《The Sorcerer of Light》


 Abandoned Mine-shaft

    A heavy knock resounded on the wooden door. The voice of a young man soon followed, filling the small hut like house.


    ¡°Hey Isaac, get up. It¡¯s time for work¡±


    Isaac sat up on his bed as he rubbed his eyes. His body was giving off a deep scent of sweat and booze, making him seem like a typical hooligan, who didn¡¯t have his life in order. Isaac quickly grabbed sitting on the small desk beside his bed before drinking its remaining contents in a single go. The unknown liquid seemed to give him the boost he needed, as he slowly lifted off his bed and tossed on his old, ragged, work coat.


    He opened the door to his small house and was greeted with the sight of a large man, about the same size as him. This fellow was named George, one of his colleagues who worked in the mines with him. The man pulled a packet of cigarettes from his coat before offering one to Issac.


    ¡°For you to be offering me a cigarette, either you¡¯ve suddenly gotten rich or you¡¯ve found the love of your life¡±


    Working in the mines was naturally not a profitable business, each of them earned only a few copper coins a day, hence a relatively expensive carton of cigarettes was treated like a treasure. George shook his head before letting out a grin.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard?.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You remember that abandoned mine shaft that was closed down a few years ago? Turns out they think their might be some precious metals left in there, but because the mine hadn''t been touched in so long the safety standards have hit rock bottom. The manager decided to let a few goons go in and check out the situation for extra pay!¡±


    ¡°George I always knew you were an idiot, but you can¡¯t be this stupid. What¡¯s some extra money worth if you aren¡¯t alive to enjoy it?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°They¡¯re paying everyone who goes down 10 silver coins¡±


    ¡°George I take back everything I¡¯ve said, you truly are a genius ahead of your time. Let''s not waste any time talking, I wanna sign up before the others snatch this chance away from us.¡±


    The miners would earn 10 coppers in a regular day, one had to take into account that 100 coppers would equal a single silver, hence 10 silvers would equate to 100 days of work. No matter how high the chances of death were, for men like them who could collapse at any moment either from the toxic fumes they inhaled in the mines everyday, or from the accident prone caves, it was a risk worth taking.


    Isaac and George wasted no more time talking as they rushed towards the abandoned mineshaft. One could see that a line had already started to form, but fortunately the two of them made it in time. The mine manager was a small rotund man with a balding head, however his eyes were quite sharp, showing that he clearly wasn¡¯t someone you could mess around with.


    ¡°Hmm, Isaac and George. You two are quite lucky, you¡¯ve got the last spots, but before you head in you have to sign this form. It just states the regular stuff, like if you lose your life it''s not our fault yadda yadda yadda. I don¡¯t want to bore you with all the information so let''s not waste any more time and get you two suited up.¡±


    The fat little manager shot off 100 words a second, making it impossible for Isaac and George to have any idea what he was talking about, but they didn¡¯t bother and just signed the form regardless. The quickly put on their uniforms and helmets before lighting their torches and heading into the mines.


    As they headed in deeper, the mines started to split off into different directions, looking down they saw a mark left on the floor, showing someone had already headed down this direction to search, so they ignored it before heading off deeper into the mine. Eventually they found a shaft that was unoccupied. George decided to head down there to search and so the two split off as Isaac headed deeper and deeper into the mine. He shifted along slowly through the caves, the mine stopped splitting off at this point, and only headed forward for what seemed like forever. Isaac used what little of the light he had to guide himself forward, but for some odd reason it felt like the cave was getting darker and darker, as if all the light was being absorbed by something. Suddenly the torch was snuffed out completely, what little light that was left before had vanished, leaving Isaac alone in the darkness.


    However he wasn¡¯t worried, as someone who worked in caves regularly, it wasn¡¯t anything to rare for the lights to suddenly go out. Fortunately for him, the cave had already stopped at this point, which meant he didn¡¯t have to worry about getting lost any deeper. He slowly inched towards the end of the cave before planting his hands on the cave wall so that he could feel his way out.


    However the wall that should have been sturdy as steel, suddenly gave out under Isaac¡¯s weight. Before he could react, he found himself stumbling forwards into a long narrow hole, his body was pulled down by gravity and soon enough he slammed into the ground, luckily his work uniform had minimized the damage, he shook off the pain before getting up and looking around. The tiny hole he found himself in was completely empty, except for a small seed that was located across from him. The seed was pure white and gave off a mesmerizing glow, with 10 golden stripes layered across its body. Isaac had no idea what it was, but he was attracted to it instantly.

 Looking For Clues

    Isaac felt his heart slow down as he peered towards the seed, as if it was a priceless treasure and even glancing at it was the blessing of countless lifetimes. His will seemed to be on the verge of shattering under the allure of the seed, but years of tough labor with little time to rest had already hardened his heart, helping him break out of the spell he found himself in.


    Isaac moved towards the seed cautiously, having just been caught under the effects of the seed, his guard was naturally at an all time high. The seed didn¡¯t seem to have any more plans however, and Isaac managed to grasp onto it with no problems. It felt warm in his hands, and seemed to be sending small amounts of energy right into Isaac¡¯s body, making him feel extremely refreshed.


    Isaac was not a man of the world, having spent his life time in the small village, mining day in and day out, he knew very little about what the real world had to offer him, but one shouldn¡¯t be mistaken to think he was a fool. This village was small, but also treacherous, it was hard to survive, hence plenty of people partook in illegal activities to earn some extra money. Isaac had fallen for some scams in the past and had nearly lost his life due to a small blunder of his, but those experiences had sharpened him, letting him understand how quick someone you considered a friend could turn their back on you as long as it involved a little money.


    Isaac remembered something his father told him not to long after he passed away, he said to hope for the best in other people, but to never rely on it. Those words had stuck with him until this day, hence he already knew what to do in this scenario. Grabbing the seed, he quickly tucked it into the most hidden part of his body, before cleaning up the scene and heading back up the hole. It was impossible for him to hide this scene, fortunately there wasn¡¯t anything to hide, other then the seed the hole was completely empty with nothing to show.


    Isaac took in a deep breath to calm his emotions, putting his poker face back on. He felt along the cave walls and slowly headed back out towards where George was. Seeing George¡¯s light in the darkness he called out towards him.


    ¡°Any luck Isaac?¡±


    ¡°Nothing down there, but the wall at the end of the cave was faulty and ended up collapsing, revealing a small tunnel. I decided to head down it to test my luck but unfortunately there was nothing¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Hmm, well these caves are old, it''s not too surprising to find that its starting to fall apart. Doesn¡¯t matter anyways, our job is done, now all we need to do is get our pay¡±


    Isaac would have initially been over the moon since the good part had just arrived, but after finding that seed those 10 silvers didn¡¯t seem so alluring anymore. However, he still tried his best to act excited. It would have been very suspicious if he suddenly acted like he didn¡¯t care considering how important those 10 silvers really were.


    The two soon exited the cave and were greeted by the sunlight, the other volunteers seemed to have been finished before them and were merely waiting outside the cave for them to return. Unfortunately, no one found anything, but it was still protocol to report everything they saw to the manager. Isaac didn¡¯t hide anything except for the part about the seed, he knew sometimes the best lies were the ones hidden in truth, making them impossible to figure out. Besides the hole was quite unremarkable, even if someone headed in they would find nothing of notice.


    The rotund manager grumbled, clearly dissatisfied, but naturally he couldn¡¯t go back on his end of the bargain. He quickly handed each of them a small bag before storming off.


    ¡°Whaddya say Isaac, you want to head to the brothel to reward ourselves.¡±


    Isaac initially wanted to say no, but that would be extremely out of character for him. Deciding to not take any gambles at this sensitive moment, he agreed. However first he needed to head back to his house. The two were covered in dirt and grime, naturally they had to freshen up a bit before heading out. Isaac soon arrived at his house before sitting back on his bed, he slowly pulled the seed out from under his layers of cloth before inspecting it more closely. He could tell it was something extremely valuable, but that didn¡¯t make him excited, instead it made him worry.


    The first rule of survival was to always know what toys you were playing with, the second rule was to never play with toys above your level. Isaac had no idea what this thing was, but he knew it was definitely something someone of his caliber shouldn¡¯t be messing with. He had already broken the two fundamental rules, fortunately no one knew anything yet, so he was safe for now. He quickly pried up his floorboards before moving some dirt out of the way and pulling out a small metal safe, putting in the numbers he slowly opened it. Inside were his life savings of a few silver coins, and some valuable ores and metals he had snuck off from work to sell on the side.


    He gently laid the seed into the safe before locking it up again and hiding it back underneath the dirt and floorboards. First things first, he needed information about what exactly this thing was, the hard part wasn¡¯t getting the information per se, but instead the reason behind him even looking for that kind of information. Isaac was already 18 this year, and he had never shown interest in searching for anything other than booze and brothels, for him to suddenly have a change of heart at his age would be seen as extremely strange.


    Isaac was 1.9 meters tall, with a sharp face, deep black eyes, short black hair, and broad shoulders. His body was lined with muscles from years of working in the mines making him seem like a barbarian that only knew how to fight. Overall he was truly a man''s man, with no effeminate features whatsoever. He was the last person you¡¯d expect to see in a library, hence he needed an alibi, however come up with one might be a little difficult¡­

 Madam Heliosa

    Before Isaac had anymore time to think, George had already come knocking on his door. Isaac tossed these thoughts to the back of his mind before heading out, the less he thought of it, the less suspicious he would seem. The two walked shoulder to shoulder as they headed towards the center of the town.


    They lived near the edges, right beside the mines, the houses here were much cheaper, and the two wouldn¡¯t need to worry about travelling in the morning. The villagers who were more well off lived closer to the center, whereas the center itself was reserved for the stores and the Berber family. It was a small family that ruled over this village like monarchs. The Berber family had a few mages and some warriors. Isaac knew very little about either of those professions, but he had suspicions that the seed he had found was related to the more mystical side of the world.


    Isaac and George quickly arrived and the brothel and headed inside, the were quickly greeted by the ladies, before being guided in. Isaac was still feeling anxious over the seed incident, so he decided to treat himself today to let out some steam.


    ¡°You two gentlemen seem to be in a very good mood. I take it you¡¯ve both had a stroke of luck.¡±


    Madam Heliosa, said as she squeezed up against them. She was the boss of this operation, but just because she was a woman didn¡¯t mean you should lower your guard around her. To be able to stay in operation this long, she clearly had trump cards of her own. Isaac suddenly remembered something, this Madam Heliosa was considered well read and was quite intelligent. He remembered in the past when he was wandering around, he managed to sneak a glance into her personal chamber and noticed a bookshelf filled with a nice selection. Isaac felt a lightbulb go off in his head as he came up with a scheme, he cleared his voice as he spoke up with confidence.


    ¡°Madam, you are truly sharp. To be honest I¡¯ve heard the saying that any women under this roof can be enjoyed for the right price. Now that I¡¯ve earned a little, I¡¯m wondering, how much to enjoy you Madam?¡±


    Madam Heliosa giggled as she heard this, her large twins were bouncing up and down with her, attracting Isaac¡¯s gaze. He nearly forgot what he was even planning, but fortunately he managed to cool his nerves and regain his senses. George was looking at him like he was a madman. Typically they didn¡¯t mess with this Madam since one wrong word might make them lose their lives. He was starting to wonder if earning those few silvers made Isaac go mad with arrogance. Madam Heliosa eventually stopped laughing before looking at Isaac with some interest in her eyes.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°The saying is true, but I¡¯m just wondering if you can afford the price big fella. To enjoy a night with me will cost you 5 silvers. Are you still so confident?¡±


    Isaac¡¯s eyes nearly flew out of his head, he was suddenly feeling like that seed wasn¡¯t that special after all, but after remembering that feeling it gave off as he held it, he realized that it was definitely worth it. A man had to learn to sacrifice a little today in order to earn a lot tomorrow. Isaac quickly pulled out the 5 silvers without batting an eye, he was the type that would quickly act once he made up his mind. Madam Heliosa looked at him with a bit of surprise in her eyes before swiping the 5 silvers with a grin on her face.


    To be honest 5 silvers weren¡¯t much to her, she had only said that price because she wanted to destroy this young man''s confidence, but since he came up with the money she naturally couldn¡¯t go back on her word. Isaac felt like a dagger had stabbed into his heart as he watched half of his hard earned money disappear in a flash, but he held back his tears. Madam Heliosa guided him towards her chamber as George looked at him like he was a god. The door was quickly shut as the two got down to business. Isaac quickly forgot about the 5 silver, he also forgot about the seed, he forgot about everything as he enjoyed himself to the fullest. Finally once the fun was over, Isaac¡¯s mind seemed to reboot, and his thoughts rushed back to him. He slowly got up off Madam Heliosa bed before moving towards her bookshelf, she seemed to be fast asleep so this was the perfect chance.


    ¡°How To Win A Man¡¯s Heart¡±


    ¡°The Art of Seduction¡±


    ¡°Twelve Steps To Romantic Success¡±


    Isaac quickly flipped through most of, seeing how it was mostly nonsense he was extremely disappointed, but just as the shelf seemed to run out, he found something of interest.


    ¡°Mystic Seeds¡±


    Isaac could tell instantly this was what he was looking for. He flipped it open carefully.


    ¡°Mystic Seeds can be split into 6 elements based on their color. Red for fire, blue for water, brown for earth, green for wind, black for dark, and white for light. Seeds are further split into ranks based on the amount of stripes they have across their bodies. The magic one wields is naturally based on the element of the seed they absorb. To absorb a Mystic Seed one must cut their forehead, where the mage root is located, and allow the Mystic Seed to feed on the blood.¡±


    Isaac quickly read through the entire book before putting away. He always knew magic existed in this world since he had seen it before, but he never expected he would have a chance to step into this world. However as he realized this, he suddenly felt a chill, for Madam Heliosa to have a book like this meant she might be part of this world, or at least she knew people who were. He quickly pulled out a book titled ¡°World Guide¡± before acting like it was the only thing that truly caught his attention.