ã€ŠImmortalis Turrisã€‹


 Chapter 1: Pain

    Burning.

    Everything felt like it was burning.

    Pain was the only thing that Owen felt as his consciousness was ripped from the depths of the void of unconsciousness he had been suspended in. It wasn¡¯t often someone craved a return to the void, but when you woke up to the pain of what felt like being engulfed and digested by a slime, you probably would too.

    If only it were that simple, because if that was the case he would have at least perished given enough time. He truly wished the end would be swift and merciful, but fate was cruel and there will be no end to his story.

    Sweet release never came; instead, Owen heard a familiar cackling¡­ ¡°Very good. The fact you are still breathing is immense progress,¡± a raspy voice of an old man giddily came from the outer ends of something that muffled it slightly.

    While the voice sounded familiar, what he was saying was not. The last thing Owen remembered was clocking in for work after a particularly bland morning coffee, his mullings over such trivial matters cut short by the sharp, stinging pain running through his body.

    He couldn¡¯t seem to move far. His arms and legs did cooperate, but it didn¡¯t take long to figure out that he was strapped down to whatever he was laying on. ¡°No need to strain yourself,¡± the voice said, closer this time. ¡°Now, I need you to do me a favour. Open your eyes,¡± the voice commanded.

    It was a struggle to do so, everything in his body begging him not to, but he needed to know where he was. When he finally did manage to open his eyes, he was blinded by the bright lights that flooded his vision along with the searing pain of his eyeballs being overtaken by the same burning sensation.

    ¡°My, my, excellent progress,¡± the man said. Owen''s vision slowly began to return, blurred and strained before it all finally became clear. The face of a decrepit old man staring at him from the other side of a wall of glass.

    To say this old man had scars would be an understatement. His hair was long, greasy and unkempt with cuts across most visible parts of his face, that was almost pressed directly against the glass he was behind to stare at Owen. ¡°Many other subjects had their eyes dissolved by this point. You may just be the first successful volunteer.¡±

    Volunteer? Not a chance anyone in their right mind would volunteer for something like this.

    Trying to focus on the rest of the room to see what was going on, he could hardly make anything out. His eyes flickered back and forth, rushing to find anything to ground his experience but he only found blurred images due to the lights facing whatever prison he was in which made it next to impossible to see past the old man.

    Owen could make out the vague silhouettes of others watching from a distance. He was in far too much pain to be embarrassed about the lack of clothing in front of all these strangers.

    His vision began to blur as his consciousness faded once again, his body on the verge of a total shut down. The last words heard ¡°Now rest. We have many more tests to conduct.¡±

    Losing his consciousness led him back to that inky black abyss.

    He awoke again some time later to the sound of knocking on the glass and was met with the old man¡¯s face once more. Finally, he remembered why he looked and sounded so familiar. The old man was his employer of sorts. Fresh out of college he started working here on an internship.

    Owen had clocked in like any other day to come work for him. Owen was an alchemist that the guild had sent over to intern with one of the largest labs in the world. On a quiet Sunday shift at his designated workbench, Owen felt a sharp stab of pain in his neck before the world went dark.

    Opening his mouth was an awful idea; trying to speak filled his mouth with the horrid tasting liquid that soon filled his lungs and his body begged him to expel the liquid from his lungs, to thrash and fight for fresh air and against the burning that filled his throat. Attempting to gag, attempting to cough but he found that nothing worked.

    He found, confusingly, that he wasn¡¯t drowning.

    Yes, the acids were incredibly painful, but the panic of being unable to breathe led Owen to realise that he would have long since drowned if the acids hadn¡¯t killed him first. Then came the second problem: the taste.

    There was no doubt about it, he had been suspended within a vat of sodium hydroxide which would explain the severe irritation and burning, but the question was how in the hells had he survived this long.

    ¡°You have done your part for me. You have done your part for the greater good,¡± the raspy voice gleefully exclaimed, finally moving his face away from the glass, leaving some smudges of grease against it and turning to face someone in the darkened crowd ¡°Get him prepared for departure!¡±

    The greater good¡­?

    What a horrid term, Owen thought. As if probing at his brain and extracting the information buried deep within, he remembered the wisdom of his parents. ¡°No greater evils are committed than those done in the name of the greater good,¡± they warned him when he was a child¡­ The question was why?

    Trying to remember more details it was slowly coming back to him, he had become adjusted enough to the pain to allow him to think. A small hut in the countryside where he spent his days playing with bunsen burners and glass test tubes; his parents warned him of the various dangers he would encounter when he would eventually leave for the city when he was older.

    His thoughts were cut short as the crowd began to move behind the blinding lights pointed at him, and before Owen knew it, the light intensity grew and the tubes stuck directly into his veins began to pump a lethal amount of morphine as the pain began to dull. A brief moment of respite for sure but he could only wonder why they were doing this to him. Attempting to scream, attempting to ask any question only caused a raspy muffled scream/

    He couldn¡¯t maintain consciousness, and by this point he had to accept that he was going to die here.

    Owens'' dreamless sleep abruptly ended once more when the sound of the glass around him smashing rang through his ears, the feeling of fresh air hitting his face was a shock at first, followed by a sudden vertigo caused by falling to the ground of the tube. His skin sizzled, his hair burned laying atop the broken shards of glass that threatened to pierce his skin but failed to do so. Despite it all, it was welcome, he was free.

    His body was still numb from the amount of morphine flowing through his system but his eyes functioned just fine, and what he was met with was a horrifying sight. A large, older man, almost eight feet tall stood over him from the other side of the broken glass. The old man''s brow furrowed and eyes staring directly through him. Thank the All-Mother looks could only do emotional damage, but that''s where a fist the size of Owen''s head came in and a punch directly to the gut knocked a large portion of the acids out of his mouth and out across the man''s arm.

    Though it sizzled away the fabric of his clothing, along with the layers of skin on his arm, Owen watched as the skin began to rapidly repair itself. ¡°Do you need to be so aggressive all the time?¡± A much lighter toned feminine voice asked from nearby.

    Finally getting his senses back and the first thing that assaulted his nose was that disgusting scent of rotting meat with fruity undertones of decaying flesh. Then the sight of the lab followed; the machinery smashed to pieces with tools strewn about.

    It was as if he had blocked out the rest of the room, at least from his memory of the event, but the bodies¡­ oh the bodies. What one could only assume were the men who had been watching him within the vat had all been slaughtered. Blood strewn across the walls along with their faces left as smears on the floor, their bodies being piled up together in front of a Ratling.

    The short humanoid rat creature that resembled mostly a child in its stature held up one of her arms, revealing a series of black markings that glowed through her fur. The glow created a rippling effect against the fur before her hand slipped directly inside. A bottle was removed and the runes lost their glow.

    ¡°There is no sympathy for someone like him,¡± the man said, which pulled Owen¡¯s attention back to him, once again followed by a fist to the gut. The last of the acids leaving his lungs across the man''s face this time. ¡°Who do you work for?¡± he asked sternly, ignoring the burning sensation once more.

    Owen could only sputter, and even if he could speak, he had no idea. He only recognised the man but that was as much as his brain could process right about now.

    His assailant seemed quite irate with the lack of response.

    If the smell of rotting bodies wasn¡¯t bad enough, the Ratling had uncorked the bottle¡­ Kerosine. They planned to burn the place to the ground.

    ¡°Come on, we have to go,¡± she said as she began to splash the flammable liquid everywhere.

    The old man finally relented from his assault on Owens gut and reached up to snap the chains holding him in place. ¡°You are coming with us. You have a lot to answer for.¡± His tone implied that Owen was some form of enemy, but what had he done wrong?

    All he had done was go to work like he always had, and now all of this happened. If anyone was to blame for whatever this was, it was the boss. That disgusting old man with no sense of personal hygiene did this.

    Owen hardly had the strength to move at this point so when the Ratling pulled a large tarp out of that same dimensional pocket and placed it flat on the ground. The man placed Owen in the centre and the last thing he remembered seeing was the two of them staring down at him, before he was wrapped up within it as if he was one of the corpses to be taken to the abbey.

    He was hoisted over the man''s shoulder. Moments later he could smell the black smoke and the horrible scent of burning flesh.

    From his position over his shoulder he could hear the conversation the two had when they left the scene of the crime. The man asked the rat ¡°Did you get everything?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did!¡± the rat replied; the conversation sounding so¡­ casual for the state they had left those bodies and that building in. She continued ¡°I stored the notes so we can review them and decide to burn them later if needs be. Anything else of importance was destroyed.¡±

    ¡°We cannot be so sure.¡± the man replied. Of the two he was much more serious. ¡°There were a lot of men there. Who knows how many of them had sent letters of what they learned.¡±

    Owen attempted to focus and use his senses to determine where they were going. A lot of chatter and the smell of the myriad of spices and baked goods that he would often be tempted into purchasing before getting to work. The strongest coffee in the world followed which was what got him through most of his days. That could only mean they were on 4th avenue, the path that he took to get to work from the dingy apartment he could hardly afford.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The burning smell had finally stopped by then and he could focus on the conversation the two had but once they had confirmed the situation they both fell completely silent. At least not verbally communicating anymore.

    If Owen had to make a guess, it wasn¡¯t for another hour that either of them said anything and what was said was simply ¡°Home sweet home.¡± from the rat. It sounded like the floor was made of some form of smooth stone, and even with his sense of smell he could not pinpoint where they were by this point.

    Unfortunately he didn¡¯t have the time to try to think deeper on what the smell exactly was because the next thing he knew was the numbed impact of hitting a cold and solid ground after the man tossed him. The tarp unrolled as he tumbled back into a wall which finally gave him his first view of the prison cell he had been thrown into.

    The older man stood on the other side of the cell bars holding what looked to be a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. The sound of the very large man sitting on the tiny stool he had made it sound like it was close to breaking at any moment.

    Motor functions were returning by now and Owen could sit up, slumping back against the wall as the man looked up from the board. ¡°You can move, good. Can you speak?¡± He asked, impatiently tapping the pen against the board.

    ¡°I can¡­¡± Owen managed to squeak out in a hoarse tone, that awful taste still lingering despite his sense of taste being numbed.

    ¡°Even better, we can start.¡± He responded, writing something down before he flipped over the page. ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Owen Vice,¡± he told truthfully. There was little sense in lying to them at this point.

    The man nodded, taking notes and moved on to his next question ¡°Who do you work for?¡±

    Well, he worked for the alchemist guild, which the ratling should have known given the majority of the guild was run by her kind so a quick question would reveal the identity of everyone who worked there. Still, he found it best to answer ¡°I can¡¯t remember his name¡­ He was old, short, scruffy white hair, hardly had any sense of personal hygiene¡­ I was an intern.¡±

    He continued taking notes as Owen talked and continued to his next question once Owen finished, ¡°How long have you been associated with your current boss?¡±

    ¡°About a month..?¡± It was a guess but as far as he could remember before his memory went hazy, that was how long he had been within the city since the alchemists guild paid for his transfer after he had graduated.

    ¡°Were you a willing participant in this experiment?¡±

    ¡°My memory of what happened is hazy,¡± Owen responded, remembering what his boss said ¡°He said he was proud I volunteered for this, but I can¡¯t see myself ever willingly doing this¡­¡±

    ¡°Who paid for the experiment?¡±

    That was one he had no idea of. He had a few thoughts but at the end of the day they would be nothing but guesses. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Owen answered.

    ¡°How effective do you think the procedure was?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what this ¡®procedure¡¯ was supposed to do,¡± Owen spat, unable to hold back being snarky, quickly realising that was the wrong choice of words given the look on the man''s face.

    Before his next question could be answered a door opened nearby and the same voice of the Ratling from before saying ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be the mastermind behind this.¡±

    ¡°As if this fool could be the mastermind behind anything,¡± the man responded. A tad cruel of a response, but he justified his statement with ¡°He¡¯s a recent graduate.¡±

    The ratling approached, this time wearing some thin robes with blackened tribal symbols and frills on the ends of the sleeves. She was holding up a few burnt scraps and said ¡°Someone was trying very hard to erase any evidence of this, but it seems that this guild was consistently requesting interns from various guilds and schools around the continent the last two months.¡±

    ¡°Now why would they try to hide that?¡± The man asked. Closing over the sheets he had he stood and reminded Owen just how large he was. Placing the clipboard on the chair he continued ¡°It is quite common for guilds to request interns.¡±

    ¡°Well, trying to hide it means that something nefarious was going on with them,¡± the rat thought aloud, rubbing at her chin before turning its attention to Owen. ¡°Do you remember much of your time there? It is common for memories to be a bit muddled after what you went through.¡±

    At least she seemed kinder than the interrogator. Owen needed a moment to reflect but he did tell them what he knew. ¡°As much as I can remember, I was the only intern there. The guild recently sent me out on request after I graduated. It was supposed to be my big break into the industry¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, perhaps it is time we ask some questions around town,¡± she said to the older man. Kindly enough, she finally decided to tell him ¡°My name is Swiss and grumpy here is Alister. I am sorry, but we are going to need you to wait in here while we do some investigation.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Was all he could say. Not like he had a choice given the situation.

    Swiss approached and peeled back the sleeve of their robes to reach within those odd black markings again. This time she pulled out what seemed to be a set of clothing and tossed them through the bars ¡°Do cover yourself up while we are gone. As flattered as Alister may be, I would rather not come into a naked interrogation.¡±

    His state of indecency was something that had slipped his mind in all of the commotion. Clamouring to pick up the bundle of clothes that seemed to be a bit large for him. At this point he had to take whatever he could get. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Owen eventually responded while using them to cover his lap while they remained here.

    ¡°See, a bit of kindness goes a long way,¡± Swiss mocked before turning on her heel and confidently marching out of the hallway.

    Alister gave Owen another stern look but once he was done reviewing what Swiss had said he tapped the bars gently which caused a ringing to echo through the cobblestone halls of the prison ¡°If we confirm our suspicions then we will re consider the current arrangement.¡±

    He swiftly left and Owen was left with his own thoughts in the dark and lonely halls.

    Suddenly when he was not on high alert from the sudden change of situation the cold hit him like a train. A welcome feeling at first after the pure hellfire that was that tube.

    Eventually came the idea that perhaps he should put on that set of clothing that Swiss had given him. It was surprisingly good quality given the situation. A pair of underwear along with a brown tunic and white undershirt with some loose fitting pants and a thin pair of shoes that did enough to combat the dangers of being barefoot to be worth wearing.

    He was given time to soak in the atmosphere, and the atmosphere was thick. Not in a pleasant way, more in a ¡®you are going to rot in here¡¯ kind of way. The cell across the hall was empty thankfully with identical objects from the small bed in the corner and toilet on the further side. Checking the sink next to it showed that it had a very weak stream of water. Just enough to wash your hands but not much else could be done unless you were some form of advanced hydromancer¡­ Even then, one would struggle with a stream so flaccid it could be likened to a monk in a brothel.

    There wasn¡¯t even a window to make heads or tails of where he was. Finally once he was dressed and ready to do what he could in here, he took the time to smell the air to see what he could find.

    It was remarkably clean smelling for a prison. Usually one would expect a mixture of sweat and acrid odours of chloroform and other such cleaning supplies, if not blood and refuse depending on the prison. Instead it smelled quite sterile. There were very few smells he could make out, and the ones he could most likely came from himself.

    He wasn¡¯t planning to taste anything he found in here so that was all the information he could get until he heard the door eventually opening down the hall. This time he could hear only one set of footsteps and based on what he had heard before it was Swiss. Far lighter and faster than Alisters given her short stature.

    She stood by the cell door and waved a key. Owen wasn¡¯t sure if she was just here to mock him, but he chose to stay silent until she stated their reasoning for being here. ¡°Your story seems to hold up with the locals. That means we have one more step to go through before we can finish up what is going on here.¡±

    ¡°What in the hell is even going on here?¡± Owen finally asked, feeling like he had been left in the dark over the most important thing in this crime drama. Why was he being treated like a damn criminal?

    ¡°Did Alister skip over the most important detail?¡± she asked, seeming quite exasperated at the idea ¡°I swear, that man¡­¡±

    Swiss spent a few moments pondering the best way to tell him the news and eventually pulled up the same stool Alister was using. Moving the clipboard off of it, she needed a hop to get up. Reading what Alister had written down and mumbling ¡°Oh of course¡­¡±

    Lowering the board she grinned widely, which was quite unnerving to see given the ratlings wide sets of sharp incisors. Owen was unsure if the grin was supposed to assure him he was speaking with a friend, or a threat.

    Luckily for him, it was meant to be assuring. He wasn¡¯t going to be the one to tell them that it certainly had the opposite effect. ¡°So, I imagine you have very few memories of the last few days, correct?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yeah, the last thing I remember was clocking into work what I assume was a few days ago.¡± he explained, it finally felt like something was going right and he was going to get some form of answers.

    She took some notes at the same time and then explained ¡°Dissociative amnesia. The process that you went through was quite traumatic so the brain is shutting off access to the memories. Give it some time and you will remember, but most wish they didn¡¯t.¡±

    Owen shifted awkwardly in his cell at the idea. If the pain he went through in that tube was anything to go off of, it probably was best that those memories stayed in the past. She saw his hesitation and brought his attention back around by clicking her fingers. ¡°However, the process that you underwent seems to have been forced on you. A procedure that practised highly forbidden magic and alchemy.¡±

    Instead of simply telling him like a normal person would, she held up a small hand and formed a spear of ice inches from his face. ¡°A long story short. They made you immortal.¡± She said, pushing her hand forward and the shard moved backwards slightly before aiming and spearing itself directly into his chest.

    The force was enough to knock Owen back across the cell into the wall and knock the air out of his lungs as it shattered on impact, sending shards of ice upwards into his face. Of course, he panicked and brought his hands up as quickly as he could to help reduce the bleeding, unable to shout through the immediate shock of the very real pain.

    What he found was¡­ Concerning. Placing his hands on his chest there was a clear hole through the tunic that he had been given, his chest was completely unharmed. Even the trace amounts of what chest hair he had in the first place remained unchanged.

    Finally he could breathe again and Swiss laughed a dirty cackle as if this was the funniest thing she had ever seen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She began with a bow of the head. ¡°It is simply a treat to see someone''s first reaction.¡±

    Though he struggled to understand the idea that he was immortal. Attaining immortality was always seen as one of the highest offences one could commit against The Spire, as much was burned into his mind as a child.

    He assumed that Swiss expected him to break down, have some form of panic attack that they had most likely seen on several occasions given their previous statements¡­ But what he felt was nothing close to despair. What he felt was jubilation.

    She noticed the smile creeping across his face which in turn caused her to raise a brow ¡°You certainly seem happy about this.¡±

    ¡°How could I not?¡± He asked in an elated response. Beginning to pace back and forth his mind was racing with the forms of potions he could work on, and the types of ingredients he could now use without fear. It opened an entirely new world, and he let Swiss know that. ¡°Do you know what the biggest limiting factor of science is?¡± He asked

    ¡°Uhh¡­ funding?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Well¡­ Yes, but also mortality!¡± He exclaimed ¡°Do you know how many potions I can test without fear of side effects? I can test the uses of narrowart outside of poisons without the fear of poisoning whoever drinks it,¡± coming more animated as he wondered what he could do first, ¡°I could potentially even work with acids and see what I can extract from the corrosive substance! Imagine all the breakthroughs I could make!¡±

    He once again felt at his chest and turned back to her on the spot ¡°And think of all the money I can save not having to pay for people to try my potions? I can be my own test subject¡±

    Swiss seemed amused with his reaction and when he finally gave her time to respond, she said ¡°An alchemist through and through.¡± The jubilation was not to last as Swiss did need to inform him of what happened next. ¡°While I am happy you have reacted better than a majority that have had immortality forced onto them, we still need a plan going forward here. We cannot let immortals just freely roam the world. What you are, is still considered a great crime.¡±

    ¡°What, am I going to be left in this prison?¡± He asked without much thought before it left his lips. Even then, if they provided ingredients for him he may not be too against the idea.

    The look across the ratlings face once again was a cause for confusion. Owen wasn¡¯t the most social butterfly with his own race, let alone trying to read the body language of another. ¡°We won¡¯t need that, hopefully. What we will need is to take you to visit our boss.¡± Swiss explained, impatiently kicking her feet while taking down more notes.

    Owen paused for a moment, wondering who would be leading a group that hunts down labs that were committing forbidden magic. Though, unfortunately, he felt he knew who it was¡­

    She hopped down from the chair and put the notes she had been taking within that space inside the runes and said ¡°Would you like the good news, or the bad news first?¡±

    ¡°The good news..?¡± Owen hesitantly asked.

    ¡°The good news is that you are now immortal!

    The bad news is we might have to kill you.¡±

 Chapter 2: Judgement

    The City of Souls¡­ Death¡¯s Door¡­ The Final Rest¡­ The Dragons Nest.

    The capital had many names but all conveyed the same meaning. This was the place where life and death circulated.

    A giant tower stood in the exact centre of the city that spanned for miles and upon that tower coiled a mighty dragon of pristine scales that changed colours and horns of pure ivory. Most common folk would know what purpose it served as it was a topic of discussion by all from children''s idle stories to scholarly research. There wasn¡¯t a corner of the globe that didn¡¯t know of Psychopomps and its influence.

    The giant preserved the cycle of life and death for the very world.

    Owen was allowed to walk without restraints between the two through the cobbled streets from the entrance of the city. Well, without restraints was a tad bit of an overstatement as both of them stood either side of him and he could feel their gaze burn holes through the back of his head. If he had attempted anything there was no doubt it would have been mere moments before he was pinned to the ground and carried in a tarp yet again.

    Alister seemed to want to let Owen know that they were watching by occasionally placing his hand atop his shoulder and squeezing with such force one would think he was trying to break it.

    Owen wished his first trip to the capital would have been under better circumstances. He had always wanted to sit at a cosy restaurant in a back alley during the night so he could watch the spectacle that was the dragon over a nice meal with someone that he cared for.

    Instead he found himself walking like a criminal towards the giant creature for something that seemed to have been in no way his fault according to Swiss.

    In a breath-taking scene, an ethereal panorama unfolded before his eyes. Above, a vast expanse of sky stretched endlessly, its once star speckled canvas transformed into an otherworldly spectacle. Instead of stars, countless souls meandered through the firmament, their forms flickering with an iridescent glow.

    Each light represented a soul once living upon this plane of existence, each embodying the hopes and dreams of someone who until recently shared this very land with Owen¡­ Each slowly making its way towards the dragon that coiled the tower, Its scales shimmering with a myriad of colours, reflecting the luminescence of the souls it absorbed.

    Entering the dragon''s aura the souls underwent what was only considered a divine purification. A glow emanating from the creature that acted as a beacon for the city. Passing through this aura the souls one and all whispered stories into the dragon''s ear. Each soul presented a lifetime of experiences in the blink of an eye to the majestic servant of fate.

    Once the dragon was done listening to the souls tale it would accept them into its gentile care, cradling them into a soft oblivion that purified the soul of any burden, of any strife. An embrace that Owen would apparently never experience.

    Tonight was a night that many would anticipate. The dragon stirred from its perch and spiralled up towards the heavens. It''s scales encompassing the same shimmering colours. Blocking the moon, the dragon let out a loud and terrifying roar that caused Owen to pause in his tracks, simply to admire the beauty.

    With this roar it flapped its arms downward which created a large gust of wind through the entire city that would have caused Owen to stumble backwards if not for Alister placing his hand on his back.

    Raising its head high into the sky and staring to the vast expanses of the stars above the dragons scales began to illuminate brighter, the souls almost shivering in anticipation for when the dragon let out one final roar that shook the foundations of the city and caused the souls to fire off like a beam of light into the nights sky, returning to the vast expanses of the universe in hopes of reaching the embrace of the All-Mother.

    ¡°Seems the boss is busy today.¡± Swiss added, the streets left in a stunned silence for a brief but powerful moment. The sounds of chatter slowly building again when the moment needed to soak in what had just happened ended.

    ¡°This won''t take much of his time.¡± Alister assured, and that was the last thing they said for the remnants of the trip.

    Approaching the tower through the main street it got even more nerve wracking watching the giant dragon pay them no heed as if they were no more than insects to it. The city seemed to have even been built to accommodate it as the main street approaching the dragon was huge and led from the entrance directly to the tower it called home.

    Once they approached the large bulked gates surrounding the courtyard of the tower, Swiss flashed a sigil at a giant that sat with one knee held high to lean on and a leg stretched out to block the entryway. His long and scruffy hair hid most of his face, apart from the long nose that poked out from behind the veil.

    Seeing the sigil he nodded and removed his leg from blocking their path and stayed his hand from the giant club that lay next to him. Assumedly to be used if someone tried to force entry. It felt like they were going to some form of business meeting with the head of the alchemists society with all these precautions. ¡°Surely the dragon could easily protect itself?¡± Owen thought. ¡°Perhaps it was to protect us instead¡± he continued to mull over. If anyone managed to wander in, who knew what it would do to them.

    The grounds of the tower''s base was also a sight to behold, a lavish and lush green garden with large amounts of topiaried bushes and plants. Most resembling some form of dragon or wyrm.

    A path led directly into the tower below the dragon, its tail covered the door. Where they were going however was off of the beaten path. To the left of the path past the well trimmed hedges there was a large circular area of cut grass with stones lined up around in shrinking circles until the centre had what Owen could only assume to be a podium upon it.

    They took him along with them until they stood atop the podium which from the looks of its position sat within eye view of the dragon. Alister however made sure to get its attention by placing his hand into the air and in a swirl of wind caused the podium below to glow.

    Owen would be lying if he said that he was not terrified of what was about to happen. This was an ancient deity that has been around since the beginning of the world itself. What in the world could it want with someone like him?

    Ready or not, he was about to find out.

    The dragon slowly lowered its head from its resting position when it sensed the magic and saw the glow. ¡°Ah, Alister and Swiss,¡± it began, though its words were clearly not any language Owen had ever heard, he could understand it, as if it was speaking directly into his mind. ¡°Is this the result of the mission?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Alister responded.

    Swiss stepped in to continue the explanation and she seemed to at least be on Owen¡¯s side. ¡°A victim of the real culprit. All evidence we have gathered points towards the fact he was an unwilling participant of this experiment,¡± she continued to detail the evidence that they had found from speaking with the locals. ¡°Several new recruits had come to the lab in the last months but when we checked the ledgers, and testimony from Owen here show that there are no records of any. Looking at the records there was also no mention of Owen, they most likely planned to scrub all records and get rid of the body if the experiment failed.¡±

    Owen wasn¡¯t sure if it was his place to speak here but the dragon noticed his expression and turned its attention to him ¡°You may speak, immortal,¡± it stated calmly.

    He found it difficult to speak at first, as if a thousand needles had stabbed directly into his throat. Unable to form the words, it leaned its head down towards him and as its giant eye came into view, dwarfing his form, he could feel it prodding within his mind with ease.

    It hummed for a moment as a blink of the eye caused his mind to feel as numb as his throat for a moment and leaning back up to its perch the titan slowly rested its head against the tower once more ¡°I have seen enough,¡± was all it said at first.

    It sent a chill down his spine, unsure of what that phrase even meant for the few moments before it spoke once more. ¡°Child of man, what has happened to you is beyond nature. While I cannot offer you a cure, I can offer you a choice.¡± The two standing either side of Owen stood to attention as he could only imagine the dragon''s voice echoed through all of their minds. ¡°Though your body may be immortal, your soul may be removed from it in this early stage. If you desire freedom from your fate then allow me to cleanse you before your soul and body become one, merged for eternity.¡±

    The first choice wasn¡¯t one that he was excited about, who would be? Hardly even a month past 23 and he was being told his first option out of this fate was death. Luckily it continued on to the second option, one he truly wasn¡¯t prepared for. ¡°Secondly,¡± it stated. ¡°You may choose to stay and put your immortality to use. The cycle of life and death is one that is very important for this world. It ensures that life flourishes and that nature continues to blossom. If the cycle of life and death were to become disrupted then the world would fall into chaos and ultimately, perish.¡±

    Its gaze filled his mind with images of the land desolate and blackened. Only the tower remained with the dragon coiled, the soil falling to ash and decay, it continued ¡°This is the future we wish to avoid. While I may be eternal, as are you, the world is not. It may one day become unsustainable for any life other than our own. So my second offer to you is that you join our cause and use this new found immortality to steer humanity towards a vibrant and prosperous future.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. The options from here on out were death, or eternal servitude. He struggled to even fathom the idea of either.

    The dragon clearly noted the hesitation and most likely expected it as it continued ¡°I know it is a difficult question to answer at once so I shall grant you until morning to come up with an answer. Though I must request you stay within the room provided. Swiss will lead you there.¡±

    Its giant, snake-like tail began to move once it was finished speaking and it eventually revealed a metal door that had no visible form of handle or lock nearby. Swiss grabbed his hand and pulled his head out of the clouds by pulling it down to their level ¡°Come on!¡±

    Once at the door they placed a hand up on it and with a wave of magic, a loud clunking noise was heard from the other side. Owen was expecting the door to open up to another jail cell where he would get to spend a lovely night on the cold floor. To his surprise the door opened to a regular room. Fitted quite well with a bed on the far right corner and a wooden partition in the middle of the room separating the sleeping area from an area that had a small kitchen and a stocked pantry with a dining table near the countertop.

    ¡°Well, here we are,¡± Swiss said as he stepped inside. She stayed by the door and as they began to make an exit stopped and peered back in at Owen. ¡°If you decide to join us and need someone to talk to, come find me. I got mine in a similar way.¡±

    She didn¡¯t give time to react before the door was closed and ultimately locked from the other side. It was a much nicer room, but still a prison cell after all. Right now that didn¡¯t matter. Owen was starving and luckily for him, the pantries were stocked with enough ingredients to make his mothers ¡®town wide famous¡¯ meat pies.

    As he lay out the ingredients to make the crust he couldn''t help but dip a finger into water and then the flour to test how fresh it was. The simple taste was quite surprising as not only was it less than a week old, it had been imported from the third region of Kiln to the east. They always had a very specific type of feed they strew across the wheat that left a somewhat faint but nutty aftertaste.

    The meat on the other hand smelled as if it was butchered the morning before, and luckily with a knife cut so fine that there was no nasty lingering metallic stench clinging to the outer layers that often upset his very delicate sense of smell.

    Having time to cook again gave him a brief respite from the stress of the last few hours and allowed him to clear his mind so he could tackle the situation at hand. Placing some tinder into the open stone stove and a click of his fingers to ignite a spark that set it alight he was able to place the dishes in on the rack to begin cooking.

    While it slowly cooked he moved to the table to take a seat with a tankard of ale that had the distinct smell of the sea. A brand he had before on the celebration party that his father threw when he graduated and got his offer to come to the city. ¡°What a fat load of good that did me,¡± he thought as he stared into his rippling reflection upon the surface of his ale.

    Simply the smell of the pies in the oven was enough to give a sense of security. A feeling of being home once more while his mother prepared a feast for the whole town. Something he wholly missed and wondered if he was ever going to get to experience again.

    Distractions aside, he was in a better space at this time to think about the option that was given. Of course he didn¡¯t want to die, who would? On the other hand, did he truly want to live forever? If this was his only chance to resist an eternal life he would need to think carefully about his future.

    The more he thought about it, the simpler the answer became.

    Surprisingly he slept like a log that night. Amazing what a warm bed and lack of agonising pain would do for your sleep schedule. Cleaning the dishes from the night before and placing them back where he got them he was ready to face Psychopomps once more.

    He seemed to sense Owens willingness to give an answer as not long after the last tray was placed away the door to the room opened with a loud clicking noise of the lock sliding away. Swiss opened the door, quite taken aback by the smell before she said ¡°Well, something smells good in here.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, it''s probably the fact I haven¡¯t showered,¡± he tried to joke but his face betrayed the playful nature by being coated in a thick ooze of worry and anxiety.

    The ratling hardly gave a chuckle and seemed more confused than anything ¡°Uh¡­ Okay!¡± She began, waving a hand to usher Owen outside ¡°Boss man will see you now about your answer.¡±

    He decided to not dwell on the failed joke and instead chose to worry about speaking with a dragon that could easily erase him from existence instead. Life was full of choices like that.

    Alister was already waiting for the two outside and once upon the podium again the large creature''s eyes fixated on Owen and without moving its mouth he heard its voice echo within his mind ¡°I can see across your face what answer you have come to, but I would like to hear you say it.¡±

    He was nervous while standing face to face with the dragon to say the least, but he had already decided on his answer so he opened his mouth to respond but it cut him off at first ¡°You should know, my orders will be absolute,¡± Its tone sinister and its gaze serious ¡°If I order you to kill something, you kill it. No matter what moral compass you have.¡±

    He had anticipated this already, hard to imagine working as some form of secret service for a deity without having to do some things that he may not agree with. It didn¡¯t change his mind and he finally responded, without being interrupted this time ¡°I can work on alchemy for an eternity?¡± he began, something that had excited him about the idea ¡°Not only that, I can work with dangerous ingredients to create things that no average alchemist could even dream of.¡±

    It was hard to tell what the expression on the dragon''s face was, but from what he thought it was, it was some form of interest in the reasoning. ¡°A man dedicated to your craft?¡± It asked.

    ¡°Alchemy is all I ever wanted to do since I was young.¡± Owen explained, remembering those few moments as a child when he watched the alchemists wander through town with their carts of mystical ingredients. Standing at the front of the crowd to watch them mix up miracle cures for the ill in the town square. The nights he spent half asleep in his mothers study while she prepared batches of potions that had been ordered from the neighboring towns.

    ¡°Then you have accepted your fate.¡± The dragon responded. Its head moved down from the coiled position it sat in to stare at Owen, in which he could see his own reflection against the gleam of the giant eye.

    Uncertainty overwhelmed him as he stared into the creature''s eye as it seemed to judge him. Not just physically, but it felt as if it stared right through him. The silence was overwhelming and Owen felt his heart beat faster with each passing moment.

    Once again it spoke ¡°Swiss, if you would be so kind,¡± to which the ratling bowed and reached within her markings to pull out a sheet with various types of magic on it.

    Handing it to Owen, the dragon explained ¡°Alchemy may be a passion, but as a group, magic is also very important. Choose one from this list to be trained in as each has a unique purpose to serve.¡±

    Owen was taken aback by such a list, it had the basic magics of course though they were crossed out as he could naturally assume others already covered those areas. What shocked him was ones that he had never heard of before such as magma sorceries which sounds like it was a natural disaster waiting to happen. Some were even downright illegal, such as the practice of blood magic, polymorphism, soul links, and mind magic.

    He was sure that every form of magic to ever exist and even those that didn¡¯t exist anymore were written on this sheet. Now the question was what would he choose.

    There''s no doubt he had a curiosity connected to a type of magic such as necromancy or blood magic. Said curiosity was trumped by the disgusted feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach remembering the feeling of existing within that test tube, just another research specimen for a group of power hungry alchemists. He didn¡¯t want to force that on to anyone else, especially from beyond the grave.

    Shaking his head to erase those thoughts as if he were wiping an eraser against his chalkboard he asked ¡°What of these spells, sir?¡± Unsure how he could point to them.

    Psychopomps already had an answer prepared as the large dragon stated ¡°Legality matters little for one of our group. I keep you all in line, not the law. It just so happens that I agree with these little rules the mortals have put in place often.¡±

    Owen wasn¡¯t sure if that was the answer he wanted, but it was the answer he got so he returned his gaze to the sheet and thought once more about what he would want to study. ¡°Necromancy and blood magic I understand, something that is quite forbidden all around the world,¡± he stated as his eyes glazed the page, ultimately settling on one. ¡°But what does mind magic entail?¡±

    Alister stepped in to explain for the dragon, puffing his chest as if needing to appear like authority when he already was. ¡°Mind magic is quite dangerous in the wrong hands. It is a type of deep seeded magic that allows one to read the inner most thoughts of their victims. You would be able to discern emotions and read someone''s true intentions.¡±

    That was enough to perk up Owen''s attention, a very interesting type of magic indeed that would allow him to truly understand who he was talking to. Alister noticed the sudden enthusiasm and added ¡°You will also be able to influence others thoughts to a degree. This will be strictly used against people of interest, and not to be used against innocent civilians unless deemed absolutely necessary.¡±

    ¡°Of course, that makes sense.¡± Owen responded, but it was clear to all that his mind was made up.

    Before he could even announce which magic he had chosen, Psychopomps spoke to them once more ¡°I see you have chosen. In doing so, a task shall be given.¡±

    Within an instant a small light flashed in front of Owen, revealing what seemed to be a metal emblem of sorts. It contained an image of the spire with a somewhat cartoonish depiction of the dragon coiling around it. The outer ring of the crest contained runes that Owen had no ability to read in his current state.

    ¡°Take this,¡± Psychopomps began, allowing the crest to fall into Owen¡¯s hand and reveal that it was quite a bit heavier than he expected it to be, causing him to stumble slightly. ¡°This crest will allow you access to information kept from the public. Present it to officials and mages alike to prove your affiliation with the spire.¡±

    Alister waited once more to speak, explaining the more day to day uses that the dragon had no need for. ¡°It also allows you to use public transport free of charge within the seven kingdoms, and often will gain you discounts on magical artefacts.¡±

    The dragon seemed to care not for his explanation and spoke once more to Owen ¡°There are a species of moles that live deep under the earth. They specialise within mind magic to survive. Your task is to go visit them with the information we provide and convince them to come back with you and train you in mind magic. Swiss will accompany you and provide information if you so need it.¡±

    Swiss nodded in response and hopped slightly to attention ¡°You can leave it to me!¡±

    Alister didn¡¯t seem too impressed with the decision, but it seemed the dragon spoke privately with him. Whatever he said caused Alister to gruffly huff and walk off the podium towards the tower''s main entrance.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going.¡± Swiss said as she once again rummaged through those runic marks that were somehow etched into her fur, creating a rippling effect around her arm before she pulled out a small notebook. ¡°All the information we have on the moles is in here.¡±

    Owen looked over the book for a moment, taking it and keeping a hold of it as he found a pocket to keep the crest inside. ¡°Alright, I will find these moles and bring them back,¡± he stated with his gaze diverted to the dragon.

    Though Psychopomps had returned to his position coiled around the spire in a state of what he assumed was rest.

    The conversation was over.

 Chapter 3: Mole People

    The train ride was quiet at first with Swiss allowing Owen to read through the notes that had been taken on the moles. All they had to do was flash the crest to the conductor and they were allowed on the train bound for Agdyne.

    It was a small village not far from The Dragons Nest but it was where the search would begin. According to the notes the moles primarily lived underground and would only surface by mistake if they had gotten confused by something interfering with their sense of direction.

    They had razor sharp claws that they would use to dig through the dirt and create tunnels for traversing. This was where their mind magic came in and they would project a small mental wave of sorts to let other moles know that they were nearby to prevent each other from digging into the others tunnels.

    It stood to reason that their eyesight was quite poor due to living underground along with communicating through mental waves. It left Owen mostly concerned with what could someone like him even offer these moles that would convince them to train him.

    It¡¯s not like any race would simply hand over the secrets to their signature magic for the promise of some coin. Especially if the coin was completely useless to them. Not unless they found the shiny pieces alluring.

    Primarily nomadic in nature they only came together in times of mating, where the newborns would stay with the mother until they were developed enough to be taken by the father and taught mind magic, then thrust into the world on their own to forge their own path when training was complete.

    After a while of reading, he placed the book down and returned to thinking ¡°Access to infinite gold isn¡¯t something that is going to help here.¡± He said aloud to stir up conversation with Swiss, who was currently enthralled with the scenery as she stood on her seat to watch it pass.

    She turned her attention from the window and sat on the seat regularly once more. ¡°Sometimes you need to think of more of what a client needs, rather than what they want,¡± a cryptic hint to say the least but it did give him some food for thought. Returning to thinking hard about the problem at hand. She let him mull over his options as he would ponder mostly on the fact that as a race they seemed quite fragmented.

    ¡°Perhaps some form of teaching them language?¡± He asked aloud, hoping that Swiss could share her input on his ideas. ¡°It would allow them to communicate with those above and perhaps even make trade agreements,¡± the ratling suggested for a moment but ultimately shook her head at the idea ¡°What would they even have to trade?¡±

    ¡°They could train others in the forms of magic they seem to be the sole owners of.¡± He reasoned, though remembering that this magic was considered highly illegal in most parts of the world. Just letting the world know that these moles not only practised it, but used it in their daily lives may cause a stigma before they had even advanced sufficiently enough to be considered a society by the king.

    Returning to his thoughts he watched the scenic forestry soon part ways through the window to reveal large open fields as far as the eye could see. The green grass filled to the brim with animals and monsters alike. The latter seems to grow stronger and more prominent every year.

    Though that wasn¡¯t his problem at this current time, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

    Luckily the trains were warded and often patrolled by goons hired by the company to fight off any monsters or bandits that attempted to board at any point. It reminded him of the time that he came to the capital of the seven kingdoms during the war to study alchemy at the Rosemary academy.

    A lot of attacks happened on trains during the war and when bandits attempted to get on board the wards activated and each room locked keeping him inside with the other passengers he shared a booth with. Outside, the guards dealt with the bandits before they could even begin to crack the wards.

    Returning from his memories he once again read over the information that he had. A nomadic group that communicates through mental waves that project intents into the recipient''s mind. Agriculture may not be what they want, or need at this point given they seem to survive just fine within the tunnels and whatever food source they already have.

    Swiss watched him struggle to come up with something and once again gave her own hint towards what might help. ¡°I remember a very long time ago, the ratlings used to just be considered another subspecies of monsters. Until the Queen at the time granted us the title of advanced civilization.¡±

    He perked up when she spoke, closing the book once more using a finger to mark the page he was on. ¡°Hard to imagine,¡± he replied, as far as he knew they had been in charge of the council of alchemy for decades at this point.

    ¡°It was a very long time ago, as you can imagine being immortal you live to see a lot. The history of entire kingdoms passes in the blink of an eye,¡± she continued, reaching into her pocket space once more to pull out what seemed to be an ancient coin. Given the condition that it was in and the markings it was probably worth far more than the entire estate Owen¡¯s family owned plus double.

    She flicked it into the air with a satisfying clang before catching it when it slapped against her palm. It was likely she had time to perfect the technique but she soon rolled the coin between two of her fingers to show the face of it that contained an engraving of Alexandria, the first queen to rule one of the seven kingdoms under the spire almost nine thousand years ago. ¡°My mother gave me this coin that had been passed down through my family for generations. It was the first coin ever traded for goods and services once Alexandria officially recognised the ratlings as a community and not monsters.¡±

    She held it out, allowing Owen to take a hold of the ancient coin that pre dated anyone in his family''s lineage as far as he could remember. A piece of history so valuable that it deserved to be within a museum. The coin itself was in quite good condition given what he had seen it being used for, the grooves still defined with ¡°In the All Mother we offer our eternal souls¡± engraved around the outer rim. Alexandria was known for many things, but her devotion to religion was one that was often criticised by modern scholars.

    Some went as far as to argue that magic, alchemy, and technology would have advanced threefold during her era if not for the meddling of the church. ¡°A lot to take in, huh?¡± Swiss asked, leaning on the table between them.

    ¡°Holding a piece of history in my hands is quite difficult to process¡­¡± He responded, running his thumb over the indents before he handed it back to her ¡°And you were there for it?¡±

    That got a snort from Swiss, her snout wrinkling as she let out a series of short chirping noises that he could only assume was laughter given her body language. ¡°Do I look <i>that </i>old?¡± She asked.

    ¡°You know, neither of you looked your age, I imagine,¡± he argued in his defence.

    Once her bursts of chirping came to an end she placed the coin back into her pocket space and said ¡°No, no. I may be immortal but I am the most recent before you. Probably about five hundred years. I just know a lot about my people''s history.¡±

    Five hundred years¡­ That was such a long time, far beyond the scope of any mortal and yet here she was, speaking of it as if she was some toddler compared to her peers. Though it came to stand that the others must have been far older.

    ¡°If there is a time that your people were not recognised as a society, what was it like back then?¡± Owen asked once he gathered his thoughts.

    ¡°It was a dark time for us, according to the annolds there was no shortage of alchemists in search of a ratling to force their concoctions and scalpels onto given we were the closest thing to humans they were allowed to experiment upon,¡± she explained.

    That caused Owens'' heart to jump slightly into his throat. He knew that his chosen profession wasn¡¯t the most ethical one throughout history but it wasn¡¯t pleasant to hear. Echoes of the old man''s raspy voice filled his mind along with glimpses of his vision trapped within the tube and an all too familiar scent of decay.

    ¡°It is where the term lab rat came from,¡± she responded to his sullen face with a few more quick chitters, pulling him back to reality. ¡°What is in the past is in the past. It is not like you personally victimised my people.¡±

    ¡°Victimisation¡­¡± Owen mumbled, tapping the notepad against the table. His thoughts still lingered upon the lab. Finally, after some time, he felt he had an idea of what he could offer.

    He slapped the notepad down on the table and said ¡°Alright. I have an idea.¡±

    When they made it to Agdyne they were quick off the train and Swiss decided it would be best to lead Owen to where she knew they could access the underground. They had been here a few times to document what they could.

    It was quite well hidden. Swiss explained upon their approach ¡°We had found one of the moles had made it to the surface on a tip from one of our envoys. He had made it to the surface by mistake and we had to help him make it back. From there we gathered all our intel.¡±

    ¡°How are we going to communicate with them given they don¡¯t speak our language, I imagine?¡± Owen asked.

    ¡°Well, being mind readers they can read your intent and infer what needs to be said, then project their response into your mind,¡± she continued to explain as she waved her hand and dispelled a constructed set of rocks that covered a large hole.

    It left Owen quite nervous seeing just how large the hole was ¡°Just how big are these guys..?¡± He asked, given the hole was large enough for them to walk upright into.

    Swiss demonstrated by wiggling her body left to right in a crawling motion. ¡°Well, they crawl on their stomachs so as you can imagine this hole is big enough for them to shimmy though.¡±

    ¡°So standing they would tower over us?¡± He asked, all of a sudden being quite a bit more nervous about meeting them face to face.

    ¡°Just because they are bigger than us doesn¡¯t mean that they are dangerous!¡± Swiss said with a confident huff, puffing her chest with her hands on her waist.

    ¡°Easy for you to say, everyone is bigger than you,¡± Owen responded. It was hard not to find her endearing at times, her boundless optimism and happy attitude was slightly contagious.

    It did little to help in this situation but he was able to get a chuckle out of her fur puffing up ¡°You aren¡¯t even trained yet and you are already rude!¡± He wasn¡¯t able to read the body language of a rat very well but he at least hoped that her tone of voice implied it was more playful banter than genuine annoyance.

    That didn¡¯t matter as it was, a noise came from the tunnel below and once again renewed Owen¡¯s fear with the shifting of earth below them felt through the trembling earth.

    ¡°We have the one willing to talk to us waiting below.¡± Swiss said. With a hop in her step she jumped into the open hole within the earth.

    Owen had little choice now. Taking a deep breath he readied himself and plunged into the earth below. The walls of the tunnel were quite compact, almost feeling like he was walking on a paved road

    The darkness on the other hand, made it feel quite eerie. The deeper they went the more distant the ambient noise of the world above faded and left behind a silence that hung heavy in the air and left Owen tensing with each step. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Soon the silence was shattered by a scraping noise in the back of his head that took him off guard, causing him to quickly look over his shoulder to find no one there. It was uncomfortable, it felt like someone was dragging their nails across the back of his skull which produced a similar noise to doing so across a chalkboard that bounced around the inside of his skull until suddenly¡­ it stopped.

    All the pain and discomfort of the noise just vanished within a moment''s notice, to be replaced with a silence that was now entirely relieving rather than concerning. Walking forward they came into an area of the tunnel that seemed to have been hollowed out even larger than the one that they had appeared from. As if some form of room.

    The relief was short lived as from the darkness finally a figure emerged. A colossal shadow revealed itself to be the form of the mole they came to seek. Its eyes squinted to the point of looking closed while on the opposite end the claws that it had were quite a bit larger than Owen. They looked sharp enough to cut through solid boulders and given they lived down here they most likely did.

    It had a long nose that it used to sniff the air and discern they were there and several whiskers that all reached the edges of the tunnel. While it lay on its stomach while moving this tunnel seemed quite bigger than it which was a tad strange.

    Though he felt as if words were being placed into his mind directly, or more¡­ feelings.

    The mole sensed his confusion at its form and in turn placed a feeling within Owen that it would ¡°show him¡± and at that it began to stand within the tunnel. It soon made more sense as to why this tunnel was so large in showing that it stood on its hind legs. Its form resembled that of a child''s teddy bear with a stout form that happened to be very large in comparison. Owen tried to size himself up to the creature that towered over him that he must have been about a third of its size which made it almost comical the difference between Swiss and the mole.

    His thoughts were interrupted by once again a feeling flowing through his mind, the mole wanted to know what someone from the surface was doing down here with the ratling that helped them return to the underground.

    At that he was still unsure how to communicate with them so he said ¡°I have come to offer a deal in return for learning your ways of mind magic for use by the spire.¡±

    The next feeling was hard to interpret at first but it seemed to be a mocking tone. If the creature could laugh it would at such a request but this message into his mind would have to suffice.

    Owen maintained his stance and once again tried to explain himself ¡°Do you not think to wonder what would happen when those on the surface find out about your abilities?¡± Doing his best to not make it sound like a threat so he added ¡°We can offer a lot of stability and ways to protect yourselves,¡± part of him hoped that being helped once already by the spire would have it feeling like it owed some form of debt.

    Again the mole responded in kind as Owen felt it projected that they had been safe for millennia as it was. While the surface is a threat the moles as a whole did not view the need for stability due to being a secluded race. Letting Owen know that it saw through his visage.

    Swiss watched the interaction but it seemed the mole wasn¡¯t including her in this telepathic conversation so she was mostly trying to discern if this was going well.

    Finally he could piece together only what he could describe as words from the feelings that had been passed within his mind. ¡°The mind speaks truly. Words are manipulated.¡± While he had no idea what that meant, he once again kept his firm stance in front of the beast.

    It seemed amused by the gesture with its whiskers twitching against the walls. ¡°It seems even you look down upon us with such thoughts¡±

    He shook his head to try and clear his mind, moving back slightly and composing himself with a deep breath. This time focusing on his thoughts since words were useless here. The first thought he pushed forward was that for any race a danger exists, and that is those on the surface. Eventually, no matter how careful they are, someone would find out about it down here. The fact they were here was proof of that.

    The mole thought about it for a few minutes and finally responded with ¡°There is some truth to your words but what you offer is vague.¡±

    Of course it was, Owen hardly even had an idea of what he could offer and that was apparent when the mole read his mind. This time he focused his thoughts once more on explaining the story that Swiss had told him.

    The tale of the ratlings and the laboratories that took advantage of them because of their nature and not being recognised as a society. In order to avoid a similar fate at the hands of those willing to bend the rules once it suits them, they would need a form of society. A form of kinship and advanced living that the kingdom could view and grant them the title.

    Owen felt it was a deal that could not be denied at this point, it was an offer of safety for his people and at the cost of training a single person in their magic.

    While the mole seemed hesitant as once again it thought about the implications of what teaching him of their magic would be. ¡°To teach someone such as yourself could take decades with such a primitive and easy to probe mind¡­¡±

    Now that one just felt like a personal attack but it was a valid concern. ¡°Time is indeed of the essence¡­¡± Owen said as he rubbed his chin.

    The next statement seemed vague, but all Owen could do was wait. The mole towered over them and its whiskers twitched before a wave of power rushed over them and echoed through the underground.

    Its face scrunched and the small brow it had furrowed as it did not seem to enjoy the response that it had gotten, letting him know in no uncertain terms ¡°My people do not care for your terms. They claim to not need help from outsiders.¡±

    Owen could feel his heart sink, this would mean his first mission was going to be a failure, along with meaning he would not be able to learn mind magic which he could not deny he was excited at the prospect of. Swiss seemed unphased by the news but it was hard to tell if she knew what was going on.

    ¡°However.¡± The mole added once he was done wallowing in his thoughts of failure. ¡°I fear my people do not know what is best for them and that they are blinded by the ignorance of decades of safety.¡±

    In waiting for Owens'' response it continued to press its thoughts onto the human. ¡°My people may be strong, but I fear for our future and I could not rest knowing I passed up such an opportunity to prevent hardships for them.¡±

    As much as it would have pleased Owen to simply accept and welcome him, he needed a definitive answer ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°Delving into your mind I have seen the depths of depravity the surface dwellers are willing to inflict on their own. One could only imagine what they would be willing to do to one of mine. I accept your terms, Immortal,¡± the creature soon said, which was what he wanted to hear. Pulling his head out of failure to that of success before it once again probed his mind and stated ¡°Your companion has informed me of a compromise on time. We shall grant you, and you alone, access to our teachings. In return you will provide us with what we need to be safe from the surface.¡±

    Owen felt his heart skip a beat as that meant a job well done. The mole once again seemed amused and said ¡°Enjoy these feelings while they last.¡±

    Ominous, and it was enough to cause Owen to stop and stare at it blankly. Before he could try and formulate his thoughts into a question, it stated ¡°From what your companion says, training will be a difficult task in itself.¡±

    It would make sense that the creature capable of reading minds was capable of holding two conversations at once, but that did little to settle his nerves. Swiss simply shot him a smile and a thumbs up when he looked at her direction which also did very little to settle his mind.

    At that, the two left the tunnel once Swiss had finished making her plans with the mole. Somehow she gave him directions to the tower which one would assume he would travel underground.

    ¡°So, three moles will accompany us to our training.¡± She stated once they were approaching the town once more.

    Owen was still currently processing all that happened, but he did eventually reply to her and ask ¡°What form of training is this going to be?¡±

    ¡°Well, what form of training do you think an immortal seer of life and death undergoes?¡± She asked as if it was a foregone conclusion ¡°Rigorous and painful training.¡±

    The journey back to psychopomps was quite quiet as Owen kept to himself, lost in his thoughts of the moles and what he was about to learn, along with what had even led up to this point. It was all a lot to take in. Swiss respected his silence and aside from the occasional jab or joke she allowed him to deal with his own feelings, along with preparing himself for what was to come.

    In reporting success to the spire, however, Psychopomps seemed quite impressed at the time it took them. ¡°I see you have completed your task,¡± it stated as they approached, before they could even report. Somehow Owen felt that he already knew of their success long before they even entered the city.

    ¡°We have, sir,¡± Swiss responded, saluting the dragon.

    The dragon turned its attention to Owen and said ¡°It is a pleasure to see you taking your new role seriously. Though you may harbour doubts about us I am sure in due time you will learn that what we do is just.¡±

    Owen would be lying if he said that he didn¡¯t have any doubts about this whole operation. Hard to take the word of an immoral beast coiled around the spire that it had the best of mankind''s interests in mind. By now he also assumed that with the power the dragon claimed, it too could also read his mind and had been this entire time.

    Nevertheless, he had already agreed to this position and no matter what doubts he may harbour he had a job like any other, and now it was time to learn.

    ¡°Then, as you have accepted your role with us you shall be trained.¡± The dragon said once it finally came to a decision. Its stare felt like it pierced right through his soul and an odd feeling washed over his body, as if something was taking a grasp on the very essence of what made him¡­ well, him.

    Darkness began to wash over his vision and he lost control of himself, collapsing to his knees before landing face down on the ground with shadows encroaching.

    ¡°You may come out of this a different person,¡± the dragon''s voice said as it rang through his mind ¡°But you will be the person you were destined to be.¡±

    With that, the world faded and his consciousness followed soon after.

    ¡°Hey, hey, wake up!¡± Owen heard from the darkness, followed by a light slap to his cheek.

    He pulled away of course but the slap continued until he opened his eyes, it was Swiss who was standing over him. The ratling grinning widely and stepping back ¡°About time, lazy!¡±

    Taking a moment to gain his bearings he looked around to find they were in an odd sort of¡­ town. The sky filled with a blackness that would terrify most, but somehow it felt almost comforting at this point.

    Blue flamed lanterns lit up the village with a few buildings around, a town square where stalls were set up and a cobblestone path running through the streets leading to each house, shop, and even a large field full of striking dummies to the east.

    The flames of the lanterns seemed to stave off the darkness of the edge of town. In the distance he could see a group of people hoisting large crates of supplies from the looks of it. Taking most of them to the stalls in the centre of town and some of them into the buildings around.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Swiss said, offering Owen a hand.

    Owen felt that his weight would pull her down, but to his surprise she was quite powerful as taking the hand helped him to his feet with ease, even if he was quite a bit taller.

    ¡°Welcome to the nexus. This is where we come to train new recruits and retain a part of ourselves!¡± She explained joyously.

    Owen wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the ¡®retain part of ourselves¡¯ bit, but he did know he was here to be taught how to work alongside these other immortals that he was yet to even meet. All of them gathered ahead.

    First there was Frost, a woman of colossal stature. She put Alister to shame as she stood over a foot taller than him, and he was already a titan compared to most. Owen had no idea where she was from or even what she looked like. Her entire body was coated head to toe in thick winter vests, gloves, and a hat that covered most of her head. What little of her face wasn¡¯t covered in cloth and fabric was covered in an odd black fog that only let through the view of two yellow orbs that he assumed were to represent eyes.

    ¡°Welcome.¡± She said, in a distinctly northern accent. Given her dress code it made sense that she would come from the mountains.

    As he approached with Swiss, the group took a break from carting around supplies and turned to greet him. Alongside Frost was Alister who needed no introduction at this point, but he still took a moment to say ¡°Welcome to the crew.¡± Patting his back so hard he could feel the air forcefully leaving his lungs ¡°Sorry about the manhandling before.¡±

    It was a brief apology, and one he wasn¡¯t sure was even genuine but at this point he took what he could get. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡­¡± Owen mumbled in response.

    Returning from one of the homes with an empty crate in tow was a large orc. Osmir dressed in a long black coat with pants to match with a pair of nice shoes and a white undershirt; he looked quite similar to a group from Kiln that studied all forms of magic. Often dedicating their lives to the craft. ¡°Ah, I see our new arrival finally raised his face.¡± The large Orc said, quite articulate for what the common comprehension of an Orc was. His two large teeth from his bottom jaw sticking out from his lips to create a rather intimidating set of fangs that reached up to his cheeks where he had some tattoos that were common for Orcs to be given at birth. ¡°It is good to see Swiss is the one showing you around. She is the best at gaining people''s trust.¡±

    ¡°It is because I look normal, compared to the rest of you.¡± She responded with a cocky tone, head raised high in the air with nose pointing upwards in a smug superiority.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Osmir responded, fixing a pair of thick glasses upon his face and brushing the long greying hair that contrasted against his dark green skin to the side. Mostly having it tied back into a ponytail but some strands still snuck down in front of his vision.

    ¡°That is enough talk.¡± Alister said. Placing his large hand on Owens back again he shoved him forward, towards the large field full of training dummies. He didn¡¯t have much time to react but the others waved him off. Alister began to explain ¡°If you are to be a part of the team, you need to be trained like us. So, starting today we will be training you in a specific area, starting with combat.¡±

    He was certainly nervous at the prospect, at best the only fights he had ever gotten into were the ones on the schoolyard. The last fight he had ever been actively a part of ended in a single blow that left him unconscious, back when he was mugged on his way to work. He was sure they were thrilled with the entire four bronze coins and pastry he had on his person at the time.

    He was broken out of his thoughts when Alister threw something at him, ¡°Catch.¡± He said as the wooden stick hit Owens chest and fell to the floor. ¡°Reaction time needs work too,¡± he added.

    Owen picked up the heavy wooden stick that was quite durable and smooth before he heard Alister say;

    ¡°Your training begins now.¡±

 chapter 4: Training

    Sweat dripped down Owen¡¯s brow as he collapsed to his knees. It had been days of non stop physical training and every single fibre of his being screamed in agony. Each movement strained his muscles to the point that he knew they shouldn¡¯t even be functioning.

    ¡°Get up!¡± Alister yelled, standing a few feet away with a device in hand that on its small screen displayed the numbers sixty three. He had been adamant about numbers ever since they had started. ¡°The average thirty to forty year old healthy mortal will easily reach eighty on a single swing. I need you to be hitting at least three times that!¡±

    ¡°The average thirty to forty year old mortal doesn¡¯t fight for days straight without a break¡­¡± Owen whined as he got back to his feet leaning on the training sword.

    ¡°You are also not average,¡± Alister responded tersely. Resetting the number on the counter he took a step towards Owen and poked his chest ¡°Three hundred and six times you have hit me since we began. Do you know how much that would accumulate if it all hit at once?¡±

    Owen didn¡¯t have time to respond before the man''s fingers were pressed against his chest in an open palm formation. The tips were already exerting a decent amount of force on their own but he was not expecting what came next.

    In an instant, Alister pressed forward, closing his fingers into a fist from their position and the force that hit his chest was enough to knock not only the wind out of them, but his very soul out of his body if it was not already tethered.

    What the force actually did was send his body hurtling at breakneck speeds across the field and eventually directly through the small town they had set up. He didn¡¯t touch the ground for some time, but when he did it caused his body to flip like a rock skipping across the head of a lake, leaving large holes of destroyed earth in its wake until he finally came to a stop when he hit the ground one last time and the hole created was enough for him to be left laying in.

    Of course, being immortal, he survived it. That didn¡¯t make it any less painful. Given that they had figured out his form of immortality was complete indestructibility he at least didn¡¯t need to worry of the intensely uncomfortable feeling of his bones needing to relocate themselves.

    His brief moment of focusing on the pain ended when he heard Alisters voice boom from what he could only describe as a few miles away ¡°You have ten minutes to make it back here!¡± the voice echoed. No doubt everyone in the nexus heard the command.

    There was no way he could make that distance in a matter of minutes. Not even the fastest human alive could make that distance in ten minutes. Standing here thinking about it was not going to get him anywhere as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the ground below him shuddering and moving to reform itself back to the way that it was beforehand.

    It was amazing to see what Psychopomps magic could do. The richest kingdoms in the world would have access to spatial distortion nexuses like this, but even the most powerful mages all working together could only create one about the size of a small house at best. Yet here, this dragon simply created an entire village with multiple training fields and a fake night and day cycle for them to train in.

    With his legs functioning again, Owen began to run, watching the ground ahead also reform. As he passed he couldn¡¯t help but imagine all the other things such a powerful being could do. Right now he had to worry what Alister was going to do to him if he didn¡¯t make it back in time. There was no hope in the seven kingdoms that he would.

    Passing through town he was already exhausted, sweating heavily and panting as his pace had slowed to that of a crawl. One foot in front of the other was all he could do but each step was another shot of intense pain.

    It felt like running on a broken leg at times, the bone may have been attached but it certainly felt like it wasnt. Osmir was waiting in the town centre for him to pass. No words to exchange but a bottle of water held out for the recruit.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Owen stammered as he grabbed it, keeping his slow but steady pace.

    By the time he made it back to the field Alister looked less than impressed. ¡°That was an hour and a half. Slower than the average male''s running speed for your age.¡±

    Owen had collapsed to his knees by now, panting heavily and struggling to respond. Every single muscle in his body begged for rest. ¡°I¡­¡± Was all he managed to push out between breaths.

    ¡°You need to do better, yes,¡± Alister sternly finished his sentence for him. He was not without mercy and offered a hand to him. ¡°You will rest for now. Go to the mess hall in town and eat. Get a rest afterwards and then we will see what you study next.¡±

    Owen dared not question his decision and with a nod he took his hand and stood. He had to endure the pain as it was, so he might as well endure it to a pleasant meal and some rest. The mess hall was quite simple as it only needed to serve its basic function. A long table set up for eating at and a counter that had the kitchen behind it.

    It wasn¡¯t anything fancy, simple tools to create the basics. A stove, an oven and an area to wash up once done. The ingredients were piled up in crates on one side, and it seemed they didn¡¯t care much for organising everything other than placing those that needed to be preserved in the freezer.

    Given the state of the compost bin they also didn¡¯t care much for variety. It looked like they had been eating the same meal in large quantities. Alister approached the kitchen and Owen had to stop him before he started cooking ¡°Oh allow me to cook.¡± He assured, walking up and placing a hand on his back.

    The large man was rather confused that he would want to cook in his state, shrugging and moving to the side ¡°Fine. If you feel you are up for it.¡±

    ¡°I very much am,¡± Owen responded. Checking what ingredients they had on hand without needing to open up another crate and luckily, he had enough to make a stew. Enough for the entire nexus too.

    He rummaged through the supplies they had in hopes of finding a suitable pot and luckily enough they at least knew they would be cooking for a large number of people from time to time and there was a pot that could only be best described as a cauldron for the purposes of feeding them all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make something for everyone. It is the least I can do.¡± Owen tried to assure Alister, not wanting to say that he just outright didn¡¯t trust his ability to cook but he had an idea that by now an immortal probably cared little for taste and ate purely for the practicality of not feeling hungry.

    ¡°So.¡± Alister said to break the silence after a few minutes. ¡°Tell me, what is your innate ability?¡±

    That was a term he had never heard before, most likely something from Alisters time so he asked for clarity ¡°Do you mean my affinity?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, that is what you call it these days.¡± He responded, slightly dejected.

    In order to help him not dwell on it too long, Owen responded ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t anything useful for combat or magic. My sister was naturally attuned to fire magic and I landed with a heightened sense of smell and taste.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is why you wish to be the one cooking?¡± Alister asked in return. Partly, the other being he just wanted some form of flavour to exist in the dish.

    ¡°It is.¡± Owen responded, finishing cutting up the vegetables and adding them to the pot. A simple click of his fingers below created the spark needed to light the stove. Water was added next to get to the boiling point along with the fist full of seasoning before he moved on to seering the meats on a pan. ¡°One would say that Alchemy and cooking are no different, so my skill set is interchangeable.¡±

    Alister seemed to pause for a moment with the explanation, bringing a large hand to his chin and gently rubbing it in thought. ¡°Is something amiss?¡± Owen asked, fearing that he may have caused some form of offence.

    ¡°No, not at all.¡± The large man responded once he was done with his thought ¡°I simply¡­ Knew a man who said a very similar thing in my youth.¡±

    Owen felt that he needed to understand who he was working with better and while he wanted to ask questions he wasn''t sure just what was appropriate or not, finally deciding to bite the bullet and ask ¡°How long have you been immortal?¡±

    Again he seemed to think for far too long on the question before responding ¡°I cannot say for sure anymore. I do know that I was born before psychopomps took his place atop the tower.¡±

    That caused even Owen to pause in turn, unsure how to process such information as the dragon had been known to be coiled around the tower since the earliest records of knowledge. That would mean Alister existed before everything as he knew it, some scholars even speculating that there was nothing before the dragon perched and brought life to the land.

    Alister noticed the pause and continued ¡°It has certainly been a long time, but there is no need to dwell on the past just yet. Give it time and we can discuss my experiences in due time.¡± Owen continued to cook in silence as he tackled mentally the idea that most of what he had studied may have been completely wrong and Alister allowed him to.

    The smell of the stew eventually drew in the noses of passers by and Osmir entered in some more casual clothing this time of a large tunic set to fit him and baggy pants that were more for comfort than anything. ¡°Someone actually cooking?¡± He asked, seeing the two and approaching to sit with Alister.

    ¡°I¡¯m making a beef stew,¡± Owen called from behind the counter, taking a spoon to taste it after. It needed about five more grams of salt and thirteen of pepper. Considering the flavours he could peer within the broth he also searched through what spices they had so he could add a gram of paprika. Given how large the pot was it would dilute quite heavily but the larger quantities of other spice would make up for that so the paprika could give a very subtle taste. He may even be the only one to even notice it.

    He often got lost in his cooking so he could make the perfect meal for himself given his sensitive sense of taste. So absorbed that he had no idea that Swiss and Frost had entered, along with a new guest.

    Turning back when the pot was ready to boil he saw that Frost sat with a¡­ frog¡­ Sitting on the table in front of her. Not just any old frog, but a small frog that had an equally small wizards hat on.

    It felt like some form of prank, something that they threw together just to confuse him so he asked ¡°Uh¡­ Is the frog a member..?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Frost replied tersely.

    Osmir decided to elaborate and explain ¡°Yes, he is one of us. Though as an immortal being he is an enigma. No need to pay much heed for now.¡±

    By now Owen was used to the weirdest things happening so he did his best to remove it from his mind and walked over to the table to sit with them as the pot bubbled ¡°Alright, well what is my next training?¡±

    Swiss was eager to explain it as she almost stood up on the wooden bench and said ¡°You will be learning mind magic today!¡±

    That was certainly what he was hoping to hear. From what he knew of the nexus, with time passing so slowly the moles would most likely not want to spend the entire time here so it made sense they would want to teach him as early as possible so they could leave.

    Dinner was a rousing success as everyone enjoyed the meal and with a few compliments to the cook he was on his way to finally rest. In the small hut he had been assigned his head had barely hit the pillow before he was unconscious.

    The following¡­ morning? He assumed it was morning but the sun wasn¡¯t in the sky but heavens knew how time actually passed in this pocket dimension. In the trunk by his bed he was given some spare copies of a generic tunic and pants to wear while his clothing was being washed. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    For now he changed and dumped his clothes in the basket outside the mess hall for laundry he went to where he was told to meet his new trainer for this magic. A few brief questions at dinner let him understand that he was to be the first to learn mind magic within the group.

    Checking that he was in the right area as he approached he was sure he had made some kind of mistake. Looking around he was standing in the same empty field that Alister had launched him into the day prior and as far as he could tell, he was alone. ¡°Did I go to the wrong place?¡± He thought.

    Those thoughts soon felt muddled and vague, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was doing here or what he was even thinking about in the first place. A strange white noise filled his mind that made it quite difficult to formulate a coherent thought, a scraping feeling crawling up the back of his neck once again that pushed and prodded at the back of his head before the white noise intensified.

    Steeling himself to combat the feeling he slapped his cheeks and focused as hard as he could which led to the noise dying down and being replaced with a voice. No, it was more like a suggestion of what he should be hearing. ¡°Hello, once again.¡± It spoke.

    Was it a voice? It was hard to tell as it felt like when psychopomps spoke with the group. A message directly into the mind to be interpreted how the sender intended. ¡°Hello?¡± Owen asked, once he had gathered enough of his senses to stand upright, but his balance was slowly faltering and he stumbled a few times.

    After another few moments of nausea induced by this feeling, it died down, as if someone suddenly turned off the overflowing faucet that was pouring feelings into him.

    Now that the white noise had died down and he could think straight again he felt a presence behind him. At least he thought it was a presence, but a quick turn revealed it to be multiple, three to be precise.

    It was the moles, the large creatures that stood towering above him, well¡­ Two of them did at least, the third was only a tad bit shorter than Owen. ¡°Such is an example of the dangers of our magic,¡± the tallest mole imparted ¡°Muddling the senses to create an opening for assault.¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± the second imparted in a tone that at least Owen would interpret as a kind old lady¡­ Or was that how they wanted to be interpreted. At least, that¡¯s what Owen assumed. The third was what Owen dictated to be a child of the species as it was shorter than him and their small squinted eyes were filled with a curiosity of the world around them. It was clear they wanted to ask questions but they remained silent for now. The large one next to them had one claw wrapped around the child¡¯s side and held them close. ¡°Now dear, time for exploring comes later.¡±

    The one that addressed him first spoke into his mind again and said ¡°You are the one I met with the rat, correct?¡± His tone was much more gruff and direct. It almost felt like speaking to Alister if he was at least a few feet taller and covered in fur¡­ Somehow those claws seemed less dangerous than Alister¡¯s fists.

    Owen was taken aback of course, without a single noise the three had suddenly appeared out of thin air and the smallest of them seemed fixated on him, tugging at the fur of what Owen assumed was an elderly lady. ¡°Not now, later.¡± She spoke, she must have been manually letting him in on the conversation as no verbal words were shared.

    ¡°Mind magic seems quite malleable.¡± Owen thought as he watched.

    Of course he should have expected the largest mole to reply. ¡°It is, when we allow you to be a part of it.¡±

    It took him off guard at first and the panic led to a rather rude response. ¡°He¡¯s reading my mind, that''s not allowed is it?¡± He thought while reeling.

    Once again the largest replied, though he seemed amused this time and said ¡°Sun survivors truly are an odd breed. The mind is far more truthful than the mouth,¡± once again repeating what he had said in the tunnels.

    Owen calmed himself as best he could and stood upright to at least appear confident, deciding it may be best to not use his words then. ¡°Alright.¡± He thought, easier to focus now that he at least understood they were listening to him ¡°I was told I would be learning from you today?¡±

    Again, the largest replied ¡°You will.¡± This time he waved a claw to the other two who simply shared a nod before they began to burrow under the ground. Those massive claws easily tore away at the dirt as if it was slicing through cake. Scooping up each claw full, the two were underground in a matter of moments, vanishing within the depths of the artificial earth.

    When Owen turned his attention back to the large one, he was gone. Or so he thought.

    ¡°We will need to start with the most basic of basics.¡± His voice rang in his head once more. Soon finding that he was standing to his side, having moved without a single noise. What was more surprising was that Owen couldn¡¯t even smell him. As odd as it sounded, his heightened sense of smell allowed him to track someone quite easily. At times he couldn¡¯t help it, letting him at least know someone was near. Not this time though, only when he reappeared did he sense it.

    ¡°You have almost zero mental defences. Such a common thing for those who walk on land,¡± again he vanished, and once again, he appeared to Owen¡¯s other side. ¡°Mind magic grants the ability to influence the minds of others. Such as removing your presence from their senses.¡±

    With that, his first lesson began and he sat in the field with the mole, keeping his legs crossed and arms steady he followed the instructions he was given. According to the mole it required him to stop being so dependent on his sight. While sight was important for most creatures, it hindered one''s progression with mind magic.

    The problem here became that everything he was told from the mole simply came down to shutting out his other senses, something that was very difficult for someone to do. That point made the first session of training simply consisted of Owen sitting in the middle of a field with his eyes closed listening to the mole simply stating occasionally that he must continue to do as he did.

    ¡°I think this will do for your training today.¡± The mole said after hours of simply nothing happening.

    Standing up from his seated position Owen decided that it was now best to address some concerns with him. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± Was his first question, unsure how they would address each other given how they spoke.

    ¡°I do not. We recognize each other through our mental waves.¡± It replied tersely, before adding ¡°If it makes it easier for your kind, you may come up with one for me until you are able to communicate properly.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Owen mentioned as he considered what a possible name would be suitable for such a hulking creature. Finally settling on ¡°Then from now, until I can replicate your mind magic I will call you Hugur.¡±

    Hugur seemed to take a moment to digest the name, a large claw rubbing at the top of its head before a nod followed ¡°If it makes our interactions easier, then so be it.¡±

    It was a deal, and one that Owen felt was a learning opportunity for Hugur, so he held his hand out towards him. Expecting the confused look from the mole, he explained ¡°This is a common gesture for the surface dwellers. It is a way to show we both agree on something.¡±

    Hugur took a moment to examine his mind before reaching his large claw forward. Owen needed a moment to figure out how to best take a hold of his claw without hurting himself, but ultimately he took the hit of pain for now by gripping onto the sharp side of his claw. ¡°This is a sign that we agree.¡± He explained as he shook his claw.

    ¡°A sign we agree.¡± Hugur repeated, shaking a bit too frivolously that ended up lifting Owen off the ground and then somewhat aggressively placing him back down which caused him to stumble and fall.

    ¡°It will take a bit of practice, but you got the right idea.¡± Owen said once he got off the floor and dusted himself off.

    ¡°We will return to training tomorrow.¡± Hugur said once the handshake ended.

    ¡°Alright, rest well.¡± Owen responded.

    He watched Hugur dig his way into the dirt as the two moles had before him, easily slicing his way into a tunnel that the mouth healed up once he was deep underground. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I will ever get used to seeing that¡­¡± Owen thought before he headed to his next appointment.

    The next set of unique training was with Osmir. Unsure what he would be learning from him he approached the building that Osmir stayed in in the centre of the village square. Opening the door he found it looked quite similar to a doctor''s office. A waiting room and all with Osmir himself sitting at the front desk reading over his tomes. ¡°Welcome, welcome,¡± he began, holding one finger up to usher him one moment as he used another to trace along where he was reading. Snapping the book shut a moment later he stood and said ¡°A pleasure to have you. Today we will be going over one of the most important skills you need as an immortal.¡±

    He ushered Owen inside to his ¡®office¡¯ where he had two comfortable seats waiting. A desk full of tinctures and potions along with some more standardised medicines and books of the anatomy and treatments for various races across the realm. He sat by the desk and offered Owen the seat across from him which seemed to be genuine leather if the feeling was anything to go by.

    ¡°So, what are we going to be learning today?¡± Owen asked.

    Osmir looked through his books for a moment, sorting them and placing back some of the phials he was using for medicine. Cleaning off the table he leaned against it and explained ¡°The most important skill you can have as an immortal is to care for yourself.¡± That felt like such a cop out answer but Osmir continued to explain ¡°You may feel it is okay to start neglecting your body, or to take your immortality for granted in the grand scheme of things, but we need to understand that our body still has functions and while yes, we can ignore them¡­ Well, the body doesn¡¯t like when we do that.¡± He took a moment to allow Owen to take in what he said before continuing once he nodded. ¡°Lets take your need to eat. You may feel that it is not important anymore. Your body will sustain itself. Which it will. Though you will still feel hunger and eating will keep you energised. Going too long without eating will cause the usual symptoms of starvation, you simply cannot die from it.¡±

    That was a far more grim way to put it and it at least painted a vivid picture for Owen of what would happen. Then Osmir moved on to ¡°The bigger one is your mind.¡± Leaning in he looked over Owen¡¯s face closely, examining every little detail along with how he looked away from him at any given chance. ¡°You need to learn to accept that what happened was not your fault. That it was in essence, a freak accident of nature that led you down the path you wound up on.¡±

    Words that weighed heavily on Owen¡¯s mind for some reason. It hadn¡¯t exactly been something he had a lot of time to think about since the incident, but they held weight. Owen was unsure how being placed into a tube against his will was a freak accident of nature. Osmir let him chew on the information for a few moments before he continued ¡°You may be best speaking with Swiss at some point. She obtained her immortality in a similar way to you but should you ever need it you can come speak with me in confidence.¡±

    The rest of the session was mostly tips and tricks on how he could remind himself when he needs certain things as it was easy to forget about eating when focused.

    Taking the advice from Osmir he wanted to approach Swiss as she had also extended an offer to him before. He found her sitting atop a hill not far from the village watching the artificial stars pass overhead. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Was all he said at first, unsure how to even approach the conversation topic.

    ¡°Hey there. You managed to shower this time?¡± She asked as she turned her head to watch his approach.

    Owen was unsure if that was meant to be a jab at his awful joke, until she started cackling seeing the confusion on his face. ¡°Come on, sit down, stinky.¡± She said, her ears relaxed and hanging to the side.

    Wordlessly Owen sat down on the grass next to her and pulled his knees up to his chest, joining her in staring up at the sky. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that this is all artificial. A world that exists within its own space with its own laws,¡± he said after what he felt was sufficient time had passed.

    ¡°You learn to get used to the strange things that happen around here,¡± she added in response. Pointing up at the moon she explained ¡°We can actually decide the time of day here for when it calls for it.¡± Moving her hand as she kept a finger pointed at the moon, dragging it along the sky to advance the time of night where the stars rushed to meet its position creating a somewhat picturesque lightshow in the sky.

    Everyone and their mother was able to practise magic these days, even if they had no innate ability to do so they could get pre-made wands with spells imbued which made what once felt whimsical and amazing as a child feel normal, and yet, even then this felt like magic to him, sparking that childlike wonder within him.

    She knew why he was here and when she was done playing with the moon she placed it back into its original position in the sky. ¡°What do you think the price of progress is?¡± She asked.

    As an alchemist that was a difficult question, he had strove for progress his whole life, but what was he willing to give up for it?

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know¡­¡± He said at first. ¡°Normally I would have said progress at all costs, but after seeing what happened at the labs I worked for I am not so sure anymore.¡±

    Swiss seemed satisfied with his answer before she continued ¡°Most would agree with your original mentality. A raging sea of ratling corpses littered the sewers and sidewalks before we were considered sentient enough to not be classified as monsters.¡± She clenched the grass under her in one hand as she brought up the past of her people ¡°Thousands of lives lost in the search for this so-called miracle that is Immortality.¡±

    ¡°All for one person''s sick desires¡­¡± Owen added. Simply recalling his own experience, knowing many people strive for the same end goal.

    ¡°Then when I finally was found to be truly immortal, the labs rejoiced. They threw parties and planned to use the process on everyone within the lab. Until Alister and Osmir arrived,¡± Swiss said, playing with the individual blades she pulled up before blowing the rest out of her hand.

    ¡°Was it as horrific a sight as what you both did in the labs you found me in?¡± He asked, still reeling at the sight and the smell of those mounds of corpses that were ultimately set alight and forgotten to history. Ironic that their end was similar to their victims.

    Forgotten and erased from the records.

    A thought passed through his mind, he was in essence the same as them. Who he once was, lost to the flames. To those he loved and cared for, they probably assumed that he was within the pile of bodies found. He would need to come up with a way to give them closure without scaring them once he returned to the real world.

    ¡°It was kinda the same. He was far less subtle about turning the alchemists into a fine red paste,¡± she explained. Leaning back she used her hands to keep herself propped up. ¡°It¡¯s okay to hate what happened, even okay to hate who did it to you¡­ It is best though, to learn to not to hate yourself for what feels like letting it happen. There was no way you could have predicted what they would do to you.¡±

    Twice now he had been told not to blame himself. Of course it made sense and only natural you would want someone to be able to recover from what he had been through but ultimately he wasn¡¯t sure where these feelings of resentment came from.

    Sitting back and thinking on it, he had the same feeling towards Alister, the same feeling towards psychopomps, and hell, a tinge of that regret and anger sunk in while dealing with Hugur which he easily could tell when delving into his mind during their training.

    He tried to place it into words but he found nothing came out. Swiss saw his struggle and mentioned ¡°No need to force yourself to speak. We can just enjoy the sights together for now.¡±

    Of all the thoughts racing through his head, all the questions and uncertainties, the thought of simply sitting in silence with some company was¡­ comforting. Taking her up on that offer he simply stared at the stars and lost himself in a daydream of home.

 Chapter 5: Tithe

    The news of the fire had hit quite close to home to many who had heard about it in the local papers. Many men and women died within the alchemy lab, and worst of all, was a friend.

    Tithe was a young man who spent his life wanting to help others. The young half-elf had spent the early years of his life studying alchemy alongside Owen and another friend of theirs. One he was planning to visit before beginning his long journey from the city.

    He stared at himself in the mirror of the dorm room he had spent the past six years of his life in. It was a mixed bag of emotions. After all, graduating and moving on to his life''s ambition was something anyone should be excited about.

    Excitement was the last thing Tithe was feeling. His eyes hung heavy in his head and if anyone with a lack of sleep carried bags under their eyes, he carried rucksacks. It had been hard to sleep at all since the news came in.

    Owen was dead.

    The man he spent six years studying with. The man he would take every Monday afternoon to go out to dinner with, and invite over to meet his family on holidays was gone in the blink of an eye.

    He had only left for his internship a few months prior and he was ecstatic for him to get a position in such a prestigious lab. So far the cause of the fire had been unidentified but the list of victims was only growing as the bodies were identified.

    It was sobering. Brushing his long black hair out of his eyes he turned and picked up the sack that contained the last of his personal belongings. It was time to go visit Desmond.

    Standing by the door he stared over his room one last time, reminiscing about the time he spent here. The desk sitting under the window that he spent nights pulling his hair out at before exams. Nights close to tears when the workload became so overwhelming, and nights that he simply mentally shut down while staring at recipes.

    The mini cauldron to the left in the corner with a ventilation shaft above it where he created some of the most disgusting failures in mankind''s history. A stain still burned into the wall from the time he tried to one up Owen and Desmond by making his invisibility potion extra potent by adding an extra helping of the eld root. After all, if it was what made the potion work, more of it should make it more potent.

    Well, it was¡­ Then the cauldron almost exploded and singed the walls, along with splashing Tithe with a boiling potion which was incredibly difficult for the staff to treat him for since it also turned him invisible for three days.

    Finally was the bed that he spent most nights getting into far later than was healthy for any student, but such was student life in such a prestigious academy.

    He would miss it but it was something that he couldn¡¯t focus too hard on anymore. With one final glance around his room he mentally said goodbye, throwing his cloak on and departing for the last time.

    Leaving the dorm he met with many other students in the halls who had graduated alongside him, and others who were here to move into the dorm rooms they were vacating. A young orc woman seemed to be moving into his room who he shared a nod with. ¡°Best of luck in the years to come.¡± He said, offering a handshake before he left.

    He had always towered over most, but passing the teenagers all coming for their first year made him feel like a titan. More than two heads taller than most, his slender and rather thin body made him look like some form of skeleton that hid beneath a cloak.

    ¡°Good morning, Tithe,¡± one of the teachers he studied under said as he passed in the hall. The hunched ratling was his restorative potions teacher and one he spent many a night speaking with in the dining hall on his theories of how to apply potions.

    ¡°Good morning Cheddar,¡± he responded, a hint of sorrow in his tone.

    ¡°It is always sad to say goodbye to such talented students,¡± the old rat said, leaning on his cane that helped with his bad back from when he was an adventurer. ¡°Plus, what happened with Owen is a damn shame. He had a very promising career ahead of him.¡±

    ¡°Owen was a good friend... It seems Desmond has taken the news harder than I. He has locked himself away in his family home on the other side of the city.¡± Tithe explained. Taking these final moments to take in not only the atmosphere of what he once called home, but the sights. It was hard to find another school of such prestige, or even architecture as it was built only a few decades after the creation of the spire according to historical documents.

    The professor nodded as he thought about it and said ¡°I imagine you are going to visit him before you set off from the city?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Tithe responded briefly.

    ¡°Then I will not keep you any longer,¡± his professor responded, hobbling down the hallway towards the kitchens before he turned back and said ¡°I do hope you come and visit us if you are ever in the city again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to bring stories of my travels!¡± Tithe called out with a wave. ¡°Now,¡± He said, steeling himself and approaching the exit.

    Passing through the stone arch ways he entered the grounds where he was almost blinded by the sun shining down onto him. The grounds were large and covered in flowers. To the left of the entrance a large hedge maze known for new students to get lost in within the first month of study, not knowing the hedge was made out of the same magical construct that living fauna were trimmed from and while it was not dangerous or hostile, it certainly had a sense of humour and enjoyed changing the pathways behind people until around midday and then once again every four hours until midnight the staff would come around and save anyone trapped inside.

    To the right was the orchard where said living plants were housed, a large sprawling herbarium filled to the brim with various animals, all created out of plants where students could spend time feeding them various potions they had created as long as the staff approved it for consumption.

    Owen hardly even knew about the place in the first year as he was often held up in his room, being one of the very few to not be trapped in the maze at the same time because he spent the year locked in his room making potions.

    It took quite a lot of effort for Desmond and Tithe to coax him out for a party, and then they just clicked, then feeding the plants at night became almost a tradition for the two. Tithe on the other hand spent at least a few days a week coming out to feed the plants, he had specialised in the preservation of plants and crops after all.

    Walking past the main gates down the cobblestone path in the centre he entered the city and made his way to the train station nearby.  It was sad that now he had to pay full price for his train tickets given he was no longer a student. It wasn¡¯t all too bad as he planned to travel within the city. He was going to Desmond''s apartment which was only a few stops away.

    Passing through the city he watched out the window as the stores and buildings passed him by, everyone had been recovering from the war and it showed in the increased prices and the builders lining the streets helping fill holes and fix broken windows.

    The new king had been putting out all the stops by providing builders for those within the city who had suffered from the war. It helped keep people happy and when it came to being the new king, people being happy was what he needed.

    That wasn¡¯t what mattered right now as he exited the train at midtown, where most of the apartment complexes had been built during the economic boom following the recent decades interest in studying alchemy along with the influx of young people who wanted to be trained as knights within the castle walls. That was until the war of course. The cost of land, and even the buildings themselves had plummeted within the capital.

    He approached the apartment block that he had visited over his years of training, and one that certainly had seen the tolls of the war during the recent attacks on the capital before the new king had taken over.

    Once a proud structure towering over the bustling streets of the capital, the apartment building now stood as a grim testament to the toll of war. Its once grand facade, adorned with stone gargoyles and paintings along the wall, was now marred by the scars of battle¡ªdeep gouges where magic had rented the stone and charred patches where flames had wiped away traces of the children''s art. The windows, once sparkling with enchanted glass, were now shattered and replaced with simple regular glass, their frames warped and twisted.

    Inside, the corridors echoed with the ghosts of the past. Paint peeled from the walls in long, curling strips, revealing the bare stone beneath. The scent of mildew and decay permeated the air, mingling with the faint aroma of stale magic¡ªa lingering reminder of spells cast in desperation. Doors hung off their hinges, some splintered and broken, others barricaded with whatever furniture could be salvaged. It seemed many had no desire to return to their apartments once the war had ended.

    Reception seemed to be functioning at the moment as a dwarf manned the station, giving Tithe a nod as he entered and when asked if Demond was still here he was motioned to head upstairs by the dwarf. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the mess, like everyone else we are recovering.¡±

    It made Tithe realise just how privileged that they had been within the academy walls as the invading army had refused to attack hospitals and places of learning. It had them quite detached from the horrors of what had been happening to everyone else within the city, even if they could hear it and offer shelter to those who fled to them.

    Knocking on the door to his friend''s apartment he heard a large amount of clattering inside, followed by some scurrying which was then soon ended by unceremonious silence which left Tithe feeling quite confused.

    ¡°Demond?,¡± he eventually called out with another knock on the wooden door ¡°I came to see you before I head off.¡±

    At that, the movement and clatters were heard once more and the door slowly opened. All Tithe could see was the singular blue eye staring out at him through the crack that was covered by greasy strands of blonde hair.

    Once eyes were laid upon him the door opened and Desmond backed away to let him inside. The elf was quite pale and wore his robes half open as if a set of pyjamas on a day one would consider staying in bed until nightfall.

    Inside Desmond¡¯s apartment, the air was thick with the scent of herbs and incense, mingling with the acrid tang of alchemical reagents. Piles of books and scrolls littered every surface, their pages yellowed with age and stained with spilled potions.

    Desmond himself had a slender frame that seemed almost frail beneath the weight of his burdens. His once vibrant eyes, now held a haunted look, as if they had seen far too much for one so young. Dark circles ringed his eyes, testament to the countless sleepless nights spent poring over dusty tomes and brewing arcane concoctions in the dim light of his laboratory that seemed common for any alchemist to have.

    It seemed he almost mirrored Tithe in that sense as both had spent many nights in recent times sleepless, worried and afraid. Though Desmond seemed different to what Tithe remembered. He was shifting, fidgety and his eyes darted about the room as if watching the very shadows for a threat.

    ¡°I came to see how you were doing¡­,¡± Tithe finally mustered the ability to say, watching the shadows at the same time to see if they truly were in danger or if his friend had succumbed to some form of paranoia.

    It seemed to be the latter as Desmond finally snapped out of his frantic twitching and said ¡°As good as one can be¡­ Given the circumstances¡­¡±

    He walked deeper into the dirty and dank apartment with a motion to follow. He had tea in the small kitchen area, a room over where a cauldron sat atop a stove alongside a small cast iron skillet that he most likely used to prepare meals. Though the state of the skillet itself implied his cooking skills were leagues behind his alchemy skills.

    Tithe found himself stepping over scrapped projects and wrappers from various foods; he finally sat at the kitchen table, noting that every window within the apartment was closed over and covered so no natural light could enter.

    ¡°You seem like a mess,¡± Tithe finally said as he leaned on one arm, using the other to motion around the room ¡°You are living like a hermit.¡±

    Again, Desmond seemed far too afraid of his own shadow to respond at first. Holding the kettle he had prepared he poured a mug of tea for his friend and sat across from him once he seemed satisfied with whatever he was thinking about.

    It was cold, but Tithe was not about to complain about the hospitality of a friend who was also battling with intense feelings of loss. In their silence, only the crackling of the fire and the bubbling of the cauldron in the room next to them was audible.

    It would have been calming, if not for the state of the room. Add some rain outside and it would have been the perfect setting for a cosy night''s reading. At least¡­ That¡¯s what Tithe would have liked.

    Instead, the two sat here awkwardly staring between the cold mugs of tea and one another. It carried some heavy implications for Tithe. Thinking back on the time they all spent together¡­ Were they truly friends?

    There wasn¡¯t a time in the past that Tithe could recall where he and Desmond spent time together without Owen. He seemed to be the glue that held the friendship together. At least, that¡¯s what it seemed like at the moment.

    ¡°You look like you are preparing for another war.¡± Tithe eventually said, breaking the long and awkward silence.

    ¡°Oh, no, no.¡± Desmond began, staring around at the runes he had written along the walls and slight barricade he had placed in front of the door. ¡°This was set up during the war, I assure you.¡± He then quickly drank his cold tea which caused him to shudder at the sensation, the passage of time something he had not taken into account.

    ¡°I supposed you must have had to spend your summers somewhere¡­¡± Tithe responded, always wondering where he got off to when the others lived on campus. Hard to believe why anyone would actively move out into a war zone, even if his family owned this apartment.

    The silence returned, this time as Desmond took the cups of cold tea and tossed them into the sink. ¡°Allow me to make a new batch.¡± He stated.

    He kept his back to Tithe as he rinsed the kettle, and eventually Tithe spoke again ¡°I know we haven¡¯t spent much time together without Owen, but if you want to get anything off your chest, feel free.¡±

    Desmond froze, the mere mention of his name seemed to be enough to cause a gut wrenching reaction. He gripped the kettle and shivered for a brief moment, all the while keeping his back to Tithe.

    Seeing this, Tithe had little time to think and simply continued speaking ¡°He was a close friend to both of us. I am sure his death is painful but trying to deal with the grief alone could be dangerous.¡±

    Desmond looked back at him once he heard that and said ¡°I am capable of handling myself¡± tersely, placing the kettle back onto the stove heavily.

    It left the air heavy between them as Tithe didn¡¯t feel he wanted to reply to such a bleak statement that only served as proof of his original thoughts. Desmond returned to the kettle once more and kept his attention on the water. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± He began, his voice raspy as he struggled for words. ¡°I am glad you worry enough to try to comfort me. I just do not know what to do right now.¡± As he spoke he ran his finger along some runes that had been drawn atop the table to create a small fire atop the stove which soon began to boil the water within the kettle. ¡°I would like to be alone, if that is not too much to ask.¡±

    ¡°No, I understand.¡± Tithe responded, hiding the feeling of dejection. Standing from the table he bowed his head and said ¡°If you need anything before I leave the city, do feel free to contact me before tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    ¡°That''s right¡­¡± Desmond muttered as he stared at the flame. ¡°I got so caught up in my work, I forgot this is where we planned to part ways¡­¡±

    Tithe was then escorted to the door and with one final, sorrowful farewell he exited back into the hall without so much as a goodbye. His chest hurt once the door closed behind him, feeling like it had locked away any chance of remaining friends with Desmond. As much as it hurt, Tithe knew that whether they were friends or not didn¡¯t matter come tomorrow, so he had to prepare.

    Exiting the apartment building he almost bumped into a short human that was standing by the door. ¡°O¡­Oh, I am terribly sorry, sir!¡± Tithe stammered, catching himself from falling over the man.

    The portly human seemed unphased and even laughed off the stumbling with a wave of his hand ¡°Think nothing of it, boy.¡± He responded.

    Finally catching his balance and breath Tithe was able to take a proper look at the sturdy man and noticed he was in a rather regal set of robes, ones he had recognised from his years in college as advisors who would often come to the college to speak with the headmaster and professors.

    ¡°You must be Tithe, yes?¡± The man asked as he placed his hands behind his back, linking both within his thick sleeves.

    Like anyone, Tithe thought what would someone of his stature want with him, so he plainly asked ¡°I am, is there something you need from me?¡±

    The balding man nodded again and slightly turned to nod his head towards a car that sat nearby, his facial hair swinging with the motion as the beard and mustache reached far down his face. A new invention that only the richest of the rich or royalty ever had the privilege of ever seeing the inside of. ¡°I can assure you it is nothing threatening, young man.¡± He chuckled, his mustache twitching with each laugh as he approached and stepped into the back seat. ¡°Do come along, we must not dally!¡±

    It was a shock of course, one that left Tithe standing on the spot contemplating what in the world this could have meant until the next reminder snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly approached the metal vehicle.

    Setting himself into the back seat with the advisor sitting next to him he closed the door a tad bit too hard which got him a glare from the orc driver who looked over his shoulder. ¡°Now, now,¡± the man said with a wave ¡°Do take us to the castle, please.¡±

    ¡°The castle?¡± Tithe thought, unable to place any reason why anyone at the castle would want to talk to him of all people. There were far more promising alchemists in the academy and many who got far higher grades than he did. All and all, he was nothing but average.

    The sound of the engine took Tithe off guard when the driver placed his hand atop a crystal that lay at arms level. He seemed to be channelling mana directly into it similar to a train and after enough was absorbed the car began to move.

    ¡°First time seeing a car, son?¡± The man asked, clearly enjoying the gasps and attempts to hold onto anything to keep himself still.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I have ever had the money to get near something like a carriage, let alone a car, sir.¡± Tithe responded briefly, finally relaxing once the ride proved to be far smoother than he could have imagined.

    Pulling away from the housing district of the second layer of the city they passed the college once more which, next to the hospital, were the only areas to show minimal damage from the assaults.

    It seemed they were heading further into the capital which again left Tithe confused, enough so that he finally asked ¡°What would someone so prestigious want with me, sir?¡± As he turned his attention from the window, back to the noble.

    ¡°Well, the king has requested an audience with many students who have graduated from the academy. Promising youth is something that we need to nurture after all.¡± The nobleman explained, reaching into the pocket of his fancy robes to remove a pipe that he slowly filled with a purple dust that shimmered beautifully when he lit it with a flame from the tip of his finger. ¡°Do you smoke?¡± He asked as he rolled down the window to allow the fruity smelling fumes to escape. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°No, sir.¡± Tithe responded quickly, more enamoured by the powder he asked ¡°Was that powder made with some kind of mixture from a dried pixie plum?¡±

    The man laughed jovially in response and said ¡°Leave it to a graduate alchemist to be so interested in the contents of a pipe.¡± Taking a long puff he blew it out the window once more where the smell left Tithe confused, partly leaving him with a sour feeling in his stomach as it reminded him that Owen would have been able to identify every ingredient from smell alone.

    ¡°But yes, yes it is,¡± the man finally continued once he was done. ¡°It is a pixie plum tobacco that is quite popular in the southern continents. I collect a box every time I visit my family.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t Tithe''s place to discuss the health implications of smoking such substances so he simply responded ¡°It has a very unique shimmer when it is burnt. It can also be used in some fireworks for its hue.¡± He turned his attention back to the window where they passed the gates that allowed them into the centre of the city.

    This was where most of the destruction was focused after all so there were many builders with giant animals fed through pure magical proteins to make them larger and stronger so they could pull carriages. An Ox that towered three times larger than its counterparts pulled a carriage that contained enough bricks to build a house across the large open fields towards the destroyed walls and horses twice the size and strength of those pulling a carriage dragged ploughs through the ruined fields.

    Things were getting back on track, slowly but surely and Tithe couldn¡¯t help but feel optimistic for the future of the kingdom under their new king. That was of course, providing this meeting would let him see the new king''s true nature.

    ¡°Aye, boy.¡± The man said while watching him stare at the fields ¡°I feel we are going to be okay after all.¡±

    It was strange¡­ It sounded like he had the same worries at first that Tithe did given the nature of his response. In a clarifying, and humanising moment for the royal he stated ¡°Many of us in the council were unsure what to think of the new king at first but I dare say we are going to recover.¡±

    Staring out into the distance the castle itself was viewable on the horizon, seeming like they were quite a ways away. ¡°We will be there in about twenty minutes,¡± his host said when he noticed his staring.

    ¡°No intention to be rude, sir but I doubt it would take twenty minutes to get from here all the way to the castle given the speed we are going at from the school district.¡± Tithe responded, unsure if the noble was trying to test him.

    He laughed in response and nodded ¡°Of course not, but we still must pass through the checkpoints before we may enter the castle.¡±

    As he explained, they approached the castle. There was a large frontal gate that the car ultimately had to line up with other carriages that were being examined and questioned by the guards.

    Many were coming and going at the moment, mostly carriages filled to the brim with crafting and building supplies that were being delivered to the various stations throughout the farmlands. It was important to get the crops planted as soon as possible after all.

    When the guards approached the car, the nobleman lowered the window and said ¡°Good afternoon to you, Jeffrey.¡± As he produced a card that the guard took and examined ¡°Another student being delivered for the meeting,¡± the noble explained.

    The guard nodded and handed the card back, walking around and opening the trunk of the car to examine the contents before he made his way to the side Tithe was on and motioned for him to lower the window.

    It took him a moment to figure out how to lower the window but when he did the guard asked ¡°Name and occupation.¡±

    He thought the nobleman''s explanation would be more than enough but he said ¡°Tithe Lowe, I just graduated from the alchemy college.¡±

    The guard nodded and opened his notepad and took notes. ¡°Tithe Lowe¡­ Registered alchemist¡­¡± He mumbled. Snapping the notebook shut he said ¡°Alright then, have a pleasant visit and respect the castle rules.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Jeffrey.¡± The noble said with a wave.

    The guard tipped his helmet to him and motioned for the gates to be opened and they were allowed past the first checkpoint. The process remained the same at the second checkpoint, the check of the car was a tad more thorough. They removed each item from the trunk and ran a hand held device that was a small cube containing a blue crystal over them.

    They were used to detect mana within an object and the glow would determine how much mana. Each item scanned was compared to a chart that the guards had, but what was on the chart was out of Tithe''s view.

    The walls here had been in much better condition but they were still not fully fixed, signs of a harsh battle having been fought showed around the gate where the gate itself had been clearly knocked down and recently been rebuilt.

    On the other side and approaching the final checkpoint was where everything was far stricter, this time they were moved out of the car so they could be pat down and scanned with the same device.

    The advisor seemed to have quite a mana signature given the crystal was bright enough even Tithe could see it from the other side of the car when scanned. Tithe himself however left a faint glow when he was scanned which the guards assured him was the average.

    The guards returned once they had come to a conclusion and the one who had scanned him with the orb brought a medallion out of a pouch he wore around the belt holding his armour together.

    The coin itself was made of what seemed to be copper but they heated it so the brass formed by the zinc migrated to the surface layer of the copper so it gave the illusion of being gold. In the centre of the coin was a portion of a ruby that had been cut into a diamond shape which pierced through both sides of the coin and atop the face the symbol of the kingdom''s knights raising their lances in solidarity to the king where the spears met just above the gem.

    ¡°Take this and keep it on your person at all times throughout your trip.¡± The soldier explained while holding the coin out to him, using another hand to point at the crystal ¡°If you ever feel in danger within the castle grounds use this to call on any guards who are nearby.¡±

    It was obvious someone would ask what in the world would cause someone to feel unsafe within the castle, so the guard continued before he could even ask ¡°We have many folk coming here due to the new king. Some are disgruntled, some are impatient, and others are members of the king''s personal family. Assassins may wander the halls, so all students have been given access to these coins just in case something happens.¡±

    ¡°Of course, thank you.¡± Tithe responded as he took the coin and bowed his head once more. Placing the coin into his pocket he returned to the car.

    The castle entrance past the gates stood as a solid reminder of the horrors of the war. What was once a beautiful garden dedicated to several living plants that entertained guests from all over stood as a barren graveyard of wilted leaves and abandoned roots that were all being replaced and replanted by a group of exhausted looking botanists.

    The pathway itself had chunks blown out of it that were stained by the residue of fireballs and blizzard spells and the castle doors showed they withstood the initial attack with the resilience that only the best of blacksmiths could offer..

    No matter how much scrubbing they did, the smell of bloodshed and death permeated the area. The noble exited the vehicle once they pulled up at the foot of the steps leading upwards to the double doors that once drove back the invaders.

    ¡°This way, sir,¡± he stated.

    Tithe exited the vehicle and left the comfort of the leather seats behind, closing the door with the same force as before that caused the Orc in front to shoot him a glare fit only for those who had trampled upon his personal orchard.

    Passing the decayed plants left a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had spent many a night debating over an ale with his friends the idea of were the plants truly alive or something that acted out of a desire for mana.

    Though such a thing could be said for everyone, he was always on the side that the plants could feel pain given they would shrivel and shiver in the winter months, or even gag at the notion of a sub par potion being fed into their soil.

    Such a thought process would naturally turn to the sorrow one would feel for those who lost their lives to the hands of the invaders. They certainly would feel the horrors of pain and death, nothing as superficial as if they could or not.

    Entering through the double doors left them in a long and large hallway that looked like it would lead directly to the throne room if followed directly. Several offshoots existed on either side that had many servants rushing through carrying various supplies and meals.

    He was led into a side room near the audience chamber and was told ¡°Now please, wait here until your turn to speak with the king.¡±

    The room was full of students for the most part, along with a few doctors from what he could tell by their uniforms, some common folk bearing gifts and an incredibly annoyed looking merchant who stood grumbling to his servant who was carrying all of his belongings.

    ¡°Another student!?¡± The noble merchant asked as he stormed over to the advisor ¡°I have been waiting here for almost an hour now and you keep bringing in <i>students</i>?¡± He was visibly agitated in front of the crowd. From what Tithe knew, based on the symbol of a tortoise with the world on its back, spilling water into the cosmos he was from the prominent family of merchants, known for supplying the rich with some rare and exotic artefacts but recently they had been branching off into politics.

    The advisor seemed unphased by the accusatory remarks and loud gestures, simply asking the man ¡°Do you think you are worth more than the others within this room?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am!,¡± the man spat in response, visibly recoiling at the idea of being compared to such commoners. ¡°I provide this country with stability and wealth, I provide an advantageous relationship with the rest of the world!¡±

    Again, the advisor seemed unphased. Standing with his hands behind his back wrapped up in his sleeves he nodded and asked ¡°Tell me, how do you make a loaf of bread?¡±

    The question seemed to take the man back as he froze for a moment and asked ¡°What does that have to do with this?¡±

    The advisor smiled at him and brought a hand forward to one of the common folk and asked ¡°Tell me kind sir, do you know how to make a loaf of bread.¡±

    ¡°W..well, yes, sir.¡± The man awkwardly responded, sitting upright and explaining over the course of a minute how to create a loaf of bread from scratch.

    The noble was getting more agitated with such a question, but then the advisor pointed to a red potion hanging off of the bag that his servant carried. ¡°Now tell me, do you know what that is?¡±

    The merchant scoffed at the notion and said ¡°Of course I know my own possessions. That is a healing potion.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do, sir. Now, can you tell me how it is made?¡±

    Once he hesitated the question was turned to Tithe who had just come in with him ¡°Now son, could <i>you</i> tell me how it was made?¡±

    ¡°I can, sir.¡± Tithe responded nervously, but staring at the bottle he continued ¡°But that isn¡¯t a health potion. It is too low quality so it would classify as a regeneration potion which while the name implies heals a wound slowly over time, isn¡¯t as potent and can¡¯t cure wounds as severe as a real health potion.¡±

    The noble was visibly furious to be upstaged by a student but before he could open his mouth, the advisor continued ¡°You see, sir. There is more to this world than material wealth and talking to other countries. We need those who can bake our bread. We need those who can brew our potions. We need those who can tend to our sick and injured.¡± Motioning around the room he stepped back and said ¡°Everyone in here is worth far more than you. If I needed somebody to sit at a desk and take bribes, I could ask my toddler to do so.¡±

    Red was not the colour to describe the merchant''s face. He looked ready to assault the advisor, but anyone would know that was a bad idea. Again, before he could reply with some form of witty retort he no doubt was preparing the advisor stated ¡°Now sit down, and wait your turn like everybody else.¡±

    The merchant had no response other than fixing his suit and returning to his seat. Publicly humiliated, his gaze turned to everyone around him and anyone he caught staring received what could only be described as a threat through stare alone.

    Tithe avoided eye contact and watched his peers one by one get called to the throne room. It seemed each meeting was about ten minutes long but given the amount of those ahead of him he felt that it was appropriate to use the restroom, having been travelling all day without break.

    It took directions from a servant to find the bathroom where he took a stall and for the moment simply collected his thoughts as he finished his business. That was when the door to the bathroom opened and he heard a familiar voice.

    The merchant from outside walked in with his servant and said ¡°What absolute imbeciles, thinking they could make a fool of me,¡± quietly as the door closed behind them.

    ¡°Quite unruly, sir,¡± the servant, tithe assumed responded.

    Creeping up to the door he peeked out through the small gap between the door and the lock to see the servant had placed his large back upon the sink. ¡°They will regret messing with me.¡± The merchant scowled.

    Watching intently, Tithe noticed as he removed an ornamental dagger out from within a secret compartment hidden in the lining of the bag. The rest of the interaction may have been silent but the dagger was handed to the servant who swiftly hid it up his sleeve and placed the bag back on his back.

    He was unsure what they planned to do with a hidden weapon, it would have been stupid to attack the king in such a public place but the thought wandered that perhaps the kind old advisor who had taken him here was the target.

    Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the coin and stared at it for a moment before he decided to press upon the crystal which caused it to glow a light red and start to beep. In a quick panic he moved his other hand back and flushed the toilet, stuffing the coin back into his pocket in hopes the guards would be here soon.

    He knew it would be suspicious if he stayed in the stall so he opened it up and stepped out, feigning shock seeing the two and saying ¡°Oh, hello sir.¡± Awkwardly, attempting to get to the sink to wash his hands.

    The middle aged merchant stared at him with fire in his eyes that could rival the flames of psychopomps and stated ¡°You little rat, what are you doing in here?!¡± He demanded, as if it was unusual for someone to use the restroom.

    ¡°Um¡­ Using the toilet?¡± He asked, attempting to turn on the tap before his arm was grabbed by the servant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t play coy.¡± He said harshly ¡°I heard that beep from within the stall. You called on the guards.¡±

    The merchant stepped in close enough to almost press his nose against Tithes and said ¡°I could ruin both you and your family you little shit.¡± Aggressively shoving him against the wall once the servant released his grip ¡°You are going to tell the guards when they arrive that this was an accidental use of the coin. If you do not then I will ensure that both you and your family rot in a ditch before the morning sun rises.¡±

    He hardly had any time to think of what to do but the threat was a very serious one from a man with such leverage in the political world. ¡°Do you understand?,¡± he asked, using his arm against Tithe¡¯s throat to keep him pinned to the wall.

    Hearing the guards approach, Tithe only had once choice which was to nod his head and clasp at his throat for air once the man stepped away. ¡°I am glad we came to an understanding,¡± he stated as he used one hand to fix his hair and the other stuffed into his pocket.

    The guards were approaching rapidly once the door was opened and they stepped outside, surrounding the three as one asked ¡°Had something happened?¡±

    Tithe was unsure how to react as he could feel the glare of the merchant on his back and the weight of his threat hanging heavy on his shoulders like a backpack that carried far too many implications.

    He thought briefly of how his family would cope if such a thing were to happen, would they be able to fend for themselves¡­ Would they even know danger was coming?

    Of course they would, they could handle themselves as well as any. Steeling himself and his resolve he turned and pointed directly at the servant ¡°He has a blade hidden up his left sleeve. I saw them remove it from a hidden compartment within the backpack.¡±

    ¡°Is this true?¡± The guard yelled as the four of them all drew their swords and surrounded the group. They hardly had any time to react as the servant was then shoved up against the wall and his body searched by two of the guards.

    Tithe could feel the animosity from the merchant, a silent swear that he and his family would rue this day. That was until one of the guards said ¡°The kids right, he has a dagger on him¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid¡­¡± Tithe quietly mumbled with a hint of embarrassment before the weight of the situation hit him in the gut once more.

    ¡°Take them to the dungeons.¡± The first guard commanded and once the merchant and his servant were dragged off screaming some sort of ¡°Do you not know who I am!?¡± in several different ways

    The last guard left turned to face Tithe and ask ¡°are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I am fine.¡± Tithe assured, stepping away from the bathroom door to let some onlookers who were clearly waiting to enter pass.

    ¡°Well you potentially saved someone''s life today, boy. Take pride in that.¡± The guard said, bumping the back of his fist against Tithe¡¯s chest ¡°The kingdom needs more like you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a child¡­¡± He repeated awkwardly, but the guard was already gone and he was free to return to the waiting room where the wait continued.

    Finally it came to his turn where the same advisor that came for him entered the room and said ¡°Ah, Tithe. This way if you would.¡±

    With that they were into the walk towards the audience chamber. ¡°Now, the previous student is still within the chamber but I would like to ask you a few questions before we enter,¡± he explained as they began up the long set of steps that led to the entrance.

    ¡°Of course, ask away,¡± Tithe responded. After everything that had happened so far today he was unsure what was going to happen here.

    ¡°Well, firstly could you tell me a bit about your family?,¡± he asked.

    A common question he assumed which was easy to answer ¡°Well my family are hunters. None of them cared much for alchemy and they live off the land in our home town.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see,¡± he responded at first, taking out a small pad he had taken some notes of his answer in ¡°Then, tell me of your ambitions.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± He paused again before he placed them into words ¡°I wish to simply travel the world and help cure the blights and famines that are hurting smaller towns and villages since the war began.¡±

    Again, notes taken and the man nodded ¡°A very noble ambition,¡± he said in a coy fashion. ¡°When did you start studying?¡±

    ¡°About six years ago. Started in the spring when I got to the dorms. Had to argue my dad into the ground that Alchemy was worth studying instead of hunting,¡± Tithe explained, chuckling fondly at the memory despite it sounding more on the harsh side.

    Standing outside the chamber''s massive doors they turned to face each other. ¡°Final question.¡±

    Tithe was quick to take note of the change in the nobles demeanour, his shoulders tensing as he held his hands behind his back. ¡°Say you are visiting a small town with your wife and daughter. Suddenly the townsfolk take both of your family members hostage and you only have time to save one of them. Who do you choose?¡±

    It was like mental whiplash, such simple questions into a hypothetical over who he loved most. Tithe could hardly even begin to fathom the idea of such a situation. ¡°What would I do in that situation?,¡± he thought, again and again. Any form of possibility slipping through his mind at a speed he could barely grasp.

    Finally, he stared down at the old man and simply said ¡°I am sorry to say that I frankly¡­ Don¡¯t know. Family is important. While I would love to have some heroic answer to how I would save the day, at best I think I would die trying to save both. It¡¯s hard to think what I would actually do in the panic of the situation until it arises.¡±

    ¡°I see. Wait here¡± The man responded one more time before he pushed open one of the large doors with surprising ease and stepped inside, closing it behind him.

    The silence became quite disturbing as he was left to wait for what he could assume was about ten minutes. Soon thereafter the door opened again and one of his classmates left the room. Though they only shared a brief wave before Tithe was called inside.

    Bracing himself he walked forward through the door and into the throne room. For how regal the rest of the castle was, it was oddly bare in there. A large stone room with the throne situated at the far end at the top of a short flight of stairs so the king could have those speaking looking up to him as they bowed.

    The windows in the room that led to the gardens were of the same stained glass nature of those outside with shards of them missing and currently in the process of being replaced but it seemed those working on that had been sent home, or elsewhere for now.

    The throne itself had the back shattered and along the outer edges part of an ancient scripture that was dedicated to the worship of the All-Mother and a smaller throne on either side for the queen and resident prince.

    The king however took up the centre throne and more, a large muscular man who brandished a set of fur armour and a large axe that may have been the size of Tithe sat against the back wall. The king himself was so large the throne could only hold a portion of him. When he was told the man was giant¡­ Well he didn¡¯t think to take it literally as he must have been nearly ten feet tall. ¡°So you are Tithe, correct?¡± He asked in a deep and commanding voice. What Tithe expected of the human who simply stormed the capital and declared himself king.

    ¡°I am, sire.¡± He responded, getting onto one knee when he reached the end of the carpet at the bottom of the staircase. It was still hard to believe the previous king was such a meek and plump man compared to what one could only call a mountain that sat above him.

    With his focus finally shifting from the king, the advisor stood to his left with a few others that he could only assume were in a similar position. On the right though, was the merchant from outside that had threatened his life.

    Tithe¡¯s heart sank. Suddenly everything rushed back to his head and he thought ¡°Have I upset a family member of the king?¡±

    His face turning pale was duly noted by the king who laughed heartily and slapped the arm of the broken throne. ¡°No need to worry, boy.¡± Raising his hand to the merchant who bowed in return and removed the large coat he was wearing and a wig which seemed to be used to hide his identity.

    ¡°Did you like my acting?¡± The secondary advisor asked with a wide grin, showing that under those fancy robes he wore the same uniform as everyone standing on the left, revealing him as another one of the king''s men.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡± Tithe finally managed to squeeze out through his confusion.

    The king watched him closely for a few moments, judging his body language before he finally spoke ¡°I am sorry, subterfuge is not something I condone but my advisers insisted on doing this show.¡±

    The once merchant now adviser bowed to Tithe deeply and explained ¡°Allow me to explain. With the new king attaining the throne, personally vetting everyone in the way he sees fit would cause these meetings to take up to hours each. With how many people wish to, and need to see the king we needed a bit of a smarter solution.¡±

    At that, another was willing to step in and allowed the previous to return to the line. The advisor that had collected him explained ¡°so, we had the waiting room developed, along with the coin. In witnessing what you thought would be an attack within the castle and reporting it to the guards you proved that even under threat of violence, you did the right thing.¡±

    Again, Tithe was almost speechless. Almost. ¡°So anyone who didn¡¯t report seeing him in the bathroom was suspicious?¡±

    ¡°Not entirely,¡± the balding noble began, ¡°there were many actors, so to say, placed around the castle. All with plots of their own. Anyone who saw the plot and was threatened by an actor and did not report the crime would be under suspicion. Then came the questions I asked you on the way here. A man who was being deceitful would need time to create an alibi with the first questions I asked, but would have an answer for the final question prepared. Whereas, you didn¡¯t even give me a solid answer. Something expected from an honest man in a horrid situation.¡±

    Finally, with their explanation aside, they bowed and the King took his spot in the centre of the spotlight by standing from his throne. His figure was as imposing as it was chiselled. He could easily snap Tithe like a twig, which made his oddly calm and seemingly kind demeanour even more unnerving.

    ¡°I have been informed by the college of Alchemy that you told them, during your exit interview with the headmaster, that you stated you wish to travel the world fixing the ills of both the land and the people who are less fortunate.¡± The King said as he walked down the steps until he towered over the kneeled Tithe. Offering a hand to him so he could rise ¡°That is a noble ambition, son. As the new king of these lands, I would like to endorse such a kind hearted journey.¡±

    It was a shock, no, a punch in the gut? A slap in the face? It felt like all forms of whiplash at once. He simply stared at the extended hand for a moment before the King shook it slightly to encourage him.

    At that he quickly took the King''s hand which dwarfed his, looking almost like a child''s hand next to their fathers who worked in the mines. A gritty, scarred and worn hand that had seen many battles holding the soft and tiny hand of a scholar who had not once seen a true battlefield in his life outside of news publications. The king gently took his hand and lifted Tithe so he could stand, still almost half the King''s height so he was forced to look upwards at him.

    ¡°It.. Is an hour, sir, that you would consider me for such a boon.¡± He responded, not wanting to spit into the hand that would feed him after all¡­ Or crush his head like a grape.

    ¡°I can sense the hesitation, son.¡± He assured Tithe before he walked back up the staircase to take his seat once more. ¡°It is not purely for the benefit of a kind soul. When it comes to cleaning up after a war, there are many places the reach of the kingdom simply misses. We do not have the money to afford to send aid to everyone.¡±

    He looked about at his advisers who all quickly nodded when it came to the notion of budgeting. ¡°But¡­ We do have enough to sponsor those who are willing to heal the world.¡± His attention turned back to Tithe. ¡°In providing you with what we can, and you living your dream in the name of the kingdom, it will spread a positive outlook to the kingdom as well. So we both benefit.¡±

    It made sense, the war was still raging on in other parts of the seven kingdoms until total control was going to be his. Tithe still struggled to articulate himself, but he bowed his head again. ¡°I humbly accept your offer, sire.¡±

 chapter 6: Discovering Power

    A soft bed was something that was welcome after spending time training. It had been months at this point and his body still hadn¡¯t grown accustomed to the feeling of such intense training every single day.

    Owen had tried his best to simply not sleep but found his body had begun to succumb to the fatigue so hitting the bed of his room was quite a welcome feeling. Sleeping was something that felt like a waste of time at the moment, his body could survive without it, yet craved it at all times.

    As morning came, so did the sound of an explosive boom following the force that was needed to send him skipping across the hard concrete and grassy areas. Working day in and out for months would leave any man exhausted, but today was the night he finally understood the first major lesson Alister was trying to teach him.

    ¡°You just don¡¯t get it,¡± was something the overgrown wall of a man said in the beginning quite often. Never outright spelling out what he should do which caused untold amounts of irritation to Owen.

    Finally coming to a halt when he slid soundly into what was a mini crater he pulled himself up into a sitting position and attempted to regain his composure. ¡°One minute!¡± He heard Alister yell across the space, only one minute to make it that far¡­

    Alister had his own ideas about training, the foremost being that Owen had to figure it out himself so he could ¡®learn to learn¡¯ so that he could expand his skillset alone without having his hand held like all the others did.

    That day however, during the abuse, screaming, and beatings it finally clicked.

    He had not only been training, but studying all forms of tomes that he could borrow from Osmir, and one gave him an idea. Pulling himself out of the dirt he rubbed his hands together, separating them just enough to create a ball of pure mana according to the steps detailed in the book. This was a dangerous technique but he had no choice if he was to keep up with this level of training every day.

    Maintaining the orb for a few moments he channelled until it was roughly the size of a kids ball to which he then crushed it between his hands, causing his arms to begin to tremble at the power rushing through him, channelling and funnelling it all through his body until it was pushed down into his legs.

    That was it, exactly what he needed.

    The energy running through his body did allow him to overclock his natural abilities to that of a superhuman. The downside to this being that forcing one''s muscles to react and work this hard was agonising.

    Finally accepting his immortality as a core part of how he functioned and less of a thing to keep in the back of his mind he was able to use experimental magic that, on a normal mortal, would irreversibly damage the body.

    Last Stand as it was known was used by the mages to the west in a last ditch attempt to win during wartime. When a soldier was on his last legs it was something used to take as many of the enemy with him as he could.

    This barbaric magic was what allowed Owen to kick off the crater and crush the ground underneath his very step. It almost felt like he was running across quicksand as the dirt beneath his feet caved away with each stride through the town, a rush of air following behind him that caused the signs in the village to violently swing with some even breaking off their mantles.

    That feeling of power was still something that he was never going to forget. Through every single fibre of his being screaming in pain, covering the distance of the town in a matter of a few minutes left him with such a feeling of accomplishment that it almost overwrote the pain.

    Well, that was all until Alister pushed him over and said ¡°I said one minute. That is another failure.¡±

    Nothing to take the wind out of his sails like Alister not even letting him enjoy any form of a victory until it was perfect¡­ But this was a victory. One that marked the beginning of Owen¡¯s change from a regular mortal into an agent of the spire.

    Up next was another meeting with the moles. This time it was his turn to teach. The youngest mole was to become an ambassador of sorts so Owen was to teach him some common language, and what he would need to know about the world to begin such a role. Quaffing a regeneration potion to numb the pain in his muscles he wandered out into the field where he was to meet the young mole while carrying a bag of muffins he had made the night prior.

    ¡°Man!¡± Owen heard with a rumbling in the ground that caused him to take a quick step backwards. The child that he had taken to calling Stephen had burst from the ground nearby which threw shreds of dirt in every direction.

    ¡°I told you, my name is not Man. I am a man,¡± Owen called out to him from a distance. He knew the child was still reading his mind but it helped for him to hear the sound of words being spoken aloud to become accustomed to it.

    ¡°Names are confusing.¡± Stephen responded, this time by speaking into Owen¡¯s mind so he could be more articulate. Shaking the dirt from his fur he rubbed his eyes gently with those large claws before asking ¡°Did you bring the tasty things?¡±

    Owen nodded, waving his hand so he would follow him into a small hut near the edge of town. ¡°I did. We will have some after each lesson.¡±

    Stephen was excited, mostly at the idea of snacks but it was a good motivation to keep him learning where he needed to. ¡°So, to continue where we left off from last time¡­¡±

    Hours passed and the sun rolled across the sky until a knock sounded across the door. Stephen took that as his que to move away from the table and quickly open the door to reveal Hugur and signal the end of the lessons.

    ¡°It is time for our training.¡± Hugur said to Owen.

    Owen stood from his desk and grabbed the bag of muffins to toss them to Stephen. ¡°Be sure to bring the bag back next time,¡± he called out before the child had quickly fled with his treats.

    ¡°Have you made any progress at all since our last session?¡± Hugur asked, making no intent to hide his disappointment. It was hard to argue with it, given almost no progress at all had been made with Owen learning. He hadn¡¯t even been able to enter the state that allowed him to enter someone''s mind.

    ¡°I have not¡­¡± Owen responded grimly. Though he had spent days within his room trying to figure out anything at all that could cause such a state. The moles lacked the ability to articulate how they entered the state required to read one''s mind. Owen lacked the ability to mimic what they do without sufficient instructions.

    Hugur solemnly nodded and stepped back to walk outside. Owen followed him to where they usually trained. The large mole that had come with Hugur and Stephen as a caretaker was with him. Hecket, he had come to call her.

    ¡°I have some questions about magic once again,¡± Owen began as it seemed the two were having some form of a conversation between themselves given their faces becoming somewhat dejected. It stung, it reminded him of the look his professors gave him back in college when he was caught with Tithe and Desmond sneaking out at night, breaking curfew in hopes of catching fireflies in hopes to avoid the schools exorbitant prices for them.

    Aain, Owen spoke and asked ¡°How do you channel your mana when you try to cast the magic?¡± Moving forward when they both looked down at him he added ¡°How mana flows through us is important.¡±

    The two seemed to have finished whatever conversation they had, ultimately leading to Hugur responding finally and saying ¡°Perhaps we should postpone our training until you can break the surface of mind magic.¡±

    He hardly gave Owen any time to process what he was told before the two quickly burrowed back into the earth once more, leaving him confused and quite frankly at a loss for words.

    When he finally processed what happened he decided now that he had time on his hands he would head to practise alchemy. It had been quite some time given he spent almost every waking moment training, cooking, or resting.

    Within the small village they resided they kept many buildings he once thought were completely random lay a building that he thought was simply saved for if another were to join them. That was until recently, when a key had been provided to him by Swiss. ¡°It¡¯s for when you want to relax.¡± He remembered her saying before plopping it into his hand and sprinting off into the night.

    When he first opened the door to see what it was, he was far too tired to make use of what he found but what he found was truly breathtaking. His own lab. All forms of apparatus and high end alchemy supplies just begging to be experimented with lined the shelves, cupboards and tables. A cauldron of high quality steel that could only be forged by the likes of the ancient blacksmith Mydir and as many vials and beakers as he needed.

    On the smaller scale the amount of tools used for extracting, heating, blending, and liquifying what he needed was also astonishing. His heart almost skipped a beat when he saw it but his body gave way before he could, leading to needing an early rest.

    Today, however. He had more than enough time given that the moles had slipped away early so he could become quite intimate with his new workspace for the foreseeable future. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they went all in.¡± He said, unsure if it was easy or difficult for the dragon to create such a space on such short notice.

    The one thing within the room that left him quite uncomfortable was a homunculus that he assumed psychopomps created of Owen. A lifelike body that he could use to test his various experiments on without needing to use absolutely every single ingredient on himself and allow him to witness the effects from a new perspective.

    Closing the door behind him and flicking the light on he approached the cauldron which was already filled to the appropriate level with clean water. It was just begging to be used¡­ But that was for after, right now he had a much more pressing concern.

    Curiosity.

    Rummaging through the ingredients they had left him, he had a feeling the dragon already knew what he wanted to do when he was able to test alchemy so he was able to find exactly what he wanted in the lower drawers.

    A vial of acid. The same substance he found filling his lungs when he woke up in that vat facing the crowd. It caused at first the memory to pop into his mind, and him to wince slightly but that feeling was soon replaced by his amazement.

    ¡°Now that I am immortal¡­¡± He thought as he uncorked the heavy duty lid and took a whiff of the corrosive liquid which at first seemed odourless but left an odd¡­ pungent feeling in his nose that was uncomfortable.

    He understood that smelling such an acid would be a horrible idea given it could cause loss of breath and potentially be fatal in a high enough dose of inhalation but he was immortal now and this was the least stupid thing he planned to do at that moment.

    ¡°Well¡­ Bottoms up.¡± He said as he took a deep breath, feeling every fibre of his being scream to not do this, screaming to simply be okay with the knowledge that he had.

    The top alchemy labs around the world may have had machines that allowed them to discover the chemical compositions of many ingredients, they tended to keep such information secret to have a form of control over the use of such dangerous substances.

    With his increased sensitivity to taste he was able to get a better picture of the composition of the chemical, along with finally being able to sate a long lasting curiosity any child would have but understand was far too stupid to do.

    For a brief moment it felt like an epiphany. Breaking down the different aspects of the acid allowed him to see just for an instant the various kinds of solutions he could use such a volatile liquid for. With a single taste he could understand more than simply it was going to cause pain as that was a given, but comparing it to things he had tried before he gained an understanding of how to handle it.

    That was of course all in a matter of moments because now was the expected result of such a stupid decision. The first of the pain to hit was within the mouth, his tongue beginning to burn up followed by the rest of the mouth as a whole. His throat followed with each inch screaming in agony as the corrosive substance attempted to destroy whatever tissue it came into contact with.

    No matter how strong his stomach was, or what time of the day it was, there wasn¡¯t enough natural protection produced to defend against such a volatile liquid. He collapsed to his knees and clutched his stomach as it desperately fought to eject the corrosive liquid but he did his best to contain himself.

    It was in vain of course as the pain became far too much for him to handle and he wound up throwing up across the floor of his new lab, burning the floorboards below. Everything began to spin as he collapsed onto his side and he felt his body rapidly attempt to revert his stupid decision. The world began to blur and dim before he blacked out in a puddle of his own vomit.

    Was it worth it to sate some simple curiosity?

    Of course.

    While he may have expected whoever had found him to have some form of mini heart attack given the state he was in, it seemed it was treated as quite normal. ¡°Everybody tries to push the limits of their immortality at least once in the beginning.¡± Osmir said as he had propped Owen up against the wall and used a rag to wipe him down. ¡°Though usually it is in a way that could be considered a bit more intelligent than¡­ drinking acid?¡±

    ¡°What can I say¡­ I was curious.¡± Owen teased, his voice hoarse and strained. The pain still spread through his throat and stomach but it was at least manageable.

    Osmir essentially forced a regeneration potion into his mouth and explained ¡°I will need you to make more of these regeneration points. Silly incidents like this lead to using more than we expected.¡±

    For an orc he was surprisingly gentile. He held Owens face up so he could more easily swallow and then took a seat across from him on the floor. ¡°Curiosity can be as dangerous as it is fulfilling, you know.¡±

    ¡°It was worth it.¡± Owen commented in response, just tasting his ingredients often led him to a much, much deeper understanding of them, so it was naturally frustrating for him when he had to work with ingredients that he wasn''t able to taste.

    Osmir laughed at the notion. Something so profound about the story. ¡°Well at least this will be a story we can fondly look back on decades from now.¡± He commented.

    It was a small idea, but one that did leave a slight warmth in Owens chest. Or that could have been some form of horrific heartburn¡­ But the idea that he was making memories with what he could only assume were going to be his comrades for¡­ well forever.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Osmir¡­¡± He asked, peaking the interest of the orc. ¡°What could you imagine is the problem with me learning mind magic?¡± It had been no secret that he was struggling given that they would check in on his training periodically.

    ¡°It is hard to say¡­¡± Osmir responded. Rubbing at his chin a few times he mulled over the idea ¡°I doubt it is for lack of trying given how we have seen your training progress¡­ The moles themselves seem to have such a natural affinity for the magics it becomes impossible to even know how they do it.¡±

    ¡°If only I could read how they channel mana¡­¡± Owen thought aloud¡­ But perhaps that was possible. Thinking back to his time in college there was a machine that would allow someone''s mana signature to be read. One that was used often enough to tell how much someone was outputting. It was safe to assume they wouldn¡¯t have such a machine here and getting one would take far too long with the time dilation

    ¡°I think I need to use your library for a bit, Osmir.¡± Owen mentioned as he stood, almost running off without permission to do so, each step still wobbly and unbalanced.

    By the time Osmir made it back to his study that connected to his library he found Owen had created a study pile for himself. Book stacked upon book detailing the various histories of alchemy and the practices used to understand it.

    ¡°Well, make yourself at home.¡± Osmir mocked before he returned to his work.

    Days passed which led into weeks of study, reading each book at any single chance he had to find some way to overcome this barrier to his study and finally¡­ He was getting closer. He had finally created a way to see what he needed.

    He had gathered who he could in the dining hall after breakfast and simply rolled out a very long sheet of paper across the dining table. ¡°I am going to need someone to help me with this.¡± He began, placing a pen on the table and taking his position sitting on the far end. Before anyone could ask to clarify with what he said ¡°Someone will need to gently pull the paper from this end at a slow and steady pace.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡± Swiss said as she quickly bounced over to take a hold of the edge. ¡°I would still like to know what this is all for.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± He smiled in return. Nodding to Osmir he then used a hand to signal him to sit across from him ¡°Give me your hand, please.¡±

    The orc agreed, sitting down and placing his large and surprisingly soft hand into Owens. ¡°Now I want you to wait ten seconds and then cast any form of spell. Swiss you begin to pull slowly when I close my eyes.¡±

    A common nod was once again shared between them all which let Owen close his eyes and begin to tune out what he could of the world. Taking a deep breath as everything began to fade away and he placed the pen gently against the paper.

    Counting the seconds he became slightly hesitant as they made it to eight seconds. Though the time to back out was long gone as once they hit ten seconds, he felt it. A wave of warmth washed over his hand and through his body where it merged with his own mana and dissipated.

    The hand holding the pen began to move the moment he sensed the sudden change in mana tracing a lined pattern that once he opened his eyes again showed a curve that dipped at first before rising rapidly and slowly returning to the centre after that.

    ¡°Well, it looks like it works.¡± He said, a grin creeping across his face as he examined the results while everyone else expected some form of explanation.

    After he failed to provide one, Alister leaned across and used a finger against his forehead to force him to look up ¡°Well, are you going to explain what this¡­ is?¡±

    Osmir dissipated the flame he had created to lean in and examine the results, seeming to have a notion of what they were as Owen explained ¡°It is a very ancient tradition, one that had almost been forgotten to time if not for the books Osmir kept. They have machines to do this nowadays.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so it is a managraph.¡± Osmir responded. The only one who seemed to know what that was, given the others leaned in to examine it once more.They still seemed confused so Owen continued his explanation ¡°Basically what this does is it allows me to draw a graph of your mana input and output.¡± Pointing down to the low end of the graph where it dipped. ¡°This is where one begins to draw in mana from the air around them so it can be converted.¡± Then moving his finger along the line to the quick and sharp raise ¡°Then this is where it is expended on the spell.¡±

    ¡°As Owen mentioned, they have machines for this now. This was an old way that was done in the beginning.¡± Osmir chimed in, mostly interested in the data of how his own mana spiked. ¡°This is in no way a measure of one¡¯s power.¡± He added awkwardly as he realised how it looked with the large dip and low rise. ¡°At neutral it follows your baseline mana and then scans for any changes so the strength of the spell would reflect on the dip and rise, along with how steep and long both are.¡±

    ¡°Getting defensive there?¡± Swiss asked with a sly grin. Jumping up onto the seat next to Owen she stored the paper within her space again for future use. ¡°So what do you hope to do with this technique?¡±

    ¡°I plan to use it to understand how the moles cast their mind magic.¡± Owen explained. ¡°It will let me finally get a baseline idea of what is needed in order to cast. I¡¯ll need your help again with the paper, Swiss.¡±

    They were off moments later, heading to the usual meeting spot where to summon them he had to ring a bell that had been placed above ground. Given most of the world reset itself daily they had to break through the surface layer each time.

    Three holes dug that caused the two to step back, two large holes that allowed the gigantic moles Hugur and Hecket to emerge and a single small hole that Stephen sprung from. ¡°Man!¡± He exclaimed, audibly this time which showed the progress of their time together. ¡°I told you before, that is not my name.¡± Owen laughed, almost assaulted by those large claws as the child rushed to his side to offer a hug of sorts. It involved a tad too much squeezing and probably would have broken his spine if not for the unbreakable aspect.

    ¡°What do you need of us?¡± Hugur asked in as deep and stern a tone as ever directly into his mind. His eyes glancing between Swiss and Owen given it wasn¡¯t often he brought someone with him.

    ¡°A test today.¡± He thought, assuming he could read the intention of said test already but thought to explain it. ¡°It will allow me to see how you channel mana as you cast your mind magic. From there I can reverse it and cast it myself.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± The mole responded.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t able to do it yet, you must not be trying! Even babies can do it!¡± Stephen said as he held onto Owen, until he was finally pushed back slightly when Owen broke the hug.

    ¡°Well, I am not of your kind.¡± Owen tried to rationalise for him ¡°So it is a lot harder for me to learn something we have never known.¡±

    Hecket seemed to be more interested in asking questions as she probed his mind to inquire ¡°I have been curious as to what you and your people will be offering once this training is complete. Our leader refuses to answer such questions.¡±

    He knew Hugur was listening in, though Hecket was most likely able to mask her probing from him but he decided to simply answer. ¡°We will be offering up many forms of long term training and information on how to defend yourselves from the surface dwellers. Ultimately how to be able to contact them and form an agreement that the underground around your home is your land and that to enter must be agreed upon.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little agitated with both of them in his head at once, like that feeling of pins and needles running along one''s arm but through the mind.

    Shaking his head to try and clear the feeling he let them know his intention and why Swiss was here. ¡°It should only take a few moments and then I will be off to check the results.¡±

    At that the mole offered a giant claw for Owen to hold. Swiss moved into position and watched as he requested Hugur to use his magic.

    Once again pulling on the paper she watched Owen trace how the mana moved when Hugur used his magic to enter his mind and create an image. Though the results seemed to be what she expected.

    Opening his eyes, Owen was eager to examine what he found. Looking over the line tracing how mana was moved around within the mole when casting it was¡­ just a straight line. Not a single dip or curve of any sort.

    Swiss expected some form of dejection from him but Owen seemed confident as he stood once more ¡°Just what I expected.¡± He stated before he took out a needle and a vial ¡°Do you mind if I take a small amount of blood for testing?¡± He requested of the mole ¡°It won''t hurt given your size.¡±

    ¡°If you are to do so, be quick about it.¡± He responded which led to Owen promptly jabbing him with the needle. Hugur seemed to flinch slightly at it but due to the look of embarrassment they decided to not bring any attention to it.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Owen said before he was off once again into the distance, leaving Swiss in a state of confusion as he had taken the paper and simply ran. ¡°You''re welcome!¡± She shouted at him as he fled.

    What followed was what one could only call a mad dash of an experiment. Locked away in his lab none seemed able to remove him from his experiment for the coming days. Training being postponed as whatever he was working on was described as ¡°of utmost importance¡± to Alister which he begrudgingly accepted.

    Of course Owen didn¡¯t want to admit that the first thing he had done was taste a drop of the blood to confirm his suspicion. Something about the moles'' anatomy was different and that was what allowed them to so freely cast these spells. This wasn¡¯t a technique, but an organ.

    Looking over the managraph only confirmed such a theory due to the lack of needing to draw in mana from the world around them to cast it so it simply had an upwards trajectory until they finished. So potion after potion, failure after failure, and explosion upon chemical burn all led to his final attempt with the last of the blood that he had obtained. He would need to ask for more if this failed and by now his homunculus was looking quite disfigured from the experiments.

    He was a mess by this point. His hair was scruffy and greasy while his clothing had become stained from all forms of sources. Luckily for him Swiss would come around each day with something to eat from the canteen but even then they often remained half eaten due to not being up to the standards of his taste buds. A few too many grains of salt here, the wrong oil there. His ability was both a blessing, and a curse.

    Given his body was difficult to change he lacked the stubble that one would associate with such a long term lack of self care but what he didn¡¯t lack was those bags under his eyes he had always had, now forever burned onto his face.

    Holding the vial above the cauldron he stared down and mumbled ¡°Just one drop¡­¡± tipping it into the green concoction below which caused another explosion of foul smelling smoke to fill the room. Coughing fits aside he leaned in and checked the results to reveal that the concoction had shifted into a vibrant brown colour with the mixture of the blood. His heart raced as he stared into it and he hesitated. If his testing and theory was correct, a cup of this was going to drastically change his ability to use magic. Though, it may also fundamentally change a part of him as well. One that would kill a normal person for even trying to do so.

    He took a mug and filled it to the brim, setting it aside for the moment as he took a moment to¡­ appreciate? The gift that had been given to him by Psychopomps. A genetic blueprint that would allow him to create a new homunculus when he ruined the previous. A near exact copy that would act as a soulless doll that he could run more dangerous experiments on before attempting them on himself, all he had to do was pump it full of mana every few days to keep its form.

    It seemed the dragon already knew he was planning to use himself as a lab rat.

    It was¡­ Uncanny to say the least. Staring at himself standing in the corner of the room, completely lifeless and motionless. ¡°Owen 2.¡± He had begun calling it with increasingly stupider subtitles such as ¡°Owen harder¡± or ¡°Revengance.¡±

    Now was not the time for jokes though as he took the mug over to it and using one hand opened its mouth and the other slowly poured the concoction into it. The only data it couldn¡¯t provide was pain as it had no autonomy or any form of feelings or speech capabilities.

    It did however end up shaking slightly, mostly It¡¯s head rocking back and forth as a change was clearly happening within. ¡°I think this might finally be it¡­¡± Owen mumbled to himself as he quickly got his equipment ready to chart the homunculi¡¯s mana signature.

    He had carved some runes into the back of the creature''s hand so he could prompt it to cast a basic spell or simply to expend mana so he could take a graph of it. Several sheets of failed managraphs lay across the floor that he hastily kicked aside. Pressing his hand against the homunculus once more he simply told it to expend mana. Closing his eyes and attempting to clear his mind he began to trace, allowing his arm to move alongside the flow of what he felt.

    Opening his eyes he stared down at the results¡­ He didn¡¯t even need to compare them to know that this was a rousing success. A grin spread across his face as he said ¡°I¡­ I did it¡­¡± But this was simply the first part of a two step process.

    Moving the homunculus to the table he cleared off, he took a scalpel and got to work opening him up, luckily the homunculi wasn¡¯t indestructible so he could do so.

    It was perfect. Exactly what he expected with his deductions and reasoning. He could alter his own body if needs be. Not add to, but alter.

    After returning the homunculus to its usual spot in the corner he took a cup and used a ladle to fill it to the brim and with his heart racing within his chest and confident now this mixture was what he needed he took a deep breath before quickly tilting the cup upwards and guzzling down the concoction in hopes of avoiding the taste. A mixture of the saltiness of the sodium chloride in the blood mixed with the earthiness of the soil and sweetness of the pixie plums made him want to throw it up. Tasting like drinking mud let alone the thick texture of the liquid made the endeavour quite unpleasant. His hopes of the plum masking the taste did not work and only served to make it far more unpleasant. If only the homunculus could let him know how to add honey.

    Finishing the mug he dropped it, causing it to shatter across the floor while he stepped back from the cauldron. Panting heavily and clutching his stomach, heaving as he felt the concoction almost melt away inside him. There was no rapid digestion here as it assimilated through the stomach walls into his very being which caused an agonising pain to travel through his body.

    Inch by inch the pain spread, desperately making its way upwards. If this worked as he planned it was to integrate into his brain. A stupid idea to most given anything that would physically alter the brain would no doubt kill the host.

    It was a gamble, and one he had put a hefty bet on. This could potentially leave him as a vegetable for the rest of his immortal existence but as they say¡­ There¡¯s no progress without sacrifice.

    His vision blurred as the door opened and fresh air washed over his sweat coated body. The briefest respite of fresh air before he collapsed and once again, lost consciousness.

    There were no dreams, no nightmares, nothing. This was a dreamless sleep that ended in what felt like an instant. Ultimately when he awoke his head was still in agony. It felt like his brain was pounding against his skull in a desperate attempt to escape and it was close to actually breaking through.

    His sight would slowly return though everything was blurred as he lay on a soft bed at least. Given the sun was out he had assumed he had been out all night. His body, however, was not responding.

    No matter how much he tried to move he found that his body would not respond. ¡°Hey, take it easy¡­¡± He heard. His vision slowly cleared to see that Osmir had been the one to find him on the floor of his lab. ¡°Whatever you did to yourself has taken one hell of a toll on the body. You¡¯re lucky to even be lucid right now.¡±

    He could only stare at his comrade as even his words eluded him. His mouth felt numb and he couldn¡¯t close it on his own. However¡­ As he stared at Osmir and something felt different.

    He couldn¡¯t put it into words even within his own mind but he felt a small connection as he kept his attention on the Orc. Watching his every movement he felt as if he was reaching out to him even though he couldn''t move his arms.

    This was it. He continued to reach out in this metaphysical sense until he took a firm grasp of Osmir who seemed to have a shiver sent up his spine in response. Shaking himself off it seemed as if he hadn¡¯t noticed.

    But Owen had. Owen heard what he had been hoping to hear, and that was his thoughts. ¡°Apply runes to the lower wound¡­¡± He heard without Osmir moving his lips. He couldn¡¯t believe it, tears beginning to well in his eyes as he continued to probe ¡°Next step is to¡­ Is he crying?¡± The thoughts continued before Osmir spoke ¡°Don¡¯t worry Owen. I am going to make sure you fully recover.¡± He assured him while he placed a hand atop the rune he had just created.

    Owen was elated, and he tried to remember what Hugur had told him in training. Grasping the idea of someone''s mind was one thing, but sending a message was another. When he questioned how one would do it he was told it was like projecting one''s will into someone else.

    Given he couldn¡¯t move at the moment he closed his eyes once he felt Osmir wipe away the tears of joy and focused hard. Channelling what mana he even could in this state he maintained that grasp on Osmir¡¯s mind and spoke to him, saying ¡°These tears are joy.¡± He had finally done it¡­ Months of training to no avail, months of ridicule from the moles and peers alike. He had finally read someone''s mind.

    It caused a pause of course and when Owen opened his eyes his colleague stared at him in utter shock. There was no need for words now as Osmir quickly moved a hand to his wounds once more to continue healing him. ¡°Can you hear this? Oh this is awkward¡­ I don¡¯t know how to speak like this?¡± Osmir blabbered within his thoughts, far less articulate and proper sounding.

    ¡°I think I have gotten the hang of reading at least.¡± He projected into Osmirs mind after some time of meddling through his surface level thoughts about the process he was using to heal Owens wounds.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s good but I have to say, the state I found you in was quite scary.¡± Osmir said aloud. His thoughts added more context to the situation ¡°And I was not expecting that lifeless homunculus to just be standing there¡­¡±

    It took quite some time for his wounds to be healed by Osmir, at least to the point that he was able to move again, though needing a cane at the moment to lean on. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about long term effects¡­¡± Osmir said once he stood Owen upright and pat him down. ¡°You will make a full recovery, just over time.¡±

    ¡°Thanks so much for the help.¡± Owen said, having long left his colleagues'' mind to not be too intrusive.

    ¡°We need to have a talk with the others about what happened, just to keep them up to speed.¡± Osmir explained while putting away the various tools he used to carve runes and inject mana.

    ¡°Then gather them, but I must first let Hugur know that I have made this breakthrough.¡± He assured Osmir while hobbling out the door.

    ¡°Meet at the dining hall!¡± Osmir called out to him as he locked up the lab behind him¡­ Giving that creepy homunculus one last glance before the door closed.

    Owen quickly made his way through town to where he would always meet with the moles and instead of ringing the bell he wanted to see if he could potentially latch onto them from here and let them know that he had made a breakthrough as a surprise.

    Focusing his energy once again he reached far below the ground and probed for any form of life which took quite some time given he wasn¡¯t used to this feeling of sending his mana out as an extension of himself.

    Once he finally found something below them he probed at it, finding that he could easily latch on given they most likely weren¡¯t expecting him. Though in not being prepared Owen heard something that he clearly wasn¡¯t meant to.

    ¡°This deal is not going to go through. If this child cannot even learn the basics of mind magic then we aren¡¯t going to be provided with anything and this is just a waste of time.¡± Hugur stated, most likely speaking with Hecket. ¡°Just probe his mind as planned and steal as much information before we leave. We should never have agreed to this.¡±

 Chapter 7: Sponsorship

    It finally came time for Tithe to leave the city behind him. Passing through the main gates he was still amazed at the generosity of the king with the gift he was given sitting snugly upon his back.

    A backpack covered in arcane runes that allowed it to hold a space within that held far more inventory space than previously expected. This made his job substantially easier given he could now store things such as his cauldron and alchemy supplies within the pack instead of needing to carry them outside of it.

    Another bonus of the pack being that the runes also offset the weight of what he was carrying so there was an extra spring to his step that would allow him to move much faster on the trail. Around his neck hung the amulet that he was gifted that resembled the coin from the castle though this one seemed to be made from real materials rather than an imitation.

    ¡°Whenever you are finished with a village, simply give us a report using the amulet. If anything needs direct attention we will deal with it.¡± He remembered the council member explaining when the tools were being presented.

    He had his bow within the pack, a quiver with twenty arrows, a camping kit, a provisions pack that contained medical supplies and alchemy ingredients along with a few healing potions and a water skin. The rest he planned to scavenge along the way or procure within the towns he passed through.

    He did however keep a short sword on his waist just in case of an emergency. Standard in both design and quality it was a tool he only planned to use if he was forced to. On the other side of his belt he had a skinning knife which he planned to use much more often on his travels.

    Making it to the front gates and showing his documents and the amulet the guards examined them before he was ushered through with a brief ¡°Best of luck out there, alchemist.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± He called back before he rushed out the large gates where he was met with open fields that led to the forestry that surrounded the kingdom. A welcome return to nature given there was very little time to leave the city during their studies.

    He took a deep breath of fresh crisp air and simply admired the view for a few moments before he heard a bell behind him and a ¡°Get out of the way!¡± that caused him to snap back to reality and quickly hop to the right off the main path.

    ¡°Damned kids¡­¡± An older elf said as he sat on the front of the carriage that passed him, continuing to grumble about today''s youth as his horse pulled him towards the southern forest.

    After that brief and certainly productive interaction, Tithe pulled the bag off of his back to take out a map and examine where he wanted to go. He could have followed the southern path the elf was on towards the small town of Orin which was where his first task resided. If he kept going south after that he could hit a few more towns before making it to the border to Inis.

    ¡°Remember. Do not cross the border under any circumstances. If you are in enemy territory there is little we can do to help you,¡± echoed through his mind. A part of him still unsure if they truly cared about his safety in that sense or if they were more worried about the political justification Inis would have in retaliating against a state sanctioned alchemist of an enemy meddling in their affairs.

    Again, it meant little to him so he closed the map and stuffed it into his backpack before he was on his way again.

    Even though the war had just ended the paths had become somewhat more treacherous. With all the traffic coming to the capital bandits had started setting up traps to try and steal from those coming and going.

    He had been warned by the council members to keep an eye out for such threats and avoid them any chance he could. Of course that would have been his plan from the start but using what little coin he had left to buy a sword was also a good idea.

    At this rate it would take a few days to reach the next town so he at first decided to collect some ingredients for his travels. There were plenty of herbs and mushrooms in the surrounding forests that he could use to make simple fertiliser potions.

    If he was to help calm the lands of decaying soil it would make sense to brew as many as he could so the process would be faster than regular dung. Thinking he could perhaps brew a large cauldron tonight he got to work.

    With a pack full of leaves, mushrooms, and other tidbits of the earth Tithe continued his journey by returning to the main road. It seemed something was happening as he could hear yelling in the distance and the sounds of a fight had broken out.

    It was closer to the main road where he spotted a group of bandits harassing a merchant''s carriage. The guards that had been hired lay slaughtered upon the dirt path with arrows or knives embedded into their backs.

    ¡°Cowards¡­¡± Tithe muttered as he crouched behind a tree and dropped his backpack so he could grab his bow from within. Knocking an arrow he took a moment to analyse the situation. Four bandits and a leader. The four wore padded tunics while the leader had a leather chest piece and helmet. The leader and three of the thugs were human while the fourth was a dwarf which made things slightly more complicated given they were sturdy.

    Preparing his arrow he solidified his plan. He had to be quick given all four of them were surrounding the carriage with what he hoped was a living merchant hiding inside.

    One of the men looked quite a bit faster than the others and his dual daggers let him know he was most likely confident in his speed while another had a straight sword and the leader had a staff so a mage. The dwarf had a crossbow which threw a wrench in how he would like to deal with this.

    When he saw the fire bomb produced from the leader''s pocket he knew he had to act quickly if he wanted to save any potential survivors.

    ¡°No more than animals¡­¡± He muttered, conflicted as he aimed and soon he had pieced together how he was going to deal with all four of them. His father had taught him as a young man how to make a single shot count.

    Pulling back the string until it was lightly touching his nose and lips he used his dominant eye to look down the arrow and align it with the target''s throat, this was to kill in one shot. Holding the string in place he took a deep breath and relaxed his posture, and in turn his grip on the string.

    The sound of an arrow flying alerted the leader of the bandits at least who turned his head to Tithe''s direction¡­ Moments before the steel headed arrow punctured his throat. Sputtering with blood spilling rapidly, he pierced major blood vessels in the neck.

    Now it was do or die as the group were alerted to his presence. The quickest of the group shouting ¡°Who the fuck did that!?¡± As he drew his daggers and raced in the direction the arrow came from while the other tried to help their leader to no avail. The dwarf on the other hand was the problem as he had already prepared a bolt and kept his vision fixed in Tithe¡¯s direction.

    That was a problem for after he dealt with the rogue. Crouching down he placed the bow back into his bag and readied his short sword. When he could hear the vague threats of ¡°I¡¯m going to gut you!¡± inch closer he held the hilt with two hands, just waiting for the opportunity to strike.

    Hearing the twigs snap on the ground next to the tree he was next to. Based on the man''s height he made an educated guess as he turned and thrusted the short sword forward as he turned.

    The man had little time to react as the blade punctured his chest as soon as the twig snapped beneath his feet. ¡°I missed the heart!¡± was the first panicked thought as he watched the man stare in utter shock at what had just happened.

    It seemed he refused to die without getting a shot in as he thrusted his own dagger forward in an attempt to take Tithe with him. Tithe needed to think quickly and using his right arm he forced the attack aside, causing it to miss his chest but causing the dagger to leave a large open wound with the dagger making easy work of his tunic.

    The man tried to make some form of comment but he was already suffering from pneumothorax. Pulling his blade back caused a large hole to be placed within the man''s lungs and any time he tried to breathe even more pressure was placed onto the lung until he could no longer do so and he collapsed to the dirt, left bleeding out and sputtering in an attempt to breathe.

    Tithe quickly had to duck back behind the tree as a bolt flew past him when the bandit fell. Crouching he grabbed a healing potion from his backpack and was quick to down its contents so he could speed up the natural recovery of the wound he had just received. It would begin to close over the wound itself but it didn¡¯t remove the numbing sensation that he felt spreading through his arm.

    ¡°A poison!?¡± He thought, alarmed. A thought that was cut short by the sound of running towards him along with the sound of footsteps running away from him. He had no idea where the dwarf had repositioned in his haste to recover but he could tell the third human was coming at him from the right side of the tree. He doubted the same trick would work again so he rushed off to the next tree nearby in hopes to at least confuse the dwarf long enough to deal with his accomplice.

    ¡°Get back here!¡± The man shouted as he had drawn his own sword. In a one to one combat situation Tithe felt he would be able to hold his own with the training he had gotten from his father but the problem was that he had a crossbow aimed at him from the shadows.

    Pulling his sword up into a defensive stance he turned to face the man and blocked his first blow that was aimed for his throat, moving the blade upwards in order to throw him off guard. He wasn¡¯t expecting him to recover so quickly which caused him to take another blow to the shoulder that cut into him as he too hastily tried to counter attack.

    He pulled away with a yell of pain, bleeding profusely from the wound which began to slowly heal itself from the remaining effects of the potion he had just consumed. He couldn¡¯t afford to take many more blows with the limited supplies he had.

    This time he watched the man''s stance and when he attempted to make an attack once more Tithe quickly backed away and ran further into the forest. ¡°He¡¯s running!¡± The bandit called out to his colleague, giving chase.

    Tithe stopped once more, feeling he had made enough distance to make taking a shot difficult. His heart was beating heavily and his breathing hoarse. It hadn¡¯t been since he made his trek to the city to study alchemy that he had to deal with bandits, or combat in general for that matter but he had no choice now.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    He couldn¡¯t just swing wildly, he needed a plan as his original went tits up after he took the wound. His right arm was still quite numb and it was beginning to spread. This wasn¡¯t good. He didn¡¯t have enough time to make an antidote in the middle of combat and he wasn¡¯t sure if he even had the right ingredients to cure this kind of poison yet.

    He tried his best to calm his breathing but once again he was struggling to do so which let the man easily track where he was ¡°Not so smart when you¡¯re fighting up close, are you?¡± The man jeered.

    Given the man''s eagerness to insult, he had to be put in a state of confidence now. Tithe would use that to his advantage as he swiftly turned around the tree to stab the blade of his sword downwards.

    He ducked the initial swing of the bandit and thrusted the blade into his foot, pinning him to the ground as a loud yell of pain filled the forest. Not even a moment later Tithe saw the man''s balled up fist barreling towards his face.

    It was a direct hit that caused him to stumble backwards and ready himself against a tree. Shuddering he took a look as the man had dropped his own weapon but with a grunt pulled Tithe¡¯s sword out of his foot. ¡°I am going to make this very slow, and very painful.¡± He said through gritted teeth.

    There was very little time to think given that a bolt was also being aimed directly at him. In thinking as fast as he could he opened up the bag that the king had granted him and held it up towards the bolt. The sound of a loud clang filled the forest as Tithe breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed to have hit the inside of the cauldron given the loud noise but Tithe was not happy with needing to take such a gamble.

    That was the end of the relief as he threw the bag at the man in front of him which would cause everything from within to spread out over him ¡°What in the bloody hells!?¡± He screamed. In the confusion caused by his ingredients and belongings spilling over the man he grabbed the bandits sword from the dirt and rushed to stab it into the bandits gut. He didn¡¯t end it there, he pushed hard and moved forward to run the blade through him before dragging it through to the right which caused him to collapse and a veritable sum of organs to spill out to the moss coated roots.

    Though this was a battle to the death even Tithe felt this was a bit cruel so he grabbed the blade and with one more stab through the heart ended the man''s suffering. All that was left now was the dwarf who if he was lucky would have fled the scene when his comrades fell.

    He pressed his back to the nearest tree and listened for any movement but it seemed either he was laying in wait, or had fled.

    He rushed to the next tree closer to the carriage and peeked around but given the quietness of the world around him he was getting increasingly anxious. The numbness in his right arm had grown to the point he could hardly move his fingers and it was only creeping further with every moment.

    That was when he spotted him. The dwarf was waiting nearby with his aims set upon the carriage. Ready to ambush Tithe when he would check on the victims. While he may have been in the perfect position for a shot into his back he wasn¡¯t able to aim with his bow with only one arm.

    At that, there was only one plan left, to take him by surprise and use the confusion to get in a fatal blow.

    He watched him for a moment and once again fell back upon his fathers teachings. ¡°If you want to get close to your mark you need to use the sounds of the forest to your advantage.¡± He got low to the ground and quietly made his way towards the dwarf from behind whose focus was entirely dead set on the cart with his aim. He needed to take a long birth around him so that there was less chance of him being see in in the dwarfs peripheral vision. Taking two steps walking would be far too easy for the dwarf to recognise so he moved at first in quick bursts, mimicking the movement of a deer. Making sure to only move when the bird''s chirping was at its loudest until he was close enough to get to the ground and crawl the last stretch towards the prone dwarf.

    When he got close enough to the dwarf he stood to his full height and raised the sword he picked up from the bandit into the air. This was far less of a calculated thrust into a vital artery like the others. By now, Tithe was tired and weakened, this strike was brutal in nature as he slammed the blade downward, slicing directly into the dwarves thick skull, embedding the blade within.

    ¡°And stay down¡­!¡± He said to no one in particular, kicking at the limp corpse and taking a hold of the blade to pull it from his skull, stabbing the man repeatedly to ensure that he stayed dead. Stumbling towards the carriage he called out to hopefully a living victim inside ¡°They¡¯re gone!¡± holding his numbed arm, doing his best to calculate his next move.

    It was a sorry sight, the bandits had slaughtered the mercenary they had hired to protect the cart. The back end of the cart opened when he announced they were gone to reveal a family within. ¡°You dealt with them?¡± A balding man with a thick moustache asked, stepping out of the cart to examine the remnants of the battlefield.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all done for.¡± Tithe responded weakly as he stumbled forward. Everything ached at this point even outside of the poison coursing through him. ¡°One of them had a coated weapon, I need some medicine to stop the flow of a paralysis potion¡­¡± Given he had time to think now he could identify what type of poison it was.

    The merchant''s wife and young daughter left the cart not long after. The child was quickly ushered back inside given the bodies that littered the area. ¡°Well that is the very least we can do to repay you.¡± The merchant said as he rummaged quickly through the back of his cart before he pulled out a bottle of a clear liquid ¡°In the last town we visited we bought a few bottles of antidotes that work on any illness.¡±

    Tithe looked at the bottle as it was uncorked and sniffed at it as he was offered it. Shaking his head he had to break the bad news to them ¡°You were scammed.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The merchant''s wife asked concernedly, ushering Tithe closer so she could help him rest against the carriage.

    ¡°There is no such thing as a cure all. All poisons are different and require specific ingredients to counteract them. This is at best some water loaded up with a few nice smelling herbs sold in the hopes you would never run into someone who had been poisoned.¡± Tithe explained as he splashed a bit of the potion on his arm ¡°This is essentially a perfume.¡±

    The two seemed distraught at the idea but the merchant asked ¡°How do you know?¡± In a last ditch attempt to save the idea of his investment.

    ¡°I¡¯m a state trained alchemist.¡± He explained briefly.

    That was enough to let them know that the money they had spent was just gone. That was a problem for another time given he was in grave danger. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have anything to deal with paralysis.¡± He responded sadly.

    Tithe leaned his head back against their cart. Holding his numb arm he took some time to think about what to do. ¡°At least let me ease the pain.¡± The merchant said as he rummaged through the cart before pulling out a healing potion. A real one this time given the colour and consistency of it. ¡°To think bandits would attack on a road so close to the capital¡­¡± He said as he filled a spoon to feed the weakened Tithe the foul tasting liquid. Funny to think that one never noticed how poor they taste during battle.

    With at least the spoonful of the potion coursing through him the discomfort was slightly eased. ¡°The war has just ended, I am sure the bandits know that the guards and knights have been spread very thin with the rebuilding of the capital. With many merchants and nobles coming to offer gifts to the new king makes it a prime target for those who want to steal.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything we can do to help?¡± His wife asked, watching as he finished off the potion one spoonful at a time.

    ¡°Given we are this close to the capital¡­¡± He mumbled as the numbness began to spread up his neck ¡°He most likely got a hold of a Pyl Frog. They evolved to paralyse any predator that tries to eat them. Using the oils from that he coated his weapon which would cause a paralysis effect. To counter it I would need a specific plant from the area.¡± He began to explain to the pair who had probably never foraged in their life so he needed to explain this carefully if he didn¡¯t want to be left in a state of paralysis for what could last upwards of three days.

    Taking a deep breath he sat down on the ground with his back leaning on the cart ¡°It is a small plant usually found in a pile of nettles. It would be easy to mistake it for one of them but it has a distinct feature of looking like a tree leaf with spikes around the edges.¡±

    As the two struggled to think of where they would find such a plant, their child quickly rushed out of the rear end of the cart ¡°I¡¯ll look for it!¡± The energetic girl called out before rushing into the nearby forest.

    ¡°Annabelle!¡± Her mother called with a frustrated sigh. From the interaction it seemed this wasn¡¯t that uncommon and offered at least a light moment of comedy for the injured alchemist.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to pack up your things.¡± The merchant''s wife mentioned as she headed out towards the bag that he spilled over the third bandit.

    ¡°Is it not irresponsible to carry your wife and child on such a dangerous journey as a merchant¡­?,¡± Tithe asked as they both spread out to help.

    ¡°Look, to be perfectly honest¡­ It¡¯s selfish, I know. I want to be with my family but I also need to make a living. Trading is my bread and butter and if I can take them with me it means we can all live and see the world together.¡±  The merchant responded, spoon feeding him the last dose of the healing potion.

    It at least eased the pain, but the sweat was overtaking his face. The numbness continued to spread even through the potion. The amount of healing potions he would need to overcome a paralysis like this would put a merchant like this into a long lifetime debt. What he needed was an antidote.

    There continued to be yells from her mother to come back and to not head too far off the track given the dangers of the forest. She seemed a resourceful sort, only taking her about a half hour to run back holding a handful of spiked leaves of various plants.

    ¡°Do any of these count?¡± She asked, holding them up to his face. She seemed to have taken his description into account as her hands contained red splotches and slightly raised bumps from digging around in the nettles to find them.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hurt yourself looking for these.¡± He responded, a mixture of being impressed she went through with it and regret she hurt herself for him.

    ¡°Nawh, come on mister. You saved us so we gotta do the same,¡± she stated while once again shoving the leaves into his face.

    Tithe couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the forwardness of the offer. ¡°This one looks perfect.¡± He assured as he took a crisp leaf with sharpened edges from the centre of the pile. ¡°If you hold onto the rest you can sell them as an alchemy ingredient.¡±

    He was struggling to keep his consciousness. The family helped set up his cauldron but everything had begun to become blurred by this point and his speech slurred as his very mouth began to feel numb, feeling like he was chewing on his own tongue at times. In desperation before it spread too far he tried his best to disclose the information to the family of how to blend and prepare the potion. Even then his speech was most likely difficult to interpret.

    ¡°Come on, stay with us.¡± Echoed through his ears as if from a distance. He couldn¡¯t help but collapse onto the floor as his vision of the world continued to blur until he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open.

    That was until he awoke due to a sharp and bitter taste hitting his tongue, sharp enough that he could feel it through the numbness. It jolted him awake and when he sat up in shock he felt his face with his left hand.

    Vision still blurry it was slowly coming back into focus and his cheek could feel the light slaps he gave it. His right arm also felt like the numbness was fading. ¡°You guys really saved me,¡± he said, or tried to. In actuality it came out quite slurred given he couldn¡¯t feel his tongue. As his vision returned he saw the family sitting around the cauldron looking exhausted. His face coated in what amount of the potion they tried to get into his mouth as he jolted up.

    ¡°No one ever said alchemy was this hard.¡± The merchant jeered. Wiping sweat from his brow with a small handkerchief he then stood and began to clean up the small travel cauldron before he placed it back into the travel sack. ¡°One hell of a backpack you got here.¡± He added.

    ¡°Thanks, it makes travelling on foot a lot easier,¡± Tithe tried to respond. Though he felt the numbness fading it would still be a day or so before everything left his system.

    ¡°Where are you heading to?¡± The merchant asked once they were prepared.

    ¡°Making my way to Orin.¡± Tithe responded, this time at least able to sound legible.

    ¡°Well, we can give you a lift. We will pass close enough to there on our way home.¡± The man commanded with a hearty smile ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do after you saved our bacon.¡±

    Looking down to the dead mercenary on the ground nearby he said ¡°It¡¯s a miracle you showed up when you did¡­ What I get for cheaping out on a merc.¡±

    ¡°I had noticed he doesn¡¯t have the seal of the guild. Is there a story to that?¡± Tithe asked, needing some help to get into the back of the cart. Leaning on the man''s shoulder he slowly climbed inside and got a seat resting on the side next to the piles of wares.

    ¡°I¡¯m an honest merchant.¡± He tried to assure Tithe at first before he added ¡°But to get an official merc from the guild at this hectic time would have taken days of paperwork and then being put on a waiting list. We just don¡¯t have that kind of time if we want to survive on our trade.¡±

    ¡°The war has taken its toll on all of us in different ways.¡± Tithe responded, sitting against some large containers beside the young Annabelle as they took off southbound.

 Chapter 8: Magic

    It was clear now that the moles had intended to betray them and steal what information they could. By now it was hard to tell how much they had already stolen from the depths of Owens'' mind when they communicated, or anyone else for that matter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just tell the others about this¡­¡± he thought while pacing by the bell.

    The best answer was to simply confront them with the truth. He still had to be careful as they most likely had access to forms of mind magic that would fry his brain and leave him in a vegetative state. Unsure of how that would even affect him as an immortal it was best to proceed with caution. After all, in the worst case it would leave him in such a state for eternity.

    No spell could be cast instantly and it would take time for them to perform such a feat given what he understood of mind magic. Placing a hand upon the bell he called for the moles to the surface.

    He only got away with reading their minds from up here given they had no hope he would ever be able to learn. When face to face he would have no ability to hide it. Wanting to end this in a way where no one had to get hurt he made a rash decision in speaking with them alone.

    Parting the ground that had healed itself once more the three moles came before him. Hugur, looking as stern as ever, asked ¡°Are we ready for today''s lesson?¡±

    ¡°Are we?¡± Owen asked. Of course he wouldn¡¯t use the traditional method mind you. He connected to Hugur due to that lack of defence and in the creature''s utter shock and bafflement Owen said ¡°I think some progress has been made.¡±

    ¡°But.. how?¡± Hugur asked.

    This may have been their preferred method of talking, but he needed to confront all of them and he just didn¡¯t have the power to connect to more than one person at the moment. ¡°I spent a lot of time looking internally until I found the issue.¡± He explained verbally this time. It was unlikely they would understand the process he went through.

    ¡°Though, as I got here.¡± Owen stated. Walking forward he looked over at the three of them ¡°I heard a conversation below that stated something about wishing to steal from us because this training was going to fail?¡±

    All three were taken aback by such a claim but it was clear the two adults'' shock was that of being found out. Stephen on the other hand was more surprised by the idea someone would do that.

    ¡°Is it true?¡± the young mole asked. Turning to face Hugur and Heket he repeated his question before he added ¡°Were you planning to steal from mister Man?¡±

    Heket seemed unsure how to respond in the presence of the child so she stated something to him, though privately.

    Stephen shook his head and backed off ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you be mean to man!,¡± he protested. Raising his claws into the air he rushed over to Owen¡¯s side.

    Hugur only looked stern and even more aggressive as he stared at Owen. ¡°We cannot afford to let our people fall behind. If you rush off and tell your friends then this will all be for nothing. I am sorry but we have to do this.¡±

    Owen expected this outcome, holding up his hand as he said ¡°It takes time to perform any spell that would do that much damage to someone. If you even attempt it I will raise the alarm sky high and my friends will come in. Neither of us want that.¡±

    Hugur paused at least while Hecket seemed convinced this was the best course of action but was also forced to pause once Owen held his hand to the bell that he used to summon them.

    Owen looked down to Stephen at his side and gave him a reassuring smile ¡°There''s no need to worry. You go and rest up and I¡¯ll make some extra muffins for later. We just need to talk for a bit.¡±

    The young mole continued to stare up at him with an uncomfortable whine but Owen assured him once more by connecting to his mind and stating ¡°I am a lot better at this now. Not a baby anymore.¡±

    It was at least enough to convince him not to worry as he slowly backed away and said ¡°Twice as many,¡± returning underground.

    Owen could then safely return his attention to the two before him. ¡°If I feel anything out of the ordinary I will signal for others. You do not want to know what the large one will do to not just you, but your people if he gets involved.¡± It was an aggressive threat but Owen felt that it was the only way to turn this into a standoff.

    Hecket backed off and relaxed her posture while Hugur said ¡°Then do it. If any outcome of this leads to our betrayal being revealed then we will not be able to survive this endeavour.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t need to be the case.¡± Owen responded. His hand was still hovering the bell to keep himself safe.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Both moles asked in tandem.

    ¡°What I mean is I expected more of both of you, but Stephen clearly shows he wants to learn and expand his horizons. He cares for me in a way only a friend would. While you have betrayed my trust, I still wish to teach Stephen of the world.¡±

    They shared confused glances before he continued ¡°And in doing so I can''t exactly have his guardians killed. I won''t tell anyone of this event, provided you take my training <i>seriously</i> and don''t pull any stunts like this again.¡±

    The two once again shared a glance, most likely convening on what they would need to do in this situation. They only had one option that didn¡¯t end in an untimely demise for at least them so Hecket nodded and Hugur huffed through his nostrils ¡°We agree. As an added apology for our transgressions I will also teach you an advanced method of defending yourself from others'' mental attacks.¡±

    ¡°Then this lesson starts now.¡± Owen stated. If they taught him how to block mental attacks he could feel at least slightly at ease around them until trust was rebuilt. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny though. If anything happens that causes my mental shutdown my hand will fall directly onto this bell and call for everyone in this space to come running.¡±

    There was some hesitation on how they would show this without being allowed to attack his mind directly but Hecket eventually stated ¡°Connect to my mind and feel as Hugur will attempt to attack me. Watch how I form a barrier to protect myself.¡±

    It was a compromise that Owen could get behind. Reaching out his natural mana towards the two he had it connect to Hecket who allowed it to freely enter. ¡°Very good.¡± She stated.

    It felt almost a bit patronising given they constantly referred to him as less than a child for not understanding how to do this. Now it felt like he had been promoted to being treated like a child. A step up perhaps, but not how he liked being spoken to after what just transpired.

    ¡°Calm yourself and pay attention now. I will be attacked from the front by a mental blast. Watch.¡± He had to close his eyes to visualise what he needed to see. It was mostly interpreted as colours in his mind. A mix of blues and greens flowing about in the world before him where his own mana manifested as a sharp red that connected back to himself. If he were to describe it in sheer volume, he was like a tiny needle penetrating the wall of a house in sheer scale. Watching the colours dance about to freely allow him to enter he soon saw¡­ No, he felt the colour shift into a much more solid form to block another string like himself from entering.

    This string was much more jagged and coated in spikes, with a malicious aura surrounding it. Owen doubted that an aura would feel this malicious, but as a for sake of example he understood what it was over exaggerated.

    In forming this wall of mana the malicious intent struggled to penetrate the wall he was safely behind. No matter how it prodded it seemed it was unable to attach to her in the same way he was.

    Eventually he untethered his mana from her and thought about what he had seen and how it was best to implement such a defence for himself. It required active concentration at very least which was something he had to be careful about.

    Splitting his concentration between whatever he was doing <i>and </i>protecting himself mentally would mean things would take far longer to complete. Such is the price of safety he supposed, taking mental notes of it all.

    The rest of his lesson was simply repetition of the example so he could grow and understand it better until it would come natural to him. No wonder that they couldn¡¯t even begin to describe how such a magic works to him. He could now do it and still had no idea about how it truly worked just yet.

    After his lessons with the mole it was time for him to meet with a ¡®special guest¡¯ as Alister called her. An older elven lady who came to visit him by the field. It was the first time Owen had ever seen what he could call an old looking elf. Her face was coated in wrinkles and long ears drooping slightly. Long grey hair was parted to the left covering one side of her face and brushed back behind her shoulder.

    Despite her age she still looked very physically fit. Wearing a light tunic similar to his own she waved him down and said ¡°Welcome, Owen.¡± Her voice matched her look as he could only describe it as sounding like a kind grandmother.

    Beside her were two children clinging onto either leg, both staring at Owen with thousand yard stares that pierced right through him. The boy was a Ratling like Swiss and the other a human girl.

    Both of which wore matching tunics with the old lady so it was natural to assume she was their caretaker. ¡°Oh where are my manners,¡± the lady said as she offered a hand to him ¡°My name is Olivia. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    ¡°The pleasure is mine,¡± Owen responded. He was treated to a show of just how strong the old lady was when she gripped his hand like a vice used to keep a mandragora in place. His eyes widened at such a blatant show of strength and sudden burst of pain.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She laughed in response and said ¡°Oh my, I do forget myself sometimes,¡± releasing his hand and gently patting both of the children''s heads ¡°How about you two watch from a safe distance and we¡¯ll get ice cream after.¡±

    He expected two young children to jump at the idea of ice cream but both simply nodded quietly and released her legs, taking a hold of each other''s hand and walking together to sit down and watch them from across the training field.

    She noted Owen¡¯s visible confusion and explained ¡°Immortality is a curse. Sometimes it strikes those who are already broken. Cursed to wander the lands as a husk of a person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to pry,¡± Owen responded. In actuality he hadn¡¯t said anything at all.

    ¡°The explanation would have happened at one point or another. It is best I am the one to shed some light on their condition,¡± she assured.

    Owen took this as a go ahead to begin asking questions and the first thing on his mind was ¡°What do you mean by broken?¡±

    Olivia took a moment to compose herself when looking at the children, turning her attention back to him and explaining ¡°Both of these children underwent severe hardships in their youth that left them¡­ mentally unavailable to us. Unfortunately the abuse they suffered and the condition they are in, seems to be a permanent fixture of their minds since they became immortal.¡±

    Owen watched the two as they silently sat together cross legged in the grass. There was no emotion in their eyes other than a vacant curiosity for what was to come next. ¡°Fate is cruel¡­¡± Olivia said somberly. ¡°Cursed to forever wander. A childhood stolen from them.¡±

    Owen, as pragmatic as ever suggested ¡°But can Psychopomps not deal with the soul of an immortal?¡± They had said he could kill Owen if he didn¡¯t want to go down this path.

    Olivia continued to watch Owen, sizing him up. ¡°The dragon could do many things, and granting death is one of them. However, it would be such a sad existence to allow the children to die without giving them at least a portion of a life. The powers they have also allow them to help others in need.¡± Owen felt that was an area he needed not pry just yet. He was here for a lesson after all and Olivia was prepared to give him one. ¡°But the time for discussing the children has come to an end. Let us move on to your training.¡±

    She slightly crouched and raised an arm as she got into a defensive stance ¡°Come at me with everything you have. I can run circles around Alister so you needn''t worry about hurting me.¡±

    By now it was best not to underestimate anyone here so he prepared himself and launched forward at her using the same speed that Alister had taught him how to harness. A swing from the left was his opener.

    Olivia stood still and watched him until the last moment where just before impact she moved to her right so the swing slipped by her without impact. ¡°Try again.¡± She stated.

    Owen did as he was told, being reminded of Alister in her stance and disposition while fighting. Again he swung but she deftly dodged. Again and again and again she slipped away from every attack at the last moment.

    After one such dodge she lifted a knee to counter attack. Slamming it into Owens chest he had the breath knocked out of his lungs. He hardly had time to react before a palm collided with his face and sent him onto his back.

    Laying and staring at the artificial sky above them he couldn¡¯t help but think ¡°Why is everyone here some form of super human..?¡±

    ¡°You have the speed, you have the strength. You lack the technique,¡± she said. Helping Owen up to his feet and returning to her defensive stance ¡°Come at me again and this time be ready to dodge my counter attack.¡±

    Again Owen rushed her and attempted to predict when she would counter his attacks. This led to her grabbing his arm and throwing him over her shoulder, ¡°Thinking about countering too much causes your movements to become slow!¡±

    This process repeated for some time with any direct attacks being dodged but if he thought too much about countering he would be thrown or grappled in some way. To add insult to injury it seemed the children were capable of emotion. That emotion being entertained, given any time Olivia would toss, punch, or simply grapple him they would clap and sometimes even giggle depending on the severity of the attack.

    ¡°Come now.¡± Olivia finally said as she helped him up. ¡°If Alister cannot land a hit on me I doubt you will.¡±

    Owen could hardly fathom why everyone here was so antagonistic when it came to training but knowing that Alister could not land a hit did fill him with some relief. Getting to his feet again he awaited the signal and threw another punch, this time as it passed over her when she ducked he attempted to slam it downwards with his speed enhanced by his spell.

    Somehow she managed to see this coming and shifted her body to avoid it, slipping backwards and with a toothy grin said ¡°Clever but not fast enough.¡±

    It continued this way for some time, each tactic being predicted and promptly avoided with some form of a snide or sarcastic comment. At this point he was beginning to miss Alister¡¯s blunt nature.

    Time after time, blow after blow, and comment after comment it seemed Olivia was finally satisfied after an hour of toying with him. ¡°Well it seems you still need to polish those skills of yours,¡± she commented, helping him to his feet one final time.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Owen muttered. Clutching his chest he wished that along with being indestructible he could also not feel pain. It felt cruel being immortal but still able to suffer. From drinking acids to being treated like a punching bag he needed to grow stronger to avoid any further pointless agony.

    Olivia patted him on the back a few times and said ¡°Do with that what you will. I¡¯ll be back in a few months to continue the training.¡±

    Stumbling away from the wreck that was that training session Owen had one more lesson today. He was to begin his training with frost finally so he made his way to the hill that overlooked the small town they had where he had met swiss on the first night they came here.

    Frost was waiting for him as he approached, the hulking form of a woman always imposing in her own right. She was enamoured with the sun it seemed given she hardly acknowledged his approach but he knew that she would know he was there.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± she eventually said, unmoving. ¡°Today I will begin to teach you magic.¡±

    Before Owen could get a word in edgeways, Frost turned to face him. Her eyes clouded in that same dark myst that gave him a shiver down his spine any time he stared into it for too long. He always wondered what was going on with that, what did she look like behind the mask of magic that prevented any of her face from being seen.

    ¡°You know the basics, yes?¡± She asked in her distinctly foreign tone. He couldn¡¯t even place where she was from but it had to be to the north if he made an educated guess.

    ¡°I know how to light a stove and cool down my dinner¡­ mostly,¡± he admitted with a tinge of regret now that he lazed off in magic studies so he could spend more time doodling faces and drawing alchemy patterns into his notebook.

    ¡°As long as you can produce a flame we may begin,¡± she stated. She raised a thick leather gloved hand to show a large flame above the palm. ¡°Magic is a very dangerous art. It takes concentration and willpower to bend the world to your will. It is easy to simply create something and allow it to run rampant¡­ However,¡± as she explained the fire began to shrink in her palm until a tiny but bright blue flame hovered above her palm ¡°Control means not only making something more powerful. To contain and release the required mana to produce a small flame also takes skill. Anyone can toss a fireball because fire is already dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Then how do I start?¡± Owen asked, eager to simply get to learning something that might not hurt him for once¡­ Or so he hoped.

    ¡°We must enhance your reserves of mana. You have that of a mortal so we must expand.¡±

    She stepped back a brief distance and raised a hand into the air again to show off a spell ¡°You will not be able to handle magic unless you do as a mortals magic could not fathom this level of power¡±

    The air felt different between the two. Frost raised a single finger and formed what seemed to be just one, singular, snowflake. It floated down towards Owen and he was left in a state of confusion.

    She seemed confident so he reached out for it allowing it to float down so it would land upon the tip of his finger. Upon contact the snowflake shattered with the sound of a hundred glass shards being destroyed in unison and the area around them from the top of the hill to the base of the town were engulfed in a raging blizzard.

    It all happened so fast that it took the pain of being unable to breathe for Owen to realise that his entire body had been completely flash frozen. Luckily, Frost wasn¡¯t one to leave him suffer so she raised a flame to quickly unfreeze him. ¡°This will be a tad uncomfortable for a moment.¡± She stated.

    Raising her hand the tiny flame from her palm rose before it began to rapidly expand. It didn¡¯t lose any of the power of the blue flame as it continued to grow until it resembled that of a miniature sun.

    It did melt the ice around them all the way down to the edge of the town but it also came with the uncomfortable feeling of being painfully hot. It felt like Owen¡¯s skin was burning up, getting ready to melt off.

    It ended moments later with the sun being completely snuffed out of existence and the air slowly returning to normal now that the pressure of the mana was dissipating. ¡°I get the picture¡­¡± he stated cautiously.

    Superhuman might not have been the term to use anymore. Whatever these people were were akin to monsters, beasts of legend, one might even say gods. To think such power was something he was training to attain still left him feeling uneasy.

    Later in the evening he was called to the mess hall where the main group wished to meet and have a discussion so he thought it was the best time to prepare another pot of stew with the meats and vegetables they had.

    One by one they filed in from their own studies or training so they could sit around the large table close to the cooking station. ¡°So, as I have told you all¡­ Owen has attained the ability to use mind magic.¡± Osmir began. It shifted everyone¡¯s eyes over to where Owen was currently peeling some potatoes.

    ¡°That is true.¡± Owen stated. It was easier to show it off to the one who would raise a fuss so he sent out his mana to connect to Alister. He was in the middle of a sceptical thought that he suddenly managed to do it when Owen transmitted the message ¡°No need to be so sceptical.¡±

    It did cause Alister to briefly pause before he said to the group ¡°It seems it is true then.¡±

    Osmir cleared his throat as he placed down his log book and said ¡°What I called everyone here was not for the reveal of Owen¡¯s sudden abilities but that I am concerned about how they came to be. If you could inform the group how you suddenly understood mind magic?¡± Directing the end of his query to Owen.

    Owen was taken aback, feeling this was some form of intervention now but Osmir was the one who looked after their health after all. ¡°Well¡­ I used that homunculus that Psychopomps gave me and a donation of blood from the moles to begin experimenting on what was essentially myself. Given I knew their mana signature due to the managraph I could feed the homunculus potions until it began to exude the same form of signal when set to expend mana.¡± He began, brushing aside the peels into the trash next to him and taking a breath. ¡°Then when it finally did output what I wanted I then took the time to dissect it and find if anything had changed within the body, where I found a tumour like growth had appeared on the brain.¡±

    The others seemed to visibly reel back at the idea, bar Alister of course but if that man knew what emotions were the world might be in danger. ¡°Then after I confirmed the growth on the brain contained what was in essence an expanded version of the body''s natural mana capacitor I decided that it was time I took the potion myself. It hurt like hell and I ended up blacking out. That¡¯s when Osmir found me and healed the wounds I harboured from the experiment.¡±

    Osmir left the explanation hanging over the group for a moment before he chimed in, ¡°Not only was it reckless to take such a drastic action, such an action could have left you in a vegetative state for the rest of time, yes?¡±

    ¡°In a sense, yes,¡± Owen was forced to respond. ¡°But I was more than fifty percent confident that that would not be the case.¡±

    ¡°All I wish to be clear on is that this was an incredibly reckless decision that could have had dire results,¡± Osmir tried to scold. Though it seemed others had their own reactions to such actions.

    Alister seemed quite impressed and said ¡°To go through such efforts for our request is more than admirable. I assume learning mind magic from them would have been otherwise impossible?¡±

    Owen nodded in response as Frost had her hand to her chin. ¡°It worked out in the end. We should not argue with results,¡± she finally said once she made up her mind.

    The sound of the cauldron beginning to bubble prompted Owen to hastily continue his chopping so he could have the vegetables done on time. Swiss got up and moved over so she could help him, finally sharing her stance. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should be taking such big risks if it means being left incapacitated for the rest of time. It¡¯s not worth the risk.¡±

    ¡°While the process may not be reversed, I simply ask that you refrain from making such decisions on your own in the future.¡± Osmir said once everyone had time to give their opinions on the matter.

 Chapter 9: The Return

    Suddenly, like a wind of change that gusted through Owen''s room and upturned everything he had ever held dear, he found himself once again before the dragon, psychopomps with that ever same glare down at him as it had the day it placed him within its nexus.

    Standing upon the podium with the magic sigils lit amongst the stone base he once stood upon when given a choice of death or servitude. What felt like a millenia had passed, and if he didn¡¯t know better he would have assumed it had.

    ¡°Welcome back, Immortal. I trust your training was successful,¡± the dragon said. Owen had forgotten the feeling of having him speak directly into his mind by now. Something that despite his training in mind magic he had no chance of blocking out.

    ¡°More than so.¡± He responded tersely.

    ¡°I dare say, grumpy here is ready to be a full fledged part of the team.¡± Swiss assured as she also appeared nearby. Approaching she jumped to slap his arm and grinned widely at the dragon. Owen couldn¡¯t fathom her reasonings for being so happy while being alive for as long as she had. She certainly was an enigma, but one he enjoyed spending time with.

    He had hardly been alive for a fraction of any of their lifespans and he could feel who he once was slowly slipping away, hence the grumpy title. Psychopomps didn¡¯t seem to mind the jab and seemed happy that Owen was ready ¡°Well that is good. I happened to miss you all in the weeks you were gone.¡±

    That was one of the first harsh lessons he had learned within the nexus. Mind, body, and soul separated into a space where they could train to be as efficient as they were. Within that world time passed differently. The dragon had a mastery of all forms of magic, including one that kept our minds and souls in pristine condition in a state where time passed infinitely slower while their physical bodies remained in the real world where they once were. This was a magic the king''s men would be proficient in and a team of royal mages could manage to slow time to a scale of one to four hours at the best of implementations.

    Thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye within Psychopomps nexus.

    To the rest of the world it had simply been a few weeks, but to them¡­ Well, they trained day in and out until their souls could not handle it anymore. Each night the immortals collapsed in their individual rooms and awoke the next morning to continue no matter how much pain they suffered for what felt like eons.

    Alister approached from the cell he had spent the night in before he made his choice back then. ¡°He will fit in just fine,¡± he added to Swiss¡¯ vouch of Owen¡¯s training.

    ¡°Oh, now you are willing to admit I did well?¡± Owen asked. The context implied a joke but the tone was serious.

    Alister¡¯s laughter echoed through the garden which caught the attention of the giant at the gate who glanced their way and a smirk snuck across Alister¡¯s face as always ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it. I am simply saying you are ready to work.¡±

    Psychopomps listened to the jovial back and forth for a few moments before he interrupted and said ¡°Very good. Now that you are back, I have a job for you all. So please, gather the others and show our newest member to the planning chamber.¡±

    Owen hardly had a moment to react as Swiss grabbed his arm and pulled him from the podium towards those two large doors along the main path they had avoided on the original trip here. ¡°Technically, this will be your first time meeting the others,¡± she joked. By now it was getting a lot easier to tell what was a joke and what wasn''t. It often involved how her nose twitched as she spoke.

    ¡°Just because I am meeting their bodies for the first time does not mean I am meeting <i>them</i> for the first time.¡± He responded. At least in his understanding, the soul and the body may have been reflections of one another.

    ¡°You know, I miss when you weren¡¯t so dry,¡± she added in response, continuing to tug his arm as she was quite strong despite her size.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you <i>aren¡¯t</i>,¡± Owen responded tersely.

    ¡°Cause life is worth livin¡¯, you just gotta see it.¡±

    They continued through the main doors into a large stone hall that had several suits of armour lining each side of the hall. Though they didn¡¯t seem like some generic decorative set piece. Each one seemed to be hand crafted and unique and upon further investigation he found that they were each sets of armour used by kings of eld who had taken to the battlefield with their men in war.

    Each in line seemed to be from the various eras, dating all the way back to the first king Ergon. Known for being the man to found the first real nation the world had known as far as the history books knew.

    A red carpet draped the stone floors of the hall and lining the walls were various paintings of the stages of the kingdom''s history from conception to the modernisation of magic and industrial revolution of recent decades.

    In the heart of the secluded tower lay a hidden chamber known only to those who have attained immortality. This chamber, known as "The Chamber of Eternal Strategy," had been crafted with utmost care to facilitate the gathering of immortal beings from diverse backgrounds. The room''s design reflected a harmonious blend of elegance, mystique, and practicality, making it an ideal setting for the wise to converge and ponder their shared burden of endless existence.

    A natural radiance permeated the chamber, emitted by luminous crystals embedded within the domed ceiling. In the middle of the chamber stood the centrepiece of the group''s gatherings. A magnificent round table carved of stone engraved with ancient runes of a tongue Owen could not recognise. Given the creatures he shared this new station with it was safe to assume it was a tongue that existed long before he did that has been lost to time.

    Each member of the team that he had spent the last few thousand years training with had made their way at their own pace to the chamber, along with one that he had not recognised but had been told about.

    Mydir was similar to frost, a titan of a man who wore only an apron made for the finest blacksmith in the land. His body was dark and shrouded in a black fog that only gave him the vague shape of a man with piercing yellow eyes slicing through the fog. Some jokes making their way through the group that he was once but a human that smithed so many works for the dragon that the soot of his furnace became one with his body.

    ¡°About time I get to meet the new meat.¡± The blacksmith said in a boisterous tone as he flipped a metal fold out chair to sit upon while the rest of the group sat at the ornate stone chairs that matched the designs of the table. Owen had assumed he made the chair himself, or that Psychopomps took issue with him disrespecting these ancient relics.

    ¡°I have only been here a few weeks.¡± Owen said in response, ¡°Technically.¡±

    ¡°As if you lot are the only ones who had to do that crap.¡± He spat in response, a crude tone and what one could only imagine was a belligerent look behind the smoke. ¡°You lot got yer own slow down time, I got mine.¡±

    ¡°Why would you not join the one we were in?¡± Owen asked. Taking a seat of his own upon an ornate seat added a third theory. Perhaps the blacksmith made his own because these seats existed for show more than comfort.

    To his amusement he was most likely waiting for that question so he could proudly say ¡°Because yer¡¯ all a nightmare!¡±

    Alister decided to cut the conversation short by actually explaining ¡°Because he is a smith through and through. So he is given one where he can work entirely in silence and we won''t spoil his focus.¡±

    ¡°Bah, same thing.¡± The smithy responded, waving him off as if he had just ruined one of the best jokes of the decade. Owen had heard many stories of the man while in the spatial distortion and it was hard even as a no named alchemist in the regular world to not know the name Midyr. The man who created many of the land''s greatest weapons.

    ¡°You had mentioned there were other immortals, do they also have their own form of negative space?¡± Owen asked, having heard during training of at least four others that didn¡¯t seem to be here with them.

    ¡°Each of them have their own form of space.¡± Alister answered quickly.

    Mydir decided to elaborate for him and said ¡°Cause we ain¡¯t one of you fancy team workers we each have our own space tailored to what we do¡­ Fer the most part.¡±

    They had told Owen about the others, Mydir being one of them of course but he was here now. Another being a fox of sorts, the 9 tails, or Seth they called her. She often spent her time travelling the world and visiting towns that paid respects to her. Far too childish to be held as an agent or operative as she only dealt in harmless pranks and protected those who played with her, often loved by children.

    There was one that Alister continuously referred to as the ¡®god of trade¡¯ but the others called him Deryl who travelled the lands and with his silver tongue and quick wit would strike deals that benefitted not only the kingdoms he dealt with, but the coffers of the team.

    Then there was Thomas, the adventurer who saw the sky as his playground. He specifically looked for ancient tombs to raid and treasures to collect that he would provide to Deryl who would then go on to use them in his trades. It was rare that the main group here would ever get to see him in person as he could spend years in his airship travelling from cave system to cave system.

    They seemed reluctant to speak of the last immortal. Something about her seemed to turn them off of explaining. Often stating that Owen would understand once he met her and that any story would do her a disservice.

    He wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to meet someone with such a reputation, but that was besides the point at this time. For now the others took their seats upon the cold stone chairs.

    The conversation of liminal spaces and time distortions came to a halt as the voice of Psychopomps echoed through the halls, this time as if speaking to them, instead of directly into their minds. ¡°A job of utmost importance has come to my attention.¡± He stated, his voice reverberating around the inner sanctum. What one could only assume was a magical construct of the dragon appeared in the centre of the table they sat around and it spread its vast wings to create small orbs of magic that slowly sank into the table''s surface.

    Once fully absorbed, small images began to ascend from the surface of the table that created a small army of faceless figures ¡°As you all know, the cycle of life and death is important.¡± Repeating once again what they were fighting for, something that always rubbed Owen the wrong way.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Though this wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on such feelings. Once again the dragon moved to have a city form atop the table, one that Owen recognised. It was the centre of what was formerly known as a part of the seven nations which was clear by the castle that stood directly in the centre adorned with flags of king Nicolas.

    ¡°As the cycle must continue, so must the position of Death itself,¡± Psychopomps continued. During Owen¡¯s time within the nexus he had been taught by the others that Death was less an active role in passing each soul to the afterlife and more of a figurehead that prevented those who wished to avoid it from doing so. ¡°The new Death has been born, but my senses tell me that he is not where he is supposed to be,¡± the dragon continued. The city lit up to show a red aura around the castle and surrounding area. ¡°I fear that somehow someone has ascertained his true identity before he knew it himself.¡±

    While this would be where the old Owen would speak up and ask some snide question about why Death would be in a position to be compromised like this he had learned over his training to simply shut up and listen to orders.

    Osmir seemed to notice that he wanted to ask something so he bit the bullet to explain ¡°Death is more of a title than a being. A job so mentally taxing that to expect one being to do this for eternity would be cruel.¡± He stated in a matter of fact tone.

    Psychopomps nodded to him and took the time to continue, the dragon explained ¡°The previous Death has requested to pass. Once this request was submitted the new Death was chosen from the souls within the flow.¡± Spreading its wings once more the table''s images shifted to create an image of the cloaked, scythe wielding figure that many knew as the grim reaper. Moments later several others appeared around it of various sizes, the common feature they all held was no matter what race they were, they were skeletal constructs within the confines of the robes.

    ¡°There have been several Deaths over the millenia.¡± Psychopomps continued, blowing a blue flame over the table where they began to vanish one by one until the last was a tall elven skeleton remained ¡°The previous Death is ready to pass. While that may seem dangerous to have a gap of retirement between them, Death does not personally deliver souls to me. Death¡¯s role is similar to your own in preserving the balance of life and death. While you prevent immortality from coming to fruition, Death makes sure souls do not get trapped in a limbo and helps ease the passing process for those too afraid to let go before they become unwilling demons.¡±

    Alister interjected once the explanation for Owen was complete and stated bluntly ¡°So we are to travel to the seven kingdoms centre and find where young Death is?¡±

    The dragon nodded and allowed the table to return to the image of the city that previously covered the surface ¡°It would be disastrous if someone were to abuse the power of a young Death and cause an era of suffering for all. You will leave in the morning so be prepared.¡±

    Owen couldn¡¯t help but stare at the map with a hint of concern, something about it didn¡¯t seem right but he couldnt put his finger on it. ¡°What is it?¡± Psychopomps asked when he noticed his expression.

    Owen stood upright at being addressed, only a moment away from saluting the creature before he said ¡°I haven¡¯t been to the seven kingdoms since I was studying to be an alchemist but something about this map doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±

    Seven kingdoms¡­ It was something  with the name that bothered him until it finally clicked. Having spent thousands of years within the nexus a lot of memories had become quite distant but he remembered and awaited the nod to be allowed to speak again ¡°It hasn¡¯t been called the seven kingdoms in recent times. With the war going on, the capital has fallen to a new king.¡± He began, pointing to the castle in the centre of the image where the bandits flag was ¡°Raul the warrior succeeded in usurping the throne of Rosemary about a year ago and from there he plans to extend his rule, pushing into the surrounding kingdoms with the war until he unites all of the kingdoms under one rule.¡±

    It was strange to Owen that they wouldn''t know this, this was quite a historic event in the continent''s history as the first time the kingdom was forcefully taken over. The room fell silent for a few moments as they took in that news and Psychopomps responded ¡°It is odd that my scouts would not have reported this. I will need to find out what happened to prevent this information from coming to my attention.¡±

    After some deliberation Alister spoke up and said ¡°That does not change our mission. We are to prepare to depart in the morning. For now you are free to do as you wish until nightfall where we will go over provisions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my favourite.¡± Swiss added in a mocking tone, knowing as always she would be the one acting as a walking suitcase.

    This left Owen with time to explore the halls of the castle, though Swiss was sure to not let him go alone as it was quite easy to get lost. The cobblestone halls adorned with more suits of armour which left an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Most likely down to that he could feel a sense of magic about them.

    Swiss followed his gaze and briefly explained ¡°Constructs. Mydir spent some time trying his hand at automata soldiers. Not very useful but they do scare tourists when tours are done.¡±

    ¡°Good to know.¡± Owen responded.

    Swiss seemed dejected by such a simple response but continued to walk with him. Scilence ensued for an awkward hallway before they came to the sleeping areas. ¡°This will be your room.¡± Motioning to the several doors that were all equally spaced apart.

    Each room had a name plate associated with it and as she said, Owen had one prepared that looked like it had just been placed moments ago. ¡°Thank you for showing me my way.¡± He stated with a slight bow of his head before he took a hold of the doorknob and pushed it open.

    The room itself was quite plain which was to be expected since they weren¡¯t exactly expecting him. The air was also quite stale which caused some irritation to his nose but by now he had learned to deal with discomfort.

    The first thing he did after closing the door was open the window which gave a view over the gardens below and occasionally a view of the giant dragon''s tail as it swayed past. The room itself was a simple cobblestone design like the halls with a large bed in the centre of the back wall, a study desk under the window and a chest for his clothing on the other side. Something he could most likely end up customising himself when he had time.

    He wasn¡¯t quite used to the flow of time being normal again as he spent some time simply laying on his comfortable new bed staring at the ceiling and contemplating his training and how he should proceed from here to grow stronger.

    The obvious choice was to visit the moles and continue his training into mind magic but he would need to wait a while for that since they needed to implement all the tools that the group had taught and given them to start their own community.

    Next there was physical training which he could easily have asked Alister to help with such a task but that required dealing with Alister. The others were strong, but his innate resistance to physical attacks made it far safer to train with him. His personality made it much more difficult to deal with him however.

    He could have also worked on his alchemy in hopes of making a new concoction that could enhance his abilities or even weaken enemies. The main problem there was dealing with the process of obtaining ingredients. They weren¡¯t as free in the real world and would cost both time and money to obtain.

    As he was lost in thoughts, the sun steadily set in the distance and the silence was broken by a loud banging on his door that snapped him from his daydreaming ¡°Come on, time to eat.¡± Alister called.

    ¡°Why not just break my door down if you are going to knock that hard¡­¡± Owen thought as he stood, never daring to say something like that to his face unless he wanted his plastered against the back wall.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming¡­¡± Was what he finally vocalised for the giant human.

    Following him silently to the dining hall which was only a few rooms down from the meeting hall he made his way to the cooking station as the others sat at the table. He had taken up the role of cook  to prevent someone else from making something that wouldn''t agree with his sensitive taste buds. The others were more than happy to leave the cooking to him.

    ¡°So.¡± Osmir began as he placed his tome down when everyone gathered in full. ¡°The job at hand is going to be a large-scale investigation.¡±

    ¡°First job for the newbie and It¡¯s a big one.¡± Alister added.

    Frost as usual sat with the group but she remained as silent as ever, only speaking whenever she needed to it seemed. Swiss was already packing devices and healing supplies into those markings she had.

    This was such a routine for these people that they knew what to do. Owen on the other hand, had no idea what he was doing for the night as he was dragged about from storeroom to storeroom filling up the storage compartment that was an ally with gear and pre-made potions he was informed of the plan along with a handful of what was left from the potions he made in the nexus. Making sure to request his enhancers were taken.

    ¡°When we make it to the city we begin with general questioning.¡± Osmir instructed ¡°We check with the servants of the castle to find if anything strange has been happening of late and rule out that Death has not simply been hired as a servant by mistake. We need to ensure what kind of situation we are dealing with.¡±

    ¡°How long will it take us to reach there?¡± Owen asked once the briefing had given him moment to respond.

    ¡°Three days, we will be taking a train out of the city and changing to another at Delir. We will take a short break once there to recuperate and enjoy a regular bed before we get the train in the morning,¡± Osmir responded. Taking his final tome from the shelves of the store room he decided to keep this one on hand and turned to the group ¡°Now!¡± The large orc exclaimed ¡°No ifs ands or buts. Get to bed and we leave in the morning.¡±

    Sleep came easily here as Owen was used to collapsing into bed exhausted every night. Sleeping on a comfortable bed without exhaustion was nice.

    With that, the group moved in the morning. The city was very lively at this time. Restaurants lining the main street with a view of the giant dragon that overlooked the city, coiled around the tower that everyone believed was some form of divine that looked out for them.

    The looks of the common folk of the city were also something that Owen noticed as they passed. It was no secret that Psychopomps had a group who worked for him but what he didn¡¯t expect was that they were treated like celebrities by some folk. Approaching and asking questions about their new member only to have Alister tell them to move out of the way and not interfere.

    Not in a million years would Owen think he would ever be a part of something like this. He assumed he was going to live and die as an obscure alchemist who made perhaps a single discovery in his life, but now he was here and the gaze of the public adoration certainly confused him.

    The city even had a working tram system that the group used to make their way to the train station on the edge. Osmir flashed some form of symbol akin to the one Owen got when going to find the moles at the ticket inspectors as they approached and got a nod in response, the rest of the group ignored by the inspectors as they continued to check the other passengers'' tickets.

    Swiss expected Owen to ask a question but when he didn¡¯t, she re-explained anyway ¡°Within the city walls, we have a badge that lets us use facilities as we need. Public transport is the most we use it on. Most of us feel too bad using it at restaurants.¡± Her eyes gave Alister a side glare as she mentioned the latter.

    Alister furrowed his brow and refused to comment as the tram continued its journey and left them off by the packed train station. The badge came in quite handy here as it allowed them to simply walk to the gate and show it to the instructor.

    ¡°Ah, yes, of course sir!¡± The conductor said to Osmir as it was shown, stepping aside and opening the gate for them ¡°A special cart has been reserved at the back for you and your group.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Osmir responded, slipping the badge back into his chest pocket and proceeding forward.

    When he heard it described as a train cart he assumed it would have been one of those larger luxurious first class carts that had seats and beds lining the walls and a table in the middle for them to sit around and discuss plans.

    What they got in actuality was a near empty train cart, spare a few boxes here and there of goods being exported. No seats, no tables, just an empty rectangle room that the others all moved to sit down in.

    Despite the fact they had all gotten a train cart together there was oddly a lack of conversation between the group. It didn¡¯t help that two of them were brooding giants and Osmir preferred the solitude of his books.

    Swiss was used to the situation when it came to conversation so she kept herself entertained with some games she had brought along. It seemed to be mostly single player board games which Owen recognised from many lonely nights when he first came to the city.

    ¡°You are free to join if you want. I have others.¡± She offered.

    Owen politely denied the offer as he held his hand up ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I am going to train.¡±

    She seemed slightly disappointed but nodded and returned to her game, leaving Owen to take a seat down at the back of the cart and close his eyes. Opening his mind to the world around him and attempting to probe at his allies'' thoughts.

    ¡°Very good. Training is important.¡± He read when he forced his way into Alisters mind. He was always one of the toughest to read given how stubborn he was. Frost on the other hand was impossible to crack, no matter how much he tried or what methods he tried there was no way that he could get into or read her mind.

    Osmir on the other hand was one he liked to avoid reading, as any time he managed to get past his mental defences it led to a lecture within his own mind. If the orc ever noticed that he had a guest inside his head, especially Owen, he would begin to recite lectures and explain the importance of how careful he must be with such a power.

    Swiss was often an open book. While it was not easy compared to normal folks standards she was the easiest for Owen to probe. At the moment she was simply reciting the rules to the board game to herself while setting up the pieces for the long journey ahead.

 Chapter 10: Complications

    A soft bed was something that was welcome after spending time on the train. Owen had tried his best to simply not sleep but found his body had begun to succumb to the fatigue more easily since they left the dragon''s space so hitting the bed of his inn room was quite a welcome feeling.

    Deep into a slumber his mind raced of training once more. Working day in and out for thousands of years would do that to a man and one lesson he focused on tonight was the night he finally understood what Alister was trying to teach him.

    Recalling the agony he put his body through for a simple burst of power. It was almost comical these days how easily he could do such a thing through both magic and alchemy. The dream continued to recall significant events with all of his newfound co-workers as one might call them.

    That, however, was cut short by a sharp pain rushing through his back that caused the veil of his dream to slip away and drag him back into the real world.

    Not only did the pain shoot into his back, but his body rose from his bed with such force he wound up hitting the ceiling of his room with an impact that shook the very foundation and threatened to collapse it atop him.

    Luckily the roof held, unluckily he was still in pain as something had desperately tried to pierce his heart given where the stinging pain had hit, with enough force that it intended to leave no room for error should he have been mortal. After a moment he found himself collapsing back to the floor as the assailant ceased this attempt.

    That being said, once he hit the bed, that flimsy piece of wood collapsed and if he was anyone other than an immortal, with all the jagged edges he would have most likely been dead twice over by this point, or at least contracted the world''s largest splinter.

    Pulling himself from the wreckage of his bed he scoured the room in hopes of seeing his would-be murderer ¡°Shadow magic?,¡± he asked aloud in hopes of provoking some form of response ¡°Must be some form of a coward to attack a man in his sleep.¡±

    Though he had no response verbally, it would be hard to forget the sight of what he saw within the room with him. A shiver travelled down his spine as the wicked smile of a large creature sat within the shadows of the corner, a face of malice with the smile spreading into a toothy grin full of sharp fangs and yellow eyes that held their gaze upon him within the darkness.

    Even with his training he could hardly hold his composure staring at the being, especially as that dark face slowly rose from its position close to the ground¡­ and continued to rise until it hung near the ceiling it had pierced him to.

    A long and slender clawed hand coated in fur left the confines of the shadows and pointed directly at Owen and before he had a moment to try to comprehend what the gesture meant, spikes rose from the dark ground and shot directly into his chest.

    The pain was intense and they were clearly aimed to kill as this was the second attack to aim for his heart. Some may say he was lucky to be immortal in these moments as once the shard contacted his skin at such high velocity it shattered, causing the creature to snarl and once again try to send another.

    To hopefully gain at least some insight into the situation Owen grabbed a piece of the broken bed frame and channelled that same spell he had learned with Aster, directly into his muscles so he could throw the wooden piece with enough force to break open the covers of the window.

    The moonlight flooded in and while he didn¡¯t expect this to harm the creature it allowed him to get a proper visual on the frankly giant monster that even at this height had to hunch down to fit within the room. It was tall and spindly, flesh and bone coated in fur resembling that of a form of dark lycan if it had not been fed for months.

    The hunger in its eyes reflected in the intensity of its attacks, this time creating a circle of spears around Owen to pierce from all sides at once. Owen had read of creatures like these from Osmir¡¯s tome¡¯s during his training.

    A demon.

    It made no sense, but Owen had no time to think as his body moved to grab another splinter of the wood and toss it once more, this time at the creature. He had no hopes of killing it in a single blow, but he could banish it back to hell if only he could get close to it. However the spears constantly attacking him made it difficult to move from the spot he was in.

    The spears shot from the ground as the wood left his hand, sixteen to be precise spearing him through all sides and while they couldn''t impact his skin it still sent a wave of agony through him as it felt like he was hit by several boulders at once that should have done more than enough damage to shatter his bones. Feeling like each splinter caused the bones they collided with to crack and bend in unnatural ways before they promptly fixed themselves back into position in a cacophony of agony consisting of bending and fixing.

    The creature caught the wood in the air and easily crushed it within its giant claw, opening its mouth to speak an ancient tongue slipped out in visceral grunts and growling that Owen could not make any sense of.

    Even through the light of the moon the shadows around it grew darker until that face sunk into the darkness and with one final snarl¡­ vanished. Leaving behind only the smell of sulphur and ash in such quantities it attacked Owen''s senses and caused him to cover his nose.

    The time to comprehend what just happened faded as the door was soon kicked open by Alister, sending the wood flying across the room and directly into the wall behind Owen. If he had been where the splinters of the bed where he would have been launched into the wall with the fragments of the door.

    ¡°What is happening here!?¡± The large man exclaimed in a tone that implied he was here to help rather than cause more damage but what he considered help was dubious at best.

    Frost approached behind him with a tangible spark of lightning travelling between her fingers. It at least gave Owen some comfort knowing that his allies would be here within a few minutes should the problem have persisted.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Was all Owen could stammer out as the staff rushed along behind them. The embarrassment took over as he had realised that the constant skewers from the demon had left his shirt shredded to pieces. Standing half naked in front of these people beside a completely destroyed bed.

    ¡°What happened here, Owen?¡± Alister repeated. Stepping inside he looked around and seemed to sniff at the air.

    He finally managed to calm himself enough to say ¡°Something attacked me in my sleep. A werewolf thing that came out of the shadows.¡± He motioned to the corner behind the remnants of the door where it was and continued his explanation ¡°It was huge, at its full height it had to crouch to stay within the room¡± Which in itself was a statement given Alister didn¡¯t reach the ceiling and he was nearly eight feet tall. A walking mountain of a man.

    He examined the corner for a moment and placed his hand down onto the floor. Seeming unsure of what he felt directed Frost ¡°Fetch Swiss. She is the expert in spatial distortions¡±

    The commotion was loud from then on as the manager of the Inn came to speak with the group. Of course, furious that his room was destroyed. Owen listened in as he was given a blanket to cover himself with and he stood in the hall holding it wrapped around himself while waiting for Swiss.

    Alister held a finger up in front of the manager before he could even begin yelling and said ¡°You know who we are. I will have a package sent to cover not only the cost of repairs but the cost of any business lost during the repairs.¡± Flashing a crest of Psychopomps to solidify that he would be good on this said package.

    That seemed to be enough to calm him down and prevent the shouting match before it started. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± the manager responded seeing the sum that Alister had written down on the sheet handed to him. ¡°Be sure the other guests are safe from whatever happened there.¡±

    Alister approached Owen once more and said ¡°So, tell me in more detail what happened.¡±

    Owen recalled everything that he could from waking to being shot into the ceiling and the creature''s spikes before vanishing. ¡°It had to be a demon,¡± he ended the explanation with ¡°It spoke in a guttural set of growls and grunts.¡±

    Swiss approached from the far end of the hall rubbing her eyes sleepily while Frost led her into the room. Alister waited for her expert opinion and it only took a few moments for the ratling to examine the corner and say ¡°did you really need me to tell you a portal was made here?¡±

    ¡°Any idea where to?¡± Alister asked.

    ¡°It reeked of sulphur and ash. The only place I can think of like that would be the rotten lands, or hell as the locals call it.¡±

    ¡°What in the world would a demon want with me?¡± Owen asked, just as shocked as anyone else to hear this news.

    ¡°The only one who would know that would be you,¡± Alister responded. Placing a hand to his chin and furrowing his brow he hummed loudly. ¡°Either way, this can be spoken about on the train when everyone is ready come morning.¡±

    With that Frost returned with a blanket and threw it to Owen ¡°Floor must do until then.¡± She stated bluntly. It made sense, he couldn¡¯t exactly sleep in the mess of wood that was left inside.

    ¡°There''s a chair in my room you can use,¡± Alister offered.

    It was a sleepless night after the events he went through, but he felt at least somewhat safer sharing a room with the muscle mountain. Even if his snoring could wake a sleeping elder beast.

    Shifting out of the Inn, the staff seemed less frustrated than Owen expected. It made the checkout process easier as each handed their keys back and then made their way out into town where they stopped by a few stalls along the way to pick up some local herbs for Owens work and surprisingly a few small cakes for Alister.

    ¡°They are a favourite of mine.¡± The gruff man said, quite embarrassed at the looks Owen gave..

    Expecting the same experience with the second train they wound up taking their spot in the back carriage with a lot of the crates and boxes. While they could afford luxury, this train was going to the capital and was completely booked out.

    Entering the carriage they all took seats either atop cargo or on the floor and the discussion of the previous night began. ¡°So, care to explain to us once more what happened?¡± Alister asked.

    Once again Owen repeated the story so Swiss and Osmir could be caught up with what he told the others last night. Swiss still seemed sour that she was woken from her slumber to investigate the portal as signalled by the half awake glare she had. Owen was sure that if not for the fur covering her face she would have had several bags under them.

    Osmir was the most attentive at this point, humming and thinking back to his notes he opened with a question ¡°You mentioned these spikes aimed for your heart, correct?¡±

    Owen nodded and lifted his fresh black shirt to show the slight markings they had left from the night before. Each around his chest level ¡°All twenty or so it shot off.¡±

    Osmir leaned against the boxes and stared off into space, tapping his foot before he stood up ¡°This will take some further investigation. Swiss, if you would be so kind as to retrieve my books.¡±

    ¡°What am I, your storage unit?¡± She asked, having formed a blanket to wrap around herself where she sat.

    ¡°To put it in such unkind words, yes.¡± Osmir responded as he held out his hand ¡°My tome on demons if you would be so kind.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t impressed by the response but knew her duty. Placing her hand onto the runes again it sank inside and she rummaged around for some time before pulling out a metal bound book with an insignia of the arcane crest of the demon lord on it. A crest that Owen once thought was merely a fairytale to scare children out of speaking with strangers until he became older and learned demons were quite a common sight around the capital. Many folk were very willing to form contracts after all and the desperate were willing to pay a lot more.

    Leaning back against the wall he felt over where he had been assaulted. If not for some miniscule marks left by the forceful impact there would have been no evidence he was even assaulted. Leaving him to think about what a demon could possibly want with him.

    He should be dead right now.

    Frost seemed to be quite anxious during the trip. She shifted where she sat and paced from time to time before ultimately Alister stood when the train began moving and said ¡°Osmir, continue your research. The rest of you, we are going to gather information on the kingdom. Speak with the workers, the passengers, anyone who will speak with you.¡±

    While Frost clearly thought that this would be a better use of her time than meditating, it was a hassle for Owen to pull himself out of his training. Getting into the mindset of entering others minds was a difficult process even after all of his training.

    Exiting the carriage, Owen watched the rest approach various workers and customers. Some even seemed to recognise members of the group. He had the bonus of not being recognisable so they may feel somewhat calmer around him, bar for the few who spoke to the immortals like they were meeting celebrities. Though on the other hand they could be more apprehensive to some random guy speaking to them.

    He passed Frost in the hall and overheard her asking a worker about how the engines worked. Seemingly enamoured by the concept of the magic powered engine. It was nice to see she had seemingly calmed down. Swiss was asking some children about what it was like living within the central kingdom and of course, Alister was more grilling his chosen victim rather than asking questions.

    He was an intimidating man and his choice of how to phrase himself was always awful. Owen took some comfort in knowing it wasn¡¯t just how Alister spoke to him.

    He chose to approach a coach worker himself and hailed down the young elven man from his duties. ¡°Hello,¡± Owen said tersely, hardly a hint of humanity left in his voice.

    The young man seemed slightly taken aback by the tone but he turned and nodded, raising his hand in a common greeting of the elves which involved spreading his thumb and pinky finger apart while keeping the rest joined, raising it high and lowering it with the palm facing Owen. ¡°A pleasant day to you sir.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°To you too,¡± Owen responded. Giving the young man a moment to place down the box he was carrying in his other arm. ¡°I was curious about how the capital has been doing, if you have any insight. I have been away for quite some time.¡±

    The truth was he knew quite a lot about what was going on at the capital, but it was best for him to source his information from the locals and see what they thought of recent events. The young man seemed to think for a moment and asked ¡°How long have you been gone?¡±

    ¡°I would say almost five years by this point,¡± Owen responded. There wasn¡¯t a chance anyone would recognise him as a student of the alchemists guild given he was as average as a loaf of bread.

    ¡°Oh my, a lot has changed in five years I am afraid to say,¡± the man mentioned. Leaning back against a window he placed a hand on his chin and sought the words to describe such a momentous event in not only a compressed manor, but a civil one. The war had taken a lot from many, after all.

    When he finally found the words he began ¡°Well, during the wars of the seven kingdoms something happened. A third party, so to say, suddenly arrived on the scene at the edge of Kiln to the north. Barbarians, they were called at first. Large men who could lift a locomotive who brandished simple weapons and a single ambition. To take control. Kiln fell first to the hand of the brutes as they were being pushed from Jenis at the same time they approached from the rear.¡±

    There had been plenty of rumours about the origins of this group, but that they originated from behind Kiln was still something that drew confusion from scholars and locals alike, given the mountains were some of the most dangerous areas on the continent.

    ¡°From there,¡± The elf continued ¡°The warpath continued until the barbarians controlled every village of the third kingdom, Rosemary. Uniting them under the rule of Raul. Now the ambition of the new king is to continue his expansion and seize control of all seven kingdoms under one rule. Currently rebuilding the third and expanding his way through the southern borders towards Clove.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the explanation,¡± Owen said once he finished, tapping his chin before he asked ¡°How has Rosemary been faring?¡±

    ¡°Rosemary has been mostly in a state of repair from the war,¡± he said after a moment''s thought ¡°While they simply walked in and took over, in a sense, the war was still a long and painful process for most.¡±

    ¡°I see, thank you for your time,¡± Owen responded with a bow. Allowing the elf to return to his duties he searched through the carriages again.

    Alister approached him once he entered the next carriage and said ¡°We are going to speak with the captain.¡± He paused as if giving Owen time to speak, but continued when he was about to ¡°I want you to be with us when we do. When I give you the signal you are to enter and read his mind to discern his true intentions during the conversation.¡±

    ¡°And that is okay?¡± Owen asked, cocking a brow and looking back to ensure the elf was out of earshot when they spoke of something so illegal. ¡°I thought it was against the law to use that kind of magic.¡±

    Alister seemed less than enthused by that answer, crossing his arms and stating ¡°And we are above the law if I deem it necessary. This is a case that is very necessary. We know very little of the king of these lands and we must ensure we are not walking into a trap.¡±

    It was hard for Owen to argue against his argument. If he was in the position of a newly appointed king and he heard a group of immortals were coming to his kingdom he would most likely set up some form of guards about to capture them.

    ¡°We need this operation to run as smoothly as possible and we cannot rule out that the king has a hand in the disappearance of Death.¡± Alister explained once more. Taking a large hand he placed it onto Owens shoulder and said ¡°This is the reason we had you trained. Now, the signal.¡±

    Moving his hand up he scratched his chin, though moving his hand so his finger pointed back at the wall behind him, moving his hand down to rub his neck slightly ¡°When I do that during the conversation, read his mind and let me know what he planned to do.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Owen simply replied. Knowing better than to try to get into a long form conversation with who was essentially his boss as Alister was the shot caller from what he experienced.

    When walking with Alister it was easier to notice that the staff would give some odd looks towards the others. Those looks soon gravitated towards himself as he associated with them. It seemed there were various different reactions to the groups presence in peoples minds.

    They continued their walk through the carriages until they passed the dining hall. A familiar smell hit Owen as they entered. That of a busy kitchen that heavily relied on the local spices of Rosemary.

    Paprika and garlic were common and sometimes, in Owen''s opinion, a tad bit overused. He understood his taste buds were not exactly the same as everyone else''s but they could often overpower anything else in the dish.

    There was a single cafe that he remembered visiting quite often during his time in college that used the right amount of every spice so they blended perfectly together rather than fought to overpower each other.

    He was soon snapped out of his thought process by Swiss patting his back ¡°Watch where you are going.¡± Motioning with her other hand to show that he had almost walked into a table ahead of them.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he mentioned and once they slipped past the dining cart the distractions slipped away. It took a moment more before they were only a carriage away from the engine room where Alister got the attention of the conductor by¡­ politely knocking on the door. If by politely you meant physically assaulting it with a knock that Owen was surprised didn''t knock the door off of its hinges.

    A pale older elven woman opened the door after a few moments of this assault and asked ¡°Can I help you?¡± She wore a similar get up to the other elves on the train. Seeming to be the uniform of the company in a mostly purple suit with the symbol of the company embroidered on the chest and a hat that matched in colour with another symbol smack in the centre.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Alister responded as if he hadn¡¯t almost broken the door. ¡°I have come to ask a few questions.¡±

    She sized up the group with a few glances and responded ¡°Well it is not like I could deny a request from a group such as yourselves. What can I help you with?¡±

    Owen hardly needed to read someone''s mind to know that she was on edge. The sight of the group had caused her stance to change from casual to professional. Hard to tell if that was due to speaking with customers, or the group as she knew who they were.

    ¡°We are travelling to the centre of the kingdoms and would like to know a bit more about the state of things since the end of the war in Rosemary. I imagine a conductor such as yourself has seen a lot of what was once the seven kingdoms.¡± Alister asked.

    ¡°I have, I have,¡± She responded. Leaning on the doorway she was lost in thought for a few moments. Owen assumed this would have been a good time to read her thoughts, but he didn¡¯t see the go ahead from Alister so he waited. ¡°Well there is a lot of construction going on throughout the city as the new king has commanded damages to be repaired. Many family run stores have been given subsidies from the kingdom to help cover the costs lost during the war. Over all a lot of coin is being spent on the people.¡±

    A glowing review of the new king it seemed. Silence allowed her to continue ¡°Though there are some who are not too happy with the change in ruling. Mostly groups of cutthroats and bandits throughout the cities are causing trouble.¡±

    ¡°An odd proposition.¡± Alister finally responded. ¡°With coin being spent on the common folk you would assume that the urchin and lower class would be quite complacent to resume their activities quietly.¡±

    The conductor nodded and leaned off of the door frame to walk outside and close the door to the engine room. ¡°Personally, I would assume someone is paying for this effort. Someone else who is not so happy with the change in ruling.¡±

    ¡°Are you suggesting someone is organising these terrorist attacks on purpose?¡± Alister asked with a raised brow, his large arms resting across his chest in the crossed position which gave him quite an imposing figure.

    ¡°Just my personal theory is all,¡± she assured as if it were simply the ramblings of a dinner table discussion with family. ¡°The king is very focused on making life easier for the common folk who lost a lot during the war and had nothing to do with it. That would imply the higher ups in society would feel their way of life''s in danger.¡±

    Again Owen waited for the signal. Alister finally relaxed his pose while they waited for her to continue and now moved his hand up.

    Scratching at his chin while pointing and rubbing the back of his neck Owen quickly prepared himself for the next question, moving slightly behind Alister and Frost. Channelling his mana to ¡®open the lock¡¯ on his mind as Hugur taught him to.

    ¡°How has working with the new king affected the company?¡± he asked once he relaxed his pose. The woman was unflinching so he continued ¡°I am sure such a large scale change of operation can cause some complications.¡±

    ¡°Very few policy changes have actively happened since the change of ruling other than the change on taxes to travel to the other major cities. As you can imagine the other six kingdoms are not very happy about the change in rulers.¡± She explained. The easiest way Owen had learned to connect to minds was to visualise his magic as a form of tendril. Slinking it along the floor like a snake and behind the woman where it would rise up, ready to pounce. Connecting to the back of her mind, which was the easiest place to enter, especially when someone was distracted. She was a strong person. She managed to resist showing the shiver that many felt when he attached to their minds. Her actions and words lined up, but one thing that didn¡¯t was her mind. She was uncertain, anxious even.

    ¡°Very well, that is enough for now.¡± Alister stated.

    She was washed over with a wave of relief when he relented with his questions but that wasn''t the end of the conversation. A specific thought crossed her mind that caused red flags. ¡°I just have to report them and it will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Just one more question.¡± Owen interjected with, while the old version of him may have spent some time trying to sugarcoat how he went about this, there was no point wasting words. ¡°You are planning to report us, care to explain to who or should we make this conversation far more uncomfortable?¡±

    The woman froze as her face twisted into one of pure terror, moving back towards the door of the front carriage. Alister stepped forward as she did and warned, ¡°I would not do that if I were you. Let¡¯s not make this any more violent than it needs to be.¡±

    She admitted defeat, not a chance she could push her way past them and she had already closed the door behind her so opening it from this side was hardly an option. Her face had already betrayed her ability to bluff her way out of it, as if it would have been even possible with someone who could read minds on their side.

    ¡°It is a policy,¡± she said tersely. Tensing up, she was afraid, but not exactly for the company. Still tethered to her mind, she was worried for her family. Unsure of what would happen to her flow of income and if she could even support them given there was no doubt going to lead to an investigation if they got into the city without the king knowing. ¡°We must report any group such as yourselves to the king if we notice you are on our trains. It is nothing personal,¡± she frantically explained with her back to the door.

    ¡°Well I can assure you that we cannot let you do that,¡± Alister said as he pointed back to the engine room ¡°Now get in there and get us into the city. I will be watching to make sure nothing shady happens.¡±

    ¡°Please, if I do not report this I am not the only one affected. The entire crew will lose their jobs!¡± She tried to reason with the large man staring down at her.

    ¡°Are we sure about this¡­?¡± Owen asked, having left her mind as he had already intruded enough.

    Swiss was quick to join his side and say ¡°There are other ways to resolve this, Alister.¡±

    Alister, as gruff as always, let out a huff and said ¡°If we stop and worry about every person along the way we will get nothing done.¡±

    Frost finally broke her silence on the situation to rebut Alister ¡°And if we are to not care for said common folk, we may as well stop doing our job. Psychopomps cares for all.¡±

    ¡°And how do you suggest we do that then?¡± Alister asked, his nostrils flaring as he was angry they spoke back against his plans along with his brow furrowing so hard they both might as well have combined.

    Where Owen stood on the problem was closer to Alister but he found it best not to chime in if it was enough to cause Frost to speak. The large woman walked forward and said to the woman ¡°You will speak nothing of this and you will be safe.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± She asked, her demeanour shifting as she was nervous about leaving the fate of her job and potentially families well being in the hands of someone she had only ever heard rumours and news stories about, even if they had the best intent.

    ¡°You will say terrorists attacked the train and took control,¡± the large woman stated. Placing her large hand on the conductor''s shoulder she said ¡°I will drive. You rest.¡± She hardly gave the conductor time to react before moving her hand in one swift motion against her neck which caused her to collapse, catching her as she fell.

    ¡°You know how to drive this thing?¡± Alister asked.

    ¡°I know enough of the engine''s inner workings.¡± Frost replied, looking to Swiss and Owen ¡°Do bring her to a room and block it to look like she was forced in.¡±

    Pulling the door open, Alister followed and watched as he wanted to see if she could actually do it out of a morbid curiosity. ¡°So tell me, how does this work then?¡± He asked as they approached the giant engine that sat at the front of the train.

    It was a gigantic mesh of steel and crystal. The body was tempered to handle heats of upwards of 482 degrees celsius comfortably with dials on the front to show how much pressure was building inside.

    Unlike other, steam powered trains, this engine had no door to feed in coal or other similarly combustible materials. There was a single small opening protected by a grate to see within the engine at eye level with two crystals protruding at waist level.

    ¡°I spoke with the staff as a woman of curiosity,¡± she stated while approaching the front, placing her hands atop those gems and explaining ¡°No coal. Simply fire magic.¡±

    ¡°I guess you would be the woman for the job then, right<i> Frost</i>?¡± Alister mocked her in as close to a joke as he could make.

    ¡°I am a master of all elements,¡± she stated as a matter of fact. The simple explanation of the machine was that it relied on the conductor pumping fire magic within the machine to speed it up and then draining it when they wanted to slow down. ¡°It is rather simple,¡± she stated as the train around them began to pick up speed at breakneck speeds which caused the two to stagger and Frost to let go of the crystals.

    Alister balanced himself by placing a hand against the wall when he stumbled and snarkily mentioned ¡°Of course, you have this <i>all</i> under control.¡±

    She brushed off his remark and steadied herself once more. Sometimes it was hard to remember one''s own strength compared to others, so this time she placed her hands on the gems once more and released a light amount of magic that began to speed the train up once more. ¡°Alister, get to the front and tell me what is ahead.¡± She commanded.

    ¡°Right, just be careful this time.¡± He replied, pushing open a side door within the engine room so he could see outside.

    They were still on a train so it was moving far faster than anyone would be comfortable with standing outside¡­ Or most people that was, Alister simply grabbing onto the side of the engine despite how hot it was, his grip so tight it caused indents to form around his fingers which allowed him to stay upright and shout back at her ¡°A turn is coming!¡±

    In the halls of the train, panic would have begun to ensue as the passengers had noticed that the train was speeding up at an unnatural rate. The sudden jolt was more than enough to scare most before the speed increase.

    Barricading the room that they had left a few of the workers unconscious in, Swiss thought quickly and placed her hand into the runes once more. Pulling it free she held a ski mask out to Owen and placed one on herself ¡°Best keep people from approaching the front of the train.¡±

    Owen stared at the mask with a mild disturbance before another jolt of speed caused him to grab it and quickly place it on. ¡°Why the hell do you have ski masks in there?¡±

    ¡°Never know when it would be useful,¡± she said.

    He had no time to respond to that before she moved into the hall and sood at the end of the second carriage, blocking the entrance for any would-be heroes attempting to prevent what was happening up front.

    Owen quickly moved behind her and thought about what he could do to help the situation, thinking on how to make a spectacle he leaned into Swiss and whispered for his ingredients and his portable station.

    Slipping to the side he put together a simple mixture for a harmless flash powder where he mixed about 70% KClO3 and 30% Aluminium powder. In the end needing to add a small amount of Sulphur but that would be before throwing it. Placing the mixture into a bottle he had in his left hand he kept a small amount of sulphur in his right before returning to the hall.

    As onlookers approached he shook the bottle, slipping the sulphur into the bottle which gave the explosive illusion of danger when he threw the glass over swiss and smashed it against the floor, causing a large flash to fill the entire carriage and worked as a deterrent to scare back the approaching crowd.

    Leaning out the side of the carriage Alister watched the behemoth of a train struggle to take the turn as Frost gave a tad bit too much speed. The wheels on the right side he was on slowly lifted from the track itself as the entire train itself leaned towards the right ¡°Less power!¡± He screamed back at her.

    He had to think fast to get the train back on track and what came to mind was letting go of the furnace as she shouted ¡°I am giving as little as I can!¡± A problem neither thought about that their minimum mana output was far higher than most peoples maximum.

    He grabbed the guard rail at the edge of the small platform outside and threw himself over. Prepared for the impact he landed his feet against the ground that was rapidly slipping away under them and began to crack the ground while sliding along.

    He shouted out in pain as his shoes easily disintegrated away at the friction of sliding along so violently but he used the brief moment to use as much of his strength as he could muster. His muscles swelling up from the enhancement he yelled loudly and pulled downward, all within a matter of seconds which caused the train to quickly tilt back and land its wheels back onto the track. It wobbled slightly as the wheels left the other side from the sheer force but after a moment''s momentum it landed back down on the opposite side and began to stabilise itself.

    Frost let go of the engine to rush over and grab his arm, pulling him back inside the carriage before she took to the controls once more. Alister shuddered in pain as Osmir rushed over to channel mana into his legs. While the man was immortal, Osmir could speed up the healing process. His magic caused the now stumps to begin regrowing the skin that was lost and come back together.

    ¡°I hate doing it that way¡­¡± Alister grumbled, tossing the scraps of leather that were once his shoes aside. ¡°You owe me at least two kegs for that one¡­¡±

    ¡°We shall call even from the Kiln incident.¡± She responded with what one could assume was a smile from behind her shadowy face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll accept that one¡­¡± He responded, leaning back against the wall to recover.

 Chapter 11: Onward

    With the show that was almost crashing the train behind them the group would decide that it was best to walk the rest of the distance to the capital. Heavens knew how long it would take for a repair crew to fix the damages they caused but it would also be quite difficult to explain what exactly they were doing at the time without alerting the king.

    ¡°That was certainly a¡­ Bold move.¡± Osmir said to break the silence. The train was far behind them at this point and all that was ahead of them was what felt like an endless sea of trees within the forest.

    ¡°It got the job done,¡± Alister tersely responded.

    It seemed Swiss was prepared for almost any situation given she managed to produce a pair of identical shoes for him after some digging around within her runes. It always was a thought that occurred to Owen that he would love to see what it looked like inside those runes. Did she have some kind of filing system? Was it neat? Could she even see inside of it?

    All questions for later as at the moment Alister decided to speak up. ¡°When we make it to the city we head directly to the castle. We meet with the king and offer the blessing of the spire as a new ruler and then we investigate the theory of Psychopomps.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound so simple,¡± Osmir responded.

    ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Owen said. Stopping in his tracks something was off. The forest was often a source of various scents that would overwhelm his heightened sense of smell but he could make out that of leather and steel. ¡°Someone is watching us.¡±

    He had hoped that was enough to force them out of hiding but it did cause them to shift. His hearing may not have been as strong as his sense of taste and smell but even he could still hear the several sets of movement within the darkness of the trees.

    They were surrounded.

    Alister sighed, rubbing at his temple and shouting ¡°There is no use hiding, we know you are all there!¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if those back at the train had heard such a yell. It at least did its job as silhouettes became visible from the darkness of the woods surrounding them. It was hard to tell just how many there were given, many kept hidden in the shrubbery and darkness.

    They were human. Given the type of studded leather armour and helmets implied they were from across the newly formed border.

    Counting the weapons they carried there were few spears and a majority of the bandits touted much more technically difficult weapons such as sabres and bows. These weren¡¯t just peasants fighting to survive. This was a trained militia.

    ¡°We can make this quick and easy.¡± A bandit shouted at them. Owen assumed he was the leader given he was the only one with a set of boiled leather armour instead of studded. Carrying a shield in pair with a steel sword his face was covered by his helmet. ¡°Drop all your goods and turn back.¡±

    ¡°And if I say no?¡± Alister asked. His tone implied he was irate but when wasn¡¯t that the case.

    The man was prepared for such a question. It seemed he had rehearsed the line with the conviction he said ¡°Then we kill you and take it off your corpse!¡±

    Silence hung in the air and the bandits may have assumed the group was intimidated because of that but Alister soon burst out laughing, wiping a tear from his eye.

    Turning his back to the captain clearly sent a message that hit a sore spot given they all got ready to attack. Alister more than likely knew he would cause offence and to rub salt into the wound he put a hand on Owen¡¯s shoulder and said ¡°Looks like it¡¯s your time to shine.¡±

    This may be the moment one would assume that the bandit captain would say something along the lines of ¡°How dare you mock us¡± or ¡°You think sending some runt at us is a good idea?,¡± but they were quiet.

    The others moved away from Owen and the captain rubbed at his neck. Owen noticed that it seemed to be a code of sorts given that the group stayed their grounds but got their weapons ready.

    ¡°I am pretty sure desertion of one''s militia is punishable by death in Clove,¡± Owen stated, standing his ground at the intimidation tactic. ¡°We could make quite a profit off of each and every one of your heads.¡±

    His threat was seemingly ignored until a large shaking could be felt around them. The ground trembled as a figure approached from behind the captain. ¡°War tends to limit one''s options when in enemy territory,¡± the hulking figure said as the shadow became clearer. A man of incredible size pushed apart the trees with his very form. Owen felt it safe to assume this was the actual captain.

    With greasy blonde hair and a beard that you may need hedge trimmers to cut he wore the bare minimum armour to cover his vitals given making a leather set for a man this huge must have taken enough materials for ten men. ¡°Let¡¯s just make this easy and be done with it. No one needs to die,¡± he threatened. In a regular circumstance this would be quite intimidating but Owen was no longer normal.

    The dual hammers on his back backed up his claim as they were smeared with dried blood from the countless previous victims. Owen stood firm in his stance and stared the man down, tossing a comment to the group ¡°Swiss. P. 23 please.¡±

    ¡°Got it, skinny,¡± she shouted back before she began to dig through her supplies, tossing it to him when she pulled it out.

    Without breaking Eye contact with the giant Owen caught it and kept it held tightly in his right hand. ¡°If no one needs to die, you can run now before this escalates.¡±

    The giant was not impressed with such a claim. To attempt to intimidate Owen the giant clenched his fist and swung his arm to the side. Swinging directly over his men¡¯s heads. His fist collided with the tree closest to him, causing it to shatter like glass with shards and splinters flying across the forest.

    ¡°If you are willing to lift your weapon, boy, you are willing to die.¡± The giant commented as Owen readied the bottle he held.

    The other bandits may have covered themselves to avoid the shrapnel or moved out of the way, but the immortals stood steadfast. The giant was getting increasingly agitated but he composed himself, somewhat. Reaching for the dual giant hammers on his back he gave Owen time to back down.

    Unholstering it from its hook he held one in each hand and pointed one towards Owen however once again he remained unmoved by the threat. Again, the giant seemed irate but he was cautious.

    A glance to his men and back again let him make his decision ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, son¡­ Or how you came to hold such confidence, but I am going to have to do this the hard way.¡±

    His footsteps echoed through the forest as each created an audible thud akin to a sack of potatoes hitting the ground. The size discrepancy was much more obvious once he stood directly in front of Owen, who needed to crane his neck up to look the man in the eyes.

    ¡°You asked for this.¡± Was what the giant said before he readied his hammers ¡°Just try and dodge this one!¡±

    Readying the hammers in a stance that kept one overhead and one to the side Owen could see the attack before it even began. He planned to swing from those directions in such a way that made it near impossible to dodge as one of them would catch him no matter what direction he moved due to their sheer size.

    Owen remained unmoved until the hammer coming from the side impacted his chest. A grunt escaping with the sheer force of the impact. Pushing him backwards a few metres until the full force of the blow hit and he was sent flying backwards with enough force to slam not just against a nearby tree but straight through it.

    With the sound of the tree collapsing and splinters flying everywhere in a similar fashion to the tree before it the giant stood victorious. Such a victory was short lived, however. Turning his attention back to the others he remained steadfast in his conviction ¡°Now, are you willing to hand over what you have and back off peacefully?¡±

    The bandits seemed unsure once they saw the group remained unphased. Surely anyone witnessing the death of a comrade would have some form of reaction but this group seemed heartless, even to a pack of bandits.

    The group remained silent to the anger of the giant, however his attention was ripped away from them like a bandage forcibly removed from an open wound when he heard a loud groan from the dirt and dust the destroyed tree had kicked up.

    Focusing on the scene before him his jaw fell when the tree began to shift and struggle before it was pushed off of Owen as simply as someone throwing a pillow to the side. Without as much as a word Owen rose from the wreckage, his tunic torn to shreds without a single scratch or bruise on his body.

    ¡°You are all gonna wear down my supply of clothing,¡± Swiss mumbled.

    Owen approached again and the bandits clearly backed off as they prepared to flee from such a monster but the giant stood his ground and got his hammers ready once more. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of protection spell you have but it won''t be enough for this next blow.¡±

    Once again the human in boiled leather armour gave a hand gesture to the others that shifted their formation in the shadows. ¡°Swiss, if you would. P.42.¡± Owen stated aloud.

    What was tossed this time was a new tunic and a larger bottle filled with a colourless substance.

    The giant stared down at him and raised his left hammer which had hit him directly in the chest moments ago only to find that the hammer had begun to bubble and rust in only a few short moments.

    A quick look back to Owen revealed that he was no longer holding the first potion he had been preparing. The hammer began to almost melt away where the rust was eating which caused the giant to drop it. ¡°I only need one!¡±

    Using both hands he held up the remaining hammer and shouted ¡°You won''t survive this one!¡±

    At that very moment Owen could feel something prick his neck. No doubt a dart from one of the bandits. Given the smell and numbness to the specific spot it bounced off of he could only surmise that this was a concoction made to halt the flow of magic.

    Sadly they read the situation wrong as who would think to account for their opponent being some form of immortal. As quickly as the giant raised it, the hammer began to rapidly descend towards Owen with the intent to kill.

    The crash could be heard for miles as the impact sent a shockwave through the forest that shook the trees and caused the men in the woods to stagger. Anyone else would be a fine red paste to such an attack which led to the giant feeling confident that he had killed him this time.

    No words, only a jubilated laugh of triumph that was cut short when the dust settled to reveal Owen still standing in place with a single hand raised into the air that caught the impact of the hammer.

    Fear spread among the men as they realised just what they were dealing with. Owen pulled his legs from the holes in the ground the impact created and tossed his hand to the side, sending the hammer out of the giant''s hand and through his men who had to duck and cover to avoid being crushed.

    Taking a step back, the quakes that followed the giant''s boisterous attitude before had dampened to light taps.

    Osmir stepped forward from the group once they cowered and opened his mouth to speak, however Owen stepped forward to meet the giant''s stride and punched directly into his large knee.

    The bone snapping cleanly sent a noise through the forest that caused the bandits to shudder and the giant to yell in pain. Buckling under the sudden shock he collapsed forward which caused the ground to buckle as his body collided with the dirt.

    Owen approached once he had hit the ground and held out the second potion that had been given to him by Swiss. ¡°What is that..?,¡± the bandit asked, a hint of terror in his voice.

    Owen didn¡¯t find the need to explain to him what it was and simply said ¡°You raised your weapon. That means you are willing to die.¡±

    There was no time for verbally begging, however Owen stared into the terrified eyes of the giant as he uncorked the solution and tossed it towards his face. Raising a hand, a simple click of the fingers and a spark was enough to ignite the highly volatile solution, causing a large explosion that engulfed the giant.

    What was left was a charred corpse minus its head, causing the bandits to spread into a panic. ¡°P 18!¡± He called out which led to another potion being tossed his way. Unlike the other two he uncorked the lid of this one and brought it to his lips, quickly drinking its contents.

    Further and further the bandits got as he gulped down the burning contents of the phial.

    As they began to fade into obscurity in the distance he finally finished and tossed the phial onto the ground, smashing it.

    Suddenly he sprinted forward at such a speed that by the time the glass had shattered on the ground he had made it to the first group of bandits that were in his sights. His eyes filled with malice he opted to forgo weapons and drove his fist directly through the chest of his first victim.

    Before the other three in the clump had time to process the loss of a comradde Owen grabbed two of them from the side and slammed their heads together with such force they simply collapsed lifelessly to the ground. The final of the clump received the back of Owens fist to the side of the head which caused him to flip in the air before his corpse landed on the floor.

    There was no time to consider what he had done as he turned his attention to the next group that were fleeing with what he had assumed to be the captain before. A prime target he sprinted at.

    He was at least prepared to fight back, turning around and thrusting his sword from behind the shield. Owen used it to his advantage by jumping and planting a foot on the shield, staring down into the terrified eyes of the captain before he kicked off the shield hard enough to send him back into a nearby tree, causing a low hanging broken branch to pierce through his chest.

    The rest of the lesser equipped bandits weren¡¯t hard to deal with and ended with a trail of fleeing corpses all leading up towards Owen who stood at the last body cleaning off his hands with a napkin.

    With the bodies piled up they returned to their go to method of disposal and set them aflame, making sure to control the fire. ¡°That was quite brutal¡­¡± Osmir finally said.

    ¡°I think it was quite efficient¡±. Alister responded, seeming quite proud of how Owen handled the situation.

    Osmir brushed off his praise of the situation and continued ¡°There were plenty of ways to deal with this situation without causing more deaths.¡±

    This caused Owen to finally reply, staring into the flames ¡°Would you say that to their victims?,¡± turning on the spot to look at him ¡°You heard them. If you are willing to lift your weapon, you are willing to die.¡±

    ¡°You know that isn¡¯t true¡±. Swiss finally added to the conversation. She glared holes through him as she stared and said ¡°If they were truly so fine with dying would they not have simply starved, or killed themselves when they were lost? Instead they chose to turn to banditry and murder. Everyone is afraid of Death.¡±

    ¡°Except for us¡­¡± Owen muttered, his thoughts lost to the flames as he watched the bodies burn. As he watched his <i>victims </i>burn.

    It took some time to make it to the city, walking in silence. For a place that was supposedly crawling with rogues and those who wished the new king harm it seemed to have quite an upbeat atmosphere entering the main gates.

    Along the main street on the outskirts of the city walls were buildings that had been mostly destroyed by advances from the other nations armies before the king came in. Many people''s livelihoods had been destroyed, but still the overall atmosphere was happy.

    Music rang loud from a group of bards on the corner where owners of the destroyed stores had stalls out front displaying their wares and they conversed with potential buyers as if everything had been just fine.

    ¡°It is hard to believe a war has just happened here with how happy everyone is.¡± Osmir said, removing his glasses to clean off the dust from the rubble being shifted by construction workers who worked tirelessly to fix what was broken.

    ¡°I''m mostly surprised to see construction workers doing their job.¡± Alister jabbed.

    Owen gazed around at the work that had been put in and mentioned ¡°Everything looks a lot cleaner than when I graduated. The city was a mess back then¡­ To think so much work could be done in only a few months.¡±

    Passing the many stalls they would be called out to from time to time with friendly smiles offering many deals on small knick knacks and foods. If it was the old him, Owen would have loved to stop and indulge every store with a form of conversation. Now he watched as they beckoned for his attention and continued to walk.

    As they passed some alleyways in a thick crowd a young homeless girl bumped into Alister as they passed. A quiet ¡°Sorry, sir¡­,¡± escaping her mouth before she did her best to blend with the crowd once more.

    Alister immediately checked his possessions first, looking back at her vanishing into the crowd. ¡°I suspect we are being watched.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Swiss asked in return.

    ¡°Just a hunch¡­¡± Alister muttered. Keeping his eye on the girl as she fled down another alleyway.

    ¡°I think we are too¡­¡± Owen said. It may have been difficult to actively connect to someone''s mind with his magic; he could read surface level emotions quite easily. And he was reading anxiety all over her since she bumped into Alister.

    ¡°So, where are we off to next?¡± Owen asked when they passed the first barrier of the city walls. Farmlands stretched out as far as they could see once they passed the giant wall and left the buildings behind them, separating the city from the outside world. Small stalls and buildings continued to line and dot the main street that led deeper but for the most part it was farmland.

    ¡°Directly to the king.¡± Alister said, taking point as usual.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Then why did we bother stopping that woman from reporting us!?¡± He asked in a shocked response. ¡°A lot of damage had been caused in that entire incident and we are walking directly into the king''s chambers?¡±

    Of course, Alister always had an answer and told him ¡°Because we do not want to give him any time to prepare for our visit. Lest he decide to hide something he does not wish us to see. However, we may not have that luxury.¡± Pointing down a street nearby he turned the group''s attention to the same homeless woman speaking with some guards. Once the two guards nodded they swiftly handed what one could only assume to be a needle to her before she ran off once again. Owen wasn¡¯t close enough to read her emotions but she seemed happy enough with what she was given.

    ¡°Let us be prepared for anything then.¡± Osmir warned.

    It took quite some time for the group to even pass the outer walls to the farmland that was currently clamouring to recoup losses from the assaults of the war. Farmers out toiling to plant new crops while carriages with official seals of the kingdom rolled along passing out sacks of grain.

    The giant bulls that towered above the workers helped pull along the carriages of supplies while the cows of the same size grazed on what little was left and the imports from the back of said carriages on the opposite side of the crop fields.

    It was lucky these creatures grew to be such sizes that only a few were needed for their meat at a time as just a handful of these beasts could feed most of the city thanks not only to the human and elven mana cores allowing them to forgo eating for weeks at a time, however the ratlings, orcs, corvids, lizards and other races made up for it with their appetites being directly tied to their powerful mana output.

    The second district was the living area which was full of homes as far as the eye could see. Though that wasn''t far given, most were built to be multi-story and atop each other. The thin cobblestone alleyways connected the homes and have passageways through the district along with large domed houses built atop the buildings that the corvids would live in. Once again, staying on the main path kept the path wide enough for carriages to pass with goods.

    The most damage seemed to be done to the homes along this main street with the destruction limited to, from what Owen could see, the small area surrounding it. A full on frontal assault was more than a bold move.

    The final district closest to the castle itself was the school district along with the hospital district on the opposite end. Owen in fact personally remembered studying here even though it felt so far away these days. In actuality it has only been a few months since he had graduated. Hoping that no one would recognise him here he prompted the group to avoid the alchemical academy.

    This area saw the most damage, which was natural given that surrounding the castle made almost anywhere in this district a prime vantage point for an assault. Once again it seemed that the new king was putting money into repairing the damage with construction crews of various races, even from various cities across the formerly seven kingdoms.

    ¡°Seems like no expense was spared to recover.¡± Owen noted to the group.

    Osmir was quite impressed with what he saw, the orc jotting down notes of everything as they walked. ¡°It is quite impressive. Given the track record of the new king, from what I have heard, repairing the kingdom would be a side note. He was a barbarian warlord from what I gathered.¡±

    ¡°Great. Another brute in charge who will have a soft ego.¡± Alister mumbled low enough for only the group to hear.

    ¡°Sounds like someone we know,¡± Frost added, nudging his arm which was met with Alister shoving her away.

    The first set of gates were next. Their final stop before the king as past here they would begin the rigorous checks and pat downs before being allowed into the castle. Once again Alister stood front and centre with an imposing stature over the guards after forcing his way to the front of the line. The disgruntled yells and groans of those in line ended when Alister loudly stated ¡°We are sent by the spire to see the new king.¡±

    Once again he moved closer to the guard to accentuate the sheer difference in stature between them. Before the guard could even try to ask for claims of an appointment Alister produced the sigil that he used at the train station ¡°We are from the spire,¡± he re-stated, ¡°now I suggest you get going and take us to the throne room, quickly.¡±

    It was more than enough to spook the guard it seemed as his eyes widened behind that tin can of a helmet he wore ¡°O.. Of course sir!¡± He stammered, saluting with the guard next to him and turning on the spot ¡°Follow us!¡± raising a spear into the air and shouting ¡°Open the gates!¡±

    Moments later, the large gates began to open and they were personally chaperoned through the checkpoints with speeds that allowed them to bypass all of the ques that had been forming for days.

    Making it past the final set of gates even the grounds of the castle were in much better shape than Owen remembered. Provided all he had was hearsay from those professors who had been to the castle around the time he left for his internship.

    Livestock were being corralled around to help pull carts of provisions that were being handed out to the workers. Mostly more supplies as the food was being handled by the servants who ran from what they could only assume were the kitchens inside with large jugs of ice cold beverages and trays of foods for the soldiers and mages alike.

    The guards were stopped once they entered by a stout human with a bald head that currently reflected the sun like a deadly laser towards the eyes of anyone unfortunate enough to be standing at the wrong angle. It seemed all the hair from his head had decided to occupy his face given the large handlebar moustache, beard, and thick bushy brows that almost covered his eyes entirely. ¡°Welcome, esteemed guests.¡± He said in a pitch higher than Owen expected from a man of his stature. ¡°Do follow me.¡± He added before turning, his purple robes almost catching in the dirt as he began to walk towards the main entrance. The back had the kingdom''s crest embroidered into it. One that would no doubt be changing soon with the change in management.

    Passing the main entrance into the halls the large structure screamed regal in the worst ways possible. Jewel encrusted tapestries and weaponry hanging from the walls that were clearly ¡®decorative¡¯ as none of them looked suited for real combat.

    That was, on the walls that were still intact. The blood being cleaned from the carpets by maids of various origins and the statues of the previous ruler all having been left as rubble across the hallway.

    ¡°I would assume you are here for the blessing of the spire?¡± The man asked as he kept his gaze ahead of him, leading them through the dilapidated halls that had construction workers working overtime.

    ¡°Of course, it is important that any new ruler receives the blessing. Regardless of stature or moral disposition,¡± Osmir explained while his face was buried within his book, still taking notes of everything they passed.

    It was surprising some of the structures were still standing within the castle walls given the destruction that followed the war. Like most castles it was a straight shot from the entrance to the audience chambers where they could hear what seemed to be a fight going on inside.

    It was hard to imagine what they would even see on the other side of that door but it certainly wasn''t what they saw.

    The greeter swung the doors open to reveal what they could only assume to be the king currently locked in battle with a far smaller man. The giant of barbarian origins towered over his opponent in both height and girth. Built similarly to Alister but far taller at ten feet he brandished a large axe that he swung as if it weighed nothing at all.

    To his credit, the smaller man was quite nimble and side stepped his blows swiftly. The barbarian looked up in confusion as he heard the door open while the man swung, taking the side of a sword into his leg while he was distracted. A single stream of blood began to trickle down the king''s leg from the shallow cut the decorative blade left.

    Silence fell over the room after the guards stationed nearby gasped and readied their weapons ¡°Oh my¡­¡± The smaller man said as he backed off, feeling he had made a large mistake. ¡°I am sorry, my lord¡­ I¡­ I lost myself in the battle¡± He added, lowering his head in a bow. The man was clearly from a more clean cut cloth than the king as he wore a very well designed tunic and his sword was made most likely to be a deterrent resembling those on the walls outside.

    The king turned his attention from the immortals to the man in front of him, raising his hand when his men attempted to approach, which stopped them in their tracks. Dropping his axe he stood tall over him and stared down his sharp and angular nose at him, those deep green eyes piercing through his soul before he raised a hand that could easily engulf the man''s head alone.

    Frost seemed ready to move if she needed to, preparing a spell before the king placed that large hand on the man''s shoulder as best he could and said ¡°There is nothing to be sorry for my friend. You took advantage of a change in the battlefield. Death waits for no man, and you must take every advantage you can get against an opponent out of your size class. Raise your head and hold it high.¡±

    His opponent raised his head from its shame and looked directly at the king before he weakly nodded in response ¡°Of course, my lord. Thank you for your kindness¡±

    ¡°I am simply stating facts.¡± The king responded with a smile, odd to see such a gruff and rugged man smile so sincerely. His hair was quite long and at this point greasy from his long battle, small braids and baubles kept tufts held together and his beard was as chaotic as his hair, overgrown and unkempt.

    ¡°Now, for my ¡­ sudden guests¡± The king stated as he turned to the group, not as happy as he was with his opponent. One last word to the man as he looked back and said ¡°Oh yes, same time next week?¡±

    ¡°Of course my lord!¡± He responded before he sheathed his weapon and fled from the rising tensions.

    That left the group with said tensions. The king walked back to his throne and placed his large axe leaning against the broken throne. The back that had the words of ancient scriptures carved into it based on the teachings of the all mother had been broken in what one could assume was the final battle for the throne once the new king had made it this far. Raising his hand, the greeter nodded and bowed to his king before he left the hall so they could speak alone.

    ¡°So, you come all this way.¡± The king stated as he took a seat on what was left of the throne, or what the tiny throne could hold of his large stature, his eyes piercing through the group less like he was examining them and more like he was examining the doors behind them. ¡°With a new member, I heard nothing of another human in your ranks.¡±

    Owen was prepared to introduce himself, but Alister stepped up and approached the throne with a confident stride ¡°We do recruit those willing to help our cause under extreme circumstances.¡± He began, only to be cut off by the king asking ¡°And do you always plan to arrive unannounced, without the common courtesy of sending a messenger?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes it is best to see what a King makes of his time without preparing for our visit. Also our messengers seem to not last long in your kingdom, given we had not heard news of your arrival to the throne from our apostates.¡± Alister tersely responded. The group slowly approached him and stood in a line at the foot of the stairs that led to the throne itself. Designed to make anyone standing before the king feel insignificant, to feel they were looking up at their betters.

    This, however, felt like an entirely different kind of insignificance to Owen. This was not the feeling of looking up at an old man who would have his guards take someone away to the dungeon. This was staring up at a man who he assumed to have no qualms in taking that axe and removing a problem personally if it presented itself. Even with his vast skills and training he felt this man could give him a run for his money.

    ¡°And to what do I owe the pleasure of such an intrusive visit?¡± The King asked, tapping his foot impatiently and leaning his elbow on the tiny armrest.

    ¡°Well, first of all, introductions.¡± Swiss chimed in as she reached into her spatial distortion once more and removed a dusty old ledger that she brushed off. From what Owen understood, things like dust didn¡¯t exist within the distortion¡­ So as he thought, she must have put it in there like that. ¡°Given you are the new king of this region, we are to collect data and prepare the blessing of the tower for your rule.¡±

    Of course they wouldn¡¯t mention the other reason they were actually here, but it was a good enough reason for the King to accept, asking ¡°And you wished to see my routine without knowing you were approaching?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± The Ratling said, flipping open the old ledger and labelling the top of the official document within. She then handed the book over to Osmir who whipped out a quill and inkwell, for as primitive as those were, and filled out the necessary sections.

    ¡°First we need you to fill out some information for us.¡± Osmir stated and motioned to ask for permission to approach.

    The king nodded and allowed Osmir to ascend the steps. Even when seated, the king had a broad and imposing form. The remnants of sweat from his previous battle added to such a feeling and the signs of many battles fought in the forms of scars across his face and arms helped to suggest him as a powerful man.

    Turning the book over into the hands of the King, he read the information being requested and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Osmir stood patiently, allowing him to take all the time he needed before he held a hand out expectantly.

    Osmir promptly placed the feather pen into his hand once he dipped it in his inkwell and the sound of hastened, and clumsy writing filled the chambers, soon to be followed by silence once more once the echo of his ledger being slammed shut between his fingers and handed back to Osmir subsided. Osmir re-opened and read the ledger quickly once it was handed to him and stated ¡°Thank you so much for your cooperation, Lord Raul.¡±

    ¡°There we go, sir¡¯s and madam¡¯s. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± The king asked, and this was where the real plan came into place.

    ¡°I must say, I am quite curious to know what happened to the royal family once you took over. Regonald the third had quite a sizable family.¡± Frost asked as she stood forward. Her gaze piercing through the fog that covered her face and pinning the king to his half broken throne.

    ¡°Well, I think we all know the answer to that.¡± The king replied tersely.

    It was the answer they expected, but as Frost prepared to state her dissatisfaction with his cruelty, he held his hand up with a palm raised towards them ¡°I see what you think of me and I assure you that the former ruler''s family still live. They fled to somewhere in the countryside once they had gathered their belongings.¡±

    Frost¡¯s tension seemed to loosen slightly, but Owen couldn¡¯t help but feel that was an odd answer and asked ¡°And what if they come back in an attempt to take the throne from you?¡± Watching the kings demeanour change Owen added ¡°It seems like killing them would remove future complication¡±

    ¡°If they try they will be met with steel.¡± The king assured, his posture leaning forward to examine this newest member of the group. His eyes scanning over him as if sizing up a threat ¡°They pose no threat to my rule in this given moment and while you may assume the term barbarian king means my people are willing to pillage and slaughter anyone within our path, we do not harm those who do not get in our way.¡±

    Alister took a step back and said ¡°Thank you for your time, sir. We will be back once we are ready to organise the blessing of the spire.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Take as much time as you need.¡± He responded, bowing his head and motioning to the door behind them. ¡°Simply request an audience and I will drop what I am doing to accommodate.¡±

    With that, the group left through the main doors and this time Alister had a plan. Pulling Owen close he motioned to Frost and Osmir ¡°You two head into the town and ask about the common folks feelings towards the new rule.¡±

    Next he pointed to Swiss and told her ¡°You will go and speak with the alchemists guild and find how this has affected studies.¡±

    ¡°Would I not be best suited to that?¡± Owen asked curiously, unable to move as Alister still had his hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Normally, yes. I would send you but you also requested that you did not want to be recognised yet. So, instead you will come with me so I can show you how we gather information. We are going to speak to the servants.¡± Alister explained before pulling him away.

    Firstly they left the throne room to the right and entered a hallway that had a view out into the gardens. While a battle had recently been fought here, the groundskeepers tirelessly worked on replanting the living shrubbery that had been imported from the eastern forests. Though they struggled to do so as the small dragon shaped bush constantly tried to bite at the keeper who was toiling the dirt.

    A swift smack on the snout caused the bush to get angry as it puffed up its leaves to appear larger, but other than that it behaved itself for the duration of its planting. ¡°What marvellous creatures¡­¡± Owen mumbled as he watched, reminding him of the nights he would sneak out with Tithe to simply enjoy the majesty of the academy''s living gardens.

    It was then he noticed he was lagging behind as Alister had already engaged one of the servants and began asking her questions. Rapidly approaching so he could catch up he listened in at first. ¡°So, how long have you worked here?¡± He asked when Owen arrived.

    ¡°Oh I would say possibly five years?¡± The young human girl replied. She wore the same dress all the servants did which draped down the floor, covering her feet which made it look quite difficult to walk while wearing.

    ¡°Has the new rule made any significant changes in how you go about your duties?¡± He asked next.

    She had to think for a moment and shook her head in response. ¡°Not much has changed for us servants in terms of duties aside from preparing extra portions for the construction crews. We cook and clean as we always have.¡±

    Alister seemed to study the woman and noted her necklace ¡°What level of pyromancy did you study?¡± He mentioned, pointing to his neck to mimic where she had it.

    She needed a moment to realise what he meant before she looked at her necklace, a symbol of a silver drake coiled around a red crystal. ¡°Oh, I was a third tier pyromancer. Didn¡¯t get very far with that given I work here now.¡± She explained, a half chuckle that had some heavy implications behind it.

    ¡°Well, I thank you for your time. I won¡¯t keep you from your duties any longer.¡± Alister said, bowing his head to her with a hand atop his chest.

    She returned the bow and stated ¡°If you need anything else, please feel free to ask,¡± before she entered a room on the left side of the hall.

    ¡°Done daydreaming?¡± Alister asked, beginning to move already back towards the entrance.

    ¡°Yes, sorry. I got lost watching the plants.¡± Owen begrudgingly admitted.

    ¡°They are astounding creatures, but the job comes first.¡± He responded, surprisingly understanding for once.

    Passing the main gates they headed down to the residential district where Owen eventually asked ¡°What are we doing out here?¡±

    ¡°Following the information the servant gave us.¡± He explained.

    ¡°But she didn¡¯t tell us anything useful?¡±

    ¡°She told me everything I needed to know. Now go watch from a distance.¡± Alister stated.

    Once he was far enough away, Alister knocked on the door to a quaint but run down home that was soon opened by an older gentleman who was hunched over a cane that was made from old cedarwood. The resemblance to the servant was there and with his greying brown hair frizzled and sticking up he tilted his head like a child and asked ¡°How may I help you, sir?¡±

    Alister raised a hand in an open palm greeting and said ¡°Hello sir, is Haylee here?¡±

    Owen assumed that was the name of the servant which was proven moments later as the old man replied ¡°Oh, no. I am afraid she is at work at the moment.¡±

    ¡°She was a friend of mine when I studied in Kiln.¡± Alister explained which seemed to line up with where she studied as the old man nodded along patiently. ¡°I wanted to come visit her and see what she had gotten up to.¡± Reaching into his pocket he produced a similar crest to the one she wore around her neck. That same drake coiled around a red crystal, though Alisters was golden.

    ¡°Well come on in then, we can chat over some tea until she gets home!¡± The man jovially shouted, almost pulling him inside. ¡°You must tell me of your pyromancies good sir.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ Seems the family is obsessed with fire?¡± Owen thought as he watched the scene unfold.

    An hour had passed with no significant news from inside the home and Owen was left standing in the streets waiting for Alister. After half an hour he had decided to peruse the stalls and gather some more information on his own as he assumed Alister would get mad at him for not taking the initiative to ask questions.

    Again it seemed that most of the commoners shared the same love for the new king. Who wouldn''t be in their position? The king came in and dethroned the previous ruler who had been raising taxes and funding a war.

    Not only did he take over, but he provided relief to those affected by the damages and supplies to the farms so production could once more begin. Construction came straight from the king''s coffers and the common folk were more than happy to offer help as it meant getting their own lives back on track faster.

    No, the ones who were not happy were the royals. Whispers from the stall owners that due to the king''s new stance on the wealthy they had mostly begun to flee the country to take their wealth elsewhere.

    Turns out that the king freely funding the reconstruction of the destroyed aspects of the city made awful investment opportunities for those who attempted to buy up the destroyed land and build more unaffordable housing for those who could hardly afford their own land as it was.

    Finally, Alister returned with a hand on Owens'' shoulder that caused him to almost collapse under both the shock and the weight. ¡°Could you not!?¡± He shouted as he clutched his chest ¡°You will give me a heart attack!¡±

    Alister smirked at him as he pulled him upright and spun him around so they were facing each other ¡°I see you have been gathering information. What did you find?¡±

    Once again ignoring the brunt of Owens reaction. He had no choice but to take a deep breath, calm himself, and explain the information he had found of the common peoples thoughts on the king.

    ¡°Well, that matches with what was said earlier, along with those theories of bandit groups set to injure the king''s operations.¡± Alister responded after he took a moment to process it all.

    ¡°And what did you find?¡± Owen asked in return, a bit surprised he didn¡¯t lead with it.

    ¡°From speaking with the girl''s family, I think the king may know more than he is letting on.¡± Alister explained, pushing past him for now and adding ¡°We must gather everyone and we can discuss it then.¡±

    Owen grumbled, rubbing at his shoulder still but he followed. At least it was easy to keep up with him given he parted crowds like a ship parted the waters.

    Once everyone was gathered at a small restaurant that seemed to understand who they were once that same badge from before was shown, Alister got right to business.

    ¡°I think the king knows more than he let on.¡± Alister repeated for the others who did not hear. Placing his hands onto the desk he recalled ¡°The family of the worker I spoke with told me many stories from their daughter working in the castle. One of which seemed quite troubling.¡±

    Owen wished to probe for more information on just how he pulled off such a stunt with such confidence, knowing that the woman could have been back at any moment and called the guards on his deceptive entry, but that was for another time.

    Allowing him to continue, Aster explained ¡°In recent months, there has been a young boy within the castle walls which has raised some concern among the staff. While I could not get a name, they said that he seemed quite obsessed with the departed. Often found standing somewhere nearby if a soldier had been brought back mortally wounded or even seen tending to the body of one of the many animals around the castle.¡±

    ¡°You think this kid is the next in line to become Death?¡± Osmir asked, quite intrigued as he took notes of the description.

    ¡°It is only a theory, but those destined to become Death would see the world differently to us. They would also commonly be obsessed with the departed out of an instinctual desire to help.¡± Alister continued, motioning for everyone to be silent when a waiter approached to take their orders.

    Once finished and they returned to the kitchen, he continued. ¡°I have a simple test that we can do to determine if anyone within the castle is the next potential.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the box?¡± Swiss asked, eagerly standing atop her chair so she could reach into her runic markings once more and pull out a small metal container which had golden trimmings around the edges and corners along with a large lock on the front which seemed devoid of a keyhole. It was simple to guess that it must have been magically locked in some way.

    ¡°The box indeed.¡± Alister replied, nodding at Owen after ¡°Be prepared for when we open this. It will be quite overpowering, even for you.¡±

    ¡°What exactly¡­ is it?¡± Owen asked.

    ¡°The essence of death. A substance that is rare to come across in the world that is primarily used to induce the feeling of what it would be like to die into those who are nearby. Highly illegal for mortals to have.¡± Frost explained, her hand sitting larger than the box itself when she picked it up.

    ¡°So we are just going to submit everyone in the castle to feeling like they are about to die?¡± Owen asked, in a slight state of shock at how¡­ simple? Cruel? Certainly odd the plan was.

    Alister remained stoic and said ¡°Yes.¡±

 chapter 12: First Village

    Having said his goodbyes to the family of merchants that had given him a ride through the forest Tithe exited the carriage at a crossing that sent them in another direction. It was refreshing to see an exit out of the forest as there were less opportunities to be taken by surprise in a large and open field.

    Standing by the signpost that directed him towards Orin while the carriage headed east towards Lowe. He would miss the family despite their brief interaction for about a day and a half but that was one of the cruel inevitabilities of his travels. Goodbyes would come as often as Hello¡¯s.

    Taking the path towards Orin he would eventually notice that there were quite large fields of crops laid out but there were only about six workers tending to the crops, hardly enough to tend to such large fields alone, struggling to even toil the sand like dirt.

    Waiving to them from the path he called out ¡°Is this the way to Orin?¡± In hopes of striking up some friendly conversation.

    The workers didn¡¯t seem too pleased to be addressed but a spindly human woman approached him from the field. ¡°What business do you have there?¡± She asked. She looked quite ill this close up, her face pale and relatively thin.

    The crops themselves were also in disarray but that he knew as he had been sent out here to fix such a problem. Majoring in botanical alchemy he was the first choice when it came to reviving dead crops for villages suffering from the war.

    ¡°I do, actually.¡± He assured her with a kind smile and soft spoken words ¡°I have been sent out by the kingdom to help revive the decaying crops.¡±

    What he expected to be some form of appreciation for help was met with a scowl and a vitriolic ¡°We don¡¯t need no help from the kingdom. They already turned their backs on us once.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tithe responded, looking over the state of the fields and the wilted plants ¡°because if you ask me, this looks like it is past the point of no return. If you don¡¯t let me work on them soon there will be no crops left to harvest.¡±

    It was a tad harsh to bring up the conditions but he couldn¡¯t just let stubbornness lead to the failure of a perfectly good yield. It resonated enough with the woman who swallowed her pride and said ¡°Keep goin¡¯ down that path and you¡¯ll see it shortly.¡±

    Tithe still had one more question to ask before leaving. ¡°How come there are so few of you out here at the moment?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t as hostile to such a question and freely responded ¡°It¡¯s a time of rest for the others. See, we take in a lot of folk suffering from Coreblight. Can¡¯t get much work in the city when yer considered a liability.¡±

    Tithe was taken aback but he had heard of the disease before. It was a very unfortunate condition where one''s mana core was either damaged, too small, or completely non-functional so the retention of magic was nearly impossible, only able to absorb and use the bare amount of mana needed to survive.

    It led to many being considered inefficient and useless by employers given the need for rest every eight hours, three or more meals a day, and the need to sleep often, compared to the average human or elves ability to work for days at a time with then a multi day break at the end. Other races made up for their need to eat and rest often by having their mana cores oversized and capable of outputting ridiculous quantities of mana, or evolved in such a way there were magics that they had specialised.

    ¡°I am very sorry to hear. If only we could find a cure for such a state,¡± Tithe finally responded with a hand to his chest and a slight bow of his head.

    ¡°You learn to live with it,¡± she assured. Pointing ahead and shooing him off she returned to working the fields in a vain attempt to salvage this mess.

    Tithe returned a short wave, his mind already full of ideas for how he could potentially fix this problem with the ingredients he had on hand. Even better if the town had any form of alchemy supplies but he doubted that given what he had seen.

    Following the woman''s directions he approached the gates to the village which had two guards stationed outside of it. Both pulled their spears up when he approached and commanded ¡°State your business, traveller.¡±

    ¡°I have been sent by the new king of Rosemary to revive the dying crops.¡± Tithe stated, this time attempting to apply authority with a confident tone.

    The guards shared the same look the woman in the fields did and they both seemed to consider how to turn him away.  It wasn¡¯t a pleasant plan but Tithe knew how to get their attention and make sure they let him in. Removing the sigil he was given and showing it to the guards he stated ¡°I am here on order of the king to fix your crops. You wouldn¡¯t want me to have to return and tell him that I was turned away at the gate, would you?¡±

    The threat worked, both guards nodding and stepping aside to let him in without much more hassle. The people of the village were about as accepting of outsiders as anyone else, especially ones that came bearing the crest of the new king.

    On a brief glance the town was rather small with mostly homes lining the streets and the occasional store or area to eat. The rooftops lay barren atop the houses so it was most likely that the corvid weren¡¯t welcome here.

    His first order of business would of course be to visit the mayor but it seemed that would be quite difficult. Navigating the streets of the village he found that a large group had gathered outside the town hall in protest. Many were screaming but it was hard to make anything out as they spoke over each other.

    Approaching, he intended to gain an understanding by asking one of the locals what had gone wrong, however a guard intercepted him and said ¡°You the one the king sent?¡±

    ¡°That would be correct,¡± Tithe responded.

    ¡°This way ¡®den. Mayor¡¯ll see ya tomorrow,¡± the guard stated, using his spear to point towards the local inn that wasn¡¯t too far away from the town hall.

    Tithe felt it best not to resist or get involved in any form of public dismay so he followed and asked the guard ¡°Why are people protesting?¡±

    The guard, though, remained silent for the short duration of the walk. Opening the door he said ¡°Get a room for dis one. Free of charge¡± motioning again for him to enter.

    ¡°Well¡­ Thank you?¡± Tithe said, stepping inside to be quickly ushered upstairs into a small but quaint room on the far end of the second floor. Only about four rooms in total and he was all but shoved into the room and the door closed behind him.

    ¡°That was strange¡­¡± Tithe mumbled to himself. It was hardly midday and they already got him into a room for the night. Let alone his mana gland was perfectly functional. He had no need to rest overnight for at least a few days given the supply of fresh water he currently had and the rest that he had gotten on the carriage.

    Instead of resting he took the time to take out his sword and bow so he could make sure they were in good shape from the previous battle. Sharpening the blade and re-stringing his bow.

    With evening rolling around he felt he should explore the town some more and get some statements from the locals about the state of the crops so he could begin to formulate a cure for whatever is ailing the soil in the area.

    Opening the door he found two guards were stationed outside of his room. The one to the left of his door said ¡°Sorry sir, but we must ask you to stay inside at night for your own safety.¡±

    Tithe was left absolutely baffled at such an odd sight, asking ¡°May I ask why?¡±

    The guard to the right of his door nodded and explained ¡°A lot has happened within the village since the war. With all of our crops failing some folk have naturally been very unhappy with the state of things. An outsider like yourself might be in danger at night.¡±

    As annoying as it was to be denied the freedom to explore he couldn¡¯t exactly argue with them and replied ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡±

    The guards closed the door again and presumably returned to the steadfast position in front of the door, leaving Tithe to walk back inside and gently spread the blinds so he could look out into the town at night.

    The protests had ended for now. Even angry locals had to eat and rest at some point, Tithe guessed. There were very few people even out at night given the town was primarily full of  those lacking a functioning mana core so they needed to be asleep this time of night.

    What he did see in the distance was a small group past the mayor''s home closer to the fields talking with each other, whispering and glancing about before they all ran off to the field.

    It was a long wait until morning that allowed Tithe to catch up on a book he had brought with him recapping the uses and categories of wild mushrooms. The sound of the rain coming in helped ease his mind during his studies as it reminded him of his dorm room. A knock on the door pulled him from the pages and he opened the door to find the guard that took him to the Inn.

    ¡°The mayor¡¯ll see ya now,¡± he said.

    ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s go right away then,¡± Tithe responded. Placing the book back into his bag he slung it over his shoulders and followed the quiet guard to the mayor''s home nearby that once again had a crowd outside yelling various chants such as ¡°You promised us!¡± and ¡°This is your fault you greedy-!¡± adding various slurs.

    ¡°Out¡¯a the way you lot!,¡± the guard shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd and opened the door for Tithe.

    Tithe wasn¡¯t immune to the slander either as various shouts were thrown his way when the people locked on to his presence. One that stuck with Tithe amid the various screams was ¡°We have nothin¡¯ left to take!¡±

    The doors closed behind him and the guard ushered him into the home. ¡°This way, sir.¡±

    For a man that was being called a greedy slur and liar with multiple protests the inside of the manor was very barren. Ascending the stairs there were several square shaped spots upon the walls that were cleaner than the rest of the wall.

    There was no squalor. The entrance hall and upper balcony were almost empty, bar a few small pots containing dehydrated plants along the way. ¡°One moment,¡± tithe mentioned as he felt the need to stop and give some of his water to the plants along the way. Just a drop would be enough to keep them going.

    ¡°This way, sir,¡± the guard repeated with increasing agitation each time he stopped to water the individual plants. After the brief pauses they reached the set of double doors that led into the main office once the guard opened them. ¡°Pardon the delay, ma¡¯am, our guest felt it necessary to water the plants along the way.¡±

    Inside was just as barren as the rest of the manor. Shelves that Tithe assumed were once filled with books stood empty and containers held pillows that relics no doubt once lay atop. At the desk across the room sat an elderly woman who clearly had been having a hard time.

    ¡°Welcome esteemed guest of the castle. It is a pleasure to welcome you to our small town,¡± she said, struggling to sit upright. The only thing of substance in her office were the stacks of paperwork either side of the desk.

    A small fold out chair existed across from the table that he was invited to use. Tithe bowed his head and took a seat when invited, stating ¡°I am here to help fix the crops that I have been told were dying out.¡±

    ¡°This is true,¡± Lucy stated, if the plaque on her desk was anything to go by. Once Tithe attempted to reach into his satchel a hand was held up and the mayor continued ¡°I think it will be harder than one would anticipate to be able to help the people of this town.¡±

    No doubt puzzled by such a response, Tithe asked ¡°whatever do you mean?¡±

    The older human stood from her desk and walked to the window, gazing sorrowfully out at the fields in the distance. ¡°I failed my people,¡± she finally explained. She didn¡¯t allow him to ask more questions and continued her explanation once turned to him. ¡°The former king came to us and demanded a large quantity of our food production be delivered to the army station that used to exist nearby. That after the war we would be rewarded handsomely for our assistance in the war.¡±

    ¡°And given the former king is now dead¡­¡± Tithe added.

    ¡°Now we have a new king on our back. We paid our taxes and due rations towards the war and how we have a new king bearing down on our shoulders ready to take whatever else he can for the capital,¡± the mayor said. Clenching her fist rested on the windowsill she looked back at Tithe with a hateful glare ¡°What are your true intentions here?¡±

    Tithe was taken aback at the accusatory remark and tried his best to simply state ¡°I am here to fix the fields. I don¡¯t know why any of you think I am here for some other purpose. Doesn¡¯t it seem weird for the barbarian king of Rosemary to send a recently graduated student out to try and extort you for money?¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°There are many reasons a tyrant would do what he does,¡± she explained. Returning to her seat so she could face him, eye to eye and ask ¡°What is in it for you?¡±

    Tithe needed very little time for such a question and truthfully answered ¡°I was going to be here without the king''s sponsorship or not. It seems like accepting his kindness was nothing more than a hindrance. It had been a life long dream of mine to travel the world and help those in need with my talents¡±

    It seemed she was judging his answer and the minor annoyance in his tone was resonating with the mayor. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, thinking deeply about the situation.

    Tithe took this as a moment to solidify his point ¡°Most people here are suffering from Coreblight. If those fields are not back up to top tier conditions soon no matter how many of your mansion''s items you sell there will be nowhere near enough food for winter. No matter what trade deals you made from those sales will cover everyone if they are all suffering!¡±

    ¡°Then allow me one more question,¡± the mayor asked, staring into the desk before her. ¡°Do you think I made the right decision for my people?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always a question with these people.¡± TIthe thought. Needing a moment to form a response he said ¡°It¡¯s not my job to judge the actions or reasoning of others. My job is simply to help the crops back to health but if you absolutely need an answer, I think you did what you could with the information you had. The future is very unclear.¡±

    She stood from the table once more, the sound of the chair sliding against decaying wooden flooring reverberating throughout the room. ¡°I may not be able to get you to the fields. People no longer trust me as a mayor. At best I might be able to get you a sample of the field''s soil.¡±

    ¡°That would be enough for now. Provided I am allowed to wander during the day.¡±

    ¡°Of course. The people may be apprehensive but I do not think they are truly violent,¡± the mayor tried to assure.

    Given what he had seen, Tithe wasn¡¯t sold on the idea but he rose from his seating and closed his satchel. ¡°I am going to study what local flora you have and see what I can make from them.¡±

    ¡°Just be careful outside of the village limits. Bandits have taken to the area lately with recent events.¡±

    It was just as Tithe had thought. Examining the sample of the dirt and dying crop that was taken to him he found there was an abundance of mana in the air that was changing the composition of the soil, making them far too mana dense to be nutritious for the plants even with fresh clean water.

    Examining it under a manascope he had he checked for what form of mana could be so intrusive. Again, as expected, it was death mana. With the war on going the plants didn¡¯t have time to adapt to the severe rise in mana production.

    Tithe had spent a lot of time studying such phenomena and discussing it with professors and his two friends. In his hypothesis if plants were allowed to be exposed to such density of mana for long enough they would simply adapt and begin to grow much larger as the animals and monsters of the world had. Sadly, however, upon testing his theory at the college they did find the crops would grow to monstrous sizes but the nutritional value all but vanished.

    The area was also suffering primarily from Coreblight so Tithe needed to be entirely sure that what he was doing was enough to fix it but not require them to magically maintain it. His goal being to give them self sufficiency without the need of hiring or relying on kindness from magically dense individuals.

    Earning the trust of the strangers was also going to be a problem so they didn¡¯t mob him whenever he went near the crops just in case they assumed he was some form of tax auditor here to see how much the kingdom could strangle out of them.

    Over a cup of local tea that was so kindly given to him by the struggling kitchen below he finally felt that he had an idea for how to start his assistance. The first step meant visiting with the mayor once more come morning.

    ¡°Come on, come all for a lesson you will never forget!¡± A young crier called from outside the door to the vacant store he was graciously allowed to use. ¡°A new age technique of alchemy to blow your minds!¡±

    Tithe had put quite a lot of work into this lesson but he expected only one at best to show up. One was all he needed. The moment he could show someone in the town that he had a cure for their crops'' woes he would be able to convince the rest of the town to listen through their voice alone.

    ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± Tithe warmly greeted the only member of the public to show up. An older gentleman who was dressed in some standard tunics and sporting a very snazzy set of rings from across the border given their sigils.

    ¡°My name is Tithe and I will be showing you how to recover decaying crops with the help of alchemy,¡± Tithe began to explain. He watched the man seem as uninterested as one could be but knew he had to push through the awkwardness and stated ¡°I have heard the soil here has been quite difficult lately, correct?¡±

    A step in the right direction it seemed. The man grunted in affirmation. ¡°Progress is progress¡­¡± Tithe thought.

    Approaching the centre of the room he had a box covered in a small blanket that he hovered his hand above for dramatic effect. His sense of showmanship lost on the disgruntled old man. ¡°Alright old man, action it is¡± Tithe thought.

    With enough dramatic timing to cause the old man to stare at him, Tithe finally pulled away the blanket to reveal two small glass boxes. The one on Tithe¡¯s left contained a perfectly healthy carrot crop and in the one to the right the decaying carrot he had taken to him for examination showed just how damaged the crops were.

    ¡°As you can see, the case on the right here has a rather unpleasant looking carrot¡± Tithe began as he motioned to the one on his left. Looking up to his ¡®audience¡¯ he got another glum look from the old man. Tithe sighed and shook his head, doing his best not to be disturbed by such reactions. Moving to motion to the healthy carrot with his other hand, Tithe asked ¡°and this carrot looks particularly healthy?¡±

    No doubt the man was feeling like he was being talked down to but Tithe needed to make sure he absolutely understood this process. Waiting for the same nod as before, Tithe continued ¡°and what if I told you that both of these crops came from the fields of the village?¡±

    Finally the man spoke and said ¡°Absolute faff. The village crops are all dyin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Well this is no mere smoke and mirrors trick. Feel free to come up and examine them both for yourself.¡±

    Allowing the man to open both cases also let him feel that the soil in the dying crop was far closer to sand. The dirt was struggling to stay together and almost felt like it was attempting to isolate itself from the other granules around it.

    It was understandable that the elder did not want to believe that there was any hope for their crops from an outsider but his face did color him intrigued. ¡°If you could take a seat again.¡±

    As asked, the elder sat down. This time he moved to sit at the front closer to the display rather than the back.

    ¡°All you need to do is come back tomorrow where we will see the results,¡± Tithe explained as he removed the cork of a potion next to the boxes. Slowly distributing the contents over the decaying carrot which did cause some initial smoke to rise. ¡°Now come tomorrow''s lesson this will be ready. It takes some time for the concoction to take effect.¡±

    The man was curious but his pride seemed to stand in the way of asking anything so Tithe used his free hand to motion to the decaying carrot and explain ¡°the soil in the fields have been contaminated which causes an environment that the crops can no longer thrive in. Struggling to absorb anything due to this.¡±

    The man finally spoke and stated ¡°We haven¡¯t done anything new to the crops. There¡¯s no way they should be dyin¡¯.¡±

    An easy enough comment to explain as tithe scooped up the dirt which caused it to crumble away like sand between his fingers ¡°It is the war.¡± Knowing the man would be confused by such an explanation he continued ¡°Many battles have been fought this close to the capital. When enough death and decay happens in a condensed area it leads to everything around us being affected.¡± Tithe felt that this was going to take a more detailed explanation so he decided it best he would lecture this old man and hope he tells everyone else.

    Grabbing a piece of chalk and pulling the blackboard standee from the side of the room Tithe drew a quick stickman with two arrows exiting it. One with trickles of raindrops and the other a ghost like orb. ¡°When we die we release two things into the world¡± motioning first to the orb ¡°the most well known is the soul. This makes its way back towards the spire. Then¡± Tithe motioned across the board to the rain ¡°We also released what excess mana we had stored in our bodies. The mana naturally absorbs back into the world and disperses. Suffering from coreblight the people in town wouldn¡¯t be able to notice the increase of mana in the soul.¡±

    Despite living in the countryside with coreblight it seemed the man was following along which allowed Tithe to finish his explanation ¡°So when the war was passing through and large scale battles happened in the name of the kings there were suddenly a lot of people dying. People who have a lot of mana in their cores. When they die, they release it and when enough is released all at once in a small singular area it causes everything to begin to absorb too much mana and function differently. The soil is still functional but the vegetables are not prepared to grow in such a vastly different plot of dirt that one of the two needs to be readjusted.¡±

    The next day Tithe hoped that the man would return to see the results of his experiment but to his surprise he found that the usually vacant store was packed today. Mumbling and chatter echoed through the room that all fell to a hush when they noticed him.

    ¡°Well, good morning,¡± Tithe said, straightening his back and taking a deep breath. ¡°You are prepared for this¡± he thought, approaching the counter in the middle with the trolley he kept the two displays on.

    Setting up the display safely in the centre of the store he turned to face the crowd. ¡°Thank you all for coming today.¡± The eyes all kept their gaze fixed upon him. The old man who now sat at the front may have seemed a tad friendlier today; the others were also watching him closely. He had to prove to them that this was worth it.

    ¡°Then let us simply get to the point,¡± he said, grabbing the top of the cloth and pulling it off to reveal that there were not one, but now two perfectly healthy carrots resting within the boxes of dirt.

    As the scepticism started and muttering spread through the crowd Tithe began his lecture ¡°As explained for my one guest who showed up yesterday, the soil in the area has been contaminated.¡± Taking some time to explain the same situation to the new crowd. It seemed he also needed the same diagrams even if they were quite basic but it helped keep people''s attention where it belonged.

    He allowed various people to come up and feel the difference in the soil after a kind young man ran off to get more dirt from the field to show his point. ¡°Now¡± Tithe stated once everyone had their fill in playing with the dirt.

    Before he could speak a hand in the crowd raised and once given the nod the older woman asked ¡°The town suffers from coreblight. We have no way of altering the magic around us.¡±

    Tithe nodded and clicked his fingers, pointing at her ¡°Exactly. So my solution has to be something that would allow you to care for yourselves without needing to rely on paying other towns for mages. Good thing I thought of that from the beginning.¡±

    Removing another set of potion bottles from his pack he lay them out around the containers ¡°The area is naturally abundant in plant life and animals that can be used to create the concoction that I have used to restore this plant. It won¡¯t work overnight like it did here but if you keep applying it then the dirt will return to normal and the crops will survive.¡±

    Again, his plan seemed to be met with scepticism which caused Tithe to sigh annoyed and aggressively state ¡°I am here to help you all and you resist me at every single step of the way. If I were anyone else from the capital you would have been abandoned to your own troubles, left to starve once the food the mayor has traded for doesn¡¯t make it in time for the winter. So, let me help you, please.¡±

    Silence returned to the room and Tithe reached into his pack to struggle for a few moments where he could finally pull out the large cauldron and set it up. ¡°I am going to show you all how to make this concoction and I have written up a few guides for it since I got here.¡±

    No one was expecting a handout or what was essentially homework but Tithe finished setting up his cauldron and announced ¡°All please come gather around while I show you how to make this.¡±

    With the crowd around him it felt easier to show off his talents. Not only did it feel like one of his many lectures where he had to make a potion in front of the class, it also felt like being more among peers rather than everyone sitting down staring at him.

    It allowed him to articulate his points a lot smoother, despite a few stumbles here and there he informed the group of where to source clean water from nearby. ¡°While you could pay mages to purify and fill the water with magic for you, I will leave a recommendation for a company in the capital. Once the crops are cleaned up and money is coming back to the town I would highly recommend investing into a distiller. They can be expensive but they purify rainwater into water perfectly functional for alchemy.¡±

    The ingredients were the easy part given most of them grew in the forest and clearings nearby along with being able to be grown within town once the soil was fixed. Mixtures and ratios were left in the papers he had handed out along with the cooking time.

    With the potion bubbling over the stove inside the large pot he approached the end of his lecture with ¡°A pot of this size can make about ten bottles of the potion if you fill it to almost the brim. Worst case you can get non clean water but it would be nowhere near as effective.¡±

    By now it seemed the locals were actively listening to him as he worked. Twirling a phial between his fingers he eventually dunked it into the potion and filled it to the brim ¡°Do be warned. Potions are hot at first. You sorta just build up a resistance to it.¡±

    Though the lecture ended, the locals wanted to try making the potion so Tithe spent the day gathering as many cauldrons as he could with the town folks help which let him hold an outdoor class in the town square where everyone willing to participate sat by a cauldron. Most in pairs of at least two upwards of four while others took the already made potion to the fields to be distributed.

    It was shocking to see so many attending his outdoor class, but as Tithe thought, everyone was trying to survive. They were afraid of losing what they already had so in showing them how to potentially fend for themselves was what was needed to win them over.

    It took a few days for any results to be seen and some thought that he may have been a swindler. That was until it was finally time for Tithe to depart. Gathering his belongings into the satchel he knocked on the door to let the guards know he was ready to leave. However, there was no response.

    After one more knock he opened the door only to find that there were no guards stationed outside of his room. ¡°So that¡¯s what that was all for,¡± Tithe thought, needing to stifle a laugh. Descending the stairway he found that the locals had returned to their regular lives.

    Surprisingly the mayor had left her office which he had not seen in the days he was here. A few locals also approached when Tithe stepped outside ¡°gotta make sure I actually leave?¡± he jabbed.

    ¡°You wound me,¡± the mayor responded.

    The same older gentleman who came to his first lesson approached while holding a sack that he offered ¡°It isn¡¯t much but hopefully these rations could serve as a form of payment for the lesson.¡±

    Tithe raised a hand in front of the bag and shook his head in denial ¡°No thank you. You guys need the rations more than I do.¡±

    ¡°Surely there must be some form of payment you want?¡± the mayor asked.

    Of course, Tithe didn¡¯t plan to work for free wherever he went but he also didn¡¯t need much to make it to the next town. ¡°Well¡­,¡± he began, rummaging through his bag before pulling out a large water bottle. ¡°Given my mana core is functional, all I would need to travel for a few weeks would be two litres of clean water but I know your supply is also limited at the moment.¡±

    ¡°If not for you, we would have nothing left come winter. I am sure we can spare two litres for your aid,¡± the mayor explained, instructing one of the civilians to take the bottle and fetch him his water. ¡°It was magnificent watching you teach. Perhaps you should consider that career path too,¡± she added.

    Tithe froze for a moment at the idea and asked ¡°Why is that?¡±

    The mayor laughed and her aide stepped in to make sure she wasn¡¯t in much pain when she started coughing. ¡°Well¡­¡± she began, catching her breath ¡°I think the second lecture you did let everyone realise that you could be at least trusted to a degree. The kingdom wouldn¡¯t send out an awkward child who was so passionate about alchemy to survey for taxes.¡±

    Tithe was at a loss for words thinking how he must have come across in the lecture. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°No need. We all thank you for your help¡± the mayor assured.

    When the villager came back with the two litres of water Tithe put it into his satchel and thought about it, finally asking ¡°There may be one form of payment that would be quite nice.¡±

    ¡°Of course, what is it?¡± the mayor asked again. A hint of concern in her voice that he may have tried to dupe them.

    However, Tithe looked around the village and asked ¡°Could I have a souvenir to remember this place by?¡±