《A Dwarf's Hope》


 Prologue

    They were catching up. Aaron knew he should not have mined that gemstone, but it was so beautiful that he could already picture it as the perfect core of his ornament! If only that stupid stone hadn¡¯t fallen to the ground, he would have been long gone before the next of these little shits came around. He didn¡¯t even know why there was a nest full of warped rats there.


    If - no, he should think positively - when he returned home his old man would have to gather a few of his friends to clear this thing out. If these dens are left to grow as they like, they can quickly become a problem for the families living there.


    While dwarves are able to move through mines with much more grace than their human peers, they still had the same amount of stamina as the taller species, so Aaron was growing tired.


    He completed two more quick turns before allowing himself to look over his shoulder. The teenager almost wanted to laugh when he saw that only a single rat was still following him, but as it grew nearer he noticed that this one was nearly double the size of its brethren. How this rodent was able to bind so much magic to itself as to almost double its own size was a mystery to him but Aaron knew that he could not hope to outrun it.


    Aaron thought that it would be better to try fighting it than to get hit in the back. Having already discarded his pickaxe as he began to run, Aaron pulls out the dagger his old man gave him before turning around to attack.


    The pest was quicker. Aaron almost met his end before the fight had even properly begun. The rat narrowly missed his waist after jumping and hit the wall where the path took a slight turn.


    Although he was shaken, Aaron''s training did it¡¯s job and he lashed out. The warped fucker - as Aaron has dubbed it - screeched out in pain when it was stabbed in it¡¯s back. But by the time he could have retracted his arm, the rat had already dug it¡¯s teeth deep into his empty hand.


    Aaron cried out in pain and released the dagger with its blade still stuck. The animal was able to use his left arm to quickly move up Aaron''s body. Once the rat finally reached his head, it began to scratch and bite everything in it¡¯s path. He couldn¡¯t do much as the long claws dug deep into his cheek.


    The pain was almost unbearable. Aaron tried to find purchase on the hide to pull the rodent off his face. but it was too slippery. Finally, his fingers felt something cold to the touch and he pulled. The screech that followed might have been the best thing Aaron had ever heard in his entire life. He stabbed and stabbed until his ears could finally no longer perceive the cries of his enemy.


    Only his own quiet sobs rang out in the quiet old mineshafts now. A long time went by before Aaron moved again. He used his uninjured hand to slowly open the bag he had with him and pull out a veil with a green liquid inside.


    Aaron drank his only healing potion while trying not to think about how much money he wasted with his little stunt. He knew that it had cost his old man a small fortune to buy it and it was still not a good one. Without a good one his face would probably not heal perfectly but he already knew to keep his expectations in check.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Ha ha ha ha haaaa,¡± Aaron started laughing while his face still hurt like hell. In all the sixteen years of his life he had never felt such thrill. Aarons arms still shook like he had just spent the last few hours in the workshop hammering away. While this fight would surely haunt him in his nightmares, he couldn¡¯t help but want more of it. More of the fight, thrill and glory.


    After letting the concentration work for some more time, Aaron started to bind the rats'' now unbound magic to himself so as not to let it go to waste. His mother had only just started teaching him about magic, so he still didn¡¯t know any spells. But Aaron already knew how to bind magic to his own person.


    In his mind, he pictured the idea of drawing in the magic of the warped rodent and binding it. It took a few tries, but after he succeeded, he finally felt the rush that accompanied a large binding.


    With that taken care of, Aaron started to pack everything up and make his way back home. He decided that he would bring the dead rodent, as it might be useful for trading.


    <hr>


    ¡°Mum, he is back,¡± cried out his sister Sarah as he made the last turn to get back to the cave his family called home. She quickly rushed up to him to give him a big hug.


    ¡°Well he better be, he has been gone for two weeks! That¡¯s way longer than any ceremony I have ever heard about,¡± said his mother Julia as she rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. ¡°Aaron! What happened to your face?¡±


    ¡°I got attacked after i found my gemstone. But i beat it so it¡¯s all good,¡± Aaron answered while showing of the corpse.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all good young man! The Creation Ceremony should not be this dangerous. Now come here so I can look over your wounds,¡± his mother angrily declared.


    Aaron quietly walked over to a chair and sat down to let his mother fuss over his wounds. He was finally back home again.


    ¡°My goodness, that¡¯s a nasty scar. At least it won¡¯t be as noticeable once you let your beard grow out a bit more,¡± was the last thing Julia said before they switched to lighter topics while waiting for the rest of their family to arrive.


    They waited a few hours until his father and his brother came back from their mining trip. The moment Aaron heard voices from one of the tunnels he sat up straighter.


    Once they rounded the corner, Aaron and his father Markus locked eyes. His father noticed the fresh scar on his cheek and grew quiet.


    ¡°What happened,¡± was the first thing his father asked.


    With his whole family together, Aaron quickly launched into what he was up to the last two weeks. When it got to the fight, his parents sent his siblings to their rooms. Even though they complained, they still went to bed after a silent stare from the old man.


    ¡°I will go and gather a few of the other families. From what you told me, this is serious. If this grows too large, the army might even come down here.¡± Markus said after listening until the end.


    Aaron was growing excited. ¡°Great, dad! I will go get the hammers.¡±


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t,¡± shouted both of his parents at the same time.


    His father declared ¡°This was already enough action for you. And you still have a ceremony to complete.¡±


    ¡°Your father is right. You will stay here until this is taken care of and your Creation Ceremony is complete,¡± Julia said.


    ¡°But-¡± Aaron wanted to protest, but before he could his father already dampened his fire of rebellion.


    ¡°If you want, I can teach you a bit about fighting once I return but this decision is final,¡± his father asserted with a heavy voice.


    <hr>


    Aaron watched as his old man vanished behind the corner of the tunnel that lead to the nearest family. He turned around and walked into the workshop with his bag.


    He hadn¡¯t shown anyone the stone yet, as was tradition. But Aaron swore to himself that he would make the best ornament he could with the unknown gemstone that had so much magic bound to it.


    He would make his family proud!

 1.1

    He hit the wall hard. This was going to be much rougher than usual.


    As he got kicked in his abdomen, one of his tormentors spat, ¡°Fucking half-tall, where is my money?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t have it yet, John. Give me a few more days and I can get it for you! Just a few more days, I promise,¡± Aaron pleaded.


    His answer earned him another punch, this time to the back of his left knee.


    Aaron could hear anger in John¡¯s voice as he said, ¡°You are pathetic, Aaron. There I was, helping you when no one else would, and now you go ahead and don¡¯t pay what is rightfully ours!¡±


    ¡°I already paid the initial money back, and you know it,¡± he whispered.


    All he could do was wait till they grew tired. It hurt so much, but they knew what they were doing. Aaron was never in any danger of dying or getting something broken. He couldn¡¯t even use magic to defend himself, as this would just make his situation much worse in the town.


    After another five minutes of receiving kicks and punches, they stopped. Before they left, John whispered in Aaron¡¯s ear, ¡°In ten days I want my money. If you don¡¯t have it by then, you better watch out when going out.¡±


    Aaron didn¡¯t know how long he stayed in the alleyway before he thought he could brace himself for the way home to his room.


    Multiple times on the journey, his left knee gave way, and he stumbled onto the rough stone path. After he finally entered his room, the only thing he did was fall into his bed and sleep.


    <hr>


    Light shone through the only window in his room. He still didn¡¯t immediately rise. Only after the shadows finally grew did he leave his bed. ¡°Fuck,¡± Aaron said out loud before stumbling to one of the only artifacts he owned. The water bucket that keeps the water from leaving its refines and staying fresh was a gift his father gave him when he had decided to leave the mines and enter human society. The thought of his family slowed his gulping. Aaron wondered what they thought of him if they saw him today.


    He only left two years ago, but it still felt like a lifetime had already gone by. And the time was not a good one. Aaron didn¡¯t own a shower, so he grabbed a change of clothes and went to the public bathhouse.


    While it hurt when the water hit his bruised body, it also did wonders for his mind. He had to get that money. Maybe Lisa or one of his other previous quest partners could need someone to hunt something in the forests.


    Aaron left the showers with a much clearer head. Before he could try to talk to his colleagues in the adventurer guild, he would need to eat something.


    Luckily, Aaron had a few belebane coins hidden in his apartment. After collecting them, he went to the only place that he knew of in the city that would have a warm meal for the measly amount of money he still had.


    The Drunken''s Haven was nothing to write home about. It stood between two larger houses on the edge of the commoner district. In it, one could find many of the less fortunate.


    As the door swung open, the conversations between the patrons seemed to stop. Only after seeing that it was Aaron who entered did they continue.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Aaron slowly made his way over to the bar on the other side of the room.


    ¡°You look like shit,¡± was the first thing he heard from one of the only people here that he would call a friend. He had a very raspy voice, probably from all the smoking.


    ¡°Sorry, Richy, they waited for me last night after I left the guild,¡± Aaron answered as he sat down.


    ¡°Do you want the same as always?¡± Richy¡ªor Richard for long¡ªinquired while already leaving the room to get a portion of his own stew.


    It was the best food Aaron had ever tasted. Though his perception might be a bit skewed as he hadn¡¯t eaten anything for almost a full day.


    Aaron was really grateful. ¡°Thank you, Richy, I don¡¯t know what I would have done without you.¡±


    The bartender gave him a flat look. ¡°If I were you, I would have long been gone. I still recommend that you do that. One of my connections can get you out of the city with none the wiser. Even the Constable would not be able to find you if he were to search for you.¡±


    Aaron gave the man a small smile. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m really thankful. But I can¡¯t go back like this. Not when I still haven¡¯t up yet.¡±


    Richard sighed but didn¡¯t continue trying to convince the dwarf. ¡°Alright, but if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.¡±


    Aaron left after finally convincing the barkeeper to keep at least a few of his belebane coins. It wasn¡¯t nearly enough to cover his food, but he still felt good to pay at least something back.


    Even though Aaron didn¡¯t do much that day, he was still fast asleep.


    <hr>


    After he woke up, Aaron looked down at his body to check his injuries. They seemed much better than yesterday, but the bruises would stay for a long time.


    After he woke up, Aaron went to the adventurer guild to finally find someone he could team up with. His first idea was Lisa. She was a rather short human with long blonde hair. He had teamed up with her to hunt down two warped bears. It should have been a rather okay quest, but before they could get close enough, the bears had noticed them. Lisa had made him responsible as she was a scout and had been far quieter. Lisa said she was done working with him after he couldn¡¯t explain what had happened. He hoped this might have changed since then.


    ¡°Lisa, hey, I was-,¡± Aaron started before he was interrupted.


    ¡°No, before you even finish that sentence, the answer is no. I already told you I wouldn¡¯t work with you again,¡± Lisa sounded angry.


    ¡°But-,¡± he stammered.


    Lisa seemed unimpressed as she started walking. Before she passed him, she stopped for a short moment and whispered, ¡°In the alleyway behind the guild in ten minutes. Make sure no one follows you.¡±


    For a few seconds, Aaron was left dumbfounded. Lisa was already gone when he turned around. Aaron quickly made his way to the door while trying to see if someone would follow him. After he went a few rounds around the block to see if he could notice anyone, Aaron headed to the mentioned alleyway. Before he could enter it, a hand reached out and pulled him in.


    Before he could panic, he saw that it was Lisa. ¡°You could have waited the few extra seconds it would have taken me to enter on my own.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Look, I shouldn¡¯t even tell you this. I only do this because I feel bad about the whole bear thing,¡± Lisa looked around uncomfortably as she said this.


    Aaron couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. ¡°So you did know that I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°Yes, again, I am really sorry, but I really need your attention now. You are getting targeted. I don¡¯t know who it is or what their goal is, but I was approached before we had our briefing.¡± Lisa tensed as she said the next part. ¡°She knew too much. The woman talked about our fight as if she was there. She said that I needed to stop working with you.¡±


    ¡°What? Why? I didn¡¯t do anything to anyone since I came here.¡±


    ¡°Look, normally I wouldn¡¯t have caved in so easily, but she knew of my sister. Even mentioned the street we lived on,¡± Lisa said while she had an expression of fear written all over her face.


    She had already turned to the entry of the alleyway before Aaron stopped her.


    ¡°Wait! Then what should I do?¡±


    She looked back at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t contact me. I don¡¯t want my sister pulled into this.¡±


    <hr>


    Aaron felt like he was being watched. How could this be? He didn¡¯t think that he had ever done something that would have warranted something like this. Who was behind this? What did they want? Aaron didn¡¯t know, but that didn¡¯t help with the fact that he now looked over his shoulders all the time. He wasn¡¯t even sure what he would do if he saw someone following him. He needed a plan, and quickly.

 1.2

    ¡°Look man, I¡¯m really sorry but our team is already full,¡± said the latest adventurer he asked. With that, he officially ran out of people to try and convince to let him tag along on a quest.


    This was bad. Aaron didn¡¯t know who else he should ask. He had already spoken to every group that had entered the adventurer halls in the last two days. It was so bad that he even started to notice whispers that were shared between others. It was already hard enough to find others to team up with as a dwarf, and rumours certainly wouldn¡¯t help him.


    Aaron left the guild building to get some fresh air as he saw the sun slowly vanishing behind the buildings. He didn¡¯t have much time left. Aaron couldn¡¯t stay to wait for the return of questing parties the next day as they probably wouldn¡¯t even want to move out again that quickly.


    Aaron took a stroll around the streets surrounding the adventurer guild as he absentmindedly thought about solutions to his predicament.


    It had already turned dark when a sudden voice pulled him out of his thoughts. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re that dwarf from the guild. What are you doing here?¡±


    Aaron turned around to see a very tall human woman as she walked up to him. Her long brunette hair moved gently in the afternoon wind. ¡°Uhm, you¡¯re that receptionist, right? I was just gathering my thoughts a bit. What about you, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m on my way home. My shift just ended. The name is Sibill, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I kind of lost track of the time. I¡¯m Aaron, nice to meet you.¡±


    She looked him up and down and asked, ¡°So, why is it that you try so desperately to team up with other groups? I saw you running around the whole afternoon, it looked silly. Do you want to buy something or what?¡±


    Aaron looked sheepishly around before he answered, ¡°Kind of, why?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just wondering why you wouldn¡¯t do solo quests if you are that desperate?¡± Sibill looked bewildered as she voiced her thoughts.


    ¡°What? solo quests? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The quests that you do alone? They are generally easier than other quests, but the danger is still way higher than when you work in a group. But you should know this already; it¡¯s mentioned in the introduction process when you apply to be an adventurer.¡± She now looked genuinely concerned.


    ¡°I never heard of that? When I had my introduction, they only gave me my medallion and mentioned the confirmed and unconfirmed quests.¡±


    ¡°What? What about the ascension path? Do you even know that there are different ranks?¡± Sibill implored, bewildered.


    ¡°I mean, I do know that there are different ranks, but I just thought that that would be explained to me when I got there. It¡¯s not like we have many rank-ups in this town.¡± He now wondered, what else did he not know?


    The guild receptionist sighed deeply before she replied, ¡°Alright, then I will explain. But listen carefully because I really want to get home and not stay in this cold longer than I have to.¡± After receiving a quick nod, she started. ¡°I will just recite the speech you normally get. Let¡¯s start with the most important thing to know: ranks. There are five ranks, with the lowest on the list being the bele rank.¡± She pointed to the medallion on Aaron¡¯s belt. ¡°New adventurers start on that. It doesn¡¯t matter if you are already plenty strong, you still start on that one.¡±


    She levelled her eyes to look directly into his eyes and said, ¡°Do not make the mistake many newbies make and equate the strength of someone to their adventurer rank. It might indicate their strength but never rely on it. I mean it.¡±


    Sibill only continued after Aaron broke the eye contact. ¡°A thing you already know is that after you complete a quest, you always have to write a quest report. For most of the quests you can currently do, you won¡¯t have to write much in the way of details. But if you ever rank up, the requirements for the reports also grow. After completing a number of quests, the guild director can send a file with all your completed quest reports to one of the headquarters. Here in Sakrosa you can find it in the capital. Once the file is there, a council looks through it and votes on whether you deserve a chance to complete a rank up quest.¡±


    The woman stopped again as if to gather her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to explain how a rank up quest works but you will get all the information you need before then.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Alright, but what about the other ranks? I mean I know of sile, but I have no ideas about the others.¡±


    ¡°The ranks above bele are sile, gale, rile, and aile. As you might know, our city even has a few sile rank adventurers. The others aren¡¯t really important, as you will probably never see them unless you are somewhere you really ought not to be.¡± Sibill yawned before continuing, ¡°One more thing, tell me what you know about the confirmed and unconfirmed quest boards?¡±


    ¡°Well, the confirmed quests are quests where the guild has done an initial investigation and adjusted the rank of the quest. They also often pay less but are generally safer. As for with the unconfirmed ones, the guild hasn¡¯t done any investigation whatsoever and only works with the information the employer gave them. The pay and risk are often way higher. I never really cared about which one I would complete, I just went with whoever needed an extra person.¡±


    ¡°Your knowledge seems fine; you only forgot one thing. Unconfirmed quests are sometimes used by bandits or others to scam, rob, or otherwise harm adventurers. You should be more cautious when completing them. I¡¯m serious.¡± Sibill quickly turned her head to hide a look of sadness.


    It took her a bit to compose herself before she looked at Aaron again. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed now. I have a morning shift, and I want to be well-rested when I help others decide on quests that hopefully don¡¯t kill them. I can show you the book with the solo quests and help you find one that suits your style, if you would like.¡±


    Aaron was really thankful that Sibill would help him. ¡°That would be wonderful; I will be there early in the morning. Just one last thing: if you had these solo quests, why are they not displayed on the boards?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we observed that the death rate among our newer adventurers drastically fell every time there was one available. They are displayed on the boards for the sile adventurers, though. Now, I wish you a good night and hope that you can buy what got you so desperate.¡± Sibill turned around and quickly started to make her way to the other side of the street.


    ¡°Good night! And thank you for all the information; I¡¯m really grateful for your help,¡± Aaron shouted after her. It seemed like the talk about unconfirmed quests soured her mood.


    After thanking the woman, Aaron decided that he should also head home if he wanted to wake up early tomorrow to save as much time as possible.


    He headed back to his room and promptly fell asleep. It seemed like the more Aaron hat on his plate, the easier it was to fall asleep.


    <hr>


    Aaron stirred as the first sunrays fell on his face. First things first, he went to the bathhouse to wash himself and his clothes. After he finished rinsing off the sweat that accumulated over the night, Aaron went back to his lodging to don new clothes. He also decided to don his armor.


    The torso was secured by a short-sleeved leather vest made of overlapping layers of hardened leather. Metal studs were worked into the material for extra protection, while also not increasing the weight too much. The inside was padded with a very soft material. Aaron thought that it might have been wool, but he wasn¡¯t sure. While the armor extended upwards to protect his neck, his arms were bare. He didn¡¯t think that this would be a big problem as dwarves had naturally hard skin, but if he ever had more money, he would look into getting something.


    Aaron also had a wide leather belt that acted as a girdle. He was able to attach pouches to the belt to carry around supplies. Leather tassets with metal studs hung from the belt to protect the upper thighs. His legs were protected by leather greaves and small, flexible panels of studded leather.


    After Aaron put everything on, he hooked the last object he forged before leaving his home under the mountains to his back. It was a warhammer that had already seen better days. The continued use without good service took its toll on the weapon. Still, it was enough for what he was planning on doing.


    He made is way to the adventurers guild under the watchful gazes of other citizens. Aaron wasn¡¯t sure if some of them were part of this conspiracy. While it didn¡¯t sit right with him, Aaron decided to put it out of his mind as he couldn¡¯t really do anything against them right now.


    He already heard Sibill as he entered the guild, ¡°Aaron! Hey! Ready to select your quest?¡±


    Aaron quickly walked over to her. ¡°Hey Sibill, yeah I am. What do you have in store for me?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I looked into your preferred equipment and I think I found something that you might like,¡± she said with a smile on her face. ¡°There is a quest about slaying wolves in the forest. With your magic and your equipment it should be doable.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great! What¡¯s the pay?¡± Aaron was growing exited.


    ¡°Two silecoin per slain wolf. But you need to be careful, it¡¯s an unconfirmed quest.¡±


    ¡°Two silecoin?!¡± With this he could finally pay of the debt. It might even put a stop to this weird conspiracy he found himself in.


    A bit of his desperation must have shown on his face as Sibill quickly said, ¡°I know I said that you might like it, but I would still like it if you chose another quest. The employer said that one of his lumberjacks thought he felt a bit of magic lingering around one of the sites they were spotted. It¡¯s only a solo quest because he said that there wasn¡¯t much.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any quests that pay nearly as much?¡± Aaron asked, even though he already knew the answer.


    Sibill shook her head. ¡°No, sadly I don¡¯t. For the estimated time this quest would take, the pay is astronomical. Frankly, the only reason it¡¯s still here is that it¡¯s a solo quest and fairly fresh.¡±


    ¡°Then you know I have to take it. I get that it¡¯s dangerous, but I have to do it. Please.¡± Aaron looked into her eyes as he pleaded.


    After a moment that seemed to stretch way longer than it was, Sibill finally relented. ¡°Alright, but please be careful.¡±


    Aaron walked out of the guild and started to make his way over to the nearest exit in the city walls.


    He finally had a chance again. With this, he might even be able to turn his life around and achieve what he had set as a goal before he had even left his family¡¯s home.

 1.3

    He pressed his body low on the ground. The air above his head moved as a body the size of his head flew through the space his upper body had occupied a second ago.


    Aaron¡¯s spell sensing abilities had luckily always been one of his strong suits. Traversing the forest would be much harder otherwise. The lush forest made it very easy for predators to hide behind the green.


    He started to unhook his warhammer as he turned to the beast that attacked him. It was a rabbit. As Aaron looked closer, he was able to make out bulging veins on it¡¯s face. The eyes had started to cloud over with a light blue hue.


    Aaron readied his weapon as he thought of the implications. This rabbit was in the process of turning into a warped beast. Why was it here? He didn¡¯t think that the Constable would let warped animals live this close to the town. Aaron would need to notify the guard once he returned.


    By the time Aaron had stepped forward, the rabbit had finished righting itself and turned itself around to face him. It hissed as Aaron narrowed his eyes in concentration.


    While he wasn¡¯t as good at casting as he was at sensing, Aaron was still trained by his mother. Like her, he favoured the stone, as he had spent most of his time since his birth surrounded by rocks.


    Aaron calmly formed his spell in his mind. While it was growing easier to make the stone do what he pictured, he still had tremendous respect for it. The coldness and longevity that Aaron felt every time he used it were something he could never forget.


    The rabbit readied his jump at the same time Aaron finally completed the spell. He connected to the earth and bound the required magic together with the spell to it.


    A wall of stone emerged as the rabbit charged. An animal not influenced by the warping might have sensed the spell and evaded the stone plate, but this rabbit was clearly not able to act on anything other than its most feral instincts.


    The beast crashed into the blockade and came to a near instantaneous halt. Aaron was above it before it could come to its senses. His raised weapon came down fast.


    The sounds of metal crashing against soft skin and it giving way to splatter against the floor was the only thing that Aaron heard at that moment.


    He took a deep breath. This was it. This was where he felt the most comfortable. Not under the mountains or among humans but in nature, surviving and growing. He just felt so alive. The adrenaline, the rush he felt whenever he was on the slippery slope between death and growth, it was addicting.


    After he calmed down, Aaron finally took stock of the situation and checked the surroundings. Even after he searching for an hour, he couldn¡¯t find another warped beast. He did find animals with magic but their amount of magic was nowhere near enough for them to warp.


    Since he expended some of his magic on the spell, he decided to bind the magic of the beast to him before it dissipated. While it would be a bit much to control right now, it still seemed like it would be possible for him.


    He still remembered the very first lesson his mother gave him about magic. It was about the dangers of stuffing yourself too full and slowly loosing the things that make you you. He could still picture her glaring at him as she said it. ¡°At first, everything feels a bit stiffer, like the sizes of your clothes being two sizes too small. That¡¯s still tolerable. But after that come the delusions. They start small, like the shadow of a lamp moving just slightly wrong. But they grow. The next thing you know, you feel like someone is watching you. At first it¡¯s only once, but then the amount of times grows until it¡¯s a constant sensation. And you shouldn¡¯t forget about the itch.¡±


    Her eyes seemed to cloud over as she recalled a particularly bad memory. ¡°Back before your I knew your father, we had a neighbour that had always been distant. After we hadn¡¯t seen him for nearly a whole season, my parents grew concerned and set out to check on him. I have never seen my mother as frightened as right after she returned. She didn¡¯t say much back then, but for a few weeks, I always heard her mumbling in her sleep about an itch. It didn¡¯t take long for me to understand what had happened to our neighbour but I still wonder what exactly my parents saw when they checked on him.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Anyway, there isn¡¯t much known about the state of a being between that and the full transformation into the twisted beings that we know as warped ones. I want you to be very careful when handling magic. It¡¯s not a toy that is hard to destroy and easy to fix; this can end lives.¡±


    Aaron had no plans of ever finding out what it was like to get turned into such a monster. He was always careful with his magic intake. While he did bind more magic to himself than was comfortable to increase his tolerance quicker, he would never do that while he was out and about in the wilderness.


    After Aaron had packed up his things, he started to head further to the prescribed location. He decided to leave the dead rabbit there as he didn¡¯t have much space, and the space he had would be used for the ears of the wolves as proof.


    While he wouldn¡¯t be able to bind all the magic of the wolves to himself, as he would need a bit of magic residue for the quest to be verified, he might be able to train his tolerance a bit more.


    <hr>


    The next two days went by very quickly. Aaron was able to stay out of trouble most of the time. He only had to fight five animals, with most of them fleeing the moment they sensed his spell being formed.


    The one that hadn¡¯t fled was some kind of hawk. It had attacked him relentlessly for almost half a day while he made his way through what he presumed was its territory. The only spell it could form seemed to make its hoarse screaming louder. Aaron''s ears still rang a bit after nearly a whole day.


    He hadn¡¯t seen another warped animal in his time here. Maybe the rabbit had really been alone? He wasn¡¯t sure, but he would still mention it in his quest report.


    It was starting to grow dark. Aaron started to search for a place to set up his camp. He quickly found a small burrow under an aging tree.


    His magic and stone-shaping spell were used to widen the burrow to allow Aaron to lay down inside it. While the stone would be too cold for most humans to comfortably rest on, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Aaron. As a dwarf, Aaron was used to sleeping on cold stone when he was mining. The body of a dwarf was built for it.


    After closing the way into the burrow with the exception of airways, Aaron sat down to train a bit more before sleeping.


    He closed his eyes and pictured the binding of the air''s magic to himself. As he worked, he slowly started to feel a trickle of magic. Aaron steadily increased the intake until he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He gasped as he returned to himself. He was Aaron, the dwarven adventurer. Aaron checked for the amount of magic bound to him and nearly shouted.


    ¡°So much? This is incredible! Did I improve that much in the last few days?¡±


    After his small outburst, Aaron quickly steeled himself and started to work with the magic as he was beginning to feel the effect of having too much magic.


    He took half of the magic that was in excess and started practicing his spells. While he worked with his stone spells, it was simple, but as he worked on the spells that connected with his body, it was growing harder. It didn¡¯t seem like he was making much progress on that front while practicing. Still, Aaron was happy with the overall results.


    The second half he took to do something he hadn¡¯t had much time to do in the last few weeks. Aaron closed his eyes. After searching around for a few moments, he was able to sense two connections. With his magical senses, it looked to him like two discs that pulled every strand of magic that was too close into themselves. The smaller one was colored in a very rich yellow. The other disc changed its colors like a flickering flame would.


    He began to slowly bind magic to the one in yellow. That was his connection to the ornament hung from his neck. Like every proper dwarf, he would strengthen the connection. While he wasn¡¯t sure if any of the humans understood what the amount of magic bound to the ornament signifies to a dwarf, he wasn¡¯t about to stop.


    After Aaron felt like the ornament wouldn¡¯t be able to take more magic right now, he switched his focus to the other connection. That one was a bit trickier as it was the connection to the goddess his family followed.


    Aaron always felt that the strengthening of that connection was a bit useless. While he knew that gods and goddesses existed, he didn¡¯t think that any of the prayers his parents sent with their magic would ever be heard. But even then, Aaron decided that he would keep up his family''s tradition.


    That connection took a lot more magic. He was even able to bind every extra bit of magic to the connection.


    As he opened his eyes again, he realized how tired he was. Aaron spent a few more minutes checking the stone before he decided it was good enough. He settled down and was fast asleep.

 1.4

    Aaron didn¡¯t sleep long. The sun''s rays just began to seep through the trees when he started the last leg of his journey to the wolves¡¯ last known location.


    It wasn¡¯t until noon that he was able to find the spot. It was in a large clearing that was littered with tall grass. It must have looked very serene before it was disturbed.


    And disturbed it was. Ferns were pressed to the ground, dirt was stirred up, and blood droplets could be found in the field. A fight must have taken place here.


    Aaron''s eyes moved around as he searched the place for clues as to where his targets could be found. He noticed that the blood seemed to increase the further he went north. There, on the edge, blood formed a trail that led away. While Aaron wasn¡¯t skilled in tracking animals, he was confident that he could follow droplets of blood.


    Although the blood must have been at least a few days old, Aaron thought that after finding no more immediate clues, following the trail would be the best course of action.


    Aaron grabbed his warhammer and slowly started to follow it. He kept looking around, making sure that there would be no surprises. He had heard enough stories from people who met their end in seemingly peaceful forests.


    Evening was nearing as the monotone walk abruptly ended. Aaron almost stumbled into another clearing.


    It was a beautiful place in the forest. The evening sun filtered through the tall trees before it landed on a small hill. The hill consisted of big rocks that were covered in dirt and grass. It almost seemed like it didn¡¯t belong in such an otherwise flat forest.


    The blood led to what appeared to be the entrance of a den. Whose den it was, Aaron didn¡¯t know.


    He slowly started to make his way to a position that was a bit more out of the way. He wouldn¡¯t want to be seen before he could plan ahead.


    He sat down on a stone that hid behind a broad rock. If Aaron wanted to take these beasts on, he would need a plan.


    First things first, he needed to know what he would even fight here. While it was entirely possible that the animals here were the ones he was searching for, it could also be something else.


    But how could he do that? Aaron thought long and hard before coming up with a very simple solution. He would just have to wait and keep the entrance in view.


    Because wolves are most active in the mornings and evenings, Aaron hoped that he would see them when they returned from a hunt at dusk. It did feel like he was wasting time, but he didn¡¯t really know what else he could do as he wasn¡¯t about to rush into a den without any knowledge of what was within.


    With that in mind, he settled down and began to watch.


    <hr>


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    The sun had already been gone for some time when Aaron heard something. He quietly started to try and figure out where the sound was coming from. Luckily, as a dwarf, Aaron was able to see much more than a human at night.


    As the animals finally came into Aaron''s view, he silently cursed. Six wolves slowly trotted down a path toward the entrance. The two wolves at the end dragged the body of a larger animal, possibly a deer, behind them. It seemed like the hunt was very successful.


    As quietly as he could, Aaron began to make his way to a place closer to them. He wanted to see if some of them had more magic than normal. While his sensing ability was good, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sense them from his original position.


    His heart started to beat faster and faster the closer he came. The minutes seemed to stretch as he wasn¡¯t able to hear anything else other than his beating heart.


    He finally came to a stop behind an outcrop of rocks that was able to hide his shorter body. He had to calm down, and that quickly. As Aaron took a quiet deep breath, he started to try and sense the wolves.


    It wasn¡¯t easy. Sensing so many targets at the same time was always connected to additional strain. Sweat started to appear on his forehead as he was slowly making progress.


    The two that were closest to him were the ones he was able to sense first. Luckily, they weren¡¯t much when it came to magic. Sure, they had a bit more than what other wolves might have bound to themselves, but Aaron didn¡¯t think that they had yet learned to use spells.


    As Aaron worked on the next two, he tried not to think about what would happen if they were to smell or hear him right now. With nothing prepared, it would be an ugly fight.


    The dwarf let go of a breath he didn¡¯t know he held as he finished with the next two wolves. One of them had enough magic that Aaron was sure it would be a harder enemy to fight, but the other one was in the same category as the other two.


    Aaron just started to relax a bit while working on the last two when he suddenly felt it. It was like a cold glass of water was poured over his head. Aaron quickly pulled his magic senses back and didn¡¯t dare to move. Even breathing seemed impossible.


    In the corner of his eye, Aaron saw the wolf in the far back turn around. The others stopped moving after a quick yowl.


    The wolf paced around as it kept its eyes on the edge of the clearing, sometimes stopping to smell the air.


    A few times, Aaron even thought that it looked directly into his eyes before turning around.


    Aaron thought that he could win against that wolf, but it would be a hard fight. With the others, it would be impossible for him to fight them head-on. He would need a trap or something like that.


    After what seemed like an eternity, but was most likely just a few minutes, the wolf stopped. With a quick growl, the others quickly started to pull the deer cadaver toward the entrance. This time, every wolf, with the exception of the one that sensed the probe attempt, pulled it.


    Aaron stayed still for a long time; he only sat up when he saw the moon on its way above his head. Even though the last few hours were spent mostly sitting around, Aaron was exhausted. He wanted to go and sleep, but he didn¡¯t think that he could do that with everything he would have to do.


    The only trap he thought he could make in a reasonable time frame would be a pit.


    Aaron also knew already where he would create it. On the way to the den, he had seen a smaller clearing that had such thick undergrowth intertwined with the trees that it was inaccessible from one side.


    While he made his way toward his goal, Aaron started to plan out the pit in detail. It would need to be deep enough to make it hard to scale the walls back up. Pointed pillars could also help by injuring those that fall into it. It would also need a thin stone layer above that is covered in dirt, undergrowth, and other items that hide the trap beneath it.


    Someone without magic would need weeks, maybe even months for such an undertaking, but Aaron thought that he could do it in one night. It would be grueling work, but he would complete it. He had to, as he didn¡¯t have much more time if he wanted to be back in the initial ten days.


    With his plan all sorted, Aaron started his work the moment he set foot in the clearing.

 1.5

    Aaron exhaled as he finally stepped back. Although this had been much harder than he had thought it would be, he was finally finished.


    After making sure that everything was finished, Aaron made his way to an additional hole he had dug out while working on his trap.


    The moon was already way past the zenith as he used the last magic he had stored to close up the entry.


    Aaron started to bind more magic. He would need it if he wanted to be able to hold his own against the wolves tomorrow. Though it was kind of dark in there without the moonlight.


    <hr>


    Aaron woke up with a start. He must have fallen asleep. Without sunlight, Aaron had no indication of how long he had slept.


    The dwarf quickly checked his magic reserves. Luckily, two-thirds were filled. It wasn¡¯t as much as he would have liked, but it would have to do.


    If his plan worked, he wouldn¡¯t even need that much, but Aaron knew that more was always better. He had already learned the hard way to always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.


    Aaron made his way out of his hiding place and looked around. Even with sunlight, it was hard for him to spot where normal ground transitioned to his spot. Hopefully, the wolves wouldn¡¯t have the time to inspect the area to every last detail.


    With the last check completed, Aaron began to make his way to the wolves'' den. On his way, he began to occasionally use small spells. He hoped that the wolves would be able to sense them and follow that trail back to the trap.


    He added additional turns and twists to slow them down while he would take a few shortcuts. Without them, Aaron would get caught in a matter of seconds. He had no grand illusions that he could outrun a wolf, with or without magic.


    Aaron slowed as he approached the clearing where the wolves made their home. Because he hadn¡¯t had the chance yet to learn long-distance attack spells, he would use a good old rock.


    When the den came into view, Aaron hid behind the same rock as last time and waited.


    It didn¡¯t take long for something to move. One of the smaller wolves made its way out of the hole. It stopped to stretch its hind legs and let out a quiet yawn before moving around again.


    Aaron slowly exhaled and focused his attention on the animal. The next time the wolf stopped, Aaron breathed in again and threw the stone.


    Aaron was never very good when it came to throwing things. Due to this, it was no surprise when the stone landed a few meters short.


    But it didn¡¯t matter. One moment, the wolf was enjoying a quiet midmorning; the next, it reared its head in a frenzy. As it searched the treeline for an enemy, it finally laid its eyes on Aaron.


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    Time felt as if it came to a halt. They both stared at each other. Aaron broke the eye contact first and ran.


    Through the bushes, over fallen trees. The only thing he heard over the beating of his own heart was a howl. But that wasn¡¯t what spurred Aaron to move faster. The howls that followed were.


    It was bone-chilling. He ran like never before. Right now, he was still in pretty good shape, but he didn¡¯t know if he could hold out until he reached the trap.


    As he looked back, he thought he could see shadows far back move.


    He was coming up to the first shortcut he would need to use. Aaron just hoped that the beasts would sense his used spells and not entirely rely on their noses to find him. He didn¡¯t want to think about what would happen.


    Aaron slowed down to make sure he wouldn¡¯t disturb the grass on the ground. It was hard not to rush when he thought about the hungry wolves that were after him.


    Suddenly, it seemed like everything came to a halt. He didn¡¯t even notice it at first, but as sweat pearls slowly made their way down his cheek, he finally noticed it. He hadn¡¯t moved for some time.


    Aaron didn¡¯t know how long he just stood there, but it couldn¡¯t have been long as he still heard his pursuers behind him.


    As he was slowly regaining his ability to move again, he finally heard it. It was a dreadful howl, with magic latching onto the very air. The voice was deep, too deep for anything he had seen in the forest yet. While he only heard the ending, he knew that this creature was bad news.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Aaron mouthed as he began to run again. Nothing could ever just go to plan. Aaron only hoped that that wolf wouldn¡¯t hunt him. He didn¡¯t want to meet a wolf that could cast such a costly spell.


    After some time, Aaron noticed that he didn¡¯t hear any howls coming from behind him. His shortcut must have worked! He allowed himself to slow down a bit. It wouldn¡¯t end well if he got to the clearing but couldn¡¯t fight because he was out of breath.


    The bushes began to grow thicker, making it harder for him to move. Even with his dwarven biology, Aaron began to accumulate small cuts from branches that seemed to almost want to get in his way.


    His breath began to grow labored. Still, he held on. Slowing down helped, but it was still hard to maintain his speed in such intervened woods. This fight would certainly be hard.


    <hr>


    It wasn¡¯t very long before Aaron heard the howls again. He had taken every shortcut he had prepared and was still only slightly ahead. If his, admittedly imprecise, calculations were correct, he would reach the clearing with only a little time to spare.


    It was hard to not run with everything he had, but Aaron managed to hold on. Even though he didn¡¯t give it his all, he still made significant progress towards his destination. It was amazing how much ground one could cover if they just never stopped.


    The continued increase of howls didn¡¯t make it easy for Aaron to not look back. It might have been superstition, but he felt like they would be a bit further back so long as he didn¡¯t look.


    After ducking under one last tree, Aaron finally burst into the clearing. He quickly cast looks around his trap, searching for mistakes he might have missed before. He couldn¡¯t find any.


    After a few deep breaths, the dwarf made his way across his trap towards the one inaccessible side. He would not let a pack of wolves attack him from behind. Even with his abilities when it came to sensing magic, he would not risk it.


    Aaron checked his magic reserves again; they were half filled. He would need to be careful not to waste it.


    Just as he contemplated the spells he would use, they appeared.


    The first one to enter the clearing was the big one. It was the one that had noticed Aaron''s attempts to feel its magic.


    After that, the other five wolves slowly began to appear around him. It seemed like they wanted to surround him.


    They slowly began to inch closer to him as they growled. Soon, they would step onto the earthen sheet that lay over Aaron''s pit. He would only need to use his earth-shaping spell to disconnect it in a few key locations.


    Just before the first one stepped on it, the big one barked. It was as if the world froze. Not because of a spell, but because every wolf just stopped. If a coin had dropped on the floor, Aaron would have heard it.


    Then, another bark followed, and with it, all hell broke loose.

 1.6

    Aaron ducked under the first one. Before he could retaliate, he had to block another attack with the top of his warhammer.


    It seemed like they would try to wear him down, which suited Aaron just fine. He needed to wait for more of them to stand on the plate. It wouldn¡¯t help him if his trap only caught one or two.


    As Aaron defended himself from an attack, the next wolf decided to jump him. Without his magic sense, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but with it, he was able to twist his upper body at the last moment to change the direction of his weapon to hit it across the wolf''s head.


    The victim of his attack let out a whimper as it tried to right itself.


    In the corner of his eyes, Aaron saw the biggest wolf waiting. It hadn¡¯t tried to strike him yet, but he was sure that it was only a matter of time, especially if Aaron held out longer.


    Something else he noticed was that the attacks began to grow more frequent. Now, a second wolf would sometimes join the charge. They tried to bite, claw, and otherwise hurt Aaron. With more than one enemy to defend against, Aaron also started to use his only other spell, Rock Shield.


    It was the only other spell his mother had taught him before he left. She was sure that he would need it, and she was right. It had quickly overtaken his rock shaping spell, Shaping Rock, as his most used spell.


    At first, he only had to use it on a few rare occasions. But as the encirclement shrank, it also became harder for Aaron to defend himself.


    His body had even started to accumulate wounds. Though shallow, the claws were able to draw blood. While Aaron wasn¡¯t too worried about his arms, he was considerably more worried about his face.


    He swore that if there was enough money, he would look into a helmet. When his old one was rendered unusable, he never had the money for a new one.


    Another swing, another clash. This time between claws and his warhammer. His weapon won, leaving the wolf to awkwardly crawl back as one of its four legs dangled uselessly.


    Just when Aaron thought that he might be in the position to start his trap, the large one joined in.


    It happened just as the dwarf foiled another charge. With his thoughts occupied, he hadn¡¯t even noticed it before pain shot through his back.


    It was only luck that he didn¡¯t die right there. Aaron stumbled forward. As the wolf reached out again, a tall rock plate shot up between the two.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Aaron shouted as he tried to suppress the pain. He almost laughed as he noticed that the other wolves hadn¡¯t pounced on the chance to rip him to shreds. It seemed like they were scared to interrupt their leader.


    His thoughts turned back to the problem at hand. He moved further back to gain a bit of distance from the big wolf. Eyes that gleamed with intelligence watched his every move. He was happy that the others didn¡¯t seem as intelligent as this one. Otherwise, he would have died already.


    Aaron exhaled as he readied himself. Activating the trap now wouldn¡¯t help. Although quite a few of them stood on the plate and would fall, the leader itself was in the center where it was safe.


    It stood right at the corner, as if mocking him. Now that he thought about it, the wolf had also stopped right in front of his trap before. Did it know it was there, or was it just a fluke? Why wouldn¡¯t it warn the others then? Aaron had so many questions that would probably never get answered.


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    The dwarf and the wolf slowly circled around. Aaron sensed a spell snapping into place right as he completed the forming of his own. Both moved at the same time. The wolf seemed quick. Too quick for a wolf, Aaron supposed he knew what kind of spell the wolf had used.


    With his weapon raised, Aaron met the wolf''s charge head-on. The large animal moved around, escaping Aaron''s attempts at hitting it. Slowly, the wolf gained back the momentum, hitting Aaron on his left thigh. Luckily for Aaron, the claws didn¡¯t penetrate.


    He was able to avoid some of the harder hits, but it was still impossible to completely escape an already quick animal with a haste spell.


    Aaron''s wounds began to grow worse, with the large slash across his back being the worst. It was harder to move around, though he didn¡¯t think that anything important was damaged.


    After another close encounter, Aaron took stock of the situation. Although he himself was fairly hurt, he wasn¡¯t the only one. Blood littered the fur, with the wolf itself panting. It was growing agitated. That alone had helped Aaron deal much of the damage.


    There were so many things Aaron didn¡¯t understand about this fight. Why didn¡¯t the other wolves join the fight? Why did the leader take so many risks? It didn¡¯t make any sense to Aaron. Until it finally did.


    Just as the enemy was about to engage again, Aaron laughed while panting. ¡°Hahahahaha! Oh my god, is that really the reason?¡±


    The wolf started again, though it did seem a bit slower. The spell seemed to finally run out of magic. Maybe if they wouldn¡¯t see each other as competition, they would be able to achieve more.


    As the wolf ran circles around Aaron, he finally saw his chance. The moment the wolf he had dubbed Fucker Two was behind him, Aaron changed his direction and hit the wolf straight on the back with his warhammer.


    It let out a loud whimper as it reared back and tried to distance itself a bit.


    Aaron wouldn¡¯t let it have that respite. He charged ahead, uncaring for the desperate slashes and bites.


    He brought down the weapon again, this time hitting the left hind leg.


    The dwarf continued in his pursuit of Fucker Two. Luckily, it really seemed like it knew of the trap, as it didn¡¯t leave the rock Aaron had left behind so he wouldn¡¯t fall in as well.


    At the same time as he reached the wolf, he felt a spell finish forming. Before he could retreat, the wolf turned around and unclenched its jaw.


    Aaron finally saw what kind of spell it was as stone teeth came into view that were twice the length of normal teeth.


    Next thing he knew, pain shot through his leg. In all the pain, Aaron let go of his weapon and fell to the ground. He couldn¡¯t think straight as the wolf didn¡¯t seem to want to stop the bite.


    In his stupor, Aaron flailed around as he searched for his weapon. These were one of the longest few seconds Aaron had ever endured.


    It was like a gift sent from the goddess as he finally gripped the handle of his weapon.


    He lifted it up and brought it down again with more elan than ever before. After the sixth hit, Fucker Two finally seemed to have had enough. But Aaron wouldn¡¯t let it leave. Not again.


    He wrapped his second arm and leg around the warm body and continued with his strikes.


    Aaron didn¡¯t know how many times he hit the wolf, but it had already gone quiet. Aaron just lay there in shock for a few seconds until his thoughts kicked in again.


    He looked around in a frenzy as he searched for the others. It didn¡¯t seem like he was a moment too early as Aaron saw the wolves shake themselves out of their own shock.


    They seemed quite scared. Before they could decide whether the fight or the flight response should be picked, a quiet howl could be heard. With it, the thought process seemed to finish, and they all turned towards him again.


    They advanced quickly, but Aaron could only laugh. Because as they made their way towards him, Aaron only thought about that one spell he had formed as he had begun the fight.


    With a mental push, Aaron watched as the plate finally broke and the five wolves fell below. There was a loud crack, followed by multiple thuds, and then there was silence.


    Aaron didn¡¯t dare to move for a time. After a handful of minutes, he finally began to carefully remove his leg from the gaping jaws. It hurt like hell, and it wouldn¡¯t be possible to put much weight on that leg, but it would heal.


    Blood flowed freely as he removed the pouch that contained the bandages. After Aaron carefully wrapped them around his leg, he slowly made his way towards the edge of his little island.


    There he saw the rewards for his labor. All five wolves were there, pierced by spikes he had placed the night before. It was time to get his money.


    As he began to use his Shaping Rock spell to remove the spikes, he finally noticed it.


    Not a single bird could be heard.

 1.7

    Aaron slowly stopped his spell. This was weird.


    It was eerily quiet.


    As Aaron looked around, he found nothing. No bird flew above his head, no animal sounds could be heard, and the wind was dormant.


    Even his senses didn¡¯t detect any spells. It was as if the world had just stopped.


    Only Aaron himself could be heard: his boots as they hit the ground, his labored breath, or his weapon as he used it as a crutch.


    He needed to get out of here. He wasn¡¯t in any shape or form to fight. His left leg hurt like hell, he was exhausted, and he wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep.


    But what about the wolves? He still hadn¡¯t collected the proof that he had slain them.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Aaron mumbled as he thought. What if it was nothing? What if the fight just scared the other animals into hiding? He would lose the much-needed money.


    But what if it was a beast? Maybe the thing the wolves fought in that clearing? After all, it had injured them. Or it was the wolf he had heard before? If it was that, he didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    He should be more panicked; he knew that, but he was just so tired. The fight had been much harder than he had thought it would be.


    Aaron didn¡¯t think that he would have a chance either way if the beast was already close enough. Fleeing wouldn¡¯t be possible with his leg, let alone fighting. He could only hope that this was nothing.


    Hiding might also be possible, but an animal strong enough to scare others into hiding would also be able to find Aaron, he was sure.


    With nothing else to consider, Aaron made his way down into the pit. While he erased the spikes in his way, Aaron went to the first wolf.


    While this one didn¡¯t have much magic, he still bound it to himself. He needed to quickly regenerate his magic if he wanted to think about defending himself should an animal attack.


    After he finished, he took his small dagger to cut off the ears. While he could sell the cadaver back at Belnes, he wouldn¡¯t be able to transport it there, let alone the others.


    He moved through the pit, collecting the ears, replenishing his magic. When he was finally done with Fucker Two, he saw it.


    It sat just at the corner of the pit, looking down on Aaron.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Aaron whispered as he just stood there, sweat dripping down his back. It was as if he was petrified.


    The wolf, as it turned out, was almost twice the size of Fucker Two. Its eyes almost seemed to glow in a yellowish hue while its fur took on a much darker shade than its counterparts.


    The wolf¡¯s tail slowly moved from one side to the other; it almost seemed like it was amused. That is, unless one saw its eyes. They were filled with a silent fury Aaron had rarely ever seen before, a fury only a mother could have.


    It was at that time Aaron finally understood. Sibill was right; he should have picked another mission.


    The dwarf turned to run. Where to, he didn¡¯t know. It was an instinctual response, like prey choosing to run when it came across a predator. It still didn¡¯t matter as he hadn¡¯t even made five steps with his hurt leg before he heard that harrowing howl.


    It sounded just like the one he had heard when he was chased. It also had the same effect. Aaron froze just as he was about to take the next step. At least Aaron could still think, though it wasn¡¯t as helpful now. He tried to form a spell, but it didn¡¯t work. It was as if his mental images escaped him.


    He heard a loud thud. Aaron supposed that it must be the large wolf landing in the pit, though he couldn¡¯t confirm his thesis as he faced the other way.


    Aaron tried to run, limp, crawl, or do whatever he could to get away from here, but he couldn¡¯t. He shouldn¡¯t have stayed here, even if that monster would have caught up anyway. Fuck the money; he could have started again someplace else. He should have taken Richy¡¯s offer and disappeared.


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    A squish, then another. Aaron started to have feelings in his fingertips again. The next squishing sound. These had to be footsteps, he was sure. She was coming closer.


    Aaron almost cried, but he couldn¡¯t, even if he wanted to. His hands and toes could be felt again.


    The next squish was even closer. She was playing with him, like she took pleasure in his suffering. Though he supposed she would. After all, he had presumably just killed off her sons and daughters.


    ¡°Fuuuuuck,¡± Aaron said while noticing he could move his mouth again. As he tried for the tenth time to form a spell, it finally worked. Although it went against his flight response, he didn¡¯t use a spell immediately. It wouldn¡¯t help while he wasn¡¯t yet able to move.


    After another set of steps, it stopped. Aaron could feel her hot breath as it reached his shoulders. A sudden shudder went through his body. He was cold; his sweat had drenched all of his clothes.


    For just a moment, time seemed to come to a stop. Aaron exhaled slowly, inhaled sharply, and moved. First on his right leg and then his left one. Stepping on it was accompanied by searing pain traveling through his body. It was still better than the alternative.


    A big paw crashed into the floor where he had been standing just a second ago.


    Aaron finally used the spell he had prepared before. Using Rock Shield, a large stone shield shot out from the ground. It covered a thick line from one side of the pit to the island in the middle. Aaron hoped that this would keep the wolf occupied at least for a tiny bit.


    It wouldn¡¯t be able to just jump over it, as it hopefully didn¡¯t know where spikes still stood. Although it could just jump out of the pit and wait there, he hoped that it wouldn¡¯t do that. The only thing that gave him any hope in that regard was that it had come down before to attack him with its own paws.


    As he made his way over to the closest wall while evading the earthen spikes, his questions were answered by a loud crash. The animal had decided to just push a hole into his wall. He didn¡¯t want to even think about the strength this implied.


    He knew that he didn¡¯t have time to slowly climb the wall or use his Shaping Earth to create steps. He took a deep breath and concentrated. This was going to hurt so bad. Just as the animal was about to pounce, the floor under Aaron moved.


    Because Shaping Earth would move the rocks too slowly, Aaron had forgone that spell for his much quicker spell Rock Shield. While it cost much more and could only create cubic shapes, it was much quicker.


    The cube under Aaron shot up so quickly that it catapulted him through the air. He had almost lost footing but was able to righten himself.


    As Aaron looked back down, he saw the wolf crash into the cube he had just used.


    But Aaron¡¯s luck didn¡¯t last long. Aaron hadn¡¯t used this trick often, and as such, in his hurry, misjudged the amount of magic he would need to reach the surface.


    One, then two, and finally almost three meters were between the forest ground and him before he began his descent.


    He couldn¡¯t do much more than pray as he fell.


    A crack was heard throughout the clearing. Aaron could have sworn that it was just as loud as when the wall had been broken. Then the pain hit, and all Aaron could do was scream.


    It took a while for Aaron to regain his bearings again, and when he did, he almost laughed and cried at the same time. In front of him stood the wolf, calmly observing him.


    ¡°Fuck! Just fucking kill me already! It can¡¯t do anything with this piece of shit leg anyway! JUST DO IT!¡± Aaron¡¯s throat almost gave out towards the end.


    The deep anger was still deeply rooted in the wolf¡¯s eyes. It created a sound that almost seemed like a laugh. How that was even possible, Aaron didn¡¯t know.


    Just as quickly as it began, it stopped again. The mother, dubbed Fucker Three, stared into Aaron''s eyes and then did something Aaron was sure he wouldn¡¯t ever forget in his life, no matter how short that would be.


    She talked.


    ¡°F- Fu- Fuck.¡±


    The hair on Aaron¡¯s neck stood on end. Did he just really hear that? The air around Aaron was bound with a spell he didn¡¯t recognize. It didn¡¯t even look remotely like any other he had ever sensed.


    Still, it didn¡¯t really matter as he was about to die. The closer Aaron got to his death, the calmer he seemed to grow. Even the pain of his left leg seemed to lessen. Though he supposed it might have also been from the blood loss; it was quite a bit after all.


    With his eyelids growing heavier, he could only watch as Fucker Three finally decided that he had served whatever purpose she thought he had.


    A blink. She leaned down with her jaw wide open. Another blink. The wolf was gone.


    At least until Aaron turned his way sideways. There, he could see the wolf fight something. It was some kind of bird, though it was gigantic.


    Many different spells were used. Though what kind of spells, Aaron wasn¡¯t sure. He couldn¡¯t really think much anymore.


    The dwarf just lay there until he heard something on his left. Was he about to be taken out by a random animal that used the distraction to score food for itself?


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± a weak laugh escaped his lips. It would be quite funny now that he thought about it.


    But as he turned his way the other way, he saw something quite unexpected.


    A human. Or no, an elf. He could see the big ears poking out from under her, as she was clearly a woman, shoulder-length red hair. She seemed a bit stressed as she slowly made her way towards Aaron.


    It seemed so serene, which was a stark contrast to the bloody fight that was taking place on the other side.


    As she finally reached him, she whispered something. Aaron couldn¡¯t understand her. Maybe she talked in a foreign language?


    The elf repeated herself, seemingly expecting him to answer.


    It was increasingly harder for Aaron to concentrate on her. As he tried to formulate a response, the woman sighed, looked over to the fight that was happening, and began to rummage through a pouch.


    The last thing Aaron took note of was the vial with a green fluid inside that she dangled above his head, then everything went dark.

 1.8

    Aaron awoke with a start, only darkness surrounded him.


    ¡°Ow. Damn, everything hurts,¡± he quietly complained as he tried to at least get the headaches to stop.


    As the aches finally seemed to lessen, he began to take in his surroundings.


    Even though it was dark, Aaron¡¯s eyes made it possible for him to see more than just shadows.


    He could see that he was in a cave of some sort. The dwarf could hear the echo of water dripping down in the distance.


    Just as he turned to the right to explore some more, something entered his Magic Sense range.


    ¡°You are up much quicker than I had estimated. I thought that it would take you at least until night, Aaron,¡± a female voice noted. She furrowed her brows before she asked, ¡°You are Aaron, right?¡±


    The silhouette stepped closer, revealing a woman that would tower even over most humans. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that stood out to Aaron. Her hair was colored in a very matte red, reminding him of the color fresh blood had. Still, that wasn¡¯t why Aaron couldn¡¯t stop staring. That was thanks to the pointy ears that revealed themselves through the woman¡¯s hair.


    For a moment, nobody said anything, both of them staring at each other. Finally, Aaron broke eye contact first. ¡°Who wants to know?¡±


    The woman shot him a glare but replied nonetheless. ¡°Isabella, adventurer. Now you.¡±


    ¡°Uh, like you said, I¡¯m Aaron. Also adventurer. Now would you be so kind as to tell me what you are doing here? I mean I¡¯m really glad for the rescue, but don¡¯t you people normally stay in your own towns?¡±


    Isabella seemed angry as she began to talk again. ¡°What, just because I¡¯m an elf it means that I can¡¯t wander the world? I¡¯m new in town. Talked to the receptionist about good-paying quests. She told me about this quest,¡± the woman, apparently Isabella, responded. Aaron continued to stare at her until she finally relented and continued on with her story. ¡°She talked about you. She might have also mentioned that she was a bit worried, I guess rightly so. What possessed you to fight a beast like that?¡±


    Aaron was a bit flustered. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Besides, it¡¯s not like I wanted to fight Fucker Three! Anyway, how long did you watch?¡±


    She gave him a flat look as she said, ¡°The whole thing. And who is this Fucker Three?¡±


    ¡°I just, uh, named her that. But that¡¯s not the point! Why did you watch? You could have helped!¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, but the adventurer rules only state that you have to help fellow adventurers as long as there is no danger for yourself. And I won¡¯t endanger myself for someone that I don¡¯t even know,¡± Isabella said before she stopped to breathe. ¡°By the way, I would like to receive a cut from the money you get.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I guess the first thing is fair. But what do you mean you want a cut?¡±


    ¡°I did save you, and the equipment and time for this quest did cost me some money. I think it would be fair for me to receive something.¡±


    ¡°Look, I understand, I really do, but I don¡¯t have money to throw around.¡±


    Isabella didn¡¯t seem to believe him. ¡°You will have 24 sile coins to throw around once you show the proofs. What do you mean you don¡¯t have the money?¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Well, uh, you see, I have to buy something with the money. That¡¯s why I took on an unconfirmed quest in the first place,¡± Aaron blurted.


    ¡°With all of it?¡± Isabella asked, not believing Aaron.


    ¡°No, but that isn¡¯t the point. Look, after I pay off the debt, I want to use the rest for equipment. Since almost no one wants to team up with me, I will have to be better prepared if I want to do solo quests.¡± This wasn¡¯t leading to anything. Why couldn¡¯t she understand?


    As Aaron stopped his rant, he finally noticed Isabella looking at him; slight concern could be seen on her face. ¡°Debt? That¡¯s what you want to ¡®buy¡¯? How much is it?¡±


    This was becoming embarrassing. ¡°20 sile coins.¡±


    There was a loud sigh. When she finally spoke again, she surprised Aaron. ¡°Fine. But you owe me big time. I also want a new healing potion at some point in the future. The earlier, the better.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I really mean it.¡± Finally, Aaron asked a question that he had wanted to ask since he woke up. ¡°So, uh, what¡¯s the plan now? I kind of have to meet a deadline.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to Belnes first thing in the morning. What you do is not my concern. I¡¯m going to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Great! Uh, well then good night, I guess. Do we sleep here then?¡± As he turned around, Aaron noticed that Isabella had already left the cave.


    <hr>


    Aaron woke early. Sleep had come so easily that he had almost slept through the entire night.


    He left his small hole in the cave and went on further toward the entrance. The dwarf hadn¡¯t yet seen Isabella again after her quick leave yesterday.


    Aaron began to try and find his way back. He should have asked Isabella where she had taken him. But he wasn¡¯t overly concerned as it must have been close to the pit for her to carry him here that quickly.


    A couple of hours later, his theory was proven correct. The closer Aaron came to the pit, the more cautious he grew. Even though he hadn¡¯t seen or heard any signs of the two beasts, it never hurt to be careful.


    With the pit coming into view, Aaron was finally able to put this whole ordeal into perspective. He was so fucking stupid. Sibill had been right; how could anyone even think about doing such a quest alone!


    ¡°Shit, I almost died,¡± Aaron whispered as he watched birds picking at some of the flesh that was left on the ground. All the cadavers had disappeared over the course of the night. Maybe the mother had taken the corpses back with her?


    It didn¡¯t really interest Aaron as he had already collected all the proofs he needed the other day.


    With that in mind, the dwarf turned around and began to retrace his steps toward civilization.


    <hr>


    It was afternoon when Aaron finally found something interesting. As the dwarf entered a clearing, he found seven monkeys lying on the ground, dead. All of them were singed; some of them had burned up completely.


    A closer inspection revealed clean entry and exit holes. Such wounds typically happen when a bow is used. ¡°Was this Isabella? But why would an elf use fire?¡± Aaron mumbled to himself.


    Still, whether it was or wasn¡¯t her, it didn¡¯t really matter. The dwarf cast a glance around one last time and then resumed his trod.


    <hr>


    The night came and went without anything going wrong. Aaron could almost laugh when he thought back to his travels toward the wolves¡¯ location. If he compared them, this walk was almost laughably easy.


    As Aaron continued on, he found more and more slain animals. All of them had the same burns and wounds, but as the dwarf continued his investigation, he finally found something worrying.


    Although the magic of most of the animals had been bound by someone or something else, a few hadn¡¯t. These ones had too much magic bound to them. It wasn¡¯t that much, but it was still too much for these animals.


    It could also explain why all of them had fought and not retreated. While from what Aaron could see, it wasn¡¯t a real problem yet, he would still need to note it in greater detail in his report. If that was left unchecked, it could evolve into a serious problem for the towns in the area.


    As the dwarf thought about it, his cautiousness grew. He had figured out long ago that he hadn¡¯t seen any enemies on his way back yet because someone or something cleared the enemies out in front of him. Aaron supposed that it was probably Isabella. She was the only one he had seen out here, and she also wielded a bow.


    <hr>


    Aaron was just beginning to search for a place to sleep when he heard horrifying screams. As the dwarf started to run toward them, a bright red flash could be seen through the tree canopies. One second later, the accompanying boom almost caused Aaron to lose his footing.


    The dwarf unhooked his warhammer as he continued his sprint. He had a bad feeling about this.


    After what felt like hours, Aaron finally saw the tree border of a clearing. Behind it, he was able to make out a blazing red fire, and it was spreading.


    He needed to hurry. Aaron quickened his steps even further until he finally entered the clearing.

 1.9

    The scene that took place before Aaron could have been out of a hero¡¯s tale. To his right, flames began to climb the lone tree in the clearing, seemingly reaching for the sky. As Aaron continued to take everything in, he also saw what looked like two handfuls of monkeys. Only those didn¡¯t look like the ones he normally found on his adventures. No, the ones before him looked taller, bigger, and a whole lot meaner.


    They surrounded something, though what that was wasn¡¯t discernible from his current position.


    Still, this didn¡¯t really concern him. He would need to wake up early tomorrow to cover as much distance as possible. A few monkeys wouldn¡¯t get in the way of that.


    Aaron had just turned around when he heard them cry out in what appeared to be anger. Two more steps, and he heard another scream. Though that one didn¡¯t sound like it came from a monkey but from a pissed-off woman. Aaron stopped.


    ¡°If you want a piece, come and get it!¡± Isabella shouted.


    As Aaron looked back, he was finally able to make out a spot of red in between the beasts that were now starting to advance as a whole.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Aaron whispered as he began to run.


    Twigs and grass were trampled as he threw caution to the wind.


    One of the monkeys closest to him turned around and screamed. Two more began to turn around; he needed to hurry.


    He was still far away as the dwarf unhooked his warhammer.


    He needed to time this perfectly. Just as with the mother wolf, Aaron used Rock Shield. Though this time it wasn¡¯t to jump up but to jump forward.


    As he put down his right foot, Aaron leaned forward. A stone cube shot up from under his foot, propelling him forward.


    The monkey he had aimed for was in the process of turning around as the cold iron of the warhammer met its head. The head lost.


    The triumph Aaron felt quickly turned into horror as he noticed that he was now too quick.


    The dwarf braced himself as he crashed into the crumbling monkey. His chest was hit by an arm, driving out the remaining air.


    Aaron was launched further into the circle, only coming to a stop as he hit a pair of legs.


    ¡°Aaron, what the fuck are you doing?!¡± Isabella had forgone her bow to equip two daggers.


    ¡°Ugh, give me a moment, please,¡± Aaron said as he got up.


    With the enemies right in front of him, he was finally able to observe them closer. They had pitch-black fur that was interrupted by multiple grey streaks that rounded the torso. If they stood like a human, Aaron was sure that they would have been only a bit shorter than him. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that stood out to the dwarf. Their nails were long, almost as long as the fingers they were attached to.


    ¡°I thought that you were in a bit of trouble and could use my help?¡± The monkeys that had stopped their attack during his flashy entrance slowly began to move closer again.


    ¡°Fine, you take this side; I take that one.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Aaron turned his full attention to the enemies in front of him. They were wary now.


    Aaron swung his hammer around, keeping them at bay.


    It didn¡¯t take long for one monkey''s patience to run out. Just as Aaron''s weapon passed it, it jumped with its nails raised high.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Still, Aaron was prepared. He Rock Shield raised a wall right in front of the beast. A loud thud could be heard throughout the clearing as the monkey jumped right into it.


    The short moment where the others processed what had just happened was all Aaron needed. He moved towards the monkey in the front, building momentum with his warhammer at the same time.


    As he swung it, the monkey finally seemed to notice the danger and began to move back. It wasn¡¯t quick enough to avoid injury altogether. The weapon clipped the shoulder and hurled the monkey back.


    He wasn¡¯t done yet. Another wall appeared to his left, blocking another attack. With the won time, Aaron turned around just in time to hit the monkey that had launched the first attack right in the face.


    Blood splattered everywhere. Aaron had even seen an eyeball fly away into the tall grass. Using a weapon like this never looked nice, but Aaron still loved it for its effectiveness. It was also why he had chosen such a weapon in the first place.


    With one dead and one thrown away, there were two monkeys remaining in his immediate vicinity.


    Just as he turned to the one he had blocked with Rock Shield, pain shot through his leg, causing Aaron almost to fall. The other monkey had thrown a sharp rock with shocking accuracy, striking his left knee pit.


    That short inattention was all that was needed for the other monkey to jump him. Both Aaron and the beast dropped to the ground. The monkey continuously tried to scratch Aaron open while he tried his best to block its attempts with his hammer.


    Aaron tried to summon another shield, but the situation kept him from focusing on the spell. As the injuries started to mount up, Aaron began to grow desperate.


    ¡°SHIT!¡± Aaron shouted as he tried to think of anything.


    Maybe he could call out to Isabella? Yes, that would be a good idea.


    But just as Aaron was about to shout, he remembered something.


    The dwarf wedged the hammer between the beast and him to the best of his abilities and let go with his right hand. After that, he quickly reached down to his belt, searching for it.


    Just as the monkey began anew with its scratches, Aaron finally pulled free the dagger he had added at the beginning of his journey.


    With his enemy being so close, there was no way that he would miss. Aaron brought the knife upwards and stabbed the monkey in the neck. Two more stabs followed quickly after that.


    Finally, the scratching ceased. For a moment, he just lay there. That was until he remembered that there was still one or two monkeys from his side alive.


    As he jumped up and searched for the enemy, he cursed as he saw the monkey running towards him. There wasn¡¯t enough time to create a Rock Shield; Aaron braced for the impact.


    It never came. It was only five paces away from him when it stumbled, crashing down onto the grass in a quick motion. As Aaron looked up again, he saw Isabella with her bow in her hand, looking towards him.


    ¡°Is everyone dead?¡± Isabella asked as she looked around.


    ¡°No, not yet. I think there is one left over here¡ª¡± It wasn¡¯t there. Where was it?


    ¡°Hm, it probably fled. Then what about you? That monkey got you quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°It hurts, but it¡¯s fine. My flesh is very durable.¡± It was nice to hear concern coming from Isabella.


    As Aaron looked at the aftermath of the fight, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, what happened? Why were you fighting them?¡±


    Isabella''s face was a touch red as she answered. ¡°They ambushed me. I was a bit tired and got careless. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Tired? Why?¡± Aaron had been very energetic since he woke up in the cave.


    ¡°I have been fighting every day ever since I left the cave. Like I said, it will not happen again.¡± Her face hardened at the declaration.


    ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t fought a single time in that period. Though now that I think of it, I did find quite a few corpses along the way. I guess that was you then.¡±


    ¡°This seems logical. Anyway, I have to go now. It is already dark, and I need to find a place to sleep.¡± Isabella had already turned around to leave when Aaron called out to her.


    ¡°Wait! I can help you. I will just make us a hole underground again. Just let me absorb the remaining magic here. I need to replenish quite a bit.¡±


    Isabella turned back towards Aaron. She thought about it for a bit before she finally responded, ¡°I would appreciate it. Though regarding the magic, these monkeys didn¡¯t have much to begin with; otherwise, I would have sensed them even in my state.¡±


    Aaron already knew that. He had checked to see if he needed to be careful of spells before he had even joined the fight.


    Still, magic was magic, and Aaron spent a few minutes binding the remaining magic to himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it helps. So, where do you want to make camp?¡±


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Isabella was already walking as she said that. Behind them, the light shed by the alight tree became ever smaller as the tree slowly burned out.


    After almost ten minutes, Isabella finally said that that was the place. The tree here was tall, almost a third taller than one normally found here.


    Aaron quickly got to work and used Shaping Rock to form two spheres, functioning as their sleeping quarters, under it. They quickly began to settle in.


    ¡°Until morning, Aaron. And thanks,¡± was the only thing the elf said before Aaron closed her sphere.


    ¡°Good night, Isabella.¡±