《Falling from Earth》


 Prologue- Cheating Fate

    Even hundreds of feet above the ground, with the wind blowing strongly and thunderclouds brewing, he could still hear the sounds of cars honking and people cursing. It was a normal occurrence, but considering that he had just climbedmore thantwenty flights of stairs, he was in no mood to hear it.


    Today was a special day after all, at least to the man currently standing above the world. The people below him should understand that, and wait patiently, not continue along as if he wasn¡¯t even there. Though, truthfully, he was so high up that he doubted they could see him anyway.


    His calves ached. His lungs burned. His head was more than a little foggy. And above all else, he felt the pressures of responsibility on his shoulders. He inched closer and closer to the edge of the skyscraper, and the wind did its best to make the decision to jump itself by pulling him off the roof.


    The sad truth wasthat no one in this place would miss him if he did jump. He had no family left, they had all died, and his friends were more token acquaintances that only called him when they needed something. That made up his social network. His financial portfolio consisted of crippling debt. His job prospects were just as dreary.


    Some lttle part of him whispered in his mindas he crept closer that he shouldn¡¯t do it, that committing suicide was the cowards way out, but he ignored that misinformed part of himself. It didn¡¯t understand the pains of modern society, the stress and limits.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The skyscraper he stood on had a chain link fence surrounding the roof, either to prevent jumpers or to prevent accidents, or both, but it didn¡¯t matter to the man. He had already made up his mind when he left his expensive, crappy shoe box apartment that cost him a fortune to live in. He was throwing in the towel, forfeiting the game, calling timeout indefinitely.


    What made the decision all the more shocking was that the man who slowly climbed the chain-link fence was an atheist. He had long since seen through the lies of religion, and did not believe in a god above.


    A man who did not believe in an afterlife followed the path of least resistance, and fell.


    He fell quickly, yet it felt like an eternity. As the weightlessness surrounded him, the man felt his burdens disappear. The heavy weight of responsibility slipped off his shoulders, and he smiled. The first in a long time, for what he thought to be the last time. He closed his eyes, enjoying the silence. For the people below him had stopped making so much noise. It was quiet for those last few seconds.


    He had won, he had defeated the expectations of life. He had bypassed his fate. Nothing would dictate what he should do, and it was peaceful. It lasted all of three seconds. Then he heard a chuckle.


    Had his eyes been open, he would have been able to see a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, he had closed them. It turned out to be a good thing though, because when he face planted into the mud, he didn¡¯t get any in his eyes.


    It was quiet. The wind blew, and the trees around him swayed. Insects buzzed, things scurried around the ground.


    And he was alive.

 Ch. 1- Letters

    He was alive.


    That was a problem. He had cheated by killing himself. Fate had cheated by saving him.


    ¡°I was so close to being free.¡± His thoughts swirled around in his mind, getting worse as they went. Then the wind shimmied past him, and it reminded him of his surroundings. To be specific, a dark, cold forest. Very cold, so cold that the wind chilled him to the bone as it slipped past.


    He picked himself out of the mud that had ensnared him, wiping the grime from his face. With his nostrils cleared of the mud, a new scent assaulted them. It almost reminded him of fruit, yet it wasn¡¯t. It was too sweet. Sweeter than pure sugar. Yet not sickly sweet like rotting fruit. It was¡­ more, it could not be summed up so easily.


    The area around him consisted of trees, mud, and bushes. The trees towered over the man, so tall that the tops were lost in the twilight mist of the sky. If not for the bark that clung to them, he might have mistaken them for pillars holding up the sky.


    The man brushed himself off as he stood, but the mud clung to him rather stubbornly. His boots squelched in the mud as he carried himself out of it. It only took him a few paces before he hit hard ground. Looking back at it, he suddenly understood why it was there.


    ¡°This must have been a small pond that dried up¡­¡±


    Nodding as if a small mystery in the world had been understood, he continued trekking into the forest. The scenery did not change much, and the only sounds came from the wind. For someone that enjoyed the quiet, it was peaceful. All it needed was some sun, and he¡¯d never leave. Alas, the sun did not come out to greet him, but something did. It let out a growl that disturbed the quiet of the forest, and announced its presence.


    It was big.


    Taller than the man even on four legs, the hulking creature slowly moved through the forest. Its eyes were large and grayed, and it somewhat resembled a bear, though with no fur. Unlike a bear though, this creature had a long tail, and regularly swept it across the ground as it walked.


    The man almost felt sorry for the creature, it was obvious it was blind, and getting on in age. His pity distracted him from two simple facts. The first, that there were no creatures like this on earth, and the second, that it was obviously a carnivore. Its teeth were almost as long as its claws, and more jagged. Perfect for tearing flesh.


    He was reminded of the second fact by the creature itself. It had picked up his scent, and wanted to tell him so. It let out a roar that dwarfed the first, and charged. The helpless and pitiful creature from before was now barreling down on him, intent on crushing him and snacking on his bones.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    The man had just enough time to dive to the side as the creature swept past, right into one of the many trees. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the woods, though the man did not stop to admire the beasts power. He was already up and running for dear life.


    It recovered surprisingly quickly, and the chase was on. Fortunately for the man, the trees prevented the creature from catching up too quickly. Unfortunately, they also got in his way as he had to look out for roots, not an easy thing to do while terrified and panicking.


    He stumbled on a tree root, falling past a tree as he did. The sound of cracking wood reverberated behind him. That had been too close. The beast claws had stuck into the wood, giving him the time to get back up and running. It roared as it heard him getting away, and tore its claw out of the tree.


    The trunk cracked.


    The chase did not last long, as the man had barely made it one hundred yards before the trees gave way to a small clearing. Beyond the clearing though, stood the reason the chase had to end. A rock face that climbed as far as the trees that stood before him.


    The rock face had plenty of moss growing on it, and it looked quite beautiful. The man had little time to admire that though, as the creature had caught up and didn¡¯t seem keen on stopping.


    A dumb idea fought through the haze of panic.


    ¡°If he slams into this wall, it might kill him! Please, please work¡­¡± the man quickly hatched a plan as he placed his back to the wall. It had already proven once that the creatures could not turn well, and its blindness prevented it from attacking well with its claws. Its only chance was to charge, and the man¡¯s only chance was to dodge.


    It paused long enough to roar, daring the man to dodge as it charged.


    And dodge he did, though the creature seemed to have learned from its last mistake. A claw came flashing out as he fell to the side, catching his shoulder. Three long claws raked his shoulder and back as the creature¡¯s momentum carried it on.


    Into the waiting rock face.


    With a sickening sound, the creature head-butted the wall. Both broke. The creature was powerful enough to cause the rock to crack and fall, as it also fell to the ground. Its neck had broken from the collision, and it moved no more.


    The man would have let out a sigh of relief, if it wasn¡¯t for the blood pouring out of his open wounds. They weren¡¯t deep, but they were long. Traveling from his shoulder blade over his shoulder, they leaked like a sieve.


    ¡®Crunch¡¯


    The sound of footsteps distracted him from his pain. At the edge of the clearing, there had to be at least twenty kin of the creaturethat lay dead at his side. Their eyes bore hatred that told him all he needed to know. They wanted revenge.


    ¡°Well I made it this far¡­ I guess there are worse ways to die...? I didnt want to live anyway...¡±


    Somethingbroke him of his suicidal thoughts.


    The part of the rock face that the creature had rammed had split, and while pieces of it had fallen to the ground, there was a deep blackness that hinted at more than just rock. The blind creature had opened a hole that led deeper into the rock face.


    ¡°Fuck it, If im going to die, I want it to be quick!¡±


    His foot sunk into the dirt as he threw himself at the hole. The blind monstrosity became his savior, because he used it as a step stool to make it into the hole. The jagged rocks bit into his hands, but the hatred in those ferocious roars helped him ignore the pain.


    The rock face shook as several of the beasts smacked against it, teeth flashing as they barely missed his legs.Several of the creatures attacked the rock face, but it held, and he was safely inside.


    His shoulder leaked onto the rock underneath him making it slippery. The hole in the rock face led to a tunnel, pitch black and jagged in many places. The number of cuts on his arms and legs increased by quite a bit before he pulled himself through and into a larger, smoother tunnel.


    ¡°Motherfucker, where the hell am I?¡±


    He had finally reached a place where something wasn¡¯t trying to eat him, yet, and took the time to reflect.


    ¡°Why arent I dead? and what the fuck were those things? is this some kind of sick joke?


    The pain from his wounds came back in full force, distracting him from his external monologue, and the man was forced to tear the remains of his shirt up into bandages. The shirt was dirty, but it¡¯d have to do for now.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the bandages to be soaked with blood as he carried himself further through the tunnel.


    The tunnel was dark. Not dark like outside in the forest, but pitch black. The only way the man knew he was in a tunnel was by holding onto the wall and following it. He must have walked for a whole minute before he realized something.


    ¡°I have a freaking lighter in my pocket!¡±


    It had been stabbing him as he walked, but he assumed it to be another cut. He whipped it out and the struck the lighter once.


    It sparked, but did not light.


    ¡°come on, damn it¡­¡±


    The man continued striking it, and it finally lit on the fourth try.


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡±


    He was greeted by the sight of, well, a tunnel. The lighter waved towards him, telling him that there was airflow in the tunnel. This time he was sure of where he was going at least. It took him rather deep into the rock face, before spilling out into a large cavern.The ceiling was so high that the valiant flame of the lighter did not illuminate it.


    He moved further into the cavern and came upon something he never expected to see. Books, and furniture. Someone had been living here, once upon a time.


    ¡°Books, beautiful books! Those covers are so well done; they must have cost a fortune. I wonder who these belong too? Why are they inside the rock face?¡±


    The former question was answered too quickly as he came across a pile of bones. A skull of a creature as large as the one outside and some supporting bones were draped atop the bones and skull of something that appeared humanoid. The bones were thinner than he thought humans should be though, so he hesitated to assume they were human. The bones were resting against a destroyed bookshelf, where many of the books had fallen onto the ground.


    ¡°I wonder how long these have been here¡­¡±


    The man stooped and picked up one of the books. Its cover felt smooth and expensive in his hand. It had plenty of weight, enough that he was surprised by it. The front of the book had plenty of markings, but did not recognize the language. It certainly wasn¡¯t English. He flicked through it a little, but the flame on his lighter was getting rather small, so he set it back down, and continued exploring.


    He came across a total of ten bookshelves, including the broken one. They were arranged in a circle, almost creating a room within the cavern. Past the bookshelves sat the remains of a primitive bed. The bed had simply been what appeared to be leather strung from one side to the other, creating something similar to a hammock. The supports had long since dry rotted though, and the bed had fallen into disrepair.


    Next to the bed sat a barrel and a desk. The barrel was full of something he desperately needed, candles. The barrel was so full that some had fallen out of it, while others were set carefully on top of the barrel, stacked up taller than the desk.


    He wasted no time grabbing one of them, which unfortunately caused the pile to fall. He lit the candle with the last dregs of the lighter.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    There was a pitiful amount of fluid left in it. ¡°Oh well, I have no cigarettes to smoke anyway¡­¡±


    Some of the candles fell onto the desk, and one fell on something that made a rather metallic sound. A knife lay on the table, a candle leaning against it. Just barely too short to be called a dagger, the knife had a beautiful bone handle that fit in his hand rather well.


    ¡°I was needing something like this, thanks mister!¡±


    The man spoke out loud to the bones that lay not far away. The knife was most likely the humanoid¡¯s, and had it been carrying the knifewhen it fought the beast,the bones might not have been laying here to be found.


    The candle gave off much more light than the lighter, giving him a view of the cavern ceiling. Stalactites hung resolutely from the ceiling, which had to be at least fifty feet up. He could also make out where the cavern ended. It was long, but not very wide, with the majority of the furniture piled up in the back. He continued walking around the cavern, eventually coming back to the bookshelves, and the skeletons.


    Something caught his eye, his candle light reflecting off of it. If not, he would not have even noticed it. The shine came from the humanoids skeleton, specifically the right hand. A silver ring perched precariously on the middle finger bone. He touched the skeleton and the hand fell apart, the ring falling to the floor with it. He snatched it from the pile of bones and held it close to the candle.


    It was a rather simple ring. It appeared to be a standard silver ring, except for the etchings that encircled the entire band. He could not find an ending, the lines continued to swirl no matter how long he followed the lines.


    He grinned, and wiped the blood off the relic, before trying to slip it onto his middle finger. It was far too small, barely gettting to the second knuckle. it slid nicely onto his ring finger though, if just a tad snug.


    ¡°As thanks for the ring, I guess I¡¯ll clean up your library a little. I¡¯ll probably be living here for a while anyway, once I can get some food. This shoulder of my mine is going to take a while to heal¡­¡±


    That¡¯s when the sound of running water tickled his ears. On the other side from he had entered a small stream could be seen. He made his way over to it, only to be pleasantly surprised. The water was crystal clear, and while he would undoubtedly boil if he could, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have much to worry about.


    The stream was no more than foot wide and less than a foot deep, with eroded stone at its bottom, but the water moved steadily. He could do his business downstream, and it would carry it away without having to worry about contaminating the water, hopefully. A recess at the end of the stream led its way into the rock, flowing to parts unknown.


    ¡°I guess that takes care of my water situation for now, now I need some food.¡±


    The pain in his shoulder reminded him of a big pile of meat sitting outside his doorstep.


    ¡°hmm, I could probably eat it, I mean, it didn¡¯t look diseased or anything, just old. I¡¯m definitely going to need to cook the meat though.¡± He voiced his thoughts out loud as he planned to combat the sheer silence that consumed the cavern.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to worry about lighting a fire in here, because I can feel airflow. As long as it doesn¡¯t get too big, I should be able to cook it in here, right next to the stream, just in case.¡±


    In order to put his plan into motion, the man lit several of the candles and spread them through the cavern, creating a well-lit room. Then he made his way over to the large creature. He picked out one of the straight bones in the pile, what appeared to be part of a leg bone, and yanked it from the pile. Using the knife, he broke one end of the bone into a sharp point. Not exactly a weapon, but better than nothing, and nearly twice the length of his knife.


    While observing the bones, he noticed that the ruined clothes of the humanoid were in good enough condition to be used as bandages, or hand wrappings. Well, anything would be welcome at this point. Bones rattled to the floor as he secured the fabric, and put it to good use by wrapping his hands in it. It would help him navigate the jagged tunnel without injury.


    Though it didn¡¯t help much, just covering the wounds he already had. Several cuts later, and he poked his head out of the hole.


    The other creatures did not appear to be cannibals, as they had not touched the corpse of the blind one. That was good news for him. Still, he would need to preserve the food somehow if he wanted to really make use of the large creature.


    It would probably be fine for a day, if the chill in the air was anything to judge by.


    ¡°I wonder how long it¡¯s been since I last gutted an animal. Though that was a deer. Not sure that this thing counts as an animal. Monster sounds like a better definition.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to run into a problem trying to process the animal. The skin of the creature was excessively tough. His knife refused to pierce the hide.


    "How the hell am i supposed to butcher something i cant cut? Damn dull knife!"


    He gave the knife a once over, noticing that the spine of the knife was thicker than the rest.


    "I Guess it was made for chopping more than slicing. Hmm..."


    He rested the blade of the knife against the ankle of the beast, and used his bone weapon as a hammer.


    ''Clunk''


    It took several heavy swings, but the blade eventually bit into the hide.


    "Success!"


    He had to start at the foot, and gently cut through the fur. Then slice the fur up past the haunch, and yank it and the sinew off the muscles. Easier said than done. Certain parts he didn¡¯t bother with, like the groin, and armpits, he just cut around that part. The skin was not difficult to work from the inside at all.


    It took a while, probably more than half an hour, but he had removed most of the fur from the side facing up. Other portions like the legs he could move and get to more of it, but the stomach was not something he would be alble to retrieve. He wouldnt be able to tip the beast over even if his shoulder didnt feel like he stuck it in a blender.


    The hide was surprisingly supple, If he could somehow treat it, it would make good protection from climate and creature alike. Sadly, what he knew about leather tanning was pitiful, and it involved stretching it with a rack and scraping the skin. he wasnt even sure if that was applicable, considering it was hairless.


    He set that aside and focused on the meat. Luckily the creature¡¯s muscles were large, but not too dense, and the knife pierced through it easily enough. He laid the meat on the interior of the skin so it wouldn¡¯t get dirty as he worked.


    If the skinning took half an hour, this part easily took an hour. When he had removed all the meat he cared too, he wrapped the meat as best he could and set it inside of the tunnel. It was tall enough he wouldn¡¯t half to worry about most creatures getting to it.


    That, and the rock face was dangerously slippery. nothing would be trying to climb the rock face for food. The only reason he could enter the hole was because he had a step stool of a carcass at his feet. With the last of the creature tucked safely in the hole, he squeezed by the pile, taking a good portion with him.


    This time he didn¡¯t fall to the floor as he reached the end of makeshift tunnel. His hands also fared much better. He carried the meat in both hands as he made his way to the stream. He set the meat next to the ice cold water, sitting next to it to rest. He was cold, and his wounds ached, especially his hands. Butchering a carcass with bloody hands was not a simple matter.


    He unwrapped his hands, rinsing the blood off both his hand wrapping and his hands. The stream sent shivers of ice to his core, but it helped.


    "Sigh... Lets see, now i need some fire wood to cook the meat. Cooked meat will last a lot longer than raw meat. Maybe a few books? No! oh, the broken bookshelf will work..."


    The wood did not seem to be in that poor of condition, so he could use it for firewood. The bed frame too, though he wanted to use that wood as an example of how to make a bed. The bedframe would be his reserve wood in case he could not cook all the meat with the bookshelf.


    He shifted the books out of the way, stomping on any pieces of wood that he deemed too large. The bookshelf would be taller than himself if it werent broken, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about a lack of firewood for at least the night.


    Once he had broken the wood into smaller pieces, he used one of the many lit candles to get the kindling going. Even though the wood could be considered aged, dried, and perfect for burning it took longer than he¡¯d like, but eventually he had a small fire going that he continued to feed wood too.


    He made use of the rib-cage of the monstrosity as a cooking rack. It held together well, and kept the meat from getting ash on it. He watched the meat for a little while, but quickly became bored. The strange books behind him called out to him, and he went to explore.


    He would pick them up one at a time, inspecting the cover and the words inside, careful to not bleed on them. These books seemed to be rather valuable, and he would not want to diminish there value.


    He recognized none of it.


    He was familiar with several languages, yet none of the marks and characters looked remotely familiar. It hinted at something he was hoping wasn¡¯t true. That was, until he came across a small book, hidden behind the neatly stacked books. It almost looked like the humanoid had been protecting it.


    It was in English. Well most of it was, most of the early pages of the book were in English, while the later portions were a mix of the unfamiliar language and English. The humanoid had been attempting to translate the book, and had gotten rather far. Judging by the notes. The only letters he did not see matched with another marking were the letters Z, Q, and W.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really blame you on having trouble with those letters. They tend to get people confused.¡±


    He realized what the book was. It was an awful romance novel. What the humanoid had been attempting to translate, and almost succeeded in had been the worst of English literature. It also appeared that the humanoid had died trying to protect it.


    It was awful¡­ Awfully funny.


    Still, he would use the book to help him translate the humanoids language. He wanted to unlock the secrets of this library. He brought the book over to the fire, and began reading it as he cooked the meat.


    Every few minutes he would eat a little of the cooked meat, which had quickly become a pile of its own. It was bland, and tough to chew. But he didn¡¯t feel any negative effects, aside from his jaw becoming tired.


    Like this, eleven days passed.

 Ch. 2- Wake up Call

    The messy library had become cleaner. Well, the bones had been moved to a corner of the cavern. The ruined book shelf was gone. The desk was piled with books though. It had taken him the better part of two days to get the hang of the language.


    Since then, he had not moved much, finishing book after book while occasionally fetching meat from the tunnel. His shoulder was healing well, and didn¡¯t appear infected.


    His worries about the meat were unfounded. At night it got cold enough to freeze the meat. Coupled with the fact that there was no sun, the meat stayed frozen long enough for him to cook it. Though he was quickly getting tired of eating nothing but monster meat.


    That also meant that the nights were cold for him as well. He would fall asleep next to the fire, yet wake up next to its coals shivering slightly. He had scraped the flesh from the hide of the blind creature, but it made a poor blanket.


    It was far from easy living. His supply of wood had dwindled, considering all he had was an old bookshelf and a broken bed. While the booshelf had given him plenty of wood, having a fire burning everynight consumed the wood quickly.


    He had polished off twelve books so far, not including the one in mostly English. The humanoid appeared to have been some kind of researcher. He had also found several books that appeared to speak of some arcane power. He set those aside as hocus pocus, but most of the library appeared to refer to this arcane ability.


    His curiosity eventually gave in, and he picked out a book that was translated into ¡°The arcane and its beginnings¡±. He quickly regretted it.


    The book gave an overview of the arcane. But that wasn¡¯t what made him regret, it was the history lesson attached.


    ¡®For as long as our people have fought the wild, we have done so with the help of the arcane. Using this power that permeates throughout Pandel, our people have been able to fight back the monsters and establish homes. Few however, attempt to research the arcane thoroughly¡­¡¯


    Pandel.


    He rechecked the translation. Three times. It was obvious that the book was talking about the land the humanoids resided in. That was not the problem. The problem was that there was no such place known as Pandel on earth. He had purposefully ignored it before. The fact that this language most definitely was not known on earth. He had ignored the fact that what he currently ate for sustenance, the monster, did not exist on earth.


    He could not however, ignore it when the evidence presented itself in the book. It was the last nail of the coffin, and it sent him into a severe depression. He should have known, really. It¡¯s not every day that someone doesn¡¯t die after jumping off a skyscraper. It told him that the laughter he heard as he jumped, was most likely real, and the reason he was currently here.


    He had attempted to cheat the game by killing himself, and something wasn¡¯t happy. He had cheated, and the being had cheated. It was a miracle. It broke the foundation of what he thought of as true.


    He had been an atheist for as long as he understood the basic premise of religion. It had been so obvious that it wasn¡¯t true. Even as he was forced by society to learn so much about the many religions, he never batted an eye in his conviction that the otherworldly was a delusion. He did not commit suicide to go to heaven, he had done so to stop the game called life.


    Now, he had irrefutable proof that the otherworldly existed. He was not sure in what form, but the laughter he had heard had undoubtedly sounded female.


    This realization would change his life. Firstly, it made him even more jaded, as there were all powerful beings, and yet humans were allowed to do the things humans do. Secondly, he took a second look at the power the book spoke of, the arcane.


    ¡°If there is a god, or gods. Then this power the book spoke of may be real. And I might be able to use it¡­¡±


    This realization that the arcane might be real, took several hours. He had been laying on the cold hard ground for a while before coming to this realization. But once he did, he threw himself into studying the book. He finished it in only a couple hours, and started reading more. Every book that spoke of the arcane, he read, and reread, until he completely understood the information. Another ten days past during this time.


    The stack on the desk had started to become excessive. The entire desk was covered in books. He had read through nearly thirty books in his quest for knowledge. To be fair, the books that focused on the arcane werent as long as the other books. Most of them were less than one hundred pages, yet they were still quite large, due to the large letters they were written in.


    There were only around twenty books left, most about the histories of several countries. His shoulder had mostly healed, the muscle having pulled together and closed. There was only a small scratch left, and a nasty scar.


    Though he read books all day, that¡¯s not to say that he believed everything in the books. For example, the first book had spoken about the basics of the arcane. It had broken the studies into several categories, resembling basic things in nature. Water, fire, sky, earth, light, dark, life, and death. The book even had a very detailed sketch that somewhat resembled Yin and Yang, yet included all the elements. He did not believe it in the slightest. He had the truth of science. He understood that the difference in the states of water was the movement of its electrons.


    He was aware that magma was actually superheated earth, and plasma superheated air. He understood that lightning was really a tremendous electrical discharge, and how to create it. Air was simply gases, be it oxygen, nitrogen, and the like.


    Earth was simply dirt, stone, and different bits of metal. His weakest subject would be darkness, because all he knew of it was that it was the absence of light. Light was energy radiation on a visible spectrum.


    The only thing he had trouble deciphering was the most important part. The pure arcane energy. Apparently people could either feel it or not. Those that could not were somewhat looked down upon by those that could. The book spoke of it as a feeling, that tickled the heart or brain. This was important, as the studies and practices of the arcane branched in two different directions.


    The heart path depended on using the heart to pump the arcane into the muscles through the blood, enhancing the warrior. It would allow the user to become stronger, faster, fight longer, and survive mortal wounds easier.


    The brain path depended on using the brain to concentrate and control the arcane through intelligence, wisdom and willpower.Hand gestures helped, though the more skilled one became the less dependent the practioner became on them.


    There was only one problem. He wasn¡¯t sure which was better. He also didn¡¯t understand why both paths could not be followed. The author of the book also hypothesized that as well, wondering why it was always one or the other. The author hinted that the feeling in one could block out the feeling from the other, blinding the user to the other path.


    To him, it sounded plausible. So he decided to try it. Day after day, he would practice and meditate on the arcane in the morning, and read books through the afternoon and night. It became so monotonous that he had to start doing exercise to burn off his extra energy. It ensured he slept well, and helped when he eventually went out searching for firewood.


    He was in a forest after all, and there was plenty of dead wood covering the ground. There had been several close calls though... Those monsters knew where he resided, and would periodically roam near his home. Luckily, the monsters had no discernible intelligence, and thus lacked the capability to ambush him.


    He had collected a large pile of wood, but did not have any more meat to cook. He had burned through more than half the meat he had collected. It wouldn¡¯t be long before he would have to search for more.


    Another ten days passed¡­


    His food supply had dwindled to almost nothing. His shoulder was fully healed though, so he felt confident in attempting to hunt. He continued to meditate in the morning, and read at night, and searched for food during the middle of the day, when it was brightest. Some berry bushes added to his food, but he had no chance at catching the small animals in the forest.


    The morning he finished off the last of the monster, he sat down dejectedly to meditate. He tried to clear his mind, but the lack of food worried him. He hadn¡¯t finished the books here, and didn¡¯t want to leave. He also wasn¡¯t sure he could protect himself. These worries stressed him, and that sweet smell that wouldn¡¯t go away didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°What the hell is that smell!¡± He shouted, finally having had enough. He kicked at the bones of the skeletons and walked around frustrated. He couldn¡¯t calm down. That¡¯s when the pain hit.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    An ache. It felt like a heart attack, and the world¡¯s worst migraine, at the same time. The words in the book echoed in his mind, confusion evident. He doubled over in pain.


    ¡°The book had said that the user would feel one or the other. I¡¯m feeling both. God damn it hurts!¡± He writhed on the ground as the pain crippled him, all thoughts of anger lost. Unnoticed to him, a powerful vacuum sucked in the sweet stench, tearing it from the forest outside and concentrating it in the cavern. More and more of the stench condensed itself in the cavern, and rushed into him. This caused many of the creatures to avoid that section of the forest, as something dangerous loomed there.


    Not that he noticed, he was far too busy almost dying.


    He had never felt the arcane before. He was from earth, where it wasn¡¯t present. These days that he had lived in the cavern, his body was slowly building up more and more of the arcane power. It was the sweet smelling odor. That¡¯s why he could notice it, his body was collecting it from the air in large amounts, drawing it from the surrounding area. The meditation only made his body absorb it faster. It was finally turning to fruition, but it wouldn¡¯t be painless.


    His cells were decaying, dying off only to be replaced by new cells that accept the energy. The little fat he still had from his days on earth was quickly consumed by the process.


    It took hours of extensive pain before it started to lessen. Ever so slightly, his body seemed to ache less. His mind could stand small thoughts. Eventually he could sit up, and his thinking became more aware. The pain finally dispersed, and he felt completely different.


    He was covered in a black grime that hadn¡¯t been there before. It was the reason it had been so painful. Between the pollution on earth and the cigarettes he smoked daily before, there had been plenty of toxins in his body, toxins expunged from his body along with his dead cells.


    The arcane naturally acted as a purifying agent, forcing his cells to discard the built up toxins as it rewrote his genetic code. He had become a citizen of this world.


    He could also feel the arcane energy flow through both his heart and brain, he had been successful in walking both paths. He would have to balance them if he wanted to continue, but it was worth it.


    The black grime was not the only changes to his body though. He had gained muscle. His nails looked as healthy as they¡¯d ever been. His eyes had a clarity and fire that they didn¡¯t before. They had even slightly changed color. Going from the light brown they were before to an almost gold color. He had lost all of his hair, yet it grew back just as quick. Though it was not as long as before. He now sported an unkempt beard, which before had been quite long. The grime ensured that the hair that had been lost stuck to his body.


    He didn¡¯t care though. He simply made his way over to the stream and washed himself and his clothes. He felt great, and couldn¡¯t wait to try out the arcane. Hygiene came first though. It took him longer than he thought it would to remove the black grime and hair. The lack of soap didn¡¯t help. He even tried to use the knife to scrape the residue off of him. It worked, but he nicked his finger in the process. It bled very little, and healed faster than ever before. aside effect of the body strengthening itself, but a very useful side effect.


    Eventually he sat down and meditated once more. Both his heart and brain tingled as they controlled the arcane energy. The sweet smell was no longer there, but he felt the power inside him.


    ¡°This, this is amazing! I feel wonderful!¡±


    Excited by his new powers, he tried to create flame. It was a simple test. What he didn¡¯t expect was for the fire he created to reach the cavern ceiling.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    He cut the connection, and the fire dispersed. Luckily he wasn¡¯t injured by the flame, though the room had become somewhat toasty. If not for the fact that he had been next to the stream instead of the library, all of those expensive books would have went up in flame.


    He still needed practice. Lots of practice. He couldn¡¯t help but smile though. He would be able to fight the monsters and gain food now. He could make a freezer once he got more control of his power.


    "Hmm, if fire is simple enough to make, i should be able to do other things. two hydrogens per an oxygen make water. There should be both naturally in the air. If i tried, im sure i could create it. Wait! if i turn all the oxygen in the air into water, what will i breathe? Lets save that one for later."


    He was lost in thought when he noticed the ring he had pilfered shining a golden light. He went to touch it with his other hand, inadvertently wiping the leftover blood from his finger wound on it. His heart and brain tingled, the arcane rushing out of him and into the ring. It continued to glow brightly, and he felt it. The ring was no mere ring. It seemed to be larger than it really was.


    There was space inside the ring. He didn¡¯t understand how he knew, but there was. There was a lot of space inside. At least twice the size of the cavern. And it was mostly full. He was astonished at the sheer wealth contained inside. Gold, jewels, books, weapons, coins, and many things he didn¡¯t recognize were inside. He had hit the mother lode.


    What really excited him though, was the food kept within. It did not seem to have gone bad. He recognized boxes filled with different meats, and more with vegetables he had never seen before. Well, he assumed they were vegetables.


    His stomach growled.


    He concentrated on the ring, unsure of how to remove the food. As he thought of removing the food it appeared in front of his hand like it was there all along. His arcane power tugged as it did so. He understood, the ring used his power to access the space.


    He wasted no time getting a fire started, and making himself the first real meal he¡¯d had to eat in a long time. He found a pan inside the ring, and used it to cook the meat and greens, because he wasn¡¯t sure they were vegetables, on a roaring fire. The greens got a little burnt, and the meat was a little over done, but he ate it as if it were five-star cooking.


    He relaxed for a while before deciding to test the ring out some more. With a full belly he sauntered over to the food supplies he previously taken out.


    At first he tried to will it into the ring, but nothing happened. He tried resting his hand on it, and willed it again. It disappeared so fast he didn¡¯t notice it, and his organs tickled, telling him he was using the power.


    He had an idea.


    He made his way over to the stack of books torturing the desk. He gently placed his hand on all the books he had finished, and they disappeared, safe in his ring. The desk now sat empty.


    Now that he had eaten, and discovered the greatness of the ring, he was excited and happy. However, he wanted to test his powers out more. He rushed out of the tunnel, hoping there was a monster nearby to fight.


    He had dropped out of the tunnel and almost started marching off into the forest when he remembered the weapons in the ring. He connected to it with his mind and searched amongst the treasure.


    ¡°There, a perfect weapon to protect me from the monsters while I test my power.¡±


    A spear appeared in his hand, pristine and white. The spear was longer than he was tall, and the tip was as long as his knife, with a leaf shaped blade. It would ensure the monsters could not get too close while he practiced his arcane powers. There were many other weapons inside the ring, but he would not know how to use them.


    Feeling like a superhero, a stupid smile on his face, he trudged into the forest.


    He encountered¡­ Nothing.


    There was nothing near his part of the forest.


    He felt disappointed. He wanted to fight something.


    He continued to walk, careful to keep his path straight, and mark the trees as he went, making a way back. He didn¡¯t value his chances of making it back to the cavern otherwise.


    ¡°I wonder how long this forest continues for¡­¡±


    The forest did not change much, and an hour seeped by as he searched for suitable prey.


    The trees began to part in front of him, and a familiar sight reached his eyes. It was a rock face, so similar to that which he lived in he might have mistaken it for it, had he not been marking the trees during his walk.


    ¡°If there are cliffs at my front, and my back. The only chance of leaving this forest resides in me going left or right¡­¡±


    A small lake bordered the rock face, its water misty. He approached the water¡¯s edge cautiously, watching for movement. He had seen too many ambush predators that hunted at the water¡¯s edge to just aimlessly walk up to it. Still, after some time passed, he did approach it.


    He didn¡¯t trust the water to drink from it, but he did stick a hand in. It was pleasantly warm. A ripple danced across the surface of the water. He watched the ripples caused by his finger spread out. Then he noticed the ripples coming toward him.


    ¡°Hmm, the ripples are coming toward me, that would mean¡­!¡±


    He threw himself backward, the back of his neck tingling. His rump landed in the soft soil of the lakes edge.


    Not a moment too soon, as the lake erupted.


    Just above his muddy boot prints, water raining down from it, a creature from myth snapped its mouth shut in the space he had just vacated.


    ¡°Oh shit, if I hadn¡¯t moved!¡±


    He let the thought drop as he stood and directed his spear toward his new adversary. Its head was a dull grey, and big enough to swallow him whole in two bites. The sad part was, the rest of the body was unseen. A sturdy neck flowed into the water, and he could see no more than a few feet past the surface of the water.


    Truthfully, he wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he wanted to know just how big the creature was.


    It directed its attention back towards himself. Eyes as large as his palms glared at him threateningly. His legs shook a little.


    Without any warning, the creature snapped at him again. His spear met it, and glanced off its mighty scales. It made his stomach turn in fear. His weapon couldn¡¯t even put a scratch on it! It only got worse when he realized the thing had been testing him, seeing if he could hurt him. It had determined, he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°This thing wants to eat me! What the fuck is wrong with this place! No¡­ No! I can¡¯t panic, I¡¯m stronger now, I need to focus. That¡¯s right, focus on the tingling inside. Let¡¯s see if fire will do anything to this thing!¡±


    He braced his spear with one hand and pointed his palm at the creature. It took it as a sign of weakness. A rancid mouth of long jagged teeth appeared before his eyes. This time though, he did not panic. His body tingled, and flame roared from his hand.


    This column of flame was much larger than the last time he had attempted flames, yet the target was only a few feet away, mouth open.


    A deafening roar nearly knocked him over. The creature had reared back as the flames assaulted its mouth. The flames weren¡¯t even scratching its scales, but the sensitive mouth of the creature was already blackened and still on fire. It was choking on the fire.


    The head retreated back into the water, dousing the flames in lake water. They burned no longer, though steam rolled off the top of the lake. The temperature was hot enough to scald someone now.


    Eyes that stared down prey, now glared with hatred. It had been injured. The thing in front of it was a worthy foe. It had been foolish to expect an easy meal.


    He didn¡¯t give the chance to mount a counter attack though!


    ¡°I need to get the fuck out of here!¡±


    His spear disappeared into his ring as he bolted back to his cavern. Several roars chased him, but the creature did not seem willing or able to follow him into the forest.


    He did not stop until he was safely inside his refuge. His heart beat frantically and his lungs burned.


    ¡°Not doing that again!¡±

 Chapter 3- Free falling- Part one

    A month passed by slowly.


    The reptilian beast had scared the shit out of him. He worried that it would stalk him and eat him. It didn¡¯t help him sleep. The books in the library proved to be a valuable resource at distracting himfrom his thoughts. He had never before looked death in the face, and it had shifted his view. Jumping had just been too quick, too muted, compared to this encounter.


    He practiced the arcane even more seriously than before, determined to become stronger. The flames that sprouted from his hand no longer reached the cavern ceiling. They were only half way to the stalactites. His control had improved a little.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing he had been doing. During his many nights reading, he had discovered a map of the world. It was old and hand written, but it very detailed. It was because of this map that he learned just how screwed he was.


    Of the places listed on the map, there was only one that could have cliffs facing each other. It was known as the hole of the world, the Pandel void. When he discovered the name of the place, more information came to mind. He had actually come across the name while reading books, and it had interested him. The void cut across the great plains of southern Pandel. A jagged gash in the land that acted as a natural barrier for three countries it intruded on.


    Those three countries, the Brirus Principality, the Abugon united Duchies, and the Sacrigia Dynasty, used the void as a prison. They tossed the worst of the worst into the hole, though apparently a political prisoner or two had found their way into it as well. He realized that those that were thrown into the void most likely died when they hit the ground, the trees being enough evidence.


    This information came in extremely handy, as he couldn¡¯t walk the length of the Pandel void even if he walked for a month without stopping. It led him to attempt to build a climber. When he wasn¡¯t practicing his powers, or reading, he was building a way to climb the towering trees.


    He had some experience with climbers, as he had hunted plenty of times, but those came pre made. Building one turned out to be a completely new experience. He was down to his last few books, making him all the more motivated to finish the climber and escape his prison.


    Today was the day though! Today he would begin the climb. He figured it would take most of the day, so he had woken up as early as possible. He had left the climber on the tree the night before, so all he had to do was eat a quick meal and get into it.


    Just as he was about to though, he turned back towards the cavern. It had sheltered him, taught him, and he considered it his home now.


    ¡°Thank you, whoever you are, for gifting me with these treasures, and especially this knowledge. May your bones rest in peace.¡±


    With that, he made his way into the sky.


    The contraption was not complicated. It consisted of two pieces, a top and bottom. The bottom would cinch into the tree, and he would move the top higher, before cinching that into the tree and lifting himself, then cinching the bottom into the tree again.


    His feet had slipped from the bottom several times during his climb. He would have been screwed, as the bottom would fall back to the ground in such an event, if not for the rope he had found in the ring. It connected the top to the bottom, prevent either from getting too far from the other.


    And so he climbed.


    The brightest part of the day, which was really just a brighter twilight, came, and passed.


    The hours ticked by.


    His arms ached, his lungs burned. He had been using the arcane power to reinforce his body through the heart path, but he was becoming exhausted form exertion. Muscles that had not been used in a long time screamed at him to just let go, to fall, but he did not listen.


    Eventually, like a light from the heavens that he used to believe didn¡¯t exist, sunlight began to envelop him. He had passed through the dense mist that clung to the lower part of the void, and was nearing the climax of his climb.


    He saw it. One hundred feet above him, sat the top of the Pandel void. The only problem was that he could go no further with his climber. The tree he was climbing was not all trunk, it had many branches at the top, and there was no way to shimmy the climber by them. They were too thick to cut off, and there were too many to circumvente. In order to go further, he would have to abandon the climber.


    ¡°So close, I¡¯m almost there. I can do this!¡±


    He was not upset about abandoning the climber. During these hours of constant climbing, he had come to dislike the climber. It was uncomfortable, it wobbled. He moved into the branches with a light heart, leaving the climber to hang above the void for eternity.


    At first, the branches were as thick as his leg, but as he got closer to salvation, they periodically got smaller. The last few feet the branches were barely the width of his wrist. Every branch creaked under his weight.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t break, please don¡¯t break.¡±


    He was level with the cliff. He was so close to salvation, from escaping the void. Just to be safe though, and help him make the leap, he climbed further to give him a height advantage.


    ¡®Snap!¡¯


    The branch he had been standing on snapped, sending it, and almost him, back into the depths of the void.


    The branches supporting him groaned as he hugged the trunk.


    ¡°Holy fuck! That was way too close¡­¡±


    Then he laughed a little. A chuckle or two at most.


    ¡°For someone that jumped off a skyscraper, I sure am afraid of falling!¡±


    Instead of attempting to go further up, he decided to risk jumping from his current positon. While only a couple feet higher than the cliff, the branches had proven themselves to be sturdy.


    He slowly rotated his body, holding the branches above him tightly as he put his back to the tree, and faced the cliff. His feet were firmly in the shoulder of two branches, where it would be strongest. If one of those broke while he jumped, he would be done for.


    "I could jump. jumping to death from a tree this tall is barely different from a skyscraper... Yet. I dont feel like jumping. Maybe i just dont want to end up as monster food. Might as well see what this world has to offer, right?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Inhale.


    Exhale.


    ¡°Here goes nothing¡­¡±


    He flew. For those few seconds of weightlessness, he felt that same feeling he had while falling from the skyscraper, that feeling of nothing pressing down on him.


    Then he smacked against the cliff, knocking the wind from his chest. His hand scrambled to catch someone as he slid farther towards death. An exposed root would be his savior.


    His left hand barely caught the root as he slipped completely off the edge of the cliff.


    ¡°AH!¡±


    The root bit into his hand as he held on for dear life, his other hand swinging in the breeze, along with his body.


    ¡°fucking hell!¡±


    He swung his body up, grabbing the root with his other hand. His arms pleaded for release. His answer was to pull himself higher. He moved his left hand higher, grabbing at the cliff. His head was now above the cliff.


    Slowly, steadily, he pulled himself onto the cliff. With a final heave, he yanked himself onto the cold stone. He fell limp right there, feet hanging off the cliff still.


    He was so exhausted.


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t give up. If he was to die, he would be the one choosing it. He would not allow a mere cliff to be the reason he died.


    With words of motivation in his mind, he pulled himself farther from the cliff. Then he got to a knee, and then two. He stood. The cliff disappeared in the rear view mirror as he wandered into the grassland that butted up against the Pandel void.


    In the distance stood a city. It was the only thing he could see in the distance, and he could see for miles. Half naked and weary, he wandered towards the city. It was not a far walk. The city was one which would facilitate the tossing of criminals into the void. As he got closer, he picked out the details of the city easier.


    It was walled, though that might be an overstatement. Walls barely taller than himself, and made of clay and mud, protected the city. The buildings got taller as they got closer to the center of the city. Spread out around the city were fields for miles. He had to walk through a couple fields before he came across a dirt path, leading towards the city.


    He saw his fist humanoid once he got a little closer. It looked, almost the same as him!


    The humanoid was thinner, but it was a human. The only differences were minor traits. Thick brown hair that reached the shoulders. This person was a man with a bronzed skin. It hinted at his lifestyle, as did the unkempt hair. As he passed the man¡¯s fields though, the man stopped and openly gawked at him.


    He hurried past, confused as to why he was being stared at. Sure, he had hair black as night, which stood out when compared to the man¡¯s own hair, but it shouldn¡¯t be that odd, right?


    The next person he saw was leading what looked to be a wagon. It was pulled by something that loosely reminded him of a donkey. Well, it had four legs. It was much stockier than a donkey would be, and also completely hairless. It didn¡¯t notice him. The man, however did.


    He didn¡¯t look too different from the farmer he had seen earlier, and like said farmer, he stared with wide eyes. He hurried past.


    The few people turned into a throng of at least thirty making their way to the city. To say he stood out would be an understatement. First, while he was not the only shirtless person, he was the only person that did not bear a multitude of scars. His scars on his shoulder looked like cat scratches compared to some of the ones he saw. Secondly, he was the only person that hadnt been permanately darkened by the sun.


    He tried to listen in on peoples conversations, but the people around him seemed partial to whispering. Hopefully he could find a place to learn the language, because reading and speaking the language are quite different.


    Four men and four women, garbed in some type of metal armor, guarded the gate. He saw that every once in a while, one of them would walk over and talk to someone entering, but they did not collect any money. Whatever the money was here. He had plenty of coins of differing colors in the ring, but he would have to be careful to not get ripped off.


    He passed the guards nervously, but none came and spoke with him.


    He had made it to civilization. His revelation was halted at the sight of several guards attacking someone curled up on the ground. The person was getting their ass kicked. He spotted several teeth missing, and blood coated the man¡¯s clothes.


    He thought about helping, he really did. Then he noticed some more guards exchanging grey coins as they watched.


    ¡°Best not to get involved¡­¡±


    He could probably win in a fight, if he used the arcane. That would set half the city on fire though, as the buildings closer to the wall were all some kind of light colored wood. He didnt know where they got the material, as he had not seen a tree since he left the void.


    He wandered aimlessly down the street, reading shop signs while he looked for something he needed. The signs were, thankfully, in the same language the books had been in, though he had never heard it spoken before. He also didn¡¯t see any visitor centers around.


    He gave up and entered one of the shops that had an intricate drawing of some trousers. A woman managed the shop, and greeted him as he entered.


    In English.


    She spoke English.


    He tried to hide his surprise, but he failed miserably as he blurted ¡°I need a shirt!¡±


    She nodded, very businesslike, and brought him over to a selection of shirts that might fit him. There wasn¡¯t much variety in the way of colors. In fact, nothing looked to have any color. Plain cloth, and leather shirts.


    Still, he didn¡¯t care much, he just felt which one was the softest, as he hated itchy shirts. ¡°I¡¯ll take two of these. Also I need some pants and under garments.¡±


    She glanced for a second as the remains of his pants, confused as to the material. He wasn¡¯t surprised, considering they were machine washed denim. He didn¡¯t think they had that here.


    She quickly regained her business demeanor and brought out several pairs of trousers and pants. Again, he felt for which was softest, and picked out two pairs of pants that felt nice. She nodded and brought the clothing to the counter she had been standing behind originally. From a cabinet under said counter, she removed some undergarments.


    All she took out was socks. Well, something that resembled socks that a grandmother would hand knit. Well, they would work with his shin high boots, so he nodded. She piled up the clothes and wrapped them in some type of fabric. Then she gave him a look. The look all merchants give their customers, right before they rip them off.


    ¡°How much?¡± He asked nervously¡­


    ¡°For you, as I notice you need some clothes, only three Seps.¡±


    She flashed him a pretty smile, and he came up with a plan. He a hand behind his back, and several coins appeared in it.


    ¡°I have a proposal for you¡±


    She looked at him skeptically, but nodded at him to continue.


    ¡°I¡¯m not from here, and I don¡¯t know the currency.¡± He brought the coins from behind his back, and showed her. Her eyes flashed with surprise.


    ¡°If you will tell me which of these are what, I will not only give you three Seps, but four. How¡¯s that sound? I must warn you though, if you cheat me, know that I will eventually learn that value, and you may very well lose a customer permanently¡­¡±


    "Even if she cheats me, I have plenty more in the ring..."


    At the beginning, she smiled evilly, but that disappeared at the end of his words. She didn¡¯t speak, studying him for almost a minute.


    ¡®Sigh¡¯


    ¡°Alright, I will tell you¡­ But make it five Seps.¡±


    He smiled, then nodded. She slowly grabbed a grey coin from his hand.


    ¡°This is an iron Sep. There the lowest currency. One hundred of them make a Sep¡ª¡± she set the iron coin down and picked up the silver coin, ¡°this is a Sep, the standard currency. Half a Sep will get you a cheap inn for a night. Or really cheap food or clothing. Likewise, one hundred of these make a Septum, that¡¯s that gold one with a hole in it. Those are the usual coins used in business.


    The only time you would see a royal Septum like that gold coin, a solid gold coin like that, is when dealing with an extremely large amount of money. One thousand Septum¡¯s make a royal Septum¡­


    I really want to know where you got your hands on a royal Septum. If you showed that to anyone else, they¡¯d have likely stabbed you and stole it. That¡¯s a fortune after all¡­¡±


    She set the coin she had been holding back in his hand, and he put his hand behind him. All but a Septum disappeared. He flicked it at her. She barely caught it, surprised when she saw it.


    ¡°this is for not stabbing me, miss?¡±


    ¡°Rosalina Quinn, but please call me Rosa.¡±


    ¡°my thanks, Rosa. Could you perhaps point me in the direction of a reputable inn?¡±


    She smiled,


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s one just down this street some ways. Look for the sign that has several arrows sticking out of it. They even have baths. May I have your name sir?¡±


    ¡°Ryder Guerra Cail¡¯te, but Ryders fine. I appreciate the help Rosa. Until we meet again¡­¡±


    Ryder gathered the clothes under his arm, and waved as he left the building.


    The street was just as busy as before, and he quickly disappeared in the crowd. Rosa let out a small smile as he left, though she smiled at the coin¡­

 Chapter 3- Free falling- Part two

    It took him longer to find the inn then he would have figured. It was one of the few buildings that was three stories and still wood. The door squeaked as he stepped through the threshold, greeted by the sight that look rather close to a bar. Though behind the bar was a row of barrels instead of bottles. Glass must be expensive. The place was quite busy.


    Several women in aprons darted across the floor, some serving beers while others carried plates of food.


    ¡°They seem busy¡­ Oh, maybe I can ask him!¡±


    Behind the bar, a grizzled man stood wiping mugs. He got plenty of looks as he made his way over to the bar.


    ¡°Hi, I want to rent a room, get a bath, and buy some information. How much?¡±


    The grizzled man glanced up at him for a second before resuming his cleaning, not saying a word. A second passed, then five, then a minute. Before Ryder could tell the old man to fuck off though, a lady that looked to be in her thirties approached him.


    ¡°Hello their sir, what can our establishment do for you?¡± Her voice held experience, she most likely managed the place.


    ¡°Hi, as I told the bartender here, I would like to get a room, a bath, and some information.¡±


    She smiled a merchant smile that reminded him of Rosalina.


    ¡°Ah, I beg your pardon about my bartender, he can¡¯t speak. Tongue was cut out during one of the wars. The room will cost you Two Seps, baths included, and the cost of information will depend on its value and secrecy¡­¡±


    He smiled and two Seps appeared in his hand, which he handed over to her.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take the bath first¡±.


    She nodded as she pocketed the coins. She gestured before heading towards a door at the opposite side of the entrance to the bar. Through the door and into a hallway, he was greeted by several doors. The one at the end of the hall was clearly labelled ¡®Bath¡¯


    ¡°Just through there. Your room will be this one here, room 3. There¡¯s a key inside, and the doors unlocked. Oh and its mixed bathing!¡±


    The woman chuckled and left the hall in a hurry, not giving him a chance to react before she was back out managing the business.


    He sighed, and entered the baths. It was probably impressive by the standards of this city. To him, it was okay. A stone bath that encompassed most of the room, with room for more than ten people.


    He quickly stripped and hopped in. The water reached his stomach. He tried not to wonder how often they changed the water as he washed himself. At least it was warm.


    ¡°I wonder how they get it warm¡­¡±


    The door to the baths swung open, startling him. In walked in a beautiful woman, garbed in bloody leather armor. The armor stayed on for only a few seconds, before being deposited next to the pants he had left on the floor. She was half naked before she realized he was there.


    Not that it stopped her. She was naked and in the bath before her clothes hit the ground. Her hair swayed as she moved. Its length would probably reach her butt if it weren¡¯t braided.


    She wrapped the braid into a ball and stuck a single stick through it to hold it. Her hair was something he had not expected to see, silvery blonde hair. It did not look dyed either. It had a natural color to it. He could not help but dart his eyes lower. Her breasts were perky, to say the least.


    That¡¯s when he realized he was staring, and quickly turned the other direction to give her privacy.


    ¡°Ah, it feels good. Nothing better to wash the blood off after a successful hunt than a heated bath¡­ Did you like what you see boy?¡±


    At first, he thought she was talking to herself, but the pointed question told him otherwise.


    ¡°While I bristle at the thought of being called boy, I will certainly admit it was a pleasant view. My apologies if my eyes lingered longer than might have been customary. I¡¯m new to this land and culture.¡±


    ¡°Play it off like a gentleman¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe, the oldest of your kind are but boys to me, even on their deathbed¡­ So I assume you don¡¯t have shared baths where you come from?¡±


    She splashed him lightly as she continued to tease him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s something like an elf¡­ I didn¡¯t see any pointy ears though! Well, I guess she isn¡¯t as thin as most everyone I¡¯ve seen here. She might be a different subspecies.¡±


    ¡°No, we do not have shared baths from where I come from, unless they are a couple, I suppose¡­ I wish to ask your age, and why you would be able to live for so long, yet where I come from it is rude to ask a ladies age.¡±


    He chuckled as he voiced his reasoning¡¯s. A small giggle reached his ears.


    ¡°I mean no offense, but what an odd tradition. They must not get many visitors from my people, the Slai.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen one of your people before. Though, unless that beautiful hair is a common trait, I could walk by one and not know.¡±


    The water rippled behind him. She had gotten closer.


    ¡°You''re sweet. My hair is not a common trait of my people though, it is our eyes. That and our teeth.¡±


    Her hands turned him around gently, showing him what she spoke of. Her eyes, which he was sure had been a bright green before, were now black as night, except for a sliver of white that ran horizontally across the eye. She was smiling widely now, enough to show off elongated canines. They were probably twice the length his was.


    ¡°Wow, those are quite beautiful. You don¡¯t have to force a smile for me though¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he gently touched her cheek, which he realized was quite pale. She was probably the whitest person he had seen so far. A sad expression surfaced on his cheek, though only for a moment.


    Surprise donned her face, she hadn¡¯t expected that answer. In fact, she had been trying to scare him. Most people that complementedher hair would turn tail when she showed off her eyes. It was something she was too used to, it happened enough.


    She halfheartedly chuckled.


    ¡°What makes you so sure its forced?¡±


    ¡°I would never believe the mouth when the eyes are not smiling¡­¡±


    He stood and turned to exit the bath. This had an unfortunate consequence. Seeing such a beautiful woman had put his other head to work, and when he stood, he accidently displayed it to her.


    ¡°shit!¡±


    He splashed back into the water. All coolness lost.


    ¡°God, I¡¯m so embarrassed!¡±


    He glanced over at her to see if she was angry or something. What he didn¡¯t expect, was her to be smiling mischievously with a slight blush on her face.


    ¡°Well then, I guess that proves the sincerity of your words¡­ I am called Ryuri Kova Agata Olegouna, but please call me Yuri. I certainly hope we see each other again¡ª¡° She paused, waiting for his answer ¡°Ryder, Ryder Guerra Cail¡¯te¡±


    ¡°Then I hope we see each other again, Ryder¡±


    She blushed more, before standing and exiting the bath. While she wanted to see if he was looking, she appeared calm as she donned a loose robe. She waved to him as she exited the bath. If only he could hear her thoughts as she left.


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    He exited the water and dried off with one of the course towels that hung from a nail. Well, it looked like a nail. He donned his new clothes quickly, the only thing he now wore from his old world was the boots.


    It was itchy.


    He dumped his dirty torn clothesonto the floor as he sunk onto the bed. While not impressive compared to his old world, it could be considered quite the upgrade compared to the floor he had been sleeping on before. A sigh escaped his lips, his thoughts consuming his attention.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "I need more information, and i need to know exactly whats in this ring. I never bothered trying to count it before, i guess now is as good a time as any."


    Several minutes of silence went by.


    "Hmm, that makes roughly 30 of these royal Septums, maybe a few hundred septums, and a few more Sep''s and iron Seps. Seems that the previous owner of this ring did not make small purchases. Im not sure how large of a fortune that is, but it should be able to see me through for a while. As for the other stuff...


    Twenty different robes, seven complete sets of armor, and about forty weapons of differing types, some swords, shields, spears, other ranged weapons such as bows and throwing weapons. I see no crossbows, so maybe that they dont know how to make them? they''re much better than the standard bow, and easier to use. though they tend to be harder to reload."


    "I need more information, and i need some training if im going to make use of these weapons. I also need to decide what i want to do. What do i want to do? Im interested in the arcane, but thats mostly because its badass. I mean, it didnt exist on earth, so its definately interesting.


    Thats what ill do...


    Try to learn more about the arcane, and maybe some training to use some of these weapons. Lets go ask that lady about places of learning. I should be able to afford it..."


    Ryder hopped out of bed, swiping the key to his room of the table, before locking the door and going to find the manager of the establishment.


    The door squeaked as he reentered the bar area. He glanced around, looking for the lady he spoke to before. She was behind the bar, having a one-sided conversation with the bartender. Well she was talking, and he couldn¡¯t. What could be more one sided than that?


    ¡°I have a feeling those two have more than a business relationship¡­¡±


    That was just a feeling though. Influenced by the fact that the only time he''d seen the mute smile is when he''s talking to her. None of my business though...


    The place had only gotten busier, which made navigating the tables difficult. The lady was waiting for him by the time he finally made to the bar.


    ¡°Hello, enjoy the bath?¡±


    ¡°Yes, more than I thought I would. I¡¯m here for that information we spoke of. Specifically, I need to know if there are places in the city where I can learn to fight? Maybe learn about the arcane?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how old are you?¡±


    ¡°Why would that matter?¡±


    ¡°There are many academies that teach students to fight, and just as many that teach of the arcane, but most only accept students of a certain age. Not to old, yet not to young.¡°


    The woman glanced down, appraising him.


    ¡°Ah, I see. I am Nineteen. What schools would accept me?¡±


    The grizzled man glanced at him. Apparently he didnt look nineteen. It was probably the beard.


    ¡°Well almost all of the schools around here require you to be over 16. So that¡¯s not a problem. There are several weapons schools, and a few arcane schools. I would recommend the Khan or prosperity academy if you want a weapon school.¡±


    Ryder scratched his head, seemingly deep in thought.


    ¡°I want to know more about those Arcane academies!¡±


    ¡°What about the Arcane academy?¡±


    ¡°Well, assuming you have the potential, I mean real potential, then white stripes academy is the one you want. Best in the city. Teaches both weapons and the arcane, mainly because there are those of the heart path that need to learn weapons. It is extremely difficult to get accepted. Though it does come with a certain amount of prestige if you do. Most of the nobles in this area go there to learn.¡±


    Ryder flicked her a Septum for the trouble. Her eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°Hey, this is too much!¡±


    ¡°The cost depends on the value, right? Well I valued that information. How do I get tested?¡±


    ¡®Sigh¡¯


    ¡°Head into the center of town, if you hurry you might be able to get tested today. There¡¯s a plaza set up for the academies to test prospective students. Can¡¯t miss it. Better hurry now!¡±


    She shooed him out. Ryder laughed, chuckling out the door. The sun had started touching the edge of the buildings, and it would probably get dark soon.


    ¡°Shit, better hurry!¡±


    Ryder took off the down the dirt street, weaving through the people.


    Back at the bar though, a beautiful woman with green eyes and long silver hair suddenly appeared. Her face was red. She was wearing somewhat loose fitting clothes that looked just a tad damp.


    ¡°Wow Yuri, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you react that way towards a man before, what happened in the baths I wonder?¡±


    The grizzled man had a small smile, probably laughing at the two women¡¯s conversation.


    ¡°Nothing that your thinking of, pervert!¡±


    ¡°sure, you just felt the need to use the arcane to hide yourself so you don¡¯t run into him. Totally nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing perverted happened Lisa, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Lisa leaned forward, hanging on every word.


    ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡°Well you see, I um, showed him my eyes.¡±


    ¡°I take it he didn¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°He didnt just not mind! It seemed like, to him, it was no different than my green eyes. It didn¡¯t faze him at all. Wasnt scared a bit... He didn¡¯t even know that the Slai are long lived¡­¡±


    Lisa perked an eyebrow up at that.


    ¡°Wow, I figured he was from far away, but for him to not know what a Slai is. Just where did he come from, I wonder¡­ Still, I bet your hoping White stripes academy accepts him. That way he would be your junior!¡±


    ¡°Theres no way he wouldnt be accepted.¡± Yuri seemed completly sure of it.


    ¡°Hmm, how? It didn¡¯t seem like he had been tested before, considering how he reacted to the information?¡±


    ¡°I could literally feel the power rolling off of him. Any greater Arcane User would sense him coming from a league away. That sweet smell. It¡¯s as if he bathed in pure arcane power for months¡­¡±


    ¡ªMeanwhile, in the center of town.


    The plaza was quite full, and large. There was probably a thousand people mulling about the area. Some were waiting on their children to be tested, while seemed to be rooting for friends. It almost seemed like the end of a festival considering all the colorful tents set up.


    ¡°I¡¯d hate to see how packed this place is in the middle of the day¡­ Ah! There¡¯s the white stripes testing area¡­ That¡¯s a small line¡­¡±


    The white striped testing area was impressive, and small. It did not scream best of the best, and he figured such a good school would be super popular, right? Still, he made his way over to the testing area, where a young man, not even thirty greeted him, with a sneer.


    ¡°This testing area is for the prestigious white stripes academy. Commoners need not apply!¡±


    ¡°And now I know why the line is so short. I already regret listening to that inn lady. Still, i enjoy knocking people like him down a peg, or three.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, are you saying that only nobles are allowed to enter this academy?¡±


    The line the man was protecting was now down to one. A young man waited in front of a black and white tent.


    ¡°The testing fee is a Septum. Now move alon¡ª.¡±


    ¡°Here ya go, now move.¡±


    Ryder flipped him the coin and stepped around him just as the young man was called into the tent. Another man stepped out, obviously sad.


    ¡°Guess he didn¡¯t get in.¡±


    ¡°Take your money back, we¡¯re closed for the day!¡±


    Ryder sighed in disgust.


    ¡°Listen here you twit, are you really going to turn away potential just because they aren¡¯t from a Noble family? I can¡¯t possibly see how this academy is so great if it turns away those of greater talent just because they have little money or connections!¡±


    Ryder spoke loudly on purpose, drawing attention to the both of them. The young man¡¯s face turned purple at this, most likely not used to getting talked down to. His hand was inching towards the curved bladeon his belt, obviously thinking of drawing it, when an old and tired voice called from the tent.


    ¡°Those are some provocative words young man.¡±


    The tent flap opened, the young man that had went in not long before had come out with the same expression as the last. He was followed by a man of great age. The old man barely reached Ryder¡¯s chest in height, and was as thin as a rail. His beard almost touched the ground.


    ¡°You say provocative, I say truthful. What kind of academy claims to be a place of higher while suckling the tit of those with wealth?¡±


    The shrill of metal sliding against metal whispered through the pavilion. The foolish noble had drawn his blade. The old man ignored the drawn weapon.


    "That blade gets any closer to me and ill roast you, dickhead."


    ¡°hmm, I see your point. I must admit that I agree. Very well, I will test you. I assume you have the test fee? It¡¯s a Sep.¡±


    The angry noble now had both a shocked and nervous expression. Then he smiled and relaxed.


    ¡°I¡¯d be willing to bet that if I say I gave the coin to him, he¡¯ll deny it and accuse me of slander... Im really starting to dislike the people in power. It has all the hallmarks of an abuse of power, if the rest are like this one..."


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Ryder flipped him a coin just as he had the noble. Shock was becoming the nobles normal expression. He had certainly figured that he wouldn¡¯t have any more money after losing a septum.


    ¡°Very well, follow me. Ishim, stay here.¡±


    The man walked back into the tent, and Ryder followed.


    The tent flap closed behind them, and the man settled into the only chair in the room. It was a bland room with a single crystal sitting on a pedestal in the center.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the test?¡± Curiosity got the better of him.


    ¡°Normally you would put your hand on that crystal on the pedestal. If it lit up, you would be accepted. The brightness determines the potential. You have already awakened though, so you¡¯d only shatter that pitiful crystal. No test is needed of those that have already awakened.¡±


    Surprise. the old man knew he could use the arcane. He wasnt sure how though, he didnt think itd be that easy to detect.


    "Thats not good, if its that easy to detect, ill have a tough time escaping from someone that can sense it..."


    ¡°How''d you know? I wasnt aware it was so easily sensed.¡±


    ¡°Young man, for those with a greater hold on the arcane, we can sense someone like you, who is leaking arcane like a sieve, from very far away. I felt you coming from before you entered the center of town. You must have quite alot of arcane in you to be leaking so much unconciously.¡±


    "I just met the guy, and he already more than id like him to. Hopefully he doesnt become an enemy..."


    Silence.


    "I do need to know if you are a brain path, or a heart path though, mostly to determine what classes you will be eligible to take. Though those of the brain path are allowed to take classes aimed at training the body, it does those of the heart path little good to listen in on brain path lectures."


    "Umm, im both?"


    The man, who was reclining in the chair, suddenly sat up. His eyes that had been barely open beforehand, were now alert.


    ¡°Thats not a very funny joke young man.¡±


    Ryder let out a chuckle at the old man¡¯s words."Check if you''d like, though id appreciate it if you didnt spread it around"


    The old man stood, the chair falling back as he did.


    ¡°I willcheck, if you would allow me to place a hand on your heart and head?¡±


    There was a nervousness in his voice.


    ¡°Sure! Just don¡¯t ask me to do arcane stuff, I¡¯m not too good at controlling it yet. I¡¯d probably burn half the city down on accident.¡±


    The old man ignored his words and placed his hand on both head and chest. The tingling feeling encompassed him.


    The old man pulled his hands away with a smile. He left one out in front of him.


    ¡°Welcome to the academy!¡±


    Ryder shook his hand with a smile.


    "Find a place to learn more about the arcane, check. Find a place to learn how to fight with the weapons in the ring, check"

 Chapter 4- The art of death

    ¡®Thud¡¯


    A wooden sword struck wood.


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    ¡°Again¡±


    ¡®thud¡¯


    ¡°If your hands hurt when you strike, good! Get used to it. That¡¯s what it means to hold a sword!¡±


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Ryder awoke at the crack of dawn, eager to get to the academy and even more excited to learn more about the arcane. He had expected to be learning swordplay as well, but his idea of sword play was sorely mistaken.


    On earth, the sword had been such an antiquated notion for so long that the real reason it was made became bleached from the art, replacing functionality with beauty, and skill with style.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Here, the sole purpose of a sword was to kill. Any deviation from that was a mistake. It made sense though, judging from what he had already seen of the world. Everything he''d encountered so far wanted to eat him, and had damn good trying to. Ending up in the gut of a monster because of his preconceptions about the sword did not interest him in the slightest.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Twenty-nine others suffered along with Ryder, though their expression differed greatly. Most look determined, not enjoying it but understanding the necessity. Some looked happy, he ignored them, they were obviously insane. Very few looked upset over the work, and those that did were all undoubtedly spoiled and overweight nobles.


    He didn¡¯t like what that implied about his work ethic. While he was far from overweight, his body had certainly not been built up to be used to swinging a sword for hours on end.


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    ¡°Enough. Take a break, there¡¯s a well behind the armory, go get a drink of water. Don¡¯t drink too much though, or you¡¯ll puke!¡±


    Ryder wiped the sweat from his brow. It wasn¡¯t even noon yet, but he was already tired. He had been spoiled by his lackadaisical upbringing and life on earth, where he didn¡¯t have to work hard to get by. Here, he would have to fight for his life, and then some, just to get by outside of the city.


    Thirty students wandered behind the armory, a large stone building that somehow still managed to look graceful from the outside, even though the inside was filled to the brim with blades of different shapes and styles.


    Not that he would be able to use any of them for a long while, though.


    Ryder followed along behind the rest of his class. He hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone in the class yet, and it didn¡¯t seem that was going to change. His class was made up of roughly half males and females, of varying origin. He spotted a few that reminded him of Yuri.


    He was easily one of the tallest, which made him stand out quite a bit. Though, most of the students in the class had taken one look at his plain clothes and wild hair and sneered at him. The academy certainly did not lack for noble students, even if it did lack nobility.


    ¡°Ryder!¡±


    A beautiful woman called out to him.


    Regal, elegant, the very image that nobility tried, and usually failed, to personify. Which made it a bit odd that she would actively approach him, who looked the part of the poor commoner. He shook the thoughts from his mind. He wasn¡¯t here to flirt, and picturing the woman that approached him in the nude was poor manners.


    ¡°Good morning miss Yuri. I didn¡¯t know that you were a student here as well. Judging by the armband, if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re my senior.¡± He noted the gold armband she wore.


    The other students in his class were gaping at him. Apparently Yuri was an important person in noble circles.


    When he had arrived at the academy, besides being shown around the many buildings and the different training areas, he had been given a pitch black armband with the crest of the academy on it. It signified his status in the academy, telling everyone he was a new student. It served several purposes, first and foremost to inform the other students that they were not eligible to be dueled.


    Black armbands were only given to new students, those that had just enrolled and cannot control Arcane power.


    A brown armband signified that the student was no longer new, and thus eligible to duel, but still couldn¡¯t use arcane power correctly.


    The blue armband came next, and with it the student needed to be able to moderately control Arcane power. Ryder technically should already have a blue armband, but the academy didn¡¯t allow the skipping of levels. If he wanted to raise his level, he would need to take and pass the advancement test. These tests were simple, and held once a month in the auditorium. The auditorium reminded him immensely of roman architecture, but it had been built to sit less than a thousand.


    After the blue, came the red armband, where the true power of the arcane started to show itself. A student must be at the level of control and power to easily defeat a normal trained swordsman. A swordsman that could not wield the arcane. The academy usually employed the cities guards for these tests.


    The last armband one could receive before graduation from the academy was the Gold armband. Students at this level could take on an entire squad of soldiers, some with arcane abilities, and win. It required competent control of the arcane, and enough battle experience to outmaneuver the opponent and not get surrounded.


    The only one left was the graduation armband.


    Yuri stood in front of him wearing a gold armband.


    ¡°I had no idea she was so skilled! That would explain all the blood that had been on her armor when she entered the baths though, now that I think about it¡­¡±


    Some of the students in his class glared at him, but their outrage was lost on the back of his head.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry about it. The distinction between the armbands is meaningless to me. I¡¯m just glad to see you are enjoying yourself in class.¡±


    Ryder paused for a second at her words, confused.


    ¡°Enjoying myself, surely you kid. I¡¯m in agony out there.¡±


    Yuri gave him an odd look. He matched it.


    ¡°Yet you were smiling the entire time during class?¡±


    ¡°I was smiling? No way! Hold on a sec, how would she know¡­¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m enjoying this¡ª, doesn¡¯t that mean you were watching me train for the last hour?¡±


    He smirked. She blushed a little.


    ¡°Looks like I was right!¡±


    ¡°Breaks over! Get back over here, we aren¡¯t even close to being done today!¡± The big burly instructor called out from the sword training area. Evidently class was back in session. Yuri gave him a smirk and ran off.


    ¡°Saved by the instructor. Wait! I never got a drink!¡±


    Unfortunately, the instructor didn¡¯t like to wait¡­


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    ¡®Crack¡¯


    ¡®thud¡¯


    The sun had reached its peak in the sky.


    Ryder was soaked. Sweat ran down his brow like a waterfall. His shirt stuck to his chest. Most of the students were similarly drenched though. Only a few looked to be slightly sweating. It was obvious which of the students had prior training.


    ¡°Alright, now that you know the feel of a blade, I¡¯m going to let you get a feel for taking a blade. Partner up! One will strike at the other, nothing fancy, and the other will block the attack.¡±


    The students shuffled around, some still out of breath from the earlier practice. Ryder waited to see who got stuck as his partner. It appeared that his friendly demeanor and conversation with Yuri had only served to alienate him further.


    As it turned out, the only other student that everyone disliked as well was one of the students that looked similar to Yuri. While he couldn¡¯t actually see the man¡¯s teeth to check, and his eyes looked normal, he had a similar facial structure that reminded him of her.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Ryder.¡±


    ¡°You will pay for disrespecting Lady Olegouna.¡±


    ¡°I guess he was one of her people¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, now that everyone has a partner, Begin!¡±


    His partner wasted no time attacking. In fact, it was so quick Ryder almost didn¡¯t block it.


    ¡®Crack¡¯


    The two blades connected, sending a throb down their arms.


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    The two blades connected again. His partners blade swept in from the side. Ryder parried, his hands throbbing.


    His partner didn¡¯t seem to want to switch anytime soon. Blows came raining in, alternating between horizontal and overhead attacks.


    ¡°alright then, I guess I¡¯ll just make you switch!¡±


    Ryder waited until the man overextended with an overhead slash, obviously not worried about Ryder counterattacking.


    ¡®Crack¡¯


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Ryders blade crunched into his partner¡¯s shoulder. The man had been so busy trying to injure Ryder he had failed to notice the blade coming for him before it was too late. The man fell backward, his ass planting itself in the dirt as he dropped his blade and clutched his shoulder.


    The instructor that had been roaming around and helping the students, suddenly appeared next to them.


    ¡°What are you doing! You think this is a picnic? You think just because you say ow and drop your blade that your enemy will stop and wait for you? Get up!¡±


    The entire class was watching now. Snickers could be heard from the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this now, and I speak to you all when I say this. If you give up on the battlefield, your dead! Drop your weapon, and your dead! Your sword is the single most important tool in your arsenal, followed barely by your head. It is much better to lose an arm, and keep the sword, then to lose the sword! Continue!¡±


    The words angered his partner, who leapt from the dirt as if nothing had even happened and retrieved his sword.


    Ryders blade parted the air as he attacked, and his partner blocked. His partner counter attacked, and Ryder blocked. It was no longer friendly practice, they wanted to beat each other.


    ¡®Crack¡¯


    The man parried Ryders blade and tried to step into his guard.


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    Ryder attempted a quick slash to get him to back up, but his partner had been waiting for it. Ryders blade passed harmlessly by the man and his partner went for his neck.


    ¡®Swish¡¯


    Ryder dodged to the side at the last minute. If the attack had landed, it would have done serious damage.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how you want to play this.¡±


    Ryder charged back into the fray, cleaving the air with a vertical chop that could break bones if it landed.


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    His partner had blocked it without trouble, a grin on his face. That is, until Ryder¡¯s kick sent him sprawling backwards.


    This continued long into the afternoon, only stopping when the sun kissed the horizon, painting the sky in hues of red and orange. The earlier enthusiasm between the two partners had evaporated in the afternoon practice, replaced by exhaustion and pain. The instructor had alternated between striking practice on the straw dummies, and blocking sparring between partners.


    Bruises ran up and down Ryder¡¯s arms. Several red marks dotted his face. The other guy looked just as bad. They had come to an understanding over the course of the sparring that neither was skilled enough to injure the other without being injured themselves. That didn¡¯t stop them from trying though.


    If it had been a real duel, they both would have died from their wounds. But it wasn¡¯t, and they actually learned a lot from there heated sparring. For one, not to get pissed off during combat.


    Ryder was exhausted.


    He wallowed through the streets, looking more the part of a beggar than he ever had before. He barely made it home. While his legs weren¡¯t as sore as the rest of him, hours of exercise had made his whole body hurt.


    He shambled inside the inn, tired, sore, and hungry. The bar, as always, had a few seats open. He planted his ass on a stool and his head on the bar counter. It felt so peaceful, not moving a muscle, enjoying the feel of the cool bar counter against his skin.


    A cold rag fell over his head. The ice cold water soothing his head and waking him up at the same time. He picked his head up, seeing the grizzled old man giving him a look.


    The man had a chalk board, at least that¡¯s what Ryder thought it was, and placed it on the counter where Ryder could see.


    ¡°Order something or go to bed, no sleeping here.¡±


    Ryder sighed, handing the rag back across the counter.


    ¡°I was planning on it. Two orders of whatever¡¯s for dinner please.¡±


    The grizzled man nodded, taking the rag and stepping away.


    Ryder let his head fall back to the counter.


    ¡°rough day?¡±


    Yuri sat in the stool to his left.


    ¡°You could say that. It might have been because of the partner I had today. He insisted that I call you Lady Olegouna from now on. Today was supposed to be my punishment for not doing so before.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you must be talking about my cousin, Korari. He always was a stickler about the proper way to address someone. Terribly dull if you ask me.¡± She gave him a smirk, not worried about his hardships in the slightest.


    ¡°so that¡¯s what his name was, He never did introduce himself.¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel better, there are few in your class that could give as many as they took like you did sparring against him.¡±


    Ryder turned his head to look at her, just so she could see him frown.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, not in the least.¡±


    ¡°Here you are, two By¡¯tun Steaks with healthy sides of veggies and two large glasses of spring water. Ah, how nice of you to buy Yuri dinner.¡± Lisa had arrived, and was already sticking her nose in their business.


    Ryder picked his head up to complain, but Yuri beat him to it.


    ¡°Why thank you for the sumptuous meal Ryder. I¡¯m forever grateful.¡±


    Ryder grumbled under his breath.


    ¡°What do I owe you? Also, I¡¯ve decided to book the room for a month, so add that in there as well.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯ll be thirty Seps for the room, and another two Seps for the meals.¡±


    Ryder nodded, mechanically collecting thirty-two Seps from his ring, and piling them on the table. She nodded at him with a business smile, collecting the money.


    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t leave.


    ¡°So how long have you two been together?¡± Lisa asked with an innocent smile. It didn¡¯t fool him though.


    Ryder was already digging into the steak, which tasted somewhat like a beef. He looked over at her with his mouth full, unable to speak, but glaring was a silent move that he employed to the fullest.


    ¡°Oh, so shy you can¡¯t even speak? How cute, he-he-he¡± Lis sauntered away with a smirk. Ryder thought she had been talking to him, as he actually couldn¡¯t speak without being rude, but he missed the red faced Yuri sitting to the left of him.


    He took a swig of the spring water to wash down his food.


    ¡°So, what is a By¡¯tun?¡± He turned his questioning eyes to Yuri, only now noticing her red face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised you haven¡¯t heard of it, considering you¡¯re not from around here. It¡¯s a creature well known for both its meat and its horns. It has three of them, and they make excellent spear tips. They have a few spears like that at the academy, but since you chose to learn the sword I doubt you¡¯ll see them.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder why a noble is a regular here¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that was good.¡± Ryder had finished he food, while Yuri had barely touched hers.


    ¡°hungry much?¡± she teased.


    ¡°not anymore, that hit the spot. I¡¯m off to bed now. Night. Make sure you finish the meal you swindled from me¡± Ryder gave her a tired smirk as he retreated to his room. She watched him go a bit reluctantly. He stumbled into his room, yanking his smelly shirt off of him. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.


    A little while later, his door creaked open, sending a sliver of candle light into the room. Yuri peered into the room, taking sight of the soundly sleeping man in the bed. Ryder was far too exhausted to be woken up from the door opening. She snuck into the room, draping a light blanket over him. She left the room just as quietly.


    Yuri slowly closed the door, not wanting to wake him.


    ¡°Sneaking into his room Yuri? My, you¡¯re so bold! Must be nice to be young.¡± Lisa appeared as she always did, at the worst possible time.


    Yuri faced her down with a finger raised to her lips, not falling for the provocation. ¡°Shh, he¡¯s sleeping, I was just making sure he made it to the bed. He looked dead on his feet earlier.¡±


    ¡°Sure you were. I bet you were just trying to peak on him while he was undressing.¡±


    Yuri¡¯s ears tinged pink, unwillingly reminded of their first meeting.


    ¡°I was not, now shoo, get out of here. I¡¯m going to bed!¡±


    Lisa only chuckled as Yuri made her escape from the busybody.

 Chapter 5- Promise

    Ryder woke up, his alarm beeping quietly to his side. He groaned, smacking the machine into silence. He settled back into the bed, glancing over by his side, where an angel lay soundly sleeping, hugging his arm, not letting him get up. She was the love of his life, and they were finally living together. The house was not theirs, and took up a big portion of their paycheck, but it was home.


    The bedroom was barely large enough to hold their queen sized bed. The walls were old, and the paint had faded long before they moved in. Even the ceiling fan that hung from the faded white ceiling looked ancient. The house had been built in the 1950¡¯s though, so they expected such things when they moved in. She said it showed the house had character.


    He suddenly had a thought. A hand slipped underneath the covers.


    ¡°Ryder, you¡¯re going to make us late for work¡±


    He slid his hand farther underneath the blanket.


    Some things are worth being late to work for¡±


    She rolled overto face him, giving him her best rendition of a pout. He chuckled at her display, not fooled at all, mostly because he felt hands moving towards him.


    To tickle him.


    ¡°Hehe, stop that, you know I¡¯m super ticklish!¡±


    The two squirmed around in bed, both competing for the top position and dominance. Ryder counterattacked her waist, knowing all her ticklish spots.


    ¡°Hehe! Revenge tickling!¡±


    ¡°No, not the hips. That¡¯s my weakness, hahaha¡±


    The blankets caught at their ankles, and somehow she ended up on top of him, straddling his waist.


    The two stopped to stare into each other¡¯s eyes, breathless. The temperature in the room mysteriously raised a few degrees. He leaned up and gave her a lover¡¯s kiss.


    She accepted, and smiled as his head settled back into the pillow.


    ¡°No fair, I want a pillow too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be your pillow.¡±


    she laid her head on his chest with a contented sigh. He wrapped her in his arms. He felt complete.


    ¡°Promise me something, Ryder.¡±


    ¡°hmm?¡±


    ¡°Promise you won¡¯t forget me¡­¡±


    ¡°Never.¡±


    He fell off the bed.


    Ryder looked around, confused. He was back in the inn. The cool wood of the floor helped to wake him up.


    ¡°Ah, I see. It was another dream.¡±


    His legs were still on the bed. He let them fall to the floor. They brought with them a light blanket.


    ¡®Sigh¡¯


    He climbed back onto the bed, this time sitting on it, and picked up the blanket. He had gotten used to sleeping in cold weather, so he hadn¡¯t needed a blanket, but it still made the night more comfortable.


    He began folding the blanket, thinking back to his dream.


    ¡°It had been so real. I wish I never woke up. What I wouldn¡¯t give to be back there, with her.¡±


    He laid the blanket next to him on the bed.


    ¡°Even a year after¡­ I¡¯m still having these dreams. I miss you¡­so much¡±


    A sudden thought struck him.


    A knife appeared in his hand, pulled from his ring. He handled the blade, studying it, testing the edge.


    ¡°If there are gods, there must be some kind of afterlife. If I kill myself¡­ Will I be able to see you again?¡±


    He leveled the blade with his heart, the tip poking his chest.


    ¡°What would you say if you knew I killed myself?¡±


    The thought shattered his surging resolve. His hands trembled.


    ¡°I know what you would say. You would call me a coward. You would get so angry. You¡¯d probably ignore me for three days, and snap at me whenever you saw me. Your so cute when your angry¡­¡±


    The knife disappeared into the ring.


    ¡°God I miss you Luna¡­¡±


    ¡®Inhale¡¯


    ¡®exhale¡¯


    He stood, shaking his thoughts from his mind. His muscles still hurt, and the bruises had turned ugly. It meant that they were healing though.


    ¡°I need to get some food and get going, I can¡¯t keep dwelling on her¡­¡±


    He left the blanket on his bed and made his way out of his room, and over to the bar. The grizzled bartender was nowhere to be found. Lisa, however, gave him a look as he slipped onto a stool.


    ¡°Wow, you look like crap. Here¡±


    A mug appeared in her hand, filled with a steaming concoction he didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Drink this, it will make you feel better.¡±


    Ryder took a glance at the brew, but didn¡¯t really care. He downed it. The alcohol burned as it rolled down his throat.


    ¡°Woah, slow down there. Sip it, it¡¯s pretty strong¡±


    Lisa advised, but it made no difference. He had already finished it, the last drop falling onto his tongue.


    ¡°Thank you for that. I think I needed it.¡± His voice was gruff, the alcohol still burning his throat.


    ¡°Gosh, younglings these days think that there untouchable. You¡¯re going to be feeling that for the rest of the day you know.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully. What¡¯s for breakfast?¡±


    Lisa clicked her tongue at him, not happy with him changing the subject, but relented


    ¡°Krill omelets. I know you usually get two portions, but these omelets are huge, you really won¡¯t need to get two. Save it for buying Yuri dinner again¡±


    Ryder grumbled under his breath, suppressing the curses he almost blurted out. He was in no mood for being teased today.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take one then.¡±


    Lisa seemed to take the hint, for she sauntered away without another word.


    Ryder turned in his chair, observing the people, or the lack of, in the place. It had always been relatively packed when he had been in here, and yet it seemed mornings were the exception. Though, the day before there had been more people in here, so maybe it was just chance.


    That meant less noise and people to bother him though, so he didn¡¯t really mind. He turned back to the bar, noticing the grizzled bartender had appeared.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even hear him walk up¡­¡±


    He was giving Ryder a thoughtful look, as if trying to decide if he was worth writing words onto the board to talk to. Apparently he was.


    ¡®Bad dreams?¡¯


    Ryder gave it a glance, shocked at the truth of the words and the man¡¯s ability to read people.


    ¡°You could say that. I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    The grizzled bartender didn¡¯t even pause at his words.


    ¡®It gets better.¡¯


    ¡°No it fucking doesn¡¯t!¡±


    The words had come out louder and harsher than he intended, garnering looks from the few people in the place, and even surprising the bartender for a second.


    ¡®Must be a girl.¡¯


    ¡°I said I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Go away.¡±


    The bartender was interrupted before he could reply by Lisa, who placed a large plate and a mug of spring water on the bar in front of Ryder.


    Ryder handed Lisa two Seps, and dug into the meal, speaking no more words. Lisa gave the bartender a look, and he nodded, moving away from the bar and following Lisa into the kitchen.


    ¡°What was that about, Tanka?¡¯


    ¡®Anger hides grief, and regret.¡¯


    Tanka flipped the board, showing Lisa. An eyebrow perked up at that.


    ¡°Hmm, well¡­ Everyone has their secrets, and a past. Nothing we can do about it besides give him some space.¡±


    Tanka shook his head with more passion than normal. A furious scribbling sounded out through the kitchen.


    ¡®That man is being eaten alive by it¡­¡¯


    ¡ªMeanwhile¡­


    Ryder had finished his meal and downed his spring water. The alcohol had started to hit him on his way to the academy. He enjoyed the way the alcohol kept him from thinking.


    He shambled his way into the academy. He paid no mind to the same buildings that had left him speechless the day before. He had been seriously interested in the buildings methods of the people here, but today he couldn¡¯t care less.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He stumbled towards the area that his class used to train. He would be practicing the sword for the whole day again. Whether the alcohol would help or hinder that remained to be seen.


    Yuri spotted him from across the way, and waved, but he didn¡¯t wave back. He didn¡¯t wish to talk to her. He would say something he would regret. She watched him, confused, as he joined the rest of his class.


    The instructor was waiting with a cart full of wooden swords, just like yesterday. Ryder was actually a bit earlier today than he had been before, but that didn¡¯t matter, as all of the swords were the same length and weight.


    He received a sword from the instructor, who glanced at him oddly. He ignored the look, instead moving over to an open training dummy and waiting.


    ¡°Alright! Yesterday we practiced hitting the blade with simple attacks, today I¡¯m going to show you how to do it properly. All of you should be somewhat used to the pain of holding a sword now. Watch carefully!¡±


    The students gathered around the instructor with interest, wanting to learn more. The instructor waited until everyone had a clear view of him before started.


    ¡°The key to any proper strike is based upon two things! Footwork, and blade control. With only footwork, you¡¯ll be lucky to hit where you want to! That the difference between striking an opponent between the cracks in his armor, and harmlessly missing them completely!¡±


    The instructor demonstrated several basic stances as he spoke.


    ¡°With no footwork and only blade control, it won¡¯t matter if you hit your opponent, because the blade won¡¯t have enough force behind it to seriously injure someone! These two points are the true basics of attack, as well as defense! We will get to defense later though. Now, begin practice! If I catch you slacking off, I¡¯ll make you run the gauntlet!¡±


    A collective groan sounded out from the students. A few had been forced the run the gauntlet the day before. It was an obstacle course designed to push the students to their limits. It was also extremely exhausting.


    The students wasted no time beginning the practice, under the watchful eye of the instructor.


    ¡®Thud¡¯


    ¡®Crack¡¯


    The morning mist that had been hiding the heat burned off once the sun got high in the sky, raising the temperature into what felt like the 90¡¯s. Whenever they got off balance during striking, or their footwork was wrong, the instructor would yell at them. If they did it often enough, they would be told to run the gauntlet. It was effective coercion.


    After several hours of sword practice, the instructor met them at the well.


    ¡°Listen up! Sword practice is over for today. Get washed up, the rest of the day you will be taking classes inside on the arcane. Ryder, I need to speak with you, follow me.¡±


    Snickers abounded as he followed the instructor away from the group, they obviously thought he was in trouble.


    As it turned out, the instructor led him to a storage shed.


    ¡°Ryder, since you can already control the arcane, you will be taking different classes than the rest of the new students. Your classes will be the older students. Here is a change of clothes, go get changed. A student will be waiting for you out here to take to the class room, so do hurry up.¡±


    The instructor sauntered off with a smile on his face.


    Ryder collected the clothes, noticing that they were much nicer than the clothes he wore. In fact, they seemed somewhat expensive.


    ¡°I must have really looked poor if they are giving me spare clothes...¡±


    He wasted no time getting cleaned up, and changing into the clothes. A bucket of water had been placed inside the shed, and he used it to rinse the sweat off. His hair was still wet as he made his way out of the shed.


    Yuri stood in front of the shed, an odd look on her face. The sword practice had helped him work off his frustration, so he greeted her with a smile.


    ¡°Hello Yuri, are you the one guiding me to the class? Does that mean I¡¯ll be taking classes with other gold armband students?¡±


    Yuri seemed surprised at his friendliness.


    ¡°Ah, yea. There aren¡¯t actually that many students here that can control the arcane, so the academy teaches them together¡­ Besides that, earlier today you seem troubled, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡®sigh¡¯


    ¡°Yes Yuri, something was troubling me. I¡¯m fine now though, thank you.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my family was it? They didn¡¯t threaten you did they?¡±


    Ryder chuckled. Yuri was a good friend, to be so worried about him.


    ¡°No, not at all. Does your family usually threaten your friends?¡±


    Yuri studied him after he spoke, seemingly unconvinced that her family hadn¡¯t come after him. They talked as they made their way to their class. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t in one of the many buildings he had been shown his first day. Instead, she led him deep into the woods behind the Academy.


    ¡°Thank goodness. When you didn¡¯t wave earlier, I was afraid they had threatened you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies. I wasn¡¯t in a good mood. I shouldn¡¯t have taken it out on you.¡±


    An awkward silence encroached on the conversation.


    ¡°speaking of you family. Are they important or something? I noticed that my fellow students were shocked that you were talking to me. I take it they are nobles?¡±


    Yuri didn¡¯t answer right away, hesitant, it seemed, to answer the question.


    ¡°My family are nobles, but not of this country. My people¡¯s homeland lies far to the southeast from here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that sounds like quite the distance. What made you come here?¡±


    Yuri seemed even more hesitant to answer that question.


    ¡°Its fine Yuri, you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t wish to. I¡¯m not going to be upset with you or angry. Everyone has secrets, and I suspect that nobles tend to have more than the average person¡­¡±


    She nodded at him in relief.


    The woods thinned in front of them, becoming a large clearing. A moderately sized house sat somewhat in the middle of it.


    ¡°so not only is there a small forest in the middle of the forest, but someone lives in said forest. Must be someone of considerable power. Hopefully our teacher¡­¡±


    Surrounding the house was around thirty to forty, he didn¡¯t count them, students of varying attire, and moderately different armbands. Most of them had blue armbands. Several of them had red armbands, but only three, including Yuri, had gold armbands.


    ¡°Took you long enough!¡±


    One of the shortest students there, and one with a gold armband, approached with a scowl on his face. The scowl was obviously directed at Ryder.


    ¡°Hello. You are?¡±


    ¡°Might as well keep my tone cordial.¡±


    ¡°Seeing as your new here, ill disregard the disrespect in your tone. My name is Gregor Valona, and I am much stronger than you. Mind your tone next time. Ryuri, you should teach your followers better manners.¡±


    ¡°Sigh. I hate people like this.¡±


    Yuri beat him to it.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that should watch your tongue Gregor, lest I remind you that I am much more powerful than you. You seem to have forgotten the last duel between us quickly.¡±


    Ryder was witness to a great many emotions the sprinted across Gregor¡¯s face quicker than a stampede, before his face decided to be angry. Before he could comment though, Yuri continued talking.


    ¡°As for this man, he is my friend. His name is Ryder, and he has a larger arcane center than the two of us combined. Be mindful of who you belittle.¡±


    Apparently most of the students had been listening in on their conversation, because shocks abounded aplenty in the clearing.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think I¡¯ll believe that.¡±


    Gregor decided that his best bet going forward was to call her a liar. Ryder had gotten tired of the petty argument. A flame danced along his palm, reaching high into the sky, just as high as the first flame he had made. The temperature in the clearing rose a few degrees.


    ¡°So large! How are you doing that without even trying!¡±


    ¡°Doing what? All I¡¯m doing is making a flame. I could keep this going indefinitely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well I would rather you not burn down the forest or my home for that matter, so if you would please cease funneling Arcane power into that, I would appreciate Mr. Ryder.¡±


    The voice sounded, aged. Yet the woman who appeared from the house, giving Ryder one of the best teachers stares he had ever seen, couldn¡¯t have been older than forty. His flame danced from his palm, carried by the wind into oblivion.


    ¡°With a flame like that, you could probably test into wearing a red armband. I wouldn¡¯t recommend it though; your control is obviously lacking. Is it the same with the other techniques that you use?¡±


    Ryder paused, surprised she had spotted the root of his problem so easily.


    ¡°Yes. Though not with my heart path abilities. I only have a problem with my brain path arcane control.¡±


    Silence. The teacher had an amused smile on her face. She had obviously known of his abilities, probably told by the old man who tested him.


    ¡°Shit! I can¡¯t believe I just blurted that out so casually!¡±


    A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.


    ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re not saying that he is a duel user right? I thought it wasn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Gregor¡¯s tone had become the most respectful he had ever heard it. Though, considering that they just met, that wasn¡¯t saying much.


    ¡°Yes Gregor. It is not that it is impossible, just that the likelihood of the arcane energies in the air being balanced is very low. So when most arcane users awaken, they are forced to one path or the other. Still, one must not have absorbed too much of a type of arcane energy for it to succeed though. I¡¯m very interested in the location that you awakened in, Mr. Ryder.¡±


    Ryder declined to answer that baited question.


    ¡°Alas, we can waste no more time conversing without care. We must begin class. Luckily for you Ryder, we will be working on control. Everyone, get into meditative positions and start practicing. I will be around to help you when I can.¡±


    The class obeyed, and he noted that Gregor put as much distance between the two of them as possible.


    ¡°Guess he won¡¯t be bothering me anymore. That¡¯s good too. Though I don¡¯t like the way Yuri has been sneaking glances at me¡­¡±


    He ignored her attempts and found a spot on the ground to meditate. The books he had poured over during his time in the cave discussed meditation thoroughly, and the effects it could have on his control of the arcane. Unfortunately, the cave had very few basic level books, so he was quite lacking in that regard.


    Ryder wasn¡¯t the first student the teacher helped, but she eventually made her way to him, placing a hand on his back.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m going to send a sliver of arcane into you, so I can observe what¡¯s happening inside your body.¡±


    Ryder felt the tendril of power slip into his blood stream from his back, spreading throughout his body quickly. Instead of the brain path, Ryder had been circulating his arcane power through the heart path, so as to not cause a problem. His flames were the only technique he was sure of being able to do, and even those were outrageously large.


    ¡°hmm, I don¡¯t see any problems with you heart path circulation, you¡¯re going to have to use the brain path for me. Try making water this time, that way the most you¡¯ll do is flood my forest.¡± The teacher chuckled at her own comment, and Ryder held a hand out as he complied.


    A torrent of water appeared from his hand. He directed it from the other students.


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I have found your problem. Like Yuri said earlier, you have a very large arcane center, and its caused you to misjudge the amount of Arcane power you use. Most of us start off with small amounts of arcane power, and build up over time, allowing good control. You obviously awakened recently, and yet had this much arcane power.¡±


    Ryder was impressed, she had accurately deduced not only that he had awakened not long ago, but what his problem was.


    ¡°Is there any way to resolve this issue?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not right now. See me after class. For now, though, it¡¯s best not to experiment too much with the arcane. The amount of arcane you release may be nominal for you, but it¡¯s enough to seriously injure someone unprepared. I would recommend just circulating arcane through your body, using the brain path to do it though. That should help build up control.¡±


    The teacher moved away to help another student. Ryder crawled away from the wet earth he had created, which put him within conversation distance with Yuri. Well, a hushed conversation.


    ¡°Why didnt you tell me!¡±


    Yuri seemed annoyed.


    ¡°Does she realize we¡¯ve only known each other a few days?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, it¡¯s a big secret?¡±


    ¡°And yet you blurt it out so calmly to everyone here?¡±


    ¡°That was an accident¡­ Besides, now you know right? No harm no foul then.¡±


    Yuri grumbled under her breath, and Ryder only picked up a few words out of it.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°common sense¡±


    He decided to ignore her grumbling.


    The sun crawled across the sky as they practiced, and the class only ended once it had started to sink past the horizon.


    Yuri apparently decided she would wait for him, as she stood next to the teacher¡¯s house, watching him like a hawk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to feel happy or sad at your treatment¡­¡±


    The rest of the students slowly meandered away, talking amongst themselves. Ryder noted that Gregor left in a hurry.


    ¡°Ah Ryder, thank you for waiting. I have the answer to your problem inside. Just let me grab it. Come on in. you can come in as well Yuri¡±


    That made her far more excited than he figured it should have.


    ¡°why are you so excited about going into the teacher¡¯s home?¡±


    Yuri looked at him like he was an idiot.


    ¡°To date, no one in our class has been allowed inside her home. It¡¯s been off limits for so long I¡¯m just curious as to what¡¯s in there.¡±


    The interior of the house was¡­ Drab. Maybe supremely normal described it better. Well, normal for what Ryder had seen of the world so far. It certainly wasn¡¯t his old home. He tried not to continue that thought.


    ¡°Looks pretty normal to me Yuri.¡±


    The teacher had disappeared into the basement, and they waited inside the sitting room.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably an illusion!¡±


    ¡°I think your just upset that it turned out to be nothing special.¡±


    The stairs creaked as the teacher came back from the basement.


    ¡°Oh I assure you Ryder, this home is far from ordinary. Unfortunately, its secrets are for more advanced arcane users. Here, this is what I wanted to give you.¡±


    Ryder stuck out a hand to receive it. Instead of dropping it into his palm, she put it on him. It was a bracelet.


    ¡°This bracelet is very special, so don¡¯t think I¡¯m giving it to you. I¡¯m just letting you borrow it. This bracelet blocks the amount of Arcane power you can actively access. Perfect for someone with too much.¡±


    Ryder realized just how immensely expensive the bracelet had to be with a single glance. First of all, the entire bracelet shined a blue silver, indicating a mysteriousness that he was unfamiliar with. Letters of a language he had not seen before decorated it as well. It reminded him of something a scam artist would sell as a good luck charm.


    Fortunately, he could feel it blocking his connection to his arcane center.


    ¡°Thank you very much for this teacher.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me teacher, it sounds so stuffy. Call me Miss Melodic instead.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Thank you Miss Melodic. I¡¯m in your debt for this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job as teacher, so don¡¯t give me those flowery words. Alright, you can go now. Try not to destroy anything when you practice.¡±


    Ryder nodded, and Yuri bowed to Miss Melodic as they exited the house. The walk back to the inn was jovial, to say the least.


    The sun dipped below the horizon for its well needed rest.

 Chapter 6 Part one- Calm Before the storm

    The revelation that a duel path user had appeared, and appeared in the city they lived in, was valuable information. The nobles that had heard it were careful to prevent leaks. Ryder and Yuri didn¡¯t plan on telling anyone, so the information didn¡¯t get out to the common people.


    Which meant, that on the surface, the city didn¡¯t even blink at the news. In the background, however, the hidden places where the commoners dare not trod, it did cause a stir. Countless battles were taking place all over the city, leaving bodies in their wake. The nobles were fighting for control of the information, and Ryder. The city of the edge was playing a deadly game and Ryder was to be the bloody prize.


    Not that he knew. While people were getting killed left and right over the knowledge of his abilities, he was quite busy, studying the sword and practicing the arcane. No one in his sword class was aware of his abilities, in fact, no one besides himself had awakened in the class. So, they still treated him like an outcast, and he ignored them. The only person that talked to him on a regular basis in that class was not out of good will, but of bloodlust. Korari demanded they partner up whenever they could, and they would spend their time dueling it out for supremacy.


    The man still demanded he address Yuri more respectfully, and had even graduated to telling him to stay away from her. Ryder found it amusing. Plus, having someone so intent on hurting him helped him hone his skill with the blade. Just as a dull knife could not carve wood, a dull partner would not help him hone his sword.


    On the day¡¯s he had arcane classes, there was somewhat of a change. Not much though. Some of the women in the class had become flirtatious towards him, but he easily placated them. He remembered the looks they gave him in the beginning. Gregor seemed determined to not speak another word to either of them, because he always left first and sat as far away as possible when he could.


    Ryder finally got creative with the arcane during this time, no longer worried he would blow himself up if he did something incorrectly. He also discovered something interesting. The amount of Arcane energy required to blend two types of abilities, such as flames and stone, was horrendous. His control of it was dismal as well. Though he could manipulate earth well enough, and fire with ease, putting the two together evaporated his control.


    He theorized it had something to do with the way Arcane affected rock, and flame. While Flame and water were actually conjured in his hand, creating something new, such as rock and air, or the wind as they call it, did not create. Instead, the ability was focused on manipulating what was already there. Ryder would not create new earth; he would spread his arcane energy throughout the area around him and manipulate the earth already there.


    The other, more complicated Arcane abilities were out of his reach at the moment. It wasn¡¯t a lack of Arcane power that prevented him from creating lightning, or steam, or even Ice. It was simply a lack of experience controlling the arcane. It was much easier to control water in its liquid form, than it was to control in a gaseous or even solid state.


    More than three weeks passed, and yet the nobles still fought in the background. He had been going to class every day since he began, and finally, there would be a short break of two days. He still wasn¡¯t sure of the calendar system in this world, but only 2 days off after 30days of classes seemed extreme.


    The important thing about this break, was that he would have the time he needed to buy things. He had been wearing the same clothes he picked up from Rosa, and they were quickly becoming rags. Even the clothes the academy had given looked worn out, with frayed cloth and a few holes in it.


    Not anymore, today, he would stock up on soft, durable, clothes. That¡¯s not the only thing he would buy today though. He had been planning on stopping at several stores. In order to accomplish this, he had asked for Yuri¡¯s help. She told him of several stores that she shopped at, but she could not guide him to them, as she had a pressing matter outside of the city to take care of.


    She hinted not to ask about the matter, so he let it drop. He still bought her breakfast as thanks though. She happily agreed, taking a seat at the bar with Ryder as they waited.


    ¡°So, finally going to buy some more clothes? I had wondered how much longer those rags would hold together.¡± Though her words sounded sharp, she said them with a teasing smile. He couldn¡¯t really disagree with her, the clothes he wore had seen better days.


    ¡°I had no time to do so before this, because our classes would run from dawn to dusk every day. By the time we get out of class the shops have already locked their doors.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s true, the shops here do close early.¡±


    ¡°You said here, was it different where you used to live?¡± Ryder was honestly curious about the place she lived before, not only because she rarely spoke of it, but because he had a pitiful amount of information about the land.


    ¡°Hmm. Yes. The shops of my home would generally stay open past dark. Though there are many more criminal elements in this city, so I do not blame the shops for closing early.¡±


    What she spoke of was true, he had seen firsthand the amount of crime the city had. He still remembered the pitiful man being beaten into the ground he witnessed when he arrived.


    ¡°Two orders of the house breakfast and two mugs of spring water, here you go.¡±


    There pleasant conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their food. He had made it a habit to ask about the food, and this time would be no different.


    ¡°What exotic creature are we eating this time Lisa?¡±


    ¡°Nothing you haven¡¯t eaten already, just two Krill eggs with some bread on the side. And there only exotic to you, everyone else has been eating these things their whole life¡­¡±


    They thanked her, and dug into the meal. It would be considered a light breakfast, but it was better that way. He had learned quickly not to eat too much before sword practice, as he had thrown up the contents of his stomach more than once. While he didn¡¯t have sword practice today, eating light meals for breakfast had already become a habit of his.


    ¡°Is the bracelet working well for you?¡± Yuri apparently wasn¡¯t content to just eat in silence.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a great help. I¡¯ve been able to get the amount of Arcane I use down to about half the amount it was before. Before too long, I¡¯ll be able to actively control the amount without worry.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She grinned. ¡°I always found it funny, that you had such an odd problem. Most work on building their Arcane center through meditation, yet you work on controlling the amount of Arcane coming from your center. Though, if I started with such a monstrous Arcane center, I might understand.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I bucked the trend.¡± Ryder finished his food with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m off to shop, good luck on your¡­ matter¡± She waved goodbye, not wanting to talk with food in her mouth. He chuckled at her plight as he left the inn.


    The streets were crowded, but he had gotten used to it in his time living here. While the city couldn¡¯t compare to the ones on earth he¡¯d lived in, the roads were much more crowded. He figured the lack of alternative transportation to be the reason.


    ¡°hmm, I guess I¡¯ll stop by Rosa¡¯s shop first.¡±


    Rosas shop hadn¡¯t changed in the time he had been away, but it seemed Rosa wasn¡¯t working in the store. Instead, an old lady minded the store. He made his way inside, the door squeaking behind him.


    ¡°Hello there, I¡¯m here to purchase some clothes, what happened to the other store minder, Rosa?¡±


    The lady gave his battered clothes a glance, but didn¡¯t comment on them.


    ¡°Her? If I remember correctly, she quit about a month ago. Went and bought a farm. She told me some lord gave her a huge tip, and she had been saving up for a while to buy one anyway. I¡¯m glad for her. Living in the city can be hard.¡±


    ¡°Wow, good for her!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear. But the main reason I¡¯m here is still clothes. I¡¯d like some clothes that aren¡¯t too gaudy, but if possible are both durable and soft.¡±


    ¡°clothes that are durable tend to not be soft, and the opposite holds true. The ones that are both tend to be very expensive.¡±


    The old lady asked it in a way that hinted her thoughts. She was worried about his ability to afford such clothes.


    ¡°Price is not a problem.¡±


    The clerk gave him another look, then her expression changed into a smile. She must have put two and two together, and figured that he was the one who tipped Rosa so well.


    ¡°Right away sir!¡±


    The old lady nearly jumped from her seat to go find some clothes. She returned just as quickly, holding several rolls of cloth.


    ¡°The more expensive the material, the less likely they are to be used, so we rarely sew them into clothes, instead we tailor them to the individual.¡± She explained, placing several on the counter.


    ¡°A good plan, though I am purchasing several sets of clothes. Let¡¯s see, seven shirts, and just as many trousers. Will you have enough cloth in stock?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we have a hidden storehouse where we keep our cloth. I assure you we will have enough.¡±


    ¡°Great, now the cloth rolls, I see you brought three, what is the difference between then?¡±


    ¡°The three rolls of cloth here are our best stock. This one¡­¡± She picked up the one on her left, unrolling it slightly to display it better, ¡°Is Arcadian Whitten. Durable, soft, and very breathable material. It¡¯s the best material for the inner lining of a shirt, or armor.¡±


    She set one roll of cloth down, and picked up the one in the middle.


    ¡°This one, is called Belfast Sheer. Its grown far to the north, and is the most durable of these fabrics. Though that mean it tends to be itchy. A great mid layer for jackets, or outer layer for trousers.¡±


    She set the Belfast sheer down and picked up the last roll of cloth.


    ¡°This cloth is our most expensive, and mostly worn by nobles. Very durable cloth, but not itchy like Belfast sheer, this cloth is called White Valkyrie. Though it¡¯s not as durable as Belfast sheer, most nobles prefer a thin shirt over the combination of both Belfast sheer and Arcadian Whitten.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Which to choose...¡±


    ¡°does it get cold here?¡±


    The old lady nodded. ¡°Yes, in fact were getting close to our cold season. Though its hot now, the cold season is about a moon away. If you don¡¯t have any thicker clothes, I would recommend getting some soon.¡±


    Ryder gave her an odd look. ¡°I¡¯m not from this area, and we use a different calendar system there. What do you mean by moon?¡±


    Ah, quite far from home aren¡¯t you? It means how long it takes the moon to appear after it disappears.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. So they follow a lunar calendar here. If I had to bet, I¡¯d say it takes around twenty-four days for the new moon to become full.¡±


    ¡°Then I want three shirts made of the whiten, and fours shirts made of both Belfast and whiten. Ill also take seven pairs of trousers made of both whiten and Sheer.¡±


    ¡°She said the cold season is a while off, so I don¡¯t think I need a jacket now. Besides, I¡¯m used to cold weather.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and is there any specific color you would like to have them be we can dye them for extra. Otherwise the clothes will be the color you see here.¡±


    The rolls of cloth were varying shades of gray.


    ¡°If you could die the thin shirts blue, and the rest black, including the trousers.¡±


    ¡°Of course we can. Let me just total this, and then I¡¯ll take your measurements.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take the old lady long.


    ¡°The total will be a ten septum¡¯s and forty Seps.¡±


    ¡°Wow, she wasn¡¯t kidding about the price of the cloth. 100 Seps equal a Septum, so that¡¯s over 1000 Seps! Still, I have the money, for now anyway. I¡¯ll need to look into some job opportunities while I¡¯m out, see what the average pay around here is. Can never have too much.¡±


    Ryder placed eleven Septum¡¯s on the counter. The old lady smiled business like, and counted out the change. She slipped the change into a coin purse, handing it over to Ryder.


    ¡°If you will follow me to the back of the store, I will take your measurements.¡±


    Ryder nodded, and she brought him to a separate room, with a circular stool in the middle of the room. The coin bag disappeared into the ring as soon as she looked away.


    ¡°If you would please stand on that stool for me.¡±


    Ryder did as he was bid. She started measuring his legs, pulling out a length of cord from a pocket, and writing notes onto a slip of thick paper.


    ¡°How long should I expect to wait for the clothes?¡±


    ¡°They should be done in a few hours. Probably just before closing.¡±


    Ryder was shocked at how fast they would be made. The old lady noticed, and gave him a smile.


    ¡°We have several seamstresses and tailors that sew clothes for us. It will take longer to collect the cloth then it will for them to sew it.¡±


    Ryder was impressed. The measurements were all taken, and the lady led him back to the front of the store. Ryder said his goodbyes, and exited the store.


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing done. Now on to the more interesting stores. Yuri told me there was a great blacksmith not too far from here. I just have to¡­¡±

 Chapter 6 Part two- Calm Before the storm

    The directions led him far from the section of the city he had become used to, and into the higher-class areas. His raggedy clothes got him more than a few looks on the way. The sun reached its peak in the sky, the morning lost to time.


    ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll start a new trend of raggedy clothes? Ha-ha, probably not.¡±


    The buildings in this area of the city had a great deal more income, and it showed, as all the stores lining the road had noticeable stone foundations. Much more expensive than a simple wooden building.


    ¡®Chime¡¯


    The door to the blacksmith did not squeak, and even had a cute little bell attached to it.


    ¡°This shop understands the buying experience. If I came to a blacksmith, and all the metal in the store was rusty and worn, I¡¯d wonder about the quality. Oh, that¡¯s a big man¡­¡±


    The big man wasted no time blocking his path, and didn¡¯t look friendly.


    ¡°We aunt got no scraps for the poor, buying customers only. Get lost.¡±


    Ryder smirked. Even in the nicer area of town, the shop had to employ guards.


    ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s for the protection of nobles, or because of nobles, since there¡¯s no way they get poor customers here.¡±


    ¡°I came here to buy some armor, but if my money isn¡¯t good enough for you¡­¡±


    The expression of the guard changed immediately, from a crude and men body guard, to a merchant smile.


    ¡°My apologies good sir, please do have a look around. Is this your first time buying armor?¡±


    ¡°Wow, I guess he wasn¡¯t just the body guard, but the shop keep too.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted. I understand the state of my clothes. As for armor, you are correct, I¡¯m am somewhat inexperience with it. Could you tell me the difference between these two?¡±


    Ryder gestured towards two sets of armor that hung from the wall of the shop. One made of deep grey metal, and the other of bright brown leather.


    The big shop keep hurried to take down a piece of the metal armor.


    ¡°As you can see, this armor is woven metal. Extremely sturdy, and can stop most attacks. Definitely a life saver. The down side to armor like this, is that it¡¯s extremely heavy. Just this piece alone weighs as much as a full sword. It takes many years of training the body to wear armor like this.¡±


    He turned the piece of armor over, showing off the craftsmanship.


    ¡°Interesting. I don¡¯t think I have the strength to wear armor like that though. The other?¡±


    The shop keep replaced the piece of armor on the wall, then grabbed the leather armor. Instead of just grabbing a piece like he had with the metal armor, he took the whole cuirass off the whole.


    ¡°As you can see, this armor is much lighter, and thinner, then the other armor. It¡¯ll stop light blades and arrows, but expecting this armor to stop a heavy sword is out of the question. With that said, it does allow you to move freely. Armor like this is favored by archers and scout knights.¡±


    ¡°Scout knights? Never heard of them before¡­¡±


    ¡°I see, I guess I will be needing some armor like this.¡±


    ¡°Would you like a full set, or just partials?¡±


    ¡°Partials?¡±


    Ryder gave him a questioning look. The big man laughed, amused.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know much about armor. Not everyone wears a full set of armor! In fact, you typically only see full sets of armor worn every day by those in the military. The rest of us common folk only wear a few pieces of armor. It¡¯s cheaper that way, and we don¡¯t need all that protection anyway.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. The common man might have to worry about another¡¯s blade, but not much else. The soldiers would be the ones fighting the dangerous monsters, so they would need the extra protection. Probably.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any partials for sale?¡±


    ¡°Yes, right over there, on the table there. Take a look, and give me a holler if anything catches your eye.¡±


    The table he spoke of was a large bench covered with different types of armor. It seemed partial armor sets were not only limited to leather armor, as there were quite a few pieces of metal armor. He sifted through the sets, looking for something for himself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, I think I need some arm protection, since I¡¯m learning the sword. A leather cuirass as well, I don¡¯t want to die after all.¡±


    "I could use the armor in the ring, but I dont know the quality of the armor in there. If i pull out something only worn by the richest in the country, I would attract too much attention."


    The armors didn¡¯t only vary by the base material, but by many different factors, including size. Most of the armor here just didn¡¯t fit him, as he was large and tall by the standards of this world. At least in this city anyway, he had seen very few of the common folk that reached six feet tall. Originally he figured it had something to do with lack of food, and it might still have something to do with it, but he had seen few nobles at six feet tall as well.


    The nobles of the city and the commoners shared the same ancestors. Put a noble in rags and he looked like any other poor man in the city. The problem was, the nobles of the city didn¡¯t want to be known as the same kin as the commoners. The commoners were called the Prate, and the nobles attacked any that dared refer to them with that name. The nobles called themselves the Skyla.


    ¡°These are some nice gauntlets.¡±


    Ryder pulled out a pair of black leather Gauntlets from the pile. They slipped on easily enough, and surprisingly, fit well. They were a tad long, going about halfway down his forearm, but he didn¡¯t mind that.


    ¡°Shop keep! How much for these?¡±


    The shop keep had helped himself to some food, so it took him a second to make his way over. The big man brushed crumbs off his face as he approached.


    ¡°Ah, the manners of this world are far from sanitary.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let me see them¡­¡±


    Ryder slid one gauntlet off, handing it over to the man. The man studied the gauntlet, looking for something.


    ¡°Ah, here it is. Let¡¯s see, these are made of Cuddlefu leather, nice¡­ You have a good eye for armor.¡±


    It took a great deal more willpower than he would have like to prevent himself from chuckling at the name of the leather.


    ¡°ha-ha, I need to stop being so childish, but still, Cuddlefu? Who names these creatures?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    A small smile slipped out, but he gave no indication of his thoughts otherwise.


    ¡°I have never heard of a Cuddlefu, what are they?¡±


    ¡°They are some seriously vicious creatures. They kill by hugging. Stealthy little bastards, they sneak up on their prey and grab them, crushing them onto themselves. To make it worse, there chest is covered in sharp points. Never let one get close to you, or else your dead. They¡¯re not afraid to hunt us.¡±


    ¡°It fucking kills by hugging!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help it; he was dying inside. He had never heard of such a creature. It sounded like something he¡¯d read in a crappy novel.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where these spikes on the back of the hand come from, there made of the chest of the Cuddlefu. The back is mostly soft and workable, so the rest of the gauntlet is made of that. Makes a great gauntlet. I¡¯m surprised we had them. I¡¯ll sell them for¡­ twenty Septum¡¯s.¡±


    The price sounded outrageous, but he knew there was no way for him to argue. He didn¡¯t know much in the way of bargaining, too used to the set prices of his old life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take them. Though I want to keep looking, so if you could hold on to them for now, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°No problem, they¡¯ll be over here waiting for you.¡±


    Ryder nodded, symbolizing his thanks, and continued digging into the pile of armor.


    The sun crept across the sky while he continued to search, trying many pieces on, but finding nothing that struck his fancy.


    ¡°shop keep, I¡¯m done. I couldn¡¯t find anything else.¡±


    The shop keep had fallen asleep, obviously not worried about him stealing anything.


    ¡°Wow, some store guard you are.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wake up!¡±


    ¡®thud¡¯


    ¡°huh! What?¡±


    The man stumbled out of the chair he¡¯d been sleeping in, confused and groggy. It took him a second just to realize Ryder was standing next to him.


    ¡°Ah, give up? You been at for a while, I¡¯m surprised you kept at for so long. Most of the stuff in there is junk.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Where does it come from then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, mercenaries and the like usually sell it to us. Typically looted from a corpse I¡¯d wager. You still want the gloves?¡±


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    ¡°How much did I say they were?¡±


    Ryder smiled.


    ¡°eighteen Septum¡¯s if I remember correctly.¡±


    ¡°Hahah, trying to pull one over on me? I remember, twenty Septum¡¯s!¡±


    Ryder gave him a sly smile back.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, my memory must be going. Here you are, twenty Septum¡¯s¡±


    Ryder piled the coins onto the counter, and the shop keep wasted no time counted them. With a satisfied grunt, he handed over the gauntlets.


    ¡°thank you for your business, come again!¡±


    Ryder nodded, and left the store.


    "Ive spent 31 Septums today, I need to know where i can exhange a few of these Royal Septums for smaller change..."


    He had spent far longer in the store than he thought he would, and he hadn¡¯t bought near as much as he wanted to, but only the gauntlets fit well. He would have to see about getting a custom set of armor made. Maybe Yuri could tell him about it, her armor, though bloody, had looked reliable and strong.


    ¡°I wonder if she finished her matter outside the city¡­¡±


    He had done most of what he wanted to do, and it was getting late. He still had somewhere to stop before he could head back to the inn though. He needed to pick up his clothes. Though he would be a little early, it would be better than arriving late, and having the shop close.


    The streets were somewhat quiet. While the number of people moving around the city hadn¡¯t decreased, the usually bright, almost festive, atmosphere was nowhere to be found. The sound of people laughing had disappeared.


    ¡°I wonder what happened. I mean come on, I was only in that store a few hours. What could have happened in that time to turn the city into this state?¡±


    He pondered the unhappy expressions of the people he passed on the way to get his clothes. It made for a confusing walk. The farther he got to the outside of the city, the unhappier the people looked.


    By the time he reached the shop, he spotted quite a few people actually crying in the streets.


    ¡°Hello again! I¡¯m probably early, but I¡¯m here to get my clothes.¡±


    The old lady stood next to a small boy, who was panting away and obviously exhausted.


    ¡°Ah, perfect timing. The errand boy just brought them in. Seven pairs of trousers, three shirts of whitten, and four shirts of Belfast and Whiten. Here they are, what do you think of them?¡±


    Ryder was impressed. Not only by the shirts and trousers, which were amazing, but by the grit of the small boy. The boy probably didn¡¯t earn much in the way of money for the job, yet he still put his all into it and had arrived here before he actually needed to.


    ¡°These are great, and I¡¯m impressed you were able to sew them all so quickly. Is this boy the errand boy?¡±


    The old lady smiled, pleased by the compliments.


    ¡°Yes, we often hire the orphans in the city to run things for us. Helps them earn a living, and us get our goods around the city.¡±


    ¡°An impressive, and good natured, idea. Well done boy. you made it here before I did, and i came early!¡±


    Ryder didn¡¯t know the boy¡¯s name, so he got the generic greeting. Ryder knelt in front of the boy, who had recovered his breath enough to not be clutching his sides. He had the boy¡¯s full attention now.


    "Kid''s skin and bones, I can only imagine how tough it must be to be both poor and too young to earn a decent living."


    ¡°I admire those who go above and beyond to complete their duty. You could have just walked, but you didnt, you rushed to make sure this was delilvered on time. Tell me, if I were to tip you, would you prefer money, or this dagger here?¡±


    The dagger wasn¡¯t expensive, though it was old. It was just one of the many daggers cluttering the ring. An orphan would have a long hard life ahead of them, and money wouldn¡¯t get him as far as a trusty blade would.


    ¡°T¡ªThankyou Sir! The blade please mister!¡±


    Ryder chuckled at the boys excited speech.


    ¡°What is your name, boy?¡±


    ¡°ah, I¡¯m sorry. My names Ginn, sir.¡±


    ¡°Then I present you this blade, Ginn, for doing such a splendid job today.¡±


    The boy took the dagger gingerly, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it to be true. The boy gave the old lady one last look, and she nodded at him, before running off. Most likely back to the orphanage or to another job. Now, the boy had a weapon worthy of protecting himself. He would have to fight hard to keep it though.


    ¡°You already paid, so the clothes are yours. That was a nice thing you did there with the boy. Even if they had the money, no one would sell them a blade, not that young. They certainly need the protection of one though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something special, just helping out because I admired Ginn¡¯s drive and determination to succeed. Thank you for the clothes, can I use that back room to change out of these rags?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    Ryder didn¡¯t even hold onto the old clothes, just incinerating them with his arcane flame. He didn¡¯t want to leave them and make the old lady have to clean them up after all. thanks to the bracelet he wore, he wouldnt have to worry about setting any shops on fire, for now at least.


    He waved to the lady on his way out, looking rather striking in his new clothes. Though they were on the level that most nobles were, they were both comfortable and fashionable. He didn''t need to look too fancy anyway.


    The walk back to the inn was worse than before. The streets had only gotten worse in his time in the tailor, and more and more people had looks of sadness and regret.


    Which made the sight of the inn, packed full of customers, something of a shock.


    There wasn¡¯t even a seat open at the bar, that¡¯s how packed the place was. The waitresses were running around pouring drinks and serving food as fast as they could. Even the mute bartender was working, and Ryder hadn¡¯t seen him do much work since he got there.


    He spotted Lisa speaking with a waitress that had spilt some liquor on the floor, and quickly approached to speak with her.


    ¡°Lisa! This place is packed, you got a special going on or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ryder! No, that¡¯s not why. Most of these people are mercenaries, killing time before the battle.¡±


    ¡°Battle? What battle?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an army outside the city! Apparently some big noble from the capital sent a private army to take the city.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why everyone looked sad¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow. And all these people are mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°Most of them. A few may be looking to bribe one of them into getting them out of the city though. Not everyone wants to be a part of this fight. In fact, most commoners want nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Then what are the nobles going to do? Just let them take it over?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Most nobles have their own small armies. The nobles are just trying to even out the numbers, or gain an advantage. The common folk have always been the first tool of the nobles in war. Dont be too worried about it, itll be a few days yet until something happens. I would grab some shut eye if I were you, nothings going to happen tonight..."


    "I wonder where Yuri is?"

 Chapter 7- consequences

    Nothing happened. The enemy''s army had been encamped outside for a week now, but there had no fights, not even small skirmishes. While this would be considered a good thing, and it certainly was, the city had been stuck in a depressed state, devoid of energy and happiness.


    To make matters worse, Yuri had still not returned. While Ryder tried not to let it worry him, she could be considered his first friend in this place, and he didn¡¯t want her to get hurt. Even Lisa seemed to be getting worried, though she would not discuss it openly.


    A good thing to come from the siege of the city was the increase in intensity of weapon training. The instructor seemed more incensed than ever to have them learn the sword correctly. Sadly, it meant that he often returned to the inn in quite a bit of pain.


    Not today though, surprisingly, the instructor had given them the rest of the day off. While he would not give anyone details as to why, Ryder had a view guesses. Someone capable of teaching the sword would be a valuable commodity in times of war.


    Ryder stood in front of a large stone building. It was by far one of the oldest looking buildings he had seen so far. He was not there to admire the masonry though, he had come because the building before him was a book shop, and apparently, they carried quite the selection.


    Unlike the other store¡¯s he had visited in this part of the city, the door of the shop squealed as though it had never once been oiled.


    ¡®Ding¡¯


    The building had to have at least three floors, and judging by the appearance of the first floor, the place had more books than could even fit in his ring. Ryder took in the view, enjoying that pleasant scent unique to books that tend to permeate in library¡¯s and the like.


    ¡°Hello, their sir, my name is Abram, looking for something specific in this old place?¡±


    The voice came from the front counter of the store, where an old man lounged in a comfortable looking chair, a large book in his hands. Large glasses sat daringly at the edge of his equally large nose, allowing him to look up without using the glasses.


    The old man couldn¡¯t have been more than five feet tall, and definitely looked the part of a very old man. The top of his head had not a trace of hair on it, yet the man had beard long enough to compensate for the lost hair. He studied Ryder with a practiced ease that could only come from having been in business for a long time.


    ¡°Just browsing, hoping to find something interesting. Anything to help distract from the melancholy the city is in, it¡¯s downright depressive out there.¡±


    The old man nodded, seemingly pondering his words. The book in his hands snapped shut, and the man stood, setting the now closed book on the counter next to him.


    ¡°I take it you haven¡¯t been involved in many wars then, mister?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ryder, pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Ryder, a good name. As I was saying, you must not have been involved with many wars or sieges. In my time running this store here, I have seen the city sieged more than thirty times. I¡¯ve personally witnessed the ownership of this city change hands more than a dozen times. I¡¯ve grown weary of the noble¡¯s antics, honestly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an opinion that most would give freely to someone they just met, have you no fear of the nobles? I¡¯ve heard that their wrath is not to be underestimated.¡±


    A hearty chuckle sounded from the old man as he moved through the store, grabbing books off shelves, piles, and stacks.


    ¡°I have no fear of the foolish nobles. They have failed to get rid of me far too many times. I find that accent of yours interesting though, where are you from?¡±


    Abram stopped grabbing books from the shelves just long enough to deposit the books on the counter, before he continued searching. Ryder took a glance at some of the titles, a few catching his eye.


    ¡°Accent? I have one? That¡¯s news. I suppose whatever is making me understand them and able to speak to them is not perfect¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t know of it, my homeland is quite far away.¡±


    Abram paused in his pursuit of books. Scoffing at him.


    ¡°There is no country on the main land that I haven¡¯t been too, yet I can¡¯t tell where that accents from.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I just had to run into someone well versed in language. Still, I might be able to trick him¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not from the mainland, but a small island.¡±


    Abram nodded as if he wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°Let me get a map, I¡¯m rather interested in your homeland now. It must have an interesting culture considering how isolated it must be from the rest of us.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take Abram long to find a map, and he unrolled it on top of the books he had brought over.


    It was¡­ Beautiful.


    The hand drawn map in front could have been called a work of art. Every mountain, river, and city on the continent immaculately marked and drawn.


    Even the Pandel void was clearly marked, so it didn¡¯t take long for Ryder to find out where he was. The city of the edge, as it was called by the locals, was located in the Brirus Principality. Of the three countries the Pandel void runs through, he had entered the country known for its petty squabbles between its ruling class. The only reason the country hadn¡¯t been invaded was the sizeable army each noble had, deterring hopeful conquerors. While the armies are much smaller than their neighbors, if the nobles came together and formed a single army, they¡¯d have twice the manpower of any country nearby.


    Abram brought him out of his admiring of the map.


    ¡°So, which of these islands are you from? I apologize for hounding you, but I¡¯m a fervent cartographer, and it is quite rare to meet anyone from more than a country away.¡±


    Ryder played it off, picking out a sizeable island, one that appeared to be nearly the size of Florida, yet had no markings. Hopefully, there would be no one living there, and he could get out of this intact.


    ¡°See this island here?¡± Ryder pointed to his chosen sacrifice, ¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯m from, it is quite difficult to get here from there, but I enjoy traveling.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat plausible reason for being in this country, check.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. That¡¯s does seem like it would be tough to get to. I appreciate you telling me this, there are some that do not wish their origins to be so freely spread. What do you call the island? Before this, I don¡¯t think the mainland had settled on a name for the island.¡±


    ¡°Great, now I¡¯m naming landmasses. What¡¯s a good island name¡­ Ah, I got it!¡±


    ¡°We call it ¨¦riu, though the reason we call it has been lost to time¡­¡±


    Abram marked the map with its name, using a skilled hand to print the name onto the somewhat small island. Compared to the mainland, it was quite small. Though, with the four large continents shown on the map, it was hard to compare.


    ¡°Done, thank you for that. Now, you¡¯re here for books! I have pulled a few from the shelves I thought that you may like, take a look. Oh, let me get this map out of your way first¡­¡±


    Abram rolled the map up, before depositing among several of the piles of books nearby. Ryder didn¡¯t stop him, somewhat interested in the books.


    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see. Habits of Ragin, Arcane and its practice, the social structures of countries.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    There were quite a few books on the table, but he didn¡¯t want to spend too much all at once, and he would have plenty of time to get more books. It wasn¡¯t like he was going anywhere anytime soon. Still, he wondered what a Ragin was.


    ¡°Abram, what¡¯s a Ragin, and why would people care about their habits? Also, I¡¯m interested in these two, Arcane and its practice, and the social structures of Countries.¡±


    Abram chuckled at the question, seemingly unsurprised at his question.


    ¡°Not surprised you haven¡¯t heard of them, as there incredibly rare, yet also very dangerous. Easily some of the largest creatures inhabiting the land, they stand taller than this building once grown, with teeth nearly as long as you are tall! That¡¯s all in the book though, so I won¡¯t spoil it.¡±


    ¡°As tall as this fucking building! That makes the thing that almost ate me in the void look like a chew toy!¡±


    ¡°Alright, those three then,¡±


    Ryder said with a chuckle. He certainly hoped he never met one, but they sounded like interesting creatures. Just how they could hold themselves up with what must be an extremely heavy body, he did not know. Though he suspected the arcane to be involved.


    Abram nodded, separating the three from the rest, before wrapping them in cloth to prevent damages.


    ¡°That cloth looks quite expensive, probably rivaling the clothes I¡¯m wearing¡­¡±


    ¡°Three books, all first editions, with beautiful artwork done to the covers. Let¡¯s see, that¡¯ll be 267 Septum¡¯s.¡±


    The old man gave him a salesmen¡¯s smile.


    ¡°Holy crap! No wonder there¡¯s no one in here buying books.¡±


    ¡°I do not have that many Septum¡¯s on me, could you perhaps break a Royal Septum?¡±


    Ryder wasted no time making one appear in the hand behind his back, showing it to Abram so as to keep him from suspecting him of lying.


    ¡°I¡¯m really interested in knowing how you got your hands on a royal Septum, but I suppose I¡¯ve asked enough questions of you today. Of course, one moment.¡±


    The old man waved his hand, a heavy bag slumped onto the counter.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen someone with a ring like mine! Maybe there not as rare as I first thought?¡±


    Ryder did not ask, already wary of the old man. Those with intelligence were much more dangerous than those without, and the man had plenty. He flicked the coin to him, but realized he would have to either carry the bag out to the street, or show off his own ring.


    Abram caught the coin easily, and it disappeared into his ring.


    ¡°Have a good day Abram,¡±


    Ryder decided to risk someone seeing his ring. Without much fanfare, the bag of coins and the books he had just bought disappeared with but a touch.


    He quickly exited the building, not letting the old man study him a second longer. The door shut behind, and he took in the noon air. The sun quickly burning off the morning dew, raising the humidity, and yet not cooling the air a bit. It would be a warm day.


    He would not have the opportunity to enjoy his thoughts though, because no sooner had he stepped out into the street, then a very well dressed man stood before him, bowing slightly. Considering this was the rich area of the city, and thus there were a lot less people traversing the street, he had to have been waiting for Ryder to finish in the shop.


    ¡°Uh, this can¡¯t be good¡­¡±


    ¡°Good day Mr. Cail¡¯te. My lord Ruska Ocher Paki, the lord of our beautiful city here, would like to extend an invitation to you to join him at his home for tea and a chat¡­¡±


    Ryder studied the man who seemed to be well practiced at this sort of invitation. Ryder had a feeling it was one he wasn¡¯t supposed to refuse. Yet, that never stopped him before.


    ¡°Well, I appreciate the invitation, but I unfortunately have business, perhaps another time then.¡±


    ¡°I assure you that this invitation is much more important than any matters you may have had today sir.¡±


    Two men, wearing full plate, approached from the sides. One had a menacing looking mace, and the other a short sword.


    ¡°I had a feeling that this would happen. Better not stir the hornets¡¯ nest too much. Can always escape later¡±


    Ryder nodded at the man, trying to play it off as being fearful.


    ¡°I just remembered, I have a free afternoon, please, lead the way.¡±


    The man was not a bit surprised, and turned on his heel, leading him farther into the rich district than he had ever gone. The two-henchman waited for him to follow, eyes never leaving him.


    ¡°This definitely can¡¯t be good.¡±


    He followed him to wherever the home of the lord was, but he was already forming a plan. Starting with choosing a weapon from the ring he would be somewhat familiar with, just in case he needed one in a hurry.


    Each of the swords looked quite beautiful, with intricate artwork he had never seen before. The problem was, they were also very noticeable. If he brought any of these swords out, he had a feeling he would be fighting with people over keeping possession of it. An odd problem to have.


    He finally decided on a blade not too long before they stopped before a mansion. Though, mansion certainly didn¡¯t do it justice. Considering it made of stone, and looked much more similar to a castle, complete with its set of walls, and even an iron gatehouse for a front door.


    ¡°Welcome to my lord¡¯s mansion. I have been instructed to bring you to the garden, where our lord is waiting.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t seem to expect a response, which was getting on Ryders nerves. Nobody enjoyed being treated like they weren¡¯t worth their time.


    The gatehouse opened without much fanfare, revealing a drastically different scene then what Ryder expected. Inside of the strong walls was by far the most beautiful garden he had seen. As the arrogant man led him inside, he admired the wealth of the mansion.


    Ryder was someone that could be called a man of nature. He had spent a lot of his life in forests, surrounded by plants. He understood the difficulty of cultivating so many plants, and so many rare looking ones at that. While he wasn¡¯t too sure of the cost of gardening on a scale of this proportion, he knew it wasn¡¯t cheap.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get to admire more of the estate, as he was quickly led to a garden area, sporting what looked to be a gazebo. In it, an elegantly dressed man was masterfully working a brush, seemingly intent on capturing the essence of his estate. Ryder assumed this man to be lord of the city, Ruska Ocher Paki.


    He wouldn¡¯t have to guess, as once they got within twenty feet the man leading bowed deeply and announced in a loud, measure voice,


    ¡°My lord, I have brought Sir Ryder here as ordered.¡±


    Ryder glared at the back of his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda sugar coating it their buddy. I would have had to fight off these two goons behind me if I didn¡¯t accept!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Oswald, you may go. Take your underlings with you, I wish to speak with this man in privacy.¡±


    Oswald nodded, and quickly withdrew from the area.


    ¡°Not afraid to be left alone with me, which means he either doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m strong, or believes he is safe here. If it¡¯s the latter, there must be bodyguards hidden around the area. I doubt they are to the level of that Oswald goons, too.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to my humble home, Ryder. I have notable things about you, though I suppose you are a bit surprised by this invitation. Truthfully, I wanted to wait, to see how you progressed at the white stripes academy, but the army outside the cities gates does not allow me to be wasteful with my time.¡±


    Surprise surfaced on Ryder¡¯s, pondering his words.


    ¡°you¡¯re not saying that the army currently surrounding the city is here for me?¡±


    Lord Ruska gave him an approving nod.


    ¡°Quick on the uptake, admirable. Yes, they are in fact here for you and only you. Apparently, I¡¯m not the only one that admires your talent. That shouldn¡¯t be a surprise though, it¡¯s not like duel-path Arcanists are a common occurrence here. In fact, you are the only one I¡¯ve ever heard of, that makes you incredibly valuable.¡±


    ¡°Shit, shit, shit! An army showed up because it got out that I¡¯m duel path? If I didn¡¯t open my big mouth¡­¡±


    Lord Ruska gestured towards the table and chairs Ryder had missed when he first arrived. They both sat, and like a ghost a woman appeared, carrying what looked like some kind of tea in an unblemished glass pitcher, along with two cups.


    ¡°If that is true, you must be quite angry that I¡¯ve brought such bad fortune upon your city.¡±


    Ryder wanted to play it safe. This man hadn¡¯t come off like most of the nobles he had met so far, not exactly restoring his faith in the power structure of this country, but certainly influencing it.


    ¡°I suppose I should be, but I¡¯m rather interested in you. I¡¯ve had my people look you up, and they¡¯ve found little. You rolled into the city in strange, ragged clothes, yet had the money to buy quite a bit. Not the least of which you bought today, at old man Abrams shop. Those books were quite expensive, and not something on a penniless drifter.


    Furthermore, I have not been able to find out anything else about you. You just suddenly enrolled in white stripes academy after having already unlocked your arcane center, and from what I hear having quite a bit of arcane flowing in you. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s just because your naturally gifted with it, or because of your duel path status.


    ¡°I suppose that I should be surprised at the power someone like him holds in this city¡­ Still, what a stalker¡­¡±


    ¡°you seem to have done your homework about me, so I suppose I should ask. What is it that you want with me?¡±


    Ryder kept his tone respectful. So far, the conversation hadn¡¯t deviated too much from what expected, and he felt he might just be able to talk his way out of this one.


    ¡°I want you to leave my city.¡±


    Ryders eyes widened at that one. He certainly didn¡¯t expect that.


    ¡°Yes, I want you to leave. While I¡¯m fascinated with your abilities, and quite frankly want to rope you into my house, I have no delusions of being able to hold onto you. In fact, I somewhat pity you, because you will certainly be chased to the borders of the principality, and likely further, once your ability gets out.


    I do not want to lose my city, she isn¡¯t pretty but I want to give a power base to my children, should they ever come about.¡±


    ¡°Well than, I can certainly leave, that¡¯s not too much of a problem I suppose.¡±


    Lord Ruska gave a chuckle.


    ¡°You forgot about the army outside. As they came here for you, they will certainly chase you. I very much plan to inform them once you leave as well.¡±


    ¡°Well I somewhat expected that, but still, dick.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could talk you into delaying that announcement?¡±


    Lord Ruska gave a firm shake of the head.


    ¡°Were both aware that the fact I haven¡¯t had you drawn up in chase and sent out is already being quite lenient, considering how much danger you have brought to my city. I want you gone before the next morning. Good luck escaping.¡±


    Obviously done with the conversation, Lord Ruska waved his hand, and the ever-arrogant Oswald appeared to lead him outside.


    ¡°Well that fucking ruins all my plans.¡±


    The sun was already on its way down, and he wouldn¡¯t have long before darkness set in. He didn¡¯t have a lot of time.

 Chapter 8- Eat your heart out

    ¡®Crunch¡¯


    A twig snapped under her boot as she settled into a crouch watching the jagged scar in the ground. The wind, ever present on the plains, did not reach her here, the natural depression formed somewhat of a wind barrier. Unfortunately, that meant she could not rely on the noisy wind to hide the sounds of her presence.


    She had been searching for this lair for several days now. The beast she now waited for had led her on a merry chase across the plains, stopping only when it hunted amongst the many patches of tress that were scattered across the land.


    This kind of beast was not one she could just charge at. For one, it was much faster than her, even when riding the fasted creatures bred in this country. Not that the beasts they bred here were all that fantastic, but still.


    This was the last beast she had been searching for. She had been at it for years, tracking many monsters across even more lands. There were not many countries she had not visited, and the principality did not rank high.


    Yuri refocused her thoughts on the hunt, it would not do any good to be distracted. It would likely lead to a gruesome death. She examined every detail of the creature¡¯s lair, looking for any clues, or traps.


    The land seemed to have been gouged, with the lair leading underground. The hole was not a small, with the entrance alone running several yards wide. Tracks littered the ground near the lair, with several sets of tracks coming and going.


    She crept closer, determinedly avoiding the droppings of the small trees surrounding her. It would not due to let her prey notice her. She stopped next to a set of tracks leading straight into the lair, obviously fresh. These had been the tracks she¡¯d been following, and it led her to its home just as she hoped.


    The footprints of the beast had sunk into the loose dirt, hinting at the size of the creature. That, and the footprints were several feet apart from each other. Not many monsters would have such a gait.


    Yuri approached the entrance of the lair, senses on high alert. While she had waited several hours for her prey to get cozy and sleep, she was experienced and knew sometimes things went wrong.


    Not seeing any signs of movement, she moved farther into the lair, passing the edge, and beginning her trek underground. The path she followed widened even more once inside, nearly twice the width of before. Though, oddly, the tunnel was not very tall, just barely tall enough for her to stand up, not that she would be so careless. It would be much harder to control one¡¯s weight and move silently when not crouched.


    The tunnel led deep into the ground, being several hundred yards long. The temperature of the tunnel continually increased as well, hinting that the creature was truly asleep.


    The end of the tunnel did not lead to some lost city, just a much larger hole. To make matters more difficult, the end of the tunnel did lead to the bottom of the hole, but the top.


    ¡°Fortunately, I came prepared for such problems.¡±


    A length of rope slipped off her shoulder, softly slipping to the soft sand of the tunnel. Attached at the end was a long-hooked spike, and it would be how she navigated the obstacle before her.


    Yuri positioned the pointy end of the tool into the sand, slowly pressing down with her strength. Arcane flooded from her heart, invigorating her arms, making the task very easy. She had to be careful not to disturb the arcane in the air too much though, as the beast she hunted was astute at sensing the fluctuations. Mostly because it had been hunting Arcane users for a very long time.


    Not this creature though, the creature she hunted was barely one hundred years old, and was still a youngling. Not even she would dare hunt the beast if it were full grown. That would-be suicide. It would take at least one hundred Arcane users to hunt such a beast, all of them advanced in their respective fields.


    The spike sank deep into the ground, and she gently slid the rope out of the tunnel. It uncoiled quickly as it fell, very narrowly smacking into the wall of the beast¡¯s lair on the way down.


    ¡°Too close.¡±


    Yuri held tight to the rope as she made her way down. Fortunately, the walls of the lair were solid, appearing to be sandstone.


    ¡°It probably roasted the walls to make them sturdier. Clever girl¡±


    She knew it was a girl, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be here. The reason she knew was explainable, it was the beast¡¯s tracks. Males of the species only had one tail, but a female¡¯s tail would split at the end, and such a thing left a noticeable track. What she needed from the creature had to come from the same species as herself.


    The rope did not reach the bottom of the hole, though that turned out to be a good thing, for that was where the beast resided. It slept peacefully at the bottom, and Yuri used the time on her climb down to examine the beast.


    As she expected, the beast was nearing one hundred years old. The coloration of scales on the back of it proved that. The beast would only grow scales like that when it reached adolescence, which occur around the ninety-year mark of its life. The enlarged fangs jutting from its mouth, and the extra-large horns protruding from its forehead told her its subspecies: Royal Ragin. Though this one was far from full grown, it still more than ten yards in length from tail to tusks, and more than a few yards wide. It appeared to be in the beginning stages of pregnancy, judging by its girth.


    ¡°Good, I had been worried that it wouldn¡¯t have reached adolescence. I would have had to search for another otherwise.¡±


    The rope hung delicately just above the beast¡¯s head, and Yuri slowly reached the end. There was not enough room around the beast to do anything but drop on top of it. Luckily, its vulnerable spot was exposed to her. Just behind the head of the beast ran a very large artery that if nicked, would cause it to bleed out in under a minute, A discovery paid for by thousands of hunters before her, but something she would gladly take advantage of. She planned on doing much more than nicking it though, she planned on severing it completely.


    That wouldn¡¯t be to say that the weak spot was unprotected, on the contrary, it was one of the most armored parts of the beast when awake. However, when asleep, the beast would relax the thick scales the covered its neck, allowing a sharp blade to pass through surprisingly easily. The scales were usually tensed to demonstrate the shroud of the beast, all the loose skin and scales pulled together to form something almost resembling a hood. A way to attract a mate, and something unique to the female Ragin. The males had no need for such a hood, for they tended to just fight and kill any other prospective mates in the region.


    She would still need to drop onto it perfectly if she had any chance of succeeding in this hunt though.


    Yuri let out a slow breath, then slowly rotating while dangling from the rope. One hand gripped the end of the rope, while the other drew a thin blade from its sheath on her back. This blade had been specifically designed for this moment, more than long enough to reach the artery, and thin enough to avoid catching a scale if positioned correctly.


    ¡°The end of my journey, once I finish this¡­¡±


    Another deep breath in, then out, and she dropped.


    She angled her body so that the blade, positioned directly under her, would use all of her weight when piercing through the beast. While the blade could certainly pierce the flesh when a Ragin was sleeping, she still needed to put quite a bit of force into it.


    Arcane power flooded through her entire body a moment before the blade found its mark, and a single monstrous eye blinked open.


    Not that it mattered, the stiletto sunk deep into its flesh, fully rousing it from slumber. It hissed like a viper guarding its lair, and it was pissed.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Yuri¡¯s weight brought her smashing into the neck of the beast while it simultaneously lifted its body. A torrent of blood sprouted from the wound, coating the dagger, and making holding on difficult. She desperately needed to hold on, too. Ragin were known to finish off attackers and try to die together.


    Her legs wrapped around its neck, her hands gripping the dagger for dear life. What happened next looked very much so like a gory game of bull riding. It continued to hiss and whine, its claws passing terrifying close to her back as it tried to buck her from its neck.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°I hit the artery, but I didn¡¯t sever it! I need to hold on till it bleeds out!¡±


    And hold on she did, even as claws longer than her forearm flashed near her face.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long, and the beast tired quickly, obviously due to blood loss. The blood had poured down its neck and puddled underneath it. It slowly lost feeling in its limbs and sank down into that puddle. It craned its neck to the side, its large jade eye focused on her. It stared her down as the last of its blood seeped from its body, and even after. Only once its eyes lost the light that made them so beautiful, did Yuri let herself slip from its neck.


    She was covered in its lifeblood, the blood that had just been rejuvenated with air and would be spread through the body. It was not the first time she had been covered in blood, yet for some reason she felt oddly down.


    ¡°Those eyes held far more intelligence than I gave it credit for. It should have been able to shake me, not that it would have saved herself, but still¡­¡±


    Though her thoughts were clouded, she didn¡¯t waste time doing what she needed to. She withdrew her knife from its neck, and spread arcane power through her body as she rotated its body, until she could clearly see its chest.


    ¡°Hmm, time for the nasty part¡­ Wait, what¡¯s that?¡±


    A small glint had caught her eye as she was about to retrieve what she needed. Underneath the stomach of the Ragin sat three colorful lumps, though two were unquestionably smashed. Most likely by the Ragin herself when it tried to attack Yuri. One though, was not broken, and she bent down to study it.


    It was an egg, and quite a large one at that. While not anywhere near ready to hatch, it would be very valuable if sold on some of the shadier markets. Not that she would do such a thing.


    ¡°to atone for my killing of you, I will see that your offspring has a chance to live at least. It¡¯s the least I can do for a mother that defended her young¡­¡±


    The egg in her hands was very colorful, with hues of green, blue, and purple spread across the shell. She admired it for just a moment before slipping off her backpack, and gently placing the egg inside. Then she focused on the carcass of the beast again.


    With skilled hands, she located the seam she needed, and made a long, deep, cut more than a foot long on its chest. She placed the blood-soaked dagger on the ground next to her, and held the cut open with one hand. Her other hand went inside of the cut several inches before she reached its rib cage. Arcane power flooded the arm inside the beast, and easily crushed the rubs preventing passage. After removing the ribs from the hole, her hand went back inside, digging deeper into the beast until almost her entire arm was inside. Then, her hand brushed up against that which she sought.


    A Ragin¡¯s heart, the most important organ to the creature, not only because it worked endlessly to pump blood throughout its body, but because, like Yuri, it used its heart to secrete the arcane into its system.


    Yuri wrapped her hand around the heart gently, carefully squishing any arteries connected to it. When the last of the arteries holding it in place were broken, it fell gently into her waiting hand, and she withdrew it from the body.


    When she finally got a good look at the organ, she let out a devious smile.


    ¡°Finally, the last.¡±


    The organ leaked blood constantly, dripping on herself, but she paid that no mind. She brought it closer to her face, studying the intricate flesh that made up the organ. The flesh had an interesting pattern to it, an example of nature¡¯s beauty. Yuri took a deep breath, and bit deeply into the heart.


    Blood gushed.


    The metallic taste filled her mouth as the piece she bit into separated from the rest, and she slowly chewed. Wouldn¡¯t want to choke on her food after all. After the first bite, came another, and another, until the last of the heart disappeared down her gullet. The almost purple blood that gushed from the organ stained her face, but she smiled through the gore.


    ¡°Finally! I can finally return home. I¡¯ve missed it so dearly¡­¡±


    Without much fanfare, she retrieved her dagger, wiping the blood that coated the handle onto her pants. Not much came off though, as her pants were just as drenched. She channeled more arcane power into her hands, and sliced a horn off the beast. This would be her proof to the citizens that she had hunted the beast. It could even prove the age, as the horn grew oddly like a tree, with rings on the inside that could be used to determine its age. She didn¡¯t feel like counting them now though, she wanted to wash the blood off herself.


    Unfortunately, she was not a brain path, and could not conjure water whenever she whammed. Her thoughts flickered to Ryder, picturing him conjuring a large pool of water to wash the blood off, even offering to help.


    A devious grin slipped her lips, but it stayed only for a moment.


    ¡°While that sounds fun, I need to get to the pack beast above. I brought plenty of water for this reason¡±


    The trek back up did not take near as long, considering she did not bother retrieving her tool, and she could walk normally. The sun greeted her in the afternoon sky, it was near twilight out, and she needed to hurry.


    Her pack beast seemed a little nervous at the stench of the blood on her, but it didn¡¯t bolt. She retrieved a jug of water from her bags, emptying it over head. It quickly turned red in color as she scrubbed the blood off her face. The rest of the blood could wait till a proper bath, but the stains on her face and cheeks would invite far too many questions, ones she could answer.


    By the time she was done, it had reached twilight, with most of the sun just barely holding itself up above the horizon. She mounted her beast, and rode back towards the city she called home for now. Not for much longer, thankfully.


    Her hunting location wasn¡¯t that far from the city, it had just been a pain to find the exact location, as the beast avoided the settlement. Not more than twenty minutes passed before she came crested a small hill, giving her beautiful view of the city. If only the city was a beautiful sight.


    ¡°An army? What is an army doing surrounding the city? Hmm¡­¡±


    The army did not stop her progress though, she continued riding towards the city. The army was quite spread out due to its surrounding the city, and several gaps could be seen. She would use one of those to enter the city.


    Or not.


    It didn¡¯t take long for several riders to rush towards her, each soldier equipped with solid plate armor.


    ¡°Quite the expensive armor by the looks of it. Guess they are sieging the city, since they don¡¯t seem eager to let me pass.¡±


    ¡°Halt! By order of Lord Logan McDowell, no one is allowed into the city. For attempting to enter the city, you are hereby under arrest, and your personal belongings will be confiscated!¡±


    ¡°Sigh, I hate this country.¡±


    ¡°I am a foreign noble, and you do not have the right to arrest me. Take me to your commander.¡±


    The troops seemed surprised that she was a noble, probably because of her being covered in blood. They looked at each other, and then to the one that had spoken. No one wanted to piss off someone in power.


    ¡°Alright then, please follow us. Though, I will warn you, if you are lying to us¡­¡±


    Yuri chuckled loudly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to threaten me, boy. Next time you do so, I will remove your manhood.¡±


    A calm, steady voice with no extra emotion. Yet perhaps due to her tone as she said it, it made her threat all the more believable. The man gulped, before nervously riding off towards the commander¡¯s tent.


    The troops didn¡¯t want to part for them at first, but a few shouts from the leader got them moving. They rode up to a solid gold tent, with exquisite furniture and a man sitting, enjoying tea. Blonde hair and blue eyes, and quite good looking, though the man had an insidious smirk on his face.


    They quickly dismounted, and the leader of the patrol quickly approached and kneeled.


    ¡°My lord, I have brought a woman who claims to be a foreign noble. She was attempting to enter the city.¡±


    Logan McDowell¡¯s smirk never disappeared, even as he turned from his reports to appraise the new arrivals. His gaze lingered quite long over Yuri.


    ¡°Great, looks like a noble that thinks with the wrong head¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, captain, you may return to your duties. Miss Yuri, join me for tea if you please.¡±


    ¡°didn¡¯t expect manners¡­¡±


    Yuri did, though she didn¡¯t sit to close. For one, she was covered in dried blood, and she didn¡¯t want to be too close to the man.


    ¡°I see that you¡¯ve heard of me. That means you must have quite the pull within the inner circle of Lords. I only announced myself to the most powerful.¡±


    Logan chuckled a little.


    ¡°I was actually there, when you announced yourself at the court. You wouldn¡¯t remember me though, it was some time ago, and I was much younger. That, and it was my father¡¯s lordship at the time.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s THAT McDowell. They really shouldn¡¯t have more than one lord with the same name. It¡¯s confusing.¡±


    ¡°My apologies for missing you. That said, is there a particular reason you are attacking this city? It has little in way of resources.¡±


    One trained at communication and etiquette did not miss a chance to garner information, and Yuri would not here.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s rather simple. There has been reports that a duel-path user has been found in the city. I seek to capture him and make him a servant. From the reports, I hear he is new to the arcane, so should be easy to capture. He will grow into a strong servant.¡±


    That insidious smile. Treating people like they were nothing before him. It made Yuri¡¯s skin crawl.


    ¡°All of this to capture one man?¡±


    ¡°I would not want him slipping out of the backdoor now would I? I have already sent an ultimatum to the lord. I expect a reply soon. Then I shall lift the travel restriction on the city. I¡¯m sure I can entertain you until then.¡±


    Yuri almost wretched at the thought of the man entertaining her. She had a vivid imagination, and sometimes it wasn¡¯t useful.


    ¡°I apologize, but I have urgent business to attend too. I must enter the city.¡±


    ¡°If I can get in, I might be able to warn Ryder!¡±


    Logan chuckled, and he grinned.


    ¡°Sadly, I cannot allow anyone into the city. As for me entertaining you. It wasn¡¯t a request miss Yuri.¡±


    Several soldiers appeared from hidden places, watching her carefully and waiting for their lord¡¯s word.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this Mister McDowell. Do you seek to kidnap me?¡±


    ¡°Not in the least, I seek to make you mine. You see, when I saw you years before, I fell in love. I have never seen a woman more beautiful than you. I will make you my concubine. It would be better if you agreed though.¡±


    ¡°This fucking prick! Sadly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to kill him before the troops got to me. Sorry Korari, looks like you will have to journey back to the homeland by yourself. Safe travels. I¡¯ll have to use the ring. Ryder, I hope you survive, you were interesting.¡±


    Her thoughts were interrupted by sounds of shouting, as a soldier rushed into the pavilion, not even glancing at the other soldiers.


    ¡°Good bye Logan, you will die soon.¡±


    Distracted by his soldier¡¯s urgent approach, he had taken his eyes off her. A mistake he would regret till his death, as a ring on Yuri¡¯s finger lit up, shining a bright silver.


    Then she disappeared.


    And reappeared, on a different continent. Interrupting a court session in the process, too. She stood in a grand hall, elegantly decorated, surrounded by tens of people that were in the process of reporting to the queen.


    Several guards rushed out to surround her, but a melodic voice floated over the sounds of confusion.


    ¡°Stand down, you idiots! Can¡¯t you see that its Ryuri? My daughter has flown home.


    Welcome home darling.¡±


    The princess had returned from her twenty year journey.