, Derek, Sylvia, Monica, Cynthia, and others acquainted with Adam stood on the walls, looking at the convoy riding towards the mountain passage. They stood among the crowd of those related to the first settlers or members of the envoy group. Even the king came to bid farewell to his representatives.


    Tears were shed as they thought about the separation that was about to happen. Especially emotional were the wives and families of the Envoy''s guards, as their husbands and fathers didn''t have a choice in the matter, the king''s order was absolute.


    Unfortunately, Derek was to leave with the second wave of settlers, so the small family''s separation happened sooner than it could have.


    The grand Fortress gradually became smaller and smaller, until the group reached an entrance to the mountain passage, and the citadel hid behind some hills.


    The mountain message, leading into the inner valley of Fire mountains and beyond - further south, was located high, where two mountains collided.


    Next to it, numerous small streams fell down the valley, to run down towards the remains of the gigantic forest - where they finally merge with others like them, into a river running through Derdanian plains.


    Adam followed behind Algier and Fenfallal, who spearheaded the formation, behind him were the wagons filled with equipment, resources and food, along with those filled with the settlers. After them, the rest of the Royal Swordmaster''s squad followed.


    As they entered the passage, the path got thinner but was still wide enough to allow wagons to pass through.


    On their left, a big lake was easy to find - occupying the bottom of the valley, the path they threaded clung to the mountain beside it, going uphill without a break. The lake was separated from the highlands on which the citadel rested by a small mountain, mended in between two other behemoths. Numerous passages formed in it - letting the water leak and create the streams that fell into the valley.


    After a while, the road levelled, majorly easing the journey for both the animals and the people.


    Soon after, the lake disappeared from Adam''s view, as the convoy entered another gap between the mountains, and the road up started again.


    Riding uphill was monotonous and dangerous at the same time, also, those who rode the wagons had to step down and walk on foot. If they didn''t, the wagons would either slide on the frozen earth, or would completely lose control, and descend into some ravine.


    The journey was terrible, winds smacked the wanderer''s faces with loose snow and froze their hair. It was much worse than the travel through the forest a month before, even thou the weather was colder at the time.


    Despite the difficulties and troubles along the way, Adam managed to endure. He was clad in custom-made armour - mainly made of blue-coloured leather, with metal pieces in not movable parts, and fur padding. The armour was also equipped with a large number of pockets and pieces of string sticking out - made at Adam''s request to store his rune plates if he ever needed them.


    Apart from the full body armour that lacked a helmet, Adam had a thick coat wrapped around himself, with a hood hiding his face. The coat was similar in build to the armour - brown leather outside with fur padded inside, but it had only one abnormal pocket. Covered in fur from within, comfy and warm, it was the perfect place for Parcas to sleep.


    There was also the saddle, with big compartments on the sides and the back. The saddle also had a bigger, flatter place at the front so that Parcas could sit there, wrapped to the saddle by a spacial-made harness.


    Los himself, the horse, was wearing a thick coat, and fur-padded earpads so that he wouldn''t get a cold.


    Dressed like this, Adam rode at the front of the convoy, just after Algier and Fenfallal.


    ---------------------


    They reached the valley only after three days of exhausting journey. And for worn-out travellers, it was no less than a paradise.


    Surrounded by icebound peaks from all sides, the valley was somehow filled with lush forest, conifers were green and vibrant, and snow was scarce.


    It was as if it was a different world from the everpresent frozen mountains, while the wind was cold - freezing even, the valley located deep below the mountain path was warm. The ground was soft, breathing didn''t feel like swallowing needles. Few streams fell to the valley, forming handfuls of ponds throughout the oasis.


    The only problem was the light.


    Shadow dominated at the site, as the sun had to be really high to break through the barrier of mountains.


    Having arrived, the Envoy''s and their guards let themselves rest, while the settlers went to work immediately. They wanted to impress the dukes, who would arrive in the oasis with the second wave of Derdanians.

 AITMW- ch55 - Windy Morning

    A large camp was formed at the edge of the woods. Blocked off from the outside by the trees fell by the settlers, and arranged in piles - ready to use in the next few days.


    In the middle of one of the circles formed by the tents, fireplaces stood. Which in turn, were surrounded by people grilling their dinner above the embers.


    "So, mister Fenfallal, why were you sent on this mission? I thought a royal Swordmaster would be more needed... in a place with more royals." Adam started the conversation, after sitting beside the fire quietly for a while. All around people talked and laughed, only their fireplace remained stoic.


    The man looked away from his skewer, towards the mages sitting at his right side, especially at the one in blue.


    "The king decided that I am more needed as your guard than in our homeland - and it''s a good thing." He explained briefly, but seeing Adam''s still puzzled look, he continued. "My absence will make it easier for Klemens to establish his power, he will need his authority to be unquestionable in the future, especially when this city is completed and we will march south." He signed at the space around them. "And my fame and prestige would make the job much harder for him - people tend to cling to old, reliable methods instead of venturing into uncharted territories, even if they seem promising."


    "I disagree, I would much rather go to an uncharted territory, of course, after I gained enough power to defend myself," Adam said, with all conviction in the world.


    "An exception proves the rule." Stated Fenfallal, looking back into the fire.


    Adam wanted to continue, but Stellmo - the Royal Swordmaster''s second in command, and also a master warrior, spoke to him before he managed to go on.


    "Leave him, he is getting sentimental by the campfires - I bet he won''t notice us talking to him if we don''t use his name," Stellmo said, pointing at the golden warrior with his chin.


    Stellmo was a middle-aged man, much like his superior. His eyes glowed red in the fire, much more than others as his, were red even without the ember''s hue. He was tall, and he had short, black hair. Next to him, a medium-sized shield and a bastard sword were resting on a small stump.


    "You, I see, don''t have such problems?" Adam inquired.


    "No, I am fully against such silence, unfortunately, the rest of the team likes to imitate the leader." The warrior complained. "But enough about us, we don''t know each other well, and will spend long moths together - tell us about yourself" As the second in command asked, the rest of the warriors, and Algier, turned their heads towards the young boy.


    "Well, I am a mage, but I didn''t expect to become one until the new year. I ascended just two weeks ago, to the second realm." Adam said with some reservation, he wasn''t sure what to say, to be honest.


    "What about your element? I heard you mages set it in stone during your first ascension, unlike us." The warrior questioned. nearly all of them were curious about that, but after he didn''t tell Algier about it during the official breakfast, the news spread that he wanted it to remain a secret. Apparently, Stellmo didn''t care about what he heard or figured that Adam would tell them, considering they would spend the next few months together.


    And he was right to do so.


    "Arcane - I figured that was the best choice." Adam, against most of their bets, revealed his attunement.


    Next, as the warriors and Algier looked at him in anticipation, waiting for a follow-up, Adam raised his head from Parcas''s head and created a rune mid-air.


    A simple, translucent symbol, blue in colour has appeared. After Adam poured some more mana into it, a piece of ice manifested above the rune.


    After its creation, the young mage manipulated the piece of ice to float around, effortlessly. The rune dissipated after its objective was completed.


    "How does that work?" Algier asked in fascination. "The mana is clearly darkish blue, not light blue as it would if it was of ice element." He said, to help those not familiar with magic in understanding the situation.


    "Yeah, it''s weird, isn''t it? Pure mana used with runes seems to work as the element the spell is made for as if it recognised the pattern." Adam stared with amazement at his own creation.


    "Is it more powerful than in the first realm?" Algier questioned with curiosity, his jaw hung low.


    "Yes, it is - about the same as if an ice mage in the second realm created it - I asked some seniors about it already." Adam proudly stated, but then felt a need to clarify something. "But it comes with a drawback, for it to be as powerful as a normal ice mage''s spell would be, I need to use runes - most mages wouldn''t be able to do that. If I used normal spells, or manipulated mana in the environment freely, it wouldn''t be different than when I was in the first realm." That fact made the young mage slightly disappointed, but he wasn''t the type to keep thinking about something he couldn''t change.


    Algier on the other hand, showed signs of extreme shock. He had no idea something like that was possible.


    Another person showing this interest was Fenfallal, who finally looked from above his skewer with curiosity.


    "That''s amazing... What about the elemental incompatibility?" The wind mage questioned once again.


    "None, but also no compatibility." Hearing the words that came from his junior''s mouth, Algier seemed to freeze on the spot, shocked to the core.


    Elemental incompatibility was such a big pain in the arse, that he wasn''t sure to what extremes he would be able to go, to get rid of it.


    Basically, each element had its friends and foes, among the elemental family. When the mage created a core with said element, some would support it and be supported by it, and some would fight against each other.


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    In Algier''s case, his wind-aligned core made all elements relying on weight useless, as his mana had inherently lighter properties. But on the other hand, if changed into fire mana, or lightning mana, whose natural counterparts were practically weightless - the wind-aligned core would enhance the spells, making them faster, and more precise...


    That made each earth spell Algier used - weaker, and each fire spell - more powerful.


    "That''s huge!" Algier exclaimed, breaking from his stupor.


    "Congratulations." Even swordmaster Fenfallal acknowledged Adam''s discovery.


    In a flash of inspiration, a devious plan formed in Adam''s head. If it succeded, he would learn more about magic, at the cost of learning more about the runes - which meant no downsides.


    "Yeah, I am proud that I stumbled into something like that. I also plan to check if I can make runes viable for combat, and have them tied to my armour." Saying that he showed pockets and straps hanging from his torso.


    "It is, but only for defensive or reactive spells - but there is no demand for them. Runes are mostly used in enchanting equipment - which I am not sure why you didn''t." Agier responded, his mood shifted from amazement to a slight confusion.


    "Huh? I could?" Adam questioned in puzzlement.


    "Yes." Algier pushed the side of his loose green robe open, revealing multiple hard-leather plates with etched symbols into them - sewn into the fabric. "My robe absorbs shock, is lighter than it should be and keeps heat inside." He boasted.


    "Whoaaa.." Adam was taken aback. "That''s incredible."


    "Senior Algier, how about this - I will teach you about the usage of runes - the one I discovered at least - and you will help me with wind magic. What do you say?" Adam asked immediately after.


    The older mage stared at him stunned, he didn''t expect such an offer, especially not just after Adam praised his robe.


    "...Well, we certainly can, though we should talk some more about it later." He eventually agreed, after thinking for a moment.


    "Of course, I will look forward to that moment," Adam replied with satisfaction, his plan worked nearly perfectly, even though the conversation went in a way completely unpredicted by him.


    Stellmo probably felt left out, as he bent towards the talkers, and changed the topic of the conversation - so that he too, could voice his opinion.


    "Do you plan to come with us to the forest?" He asked, towards Algier.


    "Nah, I will stay with Adam, maybe help the builders a bit." The wind mage replied, with a relaxed tone. "I don''t like killing beasts, it''s quite pointless in itself."


    The swordmaster nodded at the answer and continued to talk.


    "True, it''s quite sad, but if we don''t do that the beasts will reap the settlers to shreds - that is, if there are any in the forest..." Stellmo rambled on and on, he was quite a talkative guy.


    The fires burned, inside circles made of tents until dawn. The people who sat around them though, left long before that.


    The guards had to scour the forest, in search of danger - which might even take them a few days, so in an attempt to shorten the time wasted, they decided to start as soon as possible.


    The settlers also didn''t have a promising morning. They were to start their work first thing in the morning - building infrastructure for future works on the city. Few barracks here and there, warehouses and workshops.


    The only ones with relatively relaxed morning were Adam and Algier - they had nothing to do. Even then, Adam planned to wake up quite early and force his senior to experiment on runes with him. One question ate him up for a long time already:


    Would someone with elemental core experience casting spells through floating runes the same as him?


    On the side, he really needed to create a term for his method - floating runes was lame and boring, unlike the technique.


    -----------------------------


    Early in the morning, the warriors ventured to the forest, quickly disappearing between the trees.


    Adam walked them out with his eyes, then turned around and went towards a spot in the middle of the camp.


    There, in quite a spacious plot of land, surrounded from all sides by tents, horses rested. These were both the draft horses meant for wagons with equipment and the animals belonging to envoys and their guards, fast and agile.


    In the crowd of creatures, only one gained Adam''s attention.


    The young mage went to a brown horse and looked him in the eyes while petting his snout. Los - Adam''s horse, looked back curiously between his owner and a cat sitting inside the pocket of his coat.


    "Beautiful animals aren''t they?" Someone approached from the side.


    "Yes, I guess you are right, sometimes they are... mesmerising," Adam replied without looking back.


    "Adam Axigna I presume?" The man asked, nearing the young mage''s side.


    "Yes, how do you know?" Adam replied with a hint of fear. He looked at the newcomer, who turned out to be one of the settlers. A man in his twenties, in durable work clothes.


    "Despite what one might think, in a camp filled with men the gossips spread far and wide. And if they weren''t about reverend mages, it would mean that the world has gone to dogs." The man answered, more poetically than Adam expected.


    "Oh... right... But who am I speaking with?" Adam asked his interlocutor.


    "Don''t concern yourself about such things, young master. There is no reason for you to remember the name of someone like me - we will probably never meet again, maybe aside for the next few days." The man rejected Adam''s request, though quite politely.


    The settler looked at Adam''s horse, Los, with eyes filled with curiosity.


    "A young one huh? If I may ask, what is his ancestry? Any famous predecessors?" He questioned.


    "I am not sure - I got him just a few days before departure. And quite frankly, I am no expert in regard to horses. It may sound macabre, but I would do a better job at skinning one, than taking care of it." Adam admitted, with regret buried deep in his voice.


    "No shame in that, I am not an expert myself, though I think I would fare better at caring, rather than skinning." The man brushed off Adam''s grim comment.


    "What do you think I should do? I heard that horses need some maintenance, like brushing their hair or something, and came here to figure that out." Adam asked his companion, unsure about what to do.


    "I don''t really know... But we can ask Barney - he takes care of animals here. I''m sure he will be of help to you." While talking, the settler''s eyes gradually looked down, catching movement below. "Whoa, what a cutie, what is its name?" He asked with a raised voice, pointing at the cat sitting in Adam''s pocket.


    "He is Parcas, my cat," Adam answered proudly while petting his pupil''s head. Seeing that, Los put his snout forward - also expecting pats.


    "So you do have an animal... But I guess cats take care of themselves." The builder commented, staring at Parcas''s appealing expression.


    "Can you lead me to that Barney of yours?" Adam asked, after giving Los a treat in the form of an apple. During his stay in the citadel, the young mage managed to get a grasp of nature magic, he had not created any spells with it yet, but it proved to be useful even if used only to freshen fruits and vegetables.


    "Certainly, come with me." The man happily obliged.


    As they were walking in the direction of the nearest tent, a huge commotion erupted at the edge of the woods.


    Screams for help reached their ears, alongside whines of pain and wolf''s howls of anger.


    Immediately, Adam and his companion changed course. The man took some axe which was lying on the side and Adam prepared a few icicles, as the runes danced around him.


    Running at their full speed, they reached the site in a few moments, a few moments too late.


    There, a bloodied man lay on the ground, clutching his arm to his torso - he cried out for help constantly, unaware that the attacking wolves left him alone.


    Left him alone, but not out of their own volition, rather than that, they were all dead.


    In place of vicious beasts, there were a few piles of scattered bones, surrounded by large pools of blood and torn organs.


    It was as if someone unleashed a storm inside them, tearing them apart - exploding them from within.


    The one responsible for such brutality was obviously Algier, the wind mage, as the guards - the primary defensive force of the camp - left just under an hour ago.


    Also, the fact that he was standing in the air, looking down at the mangled corpses with a mad, satisfied expression didn''t help his anonymousness.

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 AITMW- ch56 - Brief History Lesson

    Adam''s view of his senior changed after the first day at the Fire Mountains camp.


    Until now, Algier seemed to be an open, enthusiastic man who didn''t like mindless killing - as he said next to the campfire.


    But now, after seeing him staring madly at the obliterated wolves, Adam understood - Algier didn''t mind killing, he just didn''t see a reason to go out of his way to do that.


    It made Adam uncomfortable around him for a while, but the wind mage''s attitude and actions didn''t differ from what he did before - so Adam relaxed a little, at least until the next time the Airbender had a reason to unleash his horrific power.


    Worrying about the man was completely useless, if he went mad, Adam wouldn''t stand a chance at staying alive regardless of his efforts.


    Anyway, after the chaotic morning incident, Adam followed the friendly settler to the guy he mentioned near the horses - Barney.


    Barney turned out to be a wholesome guy, fascinated by animals, and no less knowledgeable about them. His passion spread to others around him, and soon, Adam was eagerly learning how to take care of Los.


    In the mornings and sometime later, instead of experimenting with Algier - like he planned at first, Adam learned with Barney, sometimes also with other people, who came in their time off.


    Working with animals turned out to be exhausting, but easier every time. It also depended on whatever the animal itself didn''t resist - but Los seemed to either be a calm boy, or he had been trained very well since birth.


    Barney showed Adam how to brush Los''s hair, pick his hoves and other things that seemed to be obvious after learning them. But he also shared that Adam should buy or find mana-rich grain - either naturally or mixed with some other mana-rich food - so that Los may advance in the realm.


    That surprised Adam greatly, he thought that normal animals don''t have the capacity to ascend - but he was wrong.


    It turned out that with the help of humans, they had a chance at ascending. But whether that chance was big or not, depended on the individual. Saying that creatures categorised as ''regular animals'' didn''t reach higher realms in the wild often, should give enough clues to anyone, that mana-talent was what they lacked.


    Barney even talked about rituals, conducted for animals - conducted to help them advance aside from their ancestral way - but unfortunately, he knew none of these and told the young mage to ask stablemasters when he got back in Derdania. Or find them somewhere else.


    That made Adam think - could he help Parcas in ascension too?


    He hadn''t heard of cats that entered the second realm, but he didn''t hear about horses either - and that knowledge was confirmed by an animal enthusiast and also a few of the guards.


    Thus, Adam decided to search for a vet in the nearest city - and ask for rituals for his horse and cat. Until then, he would feed them some crushed mana cores- the easiest source of condensed mana to find.


    Also, the guards showed him their horses- which were much older than Los and had already gone through ascension rituals a few times. They weren''t exactly bigger, but they felt much stronger. Thir skin was tougher, and even some energy was leaking from their bodies.


    While it was probably aura, Adam couldn''t be sure - he had never felt beast''s mana.


    After staying with the settlers in the morning, Adam looked around the camp - thinking. With few days left of their stay in the valley, Adam started to visit Algier in the evenings. He was still quite scared of his senior, but it didn''t mean he had to show it.


    They experimented a bit with magic and runes, trying to figure out in what way Adam''s core influenced the magic language - and if it was beneficial to use runes with normal, elemental cores.


    Turns out that...


    ...it was not. Apart from the fact that a mage could set the rune to activate after some time - using them was no different than normal spellcasting, but with more steps. Every advantage and disadvantage elemental-cored mages had with spellcasting transferred to their runes, regardless if they created them, or they were Worldspoke.


    Having an arcane core proved to be the major factor in making runes a viable replacement for classical spells - it made the mage powerful and versatile in exchange for longer, more complicated preparation and harder learning.


    Adam wasn''t sure if to be happy or sad about the result.


    Teaching the rest of Derdanian mages in such a way would boost the overall power and consequently security of the nation. And he could also get good money from teaching them.


    On the other hand - Adam didn''t really want Algier to have a way to learn spells in different elements, as that would only make him more scary in the young mage''s eyes. Wind was relatively harmless in itself, without any effort from the mage - unlike most of the elements, who were generally really easy to cause destruction with.


    Overall, the days in the Fire Mountains camp passed quite peacefully for Adam, aside from a scary incident, which resulted in one injured and several mangled beastes - nothing significant happened.


    Of course, subordinates of Sir Fenfallal would beg to differ- their week was packed with adrenaline and tension. They managed to find several beasts in the realm corresponding to humans'' masters - Beast lords.


    While they proved to be a challenge for the squad of warriors, the experienced fighters walked out of the confrontation with only minor injuries.


    Adam asked them how the fights went several times, but the knights refused to do so. They reasoned that as soon as one starts boasting about their achievement, they grow too confident in themselves - resulting in their early death.


    --------------------


    A week has passed.


    Adam more than doubled his knowledge about horses, making him barely know anything.


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    Algier went around and did stuff.


    Fenfallal and his aides exterminated all dangerous creatures in the forest. Or they missed some, but let''s be optimistic.


    Icy wind picked up the scarce snow in the valley, and the sun''s rays were falling at distant peaks - hidden from settler''s eyes, when the envoy group prepared to depart from its temporary stay.


    This time, their mounts were fully loaded with equipment and food - unlike before, no wagons would follow behind them with their heavy stuff.


    Adam''s horse, Los, was partially spared the struggle though. he was the weakest of the animals, and putting his load on other - stronger horses would be better for the group''s pace and safety. What amounted to one as too much, was barely felt by the other.


    Anyway, after saying their goodbyes to settlers they met over the week, they departed southward.


    The group crossed the valley, its forest and numerous small lakes and followed the streams slightly down.


    The waterways eventually converged into a small river, going down the mountains.


    The mountain path here was wild, overgrown and barely noticeable - rarely did merchants travel south and while the northern part that went high in the mountains was recently made usable for the settlers to travel, its southernmost part was left alone.


    Going forward wasn''t hard though. Algier, Fenfallal and Stellmo eradicated all obstacles in turns, with wind, lightning and fire respectively.


    The valley narrowed, as they went down with the river. The angle was so steep in some places, that the group had to take detours to go around small waterfalls. They always returned to the small mountain river, as it was a sure way not to lose themselves in the mountains.


    Two days passed like that, monotony was near to killing Adam.


    The surroundings barely changed. Occasional small forests and few ponds in relatively flat platforms were the most unusual things the travellers saw.


    The space between the mountains was constantly narrowing though, and now they travelled a stretched dean strictly formed by the river, however small it was. The space was barely enough to set up a small camp on both sides of the stream. One on both sides, not one on each.


    Adam urged Los forward, to reach Sir Fenfallal''s side.


    "Mister? Can I ask you something?" Adam did what he does best, asked.


    "Go on, I am listening." The man responded without taking his eyes off the road. They travelled through a patch of forest, and there was no way to tell when something my jump on them.


    "So, we are heading to the empire right?" Adam started.


    "Yes."


    "Okay, what is it called? Max supposedly knew, but he didn''t want to share this knowledge with me..."


    Royal Swordmaster took his eyes off the road for a moment to stare at Adam with disappointment. Which considering his golden eyes, was devastating to see.


    "Pruinos Empire" A Short answer followed. Then, Fenfallal looked at the young mage with an ''anything else?'' look, before turning forward again.


    "I heard there is an animosity between... Prinos Empire and Derdania, Kingdom of Derdania." Adam inquired next.


    "Kingdom of New Derdania." The swordsman corrected him, before going in a lengthy monologue for the first time since Adam had met him. "To tell this tale, you should know how Derdania formed, which I think you don''t know. So I will start from that."


    Algier rushed his horse a bit, to match Adam and Fenfallal when he heard bits of the conversation.


    "A few hundred years ago, Derdanian plains were occupied by a multitude of warring tribes, their fort-like cities and small villages were often devastated by plague, beasts and famine. But most often from all, by war.


    The tribes are speculated to have come from beyond the southern mountains, hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years ago.


    The warring tribes were forced into primitivity by their brutality, and constant conflict. Any innovation was branded evil, a plot by their enemies, or just laughed at. Rule of the fist was supreme, and as such - the most powerful warriors were the leaders.


    That was the silver lining of the situation. After all, mana-talented people are generally wiser." The backhanded compliment may have been not one actually, considering the sight-criticism young mage received just a few moments before.


    "Eventually, Warlords got fed up with the constant fight for survival and came to an agreement to form a nation together, abandoning their past grievances. There was one problem though - whom to raise as a king?


    The answer was not simple, as their normal methods wouldn''t work well if they wanted their country to function properly - they weren''t stupid. If they chose the leader considering his strength, it would be only a matter of time before someone more powerful appeared - rightfully challenging the King and throwing the nation into chaos. For an absolute ruler to have power, the continuation of his lineage is needed, if not, the nation will worry about the next king, and plot behind the current one''s back about his successor." Fenfallal was throwing his knowledge and wisdom as if boasting, yet in a respectful way.


    "After long talks over the years, the leaders came to a decision. They heard from travelling merchants about mages - powerful beings controlling the weather, who could smite their enemies with lightning or suffocate them with only a word of theirs.


    They also heard that magic can be learned, and have seen examples of such talents before in their tribes - killed in fear.


    Thus, the congregation decided to gain a way to become mages - and choose their future king out of their descendants. Whoever fastest becomes comparable to warlords in power, as a mage - would become the King." Fenfallal took a break from speaking, to get a bit of water from his waterskin.


    "The problem was in obtaining such techniques. The warlords tried all sorts of things, from threats, through bribery to honest purchases. But all failed, the mages of Pruinos Empire, located just outside the Fire Mountains, were unwilling to trade their techniques.


    That left them only one option, one they from the start for its danger - taking them by force.


    By chance, at the time there was a very powerful mage in Pruinos, she was famed for being able to reach a realm beyond master. The witch had her residence - a huge tower - located at the edge of the Fire Mountains, where she found solidarity and calmness while researching the arcane.


    The sorceress was unfortunate, despite her power and fame, she was no match against a horde of warforged warriors - hellbent on killing her and stealing her books.


    It didn''t mean she gave up without a fight though, most of the masters who went on the expedition never returned. But they achieved their goal, and eventually, a boy from the Derdania tribe became the king. His progeny rules to this day."


    "Wow - I have never thought about the early days of Derdania. I guess I took its existence for granted." Adam commented, interrupting Fenfallal''s lecture.


    The Swordmaster looked at him with annoyance.


    "I really should force the King into establishing an academy of sorts. It''s pathetic that mages don''t know the history. Mages, the supposedly wise people." He commented, before looking at the road again.


    "Anyway, The Witch the warlords killed in search of techniques is the reason for the animosity between our nations.


    Pruinians think that if she lived, their homeland would win the war when it started, and her descendants would strengthen the empire with their powerful magic.


    Which is complete bullshit. One mage couldn''t turn the tides of war unless they really ascended beyond the fifth realm. But she was beaten by barbaric tribes - I highly doubt she had a chance." Fenfallal ended his speech. After that, Adam noted in his head that the swordmaster was an avid historian.


    "What war?" Adam broke the comfortable silence, with another question of his.


    Even Algier looked at him with dissatisfaction, as if he wanted to explain it to his junior himself. Yet, he held himself back, giving the room to the avid historian.


    "Pruinos empire has been at war for several centuries. It started a few years after the warlords killed the witch. For us, the war is a blessing - as the Empire would obliterate our country if they weren''t occupied." Fenfallal turned his gaze towards the road, after seeing that Adam didn''t have questions anymore.


    Unfortunately, he was wrong.


    "So, we are heading to the nation with which Pruinos Empire is at war, right?" Adam guessed after thinking a bit.


    "Righ...t" Fenfallas words were broken by a sudden sound coming from the right, some distance ahead.


    All the members of the group turned their heads up, towards where the sound came from.


    There, a gigantic spider was falling down the mountain.


    Its massive carcass made screeching sounds as it hit the rocky slope. The arachnid''s descent left a fiery trail down a snow-covered mountain.

 AITMW- ch57 - Scally encounter #1

    The monster fell for a few moments - which seemed for Adam to be an eternity.


    Horses stopped.


    Fenfallal started to move as soon as he raised his head, towards the flaming spider- he pushed Adam back, giving him a clear sign to hide behind him - and looked at Algier, whose horse stood side to side with his.


    "Please protect the boy, we will take care of the danger." While Algier was the overall leader of the travellers, Fenfallal''s authority in moments of danger was absolute.


    The wind mage seemed hesitant - looking madly between Adam and the falling monster. Eventually, the craze in his eyes gave way to focus, and he nodded at the Royal Swordmaster - he decided to follow his orders.


    A loud thud reverberated through the surroundings. The sound bounced back and forth between the steep mountain slopes, guarding the path from both sides - as the spider collided with the earth. The flames on its carcass burst forth around him, then vanished for a moment only to reappear in a few seconds.


    "Step down, we have no room to manoeuvre," Fenfallal ordered his subordinates while getting off his horse.


    "Too little space for formation, augmentation?" Stellmo asked immediately.


    The spider squirmed on the ground, its burnt legs maniacally grasped the air and flailed around. Clouds of dust were raised into the air, as the boulders around the stream disintegrated under the creature''s enormous strength.


    The golden warrior thought for a short moment.


    "Yes, archers - fire at will, rest go with augmentation," Fenfallal said, and immediately his armour started to shine in golden light under his coat.


    Compared to Adam, he was clad in a heavy and robust piece of metal hidden under loose fabric- but for him, the masterwork of smiths and forgemasters wouldn''t be heavy even without its lightening enchantments.


    The warrior reached to his saddle, taking out a helmet from his saddlebags - fully golden, with beautiful marks adorning it from all sides, just like his armour. The helmet had a flap - covering his whole face if lowered, and shined in golden light just like the rest of the set.


    In the back, two warriors took out their bows and prepared to cover their leader''s back.


    The rest - five knights, stood next to their horses with their chestplates emitting soft light, of varying colours. Their weapons were drawn.


    As the guards prepared, the beast managed to get on its legs and stand up.


    At first, it stood with its massive abdomen turned to the travellers, but hearing Fenfallal''s commands, it turned around - Fury burning in its numerous eyes.


    Massive fangs sticking from its head scratched against each other as if the beast wanted to scream, howl in anger at the group of humans that appeared in its sight.


    Suddenly, the legs moved.


    The beast raised its carcass up, and its abdomen moved under its head, pointing at the travellers.


    A green mass burst out, flying at the group of humans with ferocious speed.


    Two bowstrings singed, and gigantic holes appeared in the tangled up web, of worrying colour.


    The rest of the dangerous substance was blown away by a curved blow of wind, arching next to Fenfallal and sending the web into a mountainside, far above them.


    The beast made its move and the obvious action was retaliation.


    Fenfallal dashed forward with unimaginable speed - after quickly drawing his sabre and ending an arch of lightning on the beast. Adam had to close his eyes, as the golden light coming from the warrior intensified, as if solidifying.


    Thunder boomed, as the arch leaving warrior''s weapon fused into a bolt, and struck the opponent almost immediately.


    Golden lighting danced on the spider''s abdomen, numbing him and rendering him unmovable - it didn''t deal much damage above that.


    Another thunder was heard, as Fenfallal appeared near the spider''s burning leg. With a swift slash of the sabre, the golden champion cut off a major part of the creature''s body.


    The spider was agitated, it woke up from its stupor and moved its still electrified, body in pain.


    The monster''s retaliation was unsuccessful, warrior clad in lightning dashed to safety as soon as he dealt some damage.


    Arrows flew through the air, helping to distract the beast from the swordmaster. They didn''t have nearly enough power to deal any damage to the beast though - everyone apart from Fenfallal and Stellmo was at most in the advanced realm, after all.


    Spider lost another leg to the warrior''s nefarious tactic and was forced to step back a bit in the passage.


    Fenfallal attacked again, at the nearest leg.


    Yet, this time the monster was prepared.


    Its back legs burst with power, letting it rotate in the canyon and step on the steep mountainside.


    Fenfallal found himself between the spider and another wall of earth. With no time to change course, his sabre hit the spider''s leg - which lit in a sickly green hue a moment before.


    The weapon got stuck to the leg, burrowing itself in hard, sticky light.


    Fenfallal found himself without a weapon and at that exact moment, lightning vanished from around him, he looked around frantically.


    His armour was still shining though, when the creature spat another salvo of sticky web out of its mouth - directly at the warrior.


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    When he saw the danger coming, lightning returned, and while he got caught in the web, he at least managed to fend off the liquid''s corrosive power.


    The spider neared its stuck prey, unbothered by the archer''s salvos, or even Algier''s attempts at breaking the beast''s balance - despite losing two legs, the beast lord had still enough of them to keep itself up under the barrage of wind sent by a mage realm below it.


    The fangs cackled as if laughing at Fenfallal''s misfortune - who still couldn''t move a finger.


    The beast lunged at its prey, but fortunately for the warriors, failed to do so.


    When its legs were about to bring it to speed, a torrent of flames descended from the air, pinning it to the ground and burning it alive.


    The beast sprawled on the ground, frantically trying to put down the flames, which seemed to have consciousness of their own and attacked only the arachnid, leaving the surroundings intact.


    All of the travellers looked up in shock, everything they were doing until then just stopped and whatever they kept in their arms fell to the ground. Only Parcas seemed not to change.


    High above them, numerous kilometres above the highest peaks - an enormous beast stayed in the air.


    A gigantic red lizard with bat wings sprouting from its back blocked the sun, hovering above the passage.


    The massive figure invoked fear and admiration - those who cast their eyes at the Dragon couldn''t move them away, neither were they allowed to stare. The longer they looked, the greater the dread became - numbing their thoughts and feelings, putting them in a near-vegetative state.


    <Humans> Tremendous pressure descended on the travellers as they heard a deep, dominating voice in their minds. The voice seemed to come from incomprehensibly far away.


    <Leave the nestling''s prey alone> When the voice commanded, warriors and Algier fell to their knees, breathless.


    <Leave what ours, and We will leave what yours - remember the pact> Leaving these scarce words behind, Dragon disappeared as if it was never there. Humongous wings stopped blocking the sun which once again illuminated the passage. When the beast vanished, humans took a breath of relief - the first one since the Dragon appeared.


    The warriors and Algier stood up and looked at the sky again - only to see a much smaller version of the Dragon dive into the gorge.


    The beast picked up its prey and bouncing from the passage''s floor, flew up again, leaving the traveller''s sight in moments.


    Fenfallal''s sabre fell from the sky, embedding itself into the dirt - the dragon took what was it''s, and left what belonged to humans alone.


    ------------------------


    Minutes passed, and the stream''s surroundings were still as a mountain lake.


    Humans stood in silence, not daring to move in fear of the predator''s presence.


    There was an exception though, Fenfallal managed to undo the spider''s bindings in that time, burning the sticky liquid with enormous amounts of electricity. He didn''t have time to spare and stare at the sky.


    Horses didn''t seem as agitated as their owners - they were scared but stayed calm just like when the sole danger was the spider. As if the Dragon never appeared.


    But it didn''t seem like the animals didn''t notice the beast in its entirety - Parcas calmly looked up - staring at the spot where the humongous lizard had been just moments before - and then looked around, as if proud of his bravery.


    As Adam woke up from the stupor and looked around the site, he noticed something had changed - namely, the stream had gotten much bigger, as if the snow melted and dripped down the mountains.


    Considering the situation, the sudden heatwave wasn''t very unbelievable.


    A few moments later, the warriors and Algier started to move again. The mage went to his horse quietly and took out a metal bottle with a weird curvy shape.


    The warriors, on the other hand, picked up their weapons and rushed downstream - to help their leader gout out of his bindings.


    As his subordinates aided his friend, Stellmo approached Fenfallal''s blade - stuck in stone and red from heat.


    "That... was something." He said while picking up the weapon with a hand covered in red hue.


    "Yeah.. wtf." Someone from the little warrior crowd commented.


    Sellmo locked eyes with his leader, both of them looked at the other with fear and worry.


    When Fanfallal finally walked some distance away from the grease left behind by the burnt web, he stood alone and looked at the sky - contemplating.


    His second in command neared him, and standing side to side, followed his gaze.


    "What now? Do we return to report about the Dragon?" He asked with worry.


    "Do not talk about ''It'' openly." Fenfallal strictly ordered. "Such powerful beings can feel when someone calls them out."


    "Isn''t that a name of the species though? That would mean I am calling out gods every time I say ''human''." Stellmo argued back.


    "How many humans do you know? Probably hundreds, and you have seen thousands of them or even hundreds of thousands. When you have only one, or two references - calling even the vaguest name may gain their attention." Fenfallal calmly explained.


    "Oh..." The warrior seemed to give in and acknowledge his leader as the one being right.


    Seeing the warriors congregate near the place where the sword fell, Adam left the wind mage with his flask and approached the group.


    "Wha.. what was that about?" He asked reaccelerating near Fenfallal and Stellmo, he then looked at the sky - similar to them.


    The stoic warrior didn''t say anything for a while, as if considering the answer.


    "We entered the apex predator''s area of influence. You heard what I told Stellmo?" He eventually said.


    "Yes, I heard. So, does that mean the future city is in danger? If we are in its territory, the settlers must be too." Adam concluded. He was worried, and it was clearly seen on his face.


    "No - I don''t think so. The beast''s presence isn''t a new thing for us, rather than that, we are shocked by its appearance... and its ancestor''s." Fenfallal said, still looking at the sky with an unreadable expression.


    Stellmo nodded at his friend''s statement, assuring Adam that their opinion was the same.


    "Are we returning, or do we go on?" Adam asked after a few moments of silence.


    "If it was my decision We would continue the journey, but tomorrow - we have to rest after such a stressful encounter. But it''s not mine, ask Algier before he drinks too much and loses the ability to answer." Fenfallal responded, pointing at the wind mage supporting himself on his horse, with a metal flask in his hand.


    Hearing that, Adam made his way in his senior''s direction. He picked up Paras on the way - putting him in his pocket and petting his fluffy head.


    Algier seemed to have managed to drink a considerable amount of the liquid inside his flask. his legs wobbled under him in such a way, that the only thing keeping him upright was his horse. His long brownish-blonde wavy hair was wet in one spot - that stuck to his attire. The drink must have been powerful, as the mage got considerably drunk form from a small amount of it.


    "Can you talk?" Adam carefully approached the drunk mage.


    "I... can," Algier answered with struggle.


    "Do we continue the mission? Yes or no." Adam gave him a hand and supported him with his shoulder. The young mage worded his question in the easiest possible format to answer, to help Algier''s foggy mind.


    "We... will continue... help me sit.. please." Algier''s face was completely relaxed as he talked as if he had already begun to sleep.


    Adam helped the man walk to the steep slope at the side of the passage, where he put him down to rest.


    Next, he helped the warriors with arranging the camp and preparing food for dinner.


    They sat around a campfire, in their blankets and talked half the night, most of the travellers got drunk - similarly to the expedition''s leader. It was simply too much for their minds to handle at the moment, the dread and danger were nothing like they had ever experienced - it was painfully obvious that with just a word, the dragon could have obliterated the whole group.


    They had no chance to retaliate, defend, escape or whatever their minds thought of - in the beast''s presence, they were like specs of dust, worthless and unworthy of attention.


    Everyone apart from Adam was aware of how generous the humongous beast was - they experienced its power directly and were truly grateful to the Dragon for sparing their lives.


    The appearance of the two scaly beasts was unexpected and terrifying - and the travellers would bear a mark of the encounter for the rest of their lives.


    As time passed, and the story spread - the memory of the day would be engraved in the mountains and the minds of people, and the shallow river''s gully would be named the ''Fiery Mercy'' passage.

 AITMW- ch58 - Lord Smith, who cant really smith

The passage of Fiery Mercy, as it would


    <hr>


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    <hr>

 AITMW- ch59 - Leaderless Town

    The morning was calm, but surprising - for the most.


    Algier was the first one sitting in the open air and prepping up the fire to make breakfast. Which was an easy feat for him, considering that as a mage, he could quite literally snap his fingers and engulf the pile of wood in flames, weak ones but still.


    Those actions don''t surprise the ones who left their tents later, it was what was in the background.


    Behind the camp, on a low-hanging branch, Algier''s robe swung in the wind. It could be easily recognised that he tried to wash it, but the blood stains left residue deep in the fabric. Nothing a novice washer could deal with. As such, the beautifully green robe was stained, and reddish patches covering most of its fabric attracted the attention of onlookers.


    "Did you go out in the dark?" Adam asked while looking around, and noting in his mind the expressions of the warriors - they weren''t particularly surprised, at least not as much as he was.


    ¡°Yeah, the town¡¯s leader didn''t like my advice. He went on a stroll through the forest.¡± Algier responded plainly - while pouring water into a kettle that swung back and forth above the fire. The older mage couldn''t live without morning tea.


    ¡°Oh, did he have company?¡± Adam questioned. He sat down on a log, near the fireplace to warm his freezing hands, and acted as if the death of the noble hadn''t bothered him at all.


    ¡°Few men, weak and fearful. However, I am still wondering why would they follow that man. Even you could deal with him with ease¡­ no offence, you are quite inexperienced at fighting for a mage in the second realm.¡± Algier looked at his fellow arcanist and smiled apologetically.


    The rest of the camp dwellers arrived near the fire embers and sat down on the logs scattered around.


    Most of the warriors wore some kind of soft sleeping robes, colourful and full of beautiful patterns. Sleeping in the armour would be excruciating, so whenever the chance arose, the men changed clothes before going into their tents.


    Adam and Algier lacked such garments, the first one due to his inexperience with travelling, and the second had something other in store. Algier didn''t sleep in a conventional tent, he used his ability to fly and set up a simple hammock-like tree house high on the treetops.


    There, he supposedly slept naked.


    ¡°I think they didn''t fear him, they were scared by his rank, and of the one who gave it to him. Even if he was the lowest of the low among the empire''s noble circles, someone had to put him there.¡± Gravis was the one to speak. He was one of Fenfallal¡¯s subordinates, an advanced warrior, just like the rest of them. He had short black hair, soft features and brown eyes.


    ¡°Maybe, but that would only prove their stupidity. Their ¡®nameless¡¯ town is in such a ''good'' shape only because of the bribes from our merchants. No one cares about this place.¡± Algier stated. He was pouring his boiling water into a cup, where the tea leaves rested at the bottom. Then he waved the kettle around as if asking if someone else wanted some hot water.


    ¡°Empire¡¯s society is much more cruel and strict about social status. If he had been raised from plebs to nobility, that alone would grant him great respect.¡± Gravis argued - he seemed to be more knowledgeable about the Pruinian society than Adam gave him credit for.


    ¡°If you say so¡­ Either way, they were stupid to follow someone as incompetent as him.¡± Seeing that no one else wanted to use his hot water, Algier put the kettle down and started to sip one of his horrendously hot tea.


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­ Can you pass the salt?¡± Gravis agreed with the wind mage, who then took the salt shaker from a basket next to him, and threw it towards the warrior.


    Gravis caught the flying seasoning easily and turned towards his food - it still required heating, but he preferred to as spices beforehand, as they would melt nicely.


    <hr>


    To say that the townsfolk were acting salty towards the strangers would be an understatement.


    Resentful looks and unkind whispers were the most common among the ways locals could demonstrate their lack of favour toward the newcomers.


    It was safe to say, that Adam, Algier and the warriors weren''t a great sight for locals, but there was literally nothing they could do about it, nothing not involving some kind of suicide.


    Walking through the small town made a huge impression on Adam. The resection of the Empire¡¯s civilians was to be expected, but it became more abstract the more Adam spent inside the walls.


    From the outside, the hamlet looked worn out and poor. Its walls had visible cracks and splits, sharp spikes on the top were mostly destroyed and some pols forming the palisade swayed slightly in the wind. An outsider could see some holes in the roof above the defensive structure, but that¡¯s about it. Poor and requiring heavy restoration, but manageable - a trained team of Derdanian warriors could repair it in a week, and no professional builders were needed.


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    But as Adam entered the nameless town, through the gate broken by some frustrated mage, the rest of the town''s pitiful state unfolded.


    From within the walls, the town¡¯s buildings were much more visible than from outside - the walls were often cracked, filled with holes and bent, the residents wanted to repair them, as they filled the holes with thick fabric or some makeshift wooden plugs, but from the state of things, it seemed that there were no good woodworker in the entire town.


    Normally, remaining something like walls was easy, and affordable as long as there was someone who knew how to prepare the material. Mounting it to the house¡¯s frame was a child''s work after all.


    If the state of houses was prevalent in all parts of the town as much as near the gate, there was no way someone capable of woodworking existed here.


    Apart from the poor housing situation, a few other problems caught the eyes of the arrivals.


    On the streets, there were only citizens, no guards, soldiers or other authoritative force that would guarantee peace and enforce laws. They existed, as Adam and the rest saw them walking on the battlements and even talked with them, they were just absent - but why? Adam couldn''t figure it out.


    As the group made their way through the streets - watched by residents intently - they slowly neared the centre of the town, which looked much better than the rest of the settlement. It was whole and in good condition, but still messy and dirty.


    At the core, in the middle of the main square, stood a big mansion - its stone walls gave it an almost castle-like look. The building wasn''t particularly clean, but it didn''t scream ''clean me'' like the rest of the town.


    There, the envoys finally saw the guards - who stood both inside and in front of the building.


    The ones inside wielded bows and crossbows, already loaded and ready to shoot. Those who stood in front - rested their hands on long halberds, very practical and useful weapons popular in the Empire, yet seemingly non-existent in Derdania.


    One of the halberdiers stepped forward, taking the role of the leader, and shouted towards the group of people slowly riding their horses in his direction.


    "My name is Rodney, the highest authority in this town until Lord Smith returns - what business do you have with us?" He asked.


    "My name''s Algier Windsworth, and I am afraid neither of the things you said are true, maybe apart from your name.


    You see, we are here to announce to you that this territory belongs to our King, consequently - the highest authority belongs to me." Algier replied calmly, from the back of his horse.


    "What do you mean by that, this is the territory belonging to The Emperor - The Radiant Sun, explain yourself." Rodney - the soldier in charge, ordered.


    ''Fun title - when will I get one as such? What will it be... maybe The Winter Bringer? - Nah, that''s too grim. - Frost of the North?- That would reference my roots in Derdania but would be used only by non-Derdanians probably, so it''s so-so..." Adam got lost in thoughts, imagining your future title, a thing reserved for the greatest and most prominent figures when you only recently advanced into the second realm must have been a great way to spend time.


    "Your Radiant Sun doesn''t look here often - as seen all around us. He expects you to deliver too much of your resources, so much even - that your tawn slowly falls into ruin.


    Why not surrender willingly? Under our King''s rule, this place will become a major trading hub for Derdania, and with it, your standard of living will reach the heavens, compared to it today...


    Also, don''t be stupid - the bunch of you may take down one of us at most, at that is if you get incredibly lucky, and three of us restrain ourselves." As he said the last words, Algier pointed at himself, Fenfallal and Stellmo - who alone could probably take down this whole group of guards, tho at the cost of the buildings.


    The guard gulped down his saliva and took a look around.


    Behind him, his colleagues stood relatively still - looking back and forth between their temporal leader and the arrivals.


    Before him, a group of dangerous-looking warriors, clad in armour far better than anything he had ever seen sat on their horses next to two men in colourful attires hidden under their coats - one was surely a mage, they had seen him summon a whirlwind, the second - a mystery.


    Around the square, numerous civilians stood in silence, nervously watching the standoff between two armed groups. Every now in a while, one of them would say something, then shut up either willingly or not.


    Once again, Rodney looked towards the manor - so outstanding in between plan and modes houses of even the most wealthy townspeople. Would the King allow their next governor to exploit them, just like the recently deceased one had?


    Lastly, he returned his gaze towards his comrades, askingly. Seeing shaky eyes and unsure expressions, Rodney made a decision.


    "We will surrender..."


    <hr>


    And surrender they did, tho not everyone as eagerly as Rodney.


    A few burly men, who thought of themselves as powerful warriors, despite being pitiful even in comparison to the town''s guards, decided to stand up to the oppression from the group of Derdanians - and ended up unconscious next to some wall. It could end much worse for them if Fenfallal wasn''t around. The stoic warrior was the only one who knew how to chain Algier''s murderous tendencies.


    Eventually, the town calmed down and the envoys could finally set things straight. Which meant much work for the wind mage, but a leisurely evening for Adam.


    As they would be leaving the next day - Algier appointed Rodney as a temporal leader of the settlement. It was he who was given instructions on how to proceed until official settlers from Derdania arrive and take over the surrounding lands.


    The town had been given the task of clearing the forest between the settlement and the waterfall - The ultimate goal was to build a fortress on the mountainside and a trading town surrounding it. A clear perimeter and abundance of wood usable for construction would make the job of the builders much easier when they finally arrived.


    Of course, no one among the envoy group thought that the townspeople would manage to complete the task - not only was it a huge undertaking, but they also believed that the people wouldn''t be as cooperative as they could. They were just annexed by another kingdom after all.


    <hr>


    The next day, Adam and the rest were on the road again - leaving the nameless town behind, without any way of knowing whether things would progress smoothly, or the settlers would have to fight for the land when they arrived.


    The road leading deeper into the Pruinos Empire from the Fire Mountains was far better than those leading among the peaks, but still poor in comparison to the roads issued by the Derdanian King in recent years.


    Yet, despite their experience with better roads, the travellers were very happy to move from riding on a mountain path to an actual road, regardless of its quality.


    Having left the nameless town behind - Adam, Algier, Fenfallal and Stellmo, along with the warriors under the Royal Swordmaster headed further south, towards their destination - the faraway country of Ermanor, separated from Derdania by the wide, unpredictable lowlands of the Pruinos Empire.

 AITMW- ch60 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.1

    Riding on Los, through the tall grass of Pruinan plain, Adam had an amazing view of the city lying in the distance.


    Today marked seven days of travel, from the nameless town at the Pruino-Derdanian border, and finally, the envoys stumbled onto a centre of civilisation bigger than a hamlet, or a small town.


    In the distance, high city walls surrounded by fields green from yet-to-mature vegetables and wheat looked over a vast plain.


    The plain stretched far and wide around the city, with only a tree grove or a small hill disturbing the predominantly flat terrain.


    Cities in the Pruinos Empire were quite similar to the ones in Derdania. Both had defensive walls encasing nearly all buildings of the settlement - with the exception of monster hunters'' residences, slaughterhouses and other places where carcasses adorn the walls and floors are red from blood.


    Yet, those few and far-in-between differences made the two easily recognisable from each other.


    The first difference a traveller would see is the way Pruinaians built walls - it was far more complex and intricate than simple Derdanian palisades. Hundreds of years into a war, regardless of how much of them were spent actively fighting their enemy, made Pruinian architects adept in the art of war, be it sieging or being sieged.


    One of the first ''tricks'' learned by the meadow-dwelling war architects was an efficient way of taking advantage of hills and creating their own hills in places where they benefit them.


    As such, the wall surrounding the city was located on a moderate hill, steep but not too high. On the said hill, wooden walls on stone fundaments towered over the meadows. In the hills, that supported the wall - lay an intricate structure made of wood and stone, which supported the hill against any form of change.


    The last part, envoys got to know thanks to Gravis''s curiosity over the Empire, which was unusual for the normally geographically unaware Derdanians.


    As such, Pruinian walls were much different than Derdanian ones - one could say that they were impenetrable in comparison to the child-like defences of forest-dwelling northerners.


    Second of the most easily recognisable features of the meadow cities, were their size.


    While Derdanians strived to build high buildings that gave them the most space for the same plot of land, torn from the forest with blood and tears, inhabitants of the lowlands didn''t have such consideration for space.


    Instead of building high, they build wide - high demand on wood and stone made making fundaments unpopular and far more costly than buying enough land to accommodate a building twice the size, compensating for the lack of a second floor.


    Consequently, Pruinian cities seemed far larger than their Derdanian counterparts, despite the same population. Also, it made finding the official buildings, often two storeys high, way easier without a random tavern stretching towards the clouds.


    Another factor widening the span of the Pruinian cities was their massive drill squares - The ever-fighting empire cultivated a militaristic society, filled with fighting maniacs and warriors priding themselves on their prowess.


    Cities far from the border were safer and calmer - but the closer you got to the hostile country, the less you would see young men in the cities. Early adulthood is the most fearsome time in the Pruinian boy''s lifespan, not only do they have to acclimate themselves to adult life, but the constant threat of irrefutable recruitment into the iron ranks of the imperial army looms over each boy''s head.


    The massive drill squares were constantly reminding the citizens of the war battled far beyond the horizon, where their countrymen were slaughtered, and where their sons may be sent - only to die because of a fireball that lost its path.


    <hr>


    Los''s hooves struck the paved road rhythmically, as he walked forward due to his master''s whims. Walking slowly, he looked around in curiosity, flinging his brown hair around - and breaking his master out of grim thoughts, by whipping him in the face with his unruly, brown hair.


    Looking around ended in no time though, a stray strand of hair reached Parcas, who didn''t like his nap being interrupted, especially in such an aggressive way.


    The not-exactly-tuxedo cat retaliated in no time, striking Los''s head furiously with his paw while meowing reprimandingly.


    <hr>


    Yeah, Adam''s thoughts wandered far from the peculiarities of Pruinian architecture in comparison to Derdanian, So we will stop talking about the repercussions of the neverending war on the Empire and its citizens in particular.


    But we will also not return to talking about architecture, you see, the envoys got close to the city walls - it''s high time we return to our heroes.


    After nearing the gates, Algier went forward to talk with the guards standing at both sides of the metal-framed entrance.


    While the senior mage talked with the locals, Adam took a good look at their group, which changed over the weeks of travel.


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    The most changed person was Algier himself. After arriving in their second Pruinian settlement, the evoys realised that the wind mage was too easily recognisable in his profession - even the townspeople who never saw a mage, had thought of him as such. To deal with the issue, Fenfallal had to steal Algier''s clothes when the mage slept, which was quite easy considering that the envoy''s leader slept naked.


    To the wind mage''s dread, he found his clothes torn and burnt below his tree of the night, with a note instructing him how to find the nearest clothing shop.


    Now, Algier wore plain brown trousers a long white shirt and the fanciest part of his clothing - a fur coat, that he had to haggle fiercely for.


    In retaliation, The Royal Sowrdmaster''s garments mysteriously landed on the treetops with enigmatic holes of unknown origin in weird places.


    Considering that their leader''s clothes became covered with paths, the rest of the warriors had to follow suit - it would be weird if only one of them looked worn out by the road, while the rest wore new and shiny clothing. Of course, they didn''t create holes, pathes over healthy material were enough.


    At the moment, Adam was the only one remaining with his freshly made clothes, which was possible due to Algier fighting so fiercely for the fur coat - similar to the one accompanying Adam from Derdania.


    So, the group consisted of two men in fur coats, with scarce weapons and little armour, and a group of heavily armoured warriors, true mountains of men hidden under a full armour worn out by their travels.


    Of course, each person''s attire differed from others - for example, Fenfallal was less armoured and his clothes were loose, flying around with each of his moves.


    In short, the group lost their look of majesty in return becoming more savage-looking, and frightening.


    After a short exchange of words and a few golden coins, the envoys managed to get into the city - which as they learned, was named "Northern Overseer".


    <hr>


    A wide road led the group deeper into the city, towards the centre where a multitude of tall buildings were easily seen - offices of officials and various other government structures - scattered around a castle nestling in the middle of the city.


    The castle was big and eye-catching for a few reasons. One previously mentioned was its height, slim and elegant towers reached for the clouds among the one-storey buildings of the Northern Overseer''s buildings. Another, which the castle shared with most of the higher buildings and some richer houses, was the red colour.


    While mountains were far away, and procuring stones was a tough job performed only in absolute necessity, Pruinan plains - lowlands with a multitude of rivers flowing through, had their source of hard and stable material.


    While not as pretty as stone (if done nicely), bricks give a unique look to buildings that are built out of them.


    Also, bricks are apparently easier to use than huge stone blocks - but that''s obviously only a side effect of those pretty little oblong cubes bathed in red.


    Anyway, riding on the side of the road, between a multitude of one-storey houses - mainly made of wood and decorated with paint, and sometimes solitary brick buildings - envoys got to see the Pruinian way of city life, quite different than a mostly carefree society of recently destroyed, Derdanian capital.


    The sidewalks treading near the building on both sides of the road were tidy and organised, it looked as if they were cleaned often, and stayed neat even without that.


    The crowd walked quietly, no one raised their voice or laughed, the striking of the hooves against the beaten path dominated the surroundings - instead of the chatter and laughter of passersby.


    Now, don''t take me wrong - Pruinians were in no way a solemn, depressed society without the ability to be happy. Rather than that forces of the empire invoked fear, even among its population - ensuring no one wanted to stick out from the crowd. joy and happiness were as prevalent as in every other country, yet the laughter was muffled, quiet and personal.


    Riding slowly through the orderly city, Los finally got a moment of rest when the envoys arrived before an inconspicuous tavern.


    Hidden alley next to a relatively big drill square - which often took the form of a street market, the tavern wasn''t the biggest building in the vicinity.


    Its wooden walls, painted with oil and freshly made sign above the doors gave the building a nice look, yet didn''t bring much attention. If you searched for a place to stay, you would find it, but otherwise, locals didn''t focus too much on the tavern.


    To the side, hugging the edge of the alley, an entrance to the backyard invited any traveller to the stables - from the street, among the cluttering of hooves and quiet conversations, animals already placed there were heard.


    "Go inside and announce us to the owner - tell him to come to the stables and take us to the rooms. After that, order us some food, we will take your things to the room." Algier commanded his junior.


    "Anything specific?" Adam asked concerning the meal.


    The warriors shook their heads - they didn''t have anything in mind, just like the wind mage. "Just make sure it is eatable, NO STEWS." Algier voiced their opinion, though most of them seemed to remember the disaster from a few days ago only after their leader mentioned it - which meant that trauma slowly vanished, fortunately.


    Adam jumped off Los, giving the reins to the nearest rider, and with Parcas in tow, headed towards the main entrance of the tavern.


    Before crossing the doorway, the cat disappeared in his special pocket, with only Parcas'' head sticking out for the bystanders to see.


    Across the doorway, a large room unveiled itself - filled with tables and benches, it was a classical tavern, where you could order some food, hear a song or tale, and get into a quality fight over minor details, otherwise uninteresting and unimportant.


    Despite the early hour, the room was nearly half-filled.


    Few men Laughed in the corner, drinking beer and eating buns - either celebrating something or drinking away their worries.


    Near them, another group was eating an early supper - quietly, yet slowly. They probably didn''t have much to do today anymore, they would leave early and sleep more today, or stay here until the nightly wave of customers arrive and either they are asked out or buy more at the counter.


    Few other groups sat around, either near the counter or at the benches, around tables and conversed while eating or drinking, But Adam no longer looked around the dim, wooden room.


    Nearing the counter, Adam was spotted by a bartender, who may have been an innkeeper as well.


    "Hello, how can I help you?" The burly, short man with brown locks asked, leaving what he was doing before to focus on the new customer.


    "Hi, I would like to rent rooms, and place in the stable for a night - 7 men and the same number of horses." He paused for a bit.


    "Oh, and this buddy - but I don''t think it will be a problem if he just sleeps with me, will it?" Adam asked while looking at the cat sticking out of his pocket.


    "Nah, but if you want food for him, it will not be free - like your breakfast." The innkeeper responded dismissively.


    "There is free breakfast? Nice... Oh - can you show my companions where to leave our horses? they should be near the stables." Adam was positively surprised, which nearly made him forget about the warriors waiting outside.


    "Of course - if you want to order something to eat or drink, call my daughter, she should be in the kitchen preparing for the evening surge, she will hear you if you just shout in there." The innkeeper explained and headed for a side entrance after pointing towards an ajar door behind the counter.


    Adam looked at the leaving man, before turning towards the wooden door, from behind which part of the kitchen was seen.

 AITMW- ch61 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.2

    "Hello?" Adam called hesitantly - even though it wasn''t the most elegant place, shouting didn''t seem appropriate to him.


    "Hello? Is someone there!?" The mage tried again, this time louder.


    "I''m coming!" A hurried, female voice called out from behind the door.


    A moment later, a woman in an orderly green dress and leather apron walked out of the backrooms. She had long brown hair, tied in a bun over her head. A few strands fell out and rested on her tanned face.


    "Hello! How can I help you?" She asked from behind the counter.


    "Hi, I would like to order food for eight men- no, make it twelve - we haven''t eaten since the morning..." Adam started.


    "That''s a lot so it will take some time... can you wait an hour or two?... It mainly depends on the type of dish, but two hours should be enough time to expect, even for such a big order." The woman walked over to a shelf hanging from the wall and picked up a few pieces of paper. Then, she had chosen one from seven of them and returned to the counter.


    "We don''t have anything to do today, anyway, so time shouldn''t be a big issue. Though I would be lying if I said that guys would be happy to wait two hours for a meal." Adam explained with a grimace on his face. He too, didn''t like the idea of waiting so long.


    The woman nodded solemnly and set the piece of paper on the counter.


    "Here is what we are preparing today,... personally I would choose the stew, Dad is very good at making those, and it will be especially delicious today - we refilled our stock of ingredients just yesterday." She pointed at the scribble at the top of the page.


    "No, sorry but we will have to pass - stews are no-go." Adam refused instead of his companions, who would unanimously agree, that they had enough stews for the rest of the month - at least.


    <hr>


    Adam was sitting by one of the biggest tables alone - waiting for his company to come after taking care of the horses and leaving their luggage in the rooms.


    The table was near fire, and that was Adam''s point of interest at the moment.


    He stared into the dancing embers, linking the bricks surrounding the hearth and thought about various things. Future, the current journey and his next steps on the road of magic, inter alia.


    Only when a burly man, who stealthily sat beside the mage, tapped him on the shoulder, did Adam escape the world of his thoughts.


    "Hello, boy. I haven''t seen you here before - what''s the reason for your visit?" The man asked in a calm, almost eerie voice.


    "Me - and my companions are just passing by, you won''t see us here tomorrow," Adam assured, unsure about the man''s intentions.


    His interlocutor was tall, burly and muscular - which along with his near-fully shaved hair gave him a scary, nearly ferocious look.


    "Travleller''s huh? It''s quite rare to see the likes of yours these days, especially someone as young as you... Aren''t you scared of being recruited?" The man asked in confusion - as if he couldn''t believe he was asking such a question.


    One might think that it was stupid of him to ask that - after all, almost all young men were scared of going to the army, and the answer was seemingly obvious - but in this situation, it was different.


    In the man''s eyes, Adam was a reckless brat who wandered far from his hometown - where there may be someone who might guard him against being recruited. New city or town every day, meeting new guards and new officials, and most importantly - new officers, wasn''t the smart strategy of staying out of the recruiter''s reach.


    "Scared? -Not really. I''ve come to terms with the danger, it''s more of an unnerving sensation, as if I was a defenceless pig, in a forest filled with monsters - who despite being in the line of sight, never attacked." Adam made up some bullshit as fast as he could. He consulted general guidelines of what to say to the locals with Fenfallal and others, but speculations and daydreams were way different than an actual conversation with a wolf-like local man.


    "You aren''t an officer by chance, I assume?" He joked, at the end - to divert the burly man''s attention from whatever suspicious things he might have said.


    "Ha ha! No - of course not... You choose a good establishment. It seems the luck is on your side, you will have a hard time finding someone remotely associated with the army here, though, a bruise might find you here easily." Finishing, he pulled his shirt aside - letting Adam''s eyes wander on a heavily bruised shoulder. It''s good he did it now, not when the food arrived.


    "Ouch, That must have hurt..." Adam expressed his pity.


    Then looked around the tavern''s floor again, this time more carefully.


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    "Nah, normal stuff. I had worse, this one will need at most two, three more days to heal." The guy babbled, looking at his injured arm with something akin to amused curiosity.


    Adam looked around, his eyes wandering between the counter - and the pretty innkeeper''s daughter, and the guests sitting by the tables. occasionally focusing on some point in between while the nameless man drank from his half-filled mug of light beer.


    "Say - you claim there are many brawls here, yet I have seen none until now, and the room is quite good looking - no signs of destruction, a big one anyway... So, are you making a fool out of me?" Adam turned towards the guy, his face wasn''t accusing, but curious.


    Wolf-like man - Wolfie for short - looked the young mage in the eyes, and laughed.


    "Ha ha, hihihi... Ehh.. you might have caught my bluff - but I didn''t lie entirely." He stopped for a moment and pointed at his shoulder. "This was made here - and there are many with similar marks around this room. It''s just that when we fight, we step outside most of the time - those few signs of fighting around here were left by a handful of stupid people, who will not return here again." He finished with a smile, his pupils dilated as he reminisced in a daze.


    "Banned, or dead?" Adam expressed his curiosity.


    "Huh??? Of course banned, who do you take us for? Northern Barbarians?" Wolfie exclaimed loudly, clearly offended.


    He didn''t know though, that a northern barbarian was sitting across him, by the same table. I wonder what would he do if he knew such a bloodthirst beast was active nearby.


    ¡°Well, you never know - just a few days ago, my companions murdered the owner of the inn we were staying at at the time. Which is quite unusual for most of us¡­¡± Adam shared - he started to get comfortable around Wolfie, of course not enough to kiss him or something, just the usual taking stuff.


    ¡°Huh?? A wait, what do you mean by ¡®most¡¯???¡± Wolfie asked in shock - and straightened his back.


    Adam waved his hand dismissively and continued his tale. ¡°You see, they all ordered some kind of vegetable stew, with meat mixed in between - which I completely don''t understand, who would want to willingly eat flaccid vegetables? It''s disgusting to destroy perfectly good plants like that¡­


    Anyway, I''ve gone off-topic. That damned stew of theirs didn''t quite meat their expectations¡­


    Hehe, - you see what I did there?¡± Adam laughed at his terrible joke - maybe the beer he drank affected him more than he thought.


    Wolfie seemed to catch the joke, but didn''t express himself with anything more than a chuckle - he definitely wasn''t a father.


    ¡°So, that stew - it wasn''t very good, in fact, it was so disgusting that we had to spend the next day in the town despite our best wishes - fortunately, the innkeeper paid for our stay, that may have been his saving grace.¡± Adam ended his speech with a big gulp out of his mug.


    Wolfie just stared at him with a stagnant expression, probably still amazed by our mage¡¯s fantastic joke.


    ¡°Now, that I did a summary of the background for the very near future - tell me. What happened with your shoulder, exactly? I just can''t hold in my curiosity..¡±


    "Ehh.. Nothing serious - some douchebag was calling the war a joke, a pointless conflict that must have been orchestrated by the nobles to keep us, commoners in check." Wolfie made a sour expression and prepared himself to spit to the side, but decided otherwise at the last moment - noticing the innkeeper''s daughter staring at him intently. just waiting for him to do something. He gulped, then continued.


    "When he got too loud and started to insult the royals - Melly asked us to escort him out. The guy proved to be quite the fighter, really - he was at least an intermediate warrior, maybe even an advanced one - though he didn''t use any aura against us. Even then we were beaten like children. That fucker..." The wolf-like man clenched his fists in anger.


    "Uuu, tough luck - you never know who you stumble into. Let''s assume he was Advanced, how about it?" Adam stood up and sat on the other side of the table, next to Wolfie - then wrapped his arm around him, in an attempt to console the huge man''s pride.


    "Auch - don''t touch there... better yet, don''t touch me anywhere." Wolfie moved away from Adam on the bench after the man in question touched his hurt shoulder. Between slides, he grabbed the incognito mage''s mug, moving it far from its owner. "No more beer for you, just return to staring at the fire. In that, I will accompany you."


    Thus, the great staring started.


    Adam and the guy, who rudely never mentioned his name, sat before the fire, which unter their gaze - turned a shade redder, Adam could swear.


    <hr>


    Eventually, the innkeap[er returned with the company of warriors - and one misfit.


    The warriors returned wearing more comfortable clothing than their usual armour. They must have felt a great deal of relief, after walking a few steps without the additional weight, with clothes that didn''t squeeze them as much as the armour straps. Algier though, remained unchanged.


    "Ahhh, what a relief to sit down at last," Algier said dramatically while falling on the bench, with a loud thud of his ass hitting the wood.


    "When will the food arrive?" Asked Fenfallal, who announced himself with a thud even louder than Algier''s.


    "In about half an hour." Answered Wolfie, without taking his eyes off the flaming embers.


    Fenfallal looked in his direction with confusion.


    "And who are you?" The swordmaster asked, this time in Adam''s direction, which to be fair wasn''t far from the unknown man.


    "Wolfie," Adam answered simply, rotating on the bench in his companion''s direction at the same time.


    "Wolfie??? I''m no-"


    "Yes you are, don''t elaborate - it fucks up your mysteriousness." Adams shut the only local at the table down before he could reveal his identity.


    It was quite satirical, you see - now everyone at the table was hiding their true identity. But it was the only person who didn''t need to hide, whose name was unknown.


    "Bu-"


    "Shut up, Wolfie." Drunk Adam seemed quite bold while drunk - in the span of an hour, the dynamic between him and Wolfie changed drastically.


    Fenfallal watched it all with amusement - a boy, barely 15 and a half was ordering a grown man around. True, they were both drunk, nevertheless, it was funny to watch.


    "What did you order, by the way?" He asked, still amused.


    Adam looked into The Swordmaster''s eyes with the greatest seriousness he could muster, staring at the golden-coloured pupils as if trying to gaze at his soul.


    "A stew." This short answer awoke a deep fear in the hearts of the warriors. Past trauma surfaced, stirring the before-still waters of their souls and erecting massive waves in all directions with its ascent.


    Fenfallal''s eyes nearly popped out, his face contorted in disgust, and then - an uncontrollable spasm shook his body. Making his head fly dangerously close to the hardwood table.


    Someone at the end of the table didn''t have this good though.


    A warrior, seasoned in battles and hardships of life willed with war and death - puked on the floor, barely missing his shoes in the process.


    Fenfallal managed to gather himself.


    "YOU F..."

 AITMW- ch62 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.3

    Adam''s head hurt like hell.


    He had never experienced this type of pain, to such a degree that he had a hard time focusing on what was before him.


    But the pain wasn''t his biggest worry at the moment, rather, it was what laid before him.


    Or who.


    The young mage woke up in an unfamiliar barn - around him was a feeder filled with some kind of food waste, a tub filled with water, and a pile of hay similar to the one he laid on.


    The barn consisted of four walls and a roof - with a huge door in one of them.


    The mage wasn''t alone in the building, far from it. Pigs layed on the ground scattered around the room, surprisingly clean for someone who never had one of those.


    Talking about animals, Parcas wasn''t anywhere in sight - Which filled Adam with worry.


    Apart from the animals, there was also a girl lying next to Adam, using his coat as a blanket. Whatever she had anything else on herself was debatable.


    Adam looked at himself, wondering if any other pieces of clothing disappeared from his body.


    He didn''t miss anything other than his coat, and hat - which disappeared without a trace. Had it not been the empire, but Derdania, he might have frozen to death during the night.


    "Ekhem -miss, can I have my coat back?" He inquired the girl, who started to wake up.


    <hr>


    Back in his coat, Adam left the barn with a red face.


    The outside of the barn wasn''t anything interesting - an alley filled with similar buildings among few homes.


    "Meow." A meow echoed through the alley.


    Adam turned around, and stood face to face with a grey tuxed cat, sitting on the barn''s roof. The cat stared Adam in the eyes as if he saw his soul as clear as day. Next to Parcas, on top of the wooden roof, laid Adam''s hat.


    "Hello you fat thing, care to come down with my hat in tow? But please don''t meow - my head dies for some reason." Adam carelessly insulted his feline companion - who knows, maybe he will rebel someday, and finally squash the human''s heresy. After all, he wasn''t fat - just fluffy.


    ''Fluffy'' beast looked at Adam quizzingly, almost as if laughing his owner in the face.


    "Parcas?" Adam called the grey tuxedo again.


    A staring contest began, with neither of the two doing anything for a few moments.


    "Hello? Will you come down or not?" Adam questioned after wrapping his arms before him. - Mental battle tactics he picked up from Derek back when the young mage was still a slightly depressed, yet unruly child.


    Under such an attack, Parcas - a cat inexperienced in guilt-shaming defence, as his mother wasn''t smart enough to use such things - had no way but to concede.


    The kitty smacked the hat with his paw, making it fall from the roof to the ground, then jumped himself - on his owner''s hunched back.


    After picking the hut up, and putting his cat in the coat''s special pocket, Adam was finally ready to escape the surroundings of the barn - where things were done, yet not remembered.


    Sadly.


    <hr>


    Out of the alley, Adam took a look at the street, which was as calm as the rest of the city - various carriages and mounted riders travelled in the middle of the road, talking to themselves silently while the pedestrians walking on the sides.


    ''I need to find someone who can give me directions, but won''t be asking questions...'' He looked around trying to find some shop or vendor.


    Normally, asking for directions wouldn''t be weird - as it is normal that someone may not know where some particular shop is located, despite living in the same city for their whole lives. But Adam''s case was different, as he was searching for the Wind Gate, the same one the envoys passed to enter the city the previous day. That would be weird - after all, one of the main entrances to the city seems like an important place to remember.


    Thus, the young mage searched for something like a general store, or a farrier - (a blacksmith specialising in hooves), those two represented a group of places where outsiders were common to encounter.


    However, he might have also been overthinking the issue, and asking a random person would be okay.


    But anyway - The street wasn''t crowded, but our mage had to move some distance to see any signboard anyway. The first one belonged to a shoemaker''s shop - luxuriously decorated window showed the master''s work, varying from heavy boots with metal toes and heels - good for master craftsmen despite working physically and sometimes in dangerous conditions, who had enough money to buy good boots to protect their feet - to dancing footwear, light and colourful. Perfect for a nobles'' party.


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    Looking inside, Adam saw a few well-dressed people looking at the examples lying on the shelves - probably trying to decide what model they should order.


    The young mage walked away, while a wandering trader might come here to buy an already made pair, Adam didn''t have enough money with himself to buy any of the shoemaker''s products - and asking for directions without even buying a little thing would be rude.


    So, go went on.


    Next was a blacksmith on the other side of the street, some distance away - there was a problem though, it was a swordsmith.


    Not only was it expensive, but also Adam hadn''t had any excuse for coming there.


    He didn''t use a sword, or in fact, any other weapon apart from a bow - and it showed, that his shoulders and back muscles were his most prominent ones, and a swordsmith was bound to see the difference between an archer and a close-combat warrior. Also, he firmly believed that coming any closer to a smithy would make him scream in pain - even the unusually quiet streets of Northern Overseer were too much for his pained head.


    So, another shop was left behind.


    Adam walked like this for a while, and he slowly lost hope of an inconspicuous shop to enter by the minute, as the number of commercial buildings diminished as he went further.


    Finally, he found someplace he felt comfortable coming in - a barber.


    A quick trim of his beard - which slowly grew, but at the moment was too uneven to look okay - would substitute for buying some miscellaneous item, and asking the barber for directions wasn''t a thing he could be ashamed of.


    The only problem that may arise is the price, some barbers back in the Capital took outrageous money for their services, Addam hoped this one was aiming to be a facility for the common people, not a noblemen''s meeting place.


    Anyway, the door opened quietly and Adam stepped into the barber''s shop - with sweat on his forehead.


    "Welcome! How can I help you?" A man stood up from a chair next to a table with numerous drawers standing next to a wall, on which hung a mirror.


    "Hi." Adam greeted the man nervously. "I would like to get a clean shave, is that possible?" He asked, feeling his facial hair - barely long enough to feel individual hairs, and inconsistent across his chin.


    The barber took a step forward, then another, and another, and another until his face was a few centimetres away from Adam''s chin.


    The man bent down a bit, looking at Adam''s pathetic facial hair a bit from below, while the observed one leaned away, in an attempt to put the barber away from his personal space.


    "Yeah, I can do wonders this... Thing." He said without changing his position, circling around Adam''s chin with his finger.


    "Okay... can you move... a bit?" Adam uttered, nervousness nearly blurred his headache to nothingness.


    "Oh, sorry - you are my first client today. You see, I am quite restless before cutting some hair down, especially while the weather is so good." Indeed, the barber was right - the sun was shining, letting its gaze illuminate and warm up the world, the standard ''pretty weather'', though, Adam preferred it when it was colder. On a cold day, you can always put on an additional sweater, on a hot day, you can''t take your skin off.


    Of course, this doesn''t apply to people too poor to buy a sweater and those mad enough to peel their skin off for additional cooling.


    "So, any fade? Preferred design? Anything out of the ordinary for a clean shave?" The Barber asked excitedly, with some hope in his voice.


    "No, just a shave my beard, nothing more nothing less." Adam preferred to voice his request as fool-proof as he could. While the barber may not have been a fool, he was certainly a weirdo, and with such people, you should act as if they were fools, otherwise, you might find yourself in an unfavourable situation.


    "Oki doki, come on - sit down and relax. The beard - or whatever this should be called - will disappear in no time."


    The barber guided Adam to the seat, and after ensuring that his client was comfortable, reached for the shelves on his table.


    "What would you say for some enrichment serum? It would make your bear grom much better than it is now... - By the way, why didn''t you shave it yourself? it''s not a complicated procedure." The barber asked while preparing his stuff.


    "I... didn''t... have the tools necessary..." Adam said with badly hidden uncertainty while moving his hand as slowly as he could alongside the length of his torso, to move his coat over his right side and hide a dagger safely sheathed there.


    "Oh, I see... Don''t worry, I am equipped enough for both of us." The barber said casually.


    Adam looked at him incredulously. "I doubt that.." He whispered.


    "Okay, let''s start - please stay still, otherwise I will take off more than just some hair." The barber said, and immediately after that his face stiffened, and he became way more serious out of the blue.


    "Have you ever tried the buns from the bakery on the other side of the street? These are delicious, and the ones with filling are even better - they make you lick your fingers for days after." He stopped for a moment, in which his suddenly dreamy expression changed to one of enlightenment - it seemed that the seriousness was either temporary or was hidden behind the Barber''s flickering emotions. "Wait, that''s not a pro, it''s a con! those sticky fingers are a real menace, especially in a line of work such as mine..."


    Adam let the man talk, half overwhelmed by him, half scared of him. The thought of asking for directions crossed his mind, but along with a new emotional state every minute, a razor-sharp blade next to his neck made him apprehensive. What if he could not answer some questions the Barber may ask after hearing his incredibly suspicious question related to the local urban environment?


    I personally, think he was overreacting - probably because of a terrible headache.


    "So, tell me - are you married?" The Barber took Adam by surprise.


    "Huh?" Adam''s mind got flooded with images of the girl he found by his side this morning, but he quickly shook it off and answered the blade-bearer. "No..., what about it?"


    "Nothing..., it''s just that after taking this hideous thing masquerading as a beard of your face, I realised you are quite handsome. Surely girls flood over you like Haeartha after heavy rain." the barber praised with a spark in his eyes.


    Hearing the man shut his mouth for a moment, Adam finally started to take the conversation into his own hands.


    "Regarding your first question. No, I didn''t visit that bakery, mainly because I am here only for a while. I am a traveller." Adam said, no longer was his forehead adorned with sweat, and his headache subsided enough so that he could think straight.


    "Oh, that explains the lack of shaving utensils, only a madman would use a dagger for that." It seemed the Barber was not only mentally weird, he also had perceptive eyes.


    Adam stayed silent for the rest of the shaving session, only sitting in silence and listening to the barber babble on and on, but eventually even he had to stop as there was no more beard to shave.


    While giving him the money, Adam finally asked the Barber the question this whole charade was for.


    "How do I reach the northern gate? The Wind gate if I remember correctly." The young - yet already bearding - mage asked.


    "Oh, just go right after leaving the shop. You should reach it in about 15 minutes." The establishment''s owner answered. Without any questions attached.


    Leaving the barber''s shop and turning left, Adam had only one thought in his mind


    ''I really should not drink so much...''

 AITMW- ch63 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.4

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 AITMW- ch64 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.5

    The brown snout peeking out of the gateway to the stables, despite Adam¡¯s best wishes, wasn''t Los¡¯s head, awaiting his master.


    No, it was just a brown horse, which somehow got out of the stables and nearly got out to wander the streets.


    Seeing the escapee, Adam sped up his pace towards the inn''s main entrance, lifting his cat pocket up a bit to reduce turbulences for Parcas.


    Soon, he had crossed the doorway and entered the vast room filled with tables - nearly empty at the moment, with maybe two or three people apart from the innkeeper and his daughter staying inside.


    Walking up to the counter, Adam waved his hand at the man on the opposite side of the table.


    "Hi, there is a horse peeking out of the entrance to the inner courtyard, is that intentional?" He asked.


    "A horse? Like, on the street?" The innkeeper made sure he heard right.


    "Yes, a brown one - for a moment I even thought it was my Los," Adam added.


    The man left what he was doing behind and walked hurriedly around the counter.


    "Thank you for the information! I will check the situation out..." The innkeeper thanked our young mage as he was leaving the tavern''s main chamber, towards the courtyard on the side of the building that connected to the stables and guest rooms.


    As her father disappeared outside, the girl walked up to Adam from the other side of the room.


    "You finally returned. Had something happened?" She asked leaning on the counter, facing the man in a cool fur-padded coat.


    "Huh?" Adam didn''t hear what she said, he was too focused on reading the menu - or at least looked like that.


    "You disappeared yesterday night, or rather, this very morning. What happened?" The girl repeated her question.


    Adam straightened up his back and scratched the side of his head nervously.


    "Well, I am not really sure - the last thing I remember is me arm wrestling with Algier, that cheating little shit..." The young mage grimaced, "Then, I woke up in some barn among the pigs. With no idea how to return here." Adam concluded, omitting a few facts.


    "So, how did you return?" The innkeeper''s daughter asked - if Max was here, he would have started to find her similar to his icy friend.


    "I asked the guards for directions, after wasting some time at the barber''s... Oh! Do you have anything to soothe a headache? I can''t really think straight right now..." The scratching hand stopped its activities, circling halfway around its owner''s head and applying pressure there.


    "(!)Daring of you to ask those guys, they rarely act nice towards normal citizens - especially travellers. As for the headache remedy - how about orange juice? After that you should probably go to bed, your companions haven''t even woken up yet." The girl smiled happily while pouring Adam the fresh-squizzed juice out of a glass container she took out from behind the counter.


    "Thanks, I will follow your advice - although I was sure they would be waiting for me in anticipation... Or at least noticed my absence," Adam confessed sadly, caressing the head of a little furry boy resting in his pocket.


    "Though life, maybe sometime else. If you travel as much as you said yesterday, there will be plenty of chances in the future." The girl comforted him after stepping closer and looking him in the eyes.


    "Yeah,- maybe. Nice juice." Adam praised his drink, it was fresh and tasty.


    "Thanks, I squeezed those oranges the whole morning, despite doing it practically every day, the stickiness still bothers me nearly as much as cleaning dishes after a brawl..." The girl''s expression slumped, remembering those traumatic memories. Getting rid of the chaotic mixture of all sorts of things mashed together on plates along with the dirt and wetness from the floor haunted her in her darkest nightmares.


    Adam looked at his interlocutor in curiosity, thinking about what the girl had just said.


    "Is it really that horrible?" He asked.


    The innkeeper''s daughter slowly raised her head and looked into the young mage''s eyes. A sly smile slowly formed on her face.


    "Not really,- nothing can be compared to that mess." She confessed.


    They chatted for a while, but after hearing the girl''s advice, Adam couldn''t take a warm bed out of his mind - as such, he soon excused himself and headed for the side entrance which led directly to the courtyard.


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    There, he made a quick stop in the stables to see how Los was doing.


    The brown horse seemed happy, for once being able to rest all day, instead of the normal few to few-teen hours of nearly non-stop walking.


    After giving Los an apple and some head pats, the cat-human company headed towards the room assigned to him and one of his colleagues, where the innkeeper''s daughter pointed him.


    The living quarters were located in a row-like building, partitioned to accommodate multiple rooms for the guests.


    Adam knocked on the door and entered the wooden building after a few moments of waiting for a response.


    Inside, there were two beds, one occupied and one tidy and untouched. Between them was a small fireplace, unused for the time being, and in the bed''s legs were cabinets for some of the traveller''s belongings.


    On the left bed, a man in scarce clothing layed partially covered by a thick blanket. Spread on his bed, the man was deep in sleep, with his mouth wide open and arms either resting against the wall or hanging from the bed, he looked quite ridiculous.


    But that was one of those few things, that no one should tell a warrior, especially in public - so Adam quickly made an effort to forget the scene, as it would only tempt him, but such an image was hard to erase.


    Deciding to focus on something else, Adam slid into his bed after taking off his outer clothing and lifting Parcas out of his coat''s pocket.


    And went to sleep.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, the unconscious body under a tremendous furry strain was suddenly poked from the side.


    First to look at the disturber was the distinguished gentleman, adorned in a grey tuxedo, sitting on top of his owner''s chest. Parcas looked at Gravis, who sitting on his bed, poked Adam with the sheath of his sword.


    "Miau?" Parcas meowed questioningly, staring into Gravis'' eyes intently with his own, lustrous eyes.


    "Meow indeed, little furry friend - mind if I wake up your master?" Gravis acknowledged the cat''s authority and proceeded to go through the chain of command before taking any further action.


    "Meowwwww..." The grey tuxedo responded intelligently, soon licking his paws.


    "Hmmm, you are hungry, right? We can do something about it - in fact, I am hellbent on taking Adam to eat something, surely you will get your share." Gravis continued his persuasion, slowly nearing his hand to Parcas'' head.


    The cat didn''t let him pat him, no one apart from Adam could do that. But after expressing his unwillingness to touch, the cat sat up and raised his paw high above Adam''s head.


    After the unnecessarily long charge, the paw swung down in a mighty smack - slapping Adam''s head hard enough to hear in the whole room.


    "Ow, quite brutal, aren''t you, little boy?" Gravis said, just before a loud gasp reverberated throughout the chamber, Adam woke with a sensation of a cool cat beans smacking his cheek mightily.


    "Ow, Parcas! Can you not?!" He looked the cat straight in the eyes - it wasn''t the first time the beast physically abused the owner, and may not be the last.


    "He probably can, the right question is; does he want to?" Only now did Adam look in Gravis'' direction, noticing the scantly dressed warrior sitting at the edge of his bed.


    "What are you doing?" He asked.


    "Sitting. What about you?" The warrior responded, playing with his sheath by hitting his head with it.


    "Waking up, I guess - that''s your fault, isn''t it?" The young mage responded.


    Gravis looked into his eyes, dead serious.


    "No, it was your cat, didn''t you feel his paw?" The warrior said while twitching his breast muscles menacingly.


    Adam blinked, turned his head away and took Parcas down from his chest, then sat up.


    "So, are we going to eat something?" He had the same thoughts as the furry beast and shirtless warrior. "Though, you need to put something more on yourself if you want to go out - the innkeeper''s daughter would scratch her eyes out, and we don''t want that." Despite barely waking up, Adam was already wearing most of his attire due to not taking it off before heading to sleep - unlike his roommate.


    "Ok."


    <hr>


    Parcas sat on top of the table and enjoyed the fruits of his hard work - a few slices of meat that Gravis gave him without Adam''s consent. Fortunately for him, his owner didn''t have the heart to take away what was already given to him.


    The table on which the cat sat was nearly full from the company of warriors who sat there, along with their locally sourced mage - but not from here.


    Fenfallal talked with Gravis and other warriors about the journey ahead - what to buy while in Northern Overseer to replenish their supplies, the road they should take and others as such - boring stuff.


    On the other end, Adam and Stellmo discussed the most important and interesting things possible - rumours about the members of the envoy''s crew.


    "So, Marwin has a daughter? He doesn''t seem like a father type." Adam asked in a hushed voice - though the effort to hide their conversation was pointless, Advanced warriors could easily hear a cas walking up to them, not to mention a guy talking a few metres away.


    "Yeah, she is real sweet - though kinda detached from reality if you ask me... Like a princess from a fairytale, Marvin spoils her too much." Stellmo explained, glancing at the warrior on the other side of the table.


    "So..., does she have a pony? I heard it''s like a dream of most girls." Adam asked in curiosity usual for him.


    "No, no pony. But she has a warhorse. A big one... His name is ''Perfectly Elusive Trotter Emerging from Righteousness''. Peter for short." The second in command explained. Surely such information would prove to be useful in the near future.


    "Wow, creative - nearly as much as ''Parcas'', care to guess what the name means?" Adam praised the faraway girl while petting the back of his kitty, who ate his meat scraps at the moment.


    "...." Stellmo fell silent for a moment, searching his head for any ideas. "I think it is a mix of two or more words in some old languages. But I can''t seem to figure out what it means..."


    "Yeah - it took me hours of going through the books in The Tower to find good ones," Adam confessed.


    "Do tell, what does it mean?" The warrior couldn''t hold his curiosity.


    "No, let''s change the topic - why isn''t Algier here?" Adam expertly changed the subject.


    Stellmo looked at him as if wondering why someone would be having any doubts about it.


    "No one woke him up - and no one will." He said simply.


    "Oh, right." Only then did Adam remember a simple fact - no one wanted to have their eyes burned by the sight of what they might find inside.


    Some time passed in an awkward silence, during which Parcas finished his snack and positioned himself on Adam''s knees - soon falling asleep.


    "Do we leave for the road tomorrow?" Adam finally broke the silence, directing his question to the whole group.


    "Yes, that is, if we can." Responded Fenfallal from across the table. "We might have to sneak you out, Adam."

 AITMW- ch65 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.6

    Hearing Fenfallal''s words, the whole group present moved closer to each other on the benches and leaned into the table - to have a more private conversation.


    "What do you mean?" Stellmo asked, expressing the thoughts of every warrior apart from the Royal Swordmaster.


    The swordmaster was just about to speak, but Adam was faster - and to everyone''s surprise, managed to explain the situation.


    "It''s much harder to leave the city than it is to enter it. From what I saw, checkups are frequent for those leaving, while the entrees are rarely even asked who they are... I find it quite odd, to be honest, it would be much more logical to be stricter to those entering the city..." The young mage said.


    "How do you know that? I know for a fact that none of us noticed this pattern while we were entering through the northern gate, even I had to go there for a walk to figure it out." Fenfallal asked, in his usual strict yet stoic tone. His golden eyes focused on Adam''s face, giving the young mage chills.


    "Well, apparently no one noticed, but I woke up in some shed today - only like a few hours ago did I find the inn again. That''s when I saw what was happening beneath the Wind Gate." Adam explained, screeching the back of his head - and while doing so, poking some warrior''s head with his elbow.


    After Adam finished talking, he could see some surprised expressions, especially on his roommate''s face.


    "So that''s when you found time to take care of that foul beard of yours?" Gravis asked, putting the pieces together.


    "Yeah, you guessed right," Adam responded, having already retreated his upper limb from the poor man''s face.


    "Did you encounter any guards while walking here?" Fenfallal asked in unseen worry.


    Adam took a moment to think and put his words together.


    "Yes, I met one patrol, and they helped me to reach the gate after I got lost a bit... It''s a big city after all." Adam reported.


    "They helped you? From what I picked up from locals'' conversations, they seem to be evil henchmen of an even more evil guy." Stellmo said his piece.


    "Well, it''s not like I tried to anger them, quite the opposite. Apart from that, the rumours can''t be one hundred per cent true, or even then there must be some outliers." Adam defended his answer from Stellmo''s doubts.


    Stellmo nodded, agreeing with the youngest of the envoys.


    Marvin gathered the group''s attention on himself, by banging his bug on the table lightly.


    "Let''s return to the topic at hand, what are we going to do?" The blond-haired archer asked the gathering. His blue eyes wandered around, searching for someone who would answer his question.


    After a moment of silence, the stoic swordmaster finally satiated his subordinate''s curiosity.


    "We can''t decide the detail as of yet, as Algier isn''t with us, but we must think of a plan to smuggle Adam out of the city without using gates - the risk of getting caught is too high to take, and we can''t afford a crowd of soldiers to track us because we killed some of their coworkers.  We can come up with some solutions though, we don''t need Algier for that." If they found out that Adam was in ripe recruitment age, the guardsmen would surely try to detain him,- but that was unacceptable for the envoys, as such, blood was bound to spill.


    A moment of silence ensued, as everyone found themselves deep in thought.


    "How do they even determine that I am of military age? It''s not like I am going to tell them." Adam expressed his doubts, which had weighed on his mind since his encounter with the party that morning.


    "Do you really think they need any reason? They are probably evaluated on the number of recruits they bring, and a higher evaluation that leads to faster promotion is way more than most people need to hurt some stranger." Gravis explained with a face full of disgust.


    "Well, the ones I met were nice - which means you aren''t exactly right." the young mage argued.


    "Exception proves the rule, and even if not, I said ''most'', there will always be an outlier - just like Algier when it comes to sleeping." The warrior defended his position fiercely, masterfully changing the subject at the same time.


    "Speaking of Algier.. someone needs to go and wake him up," Stellmo commented.


    Having said so, the warrior looked at his superior, who in turn gazed at all gathered, one by one.


    "Don''t look at me! I am too young and pure to go there!" Adam immediately shouted as soon as he saw the royal swordmaster''s passing glance reach him.


    "Fair." The golden-eyed swordsman agreed with the youngest and crossed him from the list of possible candidates.


    Despite this not being in their favour, the rest of the warriors couldn''t resist nodding their heads in understanding.


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    "so, excluding Adam, we have seven candidates for the mission..." Stellmoe said with a serious expression, debating in his mind the possibilities, and most importantly the chance of his candidacy.


    "Six." Fenfallal corrected him. The Golden warrior remained stoic, his voice was firm and resolute - giving no room for refusal.


    "What do you mean?" The fiery second-in-command questioned his superior in bewilderment.


    "I took away his robes last time, so it''s fair I would be excluded this time." The Royal Swordmaster explained.


    Stellmo looked at him for a moment, before sighing in defeat and nodding his head. Even though it made his chances bigger, he didn''t have an argument to support his disagreement on.


    "So... dice?" Marvin proposed hesitantly while reaching into his pocket to take out the little bone pieces.


    As it later turned out, it was a bad decision on his part - as the dice apparently didn''t like him.


    With Marvin out for the envoys'' leader, seven men remained sitting at the table.


    <hr>


    Rhitimc sound of water droplets hitting against the wooden plates of the rooftop soon started to resound through the inn.


    The usual patron''s calm time in the main chamber was interrupted by the furious curing of wet men and women who ran inside for cover - yet hadn''t managed to escape the rain unscathed.


    The innkeeper and his daughter hurriedly ran around the chamber, bringing warm drinks, food and alcohol to the escapees, refilling the cups of the ones who came before between serving the guests and managing the counter.


    Among the patrons, a group of large, muscular men sat with their smaller companion around a large table and conversed quietly about topics known only to them. The man gained quite the attention of the new arrivals, who never have seen those people.


    Their fair, whiteish skin stood out from the tanned workers gathered in the tavern, which along with the weapons hanging from their waist gave the onlookers some ideas of who they may be.


    The most interesting though, was the moment when a man in tattered clothing came with the escort of one of the burly warriors, cursing wildly and complaining about the weather while trying to squish water from his soaked pants.


    When he sat down at the long table, the quiet voices stopped talking over themselves and gave one of them a chance to explain something to the newly arrived companions. Then, even the last one stopped, waiting for the tall man with wavy, light-brown hair to speak.


    He, though, remained silent for longer than expected, leaving the table quiet except for the roaring thunder crying in the outside sky.


    <hr>


    "So, we have to take Adam out. Repeat your ideas." Algier ordered after a long while.


    Thunder cracked mightily outside before Stellmo could open his mouth.


    "I think we need to somehow change his appearance - as long as they believe he is far too old for recruitment, there is nothing to worry about." The fiery warrior explained.


    "What about your idea?" Algier turned to Tensyn, a quite tall, wide-shouldered archer with sharp features, black hair and brown eyes.


    "I thought about smuggling him out at night. Making some distraction some distance away should be enough for the guards to let us out without a rigorous check." The archer''s reasoning was okay, but Algier wanted to hear more, so he turned towards Adam - the subject of their debate who turned out to have an idea himself.


    "I was thinking about your capabilities, Algier..." He paused for a second or two. "Maybe you could carry me over the walls - flying," Adam asked with sparkling eyes.


    "Carry you over the walls?" Algier looked the younger mage up and down, judgingly. His expression was sour, and his eyes disgusted. "You think I will be able to carry your fat ass as high as three or four metres?" The wind mage criticised.


    "I mean... yes?" Adam responded without certainty.


    "Well, technically I could... But is it wise?" Algier commented like a true wizard should. He looked unwilling and seemed to try to get the possibility out of the equation.


    "I.. think it is." Adam made the next instalment into the mage-to-mage conversation.


    "Then you think wrong, next." Algier dismissed Adam''s idea mercilessly.


    Stellmo raised his hand, like kids do in school, before sharing his idea.


    "Blackmail?" The fiery warrior asked with a happy face.


    Algier squinted his eyes at him, ruthlessly staring into the black-haired warrior''s red eyes.


    "You know, I like this idea - good work Stellmo." Algier praised under the scrutinous eyes of the royal swordmaster - who in turn stared at them in bewilderment.


    "No, it''s not." The golden warrior said.


    "And why do you think that''s the case?" Algier looked at Fenfallal with unhidden dissatisfaction. "The first one is plain stupid, considering that we have no idea how to make him look older, other than beating him up into a pulp.


    The second one reeks of failure, and doesn''t differ much from plain running away after bombing them with spells and your sword thingies, other than that happening at night - which by the way would alert much more attention to the Pruinian higher-ups than a fight in broad daylight.


    As for Adam''s idea - it is good as long as we can guarantee that no one sees us, otherwise, it completely blows our cover, in a way that will make us a much bigger target than even the night brawl with the guards, as we will be exposed as competent, and unknown mages that managed to sneak deep into the empire." Algier stopped to take a deep breath. While he talked, Adam felt slight fluctuations of wind mana move around - which he guessed was Algier''s way of muffling the conversation to the outsiders.


    "Blackmail seems risky at first, but considering our other options, if we don''t go overboard and stay in line, for example using corruption instead of hostages, the guards are less likely to expose us after we leave," Algier explained to Fenfallal, and all others around - as he did so, the warrior''s faces gradually shifted from expressions of doubt to those of agreement.


    "Also, they are less likely to issue a manhunt for a group that used money to get scot-free than any of the previously mentioned options," Stellmo added excitedly.


    A moment of silence ensued, as the warriors and Adam thought about what Algier and Stellmo said.


    "Admit it, Stellmo, you hadn''t had all those things in mind while proposing blackmail, you were just excited for the opportunity..." Adam accused while pointing his finger towards the suspect.


    "I will neither admit nor deny it." Dismissed the fiery warrior.


    ...


    "Any other ideas?" Algier asked.


    No other ideas came forward.


    <hr>


    After the meeting had ended, the group scattered around the inn. Most of the warriors went alone, socialising with the locals, drinking and laughing freely.


    Only one of the burly men was bound, forbidden to drink and responsible for more than his own ass - Gravis.


    Gravis was given a task most important of them all - guarding Adam from alcohol.


    After hearing about his early-hour escapades, Algier and Fenfallal agreed to ban the young mage from any form of drug until they reached a ''friendly'' place.


    This meant, that Adam would stay clear-headed for many months to come, as a ''friendly'' town nearest them was still under construction.


    Poor Adam.

 AITMW- ch66 - Northern Overseer Problem pt.7

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    <hr>

 AITMW- ch67 - |Potatoes| and swords

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

 AITMW- ch68 - Fire In The Wind

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    <hr>


    <hr>

 AITMW- ch69 - Monolithic Gate

    Author''s note - From this chapter onward, for a while, I will be trying myself on a 1st person format. I want to see if I am good at it and whether I am better off continuing like before, or changing the perspective. Of course, permanent change to the perspective will not happen in this story - it is something I am considering for my next endeavour.


    Adam''s POV


    Looking back, I can''t seem to decide, whether I regret agreeing to the position of a junior envoy, or not.


    On the one hand, it''s a dream job for me - travelling through the lands unknown to me, meeting different people, and seeing various creatures. The epitome of an adventure, all behind the broad backs of royal guards with a Swordmaster Fenfallal at the lead. It seems like a dream, that I can realise my dream and the commitment that I have towards my fallen family while guarded by the people I haven''t seen lose to a foe.


    On the other hand, travels through the Fire Mountains and the meadows of the Pruinian Empire proved to be much different than I imagined adventures to be, just half a year ago.


    The foreigners view Derdania in a much different light than I could have ever imagined. Each day spent in Northern Overseer was full of fear and worry, that someone, somehow, would uncover our ancestry. Encounters with guards were scary enough with them thinking of me as a teenager, lucky enough not to get recruited into the army, who knows what would happen if they knew I was one of those half-legendary barbarians from beyond Fire Mountains...


    For sure, that one captain would be so nice to me anymore.


    Living in the saddle was tiring, much more so than I thought. I had a hard time getting accustomed to riding on a horse, but after numerous tiring days, and nights fuller of cramps and pain than sleep, I can comfortably say that I am moderately adept in staying in the saddle.


    Thinking about that pain and cramps leaves me with deep regret, honestly... As it would have been a much more comfortable experience had I devoted myself more to the daily training Max was struggling to persuade me to.


    But in the darkness, it''s easier to see the light, regardless of how dim it is. It turned out, that having one more loyal companion is never a bad thing. Me and Parcas benefited greatly from Los''s introduction. Finally, I could leave him with someone trusty, without bothering someone who might have their own business to attend to - the horse''s timetable was practically empty, after all. And the cat had a heated bed all for himself.


    Honestly, I am astounded by the amount of patience Los has for his smaller and fluffier friend.


    A steed also proved to be essential in covering distances as large as we rode for. I can''t imagine walking and walking for kilometres to no end through the forests and mountains, only to arrive in the meadows - which even on a horse were akin to a psychological horror.


    We rode and rode, and the horizon remained practically unchanged. Each village and town on our road left a distinct mark, as I followed it as it moved in my vision, along with our journey, and marked how far we covered.


    The worst were those few days after Sir Stellmo defeated that woman, Sentinal I called her.


    The Northern Overseer and the river that crossed the city, marked a border between a relatively calm north, and the central plains of the empire.


    No towns, nor villages not to mention cities, for two whole days...


    To be fair, those lands didn''t look inhabitable. While it was still a while expanse of rolling hills, lightly covered in snow, there were nearly no rivers in the area, and the ground beneath the snow seemed barren. Enough to grow some grasses, but not nearly close to supporting any farm, not even mentioning the lack of drinkable water, it was clear that settling here would be foolish when fertile and freshwater-rich lands awaited inhabitants just a few days of travel ahead.


    But what happened after the two days of solitude was worse than some unchanging landscape.


    Here, I should mention that we strayed off course after reuniting with Stellmo. Instead of following the highway beside which my fiery friend fought that woman, Algier led us on a path that headed in relatively the same direction but was way smaller and less maintained.


    It was all to lose the potential pursuit, which we eventually saw on the horizon, as a few riders dashed to the south with multiple spare horses and no camping equipment. Luckily, they missed us by quite a distance and probably didn''t notice, as at the time we were resting in a camp prepared just like we did before - on the opposite side of the hill in relation to the road.


    Back to the topic, the first settlement we found after leaving the desolate lands was a heavily armoured camp surrounding a huge spearhead-like rock - seemingly impaled in the ground by some vengeful giant.


    The monolith was surrounded by a settlement made primarily with mud and stray rocks, only augmented by logs and planks - a rare resource in the meadows, where trees were as scarce as scars on my body.


    And let''s just say, that I am veeery careful when handling sharp items.


    Unlike most of the hamlets I have ever seen, the settlement surrounding the monolith didn''t have walls, instead, it was surrounded by a moderately high hill-like border and a few higher watchtowers - with one sitting atop the rock.


    That alone, would not make me say that the place was heavily guarded, what did tho, was who lived there.


    As we neared the settlement - forced by the terrain that forbade us from straying off the path far enough not to be suspicious, a man in heavy armour - similar to what most of my warrior friends wore before we abandoned the more flashy pieces of equipment - marched out of the gate facing the road we trod.


    "My name is Gaius, and I am the commander of this gate outpost - are you bunch adventurers sent here by the Northern Overseer''s guild? I was informed you were to arrive in a few days."


    Gaius, as he called himself, seemed to mistake us for a group of adventurers - which surprised me, as I didn''t think that there was such an establishment in the empire. I thought they sent everyone capable to the frontline, but I guess I was wrong.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Luckily for me, and the rest of the group, Algier didn''t show his surprise - if he even was surprised, and replied to the command without skipping a beat.


    "Yes, we left earlier after that horrible attack at the Wind Gate..." he seemed to reminisce about some trauma, shuddering. "After that lunatic attacked, we decided to leave before we were given some task in relation to the incident.."


    Despite our differences, I admire my senior - and his quick thinking is one of the reasons for my opinion. Adding a bit of bad-mouthing towards the ''bandits'' that attacked the overseer-city, who in reality are no one but we, is just something I couldn''t think of by myself, but it surely made the commander suspect us less of being said ''bandits''.


    Though, this time, I also had to admire his luck. If not for it, wind mage''s farse would be just a stupid way to rally an enemy, after all, what if the commander knew the adventurers beforehand?


    "Hmm, good - the messenger raised my curiosity quite high. I will count on you to recount the events with utmost detail." He turned around and started to lead us towards the stone-shaded settlement. "Rumours and drama from the Norther Overseer are only things keeping us - guardsfolk, sane in those boring walls."


    I could imagine that alright - even without entering the premises of the gated outpost, as the man called it, the aura of boring and repetitive life could be felt.


    I could even guess what they did all day long - quote correctly I might say, as my guesses were confirmed later.


    Anyway, following the iron-clad warrior, whose long, lustrous black hair made a lasting impression on me, we entered the encampment - already off our steeds.


    As we walked, pulling our horses along, Algier made some small talk with that place''s commander - but I wasn''t interested in hearing more bullshit coming from my senior''s mouth, instead, I focused on looking around the site - it was much more interesting.


    Namely, the thing that stood among the small buildings, which in themselves were as uninteresting as the small talk, if not even more.


    The monolith peeking from above the low, wooden roofs of the bricker buildings, shined like a dirty mirror as the sunlight reflected from its grey, yet glossy, surface. It emanated a strange, magical aura - similar to what I felt when mages other than me unleashed their mana into the surroundings or used their power in other ways - such as when Algier decimated wolves, or when The King spoke to all Derdanians using the crown''s enchantment - yet it was definitely different. It felt much more refined, controlled and decisive - Though it was also wild, like a force of nature, at the same time.


    As we went deeper, I wandered off from the group and headed towards the rock, I don''t quite remember if I was just that engrossed in looking at the thing, or if I made a clear judgement whether moving away from those who were able to protect me was a good idea.


    Regardless, I neared closer to the monolith, navigating around the few buildings that existed between the gate and the rock. In no time, I arrived before its domineering body - it felt much higher from such a close distance, it shielded me from the sunlight, casting a deep shadow on me and even some of the buildings behind me.


    As I walked around the monolith, I was slowly able to see what prompted the creation of this settlement.


    A big, at least three metres tall and the same in width, semicircular Gate.


    Not some normal city gate, like the Wind Gate in Northern Overseer, but a legit entrance to a Dungeon - an extradimensional place in which chamber''s numerous monsters and savage beasts reside, guarding loot varying from food and resources to magical artefacts.


    Aiding its mysterious, magical aura, a swirl of colours rested between the gate''s frame, like a liquid mirror.


    No one knows how they come to be, why they exist, and most importantly, when and where they are to appear.


    ...This uncertainty, lack of knowledge and surprise, was the deciding factor of my parents, and sister''s death...


    While I have long made peace with the tragedy that fell on my family early in my life, I was forced to stop for a moment to catch my breath and slow down my thoughts - overthinking it wasn''t going to do anything good, not to me, nor to the souls of my family in the afterlife, from where they watch on me. Hopefully.


    Anyway, when I saw the Gate, I finally understood the importance of the place we found ourselves in.


    And realised the situation that awaited us.


    Regardless of country, the ruling power or terrain, Gates always appear some distance away from larger population centres - in wait for a beast wave to be unleashed. The beast waves happen when the amount of creatures inside the dungeon''s small dimension grows over a certain threshold, and the Gate opens - but unlike most of the time, it then lets the monsters come to us, instead of the opposite.


    To counter the danger, or rather to fight it before it happens, Adventurers venture inside, slay monsters and sometimes gain exotic, expensive pieces - which along with their pay from the guild, fuel their wealth.


    I am still not sure about the details of the Adventurer''s profession in the Pruinian Empire, but from what I have seen so far, here they perform the same role.


    After all, due to Algier''s rash decision-making, we too, had to do it.


    As I stared at the swirling Gate, a man came to stand by my side. I didn''t pay much attention to him at the time, noticing only that he had some armour on, and a large hat on his head.


    "It''s mesmerising, isn''t it? Whenever I lay my eyes upon it, no force can bring me back from the land of dreams... maybe with the exclusive exception of Commander Gaius..."


    As I turned towards the flowery speaker, I noticed his peculiar attire in more detail - his armour was painted in radiant and opposing colours and his large hat had a big, pink feather sticking out of it.


    I think he took himself as some sort of a poet, but I haven''t spent enough time with him to come to a decisive conclusion of my observation.


    "It''s weird... That I can stare into the heart of such horrifying creation - and be as amazed over its beauty, as I am fearful of its power..."


    I responded to the to-be poet, also in some sort of a poetic way.


    "Hmm... I have to agree with you,- wise stranger... finding beauty in macabre power feels weird... but also fills me up with hope, as it shows that good can be found even in the darkest of evils..."


    As he spoke, he raised his hand and plucked the pink feather out of the band enveloping his hat - and started to play by sticking its shaft into his blond locks.


    "Without such hope, would we still be able to press on? Fight the evil and conquer our nightmares, while striving to fulfil our dreams?"


    He looked at me questioningly, as if his obviously rhetorical questions were aimed at me. But despite my willingness to ask them, I am not fond of answering questions, especially ones as hard and as vague. As such, I didn''t respond to his questioning glance.


    "I don''t think so..."


    After he answered his own question, we returned to observing the swirling Gate in silence.


    As I watched, I realised that the magical, refined yet wild aura that spread from the monolith found its origin in the mystical colours bound between Gate''s frames.


    It was fascinating.


    But even those calm, amazing times when I was left to wonder, had to end - this time when Gravis came to pick me up from my little sightseeing escapade.


    "Here you are! Curious like always, aren''t you?" He stopped for a moment when he noticed the swirling majesty of the Gate. "Is that the Gate? I haven''t seen one in ages... Anyway, come with me, we have to take care of the horses - and no one will take care of yours this time."


    He narrowed his eyes at me in fake anger - which may or may have not been caused by tying Los along with Parcas to his horse in secrecy, as I wandered off towards the monolith. But that''s ancient history, nothing to care about.


    "Have you been in one before? Like, inside?"


    I asked in a hushed tone as we got away from the poetic warrior.


    "Yes, they are scary, but for a party like ours, we should be able to clear it completely. We might even find something useful in there..."


    He dreamed aloud, but just like me, he remained quiet.


    "Of course, you have no chance of getting anything out of it. There is no way you will be helpful in any way"


    As he looked at me up and down, mocking smirk on his face, I faced a serious urge to punch him in the face.


    Author''s Note - Let me know what you think about the chapter, should I continue like this in the future?

 AITMW- ch70 - Staring at the sky

    I can''t say that I was unmoved by Gravis''s mockery, but it''s not like I expected something different.


    But still, fuck Gravis - he is a little too cheeky for me.


    Unfortunately, the premise of wandering around this camp alone, however hypocritical it may sound, wasn''t my greatest dream - so, I stopped myself from retorting to my temporary guide.


    As we walked, I had some spare time to look around - which I used to take a closer look at the houses of the warriors stationed to keep watch and confine the Gate.


    There wasn''t anything special about them, it was just that they were the first buildings I had ever seen with flat roofs.


    My guess is that the snow - which by the way has nearly completely melted already - didn''t fall so vigorously as in Derdania, or even further north from here, around the Northern Overseer. It would make sense to build flat roofs if that was the case, angled ones need much more material after all.


    Nearing the place where our companions currently stayed, I saw we were closing into the mound walls, and that didn''t fill me up with happiness, as to say.


    I hoped they would give some of those buildings - there was a multum of them anyway. But if that was not the case, where were we about to sleep?


    Along with that, another question popped into my mind; were all those houses fully occupied? If so, then I have ridiculously underestimated the strength of this garrison...


    But anyway, mentally preparing for another night in a tent, we passed a corner and arrived in the area - where one tent already stood erect.


    "Wow, someone was in a hurry. I hope they didn''t burn from all that friction..."


    Gravis''s witty comment passed by my ear, as I looked around in curiosity.


    All our horses stood some distance away, tied with a rope to some pole sticking out of the ground. Seniors probably wanted to look like a normal adventuring party - otherwise, they would let the horses roam free, as they were excellently trained and listened to their orders.


    Los on the other hand, was an entirely different story. While he got the same training as his fellow four-hooves, he was still young and excited. He wasn''t unruly tho, and to act as the others, he just needed a little tug - so I normally tied him to one of the other animals or some tent.


    In their unusual position, the steeds looked a bit confused, but they didn''t disobey.


    Behind them, a little farm was hidden between the houses, and further towards the monolith, a stable was located. This setup created quite a comedic image, with horses'' heads poking out through the small windows and looking at us curiously, from behind the cows'' horns.


    On the other side, the mound blocked the view up to nearly two metres in height, but other than that, I don''t think it would be very useful if someone decided to invite the outpost.


    Apart from the animal corner, and the whole side dedicated to eathy defences, the rest of the space around our soon-to-be camp was occupied by smaller buildings.


    My focus returned to the fledgeling camp, where most of the group prepared their tents, with the exception of Stellmo, who was lying on the ground and staring at the clouds.


    "Huh, my worries were pointless, the friction wouldn''t get him fast enough, with his pyromaniac tendencies..."


    This time, I chuckled, even though the joke was dark enough to hide in the night.


    "Stop with that, hasn''t he said that it was an accident?"


    Stellmo accidentally set on fire a few houses while escaping from the Northern Overseer - I believed him when he told us about it, and honestly, all those jokes of Gravis''s started to annoy me some time before then.


    "As my old father always said; accidents are windows into the truth of the world. Quite poetic, isn''t it?"


    I have never heard about his father, but he sounded like someone who had his way with words. Meaning, he was full of bullshit.


    Making the distance between myself and Gravis, in a desperate attempt at regaining some energy to live through this day, I went to get my camping equipment from the satchel tied to Los''s saddle.


    But before that, I had to let the horse rest - no one wants to stay in the uniform after work, after all.


    Then came time to find the place, and set up my tent - but that unfortunately, that activity has been broken in the middle, as the outpost''s commander visited our camp.


    "Algier, right?"


    The warrior in full, heavy armour, asked my windy senior - who was on his knees plucking the nails into the ground.


    "Yes?"


    He answered while standing up to meet the Pruinian warrior eye to eye.


    "Well, it turns out that you and your group have to go in tomorrow, we don''t have the food for you lot in here."


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Algier didn''t answer for a moment, in which I sat on the ground to listen, abandoning my tent for a while.


    "Is there nothing we can do to have more time to prepare?"


    I think Commander Gaius was a worthy rival for Algier, normally he would negotiate much more aggressively, but with that man, he acted very tamely.


    "No, you must enter the gate tomorrow - but I can tell you what I know from the previous teams who came here to explore the dungeon."


    As he proposed to be actually useful, Gaius looked as if he was doing us a huge favour. I liked him less by the minute.


    "Please do so."


    It was weird to watch Algier acting as if he was polite.


    "Ask anything you want - I don''t know what information you need about the Gate."


    The windy mage stopped for a moment, in which he looked as if deep in thought.


    "I don''t want to take a lot of your time, commander, so I will ask three questions."


    He seemed to have thought about it before, but it could be his famous quick-thinking once again.


    "First off, what terrain is there in the dungeon? Are there multiple sets? Do we need to take our horses?"


    I don''t think it was one question, but okay - it''s Algier who risks getting hit or insulted, not me.


    "I don''t like your definition of one question, adventurer. But I will humour you... There are three sets of environments there - one is a dungeon in a normal sense, damp underground chambers full of monsters and traps of all kinds - the second is a path through the mountains, icy and tiring. There is no rest there for weak adventurers such as you - and the third, a vast plain, similar to our beautiful rolling hills, that''s where you will appear at first, and where you will find gates to different sub-dungeons. So, yes, you will probably need your horses."


    He stopped talking, signalling with his head for Algier to continue with his questions.


    "Do you know what beasts await us there?"


    "...The only thing I know is that you have to beware of eyes - each team that came before you left with at least one casualty they blamed on eyes."


    It wasn''t a big advice, but even such a vague and small piece of information could help us out.


    "Okay... How about the conditions for a clear? What do we have to do to reach the guardian?"


    This time, the commander looked quite pissed as he spoke, probably angry at himself and all the previous adventurer''s teams that came to his outpost.


    "No... no one has ever reached the guardian."


    It was a shocking, revelation, which made everyone from my group look over at the commander - their eyes wide and asking, if he may have joked. The only one whose heart hadn''t started to beat waster was me - as I didn''t know what that would imply at the time.


    "Sir, you aren''t serious, right?"


    Algier expressed his doubts, with the accompaniment of nods and hopefully looks.


    "No, unfortunately, the dungeon remains unsolved."


    My companions'' faces fell, and hope escaped their bodies in the form of dramatic expressions. Most were sad and disappointed, but Fenfallal''s face engraved itself in my mind the most - he was clearly upset, angry even.


    I left my unfinished tent alone and walked over to Stellmo who was still lying on his back and watching the clouds, though now, his gaze was unfocused. The commander''s words had an impact on him too.


    "What is going on? Why are you guys so frustrated? Isn''t the first clear a good thing?"


    As fell on my back beside him and stopped holding back my curiosity.


    "Ehhh... right, you wouldn''t know that... Well, to put the matter simply, getting the first clear is only good for fame in the adventurer''s society - nothing more."


    He looked at me in understanding.


    "Isn''t it the most profitable? I thought the chance for an artefact is almost sure in the first clear..."


    Despite the fact that only a few months ago, I was hellbent on becoming an adventurer, I didn''t know nearly anything about the profession apart from the basics and some rumours - with one of them stating that defeating the dungeon''s boss was the greatest opportunity to gain wealth in the world.


    "No, unfortunately not. In fact, the first clear is the least profitable, while being the most dangerous at the same time."


    Stellmo rubbed his hands around his eyes in frustration, returning his head to its previous position.


    "I get that there is no strategy for the boss, but it sounds like there is more to it. Care to elaborate? Pretty please?"


    "Eh, it''s better if I tell you about the wider scale of things... You see, the first beast wave for each Gate is the most dangerous - it crosses the threshold at horrifying speed while unleashing the most powerful monsters it will ever do. It''s like a frontal assault on a fortress - an attempt to breach the walls and slaughter all inhabitants before they can gather themselves up, without any... I don''t remember the word... Well, they don''t mind the costs."


    Stellmo stopped talking for a moment, probably gathering thoughts and searching his memory for the words he wanted to use.


    "As for the later beast waves, and the situation inside the dungeon overall - it''s as if the army moved on and left some remains to harass the fortress. They aren''t that powerful, and they expand in numbers way slower. Though, contrary to my fortress-attack allegory, the pitful remains are the ones with better equipment - which in the dungeon''s case means more valuable loot to find."


    I was truly surprised to hear that, and I still wonder about that from time to time. But despite my honest efforts, I can''t figure out a better explanation for the phenomena than while lying side-to-side with the fiery warrior.


    "It''s like the dungeon wants us to enter."


    "Yeah, it looks like that, even though it fucking weirds me out."


    He was quite emotional while replying to my theory. I think he might be somewhat fixated on the mysterious Gates.


    "How about the boss? Does it stay the same, or is it weaker, like the rest of the dungeon''s inhabitants?"


    "Yeah, it''s like the boss inbred with his disabled sister - though, the bad practices stopped after that generation. The first one is substantially stronger than later ones, but the rest are comparable to each other, with only small fluctuations."


    I still can''t believe he said that with a straight face, and comfortably made it into a quite informative description...


    "Okay..."


    "When we return, you will have to thank the royal offices for making the statistics, they help a lot."


    This sentence was much quieter than our earlier conversation, even while accounting for our hush tone for the entire duration. It would be sad if someone heard what we talked about and got suspicious over it - as I would not get the occasion to than the Royal Offices... Though, I have a premonition that it won''t happen anyway.


    I laid there for some afterwards, more because of politeness than interest in the clouds though - I didn''t want Stellmo to take me for a rude brat who comes a goes only to get his answers.


    Even though that would be quite an accurate description of me...


    Anyway, after looking at the sky long enough that Parcas came from somewhere and sat on my chest - further squashing me to the damp dirt, I stood up and went to finish up my tent, with Parcas safely placed in his pocket.


    The rest of the day passed calmly, we set up a fire in the middle of our camp and enjoyed some baked potatoes - with a twist suggested by some of the soldiers stationed in the outpost. Namely, we peeled them and cut them into a few larger pieces, then put them in a pot over the fire, inside the pot there was a net that made sure that the potatoes didn''t touch the scorching metal walls of the pot, and were baked only by the super hot air.


    It should suffice to say, that they were delicious - super soft insides kept together by a little harder skin and a mix of spices did their jobs exceptionally.


    My only regret is that the pot belongs to those guards... what a waste.

 AITMW- ch71 - Lightning Fast

    Finally, the night ended and the dawn came - bringing forth the sunlight I so much craved.


    The night wasn''t to my liking, not this one. Thoughts raced through my mind at insane speeds, as I dreamed and dreaded alike, about what we might find in the dungeon, or what may find us there.


    Really, finding out you are to enter a previously unconquered place the next day wasn''t the best remedy for sleep. That is if the one taking it hoped to close his or her eyes for the night, otherwise - it was excellent.


    I was finally able to fall asleep, but it was way too late - which made me wake up later than normal, and still fatigued.


    As I crawled out of my tent, pushing Parcas off of my body, I saw nearly every one of my comrades sat beside the campfire - above which a pot hung on a big rack. It seemed that they too, hadn''t slept well. Nice for me, as it meant I wasn''t late for breakfast.


    "Oh, Adam! Come join us after you pack your things - we are already already, so.. hurry up!"


    Gravis, that little shit. He tried to make me nervous, even though I was clearly seeing that they started to make food only recently - which meant I had plenty of time to pack my things.


    Despite his efforts, which included a few comments after I started to work, I finished packing ay before the food was ready.


    "What are you cooking?"


    I asked Marvin, who sat near the fire and stirred the contents of the pot with a huge wooden spoon.


    "A stew, you will like it - I added a lot of potatoes."


    That fucker, he lied to me!


    Not only the number of potatoes I received in my bowl was at most ''moderate'' but also it was full of corn!


    I hate corn.


    But I pressed on, and with a lot of effort put into navigating my spoon around the treacherous yellow seeds - or whatever those corn pieces were - I managed to fill up my stomach with the delight of the divine plant, and other, non-potato things that were much more acceptable than that devil spawn they call corn.


    After the tiering breakfast, full of hateful gazes towards the blond-haired archer, I took my packed bags and mounted them on Los - who was already saddled, meaning that at least one soul in our group cared about me a bit.


    Talking about our group - they got ready around the time I was, all but Gravis, who was the last one to get on his horse - staring at him judgmentally as he prepared was quite funny, to be honest. Also, it was effective, he didn''t try his jokes on me for the rest of the day.


    Slowly, we moved towards the Monolith, and the Gate etched to its side. As we started to move, Commander Gaius spotted us and walked over.


    "So, we are going in already?"


    He asked, without any greeting.


    "Good morning commander, and yes, we are going into the Gate. You will have your outpost return to its normal state in about an hour."


    Algier responded, as timidly as before.


    "Good, I get that you will probably not complete the dungeon, but be sure to put some effort towards such a goal - A Master like me has many, many things more interesting to do than taking in an outpost all of the time, believe me."


    It seems our worries were correct. The main reason we as a group hadn''t run away was the possibility of a master being stationed here, or even multiple of them. We didn''t want to risk it, and as dungeons are never impossible to survive in, it was wiser to enter, than try the guards.


    Even if none of the commander''s subordinates were as powerful as he, there were plenty of them - they outnumbered at least five to one. Even having one more master and an advanced mage, would not defend us from casualties.


    "Surely, you must have it hard here, commander."


    Algier replied with pity clear in his voice.


    "You couldn''t imagine..."


    I didn''t like that guy''s attitude, so, I stopped listening to the conversation between the two bigshots.


    Instead, I asked Stellmo about how will we ensure the safety of our animals. There is no way we will take the horses with us to battle, not to mention Parcas. The steeds may have some ability to defend themself, but my cat? What is he supposed to do? Arch his back and hiss?


    "You heard when the commander explained the environment to us?"


    I nodded.


    "So, that''s where we will leave them - it acts as a safe area, like in any other dungeon. Monsters and beasts appear only in instances further inside."


    It made some sense... Nah, who am I lying to? Nothing about the Gates and dungeons attached to them made any sense. It is like with The Goddess, a deity that supposedly cares for us, yet allows the beast tides to happen and plagues to descend...


    Now, don''t get me wrong, I believe in the god''s existence - too many things point towards them being real... Actually, even if the only signs were the miracles performed by priests of Pruinia - who had no power themselves whatsoever - I would be inclined to believe she exists.


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    But just as with the gates and dungeons, the difference between believing in their existence is so far from putting my faith in them or understanding them.


    I may think that Pruinia exists, but I doubt that I will ever believe in her church''s teachings, the same applies to dungeons - I know they exist, but I simply refuse to acknowledge the rules adventurers found and accepted as something unchangeable, stable and believable.


    So, as I always do, I asked further questions - in search of imperfections in logic. Even though I knew people smarter and wiser considered those matters before. It''s just my nature.


    "What if they appear in the grasslands?"


    As I asked, we already could see the gate etched in the monolith in the distance. Our horses walked slowly, but steadily. And we were about to reach our destination in a few minutes at most.


    "I think... that''s when the beast wave arrives. I am not sure, to be honest, I have never heard about Moster invading a safe area."


    Stellmo seemed perplexed, he furrowed his brows and looked at me curiously.


    "But that doesn''t mean it didn''t happen..." He concluded. "Don''t worry, nothing like this will happen with us, and even if - we are a capable group, we will survive."


    I think he wanted to say more, but the ears on the heads of the few guardsmen who walked with us to the gate, made him reconsider.


    "Okay, I will trust you. But if either of my boys will die - I will haunt you to the end of creation, both while alive and not."


    I boldly proclaimed. And to clarify - I am adamant about keeping that promise.


    Stellmo didn''t respond, in fact, he acted as if he didn''t hear me for the rest of the ride.


    Which didn''t really mean that we didn''t talk for a lot of time - the monolith was close.


    "Do you... Need anything else before you go in?"


    I was surprised when the commander asked that. It just didn''t fit in how he acted up until now.


    "No, thank you." Algier turned towards us, leaving Gaius behind him. "Take a deep breath and check your things - we are going in in five minutes." He told us.


    As I checked my things - mainly the satchels around Los''s saddle - a man came from the outpost''s entrance. His breath was shaken and his face full of confusion, as he ran towards the Commander, his full armour rattling with every stride.


    "What is it, Seth?"


    From my perspective, it looked as if the commander was relieved, that something else happened so that he doesn''t have to talk pleasantries with Algier anymore.


    "Commander, there are people at the gates, Claiming to be Adventurers who were sent from the Northern Overseer."


    Now, that''s when the scenery changed for the worse.


    In a flash, Stellmo, Fenfallal and Alger seemed to communicate and come to a decision.


    Lightning flashed and thunder roared through the outpost- as Fenfallal slashed at the commander with his sabre covered in golden lightning. Royal Swordmaster disappeared from his saddle and appeared next to the metal-covered foe at a speed far higher than I thought he was capable of - even after seeing him clash with that gigantic spider.


    Commander Gaius, as expected of a master, managed to react by raising his arm high, in the way of the golden warrior''s sabre. The lightning clashed with a blue force enveloping the commander''s arm - but apart from throwing him backwards, It didn''t seem to affect our enemy.


    At the same time, Algier and Stellmo moved between me and the guardsmen stationed in the outpost, who watched as we were about to enter the Gate.


    Around me, the rest of my companions gathered, still on their horses. Marvin and Tensyn - our archers - took out their bows and started shooting around, while the rest of the warriors took hold of all the horses.


    A second or two later, walls of fire raised around us, creating a passage towards the Gate but blocking us from the world in all other directions. Parcas stirred in his pocket, looking at the combination of efforts of the wind mage and fiery warrior in fright.


    All the while, I was useless, and even if I were able to react in time - none of my efforts would make a change in the storm of this battle. Which was at a completely different level than what I have ever experienced myself, even if short-lived.


    Then, the commander once again appeared in my sight, charging at the Royal Swordmaster in rage, with a horrifying roar coming from his mouth.


    Fortunately, the golden warrior was ready - and in a few exchanges full of flashing moves and booming impacts, we envoys were once again alone in the circle of fire.


    "Move to the Gate!"


    Algier roared while waving his hands around - the winds responded to his call and carried Stellmo''s flames as he wished.


    Obeying the leader''s command, the three warriors who took hold of the horses directed them towards the monolith - through the corridor of fire. Along with the lone animals, they pulled on the archer''s steeds, while I directed Los myself. Taking care of myself was the least I could do.


    As we rode - not as fast as I would like - the sounds of clashing swords increased in frequency, which prompted me to look behind.


    There, Algier and Stellmo walked backwards while still maintaining the wall of fire they conjured, while Fenfallal flashed from place to place.


    Sometimes, he was outside of the fiery circle cutting the throats or crippling the guards that moved in our direction. Then, he appeared back inside, once again fighting with the commander - who couldn''t keep up with Fenfallal''s speed.


    Their clashes were the loudest, but also the least frequent - and to be honest, the commander didn''t fare well against my friend. Also, I got the impression that he was more focused on shouting names than attacking Fenfallal seriously. With all my respect for the royal swordmaster; I don''t believe he is capable of dominating a fight against another master so much.


    As we neared the monolith, I was distracted by watching my back and didn''t notice Los turned a bit askew and stepped near the firewall.


    Fortunately, he corrected himself immediately, as the frightening heat of Stellmo''s flames rose drastically with every centimetre I got closer to it.


    "Step In! We will join you in a few seconds!"


    Another order fell, and thus, the rest of the warriors and I stepped into the swirl of colours between the frames of the Gate, still on the backs of our horses.


    The wind mage and both of the masters remained behind, while their horses and belongings followed right behind us.


    Entering the Gate for the first time was something I will never forget. The colours swirled in my vision, dazing me and blinding my sight while the mysterious energy I observed the day before enveloped my whole body, sealing me from everything that was not myself. Such as my clothes, the horse I rode, and even breath inside my lungs.


    Dazed, blind and suffocating, I felt as if flying before reality hit me once again, and I found myself in the middle of a vast plain. Green and vibrant, so different from the ever-present white I endured for so many months.


    After catching my breath, and adjusting my eyes to the soothing sight before me, I looked around.


    Just before me, Marvin was off his horse - pulling on Los''s reins and taking me and my animals out of a defensive circle the warriors formed immediately after they appeared inside the Gate''s space. They acted so fast that when I was finally able to see again; they were already in defensive positions, ready to fight anything that may come after us from the Gate.


    The Gate itself looked much different on this side. Instead of a black, ominous monolith, the multicoloured swirl was bound between the gateframe made out of white marble that shined radiantly as the sunlight reflected off of it.


    "Stand back, Adam. You may prepare some spell if you can, but don''t you dare come close to the Gate."


    Marvin commanded me when Los was finally out of the warrior''s circle.


    I took his words to my heart and rushed Los to move further away - I didn''t summon any of my spells though, none of them would cause any damage to the fighters.


    Just as I stopped Los some distance away the Gate stirred once again. Spewing out a figure clad in armour from head to toe - which was quickly revealed when the colours returned from its body to the Gate''s surface.


    Next, three others appeared from between the colours, much more gracefully than the figure that had fallen to the grass-covered ground head-first.

 AITMW- ch72 - Bloody Winds

    The armoured figure stood up as fast as it appeared and without as much as a look around, unleashed hell upon the warriors standing nearby.


    From the Commander''s feet, a wave of sickeningly blue water splashed around with tremendous force, knocking the nearest of them from their feet and raising a bit in the air before letting them fall.


    Soon after, a short sword followed - stroking mercilessly towards a Spear-wielding companion of mine who stood the nearest and was affected by the flash flood the most.


    The weapon slashed the air and made a horrifying sound as the steel clashed against the steel. The warrior''s aura was slashed apart instantly, not showing any resistance to the master''s power, and the short sword tore apart the cuirass near the spearman''s neck.


    Fenfallal''s subordinate would have fallen dead by now, if not for his leader''s timely intervention - As he appeared from between the swirling colours, Fenfallal dashed forward and pushed his soldier away from the waterbending enemy, barely saving his neck.


    Despite my honest hopes, Commander hadn''t stopped for a second - determined to strike us down.


    Seeing that the golden warrior that gave him so much trouble on the other side of the gate guarded his previous target, he spun around in one fluid motion - both creating a high wall of water that cut off the nearest path to the lightning-wielding warrior and reaching towards the other close-combat warrior nearest him.


    This time, we weren''t as lucky.


    Like an unstoppable tidal wave, Commander tore through the warrior''s shield with his sword, as if it wasn''t encased in aura and was made out of paper.


    A shriek of pain reverberated through the grassland, as the commander''s sword shlashed through my companion''s forearm, entering in the middle and leaving to the side, slashing flesh and breaking bone in the process.


    Around the same time, another figure emerged from the Gate, this time though, Marvin and Tensyn - the archers, hadn''t hesitated to shoot a barrage of arrows in his direction, all of us had already crossed to this side.


    Following the painful howl of my friend, the enemy warrior let out shallow gasps as his throat became a macabre hedgehog in an instant, followed by a dull thud of a body hitting the lush grass.


    As Fenfallal and the spearman dodged the tidal wave and circled to reach the Commander who had already bit his blade into human flesh, Algier finally moved, his reflexes were clearly slower than Fenfallals, or even Stellmo''s - Who rushed at the heavily armoured water warrior from the other side.


    As the warriors clashed, Algier rose to the air. His hair and robes flung around as if in a hurricane, and a ball of air mana slowly formed between his hands.


    The man was so dense I could sense it from where Los stood, at least twenty metres from Algier, not accounting for the height he rose to.


    Commander hadn''t managed to inflict further wounds on the unlucky soldier, as Stellmo and Felfallal charged at him from both sides. Sensing the danger, he turned around once more, like water, and slipped between the two masters while unleashing a wave of unsettlingly blue water around himself, pushing the attackers away as much as he could.


    While another torrent of arrows flew through the air with a distinct whiz and the ball of condensed air mana swelled further between the senior mage''s hands, another victim fell to the commander''s sword, elusive like fluid.


    He moved surprisingly fast, not as fast as the golden warrior, but with his excessive use of aura on pushing Fenfallal back he managed to gain distance, even if meagre. Before, on the other side of the Gate, he didn''t use such a tactic, probably in fear of harming some of his own people.


    Marvin, one of the archers, was the one to find himself before the metal-clad commander. He tried to defend using his bow, a desperate, fruitless effort hadn''t saved him from a deep gash appearing on the side of his stomach.


    Blood splattered all around, but before the commander managed to finish off his prey, Fenfallal appeared before him - in a flash of red lighting, his face full of fury.


    A quick and powerful strike of a golden sabre, clad in red lighting, staggered the commander back and sent a shock through him, weakening his aura barrier - straight onto a wrathful lunge of Stellmo''s.


    The hellish flames encased their master and his weapon as he thrust with all his mass, explosions further propelled him forward on a collision course with the Commander''s back.


    The terrifying roar that left his mouth shook me to the core, as the flame-bearing sword pierced the blue barrier and skewered the Commander''s heart.


    While that scream of horror was attention-grabbing, it was still only noticed by me unconsciously - most of my attention lingered on the orb of compressed air. It was so powerful and full of mana that I am sure everyone else felt it, not only Algier and me.


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    Senior''s grip on mana was truly terrifying. He condensed and condensed, spinning the orb so fast that it picked up wind around us unintentionally, all the while adding more and more energy to his creation.


    But soon, he seemed to stop.


    Immediately after, from his outstretched hands, the orb burst with unimaginable speed. Its shockwave pushed everyone around with mighty strength. Los backed at least a few metres under the harsh wind, while the nearest men literally lost their ground and were thrown to the back without any control. the only one unaffected was Algier, obviously, as the one who controlled this reined force of nature.


    A man stepped through the Gate at that exact moment. The orb flew next to his head, knocking him over and breaking his neck - which stretched unnaturally and if not for the spell''s hellish sound and the Commander''s scream, I am sure I would have heard an unnerving popping sound.


    The orb disappeared in the Gate, a flash after it left Algier''s hands - following which that swirling mass of colours dimmed and eventually completely greyed out.


    As the spell left his hands, Algier fell from his position, limp like a corpse. Fortunately for him, the third close-combat Advanced warrior was close enough to catch him before he struck the ground.


    I barely managed to keep Parcas in my arms while clutching Los'' neck frantically, not to fall from the steed as I watched the battlefield from some distance away.


    A few bodies, pierced by arrows in numerous places, spewed on the ground. Fresh blood flew from the wounds, dying the ground beneath the blades of grass red.


    Similarly red were the clothes of those two warriors, who were unfortunate enough to meet the wrath of a master. They would undoubtedly died if not for Fenfallal''s and Stellmo''s intervention. We all would.


    A few metres from the men tending to their wounds, another of close-range warriors lay beneath Algier, who after collapsing to the ground from the height of his flight, hadn''t shown any sign of consciousness. His body was limp, which wouldn''t hinder the warrior enough to not let him stand up. I think he didn''t show the mage to the side deliberately, worrying that there may be some injury on our leader - and wanted someone to look at him before doing anything.


    It was my chance to help them a bit, so after gathering myself on the saddle, I prompted Los - who was surprisingly calm in the face of such chaos - to near them.


    As my steed walked, Parcas hid behind the flaps of my coat. I looked in the direction of where two masters of the same retinue as me had clashed with the enemy warrior of the same rank.


    Stellmo was cleaning his blade from the heinous blood that stained it, while Fenfallal tended to Tensen''s injuries. All next to the fresh corpse encased in kilograms upon kilograms of steel. The back of Commander''s cuirass was punctured and dented, with sharp parts sticking outwards due to violent unsheathing Stellmo performed on the master''s body. Here, blood flowed most vigorously, as the fiery master''s blade met the opponent''s heart. Red liquid squirted from the wound in waves for a few moments - until the pressure slowly disappeared along with the heart''s activity. Then, it seeped out, like a spring high in the mountains - giving birth to a river, in this instance, a blood-red one.


    Such a person. Able to overwhelm a group of well-trained and experienced warriors one rank below him, yet, dying at the hands of two of his status mere moments after they started to focus on him, and only him.


    I pitied him. He died a worthless death, not having delivered any of us at the threshold of heavenly gates, nor stopping our escape... Not only that, apart from dying with no cause he brought his soldiers along - the only ones who definitely died, though they may not be alone. I can''t be sure that Algier''s spell hadn''t decimated the entire outpost - even if it was doubtful.


    About him - having checked his state, I came to the conclusion that he was just spent, tired in a magical way. I noticed that he hadn''t let out any mana outwards - which considering that he couldn''t currently control it, led me to believe that he used all of his resources, which in turn made him faint.


    I wasn''t surprised, every time mana leaves my body, I feel a bit nauseous - if I operated on higher amounts I would definitely lose consciousness after a while, especially if I emptied my reserves in one, big spell.


    "Is he okay?"


    Stellmo approached me from the side and asked - pointing at the mage who moved pillows, from the warrior''s body to my knees.


    "Yes, I think so. He doesn''t respond or wake up, but his eyes respond to being exposed to the sun and I hadn''t found any external wounds - I think he is just tired after using all of his mana." I explained as clearly as I could.


    "Good, keep an eye on him though, if he dies, this whole journey would be for nothing." He stopped for a moment to sigh deeply, as if reminiscing. "I, on the other hand, will take a look at that Gate - let''s see if it is truly closed."


    As he walked over, I realised that I had forgotten about our only source of danger. After Algier''s spell, the Gate became grey - but that said nothing about its workings beyond colour, it could still be operating, and spewing warriors just mere metres behind my back.


    I positioned myself towards it hastily, following Stellmo with my gaze as he unsheathed his sword and poked the grey expanse between the Gate''s frames.


    Metal hit with a dull, stoney sound - as if it was a box with hollow insides. To my relief, the blade hadn''t gone through.


    "Seems stable, and closed... Hmm... Algier''s spell must have thrown it off the balance - or some other stupid mage shit." Stellmo commented. "Anyway, all that matters is that we have some time before the Gate opens again."


    Hearing that, a mighty question brewed in my mind.


    "If the Gate is closed, how will we escape? We can''t spend here eternity..."


    Stellmo looked at me as if I was stupider than he thought.


    "Right, all the dreams, none the knowledge..." Fucker. "We will probably beat the guardian, and escape through the other gate - as risky as it may be, it''s our only option that doesn''t include an outpost full of foes, with an unknown number of masters in their midsts... It''s Algier''s decision though, so don''t take my words for granted."


    "The other Gate?" I wasn''t sure if I just didn''t remember, or had never heard of such a thing, but I was sure that I didn''t know at the moment.


    Stellmo sighed, and I could swear he wanted to repeat the phrase with which he started the previous tirade.


    "There is a Guardian somewhere here, guarding another Gate - leading to unknown places. It''s very dangerous to enter it, as there is no way of knowing where it will lead you, but in my opinion, it''s better than going back."


    I didn''t ask further, which didn''t mean I was out of questions, quite the opposite. It was just that I didn''t want to bother Stellmo too much. He seemed to still be agitated from the fight, understandably so.

 AITMW- ch73 - Little Journey to The West

    Eventually, I left Stellmo and Algier near the greyed-out gate to their own devices. Algier was still on the ground, though already on a blanket - I didn''t want to leave him on the cold, hard ground.


    I took Los, with Parcas on top by his reins, and went towards the place where most of us gathered.


    There, Fenfallal had already set up his tent and went around helping the injured with their own places to stay. The rest of the unwounded warriors followed his example except for Tensen, who took the job from injured Marvin and prepared something to eat for the whole group. While it was way too early for lunch, it was a great way to relax and think about our next steps.


    "So..., how bad is it?" I asked, sitting next to Marvin on a large blanket near the fire.


    "Ymh! Bad, that fucker cut me open like a pig in the slaughterhouse..." He clutched his side as he spoke, the bandages slowly reddened, and eventually, the blood seeped out, on his pressing hand.


    I looked at the wound and asked. "We should replace the bandages, did someone sew you up?"


    "No, Mine is painful, but I would survive without any treatment, that cursed commander broke Arthur''s collarbone and one of the bones in Damien''s forearm - their injuries are much more urgent than mine measly flesh wound." He looked resolute, and adamant in his reasoning. But to me, it seemed that a bit of selfishness surfaced, with an understandable wish for the pain to stop.


    "I could do that to help you if you would let me. I know a bit of how to sew, and although I hadn''t learned any particular spells yet, I can use a bit of nature mana - I heard it helps with healing." I sold myself as well as I could, imagining that Marvin would be embarrassed or scared to ask me for help. I am about twenty years younger than him after all.


    Thankfully, he didn''t have any problem asking for help - I should learn a bit from him, it''s not really healthy to bottle everything up and try to deal with yourself. "Egkh... Yes, please try your best." He got quiet for a second before speaking quietly. "If you mess up we can always cut the stitches after all..."


    I wasn''t particularly encouraged by his comment, But I got to work either way.


    First, even before taking off Marvin''s bandages, I cut out a piece of the fresh ones and wrapped them around a piece of ice I conjured.


    "Put it near the wound after I take off the bandages, but please leave me enough room to amount with the needle." Marvin winced at the notice of the sharp, tiny spike I procured from the med kit along with the bandages.


    Then I got to work.


    Sewing isn''t one of the things I excel at, but I got my fair share of practice with my and Derek''s clothes. However, flesh proved to be harder to work with than animal hides and cloth. It was bulkier and I couldn''t move it around to get the angles for the needle easier. Either way, I think I did a good work on Marvin''s belly, the wound closed up nicely with little strain visible on the skin. Blood still seeped from inside, but that was to be expected.


    Also, nature mana worked well to calm my friend, and even lessened the blood flow a bit. I wouldn''t call it healing magic yet, but I was heading in a vaguely good direction.


    So, having finished with my basic operation, I helped Marvin stand up and together we went closer to the fireplace, where Tensyn gave out a light broth he managed to prepare in the last hour. The rest of our group had already sat there, waiting for us to finish.


    I sat down immediately and took a bowl of my own, not a large portion but enough to heat me up from inside. Meanwhile, Marvin went up to Fenfallal, to check the stitches I made. Fortunately, my work was good enough to leave it be. Soon after that, everyone was on the ground, blankets under our butts and small bowls in our hands.


    "Do we bury them?" Marvin asked mid-way through his bowl, catching us all unprepared for such a question.


    Algier was the first one to answer. It was nice of him, as it would be his decision either way. "We will, but only after we scout the surroundings, we don''t have enough manpower at the moment to do those two tasks at the same time."


    "Which brings me to tell you what we will be doing for the rest of the day," he said after pausing for a moment to stuff a spoon in his mouth and gulp the contents down. "I, Stellmo and Adam will take our horses and ride around in search of entrances - the rest of the unharmed will stay here and fortify this place as much as possible. As for the injured, prepare your tents and go rest, there is no reason to strain you in such a condition."


    I was surprised a tiny bit by what Algier said, as it was very reasonable, none of his weird, psychotic traits surfaced.


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    Only one thing left me wondering.


    "Shouldn''t I stay with the wounded?" I asked a few moments after Algier stopped talking.


    "No, Fenfallal will take better care of them and also can defend them if needed. Tensyn and Gravis will do better at making fortifications. It''s best to use you as an eye." He concluded before returning his interest to his bowl. He didn''t look as if he was willing to answer any questions at the moment, so I too, immersed myself in the broth.


    Soon, I mounted Los while Stellmo and Algier got on their own steeds, and after leaving Parcas behind with Marvin, we ventured into the plain.


    The area around the Gate was one big grassland, where high vegetation blocked the view for a man on his feet but didn''t trouble us while we sat on top of the horses. Above the grass, rolling hills spread in every direction, troubling us in finding any places of interest.


    Nothing else was in the distance, the hills occupied every corner I could see. Which was weird, as even in the plains around the outpost, I had seen the Fire Mountains far in the distance, so far in fact that only the tops were visible, but still, it was a few weeks of travel.


    "Algier? Why is there nothing else in the distance apart from grass?" I asked, as I always did.


    "Because the grass blocks the view, obviously." He answered cheekly. "Oh, wait you''re right, I forgot." He looked at me weirdly. "The safe area is always either an enclosed space or impossible to escape. Very stale in views too."


    "What do you mean ''Impossible to escape''?" I asked, despite feeling both Stellmo and the senior mage rolling their eyes, hidden from my sight.


    "It''s more of, ''OH! I am in the same place again!'', then inescapable. It''s like going in circles without any knowledge." Algier explained, still not looking at me.


    I think noticed my confusion, as Stellmo stepped in right after glancing in my direction. He probably wanted to see my reaction to a piece of information that I should have known, in his opinion.


    "Ehhh... Adam. if you go far enough to the west, you will magically appear very far in the east. Which means there is a spot, a barrier, which can''t be really crossed."


    That explained things a lot more than Algier''s cryptic words.


    I asked no more questions, for now.


    In a few minutes, we arrived at the top of a nearby hill, where we scattered in three directions - The Gate could be seen even behind the hill we were on, so it wasn''t a problem for us to find the camp in case something happened.


    I rode west, with Algier going east and Stellmo north.


    West was just like the rest of the area, grassy plain with few hills here and there, Which by the way, were my objectives. The older guys told me to do so, so I obliged.


    But soon, I realised that there was nothing to be found in my area, on the hills, or not.


    Bored and curious about what was in the other places, returned to the hill we started on and went north, in search of Stellmo - neither he nor Algier had returned when I arrived, so they must have found something, and choosing between Algier and Stellmo wasn''t a hard decision.


    Algier is smart, has some interesting ideas and makes a great conversation partner when I manage to pressure him into talking about magic, but otherwise? He is a dick. And an exhibitionist.


    Neither of those two make me ich to spend time with him.


    So, when I went north, I found Algier staring at a rock - of course.


    "What are you doing?" I asked, nearing a big boulder next to which stood Algier''s steed, without a rider.


    Algier was on the other side, staring intently at the rock without paying attention to anything else - as shown by the way he jumped up when he heard me talking.


    "Wha!? What are you doing here?" He asked immediately after gathering himself up from the surprise.


    "Looking around. I didn''t find anything interesting in the West, just like you in the East, probably." I answered.


    He looked at me and nodded in understanding.


    "Yes, you''re right. As for what I am doing, obviously, I am investigating this rock."


    Another non-answer.


    "What''s so interesting about it?" I pressured. My curiosity would not be squashed this way.


    He looked at me once again, irked.


    "It leaks mana, come and look. If you want." Finally some answers.


    True to Algier''s words, there was a slightly thicker hue around the rock in question. It wasn''t a big difference, but if I focused, I could sense the deviation.


    "How come? I can''t see a reason why it would do that." It was weird, so I asked.


    Algiers started to walk towards his horse, before stopping and looking back at me. "You won''t find it, the rock is normal."


    I looked at him, dumbfounded, as he mounted his steed, before beckoning me to join him. All the while, refusing to answer my rock-based questions.


    When I did, Algier led me between two hills. from one of which a small stream poured out, flowing further north.


    "A stream? That''s why you waited there, to show me this?" I still hadn''t given up asking about the rock, but seeing no progress in that direction, I changed the topic.


    "No, it was to show you the rock - if I wanted to show you some water, I would take a nap on this hill." He pointed at the one from which the stream poured out. And to be honest, it made some sense - the grass there looked incredibly comfortable.


    "I just didn''t want to travel alone. We have an hour or two before we catch up with Stellmo, maybe you will finally think of some interesting topics to talk about." He finished.


    And just as he said, we did.


    The ride was something I can not explain. At the same time, we both wanted to talk, but neither of us could agree to follow the other''s topic to the extent that I started to believe Algioer didn''t want a conversation partner, he wanted a quarrel competitor. Or better, someone to swear at afterwards.


    So, while we rode downstream and shouted at each other from time to time, the sun streaked across the sky marking the time passed.


    At the end of our journey was a small lake surrounded by a dozen or so trees and a few streams feeding water into the pool. There, Stellmo sat under the biggest tree, along with his horse, who lay nearby.


    The warrior looked bored, easily shown by the amount of ash laid around. He probably decimated the local population of sticks.


    "Oh, you have finally arrived. You took your time, you know?" He berated.


    -----


    So, I will spare you Stellmo''s anger issues and the journey back. Where it''s safe to say nothing interesting happened, as we just buried the dead, ate dinner and went to sleep.


    We needed rest, after all the next day, we returned to the lake and headed upstream of one of the other creeks.


    To find the entrance of the true dungeon.

 AITMW- ch74 - In The Dark, Even The Blood Shines

    We stood on a high hill, surrounded by tall grass from all sides but one - a great monolith loomed over us, with a swirling Gate etched into its side.


    I felt like two days before, when I stood before the Gate in the middle of the guards'' outpost, in a same-looking monolith, which if not for human interference would also be surrounded by the sea of green.


    Opposite to what I expected, all of us went here, even the wounded. But it turned out there was a good reason - someone had to take care of the horses and Parces, who was the only non-horse animal we brought along.


    At first, that role was supposed to belong to me, but with the recent happenings, there were ones better suited for the job. Or rather, less suitable for any other.


    Marvin, and two of our close-range advanced warriors; Arthur and Damien, were the ones to remain. Their wounds would hinder them in battle, and they may be endangered furthermore because of that, even more than me - a mere beginner mage, with a small collection of spells and nearly no combat experience.


    And here I was, before the Gate, Algier, Fenfallal and Stellmo standing in front of me, Gravis and Tensen next to me.


    I was leaving Parcas and Los behind, despite my feline companion''s complaints and defiance, no one needed to explain to me that keeping them with me would only endanger them.


    "Here we go. Focus and remember; we keep together. No wandering, no acting as an individual. We are a team, nothing more, nothing less." Here, Fenfallal took charge. Even though Algier was the group''s official leader, even he respected the Royal Swordmaster''s experience and offered no remarks when he took hold of the leading position before entering the Gate above the stream''s source.


    Right after, he stepped forward with his sabre already unsheathed. Just like him, Tensyn, Stellmo and Gravis had all prepared their weapons. The only ones who didn''t were Algier and me, as the magic would be disrupted when we stepped in.


    And here I was, walking into a Gate once again, the horrifying feeling soon enveloped me, pushing at me from all sides, even from within. Soon, I started to suffocate in the blank darkness, just before the world materialized before me once more.


    Immediately, a stench of stale water and rotten flesh assaulted my nose, even before my eyes regained vision and were able to see what was before me. I stood behind my companions, in a dark corridor illuminated only by a bit of green light floating above Algier''s palm. The ground was damp, sustaining vegetation that slowly climbed up the stone brick walls and hung from the ceiling.


    "Dungeon... crap." Fengfallal cursed, moving a torch that hung from his hip to a more comfortable position, which didn''t grant him access as easily as on the hip. "Algier, Adam, be our light. Fire is too dangerous here. Coat your mouth and nose with aura or mana."


    I accepted the orders immediately, as I could imagine the whole corridor exploding at the lightest touch of flame. I heard there were many gasses in underground chambers, most of them either poisonous or explosive.


    After creating a small shield around my face, meant to filter out dangerous gasses, I condensed mana on my palm, as green as Algier''s, as I didn''t want to distract anyone by different colours of lighting. It was a simple way of creating some light, outside of using Light attributed mana, but it rendered me useless at the same time - I had no focus to work with after all of it went towards the mask and magical torch.


    Afterwards, I found time to look around once more, before we had to depart. I looked behind, where a Gate dimly shone. Behind it a solid wall. Among the puddles scattered across the floor, a few rats'' corpses littered the ground, especially green under the Wind mana''s glow. Far before us, a wall of black stood, unnerving and making me question what was beyond.


    "Stellmo, take the rearguard. I will lead. Mages in the middle, Gravis with me, Tensyn with Stellmo." Fenfallal ordered, then started to walk forward, through the corridor dimly illuminated in faint green light.


    ----


    We stalked between the stone brick walls, under the ceiling grass and moss that hung from above, for many unnerving minutes. Slowly, I became accustomed to the faint green lighting, and the absolute darkness that surrounded us became less unbearable.


    "Shhh." Fenfalllal shhhhhh''ed.


    We stopped immediately, letting the eerie silence grow.


    In the distance, a quiet croaking broke the silence.


    "A frog," Fenfallal commented.


    Indeed, I thought so too.


    "Can you light up the corridor in the distance?" Once again, the royal swordmaster said something, this time only towards Algier.


    "No, but I can check if it''s near." The mage answered.


    "Go on, but be careful not to damage the ceiling."


    Alhier stepped forward, before the swordmaster, and the pulsing green orb in his hand grew a bit - only to explode forward in a huge gust of wind that I am sure would have pushed me a few metres in the air if it hit me - judging by the looks of it.


    A high-pitched squeak followed, supposedly let out by the same creature that croaked before.


    "It seems it is indeed nearby. Probably within the next fifty metres." Algier said, after debating with himself for a moment.


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    "Stand back and return to the lamp duty," Fenfallal ordered, breaking the standstill and moving forward, towards the noises.


    The swordmaster picked up the pace, forcing us to move faster if we wanted to stay close to the ones in front.


    As we went, the corridor widened slightly, before unfolding into a full-size room. It was similar to the dark, stone corridor but had a higher ceiling and some fluorescent fungus in the corners. While it gave out some light, it wasn''t enough to make my and Algier''s magical torches useless, rather - it was more of a distraction than a benefit.


    On the opposite side, three doorframes hid in the shadows, behind the backs of four creatures staring at us with their big, slimey eyes.


    Reptile legs, with reflective skin and unnecessary swimming membranes between toes granted height to the creatures, lifting the grotesque torso hidden behind a thick hide armour and long, slippery arms with four fingers - two on each side - connected like toes with thin skin.


    The beasts croaked at us once more, swiping away any shock and doubt that formed in my head after seeing their forms, especially heads. Which resembling those of frogs or toads, were way too big for their bodies.


    A staredown ensued, between me, Algier and Fenfallal on one side, and the four Frog-men on the other. Six human-proportion eyes against eight big googly marbles, wet and slimy - as seen even a few metres away.


    "Do we fight?" I asked, after noticing a set of spears and small shields, each resting between the fingers of one of the creatures - beast they may be not, but I doubt they were anyhow near being men.


    "We do not. I, however, do." Fenfallal answered.


    And he did.


    The green shine enveloping the chamber momentarily disappeared, overtaken by a golden light emitted by the speeding figure of the Golden warrior, charging with his sabre unleashed at the creatures before us.


    Despite the light, lightning did not manifest. Fenfallal crashed on the nearest of the opponents, spinning around - cutting off the spearhead and sliding the blade of his sabre under the shield, between where the ribs should be, in one fluid motion.


    Ripping the razor-sharp weapon out, the swordmaster threw a volley of fresh, cold blood in the face of his next opponent, in a clever twist of the sabre''s flat side.


    The Frog-men around finally reacted, shocked by the sudden attack but not enough to freeze and let themself be slaughtered. None of the Frog-men would have agreed to such humiliation.


    Three spears shifted back, and three shields raised - the green warriors prepared themself to fight, perfectly smooth and without a hiccup as if trained for countless hours.


    Another one fell, as Fenfallal knocked the spearhead out of the way and slashed across Frog-man''s head - cutting right through in a flash or radiance befitting of his golden lightning, yet with no thunder.


    Quick pirouette, as if he was a nimble dancer, and the Swordmaster was once again face to face with another opponent - this time holding the shaft right behind the pointy end, pulling abruptly and ripping his foe out of balance. Right in the way of the golden sabre, falling from above without mercy, splitting the skull, and coming out in a macabre shower of blood.


    One of the Frog-men remained, his eyes showed terrible fear, and his hands shook. I could hear his breath quicken in a matter of seconds - betraying his adrenaline-pumped emotions, and how terrifying the royal swordmaster could be, while not even trying.


    Second or two later, the room fell once again in the faint green light - much darker than before, as my eyes were no longer accustomed to the half-darkness. Fenfallal massacred the creatures, giving them no opportunity to retaliate, no moment to even prove their skill. They were unfortunate enough to face a Master, but fortunate enough not to encounter someone like Algier, who in his sadism would probably rip them apart from within, like those poor wolves back in the valley between Fire Mountains.


    Rearguard, consisting of Tensyn and Stellmo, pushed me further into the chamber - Saring at the sight of the battle, I stood in the middle of the corridor, blocking it unknowingly.


    "Big frogs. There must be some underground lake somewhere near." Stellmo had stated seeing the dead Frog-men.


    "Maybe, maybe not - It''s a dungeon, crypt in the forest. we have to keep that in our minds." Fenfallal countered, stepping out of the pool of blood that had fallen off his golden aura armour after its disappearance.


    "Anyway, what I wanted to say is - you should let Tensyn, Gravis and Adam do the light work. There is no reason for us three to tire ourselves out on things like this." Stellmo said, ticking the gutted Frog-man with his foot.


    "Right, maybe next time. But now, which way do we go?" Fenfallal asked us all.


    Before us, on the other end of the chamber, three corridors went out of the room. In each, the same darkness rested.


    Here, I finally had something to say.


    "How about the rightmost? Then when we find another crossroads if they are still all the same, we can also choose the corridor most to the right - giving us a sense of where we already went if we need to go back." I proposed.


    "Good idea, but even then, we should mark the walls," Tensyn added.


    Fenfallal thought for a moment, then went to the rightmost entrance and slashed the ceiling above it in a quick, yet painfully bright slash of his sabre.


    "Rightmost it is. earlier formation." He ordered, stepping into the darkness before Algier caught up with him and lighted it up in the familiar green hue.


    ---


    We didn''t travel long before stepping into another large chamber - this time much larger, yet as empty as a sock without a foot in it.


    Eerie darkness hid the corners away, as the green hue came out of me, and Algier didn''t reach that far. Just as before, fluorescent fungus covered much of the stone surface, it started to appear in the corridor between the first and the second room, but the amount found in the hallways was much more scarce than what the chambers contained.


    "No frog creatures this time. No fun." Algier opened his mouth for the first time after encountering the Frog-men.


    "Also, no rest." Added Fenfallal, not stopping for a second while heading towards the rightmost corridor coming out of the chamber.


    We followed along, into the green-lit darkness and walked steadily behind him, until a third chamber appeared.


    Its appearance was foretold by a red hue coming from far in the corridor, bathing the stone in a bloody light - enough to change the colours, yet not light enough to give any visibility.


    Along with the ominous hue, low croaks could be heard, much more numerous than before, judging by the noise.


    "Gravis, Tensyn, come forward, you will take care of the frogs while I will kill whatever may be dangerous for you - if there are any," Fenfallal ordered quietly.


    The two warriors nodded, and then, Tensyn passed by me to join Gravis at the forefront.


    Soon, they arrived in the chamber and immediately rushed into battle. When the room was finally unveiled to me, two Frog-men were already down. The two advanced warriors faced off another two, while Fenfallal walked slowly towards the thing each and every one of us became immediately aware of after stepping into the chamber.


    A huge, floating aye. White all over, with numerous red veins emitting the eerie light rooting out of the pupil all over the orb.


    Its gaze felt heavy, domineering or even horrifying as it started right into my eyes. As if it saw my soul, or even beyond.


    Another three Frog-men had fallen when The Eye shone in an ominous red light - which neared me so quickly and suddenly, that I didn''t even manage to close my eyes before I was flung back with massive force.


    My back hurt all over, blood flowed down my eyes as I raised my gaze, still leaning against the wall in the same place I crashed.


    Before me, a bloody figure blocked my view of the monster, Fenfallal''s figure was riddled with holes all over - each and every one see-through. A red pool gathered below his still-standing husk.


    Before it fell, unveiling The Eye in all its gory glory, lighting the chamber in red, bloody light.

 AITMW- ch75 - Mountain to the Past

    All around, slaughter-fest ensued.


    Macabre deaths surrounded me, as Algier''s guts flew through the air, clashing with a head encased in a helmet, separated from its body and soaring below the ceiling.


    I struggled to stand but eventually managed to get on my feet - only to stagger a moment later, when my will, goodness and willingness to help were defeated by my instincts to flee.


    Instead of walking forward and launching an icicle to help my companions fight against the opponents, I turned my back and fled, leaving them to a certain death.


    I ran through the dark corridor, back the way we came, stumbling on the uneven ground and accumulating a collection of scratches and bruises that slowly made my body numb.


    I thought I managed to flee with my life intact until I reached the first chamber - then - a slippery, yet hard impacts started to echo from the corridor behind me. A Frog-man gave chase.


    My feet carried me as fast they could, returning to the unimaginable pace that I somehow reached when running for my life from the slaughter chamber.


    The slippery stomps grew closer, closing on me despite my hardest efforts.


    I had the Gate in sight when a stray rock caught my feet mid-stride - making me fall face-first onto the cold, damp rock beneath.


    I looked behind, hearing the Frog-man breathing heavily, just a few metres behind me, only to see a falling blade, reflecting the Gate''s myriad of colours.


    Falling straight between my eyes.


    ---


    "Are you okay Adam?" Stellmo broke me out of a deep thought.


    "I... Just think I forgot about something..." It was that deep, overpowering thought that always haunted me after leaving the house to do something, a feeling of loss and un-remembrance.


    "Oh, don''t worry, it''s normal. Everyone feels like that when faced with something stressful." The red-eyed warrior tried to brighten my mood, I think - but it only made me feel worse.


    When I looked at him, following the basic decorum when speaking with someone, I felt dread and fear, a bloodied face appeared in my vision. A deep fog concealed the place around it, obscuring my thoughts.


    "Why the big eyes?" He asked, reciprocating the gaze.


    "... Is imagining how your companions die also normal?" I asked, worried.


    He looked at me closely, his red eyes focusing somewhere above my nose.


    "Depends. In your case, from what I heard, it may be just natural" He looked away. "But please, try to refrain from doing so, or at least don''t tell me next time... - I don''t like to be reminded that I am but a mortal, especially before venturing into the unknown." He quieted down at the end.


    "Okay..."


    A few moments later, Fenfallal stepped through the amalgamation of colours, after prompting us to follow right behind him.


    I moved forward, putting my leg through the twisting colours with intense worry, before the magic pushed all the air out of me just like the other two times I walked through a Gate.


    Wait, two times? No, only one - the gate embedded into the monolith was my first time...


    Anyway, soon after regaining sight and functionality of my lungs, I felt the snow envelop my legs - up to the middle of my calves, and blinding sunlight shining from all sides, reflecting off the white powder.


    "A mountain top, good. I won''t be useless here." I said right after.


    We stood on top of a mountain, with deep falls on the left and right and a vague path visible in the snow before us, leading down in a serpentine way. Behind us, a huge rock stood encased in snow, a Gate design I could call classic already.


    "Maybe, but it isn''t so good for us as a whole. In a dungeon, there shouldn''t be any long-range opponents, nor flying ones." I shuddered on the thought, as Stellmo''s comment stirred something deep inside me.


    I flicked my wrist and created a rune for [Shield] in the air before me. A transparent barrier enveloped me in a dome shape, preparing me for an ambush.


    "Good thinking. Also, prepare to cast some attacks at the moment''s notice,... those clouds could be hiding some truly malicious things." Stellmo commented, seeing magic surround me.


    Following his words, I looked above - to see the clouds hanging suspiciously low. Though, we were on a peak after all, it was not that the clouds were low, it was we who were high.


    "Focus on me for a moment," Fenfallal ordered from ahead, assuming leadership. I looked at him, but soon turned my gaze, unable to focus with such a vivid sight of horror before my eyes. "We will walk in a close formation, so keep no more than two metres of distance between each other. Algier and Aldam will walk in the middle, I will take the front, Stellmo behind, Gravis the right wing and Tensyn the left one. Keep a lookout on your side - as for the mages, focus on the air." Closing the speech, he turned on his snow-covered heel and started the march down the mountaintop.


    I looked at Stellmo worryingly, then turned around and followed the swordmaster.


    I mostly looked at the sky, when I didn''t need to watch out for my feet. When I abandoned my post and turned neither to my feet nor to the sky - I enjoyed beautiful mountain views. While crossing the Fire Mountains, I couldn''t get enough of the high peaks and mesmerising valleys - as we were walking inside those valleys and looking up at the mountains.


    Now though, as we trod on the mountain''s spine, and were about to descend slowly - I had plenty of room to look down and be amazed at the slope.


    Vibrant green trees bent along the ice-cold winds, their mighty trunks supporting a multitude of branches, each different yet so similar to each other.


    A rogue bear, or sometimes more exotic monsters strode through the woods, stalking each other in hopes of easy prey - only to be horribly disappointed way later into the day. Either dead or dead tired.


    Side to side with the somewhat lush forest, that could pose as great wood from the plains or hill-covered countryside if some deciduous trees were added, the ground went through a gradient - through low bushes and grasses, to a rocky slope.


    There, I saw multiple mountain goats - one even chewed by a big cat. Near them, rodent-like creatures, nearly invisible amongst the lichens fought ferociously for survival, having birds of prey watching them constantly, in search of an opportunity.


    Unfortunately, amongst the all-natural terrain which could be used to define a forest in every corner of the world, grounds scarred by battles and appearances of powerful beasts, kings of these peaks, lay.


    Nearby that goat, which had become a cat''s food not long ago, a shallow ravine stretched over a few dozen metres. While overall, the point of snow laid very high, relatively close to my location - over there, around the land''s scar - it was frozen. Sticking out like a sore thumb from the mostly green terrain around it.


    Death and strife were present even in those most beautiful places as if they couldn''t leave us alone for even a moment.


    And that''s in the relatively low area of the mountains, where the trees still grow and ''normal'' animals live.


    The higher I looked, the closer my eyes ventured to the point of ever-snow, the less vegetation I saw. There, monsters of various ranks roamed, leaving their caves and hideouts to hunt for food or social rank among each other.


    Somehow though, the top was relatively peaceful. Snow was fresh, but even then some marks of battle should be visible, yet it was all clean and for the past twenty-ish minutes, no monster dared to approach us.


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    From what I saw, I concluded that the beast''s strength is proportional to the height they live on, so even if we had some invisible aura deterring the magical animals, those who live at the top should have attacked us regardless - full of pride and unwilling to share their territory.


    "Stop daydreaming Adam! We didn''t come to sightsee!" Stellmo berated me from behind, probably noticing that I focused more on the mountains below than the skies above.


    "Sorry.., I got distracted." I apologised, in a not-so-apologetic tone.


    A few minutes passed, in which I struggled hard not to look down and observe something more interesting than a few dozen clouds flying around, each whiter than the other.


    "Say... what got you so distracted?" Stellmo asked eventually, breaking the silence.


    Few of our other companions glanced towards us, some with disapproving looks, some curiously.


    "It''s... just weird. From what you told me, when stepping into a dungeon you appear in a relatively peaceful area, then go face a more powerful challenge, yet here we are - on top of a mountain." I explained.


    Stellmo didn''t say anything for a while, long enough to make someone else converse with me.


    "What''s unusual about it?" Tensyn asked me from my left.


    "Well... if you look down, you can see that monsters get more powerful along with the height - which would imply that the apex predator lives on the mountaintop, yet there is none here."


    "... That''s worrying," Algier interjected, looking behind me.


    I followed his gaze and found myself looking at the Gate protruding from a peak in the distance. It looked the same as before, but I couldn''t stop thinking that there was something wrong with my sight, or the things I saw.


    We stopped moving, Fenfallal looked around in worry, his head dashing from side to side - before sharply turning upwards.


    "Clouds!" He shouted.


    I looked up and saw five or six flying beasts.


    Their wings were huge, but the rest of their bodies couldn''t be bigger than that of a dog, and while they were similar to the canines in size, nothing else connected the creatures to the men''s loyal companions.


    White fur, smooth and silky, covered every centimetre of their bodies apart from their bat-like, white wings and huge talons similar in colour. Disgusting fags stuck out of their monkey-like mouths, slightly reflecting the sunlight along with the huge talons and large claws at the ends of their wings.


    I covered a little, coming closer to the snow-ridden earth, before sticking my hand out of the comforting heat of the pocket - and summoning the runes.


    [Shield], already shone near my figure, enveloping me in a transparent barrier that would save me from an attack - but now, three others appeared near it, right above my outstretched hand.


    Two [Icicle]''s and a [Sway] - the last one propelled the others as they flew, towards the flying beasts.


    But before my spells could reach their mark, a golden crescent and a nearly invisible blade of wind struck down our foes. One decapitating, the other cutting in half from head to waist.


    My spells haven''t achieved such success - understandably so - one of the icicles completely missed its mark, flying far into the distance, and the other imbed itself into the creature''s shoulder - it didn''t outright kill, but even then it achieved a good result, bringing the monster down from the clouds.


    That''s how two of the creatures perished, and one was banished from the sky.


    I, seeing the result, didn''t follow up with another barrage towards the clouds - I tried to finish what I started and sent the icicles I summoned in the meantime towards the creature that had fallen from the sky.


    Unfortunately, Gravis was faster. He stood near to where the hideous monster fell, and slashed across it immediately after it neared.


    My ice-made nails, on the other hand, flew next to its head. I would have hit it square where I aimed, had Gravis not changed its position with his attack.


    Seeing my foe fell, I looked around once more - the two others, which were still circling in the clouds when I last saw them, already laid in the snow a few metres away from Fenfallal - One with a head blown off, and charred body, the other sliced in multiple pieces as if with a razor.


    The Royal Swordmaster and an Advanced Mage took care of them, and based on their appearance afterwards, they didn''t even break a sweat.


    Now, I get it - I am far below them, and if I could take care of the monster, they should have an easy time - but still, I would feel much better if they had to try harder.


    "So, not an apex predator." Fenfallal noticed, standing over the most intact corpse, poking it with his sabre.


    I looked around, at the bloody snow and the corpses buried partially in it. It really wasn''t an apex predator - more like complete fodder.


    Even I could deal with them, and given some preparation I probably could fight all five of them at the same time.


    "They are at the bottom of the food chain - maybe here, at the peak that connects heaven and earth, another territory starts." I hypothesised.


    "Go on." Fenfallal encouraged me.


    "Maybe the aerial beasts live in the caves on the peak - and hunt in the air above. Just as below, the higher they fly the stronger they are.


    It would explain why land-based monsters don''t go near here - while some weak aerial beasts have their dwelling on the peak, they live along the top predators."


    I took a deep breath and continued.


    "For these monsters that may be interested in the weak, sneaking through their land-based heavy class and then going between the air predators only for their prey to potentially fly in the sky and escape is simply not worth it. As such, small aerial creatures have some space to live."


    Fenfallal fell silent, then Stellmo interjected.


    "Yeah, makes sense..." He said that, but when I looked at him I saw a confused man, then a face that was cut apart in multiple places, all in blood.


    I stopped facing him, my mind played tricks on me each time I took a closer look at any of my companions, as if something was sealed deep inside me, or I was influenced without my knowledge...


    "No matter, we have to press on. Going down, we shouldn''t encounter much of the airborne creatures anyway - if Adam''s theory proves correct."


    Fenfallal once again resumed the march through shin-high snow, this time much more confidently and rashly. We already faced some of the dangers waiting on the mountain, and having conquered the unknown, each and every one of our group gained confidence in our collective might.


    The snowy road stretched into the horizon, slowly turning around and disappearing behind the mountainslope. Around it, small plants slowly poked through the thick layer of snow, showing the vegetation''s might and perseverance in the harsh environment and telling us that we were closer to the mountain''s base with each passing minute.


    The creatures that had attacked us the first time seemed to be the only ones who gained interest in our humble selves among the heaven''s inhabitants, as no other bird-like monster descended from above to hunt us down - yet, those stable on their feet, and with the agility of the wind, tried their hardest to eat a hearty breakfast featuring a humble beginner magician alongside side dish made of tough-meated warriors.


    First was some mountain lion, who in defiance of Fenfallal''s presence - which seemed to deter most predators from coming our way - lunged at me from a rock a few dozen metres away.


    During the massive jump, which lasted maybe five or six seconds from the initial flex of muscles to the thud against the ground, Fenfallal and Algier once again proved their competency and shot the target down before it managed to crash into me with its heavy body, break my bones then rip my throat apart with its massive fangs.


    I, on the other hand, despite reacting to the cat''s sudden appearance, hadn''t managed to counterattack. Yet, I am not disappointed with my doings - the icicle managed to form, I just needed some more time to launch it forward with fast enough speed. Had it been a less powerful monster, it wouldn''t manage to hunt me down without a scratch.


    Leaving the massive cat''s corpse behind, we finally neared a considerable turn, first on the path we trod. The road that hid beneath the snow, recognisable by the stable flat ground it provided even under the heavy blanket, twisted around a massive rock poking out of the mountainside, blocking the view of what lay ahead and acting as a landmark I tried my hardest to remember for future navigation purposes.


    When we neared the big rock and poked around it to see the road ahead, what waited for us was a giant goat. Wide spread legs, with giant hooves buried in the snow, magnificent white fur and menacing horns poking from its head. - it had all the attributes of a giant death-bringing goat.


    Looking at us, who just emerged from behind the cornering boulder, the vertical slits in its eyes narrowed, focusing on us.


    It spread its forelegs even more apart, and meed at us menacingly.


    "Step back!" Stellmo shouted from behind me, rushing in between the goat and Fenfallal with his shield raised.


    As the goat moved, Stellmo exploded with flames, augmenting himself mightily and preparing himself to repel the vicious horn charge.


    With a head lowered, the white beast rushed at the flaming warrior, its speed was surprising, but believable. I didn''t get the impression that it was a very powerful monster from observing it.


    Mighty hooves raised a cloud of snow into the air, as the goat neared Stellmo, but just before it managed to strike its horns against the flaming shield, a golden flash blinded me - leaving me in ave at the sight that unfolded in the time I couldn''t see.


    Fenfallal stood next to a fallen carcass, split in two. Lightning still cracked around him in golden arcs, lighting up the area and further increasing the pain received from the sunlight reflecting off of the snow.


    The goat''s head, separated from its body, left a stream of smoke going to the sky. Similarly, the cut-off neck was charred black.


    "Ohh... How refreshing..." Fenfallal sighed, hiding his sabre back into the sheath.


    "You just had to steal it from me, had you?" Stellmo asked angrily, staring daggers at his superior.


    "You tried to steal him from me first, I am just protecting my rights." The Royal Swordmaster responded, completely certain about his statement.


    "Oh, fuck off." Stellmo spat out and slowly returned to the back of the formation, ignoring the ridiculing looks the rest of us gave him and Fenfallal.


    The golden warrior on the other hand, smirked at his leaving friend and focused on the goat for some time - afterwards, we resumed our march down the mountain, in search of the beast guarding the area.


    Behind the boulder, the path took a drastic turn, making us nearly face the direction of the Gate, nothing unusual on a mountain path, but there was something surprising associated with it.


    The other side of the mountain turned out to be much steeper than the one I had admired before, the slope on our right side, barely off the road was a cliff hanging above a chasm.


    I looked down, and the only thing I saw was white - everything else blurred together as if a blizzard raged down below.


    And then, I fell.


    A burst of wind caught me off guard, throwing me off the edge, towards the foothills below the cliff, where the wind ravished the snowy landscape.


    Falling, I turned just in time to see my companions cross the threshold and uncontrollably trash down towards me. The only one marginally in control was Algier, who seemed to control his fall by reflex.


    Behind them all, a massive wing poked from behind the mountain, as if some gargantuan bird flipped us off the edge by mistake while preparing for flight...


    I felt small, looking at the grand mountain becoming bigger and bigger in my eyes, while I myself remained an ant, an ant whose only hope was in being rescued.

 AITMW- ch76 - Voice

    Small plants and rocks poking out of the steep slope flew by in my vision, blurring into oblivion as I fell down the chasm.


    Above me, my companions were in a similar position, yet they still hadn''t given up, thrashing around in the sky in a meagre attempt to control their fall.


    Above us all, the huge wing hid behind the mountain once more. It arrived from somewhere around where we walked some time ago, making me change my opinion - it had just arrived instead of being about to soar to the sky.


    The only one who I couldn''t see was Algier, who after a moment of struggle sped up in his fall, overtaking me nearly immediately.


    Even he didn''t manage to save himself, how could I?


    Slowly, my limp body aligned - falling back-first towards the blizzard-covered ground.


    Even though things moved at a rapid pace around me, I found some peace and quiet in it, looking at some random plant or rock sticking out of the mountain, which focused on more as if it hovered in the air before me instead of moving fast in relation to myself, and listening to the deafening sound of the wind blasting in my ears.


    I looked at myself, at my clothes - specially made with my thoughts in mind on top of the beautiful blue that followed me around for already half a year, representing the first magic I could do. I have come so far, from mere dreams of adventures and modest intentions of being an archer to being on an actual adventure, with powerful allies and a consequential goal, and most importantly, wielding magic all the while.


    I was proud, confident and content. I accomplished so much, with determination skill and luck, I arrived where I was.


    He there I was, falling down at breakneck speed towards the ground, hidden behind a veil of moving snow. Neither a rock nor a fluffy meadow - an unknown.


    The wind swirled, whistling by my ears, deafening me. So grand and powerful.


    And then, it crashed.


    Just like a few moments before, a tsunami of moving air struck me from the side, this time pushing me into the slope moving so fast in the periphery of my vision.


    Pain, that''s what I felt before stopping to feel that too.


    ----


    "Let''s see, a stinky wizard, few of those deranged ones, and a boy. Good haul it what it is." It stopped for a second, enlarging its lungs and looking up. "Thanks, Malfoy!" It shouted.


    I was lying in the snow, my head half-covered and freezing. Cold though, wasn''t the worst of what happened to me. I couldn''t feel my left arm past the elbow joint, my legs were mangled and I had a gaping wound on top of my stomach.


    To say I was in pain, would be an understatement.


    Before me, a giant white ape swung Algier''s corpse around. I don''t know how, or when it caught him - but what it did to him was in no way better than the state I was in.


    Suddenly, the white-furred beast turned its head''s black bead-loke eyes staring at me daggers.


    "Oh, the boy survived... What a peculiar specimen!" The ape''s mouth turned in grotesque ways, as it spoke, spilling fresh blood from inside.


    A few steps later, its fur-covered foot was right next to my motionless head. Then, its monstrous head lowered, stopping right above me. I saw it in the corner of my eye.


    "Cutie, aren''t you? Persevering in such unfriendly conditions... Lying to yourself constantly, with hope still - yet without any foundation for it."


    Hope? I lost it long ago... The beast didn''t know a thing about me.


    "As if, in an illusion of bravery. Truly saddening that you must go through such torture, now - let go, let me taste you, little darling..."


    Mouth opened, head lowered. Unbearable pain followed, with no vocal cords to convey it to the world.


    ----------------


    "Are you okay Adam?" Stellmo broke me out of a deep thought.


    "I... Just think I forgot about something..." It was that deep, overpowering thought that always haunted me after leaving the house to do something, a feeling of loss and un-remembrance.


    "Eh, don''t think about it. It''s a weird thing that happens to everyone at some point - mainly due to stress." He explained, not really lifting the eight off my mind.


    I looked away from him, following his suggestion and trying not to think about that haunting feeling. We stood before the Gate, ready to enter - around us, grassy plains and small hills poking out from the ground.


    And then, it hit me again.


    Green grass sticking out of the snow, barely visible among the disturbed powdered whiteness, reddened by the blood from all around.


    Half-covered, corpses laid in the snow - mangled and brutalised, with teeth marks and torn-off pieces here and there.


    White-furred leg poked in the side of my vision, insinuating the existence of a terrible monster.


    "What happened??" Stellmo asked me worryingly, with a raised voice.


    I looked back at his face, realising the shriek of shock and horror I let out a few moments ago, before doing the same again - this time scared by my companion''s face itself.


    Nameless bodies gained titles and history, as faces returned to their owners - still lying in the snow. Or was it stone?


    Bruised eyes, torn-off ears and deep gashes gushing with fresh blood all painted a clear picture of pain and misery - an absolute decimation, in the worst sense of the word.


    "Adam? What''s wrong? You look as if you saw that Dra... red monstrosity all over again." Stellmo came closer, looking at me carefully.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Sorry, I just remembered how the Gate feels..." I lied.


    He moved away, still glancing at me from time to time - but I was no longer under his scrutiny. I moved into my place before the Gate, in the middle of the formation.


    Fenfallal looked back at us - then stepped through the whirlwind of colours.


    Soon, it was my turn - and I was embraced by the feeling of breathless motion loss once again. Even after three times, it was a deeply unsettling and uncomfortable feeling, an unavoidable discomfort no one would willingly choose to feel.


    Wait... three times? No, I have only used a Gate once before, my tongue must have slipped.


    My lungs filled again, yet not with a cool and refreshing feeling, but with an icy breath of musk and rot.


    We appeared in a dark cave lit dimply by some moss sticking to the uneven walls and covering the ground. It was wet, cold and it stank like a stable, yet different - instead of shit and dirt it smelled of rot and composing flesh.


    Only after looking around, did I realise that using ''We'' didn''t apply to this situation. I was alone in the cave, with the damp ground as my only companion.


    I took out a dagger from the sheath hanging below my waistline and went forward - cursing and looking around in place would not help anybody, there was no Gate behind me, so the only thing I could do was to push forward.


    I stopped in the middle, in search of a way out - which I found relatively fast for its small size and hidden nature.


    It was a narrow corridor covered by a curtain of moss, hidden in a crevice between two big boulders. I noticed it only because the falling moss moved a little as if the wind picked it up.


    Behind the veil of moss, the corridor''s walls hugged me before I stepped into another cave, this one much brighter - a hole in the ceiling let in some sun rays along with fresh air and a few petals of snow.


    It was more circular, as if man-made, but apart from the weird shape and a hole above, this cavern was nearly the same as the one I was in before.


    When I stopped below the hole, letting some of the snow fall on me, a weird voice rang in my mind, as if stealing my thoughts and directing them as it saw fit.


    "Too high for you, little human. No tendon or bone would survive jumping that high, even if your muscles were big enough. The weakness of your flesh binds you in this cave, like a pig in a well." It was a serene voice, weirdly familiar yet I couldn''t remember when or where I heard it before. Weirdest of all, it didn''t surprise me at all, as if I expected it, or even awaited its coming.


    "Who are you? How do I hear you?" I asked out loud, perplexed and vexed.


    "Who am I? Who are you, to ask such questions? I have no need to answer you, with the opposite applying to you - you... might want to try your hardest to answer my questions clearly and comprehensively." It said sinisterly, its voice growing cold and threatening.


    "Or what? As far as I know, you may be a manifestation of some insanity of mine, nothing that can harm me - even if, Fenfallal and others will soon find me, they have their ways." I said bravely.


    The cavern trembled, rocks falling from the ceiling with pieces of moss around them like crowns of feathers - but unlike feathers, each stone fell produced a booming sound, and splattered shards in all directions.


    I covered my face with my palms and crumpled around myself in a defensive position. Dagger fell out of my hands and clattered around the rock floor.


    "Just a voice, you say... Big words for a mage who can''t even kill a frogman. Those pesky little creatures... wild and animalistic despite their heritage, who can''t even formulate a coherent thought without an aid, and you fail against them... Weak and spineless, I say you have no right to doubt my words!" The voice boomed with anger, echoing deep inside my mind, and ricocheting off of rocks and boulders inside the cave, finally manifesting in reality.


    I looked up, behind and to the sides, in search of the voice''s source, all for nothing.


    Standing up, I the dust off and picked up my dagger, I hadn''t yet decided if I should humour the enigmatic creature, but I came to the conclusion that I should at least play as if did.


    "Oh great Voice, forgive my earlier impudence... I failed to realise your greatness." I said in the most humble tone I could muster.


    "Finally you''ve come to your senses..., now tell me - for what purpose did you come here? How did you enter the cave? Answer me." the Voice commanded.


    "I... Came to find and kill monsters." I took a deep breath, feeling that It wouldn''t believe my next words. "As for how I appeared here - ehh - I stepped through a Gate, that led me to the cave behind that wall." I turned around and pointed in the direction of the tunnel.


    "You want me to believe that a ''gate'' led you deep into a mountain? Do you take me for some mindless monkey?" The Voice scoffed, disgusted.


    "No, no! You don''t believe it, but it''s true!" I tried my best to hold my cause, but the voice was relentless, shaking the cave once again in an attempt to intimidate me.


    "If you say so..." It agreed ominiously. ", now tell me - if you had to choose, who from your companions would you want to rescue you? One person only." The Voice asked, irritated.


    "I think... I would choose Algier... but I am not so sure..." I answered.


    "Why? What defines him among them all as the best choice?" The Voice inquired, it wanted more.


    The problem was, I didn''t want to tell more. I didn''t know in what state had my companions found themselves, nor if the Voice had seen them before. Thus, I risked.


    "He is the tall mage... I think he would have the biggest chance at rescuing me as he controls Earth as if it were his own flesh..." I lied, it made sense, but if the Voice saw him even for a moment, I would be doomed.


    "Earth? Doesn''t he wear green clothes?" The Voice hissed, seeing through my lie immediately.


    "Ye-Yes, it''s a disguise, no mortal would guess his strongest point when he wears colours of the opposite!" I scrambled up the answer in a heartbeat, lying through my teeth.


    The cave trembled.


    "Liar! I''ve seen him do his magic, no earth mage can stop a fall from a cliff like that!" The Voice boomed, no longer in my head in the slightest, it was all power coming from outside, yet still from all directions at once.


    ''Cliff?'' I thought, and then the images started to pour into my mind like an avalanche - a massive wing, snowy peaks and a cliff below which a blizzard ravaged the ground. Inside the snowy hell, a white monster - resembling a monkey - awaited.


    Shock, a shudder went through my body, a spasm of disgust and past fear. I crumbled around myself and vomited, not paying attention to the cave around me.


    When I looked up from between my thighs, with a way emptier stomach and with memories way clearer, I saw a completely different scene than before.


    I stood on a flying island, maybe five metres wide in all directions, below were the snowy peaks from which I fell, to death once upon a time.


    The ground was damp mossy rock just like in the cave, as if It was ripped from there and pulled above by some massive hand.


    I looked up, and I saw It.


    Abomination abhorrent, as if forged from my deepest horrors.


    With wings fifty metres in length, as if of a hawk or an owl, causing torrents of air to smash in me from afar. Massive torso ripped from a panther and same legs, blending with the clouds in a magical mismatch of colours.


    And the heads.


    Two human, horned heads hung from the panther''s neck, lifeless yet moving in sync with the worlds of the Voice.


    One was frightened, looking blow, to the white expanse of snow trees and rocky mountains. A bony horn sticking out of its forehead, aiming high with its spear-like point.


    The other, blood coated and in a deep expression of pain and fear. Yet as if it only started to become scared, sealed in the moment of surprise and horror. From its forehead, a bloody icicle stuck out, weirdly familiar and unsettling in the way it impaled itself deep inside the bone.


    Two mouths opened as the Voice screamed.


    "You won''t tell Me when I am kind and merciful? Then I will rip the knowledge from your head!" It screamed horribly, sending vibrations through the rocky island I found myself on.


    In a brilliant flash, three islands appeared next to mine, and on them three of my companions.


    Fenfallal of the right, in his golden armour and encased in flashing lighting.


    Behind him, Algier - in his green robe, which we left long ago on the road, before entering the Northern Overseer. Winds coiled around him, trashing his island and lifting him off the ground.


    On my left - Stellmo, all in flames - his shield and sword in ready position, unscratched.


    "What is this?" Algier shouted over the roar of his, and Voice''s winds.


    "I don''t know!" Fenfallal shouted back, shock visible on his face, yet, lightning still cracked.


    The islands were stood on suddenly expanded, covering the distance between us and the beast - merging into one, gigantic platform.


    I looked to my left, only to see Stellmo charge mindlessly at the Voice, without a plan, without his usual defensive restraint.


    And then, it clicked.


    I realised.


    And without a moment of hesitation, in one fluid movement unobstructed by doubt.


    I reached for the dagger - and pierced my own head from below.

 AITMW- ch77 - On the Horizon

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

 Update

    First of all, I''m sorry for disappearing without a word for so long.


    Reason? - I''m almost completely burned out for this story.


    As much as I love the world and the characters I created (especially Parcas), I just can''t motivate myself to write it anymore. I still have some ideas of what comes next, but comparing that to the amount of beautiful and entertaining concepts and stories I thought of and noted to myself, over the last year of writing Blissfully Magical - it feels pitifully small, unoriginal and boring.


    I will finish some things here, as leaving the story in the middle, without any shadow of ending isn''t anything I want to see, nor do - but please don''t expect Blissfully Magical to go for much longer than it already is.


    I myself, am satisfied with it - it''s my first story written down, my gateway into storytelling and the world of fiction writing, and I hope you, the readers, will also be content.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Leaving the grim thoughts of literary death, I can attest with a clear conscience that my next projects (apart from what I will announce next) will be much more planned, thought out and entertaining stories. Also, I will make sure that I know how I want them to end - which will help in preventing a situation like this from occurring again.


    As for my announcement? - I will be participating in the Community Magazine Contest.


    I already have the premise of the story prepared and in the early stages of writing, and will strive to do the best I can.


    Now, I don''t expect to win (though I do hope), and probably won''t. - But please, look at my profile somewhere around 10th January and take a peek on the story.


    I hope you like it.


    Also, Happy New Year!


    The time runs frighteningly fast, doesn''t it?

 When The King Sleeps - self advertisement

    "When The King Sleeps", my story for the Royal Road Community Magazine January 2025 is out!


    Still only one chapter, though.


    Btw, the prompt is: ¡°Dead men tell the best tales.¡±


    As for synopsis:


    <hr>


    Royals went to bed, uptight nobles left the palace - Kairon found himself the highest authority in this grand hall, and he used it to fuel his darkest addiction.


    Maybe he was drunk, maybe he should follow natural order and go to sleep so deep in the night, but regardless - he made a mistake.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Caught in a thoughtless promise, Archmage Kairon must uphold his word and let the Lich, bound for ages below the hall¡¯s ceiling, participate in a grand competition with a prize of one wish, granted by the promisor.


    Under the shadow of Lich¡¯s escape, will the (alive) contest participants be able to tell a story better than the ageless pile of bones?


    <hr>


    <td> When The King Sleeps</a></td>