《Wanderlust》 Prologue: Beneath The Willow Tree Prologue: Beneath The Willow Tree ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡®When I come of age, I¡¯ll enter the best magic academy and reach the peak of power!¡¯ I¡¯d told myself these words years ago. My dream was to become a powerful mage who could obliterate the most powerful of monsters with ease, a mage whose name was known throughout the continent, a mage who was treated with respect wherever he went. I had every intention of making these dreams come true. Well, that was until today. ¡°Weak mana intensity, you fail,¡± A middle-aged man who was unnecessarily muscular for his profession said, ¡°Next.¡± In front of him was a boy who wore commoner clothing and had a complicated expression on his face as he continued to stay where he stood. The man noticed this and spoke, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? This academy is the branch of the most prestigious magic school in the continent, the requirements, although lower than headquarters, are still very strict,¡± He said in a cold tone, ¡°hundreds of thousands fail every month; you aren¡¯t the first and you certainly won¡¯t be the last, now scram!¡± He waved his arm and a powerful gust of wind carried the boy outside and gently lowered him down to the ground where he continued to think to himself. ¡®Why did I choose to fail?¡¯ The boy thought to himself. He knew very well that he had condensed his mana to the right intensity to be able to pass the exam, hell, he had even exceeded the requirements by a slight amount and learned even learned a few more spells than needed. And that took him back to his last question, why had he failed? Just as he began to inject his mana, an indescribable feeling took over him and made him stop pouring his mana into the orb just as soon as he¡¯d started. He knew very well that this was his best chance to enter, the age of sixteen, twelve months after mana began to manifest inside his body. The boy¡¯s thoughts were muddled and his head was confused, why had he made this decision? His body began to walk by itself and he soon found himself within the forest outside the town, where he stood in front of a willow tree that situated itself beside a decently sized pond. The sun gave off heat and the area around the pond gave off the perfect amount of coldness to counter it. The boy looked at his favorite place and breathed out a sigh. He plopped himself down under the tree in between a gap in the roots and leaned into the old willow¡¯s embrace. His dark-brown hair melding perfectly into the scene. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He¡¯d often come to play around this area as the child, especially around the summer, where playing in the water was one of the most refreshing things he could do in his rather boring lifestyle that consisted of running a job at the inn and helping his aunt at housework. His aunt¡¯s face flashed into his head and he let out a groan, she knew he had all the requirements and that he could¡¯ve entered the school without any problems. She was not going to let him forget about this one, he grimaced at the thought of his aunt''s coming barrage of scolding and lecturing. Failure was unacceptable to him a mere four hours ago, but when he actually got to stand in front of that mage with the chance to prove himself, everything just felt wrong. Wasn¡¯t this what he wanted, wasn¡¯t staying at the academy and becoming a powerful magus after graduation his lifelong plan? Well, it wasn¡¯t anymore. The boy looked up at the willow that accompanied him throughout his life and blinked as the rays of sunlight made his eyes squint. He closed his eyes and felt the warm sunlight on his face, the cool breeze brushing past his skin and clothing, and the gentle sounds of nature ringing about around him. Where was he to go from here? Should he try to enter another magic academy? A school for warriors and knights perhaps? Maybe even live out his life as a scholar? That didn¡¯t sound too bad. And then, just as he was about to fall asleep, just as the last strands of his consciousness disappeared, the true dream he was looking for all his life suddenly came to him. No more illusions, no more dreams that weren¡¯t his own. From this moment on, he had decided. He was going to see everything this world had to offer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s Note: Hello everyone, I''m back and I''ll try to update every few days. Also, the chapter lengths will be much longer than this. This is just the prologue and the coming chapters will at least be 2000 words in length, I promise. Chapter 1: Money Problems Chapter 1: Money Problems --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is a dream? A goal to pursue in life? A thing that every individual has? Something that comes and goes, to be found and lost? Or is it merely an evanescent thing, temporary and destined to be forgotten? I¡¯d like to say that mine isn¡¯t like that, but I guess only time will tell. ¡°¡ªso it goes just like that?¡± A boy, around the age of nine spoke with disappointment in his voice, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the hero get a happy ending?¡± A woman who looked to be in her forties smiled at him and said, ¡°That¡¯s because the hero didn¡¯t follow his heart,¡± She pointed to her chest, where her heart was, ¡°instead of taking his beloved to battle with him like they both wished, he chose to lock her up instead for fear of her safety and ended up getting seduced by a demon the evil warlord¡¯s general summoned.¡± The boy frowned at her, ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± he said, ¡°what happened to him?¡± She smiled and a bit of youth seemed to return to her face, ¡°His beloved found out and in her rage, attacked the general¡¯s fortress with a small force that she gathered by herself.¡± ¡°Did she win?¡± The boy said. ¡°Of course not,¡± The woman said, ¡°she managed to defeat a few hundred demons with her companions, but they were outnumbered and had to fall back.¡± ¡°So the lady didn¡¯t get her beloved back from the demon?¡± ¡°Gods, no,¡± She said, ¡°reinforcements came shortly afterwards and they successfully took over the demon general¡¯s fortress. The war ended a few months later too, so the kingdom began to prosper once again.¡± The boy scratched his head, ¡°So what happened to the hero?¡± ¡°Hm? He got some sense beaten into him.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the moral I¡¯m supposed to learn from today¡¯s story? Follow your heart?¡± He asked. ¡°No,¡± The woman shook her head, ¡°it¡¯s to not cheat on your beloved.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± The boy said. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± The woman enunciated. ¡°¡ªway! Make way!¡± A portly man with a handlebar moustache said to the crowd, ¡°The Freinad delvers have arrived!!¡± To his words, a loud cheer erupted from the nearly three hundred people in front of him. Sounds of clapping akin to the loud sounds of a storm reverberated throughout the open plaza of the town. The crowd opened up a path and a group of men and women numbering seven made their way to the stage the portly mayor stood on. ¡°Thanks for having us today, Mr. Welkins,¡± A man with fiery red hair said to the mayor with a smile, causing the nearby crowd to cheer with increased intensity. The mayor, Welkins, responded not a beat behind, ¡°The pleasure is all ours! It is an honor for such an esteemed group of delvers to originate from a humble settlement like ours,¡± The mayor said, ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± They all sat on the chairs that were arranged on the stage, expressions of pride and happiness on their faces. When the mayor found that everyone was seated, he gave an opening speech and said, ¡°Now that the formalities have been addressed, let¡¯s have Mr. Creighton say a few words.¡± The fiery-haired man from before stood up and took the voice-amplification artifact from the mayor and cleared his throat, ¡°Thank you everyone, for welcoming us today. As you all know, our delving group was named after the ruins that made us famous; the remains of the ancient underground city of Freinad!¡± Creighton said, which made the crowd erupt in a roar of cheering that made one¡¯s ears ring. ¡°Freinad was a very dangerous place,¡± He said, ¡°A plague that corrupted the spirit and made the flesh rot had swept across the city many years ago, and has made it home to many dangerous undead. My team and I had come close to death on many occasions, but after a whole month of exploration, we found the remnants of a dead dragon!¡± ¡°The death of that dragon had caused its death energy to sweep out and envelop the land, destroying the city of Freinad and making it a deathtrap for those who come in unprepared. The corpse of a dragon is the home of many treasures and it is this single exploration that has given us the opportunity to let the entire country know of our name!¡± Creighton said with vigor, ¡°We have gained the support of the Union of Delvers and we can now make our little delving group into something more.¡± Creighton sighed in nostalgia, ¡°We¡¯ve achieved so many things,¡± He said, ¡°¡­but none of these things would have happened if this town had not given us its support.¡± The crowd lapsed into silence. ¡°Thanks to the efforts of the guild staff and the mayor, along with the encouragement of you all, we managed to achieve all these things,¡± He said, ¡°So now, we would like to extend our delving group into a delving company, and any promising youths from this town are absolutely welcome to join!¡± The crowd roared in shouts, claps and whistling, and among the crowd was a little boy who looked at the seven individuals on stage, silently swearing in his heart that he would one day see the ruins of the ancient underground city Freinad for himself. ¡°What are you reading, Ravel?¡± A woman asked a child who looked to be around eleven. The boy didn¡¯t look up, his gaze fixated on the book as he said, ¡°Auntie, did you know that a gigantic river of freezing molten rock separates this continent from the north?¡± She tilted her head, ¡°Yes, of course, it¡¯s the Ice God¡¯s Wrath right?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The boy nodded his head vigorously, ¡°Isn¡¯t molten rock supposed to be hot? Why does this as say that the river of lava is infinitely colder than the ice the mages in the capital can produce?¡± ¡°Molten rock is usually hot, yes, but from what I know, the Ice God¡¯s Wrath was first formed when a nomadic tribe numbering in the millions angered the ice god, Vengrad somehow, and ended up being smited by the god himself during one of their great migrations. A beam of light descended from the sky and froze everything it passed through, decimating the tribe with ice so cold it melted stone. It has also started multiple¡­¡± The woman paused and looked at the boy who was no longer listening and had his bulging eyes glued to the book he held in his small hands. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The boy suddenly snapped his head upward and shouted, ¡°Fish fly over at the kingdom next to ours!?¡± She laughed at him, ¡°Yes, fish do fly over at the kingdom of Istirine. Come now, dinner¡¯s ready.¡± He set down his book with a thump, ¡°Yes!¡± My eyes fluttered open only to close abruptly under the sudden glare of the rays of sunlight that came from above. My back hurt due to the bark I laid on, but there was only one thing on my mind. There it was, the path I wanted to pursue. I was going to explore everything this world had to show me. Without my knowledge, my body had stood up on its own and broke into a sprint, heading straight towards the town I grew up in. The sky was already dark and the moon was out with the stars that shone brightly. I passed the town gates and the bored guards, the lively townspeople and rowdy delvers, and reached the place I called home. I was breathing heavily and sweat covered my brow from the long run, but I refused to stop my run and opened the door with a bang. Inside was my aunt and her two children, who were playing with each other around the dinner table, while the food remained untouched due to them waiting for me. My ragged breaths continued as the people in the room looked at me with shocked expressions. My aunt recovered from her shock first and said, ¡°Ravel, I¡¯m sorry about the entrance exami¡ª¡° ¡°No!¡± I said, ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± I gasped for air, ¡°important!¡± She studied my expression and said, ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who just lost his once-in-a-lifetime chance,¡± She said with a smile, ¡°What do you have to say?¡± I gasped for breath one more time before I sucked in a breath and mustered my courage, ¡°I¡­¡± I exhaled and stood in front of her firmly, ¡°I want to go on a journey,¡± I said. Standing there, I waited for the barrage of dissuasion, but what I got instead was a nostalgic sigh from my aunt, ¡°That¡¯s alright. Bring me some wine from Welterun when you return, okay?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wine. From Welterun? A bit of a ways off to the west, but I¡¯m sure you can make it. Be careful on the way there, alright?¡± She said with a smile on her face. ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you supposed to stop me or something?¡± I said, dumbfounded by her answer. ¡°What good would that do? I went through the same phase, you know. Albeit a bit younger than you¡­ I¡¯m more surprised this only came up now¡ª¡° ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried I might die or something? I heard the world was full of things and people that want to kill anything and everything that moves.¡± She laughed, ¡°It is,¡± she said, ¡°And I¡¯m also very worried about you.¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t stopping me because¡­?¡± I said. ¡°Because,¡± she said, ¡°I know you won¡¯t give up on something like this with a few words of dissuasion. And also, it¡¯s about time something like this came around, there¡¯s a lot to see out there, you know? I wouldn¡¯t want to deprive you of that, that¡¯s how I met your uncle after all.¡± I opened and closed my mouth multiple times to find an answer until I finally said, ¡°¡­So I can leave by next week?¡± She gave me a look, ¡°You can leave any time,¡± she said, ¡°granted that you have the money of course.¡± My shoulders sagged, ¡®Fuck.¡¯ The reaction I gave prompted a laugh from her, ¡°I¡¯m not lending you any by the way, although I heard that the request board has been pretty full lately." I grimaced now that the things I needed to do dawned on me, supplies, money, an actual route to go by, a map, and even more money. My aunt tapped on the table impatiently and said, ¡°Come on now, worry about your financial difficulties later, we¡¯re starving.¡± She said as she took a spoon away from her three year old twins who had been playing with the food. ¡°Well, I guess a journey has to start somewhere,¡± I said and joined them at the table. Dinner passed quickly, and a few of my questions were cleared up by my aunt who gave me a general idea of what I was supposed to do and avoid. She even offered to lend me her outdated map. It was given to me teasingly, but I appreciated the gesture still. When I got to my room upstairs, I couldn¡¯t sleep. Plans and ideas flitted through my head, filling it with ideas on where to go, how to make money, and how I could avoid getting killed by whatever it was that was lucky enough to come my way mid-journey. Hours passed and I wasn¡¯t able to sleep yet, but now I had a more concrete idea of what to do. One, gather at the very least ten silvers worth of money from request or some other methods. Two, learn some more magic to defend myself with, more money needed. Three, join the Delver¡¯s Union¡¯s branch in this town for the added benefits. The entrance fee needed money. And four, get as rich as possible to avoid any more of these frustrating money problems. I nodded to myself and prepared to sleep, but the glare of the morning sun made it impossible to do so. ¡­Well, I guess this is as good a time as any to start working. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± I¡¯m seriously starting to regret this decision. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s Note: Thanks for reading, don''t forget to leave a rating and/or review! Chapter 2: Banditry? Chapter 2: Banditry? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°¡ªso it goes like this, you decided that you wanted to go tour the continent instead of pursuing the goal you tried so hard to accomplish for nearly half your total lifespan?¡± A boy a few years older than me, Gus, said. I looked at my friend and said, ¡°See, we don¡¯t use the word tour here, I like travel more.¡± Gus brushed a hand through his blonde hair and shook his head, ¡°You¡¯re seriously doing this? You got lost in the forest outside town once before, if I recall correctly,¡± He said. ¡°That was three¡ª¡° ¡°Two weeks.¡± ¡°Fine, two weeks ago. I wasn¡¯t even lost, it¡¯s hard to find a way into the town unseen while half naked and looking like the inside of a chimney, you know?¡± I said. He rubbed his forehead, ¡°How does that even happen?¡± ¡°Well, I was trying to create a fusion spell between the fire and wind elements and something went wrong while I was merging them which resulted in a backlash that¡ª¡° ¡°No, no. That¡¯s enough, I can see what this led to already. It¡¯s more of a wonder you haven¡¯t killed yourself yet,¡± He said. I smiled smugly, ¡°I always make sure to apply a protective spell before I do my experiments.¡± Gus waved his hand to the side, ¡°You mages and your protection spells, this is why knights in training like me strengthen their bodies.¡± ¡°Say that again after you take one of my spells to the face,¡± I murmured. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Oh look, the request board. I need to earn some money, see ya.¡± I quickly fled the scene, I was destroyed the last time we sparred and I didn¡¯t want a repeat of that. It took a while to find a request that looked like it could earn me some money, but I still managed to find one among the numerous request boards that I could choose from. Most tasks involved simple chores and recruitment notices but the recruitment boards that every town had were also home to more complicated requests like subjugation and investigation. The one I picked up was just like that, subjugation. Apparently, a group of thugs were terrorizing merchant carts leaving the town and the mayor¡¯s office wanted them gone before traders became hesitant in visiting the town. It paid a decent amount of three silvers for every bandit I caught alive and half the price for the number killed, so I was all for it. I wasn¡¯t planning on killing anyone though, the very thought was terrifying for me. I plucked the piece of parchment from the board and headed to where the mayor and his assistant managed the town, a place the residents liked to call the ¡®Paper Palace¡¯, because official letters and papers were scattered and stacked everywhere to the point that everyone in the town was wondering how the people in charge managed to run this place properly. On the way, I bought an amazingly tasty apple from the nice aunt that sold them and finished it within a few minutes¡¯ time. I arrived at the building located at a small hill at the edge of the town and opened the doors, the smell of age, mustiness, and man-sweat. They really needed to open those windows. Passing the hallway¡¯s creaky floorboards and entering the study room, I see the usual sight of mountains of paperwork. Beyond these messy mountains were two individuals, one was a portly old man sipping coffee while scribbling signatures on paperwork at a terrifying speed while the other was a skinny young boy busily sorting the files that the first person continued to regurgitate out. I walked past the stacks of papers, taking care not to topple the towers and spill a tsunami of paper onto the ground by accident. As I walked past, I noted the date listed on one of the papers. A.W. Year 133, Day 206. Approximately twenty-three years ago. Not a note, not a summary, the full, original report. This place was a mess. I approached the boy and said, ¡°Hey Stine, where¡¯s the rest of the staff?¡± Stine didn¡¯t even pause to look at me, his hands continued to work and his reply came so fast that it left his mouth almost as soon as I finished speaking, ¡°Vacation, the lazy bastards, I haven¡¯t taken a break in months and they get to have one every other week,¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯ll get a break soon my boy,¡± The mayor waved his hand to the side and said distractedly. ¡°I better get a raise too,¡± Stine said, ¡°And¡­ Ravel was it? What are you doing here?¡± I scratched my head and held up the paper, ¡°You put this up on the request board? Something about looking into attacks that¡¯s been happening outside town lately?¡± He paused and looked up, ¡°Yes, I do recall asking someone to put that up,¡± Nodding, he said, ¡°If I recall correctly, you¡¯re a mage in training, more than enough to catch a few thugs, if you ask me. You¡¯re planning on taking it, yes?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a bit low on money,¡± I said, ¡°Do you have any more details related to the request?¡± Stine hobbled off to the side and disappeared behind a stack of books and papers and came back with a thin file on his hands, which he handed to me before resuming his work, ¡°You¡¯ll get paid for every one of them you catch, as per the request, but no killing, poor folk have resorted to this due to the war I reckon. Most they deserve for this is a few years behind bars or a compulsory drafting into the army, any deaths will be paid for half the agreed price,¡± He said. I nodded and left the building, the file tucked safely into my pocket. I moved around the town and it wasn¡¯t long until I found a merchant cart that was brave enough to leave the town. It brought a few mercenaries as guards, but from what I read in the report¡¯s estimate, they were still outnumbered two to one. My plan was to set up a trap around the road and whittle down the bandits¡¯ numbers using guerilla warfare-esque tactics before they got a chance to attack the merchant¡¯s cart. A few would probably be able to slip through, but the merchant had guards, so I wasn¡¯t very worried about them. Now while a mage may be able to handle a few bandits with ease, the reason I chose this tactic was because I was still a mage-in-training, until I was able to condense my mana into a ring around my core, I would never be regarded as a true mage. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Most of my offensive spells consisted of gathering enough mana of a certain element into my hand, chucking it at something, making it explode, and hoping that whatever I hit didn¡¯t stand back up. That rarely ever happens though. My dagger finished etching the last of the runes on the tree, the bark flying off its tip as I waved it to the side. Infusing my hands with mana and chanting the spell I wanted to place inside the small formation, I press my palm onto the surface of the rough bark and feel my mana get sucked in. I repeated this action a few more times and wiped the sweat off my brow. The carriage was on its way and it would probably arrive at any moment, I just had to wait for the bandits to come. I left the area where I laid my formations and looked at the direction of the town. Soon, the carriage came into view in the distance. I chanted the spell [Gust] and instead of using it to knock an enemy unbalanced like intended, I unleashed it from below myself and felt a strong wind assault my body, causing my robes to flutter and my body to rise at a quick speed. I quickly grab onto the branch of the tree above and use it to stop my ascent, carefully planting me atop one of the tree¡¯s branches. I closed my eyes and chanted a spell, ¡°¡ªchannel the wind and reveal my foes, [Revealing Breeze],¡± I said, and released the spell. A gust of wind blew outwards in a circle, with me in the center and let me feel what the breeze felt. Grass, trees, animals, and scenery swept past my sense of touch for nearly two hundred meters before I found what I was looking for, a bit over two dozen men split into four groups, spread out enough to be effective and strong enough as a whole to function. Perfect. I released the spell and the wind receded, coming back to me and flooding my senses once again. Another portion of my mana lost. The mana inside my core was depleted by more than half already due to the formations I placed, but luckily, the spells I infused into them were low on mana expenditure, so I wasn¡¯t completely drained and a few more spells shouldn¡¯t cause much harm to my mind. I hope. Those men were a bit far from my formations, but I was confident in luring them there, they¡¯d already begun to move towards the carriage¡¯s location, getting closer and closer to my formations¡¯ location. I climbed down the tree with a bit of difficulty and I had to jump at the lowest branch, but it didn¡¯t cause me any injury, so that was great. I just kinda rolled across the ground after the jump is all. Dusting myself off, I began to run towards the location of the first group of bandits, who by my estimate were around thirty meters away from my formations by now. The carriage, which was naturally faster than me¡ªeven at a leisurely pace, was already much closer to me than before as I could see it easily from where I was at. That isn¡¯t very fair, I need to hurry up or the plan won¡¯t go according to¡­ well, plan. Soon, I was at the place where I laid my formations, waiting for the bandits who should have arrived by now. Where were they? I didn¡¯t want to waste mana by casting [Revealing Breeze] again, so I stopped hiding behind a tree and started looking before the carriage arrived and started a large fight. I walked around looking for the bandits until I suddenly felt a surge of danger coming from behind me. My legs folded and my body swayed to the side, doing everything it could to avoid whatever was coming at me. I fell to the ground with a grunt and a loud thud reverberated through the earth from the ground beside me. The reflexes I build from sparring with Gus, a knight saved me once again as I rolled my body to the side, a spear impaling the space I was lying on just seconds ago. A bandit was holding the spear and with a grunt of effort, he pulled the spear out of the ground and faced me. I stood up and dodged a jab from his spear, my mind panicking from his ruthless attacks filled with the intent to kill. I started to chant a spell, almost stopping multiple times because of his attacks but the experience of sparring saved me as I completed my chant. ¡°¡ªblow away the foes that stand before me and send them to the sky, [Gust]!!¡± I pushed my hands out towards the bandit and a powerful gust of wind left my palms, lifting my enemy off the ground and sending him hurtling back towards a tree. His back hit the surface of the tree¡¯s bark and a pained grunt left his mouth as he wiped the blood that flowed from his mouth. I panted heavily, the stress of real combat and infusing too much mana into a spell heavily influencing my mental state. The bandit I sent to the tree shouted something towards the forest beyond and within seconds I could hear the rustling and crackling of leaves as another four bandits made their way towards me. Thinking I could sneak up on them easily and capture them all alive without a problem was a naive thought I made due to my arrogance. Fear clouded my mind as I began to run towards my formations, my only hope for survival. The sounds of the bandits behind me, now a group of five, were getting closer and closer, but the sounds were drowned out by the roaring in my ears. As I ran, a realization dawned upon my mind. The unconscious feeling of safety was now gone, it was obvious, but I didn¡¯t notice it. This request that I took¡ªit wasn¡¯t like the spars I had every now and then¡ªit was a fight with the lives of both parties in the line. I underestimated them, and I overestimated my capacity as a mage-in-training. From not being cautious and calmly strolling in the forest to refusing to cast [Revealing Breeze] a second time, my confidence and lack of experience affected my judgment and now, my life was in danger. Almost tripping on a stray branch, I barely managed to correct myself before I tripped and fell. Run. Nothing else was on my mind. Run to the formations and survive. The formations were just a dozen meters away by now, I was grasping at the final straws of my stamina as I arrived. Panting, I infused a portion of my remaining mana into one of the formations and felt it activate. I wouldn¡¯t die here. I couldn¡¯t. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author¡¯s Note: Sorry about the delay, school''s affecting my upload speed. Here¡¯s the next chapter, and don¡¯t forget to leave some feedback! Enjoy! :D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3: Roiling Fog Chapter 3: Roiling Fog ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As my mana makes contact with the formation, a low rumble reverberated out from the tree as the mana injected within the formation caused a chain reaction that activated the other four I set up inside the forest, forming a star shape as the spells stored within were amplified and released. Fog billowed out from the formations and covered a large portion of the forest, obstructing vision and only allowing me to see less than two meters ahead. The spell was nothing much, just a simple [Create Fog] spell that was created through the utilization of my decent affinity to water. I scrambled up and began to run, the cool fog brushing against my skin and making me shiver slightly. Behind me, I could hear the bandits arguing about whether they should follow me further into the fog. Gasping for breath, I could hear them reach a consensus. ¡°There¡¯s still the job,¡± A gruff voice said, ¡°we can¡¯t risk following a brat like that into the fog. A mage in training by the looks of it, easy pickings for us, but our target today will give us more profit.¡± ¡°What if he alerts the caravan about our presence? This fog should have been spotted by the caravan¡¯s guards by now, they must think something fishy¡¯s going on,¡± Another voice, raspier that the last, said. ¡°That won¡¯t matter, the boss said that the carriage we¡¯re aiming for is in a rush to deliver materials. If it turns back, the losses would be massive,¡± A third voice replied, sounding like he was in a hurry. ¡°Let¡¯s not tarry then,¡± The raspy voiced bandit said, ¡°the boss¡¯ll skin us alive if we don¡¯t show up.¡± ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s leave.¡± Their receding footsteps rang out and I felt myself let loose the breath I held in subconsciously. My shoulders sagged and I dropped to my knees, my mind numb from my near-death experience and the mana that remained within my core, a measly third of what it once was. I¡¯d almost died. I actually almost died. The thought kept repeating itself within my head, constantly hammering its way into my brain and sending waves of fear coursing through my mind. I stayed like that for a few minutes, feeling nothing as the same thought repeated itself over and over within my head. Suddenly, from the direction of the road, the sounds of battle erupted and snapped me out of my reverie. Metal clashed and pained screams reached my ears as people were wounded and killed one after the other. The bandits probably had an unfair advantage due to heavily outnumbering the carriage¡¯s guards. My face twisted into a grimace; I turned and ran away. *BANG* The crates I pushed off the side of the cart fell and created noise as it fell on a bandit, promptly knocking the bastard unconscious. The merchant that hired us completely underestimated the number of bandits in this area. Right now, he was hiding inside the carriage while we risked our lives to stop the bandits from claiming the two-cart caravan he brought along. He was lucky that I was too busy fighting bandits else I would¡¯ve killed him myself by now. Stabbing my sword into the unconscious thug, I ran off to help my friend, Xavier, fight off a pair of bandits. There was an ugly wound on his right arm, rendering it useless and permanently ending his career as mercenary and it¡¯s all because of the fucker in the cart. I used my anger as fuel and ignited the water element chi, elemental mana for knights like myself, that I held within my body. My reserves were getting low but I paid it no heed as I whipped my sword to the left and parried a strike from one of the bandits. I immediately counter-attacked and got a good hit into his leg, followed up by a stab that pierced his heart. My technique was as good as ever, the water element I specialized focusing on healing and defense. In the corner of my vision, I saw Xavier throw one of his many daggers using his only good arm towards a bandit sneaking up to me from behind. Good man. It was knocked out of the air by the bandit¡¯s well timed parry, but it most likely saved my life as I didn¡¯t notice the fucker approaching from behind. I flashed him a grin and spun my body around, using my foot as a pivot and slamming my sword into my enemy¡¯s own. He was knocked to the side and backed off, grouping up with two of his friends to surround me and Xavier, who had teamed up. ¡®This ain¡¯t getting anywhere,¡¯ I thought to myself as I kicked a bandit in the chest sending him a few steps back and making him open for a strike, but unable to be struck as that would allow the bandits to capitalize on the opening I would similarly give them. There were simply too many of them, twice our number, which used to be a dozen, now around eight, and still outnumbered. One of the bandits, using a pair of spiked iron gloves as weapons, threw a punch towards me that glanced off my forearm, leaving another wound that began to bleed. My chi was running out, and I could feel the energy within my body begin to drain away as it happened. This was a losing battle, one that we had no choice but to fight in. A flash of light came from my left and I was unable to block, a scream leaving my lips as half my arm flew off. I grit my teeth, ''Fuck!'' Xavier weaved between me and the culprit, deflecting a strike with ease even with his large handicap. But then, time seemed to slow down as I bandit took notice of the opening we gave and drove a sword through my old friend¡¯s chest from behind. He pulled it out and Xavier collapsed like a sack of fruits, dead. I watched all of this happen from the ground, my blood pooling underneath me as I desperately tried to stop the bleeding. This was the time to use it. We were all going to die at this point anyways, so I prepared to ignite my life force for a short boost of strength that should allow me to take at least one of these bastards down with me. I grabbed my chest and closed my eyes, bearing unbelievable pain as I began to rotate my life force in the place of my chi. I opened my eyes, everything was clearer and sharper, more defined, but I paused as I saw that from behind the bandits came billowing a massive cloud of white. It blocked out the forest beyond it and looked like a massive white wave that was about to crash down upon us all. I paused and it took me a moment to recognize what it was. Was that¡­ fog? This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Would I really be able to move on if those people got killed? Would I still be able to wake up in the morning without a weight hanging on my chest? Would I continue to sleep peacefully at night knowing that I let this, this¡­ slaughter happen? And most importantly, would I continue to take the same course of action I did today throughout my journey? I¡­ didn¡¯t want that to happen. And because of this, I made one of the stupidest decisions I could possibly make. I looked back at the fog, tugged at my mana, and made the giant wall of white follow me as I ran towards the people I originally intended to forsake. Stupid, stupid, I¡¯m so fucking stupid for doing this. And yet, I¡¯m still going to do it for some fucking reason! White daggers of pain assaulted my mind as my mana was drained by another large portion, much less than a fourth of it remaining. The fog, churned and billowed, turned and roiled, it followed me as I chanted a spell and felt it begin to manifest with far less difficulty than normal. Sounds of battle approached my ears and the scent of blood filled my nose like water, making me gag and tremble with the sensation of drowning in a murky lake. I clenched my fists and felt my nails dig into my skin, the pain giving me some sense of clarity. The fog had stretched thin as it strayed away from the formations, I could see at least five meters in front of me now. My aim should be a bit better with this. At this point I had an offensive spell ready in one of my hands, but when I arrived at the actual battle, I almost lost concentration as I staggered in place. Blood was splattered everywhere and corpses of more than a dozen once-living people were lain strewn across the ground while a dozen more fought with savagery, using every tool at their disposal to keep themselves alive. I stood stunned for a moment until something caught my attention, three bandits surrounded a man with one arm remaining, two of them leaving to kill more innocents while the remaining one raised his sword to finish the man off. The man was staring at me; staring at the fog that followed me from behind. Seeing the helpless look in his eyes filled me with anger, I raised one of my hands and released my spell with a scream. Even I did not know whether fear or anger was the cause of this guttural shout. The mana that accumulated in my hand materialized and exploded forth in one quick instant, a wickedly sharp shard of ice as long as a shortsword leaving my hand and making my arm recoil upwards violently due to the sheer power of its release. Noticing my shout, the bandit turned back just in time to see the icicle to hit one of his legs, cutting off a very large chunk and disabling his movement. He fell down with a wretched scream and a foaming mouth which made me sigh in relief, I aimed for his torso with the intention to kill, but luckily my aim was off. I ran to the bearded man on the ground and checked his condition, ¡°Hey,¡± I said waving my hands frantically in front of his face, ¡°Hey!¡± His eyes regained a bit of clarity as he focused on me, ¡°Stop that boy,¡± he said, ¡°else my knuckle¡¯ll meet yer head. Thanks for the help by the way,¡± He flashed me a grin. I ripped off one of my robe¡¯s sleeves and prepared to tie a tourniquet for the man, but his hand stopped me, ¡°Jus¡¯ let me be.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, stunned as I tried to force the rag onto his wound, ¡°Stop resisting! Tell me, is the blood loss getting to you and making you senile? Do you want to die or something¡ª¡° ¡°Quiet down lad,¡± He said, ¡°watch.¡± His eyes closed and suddenly, I could feel the fog around me thin. It condensed into a thick cloud that gathered around his stump. The moisture within the cloud seemed to drain away as it progressively became smaller and smaller. What was he doing? Just as I began to guess at his work, the two bandits from before entered my peripheral vision, rushing towards us with anger in their eyes upon seeing their dead friend. I was caught unprepared and I fumbled with my chant, making it shorter in exchange for increasing its mana cost, sending another sharp slash of pain through my mind. As the four arrived, the fog thinned even more as the spell left my hand and impaled a bandit through the gut. I unconsciously used the recoil to back off, no time to check if the bandit I hit was dead or not. Panic and adrenaline surged through me, my eyes bloodshot and the taste of copper in my mouth as countless needles of pain stabbed themselves into my head. I groaned and grit my teeth, looking up as the other bandit whipped his sword towards my head, looking as if it could very well cut it right off. What happened next though, caught me even more unprepared. Before the blade could reach my neck, a fist heavily impacted against the thug¡¯s face, sending him off the ground and into the air for a few feet before he collapsed on the ground, twitching. In front of me was the bearded man from before. His face was still pale, but it was better than before and his arm had stopped bleeding. He looked down at one of the corpses on the ground with a hole on its chest and closed his eyes for a moment as he sucked in a deep breath. I looked at him in a daze and he opened his mouth to speak, looking every bit like an imposing veteran. ¡°As the vice-captain of the Horned-Devil Mercenary Group, and as repayment for saving my life, I guarantee your safety until the end of this battle,¡± He said, ¡°Now, stop trying to kill yourself.¡± His hand descended, a blur that hit the back of my neck, caused my vision to darken and my control on my mana slip. ¡®What¡­ is with this guy?¡¯ My final thoughts entered my head as I lost consciousness. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s Note: Here''s the chapter everyone! I hope you all enjoyed, this one took a bit of time to get correctly. And as for the ''Nothing Much'' review, should I un-justify my paragraphs or keep it as it is? Speaking of reviews, thank you Gizmo, I hope you stick around to update it and inflate my ego even more in the future. :D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4: The Right Decision Chapter 4: The Right Decision ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The world flashed all around me, streaks of blue and white moving past my vision at inconceivable speeds. Below me, a forest of green greeted my eyes. The howling of the wind continuously assaulted my ears, nothing but a torrent of chaotic sound filling my hearing. The skin on my body felt cool and warm at the same time. The sun and the torrent of gales fighting to decide what temperature I would feel, leaving me with the dissonance of both heat and cold all over my body. I gripped whatever was on my hands tighter, a handle of lightweight wood and metal giving me reassurance. I looked forward, and I saw the horizon. Mountains rose up and down, a sweltering desert, a massive river of icy molten rock, and a titanic sea of sapphire colored water. A blanket of colors painted the canvas of the world before me, showing me places so close I could almost touch them. A smile stretched across my face as I trembled with childish glee. I opened my mouth to laugh; a scream of pain came in its place. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± A hoarse scream left my throat and my hands clutched at my head. Pain. An unbelievable pain suddenly flared up from my head. My vision was a mess of light from the sun and distorted colors, every single detail driving another needle of pain into my brain. Strong hands gripped my shoulders and pushed me down, stopping me from unconsciously lashing out at anything that came near. A hand forced my jaw open and stuffed something in my mouth. A strong scent of medicine spread out along with an extremely bitter taste in my mouth as I was forced to chew. An invisible wave of cold swept through me, enveloping my entire body and cooling down the searing hot pain in my head. My screams gradually lessened along with the pain, and before long I could see clearly again. Around me were a gathering of wounded mercenaries, around three, including the bearded man from before who looked at me and said, ¡°Should serve as a lesson, don¡¯t overdraw your mana ever again. You¡¯re lucky your head didn¡¯t suffer any damage. Any more of that and you would¡¯ve turned into a retard or vegetable,¡± He said, ¡°Name¡¯s Gwain by the way.¡± His words entered one ear and left the other, the dull pain constantly thumping inside my head turned my expression into a constant grimace. Now that the pain had lessened, I could make out the sound of the carriage I was in and the constant bumps in the road we travelled on. ¡°Where is this carriage headed?¡± I regretted the decision to speak almost immediately, wincing as another throb of pain shot up from the back of my head. Gwain rubbed his stump, ¡°Headed back to town, our group suffered a heavy blow this time, and our numbers dropped to six from the original fifteen the captain sent out,¡± A scowl covered his face, ¡°The bandits were routed, but they¡¯ll probably be back,¡± He said. I didn¡¯t know how to respond. I looked out the carriage¡¯s windows and narrowed my eyes from the light of the sun. From the corner of my vision, I could see the downcast faces of the mercenaries that survived the attack. The somber atmosphere completely enshrouded the carriage and the second one behind it. The merchant at the front noticed me, he looked back and said, ¡°Thanks for the help son,¡± He said, ¡°Here, your head must be hurting.¡± He handed me a bundle of leaves, shaped like half the shape of a feather each. I put one in my mouth and experimentally nibbled lightly on it, the scent and taste of the plant dulling the pain at the back of my mind as I ignored the near-murderous glares the merchant received. A sigh left my lips. That was too dangerous. Too many near-death events happened today, or rather, yesterday. A whole day had passed apparently, and I was out for the whole time. It probably wasn¡¯t the time to think about money, but I just realized that I probably wouldn¡¯t earn any. I didn¡¯t have any proof for the bandits I may have killed, and the credit for most of the dead ones went to the mercenaries. So in short, this entire trip was fruitless. The thought made my headache even worse, so I erased it from my mind and let myself enter a daze as the carriage approached the town, the town I would have to leave at some point. We entered the gates without hassle as the security was fairly lax, and with a short farewell, I parted with the mercenaries and arrived home. I gave a short greeting to my aunt who was tending to her two kids before heading upstairs where I collapsed on my bed. My body felt like a sack of bricks. Heavy and difficult to move. I surrendered to the heaviness of my eyelids and fell asleep, hoping with all my might that tomorrow wouldn¡¯t contain any more of these life-threatening events. A few hours passed and I woke up to find my stomach growling and my head still hurting. I stomach had been empty for days. Rubbing my forehead, I walked out of my room and headed downstairs. The stairs creaked and I tried my best not to make too much noise as the sun hadn¡¯t even fully risen yet. The stale bread we kept in the storage wasn¡¯t enough for me, so I left the house to find somewhere to eat. The sky began to show traces of blue, the sun starting to rise and signal the start of morning. I found a nearby stall that was open for a full twenty four hours and bought myself a large stick of grilled meat with the meagre amount of money I had. There goes another eight pieces of bronze. I ate without much energy, occasionally mixing in one of the leaves that dulled my headache with the bites I took from the grilled meat. By the time I finished, people had begun to leave their houses and move about early in the morning, ready for another day of work. Is this what living independently feels like? I¡¯m always short on money, and I¡¯ve had more difficulties in the past few days than the amount I had my whole life. Was this really what I wanted? I shook my head. Nah, I¡¯m certain this will get better when I actually start travelling. Nodding to myself and contemplating about what places I wanted to go to first, I walked to the mayor¡¯s housing to ask Stine for any jobs that might suit me. My head hurt too much to browse the request board. The building¡¯s musty smell entered my nose and caused me to blink a few times. I swear, I¡¯m never going to get used to this place¡¯s smell. It was more than just musty, there was that something that made the scent even worse. Yeah, something. I looked at the tall ceiling and the spider webs that covered it, the creaky floor, and the nails that would randomly poke out to make some unlucky person¡¯s day miserable. Trying hard to not be that person, I approached the main office and heard voices talking. It sounded like there were three people in the room, the third voice familiar, but the owner¡¯s name was glued behind the curtains inside the back of my mind. The door to the room was pushed open by me and the voice¡¯s owner was revealed to me. It was Gwain. His face was instantly covered in pleasant surprise, ¡°I was just lookin¡¯ for you lad!¡± He said. ¡°Wha¡ª¡° Gwain approached me and shook my hand with his remaining one, successfully interrupting me. ¡°It¡¯s good you spared me the trouble of findin¡¯ you, eh?¡± He gave me a friendly pat on the shoulders and put his hand into the bag he carried on his side, visibly struggling with only having one arm. I was a bit stunned, so I just looked at him curiously. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He brought out a small pouch and handed it to me, ¡°Six silver for the two bandits you took care of, and a little extra for the help,¡± He grinned at me. I received the pouch and what he meant by ¡®little extra¡¯ was not a very small amount. Did he¡­ Did he seriously put that much money in here? Why is this pouch so heavy? ¡­If the rest is copper, it would be too cruel. My mind crossed its fingers and my face twisted into a mix between a grimace and expectation. Gwain just looked at me with a grin as I opened the bag. And holy Liteah did I not regret that decision. A glittering sea of silver greeted me and I almost could¡¯ve sworn that I saw a rainbow leave the bag as soon as I opened it. There has be at least twenty silver in this. I looked up at the old mercenary and back at the pouch in my hands multiple times. ¡°Are you sure these aren¡¯t your savings?¡± I said and got smacked on the back of the head. ¡°There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m that poor, boy. I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m the son of a noble. Even if I¡¯ve been exiled by my pa, I still have a lot over at the bank,¡± He said, letting out a breath that seemed to match his age. ¡°Mercenaries are wealthier than you think, who¡¯d risk their lives for a meager amount? Don¡¯t underestimate our value as a whole, don¡¯t you know that¡­¡± I was too shocked by the amount he gave me to listen to his rambling, and before he could continue on even more, Stine grunted and stopped him while the mayor continued to write peacefully in the background. Did he even know that we were in the room? ¡°Stop your rambling old man, I have a lot of work to do so get out,¡± Stine said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you talking to me about age, you¡¯re probably thrice my mine anyways,¡± Gwain snorted at him, waving his hand dismissively to the side. Stine opened his mouth to retort, but he was stopped by the sight of Gwain trying to clap his hands but realizing his mistake, he snapped his fingers instead. He headed for the door, ¡°Now that this has been taken care of, I¡¯ve got to meet up with the cap¡¯n,¡± He said, ¡°I hope we cross paths again, lad.¡± He left the room and caused Stine to sigh, ¡°Poor bastard,¡± He mumbled under his breath. I snapped out of my shock, ¡°Hey Stine,¡± I started, ¡°What was that about your age¡ª¡° ¡°Get out,¡± He turned around and pointed his thumb at the door. The town was now buzzing with activity, the townspeople as lively as ever. Even if the people running the town are like that, they¡¯re really doing a good job. I was in a good mood after I received the money, so I decided to go to a bar and eat some good food instead. Even the dull ache in my head could stop me from enjoying myself today. The bar I chose was well-known for its delicious food and fair prices. The establishment was two stories tall and the walls, a mix of wood and stone looked great. The place was really nice, actually. The walls outside were kept extremely clean and the surroundings were free of clutter. I felt a bit of admiration to whoever tended to this place¡¯s cleanliness, they were probably really dedicated to their job. Stepping onto the steps that led up to the front door, I sighed happily. Finally, wooden floors that don¡¯t creak. The door to the bar opened smoothly and I stepped inside, sitting on a table and telling a pretty waitress my order. I looked around and to my surprise, I spotted Gwain and more than twenty mercenaries gathered around a spot, occupying more than six tables and drinking alcohol contentedly. I stood up and walked towards them. ¡°Hello again,¡± I said, grinning at Gwain. He looked at me in surprise for a moment, ¡°Heavens boy! When I said I hoped we¡¯d cross paths again, I didn¡¯t mean this early.¡± ¡°Well, the world is a surprisingly small place. Ain¡¯t that right Gwain?¡± I mercenary with short cropped red hair and leather armor said as he laughed uproariously. ¡°How¡¯s your ex-wife doing? I heard you ran into her at our last stop, does she hit as hard as ever?¡± Another mercenary with blond hair and green eyes said, adding fuel to the fire and making the rest of the mercenaries laugh with him. ¡°Shut the hell up Kinney,¡± He shot a glare at the blond-haired mercenary, ¡°I know your ma hits harder than my ex-wife when she finds out about all the brothels you keep going to,¡± He said. Kinney grimaced, eliciting another round of laughter from the surrounding mercs. Gwain looked back at me, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here already, have a seat,¡± He offered me a chair on his table and I sat down, thanking the waitress who handed me my food. We talked for along time and I got acquainted with the rest of the mercenaries who shared stories about the jobs they¡¯d done and the stupid things they¡¯ve managed to do. The food was even better than I expected too. It certainly made my stay many times more enjoyable. ¡°So what are you planning to do now kid?¡± The red-haired mercenary, Albross, or Al, asked me, ¡°You¡¯re a mage in training right? When are you planning on entering an academy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really planning on entering one. I plan on travelling around the world, actually.¡± Hearing this, a few of the mercenaries grinned, ¡°How about you join us on our way to the city?¡± Kinney said, ¡°It¡¯d be a good first stop, one I can definitely recommend. Speaking of recommendations, there¡¯s this really nice brothel there that¡ª¡° His head suddenly jerked to the side, evading an empty tankard of ale that was thrown by one of the female mercenaries sitting on the table across ours. ¡°Nice try Sally, you¡¯d have to throw better than that to hit a master archer like me thou¡ª¡° He spit out his wine as a tankard that seemingly came out of nowhere hit him on the side of the head. He glared at the direction it came from but his face suddenly twisted into a forced smile. The tankard was thrown by their captain, an elf with silvery-white hair who was beautiful beyond her years. I heard that she was a terrifying figure on the battlefield, but I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at their exchange. The captain, Susanna continued to drink more. For such a lithe body, you wouldn¡¯t think that she¡¯d eat and drink so much. I stood up, it was getting a bit late and I really wanted to have a good, long, nap at home. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to go now. Hey Al, is that offer still up?¡± Al stood up and drank a huge gulp from his mug, ¡°It¡¯s up for grabs until we leave,¡± He said, ¡°Which is in a week. You can find us over at the inn right next to here. No objections with him coming with us, right captain?¡± Susanna grunted, and Al nodded. ¡°She approves,¡± He said before waving me off, ¡°Go and wander off now, hey waitress! Bring another keg of ale to this table!¡± He said and laughed as he patted Gwain''s shoulder who lay collapsed on the table from drinking too much ale. I smiled and walked out of the inn, the noisy cheers and shouts of its inhabitants resounding behind me, resonating with my desire to live a carefree life. Looks like I made the right decision after all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s Note: Aaaand I''m back! Hello again everyone, expect another release this weekend before I go back to my usual schedule. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and if anyone can point me to a blog, link, or article that describes medieval hierarchy and governing systems well, I''d appreciate it a lot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5: Awakening Chapter 5: Awakening ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The week passed fairly quickly. My aunt was as supportive as ever for some reason, and I really worry for her children when they grow up. I also tried to join the Delver¡¯s Union here, but apparently, a minor branch like theirs doesn¡¯t have the resources to conduct the test that every delver had to go through. Pretty disappointing really, those market discounts will have to wait. My room was basically cleaned out at this point too, my aunt was planning on making space for a bigger bath and it looks like she¡¯s more excited for my departure than I am. I¡¯m really going to miss this town, but I¡¯d have to leave at some point regardless. A budding mage like myself would have to leave either way as the mana surrounding my core was already beginning to condense into a small multicolored pond that surrounded my core due to my constant usage and practice of magic. In a way, a mage¡¯s magic was like the flesh and bones warriors and knights continuously strengthened; the more it was used, the stronger it became. As I walked through the streets, I made my way to the stables where the mercenaries were waiting. It was a bit early in the morning, but there¡¯s really no harm in getting there first. I bit through a fruit the locals liked to call moonfruit, it apparently glows like the moon in the night when it hasn¡¯t been plucked yet, so the tree it come from looks like it holds the very night sky within it. I¡¯ve honestly never seen it. I heard there used to be some around here, but over harvesting caused them to only be abundant away from the city where they were earnestly cultivated by countryside folk. I¡¯ll make sure to see that place as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll come visit you every now and then. Ah, there he is,¡± Albross said, walking towards me with Gwain and another mercenary¡ªFram, I think, was his name. Gwain looked tired, I noted a few more white hairs on his head. I guess even a veteran mercenary like him can¡¯t just shrug off an amputation. The four of us conversed for a bit before we headed for the gate. All of the mercenaries came along this time, with the first group that was supposed to arrive at the city early tagging along with the second. We arrived and the four of us were greeted by the rest of the hired arms. Susanna barked out orders and we each boarded the carriages assigned to us. It was a bit of a tight fit with all the goods it carried, but it was alright. The carriages began to move. I really can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯m leaving this place behind. A bit of sadness welled up within me, but it wasn¡¯t as strong as the anticipation I held for the road ahead of me. The carriage rocked and swayed in an almost steady beat, the road ahead of me looked like it extended into infinity, a vast expanse limited only by itself. The trees stood tall and strong, their old age evident by the towering trunks that held their leaves and branches aloft. ¡°¡­...¡± I fell into silence, the mercenaries around me chatted and watched the road¡¯s surroundings vigilantly, but it was all background. A mere afterthought that faded into the trance I was stuck in. Unknowingly, I had moved outside of the carriage and used my magic to fly up and stand above the carriage¡¯s roof. I stared blankly at the road in front of me and sat down, unaware of the curious stares I received. Mana began to circulate within my body, gathering around the tips of my fingers and struggling to get out. My eyes closed and I raised my hands in front of myself as I let out a breath. I stayed like this for an amount of time unknown to me, the only sensation filling my conscious was the tugging feeling that originated from my mana and the continuous buzzing my core emitted. The wind blew and the air felt cool against my skin. Suddenly, I felt like everything around me was part of a single whole, singing a single melody that existed within everything in the world. Within this flowing melody was a type of energy. The energy that every living thing in this world relied upon¡ªMana. There was another within it that I could feel existed, but I couldn¡¯t feel it nearly as intimately as I did mana. It felt like there was a wall that blocked it off from me. This was probably Ki. I heard that mana existed within everything, but this is the first time I¡¯ve felt it for myself. The mana in my body churned, and I felt like I could actually influence the foreign elements that existed beyond the core area within my body. Different types of readings¡ªsignatures of mana existed, and when I found out about this, I felt shocked. Mana wasn¡¯t restricted to just the elements, even metal had its own signature. Different types of mana represented the different types of affinities the book about magic talked about. For some types of mana, I felt a strong pull towards, but the rest either felt like they were too weak to interact with or tried to just outright avoid me. My mana reached out and poked at what felt like water element mana in the moisture of the air around me. I tried to grab ahold of it and achieve control, but it was like grabbing at a bar of soap underwater while covered in slime. It was an understatement to call it hard. My control wasn¡¯t good enough to manipulate it yet. Yet. Gritting my teeth, I tried again. I lifted my arm, stopping Albross from disturbing the boy who climbed up the carriage. He looked at me questioningly, ¡°Captain?¡± I stared at the boy for a moment longer, ¡°Let him be, and tell the others not to disturb him,¡± I said. A breakthrough at this time? The boy certainly had talent. What is he trying to comprehend I wonder? Albross sped off to the other carriages to spread the word, looking every bit as indignant as always when he receives orders from me. I watched the boy in silence, barely stopping myself from using my mana to see what he was doing as it might lead to an accident on his part. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Time passed and the sun was soon high up in the sky, signaling noontime. We stopped the carriages and began to prepare for some food and rest. The boy still hadn¡¯t moved from his spot, holding his arms outward with sweat dripping down his face. Occasionally, I would feel the mana surrounding him weaken slightly, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Any more probing and I might hinder his development, so I stopped at observing from a distance. Gwain the some of the others asked if he should be woken up, but I told them off. This was a critical moment, he might even advance from being a mage-in-training with this. Our carriages continued, about a dozen people taking turns to walk as the employer didn¡¯t have enough space to let all of us ride inside the carriages. In almost no time at all, the sun began to set. ¡°Hey, captain! Come over here, Drey¡¯s cooking is as good as ever!¡± ¡°This soup is amazing! You should try so¡ªHey! What the fuck are you trying to do!?¡± Sally slapped away Al¡¯s hand, who was trying to steal a portion of her soup from her. Soon, it devolved into a small brawl between the two of them. I sighed, why can¡¯t these guys eat quietly? I gave the boy one last glance before joining the rest of my comrades in their excessively rowdy meals. ¡­The portion I received had no meat. I looked at Albross who was stuffing his face and grit my teeth. He paled, ¡°Nononono, you misunderstand captain, it was Sally who did it. I¡¯m completely¡ªAHH! Stop! Stop! My arm can¡¯t take this much strain! I may be a master archer but¡ªAgh!¡± I paused and looked at the boy whose expression suddenly flickered. A flash of light came from his fingers and then faded away. Smiling, I tossed Albross to the side and drank my stew. We may have just befriended an outstanding mage. We all slept and the next two days passed quickly, the boy¡ªRavel, would constantly create things like fire, light, water, and ice from his fingertips with increasing frequency, looking like the mana around him bent to his every beck and call. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s going to be alright staying like that Susanna?¡± Gwain asked, ¡°If I recall correctly, yours only took around a day and a half. He¡¯s been at it for three.¡± I looked at my old comrade, ¡°At this state, the mana around him is enough to sustain him. He wouldn¡¯t be in danger even if he stayed like this for a week.¡± As I recalled my own Awakening, a smile formed on my face, fond memories of old friends going through my mind. I wonder what that bastard Ezran is doing now? Fye? How are all of them doing I wonder? Maybe I¡¯ll retire in a few years too. Going back to the village and settling down doesn¡¯t seem like a bad idea. With Gwain¡¯s inevitable retirement, I¡¯ll be the last of us seven still working. I glanced at the boy, I regret not taking the same path he did. If only I met Ezran and the others sooner. I smiled at my childish thoughts and looked at the sky that was a never ending blue. Albross approached me. ¡°You better live this life well,¡± I said. ¡°What? Captain let''s talk about this later, this is serious. We might have some company soon.¡± I looked at him and frowned, ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°Beasts, giant lizards by the looks of the tracks. This area¡¯s their territory and we just happened to pass during mating season,¡± He drew his bow and tightened his quiver, ¡°Best we get ready, these things don¡¯t attack alone.¡± I grinned, ¡°Gather the carriages and form a half-circle formation around them! Albross, take the archers, you know what to do.¡± Al ran off and stood atop the carriages with the rest of the archers, trying not to disturb the boy who was still trying to reach Awakening. Gwain picked up his axe and slung it atop his shoulder, standing with the rest of the vanguard. We tensed up and the forest around us was quiet, quiet until a low rumble rang out from in front of us. First, the leaves shook, then the ground quaked, and finally, the first of the lizards burst through the treeline. A whole three meters long each. Fram laughed as he and the others let loose arrows that struck the lizards. His and Al¡¯s arrows in particular managed to kill a lizard each. I gathered my mana and snapped my fingers, setting my right arm and the sword it held aflame. ¡°Attack!¡± I opened my eyes, my new discovery increasing both the purity and control of the mana I held within my core. Smiling, I looked out my face turned blank for a few seconds. Um... what? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Author''s Note: Hello everyone, sorry about the late release. Here''s the fifth chapter! I really need to get rid of that bad habit where I promise a chapter that never comes. Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Please leave a review or comment if you have any advice to give. If you have any cool ideas for locations and places you could give me, that''d be nice too. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------