《Bloodfallen: Curse of The All Knowing》


 Lore: Basic Information

    Basic information


    Eevin - The common language originally created by humans


    Gaining power - All living creatures of this world have a base power level and can increase it by killing other things and when they do they absorb a bit of the energy in their soul. When they reach a certain threshold they will grow in power as the soul strengthens the body. Not all worlds have a HUD and it only allows people to choose how their soul makes them stronger.


    Humans - The most common sentient race on the planet. Range from 5 - 6 feet on average with a few exceptions. Maximum life span is roughly 100 years. Roughly at late iron age in technological development.


    Northmen - Humans that originated from very north and cold areas. They have very pale skin and dark hair and eyes.


    Plainsmen - Humans that originated from plains climate. They have light olive skin and can have blond or brown hair with blue or brown eyes.


    Scorchmen - Humans that originate from very hot and often arid climates. They have dark skin with black or brown hair and brown eyes.


    Far-Reachmen - Humans that come from a series of islands that are often swampy. They have pale skin with black or brown hair and brown eyes, they also have frames that are a fair bit smaller than the other humans. Most are also isolationist.


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    Human dwarves - Humans that are for unknown reasons born much shorter than the rest of their race. Typically ranging from 4 - 5 feet.


    Dwarves - Very human-like in appearance but range from 4 - 4.5 feet tall. Typically live underground. Maximum life span is roughly 250 years. Roughly in mid Middle age technological development.


    Elves - Also very human-like in appearance but range from 4.5 - 5 feet tall. Typically live in places with large amounts of plant life above the surface. Very primitive and late stone age in technological development.


    High elves - Elves with fair skin that are most well known for their extreme xenofobia.


    Wood elves - Elves with skin that reflects the trees that live in their environment. They are most well known for getting angry over others cutting down what they consider to be too many trees.


    Dark elves - Elves with a dark almost black skin tone. They were forced to flee from an alliance of high and wood elves long ago and split into roughly two groups, one found refuge with dwarves and are very welcoming, the other devolved into superstitious zealots that worship a strange and unknown god.


    Stone elves - Elves that are born in human settlements that have large amounts of stone used in its architecture. They act very similar to the nearby humans. The reason for their existence is unknown.


    Goblins - Disgusting creatures that go along with demons and are considered kill on sight 95% of the time. They rarely make their own weapons. Very primitive and have late stone age technology in most cases with occasional early to mid bronze age if they have been established for long enough.


    Animal people - Humanoids with animal characteristics depending on the type they are. Either were created by nature spirits or were humans that slowly changed over time with the influence of spirits. Very tribalistic and at best chalcolithic age technology.

 Chapter 1

    Deep underground sat an old abandoned city carved from the stone, for over a thousand years no human, elf, or dwarf set foot inside. The only creatures to wander the halls were goblins and the occasional animal to wander in through the underground caverns. But one day something changed, something, or rather someone was inside the city.


    In a bedroom deep below the surface a young human awoke from a slumber and sat up from the bed he found himself in. At first he was very confused and wondered ¡®Where am I? Who am I? How did I get here?¡¯


    The young man looked around the room slightly panicking, he had no memory of how he got to where he was, and he did not recognize the room or its style. But soon he remembered a bit of who he was, he remembered his name. ¡°Arthur. That''s my name.¡± He also remembered how to speak, but he did not recall the name of the language he knew.


    Slowly taking a step off the bed Arthur¡¯s muscles were stiff as if he had not moved for days at a time. Noticing a reflective surface on the other side of the room he slowly walked towards while he stretched his legs.


    When he got close enough he remembered what the surface was called. ¡°A mirror.¡± In the mirror Arthur saw a young man no older than twenty with longish brown hair and eyes, that young man was him.


    ¡°That looks familiar, mostly.¡± Arthur ran his hands across his face and through his hair just to be sure that it was. Everything looked more or less correct, and despite his hair being a little longer than he would have liked everything else just looked correct.


    With nothing else of interest to note in the bedroom aside from the unique and expensive designs that included gold, Arthur looked to the two doors on different sides of the room. The closest door was just to the right of the mirror he was currently looking at and the larger of the two. The other door was off to the right side from the bed and was much smaller.


    Assuming that the larger door leads out into a hallway or another larger room Arthur decided to check out the room behind the smaller room to leave no stone unturned.


    Taking the door handle in his hand Arthur twisted it and pushed the door open revealing what appeared to be an office or study of sorts. With a handful of book shelves along a few of the walls and a desk with a chair in the center it easily gave away to its purpose.


    Arthur quickly skimmed over the books not recognizing the language that they were written in and not enough pictures to tell him what they were about. But there was one thing that stood out from the rest of the room, an armor stand with a weapon, specifically a set of full plate armor and a longsword made from a yellowish metal.


    Arthur picked up the blade and gave it a few swings, it wasn¡¯t as heavy as he was expecting and still had a good blade. The armor was a little different, it looked to be a bit small for Arthur, but knowing that any armor was better than nothing he tried it on anyways.


    Arthur slowly put the armor on, starting with a thick padded piece of armor he recalled to be called a gambeson and then moving onto the layer of chainmail and finally the actual plate armor. Arthur could feel right away that the armor was a bit too small for him, it was an uncomfortable feeling of squishing just ever so slightly that made walking just a little annoying and just enough to notice.


    But after a sigh from Arthur and just as he was about to sit down to remove the metal parts of the armor a soft light blue glow covered the metal parts of the armor and it altered its size to accommodate him. After the glow disappeared and the armor was a perfect fit Arthur immediately began to move around and felt the difference.


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    ¡°I have no idea what that was but I am very thankful for that.¡± Arthur smiled and strapped the scabbard of the longsword to his left hip and sheathed it before exiting the room.


    Now standing back in the bedroom that he awoke in the only way left to go was through the larger doorway. Arthur walked right up and took the handle and twisted it, but before he opened it he paused. A feeling of uncertainty filled him and he looked down at the door handle.


    With a hard push the door swung open revealing a large hallway with doors lining the sides, the room he was in was located at the very end. Arthur estimated that there were about fifteen doors on each side, but that number might be skewed by his current standing location.


    Arthur started to walk down the hallway and peer into each of the rooms as he passed. Most were wide open with only a few actually being closed, a small handful had what remained of their inhabitants still inside in the form of short old skeletons, many of which were missing parts here and there.


    But as Arthur got close to the end of the hallway one room had its inhabitants skeletal structure fully intact, the skeleton in question was also standing on its own and holding a hammer in its right hand.


    Arthur stood there for what felt like an eternity watching the skeleton wondering how that even works when Arthur accidentally made a small noise, a small piece of stone not even the size of a pebble was crushed by Arthur''s boot. He paused and looked down at his foot wondering what he stepped on and back up at the skeleton, the skeleton was now looking at him with its hollow eye sockets and its hammer raised high above its head.


    The skeleton started to shamble towards him clearly intent on hurting him, but even though it shambled it was surprisingly fast as was its first strike. It brought the hammer down while Arthur attempted to block it with his sword, and although he did succeed in blocking the attack his arms felt like they were a ringing bell from the force applied. When he saw the skeleton raise its hammer for a second attack Arthur turned and ran to the closest room with an open door, it just so happened to be just across the hall.


    But the skeleton was right on his tail and did not hesitate to try and successfully land a few strikes on his exposed back. As Arthur reached the door he hastily attempted to swing it shut with all his strength, but as it was about to close with a significant amount of weight and speed now behind it it managed to get its top half wedged between the door and the door frame.


    With a loud crunch the door slammed and shattered the skeletal spine and fell into two pieces, the top half attempted to crawl towards Arthur with its hammer still in hand while the bottom half lay on the other side of the door frame motionless. Arthur simply raised his foot and started stomping down on the skull until he left a large hole in the top and the skeleton remained motionless.


    With the adrenaline slowly leaving his system Arthur dropped to the cold stone floor and took deep breaths to calm himself. But suddenly something appeared in front of him, it looked like a piece of grey translucent glass with words etched into it with light.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 200 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    /- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 1


    Exp : 200


    Next Level at : 500


    Mana : 1/1


    Class : The All Knowing


    Class Bonuses :


    Advanced Learning


    Photographic memory


    Jack of All Trades


    Attributes :


    Strength 10


    Dexterity 10


    Vitality 10


    Constitution 10


    Intellect 10


    Perception 10


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 10 (Locked)


    Faith 10 (Locked)


    Devotion 10 (Locked)


    Available points : 10


    Skills :


    Block Level 0


    Long Blades Level 0


    Heavy Armour Level 0


    \- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/

 Chapter 2

    Arthur looked up at the translucent words floating before him, he wanted to be excited by what he was seeing but without anything to reference the numbers didn¡¯t mean anything to him. They could be good, they could be average, they might even be terrible and he wouldn¡¯t know unless he asked someone else.


    ¡®Note to self, ask the first person I meet about this and figure out if these numbers are good or not.¡¯


    While he caught his breath Arthur looked over everything the translucent words said, he looked over the ¡°exp¡±, attributes, his ¡°class¡±, and the skills. After an uncertain amount of time Arthur sat up again feeling slightly refreshed after the rush of fear from the skeleton.


    Arthur slowly opened the door and peeked out from a small crack, seeing nothing he slowly opened it more and more until it was wide open and the hall was still empty. Empty aside from the bottom half of the skeleton that is. Clearly the time it spent down here hasn''t kept its bones from starting to go brittle.


    With his sword drawn Arthur slowly walked down the rest of the hallway while he looked through each room, unfortunately he still didn¡¯t find anything of interest. When he arrived at the end of the hallway he found another hallway going in the opposite direction with several dull blue crystal things lining the walls that generated light. Not all of the crystals were generating light, and several more were missing, but it was enough to easily see through it compared to the previous one.


    Looking towards the left Arthur saw that most of the crystals were either not emitting light or were missing and thus clouding the area in shadow. The right was far more promising with a majority of the way lit. The only problem with that was Arthur could see a few corpses down the right, but odds were there were just as many down the left, he just couldn¡¯t see them.


    Taking a deep breath Arthur started to walk down the right side of the hallway and hopefully find someone or a way out. As he walked he passed by a few corpses of these short green creatures with pointed ears. The corpses were thin and practically naked aside from a thin layer of cloth that covered their lower half. Not even what Arthur assumed to be females had their chests covered, not that there was much to cover. Each of them also bore large amounts of stab wounds or signs of blunt force.


    Eventually Arthur reached a set of double doors with a fresh corpse of one of these creatures. This one was killed by an arrow through one of its eyes and it apparently was either running away from the area or to the area when it collapsed and died. The nearby door was nearly pristine aside from the effects of time upon the wooden door.


    ¡®That arrow looks like it was made by someone despite its crude outcome. Perhaps they know of a way to get out of here.¡¯ Arthur slowly opened the door preventing the old wood from squeaking from the light stress. When the opening was large enough Arthur passed by and found himself in a dining area of sorts.


    The only thing was that the room was a total mess, most of the chairs and tables were overturned like someone was using them as cover. There were splotches of old dried blood all over the area along with several sets of bones all easily the same size of the one that attacked Arthur, quite short for an adult.


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    But as Arthur stood there he started to get a feeling, it wasn¡¯t bad, not at first at least. It started with a slight tingling down his spine and a slight pull in his consciousness towards one of the far tables. The table was large enough to easily conceal one of those small green creatures, maybe even two if they got close together. Then suddenly the feeling started to get even stronger, and Arthur ducked down behind a nearby table out of pure instinct.


    Shortly after that several sets of feet could be heard walking into the room along with what sounded like growls and snarling, the growls and snarls got louder and louder so much that Arthur dared to take a peek to see what was happening. He saw several of the short green creatures standing around two more that based on the bows they carried compared to the lack there of the others had. The two started to point their fingers and eventually started pushing each other until the tallest of the two pulled out his knife that for his size was more akin to a short sword, he quickly plunged the knife into the other creatures chest repeatedly and did not stop until he was certain the other was dead, which took about a minute of stabbing a bleeding corpses to do.


    The remaining ¡°leader¡± of the creatures gave the corpse a kick before it turned towards the remaining creatures and snarled in its crude language. The other creatures appear to understand with half of them dragging the corpse back where they came in from and the rest began to spread out across the room each with their own knife.


    Arthur watched as they took up what he assumed was a basic defensive post with about five sentries if he counted the creatures that dragged the body away. The leader sat atop a large chair at the very back of the room while he fiddled with a bone that looked to be from a small animal. The three creatures that were currently standing watch were not at all paying much attention but odds were they aren''t dumb, so Arthur would need to play it smart.


    Taking a look around where he was hiding for something to possibly use Arthur found several small pebbles scattered throughout the room. It was an old building/place and a good portion of the furniture was made out of stone, when they broke they probably left small bits all over, and since there was no shortage of broken furniture he was left with a lot of pebbles.


    ¡®If I toss one of these I can temporarily draw their attention somewhere else.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he took a small handful of the pebbles that he could reach. Taking a quick peek he noticed that the leader was currently leaning towards the right and his face was pointing towards the left side of the room as he fiddled with his bone.


    Arthur took just a small pebbled and tossed it towards the left side of the room creating a small little clack as it bounced a few times. The nearby creature looked over and back towards the others who clearly also heard it before the leader shouted something without even looking up and it slowly walked towards the source of the noise.


    The other creatures were watching to see what the noise was, allowing Arthur to slowly creep up behind the one and cover its mouth with his left hand before reaching towards its knife. It was a bit of a struggle to force the creature to let go of its knife but it eventually did and Arthur plunged it into its chest several times and killing it.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + Sneaking Level 0 (New)


    + Assassination Level 0 (New)


    \- - - - - -/

 Chapter 3

    A pool of blood formed from the corpse of the green creature as Arthur slowly laid it down on the ground away from sight. Arthur looked over the knife it had, it wasn¡¯t a proper knife meant for combat. It was more like something you would use to cut food, but it was still sharp enough to stab and that was good enough for Arthur.


    ¡®Now I have a clear path to their leader¡¯ Arthur periodically took quick peeks over the table and only when he was certain that no one was looking did he move closer and closer until the only thing in between the two of them was open space.


    Arthur took a deep breath and slowly unsheathed his sword as he readied himself to run towards the leader and kill it. ¡®Run up, kill it, and rush the others before killing them as well.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he mentally prepared himself, after what felt like hours of encouraging himself he stood up and ran towards the green creature sitting atop the chair.


    *********


    The creature looked up at the sound of loud footsteps coming towards him to see something wearing thick metal armor with a very large weapon. Out of pure instinct it jumped out of the way as the thing missed and crushed the chair it was sitting on instead. It quickly turned to face him and readied its weapon once again.


    This time it was ready for him to try and dodge and instead of an overhead strike it swung the weapon horizontally and left a deep gash across the creature''s chest that started to bleed. But the big tall thing did not stop and it brought the weapon back across from the other way before the creature even had the time to react and left a second larger cut.


    This time the green creature fell to the ground and attempted to raise its large knife to defend itself. All it did was delay the inevitable, the creature was beaten by the creature and its weapon like it was holding a club rather than a sword. Eventually the green creature stopped moving and it died. The remaining two green creatures had rushed over to help their leader out of both fear and a desire to take over themselves, but they stopped as they saw their leaders bleeding corpses and the thing standing before it.


    **********


    Arthur looked down at the bloodied corpse of the green creature, it almost looked like a wild animal was what killed it rather than him with a sword. And the other two nearby creatures clearly felt the same with how they were looking at it, the knives in their hands slightly shook out of fear and they started to slowly walk away from him.


    Arthur turned towards the creatures and raised his sword once again as the creatures shouted and tried to run away, but Arthur was both faster and taller. With his superior strides he quickly caught up and swung his sword down on them with a little more precision this time. In a matter of seconds they were just four dead bodies in the room along with their weapons which Arthur quickly placed on the one upright table in the center of the room.


    Now there were just three more of the creatures farther back into the room where they dragged the body. Slowly Arthur followed the train of blood left when they dragged the body until he found what appeared to be a kitchen. It was a rather spacious room with another off to the side that Arthur assumed was a storage for meals and raw ingredients. But the most shocking thing was the three creatures cutting up the body on the one they dragged over.


    Using the knives in their possession they sliced off the flesh from the bones and tossed it into a few nearby bowls. Arthur nearby barfed whatever was in his stomach at the mere sight of it, after a moment of heavy breathing he managed to calm himself down enough to keep from gagging.


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    ¡®If I didn¡¯t have any good reason for killing these creatures before, I most certainly do now.¡¯ Arthur raised his sword to his right with both hands on the hilt as he walked towards the three creatures cutting up the body. He nearly managed to walk the whole way before he was spotted just two meters away from the body they were cutting up. The creature that did notice him shouted out when it saw the blood on his sword. They had all heard the screams but had just assumed their leader was stabbing someone else and were just waiting for him to call them over. But this big tall thing had a weapon that was covered with blood, so that ment¡­


    The creature never did get enough time to finish any trail of thought as Arthur brought his sword down again and severed its arm. It fell to the ground screaming and the other two attempted to stab Arthur with their knives, with two clinks the knives harmlessly bounced off and Arthur retaliated with his left fist into the face of the closest one. The second one was not any more lucky as Arthur fixed his grip on the sword and swung from the ground up towards its face, a large cut went across its face as part of its jaw was severed from the rest of its head and it let out a blood curdling scream not unlike that of a child.


    With all three of the remaining creatures disabled killing them was of little difficulty, the only problem was how loud they were as they lay on the ground bleeding, but soon enough that was no longer an issue.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + 100 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    Level up - Level 2


    + 10 Points


    + Long blades Level 0 (New)


    + Long blades Level 1


    + Sneaking Level 0


    + Sneaking Level 1


    \- - - - - -/


    The room was now silent and was now filled with the smell of blood and death. Arthur hastily left the room not even willing to bring the knives the creatures used, they had been tainted by being used to cut each other up.


    Arthur also left the weapons used by the other four on the one upright table and exited the room, odds were those knives were also used for just as terrible things as cannibalism. The hallway was still clear of any signs of life and Arthur continued on his way towards the right. After what felt like hours of walking past doors, skeletons, and dead bodies of the short green creatures Arthur eventually found something. It was a staircase leading both up and down, and this was exactly what he was looking for.


    ¡®A way out of this place? Finally, I hope this leads all the way up to the entrance because I really don¡¯t want to walk down any more hallways illuminated by glowing crystals anymore.¡¯ Arthur smiled for what felt like the first time in eternity as he began to climb the stairs for whatever was at the top.


    *********


    It could have been days or even hours that Arthur walked up those stairs and he would not have been able to tell. But eventually he reached the top and found another albeit small hallway. But this one was far different, for starters it looked like it was once full of traps as there were several skeletons of various sizes along with old arrows, boulders, and even a few weapons sticking out of the walls. But at the opposite end were two large double doors and a large lever off to the side.


    Arthur slowly navigated the hallway avoiding anything that might kill him towards the doors and the lever. He first tried to push the doors to see if they would open, but alas they did not. They were either too heavy from the yellowish metal they were made from, or they were locked with some sort of mechanism, likely one connected to the level. As such Arthur then tried to pull the level and managed to get it a quarter way before it got stuck. Arthur tried to push it back but it wouldn¡¯t budge, so he put all his strength into pulling it down and eventually as his arms were starting to go sore the level shot down. As it did Arthur could almost swear he heard a loud hiss and the doors slowly opened giving him access to the outside.

 Chapter 4

    In a deep dark tunnel dug by the long dead dwarven inhabitants was a small caravan consisting of about twenty to at most thirty people heading downwards to the entrance of an old dwarven settlement that was discovered a few months prior. Leading this expedition was a young elven woman, she wore light grey robes with a small symbol black symbol on the back.


    Next to the elf was a young human in full plate armor, although for the time being he elected to keep his helmet off to see better in the dark tunnel. At his left hip was a short sword and on his left arm was a small shield.


    ¡°This is quite exciting isn¡¯t it.¡± The human asked his elven friend.


    ¡°I suppose it is.¡± The elf replied with little interest apparent in her voice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound all that excited.¡± The human looked at his friend with a slim smile.


    ¡°That is because I am focused on my job at the moment.¡± The elf replied with little emotion on her face or in her voice.


    ¡°Ah, you''re no fun Lyra.¡±


    ¡°And you are far too energetic Citro.¡±


    The pair continued their little argument/disagreement while the rest of the expedition force watched from behind. They didn¡¯t say anything out loud, but they were all a little annoyed by all the noise they were making.


    ¡°Those two are at it again.¡± A young human woman in her early twenties muttered under her breath at the sight of the two leaders of the expedition butting heads already.


    This is to be expected.¡± A confident and tough voice came from the woman''s side. She turned to see a man no taller than four feet wearing full plate armor and carrying a flanged mace and shield. ¡°They are actually quite close friends, but they tend to make a habit of annoying each other whenever they can.¡±


    The woman looked at the dwarf with a touch of surprise, normally people didn¡¯t really like to talk to her let alone when she muttered to herself.


    ¡°The name is Hambel by the way.¡± The dwarf Hambel reached out his hand for a handshake. The woman took Hambel¡¯s hand and turned to look back at the end of the caravan.


    ¡°Do you really think we will need all that food and water for only 25 people?¡± She said as she pointed to the three large wagons full to the brim with food, water, and other essential supplies.


    ¡°Well you should take into account that we are exploring an ancient abandoned dwarven settlement. We could be here for quite some time depending on how large it turns out to be, and even with all that we will have scheduled resupplies every two weeks.¡± The woman nodded at Hambel¡¯s explanation.


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    ¡°In that case I just hope that we can get through the place without triggering any of the traps that have been left behind all this time.¡±


    *********


    Some time later the caravan reached a mostly flat area outside the entrance of the settlement itself. The area was more than large enough to fit everyone in a small village, clearly it was dug out for a specific reason. But that reason was of little importance to the expedition who quickly set themselves up and started looking for a way to gain entry. But the doors made from the yellow magic steel the dwarves of the time were so famous for and without any other ways to open it they were left with little choice.


    Within a large tent that functioned as the command center of the expedition the elf Lyra and her second in command Citro stood around a small table with a grey orb, that orb was projecting an image of a human man with greying hair.


    ¡°I am sorry sir, but we have not had any success with finding a way into the settlement of Dom Badaher without digging a hole into its walls.¡± Lyra apologized to the older man.


    ¡°Well this makes things difficult.¡± The man in the projection sighed. ¡°If you are unable to find any other way into the settlement within 24 hours then call me again, when that happens I will give you permission to begin digging your way into the settlement.¡±


    At the very moment the man in the projection finished speaking a human mage busted into the tent panting. ¡°Ma¡¯am, someone has just exited through the front doors.¡±


    ¡°What!? Did someone start digging without being ordered to!?¡± Lyra shouted at the mage completely baffled as to why someone would disobey her authority like that.


    ¡°No ma¡¯am, they are not a member of the expedition force as no one recognizes him.¡±


    ¡°Then how in the name of Solarius did this individual gain entry without us noticing?¡± Citro asked as he approached the mage.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know sir. But he was wearing a set of dwarven armor and he hasn¡¯t responded to anything anyone has said to him.¡± The mage directed the two to look out over to the settlement''s door. They were wide open and standing there surrounded by just about everyone in the expedition force was a single human man wearing a set of yellow magic steel dwarven armor.


    *********


    ¡°Well shit.¡± Arthur thought to himself as he looked around. He had just barely opened the door and a swarm of fifteen to twenty people were already standing and ready for a fight. While most were using weapons like swords, maces, and bows a small portion of them held staves or wielded no weapons at all. Instead they had large amounts of earth, fire, or water in various shapes that looked quite dangerous.


    Suddenly a short woman whose skin looked to be made up of light brown tree bark ran up to him breathing a little heavy with two others behind her, one being a man in full plate armor, and the other wearing robes like she was.


    The short woman walked up to him until she was only a few meters from him and spoke. *¡°Who are you and how did you gain entry to the settlement?¡±* As she spoke she pointed her finger in his face. But unfortunately he did not understand a word of what she said.


    ¡°I''m sorry, but I don''t understand you.¡± Arthur said to the woman a moment after she finished speaking.


    *¡°Of course he doesn¡¯t speak Eevin.¡±* Lyra groaned as she heard Arthur speak for the first time.


    To remedy this Lyra raised her hands while making a few strange gestures in the as, as she did this she muttered some unintelligible words and she created a small glow on herself. Arthur watched in anticipation and was rather surprised by the little glow at the end, but he wasn¡¯t given much time to think as Lyra spoke once again, but this time he could understand her. ¡°Can you understand me now?¡±

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Can you understand me now?¡± Lyra crossed her arms as she asked that question, even though this was the first time he had seen her Arthur knew that she was not in a good mood and it would be best to answer her question.


    ¡°Yes I can. How did you do that?¡± Arthur was quite interested in that little light show, at first he was confused but if something like that could help him in other was then it was definitely something to look into.


    ¡°I am a mage and I have practiced magic for many years now. Now we should get back to the topic at hand. Who are you and how did you access the dwarven settlement?¡± Lyra gestured towards the open double doors as she asked, but Arthur could tell it was more of a demand than a question.


    ¡°My name is Arthur, and I don¡¯t remember how I got inside.¡± Lyra raised her eyebrow but said nothing. ¡°All I know is that there are these little green creatures that are running around and killing one another before eating each other. There was also a short skeleton walking around too, that was also very strange.¡±


    The explanation of the ¡®short green creatures¡¯ made Lyra nod in understanding, but the skeleton comment had her a little confused. ¡°Why don¡¯t we continue this discussion in a more private setting.¡± Lyra said as she pointed towards a large tent on the opposite side of the cave they were in. Arthur gave a small nod and followed her along with the armored man with her towards the tent.


    As they started walking the crowd around them slowly dissipated and returned to what they were doing before.


    The interior of the tent was quit large, but its purpose as a command center was made quite apparent by the table in the very center of the room and the orb projecting the image of an older man with grey hair. *¡°I assume this young man here is the source of the disturbance I just witnessed.¡±* The man said as he watched Arthur follow Lyra and Citro.


    *¡°That is correct sir, Lyra please cast the comprehend languages spell on him so he may answer the questions he is asked.¡±* Citro answered the man and Lyra complied by repeating the process, but Arthur was the one to begin glowing.


    ¡°There, now we can have a proper conversation.¡± The man gave a light chuckle. ¡°Now I must ask, how did you access the dwarven settlement?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry but I don¡¯t remember how or even when that happened.¡± Arthur gave the most honest answer. Something about the man gave him the feeling that he was just being nice, and that he normally wasn¡¯t such a considerate person. But he pushed that to the back of his mind for the moment as it wasn¡¯t very relevant at the moment.


    ¡°So what exactly do you remember?¡± The man said as he appeared to be learning over the table on his end. It gave Arthur a bad feeling, like the man was waiting for something. ¡°I am sorry but I don¡¯t remember anything before I was inside the ¡®dwarven settlement¡¯.¡± As Arthur gave that response the weird pressure slowly faded and the man stood upright again.


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    ¡°That is quite troubling, but what of your class on your HUD?¡±


    ¡°My HUD?¡± Arthur was quite unfamiliar with that word and he looked to both Citro and Lyra for clarification.


    ¡°You HUD is the floating translucent text that you can call up on command, it shows your physical, mental, and magical attributes. Your class is a representation of what you do and what you know, in functionality it gives you a learning boost to certain skills.¡± Citro spoke up and gave Arthur a brief run down as to what the older man was talking about.


    Arthur took a moment and thought about the HUD and willed it to appear before him. When it did he took a look at the class and the few bonuses it provided even though he was fairly certain he remembered what they were.


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 2


    Exp : 650


    Next Level at : 900


    Mana : 2/2


    Class : The All Knowing


    Class Bonuses :


    Advanced Learning


    Photographic memory


    Jack of All Trades


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡°It says my class is called ¡®The All Knowing¡¯.¡± The three looked at Arthur with a bit of confusion, they were expecting something more simple and familiar. The name of the class being ¡®The All Knowing¡¯ implies some sort of scholar or researcher.


    ¡°And what sort of class bonuses come with it?¡± The old man asked after a moment of contemplation.


    ¡°Advanced Learning, Photographic memory, and Jack of All Trades.¡± The three went quiet at the answer they were given. Those three were incredible on their own, but this random person who just crawled out of an ancient dwarven settlement just so happened to have three of the best ones known.


    ¡°Well it appears you are a very lucky young man, those are three of the most coveted class bonuses in the world. I would recommend that you keep that to yourself for the time being, and if anyone does ask just tell them about your photographic memory.¡± The old man nodded to Lyra who retrieved a piece of paper and some ink. ¡°Now I think it is time for you to tell all of what you encountered within that old settlement.¡±


    ***********


    A brief discussion ensued in which Arthur told them about everything he saw and fought in the ancient dwarven settlement known as Dom Badaher. He covered the short green creatures, the walking skeleton, and how large the settlement really was. He estimated it could easily house five hundred people with a bit of upkeep.


    ¡°Thank you for your time young man, but we have some important matters to discuss given the information you have just given us. I will permit you to remain with the expedition given you helpfulness and if you so wish you may take part in it, if you do I will see to it that you are rewarded for your efforts.¡± The old man said to Arthur who simply thanked him and left the tent. But just a few moments after he exited he felt a hand smack him from behind and a voice with it. ¡°Well hello there lad. We¡¯ve been waiting to talk to you for a while now.¡±

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    ¡°Well hello there lad. We¡¯ve been waiting to talk to you for a while now.¡±


    A short man looked up to Arthur with a smile on his face. A young woman in her early 20s stood a few feet behind him.


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Arthur asked as he took a step away and turned to face the two.


    ¡°I am Hambel and this nice woman is Cassia.¡± The short man reached out his hand.


    ¡°And I am Arthur.¡± Arthur took Hambel''s hand and shook it. ¡°Is there any particular reason why you were waiting for me?¡±


    Hambel smiled, ¡°We wanted to know what you saw down there, for safety reasons of course. The worst thing you can do in a dangerous situation is not seek out information that could help.¡±


    ¡°Well there isn¡¯t much to tell. Mostly everything was already dead. What little was alive was just a group of these short green skinned things with pointy ears.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you found a group of goblins.¡± Cassia spoke up. ¡°Violent, twisted, cannibalistic, and untrustworthy, and where you find one you find many.¡±


    ¡°So it is very likely there are more hiding down there?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Yes, that is most certainly the case. But that raises the question, what are they eating?¡±


    ¡°My personal guess is that the fortress dug into a cavern with lots of plant life that has allowed them to thrive. Possibly more than one cavern.¡± Hambel added.


    ¡°I can already feel the headache those green fuckers are gonna cause.¡± Cassia sighed. ¡°But if we can kill their leader and cut off their food supply they will probably scatter, and after a few days all we need to do is mop them up.¡±


    ¡°Divide and conquer, but this is under the assumption that they only have one food source.


    ¡°Then we will either burn it, seal it away, or leave a group to guard it.¡± Said Arthur.


    ¡°We will most likely require reinforcements regardless of what we decide to do. Cassia sighed. ¡°The best we can do is prepare for all possibilities.¡±


    An uncomfortable silence surrounded the group of three.


    ¡°Well that is enough of this depressing talk, Arthur why don¡¯t you tell us a bit about your skill set.¡± Hambel said, breaking the silence.


    ¡°My skill set?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what skills do ya have and what level are they at? It''s at the bottom of your HUD.¡±


    Arthur looked at his HUD.


    /- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 2


    Exp : 650


    Next Level at : 900


    Mana : 2


    Class : The All Knowing


    Class Bonuses :


    Advanced Learning


    Photographic memory


    Jack of All Trades


    Attributes :


    Strength 10


    Dexterity 10


    Vitality 10


    Constitution 10


    Intellect 10


    Perception 10


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 10 (Locked)


    Faith 10 (Locked)


    Devotion 10 (Locked)


    Available points : 20


    Skills :


    Block Level 0


    Long Blades Level 1


    Heavy Armour 0


    Throwing Level 0


    Sneaking Level 1


    Assassination Level 0


    Running Level 0


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Scavenging Level 0


    \- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/


    ¡°I have Block at level zero, Long Blades Level one, Heavy Armour Level zero, Throwing Level zero, Sneaking Level one, Assassination Level zero, Running Level zero, and Scavenging Level zero.¡± Arthur listed his skills to Hambel and Cassis. The two were baffled.


    ¡°How did you even survive down there?!¡± Hambel almost shouted.


    ¡°The element of surprise and I only encountered one group of these goblins, and even then I almost died with an arrow through the face.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t feel that he had done anything particularly impressive.


    ¡°What level are you?¡± Cassia followed up with another question.


    ¡°Level two.¡±


    ¡°You killed a group of goblins at level 2?¡±


    ¡°Technically I was level one when I fought them and achieved level two after I killed them.¡± Hambel and Cassia looked at Arthur with baffled expressions as he explained what happened. ¡°After I killed the leader the other four huddled up in terror and didn¡¯t put up a fight.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t hesitate at all?¡± Hambel questioned.


    ¡°Why would I? They attacked me first and almost killed me. Who knows who else they have done that to, or who they would have done it to if I hadn''t stopped them.¡±


    ¡°Well lad-¡± Hambel paused for a moment. ¡°-I guess that you¡­ are¡­ strong willed for someone who hasn''t been killed until recently.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cassia said in an attempt to change the darkened mood. ¡°I still remember when I killed for the first time. A person I mean.¡±


    ¡°How did you kill them?¡±


    ¡°It was a woman. She was a neighbor of mine when I was younger.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Oh It''s alright, I don¡¯t even remember her name anymore.¡± Cassia took a seat on a large box and continued with her story. ¡°I was 17 and I was visiting my family in our hometown Wellspring. Wellspring was a farming town that attracted a few tradesmen due to its proximity to the border allowing for trade with the Yolan empire. My family was pretty well off which was why I was able to afford a magical education. One day I returned home as I had some time off the Yolan empire had begun an invasion.¡±


    ¡°I remember that day.¡± Hambel said with a saddened look in his eyes. ¡°I was on the front lines when it happened. It was that bastard of an emperor that stole the throne after he killed his father who did it!¡±


    ¡°The current emperor killed his father so that he could take the throne and invade the neighboring nations?¡± Arthur asked Hambel.


    ¡°Aye I bet my mothers front teeth on it. He had barely been emperor for a month when the invasion happened and his fathers death was suspicious too. The empress never even objected to his sudden rise in power, she should have been acting empress for easily twice as long as she did, but she wasn¡¯t. Coincidence? I Think Not!¡±


    ¡°Hambel, please calm down. There was no evidence of any foul play involved. The emperor died peacefully in his sleep.¡± Cassia tried to calm Hambels rant that continuously rose in volume.


    ¡°Who said that? The physicians? Who says they can¡¯t be paid off or even worse have been in on it!¡± Hambel continued on his rant.


    Cassia sighed, ¡°Why do I even try?¡± She then turned to Arthur who had watched his confusion as Hambel went off. ¡°If you want to learn anything about magic I will be just over in my tent practicing.¡±


    ¡°Bah, magic is boring and complicated. Fighting with a weapon is far easier and it''s more exciting.¡± Hambel began walking in the opposite direction. ¡°I''m going to the training area if you need me.¡±


    ¡®I still need to learn that spell that translates everything so I definitely should go with Cassia, and who knows I might learn something else cool.¡¯


    **********


    Cassia smiled as she saw Arthur sitting across from her in her tent. ¡®It appears at least someone is interested in listening to me.¡¯ ¡°Thank you for coming, Arthur. Is there anything in particular about magic that you would like to learn.¡±


    ¡°There is one thing.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and what is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s that spell that translates all languages.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know exactly what you are talking about. That spell is called Comprehend Language. As long as you know one language it will make all other languages sound like the one you know and like one everyone else knows.¡±


    ¡°So it wont work on animals or other creatures?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately no, that is a completely different spell.¡±


    ¡®Well shit, that sounds useful.¡¯ ¡°So how exactly does magic work? Is it something that anyone can learn or do you need to just be born with it?¡±


    ¡°Everyone has different talents. One person may have an easier time learning pyromancy over hydromancy for example, but yes basically anyone with basic common understanding of the world can learn magic.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to measure this or do you just figure it out as you learn?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately there are no methods that I know of aside from trying do people learn what magic they are talented in. Oh but your class may help give me an insight as to what type of magic you are skilled in.¡±


    ¡°My class is called The All Knowing. I have the passives Advanced Learning, Photographic memory, and Jack of All Trades. From what I understand my class is dedicated to learning anything and everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh my.¡± Cassia pondered for a moment. ¡°Well in that case I don¡¯t think it really matters what magic you try as it will likely be the same for you, but my specialization is hydromancy so I will start by teaching you that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Cassia.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me quite yet. It will likely take you a few days to even manipulate a cup of water.¡±


    *********


    Arthur spent the day all the way into the night trying to manipulate a cup of water after Cassia gave him a short lesson.


    ¡°All you need to do is make the water in the cup move in a circular motion, either way is fine, just remember to keep a clear mind and remain calm. Allow the mana in your body to make contact with the water and give it instructions on how to move. I don¡¯t expect you to do this in one try or even on the first day so take your time.¡±


    ¡®Finally after so long.¡¯ Arthur stood up and lifted his hand up with his palm facing upwards. ¡®This is how mana feels when you manipulate it.¡¯


    /- - - - - -\


    + Mana manipulation Level 0 (New)


    + Arcane (Unlocked)


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®I should try to get this to level one before I try manipulating the water again. From what I understand I need to either apply a force that goes around the cup and cause it to flow in that direction or displace the water so it flows and just keep doing that in a circular motion.¡¯


    Arthur stood up and took a large stretch. ¡®I should go for a little walk before I continue here. I must have been here for several hours now. Arthur walked over to the entrance of the tent and took a look outside. ¡®That''s odd, why isn''t anyone out?¡¯


    Arthur exited the tent and began to walk towards the training area that he vaguely understood where it was after seeing Hambel go.


    Along the way Arthur did not encounter anyone excluding a few of the guards that he saw beforehand carrying torches. After about a minute Arthur found the training area and calling it makeshift was putting it nicely.


    The training area consisted of a flat area presumably for dueling, several bags tied up on posts with training weapons off to the side, and a few tables that now only have a few overturned mugs.


    ¡®Clearly I was there far longer than I thought I was. I guess I should go back to Cassia¡¯s tent and sleep. I don¡¯t even know what time of day it is.¡¯ Arthur sighed as he felt fatigue that he didn¡¯t notice despite all that had transpired.


    Arthur upon returning to the tent found the mat he was sitting on before while practicing still in the corner. He laid his sword down next to the mat and then himself.


    For about a full minute Arthur simply laid there unmoving.


    ¡®What even is sleep? I have no memory of what it is but I know it is important for some reason.¡¯

 Chapter 7

    ¡®What even is sleep? I have no memory of what it is but I know it is important for some reason.¡¯ Arthur looked up to the roof of the tent. ¡®Why am I even here? Was I put here by a greater power or am I simply a fluke.¡¯


    Arthur raised his hand to look at his hand. ¡®It''s not like when I first woke up. I can protect myself now from any of those horrible goblins if I meet any more. All I need is more practice and I''ll be a force to be reckoned with.¡¯ Arthur closed his hand into a fist as he finished his thoughts before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.


    *******


    Arthur woke in the tent and sat up on the mat. Looking around the tent he saw Cassia asleep on a bed in a corner.


    ¡®So that''s what sleep is like.¡¯ Arthur recalled his dream vividly. He saw many things and people that felt familiar yet also quite foreign to him. Arthur looked down at his hand again feeling his mana flowing through him. ¡®It''s just a matter of time.¡¯


    Arthur remained in the tent waiting for Cassia to wake so she could cast Comprehend Language on him, that way he could actually speak to people.


    ¡®For the time being I should practice mana manipulation and see if I can get it to level two.¡¯


    Arthur took up a comfortable seating position and resumed his training by manipulating the mana in his body.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Mana manipulation Level 1


    \- - - - - -/


    The speed and the amount of mana Arthur could manipulate increased by about 10 percent. It still wasn¡¯t much for a proper mage but someone just starting out like Arthur this was a great accomplishment.


    ¡®Excellent. Now I should try manipulating the water in the cup again.¡¯ Arthur took the cup of water that was still on the small table he left it on the night before.


    ¡®Now I need to somehow use my mana to move the water.¡¯ Arthur focused his mana towards the water to fill the cup with a bit of mana. The mana slowly flowed towards the water and when it made contact nothing happened.


    ¡®What? Why?¡¯ Arthur asked himself confused as to why his mana did not displace the water.


    ¡®It''s not even interacting with the water. It''s like the mana doesn¡¯t actually exist. Does it take a while or something?¡¯ With nothing else to do Arthur decided to try to leave the small amount of mana in the water while maintaining control over it. Worst case scenario it will function as mana manipulation practice.


    For several minutes Arthur sat there moving his mana around the cup in a clockwise rotation and soon unknowingly the water began to do the same. Arthur could feel his control over his mana changing slightly. It wasn¡¯t weaker, just not what he was used to.


    When Arthur opened his eyes to see why that was he was surprised to see that it wasn¡¯t his mana rotating on its own anymore, now the water was too.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Hydromancy Level 0 (New)


    + Mana manipulation Level 2


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur looked upon his little whirlpool in surprise. ¡®I can feel the water''s current as little as it might be.¡¯ Arthur tried to have the water float above the cup but only a small amount did so.


    ¡®My control must not be strong enough to do that.¡¯ Arthur thought. ¡®Will I need to bring around a cup of water every time I need to do magic. But none of the other magic users I saw had to bring water or fire around with them, the ones manipulating earth didn¡¯t really need to worry about that though.¡¯


    Arthur''s eyes caught something on Cassia¡¯s bedside table, a small wooden stick clearly made by a competent carpenter.


    ¡®I¡¯ve seen something like that before. Those other magic users had big staves and little¡­ sticks, do those act as a supplement for natural water and fire. They must have some sort of magic imbued into them that allows them to hold magic that then can be used at command.¡¯


    A sound to Arthurs right interrupted his thoughts. Cassia sat up on her bed raising her hands above her as she yawned and stretched.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur.¡± Arthur, not understanding what she said, pointed to his ear.


    ¡°Oh, sorry Arthur.¡± Cassia rushed over and cast Comprehend Language on Arthur.


    ¡°That is rather handy.¡± Arthur chuckled.


    ¡°If you practice enough one day you will be able to as well. Given your class passive skills you could very easily become an arch magus within 20 years.¡±


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    ¡°Well I have already made some progress on that part.¡± Arthur showed the floating water to Cassia with a smile on his face.


    ¡°What!? How did you!? It''s only been a day!?¡± Cassia was flabbergasted by Arthurs progress as not even the best prodigies throughout history were able to learn so fast.


    ¡°Just a little bit of luck and trial and error.¡±


    Cassia stood in her place for several seconds before she recovered her stance. ¡°Well as your teacher I am very proud of you.¡± Cassia tried and failed to hide her jealousy.


    ¡°Thank you very much, my humble teacher. Is there anything else you want to teach me?¡±


    ¡°Not for now. I need to attend a meeting regarding your discoveries in the stronghold. Until I come back you should continue practicing hydromancy. I expect it will be a while given how much ground you covered.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how long the meeting will last?¡±


    ¡°Several hours I expect.¡± Cassia sighed. ¡°If you ever choose to join the mages guild, avoid a position that requires lots of meetings. They drain the life out of you even in small amounts.¡±


    ¡°I will see you when you get back then.¡± Arthur and Cassia said their goodbyes.


    While Cassia was attending the meeting Arthur continued to practice hydromancy.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been doing this for an hour now.¡¯ The large droplet of water floated as Arthur split it in two and made one circle the other. ¡®If I am to make more progress I will probably need to manipulate more water.¡¯


    Arthur reached to the cup of water and set it in front of where he sat. While reconnecting the water he had before and keeping it floating above his left hand he reached out his right hand towards the cup. His hand only a few inches from the water.


    With great difficulty Arthur was able to gather a few droplets of water and have them float above the cup. The pitiful amount of water shook as though Arthur could control at any second.


    For Arthur it felt like he was holding that extra water forever until¡­


    /- - - - - -\


    + Hydromancy Level 1


    \- - - - - -/


    Suddenly the water stopped shaking and Arthur could feel his control over the water he currently had easily doubled.


    Arthur could feel that the amount of water he could control was vastly increased even if it was only relative to what he could do before.


    ¡®Alight. Hydromancy clearly takes more effort and time to improve upon as opposed to just manipulating mana. That''s probably because mana doesn¡¯t have any physical properties and isn¡¯t affected by things like gravity or even physical objects for the most part.¡¯


    Arthur continued with his hydromancy training and gradually increased the amount of water he was manipulating. Suddenly Arthur started to feel a slight headache that soon became so bad he couldn¡¯t focus anymore.


    ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Arthur clutched his head. ¡®I can hear my ears ringing and I feel exhausted. I should lay down for a minute or at least until the ringing stops.¡¯ Arthur learned back onto the mat and looked up towards the ceiling.


    Minus the ringing and exhaustion Arthur felt quite good about himself, he was learning magic after all and based on what Cassia said he was likely doing very well.


    Perhaps he had simply overdone his magic training and that''s why his ears started ringing. He would need to ask Cassia when she gets back. After about 20 minutes the ringing had completely subsided along with the feeling of exhaustion.


    Arthur sat up and he thought of something that may be important. ¡®From what I can tell it is daytime here. That means that the training area might be in use and if I''m right Hambel will be there.¡¯


    Arthur quickly stood up and rushed out of the tent with his sword. ¡®I don¡¯t expect I will be using my magic in combat for a while, so I should at the very least learn the basics of how to use a sword. Preferably from Hambel.¡¯


    Recalling the way from the night before, Arthur quickly made his way to the training area passing a few other people who he had seen the day before.


    When Arthur arrived at the training area he could see a few people in a variety of different armours from leather to plate training. Sitting at one of the tables drinking something from a mug was Hambel.


    ¡°Hey Hambel.¡± Arthur waved as he made his way towards the table. When Hambel saw Arthur a large grin formed.


    ¡°Hey there Arthur. What brings you out here?¡±


    ¡°I thought I should take a break from magic and learn a bit about swords from you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re learning magic? Is Cassia teaching you?¡±


    ¡°Yes she taught me a bit and left me to go to a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, How much have you learned so far?¡±


    ¡°Well I learned to do this.¡± Arthur reached out his hand towards the mug in Hambel¡¯s hand and lifted about a handful of the pale straw coloured liquid up and above Arthur¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Nymbus beard!¡± Hambel shouted as he almost fell on his seat. ¡°You learned that in a day!?¡±


    ¡°Cassia said that I am very talented.¡± A large grin formed on Arthur''s face.


    ¡°Well you certainly are something. I never had any talent for magic, or many others in my family for that matter. We Dwarves leave that for elves and you humans for the most part.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of magic recently I had a terrible headache and my ears started ringing when I was practicing magic earlier, do you know what that was?¡±


    ¡°Well i''m not a mage but you most likely just overused your mana. You only have so much and if you use too much you will start to feel unwell. So be careful because in some very extreme cases people have been killed by it.¡±


    ¡°Well then it''s a good thing I stopped then.¡±


    Hambel stood up from the table. ¡°You said you wanted to learn swordsmanship did you?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did.¡±


    ¡°Well then follow me then.¡± Hambel walked towards the training area picking up two training swords on the way. The two took up a corner where they wouldn''t be disturbed unless someone went out of their way.


    ¡°First things first-¡± Hambel tossed Arthur one of the training swords ¡°-show me how you hold your blade.¡±


    Arthur held his training sword that was in the shape of a longsword, clearly Hambel is more perceptive than he looks. Taking a two handed grip on the sword with his right hand above his left he held the sword out in front of him with the dull blade pointed towards Hambel.


    ¡°Not terrible for someone with no training, but I think it would be better to show you the problems with your stance than tell you.¡±


    Hambel took his position holding his far shorter sword with just one hand. ¡°Go ahead, show me what you can do.¡±

 Chapter 8

    Hambel took his position holding his far shorter sword with just one hand. ¡°Go ahead, show me what you can do.¡±


    Arthur rushed towards as he raised his sword above his head, when Hambel was within reach of the blade Arthur brought it down with his full force. Hambel quickly and quite easily blocked the overhead attack and parried hitting Arthur in the cheek, one of the few places he didn¡¯t have any armour.


    Arthur staggered back and clutched his face, clearly Hambel put a bit of force into that.


    ¡°You''re not all that terrible for someone without proper training, but if you want to kill more than just a few goblin outcasts you will need to change that.¡± Hambel walked towards Arthur until he was only 2 meters from Arthur. ¡°First things first I think we should work on your strikes and then we can work on blocking.¡±


    ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Well for starters you can attack from other directions other than overhead. You can even mix in a few stabs. Go ahead try it out, I won''t attack, I will simply block.¡±


    Arthur made several strikes from various directions to Hambel who blocked with ease.¡±


    ¡°Not bad lad.¡± Hambel smiled as he congratulated Arthur. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try following up each attack with another.¡±


    ¡°So like a combo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I suppose so. My family always called them attack chains though. Just be sure that you attack me as fast as you can without losing form. There is very little value in a strike not done with the blade.¡±


    Arthur did his best to perform an attack combo with a fair amount of success but he never did hit Hambel.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Long Blades Level 2


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡°Well lad although we haven''t been doing this for too long I can already see some improvement.¡± Hambel had a large grin on his face as he spoke. ¡°I think now is a good time for you to get some practice in blocking attacks now. Don¡¯t worry I will go slow enough for you to block them, but don¡¯t think it will be easy.¡±


    Hambel struck Arthur from several directions one after the other, just giving him enough time to block them. Slowly Arthur could feel each strike making him more and more tired until Hambel knocked the sword out of his hands.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Block Level 1


    + Block Level 2


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur dropped to the floor breathing heavily.


    ¡°Well done lad-¡± Hambel gave Arthur a pat on the back. ¡°-take a break and we will continue. I will be over at a table getting a drink, feel free to join me if you want.¡±


    As Hambel walked off to get himself a drink Arthur took a seat on the ground to catch his breath.


    ¡®Well that was terrible but I did learn a bit from Hambel. This is also a lot harder than magic but that might be mitigated if I use those points to increase my vitality or constitution. I should ask Hambel about that.¡¯


    Arthur stood up and made his way to Hambel for a proper place to sit and to ask him a few questions.


    ¡°Hey there lad, want a drink?¡± Hambel offered Arthur an empty mug.


    ¡°Sorry but not now.¡± ¡®Alcohol, I remember that. I also remember how easily it could destroy people''s lives.¡¯ ¡°I do have a few questions though.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, go ahead.¡± Hambel said as Arthur took a seat across the table.


    ¡°Well My first question is about how to use points in my HUD?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t used any points yet? Well you can assign them whenever you want but they won''t take effect until you sleep. It takes a bit of time to become more powerful and sometimes if you use too many points at once It may take more than one day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. My second question is what do you think I should use my points on?¡±


    ¡°Well that depends on what you want to do. Endurance and vitality will always be important though regardless of what path you choose so investing in those will always be helpful. How many points do you have?¡±


    ¡°Twenty.¡±


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    ¡°20 Points already. I personally would put 5 into endurance and vitality and the other 10 you can put wherever you would think they would help you best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Hambel, I think I will take your advice.¡±


    ¡°Oh one more thing. When you reach 30 the amount of points you will need to increase the value by one will increase by 1. That same thing will happen at 50, 70, and 90. The maximum without any very rare potions or divine intervention is 100.¡±


    ¡®So there is a bit of exponential growth in requirements and once you reach one hundred you need either potions or the help of a god.¡¯ ¡°Thank you again Hambel. I have one last question for you and then I will leave you to drink.¡±


    ¡°Very well ask away.¡±


    ¡°What is that meeting that Cassia had to go to about?¡±


    ¡°Oh that meeting from this morning. Everyone was there to update us on the plan for the fortress. The first thing we were told was that we will need to wait a few days until reinforcements arrive so we can actually properly secure the facility. After that everyone who wasn¡¯t a mage was told to leave as whatever they were discussing had nothing to do with us.¡±


    ¡°What do you think they were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well it was either how and where to collapse the walls and or ceiling to stop anything from overrunning us or they were talking about you and your magic talents.¡±


    ¡°Well neither of those is particularly nice to think about, especially the second one.¡±


    ¡°You are likely a one in a 1000 years prodigy. Some people even take weeks to get to where you have gotten.¡± Hambel then leaned in and whispered. ¡°And they probably want to keep you on their side, so don¡¯t do anything to antagonize them or they will come down faster than Nymbus¡¯s hammer.¡±


    ¡°Tisk¡± ¡®This kingdom or empire or whatever it''s called probably won¡¯t let me go. Although based on what Hambel said about that Yolan empire it isn¡¯t a good place, so for the meantime I will stay away from there and hopefully none tries to force me to stay.¡¯


    ¡°Then all I can do is hope it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm.¡± Hambel gulped down his alcohol. ¡°Well my beer is all gone so we can continue with your training now.


    Over the course of a few hours Arthur and Hambel sparred in the training area. Hambel kept his strength and his attacks to a level that Arthur could handle.


    When supper time had finally arrived Arthur and Hambel decided they would stop for the day and continue tomorrow.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Long Blades Level 3


    + Block Level 3


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡°I''ll be back out here about noon tomorrow to continue your training. We should probably focus on armour seeing as you are a complete novice when wearing that set.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again Hambel. I will be sure to be out here by then to learn as much as I can from you.¡±


    ¡°Good good. You know you might just make an excellent Spell Blade one day.¡±


    ¡°You can fill me in on the details tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha. I''ll see you then.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    Arthur quickly made his way back to Cassia¡¯s tent and when he found it he immediately ducked under the flap.


    ¡°Dear heavens Arthur. Why do you smell so bad?¡± Cassia exclaimed the moment she could smell the sweat dripping down his face.


    ¡°I was training with Hambel and we forgot about the time.¡±


    With disgust clear on her face Cassia pointed her open palm towards Arthur and all his sweat floated off into a slightly cloudy sphere that she quickly sent out the tent flap.


    ¡°That is much better but you still need to clean yourself properly. Actually I have an idea, using a tub of water to clean yourself only using your hydromancy skills. That should be excellent training before you attend dinner.¡±


    ¡°How long will that take?¡± Arthur asked, a bit of fear visible on his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry there will be some food leftover for you, we don¡¯t eat that much. And if we should eat that much I will save you a bit. Now get before you stink up my whole tent.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright just tell me where the baths are and I''ll leave before I contaminate your tent.¡±


    ¡°They are all the way west at the end of the tunnel. There are several curtains around for privacy.¡±


    ¡°Okay I''m going to do that now, and remember to save me some food just in case.¡±


    Arthur quickly made his way in the direction he thought was west. Very quickly he figured out he in fact did not go west and had to circle around the walls of the tunnel until he found the baths.


    ¡®Finally I found the bathing area. Now all I need to worry about is finding the dining area after I finish up here. Hopefully that doesn¡¯t take too long.¡¯


    Arthur took the farthest tub and filled it with water that was in a barrel not too far away. Arthur then dragged over a few curtains for his privacy before he undressed.


    Arthur first took off the armour he had been wearing almost since he woke up. After looking it over for a bit he placed it on the ground and took off his shirt.


    Arthur placed his hands into the tub of water and began to manipulate it. The water slowly flowed up his arms and across his torso cleaning him any dirt, sweat, and smells that were stuck to him. After several minutes of scrubbing with as much control as he could he could feel his control greatly increase.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Hydromancy Level 2


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®This is far easier and more mana efficient than making the water float. Perhaps that''s why I ran out of mana so quickly.¡¯


    Soon all of Arthur¡¯s upper body was clean and he would need to wash his lower half. As Arthur started he could hear the footsteps of someone else, based on how loud it was either a child or someone every short. Arthur could hear them drag over several of the curtains grumbling the whole time, the grumbles sounding slightly feminine.


    Arthur decided to try and quickly finish up so he could get something to eat. Upon finishing he picked up the clothes he had woken up and decided to look them over. They weren''t shabby but they weren''t exquisite in any way, unfortunately the only boots Arthur had were the plate boots that were a part of the armour so he would need to wear them and carry the rest of the armour.


    Arthur exited his little bath area and out of a bit of curiosity looked over to the other curtains and saw steam rising from the top. Then someone created an opening from the inside and walked out.


    A young looking elf walked out and immediately saw Arthur looking over to her.


    ¡°A-Arthur? What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 9

    ¡°A-Arthur? What are you doing here?¡±


    The young elf looked quite flustered as Arthur saw her as she opened the curtains.


    ¡°Hello¡­ Lyra was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is my name.¡±


    ¡°Well I was bathing because I was covered in sweat from training today. Also I figured everyone else would be eating dinner right now.¡±


    ¡°I needed to have a bit of time by myself before I had anything to eat. Bathing helps me clear my mind.¡±


    ¡°I did notice some steam rising, were you using fire magic to warm the water you were using?¡±


    ¡°Yes I was.¡± Lyra looked away slightly embarrassed. ¡°What skills were you training today?¡± Lyra tried to change the topic.


    ¡°I was training with a longsword with Hambel, I made good progress thanks to him.¡±


    ¡°I also heard from Cassia that she has been teaching you a bit of magic.¡±


    ¡°She has but most of my discoveries were made on my own. But she was a great help with introducing me to how magic works.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that saves me the trouble of finding you a teacher if she is as good as you say.¡±


    An awkward silence filled the end of the tunnel until Arthur spoke up.


    ¡°So should we go get something to eat because I am quite hungry.¡±


    ¡°Alright, perhaps we could walk back together.¡±


    On the way to the dining hall Arthur had a few questions for Lyra.


    ¡°I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°W-what about?¡±


    ¡°It''s about magic. Are there other types of magic aside from water, fire, earth, and air?¡±


    ¡°Oh that.¡± Lyra sighed in relief. ¡°There are a few types but they are far harder to learn and use due to them not having a real physical aspect like the 4 basic elements. There are 8 more types of known magic that are available to spell casters like us. Alteration that affects the world physically and magically, It is most well known for magic barriers. Illusion that affects how people view the world. Restoration is mostly known for healing magic. There is Conjuration that is known for summoning creatures to fight for the caster. Enchanting is just applying magic to an object permanently unless removed. Alchemy is the process of combining magic and non magical substances together to create something new. And Golemancy that is technically both enchanting and alchemy to create constructs, golems are the most common example.¡±


    ¡°That was a mouthful.¡± Arthur slightly chuckled.


    ¡°W-well you asked me to tell you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be so complex. I guess I should be thankful you were willing to tell me all that.¡±


    ¡°Anyone could learn that from a book. I just saved you a few silver coins.¡±


    ¡°Well when I get the chance I will pay you back for those few silver you just saved me.¡±


    ¡°All I did was tell you how people categorize magic, in reality it''s not quite like that. They don¡¯t technically exist, it''s just a way to make magic easier for people to learn.¡±


    ¡°It allows people to focus on certain aspects and makes teaching others far easier.¡±


    ¡°That is pretty much it.¡±


    ¡°What type of magic do you specialize in?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Aside from Geomancy which is my primary element I would have to say Alteration magic. When you can protect yourself from physical and magical harm you are able to worry far less about yourself and more on what is happening in front of you.¡±


    ¡°Is there any place outside where I could find a teacher who could teach me more?¡±


    ¡°If you want to find a reliable teacher your best bet is the mages guild. They tend to have outposts in most major towns and cities. There are also several other magic related services that they have but it would be better to speak with someone who works there. They could likely explain it better than I could.¡±


    ¡°Would it be possible for someone like me to find a job with the mages guild?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, I forgot you don¡¯t have a proper way to sustain yourself. The mages guild does recruit often. But unless you want a stable career as a bureaucrat or a teacher I would recommend almost any other guild, such as one of the various craftsmen guilds or if you want to be a mercenary the mercenaries guild.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know much about any trades and I don¡¯t want to teach or do paperwork, so the mercenaries guild might be the best choice for now.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Not the worst choice, but there are requirements to be a part of the mercenaries guild. They will still accept you even if you don¡¯t meet them but you will be required to have a certain level of skill. Unfortunately I don¡¯t know the specifics as I am not a member.¡±


    ¡°You have given me more than enough information for the time being. Over the course of the next week I am sure that my combat and magical skills will improve enough for me to join the mercenaries guild and earn enough to support myself.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of next week, we should expect reinforcements to be here by about the end of it. Then we will start securing the fortress.¡±


    ¡°Best hope all things go well.¡±


    ¡°Yes and I wanted to ask if you would like to join us.¡±


    Arthur paused as Lyra continued.


    ¡°You will be well compensated and I think it would be a good opportunity for you to level up a bit, if I recall correctly you are still only level 2. I wouldn¡¯t expect the mercenaries guild to let you in at such a level.¡±


    Arthur took a moment to think about his answer.


    ¡°Alright, I will join you on your expedition. And is it alright if I ask for a magic item that can cast that translation spell for me?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh right, I forgot you don¡¯t speak Eevin. Well I could bring it up but your reward would depend mostly on your contributions to the expedition. If you do well enough I can arrange it. If not you could at a later date commission one from the mages guild.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a half-bad backup plan. Thank you Lyra.¡±


    Soon the two arrived at the dining hall and took seats with their respective friend groups.


    ¡°I saved you a seat.¡± Cassia smiled as she saw Arthur approach.


    ¡°Oh, you finally returned, lad.¡± Hambel smiled at Arthurs arrival. ¡°Not sure why she made you bathe first, neither one of us smelt that bad.¡± As if to prove that he did not smell Hambel lifted his arm exposing his armpits.


    ¡°Hambel! Have some decency!¡± Cassia shouted as she attempted to force Hambels arm down.


    ¡°Hambel, please put your arm down. You do in fact stink very bad.¡± Arthur interjected.


    ¡°See, I am not the only one who thinks you stink.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you''re no fun Arthur.¡±


    Arthur took a seat next to Cassia on the opposite side of Hambel, this did not go unnoticed by Cassia. ¡°So what do we have to eat today?¡±


    ¡°Well we have a stew with potatoes, some beef, and some carrots. It along with the bowls are next to the campfire just over there.¡± The campfire Cassia pointed to being several meters away.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Arthur stood up from the table. ¡°Do you want me to pick you up another bowl for you?¡±


    ¡°No, I still haven''t finished my first one.¡± Cassia waved Arthur off.


    ¡°Could you get me one more lad.¡± Hambel spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m halfway done with this one and you could save me a trip.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but only if you promise to keep your arms down so we don¡¯t need to smell you.¡±


    ¡°Eh, no promises.¡±


    ¡°No promise equals no stew.¡± Arthur knew how to bargain.


    ¡°Fine, fine. No more smelly armpits from me, I promise.¡±


    Arthur chuckled to himself at his friend''s behavior. ¡®He must really want that stew.¡¯


    At the pot of stew Arthur took two bowls that he filled up to about three quarters of the way to top. Upon returning to the table he handed Hambel his bowl just as he was about to finish, Arthur then took his seat next to Cassia again and began eating his stew.


    The stew was very well made especially for someone who doesn¡¯t have very much to reference it to like Arthur. There was just the right amount of potatoes, beef and carrots that made it the best meal Arthur had eaten so far.


    ¡®Mmm. Whoever made this is quite good. I should ask them for the recipe some time.¡¯


    ¡°Cassia, who made this stew?¡±


    ¡°I think it was Theodosius who made it today. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I was going to ask him for the recipe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he will. He comes from a line of well known cooks and it is more than likely a family recipe. He might teach you something about cooking though if you ask.¡±


    ¡°Just not any recipes.¡±


    ¡°That is correct. I would help him out with cleaning the dishes, he might be more willing to give you a lesson that way.¡±


    ¡°Where does he clean the dishes?¡±


    ¡°See that tent over there.¡± Cassia pointed to a nearby tent. ¡°That is where all the food related activities are done, aside from eating of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    *********


    About 15 minutes later after everyone had finished eating Arthur made his way towards the tent Cassia directed him towards to meet Theodosius.


    Arthur peeked through the tent flap and saw a young man about his age. The young man was seated on a stool and in front of him was a basin of water that he used to clean bowls.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡± The young man asked without looking up from his task.


    ¡°No. I was going to ask if you needed any help.¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°Sure, I could use a bit of help. There is another basin and a stool to my left and a barrel of water to fill it with behind me.¡±


    Arthur picked up the basin and stool and carried them over, placing them next to the young mans before picking up the barrel and bringing it over. Arthur popped open the lid and poured some water into the basin.


    As Arthur sat down to begin washing some bowls the young man beside him handed him a cloth and some soap to wash the bowls with.


    ¡°So what''s your name?¡± The young man asked.


    ¡°Arthur, and yours?¡±


    ¡°Theodosius, but you can call me Theo. Everyone finds that far easier to remember.¡±


    The next several minutes were quiet as the two men washed and cleaned the bowls used in the evening''s dinner.


    When they had finally finished Theo turned to Arthur and asked- ¡°So Arthur, why did you come here to help me. No one ever tries to help me.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask for some lessons on cooking.¡±


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Theo looked quite puzzled. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to ask me about anything else Like my family''s secret recipes?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t think I would be able to convince you to tell me even if I wanted you to.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why then would you want to learn about cooking.¡±


    ¡°When I leave this place I can¡¯t guarantee that I will always have cooked food with me. I would like to be prepared just in case I need to. Also I wouldn¡¯t need to rely on someone else to cook my meals for me.¡±


    ¡°Well you certainly are a unique case then Arthur, most do not share your foresight.¡±

 Chapter 10

    ¡°Well you certainly are a unique case then Arthur, most do not share your foresight.¡±


    Theo walked over to the large pot bringing the barrel of water with him and filled the pot with water and soap.


    ¡°Help me finish up with the pot and tomorrow night I will teach you a bit about cooking. It won¡¯t be very exciting but it will allow you to be sure that you are eating something edible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Theo.¡± Arthur quickly made his way and did his part in washing the inside of the pot, not a single bit was left dirty.


    ¡°Well that about does it Arthur. I don¡¯t have anything else for you to help me with, just remember to be back here tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the chance to learn Theo.¡± Arthur ducked out of the tent and quickly made his way back to Cassia¡¯s tent.


    Upon entering the tent Arthur saw Cassia meditating on her bed.


    ¡°Hello Arthur. As you can see I am very busy so if you could I would like to be left alone.¡±


    ¡®Ok that is weird but I guess I can just practice magic for now.¡¯


    Arthur sat on his mat in a crossed legged position and placed the cup of water just out of his reach when he sat with his back straight. Arthur pointed his open palm towards the cup and made some of the water float. He made it come towards him until it floated a few inches from his face. Arthur had the water take different shapes and forms that ranged from simple squares to spheres with a ring.


    ********


    For the next four days Arthurs schedule went something like this.


    In the morning he would practice his magic with Cassia and have breakfast with her.


    He would then at noon go and train with a longsword and his armour with Hambel while about an hour after noon they would have something to eat.


    Then about an hour before dinner Arthur would go and help Theo with cooking, he would then eat dinner and then help with cleaning up.


    Then Arthur would return to Cassia¡¯s tent and practice a bit of magic before he went to sleep.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Long Blades Level 6


    + Block Level 6


    + Heavy Armour Level 4


    + Mana Manipulation Level 5


    + Hydromancy Level 5


    + Cooking Level 3


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur while seated on his mat looked at the level of his skills. ¡®I almost can¡¯t believe how far I have come in just a few days.¡¯ Arthur looked at the water that easily was two full cups worth coiled around his arm like a snake. Cassia walking into the tent gasped in surprise.


    ¡°I will never get used to how quickly you progress Arthur.¡± The look of jealousy was clear on her face.


    ¡°What can I say, I am very gifted and I am happy for your guidance.¡± Arthur said with a large smile on his face.


    ¡°Well I have a new lesson for you. I believe it is time for you to learn a proper attack spell for hydromancers.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Arthur quickly gave his full attention to Cassia as she spoke.


    ¡°Yes, now follow me outside to the archery range where we won¡¯t accidentally hurt anyone.¡±


    Arthur followed Cassia to the archery range, an improper one but enough to test ones skills at. Standing on the outside of a fenced area where the targets were placed at various distances, Cassia raised her right hand and a small amount of water formed and molded into a pointy shape before she flicked her hand and the water bolt pierced a target before losing its structure and dripping to the floor.


    ¡°That was a spell called water whip.¡± Cassia said as she turned to Arthur. ¡°It''s one of the simpler ways to use hydromancy in a combative manner.¡±


    ¡°That was cool but how do you give it such range? I''ve tried to control water from a distance but it just falls to the floor.¡±


    ¡°It''s quite simple really.¡± Cassia beamed, finally she had something she could actually teach him and would likely require her help in achieving. ¡°Did you notice that small flick I did when I shot the whip? Well that along with my control over hydromancy gave it enough speed to reach its target. Although you will most likely need to use a larger motion to give the bolt enough speed.¡±


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


    The look of confusion was slowly disappearing from Arthur''s face until he realized something and asked another question. ¡°How did you get that water? I didn¡¯t see you bring any with you.¡±


    ¡°An excellent question Arthur.¡± Cassia smiled at her students'' keen eyes. ¡°When you become good enough at any type of basic elemental magic you will be able to generate that element at will. Now the amount you generate will be dependent on your level of skill and you will likely only learn this at level 10 for each type, but when you don¡¯t have access to a fire or water source it can be very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Ok how should I go about doing this?¡± Arthur asked as he walked up to the fence, condensing a handful of water in his hands.


    ¡°You need to shape the water in a way that will allow it to move through the air with as much speed as possible, a pointy shape like an arrow head works well.¡±


    Arthur did his best getting a thin cone share in his hand. Arthur took his water cone and after bringing it back threw it forward towards the nearest target.


    The water whip sailed through the air until about the halfway point where it noticeably began to fall apart. It lost its momentum and fell apart and onto the ground.


    Cassia watched from behind Arthur watch on as he performed much better than anyone else had that she knew of.


    ¡®Dam, he truly is talented.¡¯ Cassia sighed as she took a seat on a nearby stool.


    Cassia watched as Arthur made repeated attempts to hit the target with a water whip and after an hour his first water whip landed.


    Although it didn¡¯t do any damage it was still significant progress for someone as new as Arthur.


    ¡®Holy shit, I finally hit it. I didn¡¯t damage it but I hit it, that''s definitely progress.¡¯


    ¡°Well done Arthur.¡± Cassia walked to Arthur as she spoke. ¡°You have successfully cast water whip and landed a blow on a target with it. I expect that if you keep practicing by the end of the day you will be able to do some proper damage to it.¡±


    ¡°I would love to do that.¡±


    ¡°Feel a but coming my way.¡±


    ¡°But I was going to practice with Hambel again today at noon.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine.¡± Cassia sighed. ¡°But you should at least practice after dinner for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I will and I''ll still be here for a bit since it won¡¯t be noon for a while.¡±


    For the next few hours Arthur practiced water whip under Cassia¡¯s guidance. She would give him a few tips every so often that she found helpful. This helped along Arthur¡¯s progress in mastering the spell.


    Every so often Arthur got tired since spell casting was very tiring even if he wasn¡¯t casting anything very powerful. Arthur had decided to take those opportunities to ask Cassia a few questions.


    ¡°Hey Cassia.¡±


    ¡°Yes Arthur.¡±


    ¡°What are spells?¡±


    ¡°Well that is a very complex and interesting question. Would you like the long answer or the short answer?¡±


    ¡°How about the short answer and if that isn''t enough I will ask you for the long answer.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± After a long pause to gather her thoughts Cassia spoke again. ¡°A spell is in its most simple terms a technique to utilize a way of manipulating mana. For example with pyromancy a jet of fire propelled from your hands would be considered a spell, you are simply manipulating mana to generate fire from your hands.¡±


    ¡°So it''s like a combat maneuver, just a technique used to give you the upper hand.¡±


    ¡°Yes that is correct Arthur.¡± Cassia smiled at Arthur''s quick understanding of what is in reality a very complex subject. ¡®If only Pollia was even half as good a listener as Arthur is.¡¯


    ¡°Just be sure to keep practicing and eventually you will be able to create your own spells.¡±


    ¡°Create my own spells? That''s possible?¡± The shock evident in Arthurs tone.


    ¡°All you need to do is manipulate mana in a way that hasn¡¯t been done before or do it in a more effective way than has been done before. I personally haven¡¯t created anything past a few simple everyday spells, that was a part of the curriculum when I was studying. But anything is possible, especially for you Arthur considering just how talented you are.¡±


    Soon it was noon and Arthur left for the training area to continue his training with Hambel.


    For two hours Arthur and Hembel sparred, Hambel obviously holding back so that he wouldn¡¯t hurt Arthur. For those two hours everything had been the same as before, Arthur and Hambel sparred, they would take a break, Hambel would comment on Arthur''s progress, and then they would continue until it was time for Arthur to go help Theo with dinner.


    But today someone else showed up who they hadn''t seen before. A young human male in his late 20s, with light olive skin, blue eyes, and blond hair. The human stood at roughly 5¡¯10¡± and wore dark leather armour covering most of his body, and he wielded a spear most likely made from iron.


    ¡°What do we have here then?¡± The young human asked. ¡°Your fighting is quite sloppy for someone your age Northman.¡± The human looked to Arthur and Hambel.


    ¡°He has only recently begun his training.¡± Hambel spoke up on Arthur¡¯s behalf. ¡°In fact he has only started this week and has already made such progress.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± A small grin formed on the young human¡¯s face. ¡°If that is the case then I would like to test his skills myself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think now is an appropriate time for that.¡± Hambel protested.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask him and see what he thinks.¡± The two turned to Arthur, one with worry and the other with a touch of curiosity.


    ¡°I am more than happy to spar with you Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Saturio Quintilius. And you are?¡±


    ¡°Arthur. Is the spear your weapon of choice?¡±


    ¡°Why yes it is. Would the longsword by any chance be yours?¡± Saturio chuckled.


    ¡°How very observant you are. Shall we begin?¡±


    ¡°Of course, just give me a moment to prepare myself.¡±


    Saturio walked over to the far end of the small arena-like area where Hambel was sparring with Arthur. Saturio positioned himself with his front foot forward allowing him to lunge at his opponent and his back leg just behind so that he could easily recover from any attacks. A training spear that he picked up on his way ready to strike.


    Arthur drew his longsword and decided to take a more offensive position by holding the handle at the same height of his head and pointing the blade in his front, giving him an excellent position to both block and stab.


    Hambel stood off to the side just outside the arena ready to announce the beginning of the match.


    ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Begin!¡±

 Chapter 11

    ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Begin!¡±


    As the fight began Saturio kept his spear pointed and slowly made his way towards his opponent. Arthur on the other hand knowing that Saturio had the advantage in range knew he would need to close that distance where he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily retaliate. Arthur, keeping his blade pointed towards Saturio, rushed to quickly put him on the back foot.


    Saturio smirked, easily understanding Arthur''s strategy and quickly adjusted his stance to counter.


    As Arthur approached the spear he swung his sword to knock it to the side to clear a path directly to Saturio, but Saturio only needed to take a few steps back to leave Arthur with no progress.


    This went on for about a minute with Saturio toying with Arthur who appeared to be simply doing the same thing over and over again hoping to see a different result. ¡®Like I thought, he has practically no training.¡¯


    Arthur performed the same attack in the same way as before and Saturio went to back up. But instead he ran into the fence leaving him with nowhere to go. Arthur was taught a bit more than just how to use weapons from Hambel, he was also taught the basics of the basics on how to use one''s environment for their own advantage.


    /- - - - - -\


    Tactics - Level 3


    \- - - - - -/


    While far harder for most to learn it does have some benefits as Arthur showed.


    Arthur took the opportunity to push the spear aside and ready his sword to strike. As Arthur got closer Saturio dropped his spear and reached behind him for a training wooden dagger that he had swiped in place of his real one for such a situation.


    With a swift motion as Arthur was bringing down his longsword on him, Saturio lunged the wooden dagger at Arthur¡¯s face and hit him just before Arthur did the same over his head.


    The two fell to the ground clutching where they were stuck, Arthur on his nose and Saturio his head. Hambel and a few others who had been watching the fight take place were baffled by what had happened, how both fighters were down.


    ¡°Well I think that makes this a draw.¡± Hambel was the first to speak as he turned to the other spectators. They all agreed with him.


    Half of the group rushed to Arthur and the other half to Saturio. The groups made sure that their respective ally was ok.


    ¡°What on earth just happened?¡± A familiar voice echoed. It was Lyra the elf learning the expedition along with Citro.


    She approached Saturio who was surrounded by his allies. ¡°Hello Saturio Quintilius.¡± Her sarcasm clear as day. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you liked picking on our new recruits and losing while you did so.¡±


    ¡°I was simply testing his skills and he simply surprised me with his tactical readiness.¡± Saturio attempted to defend himself.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lyra scoffed at Saturio¡¯s blatant lie. ¡°When you recover, bring your group to my tent so that we may discuss our plan of attack.¡± Lyra turned and left before Saturio could say anything in retaliation.


    Soon after, Lyra left Saturio and his crew left in the same direction. Clearly he did not wish to anger Lyra any further.


    ¡°You did great lad!¡± Hambel slapped Arthur on the shoulder as he shouted.


    ¡°You should be careful nobody hears you.¡± Arthur said to try to shush his friend.


    ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry about that. You should be more worried about that bruise on your nose, it doesn¡¯t look so great.¡±


    Arthur touched his nose and grunted in pain. ¡°I''ll go to Cassia. She probably knows some magic that can heal me.¡±


    ¡°Do yeh know where she is?¡±


    ¡°She probably hasn¡¯t left her tent since I left. I will be right back as soon as she is done.¡± Arthur turned and ran to Cassia¡¯s tent while he held his nose.


    *******


    ¡°What happened to you!¡± Cassia yelled upon seeing the state of Arthur''s face. She quickly rushed over and forced him to take a seat.


    ¡°I''m telling you I just need a quick heal and I''ll be good.¡±


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    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. You are staying here until I am certain that you are fully healed and that bruise fully fades away. If you even have a scratch left you are not leaving.¡±


    For several minutes Cassia cast a multitude of spells of a golden light onto Arthur. Arthur saw that the first few didn¡¯t do much, at least not from his perspective. The next few were far more obvious in their effects.


    The first of the spells that had an observable effect was one that quickly removed all of Arthur¡¯s fatigue that he had accumulated over the course of training and the fight with Saturio. The next spell healed any smaller cuts and the soreness in his arms that he had when training. The last spell slowly healed the large bruise on his face, taking by far the longest amount of time of all the spells cast.


    ¡°Are we done now? Because if not I likely won''t be able to help Theo with dinner today.¡±


    ¡°Yes we are done, but there will be no more physical training for today. I may have healed most of the damage but your body needs rest. You have been nonstop training for about five days now.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''m going now to help Theo.¡±


    ¡°When you finish dinner I am expecting you right back here.¡±


    ¡°I will be, and you are not my mother!¡±


    Arthur jogged his way to the kitchen to help Theo with today''s dinner. While they skinned and cut up potatoes to mix in with the stew Theo spoke up.


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve been hearing we¡¯re gonna enter the fortress tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°A couple of the mages were talking about it amongst themselves, and I just so happened to be listening at the time.¡± Theo smirked as he turned to look at Arthur. ¡°Are you ready to go back there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I''m ready to go back there. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to make sure. Oh and one more thing, what was it like down there?¡±


    ¡°Well the halls were basically empty, I expect that most of the dangerous stuff was hiding in rooms. Like that one group of goblins I fought.¡±


    ¡°You fought a group of goblins? How many were there?¡±


    ¡°Five goblins, but only one had a proper weapon.¡±


    ¡°Do you still have those weapons?¡±


    ¡°Cassia gave me a bag to put them in.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, when you establish yourself more and you have the money to afford it you should look into buying a dimensional bag.¡±


    ¡°What is a dimensional bag?¡± Arthur had never heard anyone say anything about something like that. ¡°Based on the name it must be very useful.¡±


    ¡°Oh it is.¡± Theo chuckled. ¡°A dimensional bag is an enchanted bag that has a dimensional space that displaces non living matter. The weight of the bag depends on the amount it can hold.¡±


    ¡°When I get a chance I will most certainly look into that.¡±


    *********


    The next day started out quite like the last with a nice breakfast and Arthur practicing his hydromancy with Cassia and honing his skill with the spell water whip.


    At about 11:30 everyone joined up at the front entrance of the old fortress. Saturio and his group were off to the left side and everyone else stuck to the right side.


    For the first time Arthur was able to see exactly how many people were on the expedition. Counting all those who arrived with Saturio there were about fifty people standing outside the entrance.


    ¡®So about 30 people came with Saturio, good to know.¡¯


    Lyra walked to the doors that had a few stairs that gave her a slightly elevated position allowing her to be seen by almost everyone.


    ¡°Good day to all of you.¡± Lyra waited for a moment to ensure she had everyone''s attention. ¡°Today we are beginning our descent into the fortress. Our objective is to scout and map the layout as best as we can. If you encounter something that you are not confident in facing, retreat back up here and share your findings. Do not be a hero!¡± She emphasized those last five words making it clear what she wanted.


    ¡°We will be travelling in groups of 6 and my second in command Citro-¡± She pointed to a man in full plate armour in the very back who raised his hand. ¡°-will hand out the list of our groups. Not everyone will be exploring today, those who are not exploring will be setting up fortifications where we have established safe zones. That is all.¡±


    Lyra walked off to the left of everyone and Citro took her place. The first thing he did was call up the leader of each of the groups, a total of nine. Then Citro handed each leader a list of their team members and one at a time everyone found their group.


    Arthur upon joining his group which was named group seven he noticed both Hambel and Cassia were in it.


    ¡®Looks like Lyra has paid attention to who I made friends with. When I get an opportunity I''ll pay her back.¡¯


    ¡°Well what a coincidence lad.¡± Hambel laughed. ¡°You must be on very good terms if you managed to convince Lyra to group us all together.¡±


    ¡°I actually didn¡¯t ask her. She must have just been paying attention to me.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? You don¡¯t sound too concerned about that lad.¡±


    ¡°Well she hasn''t done anything to harm me, quite the opposite in fact. She has helped me greatly so far.¡±


    ¡°Well lad, typically when government or high ranking officials get involved in people''s lives without being asked to do it because they want to butter you up so you view them in a more favorable light.¡±


    ¡°Why would they want that?¡±


    ¡°They probably want to keep you on their side, and perhaps in the future they will have need of you and if you have a favorable view of them you will be far more likely to help them. Never underestimate the power of a familiar face.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡®I hope Hambel is wrong about Lyra. She seemed so nice.¡¯


    All of Arthur¡¯s group followed their leader to an area nearby what was most likely their tent. Everyone watched as the team leader took out a whetstone and began to sharpen the large axe on her back. The only thing that revealed that she was a woman was her voice under the full plate armour with chainmail underneath.


    ¡°My name is Aelia, and I have been doing this for 15 years now. If I tell you to do something I expect you to do it, it will always be in your own best interest.¡±

 Chapter 12

    ¡°My name is Aelia, and I have been doing this for 15 years now. If I tell you to do something I expect you to do it, it will always be in your own best interest.¡±


    A short silence followed before Aelia continued. ¡°Today we will be one of the groups exploring the first floor, specifically we will be following the northernmost corridor. Arthur, you will be drawing a map for us given your lack of combat experience.¡± Aelia handed Arthur a blank parchment of paper and an ink pot that was filled about half way.


    ¡°Umm, how am I supposed to use the ink without something to write with?¡± Arthur asked as he held the ink.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use water magic to move or something?¡± Aelia asked as if it was something that should be trivial to him.


    ¡°That''s a thing?¡± Arthur hadn''t herald of anything quite like that from Cassia or Lyra.


    ¡°Yes it is something that can be done with hydromancy.¡± Cassia spoke up. ¡°Think of it like moving heavy water, although you won¡¯t need to manipulate all that much at once.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Cassia.¡± Aelia nodded. ¡°Now for the rest of you. Hambel and I will be at the front of the group, Cassia will be at the back and the other three will stay in between us, I will let you all figure out how things work best for you. All I am giving you is general guidelines are to where you will be in the formation. You all have 15 minutes to do what you need to before we meet up at the gate.¡±


    While everyone else double checked their equipment Arthur went to talk to Cassia.


    ¡°Hey Cassia.¡±


    ¡°Hello Arthur.¡±


    ¡°I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me what all can be done with hydromancy?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Cassia paused for a second. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be learning so fast and I simply forgot to tell you. I will buy you a book that details all that can be done with hydromancy when we finally leave the cave.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but if there is ever anything else you think I should know do tell.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ********


    Fifteen minutes later everyone in the team was ready at the gate and in a rough formation based on what Aelia said. Arthur had gotten a bit of practice with using hydromancy with ink and could say that he knew what he was doing.


    ¡°Alright you lot!¡± Aelia shouted to her team as she drew her large two handed axe. ¡°I certainly hope you have everything you will need as we won¡¯t be getting a chance to be back here for several hours. Now let''s move out!¡±


    The team entered the fortress and navigated through the hallway of old and used traps. Looking at the traps brought a few memories back to Arthur.


    ¡®I remember the first time I walked through here, it almost feels like that happened yesterday.¡¯


    The group continued downward one level and passed the other groups that were assigned to guard duty. They had some basic fortifications along with a few wooden structures with many pointed ends.


    ¡°Hey Aelia, what took you so long.¡± A human in similar armour to Aelia called out.


    ¡°Final preparations for the day.¡± Aelia replied without even looking in his direction.


    ¡°Well good luck then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need luck.¡±


    The group passed through the fortifications and entered the northernmost corridor, Arthur looked down the other three corridors as they passed and saw nothing of note.


    ¡®This place is just as much of a maze as I remember it to be.¡¯


    Soon the group found their first door, located on the right side of the hallway with some dried up blood that had turned black.


    ¡°Did any of the goblins set up traps?¡± Aelia asked Arthur.


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    ¡°No traps but they used overturned tables for defense.¡± Arthur answered as he tried to figure out what Aelia was planning.


    ¡°That''s good, that will make this nice and easy.¡± Aelia drew her axe. ¡°Everyone draw your weapons and be ready to fight.


    Albeit surprised Arthur followed everyone and drew his longsword, not even a second after Aelia kicked the door open and rushed in, the others followed and so did Arthur after a moment of hesitation.


    On the other side of the door was a fairly large room that was likely used as a craft hall, for what would require a thorough inspection. There were about ten goblins inside wielding mostly old and rusty equipment. Aelia was the first to draw blood by splitting the skull of the first goblin she saw.


    Everyone else quickly engaged the rest of the goblins giving the few near a door in the back an opportunity to run.


    Arthur, seeing that to kill at least one goblin he would need to act fast, leapt over one of the tables and stabbed a goblin hiding on the other side. Unable to put up much resistance the goblin fell to the floor where Arthur stomped on its head repeatedly.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    The few remaining goblins that were unable to retreat quickly joined their allies in the abyss they were born from. Aelia had the human in the group who brought a large bag to carry all the weapons that were looted from the goblins before the group continued into the next room.


    Since the goblins were expecting them Aelia opened the door from behind cover to see their reaction before she would make a move.


    Several small rocks flew through the open doorway and hit the rock floor with a crack as they rolled off into the room. Aelia dashed through the door and raised her axe as everyone else did the same.


    The goblins were standing on a few tables wielding a few slings with a few small piles of pebbles by their feet. Unfortunately for the goblins there was only one door out and the heavily armored outsider and her allies were blocking it.


    The battle was short and not in the goblins'' favor, the few that weren¡¯t frozen in fear were able to fire off about one shot each but they made the mistake of targeting Aelia in some of her most well protected places.


    The group first gathered all of the weapons and other valuables and then piled all the corpses into a pile.


    ¡°Should we burn them?¡± The human who was carrying all of the loot who as Arthur had recently learned was named Lycus, asked.


    ¡°No, we are underground and have a limited amount of air here. If we were above ground I would consider it but down here we could suffocate from the trapped smoke.¡± Aelia quickly shot the idea down.


    The next several rooms the group entered were for the most part quite similar, all from what Arthur could tell were rooms dedicated to a craft. The first was most likely woodworking based on the tools and a few trinkets in the back room, the second was definitely dedicated to clothing and other such fabric related items based on a few broken looms. There was also a metal and stone working craft hall before a room with three sets of double doors.


    The group tested all the doors and all but the last one were barricaded from the inside so much that the door didn¡¯t even move. Aelia placed her ear to the door for about a minute while everyone else waited.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything on the other side, but we should still be careful just in case.¡± Aelia addressed her team. ¡°The door here is open and we will try to maintain the element of surprise so in the event of more goblins we will have the upper hand.¡±


    Everyone nodded and drew their weapons. Upon entering the room everyone was shocked by what they saw. There were thankfully no goblins but several large areas full of large amounts of wood and metal with several tables covered in parchment. The room itself was easily ten times as large as any of the other rooms they had been in, including height.


    The group chose to spread out so that they could cover more ground and find what was being built here. Arthur looking over the schematics could clearly see that it was a siege weapon of some kind.


    ¡®Whatever this is, it is designed to throw a large rock into the air that would then utilize gravity to give it a large impact. Arthur looked through a few more schematics that were underneath the first and found something horrifying, the dwarves that lived here made improvements to their contraption, big improvements. They made the payload large, go faster and farther. They came up with the idea to use several smaller rocks like in the first one and throw them all at once.


    At the corner of each of the drawings was a name written in the dwarven language that with the spell Comprehend Language he could understand.


    ¡®Bergina Goldrock. I think that is a name for a woman and she was most likely a dwarf given the location. I wonder if she made any other schematics for things like this.¡¯


    Arthur checked through the rest of the parchment pile and found a few interesting devices but nothing else from Bergina Goldrock.


    ¡®A little unfortunate but I expect that Lyra will be very happy with what I found here. Based on what little I have heard about that Yolan empire this may find itself a use.¡¯


    ¡°Hey Aelia, come look at what I found.¡± Arthur called over his leader to share his discovery.


    ¡°Well well, what do we have here?¡± Aelia looked over the schematics and even though Arthur could not see her face he expected she was impressed.


    ¡°If we turn these in with Lyra I think she will reward us very nicely.¡± Aelia turned to Arthur as she handed them to him. ¡°Here take these, you can be the one to hand them in. After we search this place we will be returning, we have done our part for today.¡¯


    Not much else that was of much value was found, a few trinkets and a handful of old dwarven coins whose only value came from the metal they were made from. The group returned to the camp and Aelia took Arthur directly to Lyra¡¯s tent to share his discovery.


    When the two entered the tent they saw the main room where Arthur was questioned was blocked by a curtain and Citro was standing guard.


    ¡°Lyra is busy right now, if it is important you can wait until she is done. If not, come back later.¡± Arthur could see that Citro was curious but he followed his duty and kept Lyra from being disturbed.


    ¡°We will wait then.¡± Aelia chuckled. ¡°Lyra will definitely want to see what Arthur here picked up.¡±

 Chapter 13

    ¡°Lyra will definitely want to see what Arthur here picked up.¡± Aelia said with a bit of smugness as she slapped Arthur on the shoulder.


    ¡®I hope Lyra won''t be too long, Aelia is being a bit too close and touchy for someone I just met so the sooner she finishes up the better for me.¡¯


    Arthur and Aelia each took a seat on a chair that was in the small buffer area. Arthur took a seat that was far away from any other chairs to give himself a bit of distance from Aelia. Thankfully Lyra had finished up quickly with whatever she was doing and Citro let in.


    ¡°Hello again Arthur.¡± Lyra smiled as she saw Arthur enter the room. ¡°What brings you here today?¡±


    ¡°We found something I think both you and the kingdom will find great interest in.¡± Aelia gestured towards Arthur. ¡°I am here to make sure you receive them.¡±


    ¡°Well what is it?¡±


    Arthur handed the schematics of the siege weapons to Lyra. Lyra looked over the first one and muttered something about having something similar. When she reached the second one she went quiet, as she flipped through all the pages her face displayed more and more surprise on her face, with a small touch of fear.


    ¡®Well aren''t you a source of strange happenings Arthur. First you somehow get inside of an ancient dwarven fortress then you have great talent for magic and then you find a series of blueprints for lost siege weapons that could turn the tides of the next war with the Yolan empire.¡¯


    ¡°These blueprints you have brought me are very valuable Arthur.¡± Lyra looked Arthur in the eyes as she spoke. ¡°These may have a large impact on future conflicts and I will do my absolute best to ensure that you are adequately compensated for your discovery.¡±


    Arthur was a bit surprised by Lyra¡¯s statement. He knew the schematics were valuable and he hoped to receive something for finding them, but Lyra¡¯s reaction he felt was a bit over the top.


    ¡°Uhhh, can I ask why you are so serious? I know these are valuable but you may be blowing this a bit out of proportion.¡±


    ¡°No Arthur, if anything I am not giving this the amount of seriousness it deserves. Do you know how powerful mages can be in battle?¡±


    The abrupt question confused Arthur. ¡°I have a general idea.¡±


    ¡°Well the most powerful mages can be a massive force on the battlefield, but there is one problem. They don¡¯t always want to or may not be able to due to a variety of reasons, so we are often required to use large weapons to compensate for that. One thing that can make up for a lack of powerful mages when we need them is enchanting those weapons with things like exploding ammunition.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that does sound powerful.¡±


    ¡°It is, but it is limited by the power of the weapon. With weapons like these we could do so much more.¡±


    ¡°So what should I expect for this?¡± Arthur was happy that he could help with uncovering these schematics but he would also like to have something to show.


    ¡°Of course you will receive a proper reward for these. I will be certain that you are listed as the one who uncovered these and when we are able to build and test these you will receive a reward based on their usefulness.¡±


    Lyra could see Arthur was a little disappointed by what she said.


    ¡°Oh you don¡¯t need to worry, by the time we finish our expedition you will more than likely have received compensation for at least the first two devices.¡± Lyra calmed some of Arthurs worries.


    ¡°What should I be expecting as a reward?¡±


    ¡°Definitely money, if you were a powerful mage or craftsman you could also receive materials. Keep that in mind for when you help the kingdom in the future.¡± Lyra smiled, she could already feel herself getting closer to her promotion.


    *********


    In another part of the camp a human male entered a tent. The interior of the tent had no light sources so not even someone who knew the individual could guess who they were.


    The unidentified human walked towards a small table in the center of the room and interacted with a magical device before he kneeled. The device projected a humanoid being that was most likely female, her entire body was obsidian black and several body parts not found on humans. She had a pair of wings sprouting from her back that resembled a ravens, short talon-like claws on each of her hands and toes. She sat on a throne chiseled from a beautiful black stone.


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    ¡°What do you have to report?¡± The woman¡¯s words were like honey to the human¡¯s ears.


    ¡°The expedition has begun and the first floor has been fully explored.¡± The human¡¯s eyes, the only part of him visible, showed his clear captivation for her.


    ¡°Then you remember what you need to do. When you find the demon on the lower levels, defeat him and bring him to our cause. Oh and don¡¯t forget about those pills you were given, you may need them.¡± The woman smiled, she could see his eyes straying from her face but she didn¡¯t mind. In fact she quite enjoyed it, she knew he was reliable and she loved when her subordinates found her irresistible. When she had them hooked she knew they would do anything for her.


    ¡°Of course my lady, anything for you lady Alkonost.¡± The human was infatuated with her.


    ¡®If he continues to do well I think I may just need to invite him to a far more personal meeting. Just the two of us, all alone.¡±


    **********


    Arthur sat at a table next to both Hambel and Cassia as they ate their dinner. It was soup again that both Arthur and Theo had made starting about an hour beforehand. Everyone else was quite invested in telling their stories about what happened on the first proper day of the expedition, including the mages who were typically quiet most of the time. Arthur on the other hand was silently eating his soup while he thought about what Lyra said about the schematic he found.


    ¡®Are enchanted siege weapons that dangerous? How many people will die because I have given those to Lyra?¡¯


    Arthur felt conflicted about his decision to share what he had found. If Lyra¡¯s explanation of how powerful the weapons would be when they were enchanted then a lot of people could die. Cassia could see the worry in Arthur''s eyes and decided to ask what was making him worry so much.


    ¡°Hey, are you ok Arthur. You look like you just attended a funeral.¡±


    ¡°I''m ok. I''m just a little worried about what might happen as a result of those schematics. Lyra gave me a brief explanation of the power of enchanted siege weapons and how the one I found could be even more dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well enchanting isn¡¯t my specialization but to enchant a normal siege weapon is very expensive given all the materials that are needed to make any worthwhile enchantments on something so large. Anything large would require at least one magic crystal to store the energy and would likely require more given the large size of the device and the payload.¡±


    Arthur could see that Cassia did make some good points but he was still a little worried.


    Cassia continued. ¡°And even if they do make some they will probably end up as an emergency weapon that would only be used in an emergency. Most of the kingdom''s enchanting resources go towards weapons for the military, it is far cheaper and overall more effective than building these dangerous weapons that could be used against us.¡±


    ¡°Well that was a very interesting lesson on how the kingdom uses its magical resources but perhaps we could focus on more pressing matters.¡± Hambel took a deep drink from his cup. ¡°Like who got the most kills today!¡±


    Several others around the table that almost entirely consisted of melee fighters cheered and began to brag and compare their kill counts for the day. The winner of this impromptu competition was a dwarf who wielded a large halberd and wore full chainmail with a proper metal helmet, both were made of silvery grey colour.


    Cassia scoffed at the behavior of those at the table. ¡°Ignore these idiots. The point I was trying to make before someone interrupted me-¡± Cassia looked directly at Hambel who pretended not to notice. ¡°-was you are not responsible for any deaths that may or may not be caused by those siege weapons. It will be expensive to replace all the old ones and it would be better to simply hand out new enchanted weapons to the military.¡±


    Arthur felt most of the worry that he had for his actions fade. It was still there but only ever so slightly as he now understood more about how enchanting worked.


    ¡°It could be far worse.¡± Cassia spoke again. ¡°I can only imagine how the person who shared necromancy felt after he saw how people used it.¡±


    ¡®Necromancy? Now that was something I hadn''t heard of before, not even when I asked Lyra about magic. I wonder why she kept that out of the conversation.¡¯


    ¡°Necromancy? What is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well necromancy is the manipulation of dead things. Typically reanimating corpses to serve the caster. You won''t find anyone who teaches in the mages guild, if you are interested for whatever reason you will need to either find a book about it or find some outside of the guild to teach you.¡±


    ¡°Is necromancy banned in the mages guild?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t outright banned, but it is highly looked down upon by almost everyone. I wouldn¡¯t recommend anyone to pursue that magic unless they had no choice.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason for that?¡± Arthur asked. He was quite curious about necromancy and wanted to know why something that could in theory could be used as a substitute to a large amount of the manual labor that no one wanted to do.


    ¡°Most of it comes down to politics, religious beliefs, and outdated superstitions. Basically no one trusts one person with such unchecked power. There is also a large history of necromancers who used their power for evil.¡±


    ¡°But there must be many mages who use other types of magic for evil as well.¡±


    ¡°There are and have been but it isn¡¯t quite so simple. Now Arthur, I want you to tell me what the difference is between killing someone by setting them on fire with a campfire or a fireplace or by using pyromancy. Not much of a difference there now is there, getting rid of pyromancy will not stop arson or fires from happening, people will just find other ways to do it. Necromancy on the other hand is not only quite revolting to watch but also stops a lot of people from hurting others in a similar way. Think about it, without access to necromancy they cannot raise any army of undead servants and cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°Well you certainly raise some very good points Cassia. If I have any other questions about magic I''ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Please do, It is refreshing talking about these things with someone who actually cares to listen.¡±

 Chapter 14

    The next day was for everyone roughly the exact same as the one before. Several of the groups would be selected to go into the fortress, all on the same layer for safety reasons. Those that were not remained in the small area in the stairwell where an assortment of fortifications were set up in the event that anything dangerous were to appear that any of the groups couldn¡¯t handle on their own.


    Arthur and his group were assigned to guard duty on this day. While everyone else was either training to maintain their skills or making small talk with people outside their group Arthur was looking at his hud and the changes from the day before.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + Longblades Level 7


    + Heavy Armour Level 5


    \- - - - - -/


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 4


    Exp : 950


    Next Level at : 1400


    Mana : 6/6


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur had figured out how to change the layout of the HUD at will so he only needed to look at the bits of information he needed to.


    ¡®Where should I put those points I currently have? My dexterity is still at ten so that may be useful for fighting with weapons. But if I increase my intelligence I will have more mana to use. I suppose I could do both, screw it. I''ll try out five points in dexterity and see how It affects me tomorrow and go from there.¡¯


    It took almost all day to clear out the second floor which was a fairly large increase in the numbers of the goblins compared to the first floor which only took half a day to clear.


    Thankfully no one was hurt in a serious way and everyone was ready to start again tomorrow.


    On the third day Arthur and his group were chosen to take part in clearing the third floor. Arthur¡¯s group were selected to clear all hostels down the southernmost hallway, so far none of the hallways had connected to each other, but Lyra and the higher ups expected that to change as the expedition claimed more floors. They were right to as all the groups dispatched discovered the hallways did in fact intersect forming a square with a cross in the middle.


    The rooms that Arthur and his group entered were from what he could tell based on his limited experience with Theo were kitchens and many of the others based on all the old barrels that were lying around, breweries and food stores to preserve the food they produced.


    ¡®From what I heard at dinner last night there were several old taverns and temples on the second floor. This was likely where the food and alcohol was stored before it was transferred up.¡¯


    Much to Hambel¡¯s disappointment all the alcohol was long gone, either drank long ago or the barrels broken. Most likely by goblins.


    Arthur during this delve into the fortress killed another ten goblins giving him 500 Exp.


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 5


    Exp : 1450


    Next Level at : 2000


    Mana : 7/7


    \- - - - - -/


    During this time Arthur also noticed the changes adding five points in dexterity did.


    ¡®My strikes are cleaner and I think I used less stamina than before. It might not have been much but now but in the future that might be a good investment if I want to continue developing my skill with the longsword.¡¯


    During dinner Arthur asked Cassia about what he should put his points into.


    ¡°Hey Cassia.¡±


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    ¡°Yes Arthur?¡±


    ¡°I want your advice on what I should invest my points into.¡±


    ¡°Well that depends. What level are you currently at?¡±


    ¡°Level five.¡±


    ¡°Level 5 already?¡± Cassia looked at Arthur as if he grew another head. ¡°How? It should have taken you more than twice the amount of time than what you are telling me.¡±


    ¡°Remember my passive skills?¡±


    ¡°Yes.


    ¡°One of those skills is called Advanced Learning.¡±


    ¡°Oh right. I forgot that you gain double the exp as everyone else.¡± Cassia was silent for a while before she turned to Arthur with an inquisitive look on her face. ¡°What do you wish to learn more of in your future?¡±


    ¡°Well I think magic is really cool so I would like to learn more about that.¡±


    ¡°Any specific types of magic or just magic as a whole?¡±


    ¡°I would say magic as a whole.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Cassia wrote something down on a piece of paper that Arthur somehow hadn''t noticed. ¡°What about your training with the longsword? Is that just a temporary crutch until you learn enough about magic or do you wish to continue training with it?¡±


    ¡°Well I enjoy the feeling of swinging it and I enjoy training with Hambel so I expect to continue training.¡±


    ¡°Not the worst decision, most mages have a bit of skill with a weapon aside from magic. Typically either a dagger or a mace but a sword can work too.¡± Cassia wrote down more on the paper. Arthur assumed it was most likely just his answers. ¡°And what about your armour?¡±


    ¡°My armour? What about it?¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to continue wearing armour even after learning magic that can protect you from physical and magical harm?¡±


    ¡°Well truth be told when I take the armour off I feel very exposed. I know the armour won''t protect me from everything but I know it will do its best. So I think for the time being I will be keeping the armour.¡±


    Cassia wrote down more on the paper before she let out a sigh and put it down.


    ¡°Well Arthur, if your class wasn¡¯t that all knowing thing you most likely would have been either a spell blade or a mage knight.¡±


    ¡°What are spell blades and mage knights?¡± This was the first time Arthur had heard anything about other classes aside from his own, he didn¡¯t even know Hambel¡¯s or Cassia''s classes.


    ¡°A spell blade is an arcane spell caster that uses a bladed weapon with mostly self supporting spells to inflict large amounts of damage. Mage knights on the other hand are far more defensive focused, typically using shields along with a one handed weapon of their choice along with defensive magic.¡±


    Cassia gave Arthur a moment to think. ¡®So far I have been more of a spell blade than a mage knight but that is mostly due to not having any defensive magic at hand leaving attack as my best defence.¡¯


    ¡°As of right now I am more like a spell blade due mostly to not having any spells that can protect me. In the future that may change.¡±


    ¡°That''s alright, classes change for people all the time. When I was younger I was a farmer and had the class of farmer. Now I am a war mage.¡± Cassia beamed at the mention of her title.


    ¡°What is a war mage?¡± Arthur asked. ¡®There appears to be a large amount of mage related classes.¡¯


    Cassia smiled upon hearing Arthur¡¯s question. ¡°A war mage is a mage that specializes in offensive magic, and are most known for the massive destruction they can bring to a battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Just how powerful are their spells?¡±


    ¡°The most powerful war mages can use their most powerful spells to siege castles all by themselves without any other siege weaponry. I''m not at that level yet though, but perhaps someday I will be able to do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Those spells you spoke of must require large amounts of mana.¡±


    ¡°They do, but for now you don¡¯t need to worry about that. You should probably decide on what of the two classes you want to emulate.¡± Cassia changed the conversation so she didn¡¯t need to talk about those powerful spells.


    Only the most powerful empires and kingdoms share such information and they only do it to their most loyal mages. Also Cassia didn¡¯t know all that much about them as she didn¡¯t even have the mana pool to cast a half of one. Arthur of course noticed that Cassia changed the topic but simply assumed she had a good reason for not telling him more.


    ¡®Perhaps she signed a legal document with the kingdom everyone here talks about that prevents her from talking about it with those not affiliated with the kingdom.¡¯


    ¡°I suppose that for the time being I will be going down a path rather similar to that of a spell blade. I currently don¡¯t have the time or knowledge to learn any defensive spells.¡±


    ¡°An excellent choice then Arthur.¡± Cassia smiled knowing she is helping her friend make a very important choice. ¡°In that case the 5 primary attributes you will want to focus on are strength, dexterity, vitality, intellect, and arcane.¡±


    ¡°I know what the first four do, but what does arcane do?¡±


    ¡°Arcane is your body''s natural attunement to the arcane magical forces in the world allowing you to more easily focus and improve your magic power. It is something every mage wants to have high alongside intellect.¡±


    ********


    The following three weeks the expedition force slowly but surely secured floor after floor even claiming the fifteenth floor where Arthur found himself on that fateful day.


    ¡°So this is the hallway where you awoke in.¡± Aelia said to Arthur even though she didn¡¯t look at him.


    ¡°Yes. I was in the room at the very end of the hall.¡± Arthur pointed to the open door at the very end of the hallway. A sense of eerie dread filled the group as they walked down the hall. Arthur noticed that the skeleton that he crushed to death with the door was missing, in fact several if not most of the skeletons were missing which Arthur pointed out to the rest of the group.


    ¡°What do you think it means, Aelia?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Goblins usually don¡¯t use bones for anything other than trophies but this obviously isn¡¯t that.¡±


    The group remained on edge for the rest of their trip and when they retired they reported their findings with Lyra and her second in command Citro. Although they did express worry and informed their superiors about it, but untimely they needed to continue on.


    This coupled with the fact that the goblins were getting stronger and better equipped was making things longer and far more dangerous for the expedition.


    Another two weeks passed and while on the twentieth floor a group that was dispatched in the northernmost hallway came back with big news. They had discovered a cavern full of plant life.


    According to what the group said there was a forest of mushrooms that were the size of trees and fungus that was like grass. But the most important of their discoveries and the most worrying was that several patrols of armed goblins that were seen moving around wearing bone and leather armour.

 Chapter 15

    Lyra sat at the head of a table with each of the team leaders. They were having a meeting to discuss the findings in the cavern. With such little left to explore it was time that they shared the plan to mitigate any danger that could befall the expedition and its members.


    ¡°Does everyone understand the purpose of this meeting?¡± Lyra saw everyone nodding their heads.


    ¡°Good, today we will be covering the new changes to the team structure starting today.¡± Lyra said as Citro handed everyone a piece of paper that had all the details in a simplified way.


    ¡°First from now on teams will work in pairs to mitigate the danger from these better equipped goblins. Second, if anyone identifies any enemies or locations of strategic value or importance you will retreat and share your findings with us so we can make a proper offensive. Third, if you see a demon, do not engage under any circumstances. Although the likelihood of a demon leading these goblins is low they still are some of the most dangerous and most unpredictable beings known to the world. Are there any questions?¡±


    Seeing as there were no questions Lyra said. ¡°Then you are dismissed.¡±


    *********


    ¡®The gods hate me.¡¯ Arthur avoided eye contact with the other team that he was assigned to work with. ¡®Of all the groups it had to be the one with him in it.¡¯ Arthur was of course referring to Saturio Quintilius, the very unlikeable individual who decided to challenge Arthur to a duel that ended in a draw.


    Both Saturio and Aelia were talking a few meters away from their respective groups. Soon they called over everyone and began to explain the situation.


    ¡°Today we are going to explore the eastern part of this level.¡± Aelia shouted so that everyone could hear.


    ¡°Remember to stay with the group as these caverns are very large and unexplored. If you get lost it will be on you to find a way out.¡±


    Soon the new larger team had all of their stuff ready and they headed out into the deep dark caverns.


    For several hours the group marched through the dark caverns only illuminated by their torch light and the various bioluminescent fungi that lived down there. There were several goblin patrols that the group encountered, but the goblins were almost always outnumbered and had far inferior equipment. Their armour was always made of either bone or poor leather, only their weapons were made of any type of metal with even those being at best shoddy iron.


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    Since most of the fights happened very quickly Arthur could only contribute by using his hydromancy magic. Since he had reached level ten in the skill he had been able to generate water, that combined with his increased mana pool from his thirty intellect and his reaction speed from his thirty dexterity Arthur was quite dangerous from a distance.


    Arthur managed to kill a total of five goblins and wounded several others that were swiftly killed by whoever was closest.


    ********


    Several days pass with Arthur killing ten more goblins during this set up, and a large portion of the cavern system has been mapped and cleared of many of the dangers that were located there. Several cave trolls had been tamed by a few bands of goblins that were swiftly slain. Trolls are tall humanoids that are on average ten feet tall and possess intelligence similar to a three year old human child. Typically the cave variants have grey skin compared to the regional colours of the above ground trolls that range from a chestnut brown to a smoke white.


    Arthur¡¯s group encountered one of them, while everyone else fought against the goblins who controlled the beast Saturio and Aelia fought against it using their teamwork and their skills to kill it. They first went for the legs while the other distracted the troll bringing the head down to their level where they targeted the face, particularly the eyes.


    Soon the entire combative portion of the expedition had another announcement involving the situation in the caverns.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming on such short notice.¡± Lyra looked at the crowd that looked with annoyance and disinterest.


    ¡°I know you are all tired and want to return home soon, but we have one last hurdle before we can.¡± A few sighs could be heard as Lyra spoke and several others muttered under their breath.


    ¡°We have found two large concentrations of goblins that we suspect to be strong holds for goblin warlords.¡± The room went quiet after the revelation.


    A goblin warlord was the highest rank a goblin can achieve, just one rank below the demons that lead them.


    Although Arthur did not know this he could tell from everyone''s expressions that it was not a good thing.


    ¡°Since this discovery we have decided to form three larger groups from all the current groups so that we may be able to properly combat this force of darkness.¡± Lyra could see from everyone''s expressions that they were scared or at least a bit worried. ¡®As unfortunate as these circumstances are, we cannot back down now.¡¯ Lyra continued. ¡°The first two groups will be dispatched to face the goblin warlords and their armies, whereas the last group will wait behind to in the event of failure will be required to report to the kingdom what has happened so they can send a task force to stop them before it is too late.¡±

 Chapter 16

    Lyra looked to the crowd that albeit was silent, it was clearly anxious. ¡°Both Citro and I will be joining these two attack forces to help prevent any loss of life and deal with the warlords.¡±


    The crowd settled down at this statement, Lyra could even hear a few people say to their friends ¡°We¡¯ll be fine with them¡±.


    ¡°The two locations we believe the warlords are at are located at opposite sides of the cavern that we have explored. Both locations show signs of digging and we do not know how large their numbers are. So I expect you all to listen to your commander¡¯s every command as it will be in your best interest.¡±


    *********


    Arthur thought back to the day before as he marched with his teammates, he thought about Lyra¡¯s speech in particular and how both she and CItro will be taking the lead of a force each. Arthur looked up at Citro who was leading the team, only hoping that Citro was a competent commander and a skilled fighter.


    ¡®I would have preferred Lyra to be my commander but you can¡¯t always pick and choose what happens. Even then she went to the larger camp so she most likely wants to mitigate casualties by killing goblins before they kill anyone else.¡¯


    Arthur also thought back to Cassia telling him what a demon is. ¡°A demon is a creature that comes from deep underground. We don¡¯t really know how they get out but it usually involves evil gods that want to see large amounts of chaos destruction. There are three major categories for demons that define their major abilities. You first have the brutes, they are very powerful physical fighting machines that rely on their physical capabilities. Then you have the succubi/incubi, most of their danger comes from their illusion magic that they can use to alter the perception of their victims. And finally there are the warlocks, warlocks are powerful spell casters that use almost exclusively combat focused magic.


    Arthur sighed. ¡®Her description was quite... scripted and she probably doesn''t really know what they are like, I can only hope they don¡¯t encounter one of those things.¡¯


    After an hour of marching the team led by Citro arrived in close proximity to the camp of the second warlord. Everyone put out their torches or magic and hid amongst the large tree-like fungus to watch what the goblins were doing.


    They saw a group of goblins rush up to a taller goblin that wore the best armour that they could see. The armour was made of actual iron unlike those of his subordinates who at best had either bronze or copper based on the colour, even then most wore leather. Arthur could not tell at this distance.


    The group appeared to be telling their superior something important that clearly angered him that resulted in him stabbing his subordinate several times with his spear.


    The other goblins were clearly scared by this display of needless violence quivered in fear as the leader shouted commands to his subordinates. He yelled so loud that even Arthur could make out a few of his words even at such a distance. It was something along the lines of ¡°If you return to me without their dead bodies or die trying I will kill you very terribly¡±. It likely sounded far more intimidating in the goblins language.


    Seeing an opportunity to strike while the goblins'' morale was low, Citro spread word to the team leaders who in turn told the rest of their teams.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we will be getting a better opportunity than now.¡± Hambel whispered amongst the group.


    ¡°No, I don''t think we will.¡± Arthur felt it was a bit risky but it was their best shot to break the enemies chain of command before they could mount a proper defence.


    Within a few minutes the entire team was in position ready to attack. The first attack would be with everyone that was either an archer or a mage. They would all launch their strongest attack in a volley to deal a large amount of damage to the goblins visible and allow the melee fighters to get close without getting hit.


    Arthur was placed in the mage/archer group due to his hydromancy skill reaching level ten allowing him to conjure water from the moisture in the air or with just mana if he needed too.


    The mages and archers were up on a giant tree fungus to give them a clear line of sight to the goblins. Upon seeing a torch light up off to their right they all let loose their strongest attack. Arthur poured more than half of his mana into a water whip resulting in a large shard like form of water that sailed through the air. Unfortunately for Arthur his aim still needed work so instead of going through the skull of the highest ranking goblin he instead hit the right shoulder through a gap in the breastplate and the vambraces. The wound wasn¡¯t very deep thanks to the leather he wore underneath but it was enough to cause him to drop his weapon.


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    Several goblins were killed in the initial barrage and the ones who were either not targeted yet or wounded were demoralized. Without a formation they were unable to form a proper defence against the attack, and with the melee fighters joining the fray they stood no chance.


    The last to survive was the commander and with his wound and lack of a weapon Citro had no difficulty in beheading him with his short sword.


    The mages and the archers climbed down the fungus and regrouped with the rest of the team to enter what was likely the warlord''s wannabe throne room.


    Citro picked up the spear that the highest ranking goblin held. It was made of iron but it wasn¡¯t actually refined, more like it was formed out of raw iron ore. ¡®They must have a mage that is very skilled in geomancy to do something like this. I can only hope that the geomancer is not also the warlord.¡¯


    Citro noticed that someone had wounded the commander with magic and approached the mages and archers asking who did it. ¡°Excuse me, which one of you was it that wounded the goblins commander.¡±


    ¡°I did sir.¡± Arthur raised his hand as he walked up to Citro.


    Citro handed Arthur the spear of raw iron. ¡°Here take this, you earned it.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t use spears.¡±


    ¡°Then sell it or give it to someone else, it''s yours to do what you wish. You disabled the commander after all.¡±


    After a short rest outside the entrance of the cave and no goblin counter attack Citro rallied his platoon and entered the cave with them in tow. The cave was dark and only four people could stand side by side, resulting in a formation four people wide.


    Several people carried torches or used magic to illuminate their soundings as for some reason there were no light sources. There were a few of those glowing crystals that were in the rest of the fortress but these ones were dark, most likely they were out of whatever they used as a power source.


    After about two or three minutes of walking the platoon entered a large open room where they could spread out. They couldn¡¯t see most of the walls but they expected the goblin warlord to be somewhere nearby.


    The whole time Citro was remaining vigilant but so far he hadn''t seen anything. Suddenly the crystals on the walls all started glowing illuminating the entire room. Most of the room was empty but at the very end was a large obsidian black creature, the creature was roughly eight feet tall and had a very slim body bearing a resemblance to a stag with a cloak made from rock sediments that were layered like scales. The resemblance to stags was even more apparent with the head that also had two large antlers.


    As Arthur looked at the creature he could feel his body, mind and soul all in unison begging him to turn around and run away from that thing. ¡®Is that a demon? What sort of vile being released that thing down here.¡¯


    The rest of the platoon also felt the same fear, but their training allowed them to keep their resolve and focus. The demon quickly raised its hands and brought them together, this caused the entrance the platoon came from to be blocked off by the surrounding rock trapping everyone inside.


    ¡°Its a warlock!¡± Citro shouted, drawing his short sword and raising his shield. ¡°Mages and archers stay out of its line of sight, everyone else swarm it and don¡¯t give it a chance to use magic on us!¡±


    As if the demon could understand what Citro said it took a boulder and formed it into a large staff that it could swing with ease given its size.


    The fight itself was unlike anything Arthur had experienced at this point. He rushed behind a boulder while all the melee fighters ran towards the demon. They were led by Citro and the three leaders of each of the teams that formed the platoon, Aelia, Saturio, and a heavily armoured dwarf who wielded a warhammer. Behind them was everyone who had a shield who were followed by everyone else.


    The archers and mages including did their best to lend support but the demon used two floating shields made from stone it took from the walls of the room to protect itself and with every swing of its staff it knocked members of the platoon around, a few were not even getting back up. Arthur didn¡¯t know if it was because they were dead or if they were just knocked out.


    The situation wasn¡¯t looking good for the platoon but the demon wasn¡¯t doing all that well either. The mana cost to actively maintain two shields made of stone wasn¡¯t cheap, and needing to constantly move them around and repair them after they took damage made it only worse. Eventually it needed to stop using one of its shields, but at this point it had taken out a good third or so of the invaders so that shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. Right?


    That wouldn¡¯t have been all that much of a problem if Cito and the team leaders were not all still standing.


    When the mages and archers saw the demon drop a shield they launched a volley of attacks. The demon had to use its remaining shield to block all the attacks or it would suffer a lot of damage, it wouldn¡¯t outright kill it but it would have been long before it happened afterwards.


    Unfortunately the four leading the charge made sure to take the opportunity and strike as hard as they could. Although the demon did block both Aelia and the dwarf¡¯s attacks Citro and Saturio were each able to land a solid blow.

 Chapter 17

    The demon screeched in agony and swung around its empty hand and with its magic earth spikes erupted from the ground forcing both Citro and Saturio to back off. The demon noticed that its current strategy wasn¡¯t working all that well, so it opted to try something different.


    Since using a floating shield was a bit too mana expensive the demon decided to try another form of defence. A large amount of stone erupted from the ground and covered it from head to toe. At first it was very circular in shape but quickly it morphed into an improvised armour that from what the demon could tell did not hinder its movements in any way.


    With a sickening laugh the demon resumed its fight with the invaders this time putting them on the back foot. Although the armour wasn¡¯t all that thick and the mages and archers in the back of the formation were giving just about everything they had, the demon wasn¡¯t all that worried about it. With a bit of mana and some stone collected from the ground it could repair the damage.


    The fight wasn¡¯t going well and everyone knew it, so when he was sure no one was paying him attention Saturio quickly swallowed a pill. He could feel most of his wounds rapidly healing and he felt strength like he had never imagined.


    With a large smile on his face he pointed his spear towards the demon''s back and ran with all his might. His spear pierced through the armour and through a significant portion of the demon''s flesh. The demon shrieked louder than it had so far and swung its staff around wildly in an attempt to get Saturio off.


    The demon collapsed to the ground bleeding profusely and without the strength to fight any longer. ¡°Our victory is at hand!¡± Saturio shouted as he plunged his spear into the demon¡¯s skull.


    The remaining members of his team recognised the code words to begin their plan the moment the demon was killed and they all took pills similar to the one Saturio took moments earlier.


    Citro while he sheathed his short sword approached Saturio with the intention of congratulating him, but before he had an opportunity Saturio spun around and tried to stab Citro with his spear. It was a very close attack with Citro just barely blocking with his shield.


    ¡°I am sorry sir, but i''ll be taking the phylacterium.¡±


    The rest of Saturio¡¯s team joined in and struck at the people closest to them. Although they were outnumbered two or three to one and their opponents had ranged support their temporary physical capabilities gave them the edge to keep on fighting.


    While this happened Arthur noticed a strange ghostly blue energy flowing from the demon''s corpse into a strange small obelisk that was about a foot tall. On the sides were strange symbols that started glowing as the energy entered it.


    Arthur also was able to hear Saturio say something about a  phylacterium. ¡®Could that be the  phylacterium he spoke of. If it is, I need to get rid of it before he can use it for the scheme he came up with.¡¯


    Arthur ran along the side of the wall away from only of the fights happening but as he was halfway passed the fight Citro, Aelia and the dwarf were fighting in Saturio saw him and shouted. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Saturio attempted to run after Arthur but Citro bashed him in the face with his shield. ¡°You might want to focus on the fight in front of you first.¡±


    Arthur raced to the small obelisk and picked it up. By this point the ghastly blue energy stopped flowing from the demon. As Arthur held it in his hands he could feel the energy in it wanting to go somewhere, Arthur not knowing what else to do put a bit of mana into the obelisk to see if it would do anything.


    The energy now displaced and with only one nearby place to go rushed into Arthur the same way it did from the demon to the obelisk in the first place. At first he felt energised and shortly after he could feel new information entering his mind.


    This was the demon''s soul he was absorbing and its knowledge with it. Not all of the information, some was lost in the transfer but enough to give someone with no experience in a subject very good skill in it as if they had been practicing for quite some time.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 2000 Exp


    Level up


    + Geomancy Level 17


    + Polearms Level 12


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    + Wrestling Level 20


    + Unarmed Level 23


    + Leadership Level 5


    + Mana manipulation Level 21


    \- - - - - -/


    Subjects Arthur had no past experience with felt so trivial to, he could command the earth around him and the mana within him to do things he couldn¡¯t have without much more experience. He had a very good understanding of how to use his body on its own to take down and if necessary kill his opponents.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Saturio shouted as he punched the dwarf blocking him in the face with a loud crunch. The dwarf fell to the ground and rolled away, dropping his weapon as he did, not the best option but the only one he could afford.


    Saturio raced towards Arthur intending to kill him in the most brutal way he could imagine. ¡®What am I meant to tell lady Alkonost when I return. Some fool took the demon''s soul before I was able to, resulting in a waste of the Order''s resources and time. I must at the bare minimum kill the bastard who interfered and perhaps she will grant me mercy.¡¯


    For half a second time appeared too slow for Arthur, giving him enough time to formulate a very simple plan. Arthur raised a simple stone wall blocking Saturio, although in his rage he would likely simply smash right through it, but this still gave Arthur an opportunity.


    Saturio saw Arthur raise his left hand and with it a stone wall. Using his temporary strength and his spear he pierced through the wall and smashed through with his left shoulder. On the other side however Arthur had prepared a simple trap.


    With the wall Arthur was able to move in close to Saturio where his spear would become more of a hindrance than anything else, and with the wrestling skill he obtained from the demons soul he grabbed him by his arm and got a hold of the top bit of his leather cuirass and pulled him forward while he left his right leg out. Saturio, practically with no knowledge in hand to hand combat, did not know what Arthur was doing until his feet had left the ground and he was upside down while in midair.


    Saturio hit the ground with an umph and Arthur wasted no time and formed a crude dagger that was more like a spike with a handle. Arthur at Saturio¡¯s head plunged the dagger into his stomach piercing through the leather armour. Of course with the effects of the pill Saturio swallowed he bore through the pain and attempted to remove the dagger while Arthur kept it pressed into his stomach.


    ¡°You think -gasp- this will -gasp- kill me!¡± Saturio forced the dagger out of his chest even with the unfavorable conditions.


    ¡°No, but this will.¡± Since Saturio was not a mage he didn¡¯t really know how magic worked.


    But suddenly Saturio felt a small prick in his back, it wasn¡¯t all that painful but it was quite distracting. But it did not remain a prick and soon he could feel it moving upwards through his back. Soon the pain became unbearable and Saturio screamed out all let go of the dagger. Whatever it was that was moving through his body had started accelerating and he felt it pick up quite a bit of speed before it slowed again, he wouldn¡¯t have found it very important if it hadn''t left him unable to breathe.


    ¡®My lungs! He pierced through my lungs!¡¯


    Arthur had used his newfound geomancy knowledge to turn some of the stone under Saturio into a spike that slowly pierced through his body. Saturio now gasped for air that could not remain in his lungs leading to a slow and agonising death.


    Arthur fell to his knees and breathed heavily as he watched as Saturio flailed his arms around in a desperate attempt to live. Arthur saw that his adversary could not breath and although he did not know why he did know that breathing was very important.


    ¡°Fuck - You - Traitor!¡± Arthur shouted at Saturio with deep breaths between each word. Suddenly Arthur felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Citro. Citro went to his knees matching Arthur in height.


    ¡°You did well kid. I''m not entirely sure how or what you did but you did it well.¡±


    ¡°Kid? You aren¡¯t much older than I am.¡± Arthur was a little insulted by that.


    ¡°I am at least 5 years older than you, that gives me the right to call you a kid.¡± Citro chuckled. ¡°The rest of this fuckers allies who didn¡¯t fall while we fought the demon are now in several pieces thanks to your diversion. I will be sure to include your contributions in my report.¡±


    Arthur looked to the many corpses that now littered the room, many came not from the demon but other humans for reasons unknown to him.


    ¡°Who- who survived?¡± Arthur felt himself become shaky as the adrenaline wore off.


    ¡°Most of your team survived the fight with the traitors.¡±


    ¡°Most survived?¡± Arthur felt a lump in his throat as he worried about who survived.


    ¡°The dwarf, Hambel died protecting your friend Cassia from one of the traitors. He took a blade to the throat for her.¡±


    Arthur was silent. ¡®Hambel died. But I didn¡¯t get a chance to say goodbye.¡¯


    Citro saw Arthurs blank face and simply assumed he was too far in shock to think properly and called over a mage that was skilled in restoration magic.


    Arthur had suffered quite a bit more damage than even he had noticed. His wrists were crushed a bit by Saturio¡¯s strength when he attempted to keep the dagger out of his chest. He had also lightly fractured his leg when he tripped Saturio, it may have looked like a clean sweep but in reality the speed Saturio went when his leg collided with Arthurs was what caused the situation that killed him.


    Even with the mage doing her best to heal Arthur it would still take a few days to fully heal from all the damage, without magic Arthur would have likely been bedridden for three or four weeks. Cassia was always by his side for his recovery and even ate with him in his own tent that he was given after they returned to the camp.

 Chapter 18

    Arthur laid in the bed he was given alongside the tent as he recovered. The mage that treated him came back every day at about noon to check on his condition. Arthur learned that her name was Junia.


    Junia¡¯s was at the conjurer level of restoration which was also where most of her magical talent lie. Thanks to her regular treatments Arthur¡¯s fractured leg would only take about four days to heal instead of the usual four weeks.


    While Arthur waited for his wounds to heal he continued practicing magic. He discovered how to conjure earth with his geomancy so he didn¡¯t need to use any actual dirt to practice anymore.


    He also discovered how to use geomancy to create armour like he saw the demon do, to a certain extent. He couldn¡¯t cover his whole body but he could easily cover both of his arms up to his elbows or any other part of him with a similar surface area.


    Arthur would mess around with the stone gauntlets he made for himself, changing the design from something more like a smith would make with metal to something that resembled scales in a beautiful layered pattern. While he did this he would also use his hydromancy to form large spheres of water that would have thin rings rotate around them. With his increase in mana manipulation he found it far easier and mana effective to do.


    Although Arthur¡¯s physical condition was improving his mental condition was not quite the same. Hambel¡¯s death was not something he had ever expected and when he saw his corpse it did nothing to help. Hambel was covered in wounds and had a large gash in his neck where he was stabbed with a sword.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t deserve that.¡¯ Arthur would think to himself.


    On the fifth day after the betrayal at the hands of Saturio and his crew Arthur was declared by Junia to be fit enough to resume active duty. Although Arthur technically wasn¡¯t a soldier it still applied to him given the circumstances and the fact that half of the expedition were mercenaries employed through the mercenaries guild.


    Junia also was instructed to give Arthur a letter from Lyra the moment he was fully healed. The letter told Arthur to go to Lyra¡¯s tent as he was due a reward for his act of heroism and bravery.


    Arthur immediately walked over to her tent and pushed aside the curtain. Citro was by the flap and excused himself to tell Lyra he had arrived. A minute later Citro returned and said Lyra was waiting inside.


    When Arthur entered the main room of the tent it looked a little bit different than it had before. Most of the furniture was off to the sides including the table where the projection of the old man came from weeks before.


    ¡°Thank you for coming so quickly Arthur.¡± Lyra smiled, although Arthur could see a touch of sadness in his expression.


    ¡°I came as soon as I could.¡±


    ¡°Well that is good because I think you should know how you will be rewarded by the kingdom.¡± Lyra continued as she took out a piece of paper. ¡°The kingdom likes to give these magic infused slips of paper that the owner takes to one of the royal treasuries to receive their rewards in a safe and secure way. There were some problems in the past when the rewards of noteworthy individuals was public knowledge.¡±


    ¡°So what exactly will I be receiving?¡± Arthur was thankful that he wouldn¡¯t be robbed as soon as he received his rewards but he was still thinking about Hambel.


    ¡°Well for starters you will receive a lot of money for stopping a traitor from either using the obelisk to empower himself or enslaving the demon. You will also most likely receive a recommendation for both the mages and the mercenaries guilds for your display of martial and magical prowess.¡±


    ¡°What do the recommendations do?¡±


    ¡°A recommendation will allow you to skip a significant portion of the waitlist to take the exam to join.¡± Lyra saw a bit of disappointment in Arthur¡¯s eyes as she spoke. ¡°It could take weeks normally to have an exam be scheduled and I don¡¯t think you would want to wait so long for the benefits that you would receive along with membership.¡±


    ¡°What are these benefits?¡± Arthur was a bit more interested now.


    ¡°It basically boils down to specialized training and knowledge that you wouldn¡¯t otherwise have access to unless you were given it as a reward from the kingdom for your service. There are also ways to earn money while being a part of the guilds, the mercenaries guild is the more obvious one of the two.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Arthur thought about the rewards we would be receiving. ¡®Worst case scenario I would need to wait to join the two guilds, with the money I will be getting I would be able to survive for a while.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you Lyra for your help, now I''ll take my leave. I don¡¯t want to take up your whole day now.¡± Arthur stood up to leave.


    ¡°Actually there is one more thing, something from me instead of the kingdom.¡± Lyra reached down under the table and brought up a satchel made of leather. It was a well made bag with a nice strap to carry over one''s shoulder and a nice size to carry a little extra without taking up too much space.


    ¡°This right here is a dimensional bag. It was a gift from my father when I turned 40, and now I want to give it to you.¡±


    Arthur was a bit surprised by Lyra¡¯s willingness to give away something from her father and she definitely noticed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t used this in years. Not since I bought a better one from a powerful enchanter in the mages guild.¡±


    With great reluctance Arthur took the dimensional bag. ¡°Thank you, I just have one question though. How do I use it?¡±


    ¡°Oh it''s quite simple, all you need to do to store something is to place it inside. To retrieve it you need to think of it in clear detail and reach inside and if you recall it correctly you will find it. Also if you forget too much about its appearance or forget all that you have in there if you turn it inside out everything will be expelled.¡±


    ¡®I keep forgetting he doesn¡¯t know all this stuff, heck even most commoners don¡¯t know anything about magic items.¡¯


    ******


    Since all of the fortress had been explored and a proper safe zone had been established in the caverns the expedition had been given clearance to return to the opening of the tunnel and wait for the military to come and take over from there. Apparently the kingdom was interested in settling the fortress and using the caverns to produce large amounts of food.


    It would also add a new city that could easily become a new trading hub and some other economic terms that Arthur didn¡¯t really understand. Cassia told Arthur that essentially whoever oversaw the region would need to actively try to sabotage it to produce poor results.


    ¡®Perhaps one day I will return and see how things have progressed.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as the expedition force walked upwards over the course of several hours.


    The dead were brought up with carts used by the laborer''s.


    When they reached the mouth of the tunnel Arthur was able to see for the first time what the outside world looked like. He saw valleys of beautiful green from a plant on the ground that he learned was called grass to the trees that to his surprise had a few variants that had different coloured trunks, looking nothing like the mushrooms he saw in the caverns.


    The opening of the tunnel was on a large cliff face that had a large portion of land with an equally wide slope where everyone could squeeze their tents onto if they really needed to. Arthur pitched his tent close to the edge and spent the rest of his day practicing magic while looking down at the fields and valleys below him, until it was time to make dinner with Theo.


    Only two days later Arthur, who was one of the few people looking over the edge, saw a large group of people marching towards their location which he promptly informed Citro who then informed Lyra. It was two full platoons of military personnel numbering about one hundred who came to keep the fortress safe from anyone who wished to take it for themselves.


    The man leading the platoons was a human that looked to be in his mid thirties by the name of Philto Sorio. Philto wore a full set of plate armour with a layer of chainmail underneath, he wielded a large halberd and instead of wearing a helmet he had a deep blue hood. According to Cassia who Arthur asked, Philto Sorio was a battle mage with several victories against the Yolan empire under his belt.


    A battle mage according to Cassia was a mage that specializes in a wider variety of magic than most other mages and typically use either a mace or a polearm such as a spear or halberd as a melee weapon.


    After a short meeting with Lyra in her tent only lasting a few minutes Philto left with a few maps in his left hand and ordered his troops to follow him inside the tunnel and into the fortress.


    After this the expedition packed up their belongings and began a march back to the capital city of the Rathen kingdom, Antium.


    The trip took six and a half days and passed through several small farming villages that were no larger than one hundred people each. When they had finally reached the Antium it was already past midday and was getting quite close to dinner time so Lyra had the entire expedition wait in one of the larger taverns more to the center of the city while she and Citro went to report their return.


    A few people bought a few mugs of whatever alcohol was being served but not many were in the mood to buy any food. They simply wanted to be paid what they were owed by the crown and to sleep. What felt like hours for all but a few Citro returned.


    ¡°Lyra is still with the clerk at the guild so you all should hurry up and collect your rewards.¡±


    The group followed Citro the the branch of the mercenaries guild where Lyra was waiting with a dwarven clerk who handed out the money everyone was owed. Lyra ended up pulling Arthur aside.


    ¡°Since you are technically not a part of the guild and didn¡¯t take the job through it you will be paid by the crown itself at one of their treasuries.¡±


    ¡°Well where is the nearest one?¡±


    ¡°The closest one is actually near the center of the city and since you don¡¯t really know your way around just yet I will take you there.¡±

 Chapter 19

    Arthur followed Lyra for several minutes to the royal treasury located within the inner city. The inner city was surrounded by its own defensive wall that had only two entrances on its northern and southern sides. The outer wall on the other hand went around the entire city and had an entrance on its northern, western, southern, and eastern sides. The only buildings that were within the inner city were those related to the kingdom itself.


    Thankfully the treasury wasn¡¯t all that far, only a few buildings down on the left side from the southern entrance. But as Lyra led him close she pulled him aside.


    ¡°Take this.¡± Lyra handed Arthur a piece of paper that looked quite expensive, it even had a seal on it. ¡°It identifies you as Arthur of Dom Badaher and will allow you to prove your identity. Also Dom Badaher was the dwarven city we just cleared of goblins.¡±


    ¡°So I just show this to someone working there and-¡±


    ¡°You show it to one of the clerks at the front desks and they will have you wait for a bit before they set up a small room with what you were granted by the crown in either one or more locked chests depending on what exactly you are owed, and you take the valuables with you.¡±


    ¡°That is more or less easy enough. Thank you again Lyra for your help.¡±


    ¡°No need Arthur, I am simply doing my job.¡± Lyra smiled. ¡®Now I just hope you will stay with the kingdom as opposed to joining the empire.¡¯


    Arthur quickly walked to the treasury and entered. Upon entering he saw a nickel designed lobby that was made up of a white stone that reminded Arthur of gemstones a bit. The room was cut in half by twenty or so desks with walls on both sides where clerks sat waiting to help those with business. Perhaps due to the time of day or a lack of need only about a quarter of the desks had clerks.


    Arthur walked up to the closest clerk and brought out his proof of identity.


    ¡°Do you have business with the royal treasury?¡± The clerk was a human female in her mid twenties with dirty blond hair and a blue and white uniform that was identical to the other clerks.


    ¡°I am Arthur of Dom Badaher, and apparently I have something here for me.¡± Arthur handed the clerk the paper. She looked it over before placing it over a deep blue sphere that glowed and scanned the document. Clearly it passed what test she put it through as it then displayed some words that were backwards for Arthur before the woman spoke again.


    ¡°Yes, please take a seat, you will be called over in a few minutes to be taken to a secure room to retrieve your valuables.¡±


    Arthur took a seat on one of the benches made of the same material as the rest of the building. After a couple of minutes another person, a human female in what Arthur would say was in her early twenties wearing a shabby greenish cloak and carrying an old wooden staff. She was soon directed to take a seat. She took one a few meters away from Arthur.


    Arthur suspected that she was a mage, probably a part of the mages guild.


    ¡®Maybe she could tell me what the mages guild is like, I am considering joining it after all.¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me miss.¡± Arthur took a seat much closer to the young woman. ¡°I wanted to ask you if you are a part of  the mages guild.¡±


    ¡°I am. Why do you ask?¡± Arthur could see the woman was a bit suspicious of him and her grip tightened on her staff.


    ¡°I am considering joining and I wanted to know what it has to offer.¡± Arthur sat back a bit to try and ease the tension.


    The woman looked him up and down before she spoke again. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a mage, if you don¡¯t have any skill in magic they will absolutely not let you join.¡±


    ¡°Well despite my appearance I am skilled in both geomancy and hydromancy.¡± Arthur raised his hands and gave her a small display of his magic skill. First he conjured a small amount of stone that he used to form gauntlets that with his recent practice reached down to his elbows, and a large sphere of water that he made two rings also of water spin around it.


    ¡°Would you say I have a chance of acceptance?¡± Arthur smugly asked the woman.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t entirely out of the realm of possibility. If you can use those in applications other than that such as combat I think you could pass.¡± The women looked a little less tense now.


    ¡°Now why don¡¯t we move back to what the guild offers its members.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Well¡­ are you familiar with the magic types outside of the 4 evocations?¡±


    ¡°The four evocations? What are those?¡± Arthur hadn''t heard of these evocations before.


    ¡°The 4 evocations is the term used by some of the higher ranking mages to refer to pyromancy, hydromancy, geomancy and aeromancy. When you join the guild you will be able to find teachers who will teach you magic aside from the 4 far easier than you would otherwise. You can also get certified for jobs related to magic such as healers or enchanters.¡±


    ¡°I definitely am interested in learning healing magic and it would be nice to be able to earn a bit of money from that.¡±


    ¡°Restoration magic is a bit more complex than that, but yes it is a highly sought after job. If you catch the eye of a powerful mage you can also become an apprentice and learn directly from them. You will of course need to perform some tasks for them every so often to prove you are still worthy but for most it is an excellent opportunity.¡±


    Arthur and the woman whose name he learned was Calavia spoke about the mages guild for a few more minutes before one of the employees called to Arthur.


    ¡°Arthur of Dom Badaher!¡±


    ¡°That would be me!¡± Arthur stood up and walked to the employee.


    ¡°Please come with me.¡± The employee turned to lead Arthur to a secure room. Arthur quickly turned and waved goodbye to Calavia who also waved back.


    The employee led Arthur down a few flights of stairs, taking him underground.


    ¡®It would be a lot harder to break in here or break out than anywhere above ground. They can also save on space.¡¯


    Soon the employee opened a door in a hallway and directed Arthur to enter. When he did the door closed behind him leaving him in a room with a chair and table and a well made chest made from wood and decorated with a greyish metal. Arthur opened the chest and found a few things waiting for him.


    Two bags of coins, each containing about one hundred or so. The coins were made of silver and were about a bit larger than a grape, a necklace made from silver with a small blue gem that lightly glowed and three pieces of paper. The first pieces of paper were recommendations to both the mages and mercenaries guilds signed by a Demiphones Vettonius, the final piece of paper was a letter from Demiphones Vettonius to Arthur regarding what happened in Dom Badaher.


    ¡°To Arthur of Dom Badaher


    First I would like to thank you for participating in the expedition, you had no reason to do so and we could not force you to either.


    The necklace is a gift from me, my daughter spoke highly of you and your contributions to stopping the traitor Saturio Quintilius from getting his hands on the phylacterium containing the demon warlock¡¯s soul. I will overlook the fact that you took it yourself due to the circumstances and that you appear to have no affiliation with the Yolan empire.


    The necklace is enchanted with a constant effect of the comprehend language spell, as long as you wear it you will be able to understand and speak to anyone who knows any one language.


    With regards


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Demiphones Vettonius</li>


    </ul>


    Arthur immediately took the necklace and tried it on. When it was around his neck he felt a bit of his mana flow into the necklace. The amount was very little,  just some of the mana naturally drawn to him as all living beings do, so there was no drain to his mana.


    ¡®I should ask Lyra about how exactly this works.¡¯ Arthur tucked the necklace under his clothes and armour. It wasn¡¯t that big so Arthur barely felt it.


    Arthur placed the money and his papers in his dimensional bag and left the room. On the way out of the building he told the employee that he was done with the room. Unfortunately he did not see Calavia when he was leaving.


    ¡®She must be getting her reward right now. I''ll see her again when I join the mages guild.¡¯ Arthur exited the treasury and saw Lyra still waiting for him outside. Lyra at the moment was talking to a human male about thirty years old wearing clothes quite similar to hers.


    Lyra noticed Arthur leaving the building and waved him over.


    ¡°There you are Arthur. This is my brother Lycus.¡±


    ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you Arthur.¡± Lycus reached his hand out to shake Arthurs.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you as well, Lycus.¡± Arthur was a little confused as to how an elf and human could be siblings. ¡®One of them must have been adopted.¡¯


    ¡°I heard you fought against that traitor in Dom Badaher and even won despite the alchemical drug in his system that boosted his physical capabilities. I hear the royal alchemists are still studying the few he and his allies had on them.¡±


    ¡°Lycus! Stop talking about classified information in public!¡± Lyra was quick to berate her brother for talking about such matters without any care.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone around here who can hear us.¡±


    ¡°They could be invisible, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°No, there are no people around here. Visible or otherwise.¡± Lycus refuted.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Arthur asked.


    A small smile formed on Lycus¡¯s face. ¡°Why with magic of course.¡±


    With Lycus facing him he could now see that his eyes had a light pink glow in them.


    ¡®That must be a spell that allows him to see invisible stuff.¡¯


    ¡°How does that spell work? Does it make invisible things visible?¡±


    ¡°No, it adds a bright pink outline to all living things within a certain radius based on the user''s skill.¡±


    ¡°So would the undead be left undetected by it?¡±


    Lycus was a bit surprised by that question. ¡°Well- I- Thats-¡± Lycus quickly casted a spell that detects undead and looked around. He didn¡¯t see anything but Arthur did make a good point.

 Chapter 20

    ¡°No, I don''t see any invisible undead, but that is an excellent point you made Arthur. I will begin creating a spell that detects the living and undead the moment I can.¡± Lycus smiled and shook Arthur¡¯s hand. ¡°I will be sure to give you credit for coming up with the idea.¡±


    ¡°You could solve the issue at its roots by not speaking of classified information in public.¡± Lyra wasn¡¯t all that keen to let the behavior that Lycus displayed slide.


    ¡°Why does everyone always bother me about that? I took all the necessary precautions!¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to if you kept your mouth shut!¡±


    The argument between the siblings was getting louder and even the few people who were walking past were starting to look at the commotion.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take this somewhere private where you two can scream your lungs out to your heart''s content.¡± Arthur attempted to defuse the situation and was met with some success.


    ¡°Fine but when we return home I am telling father about this.¡± Lyra got the last hit in clearly annoying Lycus. ¡°Now why don¡¯t we get something to eat, it''s about dinner time now.¡± Lyra''s suggestion was agreed upon by everyone and they made their way to the tavern that the mercenaries in the expedition waited in earlier.


    The tavern had a sign outside the door that read: The Free Parrot Bar. Underneath were the words: Parrots drink for free.


    ¡®What is a parrot?¡¯ Arthur had not heard of that word before. ¡®Is it a civilized species that aren''t all that numerous around here. That must be the case because why else would they drink for free, there must not be all that many around here making it not all that expensive and something they can offer.¡¯


    The three sat at one of the empty tables and soon a waitress walked over and gave each of them a menu. Arthur looked at the options that were listed along with their respective prices. There were ten options in total on the ¡°dinner menu¡± but one stuck out to Arthur.


    ¡°What is a burrito?¡± Arthur looked to Lyra and Lycus for their input.


    ¡°You want a burrito? They are quite good here.¡± Lycus smiled at Arthur''s choice. Burritos were something he also liked eating.


    ¡°A burrito is basically food wrapped around in a bread thing that most people I know call a wrap. They can have all sorts of things on them, but I find the ones with rice and chicken are the best.¡±


    ¡°Well in that case I think I will be having the rice and chicken burrito.¡± Arthur thought it sounded quite good and it wasn¡¯t all that expensive, only three copper pieces each.


    Lyra chose to have a tomato soup and Lycus chose a spicy burrito that had beef and rice instead of chicken.


    After about ten or so minutes their food arrived and Lycus paid the waitress and gave her a little extra in what he called a ¡°tip¡±. It wasn¡¯t much, just an extra silver piece but the woman was quite happy, so much so that she gave him a small bow before she left.


    The food was quite good, it made the soup that was eaten while Arthur was a part of the expedition taste like dirt. ¡®I am definitely eating here tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that¡­¡¯


    ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    ¡°Incredible.¡± Arthur said between mouthfuls of his burrito.


    ¡°That much is clear by how fast you are eating.¡± Lyra chuckled at Arthur eating like this was his first time eating.


    When all the three had all finished their food Lyra and Lycus waved goodbye to Arthur. Arthur ended up renting a room for the night from the front desk where an older human man was sitting. The room itself wasn¡¯t all that much to write home about, only costing ten copper pieces which Arthur needed to break a silver piece to pay for which are worth twenty copper pieces, leaving Arthur with ten copper pieces in change.


    The room had a nice bed (nice compared to the one he had during the expedition), a dresser, and a chest at the end of the bed to place his things in. The door thankfully had a lock mechanism that locked the door from the inside of the room so Arthur wouldn¡¯t need to worry about anyone picking the lock.


    There was also a window overlooking a small area that had a few rocks and some plants growing in. It wasn¡¯t large enough to be called a field but it was larger than he would have expected in a city. ¡®One would think that there would be something built there to take advantage of the high traffic area. Perhaps it''s simply not a priority for them, or they like nature.¡¯


    Arthur didn¡¯t spend much more time thinking about why a piece of land was left empty, his only thoughts were on what his plan was for tomorrow.


    ¡®I think after breakfast I will go to the mages guild branch here and see if I can join and if I have time I will see if I can join the mercenaries guild as well. I also have a few points left to distribute.¡¯


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    /- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 10


    Exp : 7800


    Next Level at : 8000


    Mana : 30/30


    Class : The All Knowing


    Class Bonuses :


    Advanced Learning


    Photographic memory


    Jack of All Trades


    Attributes :


    Strength 15


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 15


    Intellect 30


    Perception 10


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 20


    Faith 10 (Locked)


    Devotion 10 (Locked)


    Available points : 20


    Skills :


    Block Level 9


    Long Blades Level 10


    Polearms Level 12


    Unarmed Level 23


    Wrestling Level 20


    Heavy Armour 7


    Throwing Level 0


    Mana Manipulation Level 21


    Hydromancy Level 10


    Geomancy Level 17


    Tactics - Level 5


    Leadership Level 5


    Sneaking Level 1


    Assassination Level 0


    Running Level 3


    Scavenging Level 0


    Cooking Level 6


    \- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/


    ¡®Twenty points, now what should I spend them on.¡¯ Arthur took a moment to look over his stats and how things would have played out when he fought Saturio if he had them there..


    ¡®With higher constitution I wouldn''t have been hurt so much when he ended up crushing my arms or when I tried to trip him. I don¡¯t think it would be a poor investment even if in the future I use magic more than martial weapons.¡¯


    /- - - - - -\


    Constitution 30


    Available points :5


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®Now what to do with these last five. Charisma is a definite no right now, I don¡¯t need to convince people of anything or get discounts with my current savings. That leaves strength, vitality, perception, and arcane.¡¯


    If Arthur could have all four he most definitely would have taken them all but unfortunately consuming a demon soul only gave him two thousand exp. It was still a very large number compared to the measly fifty he got from a single goblin, but Arthur would have liked more.


    ¡®As far as I can tell perception would be useful regardless if I use magic or martial weapons, I will be more accurate than before. I could have even killed that goblin commander instead of just wounding him.¡¯


    Arthur went ahead with his decision and placed the last five points into perception.


    /- - - - - -\


    Perception 15


    Available points :0


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur took out the raw iron spear that Citro had given him for quickly disarming the goblin commander and took a seat on the bed. ¡®Should I use a spear instead of a longsword? My current polearms skill is higher than my long blade skill. Spears also have the advantage in reach and are far easier to use compared to a sword, they are probably the most effective weapon in the history of war because of how simple they are to use and how easy it is to teach. But the sword I have is of much higher quality than the spear, if I wanted to match it I would need to either buy one or learn to make one myself.¡¯


    Arthur laid back into the bed resting his head on a pillow. ¡®I don¡¯t have the time to learn to make one for now since I am learning magic, so I would need to buy one. But that leads to the problem of where to buy it and how much would it even cost. For the time being I will just use the longsword and if I find something better I will inquire about its price.¡¯


    Arthur returned the spear to his dimensional bag and tried to get comfortable in the bed while he still wore his armour. Strangely enough Arthu had somewhat gotten used to wearing his armour while he slept, he would curl up like an armadillo with its protective shell keeping it safe from any threats that would try and strike while it slept, although Arthur did not know what an armadillo was.


    The next morning Arthur woke up and looked out the window, he still had about four ¡®hours¡¯ before it would be noon. Cassia taught Arthur about things like how to tell the time of the day based only on the sun and how there were twelve months and each month had twenty eight days. He quickly made his way downstairs to have something to eat and found that the breakfast menu had something called a breakfast burrito that cost four copper. The burrito contained something called bacon, eggs, and a few different vegetables. Arthur ordered three and placed two into his dimensional bag for later, making his total twelve copper coins. Arthur once again needed to get some change back from spending a silver coin and he gave the waitress five copper coins as a tip like he had seen Lycus do the day before, the waitress herself seemed quite happy with it.


    Arthur left the tavern after enjoying the taste of the breakfast burrito to find the local branch of the mages guild. He did need to ask for directions a few times and even needed to consult a map that was placed in a small intersecting area with a statue of a human male wearing chainmail riding a large four legged creature. The creature had both its front legs off the ground.


    Eventually Arthur found the mages guild, the building was three stories tall and took up a fair bit of space but if the number of people going in and out was any sign it was more than making up for its value. The people ranged from simple towns folk to wealthy mages that Arthur recognized by the robes that Lyra, Cassia, and even Calavia wore as well.


    Arthur walked through the mages guild entrance and immediately found himself in a line. Several people of different races, sizes and ages were moving through.

 Lore: Magic Categories

    Arcane -


    Wizard/Mage


    Someone who acquired their magic through knowledge and practice


    Faith -


    Cleric/Druid


    Someone who gained magic through god or other similar entity


    Devotion -


    Occultist/Witch


    Someone who obtained magic through a pact or deal with a dark force


    Pyromancy -


    The manipulation and creation of fire/heat


    Geomancy -


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The manipulation of earth and metal


    Hydromancy -


    The manipulation and creation of water and ice


    Aeromancy -


    The manipulation of air and creation of lightning


    Necromancy -


    The manipulation of corpses and souls


    Chronomancy -


    The manipulation of time


    (Warning: Very dangerous, could cause time loop or timeline distortion)


    Alteration -


    The use of magic to manipulate how physical and magical forces interact


    Illusion -


    Creating non physical constructs or changing the way people perceive things


    Restoration -


    The use of magic to heal and in rare cases resurrect living things


    Conjuration -


    Transportation of people, creatures and objects


    Enchanting -


    Applying magic to physical items that can typically be used many times


    Alchemy -


    Mixing magical and non magical substances to create something with an empowered effect or a new effect


    Golemancy -


    The use of Enchanting and sometimes Alchemy to create constructs


    Divination -


    A gift or curse from a god that allows the user to look into the future with varying amounts of accuracy

 Chapter 21

    After about twenty or so minutes of waiting in the line, Arthur finally made it up to one of the clerks at the front desks. ¡°Hello sir, how can I help you today?¡± The woman at the desk greeted Arthur with what was most definitely a standard reply that Arthur heard her say to everyone who approached the front desks.


    ¡°I have a recommendation to join the mages guild.¡± Arthur presented his recommendation from his bag and handed it to the woman who then, like at the royal treasury, held the paper over a gemstone thing that scanned the document.


    After returning the document to Arthur the woman looked through a large log book, when she found what she was looking for she copied it down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. ¡°In two hours from now there will be an exam for several people who have scheduled ahead of time, since you were recommended you can join with this piece of paper. Just be sure you show it to whoever is running the exam.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± As Arthur turned to leave he heard the woman say: ¡°I can help whoever is next.¡±


    Arthur quickly exited the mages guild, he was more than thankful to leave the long line. ¡®I cannot imagine what it would be like to work as one of those clerks day in and day out. I can feel the stress just radiating off of them.¡¯


    To avoid thinking about how terrible it would be to work as a clerk in a guild, Arthur decided that for the next two hours he would take a walk around the city. Arthur first found the large map of the city from before and used it to find all the places he thought would be interesting. The first place to visit, the market.


    The market was loud and bustling with many people moving merchandise to and from all over. Although one of the major things that Arthur did notice was the amount of people that were or were trying to steal. Several people were attempting to slip some coins from unsuspecting people while they were either distracted with something else.


    Arthur of course did the right thing and shouted out: ¡°Thief¡± while he pointed at them, several were caught. One case in particular was with a short elf wearing a dark green cloak who swiped a purse of coins from a wealthy looking commoner. When Arthur called the elf out they went running quickly escaping the guards, but not Arthur who followed. After a minute of running the elf thought they had lost their pursuer only to turn to look and see a large human in full plate armour running at full speed with an angry look on his face.


    The elf let out a small shriek and immediately tried to run at full speed, but Arthur had been trying a new trick since he began pursuing the elf. He would raise a bit of the dirt in the path the elf was running in to try and tip them, up until now he had not been successful.


    The elf tripped on the dirt and fell face first onto the ground dropping the purse of coins in the process. Thankfully the purse was closed so the coins did not spill everywhere. Arthur quickly closed the distance and restrained the elf. ¡°Let me go you asshole!¡± The elf shouted in a very high pitched voice.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this is a child.¡¯ Arthur felt a bit of annoyance at that discovery. ¡°Where are your parents child?¡± Arthur used geomancy to bind the child''s hands behind his back and went down on one knee to the child''s face as he spoke.


    ¡°That''s none of your business ass hole!¡±


    ¡°Fine you don¡¯t need to tell me-¡± The child was a little confused by what the man was saying. A second ago he was quite keen on figuring out his identity and now¡­¡±-but the city guard will be far more interested I would think.¡±


    ¡®Oh shit.¡¯ The human was going to turn him in to the city guards. ¡°H- hey now, you don¡¯t need to do that. I won''t do it again I promise.¡± He needed to get out or the boss wouldn¡¯t let him off easy.


    ¡°I think it is far too late for that.¡± Arthur looked over the young elf¡¯s physique. He was clearly well fed and showed no sign of any malnutrition, and even the cloak he wore was in good condition. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t need to be stealing but you do so anyways. I expect your parents to be quite upset with your behavior.¡±


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    ¡®The parents need to get their act together if they don¡¯t want their child to become a career criminal. He is already quite skilled in thievery as shown with how he stole from that man without him even noticing.¡¯


    The elven child was silent during the walk to the guard house and clearly was dreading what would happen when he got there. When they did arrive Arthur had to give a brief explanation as to what happened and handed over the purse, the guards there thanked Arthur for his help. ¡°Thank you sir, but we can handle it from here.¡±


    Arthur looked at a large sundial that was in the middle of a large intersection and saw that almost two hours had passed so he may as well start walking to the mages guild and just wait for a few minutes there.


    By the time Arthur had returned to the mages guild the lines had shrunk considerably, now only about a fifth of the size as they were before. ¡®Everyone must have wanted to get what they were doing out of the way. They must have jobs or something all day.¡¯


    Only a few minutes had passed while Arthur waited on a bench that was located in the reception area when an elven man that wore a grey cloak with an eye insignia and matching grey robes placed a sign near a hallway where everyone in the reception area could see. The sign read: ¡°Mages guild entrance exam Have your papers ready¡± with an arrow pointing further down the hall.


    Several people of various races all stood up and began to walk towards the hallway to the exam. Most were humans and elves with a handful of dwarves mixed in, but some were completely foreign to Arthur. Such as one that appeared to be a hairy black spider humanoid who kept its hood up the whole time it waited.


    Arthur followed and the hallway quickly went underground, there the halls were made from stone blocks that were white in colouration. Soon another sign pointed to an open door on the left side of the hallway that led into a large room that could easily fit over one hundred people. The room had several tables where the examinee would officially sign up to participate by showing their documents that proved they had applied. Arthur joined a random line and when he got to the front and after he showed the proof he was permitted to join he was given a piece of paper, some ink and a quill to answer some question. The questions were solely based on what types of magic he knew and when he started and if he had any teachers and so on, Arthur quickly answered them with his hydromancy using it on the ink to quickly write everything down.


    Arthur was then told to go farther into the room and wait for further instructions. While Arthur waited he engaged in a few conversations that were mostly about what would happen in the exam itself. A few of the more noteworthy theories were that there was going to be a competition and the top half or so would join, another was that it would be based on one''s own magic skills and a display of them.


    Soon the elf who placed the sign outside the hallway stepped into the room and walked to an area without anyone, the floor he stood on rose up making a stage that got everyone''s attention.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for joining us here today for the mages guild entrance exam. We have taken note of each of your current magic skills and the exam will be catered roughly towards your skill set, but this does not mean it will be easy. You will be pushed to the limits of your skills and if you join the mages guild you will be pushed farther. Now each of you will be called up in groups of about 10 at a time where you will face an instructor in one on one combat, the objective is to either defeat your instructor or survive for as long as you can. The instructor will be testing what you know and how you apply it, physical attacks will not be allowed as we are testing your magic skills not your martial skills, that is better suited for the mercenaries guild.¡±


    Not even a minute after the elf finished his speech the instructors started calling up examinees to take their exams. Arthur paid close attention to what was happening with each test. One of the first things he noticed was that both the instructors and examinees were standing in these circles carved into the ground, when the examinees were forced out of the circle the exam would end and another would be selected. The second thing Arthur noticed was that the instructors would use the same amount of elements that the examinee knew, those that knew one only faced one, those who knew two elements faced someone using two, but so far none had shown knowledge over three or more.


    Soon it was Arthur''s turn to take his exam, the instructor who called him up was a female dwarf who wore a grey robe like all the other mages he had seen. The instructor led him to a circle where she explained the rules. ¡°We will be trying to force each other out of our respective circles, if you force me out you will definitely pass unless you cheat, if that is not an option you will need to try to last as long as you can and if I like your performance I will pass you. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes I do.¡± Arthur prepared his magic and waited for the dwarf to make the first move. After a few seconds she conjured a fireball that she launched towards Arthur. Arthur quickly countered with a large shield made of conjured stone that he hid behind. For a few seconds the smoke from the explosion blocked the instructor''s view and Arthur took the opportunity to propel a few small stone darts towards her from several directions to test her ration speed and defense.

 Chapter 22

    The instructor conjured a simple dome with a wave of her hand that deflected the small earth darts that quickly broke apart. ¡®If I am going to get her to move I will need to use bigger and more powerful attacks.¡¯ Arthur thought as he saw his attack easily countered. As if the instructor knew what Arthur was thinking she began launching several fireballs at Arthur.


    At first blocking the fireballs was almost easy, but soon the stone shield started to heat up. For the time being it would only be a little uncomfortable but if she kept up Arthur would need to drop it since he hadn¡¯t learned how to make something its size float without draining his mana rapidly.


    ¡®I need to either stop her from casting fireballs or I need to cool down the shield. Hydromancy should be able to do that, water does after all extinguish fire.¡¯


    Arthur conjured a layer of water on his shield that helped distribute the heat and the shock waves with minimal mana consumption. The only problem now was how he was going to defeat the instructor. Her defense was easily just as effective if not even more so, she has clearly spent a lot of time mastering both pyromancy and what Arthur assumed was aeromancy.


    As the fight drew on Arthur was getting more and more desperate, none of his attacks were working on her. Regardless of what element he used he could not make her move, all his projectiles simply were deflected or broke on impact with the barrier. The biggest problem was that his mana was also getting quite low, due to the shield he held made from stone and water being conjured and not taken from the environment he would need to constantly expend energy to maintain them, that did not even account for repairing any of the damage from blocking spells.


    ¡®That barrier blocks both solids and liquids. If I want to do any damage I will need to use either pyromancy or aeromancy to do it. But I don¡¯t know how to, I tried to do some of both on the journey here but they are clearly way different from hydromancy and I didn¡¯t even know where to start.¡¯ Arthur recoiled from the blast of another fireball thrown his way. ¡®The only choice I have is to try to overwhelm it and make it break, but if I do that I probably won''t have enough mana to defend myself.¡¯


    Another fireball hit Arthur again, but this time it was empowered with a bit of aeromancy giving it a bit more force than the others. The force pushed Arthur right to the edge of the circle he stood in.


    ¡®It¡¯s now or never. If I keep doing this I will fall, but if I go all out I will have a chance.¡¯ Arthur started conjuring upwards of at least fifty of what he called earth and water spikes that were about a foot long, they were a sixty-forty split between earth and water. After the instructor stopped her bombardment of fireballs she waited for the smoke to clear.


    ¡®This one is quite a hard nut to crack, I expect he would make an excellent mage knight. He has very good defensive capabilities for someone that hasn¡¯t joined the guild yet. As far as I am concerned as long as he passes the background check he has passed.¡¯


    Suddenly out of the smoke at least fifty projectiles that consisted of a mix of water and earth pierced through the fading smoke all at once, all aiming for her. She had to quickly reinforce her barrier to keep from getting hurt, but even the barrier distorted under the combined strength of all the projectiles but thankfully that was all.


    When the smoke finally cleared the instructor saw the examinee had lost his shield and had fallen to his knees as he panted for air. So far he had lasted the longest of all the current examinees but looked like he attempted to end the fight at the cost of all his mana leaving him unprotected. The instructor smiled and with a gust of aeromancy she pushed him back and he fell outside the circle.


    About an hour later, all the examinees completed their exam, several were happy with their performance, others believed they had flopped completely. Arthur was one of the few who just wanted to know if he had passed or not so he could actually start learning magic properly.


    The elf that had appeared before at the beginning of the exam appeared again on the stage and addressed the examinees. ¡°Thank you everyone for taking part in the mages guild entrance exam. You will each be given a letter that will detail how you performed with a grade and a short explanation of what your instructor saw and how you could improve, the letter will contain whether or not you pass. I would also like to ask that you only open this in private to prevent the public from knowing everyone how passed.¡± The last bit confused everyone. Why was who ended up accepted into the guild important? Would it pose a threat to their lives? None of those questions were answered, all the elf said was ¡°Dismissed.¡±


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    Arthur following the crowd exited the guild and looked for a bench he could sit on. He found one a short ways away from the market where he took out one of the breakfast burritos and ate it. While it wouldn¡¯t help him recover his mana he was still quite hungry from all that happened during the exam.


    Arthur looked at the letter in his hand, this letter would decide if he would join the mages guild and get a proper magical education. Arthur quickly wolfed down his burrito and cleaned his hands with hydromancy, he opened the envelope and took out the letter within. ¡®Alright, here we go.¡¯ Arthur looked at the letter.


    Arthur of Dom Badaher


    Based on your performance in the mages guild of Antium we congratulate you on your acceptance into the guild.


    You have displayed the necessary skill, dedication, and critical thinking that we expect of all our members.


    There will be an orientation in the guild in room 3 at noon tomorrow, we recommend you attend as it will help you pick courses to plan your future in the magical community.


    We look forward to seeing where you will go.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Alwin of Northsomin Cove</li>


    </ul>


    ¡®Well that''s good. I do wonder who this Alwin of Northsomin Cove is though. My only guess is that he is the elf who gave those two speeches before and after the actual exam.¡¯


    Arthur quickly put his letter away and placed it in his bag. ¡®I don¡¯t want anyone in the guild to bother me about keeping this stuff a secret. They must have had problems with when they accepted people in the past if they don¡¯t want us to go around telling people.¡¯


    The rest of Arthur''s day wasn¡¯t all that exciting, he simply chose to practice his hydromancy and geomancy in his room. What he was trying to do was create his own spells, so far he had only mimicked what other people had done like with the water whip or the earth armor and even the water and earth spikes were something he saw some of the other mages doing during the expedition before. It was time he did something by himself, even if someone else had done it before he wanted to do it on his own without any outside inspiration.


    Arthur¡¯s experiments went late into the night with the best he could do is create objects with geomancy such as weapons, but the one thing he realized he could do is make keys with it. He could in theory use it to pick locks if he needed to get inside something such as a locked room or chest.


    But since it was getting quite late Arthur decided that it was about time to eat and go to sleep since he wanted to go to that orientation with the mages guild. As such he ate his last burrito and used his hydromancy to clean himself up a bit and disposed of the accumulated sweat out the window. But when Arthur opened the window he could see someone in the empty plot of land walking through the overgrown plants. This person looked to be human given their height and was wearing a robe that looked to be dark red in color, they carried no lantern or any other light source with them but somehow they were easily able to navigate through the plant life with little issue. Eventually the person disappeared into the dark leaving Arthur confused, was that real or was it just in his imagination. ¡®That was weird. It is getting late so perhaps I simply imagined that person, I''ll check to see if they left any traces of their passage tomorrow just in case there was a person.


    *********


    The morning came rather quickly for Arthur who had the strange person still on his mind even as he went downstairs to get something to eat. He bought three breakfast burritos like the day before and ate one before he placed the other two in his bag for later.


    Since there was still at least three and a half hours before the orientation in the mages guild would happen Arthur decided to look to see if there was any trace of the person in the red robe. Unlike the person Arthur saw the night before he was having a bit of a hard time moving through the overgrown plants. ¡®Ok, it is definitely unlikely that someone could move through all this without having a hard time. If I don¡¯t find anything after like half an hour I am giving up.¡¯


    Arthur waded through the grass and other plants as he looked for even the slightest amount of evidence of the person in the red robe, soon he did find something. A small path that from a distance would be very difficult to see, it was formed from several people walking over the same spot many times over a long period of time. The path was clearly designed for one person to walk at a time, or a group in a single file line.


    ¡®Well someone has been using this path to walk through here quite regularly.¡¯ Arthur walked along the path while he looked up to the windows to make sure that he actually could have seen the person while on the path. As it turned out he could quite easily see several windows with a clear view and the small trees and other plants would block the view of many others, especially those on the ground level.

 Chapter 23

    ¡®Well isn¡¯t that suspicious.¡¯ Arthur looked at the trees and other plants that perfectly blocked anyone on the ground from seeing the path or any activity, and during the night it would be even harder to see. ¡®Someone specifically planned to have these plants here so they themselves or someone else could walk through here without any interruptions.¡¯


    Arthur searched around more for any other clues to who or what might have been moved through the area but he came up empty handed. ¡®From now on I need to watch to see if they move through here again. They will probably do it again at night like last time, and when I do I will need to be quick.¡¯


    With nothing left to do in the area Arthur left to go to the market square to spend the rest of his time before the orientation at the mages guild would start. When Arthur arrived he noticed a significant drop in the amount of thieves from the day before, but he noticed a few people watching him from a distance. There were three in total all wearing a dark green cloak like the one that elven child wore the day before but these three were also wearing a set of black leather armor. Two were human and the other was a grey skinned elf, they may have acted like they belonged with their small chats with each other and a few of the merchants but Arthur could see that they were following him.


    They weren''t all following him at the same time, but at all times one of them was watching him from a distance. It was starting to get quite annoying as he got the feeling they were waiting for him to do something. He didn¡¯t know what but it still made him quite uneasy.


    ¡®I have made several attempts to lose them in the crowds but somehow they are still able to find me. I really hope they aren¡¯t using some sort of magic to do that.¡¯ Fortunately for Arthur it wasn¡¯t any sort of magic, the three were just very good at tracking targets which was why they were given such a task.


    Soon it was only half an hour before noon and Arthur left the market with his three stalkers in tow. But as soon as they realized he was going to the mages guild they backed off and several minutes after he entered the three walked back towards the market after whispering amongst themselves.


    *********


    Inside the guild Arthur did not need to wait for all that long in line to show the clerk his letter. ¡°Just go down the hallway to my right and keep going till you find room 3. It''s written on the front of the door in bright purple, if you get lost look for the nearest doors and follow them counting downwards until you find the way out.¡±


    Arthur quickly left to the hallway and began his descent down the stairs. ¡°I can help the next in line.¡± Arthur could hear the clerks as he walked away.


    Arthur did not need to walk all that far to find room three, in fact it was only the next room down from the exam room he was in the day before. The room itself was much smaller than the exam room and instead of being almost empty it held several tables with chairs. The amount of chairs was about the same as the examinees that were happy with their performance, that number being about twenty.


    There were three others there before Arthur, three were human, one male and two female. Four were elves, two males and females. One female dwarf, and the strange spider person Arthur saw the day before that stood out from everyone else. Arthur wasn¡¯t sure if the spider person was a male or female was clearly trying to hide its appearance from everyone else. It wore a cloak that covered its entire torso and legs, gloves for its hands, and its head was covered by a hood as it kept its head down.


    Almost everyone looked up at Arthur when he entered the room due to him being the only one wearing armor, when he took a seat at the front of the class the moment he faced the front of the class the others started to whisper amongst themselves. Even the dwarf who was alone moved up a seat to talk with the human trio. The only one who didn¡¯t say anything was the spider person.


    Arthur on the other hand hadn''t even noticed that they were talking about him and had simply decided to continue with a bit of hydromancy practice since it was his weakest subject so far. Arthur conjured a sphere of water and split it into five different smaller spheres and began to move them around in a seemingly random order. One of the training methods Arthur was trying out was to see if controlling separate clumps of either water or earth would help him improve their respective skills faster. So far he did not have enough data on the subject to make a definitive conclusion. ¡®Worst case scenario I will just be practicing hydromancy some more.¡¯


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    Over the course of about ten minutes the rest of those who were accepted into the guild slowly trickled in and took seats next to others of the same race as them creating little groups where they talked about what they were expecting to happen today.


    As the clock displayed the time as noon exactly the elf from the exam hall entered and stood at the front of the room. When he stopped a small stand rose from the floor that he placed a small book on and opened to a page.


    ¡°Welcome everyone who passed the exam. I am Aiwin the warden and today I will be helping you start your journeys to become true mages and a proper magical education.¡±


    Several of the more perceptive students noticed that Aiwin was reading from his book while he spoke.


    ¡°Before you arrived here your knowledge of magic was limited to the four basic evocations. Water, Fire, Earth, and Air.¡± As Aiwin spoke a blob of each appeared, two on each of his sides.


    ¡°But now that you are novices in the mages guild you will have the opportunity to learn more than just these four magics.¡± Several of the students that were quite bored of the warden''s speech had started paying attention to this since they had only heard of magic outside the evocations but have never actually seen it.


    ¡°You have Alteration. A mages best friend, with alteration one can shield themselves from harm without needing to wear heavy armor and also affect other physical matter outside of that of the organic type.¡± Aiwin performed a series of signs with his hands and muttered something before a strange sight occurred. Aiwin appeared to be covered by a layer of clear material that was only noticeable because it slightly reflected light from the lights in the room.


    ¡°There is also Illusion. Something that is commonly seen as a coward''s tool by many that can be most invaluable for confusing or hiding from an opponent.¡± Aiwin followed up this with another set of hand signs and muttering before he appeared to be partly transparent. Most of the class stood up upon seeing that, these were the things that only appeared in stories told to children.


    ¡°Next we have Restoration. What is considered the weakest of all the magics is also what may save your life when you need it most and can be used to perform miracles to the common folk.¡± Aiwin conjured a small blade made of ice that he used to cut the palm of his hand, Aiwin showed the cut to the class as a bit of blood trickled out of the wound. Like before he performed a few hand signs and muttered a few words but this time it was a little different. The hand signs were done with one hand and both those and the words muttered were shorter than the other two shown before. Quickly the wound closed and Aiwin showed the class who for the most part stared baffled, the only evidence of the wound being the small amount of blood that Aiwin quickly wiped away with a hand cloth.


    ¡°Now for Conjuration. This is the art of transporting matter and beings across large and small distances. This is one of the hardest disciplines to learn so don¡¯t expect to have any lessons for quite some time.¡± Aiwin took a small wooden block roughly three inches squared in size, he placed it on the table and performed a few hand signs and muttered a few words. The block appeared to fall into the table and onto the floor several meters away. The class was dead silent, this was far beyond what anyone was expecting to be learning at the guild.


    ¡°And now for Enchanting and Alchemy.¡± The class was a bit confused at why two magic types were being explained at the same time. ¡°Now these two types are not something I can show you here but I can explain how important they are to our society.¡± Aiwin took out what looked to be a wand and a short sword from his bag. ¡®He must have a dimensional bag to keep all that stuff in there.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself.


    Aiwin continued with his explanation. ¡°The wonderful thing about both these disciplines is that even those without any magical talent if they have either an enchanted or alchemical object they can perform magic, albeit in a more limited fashion than a normal mage.¡± Aiwin took the short sword in his hand and it lit up with a flame. ¡°This sword was enchanted to light its blade with magical fire at the will of its opponent.¡± Aiwin placed the sword down as the flames faded and took the wand in his hands. ¡°This wand on the other hand is a product of alchemy, it uses the magic crystal inside to cast bolts of fire at the will of its user. When the magic crystal runs out of mana it will become useless and can be cast away, but do remember that anything with a magic crystal will over time gather mana and recharge itself as long as there is still a bit of mana left in it. The time it takes depends on the purity of the crystal and that can only be determined by a crystal smith, but that is a lesson for another time.¡±


    *******


    While Arthur was attending the orientation the three shady figures that followed him passed through the market going north for about twenty meters before they turned down an alleyway. The three passed through a few armed thugs who upon seeing their clothing let them pass. The three then found a small entrance that led into an old building that they quickly entered, contrary to the outside appearance the interior looked very well kept up with a full bar with many patrons all wearing similar armor and cloaks to the three.


    The three quickly walked past the bar and went down a hallway just off to the side that had only a single door at the very end with a dark skinned human guard waiting outside.


    ¡°What business do you have with the boss?¡± The guard towered over even the humans standing at 6¡±4¡¯, his eyes showed boredom as he eyed the three.


    ¡°We have a report to make.¡± One of the humans who turned out to be a woman spoke ignoring the guards glare that followed.

 Chapter 24

    ¡°Fine, just be quick. The boss has a meeting in about 15 minutes and I doubt he wants to make them wait.¡± The dark skinned guard took a key from his back pocket and unlocked the door.


    The three quickly entered and were greeted by the sight of a human man in his mid thirties with short brown hair and a beard sitting at a desk counting silver coins. ¡°Welcome back Auria, did you learn anything about our mysterious" hero "?¡±.


    ¡°We observed him at the market in the Upper East district again today where he continued to report any members of the organization he could see to the guards. Thankfully there were far less making the rounds today in that location so we had far less losses.¡±


    ¡°Did you find anything about his personal life yet, such as his name or if he has any family here in Antium?¡± The man smiled as he finished the question.


    ¡°All we found is that he is a part of the mages guild.¡± ¡°What!¡± The man shouted.


    ¡°Sir I am sure with more time we can-¡± The man cut her off ¡°Forget about that! If he becomes a proper mage he will be able to decimate us and destroy everything we have built here.¡± Auria was confused by that exclamation. Even if he was receiving magic training he was still likely to be just a novice at best, they should still be able to get rid of him like they have with all the bureaucrats that stood in their way.


    ¡°I will need to work something out with the Red eye cult. You three can return to your duties, this has become far more dangerous than we can handle on our own.¡± The man tossed all the coins he was counting before into a random drawer and took out a quill and some parchment. The three bowed slightly and exited the room.


    ¡°So I guess it wasn''t good news.¡± The guard looked to Auria as the group closed the door behind them. ¡°No it wasn¡¯t.¡± Auria turned to walk away. ¡°So what was it exactly?¡± The guard smiled as Auria stopped. He could feel the anger in what she said next. ¡°A mage is messing with our lower ranking members.¡±


    ¡°Well that isn¡¯t good at all now is it?¡±


    ¡°No it is not.¡± Auria tried again to walk away.


    ¡°I suppose it is unfortunate that you are unable to do anything about him in that case.¡± He let out a fake sigh. ¡°Looks like we''re gonna need to find someone more competent than you to do it.¡±


    Auria tried to ignore the comment he was making and rushed out of the hallway followed by the human and elf. Auria went right up to the barkeep and almost shouted ¡°Give me the strongest thing you got!¡± As she slammed several silver coins on the bar.


    Several drinks later Auria and the human and elf were seated at a table. While She had almost had six drinks already, the other two had barely touched their drinks.


    ¡°Hey Auria, are you ok?¡± The human asked as she chugged the last bit of her alcohol.


    ¡°Yeah I''m good, why?¡± Auria¡¯s speech was starting to slur and she was having difficulty keeping her head straight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think someone who is ¡°good¡± would be drinking as much as you are right now.¡± The elf chimed in showing the displeasure in his voice. ¡°I think you should slow down.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck off Folwin, I didn¡¯t ask for your stupid elven wisdom ." Auria downed the rest of the mug. ¡°I''ll do whatever I want with my own money.¡±


    ¡°Ok I think you need to calm down Auria.¡± The human man stood up. ¡°Clearly what that asshat Dionysius said about you being incompetent got to you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, that fucking ass hole has been like since he became the bosses second in command. He always goes after me, even when it wasn¡¯t even my fault.¡± Auria brought out one of her daggers that she then used to stab into the old table. ¡°No matter what I do he always has something to say, and it is never positive.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried simply ignoring him?¡± Folwin said as he removed his cloak as it had some alcohol on it.


    ¡°I have tried everything. The only way I can think of getting him to stop is to get rid of that mage and bring the evidence to the boss.¡± The three sat at the table in silence for a few moments.


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    ¡°That is a very risky thing to do, Auria.¡± The human man looked in her eyes as he spoke. ¡°He may not be a wizard but he can still cast magic, and the simplest of spells only require a small flick of the wrist to cast.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Auria sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    ¡°And on top of that he was wearing plate armor and had a longsword at his hip. That probably makes him a mage knight, the embodiment of defense and the perfect counter to a rogue or thief.¡±


    ¡°So what you are saying is that we do not stand a chance against him.¡± Auria sat up and started rubbing her temples to relieve the stress she currently felt.


    ¡°I never said we didn¡¯t have a chance.¡± Auria and Folwin looked up as the man continued. ¡°But we can¡¯t approach this as thieves or rogues. We need to approach this as an assassin, we need to use our heads and instead of finding an opportunity to kill him we need to make an opportunity and strike quickly and disappear before anyone can notice us.¡±


    *********


    ¡°Now that we are done with the demonstration of what you will have the opportunity to learn here now that you are members of the mages guild, it is now time to walk you through enrolling in courses to further your magical education and in the future become certified in fields of magic.¡± Aiwin reached into his bag and pulled out several pieces of paper that floated over to each person. Arthur started looking at the papers the moment he received them, the papers detailed all the courses that a member of the guild can enroll in along with the prerequisites and recommendations.


    ¡°Now since none of you have any magical skill above the Apprentice level I will recommend that you attend classes for the 4 evocations until you are at the level of an Evoker with all 4. Learning magic outside the evocations is much harder because you are not mixing the mana with any elements, you are just giving the mana itself instructions on what to do. This makes it much harder to do because you can¡¯t see mana itself like you can with fire or water.¡±


    ¡°T- teacher.¡± A timid voice spoke up from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see it was the spider person and based on the voice it was a he. ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Of course, what is it?¡± Aiwin asked with a smile recognizing his species. ¡®Not many of his people leave the underground. He must be one of the few that have in the past 100 or so years.¡¯


    ¡°I heard before I joined the guild that there would be opportunities to earn money. How exactly does that work?¡±


    Aiwin smiled. ¡®Of course he must be worried about money, he likely doesn¡¯t have much in that way of savings.¡¯ ¡°With a proper education your magical skills will rapidly improve and the guild will have tasks that you can do for some extra money if you need it. The tasks won''t be all that exciting at first but you will earn enough to eat a decent meal everyday, and for those without permanent residency and below the rank of Conjurer there are dormitories provided by the guild in larger locations such as the one here in Antium.¡±


    The explanation appeared to help the spider person calm down a bit and Aiwin continued. ¡°When you become certified for something such as healing with an excellent skill in restoration magic you can also earn money from providing services related to that depending on the certification. Now I will be giving you a few minutes to look through what is available and on the last piece of paper you will be selecting what course or courses you want to attend, after those few minutes I will come around and make sure you are happy with your selection.¡±


    Arthur looked at the options that were available to him. ¡®I have hit a sort of roadblock when it comes to both geomancy and hydromancy, since the expedition only hydromancy has increased in level. Perhaps if I spend some time learning even just the basics pyromancy and aeromancy I will become better at magic overall and see what exactly I am doing that could use improvement.¡¯


    Soon Arthur was visited by Aiwin who asked about Arthur''s choice of courses. ¡°I think I am going to take the basics of pyromancy and the basics of aeromancy courses.¡±


    ¡°A nice choice, are those the two you haven''t learnt yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, since I have hit a roadblock when it comes to geomancy and hydromancy I decided I should try and widen my skill set and at least learn the basics, who knows they might help me overcome that blockage.¡±


    Aiwin smiled. ¡°That is an excellent way to think, many would simply bash their heads against that block hoping that they will overcome it. I believe you are on the right track.¡± Aiwin turned to talk to another about their choices.


    After about an hour Aiwin had spoken to everyone about their choices and had everyone come up to the front of the class and hand over the piece of paper detailing their choices. ¡°I will be taking these directly to the administrators so they can work their magic and get you all enrolled into these courses, oh and one last bit of info before I go. These courses will be covered by guild but any that you enroll in from now on you will need to pay for out of your own pocket or if you become someone''s apprentice they will if they don¡¯t just teach you themselves.¡±


    ********


    A few hours had passed since the orientation happened and Arthur was walking around the mages guild looking for the place where he could do some of those tasks for a bit of extra money. For the time being he did not have any means to earn any so every little bit would be helpful.


    Arthur entered room six and inside he saw a familiar face talking to someone behind a counter. ¡°Hello again Calavia. I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you here.¡± Arthur smiled as he walked up to Calavia.

 Chapter 25

    ¡°Oh hello Arthur.¡± Calavia smiled at the sight of Arthur. ¡°Since I am seeing you here you must have passed the exam.¡±


    ¡°I did that yesterday and today we just had an orientation and chose a few courses to take.¡± Arthur and Calavia took a seat on a nearby set of chairs as they spoke.


    ¡°That is wonderful Arthur. Have you decided to take a look around the guild while you wait for your class placement?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t quite what I had in mind but I guess I have been, what I wanted to do was look into those tasks that the warden Aiwin spoke about at the orientation today. He said it was a good way to earn a bit of extra money before we get real jobs related to magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh that. I know exactly what you are talking about.¡± Calavia chucked. ¡°You are looking for room 8, that is where the job board is.¡±


    ¡°The job board?¡±


    ¡°It isn''t a literal board, it is a person behind a desk who will give you a list of tasks that can be done for money. It can range from just collecting some alchemical herbs to services related to a magical certification. Although it is mostly just for young mages trying to build up a reputation.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that makes more sense than what I thought up.¡± Arthur looked around the room and noticed that it appeared to contain merchandise that ranged from weapons to clothing to strange colored liquids in vials. ¡°What room are we in?¡±


    ¡°We are in the magic object hall. Here you can buy magical devices that come from both the guild and independent craftsmen.¡± Calavia took Arthur over to a section of the wall that had several articles of grey clothing on display on mannequins. ¡°These are member exclusive cloaks and robes, they all have an enchantment that increases the wearer''s mana capacity. They are quite popular with the lower ranking members since they are made by the guild itself, they do not charge more than the base cost of supplies and production. The extra mana is also quite helpful to those starting out.¡±


    ¡°Do they all look so bland as these ones do?¡± Arthur looked at the clothing that was available, the design wasn¡¯t terrible but it looked quite boring. The only thing that gave it away as exclusive to the mages guild was a black eye on the back side of the cloaks and the robe.


    ¡°Oh no, the variants for the higher ranks are far better looking. The reason these look so regular is because otherwise the students might not be able to afford them even if they only pay from the material and production costs.¡±


    ¡°Well I suppose that does make sense.¡± Arthur looked around the magic object hall a bit longer with Calavia. ¡°I should probably get going, I still have some time to do a task or two. Will I see you tomorrow again?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will be here at about 4 o''clock. Most classes should be done by then.¡±


    The two said their goodbyes and Arthur left to room eight, the job board. Room eight wasn¡¯t all that far from room six, it was only down around a turn and down a hall. The size of room eight was also about the same size as the classroom he was in earlier in the day. The room had several chairs for people to sit in and several spots for clerks like at the front entrance of the guild and the treasury. But only two clerks were seated at their desks and the rest of the room was empty of people.


    Arthur quickly walked up to the nearest clerk and was about to talk when he was interrupted. ¡°Are you here to make or receive a request?¡± The human man looked to be quite tired with large bags under his eyes.


    ¡°I am here to receive a request.¡± The man reached over to a grey orb like the ones Arthur had seen at both the treasury and the front desk.


    ¡°Place your hand here and you will be given a list of tasks that you are authorized to do by the guild based on your rank within the guild.¡± Arthur did as the man asked and a list of over fifty options appeared in front of him like the HUD but a little bit different. It had a bit more personality to it, the HUD was cold and grey whereas this was colorful and welcoming. As Arthur looked over the options he found that he could sort the current options available by a few different metrics, such as the payout, the danger level, or any special requirements.


    After sorting through about eighteen different tasks one caught Arthurs eye, it was an alchemical ingredient collection task that paid ten copper coins. ¡®Someone must be running low on alchemy ingredients.¡¯ The task that had caught Arthurs eye was a list of alchemical ingredients that were needed as soon as possible.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I have a question about the request from Axia Gellius.¡±


    ¡°Oh that one.¡± The man took a sip of a brown liquid from a white cup that read: #1 dad. ¡°That is a recent one. Axia Gellius is a noble woman who in her free time likes to dabble in non-magical alchemy. She doesn¡¯t have the time to collect the ingredients herself so she contacts the guild who then offers the job to someone like you. Does that answer your questions?¡±


    ¡°It answers most of them.¡± Arthur took a look at the number and types of ingredients that were on the list. ¡°How rare are these ingredients and where can I find them?¡±


    ¡°If you want to know that you will need to ask an alchemist, they keep a lot of their stuff in room 13, they also like to hang around there for a significant portion of the day brewing all sorts of potions and other mixtures. Like this here.¡± The man raised his cup and showed Arthur the brown liquid inside. ¡°They call this one adrenaline mix, it gives you the energy to get through a day when you haven''t gotten enough sleep.¡±


    ¡°I will check room thirteen for an alchemist, and I think you need proper amounts of sleep.¡± Arthur could see how tired the man was based only on his eyes, the veins in his eyes were very visible and his eyelids droopy. ¡°Try to have a small nap when you get home, I think you will feel better.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I know.¡± The man waved him off.


    *********


    A short walk down a few halls Arthur found room thirteen. The inside was about half full with several people of various races using strange glass containers filled with liquid and other things such as mushrooms and some strange looking flowers.


    One individual, a human woman wearing a fine orange cloak was watching over many of the younger looking alchemists. She would correct any mistakes and answer any questions they had. Arthur quickly walked over and waited for her to finish up helping a young dwarven alchemist before he spoke.


    ¡°Excuse me miss.¡±


    ¡°Oh hello there young mage. Are you interested in joining the alchemists club?¡± The woman happily greeted Arthur with a smile as she invited him to join.


    ¡°Sorry but no.¡± The woman looked a little sad at his answer. ¡°I have a few questions about these ingredients.¡± Arthur handed her a list containing the names and quantities of all the ingredients that Axia Gellius requested.


    ¡°1 pound of Yellowbark Moss, 10 Blue Retten caps, and 15 stalks of pokeweed. Well these are quite common ingredients, alone they aren¡¯t much but they can be used to create a simple perfume in the right mixtures. What was it that you wanted to know about them?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know what they look like and where I can find them.¡±


    ¡°Well they are quite common ingredients, you should be able to find them in Pelcester Forest to the south west of the city. Yellowbark moss is yellow moss that grows on the west sides of trees, just take the bark it is attached to, any competent alchemist knows how to extract it. Blue retten caps are the blue mushroom caps from the only blue mushrooms that grow in the area. Pokeweed is a tall weed that is a light brown in color that grows around bodies of water, there are a few rivers and ponds in the forest where you can find them.¡± The woman jotted down the important bits of information as she listed them on the paper Arthur provided.


    ¡°Just so you know members of the alchemists guild do receive a book that contains all the local plant life that can be used and how to properly harvest them.¡± The woman smiled as she took out several books from her bag that she set down on the table next to Arthur.


    ¡°Okay look. I appreciate the offer but for the time being I don¡¯t really have much interest in alchemy. Maybe in the future after I am settled in and have my finances in order and a solid foundation of magic.¡± The woman looked quite sad and returned the books to her bag. ¡°Very well. Good luck on finding those ingredients.¡±


    **********


    Arthur upon having all the information he needed quickly made his way out the southern gate past the poor neighborhoods. The roads were not made from stone bricks like that of the rest of the city, instead people walked along dirt roads throughout their daily activities.


    Arthur also noticed an increase in the presence of the people wearing the dark green cloaks but none of them were paying him any attention. There were also fewer guards in this area of the city and even then they were far less keen to enforcing the law like Arthur saw farther north in the city.


    Soon Arthur was outside the city and followed a dirt road west that turned south towards the Pelcester Forest. From a distance it looked like a small grove of trees due to the mostly flat land he walked along and most of the trees not passing twenty five feet in height, but once Arthur got there he saw just how large the forest was. Just across a river with a bridge that could accommodate two carriages side by side was a large forest that Arthur could not even have the proper words to describe.


    ¡®That is a lot of trees.¡¯ Arthur was in awe. He had seen some incredible sights before when he was on the cliff looking over the valley just outside of Dom Badaher, but this was different. All the different species of trees all in one place, and all the animals that were walking among the trees as well. Arthur was sure he saw a group of large four legged creatures walking in the distance with large pointy things on their heads.

 Chapter 26

    ¡®So I found the forest, now I just need the moss, the mushroom caps, and the weeds.¡¯


    Arthur began his search for the ingredients starting with the moss that he found on the west side of a few trees, there was only one problem. ¡®How much is a pound of bark? Should I just take as much as I can find while I search for the other stuff? In the worst case scenario I will just have some extra to sell if I need to.¡¯


    Arthur continued his search for the blue retten caps and the pokeweed. He was able to find a handful of the blue retten mushrooms at the base of some trees that had a thin white bark with black stripes on. The moss on the other hand grew mostly on trees with dark and thick bark.


    As Arthur continued down south of Antium into the Pelcester Forest and after an hour of searching he found a rather large pond that through the murky water he could spot a few small animals swimming around. There were a few different types of these strange water bound animals, some were larger than the others, one even had something that looked like a moustache.


    Aside from the animals in the pond Arthur also found five stalks of pokeweed and a small cave leading into a small hill. Near the cave were more stalks of pokeweed. ¡®With that I might be done with the pokeweed and I can focus on the blue retten mushroom caps.¡¯ And so Arthur rushed over to collect the stalks.


    Arthur counted all the pokeweed he had and was happy to discover he now had fifteen. ¡®Now I just need to find four more and I think I will be done. I have a lot of the moss, it is probably a pound by now but I will pick up any more I find.''


    Arthur looked to the cave just a few meters away from him. No sounds came from it so there probably weren''t any animals living there. ¡®I should remember to return here when I get a chance, maybe I''ll find something in there. But for now I need to find those mushrooms and get back to Antium before it becomes night again.''


    After about half an hour of searching Arthur was able to find four more blue retten and quickly began walking north back to Antium to hand in the ingredients and sleep in a nice bed. But as he was walking back he saw some smoke in the distance, only about one hundred meters to the north east from where he stood. ¡®Who would want to stay out here in the woods when it is far safer in Antium. They are either very cheap or very poor. For now I will ignore them, but if I see them still there sometime in the future I will go and see why they are staying the night out here.¡¯ While Arthur did not hate the outdoors, his time in the forest searching for ingredients was quite irritating. The only upside to it was that he was learning a bit about foraging.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Foraging Level 1(New)


    \- - - - - -/


    It wasn¡¯t all that much but when before he would simply try to pull the mushrooms out of the ground now he would conjure a small knife to cut them and take them. It still was both time consuming and annoying. ¡®I completely understand why Axia Gellius doesn¡¯t come and do it herself. She likely has important things to do as a noble but this is so time consuming and tedious to do. If I ever become a rich mage I will just hire someone else to do this for me.¡¯


    After making a small promise to become rich so he wouldn¡¯t need to go foraging again Arthur jogged the way back to Antium once he had gotten onto the dirt road.


    Arthur returned to the city as it was starting to get dark and since only a handful of people were entering the city at the time he did not need to wait all that long to enter. The guards only needed to inspect what he was carrying to be sure he wasn¡¯t bringing any ¡®contraband¡¯ and they let him through the gate.


    Arthur quickly raced to the mages guild, several of the people that were still walking around at the time gave him a look of either worry or greed when they saw his equipment depending on whether they were a peasant or a thief. Thankfully none of the thieves made any move on him.


    The guild was practically empty when Arthur entered, only a single clerk was at the front desk. She did not pay Arthur any attention when he walked down the hallway and to room eight.


    Room eight was just like the front desk where only one clerk was available, it just so happened to be the same man as the last time Arthur was there. ¡°Back already?¡± The man was a little surprised to see Arthur again. ¡°I figured you would be back early tomorrow like everyone else always is.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Well I have the ingredients now so I might as well turn them in now and get my ten copper coins.¡± The man did not reply and just took the ingredients as they were handed to him and counted them out while he sorted them into their own bags.


    For the bark the clerk brought out a flat metallic object that consisted of several parts. When the bark was placed on the top a small dial on the side moved from the left to the right, the clerk continued placing bark on the device until the dial reached a large one.


    ¡°That''s all you need to give us.¡± He spoke and handed back the remaining bark that amounted to about a quarter of what Arthur collected. ¡°And here is your money Mr. Arthur.¡± The clerk handed Arthur a small purse that contained ten copper coins. With a small nod Arthur turned and left the guild and returned to the The Free Parrot Bar and for ten copper coins he rented the same room for himself.


    Arthur sat down on the bed and slowly began eating the last burrito that he bought in the morning while he watched out the window for any activity along that strange path. Since it was still light out when he started watching Arthur was waiting quite a while. To pass the time he practiced his hydromancy forming it into spheres that he had moved around while they mixed and broke apart.


    After several hours of waiting Arthur finally noticed someone walking down the path, two someones to be exact. They were carrying something long that required two people one at each end to carry. Arthur quickly rushed out of the tavern and onto the path.


    When Arthur started getting close he ducked down below the height of the grass that was easily two to three feet tall depending on the area. As he got closer Arthur could see in greater detail the two people and the object they were carrying.


    Both of the people were wearing dark red cloaks that concealed their entire bodies. The only other feature Arthur could discern was their height which was well above five feet, that being the height limit for elves making them two humans. What they were carrying was a bit more interesting, it was about five feet in length and was wrapped in a brown cloth. The front end had something large sticking out that the cloaked man in the front used to carry it while the one in the back just held onto the bottom edge.


    For several minutes the two cloaked humans walked along the path not saying a word while Arthur watched from a distance, he occasionally even needed to crawl on the ground to avoid being seen. Eventually they reached a small clearing where the trees acted like walls, preventing anyone from entering. The one thing that stood out was all the shovels and raised piles of dirt.


    The humans brought the object they were carrying to an area that didn¡¯t have any disturbed dirt around and placed the object down. Well one did, the other just dropped it and gave it a kick. ¡°Would it kill you to show a bit of respect to the dead Epidicus.¡± The second human asked in a hushed voice.


    ¡°That bitch led both me and Kolvar on for almost a year.¡± The Epidicus reached for a shovel as he spoke. ¡°She knew that we both liked her but she kept us at each other''s throats like we were her toys.¡± The anger was quite evident in his voice.


    ¡°I know what she did, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should be disrespectful to the dead.¡±


    ¡°You want to know the worst part about it.¡± The Epidicus turned around while he held his index finger up. ¡°That bitch was over 200 years old and this wasn¡¯t her first time pulling that crap.¡± He got real close to his partner, their faces almost touching. ¡°I am doing the world a favor by erasing her from the lives of everyone she has ever thoroughly screwed over.¡±


    ¡°Ok ok, I get your point.¡± The second human raised her hands and took two steps back. Arthur, who was several meters away, was able to pick up on just enough of the conversation to understand what the object they were carrying was. ¡®A dead body, that isn¡¯t good. This must be some sort of graveyard they have for other victims of what they are doing.¡¯ Arthur thought back to all the different evil activities that require mortal sacrifices from demon cults to the various amounts of forbidden magic that heartless people with more money than time have used in the past to obtain power and or a longer life.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know enough about what has happened to the corpse, if I can take a look I could probably take a good guess as to what they did to it. But I should probably let them dig the hole and then kill them so the guards don¡¯t think I was the one who did it.¡¯


    Arthur waited for almost two hours for the two humans to finish digging the hole, it was a long and boring two hours for him and the two digging the hole had stopped to take several breaks during that time. ¡°Finally, we are done.¡± The second human said as they huffed.


    ¡°Now we just gotta put the body in and fill it back up.¡± Epidicus leaned on his shovel as he looked at the big pile of dirt the two of them just dug up. ¡°I will tell lord Darius that we have finished, you can go straight home.¡±


    ¡°Well that makes this a little awkward.¡± A voice came from behind and both Epidicus and his partner turned around to the source. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Epidicus reached behind himself for the dagger they were given upon their joining of the sect.


    The person in front of them was covered by the shadows cast by the trees but they could make out the heavy armour he wore along with the large sword at his hip.

 Chapter 27

    Epidicus slowly drew his dagger from its sheath while his partner did the same. A dreadful silence filled the small grove as the two held their daggers. ¡°I asked you a question.¡± Epidicus took as step forward as his dagger gleamed in a small ray of light.


    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t think you are going to get an answer to that question.¡± Arthur placed his left hand on the handle of his sword. ¡°And I think you are quite tired after digging a hole in a place with all those roots.¡± Arthur showed a small smile that gave both Epidicus and his partner an eerie feeling.


    Epidicus moved to his partner''s side and whispered. ¡°You know a bit of magic right?¡±


    ¡°Well yes, why?¡± Lord Darius has spent a bit of time teaching a few of his disciples some of the basic points of magic.


    ¡°Without your magic I don¡¯t think we will get out of this. Also I will need your help bringing his corpse back to Lord Darius.¡± Epidicus kept his eyes on the man. ¡®He is wearing armor and has a sword so he is most likely a knight or fighter. Magic is both unpredictable and versatile, so while I distract him Pellio can kill him with one of the spells he was taught.¡¯


    ¡°It will take me a few seconds to cast something that will definitely kill him.¡± Pellio¡¯s hands were shaking, he had never used magic against another person before let alone with the intent to kill someone.


    ¡°That is fine, just don¡¯t miss him.¡± The mysterious man chuckled and looked Epidicus square in the eyes.


    ¡®What an idiot, with that five point increase in perception I can hear most of their conversation. And here he acts like they can come out of this alive, all I need are their bodies, the grave, and the body they brought over here.¡¯


    ¡°Now.¡± Epidicus took off running towards Arthur with his dagger ready to stab. Pellio started chanting and moving his hands in a strange way that reminded Arthur of the demonstration Aiwin gave earlier in the day.


    Arthur chose not to draw his sword to deal with the threat in front of him, instead tried something that came with the knowledge of unarmed combat he received from the demon soul. When Epidicus got close with his dagger Arthur used his left hand to grab the arm with the blade and used his right hand to hold him by his neck. With a swift spin Arthur slammed his face into the dirt, Arthur took the dagger that was just dropped and put it through Epidicus¡¯s eye.


    Pellio watched while the whole clash unfolded, the unknown assailant who ambushed them easily disarmed and killed the closest thing he had to a friend in the sect. Pellio did not falter though despite the fear as he used the surrounding dirt to create several small darts that he immediately fired at Arthur.


    Arthur with both his hands quickly conjured a thin shield that blocked the projectiles. ¡°No no no no no.¡± Pellio took several steps backwards until he backed into the wall of trees. Arthur started walking towards him while he drew his sword. ¡®I have played around enough, now I need to get rid of him and quickly get the city guards here.¡¯


    Pellio fired several darts of dirt as Arthur moved closer, but they either missed or were blocked by his armor or sword. ¡®Oh no, he must be a part of the city guard or another powerful organization. He clearly received proper training in martial combat and he even knows magic.¡¯ Pellio in his terror began to think of all the possible scenarios of why someone with Arthurs skill followed them. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me. I will stop doing this and leave forever.¡± Tears streamed down his face as he begged Arthur not to kill him, as he hoped he would get a chance to live.


    Arthur looked at the small sniveling man who fell to the ground, begging to be allowed to live. Arthur simply held his sword in a reverse grip with both hands and he pushed Pellio to the ground with his foot. With Arthurs foot on his chest Pellio could do nothing but cry out as Arthur plunged the sword into his neck killing him.


    Arthur took a step back to look at the bodies of the two men he just killed. ¡®I enjoyed doing that to them.¡¯ Arthur looked to his hands that weeks ago would have been shaking upon killing another person, they were calm and steady. He reached up and touched his face, he had a small smile that felt like it was stuck there. ¡®I should go find a city guard and show them this place.¡¯


    Arthur took off back down the path he followed the two men down, only a few minutes passed before he found the entrance and rushed out to find the nearest guards to report what just happened.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    *********


    ¡°So let me get this straight. You saw a strange group of people walking down a hidden path in the empty plot of land just behind the Free Parrot Bar, so you decided to follow them and found a secret graveyard that the two people were bringing a dead body to. You then killed the two in self defense and returned here to tell us this.¡± Even though the guard''s face was covered by a helmet Arthur could still feel the disbelief in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, that is what happened. Would you like me to show you where the bodies are?¡±


    ¡°That would be quite helpful.¡± The guard turned to his coworker and said ¡°Go tell the captain of the development here and meet us at the location this man just described.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The guard turned and quickly made his way north to the barracks.


    ¡°Now show me where these bodies are.¡±


    ***********


    Arthur showed the guard the small space he used to pass through the tree line and get onto the small path. While they walked down it he showed the guard how the windows on the second floor overlooked the small trees. ¡°If that is the case then why hasn''t anyone else said anything about strange people walking around here.¡±


    ¡°My personal guess is that this group only started their activities here recently. They must have planted the trees in this particular way to block any line of sight and expected that in the dark anyone who did see them would think it was just because they were tired.¡±


    ¡°And if that is the case the current owner of this plot of land may be in on it, or even be the leader of these criminals.¡±


    ¡°Is the land owner''s name Darius by any chance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I would need to check the city''s archives to know that. Why is that name important?¡±


    ¡°I heard one of them say the name Lord Darius. My personal guess is that he is the leader or at least a high ranking member in whatever group this is.¡±


    **********


    ¡°So this is what you meant by a secret graveyard.¡± The guard looked around the small grove full of about ten filled in graves with one waiting for a body. The guard walked over to the corpse covered in the brown sheet. ¡°This is the victim here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, apparently she was leading the big one by the entrance and someone else along. He did not appreciate it and volunteered her for whatever evil act they did.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how she died?¡± The guard reached for the sheet covering the corpse to inspect it.


    ¡°No, I immediately left to find you guys after I killed these two.¡± Arthur said while he rummaged through the pockets of the dead mage.


    The guard removed the sheet from the face of the corpse. The corpse was of a female elf with light blond hair and a slim physique. The only oddity was she was very pale, almost as if all the blood in her body had been drained before they brought it here. The slit throat contributed to the theory.


    ¡®This is worrying. They didn¡¯t use her as a sacrifice to a demon based on the fact that we found the corpse all in one piece, a necromancer would have kept the body to use as a thrall, the only other possibility I can think of is a vampire cult.¡¯


    ¡°Interesting emblem.¡± The guard turned to see Arthur inspecting the dagger the dead mage used before he was killed.


    ¡°Did you find something on the dagger?¡± The guard stood up and walked to see what Arthur was looking at.


    ¡°Some sort of emblem on the hilt of the dagger, it kinda looks like teeth.¡± Arthur showed the emblem which was of a set of humanoid teeth with two in the upper jaw that were a bit longer and sharper than the rest.


    The guard took the dagger from Arthur and held it up to the moonlight. The emblem remained the same and his fears only grew. ¡°Do you know what a vampire is?¡±


    Arthur was taken aback by the abrupt question. ¡°No. Why?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? That is a little surprising but unimportant.¡± The guard returned the dagger to Arthur and continued. ¡°A vampire is a mortal such as a human, elf, or dwarf that as a punishment for desecrating a temple or shrine to a god is cursed with the disease of vampirism. Vampires are immortal creatures that will live forever or until they are slain, they are also gifted with improved magical talent compared to when they were mortal and are very egotistical as one would expect from someone who would insult a god so directly. As a result many perceive themselves as gods and create cults dedicated to themselves, sometimes with other vampires creating a very dangerous threat to everyone.¡±


    ¡°And you think these two were a part of a cult of vampires.¡±


    ¡°Yes I do. The only weakness that vampires face is that they need to consume the blood of mortals to continue moving, if not they go into a hibernation that can only be ended when they are given blood.¡±


    ¡°And this was where they were burying their victims after they were drained of all their blood.¡± Arthur looked at all the piles of dirt, each one was a person that was killed just so that their blood could be used to feed a monster that viewed them as animals.


    ¡°They must have only been here for about half a year now based on the amount of corpses there are.¡±


    ¡°How much blood does a vampire need to survive?¡±


    ¡°One vampire will consume about 2 people every month, with 11 bodies counting the one you intercepted that equals 5 months and 2 weeks.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Shortly after a group of ten other guards arrived at the hidden graveyard and a proper investigation was launched. The other ten bodies were dug up and those that could were identified and given to their families after they were thoroughly examined for a cause of death. Those that could not be identified due to decay were cremated and placed in a grave mass grave¡¯.


    ¡°Mr. Arthur I on behalf of all the citizens of Antium would like to thank you for all your help in identifying the threat of this vampire cult that has appeared in our great city.¡± Captain Pelagius reached his right hand to Arthur¡¯s.


    Arthur took the hand and shook it. ¡°Thank you captain. I just had a feeling.¡±


    ¡°Your feeling might just have saved this city many of its citizens. Since we uncovered the bodies of the few that hadn''t decayed too much, we found similar wounds on the neck that were likely used to drain the blood from. If you learn of anything in the future regarding the case please inform us immediately .¡±


    ¡°I will be certain to do that sir.¡±


    ¡°And I am happy to hear that.¡±


    After Arthur gave an official statement Captain Pelagius allowed him to leave the barracks and return to his civilian life.


    ¡°Sir, is it wise to allow him to leave without a proper investigation?¡± Captain Pelagius¡¯s second in command asked as soon as the door closed to his office.


    ¡°If he is a part of the cult then what he has just done is by far the most idiotic thing possible. Do you know what makes a successful cult Lieutenant Aloysius?¡± Captain Pelagius turned to face Lieutenant Aloysius as he spoke. ¡°A successful cult is one that goes unnoticed by everyone who is not a member, someone bringing them to light is by far the worst thing that can happen to them.¡±


    Lieutenant Aloysius remained quiet for a moment as he thought on the captain''s words. ¡°We should still have someone keep an eye on him, the cult might send someone to kill him for exposing them.¡±


    ¡°I was going to have someone do that.¡± Captain Pelagius reached for a small pile of papers that detailed each of the elite members of the city''s guard. ¡°I am going to require your help in finding someone with a skill set that will allow them to remain undetected by both our enemies and this Arthur of Dom Badaher.¡±


    *********


    Auria stood with her two friends in the office of the boss while he paced around the room with a look of worry on his face. ¡°Well I suppose that we should consider ourselves lucky, the cult is being investigated by the city guard and the one to kick it off was none other than our new hero.¡±


    ¡°That should be a good thing sir.¡± Auria felt the dread in her stomach slowly stirring.


    ¡°It would be but they want all the information we have on him.¡± The boss paused for a moment as he looked Auria in the eyes. ¡°And they want to hear it from you.¡±


    Auria¡¯s eyes widened, she had heard the stories of what they had done to their victims to feed their monarch, how they hang them upside down by their feet and slit their throats to drain them of their blood like bleeding out an animal. The only way they could hear the information she had was to directly ask her.


    The door slowly creaked open and a human wearing a deep red cloak slowly walked into the room and approached the boss. ¡°Good day to you Mr. Metilius.¡± The human spoke with a deep and almost ghastly voice. ¡°I believe you have information for the sect.¡±


    ¡°Yes we do. Auria, please tell this¡­ gentleman all that you learned of this Arthur of Dom Badaher.¡± Auria could tell by the worried look in his eyes that it wasn¡¯t a request.


    ¡°Well we know that Arthur of Dom Badaher is a mage and only entered the city recently yet he appears to have connections with a noble house, house Vettonius to be exact.¡± As she spoke the cloaked man turned to look at her. His face was quite pale, almost like a corpse. ¡°Since he entered the city he has been staying in the The Free Parrot Bar in a room on the second floor.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Now I think it is time that we remove this obstacle permanently.¡± The man smiled as he turned back to Mr. Metilius. ¡°This young lady can help me with this, I can see just how eager she is to prove herself.¡± The man placed his arm around Auria¡¯s shoulder, giving her a close view of his face. He smelt like blood and she could see with his smile his canine teeth were a bit sharper and longer than the rest.


    ¡°Of course, I think she is more than capable of assisting you. She is one of my best agents here after all.¡± Metilius gave an unconvincing smile as he felt his control over the situation slipping. ¡®Why oh why did they send one of Darius¡¯s blood spawn. Normally they just send a representative that we are able to push around a bit to get what we want, like them getting rid of our enemies and hiding the bodies for just a few coins and the rights to the blood.¡¯


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    ¡°That is just splendid, the two of us will spend the next day preparing a plan of attack for our ¡®hero¡¯. We will most likely enact it tomorrow night when he should be getting ready to sleep. Come along now dear.¡± The vampire extended his hand to Auria and she hesitantly took it before they left the room.


    Metilius let out a loud sigh as the door closed behind the two and sat down in his chair.


    ¡°What about us sir?¡± Auria¡¯s friend asked after a moment of silence between the three who remained in the room.


    ¡°Keep me informed about the investigation into the cult, they are going to ask for details and I don¡¯t expect them to continue acting the way they have been any longer. Just be sure not to get yourself caught, we don¡¯t need any more complications.¡±


    The two nodded and quickly left the room leaving Metilius alone in his office. ¡®If only that bastard hadn''t shown up here things would be different.¡¯


    **********


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 10


    Exp : 7900


    Next Level at : 8000


    Mana : 30/30


    Strength 15


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 30


    Intellect 30


    Perception 15


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 20


    Faith 10 (Locked)


    Devotion 10 (Locked)


    Available points : 0


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®I only need another one hundred exp before I reach level eleven. I wonder what I should put those ten points into. Charisma is definitely the lowest priority right now, dexterity, constitution and intellect are all high enough for now leaving my options as strength, vitality perception and arcane.¡¯


    Arthur had immediately returned to his room upon leaving the barracks and laying on the bed in the room he rented. While he was getting ready to sleep he looked over his HUD to see how close he was to level eleven.


    ¡®Since my strength and perception are both the lowest of those four options I should probably split them between those two. That was a bit of a surprise just how useful perception actually is, I was able to hear most of the conversation those two were having.¡¯


    After a few minutes Arthur put out the small candle on the bedside table and drifted off to sleep.


    ***********


    Arthur awoke a bit later than he normally did since he had to stay up later than normal to give a statement for the city guard. Based on the sun Arthur suspected it was about nine o''clock in the morning. Arthur walked downstairs and ordered three breakfast burritos like before and kept two in his dimensional bag while he ate the third.


    The first thing Arthur did after was go straight to the mages guild to collect his class schedule. After waiting for twenty minutes in line and asking the clerk at the front desk he learned the mail was in room two. It took only half a minute for Arthur to find room two.


    Room two was almost designed like a small shop with all the envelopes, paper, and ink that was on display and the three desks for employees to help people like at the front desks. Arthur was told by a man at one of the desks that he would need to fill out a form to receive a mailbox where he can collect letters and other documents sent to him by the guild or other guild members. The form was quite short to fill out, it only asked for his name, his age, his rank in the guild (Novice), and his signature. After half an hour Arthur was given mailbox number 1137 and he could find it by going down the hallway on the left side of the desks.


    The room, if you could even call it just a room, was very very big, large alleyways of these strange metallic boxes that were about three or four feet tall lined the walls. Thankfully each had a number and the walls on each of the ends of the walls were the numbers of each mailbox. The first section was mailboxes one through one hundred, the next was one hundred and one through two hundred and so on. It took Arthur a bit to find mailbox 1137 but he did, using the key he was given he opened it and inside he found a letter that he immediately opened.


    The letter was his schedule for the classes he selected from the guild, his basics of pyromancy would take place from 10:00 to 12:00 in room fifteen and his basics of aeromancy would take place from 12:30 to 2:30 in room seventeen, both classes would be ongoing for twenty eight days or a whole month.


    ¡®It''s good that I can finally get some proper teaching for magic, I have seen just how useful both pyromancy and aeromancy can be, hopefully by the end of the month I will have some skill in them.¡¯


    Since there was only about ten minutes before Arthur¡¯s first pyromancy class he decided he should just go and be there a bit early. But as he was leaving he had a question about the mailboxes. ¡®How can they be sure that no one will break into someone else''s locker by picking the lock?¡¯ As he was leaving the mail room Arthur asked the man at the desk.


    ¡°Both the mailboxes and the keys are enchanted, so that way even if you pick the lock without the magic from the key the mailbox will not open.¡±


    ¡°I am assuming that this was a problem in the past.¡±


    ¡°It was about 50 or so years ago the entire system had to be redone because people kept exploiting the rules and the way things worked to get away with things they normally weren''t able to.¡±

 Chapter 29

    ¡°I¡¯ll jot that down as something to be thankful for.¡± Arthur made a mental note to in the future take a class on enchanting so that he might be able to replicate something like that. ¡®There are a lot of thieves out there every time I go to the market square, something like that would help prevent just anyone from taking what they want.


    ¡°There are many changes to be thankful for. Around the same time it was an absolute nightmare for anyone who wasn¡¯t a noble or came from a wealthy family. After a series of talented commoners taking their revenge on a massive scale things finally changed for the better.¡± The clerk sighed as he took a list from his pocket and looked over quickly. ¡°There are a few chapters in the History of The Mages Guild that go over it and a few of the manifestoes of the perpetrators were published, they go into great detail so I wouldn¡¯t recommend them for the faint of heart.¡± The clerk looked up from the list with a smile as Arthur thanked him and left for room fifteen.


    After a short walk Arthur was easily able to find room fifteen and quickly entered with about five or so minutes to spare. A good portion of the seats were already filled with students, some of which Arthur recognised from the orientation from the day before. Arthur ended up taking a seat just one row back from the front.


    A few minutes passed and an elderly human man entered the room carrying a red book that was at least two inches thick. The man wore a pristine red and black robe that looked as if black flames had been sown into it as it was made.


    ¡°Good morning class. My name is Eligius Sabinius and today and for the next month I will be teaching you the basics of pyromancy.¡± Despite his age Eligius had eyes full of strength and a bright fire burned.


    ¡°Most who are only beginning to learn the arcane arts think that pyromancy is not much different than any of the other evocations. Well I am here to tell you that is idiotic.¡± Eligius cupped his hands together and a ball of fire grew within them until he could hold it like a ball. ¡°Fire is what made us who we are today, with fire our ancient ancestors kept dangerous animals at bay and cooked their food to stop food poisoning. Fire is used to forge metal and create many of the tools we use every day from pots to knives. To imply there is little difference between the evocations is an insult to every one of our ancestors.¡± The ball of fire was smothered in Eligius hands and with a few waves of his hands a candle floated to each student, with a second wave each of the candles lit.


    ¡°I know each of you have at least learned how to use at least one of the evocations, I want you to think about how you learned to use it. How did you manipulate the mana to achieve such a task? I will give you all 15 minutes to try and when most of you fail as I expect you to I will give you more specific instructions.¡±


    Arthur looked at the candle that sat in front of him and with both his hands around the small flame he used his mana to try to control. Most of the other students did the same trying to brute force learning pyromancy, only a select few were quickly able to understand what Eligius had told them.


    Ten minutes passed and Arthur made no progress in manipulating the flame like everyone else. ¡®How did I manipulate the mana before?¡¯ Arthur began to think back to when he first learned hydromancy. ¡®I can¡¯t brute force this, I need to look back.¡¯ Arthur closed his eyes and thought back to the exact moment he started learning.


    ¡®I moved my mana to overlap a good portion of the water and then made it flow like water did by mimicking how it would if it had been stirred. Do I need to use my mana to flow like the flame does? I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡¯


    Arthur resumed his attempts this time using less mana and trying to have it flow like the flame did. It was much harder than he would have expected and he had to constantly keep his mana from leaving the very small flame. Eligius walked through the small walkways between the seats and noticed that another had found the correct method.


    ¡®Another one has figured out my riddle, that makes 4 now. His talent in pyromancy is a bit lacking but he appears to have a good head on his shoulders to make up for that.¡¯


    Arthur felt he was almost there when Eligius announced the fifteen minutes had ended and he began a lecture. ¡°While I am disappointed that most of you simply tried to brute force it I can¡¯t say I am surprised by it. Those of you who understand that you need to allow your mana to flow with the element and just exist in the same space I congratulate you and I see an excellent future in your magical careers.¡± Eligius looked to the four students who were able to understand what they needed to do, even if they hadn''t yet succeeded they were on the right path.


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    Eligius gave a lesson on the art of pyromancy that confirmed most of what Arthur had figured out on his own but also gave him a few tips on how to be more effective. ¡°Now that you all know what you need to do I am expecting you all to start right away, you still have more than 30 minutes before the class ends. I will also be going around and telling you if you are doing wrong and help you correct it.¡± Eligius reached into his bag and pulled out an apple as he began to walk around the class.


    One student, the spider person, was the first to learn pyromancy. He held the small flame in the palm of one of his right hands and Eligius was quick to point out his success to the rest of the class. ¡°Look here class, this young man has just started his journey in the art of pyromancy. Unlike most of you he did not require much instruction from me and is very talented. I look forward to seeing how you progress in the future.¡± Most of the class was quite insulted by Eligius¡¯s remarks about their intelligence and jealous of the spider person''s skill and talent.


    Soon two others that were soon followed by Arthur showed that they too could use pyromancy. Each of them received praise from Eligius that further annoyed the rest of the class as they were further insulted. Some of the students from more well off families even began to try and come up with ways to get at them, most of which involved violence but ultimately went nowhere.


    Arthur continued practising his pyromancy, it was much more difficult than both hydromancy and geomancy combined. The difficulty most likely came from the fact that he needed to keep far more precise control over it than either of the other two.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Pyromancy Level 0 (New)


    \- - - - - -/


    The small flame danced in his palm he tried to feed it slightly more mana to see if it would have any effect, all it ended up doing was make Arthur waste a bit of mana. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t much and he would recover it within a handful of minutes. Eligius was also kind enough to give his new favourite students pointers on what they were doing wrong and helped them improve. By the end of the class only another two students were able to learn how to manipulate fire.


    Eligius stood at the front of the class room and looking down at those who failed to succeed he said ¡°Well I would say that I expected better of you but to be honest I did no such thing. If it were up to me most of you would never have been allowed to join the guild unless you were able to show you had actual skill and dedication towards magic. Don¡¯t think I did not notice those of you who plotted to remove the competition through violence, I don¡¯t expect you to be a part of the guild for much longer after that behaviour.¡± The students who spent some time plotting instead of practicing turned pale and one even started to cry.


    ¡°Little shits like you have caused immeasurable damage to both the guild and the world with your actions, people who could have helped bring about a golden age instead killed off or turned to the most vile of forbidden magic for their revenge all because of people like you couldn¡¯t handle someone else being better than you.¡± The fire in Eligius¡¯s eyes grew brighter than before as he approached the cluster of students who he lectured. ¡°If it were up to me I would have you all feed the werebeasts alive. Oh, would you look at the time.¡± Eligius looked at a small device that was bound to a piece of leather that clung to his wrist. ¡°It''s almost 12:00. I''ll let you all go a bit early today, excluding you five.¡±


    The rest of the class did not hesitate to rush out and leave the five well off students to their fate. Arthur after leaving decided to get a bit of fresh air while he ate his lunch. He found a bench just outside the market square where he ate the second breakfast burrito he bought.


    While he ate he felt the distinct feeling of someone watching him again. ¡®Are those green cloaked people here again.¡¯ Arthur looked around but he couldn¡¯t find anyone watching him, if anything there were far less people than there should have been. He spotted only a handful of people passing through the area to the market. ¡®Well I think that it¡¯s about time I head back to the guild now. Lots to learn there.¡¯


    Arthur watched his back the whole way to the mages guild and only when he was at the front door did the feeling dissipate. Arthur quickly went down the hallway to search for room seventeen to begin his aeromancy class.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± The blood spawn chuckled as he turned to Auria. ¡°Despite the fact that he could not see me he could still feel that I was watching him.¡±


    ¡°He did the same thing when I investigated him on behalf of Misery''s End. It''s like he can feel what we are going to do just as we decide we are going to do it.¡± Auria thought back to when she and her accomplices tailed him for a day.

 Chapter 30

    ¡°The odds of him having the gift of divination are not exactly very high my dear. He likely just has a very high perception attribute or is very sensitive to auras.¡± The blood spawn chuckled as he played with his knives. ¡°He can run all he wants, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°So what exactly is our plan?¡± Auria asked worried about his behavior.


    ¡°If he can sense where we are we will just stay around him to keep him up, and when it gets late and he is tired we will strike. Do you know how important sleep is?¡± Auria shook her head. ¡°Well there were some experiments done in the empire with some prisoners about 30 or so years ago, what they did was keep several of their test subjects awake for an extended period of time with the promise that if they remain awake for a week they would be released. Only one lasted and he was a complete mess after all that, he wouldn''t even recognize the faces of the researchers and when he attempted to get away from them he could barely move.¡± The blood spawn had a very large grin on his face as he recalled the information of the experiment as if he was there himself.


    ¡°So what you are saying is that we will exploit his natural ability to detect us to keep him awake and then strike when he is tired.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is precisely my plan.¡±


    **********


    The moment Arthur entered the mages guild he let out a sigh of relief and slowed his pace to a walk. The feeling of being watched left and he continued his way to his aeromancy class in room seventeen. Like his pyromancy class there was a large assortment of students there already despite the fact that it was more than ten minutes before the class would even begin.


    When the class did begin, an elven woman entered the room with the grace of a cat wearing light grey robes with a bit of black. ¡°Welcome everyone to the basics of aeromancy, I am Faylen and I will be your instructor for this class.¡± Faylin presented a very different atmosphere compared to Eligius, she was far more calming and friendly than the tough pyromancer who took nothing from no one.


    ¡°We will be beginning the lesson with a basic demonstration of the practical uses of aeromancy and then I will allow all of you to give it a try yourself before I give an explanation on how to do it. Remember a good mage knows how to learn on their own without being spoon fed answers.¡±


    Faylin with a wave of her hand created an air barrier like the one the instructor Arthur went against during the exam. ¡°Does anyone here know how to use geomancy?¡± Ten hands went up. ¡°Can any of you conjure earth?¡± Only three hands remained.


    ¡°You there, I want you to conjure a few simple darts of earth and try to hit me through my barrier.¡± Faylin pointed to a male dwarf sitting in the middle. The dwarf stood up and walked into the aisle where he conjured twelve small earth darts. ¡°Go ahead.¡± The dwarf with a flick of his wrist launched the darts towards Faylin, instead of hurting her the darts were simply deflected off and harmlessly hit the front walls of the room.


    A few of the students who were less experienced with magic, and likely of lower economic standing based on their clothes, were surprised by how easy their teacher blocked the attack. It wasn¡¯t the most dangerous attack ever but for most it would have caused some serious harm to the target.


    ¡°Thank you, you may now return to your seat.¡± The dwarf nodded and returned to where he was sitting before. ¡°That as you can see is one of the most basic practical applications of aeromancy. This on the other hand is something that will come with a bit more time and practice.¡± Faylin brought all her fingers togethers and slowly began moving them apart, while she did electricity began jumping between each pair until it became a one large stream. With a flick of her wrist Faylin made the stream of electricity dance around the room like a serpent for a full minute before she dissipated the electricity ending the spectacle.


    Most of the class was surprised by the display of magical prowess, most did not even know that it was possible to conjure electricity with aeromancy. ¡°Now that we have that out of the way it is time for you to try it out for yourself.¡± Most of the students were a bit worried by that statement as they had no idea where they should start.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will give you a basic explanation after you try this out by yourself first. The biggest problem novices have is trying to control too much air at once, try limiting how much for your first attempts and go from there. You all have 15 minutes to try it out on your own starting now.¡±


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    About half of the class almost cried out in terror at those words, the other half had a basic idea as to what they needed to do from the class they took earlier in the day. Having what they needed to do even if it was for another evocation would greatly help those that attended. But the few who had succeeded with their first class of the day were by far the most confident in their ability to learn.


    Arthur quickly cupped his hands together creating a small little spot where he could easily manipulate the mana through the air within. The process reminded him a lot of when he learned hydromancy except that it took him more than an hour to do then when he could easily expect to learn the minimum of aeromancy by the end of the fifteen minutes.


    Not even a second passed when Arthur felt himself move the air between his hands in a small cyclone like current.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Aeromancy Level 0 (New)


    \- - - - - -/


    Faylin clapped her hands signaling the end of the fifteen minutes she gave the class to try it out on their own. ¡°That''s 15 minutes now class, I see a few of you were able to do it but I still feel you should listen to the lesson as it can still help you improve.¡± Some of the students that failed to learn aeromancy groaned under their breath while others just sighed. The ones who either succeeded or felt they were on their way were far calmer and orderly.


    ¡°The biggest mistake most novices make is trying to control too much air at once, at the level most of you are at you shouldn¡¯t be trying this on more than the amount of water you can fit in one hand. The second thing to keep in mind is that air is very chaotic and likes to move around a lot so you need to start with still air away from any natural winds.¡± Faylin went over more beginner tips for novice aeromancers that helped Arthur a bit in understanding how he could improve his control. The rest of the class was spent with more practice under Faylin¡¯s watch as she gave tips on how they could do better. By the time the class ended Arthur felt he was on the right path to mastering aeromancy.


    The first thing Arthur did when the class ended was leave for the magic object hall, he was a bit late for his meeting with Calavia but he thought she would understand. When he entered the hall he found Calavia sitting on a bench reading a book titled Shield Without Direction.


    ¡°Hey Calavia, what are you reading?¡± Arthur walked to his friend as he took a quick look at the book she was reading.


    ¡°Hey Arthur, I am reading Shield Without Direction. It is a book on some of the basic applications of alteration magic. Oh and by the way you are quite early.¡± She chuckled as she returned her book to her bag.


    ¡°Yeah I only got my class schedules today so I didn¡¯t have time to tell you that I would be done so early.¡± ¡®Thankfully she isn¡¯t mad that I was late, she must have waited at least an hour by now.¡¯


    ¡°Well that just means that tomorrow we will need to set our scheduled meeting back an hour from now on.¡± Calavia smiled as the two began walking around the facility. ¡°So what classes did you take?¡±


    ¡°I took the basics of pyromancy and aeromancy, Eligius Sabinius and Faylin were my teachers for their respective subjects.¡±


    ¡°You have Sabinius as your pyromancy teacher? I had him a while ago when I first started several years ago, he respects only hard work and dedication, and I expect he told you all several times throughout the day.¡±


    ¡°He did tell us that, then he insulted everyone else by using some of the better students as examples.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, that is definitely him, Faylin on the other hand I do not know as well. All I know was that she has been doing magic for a much shorter time than Sabinius and the rest of the old guard and yet she still managed to obtain the rank of wizard and was offered a teaching position.¡±


    ¡°From what I experienced in her class she is quite nice and takes her time to help those that need help instead of glaring and insulting them while talking like Sabinius did for the less gifted students.¡±


    The two continued with their conversation as they moved through the guild and outside. They eventually ended up at the bench that Arthur had used several times in the past. ¡°Has this bench always been here?¡± Calavia asked as she enjoyed the warm breeze that followed though the small clearing.


    ¡°I have only been in the city for a few days now so I can¡¯t speak for any date before then, but since I have been here I don¡¯t recall a day in which I haven''t used this bench.¡±


    ¡°It must be a very nice place to sit then.¡±


    ¡°Oh it is, but the last time I was here I felt like someone was watching me very intensely.¡± Arthur looked around a bit to make sure there wasn¡¯t anyone around to hear them lest they be the person that stalked him back to the guild.


    ¡°You felt someone watching you when you were sitting here?¡± Arthur nodded. ¡°Have you told anyone about this yet?¡±


    ¡°No, not aside from you. Every time I get close to the guild the feeling disappears though. Is that not odd?¡±


    ¡°It is very odd. Where are you staying in the city at the moment?¡± Calavia was now looking around to see if she could spot anyone watching.


    ¡°In the The Free Parrot Bar up near the mercenaries guild and that empty plot of land.¡±


    ¡°Well in that case I think you should move into the dormitories provided by the guild.¡±

 Chapter 31

    ¡°The dormitories. Aren''t those really small and like four people required to share one room?¡± Arthur asked not liking the idea of sharing a room with three other people. ¡°I do like my privacy, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but with this possible threat it might be a good idea to find safety in numbers. It might not be comfortable but it could save your life.¡±


    Arthur could see in her face that Calavia was hurt by his comment about privacy. ¡®Well that was rude, nice going.¡¯ ¡°Ok I will consider moving into the dormitories but if it is as bad as I think it is I will be leaving the moment the threat has passed.¡±


    Calavia weakly smiled upon hearing Arthurs answer. ¡°Good, I recommend doing that as soon as possible. There is a good amount of paperwork involved so it''s best to just get it out of the way.¡±


    ¡°I will let you know of my decision.¡±


    The two spent the next ten minutes chatting about other unrelated topics before Arthur excused himself with the excuse of needing to go to room eight for the job board. The tired man from the day before was gone and an elf woman was in his place behind the counter. Unlike the man she was quite full of vigor and showed no signs of exhaustion.


    ¡°Welcome sir, how can I help you today.¡±


    ¡°I am here to take on a task.¡±


    ¡°Of course, one second.¡± The elf reached under the table and pulled out the grey orb that the man used to show Arthur the available tasks. ¡°Just place your hand here and all the tasks that you are authorized to complete by the guild will pop up like the HUD.¡±


    Arthur did so and the list of over fifty requests appeared again that he scrolled through by using a bit of his mana. Most of the requests involved finding ingredients like he did the day before, only three were for a delivery specifically for different alchemical apparatuses. The best paying one offered a silver coin upon completion in person.


    ¡°What details were provided for this request?¡± Arthur asked as he gestured to the request from Georgius Calvus.


    ¡°That request came from Georgius Calvus, a mage who operates from The Elder Nymph close to the inner city, he sells all sorts of magical goods to the general populace. He is requesting someone pick up a new magic apparatus from Ice Wares Glass Smiths. There is a document that will verify that you are the courier.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he just hire a courier from one of those companies I¡¯ve seen around here?¡± Arthur thought back to how those companies looked to be doing quite well, that Black Horse Courier being the most popular.


    ¡°Mr. Calvus doesn¡¯t like large businesses and he likes to help out aspiring mages like you get some money together.¡±


    ¡°Well in that case I will take this job and deliver the apparatus to The Elder Nymph.¡±


    ¡°Just give me a moment to get the documents together.¡± The elf reached under the counter and placed a few documents on the table that Arthur was required to sign. The most important document was a map of the city that highlighted both the Ice Wares Glass Smiths building as well as The Elder Nymph.


    The glass smiths were on the east side of the city in the middle of the industrial sector where all the workshops were from blacksmiths to carpenters. It was a loud area with a section of poor quality housing to the south for the day laborers who worked the lower paying jobs.


    Ice Wares Glass Smiths was working out of a medium sized warehouse with several furnaces blasting heat. The furnaces had no apparent fuel source until Arthur saw some large dark blue crystals all placed along the sides that lightly glowed.


    The foreman was sitting at a table in a small section that had only storage and a handful of offices that were empty side from the one belonging to the foreman.


    ¡°Welcome sir, do you have any business with us?¡± The foreman was a dwarf with a thick dark beard and hair that had a few braids. He wore simple clothes like those of his workers.


    Arthur handed the dwarf the document showing that he was a courier and what he came to collect.


    ¡°Oh I remember that order. It was a few glass containers he called beakers, three of these retorts, and another three alembics.¡± The dwarf looked up from the paper. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they were something that you use in alchemy or what but he gave us very detailed blueprints so we fulfilled his order.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.¡°You think they are used in alchemy?¡± Arthur asked curious about these tools that may be used in alchemy.


    ¡°That''s what I think they are for, but I know nothing about alchemy so for all I know they could be used as magic focuses.¡± The dwarf shrugged and began walking to the storage room. ¡°You just wait here for a moment, I will fetch the glassware and then you can get going.¡±


    The dwarf returned a few minutes later with two boxes that contained the glassware. He placed them on the table and turned to Arthur. ¡°So how exactly are you going to take these? They are quite heavy to carry all the way to that store and I didn''t see any horses.¡±


    ¡°I have a dimensional bag I can carry it inside of.¡± Arthur showed the amazed dwarf that he could even fit his whole sword into the bag.


    ¡°That is incredible. With just one of these I would only need a warehouse half the size of this one.¡± The dwarfs eyes lit up like stars as he looked at the magic bag.


    ¡°You might want to put the brakes on that plan, from what I know these are quite expensive. The only reason I even have one is because it was a gift from a friend.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps.¡± The dwarf muttered a few incomprehensible words as he returned to his desk. ¡°You have given me something important to think about lad, since everything here checks out you can get to delivering that glassware now, assuming you know the way.¡±


    ¡°I do, and good luck to you.¡± Arthur gave a small wave as he turned to leave.


    ¡°And to you too son.¡±


    *********


    Arthur quickly followed the map north west to The Elder Nymph located close to the inner city. Most of the people Arthur passed gave him room, his armor in most eyes making him a wealthy mercenary, or wealthy by their standards. Only a handful of people, mostly those who did not care did not give him extra space.


    The Elder Nymph was a large three story building with the first two floors being made up of stone and the third of wood. A large sign depicting a potion bottle and the words along the bottom read ¡°The Elder Nymph¡±.


    Upon entering the building a small chime came from just above the door and a youthful voice called out. ¡°Just a second.¡± Arthur looked up to see a small bell had been moved by the door when he had opened it.


    Arthur walked up to the counter and placed the boxes on top as he waited for who he presumed was Georgius Calvus. Soon a young human man in his early twenties. ¡°Hello sir, how can I help you today?¡±


    ¡°I have a delivery for a Mr. Georgius Calvus, would that by any chance be you?¡± Arthur presented the form he was given as it needed to be signed by Georgius Calvus to confirm the delivery.


    The young man laughed. ¡°No no, I am Aurelio master Calvus¡¯s apprentice. I will go get him to sign that for you.¡± Aurelio walked away behind the counter and up a flight of stairs and shouted. ¡°Master Clavus, a courier is here to deliver the apparatus you ordered!¡±


    Soon the sound of someone rushing down a set of stairs was heard and shortly after a human man in his mid to late sixties wearing a black leather sleeved tunic and trousers with a matching long overcoat. Compared to his master Aurelio who was wearing very clothes with an apron looked quite out of place.


    ¡°Oh finally they are here.¡± Georgius Calvus opened the box and looked inside like a child receiving a present. He took out a beaker and inspected it from several different angles. ¡°My my, they did just as good as last time. Now then for the confirmation of delivery.¡± Calvus took out a ink pot and a quill from his bag and signed the form and handed Arthur a silver coin ending his job.


    But just as Arthur was about to leave Calvus spoke. ¡°Oh one quick question young man.¡±


    Arthur stopped and turned to Calvus. ¡°Um ok, ask away.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any interest in alchemy?¡± Calvus asked with a slight smile on his face.


    ¡°Well it does look interesting, but I haven''t had any experience with it aside from collecting some ingredients for someone else.¡± Arthur was a bit confused by the odd question.


    ¡°And what ingredients did you collect?¡±


    ¡°I collected some Blue Retten Caps, Yellowbark Moss, and Pokeweed.¡± Upon hearing his answer Calvus scoffed.


    ¡°Were they trying to make perfume with those ingredients?¡±


    ¡°Yes they were.¡± Calvus paused before he asked. ¡°Was the request from a Axia Gellius?¡±


    ¡°Yes it was.¡± Calvus sighed. ¡°That woman is so strange, she uses this disgustingly sweet perfume that she used to buy from me. I always made it bearable to be around, but now that she makes it herself she makes it too strong for any sane person.¡± Calvus complained while Aurelio nodded along.


    ¡°Anyways enough of that foolish woman, since you do have some experience in the general field of alchemy I would like to offer you an apprenticeship with me.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Arthur looked at Calvus. He had a calm expression on his face as if he just asked how his day was.


    ¡°Well since Aurelio will finish up his apprenticeship soon and I need to keep myself useful in my old age by teaching youngsters like you. So what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Will I need to forage for ingredients often, because I did that once and I never want to do that again.¡± Arthur recalled the day before when he spent a significant portion of time in the woods searching for the ingredients, he would have preferred just fighting goblins again because at least he would know where to look for them.


    ¡°Well you will for a bit, but I will teach you how to recognize important and useful plants as well as how to properly collect and brew them into potions.¡± Calvus handed a box to Aurelio to take upstairs as he spoke. ¡°I will also provide you with the tools and knowledge on how to use them as well as a room for as long as you work for me.¡±

 Chapter 32

    ¡°If you need some time to think about it, that is perfectly fine, just don¡¯t take too long to decide or I will go looking for someone else.¡± Calvus looked at Arthur expectantly waiting for his answer.


    ¡®This is a great opportunity, but I don¡¯t know if I want to be an alchemist. He said that I would be doing a lot of foraging for ingredients which I hate doing but he also said he would help me learn how to be more effective at it and how to recognize useful plants.¡¯ With a sigh Arthur turned to Calvus and said ¡°I need some time to think about this.¡± Calvus looked a little saddened by his answer but said nothing. ¡°I will be here tomorrow at about the same time and I will give you my answer then.¡±


    ¡°Well alright then, I suppose I will see you tomorrow.¡± Arthur nodded and left, returning to the guild hoping that Calavia would still be there. ¡®I need her input in deciding if I should become an apprentice under Calvus.¡¯ When Arthur arrived at the guild he searched all the places he could think to find her but came up empty handed.


    ¡®That is most unfortunate, I guess I will need to ask her tomorrow after my classes end and then go and give Calvus my answer.¡¯ Arthur sighed in annoyance and began walking back to  The Free Parrot Bar and rented the same room for another ten copper coins.


    Arthur entered the room and immediately upon locking the door plopped down on the bed to try and get some sleep. But the moment he tried to close his eyes he had the distinct feeling of someone watching him the same way from earlier in the day. Arthur sat up and his eyes darted around the room looking for who was watching him but he found no one.


    For several hours Arthur waited for someone to enter the room and show themselves but no one did, by midnight Arthur was already feeling tired after all the running around he did. At around one o¡¯clock in the morning Arthur decided that he needed to get some sleep even with the ominous presence he could feel. He made sure to keep his sword in his hands while he slept.


    At around two o¡¯clock just as Arthur was drifting off to sleep a loud shattering of glass in his room made him wide awake. He quickly drew his sword from its sheath and readied himself to face whatever smashed through his room.


    A humanoid figure wearing a blood red cloak stood just a meter and a half away from him wielding two daggers. The hood the figure was wearing was down allowing Arthur to see that his assailant was a human man, the paleness of his face, and the large grin that showed his two long canine teeth.


    The pale man did not wait long as he launched a flurry of strikes at Arthur, he could only block about half of the attacks the rest he had to take directly. Thankfully his armor withstood and kept him safe from any harm.


    ¡®Looks like you have some decent training with the blade. But it won''t save you now.¡¯


    The pale man giggled in a disturbing way that sounded almost childish, the flurry of attacks were not meant to cause harm, only gauge the target''s skill level and for the pale man Arthur¡¯s skill was below his.


    The pale man pushed Arthur towards a wall to limit when he could go and deliver the killing strike. As Arthur felt his space to move dwindling he knew he would need to use his magic to turn the tides and slowly began to use geomancy to hinder his opponent in a way he would not notice until it was too late.


    The pale man sped his attacks up as Arthur got closer and closer to the wall, and when Arthur was finally forced into the wall he inwardly cried out in joy and went stepped forward for the killing blow. But when he did his foot did not move, it reminded him of the one time he got stuck in tar back home.


    When he looked down he saw his foot was stuck to the floor via conjured earth. With the momentary distraction of his opponent Arthur raised his sword and slashed down leaving a large gash across the pale man''s chest. The pale man cried out in pain as he took a step back with his only unrestrained foot in an attempt to put some distance between them.


    ¡®No this cannot be happening! He is only a novice mage, he cannot know how to cast earth restraints let alone cast without magic words or hand signs!¡¯


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Arthur pressed his advantage this time stabbing the pale man with the tip of his longsword in the gut. ¡®I have you now.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he dealt a second blow to his assailant.  Another cry of pain left the pale man''s mouth as he began to flair his blades around wildly in an attempt to hit what should have been his prey.


    Arthur did not allow him to rest and began to conjure a ball of water just a bit larger than a human''s head while he struck at the pale man who needed to use both his daggers to block. It took almost half a minute but the ball of water was finished and Arthur took a step back as he mentally gave it the order to cover the pale man''s head.


    The ball of water darted to the pale man and covered his head preventing him from breathing. Arthur took several steps back to wait for suffocation to take effect. Initially the pale man did start panicking but as soon as he realized what was covering his head he inwardly laughed and just started striking his restraints on his leg.


    ¡®What? Why isn¡¯t he suffocating? He shouldn¡¯t be able to breathe with the water covering his head.¡¯ But alas Arthur was not aware of the anatomy of vampires and all the changes they experience as they transform, one of which being no longer needing to breathe.


    Arthur dispelled the water and began to conjure four spikes made up of conjured earth behind his back for when the vampire broke from his restraint. ¡®This must be a vampire like the captain told me about. But this raises the question, is he the master or the servant? I guess I can just ask him after I cut his arms and legs off.¡±


    The vampire with a loud crack broke free and turned around in a matter of only ten seconds expecting to see his target terrified that he couldn¡¯t be suffocated. Instead he was met by four large earth projectiles each easily the size of an arrow aiming for his joins in his shoulders and knees.


    ¡°AARRGH!¡± The vampire felt his left arm was stuck to its side with an earth arrow lodged between the joints. The other earth arrows, while they did not disable the vampire, still made contact with one in his forearm, one in his right calf, and the last in his left thigh.


    ¡®I won''t be able to heal those on my own, I will need to get help from lord Darius to heal these wounds.¡¯ The vampire looked at his opponent who stood firm and blocked the window he came in from. ¡®But first I need to get out of here, I can¡¯t win in this condition and that bastard is blocking the window. The only option I have is the door.¡¯


    Arthur and the vampire held their positions firm, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The vampire snarled, he needed to get out and his target was more than happy to wait for him to try something.


    ¡®He can¡¯t keep going like this.¡¯ Arthur looked at the gash on the vampire''s chest very slowly closing. ¡®Just because he is healing doesn¡¯t mean he is full of energy, when I was healing after fighting Saturio I was almost always tired. That doesn¡¯t even take into account all the blood he is losing. As the vampire was moving around the room he was losing quite a bit of blood thus leaving a few puddles of blood around the room.


    The vampire agitated and tired let out a loud angry shout. ¡°AAUUHH!¡± He bolted towards Arthur with the dagger in his right hand ready to stab. Arthur readied himself to block the attack when the vampire raised his arm above his head then threw the dagger with all his might at his face. The dagger sailed through the air with incredible speed and Arthur was not fast enough to dodge it entirely. The dagger grazed his left cheek drawing blood, Arthur fell back into the broken window giving the vampire enough time to unlock the door of the room.


    The vampire ran with all its might with Arthur hot on his tail. To stop the vampire or at least slow it down he tried to conjure a horizontal beam of earth between the hallway. The vampire seeing the beam forming just two meters away from him began to slide on his back underneath.


    ¡®Oh no you don¡¯t¡¯ Arthur saw the vampire''s desperate attempt to avoid the obstacle and used the conjured earth and added another from the canter down to the floor. The vampire already sliding could not react to the small earth spike that pierced into his gut. Due to Arthur¡¯s inexperience in manipulating such a large amount of earth he had a tendency to start with the earth in the center and then go to the stuff on the outside creating an accidental spike.


    The vampire gasped as he felt the earth construct go through his intestines and bleed profusely. He looked to the man who was responsible for his death, he looked quite ordinary for someone so cunning and decisive. But now the ruse was up, lord Darius would no longer fall for such deceptions and would swiftly get rid of him.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± The vampire laughed as Arthur looked on puzzled. ¡°Your ruse will not last long after lord Darius learns of my death, he will destroy you and everything that transpired will be forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Tell who this lord Darius is and I will give you a peaceful death.¡± Arthur pointed his blade at the vampire''s neck. ¡®He definitely is not the master, but with those wounds he won¡¯t last all that long. I just hope he is the type to spill the beans before he dies.¡¯


    ¡°You fool. You cannot defeat him, he will annihilate you. He has many contingencies for those like you. How do you think we have remained undetected for so long? Everyone else who tried to expose us has disappeared. HEHEHEHE!¡± The vampire started coughing more and more until he started coughing up blood.


    ¡°This is the end for you Mr. Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 33

    The vampire continued with his horrid laugh for about another five seconds before he devolved into a coughing fit and went silent. Blood pooled out of his open wounds and his dead eyes stared into Arthur.


    ¡®The captain''s initial assessment of the situation was clearly incorrect. It appears this lord Darius has created other vampires and we only found one of their dumping grounds.¡¯ Arthur¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by several doors creaking open and just as many gasps of shock. Several people that were hiding in their rooms decided after the commotion had died down to take a look at what happened and saw blood all over the floor.


    Soon several members of the city guard arrived led by the lieutenant. Their steel armor like a beacon of hope in the shroud of uncertainty. ¡°Sir if you would, please come with us to a secure location. You are no longer safe here.¡± Lieutenant Aloysius spoke as he practically dragged Arthur away from the whispering crowd already spreading rumors.


    ¡°And where would I go so that this lord Darius would not be able to find me?¡± Arthur reluctantly followed the lieutenant''s lead as cleaned the blood of his sword.


    ¡°For now the barracks will be the safest place, lots of sentries and too little space for an assassin to move freely.¡± Lieutenant Aloysius waved three guards over to his location.


    ¡°You three will be responsible for escorting Mr. Arthur here to the barracks where he will be staying until we can find a way to crush this vampire cult.¡± The three guards nodded and saluted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir, we will keep Mr. Arthur here safe or die trying.¡± The one dwarf in the group spoke up.


    ¡°For your sake I certainly hope so.¡±


    *******


    The trip to the barracks was long but uneventful, at that time of night everyone was already long asleep except a handful of drunks and homeless beggars with no place to go. When they arrived at the barracks the trio directed Arthur to speak with Captain Pelagius about the situation that transpired.


    ¡°A vampire assassin attacked you?!¡± Captain Pelagius became pale.


    ¡°Yes, and he said his lord Darius would send another and I would disappear and be forgotten like those that came before.¡± Arthur fiddled around with his sword as he spoke.


    ¡°This is bad, very very bad.¡± Captain Pelagius paced around the room for several seconds before he came to a stop and sighed. ¡°I was hoping to avoid this but it appears we have no choice. We need to inform the King and Queen of this matter.¡±


    ¡°And why do we need to do that?¡± Arthur looked up from his sword. This was the first time he had actually heard anything about the ruling class of the Rathen Kingdom.


    ¡°This is clearly out of my depth. We only expected one vampire to be involved but your near death experience has shown that we were clearly mistaken. That secret graveyard you found was likely only one of many corpse disposal spots that we found which leads me to believe that this vampire cult has been established here for far longer than we expected and definitely has higher numbers than we thought.¡± The captain punched the nearby wall in frustration. ¡°And we have no way of smoking the vampires out on our own. We simply have no experience in this regard and the last of the vampire hunting clans have long disappeared into legend. Our only chance to end this threat is to ask the royals for help.¡±


    ¡°And why is that a bad thing?¡± Arthur asked. ¡®From everything he just stated it should be a good move, yet he acts like it will doom us.¡¯


    ¡°Because a good portion of the nobility will use it as evidence of my incompetence and try to have me replaced with someone more willing to follow their agendas. The most likely pick will be Ballio Vinicius, the man who would have been chosen instead of me.¡±


    A long silence filled the room as the captain weighed his options and Arthur watched.


    Soon a knock alerted Captain Pelagius to the task at hand. ¡°You may enter.¡±


    Lieutenant Aloysius entered the room and gave a salute before he spoke. ¡°We inspected the scene of the crime and collected evidence, as well as conducted an autopsy on the assailant. The autopsy revealed a number of differences in his biology compared to a normal human that are commonly attributed with vampirism and the weapons he carried bore the same symbol as the one we received from the cultists yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°No sir.¡±


    ¡°Then you are dismissed.¡±


    Lieutenant Aloysius gave a quick salute before he left the room leaving Arthur and the captain alone once again. Captain Pelagius looked to the grey orb on his desk contemplating what to do for about a minute before he noticed Arthur was looking right at him.


    ¡°Just so you know I am expecting you to inform the royals of the situation here. I really don¡¯t want to die, let alone to a vampire.¡± Arthur¡¯s gaze felt like it was burning into his skull. Reluctantly Captain Pelagius picked up the grey orb and contacted the clerks for the royals. ¡°We have a serious problem here in the city.¡±


    **********


    ¡°How could this have happened!?¡±


    ¡°Whose oversight was this!?¡±


    ¡°This is unacceptable!¡±


    Several voices of the present nobles voiced their opinions of the situation. A vampire cult had been operating within the capital city of the Rathen kingdom itself. A backwater village or a medium sized city would be understandable or at least forgiven but the capital itself!? Many heads were going to roll for this.


    ¡°We must send in the military to drive the beasts from the hole they are hiding in!¡±


    ¡°That would never work! They would simply wait until we give up and start all over again!¡±


    ¡°And just what solutions have you suggested so far!?¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± King Gaius Caesar the third shouted as he slammed the bottom of his scepter onto the floor. ¡°We are here to find a solution to the present issue, not argue amongst ourselves. Now does anyone else have any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°I do your majesty.¡± A human man in his mid forties wearing a luscious deep red robe with a well crafted long black stole that went around his neck like a scarf spoke as he walked into the center of the room onto one of the pedestals where he could be seen and heard by all in the room.


    King Gaius looked at the man and his attire recognizing who he was. He was brother Ballio, a priest of the god of fire, justice, and light Solarius. ¡°What do you have in mind brother Ballio?¡±


    ¡°I think the best thing that can be done is to request the assistance of the circle of fire, specifically a division of paladins to help keep order in the city and keep the vampires from claiming any more victims.¡± As brother Ballio spoke, a handful of paladins that were standing off to the side nodded and agreed with him.


    ¡°Of course, it is the only possible course of action.¡±


    ¡°It is our duty to protect the innocent from such terrors of the night.¡±


    ¡°In the name of our lord we will vanquish these vile creatures.¡±


    ¡°And how would we drive the vampires out of hiding? Out of the kindness of your hearts? I don¡¯t think so, we need a more permanent solution.¡± A human man in his sixties walked down to a pedestal opposite of brother Ballio.


    ¡°And what are you suggesting, Claudius.¡± Brother Ballio sneered at the priest of Xardas.


    ¡°I am suggesting that we lay a trap from this self-proclaimed vampire lord. If I recall correctly there was a young man who caught the attention of the cult and was almost assassinated by a vampire spawn.¡± Claudius looked around the room as spoke. ¡°I expect that most of you know of this. And if any of you have studied the behavior of vampires and their cults you will know that they do not like to leave loose ends. They will either try to kill him or recruit him into their ranks.¡±


    Everyone present in the stands began talking amongst themselves about the revelation.


    ¡°This gives us an opportunity to have them lead us right to their hideout, we just need someone capable of following them who is skilled in illusion magic and either have them return with the location or give us a sigh as to where it is.¡±


    The entire room erupted into a debate with everyone arguing with or against Claudius and his plan. Even the other priests were not left out of this, everyone from the priests of Aquanis to the devoted of Zephyrion got involved.


    Soon the only people who were not a part of the debate were the king, the queen, and the king''s secretary who was becoming visibly uncomfortable with the increasing arguments. ¡°You should do something dear, or we may never come to a decision on this matter.¡± Queen Caesar whispered to her husband as she saw the secretary sneak a sip from his flask to calm his nerves.


    ¡°Yes I suppose you are right.¡± King Gaius sighed and stood up from his throne and shouted. ¡°Silence! That is enough fighting, we need a solution and after hearing from both of you I have one.¡± The room quieted down considerably after hearing King Gaius¡¯s statement and waited patiently for what he would propose.


    ¡°We need to keep the vampire cult from claiming anymore lives but we cannot stop them completely or else they will simply lay low and disappear until we have long forgotten them. But we also need to find the enemy and destroy them in one fell swoop, therefore I suggest that we combine both of the well thought out plans that we have heard today.¡±


    The crowd began talking again, but this time they were far more civil and willing to listen. The idea of bringing paladins to the city didn¡¯t sit all that well with some but it was a small price to pay to keep the vampires from simply waltzing around as they wish.


    ¡°Brother Ballio, how many paladins were you going to suggest that we ask for from the circle of fire?¡± King Gaius asked as the conversation started dying down giving him an opportunity to iron out the details and set the plan into motion.


    ¡°I was going to recommend at least 100 paladins, but with your present plan it may be better to lower that to only 50.¡± Brother Ballio did not look at the king as he spoke, instead he looked down at his hands in shame of not stopping the priest of Xardas from spreading their ideas.


    ¡°And you Claudius, do you have any suggestions for who could follow the young man into the vampire''s base of operations?¡±


    ¡°As of right now I do not. But I do have some contacts within the mages guild that may be willing to give me a few names.¡±

 Chapter 34

    Captain Pelagius pushed the grey orb to the side of his desk as he sighed. ¡°It is done. I contacted the secretary of the king himself, he will pass that information to the king who will hold a meeting amongst the nobility and other important leaders.¡±


    ¡°And what can we expect to come as a result of this meeting?¡±


    ¡°There are a few possibilities, but we can expect the circle of fire to take an interest in the matter and dispatch some of their paladins to the city. The amount they will send will be entirely dependent on what type of approach they chose to take.¡±


    ¡°What is the circle of fire?¡± Captain Pelagius looked at Arthur with bewilderment.


    ¡°How do you not know? Have you been living underground all your life?¡± Captain Pelagius asked as he wondered how a human on this continent could not know of the circle of fire and their lord Solarius.


    ¡°I actually have.¡± Arthur took a more comfortable seating position as the captain tried to think how that could be.


    ¡°Did you live in a dwarven settlement?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did actually. Although in recent times it''s gone under a bit of a hard time, it got so bad the military needed to get involved.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear. I am sorry to hear that.¡± The captain said as Arthur chuckled to himself.


    ¡®Oh I remember what this was called, Doublespeak. The art of lying while technically telling the truth.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t be. I was there when it happened and I made sure the invading goblins were dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Damn goblins and their horrific demon overlords. They cause nothing but death and destruction where they go. The damn gods that keep releasing them from the abyss and just let them roam unimpeded are the most evil being to ever exist.¡± Captain Pelagius slammed his fist on his desk in anger as he thought of the vile gods of evil such as Zar''Nakth who finds great joy in allowing demons to run free and cause havoc.


    ¡°As interesting as this conversation is, I think we should get back on track. You were going to tell me what the circle of fire is.¡± ¡®I know just how dangerous demons are, Captain. One would need to either be foolish or twisted to allow such beings access to the surface.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, my apologies. The circle of fire is the religion dedicated to Solarius, the first flame. The followers of Solarius are dedicated to the destruction of evil and all its forces. They have a complicated relationship with The Shadow''s Covenant, the religion dedicated to Xardas, the dark magician.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°When Xardas was mortal he was a dark magician. He was an avid practitioner of the dark art of necromancy and often dabbled in forbidden magic to further his power and knowledge. His legacy was that of a man who used his immense power for the benefit of everyone by fighting the forces of evil and eventually when he ascended to godhood his followers vowed they would seek evil where it hides.¡±


    ¡°So they serve the light as they hide in the shadows.¡± Arthur recalled an only saying, although he could not remember where it was from.


    ¡°From what little I have heard from The Shadow''s Covenant it''s more of serving the balance while hiding amongst the darkness.¡±


    ¡°So you would consider them more open minded to things like necromancy that most find to be either evil or immoral.¡±


    ¡°Yes they are. That is part of the reason why Xardas is such a popular god in places like Infernia. Necromancy allows a larger workforce than what is normally available and can quickly produce and protect food from thieves.¡±


    ¡°They sound like very open minded and resourceful people.¡± ¡®That actually doesn''t sound all that bad. Any extra help would be appreciated, especially when we fought the demon down in the caverns, even if they were undead the mere fact that they do not get scared or tired would have made the fight much easier for everyone.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone associated with the circle of fire hear that. Anyways we should get back to the topic. The circle of fire¡¯s response.¡±


    ¡®The circle of fire sounds like it needs some serious work done to become a group I would consider allying myself with. The Shadow''s Covenant on the other hand appear to be far more willing to consider alternative options. And necromancy sounds like it is very useful, some extra help fighting against that demon that cannot feel fear or exhaustion would be more than welcomed. The only problem is the social stigma attached.¡¯


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    ¡°If the king ordered a big response to the vampire threat then we can expect a large division of paladins to be deployed here to patrol the streets and keep the vampires from claiming any more victims. You in particular will likely be given one or two as an escort due to your particular situation.¡±


    ¡°And if the king orders a smaller response?¡±


    ¡°Then we can expect a smaller number of paladins deployed to patrol the streets. They will likely be assisting with the investigation and they may even try to use you as bait to try and draw the vampires out.¡±


    ¡°Are the vampires seriously still going to come after me even after I killed their assassin?¡±


    ¡°Vampires and their cults don¡¯t like to leave loose ends. They will try to get rid of you and any evidence that you were here leaving you as nothing other than a faded memory in a few peoples minds.¡±


    ¡°But I have stuff to do. I received an offer to become an apprentice for an accomplished alchemist, and I have classes with the mages guild. I am not just dropping this, I worked hard to get to where I am.¡± Arthur rubbed his temples as he spoke to try to relieve his stress.


    ¡°I can give you an armed escort until the vampire menace has been dealt with while you attend your classes. I am not entirely sure how the apprenticeship will pan out but I am sure that if you send a letter they will understand the situation.¡±


    ¡°That is fine but keep in mind I wasn¡¯t attacked during the day, it was at night when I was trying to sleep. I don¡¯t exactly think anyone in a position of authority would be all that impressed if I put the lives of innocents in danger because I stayed in a public place.¡±


    ¡°If you are worried about endangering others you can stay in the barracks for the time being. I am certain we could find you a place to sleep and you can eat in the cafateria.¡± Captain  Pelagius smiled in an attempt to convince Arthur but he was skeptical.


    ¡°Is the food any good? If all that is there is gruel then I will go elsewhere to eat.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you that the food that is provided at the cantine is not just a gruel, it is proper food. It is one of the major benefits to joining the guards here in Antium. And something else I think you might find interesting is a training hall for teaching and sparring. That sword and armour tell me you have an interest in those things.¡± The captain knew the food wasn¡¯t always the best, so he would need to convince him with the other benefits. ¡®I can only hope that he is willing to stay, someone who has fought a vampiric assassin and lived to tell is something very few can say.¡¯


    ¡°Fine, but right now I am exhausted and would like to get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lieutenant Aloysius should just be outside the room. He can help you with that.¡±


    **********


    Arthur awoke on a simple cot in a dormitory containing another ten or so beds. Only about another five were in use with their occupants being some of the city guards who chose to sleep in the barracks instead of somewhere else. Arthur quietly got up and walked out of the room.


    Arthur looked out a nearby window and saw the sun had risen above the horizon and the day had started. He began making his way towards the canteen which he recalled was located towards the back end of the barracks. The canteen was a large room with several tables that could accommodate up to about ten or so people. Along the side of one wall was a line where food was being handed out.


    Arthur joined the line and picked up a plate. After a short wait he could see what was being handed out by the cooks. There was bread, potatoes, a bit of meat,and several other vegetables that Arthur did not recognise that had all sorts of colors and shapes.


    When it was Arthur''s turn to receive some food the chef looked at him with a bit of suspicion before he just plopped a mixture of the cooked vegetables on his plate before waving him to the next chef. By the end of the line Arthur had an assortment of all different foods.


    Most of the food was fine, nothing like the burritos he ate at the Free Parrot Bar but still a bit better than the soup he often ate during the expedition. Some of the vegetables on the other hand were not all that great, this one in particular that was green and looked a bit like a tree was not all that pleasant to eat, but he still ate everything off his plate.


    Since Arthur still had classes at 10:00 and at 12:30 he went to speak with Captain Pelagius to receive his armed escort. Arthur knocked at the door and on the other side he could hear the captain''s voice.


    ¡°You may enter.¡±


    Arthur entered the room and saw the captain seated at his desk filling out paperwork with large bags under his eyes. It looked like he spent his whole night at his desk.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur, what can I do for you today?¡± Captain Pelagius stood up and offered Arthur a seat.


    ¡°I need to head to class soon and you said you would get me an armed escort for going there and back.¡± Arthur noticed several cups on the desk, one was half filled with a brown liquid that looked a bit like the adrenaline mix the clerk in the job board was drinking.


    ¡°Of course, of course. I have two men waiting for you near the entrance, Alanus and Zinon. Do mind Zinon, he is from Aeoniara and the culture is a bit different there and he is still adjusting a bit.¡±


    ¡°How exactly is the culture different in Aeoniara?¡±


    ¡°Well the place Zinon came from is practically devoted to training fighters. All their food, buildings, and materials are taken care of by others that either came from outside or the few don¡¯t have an interest in fighting.¡±

 Chapter 35

    ¡°You should also be aware of the differences in our cultures relating to romantic relationships amongst two of the same gender. Unlike here in The Rathen Kingdom, in Aeoniara there are no rules aside that both parties are consenting adults.¡± Arthur looked at the captain as if he just said he just bludgeoned a man to death over a few copper pieces.


    Captain Pelagius seeing the look on Arthur''s face mistook it for confusion. ¡°Unlike how here same sex relationships are only permitted if the dominant one is of a higher class or authority in Aeoniara there are no such distinctions. In fact they encourage it between the youth to bond and create lifelong friendships.¡±


    Arthur now just completely blown away by the fact that two men or women could be in a romantic relationship. ¡®Is her seriously telling me that there are rules when it comes to same sex relationships. Is this an important thing I need to worry about here?¡¯


    ¡°The captain in the western district and his lieutenant for example are in such a relationship. It is a bit of an open secret but that is unimportant, the thing to take away from this is that if Zinon does come onto you it is likely because he sees you as an equal.¡± Arthur was silent for a few seconds just processing the information. ¡°Are you alright Arthur?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I''m alright, I just did not expect that someone of your standing would talk about such things so openly.¡± Arthur leaned back in this chair as his entire view of the captain changed.


    ¡°I know, but there have been a few incidents here where he started coming onto some of his colleagues and let''s just say culture shock is a very real thing.¡±


    *********


    After clearing up all the details with the captain Arthur found Alanus and Zinon waiting for him at the front entrance of the barracks. Alanus looked quite ordinary for a man of the Rathen kingdom with a square jaw, light skin, brown hair and eyes, and roughly average height. Zinon on the other hand was a bit out of the ordinary being a few inches taller than Alanus with olive skin and dark hair.


    ¡°Good morning sir. We are here to escort you to the mages guild.¡± Alanus said as he gave a small bow to the man who fought and killed a vampire single handedly.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet the man who killed a vampire on his own.¡± Zinon reached his hand out to shake Arthurs, who took it. ¡°You must be a great warrior to accomplish such a feat at such an age.¡±


    ¡°I will try my best.¡± Arthur said as he took notice of Zinons equipment. The armor he wore was the same as the rest of the city guard with padded clothes covered with a layer of chain mail accompanied with a helmet and gauntlets. But the spear and shield he used were definitely of a different origin. The shield was rounded unlike the more squared design in use by the rest of the guard, and the spear he carried had a smaller tip and appeared to be better for getting in between the joints of armor.


    The trio set off towards the mages guild, both Alanus and Zinon followed Arthur as neither had been to the guild before. When they reached the mages guild it was 9:40 in the morning but Arthur still wanted to get to class even if he was early and turned to speak to his escorts. ¡°I will be attending a class until twelve o¡¯clock, so you can go and do other stuff instead of waiting here for over two hours , just be back by then.¡±


    ¡°Of course sir, we shall leave you to your classes.¡±


    ********


    Arthur entered his pyromancy class by 9:45 giving him fifteen minutes before class started to practice a bit. Arthur took out a candle he bought on his way back to the Free Parrot Bar and placed it on the table. But he quickly realized he had a problem, he did not actually have any way to light the candle. ¡®Well now that is quite unfortunate. I suppose I will simply practice aeromancy instead while I wait.¡¯


    Arthur practiced alone in the class for five minutes before another student entered the class. The student was the spider person who was also the first to use pyromancy. He was a bit surprised at the sight of Arthur being in class before he was and quickly rushed to the back of the class where he took the same seat as he did the day prior. Over the next ten minutes the rest of the class slowly filtered in and filled up the seats. The only ones missing were the ones who wanted to do something to the students with actual skill.


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    The last person to arrive was the teacher Eligius Sabinius who surprisingly had a smile on his face, but it was not a smile of happiness. More so a smile of twisted satisfaction. ¡°Good morning class. As I am sure the perceptive of you can see, the four who were willing to cause trouble over their own incompetence have been expelled from the guild and imprisoned for conspiracy to assault on four accounts. It was a wonderful afternoon for me watching as they lost everything.¡± Eligius recounted the events in which the five students were stripped of everything they owned and thrown into a dirty prison cell to rot until they died with the same expression of a child recounting eating their favorite food. Needless to say it was a bit disturbing to watch.


    ¡°Anyways, that''s enough of my wonderful afternoon yesterday. We will of course continue with the art of pyromancy. First thing today is that most of you are too stiff when you manipulate your mana. You try to force the mana to follow a specific path, but mana likes to flow around so you need to let it reconnect to your stream.¡±


    Using hydromancy Eligius created a small diagram while he spoke with one large stream of water with a small branch going off to the sides. ¡°Most of you would try to force the mana in the small branch to go back the way it came and rejoin the rest of the mana that way. What an experienced mage would do is allow it to rejoin by flowing forwards like this.¡± Eligius made the small branch of water flow up and towards the primary branch and merge before the back end was severed and it all rejoined together.


    ¡°Now when you do this be sure that you sever the small branches when they are flowing back into the primary one or you could divide your focus and lose control of your spell. While losing control of a simple spell like the ones you are all familiar with is fine, when you start casting higher level spells it starts to become a problem.¡±


    *********


    Unlike the day before class ended at 12:00 as it was scheduled to and those two hours were brutal to everyone. Eligius was hard on everyone, even his favorite students were not spared from his harsh teaching practices. Even the spider person who was by far the best in the class was under a lot of stress.


    When the class finally ended the entire class let out one collective sigh, everyone was eager to get something to eat. Arthur because he was the closest to the door was the first out of the class and he left straight for the exit.


    When he got outside he found both Alanus and Zinon were waiting outside for him on a bench just off to the side. Alanus was the first to notice Arthur. ¡°Good to see you sir. Are you going to go get something for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know a place with some good burritos to eat at.¡±


    ¡°Very well sir, we shall accompany you there and back here for your afternoon class.¡±


    *********


    Arthur made his way to the free Parrot Bar where he found an empty table and bought five rice and chicken burritos. Three for him and the other two for his companions.


    ¡°I have a question for you sir, about the vampire you fought.¡± Zinon had already scarfed down his burrito when he broke the silence at the table. Arthur gave him a small nod giving him permission to ask.


    ¡°What was it like fighting such an unholy creature? Was it as hideous as it was vile?¡±


    Arthur swallowed the burrito in his mouth before he answered. ¡°The only thing that gave it away as not human was the deathly pale skin. Aside from that it looked no different from a regular human. Its strength and agility on the other hand were definitely something to be interested in.¡±


    ¡°So it was a powerful opponent.¡±


    ¡°Yes it was, but it did not see me as an enemy, it saw me as something lesser and something to be hunted. As a result of that he did not take the fight all that seriously until I stabbed him in the gut and slashed him across the chest.¡± Zinon looked at Arthur as if he was a child being told a story of a hero fighting an evil demon. ¡°After that I pushed him into an unfavorable situation where he needed to escape to survive. But I was there to stop him and when I did I killed him by stabbing him through the gut.¡±


    Zinon¡¯s jaw dropped as Arthur finished his recount of the vampire¡¯s attack. ¡°That is incredible sir. Perhaps one day I will slay a vampire like you have.¡±


    ***********


    After all three had finished eating they returned to the mages guild and Arthur entered alone while his companions waited outside. When Arthur entered the class for aeromancy it was 12:20 and about a quarter of the class had already taken their seats and started talking amongst themselves waiting for the class to start. Arthur instead chose to practice aeromancy a bit more before class started.


    Like with his pyromancy class the teacher Faylin was the last to enter the class at exactly 12:30. ¡°Good morning class and welcome back to the basics of aeromancy. Today we will be doing a lot of the same and reinforce the skills that you have started learning yesterday. Now the goal for today is to try and manually control the air that is about equal in space to a grape.¡±


    Like the basics of pyromancy Arthur did his best to learn from his teacher how to manipulate air in such a way. The difficult part was not the amount of air Faylin wanted everyone to control, it was how far away the air was requiring every drop of focus for Arthur to keep control.

 Chapter 36

    The worst part about the exercise was that the small ball of air had to be constantly moving or else Faylin would interrupt you to do it properly. It did not matter how much it was moving, it only needed to be. By the end of the class everyone was exhausted and left the moment they could.


    Arthur''s first destination after was straight to the magic object hall to meet with Calavia and tell her about what happened. When he entered the room he quickly led her out of the room with the excuse of taking a walk. ¡°Is there something wrong Arthur? You looked quite stressed.¡±


    ¡°Im fine right now.¡± Arthur looked down both ways down the hall they were in before he continued. ¡°But last night I was attacked by a vampire.¡±


    ¡°A vampi-¡± Calavia almost shouted in surprise before Arthur covered her mouth.


    ¡°Shhh! Don¡¯t say that out loud. I''m not trying to cause a panic.¡± Arthur looked down the hall both ways again to be certain no one overheard Calavia¡¯s gasp.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay here long because of that. I will try to fill you in on the situation if I am able, but for the time being I will not be able to spend a lot of time with you.¡±


    ¡°Are you in danger?¡±


    ¡°Not currently, but Captain Pelagius seems to think the vampires will try and strike again to not leave any loose ends.¡±


    **********


    Auria crept out of her hiding place within an old abandoned shack in the south of Antium. A handful of beggars and homeless people called the place home and the city guard in the south of the city was known to have a problem with corruption and a lack of law enforcement.


    Auria checked the dirt roads for any sign of the city guards before she slipped off into an alleyway towards the Misery''s end headquarters. Keeping out of sight of any guards, the only people she met on the way were either hiding from the elements or selling illegal contraband. Soon Misfortune the bar where Misery''s end was headquartered was within her view and with a quick look both ways she darted across the street and entered unnoticed.


    Auria brushed past several patrons and made her way directly towards the office of Hanno Metilius, the grandmaster of Misery''s end. She basically ignored the guard standing in her way and broke the lock with a kick. ¡°Just what do you think you are doing!¡±


    ¡°Auria? What an interesting way to enter. Is there something you need to tell me?¡± Hanno subtly reached for the dagger hidden on the bottom side of the table as he spoke. He could tell by the look in her eyes something was wrong.


    ¡°The vampire died.¡± Those three worlds caused both Hanno and his guard to pause for several seconds before they frantically began asking questions.


    ¡°What do you mean he died?!¡±


    ¡°How? Who killed him?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the cult is angry at us about it!¡±


    ¡°If the both of you would be quiet I will explain what happened.¡± Auria almost shouted at the duo. She sounded quite angry but the slight quivering that Hanno noticed gave away that she was actually scared.


    ¡°During the day we watched him go about his daily activities and when he returned to the inn and went to sleep the vampire decided he wanted to go in alone. That freak was trying to show off, I don¡¯t know if it was for me or the guild but when he went against that mage he ended up dead in the hallway after trying to escape.¡±


    ¡°And you spent the night hiding somewhere from the city guard who after the commotion caused by the blood spawn vampire accelerated the investigation to full speed.¡± Hanno finished Auria¡¯s description of the events of the night prior.


    ¡°The only question that remains is how the cult will react and if the city guard will get the royals involved in such a matter. Thankfully there is nothing that points to us, but for the time being we should tone down our activities in the city to keep out of the spotlight. Eventually things will calm down and we can return to our regular activities.¡±


    ¡°That is all I have to report to you sir.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine Auria, just one last question. Why did you kick down my door?¡±


    ¡°That asshat you have standing guard likes to make things difficult for getting entry, this was definitely something I needed to tell you in person.¡± Hanno looked behind Aurio to look at his Nyxarian bodyguard who clearly was taking advantage of his position to cause problems. The bodyguard gritted his teeth as he noticed the look on Hanno¡¯s face.


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    **********


    Two weeks passed as Arthur attended his classes and learnt more and more about magic, specifically in the arts of pyromancy and aeromancy raising both to level five. During that time he sent a letter to Mr. Calvus stating that he would like to take him up on his offer of an apprenticeship, but his current situation involving a dangerous group will keep him from attending for the time being.


    Within a day Arthur received one back from his that said the following:


    To Arthur


    Thank you for writing back to me so soon. I do know what happened with the vampire attack on your life so you do not need to worry about me finding someone else to take my offer.


    Don¡¯t be all that surprised, as a warden in the mages guild I have access to information like this. For the time being just focus on your studies and when things settle down you can start your apprenticeship with me.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Georgius Calvus </li>


    </ul>


    Arthur also noticed that for killing the vampire he received 150 Exp raising him to level eleven and giving him another ten points to spend wherever he wanted. Since his two lowest stats aside from charisma were strength and perception Arthur chose to put five points into each leaving him with twenty in both.


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 11


    Exp : 8050


    Next Level at : 9600


    Mana : 33/33


    Attributes :


    Strength 20


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 30


    Intellect 30


    Perception 20


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 20


    Available points : 0


    Skills :


    Pyromancy Level 5


    Aeromancy Level 5


    \- - - - - -/


    During that time a group of heavily armored individuals who called themselves the Paladins of Solarius arrived in the city. In total there were about fifty of them each wearing matching plate armor with a symbol of a sword with golden flames pointing upwards with a pair of white wings on the hilt. Arthur was eating lunch with Alanus and Zinon on a bench when they saw the paladins march towards the city canter.


    ¡°Oh by Solarius. Those are paladins of the circle of fire!¡± Alanus frantically shouted as he realized who he was looking at.


    ¡°They look quite strong. I bet they could take on a whole army of vampires on their own.¡± Zinon said to Arthur as he pointed at the weapons and armor the paladins wore. ¡°Whatever they are using is very high quality. It is only a bit unfortunate that they serve such a¡­ ridged god.¡±


    ¡°Hey, show a bit of respect to them. They are here to protect us for nothing in return.¡± Alanus turned to Zinon as he heard the last remark.


    ¡°Is what I am saying wrong? To my knowledge Solarius is a god of justice not mercy.¡± Zinon stood up and being a good two inches taller than Alanus making him a bit intimidating.


    ¡°Well to my knowledge Xardas is no god of mercy either.¡±


    ¡°I do not worship Xardas. I worship Zephyrion for his wisdom and ever lasting change.¡±


    Alanus, not having a response, simply took a seat on the bench and looked away from him.


    ********


    Later than night at around midnight when Arthur along with everyone else in the barracks was sound asleep as a small letter slipped through the slightly open window via aeromancy and landed on his head. Since the night of the vampire attack Arthur was what one would call a light sleeper, waking up almost always at the slightest sound, so this definitely woke him.


    Arthur opened his eyes and quickly sat up while he took his sword in his hands ready for any assailant who might be foolish enough to try something so stupid in the barracks. Soon he lowered his weapon seeing that there was no enemy in sight and the only thing out of the ordinary was the paper that woke him up.


    When Arthur picked it up and turned it over he saw it was a letter addressed to him from the Lord Darius he had been hearing so much about.


    To Arthur of Dom Badaher


    I believe that a congratulation is in order.


    You managed to defeat Mulier, one of my children on your own without the use of any magic items. Because of this I would like to invite you to my home to meet you personally. A man of your talents should be able to thrive in this world and not be held down by bureaucrats who have never needed to lift a finger in all their lives. With a simple gift I can give you those bureaucrats will be nothing before you, and your talent limitless.


    If you are interested in my offer, return to the place where you defeated two of my followers to meet Axia tonight, another of my children. And be sure to come alone, we will know if you are followed.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lord Darius</li>


    </ul>


    Arthur looked over the letter several times and over to the slightly open window which was the only place it could have slipped in, but that would have required the use of magic, aeromancy specifically. ¡®If whoever put this letter here is a mage then only this Lord Darius himself or perhaps this Axia could have done this. But Darius doesn¡¯t sound like the type of person to do this himself so the most likely answer is that Axia was the one to put the letter here, and now she is waiting in the secret graveyard that has already been swept for any evidence and is now empty.¡±


    Arthur gritted his teeth at the ingeniousness of Darius¡¯s plan. No one would be at the crime scene now since they already look it over for clues, making it a great place to set up a meeting. But that leaves the shining question, should he or should he not go.


    If he tells the captain for example he will send a team to capture the vampire and she will likely disappear along with any chance to find the vampires again. But if he goes alone there he wouldn¡¯t know how to escape, or if he needed to fight if he was able to kill Darius.

 Chapter 37

    ¡®It''s now or never. I have an opportunity here right now to do something after doing absolutely nothing about these vampires for two weeks.¡¯ Arthur slowly crept out of the dormitory and out of the barracks into the empty street. Occasionally Arthur saw a paladin or two patrolling the roads who paid no attention to him.


    Soon Arthur found himself at the Free Parrot Bar and walked behind it looking for the small entrance to the meeting place. The walk down the small path was eerily quiet, almost as if anything hiding just behind the tree line was waiting for Arthur to pass by.


    Soon the graveyard came into view, all the graves were dug up with large mounds of dirt off to the side and a lone humanoid standing with their back to the opening. ¡°So you must be Axia.¡± Arthur called out from the entrance.


    ¡°That is correct Mr. Arthur. Have you come alone?¡± Axia turned to face Arthur as she spoke. She wore a similar attire to the vampire assassin Mulier with a set of red leather armor and a matching cloak to cover her body. Something he did not have the opportunity to notice before was that the cloak had a symbol of an eye unlike the one on the daggers the cult members had which depicted teeth.


    ¡°I did. No one knows of our meeting but us and your Lord Darius.¡± Arthur crossed his arms as he spoke, giving Axia a view of his armor and weapon to make her think twice about attacking him.


    ¡°That''s good. Then If you would follow me and I will take you to Lord Darius, he has been quite interested in meeting you for some time now.¡± Axia gave a small chuckle not unlike a fair maiden at a fancy dinner, but it felt twisted and wrong to Arthur who could see Axia was no maiden but a bloodthirsty monster.


    Axia walked past Arthur and gave him a coy look from under the hood giving Arthur a clear view of what would have been her beautiful face if not for the deathly pale skin and blood red eyes. Arthur followed her down a portion of the path he came from, at about halfway back Axia made an abrupt turn into the tree line.


    Arthur, confused at her action, simply watched as she walked through the trees as if they did not exist. For several seconds Arthur just stood there until Axia¡¯s voice came from the other side. ¡°It''s just an illusion. So don¡¯t dilly dally much longer.¡±


    Hesitantly Arthur did the same and walked through the illusion without any difficulty. The other side however was a bit of a surprise. A well taken care of path lay before them with several types of trees that Arthur did not recognize that ranged from dark brown to even one that was orange.


    Axia upon seeing Arthur immediately began walking again down the path. As they passed by about one hundred meters the trees began to dwindle to an open field and a single large manor that was three stories tall. The exterior was a bit worn from time in the elements and was built from grey stone bricks. An old fountain sat before it that clearly had not been used for quite some time, the field was overgrown with all sorts of plants and the brick path had several small plants poking out from it.


    This manor had clearly not been taken care of for quite some time and the vampire cult had taken advantage of that to make it their own. Upon entering Arthur could see that despite the outside appearance the inside was clean and there were even a few torches lit along the walls.


    Arthur followed Axia down the largest hallway that went directly forward until they reached a very large and open room with a few chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and windows on the left and right sides. The floor that perhaps once was pristine and clean was now cold with dirt and old wax from candles, leaving the room feeling long forgotten.


    Along the sides were about twenty people total wearing matching red cloaks with a hood covering their face and each holding a candle with both hands. But the biggest anomaly was the throne encrusted with gold and a few red gemstones along with the man sitting in it. From a distance it looked to be a human noble with his exquisite clothing worthy of a duke, but the deathly pale skin and blood red eyes gave away his nature as a vampire. The vampire who was none other than Lord Darius himself looked no older than twenty two years old. ¡°Welcome, welcome my friend to my home here in Antium.¡± Lord Darius stood as he saw his guest enter the room. ¡°Please make yourself comfortable.¡±


    Axia walked off to the side to join her fellow blood spawn while Arther stood just inside the room looking at Lord Darius. Despite the clear case of vampirism and cult personality Lord Darius looked and spoke as if he really did see Arthur as a friend. ¡°I would exactly call us friends. As this is the first time we have met.¡± Arthur slowly began walking further into the hall and looked around taking note of how many people were there.


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    ¡°But who is to say that won¡¯t change. People like us have so much in common. People like us are held down at every opportunity by those who are in power and suck the life out of good people. Good people like those I have surrounded myself with!¡± Lord Darius shouted as he spread his arms out towards the people standing along the walls.


    ¡°And what exactly do we have in common? Because if I recall correctly your little vampire tried to kill me after I exposed two of your ¡°Good People¡± dumping a dead body.¡± Arthur began walking on the right side around the center of the room.


    ¡°And if I recall correctly that woman was a terrible person. Taking advantage of people''s feelings to garner a large amount of gifts and attention that she had no intention of returning whatsoever.¡± Darius began to walk around the center of the room like Arthur was doing, creating a circle that the two walked around like two predators waiting for the right moment to strike.


    Darius could see that Arthur''s hand had not left the hilt of his sword since he had entered the room, clearly he did not have any intention of taking his gift. ¡°Do you know how I chose who to bestow the gift of immortality to?¡±


    ¡°And just how would I know that?¡± Arthur saw that Darius did not look the least bit worried, if anything he looked almost happy by Arthurs words.


    ¡°Well the first way is to give it to someone who has served me in a matter that greatly pleases me and shows they are worthy of my gift. The second way is to defeat one of my other children in combat and kill them, proving that they are more worthy than the one they had just slain.¡± The realization hit Arthur and it showed in his face.


    ¡°That is why I invited you here. To offer you what you have rightfully earned by killing Mulier and proving yourself superior and more deserving of my gift.¡±


    The two other blood spawn who were standing off to the side walked over to Darius¡¯s side. ¡°Join us brother.¡± They spoke in unison revealing the second one as a slim man. Arthur stood looking at Darius and his poisoned apple that he presented as fresh.


    ¡°No I will not.¡± Arthur drew his sword from its sheath and raised it up above his head. All the flames from each candle jumped towards Arthur''s sword, coating it in flame. It was a trick he figured out how to do during his basics of pyromancy class, it took several tries and help from Eligius relighting all the candles but he eventually learned how to do it. And as a reward for doing something that was outside of his expectations Eligius taught Arthur how to use his mana to fuel the flames and keep them from burning out, it wasn¡¯t conjuring flames but it was the next best thing.


    ¡°I may not be here on behalf any god, but you are all a blight on this land and need to be removed permanently for this place to heal.¡± Arthur pointed his flaming blade directly at Darius as he spoke, as if he was challenging him directly.


    ¡°A clever trick, but it pales in comparison to the real deal. Axia, Hegio, please take care of our guest.¡± Darius said with a disappointed face as with a wave of his hand he floated back to his throne and watched the ensuing fight.


    Axia as it turned out was a mage and began to launch a series of water projectiles at Arthur from a distance while Hegio was a frontline fighter with his one handed axe and shield. The two made an excellent team with Hegio right up in Arthur¡¯s face and Axia targeting his vitals to try to land a killing blow.


    But Arthur was more than ready to face two young vampires who have only faced opponents far weaker than them. Arthur used another technique that he learned in his basics of aeromancy class, propelling himself forward with the use of gusts of wind. He was able to use this to get up to a meter or two of movement in a second or two and used that to strike at Hegio¡¯s unprotected spots or to move behind him blocking Axia¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°You are a fool to reject Lord Darius¡¯s gift.¡± Hegio struck down with his axe and was blocked by Arthur with his sword getting caught in the small grove that connected the blade to the handle.


    ¡°And you are a greater fool for accepting it.¡± Arthur angled his sword down towards Hegio fingers holding onto the axe handle and with a small nudge the blade severed a few of his fingers cauterizing them in the process causing extreme pain that up to this point he had not experienced.


    ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Hegio screamed out in pain as he dropped his shield and his axe with what few fingers remained. His reaction was unnecessary as with the help of Lord Darius he could have reattached them. But Arthur did not waste the opportunity and with Hegio blocking the line of sight of Axia, Hegio was stabbed through the chest and slashed across the face severing a portion of his jaw.


    Hegio collapsed onto the floor slowly bleeding to death from both his mouth and chest. Axia saw someone she viewed as a brother fall to the ground with horrific wounds that he would likely not recover from with the enemy so close and with a heavy heart she chanted a spell that she believed would kill her opponent instead of helping Hegio like her heart told her to.

 Chapter 38

    Arthur was at least ten meters away from Axia leaving her enough time to cast the second tier spell Ice Shards to shred his face and any other exposed parts into a fine blend of blood and flesh. Even with his bursts of speed from using gusts of wind Arthur could not close the distance between him and his opponent.


    The spell conjured at least twenty shards of ice the size of arrows in a few seconds that only waited a moment before they took off towards their target. Arthur, having no choice, hastily conjured a shield of earth to block the projectiles, but they were so numerous and powerful that he needed to replace it twice. And even with that he still was struck in his left shoulder three times, the shards didn¡¯t pass his armor but the weight and speed behind them was enough to make his arm feel numb.


    ¡®What the fuck was that!? She conjured so much ice in such a short amount of time! I would have needed at least forty seconds to conjure that many! It must have something to do with the words she said and those movements with her hands.¡¯ Despite his shock Arthur did pay attention to how his opponent was fighting and planned to ask one of his teachers about it when he got the opportunity.


    Arthur took off towards Axia after a moment to collect his thoughts. Axia on the other hand was panicking at how Arthur was able to shrug off such a dangerous attack. ¡®How did he do that!? The only other person I have seen to do that was Lord Darius when he wanted to show us his immense power.¡¯ Although it looked like Arthur was unaffected he was not. His left arm was still quite numb and the only reason he could still swing his sword was because he was using the strength in his right arm to do so even at the cost of tiring out his right arm.


    Arthur did not lay off the attack, he swung his blade at Axia¡¯s vitals forcing her to defend herself or suffer debilitating wounds that would leave her like Hegio. She used her hydromancy to try and force Arthur back and give her some room but Arthur would either use his own mana to disrupt her attempts to restrain him, or when she tried to conjure earth for geomancy he would just strike at it before it even fully formed.


    Soon Axia could not keep us and like Hegio she felt the burning blade of the longsword pierce through her chest into her lungs. She fell to the floor and desperately tried to breathe only for the air to find its way out through the hole in her chest.


    Arthur turned to Darius and pointed his burning longsword at him in a direct challenge. ¡°Is this all your blood spawn have to offer!? I am quite disappointed!¡± Arthur shouted so that everyone in the room could hear his taunts to their leader. On the throne Arthru could tell by the look on his face that Darius was not pleased by the choice of words and sat up as he crushed one of the arms of his throne.


    Arthur smiled slightly, recalling when he was angry while sparring with both Hambel and the off duty guards in the barracks in the north sector of Antium. When he did his opponent always took the opportunity to use it against him or wait for him to tire out before going for the final blow.


    ¡°I will show you disappointment, you sack of flesh!¡± Darius leapt from his throne towards Arthur and in a matter of seconds was right in front of him with a conjured mace made from earth. Arthur managed to block the strike but he felt like he was losing his grip on his sword as his arms felt numb. Darius was also very fast not leaving Arthur a chance to strike back leaving the flames on the blade practically useless at this point.


    Arthur tried to conjure a shield of earth to block some of the attacks but they were broken before they could even fully form, Arthur could not keep up with Darius¡¯s empowered physique. Soon Arthur no longer had the energy to block the mace, Darius took the opportunity to strike him from down low in the gut and send him flying a few meters through the air.


    Arthur lost his grip on his sword and it slipped away and clanged on the floor just over a meter away, the flames quickly fading from the metallic blade. The strike left a deep mark on the armor plate that absorbed enough of the impact to keep him from dying, but Arthur felt as if all the air in his lungs was forced out in that one strike. ¡°I hate to say this, but you would have made an excellent vampire Arthur. You defeated all three of my other children without as much as a scrape. It is such a shame that you need to die like this to keep this place hidden though.¡± Despite the sad tone he used Darius looked quite happy at Arthur clutching his chest while in such pain. He raised his mace above his head ready to crush the small annoyance like a bug.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± A young feminine voice appeared behind Darius as he was about to finish off Arthur causing him to spin around with his mace ready to smash the face of whoever was foolish enough to get in his way. But his weapon found only empty air and instead he found a dagger sticking out of his back.


    He quickly removed the small weapon from his back and tossed it to the side as the wound began to slowly heal at a speed visible to the eye. When he turned back he found that Arthur instead of being right next to him was instead laying against a wall. ¡°So we have an illusionist now do we?¡± Darius looked around the room for anything that might betray the hidden enemies location such as a shimmer in the light. ¡°Well I don¡¯t think you will be able to stop me if you stay hidden with your magic!¡± Darius shouted out to the room of now frightened cultists.


    ¡°Now who said anything about me stopping you.¡± Darius was a bit confused by the illusionist statement, or at least he was until several of the windows shattered and men and women in full plate armor depicting a sword with golden flames pointing upwards with a pair of white wings on the hilt. The paladins had arrived to bring a swift end to the cult and its leader.


    Each of the paladin''s weapons were burning with a bright golden flame, a symbol of their faith in Solarius and the trust he had in them to fulfil his will. The leader of the paladins, a man by the name of Aulus Gallus, was at the front of the line and swiftly approached Darius taking note of the corpses of the blood spawn as he passed. ¡®It looks like young Arthur of Dom Badaher has some skill to take on two vampires on his own. Perhaps I should keep an eye on him.¡¯


    ¡°We finally meet Darius. I have heard so much about you and your operations.¡± Aulus began walking towards the lone vampire with his own burning mace and shield forged from steel and consecrated in the holy city itself.


    ¡°It''s Lord Darius to you weak mortals!¡± Darius shouted trying to hide the fear he felt at the sight of the paladins. ¡®I could probably escape this place on my own. What''s another 18 years, I can always start again.¡¯ Darius was more than willing to leave his followers to their doom, if they couldn¡¯t escape on their own then they aren¡¯t worthy of his attention anyways.


    ¡®The only problem is the illusionist girl, she could be watching me I would never even know. But that is a problem for later, for now I need to deal with the lead paladin and then I can escape in the ensuing chaos.¡¯ Darius smiled as he came up with his plan leaving Aulus thinking that it was due to blind arrogance and pride.


    ¡®Pride goes before the fall, little vampire.¡¯ The two quickly engaged in combat with Aulus blocking the first strike with his shield. At first it appeared that the two were matched in power and skill but as the fight went on Darius slowly began losing ground and was soon forced to be on the defensive. The only reason Darius was so powerful was not from his skill in the mace or magic that he acquired with his long life, but due to the overwhelming physical and magical power he naturally had as a vampire.


    Darius, like his blood spawn, had never faced a real challenge for a long time. He was always sure that whoever he was facing was weaker than he was, leaving him unprepared for when someone was easily able to match him with skill alone. Darius could see that he was on the losing end so he attempted to conjure a matching earth shield to block some of Aulus¡¯s strikes but they only lasted a few strikes due to the short cast time and the power behind each strike.


    One strike slipped through and shattered the bones in his left arm, then his right arm and then his chest. Darius fell to the floor writhing in agony with all the broken bones, he could of course recover from them but it would take both time and energy he did not have. ¡°Titia, bring Arthur over here. I think he deserves to be the one to kill this vile creature of the night.¡±


    Titia the illusionist appeared next to Arthur who¡¯s jaw had dropped watching Aulus utterly destroy Darius. His skill and technique had clearly been developed after many battles, any excessive movements deemed as unnecessary and removed. Unlike Darius¡¯s which was a result of simply overwhelming his opponents with sheer speed and power.


    Titia helped Arthur stand and walk over to Aulus. Aulus handed Arthur¡¯s sword back to him and took a step back from the now crippled vampire. ¡°Without your assistance we never could have found the hiding place of this vile beast, that in my opinion makes the death of the vampire lord your to take if you so wish.¡± Aulus spoke to Arthur like a grandfather talking with his grandson.


    ¡°Thank you sir paladin.¡± Arthur smiled and took the handle in his right hand in a back handed grip and walked over to Darius standing with his blade ready to stab. ¡°Looks like I made the right decision.¡±


    ¡°You little bastard! This will not be the end of me! I will hunt you down and anyone you care about until you are nothing but a-¡± Arthur stabbed Darius through the gut and retracted the blade before doing it again and again until a familiar sight appeared before him.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 150 Exp


    + 150 Exp


    + 400 Exp


    \- - - - - -/

 Chapter 39

    The corpse of Darius was full of stab wounds in the chest and the gut, blood pooled on the floor into a large puddle that everyone nearby took a step back to avoid. The cultists for the most part had surrendered upon the arrival of the paladins, the few that did resist were swiftly disabled and pinned to the ground. The others were kneeling in lines and had their hands on their heads.


    ¡°A little messy, but it gets the work of Solarius done now doesn¡¯t it.¡± Aulus looked over the wounds that covered Darius¡¯s chest and stomach before with a flick of his finger a golden flame engulfed it.


    ¡°Unfortunately I only have one hand to use. Otherwise I would have stabbed him in the neck just once, or I would have slit his throat and allowed him to bleed out.¡± Arthur said as he walked over to the large window sill to sit and clean the blood off his sword before he sheathed it.


    ¡°Would you like me to heal it for you? It is the least I can do for not arriving here sooner.¡± Aulus said as his hand glowed a gentle golden hue.


    ¡°You know restoration magic?¡±


    ¡°No, this is a gift from Solarius himself for all the work I have done on his behalf. For every trial I have endured he has granted me more blessings and I have been permitted to learn more from the holy scriptures.¡±


    ¡°I''ll just do it, and I think that is enough preaching about how wonderful your is god.¡± Titia walked over to Arthur and cast a series of spells before his broken bones began to heal. ¡°You had several broken bones, to make up for the nutrients used up in the healing you will need to drink a bit of milk.¡±


    ¡°How does drinking milk help with healing bones?¡± Arthur looked at Titia as he asked while noticing her light grey and almost stone like skin.


    ¡°My mother always told me that and she had real strong bones.¡± While Arthur and Titia were speaking, Aulus called over one of his subordinates to speak with before that subordinate returned and started calling out orders.


    ¡°As much as I would love to stay and thank you, I am required to report to the king and his court about our success here in defeating the vampire. If there are any complications, speak to my second in command Mettius, he is the one in the silver armor.


    ¡°We should get going as well. Arthur here had classes in the morning and I am tasked with keeping surveillance on him all throughout the day.¡±


    **********


    Arthur followed Titia out of the manor and down the path past the illusionary tree line. The whole time Arthur looked at her wondering what exactly she was. Aside from the grey and stone-like skin she looked like an elf, but all the elves he had seen had either brown or fair skin.


    ¡°Do I have something on my back?¡± Titia stopped and turned around to face Arthur. ¡°You have been staring at me for quite a while now. Is there something on your mind?¡±


    Arthur paused for a moment wondering if his question was rude or just exemplified his ignorance. ¡°What are you?¡±


    Titia was taken aback by such a blunt and straightforward question that she almost started laughing. ¡°Have you never seen an elf before?¡±


    ¡°I have but they didn¡¯t look like a statue carved out of stone.¡±


    ¡°That''s because I am a stone elf.¡± ¡®I suppose he wouldn¡¯t know a lot about elves if he lived amongst dwarves like his file said.¡¯


    ¡°And what does that mean?¡± Arthur asked not even knowing that there were variants of elves until now.


    ¡°I was born here in Antium, and since there are a lot of stone buildings made from limestone I was born a stone elf, with light grey skin like the limestone here.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. You are telling me that the appearance of elves is dependent on where they are born.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is quite simple when you just think about it.¡± Titia explained all the known variants of elves from high elves to dark elves and how the major civilizations of each treat others. ¡°The major high elf nations are very isolationist and often xenophobic, the wood elven nations are a bit nicer but don¡¯t like it when people cut down trees. Dark elves are either part of dwarven settlements or hide in the deep underground caverns worshipping their mysterious god, and then you have us stone elves who are mostly a part of human nations with cities made with large amounts of stone like the here in the Rathen Kingdom.¡±


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    ¡°So if a city were to be made up of a large amount of some sort of pink stone would the stone elves born there be pink as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes they would be. See it wasn¡¯t all that hard.¡± Titia beamed happy to help Arthur understand the basics of how elves work. ¡°Do you have any other questions for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes I have one more. How did you find me at the vampire''s hideout?¡±


    ¡°Oh that.¡± Titia chuckled. ¡°I''ve been watching you for the past two weeks. So when you left the barracks early in the morning I followed you to the hidden graveyard and to the illusionary trees and returned directly to Captain Pelagius to report what I found. Then he informed the paladins and we went straight to the manor to save you.¡±


    ¡°So you watched me for two whole weeks. Everything I did after the vampire assassin attack has been watched by you.¡±


    ¡°Technically I was watching you while the attack happened, I was only ordered to intervene if you were in danger. After the vampire started running I left to tell the captain about the situation and he dispatched a few people he trusted to take care of the situation.¡±


    Arthur was a little annoyed by the attitude of Titia but let it go and asked the question he was most anxious about. ¡°Since the threat of the vampires is over I should be able to return to my normal life now, right?¡±


    ¡°Well the royals will probably want to reward you with something for your efforts in taking care of the vampire cult, and we still need to investigate how they figured out your involvement in it. So I would expect things to go back soon but it may take some time.¡±


    *********


    The investigation regarding the Red Eye cult was greatly accelerated by the interrogation of several of the key members that were captured at the manor. They gave up other members who were not present at the time and they were swiftly captured as well. They were also able to uncover how they were receiving information about the investigation and who was a part of it, the guild of thieves known as Misery''s End.


    ¡°Sir what is happening?¡± Auria asked as she saw her boss Hanno Metilius frantically searching for something in his desk and tossing everything he could find in a dimensional bag he carried.


    ¡°The kingdom has decided that we are no longer harmless after they discovered our involvement with the Red Eye cult. They are going to attack our headquarters in about half an hour now. Get your two friends and run, I will be doing the same.¡± Hanno found a document with a red seal that must have been what he was looking for, he immediately rushed out the door of his office and put on a thick brown cloak with a hood.


    ¡°But what about everyone else?¡± Auria thought about all the lower ranking members that could only survive because of the protection the guild gave them.


    ¡°We can¡¯t help them anymore, Auria. They will need to either join one of the other guilds or work on their own.¡± Hanno stood at the doorway for a moment before he spoke again. ¡°This will likely be the last time we speak, so I wish you luck on whatever journey life takes you on.¡±


    **********


    Lady Alkonost sat on her throne reading over a document regarding the events of the Dom Badaher expedition and the subsequent demon extermination. Her face showed she was not happy with what she was reading, when she got to the part detailing the death of her subordinates she was just about ready to light the paper on fire.


    ¡°Curse them all!¡± Lady Alkonost slammed her fist on her throne creating a few cracks that slowly fixed themselves. ¡°I liked Saturio, he was an excellent servant. The only possible upside to this is that I learnt of a rising power before anyone else did.¡±


    Lady Alkonost turned to Caius Quintilius, the younger brother of Saturio Quintilius and a servant to her. ¡°Caius, find me all the information about this Arthur of Dom Badaher.¡±


    ¡°Of course my lady.¡± Caius gave a deep bow and reached for his communication orb. He called the information department of the cult. Within half an hour the agents there were able to acquire the file regarding Arthur of Dom Badaher from the Rathen Kingdom. The information was forwarded to Lady Alkonost who immediately began scrolling through all of it.


    For most of what she read she did not show any reaction, but when she got to the portion that gave his town/city of origin she bit her lip. When she got to his recent exploits Caius thought he could almost see a vein on her forehead popping out. ¡°What in the name of all that is demonic is this?¡± Her voice was calm but her body language told Caius that she was just about ready to kill someone.


    ¡°What is it my lady?¡±


    ¡°Arthur of Dom Badaher, the man who killed your brother-¡± Caius flitched, he did not know his brother had been killed. ¡°- according to the records of the Kingdom just suddenly appeared in the abandoned city of Dom Badaher and decided to help the expedition force there retake the city and somehow killed Saturio after only training when he met the expedition.¡±


    ¡°How can that be?!¡±


    ¡°I suspect that one of the gods has decided to start meddling with things again and has selected a chosen.¡± Alkonost started scratching her nails against the arms of her chairs in frustration.


    ¡°Which god do you think would do such a thing?¡± Caius asked not knowing a lot about the gods. This was one of the few opportunities to hear some of the ancient knowledge straight from Alkonost herself.


    ¡°Excluding the gods without influence on this continent, those who are too weak to do so, and the ones with no reason to select one that would oppose us, leaves just two that I can think of. Solarius and Xardas, both have a stake in the well being of the human civilizations and both have the power and influence to create a chosen.¡±

 Chapter 40

    After the forceful dissolution of the Red Eye cult the thieves guild known as Misery''s End was next on the chopping block after a handful of the higher ranking members confessed to being in contact with them and participation in illegal activities such as kidnaping, forgery, and murder just to name a few.


    The leader of Misery''s End was able to escape along with a handful of his subordinates after being tipped off by someone, the city guard is still looking into who has been leaking sensitive information and how long it has been going on.


    Arthur had a very pleasant time after the cult was finally destroyed and after three days of monitoring was given authorization to go about his business without an escort. The first thing he did after classes and talking to Calavia was go directly to Georgius Calvus and his shop The Elder Nymph.


    Upon entering the shop located in the bottom floor Aurelio who was manning the register at first mistook him for a customer. ¡°Hello and welcome to- Arthur, welcome back. Master Calvus, Arthur has returned!¡± Aurelio shouted up the flight of stairs just a few meters to his right.


    Almost instantly the sound of someone almost running down a flight of stairs could be heard and soon Georgius Calvus popped out from the stairs, his hair just as messy as the last time he visited. ¡°Arthur, there you are! I was wondering when you would be back.¡± Calvus walked right up to Arthur and started shaking his hand.


    ¡°I heard all about that business with the self proclaimed vampire lord hiding in the old Sellic manor. You are the talk of the whole royal court, not many have such close encounters with so many vampires. So I need to ask you in person, not through a letter. Are you ready to become my apprentice and learn the art of alchemy?¡±


    ¡°Of course sir. I think I am ready to take a step back and learn something a bit less dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well if you don¡¯t know what you are doing, alchemy can be pretty dangerous too. But don¡¯t worry about that, I''ll teach you everything you will need to practice and master alchemy on your own.¡± With a firm handshake, and Arthur signing a contract stating that until he finishes his apprenticeship Arthur would be required to complete tasks assigned by Georgius Calvus and he would also have the exclusive rights to buy everything Arthur makes during that time.


    It was the same contract that Aurelio signed when he started his apprenticeship. The first thing Calvus showed him was his room to keep all his things and to sleep in at night. The room had a simple bed that was about the same quality as the one in the Free Parrot Bar when he stayed there.


    ¡°Now of course I haven''t forgotten that you are attending classes in the mages guild for the time being, so I will only require you to work starting at 1:30 in the afternoon. This should give you plenty of time to get back here and do all the other little things kids your age like to do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡±


    ¡°Now up to the second floor. I will give you your first alchemy set to mess around with up there.¡± After climbing up a short flight of stairs Calvus directed Arthur over to a set of alchemical apparatus that looked a lot like the ones he picked up and delivered here several weeks ago.


    ¡°Now these are a bit old, but they still work just fine for someone just learning the basics of the trade such as yourself.¡± Calvus walked over and handed the first alchemical device to Arthur that looked like a small bowl with a thick stick thing with a rounded tip made from the same material.


    ¡°This here is called a mortar and pestle. You use it to grind up wet and dry ingredients that can be used further with the other apparatus.¡± Calvus placed the mortar and pestle down and picked up the next that was a glass oval shaped object with an opening at the top and a long and thin glass opening that reminded Arthur of a nose.


    ¡°This is called a retort. You will use this to distil substances with a cup or other container using a small flame that you will have at the bottom here.¡± Like the mortar and pestle it was returned to its place before Calvus moved onto the next.


    A small metallic object that was placed on the floor was the next in line. To Arthur it looked almost like a furnace. ¡°This here is called a calcinator. Now I don¡¯t expect you to need this for a while but you should still know what it does. It is like a small furnace but it is instead used for either ingredients or mixtures, very similar to baking in that regard. But remember, ones like these run on magic crystals and they can get real expensive.¡±


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    Another device was brought up to Arthur, this one looked a bit like the retort but it had no place for a flame beneath it. ¡°This is what you call an alembic. Like the retort it is used to distil things, but it does it without heat or a flame. This is important because not all substances react well with heat and some cannot be distilled with it or else they are lost. With this you can safely distil any substance, the only downside is that it can take a bit longer to use compared to the retort, so if you need something done fast and it can be done with a retort I expect you to use it.¡±


    Arthur took a long look over all the equipment he was being gifted, familiarising himself with it all down to the last details. The mortar and pestle were likely to be the most useful of them all but the other most definitely had their place in an alchemist lab. ¡°Thank you sir. When can I start using them?¡±


    ¡°Right after you bring back some ingredients for you to use. I can¡¯t have you using up all my stock, how will I brew potions if I don¡¯t have the ingredients I need?¡± Arthur was a little annoyed at first but he understood. Foraging for useful ingredients was a long and tedious task and would be costly to hire someone else to do it for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, this book covers all the important plants and fauna that grow in the Pelcester Forest to the south of the city.¡± Calvus handed Arthur a book titled A Guide to the Plant Life of Pelcester Forest. The book was about thirty pages thick and after a quick glimpse each page covered one type of plant explaining all it uses from beneficial to harmful.


    ¡°Just remember that I want that book returned back to me when you are done with it, you can take notes but that book is quite expensive even if it is only 30 pages long.¡±


    ¡°Of course sir, I will return it to you when I am done with it.¡± Arthur spent the rest of the day going over each hand every page while he sat on the bed in his room. He absorbed all the information of each plant and with his Photographic memory he was able to remember it all without taking any notes.


    By the time it was dinner time Arthur had already finished the whole book and had every plant included memorised down to the last detail, so he went to look for master Calvus to tell him he had finished his task.


    ¡°You did it already!? Do you have some magic notebook that writes while you read or something!?¡± Master Calvus was understandably baffled by the speed in which Arthur had finished the book.


    ¡°I have a photographic memory. I don¡¯t need to take notes, I just remember everything I see.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That makes a bit more sense. Anyways I was going to give you this book on foraging tomorrow, but seeing as you have finished with the first one I suppose I can just give it to you now.¡± Calvus walked over to a nearby bookshelf and after a brief moment found the book he was looking for. It was titled Practical Foraging V.1 and was written by a Caeda of Blackwood Grove.


    ¡°This is a detailed account of a master alchemist covering her early life when she was just a simple apprentice like you are now. She wrote all about the tricks she learnt about picking all the various herbs and other plants around here and a few other places within a day''s walk. Oh, before I forget when you return here tomorrow in the afternoon I will have a list of plants I will want you to collect, and when you get back I will give you a simple recipe and have you brew me as many potions as you can.¡±


    **********


    Arthur spent a good portion of the night reading the journal he was given but he only managed to get about a tenth of the way before he needed to get to sleep. He still had classes to attend after all. When he did return from the guild after classes and telling Calavia all about his new apprenticeship he returned to find master Calvus waiting for him.


    ¡°There you are Arthur. I finally finished that list of ingredients I wanted you to get for me. I did add a bit just to keep our stock up but it''s not all that much, I even got you a bag to carry everything in.¡± Calvus showed Arthur a leather satchel that had several little pouches for small ingredients to stick into.


    ¡°Thank you sir but I already have a dimensional bag I can put the plants I collect into.¡± Arthur showed Calvus by dropping and retrieving his sword from his bag.


    ¡°Oh. Well I suppose I can just give this to my next apprentice in that case. Oh and here is the list of ingredients I need you to get.¡± Arthur took the list that contained the plants that he and Calvus needed.


    25 Healing Roots, 25 Abyss Sage, 25 Goblin Berries, 25 Witch¡¯s Ivy, and 25 Knotweeds. They were all plants that were relatively common in the Pelcester Forest if you knew where to look. After buying some food just in case he would return late to the city, Arthur left for the southern gate to return to the forest once again to find far more ingredients than he did last time.


    Instead of simply walking to the first like he did last time Arthur decided to instead jog there. It would save him a bit of time and he would be able to recover his energy while he foraged now that he actually knew how to properly harvest the plants he was looking for.

 Chapter 41

    All of the plants Arthur was looking for were quite small and colorful compared to the rest of the plant life in the forest. It was a bit of a wonder as to how he didn¡¯t notice them the first time he foraged, or at least it was until after half an hour had passed and Arthur had only found four of each plant.


    ¡®I underestimate the difficulty of this again haven''t I. The only upside to this is that I have actually found a sizable portion of the plants I came to search for.¡¯ Arthur looked over the twenty plants he had in his bag, or the valuable parts of each plant.


    It was not always the entirety of the plants that were useful, only certain parts in cases like the Goblin Berry in which only the actual berry was useful for anything other than fertilizer. Each Plant would have on average five berries that were yellow and the size of a grown man''s thumb. But to prove to his new teacher Arthur was required to bring the whole plant.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Foraging Level 2


    \- - - - - -/


    Soon Arthur¡¯s determination led him to learn a bit more about foraging on his own. When he picked plants he was just so ever better at pulling just the right spot and when he needed to cut it from its roots he was just so ever faster.


    Over the course of three hours Arthur picked up speed in his foraging and was able to acquire all the plants he was tasked to and his skill in foraging further increased.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Foraging Level 3


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®25 Healing Roots, 25 Abyss Sage, 25 Goblin Berries, 25 Witch¡¯s Ivy, and 25 Knotweeds. Yup, that''s everything.¡¯ Arthur took one last look over the plants he collected just to be certain he did not over count and he set off back to Antium.


    ¡®It''s still only about five o¡¯clock in the afternoon so I have plenty of time to get back.¡¯ Arthur had barely finished that thought when an arrow whizzed past his face and hit a small tree he just passed. He immediately ducked for cover behind another much larger tree and listened for any sign of his attackers.


    Off in the distance roughly thirty or forty meters away he could hear two voices talking, and based on what they were saying they were likely the culprits. ¡°You stupid drunk. You had a clear shot and you still missed e¡¯m.¡± The first voice, one belonging to a middle aged man, sounded quite annoyed by his partner''s failure.


    ¡°I am very sober for your information, and I told you hitting a target through trees is a very difficult thing to do. It would have been better if we weren''t alone, we could have ambushed him that way.¡± The second voice, much younger sounding equally annoyed by his partner''s insults.


    ¡°If we do that then we will never get promoted, we need to prove ourselves if we want better gear and a team to assist us.¡± The middle aged man said.


    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter now, we need to either kill this poor fool or we need to run away.¡±


    ¡°Out of the question. We find him and we kill him.¡±


    Arthur did not remain idle while the two argued amongst themselves. Since he could not hear them clearly from so far away he decided to try getting a bit closer while hiding behind anything he could.


    It took a bit but he did eventually get close enough to hear the men who attacked him just as they were getting ready to come out and find him. ¡®Well I have a little surprise for you two when you come out.¡¯ Arthur smiled and he slowly molded four spikes of earth from the ground, two for each of the attackers.


    The reason Arthur chose to create them slowly was because magic can create quite a bit of noise when being used and he wanted to try attacking while hidden and take them off guard.


    The two attackers slowly exited from behind their cover and began walking towards the tree watching their surroundings for anything that might pop up. Suddenly they stopped and whispered. ¡°I think he''s still behind that tree. I will go around the left side, you go around the right side.¡± They then split off in their respective directions forcing Arthur to rethink his plan.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡®This might actually be better for me, now I can fight them both one on one. They probably aren¡¯t at the same level as the vampires, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be extra careful.¡¯


    Arthur waited for them to be a sufficient distance apart from each other before he moved from his spot toward the one going around the right. When Arthur spotted him crouched down slowly walking towards the tree he noticed the man''s small size and the bow in his hands. The skin coloration and his size clearly gave him away as an elf, the bow looked quite special though. Despite being quite literally taller than him he wielded it with little difficulty.


    With a small flick two of the four earth spikes flew towards the elf, one aiming for his leg and the other just a few seconds behind aiming towards his head. The first spike hit the elf in the calve causing him to drop his bow and clutch his leg as he shouted out in pain, the second missed entirely and instead struck a nearby tree.


    The shout of pain altered the elf''s partner and he came running. ¡°What is it!? What happened!?¡± Arthur looked frantically towards the source of the voice and realized that he was going to pass right through him to get to his partner.


    ¡®Shit. Should I move or should I use this to attack him from behind cover.¡¯ Arthur pondered over the situation he found himself in. The elf was more or less disabled for the time being, should he take the opportunity to take out the other or get out of the way and wait for him to turn his back.


    Given how Arthur was under cover and he could easily take out his opponent with the two remaining spikes he elected to try that. If it didn¡¯t work then he would just need to face him in melee combat, and he was almost certain that without outside help his opponent would lose.


    ********


    Tullus raced towards his friend after hearing him cry out in pain. Their target must have somehow slipped past them and attacked Almon with a sneak attack. Despite the fact that Almon wasn¡¯t the best at melee combat he still was no pushover, but he still should have been able to see his opponent and fire off an arrow or two. Regardless the situation was clearly dire and required his immediate attention to deal with the threat.


    Suddenly with a small russell of a bush both of his knees lost their strength and he fell to the ground. It took a moment but soon he felt great pain from his knees and he looked down to see two pieces of dirt formed into spikes sticking out of. He tried to pull them out but that caused intense pain that caused him to lose his grip.


    The one responsible for the attack quickly exited his hiding place from the bushes. It was a human man about six feet tall whose brown hair and fair skin gave him away as a Northman, or at least the descendant of a couple.


    He also wore some expensive looking armor that was clearly some sort of dwarven antique since no one made armor like that anymore. Tullus recalled his father telling him how all the masters used newer techniques to forge their masterpieces. It was still well made but there were better techniques that could be used for both flexibility and protection.


    The man walked towrads him with a longsword in his hands made from the same yellow metal as his armor. Tatrium it is called, or magic steel as the common people called it. The blade was pointed straight at his face and before he could call out and ask for mercy it was thrusted forward and stabbed him in the throat.


    *********


    Almon sat with his back to a large tree. The stone spike still sticking out from his calve, he hobbled behind cover before he attempted to remove it and with great pain he slowly pulled it out leaving a small wound that he quickly did his best to stitch and bandage.


    With his leg now in a somewhat decent condition he picked up his bow from his side and peaked around the tree to see if he could spot the mage who attacked him. Since he heard Tullus cry out in pain about twenty or so meters away from his hiding spot the forest went quiet and he did not see any movement.


    Almon knew that if he wanted to survive he would need to get away and do so quickly, but with his wounded lag it was easier said than done. He knocked an arrow and readied himself to fire at the first thing that moved.


    For quite some time he waited for anything to move, and with the trees casting such shadows and the closer it was getting to winter it was a bit darker than he expected it would be. With no sign of anyone or anything he knew he had to take the opportunity and try and run.


    Well, run wasn¡¯t the right word. More like hobble or crawl away. Either way Almon began to make his escape in the opposite direction toward one of the few camps that were dotted throughout the forest. But after only a handful of seconds he heard movement coming from behind him, and it was moving fast.


    Almon turned around with his bow drawn with an arrow ready for anyone to show themselves, and soon they did. Someone wearing yellow armor that didn¡¯t exactly blend in with the environment was racing towards him, likely the same person he tried to hit through a few trees.


    He did not hesitate and fired an arrow towards the armored individual''s face, aiming for the one unprotected spot. But his arrow did not hurt his target, in the low light he could not easily tell what happened but it looked like whoever it was running deflected the arrow with his open hand.


    ¡®What!? That''s not possible!¡¯ Almon did not like what he just saw and fired off several more arrows in quick succession that were all deflected the same. With nothing working he turned and tried to hobble away faster hoping that he could by some miracle outpace someone running at full speed.


    That only lasted for about another ten seconds before he felt the armored individual tackled him to the ground.

 Chapter 42

    Almon fell face first into the ground, his bow dropped just outside of his grasp as Arthur clad in his heavy armor, rested his right knee on his back to keep him from standing. ¡°Nice try.¡± Arthur pressed a blade to Almon¡¯s neck. ¡°Now why don¡¯t you tell me just why you and your friend attacked me.¡±


    ¡°Why else, for money and whatever you have on you.¡± Almon said feeding Arthur a blanket statement any thief could say.


    ¡°Yes, I already know that. I was just wondering why you would do that out here. From what I understand there are a few organisations in Antium that specifically deal with thievery. Why don¡¯t you just join one of those?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I am a wanted man and cannot enter the city without being captured.¡± Almon spoke as he tried to subtly reach for the dagger on his thigh.


    ¡°A wanted man are you? So in that case there would be a reward for bringing you to justice?¡± Arthur asked. Everyone needed money and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a bit extra, especially since he would likely be attending more classes in the future with the mages guild and after looking through a brochure they could get quite expensive.


    Almon gritted his teeth and attempted to grab his dagger and stab Arthur, but Arthur noticed and took a solid grip on his wrist, preventing him from doing anything while he disarmed him.


    ¡°I suppose I should thank you for helping me out in this case.¡± Arthur used a bit of dirt to bound Almon¡¯s hands behind his back while he spoke. ¡°With the money I get from turning you in I will have more money to attend classes and further my magical education.¡±


    ********


    Arthur was sure to take all the weapons that the two bandits had on them, the dagger and bow that Almon wielded and the iron shortsword that Tullus was using before he died.


    Along the trip back to Antium Almon didn¡¯t say anything as he was trying to think of a way to escape, and with his wounded leg they had to walk the whole way resulting in them getting back to the city at about dinner time.


    The guards at the southern gate were confused at first why Arthur had bound someone''s hands and brought them to a city. They had even pointed their weapons while one went to inform their captain of the situation. Once Captain Lar Tasius of the southern district arrived with several other guards he immediately recognized Arthur and ordered his men to lower their weapons. ¡°Lower your weapons. This man is a friend.¡±


    ¡°Thank you captain.¡± Arthur noticed the insignia on his right arm that he recignised from his time with Captain Pelagius.


    ¡°It is no problem Mr. Arthur, but might I ask why you have brought someone with bound hands and treated like a prisoner?¡±


    ¡°This elf here tried to kill me in the Pelcester Forest as I was walking back here after I collected some plants for alchemical purposes. He had a friend who unfortunately died when I attempted to disable him.¡±


    ¡°Dam bandits, they have been getting more and more aggressive lately.¡± Captain Tasius gave Almon a look that could kill as he spoke. ¡°Perhaps you would be willing to hand him over for interrogation purposes.¡±


    ¡°Why of course, why don¡¯t we go somewhere a bit more private to discuss the details though. We should speak of such things with so many eyes watching.¡± Arthur gestured to the many people waiting in line, from rich to poor they were all watching with anticipation.


    ¡°Of course, please follow me to the barracks. We can speak in my office.¡±


    *********


    The walk to the barracks located in the southern district was a short one. The actual barracks itself was quite old and looked like it hadn''t been taken care of for a good portion of time. But there were also a few workers fixing it up, replacing a few eroded walls and the like.


    Of course Captain Tasius did notice Arthur looking over the building and its rather poor state and decided to speak up. ¡°My predecessor was quite corrupt and used the money that should have been used for upkeep of the building for his own personal uses. Since you exposed that cult of vampires their allied thieves guild Misery''s End was taken out with them, and she was exposed as an ally of theirs, helping them cover up their crimes or if that wasn¡¯t possible belittling their impact and hindering the investigation.¡±


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    ¡°And when you were promoted you learned of my involvement and kept a close eye out for me.¡± Arthur finished the sentence for him.


    ¡°Yes, that is correct. I am simply glad something has actually come from it.¡± The duo along with their escort enter the barracks and Almon the elven bandit was taken to the dungeon while Arthur and the captain enter his office.


    They both took seats and after a short silence the captain began asking Arthur a few questions regarding the bandit. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking where exactly did you encounter the bandit duo?¡±


    ¡°I was close to the northern edge of the Pelcester Forest when the elf fired an arrow that just narrowly missed me from about forty or so meters away. I managed to hide behind cover and using magic disabled both before I killed the other and brought the elf here.¡± Arthur recounted the attack and covered everything that was important.


    ¡°So you are a mage. That explains how you managed to fight your way into the vampire''s lair.¡± Captain Tasius took a mental note of Arthur''s magical skill. ¡°Now normally there wouldn¡¯t be any bounties for such things, but given the information you have given us I think I can make an exception.¡± Captain Tasius looked through his desk for the paperwork that was required to issue a bounty and gave a slip of paper that would allow him to collect his bounty from the front desk in the barracks within the week.


    The moment Arthur left the barracks Captain Tasius called up his second in command to speak with him. His second in command, Lieutenant Kalum Goldenshield was a dwarf that was in his sixties making him a young adult by dwarf standards. ¡°You called for me sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have just been informed of recent bandit activity north in the Pelcester Forest. A bandit of the attacking party has been taken prisoner in the dungeon, I want you to interrogate him and find the location of their camps.¡±


    ¡°What should I do when I have collected all the information he has, sir?¡±


    ¡°Bring it to me, I will then decide our course of action.¡± Captain Tasius might have been considered young and a bit weak for the position of Captain. But he was selected not for his martial prowess, but for his cunning and ability to anticipate the actions of his enemies as well as his loyalty to the city of Antium and the Kingdom of Rathen.


    ¡®I will do what my predecessor would not do and drive out the bandit scum and all the other parasites that infest this festering region of the city.¡¯ The captain looked over the report of the assault of the vampire cults hideout, specifically the parts detailing Arthur¡¯s contributions. ¡®And you Arthur of Dom Badaher will help me in that endeavour.¡¯


    **********


    Arthur quickly returned to The Elder Nymph and went directly to master Calvus to tell him of his success. ¡°That is wonderful my apprentice, I hope you didn¡¯t encounter any obstacles in your search.¡± Master Calvus said as he was counting up all the plants Arthur collected.


    ¡°Just a duo of bandits trying to steal from me. But I dealt with them.¡±


    ¡°Bandits in the Pelcester Forest? Oh dear. This doesn''t bode well.¡± Master Calvus paused and began searching through his cabinet for something.


    ¡°You might have been fine this time, but just in case, take this. I haven¡¯t used this in years since I upgraded my equipment, but I think it might be helpful to you.¡± Master Calvus handed Arthur a small silver ring with a dull blue gem encrusted. ¡°It contains a simple shield spell that will block any attack against you, but it doesn¡¯t have much energy to use with its weak mana crystal so don¡¯t rely on it.¡±


    Arthur took the simple ring and placed it on his left index finger. As he did he could feel a thin layer of energy cover his entire body, it wasn¡¯t all that strong, only about enough to block one or two well placed strikes but as an emergency shield it did its job. ¡°Thank you master.¡±


    ¡°Well I can''t have my apprentice dying because I was too cheap to give away a few trinkets I don''t use anymore. Now I will show you how to brew a potion of nutrients.


    A potion of nutrients required one healing root, one witch¡¯s ivy, and one knotweed along with some water. The first step was to use the mortar and pestle to grind up each of the ingredients separately. Second, each grounded up healing root needed to be added to a cup of water and thoroughly mixed together. Third the water and healing root needed to be boiled for half a minute before being let to cool for another minute. Fourth the grounded up witch¡¯s ivy and knotweed need to be added to the pot and stirred until they are mixed. Fifth using the retort the mixture needs to be distilled and emptied into a bottle.


    Master Calvus gave Arthur a demonstration and gave Arthur the final product to keep since he was the one to collect all the ingredients. ¡°Now it might look easy, but always remember things can always go wrong for absolutely no reason. So always keep an eye on your station if you are using it and never leave anything with a flame unattended.¡±


    ¡°Of course Master, that is just common sense.¡±


    Master Calvus shook his head. ¡°Well according to a few others who I took as apprentices it wasn¡¯t. And let''s just say that they did not finish their apprenticeships.¡± Master Calvus took all the abyss sage and goblin berries and placed them in his bag.


    ¡°Now it is your turn. Just follow this recipe and when you are done come and let me know and I will tell you how you did.¡± Master Calvus handed Arthur a piece of paper that detailed everything about the potion from the ingredients needed to the apparatuses that will be used.


    The first thing Arthur did was look over the recipe for anything that Master Calvus might have left out. The only thing he found was just a few safety procedures that involved keeping all the types of ingredients separate and to keep a bucket of water at hand just in case of a fire.

 Chapter 43

    Arthur took the healing root and placed the healing root inside of the mortar and used the pestle to grind the root up into something that reminded Arthur of a paste made from vegetables. He then scraped all of the grounded healing root into a small metal bowl filled with a cup of water which he mixed well.


    Arthur then placed the metal bowl into the calcinator and with a small dial on its side set it to boil the mixture for a minute. While he waited for it to boil he grounded up the witch¡¯s ivy and the knotweed and placed it into a bowl to add once the mixture finished cooling.


    Upon cooling for a minute Arthur added the witch¡¯s ivy and the knotweed before mixing thoroughly. Then he used the retort to distil the mixture into a light brown liquid that he placed within an empty bottle.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Alchemy Level 0


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur compared his potion to the one made by Master Calvus. His was a bit lighter in color likely meaning that it wasn¡¯t quite as potent as his teachers but still an excellent first try.


    ¡°Not bad at all for a first try Arthur. You have learned well.¡± Master Calvus inspected the potion and gave his approval. ¡°Now for the best part. Testing them out.¡±


    Master Calvus smiled at Arthur who looked a bit confused. ¡°Normally you wouldn¡¯t just make one potion at a time, you would make them in batches. And before you sell them you should test them out to make sure that there aren''t any side effects. The potion of nutrients for example just contains some of the lesser nutrients that are necessary to recover from injuries and keep from getting sick, so the odds of any side effects are low but we should still be careful just in case.¡±


    Master Calvus took the potion that he made and had Arthur take the one he made before he drank it and had Arthur drink his. Arthur did not notice anything other than the taste of the potion which was quite bland, so he asked Master Calvus if there was something he should be expecting.


    ¡°In this case no you should not. Since this is non magical alchemy the effects are not all that strong or instantaneous but they can be helpful in day to day life or in the case of the nutrient potion helping healers with the recovery of their patients.¡±


    ¡°So this helps healers heal other people when they feed it to them?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly what it does. And I know it doesn¡¯t seem like much but when you need some up on their feet as soon as possible every little bit helps. Oh and they also go for about 3 copper coins on the market but usually go up a bit during times of conflict or war, so if you make a bunch of these for me you can make a good bit of money.¡±


    Master Calvus placed the empty bottle on a nearby table and pointed to a nearby box. ¡°If you are still up for some more potion making you can find more empty bottles in that box there, just be careful because they are fragile.¡±


    Arthur, now alone with his own devices, chose to brew some more potions until he ran out of ingredients. This time he decided to make about ten potions in a batch instead of the one he had previously made. The recipe just said that for each healing root there needed to be a cup of water and all the other associated ingredients, all he in theory needed to do was increase the amount of each by five.


    So Arthur took a bowl and  filled it with five cups of water and ground up five healing roots that he added to the water and placed into the calcinator to boil for a minute. He did the same with the witch¡¯s ivy and knotweed before adding them and distilling the liquid via the retort into a large bottle.


    The five portions of the potion looked to be about the same quality as the one he brewed prior with the same light brown color. Arthur of course filled five smaller bottles each with one portion of the potion before he repeated the process and ended up with twenty three potions of nutrients.


    But since it was getting quite late and it had already passed dinner time Arthur quickly ate one of the burritos he kept in his dimensional bag and placed all of the potions in his bag before he locked the door to his room and went to sleep.


    First thing in the morning at nine o¡¯clock when Arthur awoke he looked around the building to see if Master Calvus was up, and when he found him in his personal laboratory he knocked on the door.


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    Knock Knock.


    Master Calvus turned around from his work station and smiled as he saw Arthur. ¡°Good morning Arthur. How is your morning?¡±


    ¡°It''s been alright Master, I did want to tell you I used up all the ingredients and I brewed twenty three more potions.¡± Arthur promptly took one of the said potions from his bag and handed it to Master Calvus to inspect.


    Master Calvus brought up the potion to his face as he looked over the light brown liquid. He removed the lid and smelt the potion before he gulped it down in one go. For a moment he pondered on it before casting a simple spell on himself and when he was satisfied with the results he looked to Arthur and spoke.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. I don¡¯t detect any side effects so that is a good sign. It could have been a bit more concentrated but for a novice it is excellent. I will buy these off of you for 1 copper coin for each potion if you want.¡±


    Arthur furrowed his brow at his master''s offer. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they could go for three copper coins each?¡±


    ¡°Oh my apologies. I was talking about the one I brewed as an example. With the lower quality they are worth at best only 2 copper coins, but I still need to make money so the best I can offer you is 1 for each potion of nutrients of this quality.¡±


    Arthur paused for a moment and began to think if he should take the offer. Master Calvus seeing Arthurs contemplation decided to speak up. ¡°You will still earn 23 copper coins, that is a whole silver coin plus 3 copper coins all in one day. Most commoners can only earn that much after a whole 5 or 6 days of work. I would consider that a good deal.¡±


    Arthur had to agree, despite the fact that he wasn¡¯t getting as much as he would have liked he could still easily buy seven burritos from the Free Parrot Bar if he earned that much every day. It was more than enough to live off of. And when he finished up his classes in the next two weeks he would have all day to work on alchemy and potentially earn even more money.


    ¡°Alright then. I accept your offer of one silver and three copper for the twenty three potions of nutrients.¡±


    ********


    Arthur continued to work hard in both the mages guild and his apprenticeship completing the course near the top of both his classes and garnering the praise of Master Calvus for his quick progress in alchemy.


    /- - - - - -\


    Hydromancy Level 14


    Pyromancy Level 11


    Aeromancy Level 10


    Alchemy Level 4


    Foraging Level 5


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur could now conjure fire with just mana, which helped him when he needed to light a flame to distil liquids with the retort or if he needed to boil something and his calcinator ran low on energy.


    Even though he had finished his courses he did not stop experimenting with magic. He would always try to make time during his lunch break to talk with Calavia about just about everything that came to their minds from magic to strange looking people that they saw in the market.


    With his skill in alchemy improving, Master Calvus also gave Arthur more recipes to try out. Some of those recipes included potions of bravery that induced a feeling of calmness and stoicism, potions of stamina that gives the drinker a temporary boost in their energy levels, and drowsiness potions that cause the drinker to feel drowsy to help fall asleep. All of the potions that Arthur was given were of the non magical variety due to specific types of spells that either allow for the effects of the ingredients to work or are held by the potion itself to apply to the drinker when consumed.


    Arthur also acquired a decent amount of savings now that he now had an actual source of income which he used to buy some things that he needed that included a magic handheld clock that would align itself with up to three different time zones, and a wet stone to keep his blade sharp. Despite learning a lot about magic and alchemy he would always find a bit of time every so often to train his martial skills with the northern city guard under Captain Pelagius even if he did not make all that much progress.


    /- - - - - -\


    Heavy Armor Level 10


    \- - - - - -/


    Occasionally he would stumbled upon more bandits in the forest and quick dispatch them with magic and his fighting skills, and when he finished he always kept one or two of the bandits alive to bring to Captain Tasius in the southern district who would thank Arthur with a small amount of money before sending them down to the dungeon for interrogation. Arthur did not know how it was progressing but the captain certainly did.


    ***********


    ¡°Please I told you everything I know!¡± A disheveled human man no older than twenty five was tied to a chair in the dungeon under the barracks of the southern district of Antium.


    ¡°Oh yes, I know. This is not to extract information.¡± The elfen torturer chuckled to himself as he picked up a metal tool that looked something like a knife for cutting very precisely.


    ¡°W -what? What do you mean?¡± The bandit was confused since that''s why he was tortured before, to stop withholding information.


    ¡°You see this-¡± The elf brandished the knife. ¡°This is for my own enjoyment. I just watching people like you fall apart after they know there is no escape.¡± The elf gagged the bandit with a thick piece of cloth to both prevent him from biting his tongue to kill himself and to keep him from screaming to deal with the pain.


    ¡°You know I was told by my father that if I kept hurting people I will end up alone and with no one to rely on. He was also the very first person I interrogated when I got my job here. It''s just so ironic isn''t it?¡±

 Chapter 44

    ¡°We have interrogated over a dozen different bandits that were hiding in the forest, and yet we still don''t have the location of the main encampment.¡± Captain Tasius paced behind his desk as his lieutenant reported what the prisoners revealed during interrogation.


    ¡°But sir, we have uncovered the locations of three smaller camps. Two of which we have already raided.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately lieutenant, the bandits are still very active and have no intention of stopping. We have almost no information about the group or the leader, and no leads to follow.¡± The captain paused and gassed out the window at a large intersection where many people walked to and from all throughout the day.


    ¡®How can I help them if I cannot guarantee their safety, or at the bare minimum catch the ones causing them such pain?¡¯


    ¡°As far as I can tell we only have one option, and that is to enlist the help of Arthur of Dom Badaher. He has helped us before, I see no reason why he wouldn¡¯t be willing to help us now.¡±


    ¡°How should we get into contact with him sir?¡±


    ¡°As I recall he is a member of the mages guild. But he is also on friendly terms with the guard of the northern district. Try the mages guild first first and if that doesn¡¯t work ask around the northern district guard, I am on good terms with Capatin Pelagius so they should be willing to help.¡±


    *********


    Arthur stood over his alchemy station as he distilled a batch of potions with his retort into a large bottle. Since Arthur had saved up a bit of money he bought some nice and durable clothes specifically for working with alchemy. Master Calvus was the one who recommended the tailor, it was the very same one he buys all his clothes from.


    There were three identical sets of clothes in question, each set had thick brown trousers, a well made and light white shirt that was covered by a brown leather overcoat, and one pair of brown leather boots. It wasn¡¯t the most expensive set that was available but it did its purpose and now Arthur looked the part of an alchemist, and it was easier to perform alchemy without stiff armor getting in the way. But when he returned to the Elder Nymph he noticed that Aurelio wore something quite similar, just without the overcoat. Instead he elected to wear an apron.


    ¡®Master Calvus must have taken Aurelio out to get some proper clothes as well in the past.¡¯


    Arthur finished up with the potion and bottled it up before adding a label and placing it on a shelf for later.


    Since it was about lunch time he wanted to go and get something to eat, for some time now he had been cooking his own food but from time to time he would go out and eat from one of the stalls or from one of the restaurants when he ate with Calavia.


    Arthur would also take the time to check his mail box to see if he had received the books on evocation magic he ordered a few days ago. Even after passing both of his courses he did not stop his pursuit of knowledge. But instead of the books he was greeted by a letter, and not from someone he knew.


    To Arthur of Dom Badaher


    At the request of Captain Lar Tasius of the southern district of the city of Antium you are asked to schedule a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss a matter of utmost importance.


    We look forward to your answer.


    Lieutenant Kalum Goldenshield


    The letter stunk of formality leading Arthur to think that the captain must be asking for his help on behalf of someone else. ¡®The captain must have spoken highly of my exploits and I''m betting someone asked him to arrange a meeting between us.¡¯ Arthur may have been off the mark a bit but it wasn¡¯t uncommon for such things to happen. Calavia even shared a story of a noble who asked for her help to heal the members of his personal guard for a scrimmage with a tribe of goblins after they burned a whole village to the ground with only a handful of survivors.


    ¡®I''ll just drop by and see what his friend or political ally needs me for before I make a decision.¡¯ Arthur inwardly grumbled to himself wondering if speaking with the captain was a bad idea those few weeks ago.


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    Before he went to the southern district he made sure that Master Calvus knew that he had business there and might not be back for quite some time.


    The walk to the southern district had changed quite a bit since captain Tasius was promoted to captain. The guards actually patrolled the streets properly and dealt with any crime they could see. The only problem was that since the disbandment of Misery''s End the entire district has become a no man''s land amongst the underground criminal organizations resulting in all the big players and a few of the smaller ones trying to take new territory.


    But most of this fighting was being done behind closed doors so the general populace did not see it regularly.


    As Arthur approached the barracks the guards on duty there gave him a small nod and allowed him to walk unimpeded to the captain''s office. ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. Please take a seat.¡± Arthur noticed that he and the captain were the only two in the room casting doubt on his theory of being needed for a friend.


    ¡°It is nice to speak to you again captain, is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Why that is the reason I asked for you. You see we have a problem with criminals here in Antium. The situation inside the city is being dealt with, the problem I need you for is actually from outside the city.¡± Captain Tasius took a map from his desk and placed it on top. The map showed the city of Antium and the surrounding lands.


    ¡°Despite what most think, the authority and responsibility of a captain does not start and end within the capital itself. It actually expands out into a radius of about 5 kilometers. We captains are expected to keep this land safe from bandits and if the threat exceeds our power and resources we are expected to contact the crown and ask for help in the matter.¡±


    ¡°And you want my help in dealing with something that exceeds the strength of a few bandits.¡±


    ¡°It''s not just a few bandits, it''s several villages worth of bandits. The problem is we do not know where they are or how they are recruiting more. My ¡®Predecessor¡¯ was either so incompetent to allow these bandits to dig their heels in or he purposely allowed it in exchange for a cut of the profits. We don¡¯t know because he fled when his connections with Misery''s End was uncovered.¡±


    ¡°You have no leads on the location of this camp but you want to enlist my help in finding it. I am hearing this correctly.¡± Arthur was a little baffled by the situation. The only reason he found the vampire''s base of operations was because they led him right to it.


    ¡°You won''t be doing it alone, do you know a stone elf by the name of Titia. If I recall correctly she did participate in the raid on the vampire cult.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did briefly speak to her. Is she taking part in this operation?¡± Arthur thought back to when he was almost killed by Lord Darius the self proclaimed vampire lord. If not for her intervention he likely would have died.


    ¡°When I was speaking with Captain Pelagius asking for advice on how to deal with such a scenario he was more than willing to lend her to me for the duration of the operation. I trust from your reaction that she is a trustworthy individual.¡±


    ¡°She is very trustworthy and she is very talented in illusion magic. She used an invisibility spell to follow me to the vampire''s hideout without being seen, even by me.¡±


    ¡°That is a relief to hear your opinion on the matter, but that isn¡¯t the only reason I brought her up. I wanted to ask you to work with her in an attempt to locate the bandits'' main encampment.¡±


    ¡°I''m not against working with her, but without any clues we would just be wasting our time. I doubt that you even have the necessary manpower to sweep the entire forest, so the two of us would be no better.¡± ¡®If he seriously thinks that we could find anything without pure luck on our side then he is insane.¡¯


    ¡°We do know the location of one smaller camp in the Pelcester Forest. All such camps that we have come across have a leader who before he or she can be captured uses poison in a fake tooth when they see that all their men are dying. The plan my lieutenant and I came up with was to capture this last one in his sleep with the use of magic.¡± Captain Tasius placed one of the false teeth on the table, showing Arthur what they would be looking for.


    Arthur took the tooth in his hand and inspected it. It was quite simple, just an animal tooth with a hollowed out core that must have been inserted by someone with considerable medical skill if it was to stay in on its own. ¡°This is what I am looking for?¡±


    ¡°Yes, based on what our surgeon said it is likely they have someone with considerable skill in medicine and teeth in particular.¡±


    For quite some time Arthur remained silent as he looked over the tooth familiarizing himself with its color and shape for when he would need to extract it. ¡°I''ll do it, but not for free.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I expected you would say something like that. That is why I have a bag of 25 silver coins ready for when you return with a location.¡±


    *******


    Titia walked down the hall toward the office of Captain Pelagius. He had summoned her to his office and based on the wording it was quite serious. As soon as she entered the room she gave a salute and stood at attention. ¡°Corporal Titia reporting sir.¡±


    ¡°At ease, corporal. I have an assignment for you and your specific skill set.¡±


    Titia kept her smile from showing as he was inwardly ecstatic. It had been weeks since she had anything other than collecting incriminating recordings of various criminal organizations while she remained invisible.


    ¡°You will be working for Captain Tasius of the southern district to combat the rising bandit threat that was allowed to fester by his predecessor. You will be tasked with uncovering the main encampment of the bandits who have taken residence in the area by interrogating the leaders of the smaller camps.¡±


    ¡°When do I begin sir?¡± It wasn''t quite what she had hoped, but it was still better than waiting for criminals to spill the beans all day.


    ¡°After you go to the armory and gather all the equipment you will require. Dismissed.¡±

 Chapter 45

    Just outside the tree line Arthur stood in his full plate armor with his longsword at his hip. He looked through his dimensional bag to be sure that he packed everything that he intended to bring including the handful of throwable revolting stench potions that can be used to make an escape.


    Soon from just a few meters away Titia the stone elf appeared, dropping her invisibility spell. ¡°Why hello again Mr. Arthur. It''s nice to see you again.¡± Titia smiled and walked around him while he sorted through his bag.


    ¡°It''s good to see you as well, corporal. I trust you know of the situation here.¡± Titia frowned. He was using her rank while addressing her showing he was being very professional at the moment. A shame because she liked talking to him.


    ¡°Of course, Captain Pelagius filled me in on the situation here. Captain Tasius is having difficulty with the bandits who have dug their ground under his predecessor''s command.¡±


    ¡°Good. So you also know just how invaluable your invisibility spells will be to move undetected.¡± Arthur finished looking through his bag and turned to face Titia. ¡°I hope you can maintain an invisibility spell on more than one person because it may be vital to the plan I have.¡±


    ¡°I can but we can¡¯t run while under its effects or I may end up losing my concentration on it, and I won¡¯t be able to cast any other spells so the sound from your armor will stand out.¡±


    ¡°That is a problem, but this is a stealth mission so I think I can live without the armor for now.¡± Arthur ducted behind a wall of stone he conjured while he changed into his normal alchemist clothes.


    ¡°That''s an interesting outfit you have. I expected you to wear something more¡­ simple.¡± Titia remarked at his choice of clothes.


    ¡°After I became an apprentice my master picked these out for me. I did end up paying for them but they are quite nice for everyday use.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, what exactly is your plan? I hope it doesn¡¯t involve just waltzing up to bandits on guard and asking to speak with their leader.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be doing that.  While under the cover of night I want you to cast an invisibility spell on us so we may pass through all resistance without issue and sneak into the leaders quarters where I will use hydromancy to fill his mouth with water and extract the false tooth filled with poison before we interrogate him.¡±


    ¡°That''s it? It is rather simple don¡¯t you think, and the risk of being caught is quite high even if we go at night.¡± Titia didn¡¯t like how simple the plan was, there were too many details that went accounted for. Such as if the leader wasn¡¯t alone, what would they do then?


    ¡°I know, but a simple plan is also an adaptive plan. If something comes up that we did not anticipate we can adapt and come up with a solution, whereas if we had a complex and elaborate plan we likely wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    Titia paused, he had a good point. She recalled when she spoke while invisible and stabbed the vampire in the back to distract him to save Arthur. That wasn¡¯t planned out, she reacted to the situation and everything turned out quite well because the plan was able to be adapted to fit the situation.


    ¡°Alright, you do have a point. Where exactly is the camp and when are we going to infiltrate it?¡±


    ¡°It is just six or so kilometers into the forest south of us. I don¡¯t know the layout yet but when we get there we will decide when enough bandits are asleep to enact our plan.¡±


    ********


    Arthur and Titia crept up to a vantage point on a small hill that gave them a good view of the layout of the small bandit camp. The camp had simple wooden walls fashioned from tree trunks with all the branches stripped off and a two meter opening that acted as an entrance.


    They counted twenty or so tents each housing at least two bandits each leaving them with an estimated forty bandits plus the leader.


    ¡°This is what they call a small camp. I can only imagine what they call a big one.¡± Titia said while she looked at the layout through a small cylinder shaped object with glass on each end.


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    ¡°Thankfully our objective is just to interrogate the leader and leave. We don¡¯t need to deal with all this rabble.¡± Arthur was more than ready to begin the infiltration.


    ¡°Yes but we cannot guarantee that complications will not occur. We should have a plan for the case of being discovered.¡±


    ¡°I do have a back up plan. It''s this little unassuming potion.¡± To demonstrate his point he removed the lid for just a moment. That one moment of the contents being exposed to the outside air was more than enough to make Titia gag.


    ¡°That is the worst smell I have ever smelt. Even horse shit doesn¡¯t smell that bad.¡± Titia glared at Arthur after barely managing to keep her lunch down.


    ¡°If you think this is bad you should smell the ones made by Master Calvus. The first time I smelt one of his I didn¡¯t eat for two whole days.¡±


    ¡°So do you think now is a good time to infiltrate the camp?¡± Titia asked, changing the conversation.


    ¡°Not yet, we should wait for nightfall at least. By then it should be dark and quiet enough to move through undetected.¡±


    *********


    Several hours passed and soon night descended upon the forest. The herbivores took to their burrows or packs to keep safe from the predators, and a majority of the bandits took to their tents to sleep the night away. Only a handful of bandits remained awake, including two that were at the small entrance.


    ¡°Do you think we can pass them while hidden?¡± Arthur looked to Tatia who was hiding behind a small bush less than a meter from the one he hid behind.


    ¡°As long as neither of us have anything that will make noise while we walk we can. So you might want to put away your sword for now and only take it out when we are inside.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that.¡± Arthur followed Titia¡¯s advice and placed his sword in his dimensional bag. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I am. Just give me a second to cast the spell and stay close to me. If you move too far from me I wont be able to keep the spell active over you.¡± Titia performed a few hand signs and muttered a few words that Arthur did not understand. Then suddenly a small translucent dome that slightly distorted everything outside it appeared around the two.


    Arthur looked at the dome in awe, he hadn''t seen anything like it before. ¡°Stay within a meter of me at all times or you will stray outside the spell''s area of effect.¡± Titia gave Arthur one final warning before she began walking towards the entrance while trying to make as little noise as possible.


    Arthur could see the bandits slowly becoming closer and bigger as they slowly walked. When they were only five meters away he almost expected one of them to turn and ask what they were doing, but they did no such thing. When they were passing by he could see just how tired they looked. Despite the menacing looking weapons they did not look like they had the energy to properly use them.


    ¡®The only way these two would find any use would be as an alarm.¡¯ Arthur noticed a small contraption on the left side just through the entrance that when pulled out light a fire and presumably alert everyone of an intruder. ¡®It looks rather crude but if it works, it works.¡¯


    Each of the smaller tents for the common rabble the duo passed were only large enough for two people at most to sleep in, and even then it would not be very comfortable. They would almost need to lay side by side to fit inside. The goal of the duo was to check the largest tent that was placed atop a small hill within the camp''s wall.


    They did not encounter any patrols on their way, the entire camp aside from the two at the entrance and a couple standing in makeshift towers were asleep. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how sloppy these bandits are. They don¡¯t even have any patrols within their own camp.¡± Titia whispered to Arthur when they got within ten meters of the large tent.


    ¡°I''m not exactly expecting bandits to be all that well disciplined unless they were either former military or deserters. From what I can tell this camp is full of fresh meat or bodies the leader of all these bandits intends to use to swarm the enemy with little regard for whether they live or die.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t. That sounds like something that Zar''Nakth or his followers would do rather than some weak and cowardly bandits.¡± Titia was appalled by that possibility. Even if bandits did evil by robbing and killing there were certain actions she thought even they wouldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°If you are having any doubts I suppose we can just ask the leader of this fine bandit camp.¡± Arthur said as he drew his sword from his bag and readied himself to strike.


    ¡°Fine. Just let me cast an air dome that will keep any noise from getting out.¡± With a series of hand signs and some incomprehensible words a dome of air covered the entire tent but still allowed for air, light, and solid objects to flow through.


    ¡°Hey, once we are done with this you gotta teach me how to do that.¡±


    The duo entered the tent with Arthur going first with his blade extended out ready to face any threat it passed. Thankfully it was not needed as the first room in the tent appeared to just be a simple dining area. Albeit simple it did show that this was very likely the leader as only the leader would be able to take such valuables for himself without causing problems.


    There were two other rooms, one on the left and another on the right. A quick peep to the left showed a room dedicated to a storage space that was about half full of a few boxes. The other room on the other hand was most definitely a bedroom with a proper bed unlike what any of the other bandits would receive.


    And the most important part, there was someone sleeping on that bed, a dwarven woman to be exact. And she was quite loud when she snored, reminding Arthur of the carpenters when he walked through the various craftshalls when he was picking up the glassware from Ice Wares Glass Smiths.

 Chapter 46

    ¡°I was thinking that one of us could use hydromancy to conjure water and fill her mouth while checking each of her teeth for any that come out.¡±


    ¡°And how would we stop her from moving? She isn¡¯t just going to let one of us root around in there until we find the false tooth.¡±


    ¡°In that case the other would need to hold her down and keep her from moving too much.¡± A short silence filled the room as Titia gave Arthur a look of disbelief. ¡°That is your plan. Don¡¯t you have any potions that put the drinker to sleep or something? You said it yourself that you are an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°I do have a potion of drowsiness in my bag, but they just help people fall asleep. If you are being attacked or want to remain conscious it''s not all that hard to resist the potions effects.¡±


    Titia sighed. ¡°So the only real plan we have is to basically try and pull a toy out of a dog''s mouth that is very keen on keeping it.¡±


    ¡°I''m not exactly sure what a dog is, but yes that sounds just about right.¡±


    With the course of action decided and Arthur volunteering to hold the dwarf still, the duo slowly sneaked into the bedroom of the bandit leader and readied themselves to remove the poisoned tooth.


    Titia conjured a mouthful of water and upon confirming Arthur was ready counted down from three using her fingers. At reaching zero she filled the dwarfs mouth with the water waking her from her sleep with a gurgle. The dwarf began flailing around wildly as she couldn¡¯t breathe through her mouth anymore.


    Arthur knocked over her warhammer preventing her from reaching its handle and with geomancy and his hands tried to bound her arms and legs together. With the element of surprise Arthur was able to bound her legs together quickly and managed to focus on keeping her arms from moving with only a bit of success.


    As it turned out the dwarven woman was actually quite strong and had lots of stamina since she kept struggling with Arthur for the entire time. After checking all sixteen bottom teeth and four top teeth Titia found the false tooth containing the poison. After extracting it and placing it in a small jar along with the poison she assisted Arthur in subduing the dwarf by giving her a punch in the face.


    Arthur was able to quickly restrain the arms of the dwarf above her head and kept his concentration on them so she could not break them. ¡°Well what do you know, it worked.¡± Arthur turned to face Titia with a smug look on his face. She simply gave him a glare and turned to face their captive.


    ¡°You bastards, my men will tear you apart when they get here!¡± The dwarf shouted at the human and elf who restrained her. ¡®They are clearly both mages, the human one might have a sword but I''m betting that he isn¡¯t all that skilled with it given his age and his magic skill.¡¯


    ¡°I''m sorry to disappoint you¡­ but your men don¡¯t even know that we are here. Honestly you should have some actual patrols inside your walls, without them we had quite an easy time getting here. Not even a challenge really.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, I know why you are here and I ain''t telling you anything.¡± The dwarf glared and continued struggling in her bonds like a worm in an attempt to get out.


    In response Arthur just turned to Titia and smiled before he conjured a crude but effective mace from earth and walked towards the dwarf.


    ************


    After twenty minutes of beating the dwarven bandit until she revealed all the information they wanted. While Arthur did this Titia elected to wait in the dining area and watch in case any of the bandits decided they needed to speak with their leader. It was a long watch as she could still hear Arthur hitting the woman every time he heard an answer he didn¡¯t like which lasted for about fifteen minutes. She expected one of her men to arrive but between the mace colliding with her stomach knocking the wind out of her and causing her great pain she eventually gave in.


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    ¡°Please stop. I- I''ll tell you everything, just stop hitting me.¡± The dwarf begged as tears streamed down her face. Arthur had been quite loud when he tortured her, clearly one of them did something to prevent any of her men outside from hearing what was happening. It also didn¡¯t help that Arthur was telling her the time at five minute intervals.


    ¡°Finally, my arm was getting a bit tired. And to think I was going to just switch to my left hand.¡± Arthur chucked at his own joke, mocking the dwarf.


    ¡°The main camp is in an underground cave, it used to be a mine until it was abandoned 100 or so years ago. They only allow the highest ranking members there and a few that they trust, even I have only been there once.¡±


    ¡°And where is the cave in question?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t paying all that much attention at the time.¡±


    Arthur simply gave her an annoyed look before he flicked his wrist and pierced her eye and into her brain with an earth dart. ¡°Is it over?¡± Titia asked Arthur as he exited the bedroom.


    ¡°She said that the main camp is in an underground cave that used to be a mine. The only problem was she did not know its actual location. So I just killed her.¡± Titia flinched at that statement.


    ¡°You killed her? The moment she told you, just like that?¡±


    ¡°I did. And I expect that she would have done the exact same if our situations were reversed.¡±


    ¡°But she was defenceless. We could have taken her back to Antium for proper questioning.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dwell on the fact that she was defenceless, if she had gotten free she would have killed both of us or at least died trying, people like her are not worth getting upset over. They do nothing but take what is closest to you away and then beg or even demand that you show mercy. And besides you took part in the assault on the vampire cult, this isn''t all that different.¡±


    ¡°It is very different. Vampires are horrible creatures of the darkness that were cursed by the very gods themselves for desecrating a shrine or temple. These people might have been normal once, they might have been regular people that are only doing this because they have no other way to provide for themselves.¡±


    ¡°You might be correct for the fodder down in the small two person tents, but that woman that we just captured and interrogated is not like that. She is living in luxury compared to what her subordinates are given. Did you see any tents larger than three meters wide? Because I didn¡¯t. We won''t kill them on our way out, but I will be giving Captain Tasius the go ahead to take out this bandit camp.¡±


    *********


    The trip back to Antium was long and quiet, leaving Titia plenty of time to think about what just happened. Upon leaving the tent Arthur took it upon himself to ignite a small part of the tent, specifically the bedsheets the dwarf was using. By the time Arthur and Titia were out of the simple entrance the flames were viable to the few bandits who were on watch. They immediately started shouting and attempted to put out the fire.


    The duo did not stay long enough to see the outcome of the fire, but since the tent was quite isolated on the top of the hill it was very unlikely that any other tents got caught up in the fire.


    ¡®Did we do the right thing? They''re Not like vampires, they are just trying to get by like everyone else. I know they steal and kill but so do many other professions, members of the mercenaries guild do some of the same stuff.¡¯ Titia second guessed the decision to kill the woman after she told them everything they knew. Maybe if she had been let go she would have left and gotten a legal profession.


    Arthur on the other hand had no such thoughts, he did what anyone else would have in his situation. And most important of all he did not care for thieves and murderers. ¡®People like her only bring pain and suffering to those they come across, just like Saturio Quintilius. He killed innocent people during the expedition and that dwarf undoubtedly killed many of those she robbed. I see very little difference between them.¡¯ He might not have been friends with Hambel during their time in Dom Badaher, but had he survived that probably would have changed.


    When they finally returned at almost midnight to Antium they entered via the southern gate, and since the guards on duty were ordered to allow them in without question by Captain Tasius the duo entered without any issue and went straight to the barracks to report their success.


    ¡°Welcome back, I assume you both have been successful in the task assigned to you both.¡± Captain Tasius smiled upon seeing the duo enter his office.


    ¡°We did take the bandit leader captive and interrogated her, but the information was quite vague.¡± Arthur took a seat in one of the chairs that had been placed next to the desk and was followed by Titia who seemed to be quite nervous.


    ¡°What exactly did you find out about the bandits'' main camp?¡±


    ¡°First we learned why none of the lower ranking bandits knew anything about it, because only the highest ranking members were allowed to go there. The woman we interrogated only ever been there once and she did not know anything about the place other than the fact that the entrance is in a cave that once was a mine.¡± As Arthur spoke the captain was writing down all the relevant information on a piece of parchment with a quill and some ink.


    ¡°That is a little unfortunate but there can''t be all that many caves in the Pelcester Forest or the surrounding region I am responsible for. This does narrow down the search quite considerably, I will of course still need to consult someone on all the mining operations within the area but this actually gives us something to work with.¡±

 Chapter 47

    ¡°Now of course I will be putting together a reward for your help with this Arthur, I will have a letter sent to you when everything has been sorted out.¡± Captain Tasius reached out to give Arthur a hand shake. ¡°Also, should I be able to rely on you if something else comes up in the investigation?¡±


    ¡°As long as you can pay me for my time I will be more than willing. Arthur took the captain''s hand and gave it a firm shake.


    ¡°Of course, I would never try to force you to do something you don¡¯t want to do.¡± Soon after Arthur left the room saying- ¡°It is getting quite late, and I don¡¯t want to keep you so I shall get going now. Good luck with the bandits.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Arthur, and good luck to you with your goals.¡± Arthur left the room leaving Captain Tasius and Titia alone in the room.


    ¡°And I haven¡¯t forgotten about you Mrs. Titia, your actions ensured that we received this information so that we may properly target the bandits hiding in the forest. Captain Pelagius will only hear good things from me regarding your performance.¡±


    Titia smiled a little, but she still was feeling conflicted after the death of the bandit leader. ¡°Sir, I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Ask away, you have more than earned that right.¡±


    ¡°Is killing the bandits the right thing to do?¡± Captain Tasius paused at that question. It certainly wasn¡¯t what he was expecting. ¡°Many of them are just trying to get by like everyone else, it feels wrong just to kill them. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take them prisoner?¡±


    ¡°And what exactly would we do with them? We don¡¯t exactly have the resources to keep hundreds of people locked up for an indefinite amount of time, and even if we did take them prisoner most of them would just be executed for their crimes within a month. Honestly killing them out there is a better fate than waiting for your death in a small room for up to a month.¡± Captain Tasius studied Titia¡¯s reaction to that information, she appeared to be a little shocked for a moment but after thinking for a moment and nodding.


    ¡°Thank you sir for helping me clear that up.¡± Titia gave Captain Tasius a salute before she excused herself from the room.


    Captain Tasius watched the young elf leave the room, she clearly wasn¡¯t ready to fight against other people. She might have done well against the vampires but that was because she didn¡¯t ever see them as people. ¡®Poor girl, she wanted to help people with her gift in magic, and so far she has only been exposed to the very worst while being forced to watch someone be executed.¡¯


    Captain Tasius placed her file on his desk and began going through her career with the city guard. ¡®Exactly as I suspected, so far she had been tasked with collecting information or following people with recording devices. This was the first time she had seen someone actually be punished for their actions.¡¯


    The captain leaned back into his chair as he thought back to when he first joined the city guard just over eight years prior. He thought upon all the things he and the friends he made along the way went through, the good, the bad, and the ugly.


    ¡®I guess I turned out alright in the end.¡¯ Tasius chucked to himself and went back to work, starting with arranging Arthur¡¯s reward as a freelance mercenary.


    *********


    After walking all the way back to the Elder Nymph and walking upstairs to his room it was already 12:45. Arthur didn¡¯t even bother to change into something more comfortable like he had been recently, he just plopped down onto his bed and went out the moment his head hit the pillow.


    He awoke at 8:00 out of pure habit and immediately regretted it. Despite the seven and a quarter hours of sleep he felt like he had only gotten four. He begrudgingly got out of bed and sat down at his workstation to begin brewing potions.


    ¡®Ok, what ingredients do I still have to work with?¡¯ Arthur started looking through the cupboards and shelves for the ingredients he hadn¡¯t used yet. He knew he still had enough to brew a handful of potions since he did not use them all up yesterday.


    All together he had enough to brew another six stamina potions, three drowsiness potions, and two portions of bravery. ¡®Eleven potions, I should have kept more ingredients in storage. Now I need to go out to the forest again and risk encountering more bandits. They are such a hassle.¡¯ Arthur rubbed his eyes as he prepared himself for work.


    It only took Arthur an hour to use up all the ingredients and fill up eleven small bottles each with a small label. He placed each one in a small box and left said box next to Master Calvus¡¯s workstation with a note listing the potions.


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    Upon exiting the shop Arthur was met with several people walking through the street handing out fliers. There were five people in this group and they each held a stack of at least one hundred fliers. The group consisted of three humans and two wood elves with birch-like skin. None of the five were any older than eighteen, making Arthur wonder why they were promoting such an event.


    ¡°Maple Ridge University is hosting their annual tryouts on the Seventh of Slate, exactly one week from now!¡±


    ¡®Tryouts for a university? What are they teaching that they need tryouts for?¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me, I have a few questions.¡± Arthur approached the five handing out fliers.


    ¡°Of course sir, what did you want to ask us?¡± The tallest girl amongst the five stepped forward.


    ¡°What kind of university is this that requires tryouts? I would normally expect a university to require a submission instead.¡±


    ¡°Maple Ridge University is not just any university sir. When you join you can learn about magic, fighting, alchemy, and so much more. And the best part is that it''s all in one place, no need to walk all around the city to get some training in magic and then all the other way to get some combat training.¡±


    ¡®Tsk. That''s what they are, competition to the other major guilds. It sounds nice on paper but I''m betting there is a catch she won''t be all that willing to tell me about.¡¯ Instead of saying what he was thinking he said - ¡°Sounds¡­ Interesting, if I have time I''ll go to that tryout and see what it''s like.¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful to hear sir. Please take this flyer, it has all the details about the enrollment process on it. Hopefully I''ll see you there in a week.¡± The girl smiled and walked away with the rest of the group handing out flyers as they went.


    Arthur looked at the flyer in his hands, just like the girl said the tryouts were happening on the Seventh of Slate and it also gave the location of the school. It was actually just on the other side of the inner city circle just to the north west. ¡®She seemed nice, the only question is was it for real or just a facade. When I meet up with Calavia for lunch I''ll ask her about it, she will probably know something about it.¡¯


    *********


    After spending an hour and a half searching for useful ingredients in the Pelcester Forest Arthur found enough for about thirty potions of various types. But by the time he returned to Antium it was already noon and Arthur was hungry. For some time both he and Calavia would meet up to eat together, and today was no different in that regard.


    The Free Parrot Bar was the establishment of choice for Arthur and Calavia when they would meet up for lunch. ¡°Over here Arthur!¡± Calavia waved to Arthur upon seeing him enter the building.


    Arthur walked past all the other tables to the very last one where he and Calavia would always sit. He then pulled up the bench and took a seat on the opposite side. ¡°Nice spot you got us.¡±


    ¡°It''s the same seat we always get here.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that good.¡±


    The two laughed and told a few jokes before the waitress arrived and took their order. ¡°I''ll have the chicken soup with some bread.¡±


    ¡°I will have the chicken burrito.¡±


    ¡°Your total will be¡­ 5 copper coins. Unless you have anything else you want to order.¡±


    ¡°That is quite alright. Here are the five copper pieces and a little extra as a tip.¡± Arthur handed the waitress the five copper coins and another five as a tip. The waitress smiled and gave a small bow before she rushed back to the kitchen.


    ¡°You do know I could have paid for lunch this time.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I can afford it.¡±


    ¡°But you always pay for our food, I can at least pay for my own food.¡±


    ¡°Well this time you were too slow. Better luck next time.¡±


    The two continued to have a good time while they joked and laughed until their food arrived. Arthur was given a chicken burrito and Calavia the chicken soup.


    ¡°So I have a question I wanted to ask you regarding something that just happened today. I thought you might know something about it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, go right ahead.¡±


    ¡°Earlier today, just after I got outside there was this group of five handing out flyers for their school.¡± Arthur started recounting the situation to give Calavia context of the situation.


    ¡°How old were they?¡± Asked just after drinking a spoon full of soup.


    ¡°The three humans were no older than eighteen, the elves looked to be about the same age but with elves these things are hard to determine. Anyways the school they were going to, Maple Ridge University, is having tryouts to enroll-¡±


    ¡°-And you wanted to know what is going on with that school.¡± Calavia interrupted Arthur, almost finishing his sentence. ¡°My personal opinion is to not enrol in that school, it sucks for anyone who is not either incredibly rich or born into nobility.¡±


    Arthur was a little confused at that statement. ¡°But they have tryouts before anyone can enroll into the university. It seems the process is quite fair.¡±


    ¡°Trust me it isn¡¯t. The target customer is the rich and wealthy, they don''t need to go for tryouts. They Only have them so if anyone tries to sue them for discrimination or anything else related to the selection process, they can point to it and say they have fair enrolment proceedings. And I haven¡¯t even started about the actual school environment, it is just terrible for the non rich and or noble attendees.¡±


    ¡°Just how terrible is it?¡±


    ¡°There was this one case regarding a young elven girl, about 17 years old who was quite the looker. She went missing and was later found dead after several male students did unspeakable things to her.¡±

 Chapter 48

    ¡°The worst part about the situation was the fact that the university managed to cover it up for almost a year before it became public. Some of the administrative staff even knew that it happened but chose not to do anything, it was going to be taken to court but just a week before it was scheduled the Yolan Empire declared war and pillaged a few bordering towns and villages.¡±


    ¡°So if something should happen to someone like me, one of the common folk, the university likely won''t do anything unless they have absolutely no choice.¡± Arthur said while he looked over the flyer. The flyer was covered in bright colors and showed several students together with cheery smiles. ¡°Imagine if they put that in the flyers.¡±


    ¡°Oh if they did that it would only be a matter of time until it was forcibly shut down by the crown. They don¡¯t like it when youths with great potential are encouraged to leave the kingdom promising revenge. Everyone involved might even get executed if it turned out bad enough.¡±


    The duo after finishing their lunch stayed a bit longer to talk since it only took them about ten minutes to eat. ¡°Well I am definitely not going to the tryouts on the seventh. Do you have any plans then?¡±


    ¡°Aside from work at the guild I don¡¯t have anything happening then, why?¡±


    ¡°I thought perhaps you might want to do something then, so far all we have done is go out to lunch several times. I thought you might want to do something interesting.¡± Arthur did enjoy having lunch with Calavia everyday, but mixing things up might be fun as well.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t see why not. Did you have anything in mind that you wanted us to do?¡±


    ¡°I heard about this archery contest that is held every seventh day over in the eastern district. There are rounds for people of different skill levels so we won''t feel out of place, and I haven''t tried archery before so I thought it might be a new experience for both of us.¡±


    ¡°That does sound interesting, normally I wouldn¡¯t need to know how to use a bow since I could just use magic. But when I was younger my brother liked to practice in our yard once he turned 14, he said he wanted to be a mounted archer and join the army once he became of age.¡±


    ¡°So that settles it then, we will meet up on the seventh for the tournament. I will look into the details of where and when it is exactly, and if we need to bring our own bows and arrows.¡±


    ¡°I will talk with my boss and see if I can get that day off, if not we might need to postpone it till next week.¡±


    *********


    For the next six days everything went just about the same as it had before for Arthur and Calavia. Everyday that they could they stopped for lunch at the Free Parrot Bar for lunch and discussed the upcoming tournament.


    Regarding the situation in the southern district, things were getting better for the common people who lived there. With the new guard patrols and reduced corruption in the area things became safer, the various thieves guilds who tried to move into the area were all fighting amongst themselves, leaving vulnerable spots that the city guard under Captain Tasius were more than happy to exploit.


    The bandits out in the forest were also in a bit of a predicament, prior to Captain Tasius¡¯s promotion they had free reign over the forest and surrounding areas. They could steal, pillage and do all kinds of things as long as they left no witnesses and gave the captain a cut of the profits.


    But now they had to keep an eye open as they slept and had to hide the evidence of anyone they attacked or else the guards deployed would find the bodies and like bloodhounds they would sniff them out. It also helped that they used bloodhounds to find them.


    ¡°This is rather unfortunate, wouldn''t you say?¡± The leader of the bandits said as she lazily sat on her throne. ¡°It looks like there is no honor among thieves after all.¡±


    ¡°Diana, I don¡¯t think now is a great time to ponder the human condition. We should be looking for solutions to get the new captain off our back.¡± A human man almost shouted as he stepped towards the bandit captain.


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    The other fifteen or so bandit lieutenants started to grind their teeth in annoyance. If they had said anything like that to her they would have likely been killed on the spot, but since she really liked Lieutenant Felix it would be allowed.


    ¡°Oh but I am, I just find it interesting that someone gave up crucial information to the captain in question. The only question is who did it.¡± Captain Diana clicked her tongue several times as she looked over a few documents in her possession that she had someone on the inside make copies of. ¡°With the five outposts we have lost, two of the lieutenants in command have gone missing while the other three were found dead. Odds are we won¡¯t find any of the deserters, but if they do show up again put a blade through their stomach.¡± Captain Diana giggled while making a stabbing motion with her right hand.


    ¡°But what should we do about the captain and the city guard?¡± Felix never liked it when Diana got off topic and attempted to reign the conversation back to where it needed to be.


    ¡°But I was just getting to that my dear Felix.¡± Diana gave a fake pouty face to Felix before she continued. ¡°Since we have no way to drive the new captain out of his city we are going to need to create a situation inside the city that he will need to respond to.¡±


    The lieutenants in the room started to voice their concerns with her plan before she gave them all a look that could kill each and everyone of them. ¡°As I was saying before you all interrupted me, since the power vacuum left by Misery¡¯s End several other criminal organizations have been trying to get their hands on whatever they can. All we need to do is push what was until now a hidden conflict into an open conflict when everyone can see.¡±


    ¡°In order to get the captain to personally deal with the situation we would likely require the entire underground to take part. It won''t be easy to convince them all with all the bad blood between the various groups.¡± Felix spoke up to clarify the details of Diana¡¯s plan because if he didn¡¯t she likely would forget to, like last time.


    ¡°That is what money and persuasion are for. First we will try to convince them that when the captain dies they will have a window of opportunity to firmly embed themselves within the southern district and establish their operations before they can be rooted out. If that doesn¡¯t work we can offer them some money to¡­ temporarily put aside their differences and kill each other in the streets. Now if there aren''t any questions I''ll allow Felix to finalize all the important details.¡± All the lieutenants in the room were a little baffled by her simple and non-specific plan.


    ¡°I knew she was a little eccentric, but this is more than that.¡±


    ¡°Why is she our leader again?¡±


    ¡°When should we start preparations for this?¡±


    They did not really understand why Diana came up with such a plan, but they did know that Felix was likely to put it all together. He was always the voice of reason in the room when Diana started talking, keeping her within reason and on topic.


    Diana stood up from her throne and walked around to the left side into a room cut out from stone. Felix quickly followed her with an unhappy look on his face and quickly shut the door behind him.


    ¡°Diana, what are you thinking? We don¡¯t have the influence to enact such a plan. So far we have kept outside Antium to stay out of the sight of the crown. As of right now we will not be able to enact our plan let alone succeed.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know, but this is not a plan we will enact within a few days time. This might take up to a month to organize, but that isn¡¯t all that bad.¡± Diana said while she brushed her long brown hair in front of a silver mirror that they had stolen several months ago.


    ¡°How is it not all that bad? Even if we do succeed after the crown is done with all the gangs they will come after us with the army if they need to.¡±


    ¡°Yes they will, but how long will it take to root out all the gangs from the entire southern district. Heck several of the other gangs outside the district might even join in to take advantage of the chaos.¡± Diana finished brushing and turned to face Felix before caressing his chin.


    ¡°We will be left with enough time to collect all the valuables and money we will need before we disappear and return home. Doesn¡¯t that sound nice, just the two of us surrounded by all our children.¡±


    ¡°So we are going to betray our subordinates after we have everything we need.¡± Felix sighed and began walking towards the door. ¡°I will begin preparations to create a catastrophe in the southern district. I will inform you when we have finished.¡± Felix closed the door behind him and walked to the lieutenants who remained to discuss their options.


    *********


    On the morning of the Seventh of Slate Arthur was up and ready at eight o¡¯clock and by nine o¡¯clock he was just outside the archery range when the tournament would start in about half an hour. While he waited for Calavia to arrive Arthur took out one of the bows he purchased in preparation, it wasn¡¯t anything special but it was just fine for someone with decent strength and it only cost him a silver coin for each. The second one he kept in his bag for Calavia to use when she arrived.


    Arthur also took out a bundle of arrows that he purchased with the bows. The arrow heads were flat and made of wood, clearly designed for training rather than killing. The flat and wooden head on each arrow instead of killing the target would just leave a bruise.


    As he waited several people of various races arrived and entered the range, the attire of each varied amongst each individual but they all carried a bow and quiver with them.

 Chapter 49

    Arthur did not need to wait much longer as Calavia soon arrived wearing casual clothing instead of her mages guild robes. From a small distance she waved to Arthur and ran towards him. ¡°Good morning Arthur. I hope you are hungry after the tournament because I made us some lunch for afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Since the tournament lasts for a good two or three hours we will likely be here at lunch time.¡± Then suddenly a small hand held bell was rung for several seconds within the grounds of the range and someone started shouting. ¡°All who are here to register for the tournament please follow me. Everyone else can take their seats in the stands.¡±


    The man who shouted was a dwarven man no taller than four feet tall, quite short even for a dwarf. He did not remain idle for long as he began to lead the crowd of archers into a nearby building. Arthur quickly handed Calavia the bow and arrows in his hands and reached into his dimensional bag for the second set. ¡°Here, you can keep these after the tournament.¡±


    Calavia ran her hands down the shaft of the bow she just received. It was well made, not the highest of quality, but much more than she was expecting for a one time deal. Clearly Arthur had not cheaped out. The arrows on the other hand were quite ordinary, a simple wooden shaft with a flat head and simple feather fletching''s.


    The duo quickly followed the rest of the archers into the building where they waited in line for about ten minutes to sign up and pay a small fee of three copper coins for each person which Arthur paid. They were then directed out a door to the left of the receptionist''s desk that led to a small area with some targets for people to practice before the tournament officially began.


    Arthur and Calavia decided to take the leftmost target and take a few practice shots to see how well they were. Arthur was the first to try, taking the bow in his left hand and the arrow in his right he nocked the arrow and slowly drew the arrow back. With his empowered strength it was of little difficulty to draw the arrow most of the way, the biggest problem he had was taking aim at the target.


    With the target at a distance of ten meters it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for Arthur to hit it, so he lined up to where he thought the arrow would hit and let go just as the strain on his arm was getting worse. The arrow whizzed through the air and hit the fourth and outermost ring of the target.


    ¡°That was a lot harder than I thought.¡± Arthur remarked as he nocked a second arrow.


    ¡°You need to account for the arrows drop off. It won''t stay at the same level indefinitely, so you will need to aim a bit higher to account for it.¡± Calavia said just a few meters behind Arthur.


    In response to the new information he was given Arthur aimed just an higher than he did before and let the arrow sail through the air. The arrow landed in the second circle from the center this time. ¡°How did you know to do that?¡± Arthur turned to Calavia while smiling.


    ¡°My brother always talked about stuff like that at dinner after practicing all day, he said stuff like that so often it just stuck with me.¡± Calavia walked up to Arthur and stood next to him while she readied an arrow of her own. She pulled the arrow back but only made it about two thirds of the way Arthur did before she fired her arrow.


    It sailed through the air and struck the third circle from the center, just a wee bit shy of Arthur¡¯s second arrow. ¡°Wow, this is a lot harder than it looks.¡±


    ¡°You can get more power in the arrow if you pull it back farther, it will also go faster when you do that so you won¡¯t need to aim so high.¡±


    The two took turns shooting at the target from farther and farther distances for about fifteen minutes. Then the dwarf with the small bell walked out into the middle of the field and began speaking. ¡°May I have everyone''s attention for a moment!¡± All the others stopped what they were doing with their bows and turned to give the dwarf their attention.


    ¡°Thank you all for joining us for the fifth Mountain Arrows tournament of the year. I can see that all of you are quite excited to start so without further ado here are the groups you will each be starting. A second dwarf arrived pushing a board on wheels with a large piece of paper detailing all the groups in an elimination style tournament.


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    There were forty eight names in total and Arthur''s first opponents were named Livia and Quintus. Calavia¡¯s name was on the other side of the layout and her opponents were named Dusoli and Solana. ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t be against each other unless we somehow get through all the way until the finals.¡± Calavia pointed to each of their positions on the board.


    ¡°Well in the off chance that we both make it to the finals we should get a painting of it or something.¡± Arthur and Calavia both chuckled at the bad joke.


    ¡°Well I am in the first round so I should go get ready.¡±


    ¡°Ok, good luck Arthur.¡±


    *******


    Arthur stood in his lane, his bow in his left hand and a quiver of arrows provided by the tournament on his back. The target ahead of him was just ten meters away for the first round. The dwarf stood on a small stool with his bell in hand to signal the start of the first round.


    ¡°I want to welcome everyone for coming here for the fifth Mountain Arrows of the year!¡± The crowd started cheering for a good half minute before the dwarf raised his hand to calm the crowd.


    ¡°I am just as excited as all you are, so I hereby declare the start of the tournament and the start of the first round.¡± Just as the dwarf finished speaking he gave the small bell a good ringing that signalled the participants to begin.


    Arthur reached back for an arrow and nocked it before he took aim. Arthur managed to pull the arrow back about eighty percent of the way before he let the arrow fly towards the target. Thanks to the practice he had just a few minutes before he knew where exactly to aim to hit the target, and with that practice the arrow managed to hit the second circle from the center earning three points.


    The other participants were not far behind as they also struck the second circle and each earned themselves three points. Arthur might be quite skilled for someone who just picked up a bow but his two opponents had actual time to practice and soon out matched Arthur by earning four points at a time by hitting the center circle.


    Arthur still put up a good fight and managed to earn forty five points after he used up all twenty of the arrows he was given. Livia earned sixty three points and Quintus earned seventy one points which allowed him to pass to the next round.


    The tournament went on for another hour and a half before with sixteen contenders done and it was finally Calavia¡¯s turn to participate. She stood in her lane with her bow ready to be drawn and the moment that bell rang she took an arrow and was ready to take her shot.


    Although she wasn¡¯t as fast as Arthur was when he was participating she was still the second one in her group to fire off an arrow and get three points from it. She did her best and did not slow until near the very end of the round when her arms started getting tired. By the end she had accumulated  thirty nine points, just six points shy of Arthur.


    ¡°You did well for your first time shooting a bow.¡± Arthur said while Calavia was leaning on him from fatigue. Her arms had never felt so tired before.


    ¡°My arms feel like they are going to fall off.¡± Calavia¡¯s arms laid limp at her sides as she turned to face Arthur. ¡°I can¡¯t even get our food out of my bag without dumping everything out because it is a dimensional bag.¡±


    ¡°What exactly did you make us for lunch? If you tell me I might be able to retrieve it.¡±


    Calavia paused for a second and nodded. ¡°Alright, I made up each a ham sandwich with butter on both pieces of bread and some lettuce.¡± Calavia then gestured to the small satchel over her shoulder.


    Arthur reached into the bag and after about half a minute of thinking of different ways the sandwiches could look like he eventually pulled them out. They were both four inches long and wide making a square shape. They had a good amount of ham and lettuce on them as well making Arthur more than ready to start eating.


    But then he recalled that Calavia¡¯s arms were too tired to eat on her own, and combined with her sad eyes he reluctantly held her sandwich in front of her while she ate it. ¡°Are you sure your arms are too tired to hold a sandwich on your own? Because this must look weird to anyone who might be watching.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure, and believe me if I could I would. And if I wasn¡¯t hungry I would have just let you have your sandwich and waited till I got home and rest to eat mine.¡±


    The two watched the rest of the tournament which was another hour and ten minutes. The second round of the tournament was one of the most intense with two participants in each round with only one going to the semi finals. Quintus, the man who won Arthur''s round, was one of the contenders in the first match of the second round.


    Another of the major differences in the second round was the distance to the target was increased from ten meters to twenty upping the challenge. Quintus¡¯s opponent was a wood elf named Erlan who used a bow that looked to be grown into its shape instead of cut.


    Arthur recalled that Erlan¡¯s score in the first round was a perfect eighty, every shot he fired was in the center circle which as more and more arrows filled made it harder and harder to hit. Clearly Erlan was a very skilled Archer when firing from ten meters away, but the question remained if that also applied at twenty meters.

 Chapter 50

    The tournament continued on, although Quintus did not make it to the third round he did earn a respectable sixty five points to Erlan¡¯s sixty nine. It was a little sad for Arthur and Calavia who were rooting for him, mostly because there hadn''t been anyone else who they had any connection with, even if it was minor.


    The tournament continued on with every contestant giving their all to make it into the third round, but alas only half could make it. And most unfortunately none of the people who did get to the round were anyone Arthur or Calavia knew or competed against. Although there were a few that caught Arthur¡¯s eye, namely the one with the most impressive score.


    Unfortunately Arthur didn¡¯t look over all of the names on the board so he did not know who it was, and the cloak they wore only further made things complicated. The only thing he could determine was that they were a human given their height of five and a half feet.


    Regardless they had considerable skill and in both rounds so far they had gotten eighty out of eighty points. The only question that could be answered was if they could keep it up.


    After a short intermission that lasted about ten minutes the competition started up again with the mysterious number one facing off against Erlan. The main difference this time, the target was forty meters away and only Erlan looked worried.


    The small bell was rung and the semi finals began, the mysterious human was the first to draw their bow and with an excellent show of skill and precision nailed the very center and earned four points.


    Erlan tried to ignore his opponent and simply focus on himself, but with the crowd cheering every time he scored four points it was quite difficult. When he did take his first shot it wasn¡¯t as good as at the twenty meter target, he only managed to get two points by hitting the third circle from the center. It was a good shot of course, but his opponent did far better.


    Throughout the entire match Erlan was kept on edge by his opponent doing so well, even when he tried his best and followed what he had been taught it wasn¡¯t enough. He was simply outmatched.


    By the end of the match Erlan earned fifty points, whereas his opponent earned a perfect eighty points once again. Erlan sulked off to the side away from the audience who cheered for their mysterious favorite.


    Soon all the other matches were done and over with only one person who could rival the mysterious human. The person in question was a wood elven woman who stood at four feet and seven inches. She used a wooden bow that like Erlan''s looked as if it was grown into its shape, but hers looked to be of a higher quality in some strange way.


    With that bow she managed to earn seventy six points in the third round easily beating her opponent who only earned sixty. With her positioning on the chart she wouldn¡¯t encounter the mysterious human until the finals, which most expected her to since she earned the second highest amount of points.


    While the tournament was going on a few things happened in the stands. The first thing that happened was someone walked down the aisles selling food, this happened a few times with the dwarf in question selling a few different things each time.


    The second and more interesting thing that happened was people started betting on who was going to win the tournament, with the most votes on the mysterious human with odds of 1.1 to 2.5


    Another twenty minutes and two matches past leading to the semi finals with the mysterious human and the wood elf facing separate opponents. The first to go was the human and a dwarven man that looked about the same as a thirty year old human.


    The two readied themselves eighty meters from their respective targets and upon hearing the bell ring began firing away. Like the previous round the human was the first to take a shot, hitting the center circle and earning himself four points.


    But the dwarf wasn¡¯t far behind, he too hit the center circle and immediately drew a second arrow. ¡°Not too bad are yah lad?¡± The dwarf asked while taking aim.


    ¡°I have been practicing archery for a long time, so I consider myself more than not bad.¡± A coarse and old, yet youthful voice came from under the cloak. This surprised the dwarf who hesitated giving the human an extra second to fire an arrow.


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    The dwarf immediately noticed and cursed himself for allowing himself to be surprised by a simple voice. ¡®Dam you moron. You¡¯ve heard even trees speak, so why are you shocked at just a human''s voice?¡¯


    The dwarf attempted to keep up with the human but even without the small amount of time he paused for he was no match and lost seventy seven to fifty nine points.


    While the dwarf was sad and moping off the range the audience was cheering at the humans victory. Admittedly his performance did drop off ever so slightly, but that is to be expected, he was shooting from eighty meters away after all.


    Up next was the wood elf and her opponent who was a human woman wielding a simple yet well maintained longbow. The longbow in question was very simple, so much so in fact that it was hard not to notice just how basic it was. It looked like it was just made this morning and hadn''t even been finished completely. Honestly it was a miracle that with such a bow someone made it to the finals.


    The final match of the semi finals began and the two took off firing, the wood elf quickly took the lead with the human woman not too far behind, but no matter how well she did the elf would always either match her or do just a little bit better than her.


    Soon it was apparent that even with her magic bow she couldn¡¯t beat her opponent and by the end she lost sixty six points to fifty five.


    The crowd was loving every second of the show, even Arthur and Calavia couldn¡¯t help but to cheer and clap with the crowd from time to time. And with one final intermission the final round began, the mysterious human vs the wood elf.


    The two walked out onto the range each taking their respective positions one hundred meters from the targets that were now suspended by these metal wires attached to a strange contraption with several wheels that the wires looped around.


    The crowd along with the two contestants were quite confused by the change of events, until the announcer stepped up and began speaking to the audience.


    ¡°Welcome back everyone! I hope you all are ready for the finals to determine the champion of the Mountain Arrow Tournament! Today we decided to try and change things up a notch, instead of just shooting at a target from 100 meters away we decided to try out moving targets from 100 meters away!¡± The dwarf pointed to the targets suspended by the wire with several loud popping sounds followed by a vrrrrom.


    Suddenly they began moving in a clockwise motion revealing five different targets of various sizes that would move around. The audience was absolutely baffled by such a possibility, such things only happened in stories with powerful mages or clerics performing powerful magics.


    ¡°We have acquired a device that allows us to create a far more difficult challenge for our two remaining contestants, they will be tested not only on their strength and precision, but also their patience and timing!¡±


    The dwarf paused for a moment to allow the audience to speak amongst themselves and look at the moving targets. ¡®When this gets out our profits are going to skyrocket. Because we are the only ones who can truly test an archer''s skill.¡¯


    ¡°Now instead of separate targets for each contestant we have instead decided to have them share the targets and tie small colored ribbons to the back end of the arrows, and to up teh stakes a bit we have halved the amount of arrows each contestant has. Now without any further ado, you may begin!¡± The dwarf rang his handheld bell as finished and the two contestants immediately took aim on the moving targets.


    For a good ten seconds neither contestant fired their arrow, each waiting to see what the other would do and hoping to adapt their strategies based on what they saw. But soon it was apparent to the human that he would need to take the first shot, and so he did at the target at the rightmost, moving towards the left.


    Taking into account the distance and time it would take to reach the target he aimed a bit forward and took his shot, the arrow whizzed through the air and struck the target causing it to swing back from the impact.


    As the target swung back the human gritted his teeth, the arrow hit the second circle from the center instead of the center. The wood elf next to him wanted to laugh at his misfortune but stopped herself realizing she too would likely have a difficult time, and instead chose to try to account for the movement of another target as she took aim.


    Keeping her bow as steady as she could she had her bow just to the left of the center of the target she wanted to hit and took her shot. The arrow whizzed through the air like the humans but untimely missed the exact target, instead of aiming too far left she aimed too far to the right and missed the center by about the same as her opponent, hitting the second circle from the center.


    The match only got more and more intense as it went on. With only ten arrows every shot was more valuable than before, if before you could use an arrow or two to get back into the game now you don''t have that luxury anymore and every shot you take counts.


    The audience loved every second of it, they saw their two favorites performing at their utmost limits. They could not be under more tension unless it was an active war zone making it an excellent opportunity to show the common people just how incredible they were.


    After what felt like an eternity of the two taking their best shots at the series of moving targets it was over. The elf needed to sit down from the stress she was feeling and even the mysterious human who hadn''t shown weakness so far took a moment to sit.

 Chapter 51

    The dwarf who was operating the machine had shut it off and began to count up the points of each competitor while removing them. Even with only twenty arrows to collect he still took his time to carefully collect them and count up the points. When he was finished he walked over to the announcer and whispered the results while showing a piece of paper that had everything written down.


    The announcer gave the operator a nod and cleared his throat before speaking to the crowd. ¡°I have just been given the results by Devar who had carefully double counted and double checked the score!¡± With a long and dramatic pause the dwarf built up the tension. ¡°I hereby announce the winner of the fifth Mountain Arrow tournament of this year is Mr. Kavok!¡±


    With those words a majority of the crowd jumped up and started cheering for their favorite contender. Since it was quite obvious that the wood elf being a woman wasn¡¯t the victor leaving the mysterious human as the only other possibility.


    After a short round of cheering Kavok stood up and started to wave to the crowd a bit before the announcer would give him the prize money. He had been doing this for about three weeks at this point, so why not build up a bit of a reputation.


    Soon the announcer was given a bag by another dwarf who then handed it to Kavok. ¡°Congratulations Mr. Kavok on your victory¡­ again.¡± The dwarf awkwardly smiled as he handed off the money.


    ¡°Thank you, I will be sure to spend this well.¡± Kavok took the bag and checked just to be sure it was the proper amount. Upon counting out the thirty silver coins he was promised he closed the bag and placed it in his pocket before taking his leave.


    The announcer turned to the crowd and began speaking. ¡°Thank you all for coming to watch the tournament on this fine day, but now it is over. But do not fret, for we have another planned for next week! Bring your friends and family to see another round of amazing displays of archery, and we will provide the entertainment!¡±


    With the tournament over the audience slowly shuffled out through a set of side doors and everyone returned to their daily tasks at hand. Arthur and Calavia on the other hand stopped just outside to take without all the noise.


    ¡°Wow, that was incredible. Did you see how skilled that Mr. Kavok was with the bow. Almost all of his shots were right in the center circle.¡± Calavai said while smiling and laughing, the event brought her back to when she was a child.


    ¡°I sure did. How do you think your brother would fare against him, since he also practiced archery.¡±


    ¡°No offence to my brother, but Mr. Kavok would easily beat him. The wood elf that went against him in the finals would also beat him just as bad.¡±


    The duo laughed with each other for a good while before Arthur took Calavia back home before he returned to the Elder Nymph and went back to work.


    But Arthur and Calavia were not the only two who noticed just how skilled Kavok was with the bow. Several other had people watching for useful talent like him, from criminals to even the city guard, and one of those people started to make their move on this lone wolf.


    ***********


    As Kavok was walking back to the room he rented he passed through an alleyway that was just large enough for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder, when suddenly he heard a voice come from behind.


    ¡°Good day to you Mr. Kavok. I have a proposition to make you.¡±


    Kavok paused and turned to face the voice while he subtly reached for the hidden dagger in his cloak. ¡°And what might this proposition be?¡±


    Kavok had fully turned and saw a human man in a set of southern district guard armor. Kavok paused for a second, he was expecting another criminal organization or cult to try and make him join. ¡®How unexpected.¡¯


    ¡°The new captain of the southern district is looking for talented people like yourself for mercenary work. Given your skill set and how often you go to that tournament to earn money, I would wager that you are in need of some coin.¡±


    A long science filled the area as Kavok thought about the offer, on one hand he was a bit short of money, but on the other getting involved with the government could be quite dangerous given how in his past experience they value results over everything.


    ¡°If I was interested, where would I find the captain?¡± The guard smiled under his helmet, another valuable asset to deal with the current dangers plaguing the area.


    ¡°I have a map of the city here that has the barracks marked, and show this to the receptionist to get a meeting with the captain.¡± The guard handed Kavok a small map and a card with some small writing on it. The writing was simply authorization from a high ranking member of the guard to allow the bearer an audience with the captain of the southern district.


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    Kavok simply looked them over and after seeing no hidden magic placed them within his pockets and began walking away. ¡°When should we expect you Mr. Kavok?¡±


    ¡°When I need the money.¡±


    *********


    /- - - - - -\


    Level 12


    Exp : 10000


    Next Level at : 11400


    Mana : 36/36


    Class : The All Knowing


    Attributes :


    Strength 25


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 30


    Intellect 30


    Perception 20


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 25


    \- - - - - -/


    /- - - - - -\


    + Block Level 12


    + Long Blades Level 13


    + Heavy Armor Level 12


    + Mana Manipulation Level 21


    + Hydromancy Level 16


    + Geomancy Level 18


    + Pyromancy Level 13


    + Aeromancy Level 12


    + Alchemy Level 6


    + Running Level 8


    + Foraging Level 7


    + Cooking Level 7


    \- - - - - -/


    Another two weeks flew by of Arthur''s apprenticeship with master Calvus where Arthur started actually taking lessons in fighting every few days to keep on learning how to use long swords in conjunction with his magic. Arthur also developed a personal spell that went great with melee combat, he called it floating earth spikes. The spell in question was two spikes of conjured earth that would float next to Arthur and when he willed it would fly towards an enemy of his choosing. When he was fighting in close quarters it was very hard to block or dodge without leaving themselves vulnerable to his weapon.


    He even got to test it on a few bandits when Captain Tasius hired him to take out a small bandit camp he currently did not possess the manpower to deal with as they were preparing to take out a far larger camp of over fifty bandits.


    **********


    One week prior


    Ten bandits stood around a large fire in the center of their small camp that consisted of seven small tents that could only barely fit two people. A few roasted meat on a stick from a pig they had butchered, the pig in question was stolen from a nearby farm.


    ¡°Why do we even work for those ass hats anyways?¡± A young human bandit no older than twenty spoke up, breaking the silence. ¡°I mean look at how poor our supplies are, we don''t even have enough tents for all of us.¡± Several of the older bandits looked at him with a mix of shock and a bit of fear at his words.


    ¡°Would you zip it! We will get better supplies when we provide more for the boss!¡± A bald bandit wielding a large two handed club shouted at the young bandit. ¡°If you want better accommodations I suggest that you start working harder because last I checked you did the least amount of looting!¡±


    ¡°That''s because I was doing all the scouting, you only were able to loot and steal from people because I found them!¡± The young bandit stood up with a rusty short sword drawn.


    ¡°Well clearly you didn¡¯t do all that well because we didn¡¯t collect enough stuff to get more tents!¡± The bald bandit took his club in his hands and brought it in front in an attempt to intimidate the young bandit.


    The other bandits did little to resolve the situation, in fact they did the exact opposite, they encouraged the two to fight. ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡± They shouted as they watched the two bradish their weapons in preparation of the fight.


    ¡°I am going to make you regret opening your stupid mouth you brat!¡± The bald bandit spat at the young bandit as he swung his club in an overhead strike. The young bandit took a step back just out of the reach of the club and responded with a series of stabs towards the chest area with his short sword. The bald bandit was forced to block the blade with his arms causing a few cut wounds that started to bleed.


    The fight continued on with the young bandit dodging as much as he could while leaving as many cuts as he could on his opponent. The bald bandit was getting quite angry, he only needed one strike to knock his opponent down, but he couldn''t land a solid hit. And every time he tried he received more and more wounds.


    ¡°AAHHHHH!¡± With a rush of anger the bald bandit raised his club and rushed towards the young bandit while he took a series of wide swings with the intent of hitting him at all cost. The first few swings were not all that much of a problem, but soon the momentum from each swing started to add up and the attacks got faster and faster while the young bandit was losing ground.


    Each swing pushed the young bandit farther and farther until he was pressed up against a tent and the club finally made contact. With a loud crack the young bandit was hit in the left side of the stomach and fell to the ground.


    Pain invaded his whole body and he felt several of his bones crack or break. It hurt so much that all he could do was clutch his chest and hope that it wasn¡¯t going to kill him. ¡°Now remember I promised you that you would regret opening your mouth.¡± The bald bandit raised his club above his head with both his hands preparing to relieve the young bandit before him of his life, smiling and even laughing a bit as he did.


    But just as he was about to bring his club down he heard something from behind him. In fact he wasn¡¯t the only one to hear something, everyone excluding the young bandit writhing in pain also heard it. Somewhere past the tree line something was crackling like firewood and emitting light, and moving towards the bandit camp with great speed.


    Each of the bandits took hold of their weapons at the sight of this strange occurrence until one of the bandits with a bow shouted. ¡°It''s a ball of fire!¡±

 Chapter 52

    Every bandit either ran or jumped out of the way of the fire ball resulting in one of the tents being ignited and slowly spreading to more, the only bandit that did not react was the wounded young bandit who still writhed in pain on the ground.


    The remaining nine bandits began fanning out to look for the person responsible for the fire ball. The bandits with swords and clubs slowly crept towards the direction the fire ball came from while the archers followed from behind.


    For several minutes everything was quiet past the tree line, the only thing each bandit could hear was their own breath, until a sound came from behind and one of the three archers fell to the ground. The first to notice were the other two archers who were quick to shout out. ¡°Shit! There is someone behind us!¡±


    The archer looked at the corpse of his ally to determine what killed him, what he found was a large spike of earth through the back of his throat. ¡°It''s another mage! This one uses earth magic!¡±


    Each of the bandits started to panic at that sentence and several considered making a run for it. ¡®Another mage attacking us, why? What did we do to piss off two mages?¡¯ The de facto leader bald bandit thought as he watched the trees around him for any sign of movement.


    The bandit bandit thought back to all the things they stole, but nothing that only a mage would be interested in. Everything they stole was something almost everyone could buy from basic clothes to preserved food.


    ¡®The only reason they would be here involving the cargo we stole is¡­ the people transporting it. Oh shit, they''re here for revenge for someone we stole from.¡¯ One of the important things regarding the procession of banditry is that often you will need to kill the people after you rob them, or else they could report you to the nearest city or town guard. If they were competent or not corrupt they would send people to deal with the bandits because when there is a risk of people stealing everything you own most won''t exactly be interested in doing business.


    The bald bandit immediately tried to think of any possible ways to get away safely from the mages, even if it meant that he would leave his men behind. They knew the risks with engaging in banditry, so they shouldn¡¯t have any reason to be surprised, they would likely do the same after all in position.


    With the attack from behind the bandits started staying closer forming a small encirclement with the two remaining archers at the center. Everyone was on edge, they were fighting an enemy they could not see that most definitely was watching them.


    Several minutes passed with nothing happening, but this did nothing to ease the tension of the bandits, the bald bandit was cursing his subordinates'' idiocy by clumping us leaving him no way to slip away unnoticed. Eventually one of the younger bandits, just a few years older than the wounded one still at the camp, spoke up. ¡°Do you think they left?¡±


    At the mention of those words several darts of earth and fireballs came from the north and like a volley of arrows they all appeared at once and decimated several bandits, leaving them either dead or on the ground writhing in pain with burns and chunks of earth pierced into them.


    Only three including the bald bandit managed to survive untouched by the barrage and immediately took off running in the opposite direction leaving his dying subordinate. The three bandits did not stop running until they could no longer hear the sounds of their dying allies, and immediately fell to the ground to catch their breath.


    ¡°Did we lose them?¡± A brave bandit spoke up after a minute of heavy breathing. With the surrounding wilderness completely silent the bald bandit was quite tempted to say yes, but something in the back of his mind told him he needed to keep moving. ¡°Maybe, but until we are certain we shouldn¡¯t stop. We aren''t all that far from our camp after all.¡±


    With an audible sigh both of the other bandits slowly stood up and began to follow their leader deeper into the forest towards a camp of another better supplied bandit crew. For ten minutes the trio walked south finding nothing but more and larger trees as they walked deeper.


    They did not pass a single animal, predator or otherwise. With what little dim light from the moon mostly blocked by the trees they could barely see ten meters ahead. But suddenly just as they walked for ten minutes a small russel of a bush could be heard behind them.


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    Like a deer in headlights all three bandits stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around to see what made the sound. There they saw someone, a dark silhouette of a human standing next to a tree and slowly walked towards them. As the human got closer they could see in his hand a long weapon, not thick like a club or mace but like a sword. The silhouette also wore thick plated armor based on the sound of metal moving as they walked.


    The human stopped just four meters away from the trio and simply stared at them waiting for them to make a move.


    ¡°A- are you with the mages?¡± The bald bandit asked the stranger, with the shadows cast by the tall trees their face was kept shadowed and hidden, only furthering the feelings of fear.


    The silhouette did not say anything, instead they simply raised their blade with their right hand and ran their left hand over the blade. At first the bandits were confused, until they saw the sword ignite slowly as the hand passed over.


    Subconsciously the trio took a step back out of fear, the flames of the sword partly illuminated the face of the person wielding the sword revealing it to be a man about the same age as the one they abandoned in their camp.


    ¡°Y- you''re the fire mage!?¡± The bald bandit was terrified by the idea that just two people managed to take out his whole group just with a bit of magic, he wanted nothing more than to run away, far away where no one could find him. But he couldn¡¯t and if he wanted to live he would need to first fight and kill the fire mage in front of him and hope the earth mage wasn¡¯t watching them waiting to intervene.


    With shaking hands the bald bandit raised his club with both his hands while his two remaining subordinates did the same. The fire mage before him just chuckled and with a wave of his hands two clumps of earth raised from the ground and floated by his side. The two clumps slowly began to form into an arrow-like shape.


    The bald bandit understood what that meant, the young man before him was both the fire and earth mage, and if he wanted to survive he needed to kill him without sustaining any serious injuries, his two remaining men were expendable, but he wasn¡¯t.


    The young mage gripped his sword with both his hands and left forward while delivering an overhead slash towards the bald bandit. The blade was too close to dodge so he was forced to block it with his club. As he did the sword left a large gash and the flames left dark burns.


    The other two bandits tried to take the opportunity to attack while the mage was distracted by their boss and land a hit or two. But just as they readied their weapons the two clumps of earth had already finished forming into spikes that flew right towards them. They did not even notice until it was too late.


    The archer received a spike through the eye into his brain killing instantly, the other wasn¡¯t quite so lucky. He took the other spike through the chest and into his lungs, the pain left him on the ground gasping for breath as his punctured lung could not hold any.


    The bald bandit, though not seeing what happened, could easily hear the spikes piercing through the flesh of his subordinates, the sound of one subordinate hitting the ground, and the cry of the other.


    The bald bandit wanted to look and see what happened, but he knew that if he did the mage would without hesitation kill him like he did the others. The only way through was through the mage, and he needed to give his all.


    With a loud cry the bald bandit kicked at the mages legs to get some breathing room and immediately went for an overhead strike with the intent to do what he did with the young bandit back at the camp earlier. He couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit recalling how the young bandit looked writhing in pain on the ground.


    But his smile disappeared when the mage blocked his club with his sword with little difficulty, and with a swift twist of the wrist pushed the club to the side out of the way. Everything appeared to be happening in slow motion as the bald bandit saw the sword point towards him and with a single thrust stab into his stomach.


    The bald bandit dropped his club and fell to his knees from the pain of the burning blade cooking his flesh, it was so painful that he could not even process the pain. When the mage retracted the blade the bald bandit fell to the ground like a puppet cut from his strings and couldn¡¯t even move a mussel as the mage brought the blade down once more ending his life.


    The last bandit with his lung punctured did not even see the final fight between the mage and the bald bandit, nor did he see the spike of earth go through his skull and kill him. The mage finished up taking the weapons of all the bandits and placing them within his dimensional bag.


    ¡®Dam, I have a lot of weapons in here. I wonder how much more space this thing has. Anyways I should probably try and sell them or something, someone else might find a better use for them, like a blacksmith for the metal weapons. The wood ones might just be good for fire wood though, the bows and arrows I could probably sell to a fletcher though.¡¯


    He returned to the bandit camp and found the young bandit who had lost consciousness from the pain, most of the tents had already burned down or were in the process of burning so there was unlikely to be anything left of value.


    The mage picked the young bandit up and carried him back to the southern gate, a process that took several hours due to the terrain and distance.

 Chapter 53

    Clack clack clack.


    The sound of metal boots on stone echoed through the dungeon below the barracks. The mage carrying the wounded bandit walked down the stone staircase and into the dungeon. The first thing he found was a simple check point with tree guards, one keeping track of who went further in and who stayed.


    ¡°Good evening sir.¡± The stone elf jailer gave a deep bow to Arthur as he approached with another prisoner over his shoulder. ¡°Is this one in need of interrogation like the others you have brought?¡±


    ¡°Not this one, I just need some evidence of the camp''s demise, just in case.¡± Arthur said while passing the bandit to one of the guards who walked up to process the new prisoner. ¡°Do I need to speak with the captain for my reward?¡±


    ¡°No, I have it here.¡± The stone elf handed a pouch filled with several coins that Arthur quickly looked through, after a moment Arthur nodded and dropped the pouch in his bag.


    ¡°Was the captain expecting me to bring a prisoner to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes he did, you have made a habit of it as of recently. I personally enjoy seeing the sorry suckers rotting in their cells, so for that you have my thanks.¡± Arthur understood the elves sentiment, bandits take the lives of many each year and the victims don¡¯t always get closure even after they are killed.


    Arthur was more than happy to bring a bandit or two back to the city so that they may be executed before the very people they harmed. It might not be the best outcome, but it''s the closest thing to justice he can do.


    ¡°Of course, l won''t take up too much more of your time. Have a good evening you three.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir, you have a good one as well.¡±


    ***********


    /- - - - - -\


    + Sneaking Level 5


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur smiled while he thought back on what he did one week prior. The bandits in question got exactly what they deserved, the one who Arthur took to the dungeon was publicly executed along with several of the other bandits that Arthur helped in capturing. When the crimes of the bandits were announced the citizens were understandably quite angry and cheered at each execution.


    Some call it brutal, but it was evidence that things were getting better in the southern district with Captain Tasius in charge. Unlike his predecessor he was able to take care of the threats to the average citizens who for quite some time were left to fend for themselves.


    For the first time in a long time criminals did not walk freely on the streets, if they wore any insignia of their organization they would be quickly reported to the city guard and something would be done.


    Arthur liked that he did not need to constantly watch his back for criminals or pick pocketers anymore when he walked through the southern district, and a small handful of stores started popping up every so often now that crime was at an all time low.


    One store Arthur enjoyed visiting was a simple general store run by a kind elderly woman named Vitellia, there Arthur bought a simple frying pan and some wonderful recipes. So now instead of going to an inn or restaurant to eat he would just make himself something to eat.


    One of Arthur''s favorite recipes he bought was for a meat based dish called Isicia Omentata. It was a simple meat dish that could have some pepper, salt, green peppercorns, and a sauce of your own choosing. Arthur¡¯s favorite sauce to add was made from fish covered in salt and fermented. Arthur wasn¡¯t exactly sure how that worked, but it tasted very good and with his income he could easily afford it.


    ********


    Arthur was at his workstation brewing basic non magical potions like he had been every day for the last several weeks when Master Calvus walked in and observed what he was doing. It was a little strange but Arthur simply continued while giving Master Calvus a few strange looks every so often.


    Eventually Arthur finished a batch of drowsiness potions and filled five small bottles with the contents. Arthur made sure to properly inspect them and tried one out to look for any side effects, with nothing out of the ordinary to note and the color of the potion being far more concentrated than when he first started Arthur placed the four remaining bottles onto a shelf to be sold later.


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    But just as he finished cleaning up his workstation to brew another potion he was stopped by Master Calvus. ¡°Wait just a second Arthur. I have been keeping track of your progress and I think it is time for you to begin learning true magical alchemy.¡±


    Arthur stopped in his tracks, he was wondering when he would get to learn magical alchemy but this was a bit faster than he was expecting. Aurelio didn¡¯t start learning magical alchemy until his second month of his apprenticeship. ¡°Really, you think I am ready?¡± Arthur might have been surprised but he still was excited to learn new magic.


    ¡°Yes I do, but magical alchemy is far more difficult than simple alchemy and will require several spells that are specific to alchemy. Remember it will not be easy and you will likely encounter several roadblocks on your journey.¡± With a soft smile Master Calvus presented a piece of paper listing the terms and conditions of learning magical alchemy from him.


    ¡°Now for legal reasons I need you to read this over and sign it at the bottom on the dotted line.¡± Arthur took the paper and looked it over, by signing it Arthur would be Master Calvus¡¯s apprentice who under him would learn the art of magical alchemy. A majority of the terms were exactly the same as the previous agreement, such as Master Calvus reserving the right to buy any and all of Arthur¡¯s potion that he brews as well as any other alchemical products that he would now learn to make.


    After reading over the document three separate times to be certain that he did not miss anything he signed it and handed it back. ¡°Very good Arthur, now first things first you will need to learn how to cast tier one spells.¡±


    ¡®Tier one spells? I haven''t heard anything like that before.¡¯ Arthur looked at Master Calvus with a confused expression, telling Calvus that Arthur did not understand what he was being told.


    ¡°Tier one spells are the first proper level of spells that every proper mage should learn. Tier one spells will require hand signs and a chant of various lengths depending on the spell, in exchange you will be able to cast far more powerful magic than you would have otherwise. All spells related to the production of alchemy are at least tier one, since you will be using magic to either delay a reaction, create a reaction, or keep a spell for an indefinite amount of time. Without that knowledge you will not be able to learn any of what I am going to teach you, that is why I need you to enroll into a course so you can learn with the mages guild.¡±


    ¡°So what is the name of the course?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Master Calvus shrugged. ¡°They keep changing these things every so many years and the last time I attended any courses at the guild was years ago. You will probably need to ask Aurelio, he had to take that course recently so he should know.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Master Calvus, I will go ask him now.¡± Arthur gave a little bow and left to go ask Aurelio who was currently running the store from the front desk.


    Master Calvus on the other hand returned upstairs to his laboratory and locked the door behind him. After casting all the detection spells he knew he breathed a sigh and walked over to an inconspicuous wall and began chanting a spell.


    With a small flash of blue light a portion of the wall slowly opened revealing a small space enough to fit a human body or two, inside were a few boxes and shelves full of papers and rare ingredients respectively.


    After rummaging through the papers in the boxes he found what he was looking for and with the same simple spell he closed the opening and placed the papers on an empty table as he looked over them.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even think I will ever see this through to its end. If Arthur continues to show promise I will allow him to have a look over this with Aurelio, perhaps I will let him keep a set of copies.¡¯ The papers in question were a combination of alchemical formulas and diagrams for a strange contraption and another for a magical object that was very humanoid in its appearance and shape.


    ***********


    ¡°This potion right here will help you sleep better tonight Mrs. Remus.¡± Aurelio handed a light blue potion to an elderly woman with a smile.


    ¡°Are you sure? I hear alchemy can be quite dangerous.¡± The elderly woman eyed the potion with suspicion.


    ¡°Oh there is no need to worry, this here is just a potion of drowsiness. All the potion will do is make you more drowsy and help you go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°How much does it cost? I''m not made up of money after all.¡± The elderly woman followed Aurelio to the front counter.


    ¡°The price is two copper coins for each potion.¡±


    ¡°Two copper coins for a potion that will only last a single night? I''m sorry but that is far too expensive for me.¡± The elderly woman''s eye shot wide open at the mention of the price and she looked to be ready to leave.


    ¡°Oh no, each position will last up to a week. You don''t need to drink the whole thing to feel the effects, I think that is far more manageable for your budget.¡± Aurelio quickly explained how the potion works and stopped the woman in her tracks.


    The elderly woman paused for a few seconds before speaking again. ¡°A whole week, you''re sure of this?¡±


    ¡°I am very sure Mrs. Remus, only people with very strong vitalities need to drink more than that to feel the effects, and even then there are potions that are far more potent than this one.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, alright I will buy this.. sleeping potion and if it works I will be back for more next week.¡±


    ¡°Well that''s good to hear.¡± Aurelio placed the potion on the counter as the woman placed two copper coins and she took her potion while waving goodbye.


    The moment the woman was out of view the energetic look on Aurelio¡¯s face disappeared and was replaced with a look of exhaustion and annoyance.


    ¡°Tough customer?¡± Aurelio turned to the stairs where the familiar voice came from, it was Arthur who apparently witnessed the entire exchange.

 Lore: Humanity

    Humanity, one of the first and favorite races created by the old gods when they created our world millennia ago. The reason for this favoritism over elves and dwarves is for two key reasons, their population growth, and their malleability to their environment and beliefs.


    This malleability or adaptability is what makes humans such a common race across the known multiverse, and some of the best candidates to be chosen by a god.


    The adaptability of humans goes even farther than that, resulting in separate types of humans depending on the climates their ancestors lived in. The four largest and most prominent on our planet are:


    The Northmen - Humans that mostly live in the cold lands north past the Goraine mountain range. But in recent times since the large opening creating a direct path between the northern lands and the rest of the continent some have left their home and ventured south.


    The society of the Northmen is a very stoic one where self reliance and trust are highly valued. Betrayal of either friends or families is often met with harsh punishment compared to the rest of the continent.


    Due to the cold climate they inhabit their skin is quite pale and their hair colors range from brown to blond.


    The Northmen aren¡¯t known particularly for their magic but some of the best hydromancers come from them due to the cold climate being full of water, snow, and ice. They were even the first to create ice, water, and snow golems.


    Plainsmen - Humans that mostly inhabit forests and plains, such as the citizens of both Rathen Kingdom and the Yolan Empire. Plainsmen make up a good portion of the humans that live on our planet due to the abundant natural resources of their environment and their natural skill in organization and governance.


    The various societies of Plainsmen hold trade and prosperity as their most valuable traits. This has made them some of the best traders and merchants across the planet.


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    The climate they live in has given them a light olive skin tone along with brown and blond hair.


    Plainsmen are some of the earliest known geomancers on this planet, only surpassed by the high elves and their incredible natural attunement to the earth.


    Scorchmen - Humans that have adapted to live in some of the hottest climates on this planet from deserts to jungles to rain forests. Most live on a sperate continent that has had some worrying activity from a dormant volcano that sits in the center of said continent.


    The various societies of the Scorchmen typically value family and honor above most other things. This has made them very self conscious of their actions to not embarrass themselves of their families, but it is quite often a tactic used in their politics to delegitimize their opponents.


    The environment they live in has left them with black or brown skin from the extreme heat and sun light, and black and brown hair.


    The first recorded people to discover pyromancy and master it, they also were the first to command fire spirits with their mastery over fire.


    Far-Reachmen - A sub category of humans that are a bit more mysterious than the others but still very important. The collection of islands they live on have left each as its own city state with only few successes of kingdoms and empires, and even fewer lasting for long. A good portion of the land they inhabit is covered by swamps, which they have somewhat managed to learn to farm upon.


    The societies of the Far-Reachmen place high value in the arts and self discipline over most other things. This has many of the high ranking members of their societies as both artists and warriors. This is also a part of the reason why they have allowed some of the more peaceful and friendly demons to rule over them in specific cases.


    The environment they inhabit has left them with pale skin, black hair, and a smaller build compared to the rest of the humans on this list. This leaves them as the smallest of all the humans and grants them greater dexterity at a cost of the strength most other humans have. The difference is not very large, but it is noticeable.


    They are the best at aeromancy of all the humans, allowing them to conjure storms to keep any invaders who have attempted to attack by sea away or in a watery grave.

 Chapter 54

    ¡°Tough? That''s one way to put it, not what I would use to describe her though.¡± Aurelio took a seat on the stool behind the counter while he and Arthur spoke. ¡°I still got her to take the potion though, so it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    ¡°Why was she being so difficult? Did she have a bad experience with alchemy in the past?¡±


    ¡°Being an alchemist comes with a lot of stereotypes, most of which are bad and cause distrust in the common people. It''s like what my mother always said when I was a child, a few bad apples will spoil the bunch.¡± Aurelio said as he took a cloth from his back pocket and began to wipe down the counter top.


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t worry about that, now is there anything I can help you with Arthur?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Master Calvus said it''s time for me to learn magical alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well congratulations on that. It took me a month longer to get his approval for that, did you have any questions about it?¡± Aurelio gave a soft smile at the good news for his fellow apprentice.


    ¡°Yes I do, to learn magical alchemy Master Clavus said I need to learn how to cast first tier spells, but he doesn¡¯t recall the name of the course.¡±


    ¡°And he told you I attended recently so you should ask me. That''s alright, the course is now called The Fundamentals of First Tier Magic. Each tier has a similar name with the only difference being the spell tier.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, that should save me a fair bit of time. Is there anything else I should know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will cost you 15 silver coins to enroll in the course and you will be there for a whole month.¡± Arthur''s eyes widened at the cost. It was far more than he was expecting.


    ¡®Fifteen silver coins to enroll, that''s just five silver shy of a whole gold coin. I suppose I am lucky that I don¡¯t have a lot of expenses so I can afford it with my savings. Other people might not be so lucky.¡¯


    Arthur reached into his dimensional bag and pulled out the pouch he received for his last task from Captain Tasius and took out fifteen coins before he returned the pouch to his bag. ¡°Lucky I have enough right here.¡± Arthur waved his hand full of the coins.


    ¡°Well you don¡¯t exactly have a whole lot to spend your money on, but you could buy yourself a new set of alchemical apparatuses. The ones Master Clavus gave you are getting a bit worn down with all the use you have been getting out of them.¡± Aurelio gave a small chuckle as he pointed out the state of Arthur¡¯s equipment.


    It wasn¡¯t so much as Arthur being cheap, but more so that he didn¡¯t know where he would even go about buying a new set. But with all the money he has saved up he should be able to buy something decent, or at least in better condition.


    ¡°I know, I know. But I don¡¯t know where I would buy them from, I don¡¯t even know how magical alchemy will change things. Will I need a new set specifically for magical alchemy? Will the one I currently have be fine? Truth be told this is all quite new to me. I didn¡¯t even begin using magic until roughly two months ago.¡±


    Aurelio smiled as Arthur vented his frustrations, it was nearly exactly the same as what he was thinking when he was in his position. The only difference was he was learning magic for a while longer than just two months. ¡®That''s why Master Clavus took him as his apprentice, I should have expected something like that. Now any achievement he earns will have his name attached as the man who taught him.¡¯


    ¡°There is a reputable company called Tindustries that has a store here in Antium that sells all sorts of stuff, including alchemy related appliances. Most of what they sell is simple stuff for the common people who only need to ground up various plants. But if you ask around there you can find some high quality.¡±


    Arthur paused a thought for a moment. ¡®A new set of alchemy apparatuses might be good for my work and I have a lot of savings.¡¯ Arthur let out a sigh, not of anger but simple reluctance.


    ¡®I might as well at least look at what they have, if they don''t have anything good I will do it some other time.¡¯


    ¡°Tindustries was it? After I enroll in that course I''ll take a look and see what they have.¡±


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    ¡°It''s probably for the best, and you will thank me when you have nice new equipment to work with.¡± Aurelio pointed his finger at Arthur as he spoke. ¡°And you probably won''t need to worry about replacing your equipment for a few years after, they are built to last after all.¡± After continuing their short conversation Arthur and Aurelio left to eat something for dinner and spent the rest of the day doing their respective tasks.


    Arthur awoke at almost eight o¡¯clock in the morning on the dot, the first thing he did after eating a few slices of toast with cheese was go straight to the mages guild to enrol for the The Fundamentals of First Tier Magic. Being so early in the morning and the first day of the week he did not need to wait for long and was soon given a form to fill out and a small booklet listing all the possible courses he could take as well as their prerequisites. But since he was only interested in the one course he did not take long and returned with the fifteen silvers to pay the fee.


    ¡°Thank you sir, I will go ahead and put this right into the system.¡± The woman running the enrolment took the grey crystalline sphere and with a bit of magic put the information into the system and turned to speak with Arthur. ¡°You should receive your new schedule within the week, if for any reason it doesn''t happen please return here and you will be given a copy.¡±


    Arthur tanked the woman and began to look for the Tindustries branch located in Antium.


    ¡®Would it be in the industrial sector or close to the marketplace, since it could count as both based on the description I was given. Tsk. I should have asked  Aurelio where it was.¡¯


    Arthur decided that he would look around the various marketplaces because the store would likely count as a general store over a craft building based on the variety Aurelio said they had. After a few hours of searching and asking around, Arthur managed to find the branch in the western district close to the central marketplace there.


    The building was rather large and built more like a warehouse rather than store, but the large sign and large inflow of customers proved his initial assumptions otherwise. Upon entering the store Arthur discovered just how large the building and the selection was, there was everything from clothes to pastries to even a butcher, but Arthur paid those little attention, he was more focused on the alchemy section.


    It was a bit smaller than he was expecting, only a small handful of shelves with various amounts of different products and a handful of general use apparatuses. Not exactly what he was looking for. Arthur was about ready to leave when an employee noticed him and walked up to him. ¡°Good morning sir, do you need help with anything?¡±


    The employee wore a simple looking white shirt and brown pants and a bright orange apron with the company''s name written in white, just like the sign on the outside.


    ¡°Yes, I was told that I could find some high quality alchemy apparatuses here. But I do not see any that fit my needs.¡± Arthur turned to look at the employee while he thought back to what Aurelio said about asking around.


    ¡°Oh, and what might your needs be?¡± The employee looked a bit flustered by Arthurs tone, so she asked what he was looking for in as polite a way as she could.


    ¡°I''m an apprentice alchemist, so something rather durable and effective would be required.¡± Arthur turned back to the items on the shelf, taking note of a few things that might actually be useful to him.


    ¡°Oh, I know of something that might interest you. I will be right back sir.¡± The employee turned and rushed into the back where most of the excess products were stored. She had a customer like him before, another alchemist looking for the same thing, so she recalled where the rest were like.


    On the way she took a large cart to place everything inside as taking everything one by one would take far too long. When she found the sorted high quality alchemy apparatuses she took a  mortar and pestle, a retort, a heavy calcinator, and an alembic.


    She didn''t waste any more time and quickly pushed the large cart of expensive apparatuses back to the customer smiling the whole time. ¡®With another large sale like this I will definitely get another large commission just like last time.¡¯ The woman was very excited as the last time she sold such expensive equipment she earned enough to make a few well placed investments in a few prominent merchant guilds with great returns.


    When she returned to the shelf where Arthur was standing the employee was panting slightly from pushing all the heavy equipment for so long. Arthur quickly walked over to the equipment and looked it over and he was not disappointed, it was of very high quality and he would get a lot of use out of it.


    Noticing the employee panting Arthur chose to push the cart to the store counter where the employee counted up the price of all the apparatuses and gave him the total. ¡°3 gold coins sir.¡±


    The employee smiled while Arthur had to stop himself from scowling at the mere mention of the price. ¡®Three gold coins!? That is sixty silver coins and more than half of my savings. I just hope I can earn it all back with this new equipment.¡¯


    Arthur reluctantly counted out and handed the employee the whole sixty silver and she recounted just to be sure. The announcement of someone spending sixty silver coins attracted a bit of an audience from the other shoppers who went there specifically to avoid spending so much money.


    And when they saw what Arthur was buying they began to even gossip about who he was and why he was buying such equipment. Arthur was only able to hear bits and pieces of what was said and even then he could tell it was mostly just blind speculation with a touch of conspiracy theories.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    Arthur having paid for his new alchemy equipment, began to temporarily place it within his dimensional bag to the shock of the onlookers. As they watched each piece of expensive equipment disappear into a small bag slung over his shoulder the whispers slowly stopped as everyone turned away. Only a wealthy person or a mage could easily afford such a magical item and no one in their right mind wanted to piss off either.


    Arthur then left the store with nothing to note and returned to the Elder Nymph to try out his new apparatuses, on his way up the stairs he gave out a few muffled giggles as he imagined just how much his potions would improve with new equipment.


    With the variety of ingredients he had in storage he quickly mixed together as many potions as he could. To most the change wouldn''t appear to be all that much given it was only about a five percent increase in potency. But to most experienced alchemists that five percent would make a large difference to both their potions and their reputation.


    Soon Arthur used up almost half of the ingredients he kept in storage due to his brewing frenzy and the increased size of his equipment allowing him to distil and brew easily double the potions at a time.


    Bottles lined the shelves in his laboratory as he brewed potion after potion, every reaction carefully examined in a trance like state as his skill and proficiency with the new equipment grew. By the time he used up all the bottles at his disposal it was already five o¡¯clock at night.


    Arthur slowly returned from his trance like state and as he did he felt his legs slowly give in forcing him to brace himself with the table he conducted his alchemy on. His legs shook as if he had just finished running a whole marathon without any breaks. His head also felt clouded like a veil of fog shrouding his mind.


    Arthur slowly turned his head to look at his watch on his wrist and saw it was already past five o¡¯clock. Slowly he slumped down to the floor and took a seat, slowly he took out some of the food he kept in his dimensional bag and scarfed it down like a starving dog.


    ¡®I feel like absolute crap. Whatever that feeling was when I was brewing all those positions clearly has some drawbacks. But for now I probably just need a bit of rest and I can continue on with testing out my new equipment.¡¯


    Arthur slowly rose from his seated position and dragged himself to his bedroom and spalled across his bed as he struggled to keep his eyes open. But that did not last for long as exhaustion is an excellent motivator to get someone to close their eyes. ¡®Just a few minutes, then I''ll get up.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he slowly drifted to sleep.


    Arthur awoke the very next day at six o¡¯clock in the morning fully refreshed and angry that despite his attempts he did not take ¡°just a few minutes¡± and instead slept through the whole night.


    ¡®Fuck. What now?¡¯


    Arthur sat up from his bed and looked around his small room, noticing that he only had a few sheets on his bed and nothing that was very thick for when it gets cold. While he did not remember what it was called when it got really cold but he remembered just how bad it was.


    ¡®Now I need to buy a thick blanket to keep warm when it gets cold. What else do I need to buy?¡¯ Arthur instinctively clutched his dimensional bag that contained all his remaining money. Both his heart and his savings ached from all the money he had been spending.


    ¡®But I need to do it eventually so I might as well do it now.¡¯ With a loud sigh Arthur sat up from his bed and walked out to his laboratory to check on his supply of ingredients. Last night when he brewed all those potions he wasn¡¯t exactly paying attention to his ingredient stockpile.


    But the very moment he got a look he immediately knew that he used a lot, so much that it might take him a whole day or two just to refill to the level it was before last night. But that would need to wait as Arthur was feeling rather hungry, his stomach growled in frustration as he had not eaten anything for over twelve hours.


    He didn¡¯t want to but he was forced to eat some of the other foods that he kept in his bag, most of what he kept in there were lunch and dinner foods but with any bars or taverns unlikely to be selling any food at such an hour he had to make do with what he had. When he finished eating a Isicia Omentata squished between two pieces of bread he decided to look around the actual store as he had never actually looked at what Master Calvus sells here.


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    Arthur slowly walked down the flight of stairs, careful not to make the boards creak, when he finally was down in the shop he conjured a small flame as a light source and began to look at the items and their labels.


    He found a large assortment of different items that ranged from liquids to powders, from harmful to helpful. Each shelf has a category of sorts, although there were several that repeated each stood out from the rest and were evenly spaced around the shop.


    The first shelf Arthur looked through contained non liquid harmful items, one that caught his eye was something labelled fire seeds. A few glass jars of these little orange glowing seed like objects stood out compared to the rest of the items on display.


    ¡®These fire seeds must be some sort of weapon that utilizes fire to cause harm, I wonder if they explode or not.¡¯ Arthur walked over to the nest shelf to see what was on display there.


    On this shelf were several dangerous liquids, most of which were poisons. Most were not something that would kill someone, rather they had paralysis or hallucinogenic properties, except for one labelled as Rot oil. Three vials of a deep brown liquid simmered as Arthur picked them up to look, they were so dark that they almost looked black in color.


    On the next shelf there were far less dangerous items for display, namely several healing salves and other pastes or herbs that could be used to help heal wounds and treat infections. Nothing much stood out as everything looked very useful to a properly trained healer.


    On the fourth shelf Arthur found items with more utility uses, the items here were a bit more interesting than the rest as regular people might have more use for these than the others, and it was reflected in the prices with most of the items on these shelves being cheaper than what was on the others. One of the more prominent ones was the phantom ink, with several variations changing what type of light was required to see the ink. There were four types available, fire light, moon light, magical light, and star light. Although magical light appeared to have the least amount of stock present.


    Arthur spent a few more minutes hanging around the store looking over a few more products but there was nothing that interesting enough to take note of, so he returned to his bedroom and decided to practice his aeromancy and pyromancy as they were the two evocations that he had the least amount of mastery in.


    *********


    Over an hour passed as Arthur practiced his magic when he first heard people outside moving around and starting their days. ¡®That explains why everything is already up and going when I usually get up.¡¯ Arthur thought as he looked out one of the second story windows.


    ¡®Anyways, now that it is bright and early it would be a good time to go and collect some more ingredients to refill my stock. I have enough potions to fill a whole store of my own now, so I don¡¯t need to worry about brewing anymore for now.¡¯


    Arthur put on his leather overcoat and placed his dimensional bag over his shoulder before he left the Elder Nymph and made his way towards the forest to find more ingredients. But before he left the city he took the time to enjoy the changes that were gradually taking place in the southern district. With all the guards now patrolling the streets everyone that once kept hidden away in their homes now happily walked the streets.


    Arthur even saw a few children of humans, elves, and dwarves playing in the streets laughing and screaming out of joy of their game. The sight filled Arthur¡¯s heart with joy as he could see how his actions made a positive impact, he didn¡¯t understand why it did but he didn¡¯t care.


    All the guards that he passed recognized him and either gave him a quick nod or even a quick salute. Most of the citizens didn¡¯t understand why they were doing that to what appeared to be a random albeit wealthy looking young man. A few others understood he needed to be someone quite important to garner such respect from the city guard, most of such people were the less than savory type.


    ¡°Uncle Lar, why are all the guards being really nice to that man?¡± A young boy no older than ten pointed to Arthur as he walked down the nearby road.


    Lar, the twenty three year old uncle of the boy took a quick look at who his nephew was pointing at and said. ¡°That right there is Arthur of Dom Badaher. He is a freelance mercenary that has been very helpful to the captain by fighting small bands of bandits on his own and bringing a few as prisoners.¡± Lar smiled as he turned back to his nephew.


    ¡°Really? Is he a mage? He doesn¡¯t look like a fighter like you.¡± The little boy looked to Lar with large puppy dog eyes, the very same when he told him the less graphic variations of stories of he and his squad.


    ¡°According to the stories going around about him he might be. Why do you want to ask him for pointers about that magic you are learning?¡±


    The little boy fiddled with his hands out of nervousness. Of course he wanted to, but what would he ask him? Noticing this, Lar decided to speak up to help his nephew. ¡°If you want I can ask him to teach you a thing or two. I should be able to find a moment to speak with him and ask him.¡±


    ¡°Really? You would do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he might be able to help you, so I''ll ask him and see what he has to say.¡±

 Chapter 56

    On his way to the forest Arthur decided to walk instead of run to enjoy the scenery along the way. It was something he hadn''t really done before and now since he was so familiar with the way he may as well enjoy the walk.


    Following the major road down south the two sides were covered by vibrant fields of wheat resembling a sea of gold that flowed along with the wind creating a beautiful sight.


    Past the fields of wheat were fields of simple grass littered with a few trees that one could occasionally find an animal walking across.


    After an hour of walking and enjoying the sights Arthur arrived at the forest and began to forage for any useful plants that might remain. With most of his best spots for ingredients picked clean already he was forced to walk deeper into the forest to acquire any sizable amount.


    Towards the center of the forest Arthur found a large amount of ingredients that were left almost completely untouched by any person. After finding a few large quantities of useful ingredients Arthur was more than confident to make up for a good portion of his ingredient reserves.


    But just as he was about to start celebrating he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A large set of claw marks on a nearby tree farther south of his position, and sure enough as he looked around he could spot a few more off in the distance that were also south.


    Given he was a good distance from the marks he was likely safe, but that didn¡¯t stop him from trying to determine what caused such claw marks. ¡®Whatever animal did this is marking its territory, since herbivores don¡¯t have claws I can rule out one of those creating these marks leaving only carnivores.¡¯


    Taking a moment to slowly walk up a bit closer to said claw marks Arthur continued his trail of thoughts. ¡®And clearly it is a large animal, leaving only a few that live in this region. Might be a bear, but that raises the question of how dangerous bears in this region are. Hmmm¡­ I will look into the subject before I decide to engage the bear in its own territory.¡¯


    Arthur burned the image of the claw marks from the trees into his mind and returned the way he came back out of the forest. On his way out he passed the same cave that sat just a few meters from the small pond. An odd sight in such a place but strangely peaceful, and clearly someone else thought the same as Arthur noticed a few sets of footprints around the pond.


    Upon exiting the forest it was already 12:45 making Arthur a little overdue for a lunch, so before he set off towards Antium he snacked down on a Isicia Omentata placed between two slices of bread.


    He quickly resumed his journey back towards Antium passing the beautiful fields and slowly approaching the southern gate, but something wasn¡¯t the same as when he left. The people around the gate looked to me panicked and were shouting very loudly.


    Arthur picked up the pace and ran to see what was happening, when he got within twenty meters he could clearly hear the guards stationed at the gate trying to calm the crowd down, but it clearly wasn¡¯t working.


    Past the guards were several corpses lying in puddles of blood on the dirt road and a small handful of buildings burning. Arthur quickly pushed through the terrified crowd and got up to the guards.


    ¡°What in the name of Armok is happening in there!?¡± Arthur shouted as he pointed towards the carnage within the city.


    ¡°Sir, I am sorry but you must remain outside the city while the situation is being dealt with.¡± The highest ranking guard stepped up to block Arthur.


    ¡°Do you know who I am!?¡± Arthur shouted as he pointed his finger right in the guard''s face. Only then did the guard recognize who he was talking to. After a moment of stuttering after realizing who he was speaking to he took Arthur aside and informed him of the situation.


    ¡°I''m sorry sir, but several of the criminal organizations that have been vying over the southern district have begun an all out war over it injuring and killing many in the crossfire. That isn¡¯t even getting into the damage done to the buildings within the vicinity.¡±


    Arthur looked up towards the several buildings slowly being engulfed in flames, the flickering red and yellow light cast by the fires bringing out feelings of dread and fear he had not felt since the demon warlock.


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    ¡°I''m going in!¡± Arthur shouted to allow the guard to hear him over all the noise.


    ¡°What!? No! Its dangerous, and you don¡¯t even have your armor on!¡±


    Without a word Arthur clenched his hands off to his sides and brought them closer, as he did the dirt that made up the ground tore itself up and flew towards him covering him in a suit of earthen armor that only left his head exposed.


    Arthur realized that to create a full body armor with earth magic at his skill level he would first need to use real earth to create it and then leave it quite basic without all the little details he was trying to add before, such as the claws on the ends of each of the fingers. The armor that was realized wasn¡¯t all that special looking but being made entirely out of earth it was surprisingly effective and cost effective.


    The guard took a step back as well as everyone else at the sight that just unfolded before them. Arthur looked the guard in the eyes and said, ¡°I''m going in.¡± This time he did not shout to be heard, instead it was soft and normal as if he was simply asking about the weather.


    Arthur took off at full speed towards the city in flames determined to do what he could to help. Since he was wearing armor made from earth it weighed nothing, as he was using geomancy to keep it from weighing him down so his speed was not hindered.


    ***********


    In one building that was once a simple herbalist shop that recently opened due to the increased security in the area, several people including a city guard named Lar and his nephew.


    Lar was keeping the only entrance shut while a group of three criminals tried to break it down from the other side. ¡°Oh come on, open the door, we wont bite yeah.¡± The criminals laughed as one returned with an axe to properly break the door.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t come out we''re gonna have to come in yah know.¡± The leader of the small band of criminals laughed as he raised the axe up ready to swing at the door.


    With a loud crack he swung the axe and left a large hold in the door. Several of the people inside shouted out in terror as they heard the crack followed by more laughing. Lar was sweating enough to fill a bucket as he desperately tried to keep the door shut. ¡®If only I wasn¡¯t off duty, then I would have my equipment on and I could deal with this scum of society.¡¯


    Despite all his wishful thinking the axe kept striking the door creating a larger and larger hole each time, soon the hole was so large that one could fit their whole arm through which one of the criminals did in an attempt to open the door.


    Lar did the only thing he could do, he reached for his trusty knife that he always kept with him just in case and stabbed the hand reaching in. A loud shout came from outside the door as the criminal felt the blade pierce his skin. But Lar did not stop, he grabbed the arm of the criminal and repeatedly stabbed him in the arm until blood pooled out of it like a fountain.


    The criminal screamed like a banshee the entire time it happened and when Lar finally let go he fell to the ground clutching his bleeding arm as his accomplices watched.


    ¡°You stupid idiot, they don¡¯t have anywhere else to go so of course they are gonna stab yah the first moment they can.¡± The leader of the three criminals gave his subordinate a swift kick and raised the axe once more.


    But suddenly he heard something to his right and turned to see what it was. What he saw several meters away was a human running towards him wearing a slim brown colored armor wielding a longsword with both hands. The look on the human''s face was that of sheer anger as he closed in on him and his two subordinates.


    It was a face he was familiar with, clearly he was more than happy to kill all three of them, likely because of the people hiding in the building. It was the face of a hero, and he had killed hero¡¯s before. With just a bit of trickery he would deal with this hero like the rest by using the people hiding inside the building.


    ¡°If you care for the hostages I have you would be best to stop where you are!¡± The leader shouted at Arthur as he closed in. He inwardly laughed as he imagined all the ways he could slowly kill him, but as he saw Arthur continue at his present speed he stopped and shouted again. ¡°H -hey! I said stop!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! He said stop!¡± His subordinate who wasn¡¯t writhing in pain walked towards Arthur waving his rusted sword around expecting for the new target to stop.


    But when Arthur got within sword range of the second subordinate he swung his longsword and severed the arm at the elbow that held the old rusted blade. The second subordinate screamed out and Arthur angled his sword to leave a large cut across his stomach that caused him to reel over.


    Arthur did not stop there, he used the momentum to angle his blade to stab at his final opponent. The leader attempted to block or deflect the sword with the axe blade, but it wasn¡¯t a proper weapon designed for war, it was a wood cutting tool that was just left nearby. And so the leader of the three criminals felt the sword pierce into his shoulder and push deep, eventually dislocating it and severing it.


    The leader followed his two subordinates and fell to the ground writhing in pain from his wounds and clutching at the bleeding stump that was his shoulder.


    Lar, who watched the leader of the criminals fall to the ground from the hole in the door, slowly opened it to take a proper look at their savior. Upon seeing Arthur he immediately knew who he was. ¡°I suppose I should consider us lucky that you showed up to save us sir Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 57

    Arthur looked to the man who exited the burning and trashed herbalist shop. He had a larger build than most, revealing he was more than a simple citizen of Antium, and what he said along with the wounds on the third criminal gave Arthur a hint of who he was.


    ¡°I''m sorry but I am no knight of the kingdom, just a person like any other.¡± Arthur sheathed his sword on his hip.


    ¡°My apologies, but you are more than worthy of the title for your actions on this day and many in the past.¡± Lar walked towards Arthur with his hand extended for a hand shake, which Arthur took.


    ¡°Past the southern gate it is safe, are you and these people able to make it there?¡± Arthur pointed in the direction he came from, just a few turns and streets away was the gate and the guards keeping what little order they could.


    ¡°No one here has been injured, so if we run we can make it without any further complications.¡±


    ¡°Good. I leave that to you Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Lar. Just call me Lar.¡±


    ¡°I leave this to you Lar.¡±


    ***********


    Lar kept his promise and took the few people that managed to follow him into the herbalist shop to the southern gate where they found many more guards in their equipment preparing to move into the city and go on the offensive.


    The leading corporal recognized Lar and called out to him. ¡°Lar! Come here.¡±


    Lar followed the orders of his superior officer and gave him a salute that the corporal followed with his own. ¡°Reporting for duty sir.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry Lar, but without your equipment you will be no help to us. But I do have a task for you here.¡± Lar attempted and failed to keep the disappointment from showing.


    ¡°I need you to stay here and help keep the citizens calm, with everything happening here they need someone to help them to keep from losing their minds. Since you have already helped several of the people here they will be more willing to listen to you than us.¡±


    ¡°I understand sir.¡± Lar gave a final salute that the corporal returned before turning around and ordering him men. ¡°Have your weapons drawn men, you won¡¯t have time to do it when we engage the enemy!¡±


    Lar simply sighed and he turned to look at the panicking mob and his nephew slowly walking up to him and grabbing him by the leg. ¡°Uncle Lar.¡± The young boy''s voice quivered as he spoke. ¡°Are we gonna be ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we''re going to be alright.¡± Lar bent down and picked his nephew up and held him in a hug. ¡°We just need to help all these other people calm down and we''ll all be just fine. Do you think you can help the other children here?¡± Lar voice was soft as he asked his nephew.


    The young boy nodded and Lar let him down back to the ground. ¡°I''ll help them like how you always help me uncle Lar.¡±


    *********


    Arthur continued through the burning city looking for anyone unfortunate to still be still in the streets but he found no one. As he went down the streets he found that there were less and less burning buildings the farther away he got from the southern gate. It was odd and felt very intentional, almost like whoever created it wanted to have it there for some reason.


    Arthur stopped and ducked into a small alleyway to think. ¡®The father away from the gate the fewer fires, clearly this is some kind of bait. It is also close to where most of the criminals are, the only people they would be able to attract with this bait is the city guard, but who would want to do that?¡¯


    Arthur remained in that alley way for a whole minute thinking of all the possible reasons any criminal would want the guards to find their crimes in progress, then it hit like a boulder flung with a trebuchet. ¡®They want to kill as many guards by drawing the mall to one location.¡¯


    As the possibility of the annihilation of the whole southern district city guard being eliminated the color faded from his face. ¡®The only part that doesn''t make sense is why all the criminals in the city would suddenly come out into the open and take part in this plan, or if it was an effort of the entire underground or just a few organizations.¡¯


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    If he was right he knew he wouldn¡¯t have much time to act so he turned back the way he came and ran at full speed back towards the southern gate where most of the conflict was happening.


    *********


    On the opposite side of the southern district Captain Tasius was seated at his desk as the reports of what was happening poured in. Every member of the city guard was being mobilized to deal with the situation, even the elite units.


    ¡°Captain, the fires are spreading from the initial conflict zone. We need to send in a brigade to deal with it!¡±


    ¡°Captain, the criminals involved are taking advantage of the situation to kill anyone they can see. The civilian casualties are through the roof!¡±


    ¡°Captain, the crown is asking for a report on the situation! What should I tell them!?¡±


    ¡°Tell the crown I am going to personally deal with the situation! And the rest of you are authorized to do whatever you feel is necessary!¡± Captain Tasius reached for his weapon of choice on a nearby weapon stand, a pristine two handed halberd and a reward for his promotion to captain.


    With his weapon Captain Tasius rushed out of his office followed by an adult force of elite guards specifically trained for such situations. Each unit was given a horse to ride upon exiting the build as well as the captain.


    ¡°We are in a very dangerous situation! The criminal underworld has decided to make a direct attack upon us and the citizens we have sworn to protect! Today we will put these vile excuses for people into the ground and save anyone we come across! To Arms!¡± Captain Tasius shouted while he raised the end of his halberd into the air. The elite units smiled and replied saying ¡°To Arms!¡±


    Captain Tasius directed his horse towards the southern gate where most of the conflict was currently happening and his horse took off running at full speed that was followed by the elite units in a tight formation that prioritized offence.


    *********


    On a building nearby a dwarven man watched the captain rally his troops and take off towards the southern gate. He smiled and retreated back into the building to a table with a grey crystal orb and contacted his boss.


    The orb glowed to life and a human woman appeared within the crystal sitting at a table eating a whole chicken. ¡°What do you have to report Borsan?¡± The woman said between bites of her food.


    ¡°Captain Tasius has left the barracks and is on his way to the southern gate.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The woman stood up from her seat and placed her food down on her plate. ¡°Contact team B and tell them to prepare their crossbows for our favorite captain.¡± The woman followed up her order with a vile laugh as she ended the call.


    Borsan following his orders contacted team B, a human man wearing the armor of the city guard answered atop the outside wall. ¡°The captain is on his way to the gate with reinforcements, get ready to take care of him.¡±


    ¡°You got it, Borsan.¡± The human smiled and began giving out orders as he ended the call.


    Borsan remained seated at the table for a good minute thinking over how he might just have ended the captain''s life. He didn¡¯t do it personally, but it felt just as bad. ¡®I haven¡¯t even met him, and based on what everyone said he was just doing his job.¡¯


    Only after those thoughts did Borson stand up and walk back over the window he watched from. He looked over to the burning city and just stood there, taking in the destruction he took part in.


    *********


    Arthur ran with all his might towards the southern gate ignoring the petty criminals having the time of their life by burning and killing each other. All the innocent people have already been moved to the southern gate, but that was the problem.


    When he made his way through he sent everyone that could walk to the southern gate where at the time it was the safest and closest place to be. But now that it may be a trap to attract as many members of the city guard to kill them all in one foul swoop, Arthur could only hope that he was wrong in that theory.


    As he was getting closer to the gate he suddenly could hear the sounds of horses running, many horses all at the same time in the same direction. Arthur could hear them down towards the end of the street he was running down, and then he saw them.


    At least fifty guards on horseback passed the street towards the southern gate, the one in the very front looked quite a bit like the captain. The other riders had very nice looking equipment compared to what he saw on most of the guards.


    But such things were not important, if he was right then Captain Tasius was going straight into an ambush where he could very likely be killed. He needed to get his attention somehow and warn him.


    One rider at the very end of the formation took notice of Arthur right as he got to the end of the street and slowed his horse to a stop. ¡°This is no place for civilians, even if they are mages. Leave the situation to us.¡±


    Arthur looked up to the rider with a mixture of hope and shock on his face, this was his opportunity to inform the captain but it was also unexpected for a mounted guard to just stop for him. ¡°You need to stop Captain Tasius from going to the southern gate, it''s a trap to kill off the southern guard!¡±


    Upon hearing the accusation the guards eyes shot open which Arthur could not see with the helmet covering his face. ¡°What!? How do you know this!? Who even are you!?¡± The guard gripped his halberd tighter upon those words. ¡®This mage must be a messenger of some sort from the mages guild. I should probably take him to the captain so he may tell him in person.¡¯


    ¡°Never mind, that can wait. Come with me and tell the captain yourself.¡± The guard reached out his hand to Arthur and helped him up onto the horse. The moment Arthur was seated the guard had the horse take off to catch up with the group led by Captain Tasius.

 Chapter 58

    The group of more than fifty mounted guards rode through the city towards the southern gate killing any criminals they crossed with their issued halberds. Any of the criminals who were too far to be struck down were quick to retreat back to their hideouts leaving the path mostly clear of any hostiles.


    As they got close to the southern gate they began to slow their pace as many more criminals were there waiting for someone to cross their path. A couple were hiding within one of the few buildings untouched by the flames wielding short bows, the rest were loitering outside in the streets.


    On the outer walls were several guards carrying crossbows, but they did not open fire upon the criminals to keep themselves hidden for the time being and because they were not confident that with their numbers they could kill them all without being overrun.


    They only had one person keeping watch at the roads to alert them of any changes, and when he heard and then saw the captain leading the mounted guards he was quick to tell his leading corporal. ¡°You heard him fellas! Get ready to help the Captain with his problem!¡±


    The corporal ordered his men to line up along the wall and take aim upon the unsuspecting criminals.


    The captain dismounted from his horse and was followed by his elite units following him. With the terrain, riding a horse will only be a hindrance, the best way to face the enemy is to get into a proper formation on foot and beat them with strength and skill.


    At the captain''s command they got into a simple formation with two lines of infantry, one in the front and one behind in a staggered position. The criminals now aware of the incoming guards grouped up on the opposite side of the largest opening by the southern gate.


    The man leading the criminals was an elven man carrying a spear and a bow slug over his shoulder that both looked to be grown into their shapes as opposed to being cut and shaped by hand. The armor he wore was also made from wood and appeared to be grown into its shape as well. He did not hesitate to shout out orders to his subordinates and have them form a more cohesive formation.


    All the criminals with spears would stay in the front with their weapons pointed ahead, the few with bows stayed in the back with him. The rest with swords, clubs, or other weapons were assigned to the two side flanks to attack from the sides.


    When the elite guards were fully set up they began to quickly march towards the criminals who were still setting up their formation. With how close the formation was to finishing the elven leader simply shouted for his subordinates to march towards the enemy in their current positions.


    ¡®Even with their superior equipment we have more than double their numbers, so what if I lose a good portion of my men. I can just find more stupid humans and dwarves that are just as willing to follow me after I get rid of the captain.¡¯ A large smile spread across his face as he imagined the deaths of so many humans and dwarves.


    But suddenly many of the guards in the back row started making movements that didn¡¯t make all that much sense. They were all reaching down towards their legs, at first nothing happened but suddenly they all threw little orange balls that were about the size of marbles.


    ¡®Are these to try and trip us? It might work since we are currently on a stone road, but it won¡¯t be that effect-¡¯


    His line of thought was cut off as the small orange balls exploded just as the first line of criminals got close, the fire and heat injuring several and the sound scaring the rest. ¡®What in the name of all that is sacred was that? I really hope they don¡¯t have any more of those orange exploding orbs. I can only hope I live to see humans die along with their evil magic.¡¯


    ¡°Remain calm and keep marching!¡± The elf shouted as he stabbed his spear into the ground and nocked an arrow with his bow, the other archers with him followed his lead.


    ¡°Ready, aim, fire!¡± The elf shouted and a small volley of arrows from him and his archers flew towards the elite unit of guards. The majority of the arrows simply clattered against the armor leaving no sign that they did any damage, aside from the arrow from the elf. That arrow managed to get right into the small eye slit of the helmet and injure a guard.


    Although that guard in question was in the back row so he simply fell back to deal with the arrow poking into his or her face.


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    ¡°Ready, aim, fire!¡±


    The elf had his archers again release a volley of arrows that did little damage to their opponents. By the time the second volley of arrows was fired the guards and the criminals were already close enough to engage in melee combat.


    The guards used the range that their halberds offered to stab at their opponents who for the most part had inferior range to them. The few bandits with spears found that they did not do any significant damage to their heavily armored opponents.


    But the criminals that stood on the flanks were not just there for no reason, since they were little to no armor they moved quite quick and were able to partly flank the elite guards swinging their weapons with all their might.


    The guards were not stupid, in fact they had some of the best training the kingdom had to offer and they had lots of experience in the field. In response to the amateurish manoeuvre several of the guards in the second line that were located off to the sides broke off from the main line and engaged.


    Of the many criminals that attempted to strike the guards down only those with blunt weapons such as clubs or maces were able to deal any damage due to the thick armor plating adored by each member of the elite guard. That resulted in the criminals wielding clubs and maces to be targeted first and many criminals attempting to run away.


    But they had to contend with the range that halberds provided, and since many only gave up after getting within range, most died while trying to escape.


    Things on the main line were not any better for the criminals, with several of the spear wielders killed and few willing to pick up the weapons of their fallen allies they were quickly cut down with the superior range provided by the halberds.


    With many of his subordinates falling and very few of his opponents falling, the elf leading the criminals decided to abandon his task of killing the captain and run. ¡°Retreat!¡± He shouted out to his men not because he cared, but because his archers who he had started training personally did and he did not want to lose them just yet. ¡®I¡¯ve invested far too much in them to just give them up because I look selfish in their eyes. Now if someone dies it¡¯s because they were too slow to escape from the guards.¡¯


    All the criminals that were outside of the reach of the halberds were able to get a good running start away, but those who did not were quick to fall to the unrelenting elite guards. Once they were done with the few that stood in their way they took more fire seeds from their pouches and began to throw them onto the path the escaping criminals were taking.


    The ensuing explosion killed more than half of the remaining criminals and scattered the rest into several directions. Most attempted to run deeper into the city while a small few tried to take refuge in some of the nearby buildings that they didn¡¯t burn beforehand.


    ¡°Follow as many as you can, and we need them alive to interrogate!¡± Captain Tasius shouted to his men as he led them behind several of the criminals who attempted to flee into a house as a group of ten.


    In their pursuit they passed by the wall where many of the guards stationed with ranged weapons were hiding to avoid being seen. But when they saw the captain leading his men against the criminals they knew it was time to strike.


    But Arthur and the last elite guard were racing towards them on horseback, when they were within distance they started shouting to get his attention and alert him of the danger. ¡°Captain! It''s a trap!¡±


    For a brief moment Captain Tasius stopped to look at who was shouting at him. The corporal on the top of the wall did not miss the opportunity and took aim and fired at the captain. The corporal was the very same one that was contacted by Borsan of the captain leading his men towards the southern gate.


    In fact it was not only the corporal that was involved in the attack, it was the entire group. For some time they had dealings with the criminals underworld and would accept money or other valuables in exchange for looking the other way when something was being smuggled through the southern gate. So when they got an offer to take part in an assassination of their current Captain who was putting a damper on their business.


    The crossbow bolt struck Captain Tasius in the left shoulder causing him to fall to the ground. As the rest of the elite guard saw their captain take a crossbow bolt and fall they too were fired upon by the rest of the group. While most of the shots fired did not hit those that did pack a serious punch due to the power that a crossbow has, they were even able to punch right through their metal armor and land serious hits that could kill them.


    Thankfully not all the traitorous guards were armed with crossbows, only about half were while the rest were armed with standard issued longbows. This resulted in only about half the projectiles being very dangerous but also limited the fire rate of half their opponents.


    Although the elite guards were taken off guard they were not stupid, two were quick to help the captain up and behind cover while the rest distracted the traitorous guards by throwing some fire seeds at them atop their wall.


    Once the captain was up and being taken to cover the rest of the elite guards quickly followed and took any cover they could find while they attempted to think up a solution to their current dilemma.


    Since they were expecting not to encounter any particularly dangerous enemies they did not bring any shields or ranged weapons aside from their fire seeds, but even those would run out soon as they were each only issued five for their mission.

 Chapter 59

    Arthur quickly dismounted the horse and ran towards the house Captain Tasius was hiding within. He ducked and weaved through destroyed fruit stands and the like until he climbed through a side window and into the building.


    The elite guards inside were on high alert and nearly skewered him with their halberds. ¡°Stand down. This man is a friend.¡± Captain Tasius placed his hand on the weapons encouraging them to lower their tips pointed straight at Arthur¡¯s face.


    ¡°Are you alright captain?¡± Arthur looked at the crossbow bolt sticking out from his shoulder, for now the bleeding had stopped with some bandages tightly wrapped around but once it needed to be removed there could be complications.


    ¡°For now I will be fine. I did take notice of you racing towards me on horseback shouting something. What exactly did you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you the whole attack was a trap to lure as many of the city''s guards to one location to be killed all at once. But it looks like you were the primary target of the attack.¡±


    ¡°Yes it does appear that this was all staged to get me out of the picture. But even if they did do that the next captain to replace me would have quickly brought order to the city, all criminal organizations that were involved in the attack would end up purged and the attention of the guard would be fully directed to the bandits once again. So I cannot say I understand their plan, as everything will eventually fall apart.¡±


    ¡°Sir, have you considered the possibility that an outside force is behind this attack?¡± The elite guard who held up the captain¡¯s right arm asked.


    ¡°I have, but I cannot think of any group that would have the resources or desire to pull such an attack off.¡±


    ¡°What about the bandits? We have been absolutely wailing down on them so perhaps they are trying to keep us preoccupied.¡± Another elite guard spoke up while peeking out the windows at their assailants.


    ¡°That is certainly a possibility, but it would have taken a considerable amount of time to negotiate a deal between all the major groups, let alone the smaller ones. The only way they could have enough time to set this all up is if they ignored the smaller groups entirely.¡±


    ¡°While all this speculation is interesting, I think we should focus on the more important matter of how we are going to deal with the traitors on top of the wall raining down with crossbows.¡± Arthur interrupted the captain and his guards.


    ¡°Yes that is a good point, I actually have a proposal for how to deal with it.¡± Captain Tasius directed his men to set him down on a rickety old chair as he spoke.


    ¡°Great, what is it? Arthur smiled, now knowing there was a way out of this mess.


    ¡°We have two choices right now. First we can wait here for reinforcements that are equipped with either bows or crossbows to deal with the traitors.¡± The room went quiet at the idea of more waiting while the enemy could simply run away if they so wished.


    ¡°Our second option is to send someone up there to deal with the situation with a bit of help from a bag of fire seeds and support from inside the walls.¡± Captain Tasius smiled and turned to Arthur as he spoke.


    ¡°You want me to just walk up there with just a handful of fire seeds?¡± Arthur looked at the captain as if he grew a second head like a hydra.


    ¡°You will have support from inside the tower, I can send a few men to infiltrate from one of the sides and flank them from behind when you have them distracted.¡±


    ¡°That''s nice and all, but what about all those crossbows all pointed towards me. I don¡¯t have my armor with me and even then it took little effort to bypass yours.¡± Arthur pointed to Captain Tasius¡¯s wound to further emphasize his point.


    ¡°I know, I know. But you have something neither we or they have, magic. All you need to do is conjure a thick enough shield of earth and hunker down while you roll a few fire seeds out from under small little holes in the bottom and wait for reinforcements. The guards atop those walls are dedicated to archery and the crossbow rather than the sword or spear, that leaves them at a disadvantage even if they have superior numbers.¡±


    Arthur paused for a moment thinking over the risks and possibilities. ¡°One last question. How long will it take you to run all the way through the battlements to their position?¡±


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    ***********


    The corporal looked over the battlements upon when the elite guards were now scattered and hiding behind cover, anyone else in his position would be boasting and quite happy with how things turned out, but not him.


    ¡®Dam it! I was aiming for his head! Now they''ve managed to get away and hide in that building. If we attempt to go down there we won''t survive the guards and their fire seeds, but if we wait reinforcements will arrive and butcher us like livestock.¡¯


    The corporal could feel the possibility of success slowly draining away from him with every second that passed. Every second that the captain lives for is a second closer to their treachery being discovered by the crown and their subsequent execution.


    ¡®Should we just make a run for it now? If we do, we should be able to get out of the city, but the Rusted Daggers won''t like that and will probably try to hunt us down. Even if they don¡¯t care about our failure, our equipment might be tempting enough for them.¡¯


    Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw at least five guards grouped up and running to the west, and clearly he wasn¡¯t the only one as his second in command turned to him and asked ¡°Corporal, should we open fire on them?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Open fire! Don¡¯t let them escape or they will return with reinforcements!¡± The corporal shouted at his men while he readied his own crossbow.


    The path that the elite guards took was specifically chosen to bring enough attention to the traitorous guards atop their wall while withholding any good opportunities for a clear shot. They ducked and weaved through anything in their path resulting in practically all arrows and bolts missing their marks and instead hitting nearby walls and other obstacles.


    With all their eyes on the five guards on the run they did not pay any attention to anything else that was happening in the area, a mistake they soon would regret.


    ¡°Shit!¡± The corporal shouted as the five guards quickly left the range of both bows and crossbows. ¡®Soon they will be returning with reinforcements, and we will be in deep trouble.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone! Collect all your valuables, we are getting out of here before things get any worse!¡± The corporal shouted to his men.


    ¡°But what about killing the Captain? Won''t the Rusted Daggers be angry at us if we fail?¡± The corporal¡¯s second in command spoke up after a short moment of silence.


    ¡°We can outrun them, once we are far enough away they will stop following us. The kingdom on the other hand will not stop unless we get far far away.¡±


    All the newer members along with a handful of the more experienced members of the group were assigned with collecting all the things they would need to make it out of the capital and its surrounding regions. From there on they would trade, hurt or steal to get what they needed until they got far enough.


    The rest of the group kept their bows and crossbows trained over the wall watching for anyone trying something. For a good fifteen minutes everything progressed as normal, a good portion of all the equipment and food they would need was packed up and no one had moved since the first group of five.


    But suddenly they saw someone stepped out into the open, it was a human man wearing a brown overcoat over some clothes that appeared to be of above average quality, he presented himself in a way that gave the look of an alchemist. But the man did not stay standing for long, soon with his skill in geomancy he conjured a thick earth barrier with both his hands and began to quickly walk towards the wall.


    ¡°Open fire!¡± The corporal shouted at his men and they fired everything they could at the small earth barrier, but nothing appeared to work. When the human got close enough to the wall he used geomancy to create a set of stairs that allowed him to easily walk up to their height.


    In response to their enemy getting closer some of the traitorous guards tried to find other angle to attack from where the human mage might not have covered himself, but they found that the barrier easily covered all the possible angles they could get to leaving him invulnerable.


    But despite what the traitorous guards were thinking Arthur was not quite as invulnerable as they thought. The massive barrier he created required a large amount of mana to create and even more to maintain it. And just because the normal arrows were just bouncing off did not mean the crossbow bolts did nothing, in fact there were several sticking out from the wall leaving small almost invisible cracks that with several more well placed shots could cause the whole barrier to fall apart.


    With a small leap Arthur managed to get atop the wall and confront the traitor guards without their height advantage. Although he could see them he could still hear them which helped him decide where to place the small holes to roll out a few fire seeds.


    With a loud crash the earth barrier slammed into the stone brick floor and became a small fortress that Arthur could easily attack from without being harmed. And upon being placed on the ground the mana consumption dramatically dropped as he was no longer forcing the earth to levitate.


    The corporal had several beads of sweat dripping down his face, a mage had just arrived on his doorstep and he was practically invincible without any magic weapons. Heck even a few alchemical devices would be helpful in such a situation.


    ¡®Note to self, next time buy some alchemical items to help fight against mages.¡¯


    The corporal raised his crossbow again and fired a desperate attack, by the time the bolt hit the barrier he was halfway through loading another. He continuously fired bolt after bolt in a mix of fury and fear and only after he used up half of his ammunition did he notice that there were large cracks on the places where several bolts hit.


    Hope returned to the corporal as he smiled a wicked smile, he had a way out of the impossible situation, even without alchemical items.

 Chapter 60

    While this was happening Arthur started creating small little holes along the bottom of his barrier to roll out the fire seeds in his possession. The only two problems he faced were where to place the holes and by extension where to roll them out to deal the maximum damage. He was only given five fire seeds after all.


    To determine where the largest groups of enemies were Arthur closed his eyes and listened to the shouting on the other side to gauge where they were. The corporal¡¯s shouting made it quite easy to locate him.


    ¡®I know where their leader is, now do I attack immediately or wait and use all the fire seeds at once.¡¯ As if the universe was responding to his question personally, one of the cracks gave way to a small hole from the bombardment of bolts and arrows and awoke him from his thoughts.


    ¡®Shit! I need to fix that before it becomes a larger issue.¡¯  But Arthur wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed the small hole.


    ¡°We have an opening! Keep firing!¡± The corporal shouted at the very top of his lungs as every single one of his subordinates aimed towards the small hole. Arrow after arrow, bolt after bolt, they kept firing while Arthur attempted to mend the damage before he was hurt.


    For what felt like an eternity Arthur held the barrier and kept it from breaking at a large amount of his mana, he was left with only about a third of what he had to start with.


    /- - - - - -\


    Mana : 11/36


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®That isn¡¯t good.¡¯ While Arthur managed to keep from being harmed he only managed to close the hole by a little, and that said nothing about the other cracks that were spreading all across the barrier with high amounts of crossbow bolts. His situation was looking dire but thankfully he bought enough time for his allies to reach their target.


    The five elite guards wielding halberds bursted out from the door behind the traitorous guards who had kept their back towards not thinking anyone would attempt to attack from such an easy choke point. They only needed to keep a handful of their bows or crossbows to keep them from entering, but with Arthur as a distraction they managed to pass without any resistance.


    While at first none of the traitorous guards noticed them at first the sounds of bodies hitting the floor alerted most of them to what was happening, the first one to notice being the corporal himself.


    ¡®No! No! No! Not now! I was so close!¡¯ He stepped back watching his subordinates closest to him fall to the might of their halberds with little resistance. The corporal looked around the wall for any way to escape.


    By the time that several of the traitors were killed all those remaining had noticed the five elite guards cutting down their allies and turned to face the more immediate threat. They just need to keep their distance and follow their corporal¡¯s orders, then they will come out on top like before. Right?


    ¡®Right?¡¯ The corporal¡¯s second in command thought to himself as he looked around for the corporal, only to see his horrified face and to watch him run and jump off the side of the wall outside the city.


    ¡®But how are we supposed to win if you leave us?¡¯ He watched his leader and mentor leave him men behind and simply jump ship. ¡®Why? Because we are too weak? Because we aren''t winning?¡¯


    He did not have the answer, and he never would as soon after he turned to face the oncoming guards he felt his face sear with pain as one of them swung their halberd and struck his face with the axe blade almost killing him on the spot.


    *********


    Arthur could hear the sounds of battle from outside his barrier and noticed that all the attacks against him had stopped, giving him an opportunity to fully repair it and open a small peep hole to watch what was happening.


    He saw the five elite guards attacking the remaining traitors in an impressive display of teamwork and tactics. Each and every attack served a purpose even if it didn''t deal any damage by opening up their opponents to further attacks.


    To help his allies Arthur took control of some of the outer bits of his earthen barrier and slowly turned them into spikes about the same size as crossbow bolts. He then used them to attack the traitors from behind and both surprising and hurting them.


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    But not all of the traitors stayed to fight, some upon seeing their leader flee decided to follow him as the fight would unquestionably lead to their defeat and even if they weren''t killed in battle they would still be executed later for treason after being interrogated in the dungeon.


    In total about ten or so aside from the corporal fled the battle by leaping over the walls, but even then they weren''t safe. The fall itself over the wall was enough to hurt their feet and make them feel numb, but once the remaining traitors are killed or captured the guards would most certainly open fire with their own crossbows.


    So they gritted their teeth through the pain and ran like a demon was on their heels, because if they stopped even for a second their chance of death jumped up considerably.


    Soon the traitors were all killed or captured leaving both Arthur and the five elite guards without any major injuries. After securing the few they decided to take prisoner they walked up to the edge facing the inside of Antium. ¡°The traitors have been defeated!¡±


    The elite guard that was given command of the mission shouted as he raised his hand above his head in a fist. All the elite guards that were hiding behind cover until now entered into the open and followed him by also raising their fist. Even the captain who was slowly helped out of the building raised his good arm.


    After a moment of this strange salute the captain spoke up and began giving out orders to his men. ¡°That''s enough for now! We have an important mission to do! All of you will spread out in groups of at least five to seek out any remaining criminals or civilians! Send the civilians to the southern gate if they can walk, if not help them! And if possible take some of the criminals prisoner, we will need as many as we can have to uncover the goal of this attack and find who orchestrated it!¡±


    **********


    While Captain Tasius was speaking to his troops Arthru walked over to the edge of the wall on the outside of the city. He could still see a few of the traitors running over the fields trampling over anything growing so that they could escape.


    ¡®They are running directly towards the Pelcester Forest, that''s a bit odd. Why would they run there? There are several different ways away from the city, and without a fire and some decent shelter they won''t be doing so well in the forest. The only benefit for them is that if they know what plants are edible they will have something to eat, but they don¡¯t strike me as the type to study plants.¡¯


    *********


    The aftermath of the attack on the southern district was disastrous, many people lost their lives in the ensuing chaos and a large amount of the buildings located were burnt to the ground. The only thing that stopped the damage from spreading was the timely intervention of the guards from the other districts and several powerful mages from the mages guild.


    Captain Tasius used the opportunity along with the other captains to eradicate the criminal underworld from their respective districts leading to answers to who orchestrated the attack. A group of bandits called the Rusted Daggers, the very same bandit group that has been hiding within the area under Captain Tasius'' command.


    After a lengthy interrogation with the warden in the southern districts dungeon each of the captured criminals confessed and told everything they knew. They spoke of the representatives from the Rusted Daggers, what they looked like, and even their names, but nothing about where they were located. They were careful enough to pick an abandoned building for each of their meets with no trace to anyone.


    ¡°It appears we are at an impasse lieutenant.¡± Captain Tasius said while looking over all the reports on his desk.


    ¡°Do we have no choice?¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield asked. The investigation had been ongoing for another two weeks by this point with no new developments on the location of the Rusted Daggers.


    ¡°I think so. We need the help of the crown to deal with this. I have neither the knowledge or experience to handle this threat on my own, even the help of Arthur only helped alleviate the problem temporarily.¡±


    Captain Tasius turned away from the papers on his desk and reached for his communication orb and called the secretary to the king himself.


    ¡°Good day to you Captain. Is there anything you require of me?¡± The voice of the king''s secretary filled the room with anticipation as the captain prepared to inform him of his assessment of the situation.


    ¡°Unfortunately I only come with bad news, I do not believe I on my own will be able to handle the threat of the Rusted Daggers bandit gang, and I am requesting the aid of the crown and whoever they deem necessary to combat said threat.¡±


    **********


    Two hours later the council of the Rathen Kingdom had fully assembled to discuss the situation of the Rusted Daggers and amongst other things relating to the kingdom.


    ¡°The Rusted Daggers have shown themselves to be a great threat to the people of the kingdom! We must send Captain Tasius aid in his mission!¡±


    ¡°Clearly giving the captain such a position and rank was a mistake, perhaps we should assign someone else with more experience to combat the situation!¡±


    ¡°This all could have been avoided if we had simply enacted my simple plans to keep the roads of the kingdom safe! With several sets of checkpoints and patrols we could have mitigated the threat to something far more manageable!¡±


    The people of the council shouted amongst themselves about what should or should not be done, the mage and priest representatives on the other hand looked as if they were about to slap themselves out of pure embarrassment.


    If it was such a problem why had neither of them simply been contacted to help the investigation along. There was no shortage of spells of either divine or arcane origin that could help with extracting information from prisoners or looking through their memories.

 Chapter 61

    Even since the decline of powerful gods the amount of priests also dropped along with the power they wielded. With this decline in divine magic, mages wielders of arcane magic began to become more and more common. With more and more mages discovering their gifts in magic and sharing what they learned the faster and faster arcane magic as a whole developed.


    Such a change in the landscape of magic has caused rifts between the mages and priests that on rare occasions caused fights and even a handful of wars in the past. As a result they didn¡¯t exactly get along very well excluding the priests of Xardas. Xardas being a god that in his mortal life was a human mage, perhaps the most powerful in all of recorded history.


    Seeing both the mages and priests agreeing that if either of them had been contacted they could have helped with the situation was most shocking. Normally they couldn¡¯t stand each other, but now here they were scolding the entire council for their arrogance and their foolish pride.


    ¡°Are you people all fools!? We could have easily avoided this!¡±


    ¡°We do actually care about the world we live in! We do more than simply study magic in large towers!¡±


    Most of the members of the council went quiet as they were scolded, but a small handful felt they didn¡¯t deserve such harsh reprimands and attempted to speak up only to find no sound came from their mouths. They frantically tried to shout and alert everyone of their predicament when they noticed a handful of the mages were holding small spheres of light green light and the air around them was tinted the same light green.


    ¡®What are they doing to us!?¡¯


    ¡®Is this some sort of evil spell they all just casted on us!?¡¯


    ¡®Did they seriously just cast a silencing spell on us to keep us from talking?¡¯


    The targets of the silencing spell were quite flustered by the show of magical prowess, it was so sudden and unexpected that even a few of the priests laughed at their misfortune.


    ¡°As I am sure you all can see, we are more than capable in the art of magic. Now I would like to know why we were not contacted about such a problem.¡± The lead representative of the mages looked to the flustered governing body as the silencing spall was slowly dispelled.


    ¡°We haven''t had any need of magic in the everyday workings of the city, and besides you lot all charge a lot for your services. We aren¡¯t trying to bankrupt the kingdom.¡± An elderly man seated amongst the nobility was the first to speak up. Unlike his peers he did not look quite as intimidated by the display of magic.


    ¡°That is what negotiation and cutting deals are for. If you had approached us we could have worked out an agreement and lowered the prices accordingly, instead you chose to try and tough it out.¡± The mage representative slowly began to dismantle the flimsy last ditch effort to argue.


    ¡°And even if hiring mages wasn¡¯t an issue why hadn''t you reached out to any of the churches. We would have been quite happy to assist in any way we could have.¡± Brother Ballio, the representative of the Circle of Fire, looked to his fellow priests of different gods and they all nodded with him, even Claudius the priest of Xardas who wasn¡¯t exactly on good terms with Brother Ballio.


    The room went quest as the entire room waited for a response from the nobility who for the longest time had directly opposed the intervention of mages and priests in the justice and law systems. But they heard nothing as they all just hung their heads in silence.


    ¡°Then I believe that settles the matter. We shall begin incorporating mages and priests into both the justice system and our investigations, starting with the matter involving the Rusted Daggers.¡± King Gaius announced atop his throne. ¡°But I must ask, how do you plan to assist the investigation?¡±


    ¡°We will have some of our mages skilled in tracking with the use of magic to determine where that group of traitorous guards that escaped ended up. With luck we might find that they joined up with their employers.¡± the mage representative spoke.


    ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°We will be interrogating the prisoners with the use of truth detection magic. If they lie about anything we will know.¡± Brother Ballio explained. ¡°With the power granted to us by Solarius we can know if someone is lying to us.¡±


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    ¡°Good. Does anyone have anything to say regarding this decision?¡± King Gaius turned and looked around the room, keeping his eyes on the nobles for a bit longer than everyone else.


    ¡°No one? Very well then.¡±


    ***********


    After the council meeting most of those who attended left as there was nothing left for them to discuss. The only ones who remained were the priests, the mages, and the king and queen.


    ¡°Now what was it that you wished to discuss?¡± King Gaius wondered what exactly they wanted, it wasn¡¯t often that they called meetings with him.


    ¡°It is about the young mage known as Arthur of Dom Badaher. The very same young man who assisted in rooting out the vampire nest in the old Bellwin manor.¡± Claudius stood and addressed the king.


    ¡°If I recall correctly Dom Badaher was an old dwarven city we recently retook, how could this young man be from there?¡±


    ¡°According to the report he was already inside when the expedition got there, he was the one to actually open the front doors allowing them to easily enter and preserve the defenses.¡±


    ¡°That is quite odd, but I will allow you to continue.¡±


    ¡°He also took part in the defense of the southern district just two weeks ago. If I am correct he hasn''t been rewarded for his efforts yet.¡±


    ¡°That is correct Claudius, but I haven''t been the one to take care of distributing rewards to our citizens. Do you have something in mind to reward him with?¡±


    ¡°I do, but I also have something for you to consider. Since I have been looking into him he has become an apprentice to one of the local alchemists, and recently he enrolled into the first tier spells course.¡±


    ¡°The Fundamentals of First Tier Magic.¡± The representative of the mages and the current Archmage of the guild Philto corrected Claudius who gave him a look of annoyance.


    ¡°Regardless, you may want to consider giving him something to use in his studies or his alchemy, and for something specific to reward him with, why not a nice mage staff.¡±


    ¡°A mage staff? Don¡¯t you think he is a little young for a mage staff. He hasn''t even learned how to properly use first tier spells yet.¡± Archmage Philto stood out of shock upon hearing the recommendation.


    ¡°But he is taking the class to learn how to do so. So that will not be the case for much longer.¡±


    King Gaius watched as the priest and the archmage argued back and forth while he pondered the request. ¡®He knows something. This Arthur of Dom Badaher isn¡¯t just a genius like he appears to be, and only Claudius appears to know who or what he is.¡¯


    ¡°I will consider your request and input Claudius, but for now if we have any other matters we need to discuss we should get to them. I am sure you all have things you need to be getting too soon.¡±


    **********


    Arthur stood at the end of a long range not unlike an archery range, the major difference everyone there was using magic as opposed to bows or crossbows. The class of fifteen students each had their own target and a small piece of paper detailing a simple tier one spell for them to cast.


    Arthur decided that he needed to take a short break and sat down on the cold stone floor and looked over at some of the other students. He watched as the few talented tried to cast the spell, they followed the hand signs and spoke the magic words but at most they got a single dart of fire as opposed to the several bolts that the spell was meant to have.


    After a moment to regain some of his stamina Arthur stood up again and took the paper in his hands and looked it over again. ¡®I am almost there, I can feel the magic moving through me every time I go to cast the spell. I just need to find that final piece.¡¯


    Arthur followed along with the student closest to him, following the hand signs and words, ingraining them into his mind and body. For almost two weeks now the entire class had been attempting to cast the tier one spell Tri Fire Bolts. Their teacher Novia, had given them several demonstrations beforehand before taking them to the range to try for themselves.


    Arthur continued with his movements for a few minutes until he felt confident in properly casting the spell. Taking his right hand he closed only his ring finger and pinky and extended his index finger, middle finger, and his thumb before making a small circle with his hand. As he performed this hand sign he spoke the words ¡°Fulmina ignis.¡±


    Arthur felt the flow of his mana and gave no resistance and allowed it to flow through him and conjured three small bolts made up of fire. There were three bolts in total, one above his head, and the others above each of his shoulders. The fire bolts also followed where he was looking and would point to wherever he looked. Taking a look at the target ten meters away from him he mentally commanded the small bolts to fly towards it, and in a matter of seconds the bolts hit the target creating small little fires behind that flickered with little strength.


    Many of the other students stopped in their tracks upon seeing someone successfully cast the spell so soon, even the teacher took notice and quickly told everyone to return to practice. ¡°Well I am very impressed Arthur. You have a natural talent for magic.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Mrs. Novia. If not for you teaching me I likely wouldn¡¯t be capable of casting tier one spells.¡±


    ¡°Oh there is no need to be modest, you are a very fast learner. You might even be the fastest ever, but we don¡¯t keep records of that for obvious reasons. While you did cast the spell successfully there are still a few kinks you need to work out, so continue practicing and remember, hard work beats talent and hard work with talent beats just hard work.¡±


    Novia returned to walking around the room while giving pointers to the students that were struggling the most, and Arthur turned back to the target and continued to practice Tri Fire Bolts.

 Chapter 62

    ¡°Gelida fulmina.¡± Arthur spoke while three bolts made up of ice formed in the same formation as Tri Fire Bolts. With a simple flick of his hand the three bolts flew towards the target ten meters away and struck with excellent force, not unlike that of a real crossbow. Upon contact the bolts left behind a small layer of frost covering about a centimeter round where they each impacted.


    Another two weeks had passed since Arthur had successfully cast Tri Fire Bolts, and now he had moved on to the variants of the other tree evocations. The week prior he had learned Tri Earth Bolts and now he was learning Tri Frost Bolts. One other important detail of casting the spell Tri Frost Bolts was knowing how to conjure ice, a small step up from just conjuring water.


    Learning how to conjure ice did take up a fair bit of time as he needed to go to the library and look up a few books that detailed how other mages in the past had done it. He would have learned even faster had he been allowed to take the books with him, but unfortunately that was reserved for mages with the rank of evoker and above.


    ¡°Gelida fulmina, Gelida fulmina, Gelida fulmina.¡± Arthur rapidly repeated the spell several times until he felt weak in the legs and forced himself to take a moment to sit and rest.


    /- - - - - -\


    Mana : 11/36


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®Dam, that takes up a lot of mana for each cast. But it is a lot faster and more powerful than manually manipulating every piece of the spell.¡¯


    Arthur took a book from his dimensional bag and opened to the earliest blank page and using a bit of hydromancy controlled the ink to write. He had gotten into the habit of writing down all his findings and experiences after practicing for some time. Taking the time to write things down had helped him quite a bit by forcing him to actually think about what he had learned and see things from other angles he might not have initially noticed.


    ***********


    After class Arthur went straight to the Elder Nymph to continue his apprenticeship with Master Calvus and finally learn about magical alchemy.


    Arthur entered through the front door and noticed Aurelio speaking with a customer just off to the side. He gave his fellow apprentice a wave and went upstairs to speak to Master Calvus. Arthur found him hunched over his work station working on something.


    Upon hearing his footsteps Master Calvus turned and saw Arthur walking up to him and smiled. ¡°There you are Arthur. How was class?¡±


    ¡°It went quite well, I already know how to cast three different tier one spells.¡±


    ¡°That is wonderful. Can you show me?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, but we should probably go outside so I don''t accidently burn anything.¡±


    The master and apprentice walked outside and to a small range behind the building in a small unkempt yard. Arthur stepped forward and upon standing ten meters from the target he chanted ¡°fulmina terrae.¡±


    Three bolts conjured from earth appeared in the same formation as the other two spells he knew, and with a flick of his wrist he gave them a mental command to strike the nearest target and they followed.


    They struck the target with the same amount of force as a real crossbow would and Master Calvus clapped upon the impressive display of his apprentice. ¡°Excellent work Arthur. You have only been a mage for what, three months now? And you already have learned how to properly cast tier one spells.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that impressive? Most of the other students look to be about my age and they can do the same.¡± Arthur took notice of the other students, with the exception of three they were all in their early twenties like he was. Or they at least looked like they were, he did not know if elves or dwarves aged differently than humans.¡±


    ¡°Very much so. You see those other students have likely been practicing magic for quite some time now, a half year at the minimum. But you have been practicing magic for half that time, that is a wonderful achievement.¡±


    ¡°So do you think I am ready to learn magical alchemy?¡± Arthur asked, the anticipation growing now that he had Master Clavus¡¯s approval.


    ¡°I think you are ready to learn some of the more¡­ basic applications. Then I will watch your progress and award you with more as you improve.¡±


    Arthur followed Master Clavus back into the store and up to Arthur¡¯s workstation where Master Clavus had him wait for him to collect some ingredients and recipes that would be required. Soon he returned with a box full of ingredients and a piece of paper that Arthur presumed was the recipe.


    Upon placing the box and paper on the table Master Clavus turned to face Arthur before he spoke. ¡°Now I need you to listen closely to what I say as anything done incorrectly might end up in disaster at your level. The biggest difference between regular alchemy and magical alchemy is that magical alchemy requires special variants of spells to be imbued within the product, in  this way it is very similar to enchanting.¡±


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    Master Clavus took the piece of paper and handed it to Arthur, the paper was a detailed recipe with four spells that would be used to create some of the phantom ink he saw on the utility shelves on the store floor.


    Each of the three types required its own unique spell but the same ingredient as the rest.


    ¡°Now I will show you how to create a simple but useful item, phantom ink. Phantom ink is used to hide secret messages that can only be revealed under certain light sources. Each vial will go for about five or six copper pieces each, but that doesn¡¯t mean that it is easy to create.¡±


    Master Clavus gave a small chuckle at the surprise on Arthur¡¯s face before he continued.


    ¡°First you will require some basic ink.¡± Master Clavus took a vial of ink from the box. ¡°Next you will need a glow bulb for every 5 milliliters.¡± Master Clavus plucked a small bulb from a vine in the box that reminded Arthur of grapes. ¡°And finally you will require the light source that you wish the ink to react to. In this case it will be fire.¡±


    Master Clavus reached into his bag and pulled out a candle and lit it with his pyromancy skill. The small flame danced on its little stem as Master Clavus mashed up the glow bulbs and mixed in the ink. Once the ink and mashed bulbs were thoroughly mixed he used Arthur¡¯s alembic to distil the mixture. Once that was done and in a small dish with a small spout Master Clavus placed the candle next to the bowl and began to cast the spell.


    It took him a whole minute to cast the spell, Arthur tried to keep up with all the hand signs and magic words but it was a bit overwhelming for him as he didn¡¯t actually know what they meant.


    With a tiny flash the ink went almost invisible in its small dish and Master Clavus held the candle up close, the ink instantly became easily visible and had a dim glow allowing it to be easily seen. Master Clavus then poured the rest of the ink into a five milliliter vial and placed a cork to keep the ink from spilling.


    Arthur who just watched the process was blown away by how incredible it was. ¡®Holy crap, that was incredible. Real magic alchemy. I can only Imagine what I will learn next, it might even be powerful healing potions.¡¯


    ¡°You can keep the box and the ingredients inside, consider it a gift for your progress. They should last you for quite some time.¡±


    ***********


    Arthur did not hesitate to begin creating phantom ink. He started with a single vial of five milliliters of ink and one glow bulb that he mashed together in the mortar and pestle. Once they were nice and mixed he placed the mixture into the alembic to begin distilling it into another small dish with a spout.


    ¡®Now what type of phantom ink should I make.¡¯ Arthur held the recipe in his hands and looked over the three different options. Since it was still day out he could easily create the sun light variant, with pyromancy he could easily create the fire light variant by conjuring some fire or light a candle.


    The only two types out of his reach for now were the moon light variant because it was still daytime, and the magic light variant because he didn¡¯t know how to create magical light. Magical light wasn¡¯t the same as pyromancy as it still behaved like regular fire needing fuel and air to burn and create light.


    ¡®I wonder what magical light falls under. It would have to be either illusion or alteration based on what I know about them.¡¯


    Seeing as the fire light variant would likely be more useful than the sun light variant Arthur elected to create a vial of it. Following the spell written on the recipe he chanted and performed the hand signs for a whole minute. As he performed the spell he felt his mana slowly building up in between his hands into a small invisible spherical shape.


    Upon finishing the spell the small sphere flew towards the ink at Arthur¡¯s will and created a tiny flash before the ink went almost invisible. Arthur let out a laugh of joy as he succeeded on his first attempt and conjured a small flame in the palm of his hand that he then placed next to the almost invisible ink.


    The ink reappeared and glowed slightly dimmer than the five milliliters Master Clavus made, but it was a good outcome for a first attempt.


    But he did not stop there, for a good two hours he continued creating more and more phantom ink of the fire light variant until he ran out of mana and needed to stop. For the rest of the day he chose to simply brew more non magical potions while he thought about all the things he had learned in the past two weeks.


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 12


    Exp : 10000


    Next Level at : 11400


    Mana : 36/36


    Class : The All Knowing


    Class Bonuses :


    Advanced Learning


    Photographic memory


    Jack of All Trades


    Attributes :


    Strength 25


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 30


    Intellect 30


    Perception 20


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 25


    Faith 10 (Locked)


    Devotion 10 (Locked)


    Available points : 0


    Skills :


    Block Level 10


    Long Blades Level 12


    Polearms Level 12


    Unarmed Level 23


    Wrestling Level 20


    Heavy Armour Level 11


    Throwing Level 0


    Mana Manipulation Level 22


    Hydromancy Level 15


    Geomancy Level 17


    Pyromancy Level 13


    Aeromancy Level 10


    Alchemy Level 5


    Tactics - Level 5


    Leadership Level 5


    Sneaking Level 5


    Assassination Level 0


    Running Level 7


    Scavenging Level 0


    Foraging Level 5


    Cooking Level 6


    \- - - - - -/

 Chapter 63

    Days and then even weeks passed with no progress on the investigation regarding the Rusted Daggers bandit gang. While the mages combed the forest and surrounding countryside for any sign of their base of operations the priests of Solarius using the divine power granted to them interrogated those who had been taken prisoner by asking questions and determining if they were lying or not.


    Unfortunately most of the bandits and criminals that were captured were low in rank, resulting in them not knowing much or even anything of value. The only useful piece of information that was uncovered was that the Rusted Daggers were still recruiting. The recruiters would find and approach small bandit gangs that already exist and offer them an invitation to join.


    From there they would receive information about passing caravans and other travelers as well as some of the most basic provisions and equipment that amounted to roughly one ten per member and some old weapons that could not be sold for anything worth the hassle.


    But the groups did not have any line of contact with the main groups of the Rusted Daggers, they would only receive information and in return they would take a portion and buy the rest for better provisions and equipment.


    **********


    ¡°Thank you brother, you may return to your duties.¡± Captain Tasius said while he looked over a report of the finding given by a novice priest of Solarius. The novice gave a small bow and left the room.


    With a loud sigh Captain Tasius turned to his lieutenant. ¡°This is by far the worst case I have ever dealt with. Even with all this help we have no solid leads on the Rusted Daggers. While the priest found something interesting it likely won¡¯t help us, and the mages haven''t found anything in the forest or the countryside.¡±


    ¡°It has only been a week since we have received their help sir, perhaps we simply need to wait just a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it feels like the whole world is going mad and there is nothing that can be done to stop it.¡± Suddenly just as the captain finished talking a knock was heard at the door of his office.


    Knock knock knock. Three loud knocks filled the room. Captain Tasius knew exactly how his secretary knocked so he knew it wasn¡¯t her. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Kavok. One of your recruiters gave me this card to show to your secretary, and she brought me here.¡± A deep and rough yet young voice came from the other side of the door. Captain Tasius gestured at his lieutenant to open the door.


    Upon opening the door a human man wearing a dark cloak and a bow slung over his shoulder. While Captain Tasius could not clearly see the man''s face he instinctively knew he was looking right at him, and it gave him a slight uneasy feeling.


    ¡°What can I do for you Mr. Kavok?¡± Was what the captain said instead of any of the other questions he had about the man''s identity or strange appearance.


    ¡°I was given this card by one of your men.¡± Kavok handed Captain Tasius the card he was given around a month ago. ¡°He said you had employment opportunities for people with a skill set like mine.¡±


    Captain Tasius paused for a second and turned to his lieutenant, he had ordered him to organize some of the loyal and high ranking members of the district''s guard to keep an eye out for skilled individuals who could be of use as either mercenaries or recruits. But he had since forgotten about it with the lack of results for quite some time.


    ¡°That is true, I am looking for highly skilled individuals who are interested in helping with an ongoing situation. But I must ask, are you here as a mercenary or a recruit?¡±


    ¡°Mercenary. I don¡¯t have any plans to stay in this city for longer than a year, two years at most.¡±


    ¡°That is fine. I do have a job that might be within your expertise, I just need to know how good you are at tracking.¡±


    ¡°I''m a ranger, tracking is one of my specialties. What do you need me to track?¡±


    ¡°Do you recall the attack on the city just two weeks ago? It was orchestrated by a bandit group that calls themselves the Rusted Daggers. They have been a menace on this land and its people, and I was hoping that you could help us.¡±


    ¡°I will see what I can do, but I need a bit more specific directions than that.¡± By this time in the conversation Kavok had taken a seat in the chair opposite of Captain Tasius.


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    ¡°We suspect that they are hiding within the Pelcester Forest, but aren''t certain of it just yet.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine for me, we just need to discuss my payment and I can begin as soon as possible.¡±


    ************


    Arthur stood ten meters away from the simple targets behind the Elder Nymph with several small objects in his left hand. Taking one that was no larger than a marble he threw it towards the target and with an explosion the target was covered in flames and Arthur jumped from excitement.


    ¡®Yes! Finally! I managed to create a working batch of fire seeds!¡¯ Arthur felt quite tempted to shout out of pure joy at his creation working but he stopped himself to respect the neighbors.


    ¡®Master Calvus will be happy to hear of my success.¡¯ Arthur immediately made his way back to the shop and up the stairs to Master Calvus¡¯s workstation.


    ¡°Master Calvus! I did it! I made a working batch of fire seeds!¡± Arthur beamed at telling his teacher and mentor.


    ¡°That''s wonderful Arthur! It took me almost twice as long as you to create my first working batch. You really are a talented alchemist.¡± Master Calvus said while he attempted to subtly hide a handful of papers, which he failed to do.


    ¡°Is that the next recipe for me to try out?¡± Arthur asked while reaching towards the papers.


    ¡°Oh no no no! This is just a personal project of mine. Nothing for you to worry about.¡± Master Calvus hastily placed the papers within a folder and tucked them away. ¡°Oh yes, I should give you something else to try out. Just give me a moment.¡±


    Master Calvus began looking through his shelf of papers, recipes, and documents under the suspicious eye of Arthur. Soon he found something and with an audible ¡°ah¡± he pulled a few papers out and handed them to Arthur.


    Quickly looking over them Arthur noticed them to be some more advanced alchemical recipes, they still required only tier one spells to complete but they required more rare and expensive ingredients that were not all native to the area. The last paper was a list of places to buy and order several different types of ingredients, several of which were needed for the recipes given.


    ¡°This should keep you occupied for now, and if you want to sell me some of those fire seeds I will buy them for four copper coins each.¡±


    **********


    Another three weeks passed and Arthur¡¯s skill in alchemy only increased. Every recipe he was given was easily mastered in two or three days leaving Master Calvus with little left to let him practice and try out.


    One of the more important recipes for his alchemical studies was for a simple healing potion, and to create one an alchemist needed to cast a basic healing spell and keep the magic within the potion until it is drunk and then applied to said drinker.


    As a result Master Calvus gave Arthur the bare minimum basic training in restoration magic, just enough to create the most basic of healing potions.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Alchemy Level 7


    + Restoration Level 0


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur also was hired by Captain Tasius twice to help with clearing out some bandit camps alongside some of the city guard. He wasn¡¯t the only mercenary or mage hired either as a few others had joined and taken part in the raids.


    Most were just looking for a bit of money for their own personal reasons, but one in particular stood out. A human man by the name of Kavok, the very same man that won the archery tournament that he and Calavia went to nearly a month ago.


    But something was different about him now that Arthur was able to get close, Kavok just felt off, like he wasn¡¯t quite what he was presenting himself as. And clearly he wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that way as the other mercenaries and guards were keeping their distance from him like he was sick.


    During the actual raid on the camp Arthur, who was located with the archers due to his magic, was able to take note of Kavok¡¯s skill with the bow. Every small movement served its purpose and every arrow would manage to hit its mark, it was almost like Kavok had been training for decades. But that wasn¡¯t possible, he couldn¡¯t be past his forties and nobody masters a skill like archery in only twenty or so years.


    The camp itself was far larger than anything that Arthur had dealt with in the past, so teamwork was essential and everyone followed their role and looked out for each other. Even Kavok kept an eye on his allies for the fight, as when the simple wall that was constructed around the camp was breached the bandits took the opportunity to grab a guard they ambushed, disarmed and try to use him as a hostage.


    ¡°Stop where you are and back away or we will butcher this poor sod right in front of you lot!¡± The bandit who took the guard hostage shouted while he held a dagger to his throat. Just one small movement and his throat would have a deep bleeding wound.


    Everyone stopped in their tracks, one wrong move and that young man would be bleeding out on the ground. Arthur did have a small handful of healing potions, but none of them were strong enough to heal such a deadly wound fast enough, and his skill in restoration was nothing notable.


    Upon seeing his enemies all stopping the bandit grinned and his nearby allies took the moment to regroup and catch a breather. ¡®Stupid morons, they always stop the moment we have one of theirs in our hands. Now we have the opportunity to kill them all and relocate to somewhere safer.¡¯


    But just as the bandit was about to tell his allies to attack, an arrow pierced him through the eye killing him as well as two other arrows also killing their targets. Arthur looked to his left where he heard the arrows start whizzing through the air, and standing there was Kavok reading another arrow without any hesitation.


    The bandits were shocked by the three sudden deaths so much that the young guard taken hostage was able to escape and regroup with the main raiding force.

 Chapter 64

    Three bodies fell to the ground and with only a moment of hesitation the guards and mercenaries took the opportunity to resume their assault on the shocked bandits. Most of those that were grouped up attempted to retreat behind their walls but the few that remained behind were quickly cut down giving them little time.


    The melee fighters supported by the archers and Arthur pushed into the bandit camp killing as many bandits as they could see. The few bandits in the basic towers upon seeing the carnage unfolding upon their commarads attempted to just off and over the wall to escape, but only one managed to do so. The rest were all shot down by Kavok the moment they looked for even a moment like they were considering escaping, the only reason one escaped was because he was so far away.


    Towards the end of the raid the remaining bandits attempted a counter attack by surrounding and pelting the main force with anything from arrows to rocks and switch to their melee weapons when they got close. This did not succeed because several of the bandits upon seeing an opportunity to sneak by and escape through the pitiful excuse of a front gate did so, leaving their allies to face the full force of the guards and mercenaries on their own.


    Needless to say they did not last very long and any that survived the fight were swiftly captured and after a quick search of the camp they began to walk back to the city the same way they came.


    Along the way back Arthur was given a chance to think about what happened, specifically Kavok and his contributions.


    ¡®Kavok is very skilled with the bow, almost like he''s been practicing for decades. But that can¡¯t be possible, he can¡¯t even be past his late thirties.¡¯ Arthur attempted to think of a possible explanation for his skill that apparently surpasses what his age should allow or at least cuts it close.


    ¡®Perhaps he had a very skilled teacher, or his class is focused on archery, or he might not even be human.¡¯ Upon thinking the last possibility Arthur paused, he recalled the vampires he fought in the past and what he learned through the information available to the public that vampires are immortal beings that will live until they are slain by someone or something, and unlike the stories and myths vampires do not burn or die in sunlight.


    ¡®He hasn''t shown his face to anyone and I haven¡¯t seen him eat anything since the raiding party was formed. Since the only thing that can keep vampires fed is blood he would have no reason to eat food if he was one. Should I just ask him and clear these questions out of my mind? Or should I tell Captain Tasius about what I noticed.¡¯


    After almost twenty minutes of walking the group took a rest, they all needed it and for safety reasons they should keep away from the bandit camp as the blood and gore might attract some desperate animals, and if everyone was resting they wouldn¡¯t be prepared to face them.


    Arthur did take note that Kavok did not appear to be tired at all despite being a key player in the raid. It was odd, very odd and in fact further supported Arthur¡¯s theory of Kavok being a vampire. So he waited till there was only five minutes remaining of the break and sat next to Kavok on a large rock.


    ¡°Are you not tired from pulling that bow string so many times?¡± Arthur attempted to engage in some small talk.


    ¡°Not particularly, this wasn¡¯t all that intense, all things considered. I have faced far worse and lived to tell about it. What about you? What has been your greatest obstacle?¡±


    ¡°I once fought a demon with a group of others, and we even managed to kill it.¡±


    Kavok turned his head and looked Arthur up and down. Arthur could almost feel his eyes looking over him giving him an eerie feeling like when he faced The vampire Lord Darius.


    ¡°That is incredible! What type of demon was it?¡±


    ¡°From what I heard from the others it was a warlock, it used powerful geomancy to fight against us and even create an improvised armor out of conjured stone. Also it gave this to one of its subordinates.¡± Arthur reached into his dimensional bag and pulled out the spear made from raw iron ore and showed it to Kavok.


    Kavok took the spear while looking it over, then he gave it a few test strikes against a nearby tree and returned it to Arthur.


    ¡°It''s quite good for something made by a demon, so keep it for now in case you need it. Otherwize just sell it to a blacksmith for the raw material, any of the major establishments should give you a fair price.¡±


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    Soon the break ended and the raiding party returned on their journey back to Antium. On the way back some food was passed around, specifically a sort of dried meat that a few of the guards referred to as jerky. Arthur watched as Kavok refused the jerky and be passed onto the next person instead.


    When some was given to Arthur he thanked the guard handing it out and took a bite. It was surprisingly tasty unlike the dried chewy appearance, it had some sort of spice that made its taste bountiful and it wasn¡¯t as chewy as expected.


    Clearly Kavok hadden¡¯t refused because of the taste, he refused for another reason, and Arthur suspected that it was because he was a vampire and could not eat regular food to survive. ¡®I am definitely telling the captain of his strange behaviour. Even if I am wrong about this I can still find the actual reason why.¡¯


    Once the raid party returned to Antium they quickly went through the southern gate checkpoint, being that their job was sanctioned by the Captain of the southern guard they passed quickly and made their way back to the barracks to report their success.


    Only the corporal and the mercenaries entered the captain¡¯s office, the other guards returned to their duties whether they were patrolling the city or other menial tasks.


    The corporal gave his report while the three mercenaries waited outside, soon the corporal left the room and motioned for the three to enter. ¡°Welcome you three, I am happy to see you back all in one piece.¡± Captain Tasius happily greeted his hired mercenaries.


    ¡°Corporal Pius just told me of your inputs on the mission, and I am quite happy with what I heard.¡± Captain Tasius reached into his desk and retrieved three bags of silver coins.


    Each mercenary took their bag and after a quick thanks went to leave, except for Arthur who stayed behind. ¡°Sorry captain, but there is something I need to discuss with you.¡±


    The other two mercenaries, including Kavok, paid little attention to his words and left the room, closing the door behind them. ¡°And what might that be?¡± Captain Tasius took note of the worry on Arthur''s face, he hadn''t seen him look so worried before.


    ¡°It¡¯s about my colleague Kavok, he has been acting strange for the whole raid. It reminded me of the vampires that I fought up in the northern district when I first got to the city.¡±


    ¡°Reminded you? In what ways?¡± Captain Tasius was thinking in overdrive on what Arthur must have seen that would make him speak in such a way.


    ¡°Well for starters he hasn¡¯t shown his face, and vampires are quite easy to spot with their exceptionally pale skin and red eyes. Also vampires can¡¯t survive on normal food, they need to drink the blood of mortals, Kavok actively rejected any and all food he was offered, and he didn¡¯t eat anything of his own even at lunch.¡±


    Captain Tasius listened closely to what Arthur told him and after a moment of thinking on the subject he spoke. ¡°That is very convincing, but unfortunately there isn''t enough evidence to prove him to be a vampire. But I will keep an eye out on him just in case.¡±


    ¡°Thank you captain, and let me know whenever you have more work for me.¡±


    The two said their goodbyes and Arthur left the room passing Lieutenant Goldenshield who entered the room in his place. ¡°You called for me sir?¡± While Arthur and Captain Tasius were speaking, Captain Tasius used a feature on his communication orb to call Lieutenant Goldenshield to his office.


    ¡°Yes I did. Do you recall the mercenary named Kavok? His primary weapon is a bow and he said he was a ranger.¡±


    ¡°Yes I do. He was the one in the dark cloak that arrived with one of your cards and acted all mysterious for the time he was here. Why did he do something?¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield might have been weirded out by the man but he had to respect his skill.


    ¡°Our friend Arthur has informed me of some very strange behaviour on his part. For starters he did not eat anything for the entire raid that the two took part in, and to our knowledge he has never shown anyone in the city his face. Does that sort of behaviour ring any bells?¡±


    Lieutenant Goldenshield paused and attempted to understand what he was being asked. ¡®Humans and their riddles, why do they use them so often?¡¯ Eventually he managed to process the very simple figure of speech and say. ¡°He sounds like he is hiding from someone.¡±


    ¡°That is partly correct, Arthur suspected him to be a vampire. While we don¡¯t have enough evidence right now to prove it we can keep our eyes open and compile anything we notice. I want you to inform the corporals so if they are assigned to him they will watch him. Understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand sir.¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield gave a salute. ¡°But should I tell them we suspect him to be a vampire? That sounds like it could spread panic.¡±


    ¡°For now we will keep them in the dark regarding Kavok possibly being a vampire. Just tell them he has been acting strange and they should keep their eyes on him for anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°I understand Captain.¡±


    ************


    Lieutenant Goldenshield immediately called a meeting for all the corporals that will or have been assigned to the field and informed them of the suspicious activity of the mercenary Kavok and that they should keep an eye upon him at all times.


    Most looked bored at the meeting but the lieutenant forced them all to write down the information so they would not forget it as that was something that had happened in the past.


    ¡°Now are there any questions?¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield asked, looking over the crowd of bored guards. No one spoke a word as they all wanted to get out.


    ¡°No one? Very well then, you are all dismissed.¡±

 Chapter 65

    Sorted all his alchemy creations from the basic healing potions to the phantom ink across his whole workstation leaving just barely enough room for his equipment. All the containers and vials easily added up to several gold coins worth or merchandise that for the time being he had no way to sell. The explanation given by Master Calvus was he wasn¡¯t selling enough in his store alone to justify buying it.


    So for a while instead of practicing alchemy Arthur instead chose to practice other types of magic. He barely knew anything of restoration magic so he went to the next magic he had the least experience in, aeromancy.


    He conjured a ball from the surrounding air and compressed it while also making it spin. The idea was to try to make the ball of air as dense and erratic as possible while keeping control over it. It was one of the ways Faylin Arthur¡¯s elven aeromancy teacher taught her students.


    Soon Arthur managed to compress the ball until it could easily fit into the palm of his hand. While it looked easy it was not, sweat could be seen dripping down Arthur¡¯s face as he held the ball of compressed air together fighting against the air''s natural desire to spread out.


    Eventually Arthur could no longer hold the shape and the air quickly expanded pushing Arthur back and off the chair he was sitting onto the floor. Arthur layed there for a moment thinking about what had been happening in his life.


    He felt quite bored and a bit lost, he was very skilled in alchemy but he couldn¡¯t sell any of his creations because Master Calvus would not be able to sell them fast enough and he was the only person he could legally sell them to until his apprenticeship ended.


    ¡®I need to get out and clear my mind. Perhaps I will look into that alchemist club in the mages guild after. They might have a way for me to get rid of my excess alchemical creations.¡¯


    And so Arthur quickly made his way out of the Elder Nymph and down the streets of the southern district to clear his mind. One of the major differences in the southern district since the attack was the abundance of burnt down buildings and the few new construction projects rebuilding some.


    While the attack did devastate the economy and kill many people it did bring some new construction jobs to the area as many people bought up the dirt cheap land to expand. One of the more notable construction projects was for a new store that took up the space of three previous buildings. It was being built by a company called Goldwalk that had for the longest time had only been expanding outside of the capital.


    Arthur watched the construction works do their jobs for a short time before he continued on his walk. Eventually he passed the general store that was run by Vitellia. Since the attack she had been receiving less and less customers and Arthur¡¯s purchases alone were not enough to keep her business afloat so she eventually closed down and sold the building to someone else.


    Looking at the building made Arthur a bit sad, he liked chatting with Vitellia every few days when he returned to buy more food and spices. Now he would need to look elsewhere and odds were that he wouldn¡¯t find another small store like hers as many other small businesses have been going under after the attack. Only the most in demand and best organized small businesses managed to stay open.


    Towards the center of the district was a large mass grave for all the victims of the attack that could be identified after. Which after the many different ways they might die from burning alive to blunt force trauma could leave them unidentifiable.


    All those that could not be identified were cremated and had their ashes placed into the mass grave. It gave a small sense of comfort to those who lost a loved one but could not identify them.


    Arthur did not remain there for long, the sight of those grieving filling his heart with sadness even weeks after what happened.


    Eventually he found a bench a few blocks down from the district center where he took a seat and just looked around. He took note of all the people who up until the attack were happy for their lives making a turn for the better. Now they looked quite scared and worried, not even under the previous captain did anything like that happen, and he was well known for his corruption even after he deserted.


    ¡°Do you mind if I take a seat here?¡± A familiar voice came from the left of where he sat.


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    It was Calavia holding two burritos in her left hand. ¡°Oh yeah, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Arthur smiled, Calavia was a good friend and he had been preoccupied for some time leaving little left to spend with her.


    Calavia took a seat next to Arthur and handed him one of the burritos while taking a bite out of her own. ¡°So what have you been up to?¡± Calavia asked through a mouthful of food.


    ¡°Mostly just learning alchemy under Master Clavus and taking a few mercenary jobs from Captain Tasius.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. How has your apprenticeship been going? What all can you make?¡± Calavia asked while almost a quarter way done her burrito.


    ¡°I know how to make some pretty useful stuff including fire seeds, phantom ink, basic healing potions, numbing poison, antidots, and a few other things. Only problem is I make it all too fast for Master Clavus to sell fast enough, so for now i don¡¯t really have much to do.¡±


    Arthur took a small bite from his burrito savoring the taste of rice, chicken, and what he thought was a fish sauce. ¡°What about you? What have you gotten up to?¡±


    ¡°Mostly just studying and attending class while working as a healer on the side to cover my living expenses. I haven''t been back to the mercenaries guild for months now, so I expect to be demoted by now.¡± Calavia was now on her last few bites of her burrito.


    ¡°You are a part of the mercenaries guild? Is that part of the reason you were rewarded by the crown?¡± Arthur turned to look at her while she attempted to look away.


    ¡°It was part of the reason, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a good experience for me. Almost half of those that I was working with on that job ended up dead from these magic powered automated defences. Those of us that were left reported to the guild about the situation and we remained there until the military arrived.¡±


    Calavia remained silent for almost a minute before continuing. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what we ended up finding down there and I never want to, that''s why when the crown offered us a large sum of money to keep quiet I was the first to accept it.¡±


    The surrounding area went quiet as Calavia finished her explanation. But after a short live silence Arthur spoke up. ¡°Are all jobs with the mercenaries guild like that, unknown risk and possibly high reward? Because if they are, I don''t think I will end up joining.¡±


    ¡°No no, most have a fairly accurate danger rating, but sometimes when you are assigned to cut down a small rogue tribe of goblins you stumble upon an ancient fortress fueled by divine magic.¡±


    ¡°Divine magic? What is that?¡± ¡®This is the first time I have heard of any divine magic. Does it have something to do with the gods?¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t know about divine magic? Did you live under a rock your whole life?¡± Calavai momentarily forgot about the trauma she suffered upon hearing Arthur¡¯s silly sounding question.


    ¡°Well the first thing I remember comes from several floors below the surface in an old dwarven city, so technically yes.¡±


    ¡°Right, I think you told me that before.¡±


    ¡°I have, but I have found that most people don¡¯t remember everything like I do, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, divine magic is magic that comes from gods. It can be wielded by humans, elves, dwarves, animal people, and in some rare cases depending on the god, goblins. The type of magic they can use is dependent upon the god they receive it from. So for example a god of justice can give magic allowing his or her followers to detect lies.¡±


    ¡°Can mages also detect lies or is that specific to these divine magic users?¡±


    ¡°Those who use divine magic are called priests, and yes we can, but it¡¯s a lot harder for us because we need to research the spell and magic type. And even then there are variables to that, a priest can cast the spells provided to them easier and more effectively than mages can. But that comes at a cost, anything outside their god''s sphere of influence is untouchable unless their god somehow expands it.¡±


    With Arthur giving her his full attention she continued.


    ¡°Long ago before arcane magic became popular, mages use that, the old gods that existed then were far more powerful than they are today and had far larger spheres of influence. So divine magic had far less restraints on its use than nowadays and was the most common form of magic. But then something happened and they all disappeared along with their magic, new god¡¯s did eventually show up but by then the damage was done. The discovery of arcane magic had started to become widespread and the most common form of magic.¡±


    ¡°But if the ancient fortress you accidentally discover was powered by divine magic from a god that is missing, how is it still operational?¡±


    ¡°It is likely to belong to a god that is either still alive or one of the current gods. Either way I am never going back there, they had those defenses for a reason and I have no intention of finding out why.¡±


    Calavia with a small weight off her chest happily finished up her burrito. Arthur on the other hand was very curious about this ancient fortress. ¡®She isn¡¯t going to talk about this anymore, I will need to ask someone else who was there about what happened if I want to learn more. But the only way I could find that out is by asking her.¡¯


    ¡®For now I will just keep note of this, but if she opens up to me in the future I should ask any questions I have. The most important would be the location of this fortress.¡¯


    And so the duo finished up their burritos and only spoke of pleasant things for the rest of their conversation while catching up. Arthur also promised to visit Calavia at the guild more will all the free time he now has.

 Chapter 66

    After the short impromptu lunch Calavia decided to follow Arthur around for a little while he took his walk. For the remainder of said walk the two spent the majority of it away from the most devastated areas where the criminals did not manage to reach.


    While the areas managed to avoid the brunt of the damage the people still looked as weary as they did closer to the southern gate. Clearly they were worried if Captain Tasius could keep them safe.


    ¡°You were at the gate when the attack happened, right?¡± Calavia spoke up as they wandered down an almost barren street.


    ¡°Yeah, I was.¡± Arthur took note that every window on the ground floor was closed and likely locked from the inside. About half of those on the second floor, if they had one, were closed as well.


    ¡°Just how bad was it. I know a lot of people were hurt and died, but reading about it isn¡¯t the same as experiencing it.¡±


    ¡°It was a chaotic mess where everyone either tried to run or hide. But a lot of people were not fast enough and were cut down in the streets.¡± Arthur thought back to when he was running through the streets looking for anyone hiding and sending them to the gate.


    ¡°Anyone I came across I told to go to the gate, any criminals died quickly. But I wasn¡¯t always fast enough, some died before I could help them.¡±


    Calavia looked at Arthur, her eyes wide as he continued. ¡°Eventually when I started getting farther from the gate I noticed less and less criminals and damage to the buildings. I realized there was a reason for it. It was an ambush, who it was for I did not know at the time.¡±


    ¡°And you ran back there? Into danger? You could have died Arthur.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I had to do something to help. And when I figured the ambush was to kill off as many guards as possible I knew time was of utmost importance. I ran back in the direction of the gate as fast as possible, but I saw a whole group of guards ride past on horseback to deal with the threat. Luckily one stopped and I managed to get a ride to the main group.¡±


    ¡°Eventually when I got there the gathering of criminals was on the run from being completely overwhelmed. But a group of guards sitting atop a nearby wall had turned traitor allowing the criminals to escape. I regrouped with the captain who he thinks was their main target, and acted as a distraction to give some of his guards time to flank them and take them out.¡±


    ¡°But I thought the guards assigned to the watch atop the walls were armed with crossbows. With just a few minutes they could have easily killed you.¡± Calavia was correct, but she did not take into account how terrified they would be after witnessing a mage just float up to their position.


    ¡°They did, but with enough mana reinforcing a wall I conjured from earth I lasted long enough for the guards to flank them from behind. I didn¡¯t have enough focus to attack until they were on their last foot though.¡±


    ¡°What! Why would you put yourself in such a situation if you couldn¡¯t even fight back! You should have retreated back and attacked from afar. You have only been practicing magic for what, 6 months now.¡±


    ¡°Three months actually.¡±


    Calava paused to process just how short of a time that was. Even all her skill and knowledge took her three and a half years to learn.


    ¡°Just because you are very very talented does not mean you are unstoppable. At such close range they did not even need to aim at you, they could just focus on shooting at you and as a result deal a lot more damage than if they needed to actually aim.¡±


    ¡°Good point. Ranged spells are quite versatile and powerful against an enemy that cannot run. Next time I will keep my distance until I have whittled their numbers down.¡±


    Arthur gave a small smile showing his thanks for Calavia¡¯s input. But she wasn¡¯t quite so happy, in fact she was quite annoyed by his lack of understanding. With a sigh Calavia just nodded along, giving up on helping Arthur.


    But Arthur did not quite understand why she was annoyed with. ¡®Did I say something I wasn¡¯t supposed to? I took her advice and am working to improve my fighting technique. She should be happy, right?¡¯


    The duo continued their walk for another ten minutes before Calavia left citing work at the guild, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts. Eventually Arthur grew bored with walking and decided to go to the mages guild to go through the library again. ¡®I usually find something there to occupy my time.¡¯


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    And so Arthur looked through the library in the novice section. Most of what was available was just some basic spell books and alchemy manuals, but for the novices and Arthur it was more than enough to learn from.


    Arthur spent the rest of the day at the library reading anything and everything he could reach. At times he would even take whole shelves of books at a time and speed read through them all absorbing all that information and retaining it with his photographic memory.


    But knowing and doing were very different things, so just because he read it in a book did not mean he could do it well. The alchemy manuals were the most basic of what he found, simple recipes and spells to create some basic potions. The spell books on the other hand were quite different.


    Arthur found over thirty spells of fire, water, earth, and air that ranged from projectiles to waves to conjured armor and weapons. It was a fascinating trove of arcane knowledge, even if it was only the scraps left by all the most powerful mages. He could only imagine what was held in the Apprentice section.


    ¡®The Apprentice section is easily twice the size of the novice section. I should probably look into promoting my rank so I can get access. I should be eligible, but when I get the chance I will check the requirements.¡¯


    Arthur made a mental note to check the requirements for promotion before he continued with soaking up as much knowledge as he could. While he didn¡¯t have many opportunities to practice the spells against a real opponent he did have many for the alchemy recipes he found.


    One of Arthur¡¯s favorites that he found in the guilds library was something called vomit juice. It was a pleasant looking pink liquid reminiscent of an expensive perfume, but the smell was nothing like that of any perfume. The smell was so terrible that the first time Arthur brewed a batch he had to stick his head out the window to vomit, then he needed to open all the windows to allow the smell to escape and prevent it from lingering throughout the entire building.


    Arthur was also subsequently banned from brewing any more if he wished to keep his apprenticeship. But the few vials of the sickening substance were more than enough in the event of an emergency.


    The other potion recipes that he found were basic things like heat/cold resistance, pain nullifiers, sneezing powder, flammable substances, and other such miscellaneous creations.


    This gave Arthur enough to experiment with for the time being while he sold off a good portion of his stock to Master Clavus who took notice of Arthur''s rising skill in alchemy. So on the first of Hematite and the beginning of summer Master Clavus approached him while he was at his workstation.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Mater Clavus. Do you need help with something?¡± Arthur asked while continuing working at his workstation.


    ¡°Yes actually, when you are done with whatever it is you are doing could you come upstairs to my workstation? I have something for both you and Aurelio.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, I will just be a few more minutes here and I will be right up.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I will go get Aurelio and meet you up there.¡±


    Arthur quickly finished up his batch of five fire seeds and placed them within a small glass jar. Master Clavus and Aurelio had already walked upstairs so Arthur raced up the stairs taking two at a time.


    When he reached the top floor of the building he saw the two standing over Master Clavus¡¯s workstation, Master Clavus was holding a folder containing several papers. The very same folder that Arthur got a glimpse at several weeks ago.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. Please come here and take a look at this.¡± Master Clavus waved Arthur towards him while he placed the folder on a clear spot of his workstation and opened it.


    He took a step back and gestured to his two apprentices to take a look at the papers within, and after a moment of confusion they did. What the papers detailed was a little disturbing but also quite fascinating, it was a diagram for a golem made from the flesh of mortals.


    After a moment of confusion and fascination Arthur and Aurelio looked to each other before looking to their master.


    ¡°Master, where did you find such a thing?¡± Aurelio asked, conflicted between burning the papers and studying them.


    ¡°I found them a long time ago in a ruin from the time of the old gods. I managed to hide it away and eventually retrieve it after the crown searched every nook and cranny. There were many more valuable things than what you see there, but I honestly doubt I could have brought them with me.¡±


    While his master and fellow apprentice were talking, Arthur continued looking over the papers. ¡°If these were from the age of the old gods then shouldn¡¯t they only be usable by divine magic?¡±


    ¡°No, that is just a misconception. All magic is derived by mana, you just need either convert this manual into one that mages can use or learn how to mimic the effects of divine magic.¡±


    ¡°Then why haven''t you done that yet?¡± Aurelio asked, returning the papers he held to the folder.


    ¡°Oh I have most certainly tried, but all my efforts have been failures. And with my advancing age I likely will not have many more opportunities to try. That is why I am giving these to both of you as a gift for finishing your apprenticeships.¡± Master Clavus gave a weak smile, like a grandfather to his grandchildren.


    Both Arthur and Aurelio were shocked by the news.


    ¡°What do you mean? I thought you had more to teach us?¡±


    ¡°But I''ve only been here for two and a half months. You honestly think I am ready?¡±

 Chapter 67

    ¡°Now settle down, the both of you.¡± Master Clavus coughed and sat down on a nearby chair. ¡°For several weeks now I have deemed you ready to work on your own. You have great skill in both the production and selling of alchemical creations, whether they be for health or harm. I believe you are ready.¡±


    ¡°And you Arthur, one of the most talented students I have ever had the privilege of teaching. Your skill and curiosity of the art of alchemy is practically unmatched for your age and experience. I believe you are ready.¡±


    ¡°But what about this flesh golem manual?¡± Aurelio pointed to the folder containing the papers regarding the flesh golem. ¡°You don¡¯t actually expect us to create such an abomination, do you?¡±


    ¡°If you have no interest in the manual then just give it to Arthur, I can find something else to give to you.¡± Master Clavus said with a small frown. It wasn¡¯t the reaction he was expecting from his apprentice.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t why I am asking. Is it even legal to create such a thing? I mean this thing is literally made from the flesh of mortals sewn together onto a mortal skeleton. Isn¡¯t this a sort of necromancy?¡± The worry and fear was now apparent in Aurelio¡¯s voice.


    Necromancy as Arthur learned while not illegal in the kingdom, the empire, and a majority of the lesser countries and city states, was still shunned and feared by many of their citizens.


    Not only that but it was quite easy to identify a necromancer by the pale flesh like that of a corpse, and the ink black veins where black blood now flowed. Most ¡®living¡¯ necromancers would reside in their own heavily defended towers or spires where the only company they would find was that of their undead minions and other necromancers they share the tower with.


    But the worst part was that a necromancer would live forever or until they were slain. This left them with a lot of time to think about their lives prior to gaining their immortality, and in some rarer cases where the former mortal was evil in nature, a twisted desire to harm mortals wherever they may be.


    To put it simply, necromancy had a lot of baggage attached to it.


    By this time Arthur had placed the papers he held back into the folder and was paying attention to the conversation between his master and fellow apprentice.


    ¡°Would learning such magic not make us necromancers? I have no wishes to ever become one. The cost is far too great.¡± Aurelio looked to his teacher and master waiting for an answer.


    ¡°This is not necromancy, it is a discipline that combines both alchemy and enchanting, a discipline most widely known as golemancy. The creation and maintenance of golems. It has been something that I for a long time have wished to learn, but my old age hinders me.¡±


    ¡°And so you wish for us to try to succeed where you failed.¡± Arthur said, finally joining the conversation. ¡°Do you know how large the golem needs to be and how much material we will require to actually make it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t actually be considering it! What would everyone think if they saw such a monstrosity walking down the streets!?¡± Aurelio looked at Arthur as if he was a madman.


    ¡°I am considering it, because it might be useful in helping people. And just because it looks hideous doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t cover it up with armor, or clothes.¡±


    ¡°But would be sowing flesh harvested from mortals together. Does that not make you uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°That would depend on where the flesh comes from. I have encountered many people, specifically bandits and criminals that I would have no second thoughts harvesting their flesh for such purposes.¡±


    Aurelio looked at Arthur appalled by his answer, so he turned back to Master Clavus and said ¡°I have no interest in such magic, I would prefer almost anything else.¡±


    With a loud sigh Master Clavus stood up and motioned his distraught apprentice to follow him. ¡°Very well, I prepared something else just in case neither of you were interested.¡±


    While his teacher and fellow apprentice left the room Arthur took a seat at the workstation and started looking through all papers for the flesh golem. The first half of the papers was what Master Clavus recovered from the ancient ruins, the second half was his own personal notes regarding his research into either converting the divine magic into arcane or mimicking the divine with arcane.


    Each paper was labelled with a time and date, but as they went on the dates became less and less frequent until the last paper that had the date of The Seventh of Slate 1147 Of The Third Era, about a year prior.


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    It was an experiment attempting to convert a small portion of the magic into arcane with a small amount of success. A portion of the runes he worked with functioned with arcane magic as its base.


    But progress had been slow from the start and as time went on it only got slower, the progress Master Clavus made was no more than five percent than what was needed to create a fully functional flesh golem, and that was an optimistic estimation.


    ¡®This is a good start. I have a lot more free time than Master Clavus had when he first started studying this and a lot less responsibility. So I should be able to put more time and effort into this than he could.¡¯


    Arthur smiled and placed the folder along with its papers into his dimensional bag for safe keeping. Tonight he would start studying the manual properly when no one could disturb him.


    Soon Master Clavus returned with Aurelio behind him holding a deep blue gemstone not unlike the one encrusted into his magic amulet.


    ¡°I suppose you are happy with the gift I have given you Arthur?¡± Master Clavus asked Arthur who then nodded. ¡°Good, I did have another deep blue mana stone for you as well just in case, but I am happy you have chosen to continue my work.¡±


    Master Clavus then turned to Aurelio and presented a document. ¡°But before you go I am expecting you to sign this.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Aurelio looked the document up and down, he could feel dormant magic through the whole thing.


    ¡°This is what is called an oath of silence. When you sign this you need to swear that you will not tell anyone of what you have witnessed here today. And if for any reason you do tell anyone I will know.¡± Master Clavus handed Aurelio a quill and an ink pot with his other hand.


    ¡°So this won¡¯t kill me like in the stories.¡± Aurelio sighed, in old stories similar oaths would kill the sigher if they spoke what they swore to keep secret.


    ¡°No it will not, not this one anyways. I can¡¯t afford to buy something as expensive as that on a whim when I might not use it. So consider yourself lucky.¡±


    With an audible gulp Aurelio swore that he would not tell anyone of the flesh golem manual and signed the document. As he did a small wisp of blue magic floated out from the document and into his chest right towards his heart. Aurelio gasped and clutched where the wisp had entered his chest.


    ¡°There, now we will not have any complications from this exchange.¡± Master Clavus smiled as the Oath of Silence lost its magic hue.


    ¡°And since neither of you are my apprentice anymore I will be expecting you to find somewhere else to stay.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything for sale in the city within the budget of a novice alchemist?¡± Arthur asked while he started counting up all the coins he had earned throughout his apprenticeship and mercenary jobs, totaling to seven gold, thirteen silver and five copper pieces.


    ¡°With that recent attack on the southern district prices became dirt cheap, although you might need to rebuild the property as many were burnt down.¡± Aurelio piped up, recalling his time searching for a home. ¡°There is a bank in the southern district right next to the inner city wall where you can actually buy them.


    ¡°Thank you Aurelio, I¡¯ll go do that as soon as I collect all my things.¡± Arthur then turned to Mr. Clavus. ¡°And thank you sir for teaching me everything I know of alchemy.¡±


    Mr. Clavus smiled and gave a small laugh. ¡°No need to call me sir Arthur, I am no knight. Georgius is fine as you are now a full fledged alchemist now.¡±


    ¡°Of course Georgius, hopefully we will meet again and I can tell you of my success with the golem.¡± Arthur smiled and turned to leave, but he stopped when Georgius spoke again.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t find anyone willing to buy your wares you can always join the alchemy club within the guild. They will buy anything you make and help you further with your training if you need it.¡±


    *********


    After Arthur had collected all his things that he did not keep in his dimensional bag at all times it was at least ninety percent full. ¡®I should probably get rid of those old weapons I took from the bandits. When I find a blacksmith I¡¯ll offer them to him.¡¯


    Arthur¡¯s first objective was to find the bank that Aurelio spoke about. So he immediately made his way towards where he described it. While he was walking towards it he did find a blacksmith, a rough looking dwarven man was hammering a hot blade on an anvil.


    Arthur casually approached the man who after quickly acknowledging him said ¡°Just a moment.¡± After about fifteen minutes of waiting the dwarf finished with what he was doing and put down his hammer and the blade.


    ¡°What can I help you with?¡± The dwarf asked, clearing the fog from the goggles he wore.


    ¡°Do you buy old used weapons?¡± Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out one of the weapons he took from a bandit.


    The dwarf looked over the weapon for about only a second before answering. ¡°This thing is crap, the only thing of value here is the material.¡±


    ¡°That is perfectly fine. I don¡¯t particularly care for what they are worth, I just want to be rid of them.¡± Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out all the weapons aside from the spear and longsword he used.


    A pile of at least fifty weapons consisting of everything from clubs to war hammers, and swords to axes was left on the ground. The dwarf who did not show any surprise from the dimensional bags first use was now very surprised.


    ¡°By Nymbus, how many other weapons do you have in there?¡±


    ¡°Just the two that I am currently using. So how much would all these be worth?¡±


    ¡°If you would give me about half an hour to go through all these I can give you a fair price for the metal, the wood is practically useless, unless you want to use it as firewood.¡±

 Chapter 68

    ¡°I can wait for you to finish, and I have no use for the wood so you may keep it.¡± Arthur sat upon a simple stool off to the side of the forge while the dwarf shrugged and started sorting through the pile of weapons.


    After twenty minutes of examining each weapon the dwarf entered the main building of the blacksmith and returned with a bag of coins and a list detailing the price he was paying for each.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got 2 gold coins and 10 silver for this pile. If you have any more scrap you need to be rid of in the future come here, I¡¯ll give you a fair price. And you can call me Burmas.¡± Burmas smile while extending his hand.


    ¡°And you can call me Arthur.¡± Arthur returned both the smile and the handshake as he took his coin.


    ¡°And if you need any armor or weapons you can come to me, I¡¯ll give you a good price.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ********


    Arthur left the blacksmith belonging to Burmas and continued on his way towards the bank. Eventually after asking for directions several times he found the bank. It was located in a large building made up from large stone bricks like many of the nearby buildings. Hanging across the entrance was a sign, and written across it were the words ¡®Southern Bank of Antium.¡¯


    A mix of people both rich and poor entered and exited the building in a steady stream with those entering going in the right side and those exiting from the left. Arthur quickly entered through the right set of doors and found himself in a large room reminding him of his time in the royal treasury, but far fancier.


    With several columns made up from beautiful marble lining the walls every few meters and a large chandelier made from gold and what appeared to be some very expensive gemstones. The bank was clearly showing off its immense wealth.


    Towards the end of the room were several clerks working, helping the customers with whatever they might need. Whether it be depositing their money or taking out loans the clerks were there to help.


    Arthur joined the smallest line and was being helped by the clerk within twenty minutes.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?¡± The clerk was a woman with blond hair and blue eyes that looked to be in either her late twenties or early thirties.


    ¡°Good afternoon, I am interested in purchasing a house for my personal use.¡±


    ¡°That is excellent, many buildings and plots of land have become quite cheap in the southern district. I would assume you are here for a loan.¡±


    ¡°If I need one then yes.¡±


    ¡°Well I can send you to someone who can help you farther in our department dedicated to homebuyers. Is that alright with you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, just point me towards it.¡±


    ***********


    Arthur was given directions to the ¡°Department of First Time Homebuyers.¡± After walking down a set of stairs and a hallway he found the department quite quickly and entered.


    Inside he found a room very similar to the one he left, but smaller and more modest in its design, making it feel far more homely than the last.


    A small handful of people were there before him, they ranged from what appeared to be simple working commoners to commoners of above average wealth.


    A clerk sitting at a desk in the corner of the room waved him over and gave him a number with an estimated wait time of fifteen minutes.


    As Arthur waited for his meeting with the person that deals with home buyers several of the people that arrived before him were called up to a meeting, while some left with their happiness clear as the sky, others left with clear disappointment.


    Soon Arthur was called up. ¡°Number 42!¡± The clerk shouted after something behind her desk and a whirl noise. When Arthur was within two meters of the desk she pointed towards a nearby hallway behind the desk. ¡°Go to the last door on your right.¡±


    Arthur following her directions entered the last room, discovering a simple room with enough room for a table and two chairs on either side. On the opposite side of the room was a human man in his mid forties with brown hair and eyes, and tanned skin likely from working in the sun for long periods of time.


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    Upon seeing Arthur enter the room the man immediately stood up and extended his hand. ¡°Good afternoon sir, My name is Sevinus.¡±


    ¡°I am Arthur.¡± Arthur reached out and shook Sevinus¡¯s hand.


    ¡®Too well dressed to be just any commoner off the street, odds are he has a very well paying job to afford and maintain such clothing.¡¯ Sevinus quickly looked over his newest potential customer taking note of the tailor made clothes and the bag slung over his shoulder.


    ¡°It is wonderful to meet you Arthur. I assume you are here because you are interested in purchasing your own home.¡±


    ¡°That is correct. I just finished up an apprenticeship, so now is a good time to own somewhere to stay.¡± Sevinus¡¯s eyes lit up slightly at those words. Apprenticeship meant a well paying job, and a well paying job meant bug spender.


    ¡°Of course, owning a home is something everyone should strive towards. It is wonderful that you are striving towards it. Now for legal reasons I am required to have you read this document over, sign it, and fill in all the relevant information.¡± Sevinus placed a document before Arthur along with a quill and ink pot.


    The document was mostly legal jargon regarding defaulting on loans and repaying them, as well as a portion dedicated to Arthur filling in personal information regarding his job, his birthplace, and if he currently had an open account with the bank.


    After about half an hour of writing and rereading to be sure he understood everything Arthur handed back the document to Sevinus who then looked it over and placed it in a folder.


    ¡®An alchemist!? Incredible, these types love to go big when they buy anything. I can almost smell the commission already.¡¯


    ¡°Wonderful, now is the time for looking at the actual houses for sale.¡± Sevinus reached over to a large book that he then placed before Arthur. ¡°This book here contains all the houses that are currently on the market. They are sorted by district as well so you can easily pick where your new home is.¡±


    Arthur flipped open the book and found that each page of the book could be easily removed and replaced with a sort of circular clamp system made from metal.


    The very first page showed a very simple home that consisted of two small rooms, the first a multipurpose room for everything from cooking to eating and the other a simple bedroom that could fit up to six people if they lay shoulder to shoulder.


    A set of blueprints also were shown alongside the page detailing the actual size of the house and each of its rooms.


    ¡°That right there is a family unit for up to six people, more if you sleep in the main room.¡± Sevinus spoke up, giving context to the building''s purposes.


    Arthur flipped the page to see a one floor house with three large rooms, a multipurpose kitchen/living space, a dedicated bedroom, and a spare room off to the opposite side. There was also a small yard around the property.


    This caught the interest of Arthur, it was exactly what he was looking for. Not too big and not too small. The bedroom might have been a bit larger than he normally had, but it was better to have more than you want than less.


    ¡°And on the next page I think you will see something you will really like.¡± Sevinus gestured to Arthur to turn the page.


    Instead Arthur looked over to the price of the property, ten gold coins. That would leave him with only three silver and fifteen copper coins to his name. After a moment of awkward silence Sevinus could tell that his client had found what he wanted as opposed to something more expensive.


    ¡°I like this property. Would it be alright if I pay upfront?¡± Arthur asked while casually looking over the blueprints of the building. He didn¡¯t know much about architecture, but he could still appreciate the simplistic design.


    Sevinus on the other hand was almost flabbergasted by Arthur¡¯s question. ¡®Pay upfront!? He can just drop 10 gold coins on a house without batting an eye. I can only hope he buys something else in the future.¡¯


    ¡°Are you sure? If you need to we can discuss a loan and a repayment plan.¡± It took a lot of effort on Sevinus¡¯s part to keep his composure.


    ¡°Yes, I can afford it. Now where exactly might the property be? I would like to take a look at it before I purchase it.¡± Arthur closed the book and handed it to Sevinus.


    ¡°W-well for the next week I am fully booked, so perhaps we can meet up here in 8 days time at noon. That is the earliest I am available.¡±


    ¡°That works out quite well for me as well. I will see you then.¡± Arthur reached out, extending his hand for a handshake which Sevinus took with a fake smile. He tried to keep his annoyance from showing as it would be bad for business and his career.


    **********


    Arthur exited the bank from the left set of doors, or the right side from the inside. He quickly left the area and started on his way towards the mages guild located in the western district.


    ¡®I need to join up with the alchemy club. If I don¡¯t do it now I¡¯ll keep putting it off like I have been currently for the past several weeks.¡¯


    After half an hour of walking Arthur hand returned to the mages guild and went inside. He passed by the clerks and went down the stairs off to the side towards the alchemy guild. After several minutes of backtracking from the last time he was there almost two months ago he eventually caught the familiar smell of an assortment of different potions in the air. Following the smell took him right back where he remembered the club was located.


    Peeking inside the room he saw a few familiar faces from the last time, including the member who asked him if he wanted to join the last time, and then offered him some books of herbalism when he asked questions.


    ¡®This might be a little awkward, but she is the only person that I know of with the authority to allow new members to join, or she at least acts like she does. Either way she can help me.¡¯

 Chapter 69

    Upon entering the alchemy club it took the supervisor a good minute to recognize the newcomer as the very same young man from two months ago. With his longer hair and change of attire he looked like a whole different person.


    ¡°Well well, look who has returned. Are you actually interested in joining the alchemy guild this time or are you just looking for information like last time?¡± The supervisor said as she approached Arthur.


    ¡°Believe it or not, but I am here to join this time. With my finances in order I now have the time to participate.¡±


    ¡°That''s is good to hear. To register and join the club you will need to speak with Lydus, he is over at the table there with all the piles of paper.¡± She said while pointing to a middle aged man that looked like he just returned from a coal mine.


    His clothes were covered in stains and dirt while his hair and face were unkempt. He also looked like he missed a few hours of sleep. Despite his appearance he was rushing through the paperwork by the pile.


    Arthur slowly walked over to Lydus and his piles of paperwork, but before he could say anything he was interrupted. ¡°Hang on, I''ll be quick!¡± Lydus practically shouted as he increased the speed at which he filled out forms and other documents that Arthur could only catch a glimpse of.


    After a very awkward ten minutes of waiting Lydus eventually finished up with the current pile and turned his attention to Arthur. ¡°How might I help you son?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to join the alchemy club.¡± Arthur took notice of just how exhausted the man looked, despite the energetic voice he looked as if he was moments from fainting.


    ¡°Of course, just one moment.¡± Lydus reached down below the table and brought out a large folder of documents. Upon opening Arthur could see that it was full of registration forms and promptly took one and began to fill it out with the quill and ink pot.


    Upon finishing the form he took out a single silver coin, the form stated that there was a monthly fee of one silver coin to be a part of the club.


    ¡®These fees probably go towards helping out the newer members and those with little experience. The rest likely goes towards instructors and basic training.¡¯


    Arthur placed the silver coin on the form and pushed it towards Lydus who had already found himself pushing through another pile of paperwork. He was so engrossed that only a loud cough managed to get his attention without yelling at him.


    ¡°Oh sorry, are you finished already? Here let me take that.¡± Lydus took the silver coin and the form and placed each in their respective place, the form a folder, and the coin a small box with a coin slot in the top.


    ¡°Welcome to the club Mr. Arthur. Now unless you have any questions I need to get back to work.¡±


    ¡°I do actually. Is it possible for me to sell some of my alchemical creations through the club? I currently have a large stock of various potions, salves, and other such things I currently have no current use for.¡± Arthur demonstrated by placing a small handful of his creations on the table.


    Lydus took a potion of basic healing from the table and a small singular eyeglass fashioned from iron and of course class. Upon placing it over his eye it glowed slightly and Lydus let out a humph in surprise.


    ¡°The actual healing capabilities are a bit weak, but the potion does well to retain its potency. But unfortunately there is a small test to prove you have actual knowledge and experience in alchemy before the club will buy and sell off anything you make. And even then you won''t get the market price, likely just enough to make a decent living for a mage.¡±


    While taking Lydus inspected the rest of the alchemical creations Arthur presented nodding in approval every so often.


    ¡°I was expecting something like that. When can I take the test?¡± By this time Lydus had already finished inspecting his creations, so Arthur returned them to his bag.


    ¡°The tests always fall directly in the middle of the week, so you will need to wait for another three days, not counting today. Also you need to fill out this form.¡± Lydus placed another document on the table before returning to his paperwork.


    Arthur finished that document far quicker than the last, mostly because it was only one sided, but also because it had no legally binding agreements.


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    ¡°Done already? That was quick.¡± Lydus commented upon seeing the document being pushed towards him.


    ¡°So I should come back here in three days for that test?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They always take place at noon and we will dedicate a small section here for you to take part in it. But feel free to spend some time here as well, you might learn something.¡±


    **********


    Since he did not have much else to do while he waited for both the test and the house showing he decided to spend a bit of time in the alchemy club. For the most part he just helped a few newcomers to the trade fix a few of the more common mistakes he himself made bad habits of before he was forced to correct them.


    There were also a few very basic recipes that were given to everyone who joined the club, they weren''t all that useful to the average mage but good training practices. The only one remotely useful was a powder called glow dust. A very simple recipe that resulted in a small vial''s worth of glowing dust that would remain glowing for about a week.


    Soon it was the very middle of the week and time for Arthur¡¯s test to see if he was a qualified alchemist, or at least qualified enough to sell his creations. Arriving half an hour early Arthur quickly set up his equipment in the west most bottom corner and retrieved small portions of all the ingredients from his bag.


    Since that only took him about ten minutes in total, Arthur decided to make a few things with what he had available while he waited. He wasn¡¯t going to make much, just a potion or two to pass the time.


    It was just one potion at first, then it became two, then five. It wasn¡¯t until he used up half of the wisp grass did he realize that he got a bit carried away. But he still had time to put all the extra potions away while he restocked the ingredients he had set out.


    After he just finished resetting everything up, Lydus followed by three other people including the supervisor of the club entered. The other two consisted of a dwarven man with a large thick beard and an elegant elven woman.


    ¡°Just one participant today?¡± The dwarf asked while looking to Lydus. ¡°I expected there would be more than one.¡±


    ¡°I am sure this is just a fluke Hekrel. There will probably be more next time.¡± The elven woman said with a desperate attempt to lift the mood, her enthusiasm feeling quite fake. Clearly something was happening regarding new members to the club.


    ¡°You always say that, and yet nothing changes.¡± Hekrel the dwarf said while avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°Now now, why don¡¯t we calm down and give our newest participant our undivided attention.¡± The supervisor interrupted the bickering of the elf and dwarf just as the elf was about to fire back and escalate the disagreement.


    ¡°Thank you Caria. Now if we are done bickering in front of the young mage we should begin the test and the reason we are here.¡± Lydus Said as he placed three pieces of paper on the table before Arthur.


    He continued. ¡°These are the three recipes that you are expected to finish. We will give you one minute to look them over before you begin. When you do start you will have ten minutes to finish all three. If you do not finish the recipes or finish them after the ten minute mark you will fail, and you will need to schedule another for next week.¡±


    ¡°I understand. When does my one minute start?¡±


    ¡°Right now.¡±


    ***********


    Arthur was rather surprised by the sudden start but he took a moment and calmed down. ¡®Rough start, but it doesn¡¯t need to be a rough finish. I just need to relax and focus.¡¯


    Putting his attention towards the recipes Arthur was rather surprised to find that one of the three was something he could already do from memory. It was phantom ink, the other two were new to him, the others being something called jolly juice and ¡°the blues.¡±


    Jolly juice appeared to be something that uplifted someone''s emotions while the blues did the opposite. The potions were so simple that it took only half the time he was given to understand how to make them.


    ¡°Do I need to wait for my minute to end or can I just start whenever?¡± Arthur asked while he began to sort out all the ingredients he needed, those he did not went straight back into his bag.


    ¡°You can start whenever you want to. The minute is a simple courtesy for those who are nervous.¡± Hekrel spoke up. ¡®This one probably doesn¡¯t even need the full minute. He must have received some training from someone else before coming here.¡¯


    Having permission to start whenever he felt Arthur started with the phantom ink, with the process practically ingrained in his muscle memory he finished a batch in but two minutes. The jolly juice and ¡°the blues¡± were new but with around eight minutes Arthur was calm.


    Since they were both very simple recipes he was able to finish a batch of each in a matter of five minutes. Weirdly enough the only difference between the two potions was a single ingredient, jolly juice used a plant called bliss weed that in large doses could dull pain and slightly improve moods, while ¡°the blues¡± used a plant called bur sorrel that for most was just another plant that didn¡¯t do anything but provided food for small wildlife.


    Since Arthur had finished his potions he placed a single vial of each before the three judges for them to inspect. Like Lydus did three days prior they each took out a singular eye glass that glowed slightly when they used it to look at the potions. Then suddenly both the dwarf and elf took the jolly juice and the blues potions and downed them in one gulp, the dwarf drinking the jolly juice and the elf the blues.


    Arthur was so surprised that he just froze there completely baffled by the sudden actions of the two.


    ¡°You can close your mouth there lad, or everyone will think you are trying to be a fish.¡± Hekrel said with a smile that reminded Arthur of all the drunks he met either in bars or on the streets.

 Chapter 70

    ¡°Why did you just drink those potions? I assumed they would be tested before anyone would drink them.¡± Arthur said as he looked at the elf and dwarf who abruptly drank his potions.


    ¡°The statistical probability of someone brewing anything dangerous is very low when it comes to these potions. That is why we have all members who want to sell their wares through the club brew a batch of each. And we are gonna need to test out that phantom ink.¡± The elf took the vial of phantom ink and a quill and scribbled down a random assortment of lines before she conjured a small flame that revealed the ink.


    ¡°Looks like it works, and I assume you both feel the effects of the potions.¡± Lydus said as he returned the ink vial to Arthur.


    The elf and dwarf nodded, but that was not necessary as the effects could be easily seen on their faces. Hekrel the dwarf was looking far more jolly and happy while the elf Thalia looked quite tired and mopey.


    ¡°In that case I think we can say that the novice mage Arthur has passed and will be allowed to sell his alchemical creations through the club. Are there any objections?¡± Lydus quickly looked over the three judges and found them all to be nodding in agreement with his decision.


    ¡°Very well, Arthur, you have now been granted the privilege to sell your alchemical creations to the club. Good luck to you and your future endeavors.¡±


    **********


    The very first thing Arthur did after having official permission to sell off his alchemical creations was to sell half of what he was keeping in his dimensional bag. This gave Arthur another gold and five silver coins to his wealth and allowed him to rent a nicer room for the next few nights while he waited for the showing of his soon to be new home.


    Eventually another three days passed and Arthur was ready by the bank at the very moment noon started. While he might have looked quite calm and orderly he was very excited, it was his first home after all, and when he discussed it with Calavia she was quite happy for him.


    ¡®Ok, where is he? I do recall him saying to meet him here at noon today. I hope he didn¡¯t forget about this.¡¯ Arthur looked around the outside of the building wondering where Sevinus from the Department of First Time Homebuyers was.


    After about three minutes of looking Sevinus eventually did exit the bank and gave a large smile upon seeing Arthur waiting for him outside.


    ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Arthur. I am terribly sorry if I made you wait, I had some last minute business I had to take care of.¡± Sevinus said as he walked down the steps of the bank.


    ¡°It''s fine, I haven''t been here all that long anyways. So where is the property?¡± Arthur quickly switched the subject, hoping to take a look at the home he wished to buy.


    ¡°Of course, I will take you there right now. But I must warn you it will be a bit of a walk to get there.¡±


    **********


    The walk to the property took only about fifteen minutes, for Arthur it was very simple, but Sevinus was doing his best to keep the light fatigue from showing to little success. The property was located just a few blocks from where the fire managed to spread during the attack upon the southern district by the criminals. Clearly the owners did not feel all that safe in such an area, and the few civilians that lived in the area didn¡¯t look to be all that friendly as they kept their distance from the duo.


    ¡°Ah, here we are. It is a nice home for its size, but it might be a bit too small for a man of your importance. You just need to say the word and I can show you another property I think you would like.¡± Sevinus not so subtly tried to convince Arthur to consider something bigger.


    Arthur simply ignored the comment and using a key that Sevinus provided he entered the house and took a look around. The front door was connected right into the living area/kitchen making it the first area Arthur looked at. It was very simple, with a second door on the right side of the back wall and a small cooking stove and a chimney, the room was more like a large hallway but for its price and the space Arthur quite liked it.


    Next up was the bedroom just through a door on the right, it had the same length as the living room/kitchen but only half of the width. The room was most likely designed for more than one group of people to sleep there at once. The two windows on each side of the room further proved this point.


    ¡®I''m not entirely sure what I would do with all this space, but I¡¯m sure I can find something to fill it with.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he walked around the bedroom.


    Last up was the spare room that Arthur thought would be the perfect place to keep and use his alchemy tools and ingredients. The room had the same length as the other two, but the width was smaller than the bedroom and there was only one window.


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    ¡®This is perfect, I could keep my apparatuses on a table here by the window, my ingredients and finished products could be stored at the other end of the room leaving me with more than enough room to work. Heck if i really wanted to I could grow my own ingredients with all the extra room I have.¡¯


    ¡°I like it. When can I pay and move in?¡± Arthur turned to face Sevinus with a large smile who put on his own to keep from annoying his customer.


    ¡°Well the paperwork will take a while, so it might take a day or two. I can send a letter to you when I am done though, is there currently a place you are staying where I can send it?¡±


    ¡°I am a part of the mages guild, you can send me the letter through there and I can pick it up.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, of course. I will of course require your full name and rank, then I can send you the letter.¡±


    ********


    Arthur quickly wrote down all the required information on a small piece of paper in a small booklet Sevinus kept in his pocket and bid him farewell. But Arthur took note of the look of annoyance in his face. Clearly Sevinus was not happy with Arthur''s choice of habitation.


    ¡®I hope he isn¡¯t the type to drag things out to try and get back at me for not listening to his ¡°generous¡± advice. In the future I might buy something nicer, but for now this is all that I need.¡¯


    Now that he had lots of free time Arthur decided to do a few things, first up on his to-do list was to open an account with the Southern Bank of Antium and deposit ten of his gold coins so he could just have them deducted when he eventually bought the house. The clerk that helped him spoke about something called interest and compounding but Arthur didn¡¯t particularly care about that, he was only using the account for one reason.


    Next on his to-do list was to look at some furniture to buy when he finally owned the house. This was why he found himself at Antiums branch of the company known as Tindustries, as it turned out they sold a lot more than just alchemical tools and ingredients. They also sold a lot of basic things that most commoners would buy. The term that Arthur overheard from another customer was department store. He did find a few tables of decent size, he would need one to eat off of and another for his alchemy. A few chairs would be nice so he wouldn¡¯t need to stand as he ate and worked, and he found a few chairs that he liked.


    But the most important thing he currently needed was a bed, as he had once slept on the floor back when he joined the expedition into Dom Badaher and it was a very poor experience he had no intention of repeating.


    And finally he started the process of getting a promotion in the mages guild. As it turned out it was a very long process that required a bit of paperwork and an exam. The paperwork was simple and easy, you just needed to write down what classes you had taken, who your instructors were, and if you passed. If that was filled out correctly and met the requirements then you would get a date for an exam along with several other members.


    Arthur obviously met the requirements for a promotion with his skill in the four evocations being categorized as Apprentice level, that being the second level. Now he had an exam scheduled for the very end of the month, the twenty eighth of Hematite.


    But aside from all that Arthur simply continued his practice of alchemy and the four evocations, to help fill in any gaps he might have in said disciplines he consulted and bought a small handful of books recommended to him by both his old master Georgius Calvus and his friend Calavia.


    After about a week of waiting Arthur finally received a letter from Sevinus stating that the paperwork for the house was in order and that now he just needed to return to the bank to sign everything and pay. Alongside the letter was a card that would allow him to get an appointment with Sevinus and skip the line.


    *********


    Knock knock knock.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Sevinus shouted to the person on the other side of his door. As it opened he noticed it was Arthur and forced himself to put on a large smile.


    ¡°Mr. Arthur, How wonderful to see you. I have the paperwork all set up for you.¡± Sevinus said as he reached into his desk to collect the legal papers for Arthur to sign.


    Arthur took a seat at the opposite side of the table and began to go through the papers as he received them. Thankfully it only took him a few minutes to read through everything and then sign it. The ten gold coins that were deposited into his account were then withdrawn to pay for the home and Arthur was given a key and a deed to the land.


    ¡°Congratulations Mr. Arthur, you are now a proud owner of your very own home.¡± Sevinus smiled as he handed Arthur the key to the front and back door while he thought of something else. ¡®Cheapskate.¡¯


    ************


    First thing Arthur did upon receiving the key, enter his new home and take a moment to enjoy the feeling. Yes he did get a look when he first came with Sevinus, but it was different now, it was his to do with whatever he wished. It was a strange feeling he could not describe.


    When he was done savoring the moment Arthur immediately started making his way towards the local branch of Tindustries to buy all the necessary furniture. He quickly picked out the two tables, four chairs, and the bed that he looked at before and found that he could pay to have the company deliver them to his home. Since there wasn¡¯t enough room in his bag to carry it all he simply paid an extra two and a half silver for that.


    By the time that dinner time arrived Arthur had placed all the furniture where he thought it looked best, with a table and chair in his alchemy room, the bed in his bedroom, and the table and the three remaining chairs in his living/kitchen area.


    It wasn¡¯t what you would call impressive to a proper decorator, but to Arthur it was perfect because he did it himself. That night he ate dinner by himself, a delicious burrito filled with rice, chicken, and fish sauce.


    Then Arthur decided it was time for an early sleep, and so as he drifted off he thought about all the things that he went through. From the expedition to the vampires to the current crisis with the bandits, Arthur felt welcomed by the people he met but he was always a visitor to them. But now things were different, he owned a home and now he was a citizen of the kingdom, just like everyone else he passed by.


    And with those thoughts Arthur drifted off to sleep with a smile and happy dreams.

 Chapter 71

    As the sun rose through the sky and eight o¡¯clock neared Arthur awoke from his bed and sat up. He looked around the room and smiled, it wasn¡¯t just a happy dream, it was real. ¡®I know this is real, but every time I see it I am still surprised. It feels like it was just yesterday I entered the city for the first time.¡¯


    Arthur quickly put on a clean set of clothes and made his way into the kitchen/living area and took a seat at the table to prepare a proper breakfast and eat it. While he ate he looked around the room trying to think of what else he could add.


    ¡®A shelf or cupboard would be a nice addition for any plates or eating utensils, I could have it right next to the fireplace, it would clear up a bit of space from my bag. I should have somewhere to keep my food, that takes up even more space. But if I want that I would need a cellar of sorts in the floor to keep it both out of the way and the food cool.¡¯


    Arthur spent the rest of his time eating thinking of what else he could put in his new home and how much those might cost. ¡®A shelf for my book might go well in the spare room with all my alchemy equipment. But that might be nicer in the bedroom, I also have more space in there to fill.¡¯


    Soon Arthur was finished with his food and went into the spare room with all his alchemy equipment to brew a few potions and other valuable alchemical creations to sell at the alchemy club. This way he would build up some nice savings and be able to buy all the furniture and decorations he wanted.


    As Arthur entered his new alchemy room he took out all the ingredients and containers for the end results and placed them at the other end of the room. But he noticed that his supply of bottles was starting to run low. ¡®I will need to buy some of those soon, and I only know of one place that sells glass work. Ice Wares Glass Smiths, I wonder how much they will charge me, I hope it won''t cut into my profits too much.¡¯


    After making a mental note to visit the Ice Wares Glass Smiths when he had a chance Arthur continued with his alchemy and managed to brew himself a handful of decent potions for an alchemist of his skill. ¡®These should sell for a decent amount, but I used up almost a quarter of my glass bottles for his batch.¡¯


    Arthur then left his new home locking both doors behind him and started his way towards the mages guild up in the western district. It was quite a long walk and the stretch of land in the southern district in which Arthur did not see anyone around his home was a bit unnerving. He knew most people did not want to live there especially after the attack, but it seemed a bit excessive.


    When he finally started getting closer to the western distinct, more and more people could be seen wandering the streets, and they were far more inviting than the few people that still wandered the streets in the southern district after it went dark. Arthur also passed by a small market area that popped up after most left the southern district. It wasn¡¯t all that large but it made Arthur happy to see more people pushing past the tragedies of the past and trying to move on.


    The mages guild on the other hand was just as crowded as always with several lines reaching to the outside. Arthur managed to squeeze on by and walked down into the alchemy club. The inside of the club was quiet as most of the young members haven''t arrived yet, most would usually join after any classes they had at around 10:30 or 12:30 and since it was only 9:00 it would still be quite a while before most members would join, but that was quite good for Arthur since now he didn''t need to wait to sell his products.


    ¡°Good morning Lydus.¡± Arthur called out to the man steadily chipping through all the paperwork on his table.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur. Do you have more to sell to the club again?¡± Lydus Looked up from his work to look at what Arthur might have brought today.


    ¡°Yeah I did. Today I have some more basic healing potions, more fire seeds, smell nullifiers, and some phantom ink.¡± Arthur said as he placed samples of each product on the table.


    Lydus picked up each of the items and took his time inspecting them with his singular eyeglass. When he was done he returned them to their original position and turned to Arthur.


    ¡°I can give you the usual price for each of these, I just need to know how much of each you are willing to sell.¡± Lydus said as he pulled a piece of paper out and placed it before Arthur.


    In response Arthur took out all of the basic healing potions, more fire seeds, smell nullifiers, and phantom ink he was willing to sell and began to count them up and write down the numbers of each. When he finished he returned the paper to Lydus who then wrote down the price for each and the end total, the end total being twelve silver coins for the week''s worth of products.


    Although it was most definitely a reduced price Arthur was quite happy with it, as this way he did not need to go out of his way to find someone looking to buy them from him or go through the hassle of setting up a stall in the marketplace. Most people wouldn¡¯t buy potions from a no name alchemist unless they received certification through the guild.


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    ¡°Do you want the money deposited to your bank account again or do you want to receive it in person?¡± Lydus asked, it was not uncommon for an alchemist to receive their money through their bank account.


    ¡°Yes that is fine, when should I expect the money?¡±


    ¡°If all goes well you should have it by the end of the day. Do you want to keep the paper?¡± Lydus offered the paper with the products and prices to Arthur, it was a common practice to have evidence of agreements and deals in the event of one party attempting to back out or not pay.


    ¡°No need, I trust you to deliver.¡± Arthur knew the guild and by extension the clubs would pay, it wouldn¡¯t look good for either the guild or the people running the clubs if it got out they were not paying their members for their work.


    ¡®Now with that all sorted out I can see about acquiring more glass bottles from Ice Wares Glass Smiths. Since I have met the foreman before he should be more willing to help out and perhaps give priority to my requests.¡¯ Arthur smiled to himself as he exited the guild through the crowds that had only grown since he arrived.


    ***********


    The walk to the Ice Wares Glass Smiths was quite long as it was on the opposite side of the city in the eastern district along with most of the other manufacturing that was done in the city. But since Arthur had been there before he had little trouble aside from travelling workings blocking his path.


    When he arrived he went straight to the foreman who was handing out assignments to his workers. ¡°Filus, Jorrack, and Helmec, you are working on the Monrant order with all the windows. Nurreck, Bungegit, and Thivelda, you are working on the new monastery job. If you have any questions regarding what you need to do just ask me. Now are there any questions?¡± A short silence followed with none of the six working saying anything.


    ¡°No question? Then you all best start getting to work, I have work to do.¡± Just as he finished speaking to his workers he noticed Arthur walking towards him and smiled, he remembered the young mage who collected the alchemy appliances roughly two months ago.


    ¡°Why hello again young mage, how might I help you today?¡±


    ¡°Do you do any custom orders? Because I am in need of some glassware.¡± The foreman and Arthur took a seat at a nearby table as they spoke.


    ¡°We do, depending on the size. What exactly do you need?¡±


    ¡°I need glass bottles along with corks to keep them from spilling. The amount I received from my previous master is starting to run out, and I would like to continue with my trade.¡±


    ¡°Oh a trade, that''s good. What trade is it?¡± The foreman accidentally wandered out loud, but Arthur did not seem to notice the worry and regret on his face.


    ¡°I am an alchemist. I was trained under Georgius Calvus, the man who ordered those glass appliances for his work. He offered me an apprenticeship and I accepted, just about a week ago I finished and I work on my own.¡±


    The dwarf relaxed seeing Arthur simply explain what happened and he returned to business matters. ¡°How many bottles do you think you will need? If you want we can make them for your weekly or monthly needs.¡±


    Arthur took a moment to think about the number of potions he would brew in a week. ¡®Accounting for the days I spend collecting ingredients and not brewing as well as things that are not potions, the average amount of bottles I would need in a week are about fifty, give or take a few.¡¯


    ¡°About fifty bottles a week. Is that manageable for you?¡±


    ¡°That''s it? We could easily do that within a day if everyone worked at the same time.¡± Arthur was surprised by that answer, so much so that he blanked for a moment.


    ¡°Now if you only need 50 bottles a week we should move onto price. All of our bottles of this size will cost you a copper coin each.¡± The foreman handed Arthur a glass bottle of the exact same size as the ones he always used.


    ¡°The corks to close them are a different matter as we don¡¯t sell them, but I can recommend you someone else who does sell them for a decent price.¡±


    ***********


    After a brief discussion regarding the glass bottles and corks they came to the conclusion that Arthur would arrive at the last day of every week to collect and pay for his glass bottles, and the person selling corks owned a store called ¡°Magnus General Store¡± located in the eastern district, a general store owned by a Cassius Magnus.


    Since he currently had the time Arthur decided he would also try to work something out with Cassius Magnus as it would make buying corks from him faster and possibly get him a discount in the future.


    When he arrived in the area described to him by the foreman he found an older building with an old wooden sign hanging outside with the words Magnus General Store written on both sides. Most of the people walking around ignored the store as if they haven''t seen it, this confused Arthur a bit as it was the only general store in the area so it should be quite popular.


    Regardless Arthur entered through the front door ringing a bell tied to the top. ¡°Just a moment!¡± The voice of a man roughly in his mid thirties shouted out from in the back of the store.


    Soon a middle aged human man with brown hair and eyes walked out in front of the counter. He looked quite tired with his posture and the light darks spots under his eyes. ¡°How might I help you today sir?¡± Yet he spoke with little sign of either.


    ¡°Are you Cassius Magnus?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am, do you need something from me?¡± Upon that question Cassius looked a little worried and stood up straight.


    ¡°I was recommended to you for buying corks in bulk. I wanted to get a price on that.¡±


    Cassius alamo sighed in relief at those words, but he stopped himself and instead gave his newest possible client the prices for his corks. ¡°Depending on how many you want to buy at a time I can sell them to you 50 at a time or 100, just be sure they don¡¯t dry out because if they do they are useless.¡±

 Chapter 72

    Lar leaned over to watch the game of dice between two of his friends and fellow guards. Currently Kaeso the corporal of their unit was winning by almost double the score, but his opponent Gallus was not one to give in. With it being Gallus¡¯s turn he took all six of the six sided dice and placed them in the cup before covering it with his hand. Just before he was about to place the cup on the table he said a short little prayer and slammed it on the table. Upon lifting the cup all sis of the dice landed on the sixth side.


    The table and all those watching erupted in shock and surprise, Corporal Kaeso always won when he faced his men. They weren''t exactly sure how he did it, but it always happened no matter who it was. Gallus on the other hand was laughing and happily collecting the money both he and his corporal had bet with. ¡°Ha ha ha, praise be Solarius and his ever watchful flame!¡±


    Gallus praised Solarius the god he worshipped and whom he gave his prayer to. But the rest of his unit was quick to refute him. ¡°Solarius did not help you win.¡± ¡°If I recall gambling is not something Solarius particularly likes.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the circle of fire explicitly share their disdain for gambling?¡±


    ¡°Oh you guys have no faith. Why wouldn¡¯t Solarius help his followers?¡± Gallus shouted out to his unit, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind. As it was most likely the alcohol that was doing the talking rather than himself.


    The unit had recently gotten a few days off for their impeccable performance and they all decided to spend the first one together in one of their favorite bars and in their most frequented spot. As such Lar wat seated right next to a window giving him a clear view to the outside.


    Every so often when the unit was getting into stupid arguments over things like if Solarius cared for gambling he would look outside at the people passing until they would finish. As a result he noticed Arthur passing by and immediately recalled his promise to his nephew.


    So as everyone was distracted by their argument he quickly slipped away and out of the tavern to speak with Arthur. ¡°Sir Arthur!¡± Lar called out, waving his arm in a drunk and sloppy manner.


    Arthur stopped and turned to look at Lar who he immediately recognized from the day of the attack on the southern district. ¡°Hello again Lar, do you need something?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask you something but I didn¡¯t have the chance last time we met. You are a mage right?¡± Lar attempted to keep himself from slurring his speech too much and was moderately successful.


    ¡°Yes I am, do you need help from a mage?¡± Arthur was a little confused by that question. ¡®I assumed most would be able to tell or know by now, but it simply be because he is drunk.¡¯


    ¡°Yes actually. My nephew knows a little bit of magic, nothing too dangerous but he can do some cool tricks with water. I wanted to ask if you would be willing to teach him a little bit. I tried to see if the mages guild would teach him, but they said to return when he was sixteen.¡±


    Arthur paused, teaching? This was a first, while he had been taught by others he hadn¡¯t ever actually tried to teach anyone else or had anyone ask him. After thinking about it for a good half minute with Lar anxiously waiting for his response, he finally said ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    Lar smiled and had to restrain himself from jumping from joy at Arthur''s answer. Finally his nephew would have a proper magic teacher. ¡°But I do need to warn you, most of what I will probably end up teaching him will be how to practice on his own. At low levels of proficiency it is best to simply practice control over power.¡± Arthur was sure to give a disclaimer before Lar got too excited, but Lar did not show any difference in his expression.


    ¡°Of course, I trust you sir Arthur. When are you available to teach him? I can make certain that he has time for you.¡±


    ¡°How about for the last two days of the week? I usually take a bit of time off on those days for myself and my friends so I don''t have anything important going on. Does that work for you and your nephew?¡±


    ¡°Most certainly, thank you. I''ll go tell him now.¡±


    ***********


    Four days later on the second to last day of the week Arthur arrived at the residence of Lar¡¯s brother for his nephew''s basic magic training. The house was of a decent size for a family of commoners and a little bigger than his own.


    Arthur walked right up to the front door catching the attention of a few of neighbors who spoke amongst themselves about the new visitor. With three loud knocks Arthur heard a voice on the other side shout out ¡°Just a minute!¡±


    Just a few seconds later a woman in her late twenties opened the door and smiled upon seeing his attire. ¡°You must be Arthur. Please come inside, I¡¯ll go get Marcus.¡±


    The woman, presumably Marcus¡¯s mother, rushed outside through the back door and soon returned with a young boy that looked to be about eight years old. Upon seeing Arthur Marcus¡¯s eyes lit up like a candle. ¡°H- hi sir Arthur! My uncle Lar told me you were coming today.¡±


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    Marcus¡¯s mother flinched a bit at the word sir but kept her composure. ¡°Please take a seat sir Arthur, would you like some tea?¡±


    ¡°I am alright for now, and you can just call me Arthur. I have no knightly title and I don¡¯t believe I am ready for one.¡± Arthur gave a soft smile as he attempted to hide his dislike of being called sir.


    ¡®Why does Lar always refer to me as a sir, it always souls like I am a knight.¡¯


    With all the pleasantries out of the way Arthur turned to Marcus who was seated on the other side of the table. ¡°Your uncle said you knew a bit of magic, could you show me?¡±


    Marcus nodded and picked up a cup from the nearby counter top that was filled halfway with water. He placed the cup on the table so Arthur could see him dip his finger in and remove it with a marble''s worth of water sticking to it. Marcus presented the small amount of water and with his little magic skill had it flow around his hand on its own, even having it stick to the underside defying normal gravity.


    Arthur nodded as he took mental notes of Marcus¡¯s skill, reminding him of himself when he first started practicing magic three months ago in Dom Badaher.


    ¡°You have made wonderful progress on your own. But your current training technique could use some work, so I will show you what I did when I first started learning magic.¡± Arthur took the cup of water in his hand and using his hydromancy made the water begin to flow in a clockwise circle, creating a whirlpool effect that he showed to Marcus who looked absolutely amazed by a simple trick.


    ¡°Now this is a lot simpler than it appears. What you need to do is take control of some of the water and have it move at a consistent speed around the cup. Since it is not in contact with your skin for the whole time this will help you practice controlling your mana from a distance, and as you progress you will be able to control more and more until you have the whole cups worth of water.¡±


    ¡°What about after that? How do I practice after that?¡± Marcus looked to Arthur like he was a god speaking in riddles.


    ¡°Well, that is a fair bit ahead of you, but I see no harm in telling you. After you master controlling the water in a cup you will want to practice making it levitate.¡±


    ¡°Levitate!? Is that really possible!?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is. But like controlling the water in the cup you want to start small and progressively use more. For now your progress will rely upon your dedication and how much you practice, and I will be back tomorrow to help you if you have any problems, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok. I will practice as much as I can today Mr. Arthur. So I can be as powerful as you.¡± Marcus said with a large grin on his face, hoping to impress Arthur with his dedication.


    ¡°That''s good to hear, but remember, sometimes taking breaks can help you process the information you¡¯ve learned rather than just pushing through.¡±


    ***********


    Arthur routinely tutored Marcus at his home on the last two days of every week, he would arrive and take a look at his progress before giving him a few pointers and leaving. While Marcus did remind Arthur of himself his progress was much slower than his own, the primary cause of this being his tiny mana pool of just one.


    According to Marcus¡¯s mother the only reason why he even earned a level was because for a short amount of time he was working with his father as a butcher and was tasked with killing a few animals, as well as killing some mice and rats. Needless to say Marcus was a little traumatized by that and put all the attribute points he received into his vitality and constitution. But since Marcus is still a child he hasn¡¯t received the full benefits of those changes.


    But Marcus still persevered in his training by taking frequent breaks whenever he remembered and stopping when he started to feel headaches from mana exhaustion.


    This went on for another month with Marcus making great progress for a newcomer to magic, and Arthur improving his skill and knowledge in magic and alchemy, by practicing magic while consulting books, and receiving some training from some of the more skilled alchemists in the club.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Pyromancy Level 14


    + Aeromancy Level 11


    + Alchemy Level 9


    \- - - - - -/


    With all the money he was receiving from selling his alchemy creations to the club, and by extension the guild, Arthur decided it was about time to look at some of the magic items that were sold by the guild, and since Calavia would always meet with him in the magic item hall he decided to invite her along.


    ¡°Wow, I can believe this is your first time buying something with magic properties. Are you excited?¡± Calava asked while walking next to Arthur.


    ¡°A little, last time I took a look around I only looked at that cloak for novices that would expand the wearer''s mana capacity a bit.¡± Arthur said as the thought back to that day three months prior. He recalled some armor, weapons, and lots of staves, but nothing specific like what they each did.


    ¡°Well you are in luck you invited me, I can guarantee that with my help you will find something to your liking. But it would help if you gave me a few ideas before we got there, so is there anything you particularly would like?¡±


    Arthur took a moment to think about what he wanted. ¡®My current fighting style doesn¡¯t really lack anything at the moment, so the only improvements to be made would be to improve what I currently have.¡¯


    ¡°Well a set of enchanted armor or longsword would be nice, aside from that I don¡¯t really have anything in mind.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well I don¡¯t exactly have good news for the armor, typically you need to make a custom order for enchanted armor, the sword isn¡¯t so bad though. But I would have expected you to consider a talisman to substitute a shield spell or something.¡± Calava gave a dramatic shrug as she looked at Arthur¡¯s confused face. ¡°You do know what a talisman is right?¡±


    ¡°Those things from children''s stories? I assumed they were just made up.¡±


    ¡°What!? You can¡¯t be serious! Just about every mage of apprentice rank or high at least has one talisman for emergencies. On top of their practicality they are also far cheaper than most enchanted equipment, and a lot easier to replace too.¡±


    ¡°Oh would you look at that, the hall is just up ahead.¡± Arthur started walking double time towards the magic item hall while Calavia was starting daggers into the back of his head for not knowing simple facts about magic.

 Chapter 73

    The duo entered the magic item hall and began to look around for anything of interest. The room they were currently in was easily twenty meters in length with a large assortment of magic items lining the walls. Thankfully they were sorted into groups, with all the armor, weapons, amulets, and other items all being grouped together and protected by glass casings that appeared to have a sort of magic lock.


    Arthur walked past the employee behind a counter and behind a plane of enchanted glass to take a look at the armors that were on display. At first Arthur was a bit confused as to how he was meant to learn what enchantments the armor had, but then the enchanted glass began to display words regarding each of the armors as well as their price. To conform his theory Arthur walked to his left where the weapons were and the same thing happened.


    Since for the time being Arthur was happy with his sword he wanted a set of heavy armor that would protect him against magic attacks, as physical attacks were currently not much of an issue for his armor at the moment. But as he looked at the price of the cheapest armor with a magic protection enchantment his jaw dropped.


    ¡®Fifteen gold coins!? That is more than my house is worth along with the furniture! And I only have two and a half with me.¡¯ Arthur felt a bit dejected by the absurd price, how was anyone just joining the guild meant to pay for these?


    Deciding to take the advice of Calavai Arthur took a look at the talismans and found them to be far more reasonably priced than the weapons and armors.


    ¡®Ten silver for a shield talisman that conjures a shield around the user made from mana that can block both physical and magical attacks, sounds useful.¡¯ Arthur then turned his attention to a second talisman that caught his eye. ¡®And a talisman of fireball for another ten, it conjures a fireball in the direction the tip is pointing.¡¯


    The shield talisman was a small disk made of wood that could fit in the palm of Arthur''s hand while the talisman of fireball resembled a wand chiseled from stone into a smooth cylinder with rounded edges.


    To buy the two talismans Arthur had to walk up to the employee behind the counter and point out the two he wanted to buy. The employee then entered the main room through a sliding door made from bricks that must have utilized some sort of magic, he then used a ring on his middle finger tapped against the glass and it popped open like a drawer. After retrieving the talismans the employee returned through the sliding door and behind the counter where Arther paid and received the talismans.


    Calavia ended up buying a nice necklace that consisted of a silver chain and a silver pendant that had a small deep blue gemstone. The necklace would be able to conjure a stronger magic shield than the talisman that Arthur bought and allow the user to control the size and shape. It ended up costing her three gold coins.


    Shortly after the spending spree Arthur and Calavia left the hall and took a seat on a bench just outside the guild. ¡°Dam, I always forget just how expensive everything is there. I suppose I am lucky I was even able to buy this without going broke.¡± Calavia said as she clutched her new necklace.


    ¡°You got that right. That one suit of armor cost more than my entire house, including furniture. Makes you wonder how much anything custom made would cost.¡±


    Arthur took the shield talisman out from his bag where he had placed it temporarily and held it in the palm of his hand as he attempted to use it. ¡°How do these things work?¡± Arthur looked to Calavia as he tried and failed to activate the shield.


    ¡°Oh, you need to bond your mana to it first before you can control it. Just push a bit of your mana into it and keep it there for a bit.¡± Calava then gave a small demonstration with the use of her necklace that she explained worked off singular principals. Arthur following her instructions did the same with his talismans and managed to have the shield talisman conjure its shield.


    ¡°I have a question about talismans and enchanted items, why is there such a price disparity? Is it because you need to hold a talisman in your hand or is there another reason?¡± Arthur asked while looking at his talismans and Calvias necklace.


    ¡°No that isn¡¯t the reason, its because talismans slowly use up all the energy they contain until they crumble apart.¡±


    ¡°Wait. So you''re telling me that eventually these talismans I just bought will run out of energy and stop working. How long will that take?¡± Arthur gave Calavia an almost accusatory look, almost as if he was blaming her. But thankfully she wasn¡¯t looking at him.


    ¡°Yes, that will eventually happen. But you will still get a good amount of use out of them before that happens. The guild inspects everything they buy beforehand, that way they can stop anyone trying to scam the system by selling fake or defective products.¡±


    Arthur calmed down upon hearing her explanation. ¡®She right, they do the exact same thing when I sell my potions and other alchemy related products with the alchemy club.¡¯ Arthur retracted his gaze and returned his talismans to his bag.  ¡°If enchanting is such a lucrative business I should probably get into it, get some of that money for myself.¡±


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    Calavia laughed at Arthur¡¯s comment, before nodding. ¡°With how things are currently going relating to the mages guilds involvement in the government and its politics now would almost be the best time ever to start learning, because at this rate the demand can only go up.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is going on with all that? I have heard a few rumors that are going around, but nothing specific, and I haven''t had any work from Captain Tasius for an excuse to ask him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot, but I will tell you what I do know.¡± Calavia said as she took out a handful of notes from her bag. ¡°Since the investigation into that bandit gang that organized that attack on the city like a month ago the guild and the sects have been asking why no one asked them for their help. And then the crown got involved and forced investigators to allow mages and priests to take part, large portions of the nobility don¡¯t like this claiming that it is undermining their power and authority.¡± ¡°And while the crown, mages, priests, and guards are trying to solve the case the nobility are throwing a tantrum.¡± Arthur said as he understood what was actually happening. ¡°I know what is happening now, do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Only a little, some of the noble houses that have a less pristine reputation make up a majority of those who oppose the changes. I suspect that if more mages are apart of law enforcement it will be harder or even impossible for them to maintain their positions due to the illegal activity they may or may not partake in.¡±


    ***********


    Soon after Arthur and Clavia said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Arthur ended up spending the rest of his day brewing potions and other products to sell to the club. Thankfully he found a good combination of things to make that would allow him to make a decent income even with the cost from buying the glass bottles and corks. On average he would make about ten silver a week.


    But as things were going far more steadily for Arthur and those close to him the same could not be said for either the Rusted Daggers or Captain Tasius.


    ¡°Are you certain!? You have found their hideout!?¡± Captain Tasius nearly shouted at the mage standing before him as he received their report.


    ¡°Yes captain, they have been hiding in a small cave that has a hidden series of rooms behind a false wall. The cave isn¡¯t even that far from the edge of the forest, and we suspect that they have been operating there for at least a year by now. And one last thing, you should yell sir. There may be spies watching.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, that is the best news I could have possibly heard from you. I need to assemble a task force to deal with this threat, if you have anyone you would like to recommend to it please leave me their file and I will get back to you.¡± The mage gave a small bow and left the captain to himself and his lieutenant.


    ¡°We finally have them sir. Should we deploy the elite units to the area?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet. Have all of our mercenary friends come here over the course of a few days under the guise of another job for them. Have them all arrive at different intervals to keep anyone from suspecting anything. Then we will give them a location and time to meet up with our elite troops. Then, and only then will we strike and cut each of them down.¡±


    ¡°But what if they surrender? Shouldn¡¯t we take them prisoner in that case?¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield asked with a weary look on his face.


    ¡°In that case they will be arrested and tried for their crimes. But odds are they will still be executed anyway for what they have done, this will be the top brass of their organization afterall.¡± Captain Tasuis said in a sorrowful tone, but his face and eyes told a far different story. He was enjoying all the scheming and planning to bring those bandits to their knees, he wanted them to suffer, whether it be as revenge for himself or the people that have harmed it made little difference to him now.


    ***********


    Two days after the captain received word of the Rusted Daggers hideout several of the mercenary groups were called up one by one and given the relevant information regarding the time and place they were needed, but not why they were to go there. But they all understood why they were being asked and kept silent even if they declined the job.


    On the third day Arthur along with a few other mercenaries including Kavok. They stood in a soundproofed room from a spell and waited for the captain who began to point at a map held up to the wall. ¡°Welcome everyone, I have another job for all of you. But before I divulge any more information I must know beforehand if you are willing to take it. You will all be well compensated for your time and the expense covered for any injuries you may suffer as a result. Anyone not willing to sign an oath of silence I ask to leave the room.¡±


    Just as the captain mentioned the oath of silence two guards entered the room and started to hand out an oath to each person. Almost everyone including Arthur began to read the terms and conditions of the oath.


    ¡®These aren¡¯t so bad. Don¡¯t speak of this to anyone for the duration, don¡¯t show anyone anything regarding the job for the duration, don¡¯t tell anyone about the oath for the duration, ect. I see no problem with this.¡¯ Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out his extra bottle of ink and used his hydromancy to write down his name as he didn¡¯t currently have a flat surface to write on.


    The only other person to quickly sign the oath was Kavok who did so a few seconds after Arthur in a similar method. Slowly more than half of the mercenary in the room signed the oath while the rest returned them to the guards.


    ¡°I am happy to see that more than half of you chose to stick around, but I must ask those of you who did not sign to leave and speak with my second in command.¡± Captain Tasuis pointed to his lieutenant who stood by the door with his left hand raised above his head for everyone to see.


    At his request everyone who did not sign followed the lieutenant out of the room leaving the captain to explain what they had been hired to do. ¡°As I am sure you all know there was an attack several months ago that was orchestrated by a group of bandits that calls themselves the Rusted Daggers. They have been a nuisance in my side from the moment I have been captain and we now know where they''ve been hiding. That is why you are all going to assist in the raid and put them to an end, once and for all.¡±

 Chapter 74

    After the brief meeting with the captain and going over the bare minimum regarding when and where they needed to meet up for the assault on the Rusted Daggers they were forced to wait and leave in a staggered pattern. One person or group that arrived together would be allowed to leave every five to ten minutes, and it was based on who arrived first. The reason behind it was to avoid any suspicion regarding the meeting from any spies, of which Captain Tasius suspected there to be many watching his every move from outside.


    Since Arthur was one of the earliest to arrive at the meeting he was able to leave quickly and get back to his day, but not before asking those who did not accept the job. As it turned out they were still required to sign an oath of silence regarding what happened.


    The first thing Arthur did upon leaving was go straight home and begin to brew as many offensive alchemical tools he could think of, from fire seeds to smoke bombs he did not hesitate to make as many as he could fit in his bag.


    Arthur knew that people would die in this fight and there was no reason that the bandits wouldn¡¯t have access to alchemical tools or some basic talismans in the hands of the high rankers. And since it was the hideout they were raiding, odds were there would be a lot, but Captain Tasius was more than willing to hand out some alchemical tools such as fire seeds, but also a handful of talismans to those without any magic skills.


    But deep down Arthur was still scared, in fact he has been hiding his fear even from himself in these dangerous situations. The vampires and demon terrified the hell out of him but he pushed on out of pure instinct, like how he felt the vampire assassin watching him from a distance.


    The feeling in question was very similar to a spider or multiple spiders climbing up and down his back, in fact that is exactly what he thought it was at first. But he did eventually feel a pull towards a seemingly random direction that got closer and disappeared when he arrived at the guild. He even felt it when the expedition found the demon, at the time he didn¡¯t notice, but it was there.


    And now that feeling was back, the fear running up and down his spine, but this time there was no pull leading him towards where the danger was. But it didn¡¯t need to, wherever the bandits had their hideout was the source of the danger.


    **********


    A full week passed with the feeling of danger never leaving Arthur¡¯s side, not even as he slept. He had to keep his feelings hidden from Calavia as he spent time with her making it the worst part of each of his days. He wished to tell her everything of what happened, to go into every detail. He even was forced to cancel Marcus¡¯s training with the excuse of not feeling well due to being unable to concentrate on teaching.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand. If it gets worse based on the danger then it should have been just as bad if not worse when I engaged the vampires on my own. I didn''t even feel it after I killed the vampire assassin let alone the vampire lord.¡¯ Thankfully the week passed and Arthur was able to make his way towards the meeting area to rally before the assault.


    The guards at the gate recognized him and he gave the simple excuse of leaving to collect more ingredients for his alchemy. Since he was in his regular civilian clothes he was able to quickly pass through the gate. He instead kept his armor in his bag and put it on when he arrived at the rally point.


    Arthur walked down the road towards the forest paying little attention to the sown fields that the farmers were spreading fertilizer upon.


    The rally point was deep within the woods, taking him a good half hour to reach it without drawing any attention. But even when he arrived he would still need to wait as only about half had even arrived by that point to prevent any spies from getting suspicious of their activities. The explanation given by Captain Tasius was that they are all known as either members of the city guard or mercenaries employed by the city guard.


    The rally point was empty aside from a small fire and a handful of cheap tents where everyone changed into their armor of whatever they wore to fight. Arthur entered the nearest one and switched to his armor as fast as he could.


    But ultimately there was little point in being quick as another three hours passed before everyone had arrived and prepared themselves. Captain Tasius was the one who led the group to the western part of the forest and eventually to the small cave that Arthur had frequently passed on his trips into the forest. Suddenly the footprints in the dirt nearby had a far different meaning.


    ¡®They were right there this whole time. Have they been watching me through some sort of surveillance and decided I wasn¡¯t worth it? Or was I just lucky they never exited while I was around.¡¯ Arthur followed the captain''s lead as he thought about all the possible dangers that could have happened if he wasn¡¯t so lucky.


    As they approached the cave only a handful of the elite guards along with the captain entered initially to find the passage, and after about five minutes of searching the found it. It was a small hole just large enough for a fully grown human with armor to pass through and was hidden by a handful of boulders stacked against it.


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    As a result of the small size of the passageway they had to enter in a single file with the captain at the front. The other side of the passage led out to a large room that clearly was made by people. The room was square and symmetrical and somewhat smoothed compared to the natural feeling passage they just came from.


    The nearest doorway had no door allowing the raiding party to easily pass through into another much larger room with an assortment of crates, boxes, barrels, and bags. Some had been organized and stacked together, but most had just been left in a seemingly random place and many were half emptied. There were also some pillars of unmined stone that were left seemingly at random, the only possible use they had might be for defensive cover.


    They were very wasteful with what they took, the contents of several on the boxes and crates could be found all over, from clothes to broken bottles, it painted a clear picture of how much the bandits valued the possessions they took. Very little.


    Everyone took note of the mess within the room, especially Captain Tasius who scowled at the amount they wasted. It was the fruits of the hard labor of other people they had taken, and now they simply waste it. It was disgusting, and they needed to be stopped.


    As they pressed further into the room they found the large throne carved from the stone wall on the far side of the room, as well as one person sitting upon it talking with several other well dressed people surrounded by what appeared to be cutthroat mercenaries.


    The person on the throne was a human woman with brown hair and eyes wearing a set of heavy steel plate armor with some very expensive engravings that Captain Tasius recognized as an import for one of the nobles currently residing within the city. It was intended to be delivered to him prior to the captain¡¯s promotion but never arrived, likely due to the caravan being ambushed by bandits.


    Retrieving that armor would likely make that noble in question very thankful and get his support in regards to incorporating mages into the justice and legal system.


    Captain Tasius informed his unit with a series of hand signs to the numbers and location of the enemies, they then shared the message with each other until everyone understood what was happening.


    As quietly as they could, everyone found a better position with cover to attack the enemy in preparation for the captain to give the signal, the signal being him throwing a fire seed towards the bandits and drawing their attention.


    Arthur along with Kavok and other unknown guard hid behind one of the closest pillars with their weapon of choice at the ready. For Arthur that was his magic and alchemical tools, and for Kavok and the guard it was their bows.


    *********


    Felix weary looked around at the other members of the gang as his lover and boss Diana smiled while sitting upon her throne like a queen. The other high ranking members were not happy with how things had progressed after the attack on Antium.


    Things were intended to get easier with their biggest source of danger out of the way, but all that they seemed to achieve was to make things worse, because now instead of just the city guard hunting them now they had to deal with mages. And mages were far more dangerous than just simple guards.


    While they might have received a few weeks of freedom from the law, now it was breathing down their necks and they had no way out. So why not force their leader to do something about it, they outnumbered her and Felix.


    ¡°Now now, fighting amongst ourselves won¡¯t fix the issue. If we are going to survive against this threat we need to do it together.¡± Felix attempted to calm the angry bandits with little success.


    ¡°Things are worse than ever, and it''s her fault!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Why should we listen to either of you!?¡±


    ¡°And we do all the work while you just sit here all day!¡±


    The majority of the bandits were not happy with how their situation was. More than a quarter of them had already been killed off by the city guard or the mercenaries they hired, the news of how many bandits had been killed in recent times also deterred any new recruits as joining them was more dangerous than hunting dragons.


    And the bandits were more than happy to use violence against their former leader if they needed to, as no one in their line of business liked to take the fall on behalf of someone else especially when that would include the death penalty.


    The amount of bandits that were publicly executed had been steadily increasing while scaring off anyone considering joining up.


    But for some reason Diana was not scared, if anything based on her smile she was happy with such an outcome. This apparent happiness confused Felix as he knew they could easily be killed off within minutes at best if their former allies decided to.


    ¡°Such strong words, but such little physical strength to back them up. If you did not believe in my skills as a leader then none of you would be here, instead you all would have run as fast as you could while taking anything of value that could be carried.¡±


    Diana smiled as she spoke down to her rebelling subordinates, they all knew without her they wouldn¡¯t have anything close to the success they had previously, and Diana knew how to leverage that.


    ¡°Now if anyone here is willing to set up and face me for leadership then by all means, try it.¡± Diana stood up from her throne and gripped her two handed war hammer that gave off a small flame on the end, a clear sign of an enchanted weapon.


    The bandits before her aside from Felix all subconsciously took a step back at her happy display of willingness to use violence against her own subordinates. For Felix this was a common occurrence that he had long since gotten used to.


    With her subordinates now far more docile, Diana sat down upon her throne once again, but just as she was about to start giving out orders an explosion filled the room, taking out two bandits towards the back of the gathering and hurting the ears of several others.


    With that fire seed explosion the rest of the guards and mercenaries opened fire with whatever ranged weapons they had on hand, whether that be magic or a bow it was being used.


    A small barrage of arrows and basic spells assaulted the bandits, but only about half of the projectiles met their targets. The bandits leading the larger groups had some talismans on hand that allowed them to create large barriers to keep most of their subordinates alive.

 Chapter 75

    While the bandits had been taken off guard they managed to defend against the majority of the initial bombardment of their position with the use of some defensive talismans. But those talismans wouldn¡¯t last forever, so they reorganized himself into a basic offensive formation and began to move towards their attackers with the shields raised, Diana and Felix quickly rushed to the front.


    While the shields were a set back to Captain Tasius¡¯s plan it was only a temporary one as he ordered everyone to continue firing upon barriers, specifically towards the largest one covering the leader of the bandits.


    Using any and all weapons they had at hand, Arthur began to use his large stockpile of fire seeds to pelt the shields and try to break them up. One thing Arthur had recently discovered he could do was create a slipstream effect by making a small air barrier shaped a bit like an arrow head over the fire seed, that way when he threw it he could get a lot more speed and a lot more distance.


    But even with all this the bandits still managed to get close enough to drop the shields and engage in melee combat. Since most of the bandits used shorter weapons such as swords and clubs they had to try and flank their enemies of which about half wielded spears and could keep out of reach.


    With a great amount of teamwork and trust the guards and mercenaries under Captain Tasius managed to slowly whittle down the forces of the bandits, but the leader and her strongest ranking subordinates were strong and smart enough to start exploiting holes in their formation and push them back a bit.


    The bandit leader in particular was the most prominent of them all, and her skill with the war hammer was putting the captain on his backfoot. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to finally meet you in person Captain, I have been looking forward to it for so long.¡± Diana said with a sickening smile as she slammed her war hammer down grazing Captain Tasius.


    Captain Tasius stumbled back from the force of the strike and readied himself for her to attack again, but instead she blocked an arrow with her armor from the left of their fight. By the time the arrow had been deflected off her armor Kavok had already drawn a second one and was ready to fire.


    But Diana wasn¡¯t all that willing to allow someone to interrupt her fight, she reached down to her boot where she pulled out a thin rod made up of a white stone. She pointed it towards where Kavok was standing and a fireball erupted forth and struck the pillar he stood next to. The explosion flung him backwards and against the nearby wall causing him to drop his bow.


    With the temporary obstacle out of the way Diana turned her attention back to her opponent, but Captain Tasius hadn''t been idle. Diana barely had the time to block a stab directed towards her har face.


    Captain Tasius unleashed a flurry of strikes against Diana who only just barely held her ground. And when a small explosion occurred just next to her killing a few of her fellow bandits and knocked her off her feet, Captain Tasius did not hesitate.


    ¡°AAHHHH!¡± Diana screamed out in pain as her vision in her right eye went dark. Tasius retracted his halberd and attempted to stab her again only to miss, and in a rage Diana began to swing her war hammer wildly, uncaring of who else she hit in the process.


    With the ferocity she displayed she began to push the captain back forcing his own men behind him to move out of the way. Several attempted to intervene and attack all at once, but she recklessly swung her war hammer around and hit a few people nearby, both allies and enemies. This along with the orders of the captain forced them to avoid intervening.


    Arthur who threw the fire seed that exploded kept his attention on Diana and Captain Tasius, the frenzy that the bandit leader found herself in was a bit worrying as she appeared to be unhindered by the large gaping wound where her eye used to be.


    ¡®Gods that is terrifying. I do not envy the captain, but I hope he can keep just out of reach for me to fit her with a few more fire seeds. She might not be reacting to her injuries, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t kill her.¡¯


    Arthur continued his barrage of fire seeds guided with aeromancy to keep Diana from killing the captain with some success, but she was moving far too erratically for him to be certain that the captain would avoid a direct hit as well.


    But this did not last long, Arthur and everyone else was in a battlefield. It wasn¡¯t a particularly large one, but it still counted. As such Arthur was not the only one who could intervene in the fights of others, and Felix, the lover and second in command of Diana, was not happy with what he was doing. The only thing that stopped him from rushing over earlier was that he was preoccupied by one of the elite guards, but with him out of the way he could now deal with the man who is causing the injuries to the love of his life.


    Felix was quick to put Arthur on the backfoot and force him away from the main fight, giving him enough room and limiting the possibility of anyone else intervening. Felix was also stronger, faster, and most importantly more skilled than Arthur with fighting with the longsword. And even when the blade itself did not hurt him the chilling effect from the blade made him feel more cold and numb with each strike, causing him to move and react even slower.


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    The main forces of each side however were starting to conclude their fight, since most of the bandits only wore armor they stole they were not exactly well protected, and they also had very little sense of friendship and comradery compared to the guards and mercenaries who knew and for the most part cared as well as trusted each other. This left the bandits on the losing end without even counting the tactical advantage they were lacking in, and as the fight continued the bandits slowly began to die off.


    Every little wound would slowly build up and every time one of the leaders was killed off the moral took a nosedive. Each bandit knew the only way out was through their attackers resulting in many poor decisions made from desperation that pushed the odds into the guards and mercenaries'' favor.


    Eventually as the outlook turned to be impossible a couple of the bandits dropped their weapons and ran in the opposite direction, they had nowhere to run and only managed to distract a few of the remaining bandits to find themselves with a blade in their gut when they weren''t looking.


    Diana and her frenzy did not last for very long as the adrenalin eventually wore off and her movements began to become clumsy and sluggish, Captain Tasius used that opportunity to strike at her knees and cripple her. He chose to do that because he figured it would be best if the mastermind of the whole operation was publicly executed, the people would be happy that their largest source of danger was dealt with, and it would reflect well upon him and perhaps gain his district more funding for security.


    As Diana fell to the ground with both her knees covered in wounds she shouted out in pain momentarily distracting Felix. ¡°Diana!¡± Felix shouted as he saw the guards mercilessly cuff her arms behind her back and gag her so that she may not shout. He turned back to Arthur who took the opportunity to take a step back and begin casting a spell.


    ¡°Ignis iaculum!¡± Three small bolts of fire were conjured and were directed by Arthur towards Felix. While avoiding most of the damage two of the bolts still managed to graze his face and leave a small burn.


    As retaliation for such an underhanded move Felix swung his sword towards Arthur¡¯s neck with the intent to cut his head right off. He missed as Arthur took a set back, but he swung again, this time an overhead strike that would be much closer than the last. Arthur was forced to block the strike with one hand on the handle and the second supporting the blade.


    Arthur could hear Felix grunt and grumble in anger as he pushed down harder on the sword as if he was attempting to cut through it. But even if he was it didn¡¯t really matter as the cold radiating from his blade slowly seeped into Arthur¡¯s causing his hand to get even colder and numb.


    In his fit of rage Felix let his right hand off of the handle and winded it back for a punch to the face. Arthur, noticing the clear and choreographed attack, let his left hand stop supporting his blade and prepared to deflect the attack. Using his wrist deflected and pushed Felix¡¯s arm to the side, as Arthur did this he dropped his sword and quickly conjured a thin knife from earth, the blade was designed like a needle and relied on stabbing as opposed to slashing.


    With the enclosed distance Arthur practically tackled Felix and repeatedly stabbed him in one of the few places his armor could not easily, the armpit. The thin blade managed to side right in between any of the chain main that protected the area, but the thinness of the blade forced Arthur to nearly constantly reinforce it to keep it from breaking off.


    The sword that Felix was using was practically useless at such a closed distance forcing him to drop it and attempt to use his hands to force Arthur to stop, but the pain coming from his left arm from the stab wounds kept him from using that arm. Felix frantically swung his right arm towards Arthur wildly, he started with repeatedly punching him in the head to disorient him, but that failed due to them practically being face to face creating an awkward angle to strike even with fist.


    Eventually the other mercenaries and guards took notice of the struggle and rushed over to assist Arthur and subdued Felix who was now steadily bleeding out from his armpit from all the stab wounds and the increase in blood flow.


    By this time Kavok regained his footing and helped Arthur find a decent box to sit on closer to the main group. Shortly after all the bandits that weren''t killed in battle had their wounds treated if they could be, this left fifteen or so bandits including Diana and Felix who were kept separately for security reasons.


    Of course the mercenaries and guards were the first to receive medical treatment, those with shallow or light wounds were treated with regular medicine and bandages while those with more life threatening injuries were treated with restoration magic thanks to the handful of mages that took part in the raid.


    Upon helping Arthur to a place to sit Kavok also pulled up a box and sat next to him. Arthur took out his lunch from his dimensional bag, he made said lunch earlier in the morning while Kavok retrieved a potato from a small backpack he carried with him and began to take bites out of the potato.


    Arthur noticed that whenever the potato got close to Kavoks face the parts closest it would disappear like a thick fog had enveloped it, the very same ¡®fog¡¯ also concealed his face. ¡®That must be an enchantment that hides his face. I hope he doesn''t have it because he is an assassin and regularly needs to conceal his identity.¡¯


    Kavok took notice of Arthur staring and let out a small chuckle. ¡°Are you still trying to determine if I am a vampire?¡±


    Arthur paused and looked at Kavok with a mix of worry and alertness as he subtly readied his mana just in case he needed to fight. Kavok took no notice and continued speaking.


    ¡°When Captain outright asked me if I was a vampire I knew someone had taken notice of me, and when I looked back I noticed that you were paying quite a bit of attention to me. It also helped that when I asked the captain if it was you who said something he froze for a second.¡±


    Kavok paused his explanation as he took another bit out of his potato.


    ¡°He denied it of course, but it didn¡¯t matter, but I did prove to him that I am not a vampire.¡±

 Chapter 76

    ¡°And how exactly did you do that?¡± Arthur watched over every little move that Kavok made, his words put him on edge. He managed to figure out that he was the one who reported his strange behavior to the captain, what else did he know by just ¡®noticing¡¯.


    ¡°I showed him my face.¡± Kavok said as if it was a simple fact of life. To further demonstrate his point with a small flick Kavok made the dark fog blocking his face disappear and show his real face.


    Arthur froze at what he saw, Kavok skin was a brown that was also sickly pale with his veins black from the blood that now flowed. The rough yet youthful voice he had was a result of becoming a necromancer and learning the secrets of life and death.


    The reason he did not eat or even rest was because he didn¡¯t need to, but since that was something both necromancers and vampires had in common and with his face concealed, Arthur simply assumed what he had the most experience with.


    ¡°You are quite perceptive and you have helped me by fixing my mistakes. Keeping my knowledge and condition out of the public eye is almost essential, that''s why I have been eating and resting. But what exactly made you think I was a vampire? You seemed to be quite certain of that.¡±


    ¡°I''ve dealt with vampires before in the past along with a cult that worshipped one.¡± Arthur said as he leaned forward and avoided eye contact with Kavok.


    ¡°Really? Where was this vampire cult? I hear they are quite dangerous, especially for just one person.¡±


    ¡°It was in an old noble manor in Antium. Since I was interfering with their operations they sent a vampire assassin to try and kill me, he failed and eventually the self proclaimed vampire lord invited me to his manor where I killed his two remaining blood spawn.¡±


    ¡°But you did not kill him.¡±


    ¡°No. The circle of fire sent a division of paladins to assist with the threat, the leader of that division killed the vampire.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that sounds a lot like the circle of fire. They have always been quite proactive in rooting out vampires. But in all honesty it is quite surprising that a vampire cult managed to find its footing within the capital city. I personally would have expected it in a small village or even a small town, but the capital itself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard a few rumors going around after that some of the nobles were involved with setting them up. The ones specifically named are not exactly on good terms with the crown at the moment.¡±


    Arthur returned his half eaten food to his bag, with the conversation drifting to vampires and politics he lost his appetite.


    ¡°Well that is politics for you. Someone is always trying to ruin someone else¡¯s plans, even if it is universally a bad thing for everyone. Pride has always survived every calamity.¡±


    **********


    After the sort break ended The mercenaries and the guards marched the captured bandits back to the city and through the southern district all the way to the barracks and down to the dungeon to await their trial.


    As they marched through the streets the people slowly started to take notice, eventually the people started to whisper as they saw the bandits leader Diana and the expensive armor she wore, and by the time the bandits were processed and locked in cells several rumors about what happened were already spreading through the city.


    Most were quite close to the truth, but there were a handful that would require a public statement to smother before they became an open flame. And as such the very next day Captain Tasius made a public announcement at noon and notified several of the town criers to attend and later share the news.


    The captain simply went over who they captured and why as well as briefly going over the evidence they found at the hideout and that they would to the best of their ability try to return the valuables to their previous owners.


    But on the monetary side of the aftermath each of the mercenaries received at least two gold coins for taking part in the assault, several earned even more based on their above average contributions to the fight. Arthur personally received three gold and ten silver coins for his efforts, a nice sum for someone like him.


    With such a danger behind him Arthur was finally able to relax and took a few days off from working to do so, he only stopped when the weekend arrived and he went back to teaching Marcus.


    But things were not as happy and uplifting as they appeared, a good portion of the nobility were holding a meeting to discuss the possible implications the investigation regarding the Rusted Daggers will have on law enforcement in the future.


    Roughly twenty nobles of various ranks sat around a large table with another ten or so attending through their communication orbs while in a private place. The room had all its windows covered and the room was only illuminated by a sparse amount of candles scattered around the room.


    At the head of the table was a elderly man known as Duke Quintus Igennus, the very same elderly man who opposed the idea of allowing mages and priests to take part in the legal system. ¡°As I am sure you all know we have a problem. With the resolution of the case involving the Rusted Daggers bandit group Captain Tasius of the southern district of Antium has shown the world the effectiveness of allowing mages and priests to take part in the legal system.¡±


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    Duke Quintus waited as he allowed his statement to fully sink in before he continued. ¡°With their involvement they were able to uncover the location of their hidden base of operations, with such magic they could root out almost any crime in the kingdom. And for obvious reasons that is why we need to stop that from happening by any means necessary.¡±


    ¡°As it stands it will almost be impossible for us to convince anyone.¡± A middle aged man by the name of Count Vel Serranus said as he was hunched over a small pile of documents.


    ¡°And that is why we just need to change the public perception of ''How it stands''. Once we have the public opinion the king will be more willing to listen to us, and a few failures to even out the record would do nicely for our needs.¡± Duke Quintus said with a sinister smile.


    ¡°But as it stands we have no way to influence any of these cases. If we could somehow convince the law enforcement in individual cities and towns to not allow mages then we could do something, but as we are now we have no way to do that.¡± another noble spoke up, a woman by the name of Duchess Atilia Nola.


    ¡®Duchess Atilia, you are nothing but a fool and a coward. I would bet half of my territory that you are just a spy sent by the king to keep us bogged down with infighting. I will not allow you to stop us this time.¡¯ Duke Quintus thought to himself as he smeared at the duchess¡¯s statement.


    The duchess had kept the group from partaking in several of the more risky ventures, risky in regards to the law rather than the returns. The duke believed her to be a spy due to her interference in what he considered to be his council, but she was just a very cautious person and was unwilling to lose everything due to someone else''s stupidity.


    ¡°That is why we are going to take things slowly and turn the public''s perception against allowing mages into the legal system. We can use several of our contacts within the legal system of all the major cities and towns as well as spread several rumors around about how the mages finding the bandits hideout was just a fluke.¡± Duke Quintus smiled, most of the council was nodding with him leaving the duchess with nothing to use against him.


    ¡°I suppose that isn¡¯t the worst plan you could have come up with.¡± Duchess Atilia said, looking directly towards the duke. ¡°But that assumes that nobody catches on that those rumors were spread intentionally, knowing our enemies they will be quick to pick up on it if that is all we spread. To circumvent this we need to pit the mages, priests, and normal law enforcement against each other, that way they will be so focused on each other rather than who started the rumor.¡±


    ¡°And how exactly would we do that? Create fake insults thrown at each other?¡± Duke Quintus sneered.


    ¡°Something like that, but with a bit more of a god complex on the side of the mages, a savior complex for the priests, and a superiority complex for the guards. Then we can create a few scuffles that further divide them until they stop caring who is spreading the rumors, because by then they will just assume they are true.¡±


    ***********


    ¡°Did you hear about the civil war in Aeoniara.¡± Calavia asked Arthur as they ate their lunch.


    ¡°No, what happened?¡±


    ¡°A lot of the fish that normally surround them started to disappear, as a result the amount of fish they caught dropped significantly and a bunch of people went hungry. Then a bunch of those hungry and desperate people started to blame the priests and worshipers of Xardas claiming he placed a curse on them. Eventually the king demanded that the priests remove said curse and out of anger the highest ranking priest there punched him in the face and called him a fool.¡±


    ¡°A priest literally just walked up and punched the king of Aeoniara in the face? Never thought I would hear that outside of a tavern joke.¡±


    ¡°It does sound like one, but back to the civil war, a significant portion of the military and government officials sided with the priests of Xardas who then wanted to secede. The king didn¡¯t like that and declared them traitors before he declared war upon them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think there actually was a curse that caused the fish to disappear?¡±


    ¡°Oh gods no. Curses are typically limited to a single person or thing, occasionally several. In order to remove a significant portion of the fish the power of a god would be needed.¡±


    Calavia and Arthur soon finished up their meal and continued talking while occasionally listening to a few of the conversations at the other tables. Most of what they heard was just rumors regarding the price of goods, the prospect of war with the empire, and even a few scandals regarding nobility. But the most shocking was the rumor of the mages guild calling the city guard incompetent for being unable to locate the Rusted Daggers.


    Arthur looked to Calavia who looked right back to him, in each others eyes they understood what they were each worried about and quickly left the tavern and found a small street away from large amounts of foot traffic.


    ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t sound all that good, what idiot got drunk and started babbling about how little they view the guards.¡± Calavia practically shouted in frustration to Arthur, in the process almost drawing attention despite going there to avoid it.


    ¡°Yeah that is a dumb thing to do. But someone might have just been overheard in a private location, perhaps there was an argument in a tavern room and someone outside heard the conversation.¡±


    ¡°That is possible, but I have my doubts. Most mages aren¡¯t dumb enough to get into an argument about such things so close to a public space.¡±


    ¡°But it only takes one person to not care enough to let a secret out.¡± Arthur sighed, odds were that someone couldn''t keep their mouth shut and when they thought they were far enough away from the public eye.


    ¡°Regardless of whoever it was, they are most certainly getting kicked from the guild the very moment they are discovered. The guild is well known for hating politics outside of their own despite the funding from the crown.¡±


    But the rumor did not let up like the duo thought it would, if fact the exact opposite happened. More rumors regarding the competence of the city guard and the priests of Solarius sprang up as if the guild was doubting them both.


    Of course the guild did put out a statement regarding these rumors and said that such opinions were not representative of the guild and they were more than happy to work with the city guard and the circle of fire in the future.


    But the rumours would not die, it was almost as if someone was resurrecting them after they died off.

 Chapter 77

    A cloud of dread hovered over the city as the rumors continued unimpeded throughout the entirety of the city, everyone from the lowliest of beggars to the highest of nobility knew of the apparent feelings between the mages, priests, and city guard. But those were not the only groups of people affected by the rumors, in fact it felt like everyone had something to say about how they understood the situation.


    As Arthur walked through the city some of the common people would keep their distance recognizing the clothes he wore to be something only a rich man or a mage would wear. Some of the more brazen would whisper as he passed or even shout about how little they thought of him.


    As Arthur got closer to the mages guild he noticed a significant decrease in the amount of people waiting in the lines. It was about half the average that would normally show up on any given day, and even that half looked far more nervous than any other time.


    Arthur easily passed the shortened line and conducted his business with the alchemy club and turned his attention to his mailbox. Arthur would always take a look at the inside of his mailbox at the start of every week, and if he had time later in the week he would check as frequently as possible. But on this day he found a letter in an envelope with a red seal keeping it shut.


    Arthur furrowed his eyebrows as he looked the envelope over, it looked very expensive and he could not think of any reason for someone to send a letter in such an expensive way. Regardless Arthur took the letter with him on his way to the library to take a look at the books now available to him, a proper apprentice ranked mage in the guild. While he had been apprentice ranked in the guild for a little over a week now he hadn¡¯t had the time to actually take a look at the apprentice section of the library, so that made now quite a good time to do so.


    Upon entering the library Arthur ignored the front desk and novice section and went straight towards the apprentice section. It easily had another fifty percent more books than the novice section despite the fact that the novice section had several copies of each book, and the topics that books ranged from were far more varied and more in depth than Arthur could have ever wished for. Selecting three books, one on more advanced exercises for the four evocations, one for more tier one spells to learn, and the last on more advanced alchemy recipes to try out.


    But before Arthur could dig into his newfound wealth of knowledge he took out the letter addressed to him and tore off the seal to look at the contents. Inside was a single letter from the secretary of the king himself informing Arthur that he has a reward waiting for him inside of the royal treasury on behalf of the crown for his participation regarding the vampire cult.


    Arthur sat at a nearby table for nearly five whole minutes just rereading that letter. ¡®They¡¯re a little late to be handing out rewards for that. That was months ago now, but the possibility of a reward for risking my life is too nice to turn down.¡¯


    And so Arthur returned the books to where he found them and started walking towards the royal treasury. Following the path he took the first time there Arthur quickly found himself at the front desks and presented his letter to the clerk there who told him to ¡°Please take a seat, I will be with you in a moment.¡±


    Finding an unoccupied bench nearby Arthur took a seat and waited, but almost half an hour passed and the clerk had returned, but not to help him. He was quite tempted to walk right up and ask her what the hold was when an elderly man in a black ornate robe walked up to him and asked if he was Arthur of Dom Badaher.


    ¡°I am, is there something you need?¡± Arthur looked the man up and down, while the man looked harmless. Something about the robe he wore gave him the feeling that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°You may call me Claudius, I am here to take you to the vault where your reward is being held. The regular clerks here do not have the authorization to open said vault, hence I personally asked the king to have the privilege of doing so.¡±


    Claudius immediately turned and began walking towards one of the doors that led deeper into the treasury with Arthur following him. While it was a good explanation Arthur had the distinct feeling that Claudius was not telling the whole truth.


    Arthur followed Claudius down past the first floor down to the second floor where he noticed that the style of the architecture became far more simplistic and devoid of colors. Each of the doors had strange glowing symbols visible as they walked by reminding Arthur of when he first put on his dwarven armor and the flesh golem blueprints.


    Eventually Claudius led Arthur to a seemingly random room labelled 37. Using a small circular object Claudius touched the door and the lock audibly released and the glowing symbols dimmed. Claudius then entered the room where Arthur followed. Located at the end of the small room was a table with what appeared to be a staff of around two meters in length. The staff was made from a silvery metal with a small blue gemstone at the end and the sides surrounding it with flanges that were common on a type of mace known as a flanged mace.


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    ¡°That is your very own mage staff. I had to convince the king to reward you with one with all of your achievements thus far using them as an example of your loyalty to the kingdom and its people.¡± Claudius said, smiling as Arthur looked over the staff.


    ¡°That sounds very nice and all, but what does a mage staff do?¡± Arthur asked as he took the staff in his hands and began inspecting it in detail.


    ¡°A mage staff is able to cast a large assortment of common spells and the occasional complex spell depending on the quality of said staff. For a mage to have one is a symbol of their skill and dedication to their craft, for only a mage who is very skilled in enchanting or has done a great service can acquire one. This one can also function as a mace if it really comes down to it.¡± Claudius gestured to the flangs on the end of the mace as he finished his explanation.


    Arthur continued to pour his eyes over the staff appreciating the skill of the person who created it. It was the perfect weight for him to carry around without becoming a burden, when he gave it a few practice swings he had great control over it and it was very sturdy and suitable as a weapon.


    ¡°You said that you convinced the king to have me rewarded with this, why?¡± Arthur, done with looking over the staff, finally asked Claudius.


    Claudius took a deep breath before he spoke. ¡°The kingdom has been in very short supply of good and helpful people for quite some time. That is part of the reason why the empire was able to beat us in the previous war just a few years ago. On top of that a portion of the more influential nobles have been opposed to allowing common born mages attain high ranks in the kingdom. They have been putting large amounts of pressure on the king and other institutions to keep commoners from achieving anything.¡±


    Arthur remained silent, if what Claudius was saying was true then there were people out there in high positions in the kingdom actively trying to keep him down despite him not doing anything to deserve such treatment.


    Claudius continued. ¡°The idea that they could cause long term problems within the kingdom with their actions has simply been dismissed as the ideas of a fool, they think they can take on the empire themselves without the support of the people they rule over. They are wrong, and if they keep up with their actions they are going to drag the entirety of the kingdom with it. That is why I have been supporting people like you whether they be young or old.¡±


    Arthur kept silent for another twenty seconds before he spoke again. ¡°Not to be rude, but how exactly does this work?¡± Arthur asked as he turned to Claudius with the mage staff in his hands.


    ¡°You will need to imprint the staff with your mana, it basically amounts to putting some of your mana inside of it so that it recognizes it. There is also a manual that explains what all your staff can do along with instructions.¡± Claudius gestured to a small piece of paper sitting next to where the staff was.


    ¡°Do all enchanted items work this way, or is it just staves like this one?¡±


    ¡°Most enchanted weapons and some armors will require imprinting, but a good portion of armors and some accessory items might not. Those items typically have passive effects such as heat resistance or cold resistance.¡±


    Happy with the answer and new weapon he received Arthur took the manual and began to place his staff in his dimensional bag for safe keeping, but he was interrupted by Claudius. ¡°I would keep your new mage staff in your hands, it is a powerful symbol and tool for a mage to have. It would do you well to keep it outside your bag.¡±


    ***********


    As it turned out Claudius was right about the staff, while a good portion of the common folk did not understand what exactly the mage staff was, they were able to recognize that it was very important from the silvery color of the metal and the glowing gemstone encrusted at the top. Those that did understand the importance were mostly mages and they just stared at him as if he was a living legend, some of the others were either nobles or wealthy commoners that had some understanding of the magical communities hierarchy.


    Aside from the looks Arthur would receive as he walked, the trip towards the mages guild was normal and quiet, until he decided to take a shortcut through a few alleyways and stumbled upon a fight between a mage wearing grey robes and a few members of the city guard. Arthur could hear the mage shouting at the guards even from a good distance away and he did not sound like he would be stopping anytime soon, the guards on the other hand looked to be getting increasingly more annoyed by words of the mage.


    Arthur began to walk toward the commotion using his staff to create a clicking as he did so. As he was only a few meters from the group all four of them turned to look at the source of the noise and saw a very annoyed looking mage with a silvery mage staff watching them. The first one to react was the mage who gave a deep bow and said ¡°An honor to meet you master wizard. I hope we haven''t bothered you on this fine day.¡±


    The words the mage spoke reeked of decorum and high class unlike any mage Arthur had interacted with within the guild. While there are some mages of higher class or born into nobility they tend to lose that air of superiority very quickly or at least tone it down after long enough. This mage did not at all sound like he had been around any other mages for a full day.


    Arthur only recognized one of the guards as Lar, the man who asked Arthur to teach his nephew some basic magic. ¡®Something is off about this mage, the way he is acting is very out of the ordinary for a mage. I''ve passed several high ranking mages in the past but they have never said anything about bowing to them. Heck Calavia would most definitely say something if it was common in the guild.¡¯


    ¡°Why are you fighting in the street, the rumors going around are bad enough, this only validates what those people are saying.¡± Arthur took a few steps towards the supposed mage keeping his staff out in front of him with one hand.


    ¡®This is perfect, with a master wizard on my side the guards are certainly going to keep their mouths shut for the time being.¡¯ ¡°Why I was simply minding my own business carrying my note with me when these brutes ran into me and caused me to drop my notes into this puddle.¡± The mage held a book soaked with water as he gestured to a nearby puddle with his other hand.

 Chapter 78

    Arthur looked at the notebook the mage held up, while he was telling part of the truth given that the book did look like it did end up in the puddle, Arthur had a feeling that wasn¡¯t the whole truth. That along with the reaction was completely unwarranted, unless¡­


    ¡°What is your rank within the guild?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°I am an apprentice master wizard, why do you ask?¡± The mage looked a bit confused by that question, but Arthur was starting to get a clearer picture now.


    ¡°Have you been going to the library to study recently?¡±


    ¡°Yes I have, my notes were actually on what I learned from the books I have been reading.¡± The ¡°mage¡± beamed as he answered that question, as if he was hoping to impress the higher ranked mage before him.


    ¡®This is a little off topic, but anything is worth getting a fucking wizard on my side.¡¯


    ¡°Have you read the book Sounds in the Elements by Caria Leon? It is a book on the four evocations.¡± Arthur asked the ¡°mage¡± hoping for him to say yes.


    ¡°Why yes I have, it is quite a wonderful read isn¡¯t it.¡± The ¡°mage¡± smiled thinking that the master wizard before him was smiling because he was happy with his progress.


    ¡°I assume you know how to perform all the exercises that are within the book then given your dedication.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes I have, I am quite happy to say that I know how to do each and every one.¡± Arthur smiled at that response, the supposed mage is about to out himself as a fraud.


    ¡°Really? Then why don¡¯t you display the water extraction exercise from page seven with your wet notebook. Simply extract the water from the paper and dry it in the process.¡± The fake mage paused and his eyes widened in surprise, he knew he screwed up.


    ¡°Why of course, just give me a moment and I shall do so just for you.¡± Arthur had to give him credit for not losing his composer when his lie was about to be exposed.


    The fake mage quickly threw a smoke bomb at Arthur¡¯s feet and turned to run while using the smoke as cover. But as he took his first step he felt his left leg get caught in a string grip, the grip seemingly wrapped around his whole foot like he imagined a snake would but with the strength of an ox behind it.


    Quickly the smoke dispersed revealing a tendril of earth grappling the fake mages leg to prevent hip from running. With a small gesture Arthur conjured a second tendril that grappled the other leg to prevent him from escaping. ¡°Now that we have that out of the way you can tell me what really happened, Lar.¡±


    The fake mage froze like a statue at those words. He already knew the guards he was facing against, and he was being played the whole time. The fake mage gritted his teeth in frustration and contemplated shouting at the real mage before putting that idea to the side. ¡®If I piss him off any more he might apply more restraints, for now I just need him to get close enough to attack him and make him lose focus on the spell.¡¯


    *********


    Lar gave a brief and shortened explanation of what happened involving the fake mage who threatened to get the mages guild involved if they didn¡¯t reimburse him for the notebook they supposedly destroyed. Then Arthur turned to the fake mage and wondered what to do with him.


    ¡®I could just kill him, but with Lar and his co-workers watching that wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. I could leave him to Lar and his co-workers to deal with, but this guy is slippery like a snake. That leaves taking him to the guild myself to have them imprison him for impersonating a guild member.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he wondered just how terrible the interrogation would be, he knew that there were a few spells that would basically turn the target''s brain into mush and allow any decent mage easy access to said target''s mind. Odds were he would become a training dummy for teaching some young mages illusion magic.


    ¡®I should consider attending an illusion course, it would make stopping idiots like this much easier than it is now. When I get a chance I will look at the available courses and the price.¡¯


    ¡°Could you three help me escort this impersonator to the mages guild?¡± Arthur turned and asked Lar and the other two guards as he conjured a pair of shackled for the fake mages hands.


    The trio nodded and two kept one of their hands on his shoulder as they walked back to the mages guild. Since they had a prisoner with them Arthur was able to skip a significant portion of the line and talk to one of the clerks immediately. Arthur briefly explained the situation to the woman who then called down a small security force of battle mages that escorted the imposter mage underground.


    Arthur wasted no time after that and bid Lar and his coworker goodbye before he returned to the library hoping to find his book where he left them. Unfortunately when he was gone one of the librarians must have walked by and returned the three books to their place. ¡®Look on the bright side, I know where to find the books so I won''t spend all that much time looking again.¡¯


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    Arthur quickly recovered all his books and began to read through them in a small corner. By the time he had finished the first book on the evocation exercises it was already far past lunchtime and getting quite close to dinner. ¡®This book along with the other two are far more in depth than I initially expected. The books within the novice section were only half as complex.¡¯


    Upon making a mental note of the other two books Arthur returned to his home just as the farmer, woodsmen, and hunters were returning to the city from their jobs. Arthur knew this because he passed by some of them as he was walking down the roads in the area of his home.


    ¡°Today has been a sucky day, we¡¯ve had clouds all day long. If we don¡¯t start getting more sun then the plants will start taking longer to grow.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t last forever though, eventually the clouds will blow by and we will have our sunlight back.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Arthur listened to the conversations between the farmers as he walked by a large gathering of them. The one thing that gave them all away as farmers was the straw hats and the thick pants with two straps that went over their shoulders. Overall they appeared happy to be done with their work for the day.


    As Arthur got closer to his home he noticed a few more people out and about than normal. Mostly it was just a few people sitting in chairs close to their doors, keeping their eyes on the road to watch for any strange figures sulking around. There was also a gathering of children in an empty plot playing some sort of game involving throwing a leather ball and reaching a large stick that resembled a y.


    When Arthur eventually returned home he quickly made up a sandwich with some of the ingredients he kept in a cellar he recently dug out just a week prior to keep his mind off the impending danger, not that it helped all that much. But it was still useful for keeping food safe, cold, and out of the way.


    The sandwich he made consisted of two slices of bread, some grounded up and cooked beef, a few leaves of cabbage, and some fish sauce. Arthur brough his delicious looking sandwich over to the nearby table and eagerly took a bit out of it. ¡®Dam, That''s good! Although I bet it would be even better if I added some cheese to it. Yeah, next time I''m doing that.¡¯


    Arthur quickly ate his sandwich and contemplated making and eating another, but he reluctantly forced himself to focus on the more pressing matter, the mage staff and how to actually operate it. Taking the instructions out of his bag Arthur was happy to find that it wasn¡¯t very long, just a two sided piece of paper.


    But unfortunately said piece of two sided paper had very small writing, easily half the size of what anyone would normally write. But the instructions were very helpful, it started with all the spells tha staff could cast on its own with just a bit of control and will power on the users side.


    ¡®Force bolts, force shield, force barrier, force armor. I am sensing a pattern here, Claudius must have asked around when he had the staff made for me. Most of these spells here are either highly offensive or defensive, only these muffle, mute, and levitate spells have any utility uses outside of direct combat. But I do suppose that I am a combat oriented mage, so this should be all that surprising. I would like to learn more about these force spells though, what type of magic are they?¡¯


    Since the description of the spells on the paper was limited in order to save space for other important details regarding the staff, such as the section on safely operating the staff which Arthur quickly glossed over, to understand more about those spells he would need to actually cast them with the staff and inspect them.


    Walking outside through the back door into the small backyard Arthur collected a small amount of earth and formed a simple humanoid shape that he placed a few meters away to act as a test dummy. Arthur then took a combat stance with the staff in both his hands and began to follow the instructions on how to cast the force bolt spell. He connected his mana to the mana residing within the staff and had it trigger the inbuilt spell, three small shimmering bolts resembling very clear glass appeared and flew towards the earth dummy with excel speed and control. Upon impact the bolts left large circular holes the size of grapes that penetrated through the dummy with what would be the exit wound being half the size of the entry.


    ¡®Fascinating, these almost have the same amount of force as one of my large earth spikes, and the mana cost is about half. No wonder these things are status symbols, and there are still another six spells that this thing can cast on its own.¡¯


    Arthur eagerly readied himself like a child about to receive candy before he casted force shield. With another quick trigger a shimmering sphere like the force bolts appeared around Arthur centering on the staff. Upon sticking the bottom end in the earth and trying to walk away Arthur learned that he needed to keep control of the mana or the spells would simply shut off automatically. Arthur wanted to continue his tests by testing the durability and strength of the shields and barriers the staff could cast, but on his own that wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do.


    ¡®When I get a chance I should have Calavai come over and help me test it. Or we can meet up somewhere else and do that. Preferably an open and relatively isolated area with minimal sentient traffic. That cave the Rusted Daggers were using might work too, I should look into that.¡¯


    With two possible locations to try out the defensive portion of his staves inbuilt spells Arthur turned his attention to the remaining force armor spell and muffle, mute, and levitation.


    Force armor was a lot like the previous force spells in which it conjured something that shimmered like clean glass, but this time the spell covered him in it like armor, specifically like the earth armor spell Arthur improvised during the attack on the southern district.


    Although this time the ¡®force¡¯ that made up the conjured armor was more visible with a very slight green hue. Arthur chocked it up to it being denser and thicker than the shield and barriers since they both needed to cover more area. That would allow for the armor to be thicker and thus provide more protection on an individual than the other two.


    The muffle spell was very basic as it simply reduced the amount of sound in a given area whether it was coming in or out. For example if you were shouting inside it would reduce the amount of noise you made coming out, but it would also reduce the amount of sound coming in from whoever you might be shouting at.


    The mute spell would simply prevent a target from creating any noise within a certain radius of themselves, the main purpose would be to prevent a target from shouting for help if they were attacked.


    And the most impressive of them all was the levitate spell, levitate would create a series of updrafts that would keep a target floating off the ground. It would apply to both organic and inorganic things including people.

 Chapter 79

    Arthur tested the levitate spell on a few conjured balls of earth before he tried it on himself. The feeling of several updrafts keeping him afloat was a very concerning and uncomfortable feeling, hopefully he would learn how to actually fly instead of just levitate on his stomach, he had to lay on his stomach because there wasn¡¯t enough updraft to keep a standing person levitated.


    With the uncomfortable testing out of the way Arthur was able to put the rest of his time towards his alchemy and stocking up on all his little products that he had gotten into the habit of making.


    The only other thing of note that Arthur did was read over most of the manual for the mage staff. Most of it was magical jargon he did understand regarding how to repair the enchantments should the staff become too damaged to be used, but he did find the name of the person who made it, a Mr. Hamulim Leadjaw. ¡®That is a dwarven name, I probably should have expected that given the craftsmanship of the staff itself. I wonder how Claudius managed to convince him to make this for me.¡¯


    A short while later Arthur drifted off to sleep thinking about all the different things he would need to do instead of the studying he wanted to do. ¡®Mmph, things were simpler when I was an apprentice for Calvus.¡¯


    **********


    A good while later while the outside was still dark Arthur woke up, he slowly and silently sat up in his bed and looked around the room for the source of what awoke him. He could hear a small little sound that reminded him of two pieces of metal clicking together, but from where he was it was muffled and he could only hear it because of his enhanced hearing.


    Slowly and carefully Arthur reached for his mage staff next to him and quickly casted the muffle spell on himself before he got out of bed. Taking the staff with him he slowly walked through his bedroom door while keeping low to the ground, even though nothing had happened yet he had a feeling that it was best if whatever or whoever was making the clicking sound didn¡¯t know he was awake.


    As he passed into the kitchen/living room the sound was at its loudest, the sound was coming from the back door. Someone was trying to do something to his door, most likely whoever it is wants to gain entry. The only question was, what are they actually doing? Despite the little amount of noise they were making they clearly aren''t all that good at it, otherwise they would already be inside without all the noise.


    Arthur elected to crouch behind the nearby table and the nearest chair to conceal himself, odds were that whoever was making the noise was either going to give up or eventually succeed. And when the door lock made an audible click signaling it was now unlocked Arthur knew he made the right decision and watched.


    Arthur watched as someone slowly opened the door and slipped in through as little room as possible before closing it. The overall body shape gave them away as either an elf or a human, but the clothes they wore kept him from reaching any definitive conclusions.


    The intruder took a quick look around without noticing Arthur and slowly made their way towards the other two rooms, and the overall direction indicated that they were far more interested in the spare room where Arthur kept his alchemy supplies.


    ¡®Interesting, whoever this is knows what I keep that is of considerable value. They must have done their research beforehand, but unfortunately for them they suck at opening locked doors, and they are quite loud as they do it.¡¯


    Arthur smiled as he slowly approached the would-be thief slowly and quietly as they crept towards the spare room. He even waited for them to start going through all his stuff and grab several potions before he announced himself near the doorway.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think those belong to you.¡± The thief froze for a moment at those words before they spun around and saw Arthur standing near the door casually.


    The thief tried to subtly reach for something towards their back, most likely a knife or another short bladed weapon Arthur thought to himself. Suddenly the thief rushed towards Arthur with a knife drawn and plunging towards his face. He quickly controlled his mana through the staff and triggered the force armor spell built into the mage staff. The armor shimmered into existence and the knife was deflected harmlessly with a loud ting as the thief ran by.


    The thief clearly heard the ting and was in no mood to stick around and made a break for the back door with their collection of potions and other alchemical products they stole. Arthur readied his staff and used his mana to cast the force  barrier spell and block the door.


    The  barrier of force blocked the open door and then some causing the thief to run face first into what is essentially an invisible wall, as the thief collided Arthur heard a loud snapping sound, and when the thief dropped to their knees and turned around he saw that their nose was bent at an awkward angle. The nose must have been in quite a bit of pain as the thief was crying softly as they clutched their broken nose.


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    Not wishing to waste a moment Arthur conjured a set of earth shackles around the thief''s hands and conjured a small flame igniting the logs sitting in the nearby woodstove and illuminating part of the room. The light revealed the thief to be an elf, specifically a wood elf with skin resembling an oak tree''s bark. When Arthur removed the mask it showed the elf to be a man, a very feminine man, but still a man.


    ¡®I figured he would be a woman with his clothes and what little I heard of his voice, he is also quite thin for an elven man despite how much smaller elves are than humans.¡¯


    Arthur pulled up a chair from the nearby table and sat down as the feminine elven man sat just before him clutching his broken nose. ¡°So, what should I do with you?¡± Arthur leaned over the elf with his right hand still holding his staff, the idea was to try and intimidate the elf into going along with him and perhaps even sell out any allies he might have along with all their stashed valuables, it was a partial success.


    ¡°I -I don¡¯t know.¡± The elf spoke, his voice muffled somewhat up from the broken nose. ¡°What are you going to do? Are you going to call the city guards to arrest me?¡± The elf started to fidget with his left hand as he spoke, the worry evident despite the distorted voice from the broken nose.


    ¡°That depends, what did you intend to do after you stole my stuff?¡± Arthur reached over and took one of the potions from the elf, the potion was a basic healing one, useful for light cuts, bruises and stopping or slowing bleeding in more serious wounds. ¡°I highly doubt you actually need these for any medical reason, unless you know someone who is sick.¡±


    The elf avoiding his gaze told him that there was no sick family member or friend, he was stealing because he either needed money or something to sell. But he looked quite ashamed by it, like he didn¡¯t like stealing and felt bad about it.


    ¡°So why try and rob me? You do know that mages are very dangerous once angered, right?¡± The elf gave a nod while still avoiding eye contact, Arthur gave a sigh at his meek attitude.


    ¡®Is this guy even a real thief? It''s almost like this is the first time he has broken into a house before.¡¯ Arthur froze the moment that train of thought occurred and thought back to when he tried to gain entry with all that clicking. ¡®This must be the first time, whatever he did to the lock must have been his first time and why he made so much noise in the process.¡¯ Arthur looked at the meek elf again on the floor with a different view. ¡®He must have needed money and lots of it. What better place for someone with a conscience than someone who can easily afford to have some of their stuff taken.¡¯


    Now with the revelation that the young elf before him was just desperate Arthur had to put away the idea of just killing him, but that also left the possibilities of having him arrested or beating him up a bit as distasteful. But then suddenly Arthur had an idea, a simple yet efficient idea that would not just get the elf to stop stealing but also free up some of his own time for other things.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± Arthur asked the elf and he leaned back into his chair.


    ¡°Gaelin.¡±


    ¡°Well Gaelin, I assume you don¡¯t like stealing. So what about doing something else for a living.¡±


    ¡°I tried that, no one wants to hire me. Every position is already filled before I get there, or they don¡¯t think I can handle the work.¡±


    ¡°Well how about this, I need to acquire various amounts and types of plants from the forest every few days to brew my potions. If I offered you some money to do that for me every day would you be willing to do that?¡± Gaelin looked up to Arthur with a small touch of hope in his eyes. Despite the attempted robbery just a minute prior he was offering him a job, that was something most people didn¡¯t do. But Gaelin was no fool and immediately accepted. ¡°O -of course. What types of plants do you need?¡±


    ¡°I have a book here that has all the different plants that can be used in alchemy, if you find anything in that book take it with you. It is quite valuable and I will probably be able to find a use for it.¡± Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out a book titled Ryul¡¯s guide to alchemical plant life and handed it to Gaelin.


    ¡°While it is helpful to know how to read it isn¡¯t a requirement, you can just look at the images alongside the descriptions and other important characteristics.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can read. How much do you want me to bring you?¡±


    ¡°I have a small wooden box you can use. Just fill it up as much as you can and I¡¯ll pay you depending on how much that is and what is actually useful.¡± Arthur quickly walked into his spare room and returned with one of the empty boxes that he normally kept some of his ingredients in.


    Originally it was one of the boxes that the glass bottles were delivered in leaving it with two little holes on each side for hands, Arthur had repurposed it into a temporary storage for his excess ingredients.


    ¡°Oh and before you go drink this.¡± Arthur handed Gaelin a light red potion in a small bottle. The potion had no smell and when Gaelin drank it his nose slowly fixed itself and stopped bleeding. Gaelin then excused himself before returning all the potions he stole and left saying ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow sir.¡±


    *********


    The next morning at almost nine thirty Arthur eventually woke up while feeling slightly groggy from missing some sleep. ¡®Oh, if I knew I was going to miss so much sleep because of that elf I would have blocked the doors and windows with magic of some sort.¡¯ Arthur eventually reluctantly got out of bed and put on a clean set of his alchemist attire, including the overcoat.


    Arthur then walked over to the kitchen and made himself a nice breakfast burrito which he then ate. Once his stomach was full Arthur went through his current stock of potions and found that he was starting to run low. If he wanted to sell the usual amount to the alchemy club then he would probably need to spend a significant portion of the day just brewing more potions and products.


    Thankfully he still had a decent stock of ingredients to brew everything, but he would still need more if he wanted to keep up with his schedule. ¡®I just hope that Gaelin finds a decent amount of plants, then I could at least skip out a day or two of collecting ingredients on my own.

 Chapter 80

    Several hours rolled by when Arthur heard a knock at his door. When he opened it he found Gaelin standing there with the wooden box full of an assortment of useful magical ingredients. Not quite the same amount Arthur would collect in a morning, but still a decent haul that would cover most of what he would use today.


    ¡°Well done, put it on the table for me while I get you some money.¡±


    Gaelin smiled and did as Arthur asked, Arthur returned from the spare room with a small pouch containing ten copper coins which he then handed to Gaelin.


    ¡°This is a pretty nice haul for your first time, if you want to earn more money you can do the same for me tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°O -of course, I will do that.¡± Gaelin said as he looked at the ten coins in his possession, his eyes glittering like he was looking at gold.


    Gaelin did not stay for long after that, Arthur just gave him a few tips for when harvesting plants and told him of a few that he would like a bit more of for his alchemy. Once he did leave Arthur set to work cutting off all the useless parts of the plants and preparing them for when he would use them next. What was useful varied from plant to plant, but usually when you use the whole plant it is far less effective than when you just use the most potent parts.


    Usually it was just one part of the plant that was useful, but in a few instances there were plants that had multiple useful parts. Using the whole plant or animal part would usually create problems, for example the Clumpfoot Cap is both used for deadly poisons as well as a pain salve. Include too much of the dangerous poisonous bits and now you have something that can kill if it gets in through a cut.


    By the time one o¡¯clock in the afternoon rolled around Arthur was finished with preparing the ingredients and disposed of the excess in his backyard. A small pile of the stuff had started to form and while it wasn¡¯t a problem at the present time it likely would be in the future. ¡®I will probably need to dig a hole and bury it somewhere back here. But not today, that is a problem for future me.¡¯


    Now that he had all the important chores out of the way Arthur could now actually spend some time at the guild library and study without any interruptions.


    ***********


    The guild was about the very same as the day before with smaller than average lines and a cold feeling of worry clouding the city ever present on the faces of the people. Arthur slipped by the same way as he normally would and quickly made his way to the library. Like normal the library had a few people walking in and out, checking out and returning books. But Arthur didn¡¯t pay them all that much attention and simply walked towards the apprentice section of the library.


    He quickly found the remaining books he was reading the day before and continued where he left off. The first book he decided to read was titled ¡°The Forgotten Alchemy of Elsand¡±, it contained a good twenty or so recipes for potions, oils, powders, and other unique forms of useful alchemical products that did all sorts of things. It was truly a treasure trove for someone like him who needed all he could find.


    The last book was titled ¡°All the Spells an Aspiring Apprentice Should Know¡±, it contained another thirty or so spells that would be very useful to him. Although there were several offensive and defensive spells to be found within the book most of what was contained were utility spells. A couple of the notable ones that caught Arthurs eye included feather falling, fire orb, vibrate, cool, heat, dry liquid, and magic hand. Most of the other spells that Arthur found useful were tier two spells, and at the moment Arthur didn¡¯t know how to cast them.


    He understood the general process and foundation of the spell, but of the few times he attempted to cast one the spell failed and he felt like he was missing something fundamental with the spell. Like he was trying to open a locked door just by turning the doorknob and pulling.


    But despite his incapability of casting tier two spells with any training with them he still felt like he learned quite a bit from this trip to the library. He now has several recipes to try out as well as some spells he wanted to test the usefulness of.


    *********


    The very next morning Arthur was preparing to brew some of the recipes he learned the day before. The one in particular he wanted to try out was something called alchemist embers. It is basically fire in a bottle that really likes to spread once it gets out. The only weird thing about it is that it requires the embers of a fire caused by the alchemist embers to make, this has led to many people debating what came first, the embers or the flame. But none of that was very important to Arthur, he just needed to buy some embers, which were also stored in a bottle, along with a magically empowered glass bottle that could resist the heat. Neither were cheap and ended up setting Arthur back a whole gold coin, fifteen silver for the embers and five for the bottle. But despite spending almost two weeks of the money he makes he wasn¡¯t all that worried as alchemist embers were very valuable with a market price of a whole gold coin.


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    The trick to earning more money than he spent was to use the actual embers to create a controlled fire to then create more embers. This was how practically everyone that wanted to create them would do it unless they had a supplier that would either buy the bottled alchemist embers for more than one gold coin or sell the materials for less. The other ingredients that were used were mostly just flammable plants that were fairly common in the region.


    To begin the process of creating more of the embers Arthur manipulated the earth in his backyard and created a large bowl thing that could easily fit several people inside of. Arthur made sure to keep the walls of the large bowl at least two inches thick for safety, there have been several stories of mages trying this out and creating fires that killed them because the walls of the large bowls they created were not large enough to withstand the heat without becoming brittle and crumbling even with reinforcement with magic. That was something the man who sold him the embers warned him about and made him promise to remember it.


    Once Arthur was done with that he placed many of the various flammable and fire attuned plants he had with him and pushed them all together towards the bottom. Once he was satisfied with it he took the ember in the bottle and with his aeromancy he picked up the ember that was in a thin cylinder shape and dropped it in the bowl.


    The sudden wave of heat nearly knocked Arthur down as the plants ignited and burned nearly instantaneously upon contact. Arthur immediately dropped to the ground and started to reinforce the earth bowl to keep it from breaking apart. He kept himself down there until he felt the earth stop suffering from the heat. When he poked his head over the top he found that alongside the initial piece of ember there was another one that was all misshapen and jagged.


    Arthur used aeromancy to lift both pieces and place them inside each of their bottles, the original went into the bottle it came with, and the one he made went into the magically empowered bottle he bought for five silver, although that took a bit of effort with the jaggedness of it.


    With the hard part out of the way Arthur put the original embers away in his dimensional bag and took the ember he made with him into his spare room where he began the process of creating a proper alchemist embers. The recipe required the magic bottle, the embers, and a large amount of relatively common planets that were either highly flammable or were attuned to fire, such as the pale foot weed and the spark flower respectively.


    Placing the plants inside first Arthur then slowly lowered the embers into the bottle just keeping them from touching before he started to cast the spell to bind the potion together, keep anything from burning until a command word was said, and turn the plants into a flammable liquid that would allow the fire to spread quickly.


    ¡°Umor ignis calidissimus conflandum diffunditur¡­¡± Arthur gave all of his focus as he casted the spell, he felt his mana reserves starting to get low. ¡®Shit, I should have rested before I attempted this.¡¯ Arthur inwardly berated himself but pressed on anyways, he was almost done and if he quitted now he might accidentally burn his house down along with most of the neighborhood.


    How long that last stretch lasted was unknown to Arthur, but when it finally ended he collapsed to the floor feeling very lightheaded and a little sick. But the alchemist embers were finished in their alluring glow that gave Arthur a similar feeling to standing in the sun.


    ¡®Yeah, I am definitely waiting to do this next time.¡¯


    With the bottle of alchemist embers finished Arthur took a moment to close his eyes and rest for a moment, the amount of mana exhaustion he was enduring wasn¡¯t something that was good for staying awake. He remained like that until a series of loud knocks forced him to open his eyes and check how it was.


    ¡®Who the hell is knocking at my door this early in the morning, it isn¡¯t even noon yet.¡¯ Arthur slowly managed to stand up stretching his stiff muscles as he did so and walked over to the front door.


    Upon opening the door he found it was Gaelin with a box full of ingredients. Arthur stood there dazed for a moment wondering why Gaelin was so early. ¡°Why are you here so early, it¡¯s not even noon yet. You would have needed to be up at the crack of dawn to gather this much so quickly.¡± Arthur nearly pointed his finger at the young elf out of pure annoyance.


    Gaelin just stood there for a moment processing what Arthur just said to him before he looked him straight in the eyes and said ¡°But it¡¯s 12:30. I am a bit earlier than usual, but only by about half an hour.¡± Now it was Arthur''s turn to be confused, he stepped outside and looked up at the sun and found it to be nearly straight up yelling him it was roughly noon.


    ¡®Shit, I must have been out for at least two hours now, probably even more than that.¡¯ Arthur quickly hushed Gaelin inside and took the ingredients and handed him another ten copper coins for the haul.


    After a brief discussion regarding what plants Gaelin should focus on looking for next he left with his box and gave Arthur time to himself to rest his eyes some more. But this time he made sure to keep himself from drifting off, but that didn¡¯t last very long as his stomach growled in dissatisfaction at the lack of eating and forced him to get up and eat a sandwich.


    Once his stomach was silent Arthur tried to return to his nap but he couldn¡¯t keep his mind from drifting to other topics and keeping him from resting. Eventually he just gave up and left his house to go to the mages guild.


    ¡®I''m not going to get any rest, I might as well spend some time with Calavia and even get her help in testing out all the abilities of my staff. I was intending to do that sometime soon anyways, and it won¡¯t drain any of my mana, so why not?¡¯


    The lines at the clerks desks were probably at an all time low by the time Arthur got there, at a glance there was at most ten or so people waiting in line, and most of which were just for basic problems that just about any mage could easily do with a bit of training. As he entered the underground portion of the guild Arthur contemplated selling the bottled alchemist embers to the alchemy club right then and there, but he decided against it. He was going to spend the rest of this day with his friend Calavia.

 Chapter 81

    ¡°Ignis fulmina!¡± Calavia shouted as three bolts of fire were conjured before her, she mentally commanded the bolts to fire towards her target, her target being Arthur with the force shield up and surrounding him from all sides. The three bolts clashed harmlessly into the shield and fizzled out without doing any noticeable damage to the shield. Arthur smiled at the result.


    Calavia skipped over with a smile as she began to bombard Arthur with questions. ¡°How did it hold up? Was there any damage? Did you feel the impact? Do you want me to use a stronger spell this time?¡±


    ¡°Hey hey, slowly down.¡± Arthur had to practically block her mouth to stop her from asking questions. ¡°The shield worked fine and you can cast another stronger spell now.¡± Arthur removed his hand from Calavia¡¯s mouth, she pouted and walked to the other side of the room they were in.


    The room was a practice room, it was designed for mages to practice their spells in without putting anything or anyone in danger. As such the walls and ceiling were enchanted to prevent any damage from any of the common spells novices to evokers would commonly use.


    Calavai reached the other side of the room and readied herself to cast a tier two spell this time. ¡°Ignis hasta!¡± This time three larger spears of fire were conjured, and with a little flick of her hand they were flying towards Arthur at full speed. With a loud crack they slammed into the shield and dispersed into sparks, but the shield wasn¡¯t completely unscathed, it had shaken quite a bit with that impact but held together strong.


    ¡°Wow! I¡¯m surprised it survived that!¡± Calavia shouted from across the room. ¡°I know of one more spell that might be able to break it. Just give me a second to cast it!¡± Arthur''s eyes went wide at that statement.


    ¡°Wait what!? No, don¡¯t do that!¡± Arthur shouted back after his momentary mind blank.


    ¡°Too late now! Ingia pila!¡± Calavia shouted as she finished her spell, a large ball of fire was conjured before her extended hand. She gave a small pushing gesture and the ball exploded forward towards Arthur who braced for impact by hastily reinforcing his shield with his staff. He poured as much of the energy stored within the staff to repair and reinforce the shield, he succeeded in repairing it but not reinforcing it, it appeared the spell imbued within the staff had far more limitations for how the mana would flow and operate.


    When the fire ball crashed into the shield Arthur was forced to put forth all his willpower towards constantly repairing it as it was damaged. When the fire ball eventually dissipated Arthur had almost completely exhausted all the mana within the staff, clearly blocking a fireball head on was a little past its capabilities.


    Calavia skipped over with a smile as if nothing serious happened. Arthur on the other hand had dropped to his knees halfway through from the strain of channeling all that mana, when he saw Calavia looking at him with such a carefree attitude he just glared at her.


    ¡°It looks like the shield can withstand a fireball. That should be able to keep you alive even if you fight something way above you in terms of skill.¡±


    Arthur took a moment to breathe before he spoke. ¡°You nearly killed me with that. If I didn¡¯t use up all the energy within the staff the shield would have broken and taken me with it.¡± Arthur slowly stood up from his knees as he spoke and pointed the end of the staff in her face.


    ¡°Well you covered my mouth when I was just trying to ask you questions about the shield, and besides the enchantments in the room would have kept you from getting really hurt. At worst you would have a few burns and I am perfectly capable of healing wounds like that. I heal worse injuries every day.¡± Calavia pushed the staff away and pointed her finger at Arthur in turn.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t have hurt, I still feel pain you know.¡± Arthur returned the favor and pushed Calavia¡¯s finger away before pointing at her.


    The argument continued for another minute until both their stomachs began to inform them of the disappointing lack of eating.


    ********


    The two were seated in a random tavern they came across as they went round the district looking for somewhere to eat. The tavern in question was called the prancing harpy and they mostly had soups to serve to their customers. They each ordered a soup and hastily gulped it down. Once they were both done they resumed their argument with more level heads than before.


    ¡°You stopped me from talking because I just asked you a few questions.¡± Calavia returned to her initial argument.


    ¡°You also naked me like five different questions without giving me a chance to answer any of them, and that five was only after I stopped you.¡± Arthur used the time while they ate to formulate a proper defense and argument for himself.


    Calavia paused as if she was about to refute his claim, eventually after a moment of struggling to find the correct words she spoke. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll try to be more considerate when asking you questions by just asking one at a time. But you need to promise not to do stuff like that again.¡±


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    ¡°You promise?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Then so do I.¡±


    The duo soon left the tavern and went on their separate ways with Arthur returning to the guild to look around in the library and Calavia going back to work. Upon entering the library Arthur began his search on the magic his mage staff used, specifically the barriers and shields that he suspected were alteration magic as they fit the description. But his search for anything relating to alteration magic aside from generalized explanations of the topic as a whole he didn¡¯t find anything. The same thing applied to the other types of magic outside of the four evocations.


    It was very odd for such important and interesting topics to be so hard to find, so Arthur decided to ask the librarian about it and see why that might be. ¡°So you are interested in alteration magic are you? Well I am sorry to say this, but until you become an evoker you will not find anything within the library sections you are authorized to look through. Such topics are not just hard but also very dangerous for those learning the arcane as well as those who are not.¡± The librarian with a name tag that read Caecilia Florens said to Arthur in a soft tone. Mrs. Florens was an older woman that looked to be in her late sixties or perhaps her early seventies.


    Arthur in response just awkwardly thanked her and returned to the apprentice section to try and find something else to spend his time learning, and eventually he did. It was an old dusty journal with a red cover, the pages were a slight yellow and the ink was slightly faded yet still readable. The author of the journal was someone named Brexius Sanguine Bane, based on the writing and grammar he used he was likely to have been a noble, or someone who frequently interacted with nobility.


    23rd of Limestone, 367, 3E


    Mother disapproves of me catching rats for my experiments. She always nags me about acting proper and to leave rat catching for the servants. The only problem with that logic is that the servants always kill the rats, which would be fine if it wasn¡¯t by stomping upon them and crushing them. Under normal circumstances I would have simply told Mother what I need them for, but if she learned what I was attempting to do with them she would lose her mind.


    Arthur was confused at why this young Brexius would require rats for his experiments, until he flipped the page and found diagrams for what was a crude yet incredible diagram for a flesh golem powered by arcane magic. It was a very small golem compared to what Arthur received from his former alchemy teacher Georgius Calvus, but it was incredible to look at. Whoever this Brexius Sanguine Bane was he was most certainly a genius, and Arthur most certainly needed to keep this book with him to learn as much as he possibly could.


    *********


    Arthur approached the front desk of the library where Mrs. Florens was seated reading a book. When she noticed him she placed a bookmark where she was and turned her attention towards Arthur. ¡°Your back already. I hope you found something else within your skill grade to read.¡± Like a happy grandmother Mrs. Florens gave a smile and spoke as if Arthur was her own grandson.


    ¡°I found a few books to read, is it alright if I take a few of these with me?¡± Arthur presented three books and placed them on the desk for Mrs. Florens to look at. The first was just some evocation training exercises, the second was a book of more effective brewing techniques for alchemists, and the last was the journal of Brexius Sanguine Bane.


    Mrs. Florens picked up each of the books and gave a quick look, but when she got the journal she furrowed her brows and opened it up to the first page that contained the name of the author. ¡°Brexius Sanguine Bane? I don¡¯t think I am familiar with anyone by that name. This is a personal journal though so you might find something interesting in it.¡± Mrs. Florens placed the journal on top of the other two before she brought out a book.


    ¡°I need you to sign this and list the books you are checking out. It''s for security reasons, in the past some young mages would take books with them and ended up losing them. This way we have evidence of who took what.¡±


    Arthur just nodded and hastily filled in his name as well as the three books he brought. Once he was done he thanked Mrs. Florens and quickly made his way back to his home. Thankfully Mrs. Florens wasn¡¯t at all suspicious of the journal, but that was probably helped by the other two books he brought. They weren''t completely new topics but Arthur still hoped they had something interesting.


    When he eventually did arrive home he immediately locked the door and double checked the back door, then he blocked all the windows to prevent anyone from watching him. Once he was confident that no one could be watching him he placed the other two books on the kitchen/living room table and took the journal into his bedroom.


    Arthur found a comfortable spot on his bed he opened up the journal and continued where he left off, reading over the diagrams of the tiny flesh golems made up of dead rats. In a weird way he could not describe he found the diagrams beautiful, every little detail served a purpose showing that Brexius spent a lot of time working on these designs. One of the notable things regarding them was a page dedicated to the materials and how to actually construct one.


    As it turned out creating a golem required not just knowledge regarding enchanting but also alchemy, the flesh golems required a sort of artificial blood that could only be created with alchemy. The enchanting would set the behaviors and motor functions of the golem itself. The little rat flesh golem was very complex, but it was still far simpler than the one he received from Georgius Calvus and far more feasible at the moment.


    ¡®If I am going to at least try this out I will need some dead rats with a minimal amount of damage to the bones and flesh. I just need to find a place with lots of rats running around, that leaves out most places with any people living there that have jobs that pay anything decent.¡¯ Arthur began to pace around the room as he tried to think of a place that might either be abandoned with lots of food for rats to eat, or something else like rat breeders which were apparently a thing.


    ¡®Wait. That thieves guild called Misery''s end, they had a bar as their headquarters. I highly doubt anyone has tried to buy a building with such a horrible history, if so then the building has just been sitting empty all this time, that would be more than enough time for rats to start moving in.¡¯ Arthur grinned as he found his solution and quickly put on his overcoat before placing the journal in his dimensional bag.

 Chapter 82

    Arthur returned to the market where he first took action against the thieves and pick pocketers before drawing the ire of Misery''s end. He knew that their former headquarters was located nearby and he knew the front was of a bar, he just needed to find an old abandoned building that used to be a bar.


    Arthur considered asking around the market to see if anyone knew, but he stopped himself from doing so. If they started asking why he wanted to know about that he wouldn¡¯t have a real excuse or good reason to give them, and that would look suspicious. So he decided to tough it out and look around the area to see if he could find anything.


    ¡®If I were a part of a criminal organization where would I keep my base of operations? For starters I would want it to be out of the way from anyone accidentally stumbling across it, but not so hard to find that those under me could not. There are a few narrow alleyways that might lead to a few abandoned buildings here and there.¡¯ With but a single idea as to where to find the place Arthur set off down several of the narrow alleyways in his search.


    Eventually he did find it after two whole hours of searching what was basically a slum of old and decrepit buildings. The building had just a rotting wooden sign that displayed a mug presumably of beer. The front door was locked with a chain forcing Arthur to look for other means of entry. Around the back side he found an open window on the second story that for a normal person would require a ladder to reach, but for a mage like Arthur it was of little consequence.


    With a few gestures of his hands to help direct the mana within his body Arthur conjured a ladder from conjured earth. With a swift climb up Arthur was inside a small room reminding him of the tavern he used to sleep in. It was a small and cramped room with a bed and a closet and little else aside from the door to the hallway.


    Thankfully the door to said hallway was not locked and Arthur simply pushed it open. The hallway only had seven more doors and a staircase leading down, the other doors were just other similarly decorated rooms that the tavern presumably rented out,


    As Arthur looked down the stairway he took note of just how dark it was downstairs. Since all of the doors and windows were closed and barricaded to prevent anyone from gaining entry very little light was able to enter. Even without those sources of light it still relied upon candles and other sources of artificial light to keep the room adequately illuminated.


    To combat the darkness Arthur conjured a small flame that he held just above his left hand. The fire produced enough light to be comparable to a torch giving him a suitable amount of light to see most of the room. In his right hand was his mage staff and his sword was on his left hip just in case he needed it, you never know what crazy people you might find in these places.


    As Arthur slowly crept down the stairs more and more of the room came into the light. A large assortment of chairs and tables cluttered the room in a disorganized mess, several mugs and plates were also scattered across the room as if someone was throwing them around for fun. But the most notable thing Arthur noticed was the fireplace still held some smoldering logs, someone had lit them not too long ago.


    For the time being Arthur turned his attention towards the floor and listened for any noises, specifically the sounds of the rats he came looking for. He was forced to slowly walk around the room and eventually into a storeroom with large amounts of preserved food and alcohol still sitting. It was only in the storeroom where he found a few rats huddling into the corners of the room, from what he could tell they were nibbling on a few of the bags of food that were on the floor.


    ¡®I found you now little ones.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he kept the flame floating in mid air, he reached out with his now free left hand and with a bit of aeromancy he caught one of the rats in a small ball of air and lifted the rat up and towards him. Taking a moment to place his staff against a nearby wall Arthur reached into his dimensional bag and pulled out a small cage he chiseled out from a rock before he began his search for the building.


    Using geomancy he opened a small hole and pushed the rat into the cage before closing it back up. Arthur repeated the process with the second rat and now had two rats in his little cage. ¡®I just need three more before I have enough material for a prototype tiny flesh golem.¡¯


    Arthur continued to scour the room for more rats but unfortunately he couldn¡¯t find any, he could hear a few hiding within the wall and scurrying around, but he did not see them. Arthur exited the room a little disappointed, but he expected to find a few more rats in some of the other rooms. But suddenly as he was walking through the dining hall he heard footsteps of someone walking down the stairs along with a dim light.


    Arthur froze and hid behind a table while the other person stayed out of sight close to the top. For a good half minute both Arthur and the unknown individual waited in anticipation for what might happen, but eventually the person on the stairs who was far more impatient shouted out. ¡°Who are you and why are you here!?¡±


    The voice was of a young woman in her early to at most her mid twenties, and she sounded a bit unnerved by Arthur¡¯s presence in the building. ¡°I¡¯m just someone passing by, and I mean you no harm as long as you don¡¯t either.¡±


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    To show he had no intention of hurting the woman he exited from his hiding place and walked into the open where she could see him with little exposure on her part. As he stood there he noticed a set of eyes peeking from around the corner wall that extended partway down with the stairs. Soon the woman also stepped out into view, she wore some old commoner clothes with some tears and sewn up patches lightly scattered across it.


    The women looked down to Arthur¡¯s left hand carrying the small stone cage with the two rats shivering and squeaking out of fear. ¡°What are you doing with those rats?¡± The woman looked quite confused as to why someone would be collecting live rats in such a way.


    ¡°I need them for an experiment I am conducting. I need them alive and in good condition.¡± Arthur gave a brief explanation and hoped she would move out of the way for him to leave.


    ¡°Are you using them for necromancy?¡± The woman asked, Arthur flinched at the question and how unconcerned the woman sounded by the possibility of him being a necromancer. Most people didn¡¯t like necromancers all that much. Noticing Arthur¡¯s reaction the woman spoke again. ¡°It''s fine if you are, as long as you aren¡¯t hurting innocent people.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t worried by the possibility I might be performing necromancy? From what I understand necromancy isn¡¯t exactly well liked around here.¡± Arthur eyed the woman, clearly she wasn¡¯t exactly normal if she wasn¡¯t shivering out of fear at the possibility of a necromancer.


    ¡°Even if you are, it wouldn''t matter all that much. I have encountered far worse people than someone who just creates zombies and skeletons. Like the thieves guild that used to operate here called Misery''s end, they took my husband from me, no necromancer has done anything like that to me.¡± As the woman got to speaking of her husband her eyes filled with tears. ¡°Sometimes the people who cause the most harm are the most normal looking and acting of them all.¡±


    ¡°Well even if I was a necromancer the experiment I am doing has nothing to do with undead skeletons or zombies.¡± Arthur then attempted to step by the woman and exit the building.


    ¡°Then what are you doing with the rats then? I doubt you came to catch and keep them alive just for fun.¡± The woman refused to move from where she stood, she appeared to be quite interested in what Arthur was doing.


    Arthur gritted his teeth in annoyance as he noticed the woman was waiting for an answer. ¡®Telling her can¡¯t hurt, there is no way for her to tell the guild of what I am doing and she might be able to help me catch more rats.¡¯ Arthur weighed the risks of telling her and eventually relented.


    ¡°I am using them to build a flesh golem.¡±


    The room went silent as the woman looked to the rats and back to Arthur several times. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be necromancy since you are using corpses?¡± The woman appeared to be unfazed by the concept of a flesh golem further shocking Arthur.


    ¡°No, I am very sure it isn¡¯t necromancy. Golems can be made up of several different things, not just inorganic stuff like metal and stone.¡± At this point Arthur was more annoyed than worried and just wanted to leave to find more rats.


    ¡°I can help you with finding more rats for your necromancy, but not for free, I will need a bit of money for my time. How much are you willing to offer me per rat I catch for you?¡± Arthur looked at the woman with a bit of shock at her offer before he paused and thought about it. This woman clearly has been going through this building and likely several others, and since he has already outsourced collecting ingredients from the forest it would only make sense to do the same when someone offered.


    ¡®I need about five rats to make one of these little flesh golems excluding the alchemical requirements, assuming she were to find me five or so a day paying two copper for each would amount to ten copper a day. I can easily afford that, and if she brings me more its small enough that it won''t spiral out of control.¡¯


    ¡°I can offer you two copper coins for each rat you can catch for me. But keep in mind I need the rats to be in good condition, so no broken bones, large cuts, or anything along those lines. Otherwise they won''t be useful for what I need them for.¡± The woman thought for a moment and started to count something using her fingers, when she was finished she started nodding to herself.


    ¡°I can work with two copper per rat, that is more than anyone else would ever pay for them, and I know all sorts of places where they hide.¡± The woman reached out her hand to finalize the deal, Arthur took it and gave her a shake. ¡°My name is Vibia by the way.¡± Vibia said as the two shook on the deal. ¡°And my name is Arthur.¡±


    The two walked up the stairs towards the open window as they finished up the minor details of their agreement, such as where Arthur would pick up the rats and how often he would do so. ¡°Is this a good place for me to pick up the rats every day?¡± Arthur asked as they entered the room with the open window.


    ¡°Oh yes, that is perfect for me. If you come at noon I¡¯ll have the rats for you downstairs.¡± Vibia smiled at the speed in which Arthur would collect the rats from her, now she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about feeding them.


    With the finer details of their agreement worked out Arthur conjured a ladder of earth to climb out the window. Vibia looked a little surprised by the magic Arthur performed. ¡°That explains how you got up here with all that stuff you''re carrying with you.¡±


    ¡°How did you get up here?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Oh I just climbed up the wall, I''m really good at that.¡±


    ¡°You climbed it with a ladder?¡±


    ¡°No, I just climbed the wall.¡±


    ¡°You scaled the wall without any equipment to help you. Just with your hands and feet.¡± Arthur looked at Vibia as if she was spouting nonsense, but he had to confess she wasn¡¯t wearing or carrying any equipment with her throughout the entire encounter.


    And her answer to Arthur¡¯s question sealed that fact in stone. ¡°I did, I''m quite good at that.¡±

 Chapter 83

    Leaving Vibia behind in the abandoned building she claimed as her home Arthur returned to his home to prepare the artificial blood for the golems. Opening up the book in his secured bedroom Arthur placed it upon a temporary table conjured from earth. The recipe of the artificial blood was on the fourth page after the material list for the golems as a whole.


    The first thing that was needed was fresh blood, with the rats he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about that. Next up was something called phantom membrane, based on the brief description Brexius included; it was harvested from the corpses of something called a wraith. ¡°I will need to consult Georgius on this and find where I can either buy it or find it.¡¯


    The final thing that was needed was at the bare minimum a lesser mana stone to properly imbue the necessary amounts of mana. ¡®I will need to ask Georgius about this as well, I don¡¯t know anything about mana stones, their prices, or their gradings.¡¯


    There were still several hours of sunlight left in the day leaving Arthur with some time to visit and ask his former master about both the phantom membrane and mana stones. But Arthur wanted to look over the rest of the instructions before he left.


    The next important part was a runic ink that is used to inscribe runes to enchant objects. The only problem was that Brexius did not include a recipe on how to make it, leaving another thing to ask his former master.


    ¡®Just my luck, but I still have time to go and ask him.¡¯


    Arthur quickly returned the journal to his bag and returned his home to somewhat normal looking before heading out back to the western district to speak with his former master in the art of alchemy. As he left it was about three o¡¯clock in the afternoon leaving the streets sparse compared to earlier in the morning. When he finally reached the Elder Nymph he noticed the building and was surprised to see that most of the few people that were walking by were avoiding the store. And when Arthur started walking towards the store several people gave him dirty looks.


    The front door opened with a little ding as the bell above the door was triggered, an older voice shouted out from further inside ¡°I¡¯ll just be a second.¡± While he waited Arthur walked around the store to take a look at how things have changed. The thing that stuck out the most was the reduced number of shelves and by extension the amount of product available. There was maybe two thirds of what was there when he and Aurelio left.


    Soon footsteps could be heard as Georgius popped out from behind the counter and smiled upon seeing Arthur. ¡°Arthur, welcome back. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°I have a couple things I need to discuss with you regarding our mutual research. Do you have a moment for that?¡± Arthur spoke vaguely just in case someone was overhearing their conversation.


    At the mention of their shared research Georgius lost the happy smile for just a second before he answered. ¡°I have quite a bit of time now with business being quite slow. But I should stay open for at least another 2 hours, if you want to stay here for that time you can, but I won''t blame you if you chose just to come back later.¡±


    Georgius looked quite sad at the mention of slow business, clearly business was more than just a ¡®bit slow.¡¯ ¡°Business is slow? Why? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? Apparently there have been a few fights between mages and the city guard, the mages in question are convinced that they are far more capable than the guards and have elected to use violence to prove that point.¡± Georgius sounded quite sad as he got to the end of his explanation.


    ¡°I''ve encountered a supposed mage that was fighting with a group of guards. I called him out and caught him, then I handed him over to the guild. From what I expect the guild is looking into the situation and rooting out everyone who is using their arcane might real or otherwise for such reasons.¡± Arthur¡¯s recount of the event of the fake mage helped Georgius calm down a bit.


    But before he could speak Arthur continued. ¡°Seeing as you are so busy I¡¯ll just come back in two hours. I¡¯ll bring some food for us to enjoy, just like when I was still your apprentice.¡±


    **********


    Arthur walked around the area a bit and found a food vendor ran by an older man selling these sticks with an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and cooked meats. Arthur bought four for two copper coins each, they weren''t exactly the best thing he had ever eaten but given the price they were half decent. Arthur ate one and kept the other three for when he and Georgius would sit down together.


    After what felt like an eternity two hours had passed and it was five o¡¯clock, most of the people working were returning to their homes by this point and stopped by at food vendors or one of the various stores to pick up something for dinner.


    Arthur quickly returned to the Elder Nymph and found Georgius sweeping up some dirt and dust that had accumulated near the door. ¡°Oh, hello again Arthur. I was just closing up, if you help me with that we can continue our conversation that much sooner.¡±


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    ¡°Sure thing, just let me find a broom.¡± Arthur walked over to the downstairs spare room and fetched a broom, along with Georgius the two made quick work of the dirt and dust that was scattered throughout the room from the customers throughout the day.


    Once everything was clean the two locked the front door and walked upstairs to finish the conversation they were having. When they were both properly seated Arthur retrieved the three sticks with food and placed them on a plate for the both of them to share. Georgius picked one up and upon taking a bite it was clear he enjoyed it.


    ¡°This is wonderful food you have brought, did you by any chance buy it from one of those food vendors close to the market?¡±


    ¡°I did, I already ate one so you can have two of them.¡± A short laugh from Georgius was filled by him saying ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± before he quickly chewed through both that were left for him. Arthur slowly munched away instead.


    Once they were both done with their food Arthur spoke up. ¡°Now with the food out of the way we should return to the conversation at hand. I have been looking into golemancy with little luck on my part, but I did stumble across a journal of a mage from almost eight hundred years ago.¡± To prove his point Arthur showed Georgius the journal and flipped to the page with the diagram of the rat flesh golem.


    Georgius picked up the journal and inspected the diagram, as he looked it over he gave a few ¡°Hmm¡±s for about a minute. When he was finished with it he returned it to Arthur and gave his opinion. ¡°Well I wouldn''t call it incredible by any means, but this will be far easier than going through the normal process of attaining the rank of evoker and receiving the authority to learn proper enchanting normally.¡±


    ¡°How long does it take to become an evoker?¡± Arthur asked as he returned the journal to his bag.


    ¡°Well, it took me about a year to do that. But you are a special case, for you I would say if you keep up the good work only in about half a year.¡± Arthur frowned, that wasn¡¯t the answer he was hoping to hear. ¡°Even with that book and its knowledge I wouldn''t expect you to get more than a handful or working prototypes by then. You will of course still have an edge over the others, but you still would benefit more with proper guidance.¡±


    The rest of the conversation consisted of Arthur asking questions about some of the recipes and or the ingredients that were needed. In doing so he learned that phantom membrane could just be bought from the mages guild as it was a somewhat common ingredient. The ink on the other hand was a bit more difficult to acquire. He could either buy it from the guild, but given the nature of who Arthur was and his skill level that would be suspicious, he could buy it from someone who knows how to make it like Georgius did when he was experimenting, or he could make it himself. And finally they mana stone, of course the guild sells them, but like before with the ink that would be suspicious. Leaving the only option to buy them from either one of the mines or someone else, of which Georgius knew someone.


    Of course Arthur pressed for the name of this mysterious seller and eventually Georgius relented. ¡°The man¡¯s name is Osvald, he''s a Northman and deals in some of the more¡­ questionable markets. But he is reliable and discreet enough to not tell anyone about his clients, when I was studying the flesh golem diagrams I went to him for what I needed. Here, I will give you his address. Just tell him I sent you to him.¡±


    Now with a possible supplier for all the exotic goods Arthur might need for his experiments he soon excused himself and left the store after bidding his former teacher goodbye. ¡®No I actually have a source for all the things I need to actually build my first prototype. But I¡¯ll talk to this Osvald sometime tomorrow, it''s getting a bit late to be doing business with someone and it might drag on longer than I expect.¡¯


    As such Arthur immediately returned to his home to have something to eat and do a little bit of studying with the other two books he borrowed from the library before going to sleep. But as he was walking down the street his home was on he noticed a group of five scruffy looking men standing by his door, and they weren''t exactly very friendly looking.


    Just in case Arthur retrieved his staff from his dimensional bag before they could see him and channeled the mana through the staff to conjure the force armor spell on himself. The clear translucent armor covered him from head to toe giving him a sense of security and safety.


    With his safety more or less assured Arthur continued walking towards his home with his staff still in his left hand, he needed to keep it out to keep any spells it has casted active. As he got close one of the men whispered something to the tallest amongst them who then turned to look at Arthur.


    The five of them simply stood there until Arthur was at the end of the short walkway spanning across the small front lawn and his front porch. ¡°Well look who finally showed up, we''ve been waiting here for hours now. You''re lucky we didn¡¯t just let ourselves in.¡± The other four men chuckled at the last comment.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Arthur asked in a flat tone as he looked over the five standing on his porch. They were all fully clothed albeit tattered and poor looking, but they could be hiding weapons anywhere under their clothes. Arthur also noticed that a few were missing a tooth or two showing they weren''t exactly healthy.


    ¡°Well you see we are in charge around here.¡± The leader who Arthur noticed was a bit better off with slightly damaged clothes and all his teeth. ¡°And we are expecting you to start paying your dues, starting today you owe us one silver coin a day for protecting your operations here. Oh yeah, we know you are an alchemist and we know how much money you bring in.¡±


    Arthur nearly laughed out loud at that proclamation, that was daylight robbery, and these five poor fools were supposed to protect him and his home. Yeah, not happening. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you five but I don¡¯t need your protection. So you can go back to whatever hole you all crawled out of.¡± Arthur smirked as he insulted the criminals.


    ¡°What did you just say!?¡± The leader said as he reached into his torn coat and pulled out a meat cleaver and was followed by his subordinates but with knives and one with a dagger. ¡°This is not negotiable little man, and if you think you can wiggle out of this then think again, it is five against one with you being the one. To put it simply you are outnumbered by us.¡±

 Chapter 84

    The leader of the criminals took a few steps towards Arthur with his meat cleaver pointed towards him. Arthur almost lost his concentration when the criminal called him little. ¡®I am easily three or four inches taller than this fool and yet he still calls me small, but he is correct about being outnumbered. My force armor is strong but won¡¯t last forever, so I will need to take them out quickly.¡¯


    ¡°And if you think your fancy magic is enough to stop us then I expect you to reconsider. There are more than fifty of our allies waiting for us to return, if we don¡¯t they''ll be coming right here to get you. Not even you can take on fifty people at once.¡± The criminal continued walking towards Arthur who appeared to just be standing there.


    After a moment of silence the criminal took it as a sign of Arthur submitting and extended his hand for the silver coin he demanded. ¡°If you''re gonna stay quiet then I suggest you pay up to.¡±


    Arthur snickered at the comment as he raised his hand and impaled each of the criminal''s subordinates from behind. Two fell to the ground dead from a thin earth spike sticking out of their backs while the other two screamed out in pain as they tried to clutch at theirs with little success. The leader turned back to see half of his subordinates deal and the other half disabled and likely to bleed out, when he turned back around to look at Arthur he was met with the flanged end of Arthur mage staff.


    The criminal fell to the ground with blood pouring from the side of his head, Arthur took a basic healing potion from his bag and poured it into the criminal''s mouth. The potion temporarily stopped the bleeding and brought back some of the color in his face. ¡°Where are your friends hiding?¡± Arthur brought the man''s face up close to his as he asked the question.


    The criminal felt light headed from the blow to the head, but he still could understand and answer the question, though he chose not to. ¡°Screw you, my allies will be here to tear you apart, alchemist. I don¡¯t know how you did that, but it won''t be enough to stop them.¡±


    Arthur sighed in annoyance at the answer he was given, he wanted to nip the problem in the bud and if the criminal wasn¡¯t willing to give him an answer he would need to resort to more drastic measures. ¡®Normally I would hand him over to the city guard, but with all the rumors and fights between them and those rouge mages they have too much on their plate.¡¯


    Arthur retrieved a second basic healing potion from his bag and placed it on the ground nearby, he then dropped the criminal to the ground before he proceeded to repeatedly kick him in the face, chest, and even the groin a few times. By the time Arthur stopped the criminal was barely holding back tears from the pain.


    Arthur force fed the criminal the second basic healing potion and asked again.  ¡°Where are your friends hiding?¡± But this time the anger in his voice was far more apparent than the last time. The criminal was far more willing this time as he answered through his sniffles and tears. ¡°Th -there in the o -old tavern just down the st- street and to the left.¡±


    Satisfied with the answer Arthur dropped the criminal again and raised his right hand to cast a spell. ¡°Fulmina terrae.¡± Arthur conjured three bolts made from earth that he sent into the crying criminal''s head through his eyes, killing him. The other two criminals were still writhing in pain as they tried to remove the earth spikes lodged into their backs, Arthur helped them out with the same method he used for their leader. ¡°Fulmina terrae, fulmina terrae.¡±


    **********


    After relocating the five human corpses to somewhere safer than his lawn Arthur checked over his home for any signs of damage. Aside from what came from the door barricade made from earth that he used to create the earth spikes there was none. With that out of the way he could now focus his attention towards the tavern the rest of these criminals were hiding out at.


    Before he set out, Arthur considered wearing the plate armor he usually wore when he hunted bandits in the forest, but he put that idea aside. The weight would be too much and would make him stand out far more than he needed to, it would be preferable to remain as inconspicuous for as long as possible before he started killing them.


    From a distance Arthur could see the tavern had been worn down throughout the years without much maintenance. Although despite that, there appeared to be a decent clientele that even had a guard standing by the door, the guard was wearing clothing similar to that of the five criminals that tried to shake down Arthur, but was armed with a proper spear and had some basic leather armor covering his chest area under his coat. Clearly they weren''t doing that bad in terms of money.


    As Arthur approached the guard just gave him an interesting look for a moment but did not prevent him from entering. The interior looked just as bad as the outside along with all the furniture, about half the tables were occupied and about half the patrons were wearing the ¡°uniform¡± of the criminal gang. The bartender was dressed like a normal civilian alluding to the fact that he was not a part of this gang, just housing them.


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    Arthur walked right up to the counter where said bartender was cleaning cups and sat on one of the stools. Everyone else had chosen to sit at one of the tables to talk amongst themselves. Arthur placed his dimensional bag on the counter where drinks would normally be placed, the bartender eyed him suspiciously but said nothing.


    But that changed when Arthur reached in the bag and opened it up to reveal the corpses of one of the criminals that tried to shake him down for money. But the bartender was somewhat used to dangerous and gruesome situations and only his eyes gave away that he was terrified by what he saw. He looked to Arthur wondering what he wanted.


    ¡°Are all the ones dressed like this one a part of the same gang?¡± Arthur whispered his question as he closed his bag and slung it back over his shoulder.


    ¡°Yes, and a few are upstairs discussing something.¡± The bartender gestured towards a set of stairs just off to the side, his eye betraying how anxious he was.


    ¡°Are there any locks I need to worry about?¡±


    ¡°No, just a large room that they have been renting out every so often with increasing frequency.¡± Arthur smiled at that answer, this would make things easy.


    Arthur took a quick look around to make sure he wasn¡¯t being watched and slipped up the stairs. The stairway was small but it allowed Arthur to reach the second floor without alerting anyone, at the top was a short little hall only about five feet long that was immediately followed by a doorway without a door. On the other side Arthur could hear several voices arguing over something, taking a quick peek Arthur saw about ten or so people were sitting at a round table all wearing clean and new versions of the clothes their underlings wore.


    ¡®Looks like the leaders of this gang. I suppose I can try and convince them to leave me alone or I can just kill them¡­ I¡¯ll try convincing them first, then if they don¡¯t like that I can kill them.¡¯


    **********


    Seated at a large table were all four leaders of the remaining gangs of the southern distinct that were either too small to be recruited or even noticed and those who understood something was going down and decided to lay low for a while. Once the smoke cleared they all came scurrying back out and decided to group up. Collectively they called themselves Black Eye, but in reality there were seven gangs all here with three of the seven holding two seats to themselves.


    At the moment they were arguing about what they should pour their resources into, the two big ideas they had at the moment were protection money, and drugs.


    ¡°We need to expand our businesses into larger untapped markets! Since the purge the entire underworld has become a no man''s land, we need to be there first before we lose out permanently!¡± A Scorchmen human shouted at the others at the table. His name was Kelile and in the past his gang had small dealings within the drug trade, they would normally traffic drugs on behalf of other larger players and he wanted to get back into it ASAP.


    ¡°That is a foolish idea Kelile, we have barely gotten back onto our feet and you already wish to use everything we have on a venture that might not ever take off.¡± An older woman said in response to Kelile¡¯s idea, her name was Eveline and her gang was well known for its robberies. After the purge many of her associates had either been captured or fled the city leaving her with only a fraction of the power she once had, this forced her to join up with those she considered to be power hungry fools like Kelile.


    ¡°But thankfully for all of you my men have experience in the trafficking and selling of drugs. Given enough time and we will have so much money we won¡¯t even have enough things to spend it on.¡± Kelile smiled and looked around at the other members of Black Eye, a few that had dealings with drugs in the past nodded in agreement with his words, but more than half were still quite skeptical of the idea.


    ¡°And how exactly would you suggest we keep everything under wraps? An operation of such scale would be very visible to just about anyone, even a blind man would be able to see the impact we would have on the area when people start getting addicted. Unless of course you are suggesting a cheap and less addictive drug.¡± A middle aged gentleman by the name of Pius Valgus, a former noble whose gang was one of the few that held two seats.


    Kelile chucked and presented a small bag from under the table. He then handed the bag to the person to his right. ¡°Take one and pass it to the next person.¡± The man was a little confused but he complied and reached in pulling out what appeared to be a weed, but he did as Kelile said and passed it to the next person. This continued until everyone at the table had a steam of this strange weed.


    ¡°What is this plant Kelile?¡± Pius asked the moment everyone had one. Pius was quite well versed in plants as it was one of the ways he managed to get by after he lost everything. Yet the plant before him was unknown to him, that left two possibilities, either it isn¡¯t native to the area or it is a new strain of an already existing plant.


    Kelile smiled. ¡°This is what is called swamp weed, to smoke it you must dry the leaves and wrap it with some paper.¡± Kelile waited for everyone to take a second look at the plant and praise him for his genius idea. Instead Pius immediately stood up and said ¡°This isn¡¯t swamp weed, It''s far too large! And even if it was, how exactly do you expect to grow it here? Antium isn¡¯t exactly built on a swamp.¡±


    Kelile frowned but wasn¡¯t quite so annoyed this time since it was actually a good question, the rest of what Pius said on the other not so much. ¡°This is a new strain of the plant that can grow in the present climate, in fact the plants you hold right now were grown and harvested just a week ago.¡±


    The room erupted into intense debate with that information, not only had Kelile provided a possible stream of revenue but he also had proved the feasibility of procuring it on a regular basis. At the bare minimum they would need a few minutes to perhaps even an hour to debate it and come to a proper decision Meanwhile Arthur who was watching and listening from the doorway just out of their line of sight was having a bit of an inner conflict.

 Chapter 85

    ¡®They are discussing if they should start selling a new drug in the city, worst yet it has been selectively bred to be able to grow in this climate giving them a steady supply of it when they establish farms. I was just going to scare them a little, maybe kill a few of them, and then force them to leave me alone.¡¯ Arthur waited as the ten continued their debate.


    ¡°What about the possible side effects of such a drug Kelile? I assume it isn¡¯t quite as incredible as you have been telling us.¡± Eveline said as she leaned forward on her chair and looked straight towards Kelile. This was a tactic she would often use on those she considered foolish or weak. The idea was to force all eyes on her opposition and make them stutter.


    ¡°To answer your question dear Eveline, the drug is only moderately addictive and has very little side effects, none of which are life threatening just like the original strain from the southern swamps. The only difference between this new strain and the original is where it can grow, if you have any problems with that I suggest you bring that up with the swamp weed farmers in Miria who have been the sole suppliers up until now.¡± Eveline gritted her teeth at Kelile, turning the attention around and drawing support from another who was skeptical, and yet he still continued.


    ¡°Since we will be able to supply ourselves with the plant we will be able to sell it for far less than we could have otherwise, this way we can keep it cheap and our customers always buying. This will practically give us a monopoly on the buying and selling of swamp weed in the city, and when we expand outward we will have all the leverage we will need.¡±


    Kelile¡¯s choice of words was quite telling, he wants to expand out into the rest of the kingdom and likely well past that. And now with seven of the ten members nodding along it was practically assured that the Black Eye gang would begin to grow and sell this new strain of swamp weed.


    But that assumed that no one was willing to do anything drastic to stop the decision from happening, one person that might be a mage perhaps.


    Arthur stood there hidden by the door way, his hand fiddling with a small ball of fire he conjured in a desperate attempt to calm his nerves. But it did little to help, the only way to stop this feeling that was like a lump in his throat was to do the best thing possible at the moment and kill the gang leaders.


    The moment he came to the decision he felt the worry and weight on his shoulders was alleviated, if only ever so slightly. But it was enough for him to turn his focus to the ten gang members and raise his hands to cast a spell.


    ¡®What to use, what to use?¡¯ Arthur asked himself as he tried to think of a spell that would be able to quickly take all them out or at least incapacitate them for him to finish them off. His first idea was to use a few fire spells, they had good speed and damage and he even knew of one that would explode on impact. But he quickly discarded that idea, pyromancy can get out of hand rather quickly, he just wanted to kill the gang leaders not burn down the whole tavern.


    ¡®That just leaves air, earth, and water. I also have my sword, but unless I¡¯m just finishing off a few stragglers I should avoid using it in this situation.¡¯ Arthur thought back to all the spells he learnt over the four months of magic learning but ultimately came up blank, as all the proper spells he knew were only tier one and the combat related ones were more focused on quick and accurate projectiles.


    Just as Arthur was tempted to leave he heard a loud squeak from the bottom of the stairs, then another and another, someone was coming up the stairs. Arthur nearly panicked as the noise was likely from a large and heavy person, possibly the guard from outside. Arthur gritted his teeth and slowly descended the stairs to meet the person head on and take them out quickly.


    Thankfully for Arthur the stairway was technically made up of two separate stairways, the first was just a few steps opposite of the front door and the second turned to the right and continued up to the second floor. The person walking up was still on the first set but was far too close for comfort.


    Arthur was practically right up against the corner waiting for the man to appear, it felt like forever but eventually the man did appear and Arthur quickly conjured a thin spike made up of earth on the palm of his hand and put it through his neck as he covered the man''s mouth and pushed him into the opposite wall.


    The man who Arthur quickly identified as a member of this same gang tried to push him away and shout for help, but was met with little success. What little noise he did manage to make was muffled by the sounds of the patrons downstairs and the gang leader arguing upstairs.


    Arthur continued to stab the man in several places including the chest and stomach to try and kill him faster. Eventually the loss of blood made the man weaker and weaker until he stopped struggling and slumped to the floor. Arthur stabbed him through the eye with a second spike he conjured just to be certain he was dead.


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    /- - - - - -\


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    Arthur looked around and frowned, there was quite a bit of blood on the floor that pooled out from the man¡¯s corpse and continued to do so. Left with little choice Arthur pucked up the corpse and slowly but surely forced it in his dimensional bag, but that still left him with the blood on the floor to deal with and odds were it would be noticed by someone.


    So Arthur used his hydromancy to conjure water and wipe down all the blood and collect it into a sphere of water and blood. Arthur was quite proud of his work, anyone looking for blood would be forced to look very carefully to find any sign of it and he honestly doubted that anyone would be looking here.


    But the fact that the man isn¡¯t coming back was a bit of a problem, if someone was waiting for him then they were likely to come looking sooner than later. ¡®And if they find me here, or worse yet I kill them as well someone will eventually figure something out. I need to get out of here for now, I can figure out how to get rid of the gang leaders later.¡¯


    Arthur slowly descended the stairs and took a quick peek out past the door frame for anyone watching, luckily no one was and he quickly walked past everyone and out the front door. Once he was outside he quickly began walking in the direction of his home to think about how to deal with the gang.


    ***********


    Within the safety of his open home Arthur emptied out the corpse of the man he killed in the tavern along with the other five corpses belonging to the ones who attempted to shake him down for money. While it did take some time to squeeze the six of them out he did eventually do so, and now that he was away from prying eyes he took his time to look for anything of value on them.


    Arthur was very thorough in his search, he checked every pocket and searched for hidden ones, by the end he came up with the meat cleaver from the one and a knife from each of the others. The knives were all quite old and had bits of rust forming along the edges. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to take these to Burmas and see what he will pay for them.¡¯


    Arthur returned the knives and meat cleaver into his bag and turned his attention towards the six bodies now laying on his floor. ¡®I don¡¯t really have much use for them, if I knew how to create a proper flesh golem then I would use them for that. But even if I did know how I don¡¯t even have all the materials I would need to make one. Storing them isn¡¯t really an option at the moment since they take up most of the space in my bag, I could barely fit the last one in.¡¯


    Arthur began to pace around the room as he tried to think up a solution, eventually he stopped and looked at them before he placed the largest three in his bag. ¡®I don¡¯t need to keep all six of them here. I can just hang onto a few and get rid of the rest.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he smiled and dragged the smallest three bodies close to the back door to be disposed of later at night.


    **********


    When nightfall eventually did come around Arthur dragged each body one by one into his back yard and with the use of his geomancy slowly dug a large circular hole into the ground that was about three and a half meters deep at its lowest. Arthur then dropped each body in there and refilled the hole before he double checked that it looked as normal as possible and returned inside.


    ¡®Dam, that was tiring. Who would have known that carrying dead bodies was so difficult, and that they are so flimsy. It''s like carrying around a big human sized doll.¡¯ Arthur chucked at the comparison before he changed into more comfortable clothes and went to bed.


    But Arthur was having a rather difficult time going to sleep, his mind kept drifting towards what he should have done to the leaders of the gang that were all sitting at that table, he could have very easily stopped them all right there. But one little nobody managed to get in that way and put an end to that.


    ¡®Should I just wait for more to arrive and kill them until they give up? That sounds like the easiest thing to do, but they''ll just target other people instead. There has to be something I can do.¡¯ But alas Arthur came up short of any possible solutions, he had no evidence to show anyone and without that he had no way to prove what they were doing.


    His mind quickly turned to other things to other things as he continued to draw blanks and eventually found himself thinking about the man he killed on the stairway. Arthur conjured another thin spike on the palm of his hand and looked it up and down. It was rather simple and in some respects crude, but it managed to kill someone with reasonable efficiency.


    But then suddenly something clicked in Arthurs mind, everything that had once been bouncing around within his mind was now coming together, and it was from the improvised weapon he created. ¡®I could kill each of the gang leaders one by one, I don¡¯t need to kill them all at once. I just need to find where they stay and when night falls I can go in and get rid of them permanently. Yeah, that would be a whole lot easier than killing them all at once.¡¯


    Arthur was practically laughing like a child hearing a poop joke with this revelation, he barely contained his joy at the realization and immediately got up out of bed to better think and formulate a new plan.


    ¡®I have so many new options now, I could use some of the poison I have been brewing to kill them or I could look for a newer, more deadly recipe. I could even trap them inside a building and burn it to the ground when they are still inside along with any guards they might have with them. I could even go for the standard assassination with a blade, but I think I will avoid that.¡¯


    Arthur was so excited he nearly left his house for a trip to the guilds library to look for new spells or poisons that might help in his endeavors. Only when he let out a deep yawn did he remember that he needed sleep to function and bring his plans to reality. But that did little to sway Arthur¡¯s mood, as he still smiled even as he went to sleep and dreamed of tearing this new gang to the ground.

 Chapter 86

    Three loud knocks awoke Arthur from his deep slumber, he only managed to get to sleep well past dark as a precaution. And now he was paying that price by being awoken without the proper amount of sleep.  Arthur sat up in his bed and as he reached for both his clothes and his staff a second set of knocks followed. ¡°Just a minute!¡± Arthur shouted out, he did not hear any more knocks after that.


    Once he was half presentable he walked right up to the door and opened it to find Gaelin with another box full of ingredients. ¡°Good morning Gaelin, please come inside.¡± Arthur waved the young elf inside and closed it behind him.


    Gaelin placed the box on the nearby table and Arthur looked through it for a moment before nodding in satisfaction and handing him six copper coins this time. Gaelin looked down at the extra coin a little confused, but Arthur quickly cleared the confusion. ¡°You brought me some of the plants I asked of you, the flammable ones are something I need for a small project of mine. Hence the extra coin.¡±


    Gaelin was a little curious about what that might be but was smart enough to be happy with the coins he received. ¡°Uh, sure thing sir. If you have anything else you want me to look out for just let me know.¡± Arthur smiled at Gaelin¡¯s blatant want for a little extra money, if he needed anything he would let him know the next time.


    With Gaelin gone he could take a proper look at what he brought this time. It mostly amounted to most of what he already asked for along with a handful of the flammable ones he pointed out to him last time. ¡®This should be enough to create another vial''s worth of alchemist embers. But for now I need to speak with this Osvald fellow Georgius told me about.¡¯


    Before heading out for the northern district where the address given to him by Georgius led, Arthur secured each of the windows and doors like he did before with large sheets of solidified earth. But this time he made a simple modification for the one covering the windows, he left a few large holes in them making them now resemble bars. There was enough space to allow sunlight to freely go inside, but anything larger than a cat would be unable to slip by.


    *************


    The trip to the northern district was easily twice as long as the trips to any of the others given it was on the opposite side of the city. Eventually Arthur reached the building where this Osvald supposedly did his business, the building in question was nothing like Arthur had even seen, it was some sort of bar with a few games of cards at every few tables. The games even had proper dealers with what he assumed was a proper attire for such a profession.


    The building was distinctly high class and that was further displayed by the patron that were there, the woman by wearing faces full of makeup and strong perfumes while the men all wore bright colors like exotic birds that no commoner would wear out of simple practicality. Most of these patrons were seated at one of the well made tables with only a few men and women chatting up at the bar.


    Arthur did not fit in all that well, it was so apparent that the guards donning chain mail that stood outside almost barred him from entering. That was until he conjured a few projectiles from pure fire and they let him pass by.


    Most of the patrons paid him little attention, but the few that did would mutter something under their breath and return to their previous conversations as if nothing happened. Arthur walked straight up to the bar and took one of the empty seats towards the far right. The bartender was currency serving a trio of women that Arthur suspected were a bit more than just patrons, their clothes were a rather slim fit designed to attract attention.


    Regardless, soon the bartender walked over to Arthur and asked ¡°Want anything to drink?¡± The bartender spoke in a far more casual tone compared to how he spoke to some of the more extravagant patrons, but Arthur cared little for that.


    ¡°I''m here to speak with Osvald. I was told I could find him here.¡± The bartender looked Arthur up and down before nodding to himself. ¡°Do you have business with him?¡± The bartender asked, clearly this was a semi-regular thing that happened.


    ¡°I was recommended him by someone who has done business with him in the past. According to him, Osvald is willing to sell some materials without the oversight of the guild that I require for my experiments.¡± Any doubt about who Arthur was was gone from the bartender''s mind as he nodded and pointed to a room off to the far right side of the room. ¡°Go through that door and turn left and you will find a door blocked by two guards. Tell them that Laras sent you to speak with Osvald and they should let you pass.¡±


    Arthur smiled and gave the bartender a small thanks as he stood up and walked through the doorway. There were two ways to continue, one was to the right and the other to the left. Arthur decided to follow the bartenders directions and went down the left hallway. At the very end were two guards dressed the same way as the two from outside. When Arthur approached them the one on the right raised his hand to stop him and spoke. ¡°I am sorry sir, but this is a restricted area. The bar is down that hall you came from and on your first right.¡±


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    ¡®At least this one is nicer than the ones outside.¡¯ Arthur smiled at the respect from this guard, clearly their orders were far different from the ones outside. ¡°I have business with Osvald, the bartender sent me this way to speak with him.¡±


    The two guards froze up for a second before they looked at each other and back to Arthur. ¡°My apologies sir, you will find Osvald towards the back of the room. He is currently speaking with some of his clients so you may be required to wait.¡± Arthur gave a small nod as the guard reached from a key on his belt and used it to unlock the door. But to Arthur¡¯s surprise the moment the door slightly cracked open loud music filled the hallway. When the door fully opened Arthur was met with something he had never seen before, it was a sort of party with blaring loud music of unknown origin that appeared to be from a large blue gemstone hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. Arthur wearily entered the room and the guards closed it from the outside.


    The whole place just felt so wrong to Arthur, everyone looked like they were happy and having fun as they danced and drank from large mugs, but in the corners he could see a handful of people either passed out or crying. The only interesting thing about the crowd was how diverse it was. Arthur noticed several different species of the animal people he would occasionally see throughout the city, there were some that looked like birds in all sorts of colors, a few different types of cat people, a spider person like the one from his pyromancy class, and a few other that were so few they didn¡¯t particularly matter. ¡®I really hope I don¡¯t need to come here every time I want to buy something from this Osvald.¡¯ Arthur was not exactly comfortable with the close proximity to so many people at the same time, and the worst part was when someone would walk up to him and try flirting with. For the most part he could tell if it was a man or a woman he was speaking with, but for a few it wasn¡¯t so simple and whenever he would ask they would just say something along the lines of ¡°I can be anything you want me to be.¡±


    Upon hearing that for the first Arthur quickened his pace towards the back of the room in search of Osvald to buy the materials and get out. Squeezing past several groups of wildly dressed people dancing to the strange music Arthur eventually found someone that fit the description of Osvald. A middle aged human with very pale skin, his hair and beard were both a deep brown and long but well maintained. He was sitting at a table that was connected to the wall along with the surface he was sitting on, next to him were two young and attractive women. One was human while the other was an elf.


    On the opposite side of the table was a far more shady figure covered by a black cloak and seated with two others also wearing dark cloaks. The cloaks concealed everything about them, almost as if there was a thick black smoke trapped within the cloak preventing anyone from seeing past aside from the wearer.


    ¡°I am sorry I am unable to help you Mrs. Mulu, is there anything else you wanted to ask of me?¡± The presumed Osvald asked the person who turned out to be a woman. The Mrs. Mulu instead stood up and was followed by the other two with her. ¡°Unfortunately that is not the case, if I have anything else to ask of you I will contact you through a communication sphere.¡±


    ¡°But we have not exchanged contact codes yet, how will you call me let alone me knowing it is you.¡± ¡®Osvald¡¯ looked at this Mrs. Mulu in confusion.


    ¡°I have my ways of knowing, and I expect you will know when I am calling you.¡± Mrs. Mulu said in a very ominous tone as she began to walk away, as she passed Arthur she gave him a brief look before she returned her gaze towards the door.


    The man Arthur presumed was Osvald sighed and took a sip from his drink before he even noticed Arthur was standing there. But once he did he put on another smile and waved for him to sit down. ¡°Welcome my friend, please take a seat.¡± Arthur followed the request and sat at the edge of the strange seat. It was like a chair and a bench at the same time, it was comfortable like a chair but also wide like a bench. Overall it was quite nice, but Arthur would rather sit on it himself rather than share it with someone when he spoke with Osvald.


    ¡°Are you Osvald? I was told you are more than willing to supply magical materials that the guild likes to keep an eye on.¡± Arthur took a comfortable position but kept at least one hand ready to cast a spell, the last thing he needed was to be cornered in such a place.


    ¡°Well you are quite straight forward aren¡¯t you? I am Osvald and I do in fact deal in magical materials and components like whoever told you. Is there anything in particular you need help in acquiring?¡±


    ¡°Yes there are a few things I am interested in buying for my experiments, I have a list here of what I am interested in. If you could give me the prices of each of these I would be very thankful.¡± Arthur handed over a list of everything he needed aside from the phantom membrane as he had a way to acquire that with the guild with suspicion. The mana stone and the ink along with the recipe was on the list though. He looked over it while jotting down the prices after a few moments of thinking, after about three minutes he returned the list to Arthur with the prices. Most of what he was charging was quite normal and to be expected, the mana stone on the other hand was a whole ten gold coins.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes nearly shot out of his eye sockets at the number, which was around the same price as his whole house and it was just for one of the cheapest mana stones on the market. Osvald clearly noticed the look in Arthur¡¯s eyes as he decided to speak up. ¡°I do admit the price for the mana stone is a bit above what the guild sells them for, but only about a single gold coin more than what they do. You don¡¯t need to buy it right now if you don¡¯t have the money on you, you can instead return some other time when you have the money with you.¡±

 Chapter 87

    Osvald smiled as Arthur looked over the list of materials and the prices he added on. For the time being buying even the lowest grade of mana stones would be out of his reach, but he could still acquire the ink and its recipe each for a reasonable price. The recipe would only cost him a single gold coin where a bottle of the magic ink would cost him a silver coin, he would pay for both today and after looking at what exactly was needed to create the ink he would decide if it was worth the hassle or not.


    ¡°I have enough money with me to pay for the other two items on this list. Would it be possible to buy and receive them today?¡± Arthur placed the list in his bag and fixed his seating position.


    Osvald smiled. ¡°I see no reason why not. Hey Loreia!¡± Osvald shouted out into the large crowd for someone. Quickly a human woman dressed in far more professional attire walked over. Her choice of clothes reminded Arthur a bit of the secretaries and clerks he had seen at the various establishments throughout the city.


    ¡°Is there something you need sir?¡± The woman Loreia said in a far more monotone voice compared to the jolly and happy tone of Osvald. The two were not something you would expect to be very close to each other given just how different they were, he was open and fluid whereas she was stiff and calculated.


    ¡°Could you show this young mage to the warehouse, he is interested in buying some magic ink and the recipe for his experiments.¡± Osvald said as he took another sip of his drink and finishing it off. The elf to his left reached over to her left and retrieved a bottle and filled his glass up. ¡°I would normally do it myself, but I''m just swamped in work here.¡±


    ¡°Of course sir, I assume you have already discussed the prices of the merchandise.¡± Loreia looked to both Arthur and Osvald who nodded in agreement. ¡°Very good then. If you would please follow me sir I will take you to the warehouse.¡± Loreia waved Arthur up and towards a nearby door. Arthur followed her as she knocked three times and the door opened leading to another hallway, but this one was less exquisite and more practical than the rest.


    As the two left the room full of dancing and alcoholism Arthur let out a sigh of relief and managed to relax. ¡°Not your type of place is it?¡± Loreia asked moments after she heard him sigh. ¡°No it isn¡¯t. It feels so¡­ fast and erratic and sickening.¡± Arthur confessed to Loreia, he didn¡¯t feel as if he belonged in such an environment and he had the feeling she felt the same way.


    ¡°I suspected as much, a good portion of our clients don¡¯t like it. It was all Osvald¡¯s idea, he said he was inspired by some dances from his homeland mixed together with the local culture, specifically the bright flashy colors, the alcohol, and the music.¡± Loreia sighed as she recalled several problematic scenarios that came as a result, yet the party continued on.


    ¡°And what about the choice of clothes? Several of the men dancing around were almost indistinguishable from the women, several more I wasn¡¯t even sure about.¡± Arthur said as he thought back to several of the men and women that tried speaking with him. Unfortunately he knew he would likely never forget such memories ever due to his photographic memory.


    ¡°Oh that, that came from the rich and powerful that started to spend a lot of time here. As it turns out when you have all the money you could ever use you tend to get a little bored and you start wanting things you normally wouldn¡¯t, even if it is only one time. As such, this became a hot spot for rich and powerful men to try spending an evening with other men, many ended up catching a taste for those that dressed up like women, and it just sort of evolved from there.¡± Arthur could feel the awkwardness in her voice as she spoke and once she finished he did not have the nerve to carry on the conversation resulting in the rest of the walk towards the warehouse to be in silence.


    About a minute more of walking the two reached another door, this one made from iron with another two guards standing and keeping an eye on things. As they got close the guards with the key nodded to Loreia and unlocked the door allowing them to enter. On the other side was a very large room that was practically filled to the brim with labelled crates and boxes. The paths that did exist were only large enough for at most two people walking shoulder to shoulder to pass.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes lit up at the sheer amount of stuff in a single room, so much so that he just stood there for a moment. But Loreia brought him back from his daydreams and took him towards the back of the warehouse. ¡°The magic ink and the copies of the recipe are towards the back of the warehouse, if you see anything else that catches your eye just let me know and we can take a peek.¡±


    Arthur did look at several of the time as they passed by, he noticed several staves and swords and many other interesting weapons that looked to be magical in nature, but he didn¡¯t say anything at the moment as he likely didn¡¯t have enough money to buy even a single one. ¡®I need to focus on making more bottles of alchemist embers and sell them to the club, assuming I create one a day and sell it I would have a net profit of five silver coins a day. After a week of that I would have thirty five silver coins or one gold coin and fifteen silver.¡¯


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    Then suddenly Loreia stopped abruptly and was looking at several crates stacked to the side. She ran her finger along the writing and when she found what she was looking for she waved Arthur over. ¡°This crate here is full of the ink you need, the little one on top has several copies of the recipe for it.¡± Loreia said as she took the left side of the box and gestured for Arthur to take the right side. The two slowly lifted the box up off the bottom box and carried it over to a nearby clear area towards the back with a large table. They placed the box next to the table and opened it up revealing the bottles of ink that filled it to the brim.


    Arthur took a single vial of the ink and looked over it, as far as he could tell it was legitimate. But unlike what the guild sells it did not have an official label from the company or individual who made it. Instead it was simply labelled ¡®Magic enchanting ink.¡¯


    ¡°So how many bottles do you need? Most enchanters don¡¯t even go through a whole bottle a day, and they do that for a living. So whatever you need this for won''t require bottles amongst bottles, at least for now.¡± Loreia said as she pointed to the bottle of magic ink Arthur held in his hands.


    ¡®Yeah, she is probably right. For the time being I won''t be using a lot of ink since I am just creating tiny golems out of dead rats. But I should buy more than one, because knowing my luck I will forget to buy more when this one runs out, or I won¡¯t even notice that I am running low and I will need to cut my experiments short.¡¯ ¡°These are a silver coin each right?¡± Arthur asked as he placed the bottle on the table.


    ¡°Yes, that is correct, and the recipe will cost you one gold coin.¡± Loreia said as she retrieved a piece of paper from the small box. The paper was wrapped up like a scroll with a thin piece of string keeping it bound together.


    Arthur took a second bottle of ink from the crate and fished out a gold coin and two silver coins from his bag and placed them on the table before taking the two bottles of ink, then Loreia handed him the recipe which he quickly unbound and took a look at. It was a rather simple recipe with the main ingredient being normal ink, but the spell required to bound everything together and allow it to function properly was a tier two spell and something Arthur hadn''t had the time to learn yet.


    ¡°If that is everything you need the exit is just over to the far right. And if you need anything else from us, use this to get in contact with us, we can schedule a proper appointment and help you find just about anything.¡± Loreia handed Arthur a small piece of paper that had a ten number code divided up into two groups of three and one of four. Below were the words ¡®Osvald¡¯s collection of merchants and wares.¡¯ Loreia quickly left the same way she came from.


    ¡®This must be the actual name of the company, but I have no idea what this ten digit number means. When I get a chance I will speak with Georgius about it, he will probably know since he has been in business with him before.¡¯ Arthur placed the paper in his bag and walked down to the right side of the room, the door was made up of metal like the one he and Loreia went through to enter the room, but this one was a little different. There was no handle that opened the door, instead there was this metallic bar thing made up of two parts. It reminded Arthur of a button and its outer shell thing, so given its size he used his hand to push it and when it was pushed all the way the door was easily pushed open. Arthur marveled at the engineering and exited through the door, he noticed that the outside of the door did not have any similar contraption and was intended for one way travel.


    ¡®This is good for deterring thieves, they would need to pass by all those doors that were guarded and then convince either Osvald or Loreia to let them in. But I seriously doubt that they don¡¯t have any sort of magic item that would protect them in that situation.¡¯


    ************


    Although Arthur was not exactly sure of how to get back onto the main road he just decided to follow the alleyway towards the left until he eventually found himself on a proper road. It was only a matter of looking around for something familiar to reorient himself and find the way to his home.


    Once Arthur returned to home he quickly put the recipe and the magic ink he bought away in the spare room and started to collect the various flammable plants to produce more alchemist embers. ¡®I need a lot more money to buy that mana stone, I already used up a good portion of my savings for that ink and recipe and I still need to learn how to cast tier two spells to make the ink by myself.¡¯


    The best way he had to make money was to create as many bottles of alchemist embers as he could and sell them to the alchemy club. While Arthur didn¡¯t exactly know what they were used for he suspected it was either for other alchemical reactions or as a heat source for blacksmiths given how hot they are just on their own, he could only imagine just how hot they would get with proper fuel.


    Arthur filled a box with all the flammable plants he had with him, it was about double of what he had the last time he tried it. Arthur placed the box by the back door and counted out thirty silver coins from his bag, once he had it he left for the same store he bought the special bottle from last time. Since alchemist embers were so hot they required a special container that was resistant to the heat they produced. The one bottle Arthur bought ended up costing him fifteen whole silver coins, and now he suspected he had enough plants to produce two this time.


    The merchant at the counter happily counted up the coins and handed Arthur the two heavily enchanted bottles. ¡®If I ever learn anything about enchanting it will most certainly be how to do this, then I can just buy the glass bottles and inscribe the enchantments myself and save so many silver coins.¡¯

 Chapter 88

    Arthur conjured up a small table from the nearby earth and he began his preparations for creating more alchemist embers. He placed the two enchanted bottles on the table next to the box of flammable and fire attuned plants. Next up was the large bowl thing, this time however he made the oversized bowl far smaller to keep it more structurally stable. Since it was more stable, more of the surrounding earth could be used to thicken the walls.


    ¡®Now I don¡¯t need to worry about it cracking falling apart anytime soon. I can give more attention to the actual process and understand what is actually happening.¡¯


    Arthur dumped roughly three quarters of the plants into the large earth bowl before returning the box to the table. With that out of the way he reached into his bag and pulled out the original bottle of alchemist embers he bought. The cylindrical piece of ember continued to give off its alluring glow and its heat could still be felt even through all of the enchantments of the bottle that held it.


    Arthur opened the bottle and tipped it to its side allowing the piece of ember to slip out and into the bowl. With an audible whoosh the embers ignited the plants and singed the surrounding earth, the heat was immense and forced Arthur to cast the tier one cooling spell several times on himself as he watched.


    Soon the burnt plants formed into two pieces of ember themselves leaving three in the bottom of the bowl. Although the newest two were rather deformed and misshapen compared to the original. ¡®There must be a way to shape them into different shapes with some sort of spell. I will see if I can find anything like that in the library in my next few visits.¡¯


    With the three embers in the bottom it was now time to bottle them up and sell them. Arthur started with the original ember and used aeromancy to slowly lift it back into its original bottle, when that was done it was swiftly returned to Arthurs dimensional bag. The other two were a bit more difficult to bottle up, with their weird shape Arthur had to wiggle them a little bit to get them inside like the last time he did this before he added the fire attuned plants. But by the time he was done he was left with three bottles of alchemist embers he made himself.


    ¡®Now all that is left to do is go to the guild and sell them off. Based on what I bought them for I should get around a gold coin for each of these, that easily covers my expenses and leaves me with a little bit of profit by the end.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he looked at the three bottles he placed on the table, the soft glowing warming him and the surrounding area up.


    After he was done looking over his creations Arthur packed them up and began walking to the mages guild. The trip over to the western district was very familiar by this point as he had taken the trip so many times, he was so familiar he would immediately notice anything that was out of the ordinary. Something like a small group of men dressed in some simple leather armor and carrying equally simple weapons, those weapons included mostly axes but also featured a sword and a spear.


    The group of men were evidently above average in terms of wealth and were slowly watching Arthur as he approached their position, since they were standing at the end of a road that connected into the nearest market many people were walking by. It was also the more direct route to get to the guild from the southern district.


    Arthur hoped that it was just his imagination that made him think they were watching him, but as he got within several meters of the group they walked out to block him from passing. They didn''t say anything right away as they simply stared down Arthur with their weapons at the ready.


    ¡°Can I help any of you?¡± Arthur asked, wishing he kept his staff out of his bag. Instead he was now forced to keep his hand on his bag to try and quickly retrieve it when they did anything to try and hurt him.


    ¡°Are you Arthur of Dom Badaher?¡± The man standing at the very front of the group asked. The man in question had deep olive skin from spending lots of time out in the sun, he also had a long and thick brown beard as well as brown hair. From the distance Arthur guessed the man was about thirty years old.


    ¡°I am. Why do you ask?¡± Arthur could feel the tension as he answered the question, the four men standing behind the bearded one shifted slightly. They were getting ready for something, and Arthur knew they weren''t going to be nice.


    ¡°Well we have something for you Mr. Arthur.¡± The bearded man smiled as he finally drew his short sword from its sheath and readied a small circular shield. ¡°A gift from those you have been a thorn in the side of for some time now with your actions.¡± The man suddenly kicked off and bolted towards Arthur followed by his four allies with a short delay.


    ¡°Terrae fulmina!¡± Arthur instinctively casted the spell tri earth bolts to strike down his opponent as he ran towards him. But he simply raised his shield and blocked the projectiles and shrugged off the impact.


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    Upon seeing this Arthur turned and ran in the opposite direction to buy himself some time to retrieve his staff. He reached in and quickly found it in his grip and began to pull it out, but as he was doing this while running an arrow whizzed by his face just barely missing. They had an archer providing them support for up high. Arthur didn¡¯t even take a moment to look as he needed his staff and he needed it a minute ago.


    Arthur pulled the staff out from his bag and with a two handed grip on it he turned to face the oncoming criminals. As it turned out the leading member of the criminals was actually faster than Arthur was even with all his armor, there was only a few meters of space in between the two of them with the other four not far behind.


    Arthur channeled the mana within the staff to erect a force barrier halfway between himself and the lead criminal. The familiar translucent wall appeared and didn¡¯t even catch the attention of any of the criminals on his tail. Then the lead criminal slammed face first into the wall and was forced to stop, his fellow criminals slowed to a stop and looked at him.


    ¡°Hey, what happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    But their questions were not answered as Arthur began to cast a second spell as he walked towards the translucent wall slowly. One of the interesting things about the force wall Arthur discovered was that while it does block physical objects and people from moving through things like air and fire are not blocked, an interesting trick that Arthur was about to use to his full advantage.


    ¡°Ignis fluctus!¡± A simple yet effective fire pyromancy spell that conjures a small wave of fire, according to the book he learned it from it was designed to be used against goblins or other similar types of fighters that utilise swarm tactics. The spell conjures a wave of fire that is five or so meters wide and about a meter and a half tall depending on the caster.


    The wave of fire conjured by Arthur was a bit small but when he unleashed it upon the criminals they lit up like a bonfire. The fire was clinging to them like they were covered in oil beforehand and a few dropped to the ground and began to roll around.


    Arthur dispelled the force wall and conjured several bolts of earth that he then unleashed upon the weakened criminals. From the combination of fire and earth bolts all five of the criminals on the ground died, that only left the one with the bow that was either in or on top of a building.


    Arthur frantically looked around at the nearby buildings for any signs of someone watching with a bow. He looked at the windows and then on the roofs but found nothing, it appeared even the people living in the buildings were more than happy to keep out of the line of sight lest they become another victim of the criminals. But to be safe Arthur used the mana within his staff to cast the force armor spell upon himself.


    ¡®I wonder what he was talking about.¡¯ Arthur thought as he stood over the corpse of the lead criminal. The thick head of hair and beard was now reduced to nothing but a little singed hair. ¡®Those I have been a thorn in the side of. That doesn¡¯t exactly ring any bells, anyone who has been my enemy has been killed either by my hand like with Saturio Quintilius or they were killed in front of me like the leader of the Rusted Daggers or the vampire lord Darius. I honestly cannot think of anyone else who might want me dead who is not already dead.¡¯


    Arthur took a seat nearby as he waited for the city guard to arrive. It would look very good for himself if he ran away from the scene of a crime, especially if he was the one to leave all the dead bodies laying around. Soon enough a squad of guards arrive at the scene with their weapons drawn and at the ready. Arthur was of course the first suspect, but after an explanation from himself and the people that saw the whole thing they allowed him to leave the area but warned him not to leave the city as they were still conducting an investigation. Now Arthur was free to go to the mages guild and down to the alchemy club to sell his self made bottles of alchemist embers.


    *********


    Like it had been in recent times, the guild was less packed than normal but was recovering some of its clientele as the lines were a bit longer than they had been in the past week. Arthur didn¡¯t pay all that much attention to that though as he just walked by and went down the stairs into the underground portion of the guild. He quickly navigated to the alchemy club and walked right up to Lydus with his alchemist embers in hand.


    ¡°Whoa, where did you get those?¡± Lydus asked as he held one of the bottles in his hands. He appreciated the warmth emitted from it even through the enchanted bottle.


    ¡°I made them myself. I wanted to know how much I could get for them if I sold them to the club.¡± Arthur pushed the other two bottles towards Lydus who took a moment to think.


    ¡°Give me a minute to come up with a price.¡± Lydus said as he took a blank piece of paper and began to write down several calculations regarding profit margins and other business related things. After a minute of this Lydus turned the paper around so Arthur could properly read it, he then pointed to a number along the bottom of the page. ¡°19 silver coins for each of those. Since the market price for them is 1 gold coin we need to make a bit of money to keep funding the club, so the best we can do is buy them from you for 19 silver each.¡±


    ¡®That''s actually pretty good. Since the bottle each cost me fifteen silver and I currently have a way to create as much of the embers I need, that makes a net profit of four silver for each. In total I will walk away with a profit of twelve silver for this, and if I can find someone to sell the bottle for a little less that margin will only grow.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, that works for me.¡± Arthur handed the three bottles of alchemist embers to Lydus who then walked over into the one side room behind him and returned with a small pouch full of his money. Arthur counted two gold coins and seventeen silver coins out, when he was done he thanked Lydus and left to go and see if Calavia was around. It had been a few days since they had last spoken, and with what happened on his way here Arthur could use a small distraction in the form of a friend.

 Chapter 89

    Arthur looked through all the usual places from the library to the magic item hall, but he had no luck in finding Calavia. He had the distinct feeling that she wasn¡¯t even in the guild building at the moment. The only other two places he could think that she would be at were her home which Arthur did not know where that was, and her workplace. Arthur did recall her telling him about her work once, she said it was a small clinic called ¡®healing hands¡¯ located close to one of the slums in the southern district. The only problem with that description was there were several slums in the southern district, as with the recent attack and previous management made it a magnet for the poor.


    But given that it might be important to know where she works in the future Arthur forced himself to get up and start walking back to the southern district and begin looking around the nearby slums. But that was a task easier said than done, most of the buildings in and around the slums were shabby houses or small sheds. As a result Arthur spent a lot of time looking at empty buildings while a few disabled beggars begged for money.


    Arthur had to go through three different slums before he eventually found it. It stood out from the rest of the buildings due to the crowd of people standing around it. Most of those people were quite poor and from the surrounding areas, but a few better off individuals were scattered throughout the lines that formed.


    Several mages stood around the building that were practically constantly casting healing spells. They fixed everything from small cuts to larger bandaged wounds, but the more dangerous wounds were quite infrequent. The city wasn¡¯t that dangerous.


    Arthur eventually spied Calavia towards the far side of the building and was tempted to walk right on up to her. But he stopped himself, she looked to be quite busy at the moment and odds were she had little time for idle chatting while she worked.


    So Arthur turned back around and returned to some of the other important things he needed to deal with, such as collecting the rats from Vibia in the former headquarters of Misery¡¯s end.


    **********


    For the next week Arthur steadily prepared and collected all the money he could. In addition to the bottles of alchemist embers Arthur also returned to selling a various amount of the other potions he made beforehand. Arthur also found a rather simple and effective way to kill the rats without damaging too much, all he had to do was stick them inside of his dimensional bag for a few minutes and they would suffocate and die with minimal damage. The only problem was it just felt so wrong to do it, he knew they were struggling to breath in there and that it was a torturous experience for them. So he shifted to using poison to kill them instead, it was just as effective and left the body with minimal damage without the horrible implications from the suffocation.


    With all the bottles of alchemist embers and other miscellaneous potions he was brewing he easily managed to earn the ten gold coins to buy the mana stone from Osvald and a little extra.


    The meeting with Osvald went quite similar to how it did the previous time, but instead of his second command leading Arthur to the warehouse he did it instead. Once they entered the warehouse they had to walk through another magically secured metallic doorway to reach the collection of them. Osvald seemingly tapped at random intervals on a grey orb situated outside the door and once he was done it opened and they walked inside.


    They entered a small hallway with another metal door at the end of the hallway just a few meters down. The door the duo just passed through closed and locked with audible mechanical sounds. Once it was done the second door slowly opened and they entered through it. Inside that room were several shelves full of refined mana stones of all sorts of shapes and sizes.


    Arthur was dazzled by the soft white glow they all emitted, so much so that he was quite tempted to pick one up just to hold it. ¡°Here we are, one minor mana stone. Just as you requested.¡± Osvald handed Arthur a small mana stone that was mostly round. Arthur chuckled slightly, clearly the large wall of expensive and high grade mana stones was intended to give Osvald¡¯s clients such a feeling.


    ¡°Thank you Osvald, here is your money.¡± Arthur counted out the ten gold coins for the mana stone and placed them in his Osvald¡¯s hand. Once he had his money Osvald handed the mana stone to Arthur and brought him to the back door. ¡°Is there anything else that has caught your eye in my humble warehouse? All you need to do is ask and I will happily show you.¡± Osvald asked just as he was about to leave Arthur and return the party.


    ¡°No, nothing right now anyways. But if I do see anything or need something I will contact you.¡± The two said their goodbyes and Arthur left through the back door and Osvald walked through the door back into the building.


    Arthur went straight back home. Now with all the materials he could begin his experimentation.


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    ***********


    As Arthur walked up the road towards his house he was grinning ear to ear. He now had the most important component to the production of the tiny flesh golems in his possession, now he just needed to practice and experiment with the manual he found in the journal of Brexius Sanguine Bane.


    Once he was inside he blocked off the windows and doors with the solidified earth bars he kept around. They would help limit the visibility of the inside of his home and would keep most people from trying to break in. While many people didn¡¯t like mages they were for the most part smart enough not to piss one off.


    Arthur quickly placed all of the materials required on the table in his kitchen/living room and quickly retrieved the journal from his bag. He turned to the page of assembling the golem and gave it a full read just to be certain he understood what to do.


    ¡®It says here I need a solid surface to inscribe some of the runes into as well as a few other things to keep the mana stable and properly enchant the item/golem. Can¡¯t I just use some of the dirt from outside to make one, that way I could easily carve those runes into the surface without ruining a proper table. I could also alter the runes depending on what I am enchanting.¡¯ Arthur exited his home through the back door and used his geomancy to collect a large amount of earth and form it into a slab. He then carried that slab into his home and placed it on the table.


    ¡®Now for the complex and tedious part, to engrave the required rune into this slab.¡¯ Arthur utilized his geomancy to carve out all the runes and other important bits into the slab. He started in the center where he carved out a circular trench that the physical parts of the flesh golem would sit. The trench would in theory keep any and all of the mana from leaking out and the rune surrounding it would give it power and functionality. It did take Arthur a half hour to do so, but it was well worth it.


    Next Arthur picked up the rat corpses and began to assemble the physical portion of the golem. He started by cutting apart each of the five rats he would be using and separated the flesh, the blood vessels, and the bones. The hardest part was the blood vessels given how small and fragile they were compared to the rest of the body. To do this butchering Arthur had to conjure a thin knife from earth as he did not know of anyone that might sell it to him without asking questions. By the time he reached the fifth rat he was somewhat competent in removing the blood vessels with only minimal damage.


    ¡®Now we have the worst part yet, assembly.¡¯ Now Arthur was required to assemble the parts of the five rats into the final product. But thankfully Arthur was armed with a few restoration spells created by Brexius Sanguine Bane himself. Arthur knew they were restoration spells because he subtly asked Calavia questions regarding somewhat similar situations of what the spells did. The first spell was called Bone fusion, the spell would combine several bones of the same type from the same creature together to form a stronger and heavier one. For each of the required bones Arthur did this and by the end he was left with most of a skeleton of a rat that was one and a half times the size it normally would be with the mass of all five.


    The next spell Arthur had was called Skeletal reconstruction, the spell would assemble a skeleton from provided bones. This would save the caster a lot of time when creating a flesh golem as Brexius noted in his journal, the only problem was the spell was limited to skeletons shorter than a foot in height. This made it useful for the task at hand, but for just about anything else it would be useless. But that limitation made the spell tier one allowing Arthur to cast it.


    With the spell casted the skeleton slowly connected itself at the joints and was ready for the third step of the process, attaching the muscles onto the skeletal frame. This was by far the hardest part excluding the actual enchanting. Arthur needed to attach the muscles to the bone and layer them atop each other with the use of a spell and a needle with thread. The first step of this was to apply the first layer of the muscle across the whole skeleton and use the spell called stitch small muscles to connect the muscle to the bone. Then Arthur needed to layer on a second set of muscles and use the needle and thread to attach them. Then he used the stitch small muscles spell again to firmly connect the muscles.


    But Arthur purposely left the head section empty to place the brain in and utilize another restoration spell called manipulate nerves. The spell allowed Arthur to manually control the nerves and connect them to the relevant muscle tissues.


    By this time through the process Arthur was getting quite tired, so he decided to take a break and wash his hands from all the blood and other gross stuff he had touched all throughout the process. ¡®I need to buy a pair of thin gloves so I don''t actually need to wash my hands afterwards. Then I wouldn¡¯t need to thoroughly wash my hands afterwards.¡¯ Arthur used a nearby bucket of water that he kept to wash his hands. He took the bucket outside and conjured a small table from the nearby earth along with a simple chair. Arthur used his pyromancy to heat up the water and then began the process of washing his hands. It took him a whole ten minutes of washing until he felt they were clean enough to stop.


    For another twenty minutes Arthur sat out there on that simple chair as he enjoyed the outdoors. It was starting to get a little late and the sun was beginning its slow descent below the horizon. Once his mind was clear and his mana partly replenished he returned back to his work regarding the small flesh golem.


    With most of the hard stuff out of the way the only major thing that remained was inserting the blood vessels. The solution that Brexius came up with was to use the exposed area in the head to slowly shift the tiny blood vessels through and attach them from the underside. A spell created by Brexius that he called Manipulate blood vessels was used by Arthur to do exactly what the name of the spell suggested. The little blood vessels wormed their way through the open space within the flesh golem and slowly found their proper place. Once that was done Arthur finished up with most of the remaining muscle on the head, but he left a small space to slowly drip feed the artificial blood into an exposed blood vessel he left poking out just enough to be noticeable, but also enough to reattach to the other end inside to create a circulating system for it to flow.

 Lore: The Elves

    Elves are a race that have no definitive or widely agreed upon origin, what we do know however is that Elves unlike both humans, dwarves, and the animal peoples don¡¯t adapt to their environment so much as they are born into it. When an elf is born into the world what they look like is not dependent upon their parents but the location and environment they were born into, for example a high elf and a dark elf could have a child that in the right environment would be a wood elf.


    Another notable trait of the elves is their apparent immortality, though there is no proof that elves simply have extremely long lifespans as there is no record of an elf living past the age of 1,500 many still believe that elves will live forever unless they are slain. This long life span allows most elves to take their lives in a more casual way than most humans and dwarves, allowing for elven cities to host many masters of various crafts. But this possible immortality has made some of the other races jealous and led to many seeking the dark magics of necromancy to become immortal themselves.


    The most unknown thing about the elves however is that they are not creatures of flesh like we humans, dwarves, or animal peoples. Elves are more akin to sentient plants as shown by the different diseases that are exclusive to them and the ways they are affected by them. One notable disease is the Withering which causes the affected elf to wither like a plant that has gone days without water.


    As of the writing of this there are four different species of elves that are know, they are -


    High elves - Elves that are born in and mostly live in plains or somewhat mountainous regions.


    High elves are also responsible for the first known instance of racism which was directed towards a tribe of animal people they disliked.


    High elves have fair skin not unlike the human northmen with either blond or grey hair. Unlike humans, dwarves, and most other elves, high elves are not capable of growing beards.


    High elf culture revolves around keeping oneself as attractive and wise as possible to prevent the so called ¡®lesser races¡¯ from surpassing them. This belief that they are superior to all others has caused several wars which they for the most part did not win leading to small patches in history where they were extinct on certain continents.


    High elves were also the first known geomancers but mostly chose to be druids over mages as that is considered to be a superior form of magic to them because it does not rely on humans.


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    Wood elves - Elves with skin that are dependent upon the trees that make up the forests they were born into. A wood elf that is born into a first of mixed tree types will be randomised with the probability dependent upon the percent of each type of tree.


    Wood elves have tree-like skin and can have hair on their head and in the case of men have beards, both of which will be the color of the leaves of the tree they resemble most.


    Wood elf culture mostly revolves around protecting the forests they were born into and keeping the biodiversity of it, they sometimes become druids to do this.


    Hydromancy is the magic type that wood elves have the greatest affinity for due to the large amounts of water in the lakes and ground within the forests they reside in.


    Dark elves - Elves with a dark almost black skin tone. The cause of this is due to being born deep underground where the sun cannot reach and the only source of light being bioluminescent mushrooms typically found in the deep underground caverns where most dark elves are born. The first dark elves came about from the end of a war where several large groups of unspecified elves were forced to flee from their enemies and find refuge underground, some joined with dwarves who already live underground while others found old tunnels now abandoned by their former dwarven occupants.


    Dark elves have very dark skin that is almost black and grey hair.


    There are two categories of dark elven culture, the first is those who joined the dwarves who put a lot into preserving the underground ecosystems and allowing the world to experience the beauties of them as they do. The second category are those that went out on their own, these dark elves are far more isolationist and worship a strange and unknown god, all that is known of this god is that it resembles an elf in the statues that have been seen in the past. While these dark elves are not hostile they aren¡¯t exactly friendly either.


    By being born into a place without many sources of natural light, dark elves have a bit of talent for pyromancy for the generation of their own light sources.


    Stone elves - Elves that are born in human settlements that have large amounts of stone used in its construction and architecture. This strange origin has led this type of elf to resemble stature created from stone as opposed to plants like the previous three and instead of withering like they do stone elves will do something quite similar to eroding. The type of stone they will appear to be made from is a lot like wood elves in which it is dependent upon the types of stone and the amount of each.


    Stone elf culture is very similar to that of the human society they were born into due to almost always being surrounded by them. This has allowed stone elves to very easily integrate into human civilisations and thrive where most other elves do not.


    For whatever reason that is still unknown to us stone elves have their greatest affinity for aeromancy over the other three evocations.

 Chapter 90

    Now that most of the heard stuff was out of the way regarding the actual physical aspects of the golem Arthur could create the artificial blood and slowly drip it into the blood vessels. Thankfully Brexius included the recipe for that with the diagram. The recipe called for a few common plants, but Arthur had to order them through the guild because they were not native to the region. The Red Spotted Mushrooms and the Minotaur Bone Marrow were quite common in the south of the Yolan Empire though, so it only ended up costing Arthur a few silvers and that was mostly just the transportation fees.


    To actually create the artificial blood the recipe required the mushrooms to be grinded up in the mortar and pestle until it was a fine paste, then it would be mixed in with water. You would do the same with the bone marrow until it was a fine powder and it would be added to its own separate container of water. Both liquids would then need to be distilled separately with the retort first and then the Alembic. The resulting liquid was the artificial blood that would be used. The blood would allow the mana stored to be conducted within it to be sent out when it was needed to power itself.


    Arthur easily had enough to use for two or even three whole golems. One interesting thing that Arthur noted was that Brexius left his own notes on the artificial blood, he referred to it as annoying and inconsistent to make. ¡®That must have something to do with the equipment used at the time. I would expect that things would be far more accurate and consistent nowadays with all the improvements over the past eight hundred years.¡¯


    Arthur took the artificial blood and with the use of his hydromancy he slowly poured it into the exposed blood vessel. Once it was nearing full Arthur slowly stopped and using the previous spells connected both ends of the vessels and closed up the remaining mussel. Now all that was left was painting the necessary patterns with the magic ink and applying the enchantments.


    Arthur fetched one of the bottles of the magic ink from his bag and used his hydromancy to collect a blob of it. He then made the blob make contact with the exposed mussel and begin gliding around across as it created the patterns of lines which came from the journal, they reminded Arthur of a network of veins. Once that was done along with the blob Arthur he collected another and began to write down the more complex symbols across the exposed mussel that were most likely runes, but Brexius never specified what they were in his journal.


    Soon the rat flesh golem was ready for enchanting and all Arthur needed to do to prepare was pour a bit of the ink in the circle and nearby runes he carved into the slab. It was a quick and easy process compared to everything else he had been doing thus far. But the enchanting would require his whole mana reserves, so he decided to stop and take a break until they were full.


    Nearly an hour passed when Arthurs mana reserves were full and it was getting close to dinner time. But Arthur pressed on anyways and created a small hole at the top of the slab for the mana stone to sit, this would be very important for someone of his skill and low mana reserves as this would allow him enough mana to finish the enchanting.


    Arthur began the enchantments by pouring some of the mana from the mana stone into the circle to trap as much of the mana as possible. Then he poured a significant portion of the remaining mana from the stone into the circle to remain for the time being. Arthur then began to cast the enchantments upon the golem itself. He followed the instructions and chanted the full spell for a whole minute while he controlled the mana and collected it to be used. It was still technically a tier one spell due to its simplicity, but the amount of mana it required made it nearly impossible for anyone of his level to cast it.


    It took Arthur more than a full minute to cast it but when he finished the ink painted onto the exposed mussel began to glow slightly and the mana followed the instructions of the spell, this still required significant input from Arthur to control where it went and make it more effective. Soon the enchantments finalized and the mana in the circle dissipated as it found its place.


    Slowly the mana creating the circle dissipated and all that was left was the depleted ink and the little flesh golem unmoving. Arthur picked up the mana stone and connected the golem to it by controlling its mana. The first sign of movement was small with just a toe twitching, but then it slowly moved on from that to fingers moving and soon it was trying to get up. It found standing on its feet hard so it elected to be on all fours instead as it looked up at Arthur with its lifeless eyes.


    Arthur was ecstatic at his success so much that he nearly shouted out in pure joy at his creation moving. He felt himself getting closer to his goal of creating a functional flesh golem based on the blueprints given to him by Georgius.


    ¡®This is wonderful, my first attempt has succeeded in creating a functional flesh golem. While it does look hideous and is quite slow it is a sign of progress, and nothing can change that.¡¯


    Arthur immediately began to experiment with what the rat flesh golem could do. He had it move around on the table as fast as it could, he had it try and lift progressively heavier and heavier things, he even had it try and bring him something from the other side of the room with only providing its name. These experiments gave Arthur all the important information he needed regarding the physical and mental abilities of the flesh golem. For starters it was quite slow and could at most move at a fast walk for a rat, it was quite a bit stronger than a normal rat though with it lifting a book off from its side, and it wasn''t really all that smart. It would usually just bring to him whatever was closest until it eventually found the correct thing, and when it was congratulated it would just stare blankly at him with its cold eyes.


    Arthur of course wrote everything down as he conducted his experiments, he had plans to do them more every day in hopes of seeing improvement in its mental capabilities and if possible its physical capabilities as well.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡®For now I have done everything I can, now I need to have something to eat as it is getting quite close to dinner time and I have no intentions to go hungry today.¡¯ Arthur went outside again and began to thoroughly wash his hands in a flesh bucket of water. Only after five minutes of washing was Arthur happy with the result to eat something.


    He quickly made up a simple soup from some meat and vegetables he had in his bag, he also sprinkled in a few herbs that tasted nice but had either a limited or non-existent alchemical effect for taste.


    Once he was done he took the slab and everything else he used for his experiments including the rat flesh golem into his bag. For the time being it would be safer to keep anyone from stumbling onto his work, best case scenario they would just take it for themselves, but the worse case scenario was that those thieves had some sense of honour and reported him. Both outcomes were not well liked by him.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Enchanting Level 0 (New)


    + Golemancy Level 0 (New)


    + Alchemy Level 10


    *********


    The next morning Arthur awoke at a far more reasonable time in the morning, eight o¡¯clock to be exact. Now with a proper sleep schedule Arthur was able to have a proper breakfast and brew a few miscellaneous potions before Gaelin arrived with his box full of ingredients. Like normal Arthur thanked him and paid him the six copper coins he normally did and sent him on his way. With the only person scheduled to interrupt him for the entire day Arthur fished up in his spare room and cleaned up before he entered his bedroom and blocked off the window. It was time to continue with his experiments.


    Arthur placed the rat flesh golem on the ground and it simply sat there unmoving. It had run out of mana during the night and without mana it would not function. So Arthur retrieved the mana stone and channeled the mana inside of it into the golem. With a new supply of mana the golem slowly shifted and eventually regained its motor controls and stood on all four of its legs. Like before Arthur tested its physical and mental abilities with the same simple three exercises but found very little change, and that little change might have just been coincidental given the minimal data. But like the last time Arthur took notes and recorded what he found, perhaps in the future any small changes could grow and become greater.


    When he was done with that he collected everything and returned it to his bag before locking his doors and windows and leaving for the Elder Nymph owned by his former teacher Georgius Calvus to show him the end result and hear his opinion. ¡®Georgius should be interested in taking a look at it, he does have some experience with enchanting so I see no reason why he wouldn¡¯t be able to give me a hint or two for next time I do this.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he walked down the road on his way to speak with his former teacher.


    The roads were beginning to become busier than normal as every day passed and the lines at the mages guild became longer as well. Things were slowly going back to normal and the tensions between the mages and the common folk were slowly easing. But not everything was getting better.


    As Arthur stood on the road that the Elder Nymph was on he saw a cloud of black smoke in the air. At first he thought it was nothing, just a minor problem such as a small fire in one of the businesses. Accidents happen and they are usually dealt with quickly. But As Arthur got closer to the store the cloud of smoke also got closer at around the same pace, the fear and worry slowly bubbled up giving his stomach an uneasy feeling. Soon Arthur broke out into a run as he saw the building was blackened and partly destroyed in the upper half.


    A small crowd of people gathered around the base of the building and a few guards kept them at bay as two lighter dress individuals looked at the damage. Arthur slowed himself to a walk as he got close to the guards and attempted to pass by them. ¡°Whoa, hold on there civilian. This building is currently under investigation, I must ask you to step back so we can conduct our investigation.¡± One of the guards stepped up to stop Arthur from moving forward.


    ¡°I know the man this building belongs to, I was one of his apprentices. I may be able to help.¡± Arthur said to the guard loudly, he hoped that the two he suspected were investigators would overhear them.


    ¡°I am sorry sir, but I cannot allow you to interfere with the investigation regardless of who you know.¡± The guard said as he stood his ground and kept Arthur from speaking with the investigators. ¡°If you have any information to share with the city guard please go to our headquarters to the west of here and tell the secretary. She will then take you to someone who is authorized to hear it and pass it on.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that is necessary private. I would like to speak with this young man if you do not mind.¡± A stone elf that resembled the limestone of the surrounding city blocks stepped up, he was one of the investigators.


    ¡°But sir, what about the protocol?¡± The guard asked the elven investigator.


    ¡°Honesty this is a far quicker and more effective method of acquiring important information. You may leave us for now.¡± The elf said to the guard as he waved Arthur over closer to the heavily damaged building to speak with him.


    The guard stood there for a moment unsure of what to do, but as Arthur walked by he snapped out of it and returned to keeping the rest of the crowd from getting a closer look. The elf brought Arthur far enough away from the crowd to prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation. ¡°For the record I will need you to state your name and your relationship with Georgius Calvus before we begin.¡± The elf said with a small book full of blank sheets of paper in his left hand and an ink pot in his right.


    Arthur paused for a moment but understood what the investigator was likely doing. ¡°I am Arthur of Dom Badaher, and I was an apprentice alchemist under Georgius before I finished. I would still occasionally meet up with him and we would talk about everything from alchemy to what events were happening in the city.¡±


    ¡°So your relationship started out as purely business but then became a friendship after you finished your apprenticeship.¡± The elf used hydromancy to control the ink and write down everything Arthur said. ¡°Did he even mention anything about his personal life, or anyone who might be willing to try and kill him?¡±


    ¡°If he had any enemies that would be willing to do this to him he never mentioned them to me.¡± Arthur answered the question in full truth. Georgius never mentioned any enemies aside from his advancing age. And aside from that he never even seemed to hate anyone, at most he would pity their short sightedness, but he never hated them.


    ¡°And what about his alchemy, did he ever mention working on anything that might be explosive enough to cause this much damage?¡± The elf asked as he pointed up towards the damaged upper portion of the building. The damage appeared to originate from his workstation after all.

 Chapter 91

    ¡°He was getting ready to retire, he hasn¡¯t been doing any experiments for quite some time. He gave me his notes on the last thing he was working on as a gift for completing my apprenticeship.¡± The elven investigator noted down what Arthur was saying and asked another question, this one about said gift.


    ¡°What exactly were these notes that he gifted you? Were they for any sort of explosive device or compound that could create this?¡± The elf pointed to the top of the building blown off by an explosion.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. It was something else that required upkeep and maintenance, I don¡¯t know of any explosives that need anything like that.¡± Arthur gave a brief and limited explanation, the elven investigator was definitely suspicious of that answer but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Were there any other apprentices that you know of that might not have been too happy with him for any reason or that left on bad terms with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes actually, Georgius had another apprentice when I joined named Aurelio. We both finished our respective apprenticeships at the same time and he declined the notes on the project Georgius was working on. Instead he received a minor mana stone, he had one for me just in case I didn¡¯t want it either.¡± The investigator perked up a bit at that answer, Arthur noticed that his eyes widened slightly and that he started writing everything down a little faster.


    ¡°And do you know where this Aurelio might be or where he lives? If he has been Mr. Calvus¡¯s apprentice longer than you then he might know something he never told you.¡±


    ¡®A lie, he has made Aurelio a suspect to this possible murder. Then again I am also likely a suspect, just far less likely as I came forward and gave all the information I could. The worst part is that Aurelio does have a real motive to do it, and that worries me.¡¯


    ¡°I am sorry, but I don¡¯t know where he currently works or where he lives. We were at most colleges as opposed to friends.¡± Arthur could tell that despite lack of a location the investigator was quite happy with the information he received. He now had a real and possible lead with the case.


    ¡°Thank you Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Mr. Arthur for your cooperation and information in the case, but I will need to ask you for your current residence and your place of work if you don¡¯t mind. Just in case we need to contact you again in the future.¡± The investigator asked- no told Arthur. It was cleverly disguised as a question, but in truth it was a demand. A demand that Arthur complied with though as he had no wish to piss off someone that could be an ally.


    With that all done Arthur was asked to leave and was escorted away by one of the guards. ¡®Now what do I do? Georgius is most likely dead given the lack of medical personnel in the forms of traditional doctors of restoration mages. That leaves me without anyone to ask for advice regarding my little golem until I become an evoker in the guild, and Georgius still suspected that would take me at least half a year if I keep my current pace.¡¯


    Once Arthur was done with his train of thought he found himself near the entrance of the mages guild. He was a little surprised at first but soon stepped inside and began walking towards the library. ¡®I must have walked over here out of pure habit. I could use something to take my mind off of what happened.¡¯


    Arthur walked over to the apprentice section of the library and began to read through just about every book he could find. He encountered several books regarding the four evocations and several exercises he could do to help him improve, but most were just simple variations of what he already knew. The spells he came across were also quite boring to him, he either knew most or could not find any realistic reason to use them. One spell in particular was called ¡®Cook Rat Meat.¡¯ The idea and theory behind it was interesting, but the idea of eating rat meat made Arthur feel a bit uneasy and think of his little flesh golem in his bag.


    There were of course their two spells that looked quite interesting and even useful in several situations Arthur had been in the past, but since he didn¡¯t know how to cast any of them they were useless to him at the moment. ¡®I need to take a course on tier two spells soon, otherwise my skills as a mage will stagnate with a limited amount of spells.¡¯ Arthur retrieved the book provided to all members of the guild that contains all the names, details, and prices of each of the courses that are available. Arthur quickly found the course on tier two spells called The Fundamentals of Second Tier Magic, the price of the course was a whole gold coin, an entire three silver coins more than the previous course.


    Thankfully with his previous working spree Arthur easily had enough in his pockets to pay for it. So Arthur went to the administration office and signed up for the course, he paid the money upfront instead of paying it off later. As it turned out they now offered young mages the choice to pay part of the price now and the rest in instalments. ¡®I''ve heard some worrying stories about that so I''ll just pay upfront.¡¯


    With that out of the way Arthur was informed that the course would be starting in a week''s time and it would be taking place in room twenty seven. Arthur of course received a receipt as evidence and placed it within his dimensional bag. With little else to do or experience in the guild Arthur returned home to continue brewing potions and creating other useful things with alchemy. Arthur also continued to experiment with his flesh golem by trying to have it bring him an ingredient when he needed it to limited success.


    The rest of the day continued on in a similar fashion until night rolled around. Arthur heated up and ate some more of the soup he made the day before and spent the time he had before he went to sleep reading some more of the journal of Brexius Sanguine Bane. Past the first few pages that contained the information regarding the rat based flesh golem Brexius got more into his personal life.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He detailed his family and his relationship with them and one another, and as it turned out he was actually a noble, not of a very powerful family but enough to afford basic alchemy equipment at the time and experiment. He also had a younger brother he called Arty that apparently begged him to teach him something about alchemy and magic because their parents refused to hire anyone to teach him until he was older.


    And sprinkled here and there were some interesting spells and techniques that while outdated were quite useful. ¡®This could be useful for teaching Marcus, I''ll keep it in mind and try it out when I meet with him again.¡¯ It was a simple teaching technique that involves giving the one learning a small portion of something they like, for example you might give a child something sweet or tasty, or if they really wanted something like a magic potion.


    **********


    Arthur continued with his simple schedule with brewing potions and creating the occasional bottle of alchemist embers. On those last two days of the week he spent with Marcus and as a reward for making such progress Arthur gifted him with a simple healing potion. Marcus was of course super excited by the fact that he had a real magic potion and ran over to show his mother.


    When the day of the course eventually did roll around Arthur was prepared. He had everything he might have needed in his bag with him when he arrived in the class. He arrived at the classroom at 12:20, ten minutes earlier than the class started. That meant he was the first one to arrive and he quickly chose one of the seats in the front row so he could have a good view of the teacher when he or she arrived.


    Soon the others slowly filtered into the classroom most of which were human like last time but with a few more elves this time. Then came the teacher who was a human man that looked to be in his early thirties. He had brown hair and eyes with light olive skin and a cleanly shaved beard and he wore a grey robe that symbolized him as Warden within the guild.


    ¡°Good afternoon class, I would like to welcome you all to The Basics of Tier Two Spell Casting.¡± The teacher exclaimed as he turned to face the class. For a second everyone was a little confused by what he said, they all thought the course was called The Fundamentals of Second Tier Magic. One was brave enough to raise their hand.


    ¡°You there in the back row, do you have a question?¡± The teacher smiled as he pointed to a young human woman that looked to be in her early twenties sitting in the back row. She stood up and said ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude sir, but the course is called The Fundamentals of Second Tier Magic.¡±


    The teacher stood there for a moment completely confused, before he loudly said ¡°It appears those morons have changed their minds again on the name of all the related courses without telling the people who teach them.¡± The teacher''s right eye began to twitch slightly as he said that and once he took a deep breath it stopped. ¡°My name is Primus and I will be teaching you how to cast tier two spells. Now first things first, this is going to be harder than learning tier one spells and I expect at least a quarter of you to fail this course by the end of the week.¡± Everyone watching froze at that statement. A quarter of them were likely to fail this class?! That was a lot of people and more importantly a lot of wasted money, now even those that were only half listening were giving Primus their full attention.


    ¡°We shall start with explaining the difference between tier one and tier two spells.¡± Primus walked over to the nearby chalk board and began writing something down. When he was done he stepped away and allowed his students to read. ¡°The biggest difference between the two tiers is the amount of time it takes to cast their respective spells by default, for a tier one spell the average is about four to six seconds with all the words and hand signs, but a tier two is double that at  ten to twelve seconds.¡±


    Nearly everyone in the room was scrambling to write everything down as Primus spoke, a small handful of people including Arthur did not feel the need to. Arthur has a photographic memory and thus does not need to write things down, the others were a bit more of a mystery. One of them was a wood elf resembling pine tree bark and the other were native plainsmen humans. ¡®Interesting. I¡¯ll need to keep any eye out on them.¡¯


    ¡°As I am sure you all know you are required to perform the hand signs and speak the arcane words for the entire casting or else the spell will fail. But thankfully if you are skilled enough and have practiced casting a spell enough times you can either skip the hand signs or arcane words or reduce the time it takes depending on what you want.¡±


    The only sound coming from the students was the sound of quills on paper as they wrote down what they heard. Primus smiled as his plan was working, only a few stragglers not following, but they usually have their reasons.


    *******


    About halfway through the class Primus decided it was enough explaining how tier two spells worked and was time for a small demonstration to encourage and show them what they have to look forward to. Taking a standing position Primus performed the whole casting of each of the spells he showed. He started with the simple yet effective Fire Ray spell that conjured a ray of fire in a straight line from wherever the caster pointed with whatever appendage of their choice, though the most common choice was the extended palm.


    The second spell he showed was called Ice Sheet and it would conjure a small sheet of ice within a eight meter circle of the caster that they could see. The sheet of ice had a radius of about three meters, but according to Primus both those things would change as the caster gets more familiar with the spell. He did specify that the caster would need to know how to conjure ice and not just water.


    The third and final spell Primus showed his class was the spell called Hail. Hail would conjure a series of small chunks of earth that would be propelled towards the ground at an angle in whatever direction the caster could see in. The starting height and amount of chunks would be dependent upon the skill and proficiency of the caster.


    By then class was about over, but before everyone left Primus gave everyone a bit of reading and exercises to do when they had some free time. It wasn¡¯t required but would help their chances of passing the course. Everyone was given this reading and exercises in the form of a few pages of paper that gave a more in depth explanation and a few exercises to help with casting.


    As it turned out the hardest part about casting higher tier spells was collecting the necessary amount of mana to fuel it. These exercises were designed to help with that by gradually growing the amount someone could manually manipulate. When Arthur returned home at 2 o¡¯clock the first thing he did was try it out. While he didn¡¯t feel any changes he did now have a baseline for tomorrow when he would try it again.

 Chapter 92

    Arthur was seated in his room on his bed with the possible entrances closed and locked with both the traditional locks but also the earth blockings. Arthur had just recently finished eating his dinner and was trying out the exercises for growing his mana manipulation capacity. He felt the mana residing within his body sort of just filling as much space within him as it could, it was very spaced out and a little hard to gather. Thankfully spells would help with that by drawing some of it together closer. The exercise everyone was given was intended to allow everyone to gather mama within themselves on their own to assist in the process of casting spells. As spells get to higher and higher tiers more and more of its power is directed towards the actual spell effect, this of course would still help with casting lower tiered spells as well be the same principle.


    While it was possible to eventually do this on your own by just casting spells and feeling the flow that way, it was much much faster to directly focus on it this way. As Arthur started he could feel some of the knowledge he absorbed from the demon warlock''s soul subconsciously become clearer, specifically the knowledge regarding mana manipulation.


    ¡®I thought I had already learned everything I could have from the demon soul, has it just slowly boosted my actual learning speed with little bits of information being added here and there whenever I needed it.¡¯ Arthur was quite close with his speculations, his skill for mana manipulation was listed as Level 22, but in practice it was more like Level 15. It looked like he would need to practice all the skills he learned from the demon soul if he wanted to reach their presented level.


    After about an hour of manually manipulating his mana Arthur found that his current capacity was five points of mana and when he really tried he could bump that up to six. But it was just as draining as any other magic training despite the lack of mana expenditure and Arthur chose to experiment with his little flesh golem some more.


    He had the golem repeat all of the same tests as it did every time with very little difference or improvement. ¡®Dam. I''ve been testing this thing for over a week now and it hasn¡¯t shown any sign of improvement. It looks like if I want to see any improvement I need to start over.¡¯


    Arthur contemplated creating another flesh golem right then and there but stopped himself, it was getting late and he would need his energy and focus to learn as much as he could during class. If he wanted to become a better mage he needed to learn to cast tier two spells, otherwise he would simply stagnate with a limited spell pool.


    **********


    The next day Arthur followed a very similar routine to the previous day, he woke up at around eight o¡¯clock and ate a simple breakfast. Then he spent some time brewing potions and when Gaelin appeared he paid him and took the ingredients he gathered. But today Arthur noticed that Gaelin was looking quite a bit better than normal, he had a bit more muscle on him and he looked like he was eating better. His clothes also had a few patches where there used to be holes. Arthur didn¡¯t say anything but he took note and gave him an extra copper coin for his work.


    By ten o¡¯clock Arthur was back at the guild and was selling off some of his potion stockpile to the alchemy club and received a small sum of silver coins. But with more than two hours left before his class Arthur wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he should do. ¡®I could look around for Calavia, but I think she is working today. I could go look at some of the magic items and see if there is anything interesting, but I probably don¡¯t have enough money to buy anything I want.¡¯


    As Arthur thought about what to do he was sitting off in the corner of the alchemy club away from everyone else. He didn¡¯t want to get in anyone else''s way and he figured he was well out of it. But as he was deep in thought someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you one of the instructors of the club?¡± A young woman with a distinct accent asked. Arthur looked up to see a roughly five and a half foot tall woman covered head to toe in guild robes, she even had her hood up. But she was noticeably not human or even an elf or dwarf, the grey fur that was only visible on her hands and part of her face gave that away.


    ¡°Sorry but I am not. But if you have any questions I might be able to help.¡± Arthur looked over at the young woman, she was clearly nervous about something since her hands were fidgeting as she stood.


    ¡°I- I need some help with brewing a warming potion, could you watch over me while I do it and make sure I do everything correctly?¡± Arthur nodded, it was a potion he was quite familiar with. When ingested it would help the drinker by warming them up, the most common use of the potion was during winter given just how cold it can get. There were of course several variations of the potion depending on the region and the plants available, that way as many people as possible could use it.


    The young woman led Arthur over to a workstation with an assortment of ingredients and a piece of paper with one of the recipes for the potion. Quickly the woman got to work and started preparing the ingredients, she started by removing the excess leaves from the stem of a sunlight flower. She then started cutting the stem and flower into small pieces before she grounded them up in the mortar and pestle.


    With the grounded up sunlight flower she added it to a small bowl of water and thoroughly mixed. She then placed it in the retort to distil the liquid into a bottle. As it was being distilled she picked up a nearby red root and grounded it up in the mortar and pestle, she then placed it in another bowl of water and put the bowl into the nearby calcinator and boiled it. Soon both the distilling and boiling were done and both liquids were added together before casting the final spell and finishing the potion.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Once she was done Arthur stepped forward and inspected the potion. He did not see any problems with her process and when he looked over and even smelt the potion he found nothing wrong with it. She had quite the knack for alchemy as it turned out. ¡°You did well, I see no problems with this potion and I expect you wouldn¡¯t have that much trouble in selling it.¡± Arthur smiled and handed the potion back to the woman.


    ¡°Thank you. Is there any way I could improve though? I feel as if I have hit a wall with my progress and I don¡¯t know how to bypass it.¡± Arthur noticed the young woman becoming a bit more relaxed as they continued their conversation.


    ¡°I found many of the recipes I use from the library, there are whole books in the novice section alone that are just full of potions to try out. The best part is all of the ones I found use ingredients that can be found locally, so you don¡¯t need to spend money buying ingredients from far away.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will go there when I am done here. And thank you Mr. for helping me.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome, and if you ever need help and I''m around, just ask and I''ll do my best to help you.¡±


    **********


    Arthur managed to kill a bit of time by watching over the strange grey furred woman but he still had almost two whole hours to spend before the course would eventually start for the day. Normally he would go to the library and find something interesting to read there, but for a while there hasn¡¯t been anything that he had the magical capabilities to learn.


    Be Arthur found himself in the library anyways, not to read books but to find a nice quiet corner of the room to continue with the mana manipulation exercises as it was one of the few things that he could do that still gave him any noticeable progress at the moment. Surprisingly enough Arthur managed to spend a whole hour doing just that in a small corner, he could slowly but surely feel his grasp over the mana within his body improve. But after an hour of doing just that he had to stop for both energy and mental related reasons.


    ¡®Gods be damned, I need a hobby or something. Or a job that I enjoy that isn¡¯t just brewing potions day after day. Hey, I still have that recommendation to the mercenaries guild, that sounds like a half decent way to spend some time. I have experience working as a mercenary, so I should be able to get in.¡¯


    Arthur now had an idea of what to do in his free time, but that did not alleviate the wave of boredom he was currently feeling and would continue to feel for the next hour. When the course did start its second day Arthur had already been in there for almost twenty minutes. By the ten minute remaining mark other people slowly began to trickle in the room, the last person to arrive was the teacher Primus and he looked very sleep deprived.


    ¡°Good afternoon class. We will continue with the basics of casting tier two spells by giving each of you the chance to cast a few simple ones on your own. Now please line up in an orderly fashion while I hand out the papers with the spells in question I want you all to try out.¡± Primus handed everyone a piece of paper that contained three spells, they were Fire Orb, Water Orb, and Earth Orb. All relatively simple spells for tier two that allowed for the caster to focus more on the actual casting rather than the power or effect of the spell.


    Each spell would conjure an orb with roughly a one meter diameter that could be made larger or smaller depending on the caster. Although Primus did not expect anyone in the course to successfully cast the spell on the first day he was letting them try it out and get some practical spells for their current skill level. As such the rest of the hour-long course consisted of everyone attempting to cast these spells as often as they could.


    By the end of the hour everyone was exhausted from the mana drain and were more than happy to leave as fast as they could, Arthur was no exception. He was so tired that out of precaution he brought out his mage staff and used it to keep himself from tripping over his own feet. Slowly but surely Arthur made it back and unlocked his front door to step inside. He immediately locked it behind him and walked over to his bedroom to lay down, and when his head hit the pillow he was out.


    *********


    Two hours later Arthur awoke from his nap still holding his staff and his hair a mess. He felt as if he had just woken up for the first time that day, but the grumbling of his stomach told him that he needed to eat rather than think. So Arthur heated up the remaining soup he had with him and scarfed it down.


    Now with something in his stomach he could think about what he learned in the course with Primus today. For starters casting a tier two spell and any other requires sufficient skill in manipulating the element it uses as well as the ability to manipulate the mana it uses all at once. The three spells given by Primus were simple enough that the elemental manipulation was not an issue, all they had to do was focus on the mana and collect enough at once.


    Arthur also noticed a few students trying a few different things to bypass this large hurdle, notably by manipulating more than one ¡®blob¡¯ of mana at a time and using them both. The few students that were trying this proudly told Primus what they were doing and were promptly told that they were doing it wrong. The exact words were ¡°Don¡¯t do that, in the future you want to be able to cast spells without doing that. Now it might seem easier now but in the future it will become harder and more mana expensive. I would recommend doing it correctly now then trying to learn later.¡±


    It was a little worrying for everyone to hear that there is a wrong way to do magic and no one after that tried to do anything quite that different.


    The rest of the week and by extension the rest of the course went about as anyone would expect, it went quite smoothly with Arthur making significant progress in casting tier two spells. With only one more day of the course remaining Arthur had managed to successfully cast the Earth Orb spell with all of his effort. The orb was a little small compared to the one Primus made as an example, but for his purposes it was perfect.


    It was quite mana expensive though requiring a whole eight points of mana to conjure in a moment. And to gather that much mana so quickly required just about all of Arthur¡¯s will power at once and to keep it together. Thankfully Arthur was not the only one to get that far, four others had also managed to be at around his level who he spoke with for a bit. They exchanged a few tips and tricks to make things easier with each other but soon returned to practicing.


    With the last day of the course just under twenty four hours away everyone was scrambling to perfect the casting of each of the three spells they were given as they were going to be used as the test. The speed and effectiveness of the spell as it was casted would determine your overall grade, and if you were unable to cast even one of the three you would fail.

 Chapter 93

    ¡°Spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum, spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum.¡± Arthur chanted the verbal vocation of the Earth Orb spell twice as it was the only way for someone of his skill level to cast it properly. In the future he might be able to only chant it once, but that would be at least a year away from him.


    All the other students stood around the room as they also chanted the spell of their choice. ¡®At this rate around half of the students here are likely to pass the course, the rest will need to return in a week to start again. That puts my class well above the average of the 39 percent pass rate. I wonder what the Archmage will offer me as a reward for my results this time.¡¯ Primus was of course only worried about the numbers, he did of course care about his students but he felt that his success was best displayed in a percent.


    Several of the students were starting to make progress and occasionally succeed in casting their spell of choice, unfortunately Arthur was not one of those lucky few. Although he did manage to collect enough of his internal mana to cast the spell, the only thing left was the assembly. But that would need to wait for when he got home, as the course finished for the day and he along with everyone else were forced to leave.


    Arthur went straight home and immediately started practicing the Earth Orb spell again and again. When he found no such success even going till dinner time he simply took a small break to eat and started all over again until he went to bed. But even as he sat in bed he continued to think about casting the spell. ¡®Can feel it, I am so close. I''ll use those few hours I have in the morning and hammer out the last few touches, I''ll even put off potion brewing for the time being to do this.¡¯


    Arthur followed through with his thoughts and instead of jumping up and brewing potions when Gaelin brought a batch of ingredients he instead just put them away and continued practicing the spell. When the time rolled around to eleven o¡¯clock Arthur was just about ready to give up and go to the guild, but something in the back of his mind egged him on. ¡®Just one more try.¡¯ It practically whispered in his ear. ¡®It¡¯s not like things can get any worse for us.¡¯


    Arthur paused for a moment. It wasn¡¯t just his internal thoughts bouncing around, it felt more like someone was trying to tell him something. But that raised the question of who it was and what they were trying to tell him. ¡®The what is quite easy, whoever it is wants me to cast the spell again. The who is a bigger question and one I have no answer for.¡¯


    Arthur attempted to call out within his own mind hoping that it was someone reading his mind and sending messages that way, but for the whole three minutes he tried that for he heard nothing. Instead of continuing such a pointless task Arthur turned towards what the feeling told him to do, and that was to cast the spell again.


    Arthur took a deep breath and stretched out his arms and legs as he prepared himself and got into position, when he was ready he raised his hands and began chanting. ¡°Spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum, spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum.¡± Arthur put forth all the willpower he had towards managing the mana and the amount in the spell. It was mentally and physically straining activity that had every part of him moving in tandem.


    Then suddenly as if everything was happening in slow motion an orb of earth was conjured through the spell. Arthur nearly dropped to his knees out of pure shock and the quick depletion of his mana. As if he was doubting the orb being his own creation Arthur used his mana and skill in geomancy to slowly move the orb around the room.


    When Arthur saw the orb was following his commands he let out a small laugh and dismissed the spell making it disappear. When that was done he casted the spell a second time just to be certain it wasn¡¯t a fluke. ¡°Spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum, spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum.¡±


    Like clockwork another earth orb appeared before him and was fully under his control. ¡°Shit¡­ I did it.¡± Arthur was quite stunned by the development. ¡®Based on my own personal estimations I would have likely needed another few days of non-stop casting of the spell to succeed, but I guess I just needed a mysterious feeling in the back of my mind telling me to try again.¡¯


    **********


    Once he gathered himself Arthur finished dressing himself and decided to leave without wearing his overcoat today. Recently it had been getting hotter and the sun had been out for a bit longer, it wasn¡¯t too hot to wear it but it was getting quite close and things looked to be continuing that way for the time being.


    But that did not mean that Arthur would be leaving without his bag and mage staff, he brought those along with him as normal to the guild. He arrived at the guilds main building at around eleven thirty and quickly squeezed past the lines and go down into the underground hallways. With around an hour of time to spend as he wished as his mana recovered from the two castings of Earth Orb he elected to go around and see if he could find Calavia. It has been around a week since they had last spoken, and now would be a good time just to talk about everything that has been going on since then.


    Arthur looked all around the underground portion of the guild for her, he checked the mail room, the magic item hall, and the cafeteria that he did not know existed until now. He eventually found her in the library in the evoker section, because he wasn¡¯t allowed in there he had to call her from a distance. Luckily there weren¡¯t very many people in the library to hear him, and he wasn¡¯t all that far from her so he did not need to speak all that loudly. ¡°Hey! Calavia!¡±


    Calavia looked up and smiled when she saw Arthur standing near one of the tables just past the bookshelves she was surrounded by. She quickly ran over to him and nearly jumped on him while hugging him. ¡°Good morning Arthur. How have you been?¡±


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    ¡°Good, what about you? Something great must have happened for you to be so happy like you are now.¡± Arthur couldn''t help but smile as well, seeing his friend happy also made him happy.


    ¡°I received a letter from my brother, he has plans to come and visit sometime when he is given leave. He doesn¡¯t know exactly when it will be, but when it does happen he is coming right here to Antium then he is going to visit my parents.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that''s great. You must be excited to see him again.¡± Arthur said as the two took a seat at the nearby table.


    ¡°Of course I am. I am really close with all my close family members, and I try my best to keep in touch with the rest as well, but that is a lot harder.¡± Calavia¡¯s voice began to trail off as she spoke about her extended family. ¡°But enough about me and my family, what about your family? Are you still close with them?¡±


    Arthur paused, he didn¡¯t recall his family or anything prior to waking up in Dom Badaher. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t actually remember anything about my family. The first thing I remember was waking up in the ancient dwarven city of Dom Badaher and that was around four or five months ago. Before that I don¡¯t remember anything about who I was or where I have been.¡±


    Calava looked at Arthur as if he was a war veteran explaining how he lost a leg, to her it was something terrible not to know anything about your family. ¡°You don¡¯t remember your family? Do you think they still care about you even if they don¡¯t know where you are?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they do, but I honestly don¡¯t know the first thing about them. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to recognize them if they walked right up to me. Perhaps it is best if I move past the idea that I might run into someone I knew from my past, it might not be worth digging up.¡±


    ¡°But it''s your family, aren¡¯t they super important to everyone? They always care about you and send letters to you when they are far away. Why would you want to give the possibility of that up?¡± Calavia didn¡¯t really understand Arthur¡¯s opinion on the matter since she had practically been showered with love from the moment she was born.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know them or anything about them. Even if I did want to meet them again I wouldn¡¯t know where to look. And besides I have new friends that mean so much to me right now, like you for example.¡±


    ¡°Well obviously, if we weren''t friends I would have stopped talking to you a while ago.¡±


    The duo continued on with their conversation that covered a range of topics from the kingdom''s current state of affairs to even coming to Arthur¡¯s success on casting a tier two spell.


    ¡°You have!? Can you show me?¡± Calavia practically shouted when Arthur told her of his success.


    ¡°Sure, just give me a moment.¡± Arthur said as he stood up and walked a few meters away. He readied himself and began the chant. ¡°Spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum, spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum.¡± Shortly after an orb of earth was conjured before him and to prove it was his he had it float around the table they were both sitting at.


    ¡°Wow, good job Arthur. I have no doubts in my mind that you will pass and become a certified mage that can cast tier two spells. You would not believe just how many doors will open up, you will have so many more opportunities for jobs and spells you would not believe it.¡±


    Calavia continued her explanation, while most of it was stuff he already knew Arthur was still more than happy to listen to his friend. But soon enough time drew short and Arthur was forced to leave so that he could attend the last day of the course and do the test. The two friends said their goodbyes and promised to speak again soon.


    ¡°When you pass the test I expect you here right away to tell me about it!¡± Calavia shouted as Arthur began on his way out of the library.


    **********


    Like normal Arthur was the very first person to enter the classroom at 12:10, but surprisingly the second person to enter was Primus with a variety of what appeared to be enchanted equipment on a cart. The equipment in question were a bunch of these large round things that looked like they all fitted together along with a few large rods.


    When Primus entered the room he looked up and saw Arthur there. He paused for a moment and then invited Arthur down. ¡°Come down here and help me would you Arthur, you would be doing me a favor.¡±


    ¡°Do you need help with something sir?¡± Arthur asked as he walked down the stairs along the right side of the room.


    ¡°Yes I do. Help me set this isolation circle up. Don''t worry it isn¡¯t a hard thing to do, it''s a lot like putting together a puzzle, a big and expensive puzzle that is made from limestone.¡± Primus said as he placed a few pieces of the isolation circle on the floor. Arthur followed his lead and began placing a few pieces while joining them together when they fit. In about a minute the two were done with the actual circle part and moved onto the rods.


    The circle part had a diameter of a few meters and was made up of about fifteen pieces and five rods. Every three pieces had a small hole that one of the rods would fit into and the two spent the next handful of seconds doing just that. When they were all done Primus reached out and touched the largest rod and muttered something under his breath, when he was done the isolation circle began to glow lightly showing its magical power.


    Arthur was quite interested in the device, given the name of the isolation circle it was quite easy to understand what it did, isolate the thing inside from everything else. ¡®Given that Primus brought it here for the test it must have a purpose relevant to it. I should ask him and see what he says.¡¯


    But as it turned out Arthur did not need to ask as Primus noticed him looking over the strange device. ¡°The isolation circle will isolate anything standing within it from any magical influence outside of it. For tests such as this one the guild and its higher ups like to be certain that those that pass are actually doing so of their own ability.¡±


    ¡°Was cheating such an issue in the past that the guild was forced to start using these.¡± Arthur asked as he stepped inside the device to see if he could feel the effects, unfortunately nothing noticeable happened.


    ¡°For a while we mostly used written tests, when that proved to be ineffective we moved onto practical tests and that was when the cheating started to kick up. Some of the students from wealthier backgrounds would pay or threaten other more skilled students to cast the spell from a distance when it was their turn to be tested. There were of course ways to prove it such as asking them to perform highly specific actions with the spell, but the teachers started getting tired of constantly being required to ask these questions, so they collectively demanded that the higher ups do something about it.¡±

 Chapter 94

    ¡°So to deal with the rampant cheating these isolation circles were created and distributed amongst the teacher for when they need them.¡± Arthur said as he looked at the device with interest. ¡°So how exactly does it work?¡±


    Primus chuckled. ¡°If you want to learn about enchanting physical objects then you will need to wait until you attain the rank of evoker, but I can give you a description of what it does.¡± Arthur nodded and Primus continued with his explanation. ¡°All magical interactions that happen within the circle are blocked from those that happen outside, that way if someone were to try casting a spell outside the circle and wanted it to appear inside there would be no effect. Of course if a spell caster is skilled enough they can quite easily bypass this, it isn¡¯t a sort of impenetrable shield, just something to deter cheaters.¡±


    Arthur continued to ask a few questions regarding tier two spells since he had no luck in sneaking anything regarding enchanting. Most of his questions were followed by demonstrations and a request for a critique and advice. Through this he found a few useful tips he did not receive much of anything noteworthy.


    Soon other students began arriving and slowly the room filled up. Once everyone was seated and 12:30 rolled around Primus stood up in front of the class and began explaining how the test would operate. ¡°Good afternoon class, today is the last day of this course and the day you will all be tested to see if you possess the required proficiency to cast tier two spells. When I call your name up I want you to stand within this circular object and cast one of the three spells I have given you of your own choice. I will ask you to hold the spell for a certain amount of time before you will be allowed to dismiss it. If you are successful then you will pass the course and like in the tier one course you will be mailed a certificate proving as such. Are there any questions?¡±


    One hand in the back rose and Primus called upon the human woman who held her hand up. ¡°What if we lose our certificate? Will we be able to get a second copy afterwards?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, the guild records these things in your personal files. The certificate is just for you to personally hold onto, some people like to have physical reminders of their achievements. And if for some reason you lose yours you can receive a replacement through the guild, but there will be a small fee attached to it. Now are there any other questions?¡±


    With the room silent Primus smiled and announced ¡°If that is the case then we will be getting started now.¡± And with a clap of his hands the isolation circle began to glow as it powered up.


    Arthur was one of the first to have his name called up as Primus was going by alphabetical order. Arthur quickly walked down and stood in the center of the isolation circle and looked to Primus who gave him a nod. Arthur then readied himself and raised his hands as he began the chant. ¡°Spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum, spiritus terrae mando tibi ut facias coram me globulum terrenum.¡±


    When he finished an orb of earth was conjured before him with a diameter of about one meter, Arthur held it in place as Primus looked over it. ¡°Move it to your left.¡± Primus said quietly to prevent anyone else watching from hearing but enough for Arthur to. Arthur followed his instructions and moved the orb to his left. ¡°Now to your right.¡± Arthur followed again and moved the orb to his right. ¡°Very good then. With your demonstration you have officially passed the course, honestly you had me a little worried yesterday when you haven''t been successful yet. But as you have shown just now I had no need to worry.¡± Primus extended his hand for a handshake that Arthur happily took.


    ¡°Just so you know you are free to leave the classroom early since you have passed. But if you so chose you may stay for the remainder of the hour and watch the rest of your fellow students.¡± Primus said as they finished their handshake.


    ¡°I''ll stay for a bit, I don¡¯t have too much going on right now and I could use a bit of time to recover my mana.¡±


    **********


    The remaining students did not take up the rest of the hour, in fact the class finished at 1:15 PM allowing everyone to leave fifteen minutes earlier than expected. Arthur''s first destination was the library to share the news of him passing like she wanted him to. When he arrived he found her sitting at the very same spot the two other them were sitting at before he left, she apparently haven''t moved an inch since.


    As Arthur walked towards her she turned to look at the source of the footsteps, when she saw him her face lit up and she stood up. Or more accurately tried to stand up, she had a little trouble with the height of the table and tripped onto the floor. Arthur rushed over to help her up. But she quickly started bombarding him with questions.


    ¡°Did you pass?¡±


    ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget about me?¡±


    Arthur had to mentally resist the temptation to stop her from asking so many questions at once. Instead he pointed to the nearby table and said ¡°Why don¡¯t we sit down and then you ask your questions, and please ask them one at a time so I can actually answer them.¡±


    Calavia nodded and took a seat next to him before she started asking questions again. ¡°So how did it go? Did you pass, if you didn¡¯t I would be very surprised.¡±


    ¡°I did pass, I was actually one of the first to be called up and be tested. The teacher Primus said he was quite happy that I managed to learn how to cast the spell, he said he was a little worried yesterday when he saw I couldn¡¯t.¡±


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    ¡°That''s good, but if you were one of the first done why did you take so long to get here? You didn¡¯t forget about me did you?¡±


    ¡°Primus said I could stay and watch the other students do their tests if I wanted to, and since I enjoyed learning under him I decided to stay until everyone was done. And even then we still got out early compared to when it normally would end.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose that is true. But I would have preferred it if you had just come right here when you were done. Then I wouldn¡¯t have needed to wait here for more than an hour wondering if you had even remembered me.¡± Calavia said as she crossed her arms.


    ¡°How about you come over to my house and I will make us something for dinner to celebrate and make the hour I forced you to wait.¡± Calavia¡¯s eye perked up at the word dinner and she continued listening. ¡°How about a nice soup, I know you like soup since it''s the only thing you eat when we have stopped at taverns.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that''s only because most of what you buy from a tavern isn¡¯t that good. But the soups they have are always at least half decent and I don¡¯t want to waste money on something I might not like, I don¡¯t even know how you were brave enough to try out those burritos they sell.¡±


    With a little more arguing the two friends decided that Arthur would make a soup for the both of them to enjoy. Calavia asked Arthur to point the location of his house out on one of her maps and she said she would arrive at around five thirty for dinner. Once they were done they both left the library and went their separate ways.


    ********


    Arthur¡¯s first destination was the nearby market to look for some fresh meat and vegetables for the soup. He wanted to make something better than what he normally made for his friend and only wanted the best ingredients. ¡®Should I buy some chicken or beef, I could buy both and see how they both work in a soup.¡¯


    With a small amount of chicken and beef for his soup now he needed the vegetables that would go well with them. He had few options available to him and he was likely to have a few different ones to give it some variety. ¡®Those are some nice sized potatoes, and those carrots would go well with them as well.¡¯


    With his collection of ingredients for the soup all decided Arthur placed them in his dimensional bag and headed home to start getting everything ready. But on his way home as he was walking down the street his house was on he noticed a few members of the gang that attempted to shake him down watching him. This group in particular were a bit better armed and armored than the last with actual swords and maces mixed in with proper gambesons for body protection.


    They didn¡¯t make any moves on him but Arthur could easily tell they were watching him and waiting to see what he was doing. At this point Arthur retrieved his mage staff just in case they decided to try something, but thankfully they allowed him to enter his home without any problems.


    Arthur knew it was only a matter of time before they were done watching from a distance and decided to pay him a visit. The best thing he could do was take everything out of his bag that he did not need in there and keep his mage staff within an arm''s reach as he began preparing the soup. The first thing he did was cut up all the meat and vegetables and dump them all in a pot he had, then he filled the pot with water he extracted from the surrounding air and filled it up around two thirds of the way where all the meat and vegetables were submerged.


    Then he placed it over the fireplace and placed a few logs inside before lighting them on fire. Arthur had a small stockpile of wood just outside his back door that he bought several weeks ago, he figured it would be best to keep some just in case he needed it like he did now. And if for some reason the soup was not evenly cooked he could use his pyromancy to conjure up some fire that he could use to do the rest.


    But just as he started the fire a series of loud knocks could be heard from his front door, they were far too loud to be from Calavia and the only other person or group of people he was expecting to come around were the gang members. So Arthur quickly snatched up his mage staff and walked towards the door. Arthur opened the door just enough to look outside without allowing whoever it was on the other side to squeeze by and kept his staff out of view.


    On the other side were about eight or so gang members with the superior equipment he saw on his way back. The leader was a middle aged Scorchman evident by his dark skin that stood out from his subordinates, he wielded a large two handed war hammer that he was resting on his shoulder at the moment.


    ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Arthur, it has come to our attention that you have not yet paid us for the services that we have provided you. We are here to collect the silver coin and inform you of future payments that you are expected to make in the future.¡± He spoke with a certain elegance that was unexpected from a mere low ranking member of a gang, perhaps it was a cultural thing for perhaps he has simply lost a lot in the past.


    ¡°I am sorry, but I do not recall requesting any services from you. Perhaps you simply have the wrong address.¡± While Arthur''s voice and tone told the man that he was confused, his eyes told a different story. Arthur looked quite annoyed by their mere presence and wanted them gone.


    ¡°No I am certain we have the correct address, I am also certain that another group has been sent here to collect the money that is due but they shortly went missing after coming this way.¡± The man smiled as he continued. ¡®Nice try little mage, we know what you did and you can¡¯t weasel out of this one even with your magic. And even if you do try using magic on us I will smash your face in before you can finish your silly little chants.¡¯


    The two stood there for a moment in complete silence, the looks in their eyes told the other that they were both more than willing to kill each other if a single opportunity was presented. The subordinates of the Scorchman gang member held their breath as the tension became so thick it could have been cut with a knife.


    ¡°Well that is quite unfortunate that I am forced to resort to this.¡± Arthur began as the Scorchman gang member put two hands on his war hammer. But suddenly out of the corner of his eye he noticed something, along the edge of the door frame was something that resembled a flanged mace, but just as he noticed it he felt something sash into his face with the force of a war hammer. He had experienced the feeling once in the past when he pissed someone far more important than himself in the past, but back then a priest was there to fix him before there was any permanent damage.


    The Scorchman gang member fell back into his subordinates while his eyes teared up from the pain. His nose was definitely broken and he was having trouble breathing through it, he hastily stood up as best as he could and shouted to his men. ¡°Kill the mage! Bash his brains out!¡± His voice was slightly distorted by his broken nose but his message was clearly received as his subordinates quickly drew their weapons and began rushing Arthur.

 Chapter 95

    The eight gang members including their stunned leader quickly drew their weapons and raced towards Arthur with the intent to kill. In response Arthur waved his staff slightly and the space between them appeared to shimmer before going back to normal. When the fastest of the gang members was about a meter from Arthur recoiled and grunted as he held his face. Following his lead the rest of the gang members stopped.


    ¡°What happened, why did you stop!?¡± One of the gang members in the back shouted up.


    ¡°The mage must have put up an invisible wall or something, I ran face first into it.¡± The first gang member said as he clutched his aching nose.


    ¡°Then we will smash through it!¡± The Scorchman leader of the group shouted with a somewhat normal voice as he rushed forward and swung his war hammer at the invisible wall. The hammer visibly bounced off as if it hit a wall of rubber, but the Scorchman continued swinging and his subordinates followed.


    Arthur of course did not stand idle as his force wall was attacked, but given how powerful it was when testing he did not see any reason to be worried. With no reason to worry he began to cast the same spell he used to defeat the mercenaries that ambushed him the last time.


    ¡°Undam ignis!¡±


    But just as he was about to finish casting the spell the Scorchman swung his hammer down and managed to create a visible crack in the force wall. This distracted Arthur for a moment and caused him to fumble the spell a little and slightly reduce its overall power. This meant that the wave of fire that would have normally killed or at least incapacitated the eight only left them with some severe burns.


    But two of the gang members including the Scorchman leader were left in a good enough condition to continue fighting, or at least until Arthur conjured earth bolts with the spell Tri Earth Bolt and put a few holes in their heads. The ones that were severely burned were quickly finished off with the same spell and Arthur quickly dragged their dead bodies inside.


    ¡®This is such a hassle. I really hope this gang gives up and just moves onto someone else. I probably should have just eliminated their entire leadership when I had the chance to, that way I wouldn¡¯t need to bury more bodies in my backyard. If this keeps up I won''t have enough space for them.¡¯ Arthur grumbled to himself as he dragged each body after stripping it of its weapons, armor, or anything else that he managed to find. By the end he was left with three short swords, a war hammer, four maces, and eight gambisons''.


    The best part was the quality of the equipment was far better than what he normally got from hunting down bandits, that means if he was to sell it to Burmas he would get a lot more money than normal.


    But that wasn¡¯t even the best part of the fight, with eight combatants he earned another 1000 exp. The seven subordinates gave him 100 each while the leader and the other that managed to stay up for a while earned him 150 each. And with that 1000 exp he received his next 10 points.


    /- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 13


    Exp : 11600


    Next Level at : 13400


    Mana : 39/39


    Class : The All Knowing


    Attributes :


    Strength 30


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 30


    Intellect 30


    Perception 20


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 30


    Available points : 10


    \- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/


    Arthur continued with the clean up of the dead bodies and using his geomancy he buried each of them deep underground along with the previous three that he buried the last time. With that out of the way he could now clean up the blood that began to pool as the gang members began to bleed. Mixing the blood with some conjured water allowed Arthur to manipulate it like he normally did with water and toss it away from his front porch.


    But to be certain Arthur did one last sweep to be certain that was nothing that would indicate that a fight occurred there. Unfortunately there was and it wasn¡¯t something that could easily be cleaned up, a small amount of the wood that made up the porch of his house was burned a little by the fire wave he conjured.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t all that much though, if anyone asked I''ll just say it was some nearby kids that were making trouble so I scared them away with a bit of fire. And if someone brings troublesome children around I can just say it wasn¡¯t them who did it. What are they gonna say, that I¡¯m lying.¡¯


    With a reasonable excuse made up that could be easily adapted without arousing suspicion Arthur relaxed and washed his hands thoroughly before he began working on the soup he felt to cook. Thankfully he wasn¡¯t gone all that long and he was able to keep his eyes on it as it started to heat up and the water boiled.


    *********


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    When 5:30 eventually rolled around Arthur had finished the soup and was just keeping it above the fire to keep it warm for when Calavia arrived. He of course tasted the soup and found it to be up to his standards and was confident that she would like it as well.


    A short while later at around 5:40 Arthur heard a soft knock at the door and quickly got up to see who it was. Upon opening the door Arthur was delighted to see that it was Calavia in some more casual clothes than the robes she normally wore.


    ¡°Good evening Calavia, please come inside.¡± Arthur welcomed Calavia inside and gestured to an open chair at the nearby table.


    ¡°Thank you for having me for dinner at your house. Normally we just go to that tavern you like and have something from there.¡± Calavia said as the two walked over to the table. Arthur walked over to the cupboard and fetched two bowls and spoons, he handed one to Calavia and allowed her to take the first serving of soup.


    ¡°What kind of soup did you make? It looks like you added all sorts of things in here.¡± Calavia commented as she took a larger serving than Arthur would have expected.


    ¡°The soup has both chicken and beef along with potatoes and carrots. And don¡¯t worry about eating too much, I specifically made more than I normally do because you were coming here to eat.¡± Calavia gave Arthur a bit of a side eye glare at the little jab regarding the amount of soup she took and decided she needed to defend herself. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t get a lunch break today because we were so busy all day. It feels like there is a gang war going on out there with how many people came to us for medical treatment.¡±


    ¡°It was that bad? I would have assumed the city guard would do something about any gang wars, since most of the more prominent gangs have been wiped out after the attack on the southern district.¡± Arthur said as he sat down with his own bowl of soup.


    ¡°They have been cracking down on those types of crimes more often since the perpetrators are far less experienced than the previous ones, but it seems like something is going on behind closed doors and people are too scared to say anything about it.¡± The room went silent for a while as the implications of a resurgence of criminal activity became apparent.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we move onto less depressing topics, like your brother. You said he is coming to visit you here when he gets a leave from the military, why don¡¯t we talk about your relationship with him. You must be close to him given how happy you were about seeing him again.¡±


    ¡°Oh my brother and I have pretty much always been close, when I was little he would always try and help me when I was having trouble with something, and when I got older it just stuck with the two of us. Although he didn¡¯t really have much of an interest in magic he always did his best to help me study, although most of the time he wasn¡¯t all that helpful it still showed that he cared.¡± Calavia smiled as she thought back to the fun times she had with her brother before he left for the military ¡°That only made the day he left to join the military even worse. I was 17 at the time and I only saw him on rare occasions and holidays like Saint Lysanias day.¡±


    ¡°Saint Lysanias day, what is that?¡± Arthur asked as it was the first time he heard anything about holidays within the five months of his life that he could recall.


    ¡°Saint Lysanias day is a day that was chosen by the circle of fire before it was called that to celebrate Saint Lysanias. He was the 10,000 year ago equivalent of a king and he led a defense against a large army of goblins led by several powerful demons. With his leadership the army was held back and prevented hundreds of thousands of lives from being taken by the enemy army. Without him we likely would not be living here or even at all today.¡±


    ¡°Wow, and he did this all without any magic? That certainly sounds like a very powerful and important person.¡±


    ¡°Well there were some conflicting reports from back then regarding how exactly he did it. Some said there was a holy aura around him from Solarius himself that kept his loyal soldiers strong and fearless, others said that it was his natural charisma and tactical knowledge that allowed him to coordinate the defense.¡±


    ¡°So it''s a bit up in the air whether he had a god on his side or not.¡± Arthur said as he was about halfway done his bowl of soup.


    ¡°That is pretty much correct.¡± Calavia said as she was nearly done hers. ¡°But something to note is that not long after was when the old gods arrived and first brought divine magic with them. Some people like to use that as evidence of divine intervention, but it could also be coincidence as no god ever took credit for helping.¡±


    The two continued discussing several less hypothetical topics such as Arthur¡¯s next goals for learning magic and what he now had access to as a mage that can cast tier two spells. That mostly amounted to Calavia telling Arthur about her favorite tier two spells and what books in the library had them.


    But after two hours of eating and talking it was getting late and Calavia needed to return to her home. She of course asked to bring a bowl full of the soup Arthur made and he allowed her under the condition she would return it.


    ¡°If you want I can walk you back to your place.¡± Arthur offered as he opened the front door for Calavia.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t need to do that. You already made dinner for the two of us, and besides I am a powerful mage. Anyone trying something against me probably won''t get to live to regret their mistake.¡±


    With Calavia gone Arthur cleaned up his bowl and the two spoons before putting what was left of the soup in a few containers he had. With both him and Calavia eating they managed to finish up most of the soup, and thankfully Arthur had just enough food containers to store the rest.


    ***********


    Arthur awoke at around eight o¡¯clock the next day and quickly got up from his bed and dressed himself in his normal attire. For breakfast he had some of the soup from the night before and when he was done he began brewing some potions with some of the ingredients he had left.


    When Gaelin arrived with the normal amount of ingredients he picked from the forest Arthur happily paid him and sent him on his way. But the moment he was out the door Arthur quickly finished up the potion he was brewing and finished with his alchemy for now. Right now it was time for a second attempt at the rat flesh golem.


    Arthur still had the slab from the last time that he could have used, but he decided to recreated it while looking over the instructions in Brexius¡¯s journal. By the end he did not see any major difference in the two but decided to use the new one anyways.


    He still had more than enough ink for the task so he did not need to buy or make any, since he could now cast tier two spells buying the ink was no longer the only option. He also had more than enough of the ingredients to create more of the artificial blood he would need once the body is fully constructed.


    Arthur also had a large stockpile of dead rats in his dimensional bag from Vibia. He was only thankful that the dead rats didn¡¯t start rotting inside there.


    With all the necessary ingredients and components he began by removing all the bones from the five rats he selected and using the spell provided in the journal fused them together. It did take a while but eventually he had a full rat skeleton that was taller than the original. He continued with all the steps, he connected the skeleton at all the joints and added the first layer of mussel, then he sewed and fused another layer and carefully added the blood vessels. With the blood vessels in place he mixed up the artificial blood and slowly dripped it in and closed it up.


    Now all the preparatory work was done with fewer breaks than the last time. Most of that was due to the increase in his mana capacity from reaching level 13, and by extension increased the rate he naturally recovered mana.


    But now was the hardest and most worrisome part, the actual enchanting process, the same part that Arthur was most certain was where he went wrong the last time and screwed up the rat flesh golem permanently.


    ¡®Let''s hope I actually learned something from the last time and I don¡¯t just repeat my mistakes.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he took a deep breath and fetched the bottle of ink from his bag.

 Chapter 96

    Arthur slowly poured the ink into each of the inscriptions until they were filled. When that was done he began to paint the ink onto the actual rat flesh golem. It took him a few minutes to double check and be certain he made no mistakes. When he was certain that was the case he carefully returned the unfinished flesh golem to the center circle.


    ¡®Now for the hardest part, casting the enchantments on the actual thing.¡¯ Arthur slowly began to chant the spell and watched as the inscriptions on the earth slab as well as the ink on the flesh golem slowly began to glow, and more so than the last time. Not by much, only about five or ten percent more, but enough to be noticeable.


    In what felt like forever Arthur slowly completed the process and had himself a second rat flesh golem finished right before him. Arthur quickly picked up the mana stone and channeled some of its energy inside of the rat golem to activate it. Slowly like waking from a prolonged sleep the small flesh golem began moving. It started with the twitching of a few fingers but soon moved onto standing up on its own two legs in an upright position where it stayed.


    ¡®Well that is definitely an improvement. The last one didn¡¯t even have the capability to stand on two legs. I just hope its mental capabilities are better than the last one.¡¯ Arthur thought as he picked up and inspected the flesh golem. Everything on the outside looked quite similar to the previous one, that likely meant that the changes were most regarding the enchantments.


    So like with the previous golem Arthur had it perform a few tests to grasp its mental and physical capabilities. He started with asking it to bring him a bottle, he showed the golem an empty bottle and said bottle before placing it on the other end of the table. ¡°Bring me the bottle.¡± It took a few attempts like with the previous one, but it understood what Arthur was asking it to do and brought him the bottle.


    Next was placing two different objects on opposite ends and asking it to bring one. He had the flesh golem stand in the middle and placed a bottle and a piece of wood on opposite ends. ¡°Bring me the bottle.¡± The golem walked over and picked up the bottle before it brought it back to Arthur.


    ¡®So far so good. It is far smarter than the last one for certain. I''m betting that this is mostly due to the enchantments, I must have screwed them up last time.¡¯


    Next Arthur had the flesh golem stay at one end of the table and placed the piece of wood in the middle and placed the bottle at the opposite end. ¡°Bring me the bottle.¡± The flesh golem followed and walked past the piece of wood and brought Arthur the bottle.


    From his observations Arthur concluded that the new flesh golem was far more intelligent than the previous and could possibly assist with more complex tasks in the future given the progress. But now it was time for a physical test.


    Arthur placed the same book he had the previous golem try and lift before. He first introduced the book by saying, ¡°This is a book.¡± Arthur placed the book on the center of the table and said, ¡°Pick up the book.¡± The golem followed and picked up the book with both its hands, it specifically grabbed the spine on the book and held it while the other end was resting on the table.


    ¡°Now lift it above your head.¡± The flesh golem did its best to obey the command but struggled to do so. It only managed to get it about halfway up where it managed to keep it until Arthur told it to stop. Part of the reason for that was its physical body structure, the arms weren''t quite long enough to perform the task but it was helpful to see what it would do. But it did appear to have the physical strength to perform the task, all that Arthur needed to do was give it longer arms next time.


    Next Arthur had the golem lift an assortment of progressively heavier objects to see exactly who strong it was, given its size it wasn¡¯t anything impressive but it gave Arthur some valuable data for next time. Overall the second golem was an improvement in nearly every aspect from physical to mental capabilities, this one would be far more helpful and could even be assigned actual tasks such as collecting a certain ingredient from across the room. But more testing was required, because Arthur wanted to see if its memory was also improved compared to the previous one.


    But with a proper golem working Arthur wanted to spend some of his time learning some actual tier two spells. While he did know of a few that sounded useful he unfortunately did not give much of a look upon learning that they were tier two since he did not know how to cast them at the time. But now with some practice he could cast the specific spells and quickly put everything regarding the flesh golem away in his dimensional bag where it would remain hidden.


    **********


    Within the apprentice section of the library roughly half of the books were about tier two spells as that was one of the major privileges that the guild offers to those who join. So far Arthur had been left out due to his lack of knowledge of casting them, but now that was no longer the case. The first spells he wanted to get his hands on were offensive and defensive spells for combat applications as he had used a lot of those types of tier one spells.


    The first book he opened was titled ¡°The Grimoire of Lucius Gallio¡± and it contained a large assortment of tier two spells that Arthur was more than happy to try out. It contained an assortment of evocation spells that ranged from direct damage to defense and even restrainment spells.


    Now a few of these spells and the restrainment ones in particular would require a second person to try them out, but Arthur was certain that he could convince Calavia to help him out in that regard, he would even offer to make dinner again for the two of them if he needed to.


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    The second book he picked out was titled ¡°The Spellbound Encyclopedia Volume 2¡±. This one contained a few offensive and defensive spells but had a much larger focus on utility and everyday spells that would find a lot more use to most mages than most combat ones. Arthur found all sorts of spells that caught his eye, one would create a ladder stairway thing in steep elevations made from earth, another created a ball of fire that could be controlled at will with a bit of mana and would generate light. He even found the levitate spell in there, although that one constantly drained mana as it was in use rather than just consume a specified amount all at once like most.


    All in all Arthur¡¯s search was quite successful and he was quite excited to begin practising all these wonderful spells he now had available to him. He was so excited that for a moment he forgot he needed to check the books out with Mrs. Florens at the front desk of the library.


    *********


    ¡°How has the swamp weed been growing so far Kelile? I hope it is going better than our attempts to establish a working relationship with that alchemist went.¡± Pius Valgus asked Kelile as he looked at Eveline.


    ¡°I already told you all my people specialize in stealing things, not negotiations with questionable people like that alchemist! He was more than willing to kill my people right then and there and we are very lucky that we had the time and opportunity to procure that explosive device and plant it!¡± Eveline stood up as she shouted at Pius, the anger on her face visible to everyone at the table.


    ¡°Relax everyone, it doesn¡¯t really matter what happened to the alchemist right now as there are others we can make contact with that will be far more willing to work with us for a small cut of the profits. We will likely even have a few working under us by the time we reach full scale production.¡± Kelile raised his hand to calm the two. Since his plan to start growing and selling the new strain of swamp weed was his idea and he was the only one investing into it at the moment all the profit from it belonged to his gang, and he used that money to buy some newer clothing and equipment for himself and his subordinates. Along with this money came a feeling of confidence that made him feel powerful compared to the others at the table that lost so much.


    ¡°And what about the swamp weed? Is it growing fast enough for us to process and sell in a reasonable manner? Because so far we have been sustaining ourselves off of protection money.¡± Pius turned to face Kelile as he was quite interested in the swamp weed, but he was skeptical about the new strain Kelile spoke of and would rather he test the waters first.


    ¡°The growth of the swamp weed has been both steady and on schedule, the first few crops are being grown in a few old buildings that we have taken over that no one has paid any attention to since the purge. I have a few of my men watching the sites and tending to them. The first batch that I showed a sample to you all last time we were all here has been sold and distributed very well and has been quite profitable for myself.¡± In a display of his wealth Kelile presented a thin stone rod that was about ten inches long, the more informed members of the Black Eye gang knew what he was showing.


    ¡°You bought a talisman!?¡± Pius looked at Kelile with pure shock. Since the purge and loss of a majority of everyone''s assets the possibility of owning anything remotely magical appeared as a distant memory for the time being. ¡°Who in their right mind would sell you a talisman!?¡±


    ¡°It''s quite simple actually, I bought it from the mages guild.¡± The other members at the table looked at Kelile in bewilderment at that statement, but he continued. ¡°You see, unlike all of you I am not a well known gang leader, hence the guild had no reason to bar me from entry or call the city guard to arrest me. The worst I am known for is simply taking protection money, and the few people I have done that with are far too scared to try and report me to the law. As such I was able to easily walk right in and buy a talisman for myself.¡±


    The envy was as clear as day on everyone''s face as they too wished they had both the money and resources to acquire anything even remotely magical, they didn¡¯t even have their communication orbs with them as they too were lost during the purge.


    ¡°Anyways we should move onto more important things, like the process of collecting protection money. How is that going Pius?¡± Kelile smiled and turned to look at Pius, which prompted everyone else at the table to do the same.


    ¡®What in Zar''Nakth happened to Kelile? It''s like everyone is now suddenly under his control ever since he found himself a bit of money with a single shipment of swamp weed. Even the way he is speaking has changed, is this even Kelile or has someone replaced him?¡¯ Pius gave a small cough to clear his throat before he began speaking. ¡°So far we have had few problems in collecting the protection money from several of the poor and secluded areas of the southern district and we have begun our expansion into the eastern district. The only obstacle we have faced is a single alchemist that lives in one of the more secluded areas in the southern district. We suspect that he has killed two of our collection groups so far and we have no way of knowing how he did it.¡±


    ¡°If he is a part of the mages guild then they should have a file on him and his capabilities.¡± Eveline said as she sipped on some tea she had in a small pot.


    ¡°We did check, both before and after both of our attempts. At best he should be capable of tier two spells, while impressive it is not enough to easily take out a eight person group of well armed and trained people like we did the second time.¡± Pius continued his explanation.


    ¡°And you think he is hiding his true capabilities from the guild and by extension from us.¡± Eveline said as she finished gulping down her tea.


    ¡°We have considered that, but we have also considered the possibility that the mages guild itself is lying about its members in the official files that our contacts have access to. The only other possibility that we have come up with is that this Mage Arthur is a once in a thousand year prodigy that has created spells within tier two that have the offensive capabilities of a tier three spell.¡± The members at the table gasped and many shook their heads at that statement, so Pius quickly spoke up again to clarify. ¡°These are just possibilities of course, we don¡¯t actually know how he did it. But my point remains the same, until we have further data on who he is and what he can do we should steer clear of him and avoid antagonizing him. The fact that he chose to either destroy to hide the bodies of those that we sent after him instead of contacting the city guard is evidence enough that he does not care about killing.¡±


    The meeting continued on for another half hour with the heavy feeling of who this alchemist might be hanging over their heads like an executioner''s axe. When the meeting finally ended everyone rushed out of the room and returned to their own base of operations as if someone was on their heels chasing after them.

 Chapter 97

    Arthur stood in his backyard as he kept The Grimoire of Lucius Gallio on a nearby table he created from nearby earth as he began casting the very first spell recorded within it. The spell was called Large Earth Spike and it would conjure a large spike of earth just like Arthur could do on his own but for a lot less mana and more power behind it.


    Arthur had created a simple earth test dummy ten meters away from him to test out the spell. But as it turned out proper offensive tier two spells used more mana than the Earth Orb spell he practiced with and was also a lot harder to do. The spell would cost him ten points of mana each time he tried regardless of whether he succeeded or not, this resulted in Arthur running out of mana after just three casts of the spell.


    This annoyed Arthur quite a bit as now instead of practicing he would need to wait for about an hour to fully recover enough mana to make any sizable progress. ¡®This sucks.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself and he sat down on a nearby chair that he created out of the nearby earth. ¡®There must be some sort of potion that can bypass this, a mana potion or something that contains pure mana to be absorbed when drunk.¡¯


    But despite his wishful thinking he could not recall any mention of such a potion, if such a thing existed it would either be very hard to create or closely guarded by one or more of the powerful governments.


    During this time that Arthur had to himself Arthur decided to read through the two books he brought with him properly. There were a large amount of spells within each despite the fact that each spell took up at least one whole page. The Grimoire of Lucius Gallio contained fifty or so offensive and defensive spells for a large variety of purposes. Some spells would bend around corners for surprise attacks, others would stun or restrain one or more targets and in multiple ways, one was by using the earth to grapple onto someone''s legs.


    But the second book, The Spellbound Encyclopedia Volume 2, also had just as many interesting and interesting spells for Arthur to try out. There was of course the levitation spell, but that was more for those preparing to become a proper evoker, there was a spell called Tiny Hut that could use the nearby earth to create a small little hut for an emergency situation. Another spell called Flexible earth would soften the earth the caster targeted to make it softer to help prevent injuries from falling, there was of course a limit to what it could do, but it was interesting and possibly useful until Arthur learns a flying spell. There were another twenty other utility spells within the second book that Arthur enjoyed reading over.


    But reading those two books only took Arthur around forty minutes and he still had another twenty before he was going to start practicing again with a mostly full mana reserve. ¡®I do have Brexius¡¯s journal, I could take a look and see what else he wrote down in there.¡¯ Slowly Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out the journal, its red cover just as pristine as when he first brought it with him.


    Slowly Arthur opened the journal and flipped past the parts about the flesh golem. But what he found was something he did not expect, it appeared that after experimenting on rats Brexius moved onto creating proper albeit rather small flesh golems out of actual people. Using similar spells to the previous experiment Brexius managed to compress the bones of a single human into a smaller and denser shape. This process provided the strength and durability the previous ones had without creating anything too big. Arthur only briefly looked through this section but he was quite impressed by the skill and genius of Brexius.


    The next section was dedicated to creating more humanoid sized flesh golems, with a similar set of spells Brexius combined three sets of human bones together to create a thicker skeleton for the flesh golem. The remaining parts were far too ahead of Arthur current capabilities without a proper analysis of the blueprints provided.


    But Arthur didn¡¯t exactly have time for that because by then the last twenty minutes had passed and most of his mana reserves had returned and this allowed him to continue with his tier two spell practicing.


    **********


    Arthur continued this late into the evening, he would use up a majority of his mana and then study the journal for an hour as he waited for his mana reserves to return. When they did he would go back to casting, and by the end of it all he managed to gain a decent grasp on the Large Earth Spike spell.


    His understanding of what exactly a flesh golem was also improved through studying Brexius¡¯s old works. Beforehand he did not actually know what he was doing, he was just copying what Brexius had done and hoped that his outcome would be somewhat decent. But that was the wrong way to go about things, what he needed to do was understand what each of the individual lines of ink meant. It was like a language he needed to decipher and when he did he could piece together his own.


    But before he could do that he would need to study the book a lot more and receive some actual training, the best way to receive that is to become a evoker within the mages guild and attend the course specifically dedicated to teaching the basics. ¡®But even Georgius thought I would need at least another half year to do that. Probably because of all the spell casting and practicing all these tier two spells. They are so much harder than the tier one spells.¡¯


    Arthur paused for a second upon recalling what happened to his former teacher, but he pushed those feelings aside for now as it was getting quite late and he needed to have something to eat before he went to sleep.


    ***********


    First thing in the morning Arthur went outside and casted Large Earth Spike spell to be certain that he truly had a good grasp of the spell. The large singular spike appeared with little difficulty on Arthur¡¯s side leaving him satisfied with the result. He quickly dispelled it and returned inside to have a decent breakfast before he would brew some more potions. He had been putting it off for a bit now, this resulted in his money slowly starting to dry up.


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    ¡®Thank the gods that Gaelin brings me stuff everyday, if he didn¡¯t I would be in a far worse situation by spending half the time I dedicate to alchemy just picking plants.¡¯


    Arthur started with a batch of warmth potions, since something called winter would be arriving in about a month or two based on what everyone was saying throughout the city, and those people talked about how cold it would get. Arthur suspected that any form of heat, even alchemical, would be very well appreciated even by those who disliked such things.


    By the time that Gaelin arrived with the batch of ingredients Arthur had already finished two batches of the potion that were bottled and ready to be sold. Gaelin was of course paid his six copper coins and sent on his way as Arthur collected and sorted his new ingredients to where he needed them to be. Once he had finished up a few more batches Arthur cleaned up his workstation and placed the potions on a set of nearby shelves for safe keeping.


    With several new batches of potions finished Arthur could now focus on practicing a few more spells that he thought would be useful additions to his tool kit. One such example was the spell called Earth Grips, this spell was the official and far more efficient version of the spell he used against the vampire assassin to trap his foot and keep him from moving. But Earth Grips was a bit more different than just that, the spell also targets more than one thing at a time and can be adjusted to one to ten individual targets depending what you need it for.


    This versatility built into the spell made it a very appealing choice for Arthur, and he immediately set outside in his backyard to try it. He quickly created a simple earth test dummy from the nearby earth to test it out on. ¡°Praecipio terrae ut scuta mea capiant et immobilia reddant, Praecipio terrae ut scuta mea capiant et immobilia reddant.¡±


    Arthur began chanting and performing the correct hand signs as was described and shown in the book in the form of diagrams. This was the major reason why each spell took up at least one page. Unsurprisingly the first attempt yielded no results, but this did not dissuade Arthur, it took him quite a long time to learn how to cast the Large Earth Spike spell so there was no reason that this one would not be the same.


    ***********


    When noon rolled around Arthur felt he was about halfway to casting the spell successfully, but he needed a break to rest his mind, and what would make for a better break than to take the time and sell off the batch of potions he brewed just this morning. Arthur felt it was a good way to spend a break, he would be able to sell some of his potions and get some money to spend on the basic necessities.


    While he was there Arthur looked around for Calavia but was disappointed when he didn¡¯t find her in any of their usual spots. So he returned home a little disappointed but with enough money to easily keep himself well fed and retain his stable lifestyle.


    Arthur continued with his practicing all throughout the week, he used any opportunity he could get to continue doing so. He only took a day long break in the very middle of the week which he used to brew a few potions in the morning and in the afternoon he had lunch with Calavia where they spoke about everything that had been happening in one another''s lives. Arthur spoke about his progress in learning tier two spells and Calavia talked about how the amount of wounded people had begun to slow, likely a result of whatever gang war was slowing and soon to end.


    By the end of the week Arthur learned a total of six tier two spells, the first two were the Large Earth Spike and Earth Grips spells from his first two days. Then on his third day he learned the Air Barrier spell, when casted it would conjure a circular sphere of air that would block physical and gas based attacks at the same time. It did this by preventing air from flowing through it unlike the force shield and force wall that he could conjure from his mage staff. On the fourth and middle day of the week Arthur simply brewed some potions and spent his time with Calavia.


    On the fifth day Arthur managed to learn the Outward Flame spell, the spell would conjure a large amount of flames and almost throw them outward starting from the target, the idea was that if you were surrounded you could cast this spell and at least give yourself some room to breathe and plan your next move. But one important detail to note was that the flames would only extend out to at most two and a half meters from the caster.


    On the sixth day Arthur learned the Conjure Earth Weapon spell, the spell was the proper way to conjure up a weapon from earth. The resulting weapon was stronger, more durable, and far more deadly than anything that Arthur could conjure up on the fly, it could also conjure up shields as well making it quite versatile. Anything created by the spell would last for about an hour before the mana within would deplete and make the weapon crumble.


    On the seventh and final day of the week Arthur learned the Propulsion spell. The Propulsion spell was created in mind to be used with the levitation spell to create a rudimentary flying spell. But Arthur found that if you managed to lower the output you could manage to use it to give yourself without any levitation effect a significant boost whenever and wherever you wish. Since it was manually controlled by the caster the output could be changed at will, that way you could use it to rapidly push you forward with some practice. Arthur managed to do something quite similar when he was fighting against the vampires within their lair.


    With a decent amount of combat related spells within his repertoire Arthur was now quite confident in his offensive abilities. But there was one thing he noticed about the spells he learned. ¡®Half of the spells that I learned over the last week were earth spells, two were air spells and the last was a fire spell with no water spells. I guess this shows just how much I relly on earth spells and how much I like and prefer them over other types.¡¯


    Now it was time to practice and learn some of the more utility spells that were within The Spellbound Encyclopedia Volume 2. There were a few that were of interest to Arthur, the first was the Earth Stairway spell that would create a stairway out of targeted earth that would remain until it was destroyed.


    The second spell was the levitation spell because it looked to be quite interesting and a useful tool to know, and just because he had his mage staff to cast it for him now doesn¡¯t mean he might not lose it or break it in some way. It would be a smart idea to know how to properly cast the spell on his own because just about anything could happen that might require him to know how to do it.


    There were a few other less impressive spells that interested Arthur but for the time being the first two were his priority. The Earth Stairway because it could be used to easily pass steep hills that would normally require going around, and the Levitation spell because it had many applications.

 Chapter 98

    /- - - - - -\


    + Geomancy Level 19


    + Pyromancy Level 15


    + Aeromancy Level 12


    \- - - - - -/


    Within the apprentice section of the mages guild library Arthur looked over his improved skill levels with weary eyes. He had  been forcing himself to focus almost entirely on his magic for a week with only a single day off that he still used to continue with alchemy and a short lunch with Calavia. He needed something to do, something interesting and possibly dangerous.


    ¡®I still have that recommendation for the mercenary guild, I bet I could easily find something interesting and dangerous that would also earn me some money. From what I understand it would be a lot of what I did when I was working under Captain Tasius.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he was reading over a pamphlet that the mercenary guild kept by the front entrance of the local branch.


    The pamphlet went into some detail regarding what the guild could do for those wanting to join as well as those who might require their services. The guild would take a small cut of the fee paid while the rest would go towards the mercenaries who performed the task, in addition to helping their members find work the guild also protects its members in a legal form as well.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t sound all that bad, the only problem that would arise would be that many of these jobs would require me to be away from home for days at a time. I''m not exactly sure how I would pay Gaelin during this time or if he even has a job outside of what I pay him to do. If I do decide to join I should probably give him a heads up to find another job for when I am gone.¡¯


    Suddenly Arthur felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned to see Calavia standing next to him. ¡°Hey Arthur, do you mind if I take a seat?¡±


    ¡°No, go ahead.¡± Arthur smiled and he moved to the left so Calavia could sit where he was.


    ¡°So what are you reading?¡± Calavia asked as she sat down at the table and practically leaned over on Arthur to get a look at the pamphlet.


    ¡°It''s the pamphlet for the mercenary guild. I¡¯m considering joining for something interesting to do.¡± Arthur said as he lightly pushed Calavia back to an upright position.


    ¡°Really? It is quite a dangerous job being a mercenary, I would know since I was a part of the guild in the past. I might not make as much money as I did before, but healing the sick and injured is a lot safer than fighting bandits and monsters.¡± Calavia practically recoiled as she sat straight up. ¡°And besides, there are many interesting jobs that revolve around magic research that are far less likely to get you killed from a stray arrow. You have the authorization and the skills to do so now since you became an apprentice within the guild and learned hope to cast tier two spells.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to take part in any of the research projects that are currently offering positions. Most of them seem dreadfully boring, like the one about rock formations from extreme heat and all that. It sounds like it would take years upon years for them to actually learn anything about that, and right now it''s just a theory with no proof behind it.¡± Arthur practically sighed when he finished speaking his mind regarding that particular research project, if they wanted to learn more about rocks they should just ask dwarves, they literally live surrounded by the stuff.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to join that one, but there are other far more reasonable research projects that are hiring and they would be more than happy to hire someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Look I appreciate the help, but I need to get out there and do something with all the magic I have learned. I want to use the spells I have learned to fight something even if it is only a once a month thing, at least I would have used them for something.¡± After Arthur finished speaking the conversation went quiet as Calavia avoided eye contact.


    But just as Arthur was about to go back to reading his book Calavia spoke up. ¡°If you do decide to join the mercenary guild please be careful and only take jobs that you are most confident that you can take on. And if you are offered to join an expedition or anything like that just decline, those tend to be the most dangerous.¡± As she finished she turned to look Arthur in the eye waiting for him to answer.


    ¡°Alright-¡± Arthur said after a moment of silence. ¡°-I will do my best to stay safe and I won''t take any jobs that might pose an unknown danger.¡± At that statement Calavia speared to calm down a bit as her shoulder relaxed. ¡°And besides I still have a few things I need to work on before I go and become a proper mercenary.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re working on something that requires more attention than becoming a mercenary would currently allow? Must be some powerful potion you are brewing, did you find an old powerful recipe that will grant you an enhanced mana capacity?¡± The something that Arthur was referring to was of course the flesh golem and working out all of the kinks it had, as the current one had a habit of dropping fragile objects such as the glass bottles just a little too hard for his liking. But The assumption Calavia was making was good for him as well as it gave him a proper scapegoat.


    ¡°You will have to wait and see when I am done.¡± Arthur smiled devilishly as Calavia begged him to let her see who it was currently working. Arthur of course refused and repeated himself until she calmed down.


    ***********


    Arthur continued with his experiments and created another three rat flesh golems. Each time he performed the process he felt himself become more and more knowledgeable regarding the anatomy of the rats and by extension how to properly construct the golems with their parts. As such his third golem was perfectly capable of standing and running on its own and possessed improved motor controls compared to the previous two. It also was a faster learner and understood more words at a time, a small problem with this golem was the inability to learn more than fifty words at once. When it would reach that number it would essentially delete the words it knew the longest and replace them with the new ones. But the fifty words was an improvement from the last two that could only remember ten and twenty five respectively.


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    The fourth golem was roughly the same in terms of physical capabilities but was far more intelligent that the previous ones. It understood more than the fifty words the previous one could and was able to somewhat interpret the instructions it was given to account for certain obstacles or changes.


    The fifth and final golem created by Arthur was likely the best one so far. Given all his practice in assembling and enchanting the previous golems this one was by far the strongest and smartest of them all. Its mental abilities were comparable to a real animal rather than a mindless object like the first and second golems and it possessed the ability to think for itself like the fourth one as well as make decisions without any input from Arthur. He proved this by placing a glass bottle on the edge of a table just enough that it would fall over if given even the slightest nudge. While the fifth golem was watching Arthur tapped it and pushed it over the edge, the bottle of course shattered on impact and the golem ran over to see what happened. Arthur then placed a second bottle on an edge and the golem rushed over to grab it and keep it away from the edge.


    The behavior was quite simple yet it showed that the golem was more than able to make simple decisions for itself based on information it had been provided with prior. Since it knew that glass bottles were important it went out of its way to stop anymore from breaking. It was excellent progress for Arthur because it marked his capabilities as an enchanter and golemancer to be enough to move onto the small humanoid flesh golems that Brexius moved onto after he was done with the rats.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Enchanting Level 1


    + Golemancy Level 1


    + Anatomy Level 0 (New)


    \- - - - - -/


    Thankfully he had three human bodies that he could work with in his dimensional bag, while they were within it they did not start decomposing like the ones that he buried in his backyard. Those ones were all far too decomposed to be of any use. But for the time being Arthur wouldn¡¯t have much of an opportunity to conduct his experiments and continue learning from the work of Brexius as he noticed the gang that had been harassing him for ¡®protection¡¯ money has been keeping a few people around to watch him.


    They didn¡¯t make any moves against him, but they were watching him. In total there were about five people at most watching his house and it was starting to make him uncomfortable. So far they had kept their distance but Arthur really didn¡¯t want to risk one of them breaking into his house and finding something incriminating about him.


    Arthur peeked through the window at one of the gang members that was keeping watch of him. It was a human woman wearing a ragged and faded blue shirt without any sleeves. About one hundred meters away a human man was leaning on a building with something in his mouth as smoke rose from his general area. He also appeared to be carrying a large bag with him. Everyday that man would arrive at that spot and stay there until about dinner time when he would leave. Throughout the day several people would walk up to him and exchange some money for whatever he was keeping within the bag he carried around.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what they are doing but I am betting that it is most certainly illegal. The man might not be here to watch me, but the others that rotate around probably are. They must have taken notice that I killed the last two groups that they sent over here, now they must be trying to gather information on what I am capable of. But that raises the question of what they are going to do next.¡¯


    Arthur had been watching what they were all doing outside his house for several days now, this allowed him to notice several things regarding their behavior and how he could exploit it. ¡®The one with the bag always goes in the same direction when he leaves at dinner time, odds are he is going back to the same place every night and that is most likely where he is living. If I can follow him back there I can ambush him and find out what he is doing there everyday and I can interrogate him about the gang he is a part of. The only problem is that the others are always watching my house.¡¯


    Never before has Arthur been so annoyed by the actions of those he could easily kill with just a flick of his hand, but he knew that rushing in head first wouldn¡¯t solve the problem of this gang, as the last time he got into a position to deal with them was by being smart and avoiding a direct fight. If that lesser gang member hadn''t shown up and forced his hand he could have easily killed them all and disappeared.


    ¡®First opportunity I get and I am following him. If his friends so much as blink for too long I will be out of here and following in his footsteps.¡¯


    Unfortunately no such opportunity was present by the time the man with the bag left his little corner and returned to wherever he lived. The other gang members swapped out with some others that he recognized from prior in the week and continued where their allies left off.


    Arthur forced himself to resist the temptation to just walk over and shove a Large Earth Spike through their skulls just to be rid of them and instead continued practicing the levitation spell that he had been working on over the last week.


    Whenever he had some free time from working on his flesh golems he would try out the levitation spell. So far he had made some progress in casting the spell, but the difficulty of the spell derived from maintaining it for a period of time. The reason it was hard to maintain the spell was because to keep a human levitated above the ground absolutely required a lot of mana and aeromancy. The weight of the object being levitated would also further increase the burden on the caster.


    So far Arthur had made some progress in using the spell upon small objects such as rocks and firewood he kept by the fireplace. But when it came to levitating himself it wasn¡¯t quite the same as he weighed far more than a rock or piece of firewood.


    But for the time being that was unimportant, Arthur now had something new to work on. He needed a plan to follow this outlying gang member and find out what he is up to during the day.


    ¡®Clearly he is selling something to these people. But I have no way of knowing what it is, and I highly doubt he would be willing to tell me, since I have worked with the city guard I am betting the gang knows about that and has informed all their subordinates that are within the area of who I am and not to approach me. If they haven¡¯t then they are idiots, but given how quickly and efficiently they have established themselves here I highly doubt that is the case.¡¯ Arthur began to click his tongue out of frustration at his current predicament. ¡®The only way to follow him would be to leave without any of the gang members noticing and waiting nearby until he leaves, but the problem with that is I have no way to become invisible or hide myself from them. The only other option would be to kill them and hide their bodies when he isn¡¯t looking.¡¯

 Chapter 99

    Arthur was very conflicted, while he had no problems with killing and hiding the dead bodies of the previous gang members that tried taking ¡®protection¡¯ money from him, these one hadn¡¯t actually done anything to him yet. At worse they are just being creepy by watching him and that isn¡¯t quite enough to kill them for.


    ¡®They should still have several of their members within that tavern, I could go there and find someone to tell me about the gang. The bartender did tell me where the gangs leadership was meeting, if he is also the owner he should also know when their next meeting is or at least who they are.¡¯


    Now Arthur had a proper plan, but the problem was he could go straight to the tavern without risking giving away his intentions to those who were watching. He usually went up north to one of the other three districts of the city, if he were to suddenly go the opposite direction it wouldn¡¯t require a genius to understand what he is doing. That would leave him with walking up north and turning around on another street and walking to the tavern that way, but that assumes that he won''t be followed.


    ¡®Screw it, I don¡¯t necessarily need to go there today or right now. I can just walk to the guild and stay there for a bit before walking back and see if they have moved to follow me. If they have then I will need to think of another plan, if not then I can enact my plan when I have an opportunity.¡¯


    Arthur quickly gathered everything magically related into his back and locked as well as barred each of the doors before he left and started on his way towards the mages guild. For a while Arthur didn¡¯t look behind him to see if he was being followed to sell the illusion that he was unaware, but thankfully there was a sharp turn that had a building blocking the view and allowed Arthur to stand there and wait to see if the gang member that watched his house would walk by. About ten minutes passed and the gang member did no pass by, to be certain Arthur looked around the corner and only found normal people without any gang insignia.


    Arthur smiled at this revelation, he now had a working plan to eradicate the leadership of this gang and this time he wouldn¡¯t be spooked by someone suddenly walking up the stairs behind him. But one problem that remained was that Arthur didn¡¯t really know the area all that well. Despite living there for quite some time Arthur didn¡¯t know the layout of the neighborhood aside from the streets he took to and from his home everyday. This left him with little information regarding what roads connect and how he could navigate himself to the tavern without being spotted.


    ¡®That isn¡¯t my only problem, I should also have a disguise of some sort. Last time I didn¡¯t bother hiding who I was because I didn¡¯t think I needed to, now I just need to properly scout the place out and find out when the next meeting would be or if they were still having their meetings there.¡¯


    Arthur''s mind immediately turned to the tailor that he bought all his casual and alchemist attire from with the fashion expertise of his former teacher. ¡®He didn¡¯t just have real expensive stuff in there, he could also give me something that could help me disguise myself as a regular commoner who just is around for a drink.¡¯


    At the moment finding a disguise was a more pressing and easier concern to alleviate given that he had some money with him that could easily be used to buy something convincing. So Arthur retraced his steps to the tailor shop and passed The Elder Nymph. The top floor still had several black spots where the explosion wrecked it and even the rain that happened just a few days ago wasn¡¯t able to wash those black spots away.


    Arthur stood there for a while wondering what happened as a swirl of emotions returned that he had been keeping locked up. He didn¡¯t cry, but he felt as if he was catching a cold and he tried to hold back the emotions from showing on his face. Quickly he left the area and walked double time towards the tailor to take his mind off his former teacher.


    Like he remembered the tailor shop was a small yet beautiful building, at least compared to the other stores and buildings in the area. It had clean and pristine windows displaying clothes on mannequins in various poses. At the front counter was an older human man who Arthur suspected was the owner of the store based on the last time he was here with Georgius.


    ¡°Good afternoon, wait I remember you. You are Georgius¡¯s apprentice aren¡¯t you?¡± The older man asked as he was working on a piece of clothing with a sewing needle, he wasn¡¯t even looking at what he was doing yet he didn¡¯t not hurt himself.


    ¡°I was, but he decided that I was good enough to ¡®graduate¡¯ and work on my own now.¡± Arthur smiled recalling what Georgius said and how he trusted him to continue on with the golem. ¡°But that was a while ago, since then I have just been selling my potions to the mages guild.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to hear, but you wouldn¡¯t happen to know where he is or what he is doing right now would you? We usually meet up every so often somewhere nearby and have something to eat, but he hasn''t shown up in a while.¡± Arthur flinched slightly at hearing Georgius not showing up, somehow this friend of Georgius managed to miss the news of the disaster and death in his store.


    ¡°I''m not exactly sure how to say this, but he died.¡± The tailor looked at Arthur with wide eyes at that sentence and he even stopped sewing. He looked as if he was about to ask how before Arthur continued. ¡°There was an explosion at his workstation when he was working and the detectives that were assigned believed it to be just an experiment gone wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, I''m sorry to hear that. How long ago was this?¡± The tailor placed the clothing he was working on along with the needle on the table as he listened to Arthur.


    ¡°A few weeks ago, if you go look at his store you can still see the damage from the explosion.¡±


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    The two remained silent for a moment as the tailor sat on his chair thinking. Suddenly he turned to Arthur and said ¡°Thank you for telling me, I likely wouldn¡¯t have found out until much later if you haven''t. I am also assuming that his funeral has already happened.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was just his family that was invited to it. So neither I nor his other apprentice Aurelio were invited either.¡±


    The two continued to speak for a while mostly about how Arthur was doing since he was no longer an apprentice and was working on his own. Arthur answered truthfully about his new home and all the equipment he has bought and how he has learned a few tier two spells from his time within the mages guild. But eventually the conversation turned back to why Arthur was there. ¡°As much fun as it is to have a casual conversation with you, I assume you have a reason for coming here. Do you need another set of clothes like you bought the last time you were here?¡±


    ¡°Close, I do need clothes just not like the ones I am currently wearing. I need an outfit that would make me look like a regular commoner, someone that would normally go unnoticed in a cheap tavern and could walk around without drawing anyone''s attention.¡± Arthur explained to the tailor what he needed.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I am assuming you are doing something that isn¡¯t entirely legal and need a disguise so you are not caught by the authorities.¡± He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair as he waited for Arthur to explain himself.


    ¡°You are half right, I need a disguise so I can avoid a criminal gang. I''ve killed a few of their collection groups that came to harass me for ¡®protection¡¯ money and now they have a few of their members posted outside my house to keep watch of me.¡±


    The tailor sighed and began rubbing his temples and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find something that would work as a simple disguise for you, but it might take a bit as most of what I have in here is a bit expensive.¡± The tailor then left the front counter and walked into the back of his store while Arthur waited. A few minutes later he returned with a brown cloak, grey pants, and a dark grey shirt.


    ¡°Now these might feel a little big on you, but that should help sell the disguise. But I would also recommend buying some cheaper boots as very few commoners would have boots quite as nice as the ones you currently are wearing. Unfortunately I am not a cobbler, so I cannot help you in that endeavor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your help and your advice, I will see if I can find someone selling some simple boots. How much do I owe you?¡± Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out a small pouch full of copper coins.


    ¡°5 copper pieces.¡± Arthur happily paid the tailor five copper coins and left to find someone selling boots. Several of the small vendors would sometimes sell things like shoes and boots and all sorts of things in the nearby market as anyone can sell just about anything as long as it is legal to do so.


    Most of them were clearly merchants by trade based on their clothes and the amount of merchandise they had and that they kept it in nearby crates that their laborer''s would occasionally open up and replace the depleted merchandise that was displayed.


    Many of those merchants sold clothing from basic shoes to boots, but what Arthur saw was mostly on the higher end of the price range for a commoner to afford and to keep the disguise consistent he would need something a little cheaper. Eventually Arthur found a young human man standing at a stall off to the side and out of the way from everything and everyone else. The young man looked saddened by something and no one was buying anything he was selling.


    But this young man did catch his attention for one reason, he had an old pair of slightly worn boots on display that would complete the disguise. So Arthur slowly walked up to the stall this young man was at and inquired about the boots.


    ¡°Wait, you want these boots Mr.?¡± The young man looked Arthur up and down as he asked. Clearly Arthur was not the customer he had in mind.


    ¡°Yes I do, I need a pair of boots like these for a¡­ personal reason. How much do you want for them?¡± The young man still looked at Arthur with skepticism, but he lowered his guard a bit and gave Arthur a price. ¡°3 copper pieces, I bought them for 5 pieces when they were new and now they are a little worn down.¡±


    Arthur quickly reached into his bag and pulled out three copper coins and handed them to the young man, upon receiving all his coins he handed Arthur the boots looking a little bit happier than before. ¡°Uh, thanks Mr.¡±


    *********


    With his disguise in hand Arthur returned to the tailor shop where he changed into it with the permission of the tailor there. Since it was a tailor shop there were a few changing rooms towards the back of the store, and Arthur made use of one and left the store fully disguised.


    Arthur was practically unrecognizable as the plain and simple clothes were not something he made use of since he bought something nicer, and the hooded cloak covered his head and face making him far harder to recognize. Only someone who was quite familiar with who he was could be able to recognize him and even then it would likely not be from a distance.


    Arthur slowly walked back towards his house but as his home street drew close he went down another that was close enough to the tavern this mysterious gang liked. Although it took him a lot longer and backtracking several times he did eventually find it and entered through the front door.


    This time there were two guards waiting by the door and they were both wearing better equipment than the previous guard in the form of a proper gambeson and a leather cap. They both wielded a spear and gave him a funny look before they ignored him completely.


    Inside was pretty much the same as last time with several tables and chairs full of gang members of various ranks based on the armor they wore along with the occasional common folk. At the bar located off to the side was the very same bartender as the last time washing a cup.


    Arthur walked up and took a seat at the bar and watched the bartender until he said ¡°Want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a light beer.¡± Arthur responded.


    ¡°Sure thing, it''ll cost you 2 copper pieces.¡± The bartender said as he walked off to the side to bring Arthur a mug of beer. When he came close Arthur pulled his hood back just enough for the bartender to get a good look at his face and handed him the two copper coins.


    The bartender chuckled as he received the coins. ¡°Don¡¯t like to rack up a tab do you?¡± He said with a slight grin on his face as he looked up and paused, the man who ordered the beer looked quite familiar and now that he thought of it so did his voice.


    ¡°That is correct, I¡¯ve heard many stories about people who drink more than they can pay for.¡± Arthur smiled at the man as he kept eye contact and began drinking a bit of his beer, it wasn¡¯t quite as strong as he figured it would be and the taste reminded him of bread or porridge and not exactly the good tasting ones.

 Chapter 100

    ¡°So what is the deal with these gang members all hanging out here, they aren¡¯t even trying to disguise who they are.¡± The bartender continued looking at Arthur as he spoke wondering where he knew him from. ¡° In my opinion they are just trying to get themselves killed in one big attack.¡± Arthur whispered and the bartender immediately recognized who he was. He nearly panicked and backed up but managed to hide his shock and fear, for the most part.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here again, and why didn¡¯t you kill the high rankers when you had that opportunity?¡± The bartender showed a little of his bottled up anger as he whispered, but ultimately he was wondering why Arthur left without killing anyone.


    ¡°There was a complication in the matter, when it happened I decided to leave before I was surrounded. I was confident in killing the leadership of this gang, but not so much against everyone else here without burning the place to the ground.¡± The bartender flinched at the mention of burning. ¡°Regardless, I need to know when the next meeting between gang leadership will be. This time I intend to kill them all quickly after all the crap they have been pulling.¡±


    ¡°They have meetings at the end of every week at around noon. But I should also tell you about the increased security they have been having since the last time you were here. They have started bringing along their second in commands for both protection and council, the amount of people you will need to kill will be doubled from last time.¡± It was currently the fourth day of the week leaving Arthur with another three days to prepare to kill off the leadership of this gang.


    ¡°That''s fine, better actually. This way a power vacuum will be left and the gang will likely fall apart into much smaller and more manageable pieces for the city guard to deal with.¡± Arthur said as he considered his options.


    ¡®Pyromancy spells are definitely not an option unless I want to risk burn down the whole tavern. That just leaves me with Hydromancy, geomancy, and aeromancy to work with. My biggest worry will be how they will react when I launch my first attack. I should try to kill or wound as many as possible to remove them from the fight, a barrage of small earth projectiles would achieve that with a minimal mana drain. When I get home I can think about this further and figure out all the possible ways they could react.¡¯


    ¡°I will see you again here at around noon in three days. Don¡¯t tell anyone about our conversation, because I doubt that the gang members would be so kind as to allow you to walk afterwards.¡± Arthur quickly finished up his drink and left the bartender with those few threatening words to keep him from blabbing.


    On the way back to his home Arthur followed the way back in which he came from until he arrived at an intersection in the dirt road that led back to his home which he promptly took. Arthur also switched his shirt and cloak to the higher quality shirt and his overcoat that he normally wears to avoid suspicion from the gang member that was watching his house. Unfortunately he did not have an opportunity to change his pants, but he doubted that anyone would notice they were different and he could just change them once he got inside.


    Once inside his home Arthur quickly switched his pants away from any windows and began to formulate a plan as well as contingencies for when he would attack the gang meeting in three days.


    First he would need to create a large barrage of small earth projectiles to deal as much damage and create as much confusion amongst everyone as possible. There were two important possible reactions that he would need to be prepared to react upon, the first was if they took cover behind the table or something else that was nearby. The way to bypass that was to simply use his manipulation of one of his evocations and direct the projectiles around.


    The second was if they decided to rush and attack him, in that case he would need to be prepared to conjure up a wall or an obstacle of some sort to either stop or block them. Arthur could just use the Force Wall from his mage staff to block them, but that would be a last resort as he really didn¡¯t want to rely upon it too much as that could cause problems in the future relating to his magical skill set. But it was possible for Arthur to conjure up a barricade or something similar enough to keep the gang members from hitting him, although that would likely be quite expensive in terms of mana.


    ¡®Looks like I will need to take a look at the library again to see if I can find something that fits my requirements.¡¯ But it was starting to get late by this time so Arthur decided to put researching for a spell that fit that criteria off until tomorrow morning and instead decided to practice casting a few spells he thought he could improve upon and try creating a large amount of small earth projectiles to see how many he could control with just his geomancy manipulation skill.


    First thing in the morning that soon arrived Arthur ate a full breakfast and quickly left for the mages guild library. When Arthur stepped outside he noticed that a gang member was still watching over his house, he was trying to be discreet but failed miserably at it. Arthur paid him little attention and simply went on his way despite feeling the gang member''s eye burning a hole in the back of his head.


    By the time Arthur reached the guild it was already nine thirty in the morning and the crowd of people standing in line were all ready and waiting by the time Arthur arrived. He squeezed through the crowd and walked down into the underground of the guild towards the library.


    Inside the library Mrs. Florens the librarian was showing a young human woman that looked to be around the same age as Arthur something related to the library sorting system. ¡®She must be helping Mrs. Florens with keeping the library organized.¡¯


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    Arthur paid the two little attention and simply walked to the apprentice section and began looking at the various spell books for something that fit his need. Each book that he found he flipped open and took a look at each page before deciding if what it contained would be useful, if it wasn¡¯t then he simply went onto the next. In total Arthur went through three whole books each with at least fifty spells before he found what he was looking for within the fourth book.


    ¡®Earth Barricade. A tier two spell that conjures up a small barricade of conjured earth that reaches up to the stomach of an adult human man. Sounds like exactly what I need.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he looked at the diagram that was included on the page the spell was on, it showed an outline of a humanoid next to a big thing that looked to be made up of a bunch of thick sticks and connected together that formed a structure that looked like it would block anyone from passing.


    Arthur looked over the verbal and hand signs that were a part of the casting and memorized them before he closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf. ¡®I need to find a proper place to test this spell out, but that only leaves home and the training rooms in here and I have no idea if I need to rent a training room beforehand or what. And even if i don¡¯t need to rent it I will still probably take a few hours to all day to learn how to cast the spell on my own.¡¯


    Arthur decided to return home so he could practice this new Earth Barricade spell in his backyard since he did not know the rules regarding the training rooms. When he arrived he took notice of the gang member still standing across the street as if he hadn¡¯t even moved since Arthur left around an hour ago. ¡®I almost feel bad for him from how long he just has to stand there watching me.¡¯


    Arthur quickly walked to his backyard and readied himself to cast the Earth Barricade spell. He stood straight and kept his feet in line with his shoulders and raised his hands to begin casting. ¡°Ego terrae praecipio creare vallum et inimicos meos a transitu prohibere, ego terrae praecipio creare vallum et inimicos meos a transitu prohibere.¡±


    Arthur felt the mana within him attempt to formulate the spell, but fail regardless. So he tried again and again for a whole six hours before he was successful in casting the spell. What the spell conjured was a barricade that was a bit over a meter in height and around two meters in length, the thick beams that made up its structure also had sharp pricks scattered throughout like the stem of a rose that made any attempts to climb over it very painful and harmful.


    ¡®Oh yeah, this will work very well for what I have in mind.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he thought about how to implement this into his plan and prevent the gang leaders from escaping their own meeting room. Arthur remained out there for another hour practicing the spell with regular success so that he could perfect it for when he needed to cast it most.


    But despite this he still had another two full days before the hostile gang would have their meeting and present the opportunity to use this spell. That left Arthur with the question of what he should do during them. ¡®I don¡¯t think I have enough time to fully read up and begin working on the next stage of flesh golems that Brexius recorded within his journal, I could definitely read it just not do anything with that knowledge. I could continue working on creating a barrage of small earth projectiles, but I don¡¯t know how much I can improve that at this point.¡¯


    Arthur was rather stumped, he wasn¡¯t sure what he should spend the two days he had doing. He could continue learning about flesh golems through the journal but he wouldn¡¯t have enough time until after dealing with the gang to do anything with that knowledge. He could also spend his time reinforcing his skills to ensure that he retains his grasp over his magic and increase his odds of success.


    He didn¡¯t feel that he should just continue practicing, but that didn¡¯t mean he was right either. That strange feeling he would often receive would only ever occur when he was very close to the source of the danger and only ever happened within the same day from his experience. Though his belief in the source of the feeling may be wrong he wasn¡¯t exactly certain how or if he was even able to prove it.


    ¡®If I practice more the worst thing that can happen would be that I just put extra time towards something I didn¡¯t necessarily need to. If I read the journal and learn more about golemancey the worst thing that could happen is that I die.¡¯ Arthur sighed and placed Brexius¡¯s journal back into his bag and stood up from his chair. He had come to a decision, and even though he didn¡¯t want to, he decided on practicing his magic in preparation for the upcoming attack, specifically he was going to be practicing his geomancy.


    Recalling some exercises from some of the books he borrowed and read from the library Arthur began following some of them but scaled them up so that they would become more mana intense and require more focus on his part to control. It was very boring and repetitive but it was the best way for Arthur to reliably improve his control over a large amount of earth through geomancy that he knew of.


    While his HUD didn¡¯t give any explicit change in the number that represented his skill level, he felt a greater degree of control over the earth he utilized whether it was conjured or not. The amount of small earth projectiles he could create increased by two, it wasn¡¯t much on paper, but in practice that was about a eight percent increase to what he could do before, and only the gods knew what that would look like in the future.


    *********


    One the last day of the week and the day of the gang meeting within the tavern Arthur woke up like any other and ate a full breakfast before he changed into his disguise. He didn¡¯t look all that impressive, but that was the point of it. He looked no different from anyone you might pull from the street and that was if you were actively looking which Arthur doubted anyone would do until he started killing the gang leaders.


    But before he left he left a note at the front door for Gaelin that he would be back at around one o¡¯clock and to either return then or tomorrow.


    To bypass the watchful eye of the current gang member watching his home Arthur was forced to sneak out the backyard and pass through one of the properties located behind his home. Thankfully as he passed no one started shouting at him and alerting the gang members of what he was doing, they must either not see him or be at work.


    Arthur circled around towards the north until he found the road that he took to the tavern three days prior and began following it back. By the time he arrived there it was around nine o¡¯clock, he was three hours early but the bartender said that the meetings would usually happen around noon. That still left room for an early meeting and he would rather be too early than too late.


    To keep from being suspicious Arthur ordered something to eat and a small cup of beer to drink with it to keep up the disguise. He took a seat towards the back of the dining area and avoided the eyes of the few gang members that were around at such a nearly time.

 Chapter 101

    Arthur waited in his seat for around two and a half hours for the leading members of the Black Eye gang to start arriving one by one. It started with a few that looked no different than simple thugs before the first one that stood out arrived. It was a human man with quite pale skin for someone who wasn¡¯t a noble and dressed in well above average clothing. He was followed by a second younger man who was dressed in a similar way, but even his skin was tanned a little from the sun.


    The next to arrive was a very tall and brown skinned man. Unlike all the other gang leaders he was bald and abnormally tall, even for a human. Arthur estimated he was about six and a half feet tall. Behind him was a younger woman with tanned but pale skin that one would expect from the area. She wore a simple set of leather armor that stood out from what everyone else wore from the color to the design, just like her boss who wore some more expensive clothes than everyone else.


    The third gang leader of note was an older woman that reminded Arthur of an assassin by the way she walked along with the two younger women that followed her. The three were all dressed in dark and simple clothes but were unmistakably well made despite their appearance. While their clothes were not skin tight they were quite slim yet still looked very dangerous. The two steel daggers the three either carried or kept sheathed also helped with that look. This group was definitely the most dangerous of the group.


    ¡®Perhaps it was a good thing that I left on that day I arrived to kill them all. I didn¡¯t really have a plan then and that older woman still looks very dangerous despite her age.¡¯ Arthur inwardly gave a small thanks to that lone gang member that surprised him on that day and gave him motivation to leave.


    But now Arthur had tier two spells at his disposal and unless those three women knew how to fly through the top half of a door frame there was very little they would be able to do to him while he was outside the room slinging spells at them.


    Once Arthur was certain that all the gang members were, he walked over to the bartender with the cup and plate he used and handed them over as he sat on a nearby chair. The bartender smiled and took them before taking a quick look around and whispering ¡°That is all of them, they should be starting their meeting soon.¡±


    Arthur gave a small nod and waited a moment as he secretly gave a few looks around the room to be sure no one was watching him before he walked towards the staircase and slowly up towards the meeting room. Arthur walked slowly and avoided any of the squeaky boards to prevent noise, but as he got closer he realized he didn¡¯t really need to as the gang leaders were speaking very loudly within that room.


    ¡°Why on the earth we walk on should we even pursue drugs!? Just because this one worked doesn''t mean we should go all in and start dealing in grey sugar!¡± A female voice shouted, most likely the older woman at someone in the room. This grey sugar was an unfamiliar term to Arthur, but the use of the word drug gave him a clearer picture of what they were talking about.


    ¡°I hate to say this Kelile, but she does have a point. Even if we were on board how we would even manufacture the stuff, it would require an alchemist with knowledge of tier two spells for even the simplest of compounds, tier three spells for anything large scale like you suggested. And don¡¯t forget about all the alchemists that we have currently gone through trying to find someone willing to take part.¡± A more elegant voice said to someone named Kelile, clearly they have been contacting alchemists for some reason. ¡®I wonder why they haven''t gotten into contact with me yet.¡¯


    ¡°Of course I haven''t, do you take me for a fool? We have only contacted a few and even then we only needed to kill one because we were far too direct with our approach. Since then we have been far more careful and even located a few candidates that could help us with a little coercion.¡± A deeper and more ruthless voice spoke, making Arthur feel as if he had grown a pit in his stomach.


    ¡°So we are just going to ignore the fact that you suggested that we use an experimental explosive black powder to blow the top floor of that alchemist''s store right off for everyone to see. We are very lucky we managed to point the detectives towards one of his former apprentices with a little planted evidence. Otherwise they might have been looking into whoever you found to supply that thing.¡± The female voice spoke again. By this time Arthur was up against the doorframe and listening in on the conversation that was happening.


    ¡°We are going to put that to the side for the time being as we currently have no reason to worry about that. We managed to push the suspicion to someone else and we have several people that are more than capable of doing what we need them to do for a small cut of the profits, I have already begun negotiations with each of them.¡± The deep voice said.


    ¡°You did this without our input!? Are you trying to get yourself killed Kelile!? You should have contacted us about this first and we could have come to a decision as a group, that is the reason why we formed the Black Eye gang, to keep each other from making terrible mistakes and for mutual benefit. If you keep this up you may find yourself removed from us.¡± The softer and elegant voice said as Arthur slowly placed several handfuls of dirt on the floor in front of him.


    ¡°I agree, and I can personally assure you that I will never be in support of selling grey sugar to the masses. Do you have the slightest idea what being addicted to that event does to people!? It drives them insane, the symptoms also have a very large range from not eating for extended periods of time to rapid changes in moods from happy to violent in seconds! And I haven¡¯t even gotten into the physical changes that happen in those that repeatedly use it!¡± The female voice was practically shouting at this point, Arthur half expected the people from downstairs to be hearing her full rant.


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    ¡°That obviously isn¡¯t the only magical alchemical based drug I am interested in producing, there are several others from Magic Ice or even Red Stars. I am not one to keep all my eggs within one basket, I am quick to diversify into many different things.¡± The rest of the table turned to look at the source of the deep voice as he said this. For almost a full minute the rest of the table simply looked at him with disbelief, they had no words to use for what he just said as he sat there uncomfortably asking ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Have you been consuming your own supply of swamp weed!?¡±


    ¡°Have you gone mad!? What possessed you to think of this!?¡±


    ¡°This is the worst idea that I have ever heard of since the beginning of this.¡±


    Everyone else at the table insulted the source of the deep voice after a moment to think about what he said. ¡°What do you mean by that! You all wanted solutions for our money problem and I found one! But none of you are interested in it at all despite your best idea being collecting protection money!¡± The deep voice started shouting at the other gang leaders and he could be heard standing by Arthur just outside the room.


    ¡°You all considered swamp weed, what is the difference between that and harder substances like grey sugar!¡± A loud bang could be heard as the deep voice slammed his fist on the table.


    ¡°The difference is the side effects of these harder substances on the users and how they impact society. The reason why those who deal in that stuff typically only sell to nobles is because they have a steady income of money that is unlikely to change, even wealthy commoners don¡¯t have that because they need to maintain whatever business or other source of income they have. That isn¡¯t even counting what grey sugar or red stars does to people with prolonged use.¡± The elegant voice could also be heard standing as he said this to his colleague.


    ¡°And what might those side effects be if you are so knowledgeable in this?¡± The deep voice asked in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Grey sugar, for example, messes with the moods and emotions of its users at almost completely random, it also can give them a drive to go and do something, typically something dangerous to themselves or others and they are usually more than willing to hurt others for that drive. That magic ice you suggested can keep people awake for hours or even days at a time if you continue consuming it, and I don¡¯t think I need to explain why that is bad. Red stars is by far the worst of that trio that you came up with, there is a reason why it is called the cursed drug and no others have that name. The transformations whether they be real or not keep just about anyone with common sense away from them.¡± The woman who had been speaking who Arthur also suspected of standing up at this point based on the moving chair said in response to the deep voices'' mockery.


    ¡°If that is the case then why haven¡¯t I heard anything about this? I have been transporting drugs with my gang for quite some time before the purge happened and nothing of that sort was ever a factor.¡± The tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.


    ¡°Because the crown and any other competent government keeps that hidden from the public eye. Only people with very deep ties to the underworld or high ranking government officials know such information. Since you were just a small timer before the purge it is unsurprising that you didn¡¯t know then, but given just how much influence we have over what is left we expected that you would at least do the bare minimum of research on the topic before you brought it up.¡±


    The conversation continued on as Arthur finished placing all the dirt he had on the ground before him. He easily brought enough for around two hundred small earth projectiles to bombard the room with. But he waited for a good opportunity as casting the Earth Barricade spell was an investment of both mana and timing.


    ¡°Well how was I supposed to know that there were horrible side effects regarding these drugs, I assumed the worst of them was their addictive nature and high production cost. I intended to have the swamp weed for the general populous and the more expensive drugs for nobles that are interested. Do any of you have any better ideas as to what to do?¡± The deep voice began complaining and looking to his allies for an answer.


    ¡°Well for starters we are each specialized in our own trade, if we want to be effective then we need to remain within it. But to do that we will require a bit of starting capital, I for example am well versed in the art of forging documents and fencing goods. To start up any proper operations regarding those things would be much smoother if you were to lend me some of your money earned through the swamp weed sales.¡± The elegant voice said as the ruffling of some papers could be heard from just outside the room.


    ¡°In that case my people won¡¯t be all that much of a help for the time being, since we are thieves through and through. Since the purge most of our enemies have either been killed off or went into hiding and haven¡¯t been heard from since, that leaves us with very little to steal.¡± The older woman said.


    ¡°If you would just sign here I can guarantee you a 3 percent repayment every month for the next 33 months, this here is the list of clauses and other legally binding bits.¡± The elegant voice said as the sound of something being slid across the table could faintly be heard. ¡°Fine!¡± The deep voice said with a hint of annoyance clear in his tone.


    Suddenly one of the other far less important leaders at the table who had a clear view of the doorway noticed something that wasn¡¯t there before. Some weird brown colored stick thing was in the doorway blocking the bottom half. ¡°Hey, what is that?¡± He said as he leaned forward to try and determine what it was.


    The woman and two other important men turned to look at what their lesser colleague was talking about, but when they saw it their jaws dropped and they quickly shouted at everyone else to run for cover. But it was too late, a barrage of projectiles arrived from the open doorway and killed the four gang members along with their second in commands that were seated on the opposite side of the table. As those four fell to the floor the remaining five leaders plus their second in commands pushed the table over to act as a defensive wall.


    For nearly a whole minute everything went silent and the remaining gang members readied whatever weapons they had at their disposal, it mostly consisted of daggers and other short bladed weapons but the one with the deep voice Kelile still had his two talismans with him. As such he chuckled as he took them from his pockets and held them in his hands.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Pius the elegant man whispered. ¡°What spells do those cast!?¡±


    ¡°This one casts a shield.¡± Kelile raised the disk shaped talisman. ¡°And this one casts a fireball.¡± Kelile raised a second talisman that was shaped like a stone rod that could be held in the closed fist of a small child.

 Chapter 102

    ¡°You can use the shield talisman as much as you want, but do not under any circumstances use the fireball one. The last thing we need is to trap ourselves in here by starting a fire.¡± Pius whispered as he slowly moved over towards Kelile who had a confused expression on his face.


    ¡°Start a fire? How? It shoots a magic fireball, not a normal fireball. That can¡¯t spread to other things.¡± Kelile almost looked insulted as he clenched the thin stone shaft in his hand.


    ¡°Well clearly you also know very little about magic in addition to your knowledge of the criminal underworld. The only difference between magic and normal fire is the source, they can both spread across flammable surfaces and burn things. If they didn¡¯t then it wouldn¡¯t be all that useful now would it?¡± Pius was about ready to punch Kelile in the face as he gave a very simple explanation of how magic fire worked. Aside from the swamp weed he has been nothing but a liability so far.


    ¡°Well how was I supposed to know that! It''s not like I went to a fancy school like you did as a child!¡±


    ¡°I had to learn this without school you moron, do they not have libraries on Pyrosa for the public to access!?¡±


    ¡°Who in their right mind would just allow commoners to freely read books!¡±


    As Pius and Kelile argued while they hid behind the table Arthur was trying to find a way to remove the rather large and thick table as an obstacle and eliminate the remaining gang leaders along with their second in commands. He could always go with the standard continuous bombardment of earth projectiles, but that would eat up his mana reserves and leave him vulnerable.


    He could also start using fire magic to try and burn the table and force them out from their hiding spot, but the fire could easily spread and cause a lot of damage to the tavern, and the last thing Arthur was trying to do was destroy the tavern. The bartender/owner seemed like a nice enough person, he just had a terrible clientele.


    Neither hydromancy or aeromancy gave Arthur any more avenues of attack, that left him with just geomancy and pyromancy to try and force his enemies to move. Of course Arthur kept his mage staff out just in case, but he would like to resolve the situation without using it at all as it could possibly hold him back if he relies upon it too much.


    With a sigh of defeat Arthur readied himself and casted the Tri Fire Bolts spell and conjured up three small bolts of fire that hovered around just waiting to be used. He took a small peek from around the corner and once he was certain that no one was watching him he flicked his wrist and propelled the three bolts towards the table. He specifically aimed towards the top edge of the table with one bolt for the center and both sides each. The idea was that the three bolts would slowly smolder until it would start to burn.


    But the remaining five gang members quickly figured out what just hit the table and attempted to find a way to put them out. One of the less important members even tried to grab and remove it that way, but when his hand touched the burning bolt he immediately screamed out in pain as his hand burned. To make things worse Arthur capitalized on the opportunity and launched a slightly larger earth bolt that was around the size of an arrow. This earth arrow pierced through his hand and into the table thus preventing him from removing his hand.


    As this situation was unfolding Eveline was racking her mind for who this mysterious mage might be and why they might be attacking them. For starters the most likely reason for the attack is an assassination, obviously they were not the only gang that survived the purge but clearly they must have been stepping on someone''s toes to hire a mage to kill them. The next important detail she noticed was that most of the spells they had employed thus far were geomancy spells, which further narrowed down the list of possible mages within the underworld that she knew of.


    ¡®If we knew the gender of our assassin I could further shorten that list and actually make an educated guess and if we are lucky negotiate our way out of this. But we need to get them to talk first, since Kelile is most likely the one who angered our rivals he should be the one to do. And besides he is on the end of the table, it will be a lot less work to move around behind here without moving over a dead body.¡¯


    Eveline slowly began to crawl behind the table towards Kelile and his end of the table to speak with him and tell him about her plan and why this was most likely his fault. ¡°Are you insane!? If you are correct about this being an assassination attempt then why would they be willing to listen to me especially if one of those losers was a part of some larger gang?¡± Kelile was not exactly happy with Eveline¡¯s plan and suspicion that he was the cause of this situation.


    ¡°Because even if they are hostile to you after you speak you have a talisman that can protect you unlike the rest of us. That might end up being the only thing that saves your life in this situation.¡± ¡®And even if he does try to kill you there is a good chance he will say something beforehand, should you die we can just appropriate your funds and build something better.¡¯


    ¡°Fine-¡± Kelile practically growled. ¡°-but I expect you to find something about our assassin.¡± Kelile took a deep breath and readied himself to bring the attention of the mage assassin as Eveline returned to her original position.


    ¡°To whoever is currently attacking us, we are willing to negotiate!¡± Kelile shouted and he quickly stood up with his hands raised high, the shield talisman within the firm grip of his left hand.


    For a moment Arthur stood behind cover deciding on what he should do. He could consider negotiating with them, he might even get something nice out of it. But what they said about killing an alchemist was very suspicious, Arthur would love to ask questions regarding that but that would be very suspicious and could give away his identity. Though speaking was not out of the question as to his knowledge none of them were familiar with his voice.


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    ¡°Is that so? What might you be willing to offer me to go our separate ways and forget about this whole¡­ situation?¡± Arthur attempted to sound like a sort of assassin that does illegal things for fun over money but still likes to be paid at the end of the day.


    ¡°Well¡­ We have a large amount of money that we are willing to give you.¡± Kelile said as he thought through all the possible things he could offer to this mage to make him leave.


    ¡°Interesting¡­ Anything else you want to share with me before you hear my final answer.¡± Kelile gritted his teeth at the response he received. He was making it evident that he wanted more than the money they just carry around, he wanted a definitive number and a few other things to go along with it.


    ¡°I have 100 gold coins in a secure location that I am willing to hand over to you on the condition of leaving the remainder of us alive.¡± Kelile hoped that this assassin would take that, very few people would offer up more than one hundred gold coins for an assassination of such a small group.


    Meanwhile Eveline was racking her brain trying to think of who the assassin might be. ¡®There are two types of assassins that talk to their targets, the ones that can be bribed and the ones that like to watch their targets squirm before landing the killing blow.¡¯ Of all the geomancer assassins that she knew of, this one did not fit any singular one. There was a large amount of overlap, but no definitive answer.


    ¡®All I can do in this situation is hope he isn''t one of the ones that I have so little data on that I couldn¡¯t even recognize him. A few like The Butcher and Dagoth are only known for how they leave their victims after the fact, not so much information on how they interact with them while they are alive.¡¯ Eveline did her best to keep calm with these thoughts within her mind as she told herself it wasn¡¯t the case, but something told her deep down that she should be worrying.


    Pius on the other hand was looking at the small dagger in his hand that he always carried with him. As a young boy he received a bit of training on how to use it in a defensive manner, although he hadn¡¯t used it for a long time he still recalled the basics even after all this time. The only worry in his mind was if he would need to use it to get out of this situation. Kelile was standing up as he negotiated with the assassin and Eveline was sitting at the opposite end biting her nails as her best thieves tried to use the reflection on their daggers to peek around the table to get a look at their assailant.


    ¡®Things can only get better from here¡­ Right?¡¯


    ¡°We- I have a talisman that you might find valuable. It casts the fireball spell when it is used and I have only used it once, so you can still find a lot of use from it.¡± Kelile reached for his fireball talisman and raised it above his head so Arthur could see it.


    As this was happening one of Eveline¡¯s thieves that she brought with her decided upon seeing no one at the doorway watching that she would try and move closer. She slowly slipped off to the far side of the room she and her boss were initially hiding and pressed her back against the wall. Because it was a secret meeting the room had its singular window closed and blocked preventing any sunlight from entering the room, this resulted in the use of candles to light the room cast were not exactly the most efficient. It left deep shadows along the walls that the thief used to hide herself.


    ¡°An interesting offer, but I would like to hear more about that alchemist that you blew up. It sounded quite interesting how you killed him, such a weapon even if experimental sounds very dangerous.¡± Arthur said as he noticed a small glint from metal reflecting light, someone was hiding along the shadows with a knife or sword drawn. In response Arthur readied himself to cast Tri Earth Bolts to disable this threat.


    ¡°Um, well this alchemist we contacted with the intent to do business with decided to reject our offer after hearing far too much about what we planned to do. He was a liability so I spoke with one of my old contacts and acquired an experimental alchemical creation called a demon powder orb. We triggered it with some magic thing from a distance once the alchemist was in his work station, the city guard eventually found out he had a former apprentice that was unhappy with him and started to investigate him leaving us in the clear.¡± Keline also noticed the young thief hiding within the shadows and knew he needed to stall for more time so she could get closer.


    ¡°If you want I can also introduce you to him. He might be willing to sell you some for your¡­ job if you have the money to pay for them.¡± Kelile knew that would never happen, but he needed to keep the assassin from noticing his ally.


    Suddenly three earth bolts shot out from the doorway, Kelile instinctively activated his shield talisman and ducked behind the table for cover. But that was unnecessary as he was not the target of that attack, it was the thief who thought she could sneak up and. She was hit in the right leg, the stomach, and her left eye, but surprisingly that didn¡¯t kill her. Luckily or unluckily the earth bolt only managed to pierce around halfway through her eye, so instead of dying she was left in excruciating pain. She fell to the floor as she screamed out and quickly pulled the earth bolts out of pure instinct, which led to her wounds starting to bleed.


    Arthur let out a sigh, nearly killing that woman felt good to him. It was like a massive weight had been lifted off of his shoulder that he didn¡¯t even notice was there until now. ¡®They must have been the one to kill Georgius. The stories of them both line up far too much to be just a coincidence, and now I have an opportunity to extract my revenge. No mercy.¡¯


    Arthur stepped out into the doorway with his mage staff at the ready, he quickly casted the force armor on himself in preparation for what he would do next. With a small flick of his wrist his mage staff fired a force bolt at the direct middle of the overturned table and with a loud crack it split in half and was pushed back.


    The unlucky man who was hiding right where that force bolt hit flew back and hit his head on the floor with a loud thump. The other gang leaders and their second in commands were also impacted by this as well, some were forced into the open from the impact and were swiftly met with a force bolt to the face that either killed them from the blunt force or knocked them out.


    Kelile was lucky because his shield talisman managed to hold after the first second and even third force bolts while he scrambled to his feet. Since force magic wasn¡¯t working Arthur moved onto pyromancy and fired several bolts of fire at him to test and see what would happen. Just like the force bolts, the fire bolts did nothing to the shield.


    By the time Arthur was done casting Kelile was up on his feet and wielding a short sword in his right hand as he held the talisman with his left. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me you bastard!¡±

 Chapter 103

    ¡®What!? How is that shield so durable!?¡¯ Arthur was shocked by the strength and versatility of the shield being used by the gang leader who was happy to try and negotiate with him just a few seconds ago. ¡®That is either the most efficient talisman I have ever seen or I don¡¯t have all the pieces.¡¯ Arthur watched as Kelile began running towards Arthur with his sword raised high ready to kill.


    With a wide swing Kelile brought the sword down like an axe as Arthur blocked with his mage staff, thankfully it had an enchantment that improved its durability. Out of instinct Arthur shoved his attacker away and brought the mace-like end down in a counter attack. That attack hit Kelile in the shoulder and caused him to shout out in pain as Arthur smiled. ¡®You idiot, that wasn¡¯t a shield talisman. It was a magic shield talisman, it only blocks magic attacks. No wonder it worked against both geomancy and pyromancy with little energy drain.¡¯


    Kelile though was very confused, he assumed that since his talisman was able to block magic attacks it should also do the same for non magical attacks as well, in fact he thought it would be easier on the talisman. But despite this flawless logic he was still struck in the shoulder by what was effectively a large two handed mace and recoiled to try and get some room.


    This was when the other members of the Black eye gang joined in and began attacking with whatever they had with them. Whether they had any proper training with a weapon or not they took whatever they had and ran towards Arthur with it more than happy to strike him down. Of course the older woman and her conscious subordinate were both the fastest and more dangerous of the few that remained.


    They were on him quickly and struck at him with the fury of a living demon, they were so skilled compared to Arthur that he was even forced back towards the open doorway with the only thing keeping him alive being the mage staff in his possession and the force armor spell it contained. Without it he would have likely been leaving a pool of blood on the floor.


    As he was being forced back he knew he needed to do something or he would be cornered and quickly disabled before he was killed. But as things currently stand he did not have a way to change that. The best thing he could do was use a large gust of air to propel himself back towards the door and by himself some time to cast either a force barrier or force wall.


    The gust of air Arthur created was a bit stronger than he intended and pushed both himself and his two attackers a few meters from where they were. With a moment to think Arthur¡¯s eyes darted around the room to look at all the other gang members, they were about as far back as the older woman and her subordinate which gave him enough time to properly cast something. Given his current position the best option would be the force wall.


    Placing both hands on the shaft of his staff Arthur held it out at his arms length and quickly lowered it to the ground, following that was a small shimmer between Arthur and the gang members that also took notice but paid it no attention once it was gone. The first to reach the force wall was actually Pius, surprising his colleagues as well as himself, but he quickly met the invisible force wall and recoiled as he held his nose.


    ¡®Okay, I have time to think. What do I do now?¡¯ Arthur¡¯s eyes darted around the room for something to use. Pyromancy was off the table as he didn¡¯t want to start a fire in a building built entirely from wood. Geomancy and hydromancy wouldn¡¯t help in this situation unless he removed the force wall, he could use aeromancy as it would pass the wall without any problem due to it not being a solid or liquid object. There was one problem with that, it was the type of magic that Arthur was the least skilled in which would require him to use most of his focus.


    But then Arthur noticed something on the other side of the force wall, sticking out of the backs of the gang members and opposite walls were several of the earth bolts that he created as a barrage. Since he created them from actual dirt as opposed to conjuring them he could still use them with less mana than if he used aeromancy and he might even be able to surprise his opponents by striking from behind.


    The remaining gang members ran up and began swinging their weapons at the invisible force wall, but due to their attacks simply being non magical they couldn¡¯t even see if they were damaging it. Meanwhile Arthur raised his hands and slowly reconnected with each of the small earth darts that he could find scattered across the room, when he had a suitable amount of them he quickly turned his hands around and commanded them to go in the general direction of where all the gang members were.


    They almost all shouted out in pain as they felt the second barrage of earth bolts pierce into their backs just like their allies who were killed by the first one. Although around half of them survived this one as they were struck with hastily reused and not of the same condition when they were first used. The half that did survive this included Pius and Eveline but not their second in commands while Kelile was killed instead of his second in command, there was also the second in commands of the other two gang leaders.


    Seeing all his enemies on the ground and dying, Arthur dispelled the force wall and raised his left hand to conjure a larger earth bolt for each of the remaining gang members to kill them quickly. As much as he wanted to keep them suffering for what they likely did to his former teacher he knew if he dragged things on too much he could be attacked by their subordinates sitting downstairs, and in that fight he would be outnumbered even more so.


    Most of the gang members were in far too much pain to even react to Arthur¡¯s actions except Eveline, she could see him raising his hand and conjuring the earth bolts and in a desperate attempt to live she begged to be allowed to live. ¡°Please, I will give you money, I will give you anything you want if you let me go.¡± Her voice was so weak that she didn¡¯t even think that her attacker could hear her.


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    But to her surprise he did hear her and he even responded. ¡°I already have exactly what I want from you, and I can assure you that you wouldn¡¯t even be able to give it to me while keeping your life.¡± Eveline was confused by this answer but she didn¡¯t have all that long to think about it as an earth bolt pierced her through her eye and killed her almost instantly along with the rest of her remaining allies.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 1900 Exp


    Level up


    Level 14


    13500/15600


    + 10 points


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur looked over each of the bodies to be certain that they were really dead before he started checking them for anything of value. What he most found was an assortment of silver and the occasional gold coin along with the weapon they brought along with them, but the dark skinned man Kelile was the best in terms of valuables as he had two talismans with him. One talisman would conjure up a shield that would block all magical attacks and the second was an offensive one, of course the previous one said it shot fireballs but given he didn¡¯t know what type of shield talisman he had he probably didn¡¯t know what type this one was either. ¡®I¡¯ll need to test it out myself to be certain of what it does.¡¯


    By the end of his looting Arthur was left with five steel short swords, twelve steel daggers, the two talismans, three gold coins and thirteen silver coins. Happy with what he collected Arthur walked back downstairs and into the actual tavern part of the building. A few of the gang members gave him strange looks as he exited the stairway, they likely heard something that happened upstairs and figured he must have started a fight of some sort. Although those were the ones sitting closest to the stairway, most of the others did not pay him any attention. As he passed by the bartender he gave him a smile and pointed upwards to the ceiling when they made eye contact, the bartender looked up and back at Arthur before he nodded with a smile on his face. Arthur suspected that later he would dispose of the bodies as right now he had too many people that would prove to be witnesses.


    Arthur upon leaving the tavern returned home the very same way he left by circling around and passing through his neighbors back yard and into his own where he entered through the back door. Based on the sun it was around noon when he returned home leaving him with plenty of time to change and be ready for if Gaelin returns with a box full of ingredients like he always does.


    As Arthur waited he began brewing a few potions that he knew by heart with some of the ingredients he currently had on hand. He managed to brew a few batches of whatever potions came to his mind when he heard a knock at his front door and went to answer it. Like he expected it was Gealin with a box full of ingredients he collected. ¡°Good afternoon sir, I brought you the ingredients I collected this morning.¡±


    Arthur smiled and welcomed Gaelin inside as he took a quick look over at the gang members watching his home. It was an elf this time, specifically a wood elf that looked like it had thick tree bark for skin. From such a distance Arthur couldn¡¯t quite tell if it was a man or woman.


    Gaelin brought the box inside and placed it on the table for Arthur to take a look through, when he was done he walked back into his alchemy room and returned with a small pouch with six copper coins inside. They thanked each other and Gaelin began walking out the door, but he paused for a second and turned around before he asked Arthur something. ¡°Um, sir? If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why exactly were you not here this morning?¡±


    Arthur paused at that question, honestly he hadn¡¯t come up with an excuse because he was not expecting Gaelin to arrive today. He figured that he had a second job that he would work for the rest of the day after delivering the ingredients he brought. Given that Gaelin is here right now that likely is not the case. ¡°I¡­ had something personal come up that I needed to take care of. It lasted the whole morning and I only got back around an hour ago. Speaking of me not being here, I assumed I wouldn¡¯t be seeing you until tomorrow. I always thought that you had a second job that you would go to after delivering the ingredients every day.¡±


    ¡°Well sir that is because you pay me 2 copper pieces above the average of what most people earn for doing manual labor, and I only need to work for around half of the time that everyone else in related jobs need to. I do occasionally find a temporary job to pass the time and earn a little extra, but for the most part I have been going to libraries to learn how to read so I can read more books and learn from those.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, you don¡¯t know how to read. Are you paying someone to teach you how?¡± Arthur looked at Gaelin with great confusion, he assumed that everyone knew how to read because even though it was only through the magic necklace he could understand what everyone around him was saying he still knew how to read in one language even though he did not recall the name of it.


    ¡°Well of course I don¡¯t, I was an orphan and a commoner. There isn¡¯t exactly any large scale education for the masses. If someone like me wants to learn how to read we need to go out of our way and find someone during our free time, and yes I do pay her to teach me. But it is a group of ten that she teaches at once so everyone just needs to pay her a single copper piece a lesson. Three days a week I go and do that and I only pay a single copper piece for each group lesson.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, if you weren''t able to read then how did you understand the instructions on how to properly harvest certain plants for their ingredients. The thing is full of words, practically from top to bottom.¡±


    ¡°I just looked at the diagrams and pictures, they provided more than enough detail to harvest the plants you wanted¡­ after a few attempts. And besides it wasn¡¯t like they were harmful to me, the dangerous properties only become dangerous after being distilled and all sorts of other spells and alchemy stuff that you do.¡± Gaelin smiled as he explained.


    Arthur on the other hand was a little less enthusiastic about that. ¡°So how well is your reading ability now? Is it enough to actually read the book and understand the written instructions?¡± Arthur was gritting his teeth in worry over how he made an illiterate poverty stricken man go out into the nearby forest alone to bring him ingredients when he was unable to read the instructions on how to harvest them.


    ¡°I can read most of the words I have come across and I have even read a few books containing poems written by the famous poet Sharkspear. He has written a lot of poems and stories. Our teacher has us read some of his works as something she calls ¡®homework.¡¯ Personally I don¡¯t really mind and I sometimes enjoy his stories, he put a lot of time and effort into them.¡±

 Chapter 104

    Arthur and Gaelin continued their conversation regarding the apparently famous poet Sharkspear for around fifteen minutes. Before he left Gaelin gave Arthur a few recommendations of his favorite stories and poems that were written by Sharkspear, Arthur on the other hand gave Gaelin a small book that he had written himself. ¡°When you learn how to properly read and think you have a good understanding try reading this. I think you will find it both interesting and useful once you give it a read.¡± The two soon bid each other goodbye and Gaelin went on his way.


    Arthur quickly whipped out the journal of Brexius Sanguine Bane and began reading over the section regarding small humanoid flesh golems. Arthur felt it was about time that he progressed from the simple rat flesh golems that were at best able to perform simple tasks, he wanted something that could actually participate in a fight if he needed it to as well as help with his alchemy and keep the interior of his house tidy.


    Arthur did take a brief look over and had a general understanding of what he would need to do to create this miniaturized flesh golem. Like with the previous interaction it required cutting up a body and collecting all of the useful parts while discarding the unnecessary ones, most of which were organs like the intestines. The rest that were important enough to keep would be returned and the skeleton and useful organs would be shrunk down with a restoration spell included within the book for the next step.


    Next the outer mussels would be reattached in the most efficient way and overlap given the now decreased surface area, this would create a very strong and durable golem that could easily perform standard tasks as well as take part in a fight.


    Next up was the actual alchemy and enchanting, like with the previous golem based on rat flesh a alchemical solution would need to replace the blood within the golem''s new vein system. But unlike the previous golem Arthur could not discern why that was required, with the rat flesh golem it was to allow the mana within the golem to more easily circulate and be distributed. This was not the case with this one, and unfortunately Brexius did not specify what this change did or its purpose.


    Finally the enchanting process was a lot like the previous one with the rat flesh golem with either a large slate of hard material needing to have the inscriptions carved into it or something else that could withstand the powerful mana. The actual inscriptions this time were also more numerous and complex compared to the previous one likely accounting for the increased physical strength and mental capacity that this golem was designed to have.


    Arthur would have been more than happy to begin right away, but the spells that were used in both the process and creation of this second iteration of a flesh golem were tier two and would each require a lot of practicing before they could be used in a practical application.


    Arthur decided to start with the first spell that was listed within this section, the spell that would shrink the body that would be used down. The actual name of the spell was Condense Human Corpse, and it did exactly what the name implied. It would still weigh the exact same as before but it would just become smaller.


    First Arthur took out one of the human corpses from his dimensional bag and placed it on the floor. In order to keep the blood from spilling all over the floor Arthur created a large slab from the dirt just outside his home and placed the body on it. With all the necessary preparations out of the way Arthur began removing all of the flesh as carefully as he could and pushed it just off to the side while still being on the slab. Next was the removal of all the organs, the important ones would be returned once the skeletal structure was condensed.


    Now Arthur needed to cast the spell on the skeleton and make it around half the size of what it was before. This was a very long and tedious process with Arthur casting the spell several times before he even affected anything. But even then he only managed to affect the skull and made it around half the size it was before. Honestly it was a funny situation with a normal looking skeleton that had a tiny head, the idea of this skeleton talking with a high pitched voice almost made Arthur burst out laughing.


    Regardless Arthur this time tried only targeting individual parts of the skeleton and found that he had significantly more success in that part, although he still only succeeded around one in every three attempts with varying results, further attempts often resulted in very tiny bones that were of practically of no use unless he wanted a very tiny flesh golem. By the end he had his fully condensed skeleton with half the height and double the density it started with. Now Arthur needed to place the useful organ where they needed to be, starting with the heart to pump the artificial blood, the kidneys that would need to later be modified with a few enchantments, and the lungs because despite technically being dead it still needed to breathe.


    Next Arthur needed to attach the old mussels and layer them over top of each other like he did with the rat golem to give it superior strength than what it had in life. Using a conjured knife and sewing needle Arthur slowly managed to reattach the mussel and layer it.


    ¡®Honestly this thing is really ugly.¡¯ Arthur thought as he looked at the dwarf sized flesh golem with a gaping hole in its chest exposing the few organs that were left. Its face was also quite terrifying with its mouth sewn shut because it would serve no purpose while open. The only thing that gave away that it was once a person was its eyes that still retained its human look. But that did little with the exposed mussel creating a terrifying scene that would give children nightmares.


    Walking over to the nearby table to create from earth Arthur picked up the several pieces of veins that he needed to attach for the artificial blood he would soon create. He started by interesting those pieces of veins inside the exposed chest cavity and holding them against the flesh inside with a small amount of conjured earth as he began casting the tier two Insert Small Human Veins. It did take him several tries and half as many breaks to recover his mana and read up on the spell from within the journal, but he eventually succeeded and managed to insert around three quarters of the veins that he needed for the golem to function.


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    The last quarter was practically entirely within the head and connecting to the brain and was so complicated that Brexius literally devised a completely separate spell for this part of the process. The spell was practically identical to the previous one but needed more focus and time to carefully insert everything without any damage. Arthur was even forced to temporarily pull one of the eyes out from its socket so he could reach the inside and attach the veins.


    Once he was done he removed all the excess organs and flesh and put them off to the side where he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about them as he began the enchanting process. He started by using his hydromancy to collect all the blood that spilled all over the large slab and quickly and discreetly dumped it outside through his back door.


    Arthur started brewing the artificial blood in the next room as he kept the half done flesh golem off to the side and out of the way from any prying eyes. While the recipe was different this time around it wasn¡¯t that much harder than before and Arthur was easily able to slowly add it to the new artificial blood stream before beginning his preparations for the actual enchanting process.


    With the blood out of the way Arthur then began carving the inscriptions into the slab that would be filled with the magic ink and used to channel the mana for the enchantments. Taking one of the new bottles of ink that he recently brewed in his free time he filled the carved inscriptions with just enough to reach the top, next while looking over the diagram within the journal of Brexius Arthur copied the pattern that the example had until it was practically a copy. Next Arthur did the same thing with kidneys and copied what was shown in the book, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure why the kidney needed to be enchanted but it probably would work without it.


    Now all the preparatory work was done and Arthur was ready to begin the enchanting process whenever he wished to, which he would do after dinner time. Since it was roughly four o¡¯clock now that would give him a few hours to recover his mana and rest his mind to ensure he was less likely to make any mistakes.


    Since he had the time and was starting to feel a little peckish Arthur decided to start making a soup from some of the fish he recently bought at a nearby market. He started by filling the cauldron with water from the outside moisture in the air and placed it above the fireplace to boil. Arthur picked up some of the firewood and placed it below the cauldron and used his pyromancy to set it alight.


    As he waited for the water to boil Arthur decided to take a look over the enchanting section for the first proper flesh golem so he would be absolutely certain he would not make any mistakes. He didn¡¯t understand what any of the enchantments were doing on their own but he did know that when they all functioned and worked together the golem would work. It reminded Arthur of something called gears, he recalled what they were but not exactly what their purpose was.


    ¡®Spinning gears, just like wheels on a cart.¡¯ Arthur compared the image of spinning gears within his mind to the wheels on carts that he would always see going throughout the city and were even in use with the expedition to help transport their things.


    Arthur soon turned his attention back towards the boiling water as it was time for him to start adding the actual ingredients and make something delicious for dinner. Taking the fish that he wanted to add to his soup and placed them on a nearby cutting board where he removed the guts and inedible parts before chopping the actual meat into smaller pieces which he then dumped into the boiling water and began to stir. Arthur then started cutting up a few carrots to put in the soup and was sure to keep his eye on the soup and everything else cooked while he gave the occasional stir to keep everything nice and even.


    While he ate his well deserved soup Arthur continued looking over the enchanting instructions for any possible small details that he would need to look out for when he began. Soon he was done with his bowl of soup and putting it away to eat throughout the rest of the week and it was time for him to start enchanting the golem and seeing if all his hard work was going to pay off.


    Taking a few deep breaths Arthur placed the journal containing the spell and the instructions on how to cast nearby and within his eyesight. The spell was long and complicated and took nearly a full minute to cast despite being a tier two spell. Another thing to note was the mana cost was not as great as Arthur expected it to be, typically the more complex the spell the more mana intense and expensive it would be at an exponential rate.


    Arthur slowly began chanting the spell as the inscriptions slowly began to glow with a dim blue hue, every gesture and every word spoken was the difference between success and failure. This feeling caused the casting to feel not as long as a single minute but more like an hour due to the stakes that were involved with it, worst of all Arthur didn¡¯t even really know what would happen if he failed.


    Soon the minute was over and casting was completed, the inscription slowly lost their blue hue and turned to normal. Arthur watched the golem with anticipation for it to do something, when a minute had passed and it had still not moved in the slightest he picked up the journal and began looking over the instructions for the enchanting process thinking he had done something wrong.


    Then suddenly its finger moved. It wasn¡¯t very much movement, no more than a twitch, but it was enough for Arthur to notice and put the book down to observe. The rest of the golem remained motionless while this single index finger on its right hand moved just ever so slightly. Arthur observed this for several minutes as he tried to understand what might have gone wrong in the process.


    ¡®I''ve double checked the enchanting and assembly of the golem and I don¡¯t see anything wrong with it, that leaves the only thing that could have caused this to be the material I have been working with, in this case it would be the bodies. But this also raises the question of what exactly is wrong with them, because I haven¡¯t had any problems with them up until now.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself and he paced around the room.


    After around ten minutes of thinking an idea hit him, but unfortunately it wasn¡¯t a very good idea, at least not for him. ¡®Dam! It might be how old the bodies are. I¡¯ve had them for several weeks now just sitting in my dimensional bag, I thought they were just fine because they weren''t rotting or showing any sign of decay. Clearly it wasn¡¯t so simple.¡¯ Arthur then picked up the journal again and looked through the whole section for anything regarding the flesh used for creating the golem but found no details, Brexius must have only been using fresh corpses for his experiments and never even learned that the age of the body would be an issue.

 Chapter 105

    The implication that the author of this journal was able to acquire a steady supply to corpses let alone fresh corpses was a bit disturbing to think about, but it left Arthur with several questions on how he could do the same and what exactly would be fresh enough for the enchantments to work properly. But before tackling those questions Arthur disassembled the flesh golem piece by piece and dumped its corpse several feet below the surface in his backyard along with the other two corpses he kept in his bag.


    With all the human body parts hidden away Arthur could now focus his attention towards how he would acquire fresh human corpses for his experiments. Bandits were an unlikely solution as with the destruction of the Rusted Daggers bandit activity has significantly dropped. Without anyone or anything to support their activities the bandits left for easier and safer targets or died trying.


    The only other possible source of fresh human bodies Arthur could think of that didn¡¯t involve straight up murder of someone innocent was killing criminals. With the recent activities of the criminal gang that attempted to extort money from him and that were likely responsible for the death of his former teacher Arthur now knew that the criminal underworld wasn¡¯t quite so defeated as everyone thought it was.


    ¡®Not a bad idea if I do say so myself. I can kill these awful people and take their valuables as well as their dead bodies and see if the freshness of the corpse was the problem with my flesh golem, but now I need to decide where exactly I get them from. I could stick with the gang that has been harassing me that I also just killed the leadership of and slowly crush them one by one, or I could find another gang and alleviate them of the burden that is living.¡¯ Arthur ended up taking a seat as he continued thinking about his next moves.


    ¡®On one hand targeting this one singular gang would be a whole lot easier than finding a whole new one, I could also help keep the area a lot safer by removing them permanently. Finding a second gang to target would be a whole lot more work and depending on whatever gang I find it could be way more dangerous than this one was even with its leadership. Perhaps in the future I might move onto different gangs, but for now I will stick with this one until I am done with what they can provide me with.¡¯


    Arthur was very tempted to just walk out and cut down that gang member that was standing just across the street but stopped himself, it was getting quite late and just like everyone else he needed to sleep to stay healthy. So Arthur quickly changed into more comfortable clothing and went to sleep thinking about what he could do differently next time he created a flesh golem.


    *********


    Arthur awoke at eight o¡¯clock like he normally did and quickly dressed himself with his alchemist attire. Once he was looking like a real alchemist. He took a quick peek outside to take a look at the gang member stationed outside his home and across the street, but surprisingly no one was there. The suspicious man that would normally stand a few houses down was also missing. ¡®Well this was unexpected.¡¯ Arthur even rubbed his eyes just to be certain that he wasn¡¯t seeing things wrong, but no matter how long he looked the gang members never showed up.


    Arthur walked over to his kitchen/living area and heated up a bowl of soup to try and take his mind off the situation to very little success. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that his actions did a lot more damage than he expected they would. ¡®I assumed killing their leaders would splinter them up and divide them up into smaller pieces, looks like I assumed wrong. Based on the fact that they recalled even these low ranking members is telling of either a restructuring of the gang or inner conflict.¡¯


    When Arthur was done with his soup he just sat at the table thinking about what might end up happening if either outcome were to happen. Neither would be good for the surrounding areas and the large spike in the number of hurt people that went to Calavia¡¯s place of work echoed in his mind as he tried to think of what to do.


    ¡®The city guard can¡¯t do anything about this unless it reaches a much larger scale and I highly doubt that anyone else is going to willingly try and stop them. Anyone sensible would just say this is a good thing with criminals killing each other for us. That just leaves me, one mage against an entire gang with whoever is the last standing being the victor.¡¯ Suddenly Arthur wasn¡¯t so concerned about getting fresh human corpses for his golem experiments.


    Taking a few minutes to collect everything he might need for dealing with any possible gang members Arthur placed the three talismans that he expected would be useful in his pocket for quick access. But he chose not to put his plate armor on to not so easily give away who he is so quickly.


    Arthur didn¡¯t leave right away though, he waited for Gaelin to arrive to collect his ingredients and to avoid inconveniencing Gaelin for a second day in a row. He worked hard after all and he deserved to be paid for his work.


    Once Gaelin left and was far enough down the street Arthur exited through his front door and turned down the opposite direction towards the territory of the gang. For the most part the area was filled with simple houses not unlike his own, but soon it changed into warehouses and other more commercial buildings that the gang had taken over after being abandoned for quite some time now.


    A few gang members stood on guard with spears and other similar weapons just outside the doorways. A few gave him curious looks but didn¡¯t move or say anything to or about him. Arthur carefully looked at each building trying to determine if it belonged to the gang or if it was under the ¡®protection¡¯ of it. Most of the buildings and store did end up being just that, but a few of them, specifically several unmarked warehouses, were not and were perfect for what Arthur intended to do.


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    One warehouse at the very edge of the gang''s territory was roughly the same size as his house and had several guards. But that raised the question of what they were guarding, since it was a criminal gang they were likely making or storing something that was a crime to do, so Arthur decided that it would be a good idea to eliminate all these gang members and destroy whatever is inside.


    The first obstacle were the two guards standing outside the large double doors and the nearby single person door. From an angle on their far right Arthur quickly casted the Tri Earth Bolts spell twice and struck each of them in the head three times to be certain that they would die. Though this left their heads as unusable for Arthur flesh golem experiments given that there was a giant hole in each of their heads. With audible thumps the two collapsed to the ground, Arthur waited a moment to see if anyone inside heard anything but after a minute of waiting nothing happened.


    Before entering the warehouse Arthur dragged the two bodies off to the side and out of sight from the road just in case someone shows up and sees the two dead bodies. Slowly Arthur pushed open the side door and slipped inside, he carefully closed the door behind him careful not to create any noise.


    Inside a few voices could he heard, three to be exact. They were talking about whatever it was they were guarding that was stored in nearby crates. ¡°Do you think anyone would notice if we popped one open and took a small sample for ourselves?¡± A young male voice asked.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn¡¯t risk it though, even since the boss and the rest of the leadership was killed off things have been getting rather hectic. If you were found out they will probably kill you either because they think you are a spy or to set an example.¡± An older male voice responded to the young man.


    ¡°For the time being we need to keep our heads down, until we have a new leader and things stabilize nothing here will be getting sold. On top of that everyone is expected to check the inventory and report any changes even the smallest amount. Taking even a small amount would immediately be reported and we would all likely be executed for betrayal.¡± A voice of a middle aged woman rang through the warehouse.


    Everyone went silent at that until the young man spoke up again. ¡°So who do you think is going to take charge?¡±


    ¡°Definitely Yufur, he''s practically been running the show since Kelile died along with everyone else. I''m not so certain about the other groups though, Verona might end up replacing Eveline since her best two died with her. The other groups I honestly couldn¡¯t tell you anything about, they are far too distant and secretive to allow anyone to know, and that was before the assassination.¡± The older man said as Arthur slowly crept around the boxes and crates that half filled the warehouse.


    The crates were at least stacked up two boxes at once with a few towards the back stacked up to three, that was also where the three voices were coming from. Arthur held a handful of dirt ready to conjure up something as he slowly approached the voices.


    ¡°How bad is it, you know, regarding the boss''s death?¡± The young man asked, the worry now far more apparent and possibly why he wanted whatever was in the crates.


    ¡°Worse than anyone is letting on, Yufur has kept a lid on everything but it''s only a matter of time before conflict and infighting start up. Three of the smaller groups have practically dissolved and were integrated into others and we were lucky to have some of them, but the other three groups were not so happy.¡± The woman said as her voice steadily rose up as if she was climbing something.


    ¡°Did anyone figure out who it was that took out our leadership?¡±


    ¡°No, whoever it was didn¡¯t leave very much behind to give away who they were. But it was definitely a mage, and they used geomancy. We found small amounts of dirt that had been solidified sticking out of several of their corpses and wounds on a few others that matched with geomancy projectiles¡± The woman gave the other two gang members details on the assassination of their leadership.


    ¡°And how exactly do you know this? No offence but I highly doubt that Yufur would just give away details like those you just told us to every grunt we have in the gang.¡± The older man said to the woman in an accusatory way, indicating he didn¡¯t exactly trust her.


    ¡°That''s because I¡¯m not just any grunt in the gang, I easily out rank the both of you by at least 2 ranks. The reason I am telling you this is because the information has been conveniently getting out through rumors and I see no reason to hide it from you two, you would end up finding out regardless.¡± Something else happened on the other side because the two men suddenly went silent, perhaps she showed them an emblem or other identifying mark that proved who she was.


    Arthur continued his slow walk down the right side of the stacked crates as the conversation the gang members were involved in moved onto less intense subjects. Based on where the voices were coming from the three gang members were right on the edge of the far left side of the stacked crates. Arthur moved the dirt to his left hand and slowly drew his sword from his sheath that was on his left hip and slowly walked to the top right corner. When he was there he peeked around the corner and saw a human man that was around his age leaning against the wall while looking down the left side of the crates, likely where the other two gang members were.


    Arthur raised his left hand containing the dirt towards the man in his sight aiming directly towards the head, but just before he was about to create a projectile he lowered his target towards the chest area. ¡®I still need a human corpse in good condition for my experiments, I see no reason to waste another one.¡¯ Arthur inwardly slapped his own forehead in embarrassment as he realised he could have just done the same thing with the two guards outside.


    Arthur pushed those thoughts to the side and he took a deep breath and casted the Tri Earth Bolts spell and created three bolts of earth from the handful of dirt he held and mentally commanded them to strike the man he could see in the chest. With a small woosh the older man and woman turned to look for the source of the sound they heard, just when they were about to go back to their conversation the older man noticed three brown things sticking out of his allies chest.


    The younger man also noticed it and collapsed to the floor as the wounds began to burn with pain. He began to breathe heavily as that was all he could bring himself to do, the pain taking all his focus and his attention from anything. The older man quickly grabbed his ally by the arms and dragged him behind the crates and away from whatever attacked him.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! Stay with me!¡± The older man practically shouted in the face of the young man and he lay on the floor, his thoughts a jumbled mess as he didn¡¯t even register what his ally said.


    The woman on the other dropped down from the crate she was sitting on and looked at the wound and what the brown thing was, to her horror it was something akin to a dart or crossbow bolt that was made up of solidified dirt. Their assailant was a geomancer, just like the one that killed their boss.

 Chapter 106

    ¡°Shit! It''s a mage!¡± The woman shouted to her remaining ally as she drew her short sword from its sheath and pressed herself against the stacked crates. The older man ignored her or just didn¡¯t hear her and continued to try and save the younger man who was now bleeding from his wounds.


    The woman slowly peeked out from behind the crates to see what the mage was doing, but she hastily pulled her head back as three more of the small darts whipped towards her head. Luckily she was quick enough to avoid them, but the three loud thunks they made as they hit the wall behind told her just how dangerous they were.


    ¡°Hey, we need to get out of here.¡± The woman said as she slowly walked up to the older man and the corpse of the younger man. The older man looked down at his hands now covered with the blood of the young man from trying to save him, but it was pointless to try. The mage specifically targeted him to kill him and without any medical equipment he had no way to patch the wounds or even stop the bleeding.


    ¡°Are you even listening to me? We need to go now, forget about him, he is already dead!¡± The woman was about ready to slap her remaining ally across the face when he quickly stood up and nodded for her to lead. Slowly the two began walking back towards the entrance while next to the stack crates. They hoped that they would be able to slip away from the mage and alert their superiors to deal with it.


    As the two were about halfway down the ¡®corridor¡¯ the man behind her suddenly let out a sigh. She quickly turned around to shush him and tell him to keep quiet when she saw someone standing where they were just a few seconds earlier. She couldn''t really tell anything about this person from a distance but they were wearing clothes instead of actual armor.


    Then suddenly the older man she was just travelling with collapsed to the floor with three darts made from earth sticking out of his back. She looked at the darts for what felt like forever but was only a second or two and up to the mage who then began walking towards her. She panicked and began running towards the front doors, but as she was about to round the corner of the stacked crates she felt something tugging at her leg and preventing her from running. She looked down and saw a rope or vine wrapped around her leg made from what appeared to be dirt that prevented her from running.


    She looked up and saw the mage slowly walking towards her while they conjured up more darts to kill her. When the mage was just a few meters away she managed to determine that the mage was a man and he was dressed in some very nice clothing, the overcoat something she would envision on an alchemist. But she didn¡¯t get very long to process this information as three darts struck her in her chest with the pain slowly overwhelming her senses.


    **********


    Once Arthur was certain that all three of the gang members were dead he wiped away all the blood and pushed them into his dimensional bag, he managed to get them all inside with only a little difficulty. Thankfully he managed to limit the damage upon them to a minimum so they would be good specimens for his flesh golem experiments.


    With that out of the way it was time to see what the gang was keeping in this warehouse as it appeared to be very valuable and in large quantities. Arthur picked up one of the boxes at random and brought it down to the ground, he then conjured up a stick with an end that was flat and that he could fit under the lid and push down to lift up. Inside was a dark green plant that looked a lot like dried grass in bundles.


    Arthur picked up one of these bundles and looked it over, if it was some sort of herb or ingredient for potions then it wasn¡¯t something he was familiar with. Out of curiosity Arthur conjured up a small flame on his right index finger and held it up the this bundle and watched it burn, like he expected it burned and gave off a lot of smoke as it did so, but unluckily Arthur breathed in some of that smoke and began to feel a little weird.


    Arthur¡¯s senses dulled slightly and he felt a little unbalanced, this short moment of it caused him to drop the burning bundle and lean on the wall to steady himself. Arthur quickly walked away while the feeling slowly dissipated and he didn¡¯t feel unbalanced.


    ¡®That was weird, I don¡¯t know why this gang has a warehouse full of crates of that stuff, but it needs to go and from what I just saw fire will work very well.¡¯ Arthur walked to the exit as the bundle he dropped burnt out and the smoke from it lingered in that air. At the exit Arthur turned around and casted the Fire Wave spell on the nearby crates engulfing them in flame.


    The flames quickly took hold of the crates and Arthur helped it along by helping it spread to several other crates and continue on from there. Due to the dryness of the warehouse and close proximity of the crates it was of very little difficulty to do so. And as Arthur was about to leave he decided to drag the other two bodies inside the warehouse, that way he didn¡¯t need to bring them with him or dispose of them himself.


    As Arthur made his escape from the area the fire had spread from the crates to the inside walls and began burning the structure from the inside, by the time Arthur was home the fire could be seen through holes that had been burned out by the blazing inferno. Some gang members that were in the area took notice of this and attempted to put out the fire as others went to report the situation to their superiors, but it was of little help as nothing could put out the fire at this point.


    Arthur on the other hand wasn¡¯t thinking about the fire anymore, he was more interested in testing a second prototype of his humanoid flesh golem with some fresh specimens. Starting with the body of the young man around his age Arthur cut open his stomach with a conjured knife and removed all the organs before he moved on and cut off all the skin and mussel. With his recent experience with condensing a skeleton into a smaller size doing the same this time took a lot less time and mana with far more successes than before. After around twenty minutes the human skeleton was around the same size as a dwarf and ready for assembly. With the mussel and sewing needle and thread Arthur quickly reattached and layered the mussel on the skeletal frame, however he left the chest area open to reinsert the useful organs being the heart, lungs, and kidneys.


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    The open chest also made inserting the veins again much easier as he didn¡¯t need to cut open the body at as many points to insert them, most of the upper body and thighs were quickly done but the lower portions of the legs, head, and hands were a bit more time consuming but Arthur was confident in the end result. Now all that needed to be done was to enchant the kidneys and add the artificial blood.


    The process of enchanting the kidneys wasn¡¯t all that hard as it didn¡¯t require all that much ink or complex symbols drawn into it, as such it was quickly returned to its spot and reattached. Now Arthur needed to create more of the artificial blood for this type of golem, although despite looking it over several times he still didn¡¯t understand what exactly it did. It might help regulate its temperature but Arthur wasn¡¯t so sure of that. The blood itself was simple to make, it just took roughly twenty minutes for the whole process.


    Pouring the artificial blood into the veins became a lot easier when Arthur realized that he could use his skill in hydromancy to control it enough to prevent spills and direct it towards the open vein.


    Once he was done with that he closed up the open chest with the use of a needle and thread as well as a small amount of restoration magic he knew to help keep it together. Now it was time for the actual enchanting of the whole golem, this would be what actually gives it full motor function and control allowing it to walk and perform tasks it is given.


    But before that Arthur chose to have an hour long break to both recover his mana and rest his mind for a moment. He has been practically doing nothing but working all day, so why not have some time to relax. Since he was a little hungry Arthur got himself a small bowl of soup that he heated up, it wasn¡¯t quite lunch time yet so Arthur kept it small but it would be enough to put the hunger he was feeling out of his mind for now.


    Arthur decided he wanted to eat his soup out in front of his house, it just so happened that the warehouse was in the same direction so he could just look up and see if there was any smoke in the air. As he stepped outside off in the distance he saw some black smoke, but given its lack of thickness it was likely that the fire had begun to die down or was just smoldering. ¡®I wonder how the gang is going to react to that, since I took these three bodies of those three with me and any blood or evidence of me being there should have been destroyed by the fire. They should be suspecting that the three they had assigned there were spies and destroyed whatever they were storing in there. They should be able to somewhat recover the other two bodies and figure the other three did it.¡¯


    Little did Arthur know that he practically single handedly started a gang war between all the remaining groups that once made up the Black Eye gang. The group that Yufur was leading and was formerly under Kelile was the one who controlled the warehouse, and with its destruction they were determined to find out who was behind it. Yufur called a meeting and brought along fifteen of his subordinates for protection as did everyone else, during said meeting he launched accusations at most of the groups who in turn launched their own at each other. Soon the meeting devolved into one massive argument with everyone declaring themselves independent from everyone else and leaving to be on their own.


    *********


    Upon finishing his soup Arthur stood up and stretched his arms and legs before he returned inside to finish up the golem. With the bowl and spoon on the table Arthur had his hands free to continue. Since the unfinished golem was assembled on the slab Arthur didn¡¯t need to move anything, and since he performed a basic enchantment on the kidney the minor mana stone was already in its slot ready to be used.


    Fetching the magic enchanting ink from his bag that sat on a nearby chair Arthur used his skill in hydromancy to paint the lines and symbols that would act as the instructions for the enchantments. From what Arthur understood it worked like one large spell with many different what if scenarios and since it was imprinted into the material which in this case was flesh it wouldn¡¯t disappear or erode without significant damage.


    Slowly over the course of half an hour Arthur painted all the lines and inscribed symbols on the exposed mussel of the flesh golem, and when he was finished he took the journal of Brexius out in front of him and followed the chant of the spell with his eyes as he performed it just to be certain that he did not make any mistakes as that might have been the reason why the initial golem wasn¡¯t working properly.


    Slowly over ten minutes the symbols and lines formed from the ink began a dim glow like last time, although it was a bit brighter this time as if the mana was more concentrated through those mana lines compared to the last time.


    When Arthur finished the spell the glow went with it, Arthur stared at the golem with anticipation in his eyes as he wanted to see if his creation would rise this time. Soon the right hand began to twitch and it slowly began to move the rest of its arm as if it were stretching old mussels it hadn¡¯t used in some time. Although it didn¡¯t move much past that aside from the eyes that moved around lazily, it was like it didn¡¯t have the mental strength to move any more than that at once.


    Arthur tried poking it a few times all over to see if it would react to any form of interaction, to his disappointment it did not. Arthur was also considering the possibility that the golem was blind as even when he waved his hand across its face within its line of sight it did not appear to see it.


    ¡®Well this is unfortunate. I still have no idea if these improvements are because of the fresh corpse I used to create it or because I did something else different this time. I¡¯ll have to try again tomorrow and see if there are any notable changes either for better or for worse.¡¯ Arthur sighed and dragged the golem over to his alchemy room where he left it to slowly run out of mana and turn off, once that happened he intended to take it apart and dispose of it.


    Although he did intend to try again tomorrow that didn¡¯t mean he needed to decide which corpse to use then as well, since he has the free time he might as well take a look at them both and decide, or at the bare minimum think about which one.

 Chapter 107

    For the remainder of the day Arthur practiced casting some of the tier two spells he had been learning so he could more easily cast them in the future. Interestingly Arthur found himself gravitating towards geomancy spells over the other three types that were widely available to him. The reason for this was that geomancy is one of the most versatile magic types for a beginner mage, the only real drawback is you can¡¯t manipulate earth while far away from it, but once you learn how to conjure it with mana that no longer is a problem.


    Arthur also found that his ability to cast tier two spells was beginning to pass onto new spells that he had been learning for the first time, he appeared to be adapting to the increased mana requirements that come with casting tier two spells and thus helped him control it with more efficiency.


    While he didn¡¯t make all that much progress in just a single afternoon and night, if he were to keep up such a training regiment he should be able to master casting tier two spells and move onto tier three. ¡®I remember Georgius said that I will probably be able to advance my rank within the guild and become an evoker in around six months, although that was around a month ago now and I¡¯m not certain that he accounted for my research and experiments into flesh golems.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he was taking a small break from repeatedly casting spells.


    Looking to his right Arthur could see the royal palace have several lit up rooms compared to most of the city excluding the various government funded guilds such as the mages guild and mercenaries guild. Arthur assumed that the upper floors were likely where the royalty lived, that left the other floors and the guilds as places for paperwork and other bureaucratic proceedings.


    But this train of thought brought to Arthurs attention the fact the royals were unlikely to use fires, candles, or torches to light up their homes and the light did not look like it was from any of those sources. ¡®Now that I think about it, the inside of the mages guild didn¡¯t have a single candle or even a window to allow light in to see. Apparently dwarves don¡¯t have much issue with the dark given as they live underground, but for humans and elves and those animal people¡­ things¡­ all need light to see. It must be some sort of magic, but it definitely wasn¡¯t conjured fire as I would definitely notice the flames as they would need to be very large and open to light up such large rooms.¡¯


    Arthur made a mental note to look into how exactly the mages guild lights up the underground sections of the building and turned back to practicing his spells for one more hour before he went to sleep.


    **********


    /- - - - - -\


    + Geomancy Level 20


    + Aeromancy Level 13


    + Alchemy Level 11


    + Enchanting Level 2


    + Golemancy Level 2


    + Anatomy Level 1


    \- - - - - -/


    Another four day passed as Arthur practiced his tier two spells, created more things with his alchemy knowledge and skill that he sold to the alchemy club with the mages guild to keep up with his expenses, and two more attempts at creating a functioning flesh golem from the last two human corpses he had with him.


    Arthur felt his power and control over his geomancy spells reach a sort of wall that he was unable to pass or even reach over even with a full day of practice. ¡®I should probably move onto one of the other evocations now, even though geomancy is a versatile magic type it would be smart to diversify somewhat. I should ask Calavia for some advice on this when I see her again.¡¯


    Arthur continued with his alchemy like normal but decided to try buying a few recipe books from some of the alchemist stores he came across in his time in the city, of course these recipes were more advanced than what he had been brewing so far and required ingredients that needed to be imported from other places. Thankfully those stores sold those ingredients albeit at a marked up price. The three recipes in question were for Vials Of Stone Skin which was a drinkable liquid that created a thin layer of grey stone that covered the drinkers skin and clothes. The second was for a potion Of Eagle Eyes which would greatly improve the drinker''s eyesight to that of an eagles although Arthur was currently unable to brew this potion as it required some more advanced restoration spells he was unable to cast. The third was for what was called Anti Sweat which would absorb sweat when rubbed on your skin and could be held like a gelatinous thing, it would grow along with the sweat it absorbed until it was around half a cubic foot in size which it would then die by melting into a weird gooey puddle.


    Arthur¡¯s experiments with the flesh golems had also shown improved results with his continuous attempts. With his experiments Arthur learned that if the age of the corpses had any impact on the final product then it was of minimal consequence within two or three days, this was because neither the corpse of the older man or the woman resulted in any lower quality golems, in fact each attempt only resulted in better and more improved golems.


    The third attempt with the older man''s corpse resulted in a golem that was able to move the entirety of its right arm and have a somewhat improved motor function regarding it and its mental capacity with it. The fourth attempt with the woman''s corpse resulted with a golem that was able to move both its legs this time instead of a single arm, it was able to take a few steps before it suddenly collapsed face first onto the floor and broke its nose with a loud crack.


    Arthur did make another attempt that day with the old recycled parts of the previous three golems but during the enchanting process nothing happened. The most probable reason for that was likely due to the previous enchantments likely messing with the new ones.


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    On those last two days Arthur had to go out and find a few more criminals to kill and drag into his bag for his golemancy experiments. The only problem he had was that he couldn''t find any, it was likely they were all hiding for some reason. Arthur did eventually find two standing in a back alleyway several blocks away from his home, out of curiosity Arthur decided to listen in on the conversation they were having.


    ¡°Gods be damned, has the world gone crazy? I can not believe that Yufur basically declared war on the other six groups over what might have been outside intervention.¡± The gang member standing on the right said as he held something in his left hand that gave off some smoke.


    ¡°Well he doesn¡¯t exactly have all that much choice now does he? Someone destroyed a significant amount of the swamp weed that Kelile had imported before he was killed along with everyone else, it was easily worth 100 gold coins in its entirety. If I lost that much money then I would definitely be just as mad as he is.¡± The second gang member said as he leaned against the nearby wall.


    ¡°I guess I would also be as mad as Yufur is, but that doesn¡¯t mean that this is the right decision to make. Just how many people are going to get killed from this gang war, and how many are going to survive what comes after.¡± The first gang member said as his ally turned to look at him with confusion.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®what comes after¡¯?¡± The second gang member was no longer leaning against the wall, his hands were down by his strides and within a quick reach of his dagger that he kept at his side. Arthur was interested by that as well and listened with high hopes.


    The first gang member paused at that question and looked down to the smoking piece of paper he had in a cylinder shape and gave a small laugh. He then dropped the paper and quickly reached for his dagger and swung it towards his former ally as quickly as he could. The wide swing easily missed as the second gang member stepped out of the range of the short blade and drew his own dagger.


    The first gang member lunged forwards with the dagger intending to stab the second gang member forcing him to back step again to avoid the dagger from stabbing him in the gut. This continued with the second gang member being forced back progressively towards where Arthur was hiding without any means of counter attacking, clearly whatever that the first gang member burning had an effect on his mental state. This altered mental state was shown by the look of calm on his face despite the fact that he was trying to kill someone that was up until a few seconds ago his friend.


    Soon the duo were out into the open area where Arthur was hiding. Neither paid him much attention as they simply thought he was just a normal civilian, that was until the first gang member felt a sudden impact from behind where Arthur was standing. He brushed it off for a moment thinking it was just in his head, but then suddenly it started to burn. It started as nothing more than just touching something that was hot, but it soon became more like sticking your own hand in a fire.


    The pain caused the first gang member to stop his onslaught and try moving away from his target to figure out what the cause of the pain was. But as he tried to do so it was as if his foot was swallowed by the ground as he couldn¡¯t even lift it off the ground. The second criminal noticed something on his former allies foot and thrusted the dagger in his hand into his open stomach before jumping back to avoid retaliation.


    The wound slowly started to bleed and the first gang member clutched the open wound in his stomach in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. The only good that came from this was that it gave him an opportunity to see what was restraining his leg, but when he saw the earth coiled around his leg he was more confused than fearful. ¡®How did this fool learn magic? Unless he had someone else doing the magic for him, but then why would he be at such a low rank under Kelile and now Yufur. Anyone with half a mind would have him in a decent position if he could easily hire a mage.¡¯


    The first gang member continued his struggling as his stamina drained along with his blood and his former ally took advantage of this by giving him a few more cuts with every opportunity he got, soon the first gang member was bleeding from just about every limb he had and the only thing keeping him standing was pure willpower.


    This of course did not last long as the second gang member was able to use this weakness to disarm his opponent and drive his dagger into his chest several times, only when he was certain that he was dead did he stop and sheathe his blade. He noticed the vine like earth that was coiled around his traitorous friend''s leg dissipated before his eyes. ¡®Magic¡¯ he thought to himself as he looked over to the other man that had apparently been watching the fight.


    The gang member Paulus looked this strange man up and down, he appeared to be well off given his choice of clothing but he neither appeared scared or even concerned about the bloody fight that just took place before him. Either he was a master bluffer or this was nothing new to him, the small amount of magic that appeared led him to believe the latter.


    ¡°Was that magic you''re doing?¡± Paulus instantly regretted putting his dagger away as it left him at a disadvantage against this possible mage.


    ¡°Yes it was. Now before you try anything I have a few questions I am expecting you to answer.¡± Arthur said as he conjured up several bolts of earth above his left hand, more than enough to easily disable Paulus without even accounting for the earth vine.


    ¡°Sure thing, what do you want to know?¡± Paulus could feel his heart beating rapidly at the display of magic before him, the mage before him didn¡¯t even need to chant that spell he just casted, clearly he was very powerful.


    ¡°First things first I want to know everything about your criminal gang, who is leading it and who is leading the other groups?¡± Arthur asked as he lowered his hand yet the bolts remained floating where they were conjured.


    ¡°Well¡­ since Kelile died Yufur has taken over our group, the other groups and leaders I don¡¯t know much about except for the fact that they are controlled by whoever was either the strongest or the most trusted.¡± Paulus could feel his life slowly slipping away as he spoke with the mage, he knew he was too much of a liability to be left alive and only hoped that someone would stubble upon them and save him.


    ¡°And what exactly is being stored in those warehouses that have so many guards posted at? I have already raided one and burned it to the ground, though I must admit I didn¡¯t see much value in dried grass.¡± Paulus could tell by the tone that he knew it wasn¡¯t just some dried grass he destroyed, and he was expecting an answer.


    ¡°The warehouses are full of a drug called swamp weed, it is smoked and then inhaled for the feeling. It is also very valuable since the purge of the previous underworld kings and queens, without any of them supplying it the value of it skyrocketed through the roof. It was Kelile¡¯s idea to start selling it before he was killed, helped us make a lot of money too and is half the reason why we were able to expand so much. We assumed it was sabotage by the other groups to slow us down, but clearly we went right about that.¡±

 Chapter 108

    ¡°You have good hearing, last question, where is this Yufur hiding out? He sounds like he could cause some trouble in the near future, and I think it would be best if I had a talk with him about that.¡± Paulus flinched at that mention of one last question, with that answer all the usefulness he would provide would disappear with it.


    For a moment he hesitated wondering if he should try and negotiate with the mage before he dismissed the idea entirely, someone like the mage before him would make him talk regardless of how much he would fight. ¡°He has a building just outside the city and past the fields, it looks real old and run down but the inside and downstairs the basement is where most of the operations take place like counting up the money and planning for the future. Though your actions have put a small halt to that for the time being.¡±


    Paulus waited for one or all of the bolts that the mage before him created to kill him in a way similar to what happened to his traitorous friend. He even closed his eyes in anticipation wondering just how much it would hurt. ¡°Open your eyes.¡± Paulus heard the mage order and he followed. He saw the bolts were gone and the mage standing with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Since you were kind enough to tell me without needing to be tortured I will allow you to leave without harm.¡± Paulus was confused, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for him to tell his boss about what just happened. ¡°Of course I am expecting you to leave the city and never return, or at least return in a few years when no one will remember you. Don¡¯t think I will allow you to tell your boss about this.¡±


    With the only two choices being living away from the city or dying where he stood the choice was obvious. ¡°Can I collect my things first? I would rather have some money to my name before I leave everything behind.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I''m not a monster. But remember I am coming with you just to be sure you don¡¯t feel the need to share some important information with a friend you meet along the way.¡± Arthur raised his arm and pointed off in the direction he came from with a gesture to lead.


    Paulus hesitantly brought Arthur to the small room he rented for the month and collected all his things and money into a backpack he owned which didn¡¯t amount to all that much. Then Arthur escorted him out and past the eastern gate until they were a good distance away from the city walls and the closest fields. Neither Paulus or Arthur knew of any large towns or even villages that he could stop and or stay at but fortunately for Arthur that wasn¡¯t his problem.


    Arthur watched Paulus from a distance until he was nothing but a small spot in the distance and turned back to the city of Antium. Arthur returned to the location where the first unnamed gang member was killed and collected it via stuffing it into his dimensional bag. With a proper specimen to continue his flesh golem experiments he started right away by removing all the flesh and organs. Within an hour Arthur had assembled the golem and was ready to enchant it.


    The end result, like the previous, was able to move both of its own legs and even managed to walk a small distance before it fell and was unable to get up. But like the last one it was still very slow and lacked balance that it should have, he must have been missing something integral that just reading the journal and copying the blueprints wouldn''t be able to teach. ¡®Looks like I might need to wait until I become an evoker to actually finish this. That was basically what Georgius recommended I do unless I was really desperate, and I wouldn¡¯t exactly call myself desperate. I still have a lot of time I can spend doing other stuff without that will allow me to get a proper teacher for this.¡¯ With this line of thoughts Arthur should have been a bit more confident and understanding of his limits, yet he felt rather sad and disappointed in himself. Even though it wasn¡¯t very glamorous work, golemancy was still very enjoyable to him and giving it up even if only for a short time made him quite sad.


    Regardless of his personal feeling Arthur disposed of the newest golem the same way he did the others and turned his attention to learning more tier two aeromancy spells to get closer attaining the rank of evoker, something that would allow him to receive actual training in both enchanting and golemancy.


    In the library Arthur found a few useful spells within the category of aeromancy, around half of which were offensive spells that were just variations from other evocations such as the Earth Spike Arthur enjoyed using. Though most of the interesting aeromancy spells were utility related ones like the levitation spell he had tried out a few times, and another that he found useful was called Quite Sphere  which would create a sphere of air that would trap in most sound. It could be useful if you were in a public space and you needed to reduce the amount of noise you or someone or something else is making.


    Another interesting spell that Arthur uncovered was the Circulate Air spell which takes control of a massive amount of air within a large room and has it swirl around the room, it doesn¡¯t swirl all that fast but it is noticeable and has a nice cooling effect like a nice breeze. It could also be used to mitigate or remove bad smells as well, but that likely was not the intended use.


    The various amounts of the air barrier spells were also quite interesting since they were almost invisible just like the Force Wall and Force Barrier spells but could also block non solid attacks such as poison gas. Though to compensate for this they were weaker than their force counterparts which Arthur came to learn were a subcategory of magic that fell under Alteration.


    One other air spell that Arthur found interesting just before he left the library was the Air Blade spell. The spell would cover the blade of any weapon that had one and help it cut through something akin to an air blade over top of the original one. It effectively boosted the sharpness of the bladed weapon and would even work on weapons conjured via geomancy and hydromancy allowing a mage to create a far more powerful weapon than they would otherwise be able to.


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    Arthur spent the remaining day of that week just practicing casting all those aeromancy spells he picked up the day before. One thing he found was that some of the time he spent casting geomancy spells helped him cast these aeromancy spells, it wasn¡¯t all that much compared to how his geomancy spell casting was impacted but it was just enough for Arthur to notice and push forward while also taking frequent breaks to keep him mana reserves at a high enough level to avoid mana exhaustion.


    ********


    Arthur was seated at a table within the library reading a book on aeromancy and following some of the tips and exercises that it contained with his right hand as his left hand held the book. Most of it was just small things but with all of them put together Arthur did notice improvement regarding his mana expenditure.


    But his progress was still slower than he had hoped, leaving him with a feeling of disappointment in himself. His estimated advancement to the rank of evoker was still four months away and that was assuming that the estimation was even correct in the first place.


    ¡®I might end up joining the mercenaries guild sooner than I expected.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he placed the book down and pondered over his less than anticipated progress. Even though this was only the second day he had spent learning and practicing his aeromancy he still expected a bit more progress than what he ended up with.


    Suddenly Arthur heard a loud slam to his left as Calavia dropped three stacked books on the table. ¡°Did you hear that? I was worried you went deaf when you weren''t answering or even looking at me.¡± Calavia looked quite annoyed by his oblivious look. The reason for this was the spell that Arthur was controlling with his right hand was the Quiet Sphere spell which upon further testing on Arthur''s part also blocked any outside noise. It was a good non mana expensive way for Arthur to train as he was reading, though it wasn¡¯t helping him as much as he hoped.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just practicing a spell I learned recently. It blocks all sound coming in and out, so I literally could not hear you.¡± Calavia noticed Arthur wasn¡¯t his usual self, he sounded a little sad about something. ¡°Is something wrong? You don¡¯t sound like yourself right now.¡±


    Arthur took a moment to think before he gave his answer. ¡°I feel like I''ve been slowing down when it comes to learning magic. Things used to be going a lot smoother but it''s like instead of walking down a road I am climbing a mountain.¡±


    ¡°So this is about magic¡­ Have you tried hiring a private tutor for private lessons? They would probably be able to help you overcome this obstacle. Oh and just out of curiosity is this a specific magic type or just magic in general?¡±


    ¡°Since I reached what I think is the peak of geomancy that can be affected by tier two spells I decided to try moving onto aeromancy to diversify my skill set. But I¡¯ve been having a lot of difficulty with it, more than geomancy anyways.¡±


    Upon hearing aeromancy Calavia had a look of understanding. ¡°Aeromancy is one of the harder of the four evocations to learn. I''m not saying you shouldn¡¯t try, but having more difficulty is to be expected. I do know someone who does offer private lessons in aeromancy, his name is Henry Bastian. I''m not exactly sure if he still does as it has been a few years since I last spoke to him but If you check at the job board you might find one of his listings.¡±


    Arthur looked at Calavia with a bit of confusion, to his knowledge you could only find magic related work at the job board within the guild, upon being questioned Calavia clarified. ¡°The name is a bit outdated, you would know since it isn¡¯t a literal board anymore. But there is more than just job opportunities there, while not common some higher ranking mages do put up offers of studying under them or offers of teaching. Though if you are interested in studying under someone and become their apprentice I recommend you actually speak to them and ask.¡±


    Arthur was silent for a moment as he thought about Calavia¡¯s suggestion, it wasn¡¯t a terrible idea and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to at least take a look and see if this mage Calavia knew was still offering to teach. ¡°How much does this mage you know want in terms of money for each lesson?¡± Knowing how much he would want would help Arthur properly budget and decide if he even wants to try with him or someone else for cheaper.


    ¡°When he taught me I paid him 2 silver pieces for each hour long lesson, 4 silver pieces for 2 hour lessons and so on.¡± Arthur nodded as he thought about the price, it was actually better than he expected for a mage''s time since he could earn one or two silver coins a day depending on how much he dedicates his time towards brewing potions and other alchemy related products.


    ¡°When I get an opportunity I think I will go and look into this mage and see if he is still offering to teach.¡± Arthur said with a small smile on his face, while he wasn¡¯t happy he wasn¡¯t sad anymore and that is a good improvement. The two continued talking for several minutes before they both went their separate ways with Calavia going back to work for a second shift and Arthur going to the job board to see about the teaching offers.


    Inside the room an older human woman was sitting behind the desk, she had a kind face that reminded Arthur of a kind grandmother. Like the rest of the non mage staff she wore the same grey uniform. ¡°Good afternoon sir, how can I help you?¡± She quite literally sounded exactly the way expected her to.


    ¡°I hear that there is a portion of the job board dedicated towards things aside from magic related work, specifically finding a magic teacher. Is that still the case?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is, it''s been a while since someone has asked for that since most people just ask someone they know.¡± The older woman quickly pushed one of the grey orbs before Arthur who quickly placed his hand over it and infected his mana to activate it. Like before the menu opened up, this time the woman brought his attention towards the little squares along the top of the projection.


    ¡°See those little boxes along the top, those are the specific categories. Most people don¡¯t even use them because they have other ways of finding teachers and the other services that can be found and posted on here. I think a big reason for that is because of money, if those communication orbs were to suddenly become a lot cheaper then I think people would use this a lot more.¡±


    Arthur flipped through the seven categories that were along the top, they consisted of Magic Related Work/Jobs, Magic Training Services, Magic Item Commissions, Alchemy Commissions, Other Magical Services, and Posting. Arthur selected the Magic Training Services tab and took a look over the listings. To his surprise he found several names and postings still active, seven to be exact. Upon scrolling down to the bottom Arthur found the name Henry Bastian offering lessons in any of the four evocations for two silver coins for an hour of lessons.

 Chapter 109

    There were a few other mages of a similar rank as this Henry Bastian that offered similar training services but Arthur instead looked at the information regarding Henry. The short little information box explained that he is a Wizard within the guild and that he actually specializes in the four evocations. ¡®Not a bad option if I do say so myself, Calavia really did know what she was talking about. My only worry is that since this posting is at the bottom of the list it means that this posting has been here the longest.¡¯


    Arthur followed the instructions that the older woman gave him to send a message through the grey orb that turned out to be a modified communication orb that multiple people could use. Arthur then ¡®wrote¡¯ a letter through the device and sent it with all the information regarding who he is and asking if Henry was still offering training to apprentice mages like himself. Once he was done he looked up to the older woman.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about receiving his response, the orb communicates that it is one owned by the guild and we will send any message he gives to your mailbox in a written form. Just check in every so often and I am sure you will find his response soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Where exactly can I buy one of these? They seem very useful for long range communication and are very easy to use.¡± Arthur marveled at the magic creation before him now understanding just how wonderful such a thing would be to have. ¡®This must be the same thing that Lyro was using during the expedition to contact that old man.¡¯


    ¡°Oh the last time I checked they sold for at least 100 gold coins each. With all the work and magical knowledge that goes into them the price quickly goes up and through the roof.¡± Arthur gritted his teeth at that answer, he could easily buy his own house ten times over with that much money. Acquiring such a device would clearly be a long term goal.


    ¡°Oh, well thanks anyways. You were a big help.¡± Arthur said as he turned to leave. ¡°You''re welcome sir, and have a good day.¡±


    Arthur left the room and then the guild building as well, since it was past noon at this point there wasn¡¯t much point in staying at the guild unless he needed something specifically done, like paperwork or something else equally important.


    ********


    Arthur continued practicing the aeromancy spells with some level of success for the remainder of the day and in the evening he spent his time brewing a few potions that he intended to sell the next day. The potions in question were basic healing potions, the healing potions that were useful for healing small injuries and preventing more serious ones from getting worse.


    In the morning Gaelin arrived with his regular amount of ingredients he collected earlier in the morning and Arthur paid the regular six copper coins. Arthur then spent the next ten minutes organizing and sorting them out in his system of organization. When he was done he quickly collected all the potions he wanted to sell into his dimensional bag and began walking towards the mages guild with the intent of first selling his potions and then check his mailbox to see if he received a response from Henry Bastian.


    Selling the potions went very quick and Arthur received several silver coins for his work, though he would undoubtedly be spending them on aeromancy lessons soon enough. Arthur then quickly backtracked towards the mail room and into the back where all the mailboxes were. With his photographic memory Arthur had no difficulty finding his own and quickly opened it with his mana.


    Inside was a letter addressed to him and when he opened it he was happy to see it was a response from Henry Bastian. The letter surprisingly had a date and time attached to it, most likely when the magical letter was sent from his own communication orb to the modified one owned by the guild.


    21st of Malachite, 4:37 PM


    Good day to you Apprentice Arthur


    Thank you for reaching out to me regarding my services as a magic teacher, I am happy to state that I am still offering those services. As it should state on the Magic Services board I charge 2 silver pieces for each hour of lessons, if this is still an acceptable amount please come and visit me at my residence located within the northern district on Via Margutta street. You will be able to recognize it by the large art gallery made with large amounts of white marble that was imported from the Aeoniara islands. My residence is a historical church once dedicated towards one of the old gods, it is the only church on the street and is recognizable by the twin towers that it has.


    I look forward to seeing you, but if something else happens please let me know.


    - Henry Bastian


    Arthur was more than excited by what he read in the letter, this was exactly what he was hoping for if not even better. He quickly pocketed the letter and walked out of the mages guild building and towards the northern district where this old church that this mage called his residence. Getting to the northern district was quite easy but finding the Via Margutta street was much more of a challenge. Arthur had to ask a few people for directions and even got lost a few times before he eventually found it, and Arthur knew when he was looking at it.


    Like most of the northern district it was an upper class area with most of the people walking around wearing expensive clothing and sometimes jewelry with it. But Via Margutta street contained some above average sized structures, the first building on the right was what Arthur assumed was the art gallery as it had several white marble pillars on the outside that gave Arthur the impression of a government building for some reason. The interior of the building was blocked by polished white stone walls that looked to be limestone though from such a distance Arthur could not be sure.


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    On the other side of the road was the church with the two towers that Henry Bastian mentioned in his magic letter. It was a beautiful structure that was clearly of an almost ancient design standing out from practically everything else he Arthur had seen. The art gallery behind him was also beautiful but it was also very simple with very little decorations built into the building itself. This old church on the other hand was a work of art, with grey bricks making up the exterior, along with the height of the church came complexity and beauty as grad windows were all over with a large symbol that was likely of whatever god this church was dedicated to was placed on an open space above the second story. The symbol in question was a large circle with something that resembled an eye, the symbol was made from a grey metal that was most likely iron. Next were the two towers that were of uneven sizes, one only had around one story above the symbol and had grey shingles forming a roof that went up another four or five stories. The second tower started off with a small square base that went up three stories before forming into a more ornate and thinner roof that went a little higher than the previous.


    Arthur was almost content to just look up at the beautiful architecture but eventually pulled his eyes away and walked up to the large double doors at the base of the building. He gave three loud knocks that Arthur could hear echoing throughout the entire building even while outside, soon a human man that looked to be in his late forties opened the door. This middle aged man had dark brown and unkempt hair as if he had just awoken from a midday nap. He also wore some rather expensive robes that were likely to be enchanted given his position of Wizard in the mages guild.


    ¡°You must be Arthur, please come inside.¡± Henry quickly waved Arthur inside before he closed and barred the double door from the inside. ¡°Sorry about the mess, I wasn¡¯t really expecting to have any visitors, it has been quite some time since I have had anyone come over.¡± Arthur looked around the room with a confused look on his face, the inside of the building was very clean and tidy without a single speck of dust on anything.


    The inside of the old church was just as beautiful as the outside with rows of masterfully carved wooden benches all pointing towards an elevated pedestal on a stage with various symbols that were related towards the god that was worshipped here.


    ¡°Please come with me, I try to leave all this alone as much as I can, and besides I have far more comfortable accommodations both above and below.¡± Henry brought Arthur up to the third story of the church which had actual enclosed rooms unlike the second story which was just a balcony for more people to watch whatever happened on the stage. Inside one of the rooms that was converted into a comfortable office space Henry offered Arthur a seat while he sat at a desk. ¡°So I assume you are still interested in learning evocation magic from myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± Henry smiled softly at Arthur¡¯s answer. ¡°Right now I am focusing on aeromancy and I was hoping you could help me with that as my progress has appeared to slow to a crawl.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course I can. I am sure that you know aeromancy is actually the hardest of the four evocations to learn and sometimes requires double the time dedication to master the equivalent level of another of the four, but it is also one of the most versatile in terms of utility and non combative uses.¡± Henry quickly conjured a ball of air so dense that it could be seen like a solid object. ¡°While the most obvious are the combative applications, the most powerful are the utility. I am sure you know of both the levitation spell as well as the flight spell.¡± Henry said as he began to mutter a few eligible words and slowly begin to float above both his chair and the ground. He then followed it up by casting a second spell that took around twice as long that allowed him to float even higher and control where he went without any bursts of air.


    ¡°This is the truest and most effective application of aeromancy, but it is a lot harder and requires a lot more time dedicated towards it. I would understand perfectly if you would rather take some time to learn more about one of the other evocations instead.¡± Arthur smirked, he knew that but he also knew that he couldn¡¯t give up. He did briefly consider it when he was stuck at that impasse, but now that he had someone to help him, giving up even if only temporarily was foolish.


    ¡°I appreciate your concern, but I have no intention of giving up even for a second. I am here to learn from you and I will only stop if you tell me that it would be better to spend my time trying something else.¡± Henry also smirked, he understood that feeling and he respected it. ¡®It has been some time since anyone has come to me asking for help, so why not try again with this one. And besides I need something to take my mind off of that old relic in the basement, if I don¡¯t take a break from that I will probably go insane.¡¯


    *********


    Arthur and Henry agreed to have two hours of lessons every day excluding the last two days of the week. The lesson would start at noon and end at two o¡¯clock unless someone changed it ahead of time. Henry also offered Arthur to teach him about other magical topics once he reached the rank of evoker and was authorized within the mages guild to actually learn those things.


    Arthur¡¯s first lessons actually started on the third day of the week, the day after the two worked out their agreement. The lessons took place within the office space, Henry made sure to clear a corner of the room for Arthur to actually cast his spells while being supervised and critiqued.


    ¡°Now for our first lesson I want to see where exactly you are in terms of skill, so I want you to take control of as much air as you can and try and compress it into as small of a space as possible. I will tell you when to stop.¡± Arthur nodded to Henry and raised his hands as he took control of at least ten cubic meters worth of air within the room, Henry nodded and he gestured for Arthur to continue. Slowly Arthur began to bring that air together towards himself as more air from outside the room filled the void that was created. Over the course of a whole minute Arthur managed to compress that ten cubic meters of air into roughly one cubic meter, but even that was putting tremendous strain on his mind and mana as the air pushed back in an attempt to restore itself to its natural state.


    After around five minutes of maintaining the air in such a state the burden was too much and Arthur lost his control over it allowing it to expand and return to its natural state. Arthur dropped to the ground from exhaustion as a few of the lighter objects in the room were either pushed by the rush of air or tipped over. ¡°Well done Arthur, though I must point out you didn¡¯t hold on until I told you to. You did compress the air into a smaller area than I was expecting of someone with your short magical history.¡± Arthur was a little confused by that statement, but that quickly changed when he saw Henry pull out a folder from the desk he was sitting at and was shown the contents. It was his own file regarding his rank within the guild and previous affiliation and apprentice with Georgius Calvus.

 Chapter 110

    ¡°How did you get my file?¡± Arthur was rather confused and a little worried by the fact that his new teacher had his file. He was also a little surprised by just how much information was within it, it even contained the number and types of potions he sold to the alchemy club.


    ¡°Whenever I take on a new student I am always certain that I know who they are. Also I am a very curious person, my mother always told me that I took that from her side of the family.¡± Henry noticed that Arthur wasn¡¯t all too happy hearing that joke and went back to a more serious tone. ¡°I wanted to be sure you didn¡¯t have a history of criminality or causing problems for the kingdom. I¡¯ve had to deal with a few young mages in the past who were exactly that and they were quite a handful. I am happy to say that you yourself do not fall into that category.¡±


    Despite his assurances Arthur did not enjoy the idea of everything he did being written down into a file that he had no way to access. Henry gave Arthur the opportunity to read over his file and he found it very shocking, just about everything he had done in an official manner was recorded within from working for Captain Tasius as an independent mercenary mage to his apprenticeship with Georgius Calvus. Everything he did relating to magic was recorded within and it made him feel like he was being watched by some sort of all knowing or all seeing being.


    Henry noticed the look of worry and disgust on his students face and quickly tried to help him relax. ¡°Now don¡¯t be so worried. Everyone within the mages guild and even many of the prominent mages not associated with it have their own file. It''s a small price to pay for the kingdom''s funding.¡± Arthur just gave him a look that said ¡®That''s supposed to make me feel better.¡¯


    Arthur was certainly double guessing his choice of joining the mages guild and wondered if it would have been a better choice to simply be independent of any organization. ¡®No, without the guild I would never have had the opportunity to learn even the most basic of tier one spells at this point in time. It might have taken me years to convince anyone to share with me even the basics, the only other choice I would have had would have been stealing and I highly doubt I would have succeeded without proper magic training.¡¯


    Arthur just sat back in his chair with a feeling of defeat in his stomach as Henry went on to tell Arthur that he had nothing to worry about as long as he didn¡¯t do anything illegal with his magic. Soon the topic shifted back to his performance with the small test he was given and how impressed Henry was.


    ¡°I am quite impressed with your performance though Arthur, you are a bit farther along than I expected you would be so I see no reason why I can¡¯t teach you any more.¡± Henry proceeded to help Arthur by giving a few demonstrations of an exercise that would help Arthur improve his control over his aeromancy. The exercise started with creating two dense spheres of air from a few meters away from both the caster, which in this case was Arthur, and each other. Then the caster would need to have the sphere spin around them at a consistent rate, if it was too easy with just two spheres then the caster would need to add more until it became a struggle. Henry had Arthur do this in the open area while he watched and gave him critiques and several orders to change for testing him and to keep him on his feet.


    ¡°You can get used to the rhythm of rotating a few spheres of air around yourself, but when the conditions change, which they often do while performing magic, you will also need to. Spin them the other way.¡± Arthur slowly brought the five spheres he was controlling to a halt and made the start going in the opposite direction at roughly the same pace as before.


    As Arthur was concentrating on this magic he could feel a few drops of sweat dripping down his forehead from the strain, it was just enough to keep him at this point of exertion without quickly exhausting him like most of his own methods of training did. Arthur did this for around an hour under Henry¡¯s watch until he was close to reaching that point of exhaustion and almost collapsed while releasing the air he controlled.


    Seeing this Henry handed Arthur a glass of water and gave him a moment to catch his breath and recover from the time he just spent training. Checking his watch Henry realized that around an hour had passed and he told Arthur before asking if he would like to continue or end the training for the day. Arthur managed to look up and say ¡°One more hour.¡± before he laid back down on the wooden floor while breathing heavily.


    After a few minutes of resting Arthur slowly stood back up and readied himself for the next part of the lesson he would be receiving under his new teacher. ¡°Now this doesn¡¯t exactly have anything to do with aeromancy specifically, but I see no reason why you would be unfit to learn this.¡± Henry said as he took a seat on the floor in front of Arthur and motioned for him to do the same.


    ¡°What I am about to teach you is a technique used to help mages recover their mana faster. Though I must inform you beforehand that this is a very difficult thing to do that doesn¡¯t have a large impact at the very beginning, but if you keep on practicing this you will find some excellent long term effects. Now just follow my instructions.¡± Henry gave verbal instructions on how to slowly improve one''s own mana recovery rate for a short time. It was a process not unlike meditation with focusing on the mana within your own body. ¡°You need to feel the mana flowing through your whole being, once you have that feeling you need to follow it until you find the well in which it flows to.¡±


    ¡°The well?¡± Arthur asked, it wasn''t what he would have called the almost spherical ball of mana that he could somewhat feel within his stomach with all the little streams of mana flowing in from everywhere like little rivers.


    ¡°It''s just what I call the area where all one''s mana is stored. Most people have their own term that they like to use. Tell me when you can feel it clearly so we can move on.¡± Arthur gave a small nod even though they both had their eyes closed and his gesture could not be seen. For another ten minutes he continued feeling until it became very clear to him, it felt so close that he could almost just reach out and touch it. He quickly told Henry who then moved onto the next step.


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    ¡°Good, now follow the small little pathways to the very end. When you do that you will need to focus on relaxing the entry spots and allow a little extra amount of mana to flow along with the normal amount. You see all living things have a natural mana resistance to all outside mana, but we can temporarily reduce it and allow a little extra in ourselves for assimilation. Though we will need to almost manually assimilate it rather than allow it to happen naturally once we reach a certain amount, we still have quite a bit of time and room before we need to worry about that though.¡±


    Henry helped Arthur through the process the whole way by giving him instructions and telling him what he should be feeling or doing. Eventually Arthur began to feel a little extra mana flowing into his little spherical reserve, it wasn¡¯t all that much, not even one percent more than normal, but it was just ever so slightly noticeable and for a first attempt that was more than enough.


    ¡°Excellent work Arthur, just be certain that you practice everything I have taught you in your own free time and let me know if you want any more lessons.¡± Henry was also quite happy with his progress, though just before Arthur left through the front double doors Henry stopped him to tell him something important. ¡°Oh one moment before you leave Arthur.¡±


    Arthur stopped as he was opening the right door and turned around to see what his teacher wanted to say. ¡°Don¡¯t try the mana recovering technique while your mana reserves are full, you might end up hurting yourself if you do that, and believe me it isn¡¯t very pretty. Also when you start recovering roughly another 5 percent or so with the technique, come back to me, I will teach you how to manually assimilate the mana you recover past that point as it can be very dangerous for someone untrained.¡±


    Arthur gave a nod of understanding and quickly left through the front door. His first priority was to return home and to start brewing potions to later sell, these two hours of lesson did end up costing him four silver coins after all, and since he intended to return regularly he would need to keep his balance above zero. While he did have several gold coins in his bank account he didn¡¯t want to rely on those so early into his magical career.


    Thankfully Gaelin arrived earlier in the day and dropped off a crate full of ingredients he could use, even more fortunate was that Arthur took the time earlier in the day to sort them to their designated place. This allowed Arthur to know exactly what he had on hand and what he needed to buy from one of the stores.


    With the ingredients he had with him he easily had enough to make around three silver coins worth of potions. Though that wasn¡¯t quite the four silver coins he wanted to spend on lessons everyday, or at least most days. ¡®Something is going to need to change. Either I buy more ingredients so I can brew more potions, or I hire someone else to act as my personal ingredient collector. I managed to get lucky with Gaelin needing a job, though I doubt that I will get so lucky again as being able to read is a big help when it comes to this job as that allows you to read books and learn what ingredients are valuable. Most people that would be in need of the money probably wouldn¡¯t be able to read and anyone that can read likely has a better paying job doing paperwork or something for one of the guilds.¡¯


    That left the only realistic possible choice for finding a large amount of ingredients on short notice as buying them from one of the alchemy stores that actually sold them. Though Arthur intended on asking Lydus about where the alchemy club sources its ingredients from, if it was an actual supplier then it would be a good idea to work something out with them for a good price on the ingredients as most of the store tended to overcharge.


    But asking such questions could wait until Arthur was done with the potions he intended to make, which was a batch of energy recovery potions. The potions would allow the drinker to recover their energy faster by helping them use up body fat and turn it straight into useable energy, though the batch that Arthur was brewing were intended for longer term use lasting up to a few minutes and stretching the effect over a longer time than what was normally on the market.


    The ten potions were in total worth around three silver coins or roughly three copper coins each. This was mostly because the potion wasn¡¯t very hard to make for someone with even a basic understanding of restoration magic like Arthur does. Though Arthur suspected that the stretched effect might bring more customers then the other potions would.


    Once the potions were done Arthur packed them up in his bag and began on his way towards the mages guild. On his way he noticed that most of the gang members that he would often see strolling around were gone, clearly wherever gang war was going on within the former unified group was requiring all hands on deck and keeping them off the streets. ¡®To think that all was required to do this was killing a few hardened criminals and burning down a warehouse. I should have done this sooner, I can only imagine how fractured the gang would be if I killed their leaders when I first had that opportunity.¡¯


    When Arthur arrived at the mages guild everything was about as he expected, several lines were leading outside as people waited to finish their business with the guild while leaving just enough room for Arthur to pass by and walk into the underground section. But as he passed by one of the other mages he noticed a look of worry on her face, something either happened or was going to and it wasn¡¯t good. Arthur passed by a few more mages on his way to the alchemy club and even a few of them look equally as worried.


    The alchemy club was also noticeably empty of any students with the only person inside being Lydus who was still filling out paperwork at his table. Arthur walked up to him with the batch of potions in hand with a good price in mind. ¡°Good morning Lydus, I have some more potions to sell today.¡± Arthur quickly placed the labelled potions on the table for Lydus to look over.


    ¡°Oh, good morning Arthur. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to come in today.¡± Lydus said as he picked up the potions and started inspecting them.


    ¡°You weren''t? Why not? I almost always drop by to sell a few potions.¡± Arthur crossed his arms as he watched Lydus perform his inspection. Clearly something was up with the guild and he was hoping that Lydus would tell him what that was.


    ¡°I take it you haven¡¯t heard the news then, a collection of influential nobility have begun opposing the mages guilds involvement within the legal system and are willing to take the situation to the courts to have an official ruling.¡±

 Chapter 111

    ¡°Wait, they can actually do that? Can¡¯t the king or whatever group that oversees the legal system just ignore this request?¡± Arthur asked, though he didn¡¯t understand how the legal system worked he assumed that the people in charge wouldn¡¯t be too happy by the fact that they were being opposed.


    ¡°The council high i¨±dic¨¥s do have the final say on the matter, but anyone who opposes any decisions or even ideas that are circulating around are legally allowed to present their case as to why or why not that idea should be implemented. And when I say everyone I mean everyone, as long as you are a citizen of the kingdom you have the legal right to challenge without any retaliation for it.¡± Arthur listened carefully to the explanation Lydus gave. Clearly there was a reason why such a law existed.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that mean that you could endlessly challenge a law you didn¡¯t like no matter how many times you fail?¡± Arthur asked for further insight into the law.


    ¡°Technically yes, but if you challenge something more than three times in a row without succeeding in convincing a majority of the high i¨±dic¨¥s then you will be banned and outright dismissed of any future challenges of the selected law. Though very few times has anyone ever gone through so much effort past their first attempt, you would need some sort of explosive evidence after the first failure to convince the rest of the high i¨±dic¨¥s that did not vote in your favor.¡±


    Arthur just stood there for a moment thinking about what he just heard while Lydus counted out the money for the potions before handing Arthur a small pouch containing three silver coins. ¡°Try not to worry about it, it is completely out of our hands and we have no way to change that. We just need to place our hopes onto the Archmage and pray to your god of choice to help us through this.¡± Arthur just nodded along as he understood that there was nothing he could do in this situation.


    Since there was nothing else to deal with at the guild Arthur left and returned home and decided that he was going to continue practicing his aeromany with the exercise that Henry showed him just the day before. But on the way back to his home he was left alone with all of his thoughts. Despite his attempts to think about anything else this attempt at keeping mages from assisting the legal system in any form was gnawing at him, he wanted to do something about it but he didn¡¯t know what he could even do. Starting a fight with someone associated with this group of nobles wouldn¡¯t help the case, if anything that would do the opposite. Spying on them and looking for evidence sounded like a good idea until he realized that he needed to actually find something useful, and he had no idea what might be considered useful in a court of law. When he looked up again Arthur found himself in front of his house, he managed to subconsciously walk straight back without losing his way.


    Arthur quickly entered his home and locked the door behind him while he found the closest empty space which he stood in the center of and began the exercise. Arthur started by conjuring up five different spheres of air in a one meter radius of himself, then he compressed the spheres down until they were a fraction of their original size. Arthur slowly began moving these spheres away from himself until they were starting to put strain on his mind and mana. Slowly he began to move the orbs clockwise around himself slowly picking up speed as he did so.


    Every so often Arthur would change directions and speed on whim to try and further challenge himself and learn more in the process. This lasted about the same amount of time being around an hour of which Arthur almost collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion. After a minute of catching his breath Arthur started on with the mana recovery meditation to hopefully recover his mana a bit faster. Though the effect was basically nothing as Arthur calculated he recovered his mana at around a quarter of a percent faster than normal.


    But the time that he spent doing this did allow him to think about everything that had been going on in his life, from his friendship with Calavia to his conflicts with the grouped up gangs now split apart Arthur was for the most part happy with how everything turned out. The only real sour note was the court case regarding the nobles stopping mages from helping the law, he had made a good name for himself and found a good opportunity in helping the city guard. Who knows how many others might lose such an opportunity because of some greedy nobles.


    The thoughts remained until Arthur¡¯s mana had fully recovered and he was ready to begin again. Arthur managed to finish multiple sets of this duel exercise and was already feeling a much greater speed of improvement compared to just casting tier two spells as fast as he could. But by the third set of the exercise Arthur was about ready to be done practicing for the day, his physical body and mana were both fully recovered but his mind was not.


    It was well past four o¡¯clock when Arthur was done with his magic training for the day and he decided he wanted to read through the entirety of the journal belonging to Brexius. So far he had only read around a quarter of the pages within the book, it didn''t need to be an in depth analysis and Arthur did not need to determine if anything contained within was viable, he was just curious about what else Brexius wrote about aside from the flesh golems.


    To Arthur¡¯s joy past the last page regarding the full sized flesh golem was non magic related writings, specifically of Brexius writing about how his mother was trying to make him spend more time with their family instead of in his room.


    7th of Felsite, 370, 3E


    Mother has once again tried to force me to spend time with some of our relatives for some useless gathering. I haven¡¯t even met these people before so why should I care about them. The only reason why I am going is because mother told me several times that it would look very poorly on our family if I, the oldest heir, were to not go with them.


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    From what Arthur could gather from this proper journal entry was that Brexius was definitely a child based on manner of speech and the way he referred to his mother and family. He was most likely in his teens when he wrote this based on the desire to remain within his room and avoiding family.


    Regardless Arthur managed to force the image of a teen boy cutting up human corpses for his golem experiments out of his mind as he flipped to other pages with other diagrams of things Brexius worked on. The most notable thing of them was the lack of human body parts being a requirement, clearly he learned from his previous experimental projects. The first to show up was a basic golem created entirely out of wood, it was almost cute with its black dots for eyes and its stubby little body.


    From there the creations got larger to average human sized with wooden golems the size and with the proportions of an average human. This golem was also less cute and more bland in terms of appearance with the blank wooden doll aesthetic almost being unnerving. It was also far more advanced than the small wooden golem by a long shot, the description of its abilities were nothing to scoff at. According to what Brexius wrote down it was able to wield most basic weapons such as hammers, maces, spears, and axes but it could also wear armor for protection outside of what was added through the enchantment process. Brexius wrote that he personally found the most success with lighter armors as they were able to preserve the doll-like golem¡¯s dexterity. The weapons on the other hand were more dependent upon the situation as they typically were, spears for standard infantry and heavy weapons for heavily armored opponents. Over all this golem looked to be possible the best out of all that Arthur had found so far, until he looked at the material list and his jaw dropped. It required standard grade mana stone at the bare minimum for create, enchant, and regularly use the thing. Considering just how expensive the minor mana stone was that Arthur bought not all that long ago a standard grade mana stone would cost at least one hundred gold coins.


    ¡®That is definitely a long term goal for me. It might even take me years to reach the level of skill to do anything past the flesh golems.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he looked over the enchantments inscribed on the full sized wooden golem, it was easily three times as complex as the flesh golem had been trying to make work just the week prior. Brexius was most definitely a genius in the field of golemancy, and he very likely started at a very young age if he was able to do all this as a teenager, possibly even as young as ten years old. Though he did need to account for the almost three year gap between the first entry and the once regarding the family gathering.


    Continuing past the wooden golems Arthur was happy to see that Brexius continued on with creating golems, this time a golem that was about five feet tall was made entirely out of stone. The design was also quite nice as it looked to be made up of individual stone blocks giving it a very military appearance compared to the previous two types that resembled people. However due to the shape of the construct it was unable to wear any armor, though it could still wield weapons like any of the prior golems. Brexius was also kind enough to leave a note regarding the golems'' creation and purpose.


    9th of Hematite, 375, 3E


    I have finally finished up the prototype of the stone golem that Lord Andre commissioned. I showed him the blueprints and had a small demonstration of the constructs capabilities against three of his infantry men, the result was a quick and easy win for the golem and the approval of Lord Andre along with an order for ten. I suspect that he intends to use my constructs for the rumored second crusade against the demonic forces to the east and I see no reason to deny such a request. With the money I will earn from this I should have the funds to further my research into larger golems.


    This stone golem was commissioned from a Lord Andre who was most likely a noble or the rough equivalent of the time. Arthur also noticed the five year time difference between this entry and the previous showing the amount of time Brexius spent working on this stone golem. ¡®The phrasing of the sentence is also different, that is to be expected after five years but this is more akin to a proper adults pattern of speech. Brexius was most likely into his early twenties when he wrote this entry leaving him a late teen when he wrote the previous.¡¯


    The pages after were mere modifications to the previous stone golem, however the only reason Arthur knew they were modifications was because it said so at the very top of the pages. The modifications were mostly indistinguishable from the others from a design perspective excluding a few examples that tried for a more humanoid look, but those attempts were quickly discarded based on the designs afterwards retaining the blocky body shape.


    It appeared that Brexius eventually settled on a variation of the original that was a little less blocky allowing it to be far more agile and dexterous while retaining its physical strength. Though after the finalized design the remaining pages were blank, admittedly there weren''t that many left only around five but it was a little surprising to see for Arthur who was hoping for at least a few extra things to find within the book that might help him or at least give an idea as to what he might be able to do in the future.


    By the time Arthur reached the end it was around five thirty and a good time to stop and have something to eat for dinner. There were of course several things he could eat for dinner, he still had some soup from the beginning of the week that he could eat, or he could go to one of the nearby taverns and eat something there. Arthur thought back to the last time he ate food from somewhere else which was around a month ago now, with that Arthur decided to change things up and go find a tavern to eat at.


    As Arthur stepped outside he took notice of how much darker it was getting every day, while it was still bright enough to around without a light if things kept up that might not be the case for too much longer. ¡®If things keep going like this then within a few months it will be dark out at this time of the day.¡¯


    As Arthur continued down the roads towards the market area of the southern district where most of the decent taverns were he took notice of the reduced traffic of people. Normally by this time there would still be some people walking about whether it be because they were going out to dinner or if they had a last minute errand to run. There were still a few people but it was easily a fraction of what had been outside even the day before.


    Because of this change Arthur kept his eyes open and ready for something to pop up out of nowhere, there had to be a good reason why there were so few people outside. But Arthur reached the market square without issue and quickly entered a tavern called ¡®The Grey Walker¡¯ and took an empty seat in the middle of the open room while he waited for the waitress to take his order.

 Chapter 112

    After a few minutes of waiting the waitress stopped by and dropped off a menu for Arthur to look at and decide what he wanted. There were several soups available but Arthur quickly dismissed those, he had been having soup for several weeks straight at this point. Instead he ordered a ¡®hungry man¡¯s dinner¡¯ which was a plate with some pork, beans, and a piece of bread. The meal cost Arthur four copper coins which he paid to the waitress who told him ¡°It¡¯ll just be a few minutes sir.¡±


    A few minutes went by and the waitress returned with a plate full of pork and beans with a small loaf of bread that looked like it would make a very good ball to throw around. Each part of the meal was roughly one third of the entire plate and it was a very nice sized plate. Arthur thanked the waitress and gave her a small tip before he dug into his food. The first thing he tried out was the beans, it was the first time he had tried such a food and he found them to be quite different from most of what he had already eaten, it was a nice change.


    Next Arthur conjured up a knife from earth and cut the bread he had in half and put around two thirds of the meat on his plate between the two pieces making a nice impromptu sandwich which he then ate. When he was done with his sandwich he moved onto the remaining pork and ate it with the conjured knife and a fork that was provided.


    Arthur was quite happy with the meal and found that it was more than enough for him. ¡®Very good, the beans were not exactly my favorite part but they were good enough. I should probably come here more often and try out a few of the other things on the menu.¡¯ Arthur briefly considered looking at the menu again out of curiosity but put that out of his mind as he stood up and left the building and went back to his home.


    Like on the way to the tavern he ate at, the roads were practically dead empty, only the occasional person could be seen walking the streets and even they looked worried about something. It was like the whole city knew something Arthur didn¡¯t and he cursed himself for not asking the waitress about it while he was at the tavern. ¡®I plan to have a few lessons with Henry again soon, if not tomorrow. I could ask him why the streets are like this tonight then, he''s been a citizen here for quite some time now so he should know.¡¯


    Arthur was certain that someone or something was causing everyone in the city to start staying inside once it even gets a little dark out. For his own safety Arthur conjured a dagger and hid it up his sleeve, hopefully he wouldn¡¯t need it but so far in his life hoping was never enough. Thankfully the way back was uneventful and he returned home without any problems.


    Once he was inside Arthur quickly put a few longs in the woodstove and lit up a small fire for light and warmth, recently it had been getting a little cold at night and even though he could just conjure up fire it helped when there was a fire he didn¡¯t need to constantly maintain.


    *******


    ¡°What else do we know of him, Caius?¡± Lady Alkonost asked as she paced around her throne room. While her face was stone cold her wings gave away just how frustrated she really was.


    ¡°His now updated file from the mages guild tells us that he can cast tier two spells now. He is a growing threat if you are correct in who he actually is.¡± Caius Quintilius the younger brother of Saturio Quintilius said as he looked over the new copy of Arthur¡¯s file. He was also very concerned as the rate of growth Arthur showed was dangerous enough on its own, if Lady Alkonost was right that this Arthur was actually the chosen of one of the gods then their entire plan might be in jeopardy.


    ¡°I know I am right about this, I almost always am. The only way to possibly confirm this would be for me to go in person and check him for any traces of divine magic.¡± Lady Alkonost said as she looked out the large window overlooking the empire. ¡°You said he was a part of the mages guild right?¡±


    ¡°Yes my lady, that is correct.¡± Caius confirmed, wondering what she just realised.


    ¡°Then that makes it definitive who has chosen him. It was Xardas the dark magician, the only god to bless any of his chosen with arcane affinity rather than divine, and now we are seeing the fruits of such a blessing.¡± Lady Alkonost was now looking down at the city below, even from such a height she could still see the small little humans walking around without a care. She could only imagine how they would react if they knew of her presence and how she impacted their everyday lives.


    After a moment of silence and waiting for an explanation Caius spoke up again and asked ¡°Is there anything we can do? We have a few devotees who were assassins before they joined us that might be able to put an end to this choice of Xardas.¡±


    ¡°No, that won''t work. I will need to take care of such a danger myself. How prepared are we to strike against the Rathen kingdom again? It might present the perfect opportunity to remove this danger once and for all.¡±


    ¡°We should have all our preparations done within a year, possibly several months earlier than that.¡±  Caius responded, making Lady Alkonost smile for the first time in several days. She continued looking into the window but now was looking at the reflection of her loyal subordinates'' reflection, her mind wondering how she would reward him for his loyalty and great service. ¡®Normally I prefer physically powerful men, but it might be a nice change to have someone with a strong mind.¡¯


    ********


    Arthur awoke the very next morning with the feeling once again, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same as the previous times. Before it was like a warning of impending danger whereas now it was more akin to a warning of something far off in the distance that was coming towards him. It was only a small little tingling down his spine that slowly disappeared after a few minutes leaving Arthur very confused and a little worried.


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    Putting the worrying feeling off to the side for now Arthur quickly made himself some breakfast and awaited Gaelin to arrive with the crate full of ingredients. Soon Gaelin arrived and was given his six copper coins in exchange for the ingredients which Arthur quickly sorted through before putting them away.


    Arthur was quite tempted to just start right away with brewing potions to sell over at the mages guild but he stopped himself. He wanted to get another hour or two of lessons from Henry to help progress his aeromancy a bit more as he found his improvement rate skyrocketed while being coached by him. Henry just had a certain way of pushing him beyond his limits. ¡®Just showing up might be considered rude though, it would be better to try and schedule those lessons for tomorrow to avoid interrupting him. He probably has some experiments that he is working on that he needs his full attention on.¡¯


    With that Arthur started brewing up some potions over the course of an hour, when they were done he packed everything he needed up and began walking towards the mages guild. He reached the mages guild building at around 10:30 in the morning and quickly slipped past the lines by the doorway and went downstairs to the alchemy club. One thing of note was there were more people at the guild both mages and civilians than the day before, even the alchemy guild had a few students trying things out with the club provided equipment. Lydus was at his table still filling out paperwork and one senior mage was walking around helping the students when they asked for it.


    ¡°Have you even moved from there since I last saw you? The pile doesn¡¯t even look like it has moved an inch since I was here yesterday.¡± Arthur joked as he walked up to Lydus who was still nose deep into the paperwork.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur, despite what it looks like I do get a lot of work done everyday and this is not just for the alchemy club, it includes several other departments that I take part in running. But you probably don¡¯t want to hear me list those off, now what can I do for you?¡± Arthur had to admit he was a little interested in what all those departments were but he forced himself to think about the potions he brewed this morning instead, quickly fetching them from his bag he placed them on the table to allow Lydus to inspect them before giving them a value. Taking out the strange device that resembled an eye glass, Lydus looked over each potion before counting out three silver coins for the whole bunch and placing them into a small pouch for Arthur¡¯s convenience. ¡°Three silver for all ten, take it or leave it.¡±


    ¡°¡±I¡¯ll take it, thank you.¡± Arthur smiled as he opened up the pouch and quickly counted up his money. ¡°I¡¯ll have some more potions to sell you tomorrow, they''ll be around the same quality and quantity.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine Arthur, I always have the money to buy them off you. But before you go, if you could perhaps find a way to brew many more potions, I could offer you a better deal for them.¡± Lydus smiled and put down the piece of paper he was writing on as he continued. ¡°If you can reach a certain threshold of output I can give you more money for each potion. We have a few other alchemists that are in similar contracts with us.¡±


    ¡°And just how many potions would I need to be making every day to be eligible for this contract.¡± Lydus had Arthur¡¯s attention, but he was still skeptical as it sounded like he would need to be making a lot of potions.


    ¡°We would need at least 100 potions from you every day for such a contract to be possible, of course we would need some sort of proof beforehand that you will be able to supply such an amount on a daily basis but I see no reason why I shouldn¡¯t let you know about this even if it won''t be an option for some time.¡±


    Arthur was silent, this would be an excellent opportunity for him to earn a lot of money to finance his future experiments and perhaps even hire some employees to help with the actual potion brewing. ¡®Assuming I sell the potions for three copper coins each like I have been for some time now by selling one hundred a day I would be making thirty silver coins which when added up would be a gold coin and ten silver. With that much money coming every day I could easily hire several employees for both brewing and collecting herbs, if I really wanted to I could just start growing them myself and just hire a few people to farm them.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I will need some time to think about it and even more to actually set something up to allow for such production.¡± Arthur said instead of what he was thinking as he continued on his way.


    ¡°Of course, I understand. It is a very difficult decision to make and even harder to keep. Just let me know when you make your decision and I will gather the proper paperwork for you.¡± Lydus said as he waved to Arthur.


    Arthur did not stay for much longer as he had business with the job board and wished to set up another hour or two of lessons with Henry and he needed to send a message through one of the communication orbs in there. Thankfully the job board wasn¡¯t all that far from the alchemy club and the man at the desk didn¡¯t seem to care that Arthur wanted to use one of the orbs anyways. Arthur quickly sent Henry a second message clarifying who he was and asking if tomorrow was a good time for some more lessons and what time would work out for him.


    With little other reason to stay Arthur returned to his home to practice his aeromancy and the meditation technique for a while as he needed to keep up working on it bit by bit every day if he wanted to make any level of improvement. Arthur also decided to try something similar to the aeromancy exercise with geomancy instead, as he expected his control was far superior and he could control eleven spheres of condensed earth at around the same speed and control as he could with half as many spheres of air.


    ¡®I guess this would make my specialization geomancy since it is the magic skill in which I have the most time using, though I expect the demon soul helped me quite a bit in that regard.¡¯ Arthur looked down at his hands as he thought about the demon that was down in that cavern. It was truly a terrifying thing that even made the strongest members of the expedition that were there afraid of it. ¡®I wonder just how much of my success and accomplishments are all because I absorbed that demon soul instead of Saturio Quintilius. If he did he probably would have tried to kill us all with the help of his teammates and left immediately leaving Lyra and those under her to find our bodies¡­ I guess we got very lucky that I was brave or foolish enough to try and reach the obelisk thing they called a phylacterium that contained the demon''s soul.¡¯


    Arthur remained seated as he thought about what could have happened if Saturio had magic learned from absorbing the demon soul like he did. He probably could have turned the tide of the battle just like Arthur did.

 Chapter 113

    ¡°Concentrate Arthur, don¡¯t let your thoughts distract you. Simply let them float away like clouds and return your focus to the task at hand.¡± Henry said to Arthur as he walked around his sitting student watching his performance. Arthur on the other hand was struggling with the task he was given, he had both his hands to his sides as he controlled the eight spheres of condensed air that orbited around him. Arthur made the unfortunate mistake of telling his teacher of what he was able to do with the exercise when it was applied to geomancy instead of aeromancy.


    Arthur did not answer his teacher as that would only result in his already stressed mind to be stressed further. As such he continued with the task he was given and hated just about every moment of it. Henry felt that he wasn¡¯t pushing Arthur enough and thus decided he should be pushed to his absolute limits for today only to use the meditation technique to recover and do it all again until he started showing progress.


    Such intense training required every shred of willpower Arthur had to keep hold of the air he was controlling without slipping in the slightest. The ¡®helpful¡¯ words of encouragement from Henry were of no help either, but even when Arthur stopped training he didn¡¯t have the energy to further argue with his teacher over the usefulness of what he was saying.


    By the time the second hour of the lesson arrived and ended Arthur was never so happy to leave a place in the near six months of his entire life. ¡°You don¡¯t need to leave right now, I don¡¯t have anything important scheduled for quite some time. So we can continue your training session if you would like.¡± Arthur nearly scoffed at that statement, that was certainly not going to happen. ¡°I wish I could stay, but I have some personal business to attend to in around fifteen minutes and I would rather be on time for her.¡± Was what Arthur said instead while he was putting his boots on to leave.


    ¡°She? Don¡¯t tell me you already have someone special waiting for you at home.¡± Henry smirked as he watched Arthur finish putting his boots on. ¡°No no, she is just a friend. She was the one to recommend speaking with you in the first place. She was a former student of yours.¡±


    Henry paused for a minute to think before saying ¡°Could you be a bit more specific, I have had quite a few female students that are around your age now.¡±


    ¡°No, you would just tease me more if you knew who she actually was.¡± Arthur gave a real smile at this and waved as he opened the door to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around sir.¡±


    ¡°You too Arthur, and good luck.¡± Henry waved back as Arthur quickly exited the building.


    The moment Arthur was outside the old church with the doors closed behind him he let out a deep sigh and wiped the sweat stained hair off to the side as he slowly began walking back to his home. At the moment it was two o¡¯clock in the afternoon yet Arthur was just about ready to go to bed from the exhaustion he was feeling.


    ¡®Note to self, never bring up my own personal results from outside lessons with Henry unless he specifically asks for them because that absolutely was not worth it.¡¯ Arthur thought as he was nearing the street that led to his own home. Thankfully he took care of the gang member problem a while ago which left no predictable threats anywhere near his home or on his walk back. If there was a group of the gang members that was to suddenly ambush or block his way like they had in the past then it likely wouldn¡¯t go very well for Arthur.


    Reaching the front door of his house Arthur quickly fetched his key and unlocked it before pushing the door open and walking inside. Arthur¡¯s first destination was his bedroom for a short nap that definitely wouldn¡¯t be all that long and he would most definitely wake up in just an hour or two instead of several.


    *********


    Meanwhile in the basement of Henry¡¯s church turned laboratory and home he grumbled to himself as he looked over a set of blueprints for a large circular disk object with many patterns of inscriptions covering its surface. Placing the blueprints down Henry looked up towards the salvage remains of one such magical device he uncovered several years ago and intended to recreate the beautiful thing.


    Turning to the nearby clay golem he ordered it to bring the crate it was carrying with it and to follow him. Together Henry and the golem walked up to the remnants of the large disk that was laying on its back. Henry ordered the golem to place the crate down and open it while he got to work attaching new pieces of rock of the same type that was used to create the original parts.


    *********


    Arthur awoke several hours later as the sun was starting to dip towards the horizon. He could feel the dried sweat on his skin and quickly conjured up some water to remove it and toss it outside the window in his bedroom. Arthur also switched to a clear pair of clothes that didn¡¯t need a good wash to get the smell out of.


    ¡®Uh, what time is it?¡¯ Arthur asked himself as he looked out the window and the diming sunlight. ¡®That nap was a bit longer than an hour or two wasn¡¯t it.¡¯ Arthur grumbled to himself as he picked up a bucked and tossed his sweaty clothes in them to wash. He quickly exited out the back door and slowly filled the bucket with water from the surrounding moisture in the air, once the bucket was two thirds full he started scrubbing the clothes.


    It took several minutes to properly clean the clothes but when it was done they smelt a lot better than before. Arthur then used the surrounding dirt to create two thin rods just under two meters tall with a third rod connecting the two at the top which he then hung the clothes over to dry.


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    With the situation of the clothing out of the way Arthur went back inside and poured himself a bowl of soup to eat, he missed lunch due to his exhaustion and now that it was getting quite close to dinner time he was very hungry. Using his skill in pyromancy Arthur warmed up the soup and ate his fill, a sort of lunch and dinner at the same time.


    With a well deserved meal out of the way Arthur was now left with very little to entertain himself with, since he gave up his golem experiments for the time being he had to ditch the corpses he kept around as well as the rat ones. Arthur was forced to push the bodies he buried initially deeper than before into the ground so that he could keep all the new bodies below the six foot deep line. Hopefully no one would find those for quite some time and he would be long gone when that happens.


    The only thing Arthur had left to read aside from the journal was the few books he had checked out from the library and hadn''t taken the time to return yet as he could keep them as long as he wished per the library''s policy. Those two beaks were just tier two spell books that Arthur already looked through and found nothing else of interest or of use.


    So Arthur just sat in one of his chairs at his table and looked outside as it slowly turned dark while he thought to himself. ¡®I need to find some friends or a hobby or something to spend my time on. Otherwise I will drive myself insane when I don¡¯t have anything to do.¡¯


    The only real subject that Arthur had any real interest in was magic and each of its sub categories, other than that he had very little else that he found interesting. Sure the music that he would occasionally hear in a tavern was nice, but it wasn¡¯t exactly the highest quality or very interesting. At best it was simple background noise for food and conversation.


    ¡®I wonder if there are any more of those warehouses still full of that dried grass stuff that the one gang member I interrogated called swamp weed. I could kill a few people and some time with it before I go to sleep.¡¯ Arthur perked up with that thrall of thought and was already putting on his overcoat and packing his dimensional bag with several healing potions he kept in his spare room with all his alchemy supplies. The last thing he grabbed was his sword which he strapped to his hip and slowly exited through the backdoor.


    Arthur slowly retraced his steps to some of the other warehouses he found on the day he burned the first one down. The first one he passed by looked to be entirely abandoned with the front doors wide open for just about anyone to freely walk in and out of, the second on the other hand was a bit more promising. Four guards were standing outside with their weapons drawn, two with spears and the other two with one handed axes. Loud sounds could be heard from the inside as if someone was shuffling something around, the anxious looks they had on their face gave away just how stressful the situation was for them and gave Arthur a clue of how much was inside.


    ¡®Must be a large stash compared to the others, and based on the sounds coming from inside they are either preparing to move it somewhere else or are bringing it in. Though I might be completely wrong and they are doing something else instead, it would have to be something that requires a lot of moving around.¡¯ Arthur walked by the warehouse on the far side of the road avoiding eye contact with the four guards as he did so. It gave him a good idea of how large the warehouse was and how well guarded it is.


    Arthur estimated the size of the warehouse to be around one and a half times the size of the previous one, assuming it was filled roughly the same amount as the previous warehouse Arthur would be destroying fifty percent more of this swamp weed stuff than he did last time. But with this increased value came increased security, with double the guards as the previous warehouse killing them silently would prove to be more difficult this time around. ¡®I could try luring them to the side one at a time where no one can see them, but I assume that wouldn¡¯t work past the second attempt and after a minute or two of no response or being gone would make those remaining suspicious.¡¯


    Sneaking around the side of another nearby building Arthur looked for a possible secondary set of doors or an open window that he might be able to crawl through and get inside without detection. Instead he found two other guards walking around the other three sides as sentries, if he wished to enact his original plan to draw the four at the front one at a time he would need to eliminate these two first. Unluckily or perhaps luckily the two were patrolling quite close to each other giving Arthur a good window of opportunity to quickly eliminate the two in rapid succession. The most opportune time for that would be when they were at the back end of the warehouse.


    Arthur slowly got into a position where he had a good line of sight with where he wanted to kill the two patrolling gang members and waited while hiding behind a corner of a nearby building. Slowly Arthur watched the two approach from the far side of the building which was the left side, they two slowly walked down the back side and turned the corner and walked around halfway down the right side before turning around and going back. Arthur had the spell Tri Earth Bolt prepared within his mind and two castings worth of earth bolts at the ready by the time the two gang members were at the halfway point of the back end. Arthur quickly gave the mental command to the bolts and just as quickly shot forwards striking the second gang member in the head and neck knocking him down and soon killing him, the first gang member who was leading his friend felt his friend bump into him as he was dying before he too was struck by three of his own earth bolts leading him to a similar fate.


    The two fresh corpses quickly fell to the ground creating some noise that Arthur worried would attract attention from the other gang members standing guard, but thankfully after several minutes of waiting and watching none of them showed up. With that Arthur quickly walked over and searched through the pockets of the two and found a few copper coins and took the old short swords they both carried.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®These corpses can stay here for the time being, for now I need to deal with the remaining gang members outside keeping watch.¡¯ Arthur had several plans of how he could deal with the four gang members out front, the first was to simply go in with as many spells as he could concentrate on at a time and strike them all down where they stood. The biggest problem with this plan was that they might shout something that could give away to someone inside that they are under attack, and if they had the numbers Arthur suspected then based on the previous warehouse there were around nine gang members inside either standing guard or doing something else.


    The second plan involved drawing one or two of the gang members out front away with sounds and then killing them while they were isolated. The problem with this plan was it left very little room for Arthur to act and take out more than one before moving onto the second. It could work, but Arthur would need to be very fast and possibly lead two at a time away to avoid suspicion, and if he were he could only do it once without giving away something happening.

 Chapter 114

    ¡®I see no reason why I shouldn¡¯t at least try to take out one or two of them beforehand before dealing with the ones left behind.¡¯ With his decision finalized Arthur peeked around the right side corner of the warehouse and conjured up a small pebble that he then tossed towards the middle of the length of wall. After a few seconds of waiting he did it again, and again for around a minute, but no one even looked around the corner to look at the source of the noise.


    ¡®Clearly this isn¡¯t working. They either don¡¯t care about the noise because they think it''s one of the two gang members I have already killed or they just think it''s a rat. Looks like I will need to go with a more direct course of action.¡¯ Arthur gritted his teeth at the failure that this plan was, he was hoping to at least have one come and investigate the source of the noise.


    Arthur quickly and quietly chanted the arcane words and performed the hand signs and conjured four instances of the Tri Earth Bolt spell, one for each of the gang members guarding the front doors. Slowly walking towards the front Arthur held two of the spells in each of his hands close to his chest. When he slowly passed by the corner of the warehouse the nearest gang member didn¡¯t even notice him for a second before quickly raising his spear and shouting at him. ¡°Halt, state your purpo-¡±


    The gang member didn''t get the time to finish speaking as Arthur flicked his fingers towards he and his ally standing next to him who were both given their very own set of earth bolts that stuck them in the face killing them quickly. The remaining two gang members quickly turned to look at the cause of the commotion and were stunned when their ally suddenly stopped talking and fell to the ground. The man wearing the thick leather overcoat turned towards them and flicked his left hand towards them and they too were given their very own set of earth bolts.


    The closest gang member was almost instantly killed by the projectiles lodging themselves into his eyes and lower jaw, the other one however managed to dodge two of the three bolts and was only hit in the shoulder by the last one. The pain shot through his body as he felt the bones with his shoulder crack from the impact, while he had never been shot with a bow he imagined this is what it would feel like. Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately the shock prevented him from shouting out in pain and left him weakened against Arthur who quickly followed up his attack.


    ¡®Another tier one spell would take six seconds, that is too long.¡¯ Arthur thought as he reached for his longsword strapped to his left hip and rushed towards the remaining gang member with a two handed grip and the blade pointed towards him. The gang member tried to move out of the way and dodge the attack but the shock from his injury slowed him enough where it was barely even a factor and Arthur was easily able to stab the gang member through the chest and push him to the ground. Arthur didn¡¯t wait for the blood loss to kill his adversary and quickly brought the tip of his blade down on the dying man''s neck, hastening his demise.


    Now the only thing remaining was whoever and whatever was inside the warehouse. Arthur slowly opened the side door and slipped in without making any noise, the door did creak a bit but it wasn¡¯t nearly enough to alert anyone. Inside was easily twice as many crates stacked almost up to the ceiling and towards the back of the warehouse the sound of someone walking and muttering to themselves could be heard.


    With his sword still in hand Arthur crouched down and slowly approached the source of this sound, peeking around the corner of the stacked crates that abruptly stopped around two thirds of the way to the back Arthur saw three people wearing cheap overcoats made from a patchwork of different materials but were mostly leather. They were each at their own tables with a crate by the side as they did something with the contents and placed it into a second crate they had in the center of the room where they were starting to stack more crates.


    Standing up Arthur was able to see the crates were full of the bundles of the dried grass-like substance called swamp weed and the people in the cheap overcoats were wrapping it with small pieces of cheap paper and a small bit of a sticky substance to keep the paper together. ¡®This must be related to how this swamp weed is used, that makes this the place where it is processed and then packaged for sale. I would have assumed the security of this place would have been a lot better than what I dealt with already.¡¯ As he watched Arthur noticed that each of the likely gang members had a large dagger on their hips making Arthur grit his teeth, clearly they weren''t quite as defenseless as he expected them to be.


    ¡®I could just conjure up a bunch of small earth projectiles all killing the three of them in one attack, but then I wouldn¡¯t be able to integrate any of them for more information about other warehouses. However I could fix that by just killing two and leaving one alive, I interrogate the last one and have the information I want for my next attack.¡¯ Arthur smiled with his new plan that he was more than ready to enact, he elected to just quietly cast the Tri Earth Bolts spell twice and use the earth bolts from that to kill the gang members and avoid any damage to the equipment. But to cast the spells without drawing attention from the chant he would need to take a few steps back and stay behind the stacked crates to limit the noise, thankfully the gang members were very busy with whatever they were doing with the swamp weed.


    With two casts of the spell in hand Arthur slowly walked back to the opening with the three gang members and selected the middle and right most gang members to die and gave them each three earth bolts to help them with that. Quickly the two fell to the floor like puppets cut from their strings and the third gang member who was the farthest on the left looked to the source and shouted out in terror when he saw his colleagues dead and on the floor, though Arthur couldn¡¯t see the terror on his face as he wore a poorly made mask with only two small pieces of glass for sight.


    The gang member quickly reached for his dagger as his hands were shaking from the gravity of the situation, when he finally had it in his hands he had it in a two handed grip telling Arthur that this gang member and likely the others like him have had little to no combat training. They had likely been assigned this role due to their lack of combative skills.


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    When the gang member saw Arthur he held the dagger out in front of him like someone with a longsword might to keep their opponent at bay, though the lack of reach the blade gave would render this strategy ineffective. The gang member also tried to slowly move towards the doors a step or two at a time, or at least he did until Arthur conjured up a few large spikes or earth and shot them towards the direction he was trying to run off to.


    ¡°You look like a smart person, so instead of trying to run away which might end up with me putting a foot long spike of earth through your spine, why don¡¯t you instead tell me everything about this litter operation you have going on in here.¡± Arthur gave a large smile as he said this to scare the remaining gang member and make him think he enjoyed hurting others, though that was technically true he only enjoys hurting and killing bad people.


    The scare tactic clearly worked as the tip of the dagger the gang member was holding quickly began to shake as his nerves couldn¡¯t handle the stress of the situation and he quickly dropped it onto the floor. ¡°Ok! Ok! I will tell you everything as long as I get to go free.¡± The gang member demanded with a shaking voice, to keep him on edge Arthur paused and looked as if he was thinking about it before agreeing. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let you go. Now hurry up.¡±


    The gang member breathed in and out a few times in an attempt to calm himself before he started speaking. ¡°This warehouse was used to both store and process the swamp weed for use before being shipped out to the dealers, there are several other warehouses like this one all throughout the territory still under the command of Yufur. Each warehouse does a specific part of the process and several do the same part to keep the production as high as possible.¡±


    ¡°And what about the actual swamp weed itself, where does it come from? I assume you aren''t just growing the stuff out of the ground like grass.¡± Arthur hoped that was the case, but if they had magic them it wouldn¡¯t be out of the question for them to acquire that much through such means, they had talismans after all so a mage wasn¡¯t out of the question.


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know much about the suppliers of the swamp weed. All I know is they bring it in from some swamp located in the south of the continent and that is where all of it is grown.¡± Arthur frowned at the answer he received, clearly the remains of this gang under Yufur did not actually grow the stuff themselves and instead imported it into the kingdom and the city to process and distribute to their dealers. This unfortunately left room for someone else to start paying for the swamp weed from these suppliers and start the whole ring up again.


    Arthur flicked his finger and a bolt of earth went into the remaining gang members'' eyes and killed him.


    /- - - - - -\


    Mana : 15/42


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur took a quick look at his mana reserves and found he still had enough to burn the warehouse down if he started with the stacked crates of swamp weed in the middle of the room. But before he did anything drastic he wanted to take a look at what was on the table the three masked and coated gang members were working at.


    The table itself was nothing important just simple wooden tables that looked to be well loved by their previous owners, the one crate was just full of small pieces of paper that could easily be wrapped around a small amount of swamp weed, though it must have taken a very long time to cut all this cheap paper down to this size, considering the sheer amount and size it must have taken days to do. The other two crates were full of swamp weed and finished rolls of swamp weed respectively, the crate of finished rolls was only half filled and yet there were easily one hundred inside of it.


    Nothing aside from the daggers the gang members had were of any value to Arthur so he left everything as it was and quickly stepped outside. Starting with the bodies just outside the front doors he brought them inside and placed them against the stacks of crates in the middle of the warehouse, then he moved onto the two bodies behind the warehouse and dragged them inside and did the same.


    With that out of the way Arthur opened the single person door and conjured up a small orb of fire, he was ready to make a run for it when the fire starts spreading to the rest of the crates that would lead to the entire warehouse going up in flames like the previous one. Thankfully like the previous warehouse it was far enough away that none of the nearby buildings would catch on fire either.


    With a small flick of his finger the fire orb charged with ten points of Arthurs mana flew forwards and leapt forward onto the wooden crates like a wolf on a rabbit and quickly engulfed it and moved to those nearby. When the flames reached the inside of the crates the flames erupted like a volcano, the dried swamp weed made for an excellent fuel to continue its spread, but by the time this happened Arthur was already gone and walking around in an erratic way to see if anyone was following him. He travelled all over the area until he was absolutely certain that no one could keep up any invisibility or other similar spell types and follow him at the same time. When that happened he quickly returned home by taking a few shortcuts through several other properties with no one around or watching.


    Arthur reached his home and quickly locked everything up for the night as his taste for adventure and danger were quenched for the time being. He spent the remainder of his evening reading the few books he had even though he already knew the contents, he did try out a few of the more utility based spells that were written down just to see if the explanation didn¡¯t do the spell justice.


    *******


    Bohare scowled as she looked at the wreckage of one of the warehouses that was processing the swamp weed they just recently had brought in with some of their contacts that venture down to the south often. ¡°Someone doesn''t want us to have a return on our investment.¡± Bohare muttered to herself as one of her subordinates walked up to deliver his report on the damages.


    ¡°I am sorry ma''am, but there is nothing left to recover and the warehouse is completely destroyed. It would take several weeks to rebuild a new one and even that is assuming winter wasn¡¯t just around the corner.¡± Bohare scowled as she looked at the pile of ash that was once several hundred gold coins worth of swamp weed. ¡°I sincerely hope that we at least found a trace of the saboteur and are following up on that lead.¡±

 Chapter 115

    ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am but the fire destroyed any evidence that we might have found regarding the perpetrator. The only thing we managed to uncover is that some of our men assigned to died from a strong blow to the head that killed them almost instantly, and the only reason we were able to uncover that is because we managed to arrive so quickly after the fire started spilling out from the few gaps in the walls.¡± Bohare turned and slowly began walking away as she began to rub her temples to relieve the stress of the situation.


    ¡°So the only thing we know about the saboteur is that they used a blunt weapon. Is there nothing else that was uncovered? Even a footprint would help us narrow down the list at least somewhat!¡± Bohare said as she contemplated killing someone to take her mind off the situation even if only for a moment before quickly taking a deep breath and calming down. ¡®Killing someone randomly will not change what has been done, the only way to remedy this is to find the saboteur.¡¯


    ¡°Double the number of guards at each of our locations and give some of them ranged weapons, we must assume that this saboteur is going to continue until everything we have built is burned to the ground!¡± Bohare shouted to her second in command who quickly nodded and began shouting out orders to the other gang members under his command.


    Bohare instead looked at the smouldering ashes with a fire of her own burning in her eyes. She was angry not just at the individual responsible for this destruction but also at herself for not reinforcing the defences on the important locations enough even after one attack. She knew this was more than just one of their former allies trying to take the swamp weed market for themselves and she expected that her brother would also see things the same way once she explained it to him in detail.


    ********


    It is the Eighth of Limestone and almost two full weeks after Arthur burned the second warehouse to the ground. Arthur was also currently standing in the middle of the office space Henry had in his church as he kept the twelve spheres of condensed air orbiting around himself in a way that reminded Henry of ¡°How the planetary bodies move around the sun.¡±


    Regardless Henry was pushing Arthur much harder than before and had been for a few days at this point by having Arthur perform the regular exercise while also dodging some small orbs of air that Henry would launch towards his student at random intervals. This forced Arthur to keep his mind on both the magic exercise but also his surroundings as well draining his mental and magical energies, though this was not without benefit.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Mana Manipulation Level 23


    + Aeromancy Level 15


    \- - - - - -/


    This extensive training and pushing of Arthurs limits allowed Arthur to grow his skill in a faster way than normal, but by the end of the day at eight o¡¯clock and after two hours of lessons which he started to make a consistent schedule of to free up his time during day for potion brewing and buying ingredients from some of the stores located in the eastern district.


    With the arrival of autumn eight o¡¯clock was no longer as bright outside, in fact it was quite dark leaving the long walk home to only be illuminated by the light of the streetlights when they were around and by fire conjured by Arthur. Like the other seven times he had done this Arthur began his walk home in the cold night despite what Henry was offering him from the door. ¡°You can stay the night here if you wish, I have a spare bedroom and I have no issue with letting you use it if you so wish.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright sir, I know my way around the city and I haven¡¯t had any difficulties with directions so far. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at the same time if you are still available.¡± Arthur smiled as he slowly walked away.


    ¡°Yes, that still works for me. Just be safe Arthur, you never know what might show up at night despite the efforts of the city guard.¡±


    ¡°I will be alright sir, I know my limits and I am confident in my ability to escape from any threat that might show itself in this city.¡± Arthur gave a small wave to his teacher as he quickly started walking back to his home down the empty and brightly lit streets of the northern district. The light was created by these large ten foot tall poles that had a small cage like thing that was no larger than half a foot in all dimensions, within this cage was an orange flame that casted light and heat keeping the streets of the wealthiest section of the city (excluding the middle) so well lit. But as Arthur left the northern district and entered the western district the light poles began to become less frequent and less bright with only bright red flames casting light. Entering the southern district where Arthur and many of the poor residents of the city lived the amount of light poles was around half of what was in the western district and they were even dimmer with dark red flames casting deep shadows with the little light and warmth they gave.


    But as Arthur was about halfway to his home he suddenly felt his spine and each of the bones that made it up start to shake like an earthquake. It was a sign of impending danger unlike anything he had felt before, but as Arthur frantically looked around the open area he couldn¡¯t see anything. Ducking behind a nearby house Arthur started to formulate a plan to escape whatever threat he might be feeling when, taking a peek around the side of the wall he saw a small dog, most likely a puppy running while whining moments before a large humanoid boar thing leaped at it like a wolf and started tearing into its flesh with its razor shape teeth.


    Arthur ducked back behind the wall keeping his hand over his own moth to keep from making too much noise and drawing that creature''s attention. The boar creature was easily eight feet tall and looked as if it was forcibly shaped into its current form like some sort of demon. ¡®This is bad, this is bad. I don¡¯t even know what that thing is let alone how to fight it, but I probably don¡¯t need to. If I can just escape it and find the southern district barracks I can inform the city guard of whatever this thing is and they can come up with a plan.¡¯


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    Arthur peaked around the corner once again to try and see what the boar creature was doing and hopefully find an opportunity to slip away without issues, but as he did so he saw the creature looking right towards him with its dead and hollow eyes. Its eyes were nothing but cold and white splotches like a deceased animal, and when it saw Arthur it cried out like a demon straight out of the abyss with blood dripping from his mouth.


    Arthur kicked off and started running down the open spaces between the houses with the boar creature slowly shortening that small distance. The small spaces helped Arthur keep it from picking up speed, but once he and it were out on the open road there wouldn¡¯t be much else to slow it down. To try and gain some distance Arthur conjured up a few walls of earth to block the boar creature¡¯s path, but it took but a moment for it to smash through with its raw strength.


    Like he predicted, the boar creature started to close the distance quickly and would eventually reach him and likely kill and eat him like the puppy before. ¡®Running away from it isn¡¯t working, the only way I can get away from it is if I start going up and away from it.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he was breathing heavily while running for his dear life. Raising his right hand Arthur quickly started using the earth that made up the dirt road and started creating steps to run up and away from the creature with each step taking him about half a foot higher off the ground. By the time the boar creature reached where the first step was Arthur was already at the sixteenth and was steadily climbing up, but the creature could still attack the actual support of the steps and bring them crashing down, or if Arthur was low enough it could just jump up and swing at him. ¡®I need to get higher, sixteen feet above the ground should be high enough to keep out of reach. But I will need the support beams to be a good distance away to prevent the creature from attacking them and bringing me down that way, but for that I will need to make them thicker so they won''t collapse under their own weight.¡¯


    Arthur focused more of his mental and magical energies towards creating such a platform to wait out the creature around twenty or so feet in front of him while he allowed the steps behind him to collapse. By the time he reached the twenty foot mark the platform was finished and Arthur was standing on top of it with the rest of the steps collapsed into the ground. The boar creature slowly circled around like a wolf looking for a way up, it even jumped up and swung its arms towards Arthur without any success. Clearly the snarling noises the boar creature was making were loud enough that someone eventually snuck away and informed the city guard about it as Arthur saw a few members of the city guard walking towards his location each wearing chainmail armor with a proper plate helmet and a spear. Arthur counted four in total walking in a single file line towards his location, they were far enough away to not hear the snarling of the boar creature but they should be close enough to hear him shout without being seen by the creature.


    ¡°HEY! FIND THE CAPTAIN AND SEND MORE! THIS THING COULD KILL US ALL!¡± Arthur shouted at the top of his lungs towards the four guards. They stopped and looked to be talking amongst themselves before they looked back towards Arthur who they could see standing on top of the earth he manipulated, not that they knew what he was standing on. Soon the four turned and began jogging in the opposite direction back towards the southern district''s barracks.


    Arthur let out a sigh of relief at that sight knowing he did not need to worry about their lives as well, but the people living in the nearby houses could still be at risk. Thankfully they were quiet and avoided any windows leaving himself as the only target for the creature to follow for the time being. The creature was still hyper focused on Arthur while it occasionally jumped and swiped towards him with its hooved arms like it was wielding a mace in each hand.


    Every so often Arthur would cast a spell to leave small wounds on the creature''s body to keep it angry at himself and below him, though these spells did little more than small cuts or bruises to its thick hide even when he used tier two spells, though he did not use them as his mana reserves started to deplete. ¡®Whatever this thing is, it was made to be a living weapon. I can only imagine how devastating something like this would be on a battlefield or in a war. It would tear light infantry apart like paper and at the bare minimum leave heavy infantry occupied.¡¯


    Arthur waited up there for quite some time, so long in fact he lost track to time. With no way to tell the time nearby and the declining temperatures Arthur was forced to conjure up a small flame to keep himself warm at the expense of his already declining mana reserves. But luckily off in the distance Arthur saw something that gave him hope, several members of the city guard in full plate armor marching down the street in lines of three. From such a distance Arthur couldn''t tell exactly what they wore or wielded but their numbers were more than enough to put Arthur¡¯s worries to rest.


    ********


    Captain Tasius led his men towards this supposed dangerous creature that was reported to him by his subordinates. When they arrived within the neighborhood they saw someone standing on something above where this terrible creature was. This person also saw them and waved when they did so, so Captain Tasius led his men to the street they were about so he could see the situation and come up with a plan to deal with it.


    When they did step onto that road they continued their march towards it, they could of course see a large animal of some sort walking around below where this person who was most likely a mage was staying. Based on the size the captain assumed it was most likely a bear. ¡®Is that a bear? For their sake I hope I am incorrect, but for the cities sake I hope I am right. Regardless, I need to take these men and deal with this animal, I can punish them later for not even investigating the threat first.¡¯


    Captain Tasius did his best not to show the emotions he was feeling as he led his men towards the ¡®bear¡¯. But as they started getting closer and seeing the animal clearer doubts began to grow within his mind as the animal looked to be larger than a normal bear. Then suddenly the animal turned to look at them and began running towards them even as the mage threw a spell at its exposed back. This was no mere animal, any normal animal would avoid large amounts of humans or dwarves, at most they would fight small amounts but with numbers like theirs it would turn and run.


    When the ¡®animal¡¯ started getting closer the captain knew that his assessment was wrong, this was a creature and it was both semi humanoid and at least eight feet tall. It looked like a boar forcibly shaped into a humanoid form and its eyes were cold and empty of any emotion. Captain Tasuis knew what this was, he had faced one before several years ago. ¡°Werebeast! Ready your weapons!¡±

 Chapter 116

    The front row along with Captain Tasius raised their halberds like a spear to the incoming wereboar while those behind them slowly organized themselves to quickly surround the beast once it made contact. The wereboar did not slow its advance and swung its hooved arm towards the small army before it as it ran forwards, but instead of finding easy prey it felt several of the small shiny sticks pass through its hide and into its flesh drawing blood.


    The design of the halberd that each of these elite guards used function similar to a boar spear in this regard by preventing the wereboar from simply pushing forward while the spear part would do. The curse of the werebeast only took the instincts of a boar and brought them to the absolute limit.


    The wereboar screeched out in anger when it found its prey to be just out of reach from ten or so halberd tips sticking into its chest. The wereboar swung its hooved arms a few times towards the halberds breaking a few in the process, but there were more than enough to quickly replace them and leave more gaping wounds. Those that were not facing the wereboar head on circled around behind it and began stabbing the wereboar in the back with their own halberds. Around ten kept their halberds stabbed into the werebeast on each side at all tiles while those remaining continuously stabbed the beast wherever and however they could manage until the wounds and blood loss brought the werebeast to the ground.


    Captain Tasius looked over the corpse of the beast as he ordered his men to spread out and look for more that might be in the area. He also ordered his lieutenant to take two others with him and contact the mages guild and the other districts of the city to warn them of the possible danger.


    Unlike the stories he was told by his uncle that kept him up at night as a child the corpse of the werebeast did not revert into its original form when it died, it remained in its horrific beast form as blood slowly pooled from its wounds that covered its lower body. During this inspection Arthur slowly climbed down from his makeshift earth scaffolding and walked up to the corpse of the beast to take a look at it. Even in death its eyes were still the hollow white color that he recalled from when it first saw him, and its breath could almost kill a man on its own. It was very hard to imagine just how such a monster could exist and what could even cause it.


    ¡°This is the first time I have seen one of these things.¡± Captain Tasius said as he turned to face Arthur. ¡°They have protocol and tactics for dealing with them, and I honestly wasn¡¯t even certain that they would work. Guess it wasn¡¯t just hot air after all.¡± Captain Tasius then took out a small cloth and began cleaning the tip of his halberd which was covered with the beast''s blood.


    ¡°Yeah, that was a pretty stressful situation. The spells that I used against it while standing on that scaffolding thing I quickly conjured up did little damage to it despite some of them being tier two spells. How exactly did you and your men take it out so quickly?¡± Arthur asked as he gave a small demonstration of the spells he used for reference.


    ¡°There are two reasons why we performed so well against the wereboar, first we have steel weapons made by some of the best dwarven blacksmiths in the city, and second we targeted the lower stomach area for the first blow. Like any animal the underbelly area is by far the most vulnerable area of it, by targeting it we were able to deal a lot of damage quickly and create an opportunity to strike it from behind and trap it. From there we just kept our teamwork up and trusted each other until it was dead.¡± By the end of this explanation Captain Tasius was done cleaning his halberd and was giving out a few more orders to the members of his unit that were unoccupied.


    ¡°I should also thank you once again Mr. Arthur for helping with the situation, if not for you we might not have learned of the threat until it was far too late.¡±


    ¡°Pff, you all did most of the work. I barely did any damage to it while you all killed the damned thing.¡± Arthur felt quite useless given how little impact he had in killing the werebeast.


    ¡°Well if you feel bad about your contributions in killing this werebeast I assume you would be happy to help in fighting any more that may still be within the city. Typically when there is one werebeast there are more, and even then if a werebeast bites someone but does not kill them for whatever reason then on the next full moon they too will transform as well. If you still feel bad then you can help us and patrol the streets with us for anyone that might not show up when ordered to.¡± Captain Tasius said as he began to walk and gestured to Arthur to follow him.


    Arthur followed the captain up the side of a nearby building that was apparently owned by a friend of his. The building was two stories tall and the roof gave the two an excellent view of the area. Arthur was even able to point out the half eaten corpse of the small dog that was killed by the wereboar. Another member of the unit followed them as well and used some sort of thin metal tube to look around, Arthur noticed it had a few inscriptions along the sides that resembled those he used on his failed flesh golems.


    For several hours the three remained on top of that roof while Captain Tasius gave the occasion order through a communication orb he had with him at all times, upon questioning him upon the fragile of the orb Arthur was told it was a lot harder to break than it appeared. Regardless no other werebeasts were sighted throughout the entire city, even several mages from the guild were dispatched and helped with the search to no avail.


    ¡°I am not certain if we are lucky or unlucky that we only found the one.¡± Captain Tasius said as he rubbed his eyes. It was evident beforehand that he wasn¡¯t getting enough sleep, but now that he was forced to stay up it was clearly affecting him more and more with each passing hour.


    ¡°You think there are others who might have gone unnoticed?¡± Arthur asked as he offered the captain a sandwich he made just a minute ago. He was going to eat it himself, but it looked like he needed it more.


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    Captain Tasius smiled and took the sandwich but shook his head no. ¡°No, I think this was a targeted attack on us to test our reaction time. The only problem with that is why we were being tested in the first place, if it is just a small criminal organization then they are likely to scatter and or give up. But the odds of a small criminal organization finding a cursed werebeast is not likely, that leaves a larger organization or an outside force such as a rival country, the Yolam empire for example would easily have the manpower to find a werebeast, the only hard part would be smuggling it into the city.¡±


    ¡°Could it have been possible for the person to become cursed while in the city?¡± Arthur asked the one other option that might be somewhat plausible. But despite only being a passing thought the captain paused for a moment and tried to remember while taking a few bites out of the sandwich. Though he couldn''t recall if any of the temples or shrines within the city had been desecrated within the month it was something that he should look into.


    ¡°I will look into all the temples within the southern district, and I will ask the other captains about looking into their own districts. If possible could you help me with that by going around the southern district and asking on my behalf? I have all my men currently focusing on keeping order within the district that it might take some time to get around to, then could you speak with the other captains, they will likely have similar problems with manpower.¡±


    ¡°Of course captain, I would be more than happy to help you and the other captains. When do you want me to start?¡±


    ¡°Come and speak with me first thing in the morning, I have to deal with the situation here but unless something comes up which I am currently in doubt will happen we will be fine. Even if something were to happen we should be able to kill a second werebeast.¡± The two quickly said their goodbyes before Arthur left and returned home and went to bed. Though Arthur did not sleep all that well, the image of the hollow dead eyes of the wereboar were burned into his memory and kept him up for a good potion of the night, he only managed to get around four hours of sleep before eight o¡¯clock arrived and he was forced to get up and work.


    ********


    Arthur dragged himself inside the southern district barrack and told the secretary that he had an appointment with the captain, after a few minutes of waiting for the confirmation he was allowed to enter his office and speak with him. Inside Captain Tasius could be seen with a large pile of documents and large bags under his eyes, he was in the middle of a large sip of a brown liquid from a cup when Arthur walked in.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. I have the documents that you need just in case right here.¡± Captain Tasius smiled despite looking like he needed several hours of sleep and opened a nearby drawer which contained the few documents that proved Arthur was operating with legal authority. ¡°Here they are, and I recommend you act quickly as that legal proceeding regarding mages working with the law is apparently almost due for completion. It would be a shame if you didn¡¯t quite get around to it by then.¡±


    ¡°Of course sir, do you know of any shrines or temples locations I should look into?¡± Arthur asked, religion had not exactly been a priority of his since he arrived in Antium so he did not know of any temples with the only religion he knew by name was the circle of fire.


    ¡°Speak with Lieutenant Goldenshield, he is just outside my office. I had him look up those things while I did all the paperwork regarding the incident last night.¡± Arthur nodded and quickly exited the room to find a dwarf waiting for him with a map in hand.


    ¡°Good morning sir mage, I marked all the temples and shrines to all the gods that I could think of within the city. The temples have been marked with red and the smaller shrines with blue for your own convenience.¡± The dwarf smiled despite the exhaustion just as evident in his eyes as his superior.


    ¡°Thank you Lieutenant, I will do my best with this information.¡± Arthur said as he looked over the map. The map itself was nothing special aside from the colored markings, it didn¡¯t even specify the differences in districts and only showed the streets and a small portion of the outside that partly included some of the fields. Overall there were ten temples and twenty smaller shrines scattered throughout the city and this was only those that Lieutenant Goldenshield remembered. ¡®This might take all day.¡¯ Arthur nearly sighed as he saw just how spaced out all these places were.


    *******


    Temple after temple, shrine after shrine none of the priests or followers of their religions reported anything regarding their place of worship being desecrated or vandalized, until the second last temple in the southern district located just a few blocks from Arthur¡¯s own neighborhood.


    ¡°My apologies detective but why exactly is it important that someone dumped a bucket of paint on the statue of lord Justicar? It was very rude to do so but it didn¡¯t take very long to rectify the issue, we only needed to pay someone to remove the pain and they only took an hour to do so.¡± The highest ranking and only priest asked Arthur upon being questioned.


    ¡°Are you aware of what happens when someone does something like that to a temple or shrine dedicated to a god?¡± Arthur asked as he sneakily looked around the room. The temple was quite small and simple compared to some of the others he had been to while searching, it was dedicated to a god known as Justicar the berserker. Apparently Justicar was wronged while he was still mortal by a corrupt government and single handedly killed everyone involved in the process in the name of vengeance as shown by the simple and graphic mural on the walls.


    ¡°I am sure that lord Justicar would deliver swift divine retribution upon them, they likely would live a life of constant suffering from then on for such a transgression against him and those who follow him. He is a rather vengeful god after all.¡± The priest said while looking rather unconcerned by the possible fate of this individual.


    ¡°Are you aware of what a werebeast is sir? Do you know how they are created? Because one had a little rampage throughout the southern district last night and the only way one could find its way into the city would be by either smuggling itself into the city or by becoming one while already inside.¡± The priest was a little startled by the change of tone on Arthur¡¯s part. ¡°Now answer, do you know how a werebeast is created?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry but I do not.¡± The priest took a step back out of instinct as he was half worried about the answer and half worried that the ¡®detective¡¯ before him would get angry again.


    ¡°They are created when someone is cursed by a god for desecrating a temple or shrine dedicated to them. When this happens on every full moon they transform into a werebeast and become worse than a mindless animal. Now I want every detail about the vandalism that happened here.¡±

 Chapter 117

    Arthur looked at the statue placed just beyond the altar, it wasn¡¯t anything special compared to the statues and other symbols in the other temples and shrines. The statue was presumably of Justicar as a mortal, he was shirtless and wearing bear skin like a cloak while wielding an axe in his hands and his face telling of his anger. According to the priest this was the statue that was covered with paint, it happened two weeks prior and it was quickly cleaned off .


    ¡®To be far whoever cleaned this did an excellent job of it, I don¡¯t see a single speck of paint anywhere. I wouldn¡¯t even have known if I wasn¡¯t directly told.¡¯ Arthur thought as he was walking around the statue. Arthur also looked around other parts of the temple and came up just as empty handed as before. Not even the few people that soon arrived to quickly pray to their chosen god knew of anything.


    ¡°I see you have taken a good look around the temple detective, I assume you haven''t found anything else of importance.¡± The priest wearily approached Arthur as he looked into the temple from the doorway.


    ¡°Unfortunately that is correct. For the time being I have no further inquiries, though I must recommend that you do not leave the city for the time being as that would likely make you a suspect.¡±


    ¡°Of course detective, I don¡¯t often leave the temple let alone the district so that is of little issue to me.¡±


    *********


    Arthur investigated the last temple on the map he was given and found nothing of note. He then quickly returned to Captain Tasius and informed him of his findings. With that out of the way he was ordered to continue with the other districts and Arthur chose to start with the eastern distinct to speak with Captain Pelagius who he had worked with regarding the vampires before moving in with Georgius and eventually his own home in the southern district.


    ¡°Good morning sir mage Arthur, it has been quite some time since we last spoke to each other.¡± Captain Pelagius gave a soft smile at the sight of Arthur entering his office.


    ¡°And good morning to you as well, Captain. I am here because Captain Tasius said you might need help looking for possible locations where the werebeast from last night might have been turned.¡± Arthur quickly got to the point, he noticed the stack of papers on the desk and assumed it was very important.


    ¡°Yes, I already spoke with Captain Tasius and he filled me in on all the details. I have a map here with another ten locations for you to investigate. Three are proper temples and the other seven are simple shrines.¡± Captain Pelagius said as he quickly pulled a map from his desk and placed it atop of it and pointed out each location. ¡°In truth I don¡¯t expect all that much to come from this, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have you do this on our behalf.¡±


    ¡°Of course Captain, I will do my best to be as swift as possible and return with my findings.¡±


    ¡°That is good to hear, oh and before you leave take this. It will prove yourself as having the legal authority to investigate. You never know who might try and stick their nose where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± Captain Pelagius handed Arthur a few documents not unlike the ones he received from Captain Tasius.


    *********


    Quickly Arthur left and began checking each lead on the map he had but found none that had any type of disturbance or even anything remotely interesting happening within their vicinity for quite some time. If the wereboar was created within the city it most certainly did not happen in the eastern district.


    Arthur quickly reported his findings to Captain Pelagius who didn¡¯t exactly seem all that surprised by them. ¡°I am not exactly surprised by this, most of this district of the city is used for production and other related services. Most of the shrines here are old relics from when the city was first founded, that was long before the kingdom had even been an idea. The only temple here that has large amounts of visitors is the one dedicated to the circle of fire.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why there were so few temples and shrines here compared to the southern district. I suppose that the industrial requirements of the city would take priority over new shrines and temples.¡±


    ¡°The fact that the gods interact with us less and less often doesn¡¯t help that fact at all. Arcane magic has been slowly but surely replacing divine magic for the past 1000 years now, people now have been putting more stock in mages for help than priests leading to a spiraling effect that is slowly killing the gods. Things would likely be different if the old gods were still with us.¡± Captain Pelagius said with an almost sad look on his face, clearly this meant a lot to him, but he didn¡¯t say anything more regarding it and instead returned to Arthur¡¯s job.


    ¡°You have two options from here, you can go to the northern district and speak with Captain Gracilis in the northern district but I suspect that it would be a waste of time for you.¡± Arthur was a little confused by this, why would investigating a whole district be a waste of time. Noticing this Captain Pelagius continued. ¡°The northern district is home to the wealthiest citizens of the city and by extension has the best funded guard in the city. That is why someone like Captain Gracilis who is close to retirement is always assigned there, and knowing her she had every temple, shrine, and even private prayer room investigated by now.¡±


    ¡°So it would be best to go directly to the western district and speak with the captain there before searching the temples? If you think Captain Gracilis is as good as you say then I will follow your advice and go to the western district.¡± Arthur wasn¡¯t quite as convinced as he let on, but Captain Gracilis sounded like a very capable person so for the time being he would just follow orders and look into the western district. And besides he already found the most likely place for the wereboar to be turned.


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    Captain Pelagius smiled at Arthur¡¯s answer and contacted the western district Captain to inform him of Arthur¡¯s impending arrival. Arthur took the quickest route he knew of to the western district but the walk still took him nearly half an hour to do so. This did however give him some time to think about everything that had happened, but the thing that he was really focusing on was Captain Pelagius¡¯s statements about the northern district and its captain.


    ¡®I wonder just how much extra funding the northern district receives over the others. If it is as much as I think it is then it is absolutely bullshit, the southern district could definitely use far more funding for both equipment and manpower. I know for a fact that the northern district has minimal crime rates compared to the other three, why not put a small amount of that funding towards the district with the most crime?¡¯


    Arthur angrily thought about the differences between the two districts and how much the southern district would benefit from just a bit more funding, it would be far more than the northern district currently benefits.


    Arthur soon found himself at the barracks of the western district and quickly entered to speak with the captain. He stopped at the secretary desk and was forced to wait for a minute while he asked the Captain if he was expected. Soon he was allowed into the captain¡¯s office and found a middle aged woman behind a very tidy desk. ¡°Good afternoon sir mage, I am Captain Dio of the western district. From what I have been told by Captain Pelagius you are here to investigate each and every temple and shrine within my authority.¡± As she stood up Arthur was able to see the armor she wore was exactly the same as both Captain Tasius and Captain Pelagius, but her weapon was different from all the other he had seen, it was a sword with a long and thin blade clearly meant for precision stabs and the hilt was far more fancy, it was made up of several thin pieces of metal that were expertly placed to keep her hand from being hurt while using a minimal amount of metal.


    ¡°That is correct Captain, do you have a map of all the locations for me to investigate? It would greatly speed up the process and allow me to report to you quicker.¡± Arthur hoped she did as it would be a hassle to find them all without one, he had already found the directions from the citizens to be quite bad when just looking for one building at a time, let alone many.


    ¡°Of course, speak with my secretary, he should have a map or two with all the temples and shrines within the district. Is there anything else you require of me at the moment?¡± Arthur could tell that Captain Dio took her job very seriously, but he could tell she wanted something else from him. It was in her body language, she was a bit too nice for a captain.


    ¡°Not for now, and thank you for your help captain.¡± Arthur quickly turned to leave the room while giving a quick thank you to avoid appearing rude.


    ¡°It was no problem sir mage, and good luck to you.¡±


    *********


    Arthur was more than happy to be out of the office of Captain Dio, he could see in her eyes and in her expressions that she wanted something from him. He wasn¡¯t sure what exactly it was but it likely had something to do with the fact that he was a mage. ¡®Whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it. When I return I will need to be in and out as quickly as possible.¡¯


    Arthur quickly returned to the secretary and inquired about the map with the temples and shrines. She was a bit suspicious of why he needed them until he explained that it was by the orders of Captain Dio, she was quickly to find them and give Arthur a copy of the most recent one. ¡°Now this map is from a few years ago, so I can¡¯t guarantee that everything will be completely up to date. But these things typically take quite a bit of time to be built so hopefully it is accurate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, this will be an excellent help to the investigation.¡± Arthur thanked the secretary before rolling up the map and leaving the barracks to begin his investigation of the western district.


    ********


    ¡®Just like the eastern district, I¡¯ve already gone through fifteen temples and twenty different shrines here and found nothing. The worst part is that everyone was likely telling the truth in that regard as none of them looked worried or distressed in the slightest. ''Thank whatever god this temple belongs to, it is the last one on the list.¡¯ Arthur¡¯s eye wandered across the expertly carved stones that made up the walls of the temple he walked towards. It was made up of a grey stone and was not unlike that of the old church that Henry owned in its design.


    Given the time it was unlikely that it would be performing any gatherings at the moment, so Arthur approached the front double doors and gave a few hard knocks expecting someone to open them like they had before. But after a minute of waiting nothing happened and he was forced to knock again, but again nothing happened. Arthur was a little confused at this point and tried to look between the middle of the doors but was unlucky and couldn''t see anything. ¡®What is this? Given the size and scale of this temple there should be more than one priest working here even if one was out at the moment.¡¯


    Arthur waited for another ten minutes just in case someone would return and open up the front doors that way, but unfortunately that did not happen. ¡®This is a waste of my time. I will do a walk around the building to see if someone is actually around before I go through the first open window I find. I am working on behalf of the city guard so I should have the authority to do that¡¯


    Arthur proceeded to walk around the entire temple and found that the only entrance to the building was the one he started at, thankfully there were several windows scattered across the walls to allow light in, unfortunately they were closed preventing Arthur from entering, except for one small window at the top of a small tower built into the temple at the back of the structure. Apparently someone forgot to close it and left Arthur with a way to access the inside without breaking anything.


    Though the question remained of how he would actually get up there, it was three stories up off the ground after all. Levitation wasn¡¯t viable on its own and conjuring up a pillar of earth to reach it would get difficult to keep steady and maintain very quickly. ¡®Though I don¡¯t necessarily need to create a pillar to lift myself up there, I could just conjure up a tool that even the common folk use when in a similar situation.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he conjured up a ladder from earth and leaned it against the back wall of the temple, solving both the problem of climbing up and remaining steady.


    Arthur did not waste any more time and quickly climbed up his ladder and entered through the window. The tower wasn¡¯t even all that large with only just enough room for one or two people to squeeze past each other if they were walking past. Arthur didn¡¯t pay all that much attention to what was above as it was simply a trap door leading to the roof. He instead followed the stairs down intent on having some very harsh words with whoever was running this temple.


    But as he exited from the tower he found his nose assaulted by the smell of blood and decay as he came across a corpse dressed in a plain grey robe, the corpse was of a dwarven man and he was missing his hands as his arms were directed above his head. His face was directed away, perhaps for the best as Arthur worried about what might have been done to it.

 Chapter 118

    The smell of the corpse assaulted Arthur¡¯s nose with the stench of decay that had lasted for at least a day and perhaps even longer. The smell made his stomach twist and turn as if he was about to puke, but thankfully he didn¡¯t. Arthur slowly drew his sword and held it before him in a defensive position as he slowly stepped over the dead dwarf and went farther into the dark room.


    Upon further inspection Arthur found that he was in a small kitchen area with all the appliances needed and just outside it was a small dining area that was likely for the priests of this temple. An old unfinished meal was on one of the nearby countertops that was likely someone''s lunch that they never had the opportunity to eat. Arthur noticed the faint outline of a humanoid in one of the chairs and slowly approached it.


    When he was within a meter of the shape he noticed it was a human in a similar set of robes as the dwarf and gave her a poke with his sword looking to see if there was a reaction, when she did not react Arthur used his hand to look at her and was horrified to find that she had several knife wounds in her stomach. The blood from the injuries was long dried but Arthur could almost feel the pain that she must have endured.


    Arthur continued exploring the temple and found a set of stairs that led down to the ground floor, he decided to take them and found himself in a small back room with a door that led to the hall where people would pray and a third set of stairs that led farther down into a basement.


    Entering the hall Arthur found the room to be just as dark and ransacked as the kitchen and dining room. The wooden benches were almost all tipped over, noticeably the stone ones did not share this fate. There were also two more corpses of priests here as well, both of which were human. The first wore a simple grey robe like the other two and was killed close to the front doors, the second wore far more fancy robes with white details on his blood soaked robe.


    ¡®Many of the wounds on this man are shallow compared to what I found on the others, this man was tortured before they decided to kill him.¡¯ Arthur looked over the corpse of the higher ranking priest, the fatal wounds were located in the chest area but several lighter wounds were located on the face and arms that looked to be deliberate and painful.


    But by far the most important detail about the hall was the large statute of whatever god this temple was dedicated to had been toppled over, this was likely to have been done with a large hammer or other tool as there were small chips of the grey stone scattered around the area. The statue depicted some sort of humanoid figure that lacked any features that would show it to be a person and only had vaguely humanoid limbs.


    Arthur was very confident that he found the location where the wereboar was turned and was more than happy to leave, but he still had the basement to investigate before he left. Hopefully nothing would be down there and he would simply be able to leave in a matter of minutes.


    Arthur quickly walked to the stairway and looked down into the dark basement, the only way down was to take the old looking wooden stairway. Arthur took a deep breath and slowly began his descent into the basement. Surprisingly the wooden stairway was very stable and felt like it was almost new, until Arthur was halfway down and one of the steps let out a creek when he put weight on it. ¡®Of course it does, this just gets better and better as I go.¡¯


    Arthur gritted his teeth and stepped past the one squeaky step and continued down with little other difficulty. When he reached the ground it was about as Arthur suspected with just a bunch of crates and barrels full of food and other necessities as well as some containers full of an assortment of copper and silver coins. Arthur was just about ready to leave when he noticed something odd about one of the nearby walls, this wall was on the north of the basement and was not blocked by anything like the other walls were. The thing that caught Arthur¡¯s attention was that a small portion of the wall was just a little bit darker than the rest.


    Arthur quickly approached and ran his hands across the stone wall to see if it was just a strange shadow being cast, but as his hand ran across it he knew it was the wall itself that was different. He continued looking around to see if there was a mechanism that would open up to a secret passage or a hidden door, but after several minutes of searching he ended up empty handed.


    ¡®Something is here, but I don¡¯t have the time to continue investigating this. For now I need to return to Captain Dio and inform her of what I have found here, I can include this discovery along with my report.¡¯ Arthur quickly returned the way he entered back up the three flights of stairs and finally out the window and down a conjured ladder. Once he was outside he practically ran back to the western district barracks and rushed to tell the Captain.


    ¡°Captain! I need to speak with you immediately!¡± Arthur practically shouted as he entered Captain Dio¡¯s office with the secretary behind him demanding that he return outside.


    ¡°What is it sir mage?¡± Captain Dio asked with a look of worry on her face, she noticed that Arthur didn¡¯t look all that well compared to when he first arrived here. He looked stressed and worried about something and she stared daggers at her secretary who was being a nuisance at the moment.


    ¡°I am fairly certain that I have found the temple where our wereboar was turned. The temple in question is this one here on this map.¡± Arthur pointed to a dot the farthest to the left on the entire map as he continued. ¡°The doors and windows were all locked from the outside aside from one window towards the top of the tower at the back of the building. I managed to climb up through there and I found four dead priests inside and a statue of the god that was worshipped there toppled over.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Oh dear heavens no, that temple you are speaking of is one belonging to Velerin the thief. If what you are saying is correct then someone used the skills that Velerin likes and encourages in mortals to kill his own priests and desecrate his own altar.¡± Captain Dio looked quite worried about such a realization. Clearly there is a reason why she is so worried about this god in particular.


    ¡°Is there a problem with this god in particular, are they someone who would hold a grudge against us for not protecting their temple?¡± Arthur asked, wondering just who Velerin the thief really is.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the god I am worried about in this case, it is the followers that are likely to cause a problem for us and this investigation. You see Velerin the thief isn¡¯t a very popular god amongst the masses, he favors the opportunistic thieves and the like with a keen interest on those who are the underdogs of their stories. For the most part Velerin doesn¡¯t care much for the affairs of mortals, his followers on the other hand will likely be unhappy with how one of the few traditional temples of his was ruined.¡± Captain Dio took a deep breath before she continued.


    ¡°Those that follow Velerin would trust him with their very lives and even lay their own down if it meant appeasing him. They will create a team for the very purpose of finding the ones who insulted their god, and not all of his followers are just thieves, some have far darker professions. They wouldn¡¯t even hesitate to fight the king if he was in on the plot, they would cut through his royal guard one by one if they had to even if it cost them everything.¡±


    The room went silent as the secretary slowly backed out of the room and tried to act as if she did not hear anything while giving a silent prayer to her god of choice to not cross anyone that followed Velerin in such a manner.


    ¡°What if we enlisted the help of these followers instead of competing against them, if they are as skilled as you say they are then they could be of great help when it comes to tracking down those who were responsible for the attack.¡± Arthur said as he considered the skill set of those who follow Velerin, to be a skilled thief you would need to be skilled in getting into places you are not supposed to or are hard to find, like a secret doorway located in a basement.


    ¡°Well I suppose that could work, but as it stands we have no way to contact any of them at the moment. The only way to speak with them is if they come and specifically want to speak with us and want our help, the odds of that happening are not great as many are wanted by the city guard for various crimes.¡± Captain Dio said as she gestured to a few wanted posters that could be seen outside the door on a small board. The crimes ranged from robbery to murder with the bounty varying based on the crime.


    ¡°Well it might be a good idea to try at least, I found a secret doorway or something down in the basement and I didn¡¯t have any way to open it. If we manage to contact one of these followers of Velerin that are actually skilled then we might be able to find out what it is.¡± Arthur knew he needed to press this, Captain Dio didn¡¯t seem all that interested in trying and this might at least get her to try and consider it.


    With Arthur¡¯s words Captain Dio paused for a moment before sighing. ¡°I will at least consider it for now, but at the moment we have more pressing issues like the four corpses within the temple and the desecrated shrine. We have a crime scene and I want you to lead my men there and open up a full investigation regarding what happened. I will arrive after I make a few calls to help with the situation.¡±


    ¡°Yes Captain, I will see you at the temple with everything in order.¡± Arthur quickly left the office and under Captain Dio¡¯s order and collected five detectives and fifteen guardsmen to follow him to the temple of Velerin to conduct their investigation. Arthur quickly went around to the back of the temple and conjured up another ladder to climb up and open the doors from the inside. Once inside the main hall Arthur found that the doors had a wooden beam blocking the doors and keeping them shut, thankfully all Arthur had to do was lift the boards up and away to open the doors to the waiting detectives that quickly got to work investigating the scene. Within a matter of ten minutes the detectives had already determined a rough outline of how the attack happened.


    According to them it started by at least two people entering the temple some time at night no more than a week ago based on the dried blood and its color. Those two more more assailants quickly killed the first priest and then rushed the second higher ranking priest to subdue him and torture him for information, when they were done they killed him and were certain to block the doors behind them. They then likely split up with half going downstairs to the basement and the other half going upstairs where two of the remaining priests were eating dinner at the time. There were at least two people in this group because the two had to have been killed in quick succession to each other. After they acquired whatever it was they were looking for they left out the open window that Arthur climbed through with something that could hold their weight but still allow them to retrieve it once outside.


    ¡°What about the basement, have you looked at the discolored stone down there that is in the shape of a doorway?¡± Arthur asked the five detectives once they were finished with their report.


    The supposed leader of the five stepped forward to speak. ¡°Yes sir mage, we did look into it. But like you we found no way to open it even if it is even in a door. It could be a wall that was knocked down in the past and was replaced with newer bricks, if that is the case something might be behind it such as a passage.¡±


    Arthur began to pace around the main hall with the broken statue and two dead bodies and he thought about what he should do. ¡®They might be right about that, it might just be newer bricks from the wall being broken for some reason. But then why are the bricks in the shape of a perfect door? I could take a large hammer and pickaxe to it and see what is on the other side, but I should wait until Captain Dio gets here as the scene does fall under her authority.¡¯


    ¡°For the time being keep everyone from entering the basement, and someone tell me when the Captain arrives so I can brief her on the situation.¡± Arthur said to the detective who quickly nodded and left Arthur on his own. The smell of blood and decaying flesh no longer bothering him as it once did.


    Now that he could open up the windows without worry for someone still hiding in the dark Arthur took a second look around the building. Connected to the dining room was a few bedrooms that were all in dark corners that were hard to see with such little light. There was also an office in one of those bedrooms that most likely belonged to the higher ranking priest.

 Chapter 119

    ¡°Alright what is the situation!?¡± Captain Dio shouted as she entered the temple along with an escort of six guards under her command. She was just now arriving from the four way call with the other captain¡¯s of the city to discuss Arthur¡¯s findings and share any information they might have uncovered on their own, Captain Gracilis who did not have her district investigated was of particular interest and she immediately sent a team to double check.


    ¡°Sir Arthur ordered us not to allow anyone down into the basement and ordered us to tell him of your arrival. He is currently upstairs looking through the rooms just in case we missed something.¡± The leading detective said as he approached the Captain. ¡°Would you like to speak with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes I think I would. Lead the way, detective.¡± Captain Dio followed the detective upstairs past the one detective standing by the stairs leading down into the basement, when they arrived on the second floor they found Arthur looking through the bedrooms. His primary focus was on the office connected to the higher ranking priest''s bedroom.


    ¡°Sir Arthur, Captain Dio is here to speak with you.¡± The detective said upon Arthur throwing a pillow out of frustration. Arthur quickly turned around as he was started by the sudden noise.


    ¡°What do you have to report sir mage?¡± Captain Dio asked while walking into the room wondering what exactly was drawing Arthur¡¯s attention. ¡®He might make an excellent detective with how thorough he is. He obviously still requires the nessisary training, but I think he had the mindset for it.¡¯


    ¡°Hello again Captain, I had the detectives search the building and they figured that a group of at least two entered the building and killed everyone in here. They started with the two in the hall, the first one they killed while the second was subdued and tortured for information before them being killed. Then they moved onto the last two in who were getting ready to eat dinner, they killed them one at a time before locking everything aside from one window towards the top of the tower, they used something to climb down and leave without being noticed for several days.¡± Arthur said as he exited the room and began walking down towards the basement with Captain Dio and the detective following.


    ¡°And what about you, what do you think about this? Do you think there were only two people here that did all this?¡± Captain Dio gestured to all the damage within the main hall as they stepped into it, she pointed specifically towards the statue of Velerin that toppled over.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it was only two people. I suspect that there were at the bare minimum three people involved in this attack. The first two would have been the ones to attack through the front doors and the third would have had a ladder at the back for them to escape. That was how I entered the building after all.¡± Captain Dio was a little surprised by the answer, it was simple and entirely plausible for what she saw before her. But she suspected that Arthur wasn¡¯t quite finished with his explanation.


    ¡°But I believe there were more than just three. I assume Velerin was kind enough to give the few priests that he has actual divine magic, assuming he wasn¡¯t an idiot he would have been able to cast a spell or two at the attackers before he was subdued. Unless he was outnumbered and outsmarted, that isn¡¯t even counting the fact that they decided to destroy the statue here, likely knowing what would happen.¡± To further illustrate his point Arthur raised his hands above his head like he had claws, mimicking the werebeast.


    ¡°Now unless one of them was willing to give up their entire life for this cause they had they brought someone else, possibly a hostage, to destroy it and become cursed themselves. I don¡¯t know very many people that would be willing to do that.¡±


    As Arthur was speaking the lead detective with them noticed something on the floor, specifically something red like blood. He quickly squatted down while Arthur continued on about what he believed happened, the blood looked like it was splattered starting from the direction of the altar which meant that this wound might have come from the high priest. He looked around at the nearby furniture, on one of the nearby stone benches there was a thin white line that was just out of place against the dark grey stone, something that looked like it was caused by a blade.


    ¡®Looks like our high priest is quite skilled with knives, but we didn¡¯t find anything on him and I don¡¯t see the knife that did this. They cleaned up but didn¡¯t do that good of a job, they must have been in a rush for some reason.¡¯


    ¡°Captain! Sir! I found something over here.¡± The detective shouted over to Captain Dio and Arthur, the two turned from their conversation to see what the detective was talking about. ¡°Look here, a blood splatter.¡±


    ¡°Yes detective, we know about the blood on the ground from the attack. Seeing some on the ground isn¡¯t exactly groundbreaking.¡± Captain Dio said with confusion evident in her voice, Arthur too was a little confused as to why the detective would point out a single blood splatter amongst everything else in the main hall.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t understand, this blood splatter comes from the direction of the altar. This means that the high priest hit one of the attackers with something, specifically something sharp and throwable based on the thin white mark on the stone bench that you can see here.¡± The detective said as he pointed to the small white mark on the stone bench. Arthur walked over and crouched down to get a better look at it.


    ¡°He¡¯s right. I think this confirms my theory about multiple attackers that overwhelmed our priest. There were several that surrounded him so quickly that he only managed to get one or two attacks off before he was completely overwhelmed and tied up, then they interrogated him while cutting him up if they didn¡¯t get the answers they wanted until they had what they wanted.¡± Both the detective and Captain Dio went silent at the thought of how long that must have taken, how long the priest must have held out before giving up.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Are there any other details that we should cover?¡± Captain Dio asked in an attempt to move onto another topic. ¡®The mage said something about the basement before and a secret doorway, that is probably very important. I¡¯ll try and bring that up.¡¯


    ¡°You''re right, now that you are here we can actually look into the basement and the secret door that is probably down there.¡± Arthur led Captain Dio down into the basement to take a look at the discolored brinks down there in the shape of a door. The detective that was following them said he was going to speak with the rest of his colleagues while they did so.


    ¡°Watch your step, this stairway feels quite stable but it is quite old.¡± Arthur said to Captain Dio as he led her down the old steps. Thankfully they remained stable all the way down despite Arthur¡¯s inner worries. Arthur quickly conjured up a small orb of fire as a light source and led the Captain to the discolored bricks.


    ¡°Here they are, the bricks here are several shades darker than the other surrounding bricks. But they are also in the shape of a doorway, the only problem is that we have no way of opening it.¡± Arthur even ran his hand over the bricks to show that it wasn¡¯t just a layer of dust or something else that made the bricks look darker.


    ¡°An interesting theory, but what are the risks if you are wrong about this and there is no secret door here? We wouldn''t need to worry about ruining the wall or anything would we?¡± Captain Dio walked up to the wall and inspected it herself. She had to admit that something was different about them, at the bare minimum they were newer than all the other bricks and she saw no others that were worn down by anything and needed replacing. There weren¡¯t even any other bricks that had been replaced with newer ones.


    ¡°Well worse case scenario we open up an ugly hole in the wall that leads to dirt and needs to be filled in with new bricks. But I assume that would easily be within the budget of the city, you would probably just need to pay for the bricks, whatever is used to connect them, and one person to do it.¡± Arthur said while not even looking at the Captain, he was far more focused on the wall. He even decided to start testing random bricks to see if pushing on them would open the door.


    After a minute of thinking while Arthur grabbed at random bricks Captain Dio eventually spoke. ¡°Very well, you have permission to break down this wall and see what is on the other side. What equipment will you need for the task?¡±


    Arthur took notice of this and quickly turned away from his groping of the wall and tried to think about what he needed for such a task. ¡°Well¡­ I will definitely need a pickaxe and a two handed hammer- no make that a pickaxe with one flat end so it can be hammered into the wall.¡±


    ¡°That would be a war pick, it is basically a pickaxe on one end and a small war hammer on the other end.¡± Captain Dio said as she began to walk back towards the stairs. ¡°Inform me of any developments that occur, if you do find something behind that wall I should be the first to know about it. The lead detective Lyco has a communication orb with a direct line to me, so keep him with you at all times.¡±


    ¡°Of course Captain, I will also need one or two people to help with actually breaking this wall down. So could you tell someone up there to come down and help with that?¡±


    *********


    Captain Dio sent down two of her subordinates of the guard with the war pick and hammer he requested, Arthur also made sure that Detective Lyco was down there with him while the two guards took turns breaking down the doorway. For some reason the bricks that made up this small portion of the wall were far more durable than any others within the room, they even tested out the nearby bricks to see if it was just them or the tools but the bricks cracked and broke apart far easier than the darker ones.


    ¡°Could this be the work of some sort of divine magic cast upon these bricks to keep them from breaking?¡± Detective Lyco asked while the two guards took a short break, the bricks in question only had a few small cracks on them from several minutes of striking and hammering the war pick into them.


    ¡°That is definitely a possibility, but these bricks might just be made of something other than stone. It could be some sort of metal that we are striking instead.¡± Arthur ran his hand over one of the small cracks that the two guards managed to create. It certainly felt like a stone brick but it was definitely far more durable than any brick he knew of.


    Arthur tried to channel his geomancy skill and manipulate the stone that the bricks were made of, but something was interfering with that process. The bricks appeared to be rejecting his mana in some way that wasn''t possible for normal bricks to do. ¡°These bricks must have been enchanted in some way, I cannot even interact with them with my magic.¡±


    Once the two guards were done with their break they started up once again and specifically targeted the bricks that had already put a few small cracks in, they placed the pointy tip of the war pick in the small crack and used the hammer to push it deeper and deeper breaking the bricks apart. Since the bricks in question were likely enchanted this took far longer than it normally would have, but eventually with several other strategic strikes a small hole opened up and gave the group of four a small glimpse of what was on the other side.


    ¡°That is certainly something.¡± Detective Lyco muttered as he looked at the hole that led to darkness, like Arthur suspected there was a passageway or a large hole that led to something. Arthur even moved his conjured flame towards the hole and they were able to see more of what looked to be a stairway carved out of the stone that followed a small tunnel down below.


    ¡°Contact the Captain, I think this falls under the category of a development.¡± Arthur said to detective Lyco as he took the war pick from the hands of the one guard and began swinging at some of the loose bricks. With about five more of the dark bricks knocked out of place Arthur was able to stick his upper body through and take a proper look inside. The passageway that led down was around human height with very little room to spare, and he could feel a small air flow from down in the tunnel''s depths. The flame that he conjured up went with him to illuminate the passage, but he still couldn¡¯t see the end.


    Arthur removed his upper body from the hale and handed the war pick back to the guard he took it from. Detective Lyco was speaking with Caption Dio through his communication sphere, his did not project the image above into the air, instead it kept the image contained within itself. ¡°Good news Captain, we found a tunnel on the other side of the wall. Unfortunately most of the wall is still in the way as the bricks appear to have been strengthened by magic of some sort.¡±


    Captain Dio was silent for a moment before she asked her lead detective. ¡°What about Mage Arthur, can you put him on? I suspect that he has an explanation.¡±


    ¡°I am right here Captain.¡± Arthur announced his presence as he stepped beside detective Lyco. ¡°Someone dug a tunnel down below the temple starting from this wall. I don¡¯t think they were made by humans as the tunnel can barely accommodate most of us without bending over. Adding armor and bending over becomes a requirement.¡±

 Chapter 120

    ¡°Can you see where this dwarven tunnel leads to? I want to be certain I¡¯m not sending my men into a death trap.¡± Captain Dio siad while her image was trapped within the small orb. Arthur expected her to want to investigate the tunnel so her concerns were understandable.


    ¡°No I can¡¯t, it goes quite deep below the surface. I can also feel an air flow coming from down there, clearly this tunnel was dug by experts who knew how to allow air to flow through to prevent suffocation.¡± Arthur answered as a loud crack could be heard from more bricks cracking and breaking.


    ¡°That is unfortunate¡­ I will be sending more guardsmen to your location as reinforcements, gather everyone at the temple aside from the detectives and brief them on the situation. We will be sending in a team led by you as soon as possible, preferably when you receive the reinforcements.¡± Captain Dio then quickly turned to someone off from the imaging enchantment and shouted at them to go to the temple of Velerin.


    ¡°Keep around half of the guardsmen at the scene watching for trespassers, the last thing we need is someone poking their nose around and finding the tunnel and getting themselves killed by something that wanders out.¡±


    ¡°Of course Captain, when should we expect reinforcements?¡± Arthur took the communication orb from detective Lyco and directed him to speak with the guardsmen and the other detectives and inform them of the situation.


    ¡°Hopefully within the hour, but if they are running late I will contact you through this communication orb.¡±


    **********


    The conversation did not last much longer than that as everything of importance had already been discussed, Arthur then went upstairs while leaving the two guardsmen to continue their task of breaking down the remaining wall. When upstairs Arthur found all the remaining guardsmen standing in the main hall along with the detectives and detective Lyco waiting for him and an explanation.


    Everyone was clearly expecting an explanation from Arthur which made him give detective Lyco an annoyed look that said ¡®I thought you were going to tell them.¡¯ Arthur quickly turned his mind back to the situation at hand and stood where everyone could see him and began his explanation. ¡°We have uncovered a secret doorway that leads to a passageway leading deep underground. Around half of you will stay here with the five detectives and keep the temple secure from anyone that might come looking, the other half will be joining me down the passageway to investigate and see if it had anything to do with what just happened here. Now, are there any questions?¡±


    None of the guardsmen said anything, instead they simply looked at each other with a look of confusion and a bit or worry. The detectives on the other hand were far more vocal, two stepped forward where they could be seen and spoke starting with the one on the right. ¡°How deep does this passageway go sir?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Arthur answered plainly and turned to the second detective on the left.


    ¡°Where exactly is this passageway sir? I didn¡¯t find anything of the sort as I looked around the temple half an hour beforehand.¡± The second detective asked what was likely the only question that Arthur was actually able to answer.


    ¡°The entrance of the passageway is located in the basement, that is why it will be the responsibility of those that remain to keep that part of the temple specifically off limits and under the most security. When reinforcements arrive we will decide who will be staying here and who will be joining me. But for now fan out and keep watch, some of you should also patrol the outside of the building as well just in case someone tries something.¡±


    For the next half hour Arthur kept the temple secure with the help of the guardsmen that were not breaking down the magic infused bricks in the basement, when those two were done Arthur gave them a break but asked them to keep an eye on the entrance, and if they saw anything craw out they were to shout out as loud as they could to alert everyone else. Thankfully by the time the reinforcements arrived that was never needed.


    Another ten guardsmen arrived at the temple with a full briefing from Captain Dio before hand so they did not need to hear it from Arthur, quickly the twenty guardsmen were able to organize themselves into two groups of ten, the first was to stay within the temple and keep it secure while the second was to follow Arthur down into the underground tunnel. The group that was to follow Arthur was made up of all the original members that followed him aside from the two that broke down the magic infused bricks, they were replaced by two guardsmen that just arrived.


    Quickly the group following Arthur organized themselves down in the basement while Arthur gave them a rundown of what was going to happen. ¡°I will be leading the investigation, which also means I will be the first to enter the tunnel. Once we reach the end we will set up a secure area close to the tunnel entrance. Now, are there any questions?¡±


    No one said anything as Arthur stood waiting, after a half minute he spoke again saying ¡°Very well, pack your things. We will be staying down there for quite some time.¡±


    ******


    With all ten of the guardsmen under his authority Arthur started walking down the tunnel with them all behind him. Arthur conjured up a small flame to act as a light source for him while the other guards had a proper torch for themselves. Arthur kept the flame about a meter in front of him to keep an improvised weapon close enough to use. Before they entered the tunnel properly Arthur took notice of some very old metal hinges on the top and bottom of both sides of the opening.


    The trip down that narrow tunnel was long and silent as everyone listened for anything that might be a danger. However the only sound that could be heard was from the light air flow of the tunnel and the metallic footsteps from the metal boots each of the guardsmen wore. It was a little unsettling for Arthur to hear, but he kept his composure and continued on until he saw the end of the tunnel that opened up into a proper room.


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    The room like the tunnel was carved out from the surrounding stone rather than built like a normal building. This gave an uneasy and almost claustrophobic feeling to Arthur and the guardsmen that followed him inside. On the walls old torches could be seen that died out days or even years ago for all any of those present knew.


    The only other sigh of recent interaction was a small amount of dirt that was tracked across the floor towards a far door on the other side of the room. Once each of the guardsmen were inside the room and prepared Arthur opened it up with some conjured earth a good two meters away in case of a trap of some sort. Thankfully the door opened without issue and without traps. Unfortunately no one was prepared for what they would see on the other side of that door.


    ¡°By the name of all that is holy.¡± The door opened up into what appeared to be a large underground city in a large open and stony cavern, within this city they saw were these large metallic poles that had these dim blue growing crystals that gave off just enough light for all eleven of those there to understand it was a city, upon a closer inspection they found the poles were made from iron and were partly hollow but still very thick and heavy. The blue crystals reminded Arthur of those that were within the mages guild that were used to light the underground portion. These crystals are able to generate enough light to see without any smoke or other byproducts from normal fires or candles.


    ¡°Why would someone build a whole city down here and then block it off with magic infused bricks.¡± Arthur wondered out loud as the guardsmen with him watched in awe at the sight before them. At the sound of his words they snapped out of their awe and followed him as he walked towards the nearest building.


    The walk to it took around a minute, clearly there was some form of distinction between the room they exited from and the buildings they were approaching. Once they got closer they took notice of how they too were mostly carved out of stone rather than built with proper materials, there were of course a few buildings that had parts of stone bricks but they were just small parts.


    Upon an investigation of the interior of several of the buildings they came to the conclusion that they were currently in a residential area of some sort as the buildings contained furniture such as beds, drawers, and even tables for eating along with all the utensils. There were enough buildings to house more than fifty people even if each person received their own house, and there was plenty of evidence to prove that clearly was not the case. Some of the small buildings even had cribs for babies and smaller beds for children, the people that lived here had families and were expecting to live here for quite some time.


    The interiors of these residential buildings had a combination of old candles and torches that had long burned out, to the left of this residential area was a field with plants growing presumably for eating and other day to day purposes. None of the plants were anything that Arthur or any of the guardsmen with him recognized, there were three plants that looked to actually be used for eating rather than a weed of some sort. The first was a brown mushroom that was around the size of a grown human¡¯s foot, the second was something that looked very similar to wheat but with a very pale white color instead of the soft gold that they were all familiar with, the third and final likely edible plant was a bush of some sort that was grey in coloration and grew these brown nuts that were around the size of grapes. Arthur took a few samples of each plant in his bag just in case they were valuable or useful.


    There was another plant that was also white in color in those few fields, it was long and around the height of a fully grown dwarf that reminded Arthur of a vine. The former inhabitants used wooden sticks that they stuck around where the plants were growing from to help with its growth, there were many of these plants that did not have any such sticks but they likely grew after the disappearance of the inhabitants. Arthur took a sample of this unknown plant as well.


    Once the surrounding area was scouted out in addition to the residential area and fields Arthur had the guardsmen return to the room at the very end of the stairway for the evening and to sleep in. When in such an unknown place it was best to keep everyone within one area to prevent anyone from disappearing without notice. As everyone settled down Arthur established patrol schedules and a proper place for an improvised bathroom, which came with a rule that no one goes to said bathroom on their own.


    Each patrol consisted of three people with one exception which included Arthur, each patrol would take place just outside the room and within the room itself with the door open. The person in the room would of course watch everyone within the room just incase something entered through the tunnel, the two outside, or one which would be Arthur, would watch for anything that might pose a danger to everyone else. Those dangers might include wildlife that naturally lives in such a place or even livestock that escaped when the people disappeared, though they did not see any fences where that livestock might have been it does not rule out the possibility of other settlements down in this large open cavern.


    Arthur scheduled himself for a patrol shift at midnight so he could actually get some sleep beforehand, he also sent someone to go back up the stairway to inform detective Lyco about what they found so he could report it to Captain Dio. The reason for this was the Captain did not have any spare communication orbs to hand out let alone one with the proper strength to penetrate such depths, even the detective¡¯s orb only had the range of about three times the size of the city of Antium.


    Eventually midnight rolled around and Arthur was awoken by the previous shift as well as the other guardsman that would be watching the inside of the room. Arthur quickly and quietly stepped out of the room and took a seat on an old chair that one of the guardsmen brought from the residential area. It, like most of the other furniture there was made out of solid stone yet was sculpted like a normal chair thus decreasing its weight considerably, it was evidence of considerable skill of someone when this place was still inhabited.


    Arthur quickly discovered just how boring such a task is, the expensive and small pocket watch he was given by the previous guardsmen said it was only 12:15 leaving Arthur another forty five minutes to watch for anything that might show up. ¡®And to think I only did this to set a good example to the guardsmen that are following me, I never realised just how boring patrol is. I swear that time is slowing down as this continues on.¡¯


    When Arthur checked the watch after what felt like at least ten minutes he was disappointed that only five had passed, furthering his annoyance with the task. ¡®All I can do is hope that we don¡¯t need to stay down here for more than one more day. If I need to do this more than one more time I will lose my mind.¡¯


    Arthur felt the boredom drilling deeper into his mind as he tried to find something interesting to look at, he first tried the old residential area and all its lights, but he quickly gave up as he along with the guardsmen with him already looked through it.

 Chapter 121

    Another half hour passed as Arthur looked out upon the barren and empty cavern, the only two things of note were the residential area and the overgrown field and he had already had a good look at them up close. He was about ready to just call it quits and command someone else to take his place when suddenly he saw something off in the distance in the residential area. It was a humanoid figure that from such a distance could not have any of its features identified.


    Whatever it was, it noticed Arthur and knew it was being watched, it quickly disappeared into the residential area as Arthur stood up, tempted to start chasing after it and get himself some answers. He stopped himself from taking such a reckless action as he couldn¡¯t leave those under his command without someone keeping an eye out. Instead he decided he would tell the next group about what he saw and to keep their eyes peeled and alert him if it comes closer.


    The remaining fifteen minutes of Arthur¡¯s shift were uneventful and he was more than happy to wake up the next group to replace himself, but before he left them to their job he informed them of what he saw. ¡°Just keep an eye out for anything moving in the residential area over there, if it starts coming closer wake everyone up. We don¡¯t know what it is so we should take every precaution available.¡±


    ¡°Of course sir, we will speak with the next group about it as well and make sure they know what to do.¡± The three members of this shift gave a small salute and quickly left for their stations, the one remaining inside found a chair towards the back of the room while the other two stepped outside and each took a chair of their own.


    *********


    Several hours passed as Arthur found some much needed rest for both his body and mind despite the subpar arrangements. He used some of the older and lower quality clothes that he kept in his bag as a pillow of sorts to rest his head while he used his overcoat to lay on. The stone floor was very cold and felt like it was sucking the heat out of his body when he tried to sleep on it. The leather overcoat helped significantly in that regard.


    When he did awake it was at eight o¡¯clock in the morning, his internal clock woke him up at his normal time. All the other guardsmen that accompanied him down were also either waking up or already awake. Just outside the bare room was a small campfire with a pot cooking food for everyone, one of the guardsmen was the cook of the group and brought most of the food and cooking tools for the task, the fire was created by some kindling that he brought as well as some of the dried grass like plant that was scattered across the cavern. All the guardsmen lined for their share of the food, Arthur on the other hand had his own food within his dimensional bag. Even though the food that was cooking smelt good he would rather eat a cold meat sandwich he made and stored for such an occasion.


    Once they were all done with eating all the guardsmen packed their things up and readied themselves for a continued exploration effort of this underground cavern. They passed the residential area and followed the large road that ran through it. This road went straight through the ¡®town¡¯ and likely led to something else that might be of importance to this place. Unfortunately the dim crystals did not extend to this part of the road and the guardsmen and Arthur were required to use their own light source to see where they were going. Arthur conjured up a ball of fire for himself and roughly every fourth guard held a torch in their hands as a light source.


    The group of eleven walked down that road for what felt like hours when they eventually found something, they passed into what appeared to be a mushroom forest of sorts. They couldn¡¯t see all that much of their surroundings so they didn''t know the complete scope of the forest, but the few massive glowing mushrooms that could be seen through the darkness that clouded the cavern was enough to give them an idea of what was there.


    The road that they walked on was made up entirely of stone bricks and was large enough for two carriages to pass by without issue, given the distance it must have taken quite some time to finish, and wherever it leads must be just as important. But something didn¡¯t want them to find out as ten figures blocked their path with five carrying some of the glowing crystals in the shape of clubs. These figures were the size and shape of dwarves, but something was off about them, they walked in a strange and awkward way as if they were having difficulty doing something so simple.


    Arthur, who was leading the guardsmen, stopped and raised his arms up to his sides to stop everyone when these strange dwarves walked onto the road. Not a single word was spoken as they watched the group of ten shamble around on the road until one turned their head to look at them, now suddenly both the ¡®dwarves¡¯ and the guardsmen could see each other clearly. The dwarf was holding one of the crystal clubs in its right hand and it illuminated its face showing its skin to be both pale and peeling off like dried paper.


    Without need of a command the guardsmen readied themselves with their spears pointed towards the incoming ten walking corpse-like dwarves, Arthur quickly took a few steps back and began casting spells. The lead ¡®dwarf¡¯ which was the first one to notice the group slowly began to lead its followers towards Arthur and the guardsmen, though it started with a slow shamble they quickened their pace until they were almost jogging towards their targets with their clubs and arms raised high to strike.


    Arthur quickly finished the casting of the Tri Earth Bolts spell and propelled the three bolts into the lead ¡®dwarf¡¯, one struck the head and the other two struck the chest area as a sort of experiment on the durability of these sickly dwarves. To both the surprise and interest of Arthur this ¡®dwarf¡¯ only recoiled for a few seconds before it resumed its march towards him and his allies.


    The guardsmen quickly braced themselves and a few stabbed forwards with their spears towards this sickly dwarf, the dwarf didn¡¯t stand a chance against these and quickly found it had a few extra holes in its chest that it didn¡¯t have before where it quickly began bleeding out a blackish blood. Unfortunately Arthur was unable to satisfy his arcane curiosity as there were another nine sickly dwarves moving towards them.


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    Arthur began casting another stronger spell that he expected would be able to eliminate or completely disable one of the sick dwarves, the guardsmen on the other hand slowly moved towards their aggressors with their spears pointed ahead them. Arthur finished his tier two spell and propelled a large earth spike towards the head of the right most dwarf, his control over his earth spells had already reached high enough that a moving target moving at such a speed was of very little difficulty. The ¡®dwarf¡¯ fell to the ground as the large earth spike created a rather large hole in its forehead where its brain once was.


    Arthur would cast the spell two more times as the guardsmen stabbed their spears into the open chests of sick dwarves. Since the ¡®dwarves¡¯ had no strategy or formation it was quite easy for the guardsmen to take them out one at a time, Arthur would take out the few that were farther off to the side allowing for the guardsmen to focus on the remaining six that were all grouped together.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 exp


    + 50 exp


    + 50 exp


    \- - - - - -/


    Once the sick dwarves were all dead the guardsmen were quick to distance themselves from the corpses as Arthur quickly took a sample of the blackish blood. As he kneeled down to the closest corpse Arthur removed a potion from his bag and quickly drank its brown contents, once he was finished drinking he quickly conjured up some water to clean out the bottle and then manipulated some air to dry the water. Now with the clean bottle Arthur filled it with a large amount of blood from the corpse as it bled out of its wounds, this left him with a half full bottle of blackish blood that smells worse than the dead bodies he found in the temple earlier.


    The guardsmen that accompanied him watched with wonder and confusion as this happened. When they saw Arthur quickly down the potion only to clean it they were rather confused, one guardsman by the name of Vel began wondering out loud. ¡°Why did he just drink that? Is there a reason why he did that?¡±


    ¡°He probably just didn¡¯t want to waste the magic potion. I hear they can get really expensive once you start factoring in rare ingredients and brewing times.¡± A guardsman by the name of Kaeso said. When they saw Arthur start to collect the blackish blood from the dead dwarf he said ¡°I told you so.¡± which annoyed Vel more than it probably should have.


    Once Arthur was done collecting the blood he placed the secured bottle into his bag and began writing something down in a book with a small bottle of ink in his off hand. As he did this he directed the guardsmen under his command to follow him as he continued down the road in the direction they were initially going. Soon Arthur was done with whatever it was he was writing and returned the paper as well as the ink to his bag.


    While he was inspecting and collecting a sample of the blood Arthur also picked up one of the crystal clubs that were wielded by the sick dwarves, like he expected it was likely the same material that was used on the iron poles to illuminate the residential area the group first came across. It was also surprisingly durable for a crystal, Arthur expected it to be far more fragile despite the clear use as a weapon. This crystal club was also placed into his bag for safekeeping.


    According to the watch that was brought along the group managed to walk for another half hour down that road before they encountered a second group of these sick dwarves, this time it was a group of five with only one carrying a crystal club. Like the previous group the guardsmen quickly formed a line with their spears pointed towards the aggressors, they moved forward and stabbed their targets in the chest and stomach areas. With two guardsmen for each sick dwarf the fight ended quickly and did not require any spells from Arthur.


    Another hour of walking passed and the group found themselves at another group of buildings, but unlike the residential area they were at beforehand that looked like it was just up and abandoned one day this place looked like a war tore through. Almost half of the buildings were damaged with a quarter of those being collapsed completely, the amount of sickly dwarves in the area was also much higher than before on the road.


    ¡°A disease or sickness of some sort did this to these people, and now they continue to walk around their ruined cities as mindless husks of what they once were. Make sure that you don¡¯t make physical contact with them, and don¡¯t get any blood on you, we don¡¯t know how this disease spreads to others.¡± Arthur said before he cautiously led the guardsmen under his command into this ruined settlement. When they came across a small group of sick dwarves that numbered no more than five they would quickly cut them down and leave, when the number was higher they would avoid it unless it was blocking the only way to something they needed to get to.


    As they explored this city Arthur prioritized stores and other important looking buildings whether they be government or privately owned. One such building sold these pieces of parchment that had the details of important events written on them for the general populace, with the Comprehend Language spell within the amulet Arthur wore he could read what they said and knew that the information the most recent pieces contained was incorrect.


    The cheap parchment contained information of a disease that was spreading around this underground kingdom known as Kinwihr, the disease was referred to as The Pestilence and was said to be lethal in around five percent of cases. Clearly that wasn¡¯t the entire truth as it was very likely that those infected with the pestilence were the ones still walking around to this day and attacking anyone that is not affected.


    A few of the other locations the group looked into were alchemists, healers, and any government buildings. But unfortunately nothing within these types of buildings told them anything that was important, at best they received the symptoms of the pestilence from the healer buildings which closely correlated with the dwarves that were still wandering around to this day. But the one key difference was that they stated that the victim of the disease would just die a very painful death, there was nothing regarding the crowds of the infected wandering around and attacking those who were not infected.


    Arthur furrowed his eyes at this information as he was reading the pile documents that he found within the only healers building within this town. ¡°Is there something wrong sir?¡± One of the guardsmen asked as she noticed Arthur¡¯s expression. She was half worried that whatever this disease was they were investigating it was worse than they expected.


    ¡°These reports of this pestilence don¡¯t make any mention of those sick with it wandering around and attacking those who are not. They either did not know about that at the time of writing these or were purposefully hiding it from the common people. There is also no mention of how people get sick from this disease, not from drinking contaminated water, not bloodborne, nothing. It''s almost like this is a weaponized disease that managed to get out of its containment that this Kinwihr kingdom was trying to hide it.

 Chapter 122

    With a large amount of documents regarding this pestilence that ravaged this underground kingdom of dwarves, Arthur decided that it was about time to leave and return to the surface with their findings despite the fact that they found nothing regarding the murders down here. Everyone was ready to have a proper bed to sleep on tonight and Arthur had no intention of keeping watch for another hour tonight.


    But as the group was retracing their steps back to the entrance they encountered something different from before. A group of at least twenty was blocking their path on the road and they were armed with proper spears. At first Arthur thought they were more sick dwarves given their height was around five feet, but a closer inspection showed they were both a bit taller than that at around five and a half feet and their body shapes were more like that of an elf than a dwarf in both height and shape.


    When these new arrivals stepped forward into the light the group saw that these were humanoid ants, ant people. Their red exoskeleton shone in the light and their eyes were dark like the night sky. They wore little clothing compared to other civilized races that Arthur had seen including the few animal peoples he saw on the surface, the leader of this group stepped forward distinguished by the higher quality and more covering clothing it wore. In its right hand was a spear made from an unknown type of wood, its left hand it raised up to about its head in a gesture of peace.


    The guardsmen looked at this ant person with district and worry but did not show their feelings, Arthur stepped forward expecting this ant person to have something important to say. When they were only a few meters from each other the ant person began speaking with a series of clicking and clacking with its tongue, the guardsmen did not understand a word of what was said, but Arthur did with his Comprehend Language amulet. ¡°Welcome to the undercity surface dweller. May I ask what brings you down to this sick land?¡±


    ¡°We found an entrance leading down here in the basement of a temple, all the priests of said temple were killed several days ago and we came to see if anything relating to the crime was down here. We didn¡¯t know about this place until we reached it and began looking around.¡± The ant person leader was a little surprised upon hearing the surface dweller before him speaking their language flawlessly, but she soon realized that his mouth did not line up with the words he was speaking. She quickly concluded that this surface dweller was blessed by one of the gods and with it given magic like their own High Paladin Zoe, her tone and behavior quickly changed accordingly.


    ¡°Of course great one, long ago when the others were driven out by the black death they likely did not wish for the sickness to escape up into the surface world. You are also not the first from the surface to arrive down here recently, another arrived down here like you did, but they did not understand us or know who we are and we had to restrain them to stop them from hurting themself.¡± The ant person pointed his open left hand to his right and continued. ¡°We have kept them safe in our home, we have given them food and water for several days now. Would you like to speak with them? We would be happy to return them to you and escort you back to the surface tunnel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be wonderful. I have several questions I would like to ask this individual about how they got down here.¡± Arthur smiled as he answered, perhaps this person these ant people found was a witness of the crime or was one of the perpetrators. Either way he would have all the answers he would need. ¡°Follow me, we are following these ant people to their home. They have someone from the surface that came down through the tunnel we did.¡± Arthur called out to the guardsmen under his command. They looked a little confused but they did follow Arthur who in turn followed the ant people.


    The journey took around half an hour to reach the home of the ant people, they lived in a town that from his quick estimations housed around two hundred to about three hundred people. The buildings were made up of the mushrooms that made up the forest surrounding the town, the walls were made up of the stalk and the roofs were made from the caps. Each house looked to house three adults and their children, the more children each ¡®family¡¯ had the larger the house tended to be.


    The ant person that led the group brought Arthur to a small building with the same design as the normal houses except it was about half the size as the ones with just three adults. Inside was a young human that looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old sitting in a corner praying with a piece of glowing crystal in the center of the room to illuminate it.


    Upon hearing the door open the young man turned to look at who it was, he personally was expecting it was his lunch from the ant people even though it felt a little early for it. He had become comfortable around the ant people in the past few days, they kept him safe and well fed even though they did not understand each other. When he saw Arthur along with the ant person he quickly stood up and questioned if he was awake.


    ¡°Are you alright kid?¡± Arthur asked as the young man simply stared at him, clearly he was in shock at another human down here. The young man quickly snapped out of it at the sound of a human language.


    ¡°Um, yes I am. These ant people were kind enough to keep me safe and well fed while I was down here hiding from the attackers. I assume you are with the city guard about the attack.¡± The young man nervously fiddled with his hands as he spoke, he was clearly still nervous about the situation and was worried about the outcome.


    ¡°Yes I am, I was the one to discover the crime scene after there was an attack from a werebeast in the southern district. Since smuggling one through the city gates was deemed impossible we started to investigate any location where one might have been created inside the city. We eventually found the temple of Velerin and you fellow priests dead inside of it.¡± The young man was silent at this statement, deep down he hoped that at least one of them might have escaped and gotten help, but the attackers were well prepared and did not let that happen.


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    The young man simply stood there in silence as thought about what he had just been told. By this time the ant person had left and returned with some edible mushrooms for the two humans to eat. She knew that it was something a proper host would do for their guests, their occasional interactions with fay had taught them that.


    ¡°What is the date today?¡± The young man asked without even looking at the food he was offered. Arthur on the other hand took two of the brown mushrooms and began chewing on one while placing the other in his bag.


    ¡°Today is the tenth day of Limestone, the attack of the werebeast happened on the eighth. A good portion of the ninth was spent searching for the source of the werebeast and coming down here and the rest of today has been spent looking around. I assume you know of the disease that is running amuck down here that has kept the dwarves that lived down here in a terrible state for years.¡±


    ¡°Yes I did encounter a small group of those, that was how I was discovered by the ant people here. I used up all my mana casting divine spells at those abominations when they arrived and finished them up, by then I was exhausted and was easily taken by them to this building they keep for visitors.¡±


    The two continued their conversation for another ten minutes before the topic of leaving this underground cavern came up, the young man who¡¯s name is Decius was more than happy to leave as soon as possible as the mushrooms he was given as food won''t exactly tasty and the ant people apparently didn¡¯t know anything about alcohol, Decius was dying for a glass of some.


    But before the group of twelve could leave the town of ant people they were stopped by the ant that led the group of twenty they encountered on the road. She wasn¡¯t forcing them to stay, she was instead asking. ¡°We are going to have a wonderful lunch before you leave. Would you like to join us? We have more than enough food to feed you all without going hungry.¡±


    The ant people were not at all forcing them to stay but they seemed to really want them to stay for lunch, they hadn''t had any bad intentions so far so Arthur agreed that the group would stay for it but would need to leave soon after as they needed to bring Decius to the surface.


    When the ant people left to finish up with the lunch Decius asked Arthur while keeping his voice down. ¡°Why do you think they want us to stay for lunch? There isn¡¯t much reason for us to do so, even though I am grateful they kept me safe it would be best if we leave as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°It would be, but the ant people probably want some sort of diplomacy between us and them. Things like trade agreements and such, don¡¯t think they haven¡¯t noticed the armor that the guardsmen I brought with me are wearing. They probably think that if they are nice enough to us the city will be a bit more willing to trade some armor and other knowledge with them.¡± Arthur answered in a hushed tone while looking around to be certain that none of the ant people were paying them any attention.


    ¡°Wait, you''re telling me they''re just doing it so they can get some armor of their own?¡± Decius asked, sounding a little distraught at the idea of basically being traded for goodwill.


    ¡°Pretty much, I don¡¯t exactly blame them all that much though. You haven¡¯t been to that city that is around twenty minutes north of here, that place is filled with dwarves that were infected by something they called the pestilence. It has kept them around as husks of what they used to be.¡±


    Decius was quiet for a while thinking about what Arthur said before piping up again. ¡°So it made them into zombies?¡±


    Arthur paused at that word. It sounded so foreign, yet so right at the same time for what they dealt with. ¡°Yeah, I guess that is the correct term for what happened to them.¡±


    While Arthur and Decius were talking, the ant people were quickly setting up several tables that could easily fit Arthur¡¯s group and the group of ant people they first encountered on the road. The food they carried out and placed onto the table was inside wooden bowls that were the same color as the buildings. The food itself mostly consisted of different types of mushrooms that were various shades of brown and prepared in different ways, the few exceptions were for something that reminded Arthur of flower and something that looked like nuts, both of which were in their own bowls.


    When everything was ready the group of thirty sat down at the table and began to eat, the mushrooms that made up a majority of the meal were for the most part quite bland. To remedy this however the ant people took some of the flower-like powder and sprinkled it onto their food like seasoning. Arthur went to do the same but found it was actually literal flower, the flower that you use to bake bread and other pastries. Arthur had to resist the urge to shout out in surprise.


    ¡°I have one quick question, how exactly did you learn to make this?¡± Arthur asked as he pointed towards the bowl of flower. The ant person who sat across from Arthur and was the one leading the group on the road smiled, or did the next closest thing an ant person can do before answering.


    ¡°We learned that from the ruins of the old surface dweller cities, when they had all died off and became sick we looked through their old things and found the machines they used to create it. We found out how to create smaller hand powered versions after many years of study and experimentation, we understand why they created so much, it makes the food taste so much better.¡±


    Arthur had to force himself not to say anything as he listened to the end of her explanation. Clearly they only found the method of creating flower and not its actual uses, he also did not want to be the one to break the news to them that they had been using flower wrong for who knows how many years now. Someone else can be the one to cross that bridge.


    Around halfway through the lunch someone else, another ant person, joined the table. They wore a white cloak and what looked to be a shirt and plants under it, in its arm it held a spear far too complex and metallic to be created by themselves or any ant person with the technology they had shown. This ant person took a seat at the head of the table and took a plate of their own before taking food and eating alongside everyone else.


    Arthur was a little confused by this as this ant person looked to be very important compared to the other, the spear alone singled them out as it looked to be a masterpiece made from steel and inscribed with powerful divine enchantments of some sort. This was evident by the pulsing white glow from the inscriptions that snaked across the shaft and tip.


    Yet this important and impressive ant person said nothing until the very end of the lunch when Arthur and his group were getting ready to leave.

 Chapter 123

    ¡°What god is it that you worship, surface dweller?¡± The important looking ant person asked Arthur as he stood up from the table. Arthur paused and took a good look at her, now that he could get a good look without being rude he noticed that she was dressed in a very feminine yet opposing way and her voice was far more distinguishable from the other ant people. It was almost like she understood how humans viewed the world.


    Arthur used this moment to think about all the gods that he knew of, but in truth he didn¡¯t really resonate with any of them. The only name that he could recall that held significance to him was the name of Armok, and even then he didn¡¯t even recall if this Armok was even a god. ¡°I haven¡¯t found one yet, but perhaps I will find a god that I can relate to.¡±


    The important ant person remained silent at Arthur¡¯s answer for quite some time as she thought about what to say, after several minutes of just standing there waiting she eventually spoke up again. ¡°You have already been touched by a powerful god, but most importantly it is not one I am familiar with. When you are ready to discuss this you may return and speak with me in Lou Kata.¡±


    The important ant person quickly stood up and walked off while being followed by another far smaller ant person that looked to be around five feet tall. Arthur was left confused by what she said and watched her as she walked away. Once she was out of sight he snapped back to reality from Decius tapping him on his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, sir, are you alright? What did it say to you?¡± Arthur quickly turned his head to Decius and back to where he saw the ant person disappear. After looking for a few more seconds he eventually answered. ¡°Something that I need to look into.¡±


    Soon after everyone that made up the twelve person group was prepared to head out and return to the surface, mostly everyone was happy to leave excluding Arthur, he was still looking around for the important ant person who said he was ¡®touched¡¯ by a powerful god.


    ¡®She must be some powerful religious figure down here, she must be the equivalent of a high priest or something. That spear she held alone was enough to prove she was important, but her words showed she was very wise.¡¯


    Soon the group left with Arthur in the lead, they followed the road back to the small village they considered to be a residential area. ¡®This place must have been cleared out by the ant people from all the sick when the disease first took over. They likely knew about the entrance and wanted whoever came down it to avoid all the sick.¡¯


    Quickly the group entered the room at the base of the stairway and climbed up with a steady pace. With a half hour of walking they eventually reached the entrance and found ten guardsmen waiting in the basement for them, each held a spear and wore just as much armor as those who accompanied Arthur.


    Detective Lyco was also there speaking with who Arthur assumed to be the highest ranking member of the squad. When they first noticed Arthur exiting they quickly pointed their spears towards him but quickly lowered them once they saw who he really was.


    ¡°Welcome back sir mage. What do you have to report?¡± Lyco asked as he quickly pulled up his small communication orb and contacted Captain Dio before putting her on a mode that allowed her to hear and see everyone in the room.


    ¡°We found a lot down there, a village and then a city both abandoned and their inhabitants likely killed off by a disease they called the pestilence.¡± Arthur said as he reached for the piles of documents tha detailed everything the dwarves that once lived down there knew about it. Detective Lyco quickly looked at the documents and frowned upon noticing he didn¡¯t understand the language that was used.


    ¡°Those are written in the language that the dwarves who lived down there used, I don¡¯t know what language it was but I suspect that you will need either a mage that can cast the Comprehend Language spell or a linguist who specializes in dwarven languages.¡±


    ¡°What about this disease that you all encountered down there? Should we be worried about an outbreak happening up here now that you have all returned?¡± Detective Lyco asked as he handed off the documents to another detective that arrived.


    ¡°No, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem. The disease takes around a day to start showing symptoms in a patient from their observations. Admittedly they start quite small, but by the end of the day a victim will have paling skin and deep bags under their eyes. And as you can see none of us have any such symptoms, but if you like you can keep us under surveillance for the night.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary sir mage, I would be thankful if you came to my office and reported your findings with me in person however.¡± Captain Dio interrupted Detective Lyco as he was about to agree with Arthur¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Very well Captain, I will be bringing you everything I found down there right away.¡± Arthur said as he quickly snatched the pile of documents from Detective Lyco¡¯s hand and waved Decius to follow him. Decius looked a little confused but quickly followed behind and outside.


    The sunlight almost blinded the duo as they exited the temple, it was well past noon by this point and the sun was preparing to set, yet the light almost blinded them from its sheer intensity. Clearly they had both spent far too much time below ground.


    The duo slowly adapted to the light enough to navigate the city and find the western district barracks. When they entered the building they were happy to actually be able to see without squinting their eyes. ¡°Captain Dio is expecting you in her office sir mage.¡± The secretary waved Arthur and Decius as she quickly turned back to her task at hand.


    The duo quickly entered the room and found Captain Dio on a group call with the other district captains and the king''s secretary. She quickly waved them over without taking her attention from the conversation that was currently ongoing.


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    ¡°If you haven''t found the perpetrators of this attack on the city then I highly doubt there is anything that can be done at this point captain. The people and the crown were expecting results, and so far there haven¡¯t been any.¡± A male voice Arthur was unfamiliar with said in a depressed tone.


    ¡°To be fair, mister secretary that isn¡¯t the case anymore. We have identified the location of where the werebeast that tore up part of the southern district was created and we have found a survivor of an attack on the location in question.¡± Captain Dio interrupted this voice who appeared as a well dressed middle aged man.


    The conversation went silent after that for a moment before this voice spoke up again. ¡°I would like to see and speak with this survivor if that is the case.¡± He was less formal and more direct as he spoke again, clearly he was anxious.


    Captain Dio quickly waved Decius over to where she was sitting and had him stand within the communication orbs detection range. Decius stood tall as he looked at the four different people each split into their own section of the orb.


    ¡°Are you the survivor of this attack that we have been speaking of young man?¡± The king¡¯s secretary asked as he looked over Decius. While this wasn¡¯t what he was expecting he was thankful that there was actually someone who could speak about what happened.


    ¡°Yes I am sir.¡± Decius gave a small bow as he spoke.


    ¡°Good, then I along with the four Captains of the guard will have several questions that we will need to ask you regarding the attack you experienced not too long ago. I hope that will not be a problem for you.¡±


    ¡°It will not be sir.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now I must remind everyone here that this conversation is classified and you must remove anyone that doesn¡¯t have the clearance level to hear this information. I will give you all a minute to do so, but I suggest you act quickly so we can get this over with for everyone''s sake.¡± At this statement by the king''s secretary Captain Dio waved Arthur out of the room, Arthur simply gave a nod and exited the room and closed the door behind himself.


    Outside the room as he was walking past the secretary she stopped Arthur before he got too far. ¡°Excuse me sir, I have something for you from Captain Dio.¡± She reached into her desk and pulled out a pouch containing several coins that clinked together as she handed it to Arthur. Arthur opened up the pouch and found five gold and ten silver coins contained within, he looked up to the secretary in surprise at the amount and wondered why he received it.


    ¡°The Captain told me to give that to you on your way out. She said something about a new law that was passed to prevent mages from interfering with legal proceedings, there was a loophole regarding payment that would allow mages to continue to do such work as long as they were regarded as private mercenaries as opposed to civilians.¡±


    Arthur knew what she was speaking of, he recalled something about a new law being pushed by some of the wealthier and more questionable nobles. And it looks like they got what they wanted, but with a loophole slipped in to allow for people like himself to do what he already did just for a lot more money.


    Arthur chuckled to himself as he imagined just how pissed off those nobles must be, they tried to stop any possibility that they might be exposed and instead got played. ¡°Thank you miss, and have a nice day.¡± Arthur smiled as he turned to leave and so did the secretary.


    Once outside Arthur placed the pouch full of coins in his bag and began walking towards the northern district, it had been around two days now since he had spoken with Henry and had any lessons with him. With the sudden windfall of money he should probably put it to good use by for example putting it towards his magical education.


    ********


    Arthur stood outside the front door of Henry¡¯s temple, he gave three good and loud knocks on them and was currently waiting for him to open them and allow him in. He could hear something moving around in there and out of curiosity Arthur put his ear up to the door right as the noises quieted down in hope of hearing something interesting. Suddenly as he was doing this the door began to open and Arthur looked up to see what appeared to be a blocky golem made entirely out of clay that matched him in height.


    ¡°Welcome, Arthur. Master, Henry, is currently busy at the moment, but you may wait inside until he is done.¡± The golem sounded almost like it was speaking with a limited set of words in a specific order. The way it emphasized names sounded like they were added in after by an inexperienced illusionist. Arthur did however notice that neither the mouth or head of the golem moved as it spoke, like it wasn¡¯t even actually creating the sounds but was instead just spitting out scripted lines as it assembled them into something coherent.


    ¡°Very well, please show me the way.¡± Arthur answered as he stepped into the old church, the golem quickly closed the door behind him and locked it with a large wooden beam. As the golem did this a large amount of magic inscriptions suddenly became visible across the door and along part of the walls. Arthur was about to take a look when the golem spoke again. ¡°This way please sir, Arthur.¡±


    Arthur was a little annoyed by this interruption but quickly followed the golem up the stairs and up to Henry¡¯s office space. As they entered the golem gestured towards the chair that Arthur always found himself sitting in when he arrived here for lessons with Henry.


    ¡°I will contact, master, Henry, and inform, him, of the situation.¡± The way the golem spoke was starting to make Arthur feel slightly uncomfortable, it wasn¡¯t like a normal person speaking, it was weirdly exactly the same way he expected non-living things to speak, and yet that was part of the reason why he was unnerved by it.


    After telling Arthur it would be contacting Henry the golem went silent and simply stood there off by the window as Arthur remained within the chair. Despite it not having any eyes, or any other identifiable orifices it still gave Arthur the feeling of being watched. Only after what felt like an hour of waiting did Henry enter the room and ending the torture Arthur was feeling.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. How have you been?¡± Henry smiled as he entered the room. With his off hand he waved the golem away and it exited through the door they all entered from.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been alright sir, I was wondering if you were free for some more lessons aeromancy again today. I recently received some money and I am quite eager to continue with my magical education.¡± Arthur pulled out four silver coins from his bag as he spoke and placed them on the table. ¡°I was hoping that we could do this a bit more often from now on since I now have some proper savings.¡±


    Henry smiled and picked up the four silver coins. ¡°Sure thing Arthur, I recently hit a roadblock myself with the project I am working on. It might be a good idea to slow down and think about something else for the time being, and I can help you out while I¡¯m at it.¡± Henry chuckled and waved Arthur up off from the chair he was sitting in and directed him to stand in the open space he kept for Arthur closer to the door.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t move onto something a little more complex now that you have decent basics.¡±

 Chapter 124

    ¡°I want you to think of the previous set of exercises as a sort of endurance training for your magic, this on the other hand is more akin to strength training.¡± Henry said as Arthur was struggling to keep a ball of air compressed. Henry walked around Arthur in a circle as he did this and gave simple gestures that appeared to be causing Arthur even more stress as he held the ball steady.


    ¡°This exercise should help you with controlling large amounts of air to do as you wish, by doing something very similar to the weightlifters of old with magic you should be able to effectively grow that metaphorical mussel that determines magic output.¡± Henry gave another gesture and Arthur grunted out loud from the strain of controlling the fluctuation.


    ¡°How are your mana reserves Arthur? I suspect they should be around halfway depleted.¡±


    ¡°They are. Should I stop now?¡± The strain was clear in his voice as his face was red like a tomato, a tomato being a strange fruit that doesn¡¯t look like one at all.


    ¡°Yes, please do. You look as if you are about to explode.¡± Henry chuckled as took a seat in his chair. Arthur on the other hand collapsed onto the floor while breathing heavily.


    For around five minutes the two just stayed where they were as the sound of Arthur¡¯s breathing slowly left the room quiet until Arthur spoke up. ¡°Can I ask you a question sir?¡±


    ¡°I see no reason why not. Ask away.¡± Henry said as he fetched two apples out from his desk, he tossed one over to Arthur who didn¡¯t see it until it struck him in the head. He quickly sat up to see Henry chuckling to himself as he was chewing. Arthur took a bit out of his own apple and once he had taken a few bites out of it he asked.


    ¡°Why does that golem of your talk the way it does? It sounds like it just took a bunch of predetermined sentences and assembled them when it needs to.¡± To a bit of the surprise of Arthur Henry did not smile or laugh at him like he was half expecting after the apple was thrown at him, instead he looked a little more disappointed than anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. Well to be honest that is exactly what they do when they need to communicate. It was an old design from when I was younger that I never really felt the need to change since it works so well as it is. But I probably should do something about it, update it or something. But then I would need to recreate all of the golems that currently use the system, oh it would be a huge hassle at the moment especially with the current big project I am working on at the moment.¡±


    ¡°What kind of project are you working on? It sounds very important given how you are talking about it.¡± Arthur asked, truly curious about what this might be, it was the first time he had heard of a mage doing something that wasn¡¯t just casting spells of some sort.


    ¡°Oh it''s just some complex enchanting, I found an old artifact in the basement and I want to see if I can get it working. Of course half of the thing is missing so I need to fill in the missing pieces and figure out the enchantments that were used. Then I would like to see if I can make the thing more efficient and use less mana in the process.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that sounds really cool. What type of artifact is this?¡± Arthur asked, hoping for a more direct answer than what he just received. But unfortunately for him Henry just waved off the question with a smile.


    ¡°I am sorry Arthur, but unless you are able and willing to help me with the task I doubt that I will be sharing such information with you. Anyways we should probably move back to the exercise and continue for the other hour you paid for, unless you have some more questions you would like to ask me.¡± Henry stood up and tossed the apple core he had in his hands into the nearby bin as he finished speaking. Arthur, who was also done with his apple, tossed his apple core into the bin as he stood up. ¡°Alright then, I''ve received a good portion of my mana. Do your worst and push me to my limits.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t think you are able to withstand my worst Arthur. But because I respect you I will still ¡®push you to your limits¡¯ as you say.¡± Henry chuckled as he said the last bit and Arthur responded by quickly shaping and compressing a large ball of air into a sphere around a third of its normal size.


    **********


    Arthur rubbed his eyes as he exited the northern district. It was getting quite late and the sun was starting to set despite how early it was. His stomach started the growl in annoyance as the apple he ate an hour ago was not quite enough to fill him up.


    Arthur of course had food at home, but his stomach was hungry right now and there were several taverns and other establishments that sold food that he could make a quick stop at on his way home. So when he found a decently priced tavern Arthur took a quick stop inside and had himself a nice soup that was being sold, the soup in question was made from a bit of fish and an assortment of vegetables including carrots and peas. Arthur quickly gobbled up the soup and left two copper coins for the meal and left the waiter two more as a tip. As he did so the waiter thanked Arthur and even gave a small bow as he did so.


    Arthur rushed home after that, almost running back as the outside started getting dark rapidly, Arthur of course had no knowledge of why this was happening so he made a mental note to ask Calavia about it when they meet again, whenever that might be.


    Reaching his front door just as the sun was dipping below the horizon Arthur quickly unlocked it with his key and stepped inside and locked it behind himself. Walking into the kitchen/dining area Arthur quickly placed a few small pieces of firewood inside the fireplace and ignited it with his pyromancy skill. The dry wood quickly ignited and slowly began filling the room with its warmth as Arthur moved to other things.


    He quickly put his overcoat on the coat rack that he bought a few days back while wandering through the market. It was a bit old and worn down from its use but it worked just as advertised by the bored looking teen that sold it to him for ten copper coins.


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    Another interesting thing he recently bought was a proper wardrobe for his bedroom in which he had been keeping all the clothes that he wasn¡¯t wearing at the time. It was very basic compared to some of the other more expensive ones he saw in the store, but unlike the cheapest one there it was sanded down and smooth and was given a coating. That wardrobe ended up costing him two silver coins, but it looked nice and was good enough.


    Arthur took a seat in one of his chairs at the table and brought out the bottle of black blood along with his notes on the subject. He recorded how the blood flowed and smelt as he filled the bottle with it, unlike normal blood this stuff flowed at around half the speed it should have, Arthur could easily imagine just how bad that would be for anyone suffering from the disease. Another thing he noted was the smell of the blood, it smelt just like the blood that he smelt in the temple with all the several day old bodies, for comparison normal blood has a sort of coppery or metallic smell.


    Arthur held the bottle in his off hand and was messing around with it by tilting it to one side before tilting it to the other and watching its slowly flowing and dripping. It was both entertaining and truly disturbing at the same time, on one hand it was quite interesting to look at and theorize why it might be reacting that way, on the other it was disturbing because something was just so inherently wrong about it that Arthur could not pinpoint.


    That along with the words of the high ranking ant person that didn¡¯t say anything until the group lunch was done did not help him relax, trying to take the disturbing implications out of his mind Arthur put the bottle and the notes he took regarding it back into his dimensional bag and instead looked at the nice fire he had going.


    Arthur had stacked the bottom pieces of wood parallel to each other and about ten centimeters apart, he did the same thing with the second and top two pieces except he placed them so they were opposite of the bottom two. This gave both more than enough air to burn without Arthur¡¯s constant input. Arthur had started to put on fires such as this one far more often recently due to the decreaseing temperature as the days went on, he could only imagine how cold it was going to get. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t quite cold enough that he needed it going all day, but Arthur suspected that might not be the case for much longer.


    As he was sitting there watching the fire he decided to pull up his HUD to take a look at his progress and the extra ten points he had been keeping around unsure of what to do.


    /- - - - - -\


    Level 14


    Exp : 14200


    Next Level at : 15600


    Mana : 10/42


    Class : The All Knowing


    Strength 30


    Dexterity 30


    Vitality 30


    Constitution 30


    Intellect 30


    Perception 20


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 30


    Faith 10 (Locked)


    Devotion 10 (Locked)


    Available points : 10


    \- - - - - -/


    As much as he enjoyed being both strong and durable he wasn¡¯t really using those things when he was fighting, having more mana or being more flexible and having more dexterity would be more beneficial for avoiding blows even with the yellow plate armor he had as it wasn¡¯t that heavy. This left Arthur with five of the initial eight options to improve. ¡®I''ve already been putting this off for so long, even a bad choice would be better than no choice at this point.¡¯


    Charisma was immediately off the table as not once had Arthur even been in a situation where he needed or wished he was able to convince someone of something as most of the people head so far interacted with were quite reasonable and logical. The next possible and cheapest choice was perception as being able to see things clearly is very helpful when casting ranged spells, and since it was only at twenty when all the other useful attributes were at thirty made that choice far more appealing.


    Both intellect and arcane would be great additions for his spell casting capabilities as intellect would increase his mana capacity exponentially and arcane would strengthen his spells like how strength empowers physical strikes.


    After several minutes of thinking on the topic Arthur eventually decided to go with putting those ten points into his perception as with greater perception also improves his accuracy when he casts ranged spells and allows him to better perceive other things like smells and sounds. While that might not be all that useful in Antium it might be if he were to find himself stranded somewhere that he was unfamiliar with.


    /- - - - - -\


    Perception 30


    \- - - - - -/


    As Arthur finalized the decision he could feel his surroundings becoming clearer slowly as he felt his mind begin to process more and more of what his body was picking up. The quiet individual cracklings of the fire suddenly became far more distinguishable as his ears were able to pick the noise. Arthur also was able to notice that the fire was not all one color, small tinges of the flames were slightly orange. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure why that was the case as all the fire he had ever conjured up was always red like most of the fire he had seen.


    By this time Arthur took a look outside the window and saw that the sun was just about below the horizon and several of the undamaged lantern poles were lighting in the higher traffic areas to accommodate the night owls that would be walking around at this time. Arthur gave a small sigh at this as he always went to sleep around the time the sun started to set and if he were to suddenly change that it would mess with his sleep schedule.


    So Arthur quickly changed into more comfortable clothing that he bought specifically to sleep in and barricaded all the doors and windows and made sure the fire would burn out before going to sleep.


    Arthur awoke later the next morning, as he looked outside he could see the sun starting to peek about the horizon indicating it was early in the morning. Taking a look at the cheap clock mounted to his bedroom wall he bought recently told him it was 7:06 in the morning when normally he would wake at around eight o¡¯clock. Quickly slowly sat up and stretched his legs before standing up and walking towards the kitchen/living area to have something to eat. Rooting through his dimensional bag he found a large bowl full of cold soup which he quickly poured a bit of into a small bowl and began warming with a conjured flame, soon the soup was of a sufficient temperature and Arthur began to eat it with a spoon within a few minutes. After he was done with his simple breakfast he just sat at the table and started at the bowl a little bored. He still had around an hour before Gaelin was supposed to show up.


    ¡®Oh shit, I forgot about Gaelin!¡¯ Arthur suddenly remembered that he forgot to tell Gaelin about where he would be yesterday, or more accurately the thought didn¡¯t cross his mind as he was investigating a murder scene and put his mind towards that instead of his potions.

 Chapter 125

    Arthur quickly brought out an empty pouch and filled it with six copper coins in anticipation for Gaelin¡¯s arrival. He cursed himself for not thinking of something he did practically everyday at this point in his life, but most importantly he felt terrible for just leaving Gaelin without an explanation. ¡®If he decides to deliver more plants he finds today I¡¯ll give him something as an apology.¡¯


    Arthur began rooting through his dimensional bag that was getting quite close to full with all the potions and miscellaneous weapons he kept for something that might make up for his mistake to his employee, eventually he found one of his earliest healing potions that he kept inside for safekeeping. Something like this would probably sell for around four or perhaps even five copper coins depending on who and when you sold it, Gaelin would likely appreciate it.


    Arthur prepared another empty box by the door for when Gaelin arrives so he could just exchange his box quickly to avoid waiting on Arthur to sort through and organize everything before handing the box back. By the time he had everything done for Gaelin¡¯s arrival it was only 7:40, Arthur still had another twenty minutes at the minimum before he would arrive and even then he likely wouldn¡¯t show until around 8:20 when Arthur normally finished eating and dressing himself.


    With nothing to do for the time being Arthur took a seat on one of his chairs at his table and just sat there thinking about everything going on in his life. He was happy that he had friends and a steady supply of money, but he quickly realized he was missing something in his life, something that just about everyone had just to have fun doing.


    ¡°I need a hobby or something.¡± Arthur muttered to himself as he realized that he didn¡¯t have one. But that then raised the question of what to have as a hobby, it would need to be something that didn¡¯t require a lot of preparation and could be done quickly or for long periods of time. Thinking he might find some sort of inspiration Arthur began looking through his bag for anything and everything.


    The first thing that came to mind was to do something with all the weapons he was keeping in there, but he quickly gave up on that as the only thing he could reasonably do is melt down the weapons for the metal or burn the ones made from wood. To actually do something with that metal would require learning how to blacksmith, and that wasn¡¯t a hobby so much as a job that he does not have the time for.


    Next up were the few talismans that he had both bought and taken from the gang leaders around a month ago when he killed them all. He couldn¡¯t really do anything with them aside from sell them or study them, and at the moment he did not have either the knowledge or resources to learn how to do that. Perhaps when he becomes an Evoker in the guild.


    The third thing he pulled out was all the papers and books he had collected, mostly covering magic with only a few exceptions such as the herbalism book that covered most plants in the region that were usable and how to properly collect them. There were also the notes he made on the pestilence in the underground cavern and the journal of Brexius Sanguine Bane that contained all the blueprints of the golems he was interested in.


    Arthur¡¯s train of thought lingered on these books and writings eventually falling directly on his notes regarding the pestilence. It was quite easy to write everything he found on his own on that paper in a neat format, it was something that he wouldn''t mind doing more often if he had the chance to.


    ¡°Wait, that''s it. I could write a book in my free time.¡± Arthur stood up from his chair as he realized he just found a hobby, but he quickly calmed down as he thought about what he should actually write about. Something like the pestilence wasn¡¯t something you could write a whole book on with a proper history of the disease, at best he could fill a chapter.


    ¡®I could do something like what Brexius did with his journal and make my own journal with all of my experiments and notes along with what I did each day if it was important or unique, like going down into that cavern where the pestilence was and where we met the ant people.¡¯ Arthur was smiling at this and was quickly refilling his bag with all the things he just removed from it, but he kept one of his ink bottles outside from it and a small bag of money for something else regarding this hobby.


    Suddenly a loud series of knocks could be heard from the front door, Arthur looked up a little confused about who that might be. He wasn¡¯t expecting Gaelin for another twenty or so minutes at a minimum and he didn¡¯t have anyone else coming over today. He slowly walked over to the door and peeked out the window. It was a shorter humanoid shape on the other side of the door so he opened it and was even more surprised by who he saw.


    Gaelin was standing on the other side with a half filled crate of various herbs off to his side. Gaelin himself looked rather worried about something as shown by him fidgeting with his hands as he stood there. ¡°Gaelin!? I wasn¡¯t expecting you so soon. Oh and sorry about not being here yesterday, I was busy with something that took all day to do¡­ Please come inside, it''s been getting colder out every day.¡±


    Gaelin gave a small nod and carried the box inside and placed it on the table. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry I only got you half a crate of plants, most of the useful stuff has already been picked clean or begun to wither from the cold and become unusable.¡± Arthur looked over at Gaelin as he spoke, Arthur also noticed a lack of warm clothing on the young elf despite the below average temperature the city has been experiencing.


    To rectify this problem Arthur quickly left for his wardrobe and pulled out a jacket he hasn¡¯t worn for quite some time. It wasn¡¯t the best quality but for someone who was currently dressed with lots of skin showing not unlike those who were partying in the party room of Osvald¡¯s collection of merchants and wares. Arthur paused as he thought about the comparison, while the clothing styles didn¡¯t entirely match up they were close enough that he probably should have noticed before. But due to trying to keep such sights out of his mind as much as possible he didn¡¯t notice until now.


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    Arthur quickly returned with the jacket and tossed it to Gaelin who looked at Arthur with quite a bit of confusion before he was then handed a pouch containing his sic copper coins. ¡°You looked cold, and I had a spare jacket you can keep.¡± Arthur said in a mostly casual tone.


    Gaelin quickly pocketed the money and looked over the jacket while holding it out with both his hands. There were a few small tears here and there that were hastily sewn up by the previous owner, but it still looked warm enough for the current weather. Hesitantly Gaelin slipped the jacket on as if it was going to turn into a monster and eat his arms off at any second, when he finally had the thing on he slowly managed to button it up and smile at the warmth it held.


    ¡°Is there something else you want to talk about or did you just really miss me?¡± Gaelin flinched at the sound of Arthur''s voice forcing him out of his trance, upon seeing Arthur looking confused he quickly began fidgeting with his hands once again. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t think I will be able to collect more plants for you for a while since most of what hasn¡¯t already been picked is starting to wither.¡± Arthur nodded and motioned for him to continue.


    ¡°And I also wanted t- to ask if you would teach me alchemy?¡± Arthur paused at that question and looked at Gaelin like he sprouted two extra heads. It was certainly not what he was expecting from the young elf anyways.


    Gaelin immediately noticed Arthur¡¯s expression and immediately tried to walk back his request. ¡°Um¡­ It''s alright if you don¡¯t want to, I can look for another job and come back once the plants start growing again.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait, I''m not against teaching you alchemy. but I need to ask why you want to learn it and if you even know what is involved?¡±


    ¡°Well, Um, it''s like making spells in bottles right? You add up the ingredients after preparing them and then you get the potion with the effects you want, right?¡± Gaelin looked up at Arthur as he gave this very simple understanding of alchemy, but Arthur prevented himself from sighing or making any other reaction that might insult the young elf.


    ¡°Well, not really. To keep things simple there are two types of alchemy that you will encounter, you have the non magical alchemy which involves just mixing plants and other ingredients together in certain ways to create mixtures both liquid and otherwise for mostly common everyday uses, glue for example being one of those. Magical alchemy on the other hand is mostly what I do now, and it involves a lot of the same processes as the non magical alchemy but with magical ingredients and the casting of spells to create a potent effect when the product is used, healing potions are a good example of this.¡±


    As he was explaining this Arthur took two potions out from his bag and handed them to Gaelin, one which was a non magical nutrient potion and the other the basic healing potion he intended to give him beforehand. Gaelin looked at the two bottles with fascination, he took notice of the healing potions'' dim glow of light indicating its magic properties, the nutrient potion on the other hand was just a brownish mixture that looked quite unappetizing even for an elf. ¡°You can keep those by the way.¡± Arthur said as he began to sort and organize his plants into his alchemy room.


    Gaelin looked at the potions with bewilderment as he heard Arthur say that to him, having a basic understanding of what the nutrient potion would do he quickly drank it along with its terrible after taste. By the time Arthur came back Gaelin was also drinking the healing potion as well to try and digest the actual nutrients within said potion faster.


    Arthur waited for him to finish before he continued with the ¡®interview¡¯ he was giving the young elf. ¡°Before you begin learning alchemy I do need to warn you it is a very difficult thing to do, to perform any of the magical variety you will need to actually know some magic to do so and specific types to get the effects you want depending upon the potion of other product you want to make, and I haven''t even gotten into just how expensive certain ingredients can get especially when they are not native to the region and need to be imported. Are you still certain that you want to learn?¡±


    Gaelin did not wait more than a moment before he answered. ¡°Yes, absolutely. I am more than willing to learn what you have to teach me.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smile a little as he said this, finally something was going well for him.


    ¡°Very well, I do need to ask you about your reading abilities though. How is it coming along?¡±


    ¡°Quite well sir, I can read most common words and names. I can also understand most recipes that I was given to read as homework.¡± Gaelin said as he thought back to the simple recipes he was given and told to read several days ago.


    ¡°Good, and do you have any magic training?¡± Gaelin shook his head, anyone who was able to cast magic back home had to be chosen specifically by the elder druid when they turned eighteen years old, and even then it wasn¡¯t arcane magic they would learn, instead it was more like the divine magic the early human empires and such used to propel their ascension some several thousand years ago.


    ¡°Well that is a little unfortunate, but I don¡¯t see why I can''t teach you some of the basics once every week or so. But that will be something you will likely need to seek more teachers for, the mages guild would be a good place for that once you build up some savings and can afford some more advanced teachers. But we should probably start sometime tomorrow with the basics of non magical alchemy. I will buy some ingredients for you to use and I will find a basic alchemy set for you to use.¡±


    Arthur quickly listed off and copied down some recipes that he wanted Gaelin to become familiar with before he returns tomorrow at eight o¡¯clock tomorrow. The recipes in question were quite simple and could probably be done by a young teen if they really wanted to, but it was a very good place to start off for someone with no experience in the subject.


    There were three recipes in total all on one piece of paper which Gaelin happily took and carefully folded into his pocket. After that he left to go home and study said recipes for the remainder of the day which Arthur was a little surprised by and also quickly advised against as it would be a very boring day for him if that was all he did.


    Once Gaelin was gone Arthur entered back into his alchemy room and quickly began brewing up some potions from what he was given by Gaelin, thankfully he still had some of the ingredients he bought from some stores he occasionally passed by so he was still able to brew the amount that he wanted to. It took around an hour for all the potions to finish brewing and left him with thirty basic healing potions that were considerably better than what he gave to Gaelin, that was mostly due to his understanding of alchemy increasing since then.

 Chapter 126

    Inside one of the many stores within the eastern district that contained a variety of different products Arthur looked through the glass ware section for a cheap set of alchemy apparatuses. Eventually he found a set that was listed for two silver coins, the set was quite basic but also new compared to what he was given when he began his apprenticeship under Georgius several months ago. As he thought about this he gave a small chuckle, he recalled the pitiful amount of money he used to make compared to what he earns now not even a year later.


    Arthur quickly paid for the apparatuses and left, leaving his total net profit for the day at a single silver coin, though he wasn¡¯t annoyed by this at all like he might have been in the past. He was doing this for his worker who for quite some time was collecting him various plants almost everyday, teaching him how to make his own potions and buying him a cheap set of alchemy apparatuses wasn¡¯t unlike what Georgius did for him, minus the dying part.


    Once the apparatuses were paid for Arthur slipped them into his dimensional bag and exited the store for one last stop before he headed home. Since he no longer had anyone to collect plants for him he would need to buy them from some of the stores that did. ¡®I¡¯m betting these business owners have a way to grow these plants. Once I reach the rank of evoker within the mages guild I am going to start looking into that and see if I can do that myself.¡¯


    The store Arthur had been going to for the last while for an extra bit of ingredients was called The Cracked Cauldron, it mostly sold alchemy ingredients and some basic potions that Arthur was able to make on his own along with a few more expensive potions kept behind glass that shimmered slightly every so often indicating their magic power. The woman who owned the store was middle aged and didn¡¯t appear to try and cheat or overcharge Arthur for his money. Once inside he bought around nine times what he usually would have for three silver coins, this would hopefully last the whole week.


    ¡°Same place as the last time sir?¡± The woman asked as she watched Arthur fill out the details on a cheap piece of parchment that acted as a delivery document with all the important information for Arthur to add from his address to what he was actually ordering.


    ¡°Yeah, most of what is out there has stopped growing and has started to wither if it hasn''t already.¡± Arthur said as he manipulated the small amount of ink to fill out the information.


    ¡°You collect your own ingredients?¡± The woman looked at Arthur with confusion.


    ¡°No, I had someone else do that for me. He told me earlier this morning that he couldn¡¯t find enough to keep doing his job, so now I am forced to buy more ingredients from stores like this one.¡± Arthur said as he finished writing everything he needed to and pushed the parchment back towards the woman who quickly looked it over before nodding.


    ¡°Alright, I should have someone send the ingredients to you by around noon tomorrow. But if for whatever reason they haven''t arrived by then you should have it by the day after, if that doesn¡¯t happen come back and I will hand deliver it to you personally.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and have a nice day, miss.¡± Arthur quickly departed the store and headed back to the southern district to have something to eat for lunch as it was around that time of the day. He had some soup that he made a day ago that he was interested in having a heated bowl of for lunch since he always made enough for several days.


    As he walked he passed through the marketplace of the southern district like he normally did on this route. He likes to take a look at all the things that the vendors were selling. Occasionally he would see something interesting like the coat hanger or the wardrobe he recently bought. He noticed that several of the merchants were selling thick clothing and jackets that they went several days before, they listed their products as winter clothing and winter jackets.


    The word winter sounded very familiar to Arthur, but whatever it was it lay just outside of his mind''s reach. But based on the thickness of the clothes and jacket Arthur could tell that this winter thing was definitely something cold, the extra layers would help in keeping warm and based on the fact that the merchants were trying to sell these to anyone and everyone meant that it was something that everyone would be dealing with.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to go back to Georgius¡¯s old tailor for something for winter. He will probably have something that will fit the style of a mage while allowing me to keep warm.¡¯ Arthur thought back to the older man who owned and ran the store, he briefly thought back to when he first bought his nice clothes. The memories rising up from the depths of his mind and staying with him as he returned home.


    He quickly entered his home and took a seat in his chair as he currently did not have anything planned for the day, the shopping trip for the apparatuses and ingredients was a lot quicker than he was expecting. This left Arthur quite a bit of time to work on that journal he wanted to do just like Brexius did.


    Arthur pulled out a simple leather bound book that he also purchased at the store he bought the apparatuses from, the book wasn¡¯t all that big compared to some of the stuff he had bought like his own set of apparatuses, but the fifty page blank book did end up costing him two more silver coins. Thankfully ink was not an issue, if he really needed to he could use his magic ink in an emergency.


    Placing the book on the table he quickly brought out one of his normal ink bottles and readied himself to begin writing things down. But he paused and thought to himself just before the ink touched the page. ¡®Where exactly should I start this at?¡¯


    It was a very logical question, he could start the first entry today or he could start at the very first thing he remembers down in the depths of Dom Badaher. Both options had their benefits and their downsides but one would be a bit easier to do and he could always go back at a later date and write about his days in Dom Badaher.


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    Like what he found in the journal of Brexius he started by writing the date, which was The Eleventh of Limestone, 1148. Followed roughly by a line of space between Arthur began writing everything he did starting with waking up early today and even going over how he bought the very leather bound book he was currently writing in. Once he was done he had already covered two thirds of the page with ink.


    When he was done he left the book faced up and open on the table to allow for the ink to dry, closing the book at this point would just cover the opposite page with the wet ink and ruin it. Despite his skill in hydromancy he wasn¡¯t good enough to collect ink or any other liquids from materials it''s been absorbed into.


    Writing didn¡¯t take all that long to do, leaving with a lot more time left in the day before he had to eat and then sleep, so he decided to practice his aeromancy some more by following the power exercise that he had recently been doing under Henry¡¯s guidance. Staying in his seat Arthur made himself comfortable before conjuring a ball of air between his hands, he pushed the air closer and closer together with his magic power until it started to become difficult for him to maintain.


    He kept this pressure up for around ten seconds before easing off a little bit and allowing himself to relax his metaphorical magic strength for around ten seconds before starting up again. He continued this for around an hour and by then his mana was close to exhaustion even with a few brakes every so often.


    It was a little after lunch by this time so Arthur brought out some of the soup he made recently and heated it up with what little mana he had left. It wasn¡¯t quite as warm as he wanted it to be, but it was enough that its taste was half decent. Soon that bowl of soup was quickly eaten by Arthur and he sat back in his chair while he waited for his mana to recover.


    While he waited he decided to record this magic exercise within his journal and for how long he did it for to pass a bit of time, by this time the ink he had put down the first time had started to dry a bit. Quickly he recorded everything and pushed the leather bound book off to the side where it was less likely to be disturbed.


    To continue to pass the time while his mana recovered at a snail''s pace Arthur brought out Brexius¡¯s journal to look at the diagrams of all the golems he within, he made some comparisons to the clay golem that he saw at Henry¡¯s repurposed church. He eventually came to the conclusion that the purpose of each designer were very different, while Henry¡¯s were more of a multi purpose golem with the ability to speak somehow the ones designed by Brexius were clearly made for fighting and manual labour. Things like speaking likely were a hassle to integrate anyawas based on what Henry said about it.


    ********


    Knock knock knock. Arthur stood up from his chair where he finished breakfast just a few minutes ago and walked over to the door and opened it. On the other side he found Gaelin waiting while also wearing the jacket Arthur gave to him the day before. ¡°Good morning sir.¡± Gaelin said in an uncertain tone as he stood in the doorway.


    ¡°Good morning Gaelin, please come inside.¡± Arthur quickly waved the young elf inside and brought him to his spare/alchemy room where the apparatuses he bought for him were alongside his own. Gaelins eye lit up at the sight of the equipment and he took several steps forwards to get a better look at it. To him the glass that made up part of the set was no different than the beautiful gemstones he heard stories of the ancient dwarven kingdoms digging from the deepest parts of the earth just above the abyss. Turing to look at Arthur he wondered if this was even real.


    ¡°Did you study the recipes I gave you yesterday? Because I am going to have you make a few of those for me now.¡± Arthur walked past Gaelin and began collecting an assortment of different plants from the nearby boxes that were labelled, he then placed those collected plants on the table right in front of Gaelin roughly separated. Thankfully Gaelin was able to differentiate each plant from his time learning to read and collecting plants for Arthur.


    Taking the parchment with the recipes out of his pocket Gaelin made sure he knew which non magical potion he wanted to make with what he was given. He chose the first one on the list and it was the nutrient potion, under Arthur¡¯s direction and watchful eye Gaelin grounded up each of the ingredients and distilled them into a brown liquid that was certainly the potion in question.


    While there was only the one potion created and it wasn¡¯t all that concentrated compared to what Arthur was able to do it was still a good first attempt. Gaelin looked up to Arthur with wide eyes wondering how he did, and he was happy to see that Arthur was smiling.


    ¡°Good job Gaelin, while it could definitely use some work that is well done for a first attempt.¡± Arthur watched as Gaelin gave a soft smile as he was being congratulated, it wasn¡¯t something he saw very often from the young elf, sometimes he would see it when he paid him but that was only semi-regularly.


    ¡°Thank you sir, do you want me to brew another potion from the list you gave me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, how about the drowsiness potion.¡± Arthur suggested while pointing to the second potion on the list. Gaelin smiled and nodded before starting up again with another bottle at the ready. Like before Gaelin followed the instructions by grinding up the necessary ingredients and listening to Arthur¡¯s guidance when it came to distilling the liquid into a proper potion, by the end of the process Gaelin was left with a cloudy white liquid that smelt like a nice candle.


    Gaelin handed the potion off to Arthur who spent a minute looking over the potion, when he was done he handed it back with a smile. ¡°It looked well done, but the only way to be certain that the potion works is to test the potion yourself. Typically this would be done in batches allowing you to keep most of what you brewed for yourself, but in this case you just have the one. But don¡¯t worry you will have many attempts today to try again, be thankful you don¡¯t need to collect your own ingredients like I did while apprenticing.¡±


    This continued on for another hour before Gaelin managed to brew more than a single potion at once, once he showed that he was able to do this semi constantly depending on the potion Arthur had him stop and decided to give him a demonstration of proper magical alchemy by brewing a batch of basic healing potions.


    Throughout the process he showed and explained why he was doing everything he was doing, once he was actually casting the basic alchemy and restoration spell that gave the potions its healing magic he made sure Gaelin could see everything that happened.


    ¡°Now see that the liquid in the bottles is glowing a little, that means that I was successful in casting the spell, but to be certain that nothing is wrong I will need to test out one.¡± Arthur picked up one of the potions at random and drank its contents and conjured up a small knife to give himself a small cut. Soon the cut healed proving the potion worked and Arthur felt no side effects.

 Chapter 127

    Arthur continued to watch over Gaelin as he created more potions and was even given another recipe that was a little more complex to test himself. This lasted for around another two hours ending at eleven o¡¯clock when Arthur had Gaelin stop and move onto basic magic training. To start Arthur had Gaelin take a seat at the table in the kitchen/living room and wait. Arthur fetched a cup and collected water from the moisture in the air to fill it to around three quarters the way full before handing it to Gaelin.


    Gaelin looked at the cup a little confused and even tried to refuse it saying he wasn¡¯t thirsty. Arthur just chuckled a little bit and told him to hang onto it as it would be needed for the magic training he wanted. ¡°Now before we begin with the training I need to ask what level you are? As that will determine how much mana you will have.¡±


    Gaelin looked a little nervous at this but answered truthfully. ¡°I am level 2 sir, and I have 2 units of mana.¡± Arthur took clear notice of just how nervous Gaelin was when talking about his level, but he didn¡¯t pry as he likely wouldn¡¯t get anything but annoyance and lies.


    ¡°Alright, not the best amount to start with but it could be worse. For now it will be enough to move a bit of water around like I did when I started out.¡± Arthur said as he took a seat across from Gaelin and conjured up a small amount of water that he kept in a spherical shape.


    ¡°Take one of your fingers and dip it into the water that is in the cup, when you do that you will need to clear your mind of any distractions and focus on the mana within yourself. You will need to let it flow towards where you want it to go, you should avoid forcing it, just gently guide the mana like digging a channel to direct flowing water.¡±


    Following his instructions Gaelin closed his eyes and dipped his right index finger into the water, he took deep breaths and looked like he was calming himself to focus on his mana.


    ¡°Now keep in mind this might take a while to do, it took me a while to do it and I am something of a prodigy when it comes to magic.¡± Arthur said as he left the room to take a look at the alchemy room and all the used bottles. Once inside he quickly scooped as many up as possible and brought them to the table to clean them with his hydromancy.


    He would do this by conjuring up enough water to fill around half of the bottle and slipping it inside before wiping the inside of the bottle to collect what remained of the potions, then he would revoke the water from the bottle along with whatever was still in there. For each tip Arthur did to his alchemy room he brought back around twenty bottles and each bottle took less than ten seconds to clean. He continued this until he had cleaned up all of his bottles and by then Gaelin still had not succeeded in controlling his mana at all, not that it was an unexpected result.


    Arthur watched for around another hour as Gaelin tried and failed to connect to his mana, as this happened he progressively got more and more annoyed while it was clear as day to Arthur. ¡°Hey, maybe we should take a small break for now eh. It''s around noon right now, why don¡¯t we have some lunch and you can continue right after.¡±


    Gaelin just gave a small nod as he took a deep breath as Arthur stood up from his chair and walked over to the kitchen area. A few minutes later he returned with two bowls of warm soup in hand, placing one down in front of Gaelin and the other where he was sitting a few minutes prior. He had to quickly walk back for spoons so they could actually eat the soup and only then did Arthur sit down and eat with Gaelin.


    While the two were eating Arthur tried to make some small talk by bringing up the weather and how it was getting colder outside by the day, but Gaelin didn¡¯t appear to be listening all that much. Gaelin also wasn¡¯t eating all that much of his soup, he appeared to be lost in his thoughts, and it didn¡¯t look to be good thoughts either by the look on his face.


    ¡°Hey, Gaelin. Are you alright?¡± Arthur touched the young elf on the right shoulder with his own left hand startling him and making him look up. Gaelin¡¯s eyes were a bit wide as he quickly looked up at Arthur and then back down to his soup. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Because we can do this another day if you aren''t feeling up to the task.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s alright. I just have a few things on my mind, I¡¯m fine now though.¡±


    Arthur could tell that Gaelin was hiding something, but given that he was already lying about what that was pushing for more details likely wouldn¡¯t go well so he dropped it and finished up his soup and took his bowl outside to wash. When he returned inside Gaelin was quickly eating his own soup instead of just poking at it like before. Once he was also done ARthur took his bowl and washed it the same


    Now that everyone was done eating the two quickly returned to the magic training that they were doing just minutes before, but now with full bellies and relaxed mind Gaelin was able to keep calmer as he tried to connect with his mana and interact with the water via hydromancy. For another hour Gaelin did this while Arthur did some house work to pass the time, cleaning dust and dirt from the floor and furniture and disposing of it via the back door.


    Arthur peeked outside at the sun to see where it was at this time, realizing the time he quickly disturbed his student from his ¡®meditation¡¯ and stood him up. ¡°Hey, sorry if this comes off as rude but I have a few things I need to do today and I need to go out for them. I need to sell some of my potions and make some more so I can actually earn money.¡±


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    Gaelin hearing this looked a little saddened by this and nodded. ¡°You can of course keep the potions you created today as well as the bottles. I honestly don¡¯t really care what you do with them, you can use them yourself or sell them to someone else if you need the money, but for the time being I need you out. I will be here in the morning tomorrow if you want more alchemy and magic lessons though.¡±


    Gaelin smiled slightly upon hearing he could sell the potions and that he could come back tomorrow for more lessons on both magic and alchemy. ¡°Thank you sir, I will be back at the same time tomorrow.¡± Gaelin gave a small bow before collecting the five potions that he made two at a time each. Two of the potions were drowsiness potions while the other two were nutrient potions, they weren''t worth very much but he could still probably find a use.


    Once Arthur was alone again he quickly returned to the alchemy room and began brewing up as many potions as he could with the ingredients he had on hand at the moment. But as he was around halfway through with what he had left he heard two loud knocks at his door, Arthur put everything down and rushed to the door to find a horse drawn wagon dropping off three crates full of the ingredients he ordered.


    There was a thin human woman at the reins of the wagon while a strong human and dwarf offloaded the crates at Arthur¡¯s door, when they saw him they each waved at him and he waved back. They also asked if he wanted them to carry the crates inside instead of outside like they were initially going to do, but Arthur declined and instead carried them inside himself in three trips, one for each crate.


    Each crate was taken into his alchemy room towards the back end away from the door, once all three were inside he began to sort them out into their proper places. Thankfully Arthur had taken the time a while ago to create a set of shelves and baskets from the earth outside his home, while they weren''t labelled like he would have liked it was more than enough as a basic organisation system for his ingredients.


    Over the course of around twenty minutes Arthur managed to empty the three crates of their contents into the shelves and baskets, he then took the empty crates and placed them off in a corner along with the other two he kept around that Gaelin used to use when he collected herbs. He obviously didn¡¯t need five empty crates for any reason so he would need to find something to do with them, at the moment he was thinking of firewood for his fireplace.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have time to think of that later, for now I need to finish up with my potions and sell them to Lydus over in the alchemy club under the mages guild. Now that I have the ingredients I could make some spark powder, given that it''s supposed to start getting even colder as winter gets closer, starting a fire will become more and more important. I should have enough ingredients and time for a silver coin or two worth of spark powder.¡¯


    Spark powder is a flammable powder substance created by combining one part sulfur and three parts of several different types of plants after they are grounded down into a fine paste. To start you need to ground down those plants for around ten minutes for a pound of the spark powder, then if the sulfur is not already a powder you will need to do the same and measure out the correct amount which is twenty five percent of the end product. With that you will need to distil the paste in conjured water with an Alembic for a pure as possible end product, though this can be skipped for a lower quality outcome. Once that is done you will need to mix the two together in a bowl with the use of both a pestle and a spoon, the end product should be a pure light yellow powder that has an almost spicy smell to it.


    45 grams of the powder should be able to burn for around ten minutes at roughly a wood fire temperature, it can be used for starting a fire as it is a very flammable substance or if in high enough concentrations and packed together enough create small explosions that are undetectable with magic detection and magic shields that don¡¯t protect against physical attacks, something that is a common mistake amongst spell casters.


    The process took Arthur around forty minutes to do and he was left with a full pound of spark powder that he filled ten bottles with. Arthur was both impressed with himself and the recipe and even tried out 45 grams of it in his own fireplace. The small flame roared to life and filled the room with a little bit of heat that Arthur didn¡¯t really feel he needed at the moment, but might be useful for non mages when it gets colder.


    ¡®I am quite surprised that this is not technically magical alchemy, though it does recommend that you use conjured water to distil the paste in, it is only a recommendation. Though the skill level is far beyond what any normal non magical practicing alchemist would be capable of, so I shouldn¡¯t be all that surprised by its complexity.¡¯


    Arthur watched and recorded his findings with the 45 grams of spark powder, like the recipe said it burned for around ten minutes and the heat it gave off wasn¡¯t unlike that of a small wood fire. Though unlike a wood fire it didn¡¯t leave behind any embers or ashes when it was done burning, it appeared that everything burned away into heat and smoke. If he were an assassin or arsonist it might be a useful tool to start fires without leaving behind any trace.


    But thankfully that wasn''t what he was creating the spark powder for, instead it was to sell and he suspected that this one batch would sell for a very good amount let alone if he created another batch that he certainly has the ingredients for.


    *********


    Another forty some minutes later and Arthur was left with eighteen 45 gram bottles of spark powder, if his estimations were correct then each bottle should sell for at least three copper coins each for a grand total of 54 copper coins or two silver and fourteen copper coins. Something of an improvement from what he had been making recently, although his ingredients wouldn¡¯t last quite as long as he was hoping with this product it was still definitely an improvement to his daily income.


    ********


    Taking a trip to the mages guild in the western district was about the same as always, but when he arrived the outside lines were significantly smaller than beforehand. But in hindsight he should have expected it with the average temperature of the day steadily dropping. The inside of the guild was still packed like normal but the lines barely extended outside and the few that were willing to stand there looked unhappy with the weather changes.


    Arthur of course passed by and entered the underground portion of the guild heading directly towards the alchemy club, inside was most barren aside from the few scattered young mages conducting their experiments off to the sides where they wouldn''t bother anyone.


    Lydus was sitting at his desk like normal, filling out the stack of paperwork one page at a time, no matter how many times Arthur has seen him do that it never seems to look any less worrying. It was almost like fighting a dragon would be an easier challenge because the dragon would actually die once you hit it enough times unlike the paperwork that would just keep on coming.

 Chapter 128

    ¡°Hey Lydus, how is the paperwork coming along?¡± Arthur asked as he walked up to the man sitting at the desk buried in paperwork. Lydus looked up showing his tired eyes before he smiled slightly and put his ink pot to the side.


    ¡°It''s coming along quite nicely, how have you been recently?¡± Lydus took this pause in his work to crack the bones in his fingers and neck with a satisfying and gross crack that was followed by a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Not bad, I''ve recently taken on someone as an apprentice of sorts. I started to try and teach him magic and alchemy, so far we have had little progress with magic but non-magical alchemy has been quite the opposite. Even though it''s only been around a day he has made up a few nice potions for his skill level.


    ¡°That is wonderful to hear, it is always a wonderful thing to hear about newcomers to the magical community. With all the advancements that have been happening recently we need them more than ever, like that observation magic that has been showing some promise recently with enchanted tubes collecting images and storing them for later viewings.¡±


    The two continued their conversation for around five minutes before they eventually moved onto other matters. ¡°So what brings you here today? More healing potions? You have been selling a lot of those lately.¡±


    Arthur smiled, he had been selling a lot of those recently because Gaelin had been mostly bringing him plants that are used to create healing potions, probably because those were the only ones that had survived for so long. ¡°No, not this time. Instead I have eighteen bottles of spark powder each with 45 grams inside.¡± Arthur brought out the eighteen bottles and placed them on the table, the light yellow powder proving that this was in fact what Arthur said it was.


    Lydus took the nearest bottle in his hand and opened the bottle before taking a whiff of the white powder, the slight spicy smell it proving that it was in fact what Arthur said it was. ¡°Are all these of the same quality?¡± Lydus looked to Arthur while he reached for the money to pay him.


    ¡°Yes they were made in batches of one pound, I used 45 grams each time to test the end product to see if it would work and each burned for around ten minutes and gave off the heat comparable to a small woodfire.¡± Arthur said as Lydus began to count out the money he would soon be receiving.


    After a short wait Arthur was handed a pouch containing the two silver and fourteen copper coins he was expecting. He was tempted to start celebrating right then and there at his increase in daily income but stopped himself for when he left the guild and got home.


    ¡°This is a wonderful batch Arthur, bring me more in the future and I¡¯ll see about getting you a better deal for larger amounts of the stuff.¡± Lydus said with a smile as he picked up the eighteen bottles from the desk and brought them over to a nearby shelf behind where he previously stood. Arthur didn¡¯t stick around long after that and quickly returned home to try and make more spark powder for that exact purpose.


    **********


    After a long evening of furious alchemy Arthur was left with four pounds of spark powder which he then burned 180 grams of to test leaving himself with three pounds and 270 grams. Based on what Arthur was just paid for the previous amount of spark powder he estimated that this would sell for around 108 copper coins, or five silver and eight copper coins.


    The only downside to this was that Arthur managed to run through a whole crate worth of the necessary ingredients to create this much, and unfortunately it most involved multipurpose ingredients that could be used for other potions and alchemical products. He could alway buy more but that would take time, and the supplier couldn¡¯t always guarantee that they would be able to supply him throughout the year. Unless they were growing the plants and animals they were harvested from all throughout the year.


    Regardless Arthur would need to think up a solution regarding either his long term ingredient storage or in finding one or more suppliers that are able to do so year round to keep up the production of spark powder. With the amount of money Arthur was currently able to make with a night''s work he was definitely going to find at least one, though it might not be necessarily right away.


    ********


    Sixteen days later Arthur sat at his table with Gaelin on the other side, the two were eating some leftover soup that Arthur made for dinner the night before and like normal he made more than enough to eat for a few days with just a little pyromancy.


    Since he began to teach Gaelin alchemy and magic the young elf had begun to open up a little and learn, while it did take almost a week to feel his mana he did eventually figure out how to control a small amount of water al long as it touched his skin.


    His alchemy skill on the other hand were a bit more developed than his magic and he already had a good grasp on the basic potions he was first taught, now he was making them in batches of four or five at a time and selling them at the market for a nice amount of money for his skills and experience, with Arthur footing the cost of the ingredients and bottles Gaelin was able to earn around ten copper coins in a day with each potion going for one or two copper coins depending on what it actually was.


    Arthur did however need to slow down his production of spark powder as at the rate he did before he would be unable to keep it up long term. Instead he settled for creating the two pounds he did before and a few extra healing potions, since both of these used completely different ingredients it wouldn¡¯t force Arthur to buy up lots of the same thing and risk buying too much and driving up the prices to something unreasonable.


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    ¡°Um, sir I have a question for you.¡± Gaelin asked, since he became an apprentice of sorts to Arthur he had become a bit more comfortable and confident with himself. Whenever he had a question regarding alchemy or magic he would ask and Arthur would do his best to answer it in a way that he could understand.


    Seeing him a little nervous was a little different as he had been quite confident for quite some time now. ¡°Sure thing, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I''m not trying to be racist, but why do dwarves prefer alcohol over water almost all the time?¡± Arthur coughed and almost spat out some of his soup at the question. It wasn¡¯t exactly what he was expecting but it wasn¡¯t the worst question as he was correct.


    ¡°Well from what I understand about dwarves is that it is entirely a cultural thing. I have had a few dwarven friends in the past but I never really thought about how most of them drink alcohol of some kind throughout the entire day. Since it''s mostly just dwarves it must be something that they just grew up doing and their parents gave them, they do mostly live underground and odds are the water down in the caverns isn¡¯t exactly fit for drinking.¡±


    Gaelin watched intently as Arthur gave his thoughts on the matter slowly nodding along every so often, the explanation did make a lot of sense as dwarves did live underground for the most part and it was practically exclusive to dwarves. The only real examples of humans doing it was in places where the water wasn¡¯t drinkable and those communities were usually under dwarven rule.


    ¡°Anyways, I have to leave soon. Will you be staying here by yourself or will you be going out to sell your potions in the market?¡± Arthur asked as he finished up his soup.


    ¡°I will be leaving soon as well. I have my potions all ready and I managed to convince someone to lend me their stall while they go eat lunch and for a little while after that.¡± Gaelin smiled as he showed Arthur the satchel that contained all of his potions he intended to sell today. Five were nutrient potions a few shades darker than his first, and the other five were drowsiness potions. From his own experience Gaelin found there potions were the potions that sold the best and quickest. The satchel he bought at the market on sale.


    ¡°That is very good, your skills as an alchemist have come quite a ways since you first started around two weeks ago now. When do you think you will be leaving?¡±


    ¡°Soon, definitely soon. Jofami, the man who is letting me borrow his stall, should be taking his lunch break soon and I only get it for around an hour.¡± Gaelin stood up quickly as he finished speaking and walked over to the door taking his newer jacket off the coat hanger. Since he started earning more money Gaelin took the time to buy nicer and better clothes for the changing weather, since this morning people had been saying ¡°Feels like we''re getting snow soon.¡± Whatever that even is it sounds bad especially when you factor in how people look when they say it.


    ********


    Around an hour later Arthur had left his home several minutes after Gaelin left and went to Henry for more lessons. With the increase to his daily income Arthur had begun to have lessons with him almost every day of the week, the only two days he did not were the last two of the week or the weekend and everyone called it.


    ¡°Honestly Arthur, you surprise me quite often. First it was your incredible progress with learning magic and now you have already taken on an apprentice of your own at such a young age. Normally humans wait until they are in their thirties to start teaching.¡± Henry said as he pushed against Arthur¡¯s control of the small sphere of air he was controlling in a way similar to lifting weights. The two have been doing exercises like this for a while now and Arthur¡¯s skill has considerably grown because of it.


    ¡°Yeah well he didn¡¯t have anything really going on in his life and maybe if things go well he can get into the mages guild by the end of the year given his current pace.¡± Arthur struggled to keep both the sphere controlled and answer his teacher at the same time as the sphere required most of his attention to keep stable.


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this helps your career within the guild quite considerably given your own progress and his. I do have a question for you though, it isn¡¯t related to magic but it is a personal one.¡± Henry said as he relaxed his control over Arthur¡¯s sphere and he followed suit in dispelling the orb.


    ¡°Sure, go ahead, what is it?¡± Arthur asked while collecting the sweat from his face with hydromancy and absorbing it into a towel he kept nearby with these lessons.


    ¡°Why did your parents name you after an ancient king from the early second era?¡± Arthur looked up to his teacher confused by the question. While he noticed his name was quite unique he didn¡¯t know of any second era kingdom led by someone with the same name.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what do you mean by that?¡± Now it was Henry¡¯s turn to look confused.


    ¡°Wait, do you not know the origin of your own name? Did your parents not tell you about it?¡± Henry was baffled, who would name their child after such a historic figure and not say anything to their child. They either didn¡¯t know the significance of the name or never had the chance to tell him about it.


    ¡°Well, truth be told I don¡¯t know who my parents are.¡± Arthur said, trying to avoid the subject, everyone who hears what he says about his parents always says something along the lines of ¡°I''m sorry to hear that¡± and it was starting to become annoying.


    ¡°Well I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Arthur visibly cringed at his words. ¡°But you parents were likely historians given what they named you. King Arthur was the king of the Runead kingdom that existed for around two thousand years, roughly around the beginning of the second era when the gods began to intervene in mortal affairs. He was king at around the one thousand year mark, while he didn¡¯t have any children of his own he did have cousins who did and eventually they took the throne once he was unable to.¡±


    ¡°As interesting as this little history lesson is, this King Arthur doesn¡¯t exactly sound like he was all that interesting.¡± Arthur said as he stood up and then sat down on a chair.


    ¡°Well king Arthur wasn¡¯t just any king, he was also a very powerful mage in his time. Under the command of the god he worshipped he drove the goblin hordes to near extinction within his own borders. Admittedly finding records of this god has been practically a lost cause as all we know about them is that they were more powerful than all the other gods at the time, and it was by a long shot.¡±


    ¡°Was there anything else that this king Arthur did that warranted such a reputation?¡±


    ¡°Well after he retired from the throne and passed it onto someone else he didn¡¯t remain around for long, he disappeared from his own kingdom and according to the few reports that were uncovered regarding him in this time period he began to travel the continent. We obviously don¡¯t know why but he put his magic skills to great use while doing this, he killed several powerful demons by himself and brought down an entire goblin empire that inhabited what we now know as the Yolan empire.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the Yolan empire used to be covered by goblins? You would think this king Arthur would be better known with feats such as that. Funny enough I haven¡¯t heard anything about that from the kingdom or the empire regarding him either.¡±

 Chapter 129

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any reason why the kingdom or the empire would bring him up, the whole rivalry between the two is mostly about politics rather than history. There is also the fact that this was literally in the last era when king Arthur still walked the earth, so any claim regarding him would be long gone along with any evidence of it existing.¡±


    The room went silent for a moment as Arthur thought about what Henry just said, and to be honest with himself he admitted he was pretty much right on target with his explanation.


    ¡°Now enough about history and politics, we should move back to magic and those lessons you paid for. Now conjure up another sphere with the same mass and density as before.¡±


    The two continued on for another hour before the lessons Arthur paid for were up. He didn¡¯t remain long after that and the two quickly said their goodbyes. While he walked back to his home Arthur decided to take a look at his HUD just for the sake of it.


    /- - - - - -\


    Aeromancy Level 19


    \- - - - - -/


    With all the training and effort Arthur had been putting into over the last two weeks he managed to raise his aeromancy skill by four levels. He could feel his control over the air currents was far greater than before even without seeing the number, from what he could tell it was some sort of compounding improvement where each number represented slightly more power gained than the last one leaving Arthur feeling like he gained 30% more power.


    As Arthur walked home he took notice of the people walking around him as well, since it was only around three o¡¯clock in the afternoon people were still walking around and working.


    Arthur also made sure to walk past the mages guild on his way, it was something that he enjoyed doing whenever he got the chance, seeing how long the line was throughout the day was something that he looked forward to. It made him wonder why people rush to the guild in the morning if they could just wait until later when the lines have died down.


    Eventually he arrived at his front door, but on his front deck was Gaelin waiting for him looking a little worried as shown by him fiddling with his hands like a nervous child.


    ¡°Um, hello again sir. Uh, something happened in the market today that is really important. We should probably talk about it inside where we won''t be heard.¡± While it wasn¡¯t obvious from far away as Arthur got closer he could see that Gaelin was looking around nervously, almost like he was being watched by someone.


    ¡°Sure thing, please come inside.¡± Arthur said as he unlocked and opened the door.


    Gaelin closely followed Arthur and quickly closed the door behind himself before taking off his jacket and placing it on the hanger alongside the thick and warm overcoat that Arthur recently bought from his tailor along with some warmer clothes for the upcoming winter.


    Once his coat was off he walked over to the table and took a seat, then and only then did he let out a sigh of relief like the whole world rested on his shoulders for some time. Arthur was both worried and suspicious on Gaelin¡¯s behaviour, the only time he had even been suspicious was when he tried breaking into his house.


    ¡°So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?¡± Arthur asked as he took the chair on the opposite side of the table and looked right at him leaving no place to avoid the question.


    Gaelin nervously fiddled with his hands for a moment avoiding eye contact before he took a deep breath and answered. ¡°There were some real shady looking people at the market today, and they would go up to each stall when the city guards weren''t looking and take large amounts of money. I slipped away before they got the chance to walk up to the stall I was borrowing, but everyone else who was there had their money taken.¡±


    Arthur could feel the nervousness in his voice as he spoke of these shady individuals, they were likely another gang or criminal organization that sprouted up like a weed. ¡®Dear gods, you would think that Captain Tasius would have this under control by now. Does he not have enough personnel to stomp these criminal gangs like insects under a boot?¡¯


    ¡°Well, you did well leaving when you did. Those were likely gang members of another gang that has decided the market is their territory, they were likely collecting ¡®taxes¡¯ or whatever they want to refer to the money they are taking. From now on I will be going with you to the market and I will deal with these gang members. I will need to reschedule my meetings with Henry but that shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem.¡±


    *********


    ¡°Are you alright sir? You look worried about something.¡± Gaelin asked as he stepped back from his alchemy set, Arthur was recently working on the two pounds of spark powder for the day but stopped once he was done and just looked at what was on the table like he was in a trance of some sort.


    ¡°Hmm, yeah I''m fine. Just a few things on my mind.¡± Arthur lazily looked to Gaelin as he spoke and then back to his things before putting them away in his bag.


    ¡®I really hope this gang or criminal group or whatever they want to call themselves isn¡¯t related to the big group that I eliminated the leadership of a while back. The one group that I burned the warehouses of definitely was but they seemed to split off once their leader died. Knowing my luck this is an action taken by the remaining group all together.¡¯ Arthur rubbed his temples as he walked back into the kitchen/living room and sat down in a chair.


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    Since he agreed to keep Gaelin and all the other people at the market safe from these thieves the young elf had perked up a little. He seemed quite confident that Arthur was more than powerful enough to take them all out or at least those that showed up to the market to steal from everyone there. He didn¡¯t know much about them but Gaelin did recall seeing about five or six of them the last time he was there, not great but enough to have a rough plan of how to deal with them.


    Arthur waited as noon drew nearer and nearer, the only thing he could hear was his heart beating within his chest. It was like a drum in his ear, even though he was just sitting there he felt like he was in the middle of a fight. ¡®I need to relax, I need to take a longer break from fighting than just two weeks. Like a vacation or something, but only rich people take vacations, and I am nowhere close to being rich enough for that.¡¯


    Suddenly Arthur¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by a happy Gaelin walking out of the alchemy room and rushing over to the door to put his jacket on. ¡°Come on sir, it''s almost time when these goons will show up. We need to be there to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just give me a moment.¡± Arthur said as he stood up from his chair and reached into his bag pulling out his longsword. Once he attached it to his hip he walked over to Gaelin and put on his thicker overcoat and followed his eager apprentice out the front door.


    ********


    The market wasn¡¯t all that far from Arthur¡¯s home, taking only around ten minutes of walking to get there, even less if they chose to run. Like he remembered the market was quite a bustling place with all sorts of people walking around looking at what the merchants had on sale, Arthur followed Gaelin towards a stall towards the middle rim of this market where a well off dwarven man was selling copper and bronze accessories.


    ¡°Hello Jofami, how much longer do you think you are going to be?¡± Gaelin asked all innocently, though he sounded quite rude while doing so.


    Jofami however just laughed and smiled. ¡°Not much longer lad, I will be going for lunch soon so you can take over when I go.¡± Jofami seemed like a real nice and honest person, but Arthur suspected that he knew of the goons and was trying to avoid them with Gaelin.


    Instead of engaging in conversation with the dwarf Arthur instead decided to take a look around for these goons that Gaelin described. Taking a few laps around the circle that the market formed into he didn¡¯t see any sign of them, or he didn¡¯t until Jofami left for lunch and Gaelin was in his place.


    Once Jofami was gone like it was a schedule, six rough looking criminals suddenly walked up to their nearest stall with their weapons drawn and ¡®asked¡¯ for half the money the poor woman had. The woman with shaking hands handed over a handful of copper coins to the criminal and he had her place it into a large bag that could easily fit a thousand coins.


    Arthur quickly rushed over while everyone else looked on with worry and fear in their eyes, some looked for the city guards who were nowhere to be seen while the rest tried to remain unnoticed or sneak away. Gaelin was the one outlier where he looked on intently waiting for Arthur to deal with the criminals like he was some sort of folk hero.


    Standing just a few meters behind the smiling criminals with his left hand on the hilt of his sword while his right hand rested at his side Arthur shouted at the criminals. ¡°Just what do you think you are doing?¡± The criminals froze and slowly turned like little children caught stealing candy, once they caught sight of their lone opponent they seemed to calm down somewhat and relaxed their posture.


    ¡°And just who do you think you are out here and from what I can tell alone. If you want to take us out I would recommend that you have some armor to keep us from cutting you into little pieces.¡± The criminal who was most likely the leader of this group grinned widely as he brandished a meat cleaver towards Arthur who remained still as he studied his opponents.


    The leader of the group was also the largest of the group being a human and standing at around 5¡¯10¡±. The others who were also human stood no taller than 5¡¯8¡± with a few being around 5¡¯6¡±. Arthur slowly unsheathed his longsword and held it with his right hand while his right was used to cast the Tri Earth Bolts spell four times in quick succession. With his skill and practice in both geomancy and this spell in particular he could drastically shorten the cast time at the cost of slightly more mana.


    The leader of the group took a step back in shock at what he just saw, while what he did know about magic was public knowledge he knew that casting spells wasn¡¯t something just anybody could do. Manipulating fire or water was quite simple as magic went, but actual spells were something far more difficult and a sign of a true mage.


    ¡°Shit, get bac- Ahh!¡± The leader tried to shout out a warning when Arthur propelled the twelve earth bolts towards each of the criminals before him. The leader along with his closest subordinate managed to partly dodge out of the way, resulting in only one bolt hitting the both of them. The leader was hit in the forearm while his smartest subordinate was hit in the hand leaving the both of them with light wounds.


    The other criminals on the other hand weren¡¯t quite as quick, they all were hit directly where Arthur wanted to hit them, in the shoulders. He aimed specifically for the area where the shoulder bone connects to the rest of the torso to try and prevent them from moving their arms properly, some were wounded like he intended, but several managed to just deal with a bolt stick into their shoulder and the pain with it.


    With most of his enemies out of the way for the time being Arthur gripped his longsword with both his hands and rushed forwards with it pointed towards the leader who was probably hurt the most by the earth bolts. In response the other partly wounded criminal rushed forwards and swung his hand axe towards the sword and partly deflected it away, instead it grazed the leader''s good arm and drew some blood.


    Arthur quickly pulled back while the many shoppers and merchants around him stepped back leaving himself outside their attack range of their weapons. The leader clutched his wound with his still good hand even with the cut to try and stem the bleeding from the earth bolt stuck in his forearm. The subordinate on the other hand was using the adrenalin in his veins to push through the pain from his off hand and swung his axe towards Arthur with several strikes from as many directions as he could, this resulted in a flurry of sloppy yet powerful attacks that kept Arthur from striking back.


    Arthur was certain to keep his distance from his current opponent as he blocked as many strikes as he could and dodge wherever he could. Eventually the criminal slowed just for a second and Arthur¡¯s sword was pointed in the general direction of his chest, with quick thinking and precision Arthur thrusted his blade forwards and stabbed the criminal in the stomach.


    The sound of metal piercing through flesh sounded throughout the entire market like a dropped pin in a massive metal room. For a moment everything seemed to slow as the criminal looked down to the blade sticking into his stomach, he felt his strength slipping away and blood leaked like a river. Eventually his grip on his weapon was lost and it fell to the ground and hit the dirt road.


    Arthur slowly removed the blade from the criminal''s chest and he fell like a puppet cut from his strings, on the ground he clutched at the bleeding stab wound in a desperate attempt to stop the blood. Arthur took a step over him towards the remaining criminals, the top few inches covered with blood.

 Chapter 130

    It was like time itself had slowed for a moment as everyone who was still watching did nothing as Arthur stepped over the dying man towards the remaining wounded criminals. The first to react was the leader of the small group by running off in the opposite direction of Arthur at full speed bumping into several stalls and knocking stuff over as he did. He was quickly followed by the rest of his group as they ran in terror.


    Once they were gone Arthur let out a sigh of relief, while he was basically in no danger from the axe wielding criminal due to literally being outside the reach of it the fight still was quite stressful as killing wasn¡¯t really as cool as he first thought it was. He did have a bit of fun hunting down those bandits months ago, but if he were offered to do the very same thing now he wasn¡¯t quite sure he would.


    Soon the people slowly returned looking around for any signs of the criminals, shortly after them was a squad of guardsmen with their weapons drawn and ready for a fight. When Arthur saw the guardsmen he quickly walked up to them and explained the situation.


    ¡°Thank you sir mage for handling the situation for us, I think we will be able to handle the situation from here.¡± The corporal of the squad said to Arthur once he understood what had happened, he quickly waved a few of his subordinates who had medical experience towards the one criminal who was bleeding out on the ground. Arthur quickly reached into his bag and pulled out two basic healing potions and handed them to the guardsmen in question. While the potions wouldn¡¯t be able to heal the wound on their own they would be able to help slow the bleeding and buy time to save the criminal''s life.


    Once Arthur stepped away from the guardsmen and off to the side Gaelin was right beside him like a little child. ¡°Wow, that was incredible sir. You easily sent them running for the hills with just a few well placed strikes.¡± Gaelin¡¯s eyes were lighting up like bonfires as he continued to speak of his actions in high regards.


    Eventually Arthur got a little tired of this constant childish attitude and he acted to change the conversation. ¡°So do you think you are going to stay here and sell off the rest of your potions today given what happened here today?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Everyone here is looking rather spooked by the fight and I doubt many are going to stay here for the rest of the day. Things should clear up by tomorrow, so I''ll just sell my potions from today along with what I will sell tomorrow.¡±


    Before the the two left the market to return to Arthur¡¯s home he took a moment to look around at the remaining people in the area to see if he could find Jofami, he had a sneaking suspicion that he either was in on the robberies by the criminals or was using Gaelin to avoid paying himself. Either way he wanted to try and get him alone for a few minutes to ¡®talk¡¯.


    *******


    Back at his home Arthur was sitting in the kitchen/living area while Gaelin worked on his hydromancy with a cup of water. So far Gaelin was only able to control a small amount of water, enough to fill the palm of his hand at most and only for around five minutes when doing so. Relatively he was a slow learner compared to himself, but given that on average wood elves have a well below aptitude for arcane magic that was partly expected.


    Arthur had also learned quite a few things about magic when teaching Gaelin, specifically the average aptitude of each race. Surprisingly humans were considered the baseline with an equal aptitude in arcane divine and occult magic. Next were dwarves who on average have quite poor aptitude for all three types of magic, they instead have talent for more mechanical works. Elves were a bit more varied depending on the type, high elves for example have an above average aptitude for arcane and divine magic and below average for occult, wood elves have well above average aptitude for divine and below average for both arcane and occult, dark elves have an above average aptitude for both arcane and occult with below average aptitude for divine, and finally stone elves were around the same as humans likely because they were only born within human cities created with lots of stone.


    The book that Arthur learned this from was titled Magic : Across the races. It was written by a human by the name of Stephan Lehrer roughly 100 years ago under a group called The Arcane Association, most likely a precursor group to the mages guild.


    Regardless Arthur watched Gaelin as he practiced his magic and gave basic instructions when he needed help, overall Gaelin seemed to be happy with his progress in magic and had a few questions for Arthur as he lightly manipulated the water.


    ¡°What is the mages guild like sir? Is everything aside from the top of the building really in a pocket dimension held together with hundreds of powerful mana stones?¡±


    Arthur looked at Gaelin with confusion clear on his face, he didn¡¯t even know something like that was possible on such a large scale, but he never had any reason to think that the underground portion of the guild was anything but exactly that.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. As far as I know everything is just underground with a lot of magic protections in place to prevent someone from collapsing the roof or breaking down the walls or any other sort of sabotage someone might employ for whatever reason.¡±


    Gaelin paused for a moment looking a little disappointed by what Arthur said, he was likely thinking of some sort of wonder of magic below the surface that only mages would get the chance to see. This didn¡¯t stop him from practicing his hydromancy, although there was a noticeable decline in speed of the rotating water.


    This remained for another hour before Arthur had to leave for his lessons with Henry, he left Gaelin inside his home and told him not to leave until he returned and to either practice his magic or alchemy until he returned, which would be in a few hours.


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    *******


    Arthur plopped down onto the floor as he panted heavily, Henry had once again changed the training that Arthur would undergo once again. Now instead of magic strength training it was a combination of both endurance and strength training for magic, both Arthur and Henry would conjure up their own walls of air that were a square foot in size. Once they were both ready they would slowly push them against each other like a sort of reverse tug of war and with magic instead of a rope. According to Henry this would be both a test of strength and endurance in his magical capabilities, it requires strength to keep up with Henry¡¯s own wall and endurance to keep going for long periods of time. The way things went was Henry would push up against Arthur while he would try to keep going for as long as possible, he would need to use his skill to keep the wall from breaking under the strain. He could reinforce or repair the wall whenever he needed to, but if it broke they would start again.


    After an hour of this Arthur was left on the ground panting like a dog, while Henry looked no different than before. Clearly this wasn¡¯t all that hard for him to do, despite being only in his mid thirties he was quite skilled in several types of magic.


    ¡°So I heard about what happened in the southern market place earlier today. I assume you have a good reason for fighting common criminals in the city.¡± Henry said as he took a seat in his chair while looking at Arthur. He leaned back in said chair while waiting for a response.


    ¡°Yeah, my ¡®apprentice¡¯ asked me to come with him because they were stealing from people, he managed to slip away before they got the chance to take anything from him but he doubted that he would always be able to do that. I also went into that fight with the intent to disable them, not kill them, it''s not my fault that he didn¡¯t know when to quit.¡±


    ¡°That is quite a cold thing to say Arthur, I just want to be certain that you aren''t going to use your skill in magic to cause problems for the kingdom or innocent people in general.¡± Henry frowned as he responded to Arthur, he definitely didn¡¯t receive the answer he was expecting.


    ¡°Well so far I¡¯ve been using my magic to kill criminals and bandits, so you don¡¯t need to worry about me becoming some magical warlord that intends to kill everybody and create an army of undead. There wouldn¡¯t even be any reason for having an army at that point with everything dead.¡± Arthur said while collecting the sweat from his forehead with hydromancy.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the plot of Master of The Ring, have you been reading fictional books about evil wizards that don¡¯t obey the laws of magic?¡± Henry chuckled as he realised that Arthur was referencing a book, it was a pretty good book but still he wasn¡¯t expecting it from him.


    ¡°So what, it was well written and I found it in the guild library. There is a small section dedicated to fiction stories. I was a little bored so I picked one up.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain yourself regarding your own taste in books Arthur, I just wanted to be sure you wouldn¡¯t become a danger to others or yourself.¡±


    *********


    Another two months passed as Arthur continued on with his schedule with Gaelin as his apprentice of sorts and continuing with his lessons under Henry. Gaelin had shown great progress with both his magical and alchemical skills, not quite at the same speed as Arthur did but quite impressive for someone at a disadvantage like he was.


    Arthur also had an opportunity to introduce Gaelin and Calavia to each other as she decided to suddenly drop by one afternoon as she had the day off and wanted to spend some time with her friend. It was on the first of Moonstone when she arrived along with the first blanket of snow for the year. It was a cold and white powdery substance that left an almost burning sensation when he tried to quickly warm his hands after touching it.


    ¡®I should have bought something to wear on my hands as well as this winter overcoat, I don¡¯t even need my hands to be touching the snow for them to slowly become cold like ice.¡¯ Arthur thought annoyed with himself for not thinking ahead or looking onto what winter was, instead he was forced to keep his hands in his coat pockets for some semblance of protection from the elements. ¡®To think a nice walk was ruined because of this.¡¯


    Arthur quickly returned inside and decided to wait for Gaelin inside, to pass the time he chose to read more of one of the fictional books he borrowed from the guild library.


    Suddenly there were three loud knocks on the front door. ¡®Strange, I wasn¡¯t expecting Gaelin for another ten or so minutes. But given the abrupt change in weather he might have decided to leave sooner so he wouldn''t be late.¡¯ Arthur thought as he stood up from his chair and walked over to the door to open it, but to his surprise it wasn¡¯t Gaelin on the other side, instead it was Calavia who he hadn''t seen in quite some time.


    ¡°Hi Arthur!¡± Calavia practically shouted as he basically tackled Arthur and gave him a big hug pushing him back a few steps in the process. She stopped as quickly as she started and quickly closed the door behind her keeping the snow from getting in.


    ¡°Crazy weather out there, isn¡¯t it. I can¡¯t believe that we just got it so suddenly, it''s like the goddess of snow herself arrived to give us the snow storm last night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was quite surprising when I woke up to it this morning. I was going to go for a small walk around the neighborhood a few minutes ago, but it was too cold for that.¡±


    Calavia chuckled at that statement and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone was expecting this much snow, not unless they had some sort of weather prediction device.¡±


    Arthur showed Calavia where to hand her coat and walked her over to the table and offered her a chair while the two spoke about how unexpected and terrible the weather was outside.


    ¡°Anyways, what have you been getting up to? I assume you spoke with Henry and have been taking some lessons under him, he might not be cheap but he is most definitely worth every silver you can pay him.¡±


    ¡°I have been for quite some time actually, I try to squeeze in some lessons everyday excluding weekends. I make more than enough daily that I can afford to, and the progress I have had has most definitely been worth it.¡± Arthur raised his hands to the height of his chest and conjured up a sphere of air and compressed it to a tenth of its original size like he would during lessons with Henry. Around a month and a week ago he had actually reached level 20 in aeromancy and since moved onto hydromancy reaching level eighteen.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Aeromancy Level 20


    + Hydromancy Level 18


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡°Quite impressive, I would say you are just about ready to learn tier three spells with your skill level.¡± Calavia commented while looking over Arthur¡¯s air sphere. She even tested his control over it like Henry would always do, but he easily blocked her light attempt to wrestle control over his air sphere. Compared to what Henry would do she was easy mode.


    ¡°Excellent control over it as well, what about your other evocations?¡± At her request Arthur showed her his geomancy, hydromancy, and pyromancy in the same way by conjuring up a sphere and condensing it as small as he could and allowing Calavia to try and take control.

 Chapter 131

    Both Arthur and Calavia had a few minutes of fun talking about everything they had gotten up to since they last saw each other. Calavia had apparently spent a bit of time with her brother as he came to visit for a few days before he returned to his post, other than that however she simply continued her job as a healer in the slums of the southern district.


    ¡°What about you Arthur, I hope you went as boring as I was these past few months.¡± Calavia inquired after explaining what she did over the last three months.


    ¡°Well, I did quite a few things actually. Some of which were a little less than legal so I would appreciate it if you kept quiet about it.¡± Calavia looked at Arthur with confusion at that statement, while he didn¡¯t say what he did was illegal the phrasing definitely insinuated that.


    ¡°So you know those criminals that have grouped together for their own mutual gain.¡± Calavia nodded, she had to deal with some of those that they injured quite regularly for a while, though it did stop almost abruptly and hadn¡¯t quite picked up to where it was before. ¡°Well I killed their leadership all in one swoop, I did this by ambushing them when they were having a meeting in a cheap tavern nearby.¡± Calavia¡¯s eye opened wide at this statement, if he was telling the truth then this would mean that Arthur practically shut down the strongest resurgence of the criminal underworld on his own.


    ¡°Wait, you killed them? What happened after that?¡± While she was happy that the criminals were shut down she was also a little worried about who Arthur even managed to kill them all.


    ¡°First I figured out when their meetings were, then when I was ready I disguised myself and snuck to the tavern around an hour before the meeting was scheduled to happen. To blend in and keep my cover I had breakfast and waited until they arrived, when each one was upstairs in the meeting room I went up behind them and launched a surprise attack with a large barrage of earth bolts, then I slowly picked them off one at a time. One did have talismans with him, but he didn¡¯t know what he was doing since he bought a magic barrier rather than a regular barrier talisman.¡±


    Calavia was rather shocked by this causal explanation of how he killed so many people, though she did recall that Arthur was a mercenary for the captain of the southern guard for a period of time to earn a little extra money, so she probably shouldn¡¯t be all that surprised.


    ¡°So why exactly did you do this? Did the captain pay you to take care of them in such a permanent way or was there some other reason?¡±


    ¡°Actually it was because they kept trying to collect ¡®protection¡¯ money from me. They sent two groups to try and take my money from me, so I got fed up with them and went out of my way to kill them.¡± Arthur said smiling while keeping out the detail of who he got spooked on his first attempt when the criminal suddenly showed up behind him.


    ¡°They were collecting protection money!? Well that explains why so many people that came to the clinic had broken or bruised arms and legs, that must have been their way of ¡®encouraging¡¯ people to pay up.¡± Calavia nervously shifted in her hair as she recalled some of the wounds now understanding their true meaning and not the excuses that those same patients would give to avoid explaining.


    ¡°Yeah, it was pretty bad since they felt so confident to just come right up to me and demand money from me even though I didn¡¯t hide the fact that I am a mage. They were also getting into the drug trade when I killed them, they were discussing something called swamp weed and a variant of it that doesn¡¯t need to grow in an actual swamp.¡±


    ¡°Of course they were getting into drugs, half of the rich in the kingdom consume drugs on the regular, excluding mages of course. Drugs just make casting spells a lot harder than it needs to be regardless of what rumors about magic drugs you might hear. But that does mean there is a lot of money to be made in the drug trade.¡±


    ¡°Add that the criminal underworld was also purged of all the major players leaving a power vacuum where nothing has changed except for who is handing out the drugs. I guess I didn¡¯t really think about that before, but good thing I stopped them.¡±


    The room quieted down as the reality of what Arthur¡¯s actions had done settled into both of their minds, Calavia opened her mouth to say something but before she could a loud knock could be heard from the front door. While Calavia was a little confused and looked to Arthur he just smiled and walked over to the door and opened it.


    ¡°Good morning sir.¡± A young voice said once the door opened and a young wood elf entered before Arthur closed the door behind him. ¡°This here is my apprentice Gaelin, say hello to my friend Calavia Gaelin.¡± Gaelin turned and looked at Calavia and practically froze where he stood, he could tell by her mages guild robes that she was a powerful mage.


    ¡°Um, hi miss. I am Gaelin.¡± Gaelin said awkwardly while Arthur walked over to the kitchen area and picked up three cups from the cupboard where he kept his plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. Then he extracted some moisture from the air and placed it into the cups filling them each with water which he then placed on the table.


    ¡°Thank you Arthur.¡± ¡°Thank you sir.¡± Both Calavia and Gaelin thanked Arthur as he brought them each a cup. While this happened Gaelin was trying to avoid eye contact with Calavia out of nervousness of meeting one of the close friends of his teacher, Calavia on the other hand was studying Gaelin trying to understand why Arthur would go out of his way to take on a literal apprentice. The young boy he spoke about teaching several months back wasn¡¯t quite the same as this as he only taught him the basics of hydromancy before leaving.


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    When Arthur sat down with the cups of water she was forced to avert her gaze and decided to instead ask Arthur directly. ¡°Hey Arthur, out of curiosity what made you pick Gaelin as your apprentice? Was he already skilled in magic by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Not really, and since he is a wood elf he already has a disadvantage compared to most others in terms of arcane magic.¡± Arthur plainly stated, making Gaelin perk up. He certainly didn¡¯t know anything about racial magic aptitudes or that it didn¡¯t affect Arthur¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Really? Then why did you pick him?¡± Now he had Calavia curious as well, she hadn''t taken an apprentice yet and was wondering what trait made Gaelin a good apprentice.


    ¡°He is a hard worker and was dedicated to collecting herbs for me everyday for months beforehand, since he was so hard working I offered to teach him and so far he hasn¡¯t slacked off for even a moment while he is here. I''ve shown him both alchemy and magic and he puts his whole mind into learning what I can teach him.¡±


    Calavia opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped herself. She had to admit that working hard for magic was likely a better indicator for a good apprentice than if they were just naturally attuned to that type of magic. ¡°Hmmm, that is a good point.¡± Calavia said as she leaned back in her chair thinking about the possibility of taking her own apprentice far more seriously than she would have before.


    Gaelin was both a little insulted and happy with what Arthur said, on one hand he was quite insensitive by just outright saying that he was at a disadvantage because he was a wood elf, something he had no control over. On the other he made sure to point out that being a wood elf had no change on his decision to teach him. He also appreciated being called a hard worker, it was something he hadn''t heard anyone say about him since he was expelled from the grove.


    ¡°Are you by any chance looking to take an apprentice of your own?¡± Arthur asked, suddenly shaking Calavia from her train of thought. She fixed her posture and sat properly before thinking for a moment about it. ¡°Maybe. I haven¡¯t really put a lot of thought into it, but since you have one I might do the same and find someone young and willing to put in hard work.¡±


    Arthur simply nodded and took a sip of his water while Calavia watched Gaelin¡¯s nervous fiddling. Abruptly he realised they should all do something together if they didn''t want an awkward science to fill the room. ¡°Does anyone have something they want to do as a group since we are all here?¡±


    ¡°Well sir, I should probably brew up some more potions to sell later in the day. I only have around two and a half hours before Jofami leaves for his lunch break and I can use the stall for selling my own potions.¡±


    ¡°You are going to spend a whole two and a half hours just brewing potions, and I thought my job was boring and tedious.¡± Calavia commented while taking a sip of her own water.


    ¡°Well no, I was only going to spend an hour and a half like I always do. I was hoping that I would use that last hour to practice my magic like I usually do.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t see any reason why you can¡¯t practice magic after you return from selling your potions. And besides I do actually have something I''ve been meaning to do for a while now, it''s a board game that requires two people to play so we can take turns playing against each other.¡± Calavia gave a large smile as she reached into her bag and pulled out a large wooden board that was covered by black and white squares in a checkered pattern. She also brought out a cloth bag that was inside her other bag that was shaped similarly to a coin pouch, inside were these small coin shaped wooden pieces that were set up on the black squares with two colors. One set was white while the other was black and each color occupied each side.


    ¡°The merchant I bought this from said the game was called checkers, basically you need to use your own wooden coin shaped pieces to jump over your opponents pieces if there is a space open diagonally. You can only move your pieces forwards until when they reach your opponent''s end of the board where they are crowned and can move back in the opposite direction, the game will continue until one person has no more pieces to move.¡±


    Arthur was looking at the game with great interest while Gaelin looked quite overwhelmed by all the information on the rules. Calavia pushed the board towards Arthur in a sort of challenge towards her good friend vis this new game, Arthur smiled and sat up straight in the chair he conjured from earth. ¡°Very well, I accept your challenge.¡±


    ******


    Two hours later Arthur and Calavia were both seated at the table with the board game before them, by this point Gaelin went off to brew his potions after playing a few games against both Arthur and Calavia losing each time. The games between Arthur and Calavia on the other hand were a lot more even and varied. The two treated the game like a battlefield where they both used the pieces at hand like soldiers in, they made sacrifices and had strategies and changed accordingly when things didn''t work out. For the duo it was basically a dream come true.


    ¡°Ah ha ha, victory is mine once again!¡± Arthur exclaimed as he took the last piece belonging to Calavia on the board while having only three of his own still on it. Calavia on the other hand was frowning as this was the third time in a row of Arthur winning against her. ¡°I have no idea how you do this Arthur, but it is really bothering me. I mean you literally have no memories of your life before the beginning of the year to the exact day, if anything I should be the skilled strategist between us.¡±


    ¡°What can I say aside from that I am naturally gifted in the art of checkers?¡± Arthur said with a large grin on his face, while Calavia had won for the first several games the two played, Arthur managed to close the gap to around half wins and half losses. Now he was winning significantly more and more each time he played, part of that was because Calavia had very predictable strategies that became more and more apparent as he watched.


    Suddenly Gaelin walked back into the room carrying his bag with him filled to the brim with all sorts of potions, with a quick look on Arthur¡¯s part he noticed around twenty potions of various types. Gaelin has learned a lot of different potion recipes, he could only imagine what he would do once he was able to create magical potions with actual spells.


    ¡°You''re heading out already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. Jofami will be getting off for lunch in around twenty minutes, it normally takes around ten minutes to get there but given the terrible weather I should probably leave earlier than normal just in case the snow is bad in certain areas. He only gives me around an hour to sell my things while he is on break. I once tried to get a little longer there but he just glared at me and didn¡¯t say anything, I don¡¯t think he liked my suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, just be back as soon as you are done ok. I don¡¯t know a lot about the weather and how it all changes, but I have a feeling that it isn¡¯t just going to start getting nicer all suddenly. And make sure you wear gloves, it''s cold as hell out there already, without gloves your hands will freeze into blocks of ice.¡±

 Chapter 132

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair at all, you must be cheating!¡± Calavia stood up practically shouting at Arthur who had a smug grin on his face. For the last several games of checkers Arthur had won around ninety percent of the time, his photographic memory allowing him to memorise the strategies Calavia used and how to counter them. With each mistake he made he was becoming better and better, unfortunately there was no skill on the HUD for checkers.


    ¡°All I can say is I am a fast learner, and you are a very predictable checkers player. I think this leaves the score at 37/19 with myself being the 37.¡±


    ¡°You are such an ass, just like my brother can be at times. Like the time he accidently shot the neighbor''s dog and buried it in a shallow grave where it was found by the second dog.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you have a lot of good and interesting memories about your brother, you must have been quite close with him when you were both kids.¡± Arthur commented while thinking about himself, wondering if he at one point had something like that in his own childhood.


    ¡°Oh yes, and we still are quite close even though he usually is gone with the rest of his squad. Though I am a little worried about this upcoming spring and what is going on with the empire over at the border.¡± Calavia quieted down and began avoiding eye contact as she mentioned the Yolan empire. ¡°There are some rumors going around that once spring comes around and the snow is all melted there is going to be another war. If that happens my brother will be on the front lines and he might even be killed in battle.¡±


    The room went quiet as what Calavia said sunk in, Arthur recalled what his one friend Cassia said about the last war with the empire. She talked about how her hometown which was right near the border was destroyed, she didn¡¯t even know how many people survived but she knew her family didn¡¯t.


    As he thought about what she said he also thought back to everyone within that mercenary group, if war was to break out they too likely would get involved especially since the young wood elf leading them by the name of Lyra was nobility. She would definitely be fighting for her own noble family given her attitude and noble related expectations.


    ¡°I sort of understand how you feel.¡± Calavia looked up to Arthur with a bit of confusion in her eyes and waited for Arthur to continue. ¡°I know some people who, if war were to break out, would take part in the fighting. I met them when I woke up in the underground dwarven city. I spent around a month with them before we eventually left and came here to Antium. While I wasn¡¯t really super close with any of them I would say I was on good terms with a small handful of them, three people in particular. A human woman named Cassia, a human man named Citro, and an elven woman named Lyra.¡±


    ¡°It makes you feel like the whole world is going crazy doesn¡¯t it. I haven¡¯t really been a religious person, but I sometimes wonder what the gods are doing and why they allow such horrible things to happen all the time.¡± Calavia wiped a small tear from her eye as she continued. ¡°Do you think they actually care about us? Do you think that they have our best interests in mind when they intervene and send their followers?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know, but I guess that Solarius really doesn¡¯t like vampires since he sent several of his priests and paladins to root out that group of them several months ago.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I honestly doubt a priest could tell us with complete certainty if their god does or does not care about the common people. The only thing that could really tell us if one god cares is probably another god, but what is stopping that one from lying to us as well. It is one big paradox that can¡¯t really be answered by the gods while they are the only ones that can.¡±


    Suddenly the front door opened up and Gaelin walked inside the house covered with snow. ¡°It is getting really bad out there. The snow is blowing around so much that just about everyone at the market was leaving after a few minutes of it, eventually there wasn¡¯t anyone left and I had to leave early as well.¡± Gaelin said as he quickly shut the door behind himself blocking the blowing snow and shaking off what was stuck to him like paint.


    Once he had his jacket, hat, and boots off he walked over the small fire in Arthur¡¯s fireplace to warm up, unfortunately he hasn''t learned anything about pyromancy yet from Arthur as it was quite dangerous for a beginner to learn outside of a safe environment like the underground mages guild. Instead Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out a warmth potion and handed it to Gaelin who upon reading the label drank it completely.


    Gaelin shuttered as he felt the warmth of the potion flow from his stomach into his bloodstream and to each of his limbs, it was a strange sensation, almost like his body war burning from the rapid change in temperature. After a minute of this his body managed to average out at a nice warm temperature where he wasn¡¯t shivering.


    ¡°Thank you sir, that was very helpful.¡± Gaelin said as he walked away from the fireplace. ¡°What type of potion was that sir? I think I would like to learn how to make those as soon as possible if it isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but until you learn how to cast tier one spells and learn some basic pyromancy that will not be possible.¡± Arthur immediately responded in a blunt tone. ¡°Since the guild can teach you how to properly cast tiered spells you will need to go to them for that, the pyromancy on the other hand I will definitely take care of once you have decent foundations. In fact, now is actually a good time for some hydromancy lessons. I have a few things I would like to try with you and see if they help with your learning.¡±


    ¡°But what about the game, I was going to beat you this time!¡± Calavia protested, expecting at least one more game to prove she was better than he was.


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    ¡°Sorry, but Gaelin is my apprentice. If instead I played another game of checkers with you and you predictably lost again and you demanded another when would I have a chance to give him more lessons.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t even wait for her response and just stood up and walked over to the middle of the open room where Gaelin was waiting.


    Gaelin was carrying the cup he was given earlier and held it out for Arthur to extract the moisture from the air into the cup until it was three quarters the way full.


    ¡°Now I want you to take some of that water and keep it levitating above your hands, don¡¯t take more than you can handle, just enough where it becomes a challenge and you can keep it without losing it in a minute.¡± Following Arthur¡¯s instructions he took a blob of water around the size of half an apple and kept it around an inch above his hand.


    ¡°Now I am going to try and take control of that ball of water, I want you to keep me from doing that. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be going all that hard on you.¡± Gaelin kept his emotions hidden but somehow Arthur still managed to know he was a little nervous about this training exercise. Little did he know it was because Arthur was when he first did it with Henry.


    A few moments later Gaelin could feel a foreign mana within his water ball, it was slowly trying to force his own mana out of it so he pushed back. Despite not being a physical action it was comparable to pushing a bull into a pen, something he had the unfortunate time of doing as a young child.


    Unlike this traumatic event in his childhood he did manage to push the foreign mana towards the corner on the ball and away from the center where it could more easily spread, though this did cost some of his mana as some was lost in this tug of war.


    Arthur continued moving his mana around and trying to take over while adding a bit more when it was lost by Gaelin¡¯s attempts to force him out of the water ball. This went on for around fifteen minutes when suddenly the water dropped from its hovering position and splattered into Gaelin¡¯s hands before dripping onto the floor where Arthur was forced to collect it with his own hydromancy.


    Gaelin nearly fell to the floor from mana exhaustion but managed to keep himself upright by leaning on the nearby wall. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± Arthur quickly rushed to Gaelin¡¯s side while he collected the water from the floor. Arthur immediately recognized the symptoms of mana exhaustion and had Gaelin sit down on the floor and gave him the cup of water to drink. After a few minutes of sitting and drinking Gaelin managed to recover some of the color in his face and his mana reserves were no longer so dangerously low.


    ¡°I probably should have taught you about this sooner, but what you just experienced was called mana exhaustion. This happens when you use up all of the mana within your body and continue trying to use more that isn¡¯t there. Now I assume based on this one experience you know that this isn''t something you should even do, even if you are in a dangerous situation you would be better off running away than trying to use mana that isn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any potions that might help with it?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately no, to my knowledge there are no potions that are capable of stimulating mana recovery. But I think we are going to need to deal with your issue of such a small mana capacity soon. When the weather clears up I will call in a favor or two and find a way to help you reach level three or four and boost that mana capacity up.¡±


    Gaelin was a little confused by what Arthur said to him, but since he was so exhausted by the lack of mana he didn¡¯t pay much attention and simply allowed Arthur to help him over to the table where he took what before was Arthur¡¯s own seat.


    ¡°I assume you now have some time for a game or two of checkers Mr. champion?¡± Calavia said as she slid the prepared checkers board over the table so Arthur could reach it.


    ¡°I do have time, but I think it would be better if you tried playing against Gaelin instead.¡± Both Gaelin and Calavia looked to Arthur with a bit of confusion and shock on their respective faces. Calavia was confused because she knew that Gaelin wasn¡¯t really that good of a player, and Gaelin was shocked because he didn¡¯t really understand what playing a game would even be useful for. It didn¡¯t train his magic skill and it definitely didn¡¯t help with his alchemy, the only things that could do that was practice and study.


    ¡°Since for the time being you won''t be able to cast any type of magic you might as well do something to pass the time, that and Calavia isn¡¯t that good at the game.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I was the one who won the first several games we played! You didn¡¯t start winning until around the fifth game, and that was only due to luck!¡±


    ********


    Two days later on the third of Moonstone the snow finally slowed down enough for the common folk to begin going out once again, whether that be for the market or to see family and friends it didn¡¯t really matter to either Arthur or Gaelin who were walking down the streets towards the southern district barracks.


    Inside the building the secretary told the duo they would need to wait for twenty minutes for Captain Tasius to be done with whatever he was doing at the moment, most likely a meeting of some sort based on the phrasing but never outright said for some reason.


    Soon those twenty minutes passed and Arthur was starting to get a little worried that they might be there for quite some time, thankfully the inside of the barracks was warm enough that they didn''t need to keep their winter jackets on and hung them on a nearby coat hanger.


    After another ten minutes of waiting a familiar face showed up in full uniform, it was a certain private Lar of the southern city guard. ¡°Good morning sir, I am here to escort you to the captain. If you would please follow me.¡± Arthur could tell that Lar was being very serious, even though they almost always met when he was in uniform Lar had a sort of casual demeanor around himself. Right now he was being serious and didn¡¯t say anything past what was necessary, likely by the orders of Captain Tasius.


    Gaelin looked a little worried but Arthur quickly reassured him and began following the young guardsman with his apprentice behind him. The two filled Lar into what appeared to be an underground portion of the barracks that was not in any way connected to the dungeon that he was a bit more familiar with. This location was clearly more of an underground hiding place rather than a prison and the much smaller space with some basic quarters and meeting room confirmed it when they found the Captain standing above a table.


    Lar alerted the Captain to their presence with a stomp of his iron boots and with a salute. Captain Tasius simply gave him a nod and he returned the way he came and closed the hidden door behind himself keeping the room a secret.


    ¡°It is good to see you again Arthur, unfortunately I must once again ask for your help in a delicate matter I am dealing with at the moment. I am specifically interested in your alchemy skills this time around.¡±

 Chapter 133

    ¡°What exactly do you need, Captain?¡± Arthur asked while shifting a little uncomfortably, normally when the Captain wanted something it was due to his physical or magical capabilities rather than his alchemical skills.


    ¡°I need you to create potions and poisons for me and my men to use in an upcoming series of events that are going to happen soon.¡± Captain Tasius said as he walked around the table to Arthur¡¯s side. ¡°I can tell you anything in detail right now, but if you could help us in a discrete manner I would be very thankful.¡±


    ¡°As much as I would like to help you captain I would need a list of what you want me to make, and even then I may not have the ingredients or recipes necessary to do as you ask.¡±


    ¡°That will not be an issue, I am having the city government foot the bill making the ingredients and recipes not an issue. The only problem I currently have is finding someone who is both trustworthy and skilled enough to perform the task.¡± The offer was quite tempting for Arthur, from what he could understand the Captain was offering both ingredients and recipes that he might have a hard time acquiring through normal means. This might also help Arthur with getting some prisoners for Gaelin to kill to raise his level and by extension his mana capacity.


    ¡°Alright, I will see if I am able to help you. But I also have a request unrelated to this matter, it was actually the reason why I came here in the first place.¡± Captain Tasius gave a small nod for Arthur to continue, this also gave him a chance to notice the young elf standing next to him. ¡°I would like a few prisoners that are scheduled for execution for my apprentice here to kill. His low level has become a problem when it comes to training.¡±


    Captain Tasius smiled, thankfully it wasn¡¯t an unreasonable request like he was worrying it would be. ¡°Of course, that shouldn¡¯t be all that hard to do. We have plenty of thieves and murderers in the dungeon that have been kept for that exact purpose. I assume this will function as a sort of compensation for your services.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Captain. When exactly should I expect the ingredients and recipes to be delivered to my residence.¡± Captain Tasius gave a slight smile to this.


    ¡°I think you misunderstood what I said. The production of these potions and poisons will need to be done in secret and to keep it that way you will need to do it within this hidden room. We have already cleared out a small area within the dormitory you passed by for your equipment, if need be you can also sleep down here as well.¡±


    Arthur was little surprised by the fact that he would be producing these potions and poisons within the nearby dormitory. He was expecting that he would be able to just do it in his own home like normal, though the Captain did have a point. There was always a chance that what he was doing would be discovered if he just did it out of his own home, he didn¡¯t exactly have excellent locks or guards to keep his home safe.


    ¡°Very well, when will I begin with this project for you?¡±


    ¡°I will have all the ingredients and recipes delivered to this location by around this time in two days. There will be a daily quota for you, but it should be all that hard for you to complete in a timely manner. If for whatever reason you can¡¯t get it done in the normal time you will be expected to stay longer to do so, the ingredients we will provide you should last for at least three days worth of potions and poisons. If you do need more just let us know before the end of the day and we will have more delivered as fast as possible.¡±


    ********


    Like he was promised the next day Arthur was allowed to bring Gaelin to the southern district dungeon where he was given several prisoners who were convicted of various terrible crimes before they were sentenced to death. They consisted of murderers, rapists, and even a few cannibals from some cult that was squashed a few years ago, and they were all here for people like Gaelin who needed levels without risking fighting to the death.


    By the time they left Gaelin was a little scared by the experience, but he was also now level four and put those 20 new points towards intelligence, raising it to 30 and his maximum mana to 12. But to experience these changes Gaelin would need to get a proper night''s sleep which came several hours later after sharing dinner with Arthur and Calavia who decided to stop by.


    ¡°So how was your guys'' day today? Mine was terrible, so many people don¡¯t have enough firewood or blankets or winter clothing and instead of going to one of the many places that donate those things to whoever needs them they instead sit there in the cold and freeze. So many people have easily preventable frostbite and other related injuries.¡±


    ¡°That is likely because there is a stigma towards taking things from charity. Most people don¡¯t like being reliant on other people and instead decide to try and stick it out on their own, a good portion of that is due to pride and a feeling of worthlessness when you are forced to accept help.¡± To the surprise of both Calavia and Arthur it was Gaelin who answered the question. He didn¡¯t look at Calavia as he answered though, giving off the feeling that he might know this from personal experience.


    After collecting herself from the surprise Calaval nodded and continued. ¡°Yes, that sounds right. When I recommended one of the nearby temples that does offer such services the people turned away like I recommended contracting a disease. Neither of you answered the question by the way.¡±


    Calavia gave a small jab towards the silence Arthur gave while trying to avoid speaking of the deal he made with Captain Tasius. ¡®I can tell her a few things, I just need to keep the Captain out of it and what I am doing for him.¡¯


    ¡°Well, I received an offer to create a large amount of alchemical creations for someone for a good amount of recipes that they also want me to create.¡±


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    ¡°Can you tell me anything about this person or recipes they want you to make for them?¡±


    ¡°Sorry but no. That was a key component for the deal in question, just about everything regarding the deal needs to be kept secret for security reasons.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there isn¡¯t anything you can tell me? Not even a tiny little detail?¡± Calavia asked while leaning over the table with a wide smile showing off her pristine teeth, an attempt at convincing her friend to tell her more that he wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t. It was written into the contract and I will not get what I want if I break it.¡± Arthur crossed his arms as he spoke to cement his point of not sharing important details. ¡°If all goes well you should hear about it through the news, the people I am working with are likely to announce what is going to happen with what I am helping to provide them with.¡±


    **********


    One day later on the third of Moonstone Arthur woke up bright and early and quickly readied himself with a simple breakfast and by dressing himself while he waited for Gaelin to arrive. They agreed the day before that Gaelin would stay inside Arthur¡¯s home for the day while he would go to the southern district barracks and complete the day''s order for potions, poisons, and any other alchemical product they asked for.


    Eventually after several minutes of waiting Gaelin arrived with a few loud knocks at the door. Arthur quickly rushed to it and opened it before rushing his apprentice inside. ¡°Good thing you got here, I was getting ready to leave without you even arriving.¡±


    ¡°I got a little caught up with the neighbors, somehow one of them found out I am working as an apprentice alchemist and decided they needed to have an excessive long conversation regarding ethics and why testing potions on her children was a bad thing. If I wasn¡¯t such a nice person I might have been tempted to do exactly what she told me not to.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that sounds a little heartless. But that is quite understandable, some people think they know better than you despite having zero experience on the matter. Those tend to be the people that get mad when things don¡¯t go exactly their way as well.¡± Arthur could emphasize with what Gaelin was going through, many people for whatever reason think that alchemists are one second away from breaking every single law devised to keep unsafe practices from happening, such as reckless human experimentation to name just the most well known law.


    ¡°When you buy your own house people tend to calm down quite a bit, I think it is because when you are able to spend a lot of money on something like a house without taking out a loan it means you have a lot of money and can fight off any baseless accusations.¡±


    ¡°So I just need enough money to buy myself a home and most ignorant people will leave me alone? That can¡¯t come soon enough.¡± Gaelin smiled to himself as he imagined his neighbors who regularly bother him because of his profession just staying away from him.


    ¡°That is a good summary of what I said, but don¡¯t think that will come easy. This one house alone ended up costing me ten gold coins, there are of course smaller options that have a smaller price tag but those are still really expensive as well. You would be better off renting a room in a decent tavern or inn and investing in better equipment and ingredients for the time being.¡±


    While Arthur spoke he handed Gaelin a bottle that contained a yellowish powder. ¡°That is full of spark powder, if for whatever reason the fire starts to dim and you can¡¯t get it going well, dump that on it and it should burn for around ten minutes on its own. Use that ten minutes to get the fire going better, use small pieces of wood like sticks and thin pieces to actually get a proper fire going before you add big pieces that burn for a while.¡±


    Gaelin looked at the small bottle within his hands with a bit of surprise, the powder within didn¡¯t look that special but what Arthur just told him had large implications. Something like this would be great for starting a fire during the winter when it gets really cold out, he personally knew just how bad things could get during a midnight snow storm.


    ¡°Ok, I will keep an eye on the fire at all times sir.¡±


    Arthur smiled before opening the door and walking outside. Suddenly Gaelin was alone with thoughts and memories that he wanted to leave behind himself, he quickly locked the door and walked into the alchemy room to try and push the memories away with work. Today he had a new potion that he wanted to try out, it wasn¡¯t magical in any way but he suspected that its effects would make it valuable to everyone and perhaps even enough to charge a little extra.


    *********


    Around twenty minutes later Arthur found himself in the hidden room under the southern district barracks, he was currently in the repurposed dormitory with a large wooden table that held his alchemy equipment. To the side was a list of the potions that Captain Tasius wanted him to make along with each recipe in question. The ingredients were within a few large boxes that were kept under the tables, most of the ingredients Arthur didn¡¯t recognize as they looked like they came from animals rather than plants, but thankfully there was a list that detailed each ingredient and how to properly handle it.


    ¡®And at the top of the list is twenty bottles of blind leaf poison with each bottle containing 450 milliliters of the poison.¡¯ Arthur looked at the recipe, it was written down on an older piece of parchment and had a few smudged scribbles along the outsides of the page.


    The recipe itself looked easy enough, to start Arthur needed to ground up one of the few plants within the ingredients he had predictably called the blind leaf. The leaf was a deep sickly green color with an almost black outline and had an uneasy smell that made Arthur question if it was safe to even do so. The leather gloves that he was provided with were according to the instructions enough to keep him safe, but to be extra safe he kept it as far from his face as possible.


    With the leaves in the mortar Arthur used a pestle to grind up the bad smelling leaves until he had a fine paste, following the instructions he conjured up a bowl and scraped the paste into it. Next in the recipe was a quarter pound of something called rat dog flesh. The flesh was a whitish pink color and was stiff like a day old corpse, the recipe required Arthur to cut it up into little pieces and mash it until it was something called a puree. When that was achieved after several horrible minutes he dumped it into the earth bowl with the leaf paste and began to mix it together.


    With a nice terrible smelling mixture Arthur left the bowl to the side and began the next step that involved a few new ingredients. Two new ingredients to be exact, and those were ectoplasm and minotaur nails. Quickly placing the two within the mortar and pestle Arthur grinded the nails separately until they were a fine powder and added the two new ingredients into the bowl before giving it another mix until it was all one large thing that almost looked like a meat based dinner if you excluded the smell.


    With the hard part out of the way Arthur brough his retort over and picked a small piece off and dropped it inside before adding some water and began distilling the poison properly into one of the bottles he was provided.

 Chapter 134

    Several hours and over one hundred bottles later Arthur was finally done with the potions and poisons he was tasked with creating. By the time he was done he managed to fill up one of the crates that the ingredients came in with the filled and labelled potions and poisons. There were five different potions/poisons he was tasked with creating, the first was the blind leaf poison of which twenty bottles were filled. The second potion was an actual potion rather than a poison and it was known as amanita berserkcaria, the potion was derived from several plants that would normally be poisonous unless mixed with ectoplasm which apparently was a common binder in potions and poisons alike. The potion would induce a state of rage and anger within the drinker as well as boosting their physical capabilities somewhat based on the skill of the alchemist, Arthur just hoped that he was good enough that it wouldn¡¯t have just been a waste of time.


    The third potion was just basic healing potions, but instead of the twenty that were requested for the first two Captain Tasius specifically stated in his writing that he wanted thirty instead.


    The fourth potion was actually more of a weapon, specifically a thrown weapon. Entropy Dust as this potion or poison as known as would affect the mind of those that breathed it in and cause them to act erratically and slowly become babbling idiots, thankfully the ingredients wouldn¡¯t react and act in that way until they experienced a large amount of up and down motion, and thankfully the effects wouldn¡¯t last all that long and would dissipate after a minute or two at most of open air. The dust required a few different things, the first was synthesized dust mites that were too placed within a bottle or jar that was to be thrown, then you needed to add grounded up woody cap mushrooms after using a mortar and pestle, then a distilled liquid that resembled water that was just listed as ¡®water 2¡¯.


    The fifth and final potion was actually far less horrible compared to the other three potions/poisons that Arthur was basically forced into making. The potion in question was called the draught of ease, this potion would relax the drinker and help them remain calm in stressful situations. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out that this would be used to help the guardsmen in whatever operations the Captain will put them through while remaining calm and collected. The ingredients for the draught were, osage lemon mushrooms sliced up, ectoplasm, and red deer bone dust all mixed together and distilled with more of this ¡®water 2¡¯.


    By the time Arthur was done with every single of the one hundred and ten potions and poisons he was exhausted. Normally he would make at most thirty or maybe even forty potions if he really needed a lot of cheap potions. He ended up just laying down on the closest bed and rested his eyes for a moment, doing the same repetitive motions over and over again while also doing them for the first time was both boring and nerve racking. Poorly mixed potions could have bad end results, thankfully all the mistakes he made were small and at best were not dangerous at all, but the more complex the potion and it''s effect the more dangerous it would end up.


    The stress from it was enough to keep Arthur¡¯s full attention for just about every single potion he just created, and now he needed some time to rest his weary mind. He laid on that bed and enjoyed the silence of the room as he began to allow himself to begin drifting off to sleep. Suddenly a loud series of heavy metal footsteps coming towards his location stirred his mind away once again like a terrible hangover.


    ¡®Please just go away.¡¯ Arthur inwardly begged, but the footsteps only moved closer and eventually opened the door to the dormitory where he was laying. Arthur lazily opened his eyes and found Captain Tasius himself standing in the doorway looking around the room, specifically towards the set up tables where all the ingredients and finished potions were.


    ¡°Hello Captain.¡± Arthur lazily said as he slowly sat up on the bed.


    ¡°Hello Arthur. I see you were quite busy with the time provided.¡± Captain Tasius didn¡¯t even look towards Arthur as he spoke, instead he inspected the bottled potions one by one looking quite happy with what he saw. When he was done looking only then did he turn to see the exhausted looking Arthur barely managing to keep himself awake.


    ¡°I am quite impressed with your work Arthur, I assume it won¡¯t be of any issue to have you come and do this again tomorrow would it?¡± Arthur managed to keep his truest thoughts within his own mind as he answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, but I am expecting some other form of compensation aside from the prisoners for my apprentice. This was an absolute slog, and I don¡¯t even know what time it was or how long I took doing all this.¡±


    ¡°It is actually just a little after two o¡¯clock in the afternoon now, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be done for at least another hour or two. I was just here to see your progress, and to keep how I am feeling simple, this is impressive.¡±


    Arthur perked up a little at that statement, something about the way Captain Tasius said it was just ever so slightly off putting. Like a wolf complimenting a deer on how it ran away, excluding the killing that would eventually happen and the wolf eating.


    ¡°Could you help me by carrying the crate for me into the main hall of this hidden room, it will be easier to distribute the potions and poisons when we have them all in a central location.¡± Captain Tasius didn¡¯t wait for Arthur to respond before exiting the repurposed dormitory, Arthur quickly stood up and picked up the crate pushing back the yawns as he did so.


    Towards the hidden entrance of the room the Captain and Arthur placed the crate full of potions along a nearby wall where it would easily be found when it was needed most.


    ¡°Thank you again Arthur. I will have a few more recipes here for you to make tomorrow along with the necessary ingredients. You can keep the recipes you were given today as your payment along with the prisoner for your apprentice. Though I will drop by with a reward for you at around the same time, I hope you figure them out as quickly as these ones.¡± With that the Captain exited the room and into the hallway that it connected to with Arthur behind him. At the stairway leading up they took separate paths, and Arthur was happy to. He didn¡¯t understand why but the way the Captain was speaking was quite unlike what he had seen before, it was like some sort of sadistic secondary self was peeking out from the depths. Even three of the five things he had him make today were off putting, a poison that literally made the victim blind for a short time would be tactical but also often impractical and cruel. Entropy dust was basically a weaponized drug, it literally used a magical substance to induce entropy in those that breathed the substance in eventually resulting in the victim becoming a helpless fool. The only positive note was that he still seemed to care about the well being of his subordinates as shown with the extra amount of healing potions and the draught of ease.


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    Whatever was going on was worrying, and Arthur just hoped that the Captain wouldn¡¯t do something drastic. ¡®He did say he couldn¡¯t tell me the details of this operation he was planning right away, perhaps once I am done making what he wants he will fill me in and maybe even let me participate. If it is related to spiking criminal and gang activity then I definitely want to help as that affects me, Calavia, and Gaelin.¡¯


    ********


    The remainder of Arthur¡¯s day was spent sitting around and giving Gaelin instructions while he practiced both his alchemy and magic, with the tense atmosphere from the Captain gone Arthur managed to calm down again and relax. ¡°Sir, I have a question. What exactly did you make for the Captain today?¡± Gaelin asked with an almost childlike innocence.


    Arthur contemplated telling his young apprentice about what he made, how uncomfortable the blind leaf poison and the entropy dust were to make and thought about how they would be used. The descriptions that were given on the recipes were probably something that would make children have nightmares, so he chose to instead tell him something else. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you that. For the time being that is classified by the order of Captain Tasius.¡±


    Gaelin looked a little sad at that statement, he looked quite interested in what Arthur might have been doing. ¡®He really does have a passion for alchemy, but I can¡¯t tell him about those poisons. Something like that might cut a little too deep for my tastes, he already has enough going on in his life. He knew why people don¡¯t like taking charity, likely from experience. Best if for the time being he doesn¡¯t know.¡¯


    While Arthur doesn¡¯t like lying to his apprentice he didn¡¯t want to destroy that innocence that Gaelin had about him, maybe it was an elven thing, but Arthur wanted to keep him that way. It was a refreshing feeling to be around someone like him, something that he didn¡¯t ever recall experiencing himself but hoping that his family did the same when he was young.


    *********


    The second day Arthur spent brewing potions, poisons, and other alchemical creations was much like the first with being escorted to the underground hidden room and finding the ingredients and recipes that he needed to complete his work. The first thing on the list was forty basic healing potions, it was a lot more than he was expecting, especially given the amount he made yesterday, but with these extra healing potions came one less new potion he was required to make today which left him with just four things to do.


    Unfortunately two of these were not very nice, the second item on the list was a poison used for interrogation called burnt endings, the name being a reference towards nerve endings. The poison would induce large amounts of pain on the nerves of the drinker and could be counteracted by an antidote which was the third item on the list. The burnt endings poison required a plant called fire nettle to be grounded up in a mortar and pestle and mixed with more ectoplasm and the spinal fluid of something called a homunculus and distilled in a retort. The recipe did not specify anything regarding this creature other than it required its spinal fluid which was a clear slightly salty smelling liquid.


    The antidote thankfully did not require any more of this homunculus spinal fluid, instead it required green mosscap mushrooms to be sliced up with grounded up pig bones and glow berries, when they were all together you would mix them up and distil them into the antidote. With twenty bottles of each Arthur was more than happy to be done with such questionable recipes. ¡®How did Captain Tasius even get his hands on these? Anything like this would be illegal without the approval of the crown or whatever authority rules the land in question.¡¯


    Arthur was rather stumped by the question but continued on anyways the last potion which was thankful not worrying at all, the potion was similar to the amanita berserkcaria potion that boosts the physical capabilities of the drinker along with large amounts of anger. This potion by the name of eagle eyes did basically what was expected and improved the eyesight of the drinker to something comparable to an eagle. The recipe called for two eagle eyes, ectoplasm, a quarter pound of cut carrots, and a pinch of sand. The end product was a light blue liquid that was almost clear.


    Like the day before all the casting of alchemy spells and keeping an eye on the potions as he was making them was exhausting. Just as he took a seat on the same nearby bed as last time he heard the hidden entrance open and the sounds of footsteps coming towards his location. ¡®It must be around two o¡¯clock since that was the last time the Captain showed up, and he intended to be here around the same time as before.¡¯


    Arthur forced himself up and waited for the Captain to enter the room, when he did the first thing he saw was the crate full of the one hundred potions he asked for and smiled before walking over to inspect them. Taking a random few bottles he looked at the labels and then the liquid inside even taking off the top to take a small of the potion to be certain that it smells the way it is supposed to.


    He was clearly happy with what he smelt as he turned to Arthur with a smile and spoke. ¡°Well done once again Arthur, from what I can tell these potions and poisons are up to the standard that I require. Here is the extra reward I spoke about the last time we talked about this.¡± Captain Tasius tossed a leather pouch that contained several coins jingling inside, upon opening it Arthur found ten silver and ten copper coins. A decent pay for his work, though it still wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do very often.


    ¡°While you''re still here I have some more potions that I will need made, it will take about another two hundred more potions or poisons in total over another two days, I will pay you the same amount for each day of completed work. So, are you interested?¡± Arthur looked down to the money in his hand, it was definitely nice to have but the stress was way worse compared to what he normally did in a given day. But since he was expecting to have more and more expenses once he became an evoker within the guild due to lessons for enchanting and golemancy he looked back up towards the Captain and nodded.

 Chapter 135

    Arthur slumped over the table while Gaelin just watched with growing worry.


    ¡°Um¡­ Are you alright sir?¡± Arthur looked up at his apprentice with the veins visible in his eyes. The toll from creating all those potions back to back without stopping was as clear as the day, clearly he should have taken a break or two in between batches of potions.


    ¡°I feel like absolute crap right now, I already didn¡¯t sleep all that well last night and then I just worked around¡­ six hours straight just brewing the same potions over and over again. It was like I was some sort of dwarven machine just doing the same thing over and over again with little variety or change, the money and recipes I was given were nice but I am never doing that again.¡± Arthur let out a big yawn as he finished speaking, he kept it suppressed while talking but didn¡¯t have the willpower to keep it hidden any more.


    ¡°Should I just go home, since you don¡¯t have the energy to give me any lessons right now?¡± Gaelin nervously asked while standing up from the table, he did want to learn more about magic but he didn¡¯t want to stress out his teacher any more than he already was.


    ¡°Just wait a moment.¡± Arthur quickly interjected, he reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of cheap parchment and wrote something down using hydromancy to manipulate the ink. When he was done he pulled out a small leather pouch and dropped two silver coins inside before handing it to Gaelin along with the paper.


    ¡°Take this and go to the address at the top of the paper, that is the person who has been teaching me a lot about magic since I found myself stagnating. The two silver coins will cover the payment for an hour of lessons, trust me when I say you probably won''t last longer than that.¡± Gaelin nervously took the paper and looked at the address written down at the top of the page and froze. While he didn¡¯t know the specific address he could tell that it was located within the northern district, somewhere that didn¡¯t really like elves, specifically wood elves for some of the actions taken by some of the larger groves.


    ¡°Um¡­ sir. This place is located within the northern district?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is. Why? Is there a problem with you going to the northern district?¡±


    ¡°No, no problem. I just haven''t been there before, so I might end up getting lost.¡± Gaelin gave a small lie, he was guessing that Arthur didn¡¯t know about the discrimination that wood elves in particular face while in rich parts of human cities. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t bother him with such things, he is going out of his way to help me. I should be as independent as possible.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. There are loads of guardsmen that walk around there because of political reasons involving all the powerful businessmen that live there. They answer questions regarding directions all the time so don¡¯t worry about losing your way. And besides it''s an old church turned mage tower that you are looking for that has this symbol on the front. It shouldn''t be hard to find.¡± Arthur quickly drew up the eye symbol that is present on the very front of Henry¡¯s old church.


    Gaelin took the cheap parchment that Arthur used and thanked him before leaving the house and going towards the northern district. The walk there would take him at least half an hour in normal dry weather, with the snow it would significantly grow to at least an hour. With that in mind Gaelin quickly pulled up his hood on his winter jacket and began his trek towards this teacher of his own teacher, perhaps he would visit him more once he became more independent and self sufficient.


    ********


    Nearly an hour later Gaelin reached the gates that led to the northern district, outside were four guardsmen stationed. In addition to their standard issue armor they also wore some fur on top like a cloak to keep them warm. They were taking part in idle chatter when he approached and they only paid him a little attention as he passed by.


    Gaelin sighed once he was outside of their hearing range, thankfully they didn¡¯t notice he was an elf. He was half expecting them to demand he remove his hood to look at him for security reasons, but thankfully his size and build didn¡¯t warrant any reason for concern or suspicion. His previous experience with the city guard in these parts wasn¡¯t quite as nice.


    The amount of snow on the roads was thankfully far less than what there was elsewhere, this was due to some humans that were likely employed by the city to shovel snow off to the sides. They also paid little attention to Gaelin as he passed by.


    Eventually by following the pristine metal street signs Gaelin found himself at a part of the city that had several temples, but one building stood out from the others. It was a dark building in a very different style than the rest of what was in the area and following his hunch he looked at the address and found this was the ¡®church¡¯ he was looking for with the large symbol out front above the two double doors.


    Swallowing his fear he walked up to the front double doors of this ¡®church¡¯ and knocked several times. After a minute of waiting the door slowly opened revealing a human man in his mid thirties dressed in traditional wizard robes. ¡°Why hello there, do you need something?¡± Gaelin tried to speak but out of nervousness couldn¡¯t, instead he simply handed the parchment from Arthur to the human mage before him.


    Henry took the parchment and read over the contents and smiled. ¡°Please come inside Gaelin.¡± Henry said as he moved out of the way for the young elf to enter which he. Outside of the snowy weather he placed his jacket on a nearby coat hanger and placed his boots on a thick mat that had another pair already on it.


    ¡°So you are Arthur¡¯s apprentice, eh. Not what I was expecting, I didn¡¯t think you would be a wood elf. No offence.¡± Gaelin cringed slightly at the mention of his race, it was something that had a lot of stigma attached to it despite not having any decision in the matter.


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    ¡°Yes I am, he mostly teaches me alchemy which is a lot easier than normal magic.¡±


    ¡°Well that is to be expected, the basics of alchemy aren¡¯t even based in magic. But that will eventually change, so expect your skill in alchemy to slow to a crawl. Though I suspect that part of the reason you are here is for that.¡± Gaelin nodded and handed Henry the small pouch containing the two silver coins, Henry smiled and placed it in his pocket and brought Gaelin upstairs to the office where Arthur would take his lessons.


    As they walked up the stairs Gaelin¡¯s eye wandered towards the old unused altar of the church and the statue that was placed behind it. It showed a humanoid, most likely a human based on his height, holding a book in his left hand while holding a quill in his right hand. He also wore typical mage or magician robes with a hood covering the top of his head and neck, from such a distance he couldn¡¯t make out the face properly but it looked quite blank.


    Even with such a view it was only for a moment and almost right away he was forced to practice his hydromancy under the watchful eye of Henry who pushed him with ¡®little¡¯ tests. Those tests were exhausting and Gaelin could only keep up for around half an hour with a fraction of the stress and pressure Arthur would be put through on a normal lesson.


    *********


    An hour after Gaelin lessons began he exited the old church and began walking towards Arthur¡¯s home again. Passing by a clock he found it was 4:30 pm, he calculated that he would return home by around 5:30 given the current weather conditions.


    So he quickened his pace and began going back the same way he arrived passing by the same fur wearing guardsmen who he could hear talking about women, specifically women of different races and which were the best. One guard was defending his love of feline women and denying the playful allegations his colleagues were dumping on him.


    Gaelin pushed what he was hearing to the back of his mind and continued on his way back. After almost an hour of pushing through the streets that were filled with fresh snow while he was taking his lessons he reached Arthur house, from a distance he saw the smoke spilling from the chimney and inwardly thanked his teacher for keeping the house warm.


    The front door was predictably locked so he had to knock quite loudly to attract Arthur¡¯s attention who then opened the door and rushed him inside. Once inside Gaelin noticed that Arthur looked noticeably better, for starters his eyes no longer looked so strained. ¡®He must have taken the time to rest his eyes, I might have even woken him from his sleep.¡¯


    ¡°Good afternoon Gaelin, how were your lessons with Henry?¡± Arthur asked, forcing back a yawn yet still looking far better than he did a few hours before.


    ¡°Quite well, though he was just as tough as you described him in the past. By the half hour I was already exhausted and needed to rest and allow my mana to recover. He used that time to teach me a basic meditation technique to recover my mana a little faster, though it was only a little bit faster when I used it.¡±


    ¡°That is to be expected, since the technique is based on your overall skill in manipulating mana on its own. Once you spend more time learning it should shoot right up and with it the efficiency of it.¡± Arthur began walking towards the kitchen and pulled out a large pot and filled it with water taken from the moisture in the air. He then placed some larger pieces of wood on the fire and hung the pot above it to boil.


    ¡°Um sir, I have a question. Why didn¡¯t you teach me how to recover my own mana faster?¡± Arthur paused at the question, at the moment he was looking through his pantry of food for something that would taste good in a soup. The question forced him to stop looking and think. ¡®Well I wasn¡¯t expecting that. I guess I just didn¡¯t think he was capable enough yet, I didn¡¯t learn that until I was already casting tier one spells.¡¯


    ¡°Well to be honest I didn¡¯t think you were even capable of doing that yet. I only learned that when I had already been able to cast tier one spells and even a few tier two ones. Henry never told me what the requirements were to do it so I just assumed that it was tier one or two spells which I doubt you will be doing for quite some time.¡±


    Arthur kept his back to Gaelin as he said this, while he wasn¡¯t lying it wasn¡¯t exactly something he wanted his apprentice to think based on his facial expression.


    ¡°Really? When did you learn tier one spells?¡± Arthur nearly sighed from relief, thankfully Gaelin was more focused on the idea of tier one spells than anything else at the moment.


    ¡°I learned them a few months after I began learning magic, I also had to become a part of the guild to do that and pay for the actual class where it happened. They have changed the name several times over the years but when I learned the class was called The Fundamentals of First Tier Magic.¡± Gaelin was wide eyed at this information, he heard lots of things about priests, druids, and mages alike. The most powerful of those were the ones casting tiered spells which were actual structured spells that had complex applications .


    ¡°Wow. Do you think I will be able to join the mages guild soon and learn tier one spells?¡±


    ¡°I would say you are quite close. But I would suggest that you learn how to both conjure and collect water from the atmosphere before you do that. You won¡¯t always have an opportunity to use nearby water for your spells, or there might not even be any.¡±


    With the conversation out of the way Arthur moved his focus back towards the food in his pantry that might taste good in the soup he was making. Currently he had a few dried fishes that he bought about a week ago that would be a nice meat source, now he needed a vegetable or two that he had in large numbers. In a small cheap bag were five potatoes that he had for some time, quickly looking them over he found no signs of rot or mold so he placed those next to the fish on the table. He did continue looking a bit for something else that might go well with it but nothing really felt quite right.


    Closing the pantry Arthur brough his potatoes and fish over to the pot. Keeping them both his conjured earth bowls Arthur quickly cut up the two fish he had into small pieces that he sprinkled into the pot and gave a good stir with his hydromancy. The potatoes still having their skin on them needed to be skinned, with the same knife Arthur did his best to keep as much of the actual potato together.


    When he was done skinning the five potatoes he used the knife in hand to cut them up into small pieces like the fish and dumped them into the pot as well while giving it a good stir.


    ¡°Hey Gaelin, why don¡¯t you come over here and stir this soup for me. It might even be good training for your hydromancy.¡± Arthur gave a small smirk as he joked, Gaelin didn¡¯t appear to understand but stood up and began stirring the soup anyways.


    After around ten minutes the smell of the soup began to fill the room, smelling quite nicely, it still needed more time to cook but it was well on its way.

 Chapter 136

    ¡°Welcome back Arthur, I would like to thank you for arriving on such short notice. But I believe you would like to see the results of your hard work and perhaps even take part in what is about to come.¡± Captain Tasius brought the half awake Arthur towards the underground dungeon and towards the interrogation rooms. He was led to a strange room with a piece of glass separating the actual interrogation room where a well dressed human man was sitting down at a table with two guardsmen standing by the only door to the room.


    ¡°I am not trying to be rude Captain, but you gave me nothing for three whole days and suddenly dragged me into a room with only a glass window keeping us from a dangerous criminal even if there are guards.¡± Arthur managed to convey his annoyance with the current situation. It was around nine o¡¯clock in the morning on the eighth of Moonstone and Arthur didn¡¯t really sleep all that well the night before, in fact he hadn''t been sleeping well at all for a few days now. Henry, who he spoke to about it, recommended he drink drowsiness potions to help since he was an alchemist. He hadn''t tried it yet, but he was considering it.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t quite as simple as that Arthur, this glass here is an incredible dwarven invention that will revolutionize interrogations. It is known in the common Eevin tongue as a one way glass. It uses the way a normal mirror works with silver reflections and reduces it to around half of the normal effectiveness, then when we illuminate the inside of a room and keep one side dark like this one here we can see through it while the person on the other side cannot.¡±


    Arthur paused and looked into the room directly at the man sitting on the chair, he waved his hand and made all sorts of gestures towards the man and he didn''t react at all. ¡°This ¡®one way glass¡¯ is a purely dwarven invention and has no magical properties at all?¡± Arthur had a hard time believing that such a thing wasn¡¯t magical at all, he would understand if it was some sort of magical breakthrough in alteration or illusion magic. But this seemed too good to be true and he was naturally skeptical about the Captain¡¯s claims.


    ¡°Absolutely, I don¡¯t know the entire way this wonderful creation works but it was a fraction of the price it would have cost to have a mage create something with a similar function using magic instead.¡± Captain Tasius had a smug smile on his face that further annoyed the tired Arthur. ¡°Anyways we are getting off topic, I didn¡¯t bring you here for the glass. I brought you here for the interrogation, which should be beginning right about¡­¡±


    Captain Tasius didn¡¯t get the chance to finish as the door to the interrogation opened up to show a high elven woman in a uniform not unlike those of the detectives carrying a bottle in her hand, a bottle that Arthur recognized. It was a bottle of the burnt endings poison that the Captain had him make several days ago.


    Arthur watched with a bit of anticipation and worry as the elven woman forced the man''s head back and mouth open while the two guardsmen kept him on the chair. After a few seconds the woman stepped back and placed the now empty bottle on the metal table while followed by the two guardsmen, likely to protect her.


    The man held his hand over his mouth like he was about to puke the poison he was just given, when that feeling subsided he removed his hand and began shouting at the guardsmen and the woman. ¡°You fuckers! Do you have the slightest clue who I am?!¡±


    He then moved onto a rant about how he would ¡°make you pay for that!¡± and all sorts of other profanities with several directed towards the high elven woman with racial motivations behind them. But suddenly after a minute of ranting he clutched his stomach like he wasn¡¯t feeling well, but he wasn¡¯t ¡®just feeling unwell¡¯ as he then fell to the ground while having trouble breathing and speaking.


    The two guardsmen stepped next to the man and picked him up before dropping him on the metal chair he was sitting at before without any consideration of his well-being. The elven woman on the other hand turned to look at the one way glass and gave a gesture that involved her raising her index and middle finger.


    Captain Tasius then reached down to a small spherical object similar to the communication orb and said ¡°Go ahead, make him our offer.¡± The woman smiled as she heard his distorted voice through a similar orb in the room by the one way glass and reached into her right jacket pocket and pulled out a second bottle, this Arthur also recognized, it was the antidote to the burnt endings poison. She walked over to the man until he was about two meters from him and held out the antidote towards him.


    ¡°Do you see this bottle here? This contains the antidote to the poison we just made you drink. The poison causes a large amount of pain directed towards the nerves of those who drink it, the nerves being what actually allows pain to happen in creatures. If you want this pain to end far sooner than the poison will run its course then I suggest that you tell us what we want to hear.¡± The woman crossed her arms as she spoke, not unlike a parent who was disappointed at her young child for doing something he wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    Arthur on the other hand was a little disguised by what he saw, though he also shouldn¡¯t have been all that surprised by it given what the recipe said. The part that really bothered him was in how much pain the man was, while he did at one point slightly enjoy killing bandits he didn¡¯t make them suffer excessively and was mostly enjoying scaring them out of their wits. This elven woman and even the Captain who he could see out from the corner of his eye were both enjoying hurting this man, perhaps there was a reason for it, but it still rubbed Arthur the wrong way.


    Predictably the man was now quite happy to tell the woman everything that she wanted to hear and was given the bottle of the burnt endings antidote, by this time the man was uncomfortably scratching at his arms and wincing in pain every so often. What he said mostly covered locations of hideouts for himself and his allies that they would hide out in after committing certain crimes or to hide their illegal gains.


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    The man also mentioned he worked for someone by the name of Ben Feig, a foreigner that used to live in the Yolan empire and since moved to the Rathen kingdom after fighting over inheritance. He had since moved on to stealing from somewhat wealthy merchants through their warehouses after bribing their guards, if they didn¡¯t budge then they would be killed.


    ¡°This is an excellent course of events, wouldn¡¯t you say so Arthur?¡± Captain Tasius said with an unconcerned smile on his face. The fact that they had literally tortured a man for this information didn¡¯t appear to affect his emotions, almost like this wasn¡¯t the first time.


    ¡°That depends on what you define as excellent. Torturing a man for information doesn¡¯t exactly fit my definition of excellence.¡± Arthur avoided eye contact as he raised his voice just enough to indicate that he wasn¡¯t really happy with what he just saw.


    Captain Tasius took notice of this and looked at Arthur with a bit of surprise. ¡°I would have assumed you would be fine with this given your history. You did hunt down several groups of bandits a while back and brought back prisoners who were later executed or kept in what is essentially an exp storage. This isn¡¯t really that much different than that, the only real difference is that this piece of muck is getting what he deserves before his sentencing.¡±


    ¡°When I hunted bandits down I didn¡¯t leave them to suffer, I did my best to kill them as quickly as possible, both for my own well being and to keep them from suffering. This on the other hand is excessive, I just hope the information you receive from this was worth doing such a horrible thing to a man.¡± Arthur turned to walk away but was stopped by the hand of Captain Tasius before he could even touch the door.


    ¡°Arthur, please wait for a moment. This wasn¡¯t the only reason why I brought you here. I also wanted to ask for your help in some of our offensive operations, like on one of the locations that we just learned of now. Ben Feig has been a pain in the side of the city guard for quite some time now, and now we have a location where we might even find him or at least destroy one of his hideouts.¡±


    Arthur stopped and thought for a moment, it wasn''t a bad idea to take part. But he definitely would need to set some ground rules for how things would unfold with prisoners and how they may be interrogated. ¡°Fine, but I am setting some rules regarding how prisoners will be treated once we have them.¡±


    ¡°That is fine with me Arthur, what exactly did you have in mind.¡± Captain Tasius had a calm collected look on his face, but underneath he was a little annoyed by Arthur¡¯s demands. Though he expected it would be worthwhile to have him come along just in case something happens, mages that are willing to constantly work with non mages in capturing criminals were quite rare, one that can cast actual tiered spells and brew potions was even more so.


    ¡°To start I would prefer if you would avoid using the burnt endings poison unless it is absolutely necessary. It should only even be considered a last resort when we have tried all other options.¡± Captain Tasius nodded along as Arthur spoke and explained what he wanted.


    ¡°I would also prefer if some of those other poisons were used as a last resort or in the event of emergencies, the recipe for the blind leaf poison didn¡¯t even say how long the blindness would last for. I think everyone involved would sleep a lot better if they didn¡¯t blind someone when they didn¡¯t need to.¡±


    The Captain didn¡¯t say anything for a moment as he was thinking about Arthur¡¯s requests. ¡®Not bad recommendations, even if Arthur wasn¡¯t here I probably would need to eventually enact some of these for the mental well being of my men. Even if I was willing to ignore that Arthur¡¯s magical skills far surpass any advantage that potions and poisons would bring.¡¯


    ¡°Alright, I agree to your terms. However you don¡¯t need to worry about the blind leaf poisons duration, it will at best last for a few days, and that is only due to some of the better alchemists personally employed by the crown itself.¡±


    ¡°Very well, when exactly did you intend to enact this attack upon this Ben Feig and his associates?¡± Arthur stepped away from the door and relaxed, Captain Tasius inwardly smiled at this. ¡®He might still have value to this city, hopefully he will still be alright with brewing more of those poisons as they can be very effective when used on the correct target.¡¯


    ¡°Come to my office around this time tomorrow, I will inform you of the current preparations and when we are expecting to be prepared. If we are very lucky it will be within a few days time.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t stick around for much longer and exited through the door behind him leaving the Captain behind in the room with a view of the interrogation room.


    By this time the elven woman and the two guardsmen had already left and locked the room from the outside leaving the man alone inside breathing heavily from the poison that was burning his nerves. Clearly the pain was still there slightly, and Tasius felt a small sense of justice within his chest. The man before him was an accomplice to one of the worst criminals within the kingdom since the purge, the gods only know all of the crimes they committed together.


    Tasius used his personal communication orb that he received for his promotion and called one of his subordinates. ¡°¡±Good morning sir, do you need something?¡±


    ¡°Prisoner in interrogation room A-1, I want him placed in the collection section of the dungeon for later use.¡± If the voice on the other side of the call had any personal thoughts about this order she didn¡¯t say anything or give away that she felt it.


    ¡°Of course sir, it will be done as soon as possible. Is there anything else that you require of me sir?¡±


    ¡°No, that will be all Lucilia.¡±


    *********


    With lots of time left in the day Arthur had several chores that he needed to take care of throughout the city. The first was more ingredients for his alchemy, while he was well off currently he would prefer if he could keep a steady income.


    Thankfully the streets were mostly cleared from large amounts of snow leaving only a handful of snow banks that Arthur needed to walk through to reach one of the stores that sold ingredients in bulk. He purchased five silver coins worth of the ingredients he needed, which hopefully would be enough to keep both himself and Gaelin stocked for two or so weeks. With the snow the prices of everything but especially anything plant related went up considerably, the common folk that were smart enough had already bought all the food they would need for the winter a while back. Those like Arthur who needed to buy ingredients for potions needed to buy every so often as the stores didn¡¯t keep that much stock all at once.


    The next thing he needed to do was speak with the glassmakers he was buying from about a few larger bottles instead of the normal sized ones. Since he was using less of them it was only normal to buy something that could store a whole pound of the spark powder for convenience, efficiency, and lower cost overall.

 Chapter 137

    On the ninth of Moonstone Arthur arrived at the southern district barracks and entered through the front door while a small handful of people employed by the city government shoveled snow away from the entrance so people could pass by.


    Once inside the secretary quickly directed Arthur towards the office of Captain Tasius for the meeting they scheduled the day before. Before he entered Arthur knocked and entered upon hearing ¡°Come in.¡± from the Captain.


    Inside Captain Tasius was seated at his desk with his second in command by his side with a large map on the desk. ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. Please come here and take a look at this map.¡± Captain Tasius waved Arthur over and he followed.


    The map was predictably a map of the city folded in such a way to only show the southern district, four locations across the district were circled with black ink separating them from the rest. One location in particular was quite large as it was an old warehouse within a section of the district that had several unused buildings, a small lingering problem from the first war with the Yolan empire.


    ¡°We have four locations that we need to strike today. My men can handle the three smaller locations, but I would like you to go along with Lieutenant Goldenshield to deal with the larger building. It was a warehouse that once belonged to the Good Tidings Trading Company that went under following an economic recession within recent history.¡±


    ¡°But I thought we would be waiting for a few days before we would conduct these raids. That was what you said yesterday so I assumed I would have more time to prepare for this.¡± Arthur gave a slightly annoyed look at the Captain as she spoke, this would be the second time he was misled by him, someone he should be able to trust.


    ¡®If I need to keep unravelling riddles to work for the Captain I would rather not work for him at all. He should be upfront and honest, especially given his job and responsibilities.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, I know. And I am sorry for that Arthur, at the time I believed that we would have the time to deal with them in a few days time. But we recently uncovered a plot that Ben Feig and his men are planning to steal from several loyal citizens of the kingdom and it is my duty to keep them and anything they own safe from such criminals.¡±


    Arthur watched the Captain''s facial movements as he spoke, hoping to see something that might give away if he was telling the truth or not. ¡®I am really jealous of the priests of Solarius that have the ability to know if someone is telling the truth or not. I doubt I would be allowed to learn how they do it though, probably some sort of divine magic that only they can learn.¡¯


    ¡°Alright, what exactly is so important that we can¡¯t just recover it at a later date when we raid their hideouts?¡± Arthur had his suspicions but for the time he would keep them to himself.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t what they are stealing, it is when they are stealing it. They plan to do it soon and are meeting together around noon today to discuss how they are going to do it. This gives us an opportunity to take them all out at once along with all of their hideouts where they might run off to or be keeping other things of value.¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield said as he pointed to the circled warehouse, he clearly didn¡¯t mind the sudden change in plans.


    ¡°Alright, what exactly is the plan of attack Lieutenant? Will it just be the two of us or will we have back up of some sort?¡± Arthur asked while taking his plate armor out of his bag, he always kept it inside his dimensional bag just in case he needed it.


    ¡°We obviously aren''t going alone, I have around ten men ready to follow us to the warehouse and support us. The main objective will be to apprehend Ben Feig and any of his associates that are there as well, otherwise we are free to kill any of his subordinates unless they surrender.¡±


    ¡°And what about anything at the warehouse that is stolen property, will that be returned to its owners?¡± Arthur had the feeling he would need to clarify their policy regarding anything they find in the possession of criminals.


    ¡°If we can find the owner of anything we find we will do our best to return whatever it might be to them unless it is some sort of contraband. Otherwise the city will claim it and likely sell it for funding the many services that are offered to citizens, law enforcement being one of the most notable ones.¡±


    Arthur didn¡¯t say anything to that comment, instead being turned to leave the room. ¡°I will be changing into something more suitable for this operation.¡± Arthur said as he held up his helmet up above his head while walking away.


    *********


    Two hours later of waiting and preparing for the raid Arthur was fully fitted in his yellow dwarven plate armor and was following Lieutenant Goldenshield and ten other guardsmen towards this hideout belonging to Ben Feig. The trip took around half an hour resulting in them arriving at around 11:30, a good half hour before the meeting was scheduled.


    The Lieutenant had everyone hide in another nearby abandoned building that had a half decent view from the second floor. The Lieutenant had one of his subordinates who wielded a crossbow wait up there and watch while everyone else waited. To pass the time Arthur counted up and handed out a few basic healing potions, one for each person.


    After what felt like an eternity of waiting but was actually only around twenty five minutes the man with the crossbow slowly walked down the old worn stairs to report that he saw a small group of people no more than ten entering the neighboring building. After that the Lieutenant went up with him and kept watch with him for another ten or so minutes.


    ¡°Alright everyone, get up and get ready. Our target had shown himself and we want him taken alive unless there is no other option, a dead criminal is better than an escaped criminal after all.¡± The Lieutenant said this while he walked down the old stairs with the crossbow wielding guard behind, the other guards didn¡¯t even say anything and Arthur quickly followed their lead.


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    The Lieutenant took the lead of the group by looking around just outside the door and quickly walking towards the target warehouse, the guardsmen and Arthur followed behind him the whole time. The first thing the Lieutenant did was look around for a secondary entrance towards the back that might be neglected, luckily they found that it had a few loose wooden boards keeping it shut.


    ¡°Hey, Arthur. Can you conjure something up to deal with this quietly?¡± The Lieutenant gestured towards the wooden boards and Arthur stepped forward.


    After a few seconds of inspecting the boards Arthur saw that the nails that were used were old like the wood and could be slowly wedged off with minimal amounts of noise. He closed his eyes and focused his mind towards conjuring up a tool that had a wedge that could fit into the small space between the board and wall while also usable as an actual tool.


    The end result wasn¡¯t pretty, but it was a functional flat stick thing that had a curved wedge on end that could be pushed on to pry the boards off. It took only around a minute to remove all the boards covering the doorway and there was no sign of anyone inside hearing anything.


    Thankfully no one had thought or was able to lock the door, that might have been why it was boarded up. Regardless, the Lieutenant took the lead once again and opened the door.


    Inside led to a small office space that was clearly improvised and intended to be temporary, it consisted of a cheap and uneven table and chair and an empty doorway not far past where the door to the outside was. Slowly the Lieutenant led everyone further in where the sounds of a few voices would be heard talking.


    As the group passed through several old boxes that were mostly empty to a small opening where a group of around twenty people could be seen standing over and around a table in the middle of this warehouse. Most looked to be quite normal or stereotypical looking excluding one single person standing in the middle of this group.


    This man looked to be in his late twenties and wearing an expensive and worn yet well maintained cloak over some noble looking clothes that were in roughly the same condition as the cloak. Unlike the others within the room he looked mostly calm and composed and was trying to get everyone else to keep calm while he went over his plan.


    ¡°Please everyone, keep calm. I have already thought of what to do in the event of security seeing through our disguises, there is a reason why we are working in groups of at least three. If you are discovered, kill everyone who knows and hide their bodies under a bed or in a closet that is out of the way and where it is unlikely to be discovered for some time.¡±


    While the others in his group were keeping their focus on the Lieutenant and following him Arthur decided to listen in on what was being said.


    ¡°And what about the parchment that we are stealing, why is that even valuable in the first place? Just about anything else would be more valuable, even if we just stole blank pieces of parchment it would sell for more given that these already have ink on them.¡± One of the lesser members of the group spoke up, his accent giving away himself as lower class while also having a slight speech impediment. Everyone in the room tensed up, questioning your criminal boss was typically a bad move. Yet Ben Feig just smiled and answered.


    ¡°An excellent question, you see these pieces of parchment have some very important things written on them. Things that some people would be willing to pay a lot of money for, people that could give us a lucky break and a lot of money in exchange for it.¡±


    It was a logical answer that almost everyone there figured out on their own, they were still expecting Ben Feig to do something to the man in retaliation yet it didn¡¯t happen. He just turned his attention back towards the plan he came up with.


    ¡°Most of us will be disguised as servants, to keep up the illusion you will need to clean rooms, floors, and anything else that looks like it needs to be done. The remaining few will be disguising themselves as actual guards, I have everything hidden in those boxes over to the back of the room.¡± Ben Feig pointed towards the boxes that Arthur, the Lieutenant, and the other ten guardsmen were hiding behind.


    Clearly Lieutenant Goldenshield was also listening as he stopped in his tracks and gave a few gestures to his men that they seemed to understand. They readied their weapons slowly while hiding behind the boxes, Arthur followed their lead and raised his hands ready to cast the first spell that came to his mind.


    The sounds of several sets of footsteps could be heard coming towards their location, likely being led by Ben Feig to take a look at the disguises he procured. The first set walked right up to the second box blocking Lieutenant Goldenshield from being seen, slowly someone picked it up and began to move it. He took the opportunity to push the box to try and knock whoever it was over. Arthur and the guardsmen followed suit and jumped forward with their weapons ready.


    A small handful of the criminals were caught off guard by this and were struck by the boxes, though only a few were hurt as those boxes were the ones containing the metal armor and weapons for the guard disguises. The criminals towards the back of the group chose to either run to draw their weapons, those that chose to draw their weapons didn¡¯t have much compared to their opponents but it was better than nothing in this situation.


    Five chose to try and run away, the one lagging behind was quite unlucky as he was the one to have a crossbow bolt go through his leg and fall to the floor. He cried out in pain as there was a literal sharp piece of wood and metal sticking into his thigh.


    The other criminals with weapons including Ben Feig readied themselves and struck at their attackers, most of those attackers were quickly blocked or parried while Arthur instead elected to block by conjuring up shields from earth and counter-attacked with the Tri Earth Bolt Spell aiming directly towards the chest area. At the current range it was the place to aim for.


    With the first several attacks blocked, the guardsmen and Lieutenant struck back with their weapon of choice and left deep wounds in the mostly unprotected torsos of the criminals. Seeing their attacks doing nothing, several of the criminals began to panic, Ben Feig did his best to calm them down but wasn¡¯t very successful as several more that were able began to follow the first five who ran and did the same.


    This continued with the Lieutenant, Arthur, and the guardsmen pushing forwards while heavily wounding the criminals before them, even Ben Feig suffered a few wounds here and there that left him bleeding slightly on his arms. Eventually the remaining criminals were either dead or far to wounded to fight back and that included Ben Feig, Arthur began pouring basic healing potions down the throats of the still living criminals to keep them alive while the guardsmen bandages their wounds using the criminals own shirts that they would cut if they needed more.


    ¡®Hey, that isn¡¯t that bad of an idea. Using clothes as an improvised bandage, I should probably look into that and learn how to do it. Calavia works in a clinic, she would likely know how to do that. I guess I need to invite her over for dinner again sometime and ask her.¡¯

 Chapter 138

    By the end of the fight and capturing of each of the criminals involved in the plot there were ten still living and in custody, this of course presented the problem of what would happen to the corpses and evidence within the warehouse. The Lieutenant had apparently already thought of this however and contacted the Captain with a short ranged communication orb.


    ¡°Captain, we have secured the warehouse and captured the target. I am requesting an armed escort and a clean up crew to secure the evidence.¡±


    ¡°Of course Lieutenant, they are on their way now. Anything else of importance?¡±


    ¡°A small group managed to escape, they number no more than seven. But I cannot confirm that exact number. Should I send someone after them and apprehend them?¡±


    ¡°No, stay where you are and keep the target alive. The others you captured are just extra, if need be you can leave them to die. Just try not to be seen by the public as you do that.¡±


    Arthur listened in on the conversation between the Lieutenant and Captain, he was a little surprised by how little they both cared for the other criminals they captured. He was quite literally advised to leave them to die if things got out of hand. ¡®Last time I was at the dungeon there was no shortage of cells, and if they really needed to they could have just put more than one person in each. It wasn¡¯t like they were going to kill each other with the miniscule diet they get down there.¡¯


    Arthur moved away from his position that gave him an excellent place to hear the conversation and back towards the walls in a sort of patrol like the other guardsmen were doing. This lasted for quite some time as Arthur discovered just how boring it was doing the same thing over and over again was, but this time it wasn¡¯t something that he could learn from or enjoyed doing on his own.


    After what felt like an eternity but was most likely an hour another group of guardsmen arrived numbering around twenty or so. Half stayed to collect evidence while the other half followed the original group back to the southern district barracks and down into the dungeon where they dropped them off. The guardsmen excluding Lieutenant Goldenshield stayed behind to ensure that processing the prisoners would be as quick as possible.


    Arthur and Lieutenant Goldenshield instead went back up the way they came and entered Captain Tasius¡¯s office where he was sitting at his desk. ¡°Ah, there you two are. I assume that things went well if you are both here.¡±


    ¡°They did sir.¡± Lieutenant Goldenshield said as he walked to the Captain''s side. ¡°There were no casualties on our side and we accomplished the objective with little difficulty. The only problem is how a handful managed to escape during the fight.¡±


    ¡°That is of little problem at the moment, if they chose to flee instead of fight then they were already likely lousy fighters. We are likely to find them again once they try something else, or they might just stop committing crimes all together after our display of force against them.¡± Captain Tasius gave a slight but distinct smile as he said this, like he enjoyed striking fear into the minds of criminals.


    ¡°Anyways, I think it is time to move onto your reward for assisting us in this endeavor. Please take this for your troubles.¡± Captain Tasius handed Arthur a pouch containing five silver coins, a bit more than he was expecting for what he did but the Lieutenant might have mentioned something about the potions he used and handed out when he wasn''t listening.


    ********


    Once outside the barracks Arthur decided to treat himself to a nice meal cooked at a nearby tavern. The dancing troll tavern was located quite close to the barracks and as a result found itself hosting much of its workforce when they were off duty. Though at this time of the day they were still mostly working and patrolling the streets so it was mostly empty aside from a few individuals and a small group.


    Arthur ordered a meal that the tavern referred to as the chicken lunch which had a good piece of chicken in a sandwich and a few cooked potatoes on the side. The meal ended up costing him three copper coins, most of that cost was for the meat as Arthur found it to be particularly expensive within cities. ¡®Maybe it''s different in small villages, I guess I should check that some time and see.¡¯


    Quickly he finished up his meal and left a small tip for the waiter who didn¡¯t have the opportunity to give a bow. Right away Arthur went back to his home, he still needed to teach Gaelin something today to keep up the schedule, and later in the day he had lessons with Henry. ¡®I have a really busy day today. I just hope I can get everything done today.¡¯


    *********


    Several hours later Arthur exited the northern district through the main gate passing by the five or so guardsmen stationed there. They didn¡¯t pay him much attention as they were more concerned about the dropping temperature and the dark clouds on the horizon.


    Arthur wasn¡¯t very worried, at worst he would be able to keep himself from freezing by conjuring up some fire. He also doubted that the weather would be getting that bad, those things didn¡¯t just happen like that. There were also mages hired by the city and the crown to keep the weather from getting to bad, that was why there hadn''t been terrible snow storms for years.


    Arthur walked through the streets of the western distinct towards the southern distinct to meet with Calavia at the clinic she works at, he wanted to invite her to dinner along with Gaelin. He didn¡¯t need to invite Gaelin as aside from the time he spent sleeping he would try to always be at his house. The reason he gave was ¡®It is a lot warmer here.¡¯


    While Arthur had never been to Gaelin¡¯s home it wasn¡¯t hard to believe it, most of the common folk lived in small houses around half the size of Arthur¡¯s and didn¡¯t have the best insulation. The only good thing about them was the people living there had a smaller area to warm up and they could preserve heat by staying together.


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    After around 30 minutes of walking through the blanket of snow covering the roads Arthur eventually arrived in the slum where the clinic was located. Five rough looking teenagers tried to rob him all wielding rusty and old knives but were quickly dissuaded by five balls of conjured water that Arthur conjured up with a quick wave of his hand.


    Not wanting to risk freezing to death the teenagers quickly left him alone and Arthur continued on his way towards the clinic. Another five minutes of retracing his steps he found it with a small line under a roof made of earth supported by earth pillars.


    One of the mages, or perhaps several of the mages that worked at the clinic, put it up to keep those waiting outside from freezing in the snow. Upon a closer look Arthur discovered it was likely the work of several mages doing separate parts at a time, likely as the line extended over time. Some parts were basically layered on top of the previous that became very obvious when looked at.


    ¡®Not the worst construct I have seen, but this was made quickly and with the expectation that it would be discarded soon. It would have been more efficient if they had it all be one triangle shaped piece to work in both snow and rain, that way they could just keep it up throughout the year for whatever it is needed for. It would also look nicer, but that isn¡¯t that important.¡¯


    Arthur stepped past the line into the building while he said to the people waiting ¡°I am not a customer, just looking for someone inside.¡± A few people looked like they wanted to say something, they were mostly parents with their children but they kept quiet.


    Inside was a receptionist wearing a light grey uniform thing that looked like a poncho, she looked up to Arthur with a look of annoyance and then confusion when she saw his clothes. ¡°I am sorry sir, but if you are seeking medical attention and it is not an emergency you will need to go to the back of the line like everyone else does.¡± The woman who was the receptionist said this in a calm and collected way that hid her annoyance with him.


    ¡°Sorry but I am looking for someone who works here. Her name is Calavia, and I know she works as a healer here.¡± The receptionist paused for a moment to think before answering.


    ¡°Yes, I know who you are talking about. Sweet girl, works hard. She will be done with her shift in around an hour now, do you have a message you would like to leave her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just give me a moment.¡± Arthur said as he fetched a small piece of cheap parchment from his bag and his ink pot. He quickly wrote down a casual note asking if she would like to have dinner at his place with both him and Gaelin. When he was done he quickly collected the excess ink into his ink pot and folded the parchment before handing it to the receptionist.


    ¡°Alright, I will be sure to give this to Calavia as she leaves tonight. Have a nice day sir.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± Arthur responded as he left the building and passed by all the people waiting outside. Once out of the way he began walking home which was thankfully only around twenty or so minutes walk away, all the walking was getting tiring.


    ********


    ¡°So what exactly are you trying to make sir?¡± Gaelin asked the determined looking Arthur as he mixed what looked to be a salad of some sort. This salad was made from a cabbage taken apart for its leaves which were for the most part torn apart to make smaller, then Arthur added a sliced up tomato and small pieces of chicken which he scattered across it and mixed in. Finally he brought out some cheese which he slowly cut thin strips of and mixed into the salad.


    ¡°This here is something that I came up with myself. It has probably already been created by someone else before me but I think this will make a wonderful dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°Are you having someone over for dinner tonight?¡± Gaelin was a little uneasy at the idea of meeting someone new again, he was still getting used to Calavia and he only met Henry once.


    ¡°Yes actually, I invited Calavia over again. I left a message for her at the clinic she works at, she usually doesn''t have anything important after she is done working so she will likely come over.¡± Arthur said as he placed an earth lid on the earth bowl that held the salad.


    Then he walked over to the fireplace and filled a pot with water before hanging it over. With the first step of creating a soup out of the way Arthur went over to the pantry to find some nice ingredients for it. He recalled that he had some more chicken and vegetables that would go well with his salad.


    ¡°Wait, if it''s just Calavia coming over, why are you making up all this extra food? She has always been fine with the soup that you always make, I quite like it too.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to make something different this time. It gets boring eating the same thing over and over again everyday. That''s why I sometimes eat at a tavern, that way I can try something new every so often. Variety is the spice of life.¡± Arthur smiled as he quoted someone he couldn¡¯t quite recall, as he did he picked out the ingredients he wanted but made a mental note to go shopping for more some time soon to restock.


    Gaelin didn¡¯t have anything to refute that point and instead sat down on a chair while manipulating a ball of water above his hand. His skill in hydromancy was progressing quite well for a wood elf. He would soon be ready to move onto something else, Arthur was thinking that geomancy would compliment his skills already and be useful for him.


    Arthur brought the ingredients over and cut them up into smaller pieces before dropping them into the water that was slowly starting to boil. Keeping watch over it Arthur would occasionally stir it up and over time the smell started to fill the house.


    Just as the soup was getting close to finishing a knock could be heard at the front door, Gaelin walked over and opened it revealing Calavia standing there.


    ¡°Hey Arthur, I got your note. The soup smells really good.¡± Calavia practically floated inside once she smelt the soup cooking.


    ¡°Glad you like the smell, I also made up a salad for us to enjoy after the soup. Gaelin thought it was unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t!¡± Gaelin quickly tried to refute, he still wasn¡¯t a big fan of confrontation and whenever Arthur would tease him like he was doing now it really got under his skin.


    ¡°Well you don¡¯t need to have any if you don¡¯t want to. I am sure that Arthur and I will be more than enough to eat our own portion of the soup as well as this salad.¡± Calavia quickly walked over to where Gaelin was sitting and patted him on the shoulder as she spoke, it was a little awkward for Gaelin as she was basically treating him like a child when that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it would be called, but the salad was made from cabbage, tomato, chicken, and some cheese. But I expect that it will be really good.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I can''t quite think of a name for that, but it does sound quite good.¡±


    The three sat at the table and waited for around another ten or so minutes for the soup to finish cooking. When it did Arthur quickly brought out a few bowls and spoons for everyone as well as a larger spoon for scooping the soup out of the bowl.

 Chapter 139

    ¡°So what have the two of you been doing this past while?¡± Calavia asked while taking a scoop of soup. She was eating at a faster pace than both Arthur and Gaelin, clearly whatever she was doing while working a few hours before used up a lot of energy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been working for the southern guard, brewing some potions that they would find useful and taking part in a raid on a criminal hideout.¡± Arthur answered while Gaelin instead held up a potion he kept in his pocket, it was a potion drowsiness and what was selling the best in the market for some reason. One person would buy up several of his potions at a time and leave just as quickly leaving only the money he used to buy them behind.


    ¡°What kind of potions have you both been brewing?¡± Calavia asked a little awkwardly, she didn¡¯t know very much about alchemy or why people found it interesting. Heck even the restoration magic she was using so often was basically just a hobby until a few months ago. She actually specialized in pyromancy, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to get back to mercenary work and she doubted she would be able to for quite some time.


    ¡°Mostly healing potions for the raids in question, a lot of things can happen to both the guardsmen and the people they are hunting down. Sometimes the criminals need to be brought back alive and they have suffered wounds too deep to make it back, with healing potions even at the most basic level you can slow the bleeding and bandage the wounds enough to keep them alive for interrogation. Speaking of which, several members of the city guard use clothes as a sort of improvised bandage, do you know anything about that?¡±


    ¡°Well that isn¡¯t the worst thing to use as a bandage, but yes. Anything from fabric to even leather can be used to bandage wounds as long as the material is long enough and can be tightened enough to stop the bleeding. Though as a healer I must recommend that you seek medical attention if for whatever reason you are wounded and bleeding.¡±


    As the conversation moved to other topics the three also moved onto the salad which they ate in the very same bowls they had their soup in after quickly rinsing them out with water and drying them. Arthur had to bring out three forks so that they could actually eat the salad without using their hands, noticeably this was the first time Gaelin had seen or used a fork as he held it more like a knife than it should have been.


    ¡°Mmm, this is a pretty good salad Arthur. Was this the first time you have made something like this?¡± Calavia asked while chewing, something she probably should avoid doing but made Arthur smile by her honesty and enjoyment of the food.


    ¡°Yes it was. For the most part I have been making soups with the occasional sandwich or other bread related meal. This time I decided I wanted to try something different and make a salad, but because I didn¡¯t have any recipes for one I had to come up with something on my own. And this as you can see was the result.¡±


    ¡°Well I think you did well, I might just have to drop by more often for dinner so I can eat some more of what you make. What about you Gaelin, what do you think of the food?¡±


    Gaelin flinched slightly as Calavia called him out, he was hoping that he would be left alone for the majority of the meal but was instead forced to give his opinion of the food. ¡°I like it.¡± Gaelin tried to keep his forced opinion short and silently thanked the gods as Calavia didn¡¯t ask him any more questions.


    ¡°Is there anything else you can make Arthur? I would love to try out just about anything you can make if it is just as good as this.¡± Calavia disguised her begging for free food as a complement for Arthur¡¯s cooking skills, since the job change she hadn''t the time to make anything complex for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If she could squeeze out a meal or two a week like this she would be very lucky.


    ¡°There are a few things I know how to make, but I can also try making a few other things. I¡¯ll invite you for dinner the next time I want to try something new out. I was thinking you could help me with what I could cook next, so if you have any ideas don¡¯t forget to share them with me. I will see if I can find a recipe somewhere and let you know.¡±


    **********


    Several more weeks passed as Arthur took part in a few more raids against criminals acting as a sort of support with his magic as his main weapon. He would aim for no vital parts of the body to take them alive whenever was possible, but if the criminal in question was a really bad person or was making capture very very difficult he had no issue with just killing them outright in particularly brutal ways. His favorite was to pelt them with twenty or so earth bolts in the face and chest area all at once while their allies could see.


    On the other front of his cooking skills he managed to find a few new recipes that sounded quite good along with a few meals that would be a nice dinner. Most only required simple ingredients which was good because most of the complex stuff was either already bought when winter arrived or more expensive than before winter.


    The one meal in question that Arthur really wanted to try out was all things considered quite simple, the paper the recipe was written down on was quite old and the name was smudged but that didn¡¯t matter as it was both cheap to buy and simple while very appealing. The meal consisted of two sausages, one and a half hard boiled eggs that were done for around ten or so minutes, toasted bread that has melted cheese of your own choice on top, and a few pieces of lettuce on the side. This meal wasn¡¯t really that complex, but everything put together made it better than if they were each apart.


    Arthur had even scheduled for a dinner with Calavia and Gaelin on the fourteenth of moonstone where they had this unnamed meal together. Calavia absolutely loved it while Gaelin begrudgingly gave his opinion of the meal as ¡°alright¡±. Regardless it was one of the meals that Arthur started to make more and more often due to both its ease and taste.


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    Arthur also began teaching Gaelin the basics of geomancy with the intent that by the time that he registers to join the mages guild and takes the test he will be able to conjure as well as control both water and earth. ¡°So how exactly am I supposed to do this?¡± Gaelin asked as he looked at the clump of cold dirt that Arthur collected from his backyard minutes before.


    ¡°The same way you control water, you need to let your mana flow into the earth and take control of a small part. From there you can extend your control to more and more earth as you feel you are ready to. The key is to not push yourself at this point of learning.¡± Arthur said while trying to keep things as simple as possible like how he learned within the guild itself. ¡°Actually taking the first step tends to be the hardest part of learning.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Alright, I can try.¡± Gaelin nervously said as he placed his right hand on the top of the piece of earth and closed his eyes. Apparently he found it easier to control water when he closed his eyes, it was probably just something in his own mind but if it helped then it helped so Arthur said nothing and just watched.


    It took quite some time before anything even happened, nearly the whole day for even a small amount of the earth to move according to what Gaelin wanted. Arthur in the meantime went into his alchemy room to create more spark powder with the intent to sell it at a later date, eventually he used up the ingredients he allocated for the day and was forced back into the kitchen/living room where Gaelin was still trying.


    ¡®Wow, this is taking a long time. I know I learned geomancy from consuming a demon soul but this is taking a long time. I should probably give him a demonstration or something along with a few tips or something to speed this along.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, Gaelin. Open your eyes for a moment, I''m going to give you a few tips and a demonstration of what you need to be doing.¡± Gaelin slowly opened his eyes like he just woke up after being woken up in the middle of the night, he slowly stood up from his seated position and stretched. He did sit there for several hours by this point.


    ¡°So what you need to do is feel the individual pieces of earth and slowly slip your mana inside and across its surface like you are giving it a hug. Then you need to use this connection with your mana to push it around like an extra hand that can change its shape at will. Your skill in mana manipulation will help you, but it will mostly be its own skill, like training a brand new mussel you just found you had.¡±


    Arthur picked up one small piece of earth to show Gaelin what he should be striving towards, it was no larger than three pees combined, yet it was moving around with great speed and precision and Arthur even decided to levitate it and have it orbit around Gaelin¡¯s head before having it recombine with the larger piece of earth on the ground.


    ¡°Just keep things as simple as possible and you will be doing it in no time. The worst thing you can do is have doubts about yourself, you aren''t a failure, just a little disadvantaged compared to most of your peers. That just means you will need to work harder than them to keep up.¡±


    ********


    Arthur kept Gaelin practicing while giving tips and lessons when it came to geomancy as it was the magic type that he by default specialized in due to his limited access to arcane magical secrets. Though since the guild was heavily funded by the Rathen kingdom itself it would make sense they wouldn¡¯t want just anyone learning the most dangerous spells and magical knowledge, stuff like necromancy and other dangerous magics that the public don¡¯t know of.


    Gaelin¡¯s progress in both hydromancy and  geomancy were quite different, though he had the wood elf advantage for learning hydromancy Arthur knew a lot more about geomancy and by extension how to better teach it than anything aside from aeromancy which he learned from Henry. Just a week after starting he was already controlling two cubic centimeters of earth which was quite good given his race and natural attunements.


    Arthur also continued with his magical learning furthering his knowledge within hydromancy and mana manipulation specifically with a few new exercises that were just simple variations of what he was already doing with Henry.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Mana Manipulation Level 24


    + Hydromancy Level 19


    \- - - - - -/


    Arthur could feel his skill within hydromancy was close to that wall that separated level twenty from twenty one, it was like a mountain was between them that he didn¡¯t know how to surpass. Thankfully the mages guild had the resources and the knowledge to help him pass that mountain range, but he would like to reach level twenty in all four of the evocations before he tried to become an evoker. That way he would be able to learn just about everything that he was now authorized to learn.


    *********


    Another week later on the twenty eighth of Moonstone Gaelin finally had his entrance test for the mages guild, within this week Arthur managed to teach him how to conjure water but unfortunately not earth. But he did spend a lot of time minimizing the mana and time that was required to conjure water. The reason why this wait was so short was because most people didn¡¯t like going out during winter and preferred to take their tests when it warmed up.


    Because he was already a member of the guild Arthur was allowed to watch the test happening and even guided Gaelin through the process of signing the form and listing his magical skills. His hydromancy skill was at the low apprentice level while his geomancy was at the mid novice level.


    Gaelin didn¡¯t need to wait for long before it was his turn to take the test, he nervously walked towards the section that was designated for himself and stepped inside of the white circle drawn into the floor while his instructor stood in her own. The instructor in question was a high elven woman that stood an inch or two above Gaelin in height.


    ¡°Good morning mr¡­ Gaelin.¡± The instructor said as she looked to the sheet for the name of the young mage before her. ¡®Huh, I could have sworn that I was testing a woman.¡¯


    ¡°I assume you understand the rules of the test, you must remain inside as long as you can while trying to force me out of mine with your own spells.¡±


    ¡°I understand ma¡¯am,.¡± Gaelin forced himself to speak up while quickly changing to a combat stance and preparing his magic. The instructor smiled and with a wave of her hand sent an above average gust of wind with the intent of knocking him off his feet. Quickly reacting, Gaelin raised a thin wall of water to block most of the wind before it reached him.


    Taking a deep breath to calm himself Gaelin quickly reformed the water into a few small projectiles that he sent towards the instructor as a quick distraction to fire off some more water projectiles. The instructor quickly raised her own water wall to block the projectiles and absorbed them into her wall before repeating what Gaelin did right back at him. This forced Gaelin to hastily turn his projectiles into a wall to block the hail of water projectiles.

 Chapter 140

    The hail of water projectiles shattered his protective wall leaving him defenseless against the next wave of projectiles which he desperately tried to defend against regardless, though it was of little help. He was pushed back by the hail of projectiles until he fell but first outside the circle on his but with an audible thump. Gaelin slowly stood up looking quite winded from the attack, Arthur also rushed by the now safe and unused test chamber to check on his apprentice''s condition. From his perspective it looked like he might have hit his head.


    ¡°Gaelin! Are you alright!?¡± Arthur asked as he forced his apprentice to sit down while forcing a healing potion down his throat. Though a little surprised Gaelin still drank the potion.


    ¡°I''m alright sir, just a little winded and surprised from the attack. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t help but nod at that observation. He thought the very same thing when he went to join the guild.


    ¡°I suspect that the instructors are far more powerful than even I am, so that isn¡¯t exactly surprising. Though I would have expected them to be a little less aggressive with you given your build.¡± Arthur said as he gestured towards Gaelin¡¯s thin figure that was almost feminine.


    Gaelin, unhappy with that comment, turned away and slowly picked himself up off the ground as the instructor walked over to where they were standing. She was still writing something down in her notes as she walked, but by the time she reached their position she was done. ¡°In case you don¡¯t know how this works you will be given your test results at the very end of the test along with everyone else. Do you have any other questions?¡±


    Gaelin shook his head no and the instructor quickly returned to her spot while the next examinee took their position in the circle. Arthur quickly brough Gaelin back to the waiting area where he was watching his fight take place and sat him down in one of the chairs.


    ¡°How do you think I did sir?¡± Gaelin asked nervously, he wasn¡¯t all that confident in his chances. ¡°She ended up beating me quite easily didn¡¯t she.¡±


    ¡°Well I think you did well all things considered. You showed that you were able to conjure up at least one of the four evocations and then you showed you were skilled enough to quickly re-organise that conjured water into something else with minimal loss. The reason she ended up beating you so quickly was because she did something that I don¡¯t think she was supposed to for this type of test.¡± Arthur eyed the high elf as she tested another examinee, it was the very same one that stood in the circle when they were leaving. He wondered what her rank was within the guild and by extension just how powerful she was.


    ¡®What she did by forcing her control over Gaelin¡¯s own conjured water was something I have never seen before. She is undoubtedly a very high ranking member of the guild, I would have thought that they would keep this job for those at the rank of evoker or maybe conjurerar most. And I have doubts that she is just a conjurer, but I could be wrong. I will ask Calavia about it just to be certain, she would know the capabilities of a conjurer.¡¯ Arthur knew for a fact that since she was a high end evoker she would be quite close to that of a conjurer and could tell him if this high elven woman was in fact either.


    After waiting for around twenty more minutes while everyone else finished up their tests, the people running the test finished up with the last few reports and soon handed them out to everyone. Each examinee hastily opened their report as quickly as possible like someone was going to take it from them, everyone except Gaelin who looked at his with worry.


    ¡°Do you think I passed sir?¡± Gaelin almost whispered, yet Arthur could hear him clearly despite all the noise surrounding them. ¡°I think you did your best, the worst it can say is you need to improve your skills before trying again. You can only improve from here.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s words of encouragement helped Calm Gaelin down enough to make him open the report. The scroll shape that it was in was easily opened up with the removal of the thin piece of string, Gaelin allowed it to fall to the ground as he slowly opened up the report to look at what it said and ended up forgetting to breathe when he saw what it said.


    He looked to Arthur who was still seated next to him with amazement in his eyes, he looked back at the report and smiled at the score he was given. 15/20 points, with a pass being 12/20. The instructor he went against even wrote down what she thought of his skills and how he might improve along with a few books that might help with his foundations in the novice section of the library.


    ¡°Well done Gaelin, you passed the test and are an official member of the mages guild. It says here that you have an orientation in the guild in room 3 at noon tomorrow, I recommend going to that, you will get to choose a few courses to take for free. That way you can expand the basics of your magic knowledge in the four evocations as those are the foundations for all your future knowledge.¡±


    Gaelin wanted to speak up and thank Arthur for everything that he has done so far, but the words were caught in his throat and he couldn¡¯t manage to speak them. Thankfully Arthur didn¡¯t judge him and just brought him back to his homeware. They had dinner together and invited Calavia to celebrate his achievement.


    The next day on the first of Opal at around 10:30 in the morning Gaelin left for the mages guild for his orientation leaving Arthur alone in his home. To pass the time he created more spark powder in his alchemy room, when he was eventually done with his allocated ingredients he filled up two of the newer bottles that could hold one pound of the powder and placed them into his dimensional bag. Inside he actually kept several bottles of the powder since he didn¡¯t have the time to go to the guild in quite some time.


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    ¡®It''s been a while since I have gone to the guild and seen Lydus, I wonder if he still has that huge pile of paperwork he was always slaving away at. But he always had time for anyone who had questions or wanted to sell something to the guild. I honestly doubt that I would be able to keep myself so kind if I was forced to do so much work everyday, heck I get annoyed when someone just stretches the truth a but, I have no doubt that people have done the same with Lydus to try and sell their potions off for more than they are worth.¡¯


    Deciding that it would be nice to see his friend Lydus again Arthur put on his winter clothing and locked up his home behind himself and left for the mages guild. Following what he knew was the more efficient route to the guild Arthur took around forty five minutes, around fifteen minutes longer than normal due to the snow and the cold. This path also cut through several old abandoned large buildings in the southern district which Arthur wouldn¡¯t have done if he wasn¡¯t trying to take the shortest trip possible and didn¡¯t have full mana reserves.


    When he arrived at the guild the weather had just started to pick with more snow falling and blowing around with stronger winds than had been in the recent month. It was a little worrying for the common folk who didn¡¯t have the money or magic to keep themselves warm for very long periods of time outside their homes, but for those like Arthur the only problems they would face were the visual ones when the blowing snow blocks their vision.


    Quickly rushing inside Arthur found that the inside of the guild was mostly empty aside from a few staff members that were helping the occasional person. Ignoring this Arthur quickly went down the staircase to the underground portion of the guild. Amazingly it was warm despite being underground, the first time Arthur was here during the winter he expected it would be as cold as the outside. But some sort of unseen magic behind the walls was keeping everything warm like there was a fireplace in every room.


    Pushing his thanks to whoever invented such magics he sped up his pace towards the alchemy club to off load his several pounds of spark powder he was keeping.


    *********


    Inside the alchemy club room was basically empty of people aside from Lydus who surprisingly didn¡¯t have a mountain of paperwork on his desk. Instead he had a cup containing the brown liquid he recalled as adrenaline mix, he also looked to be enjoying the drink as he was reading a book that Arthur couldn¡¯t quite see the title of.


    ¡°Good afternoon Lydus.¡± Arthur called out as he entered the room and walked towards his friend. Lydus looked up and smiled before putting his book down and standing up to meet Arthur halfway across the room.


    ¡°Hello once again Arthur, I haven¡¯t seen you in a while, I was a little worried about you to be honest. So what have you been getting up to since I last saw you?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been working for the city guard recently, I helped them deal with the werebeast attack that happened recently and then I brewed several batches of potions and took part in a few raids on criminal hideouts as support.¡±


    ¡°Well well, you have been very busy. I managed to finish up all the paperwork for most of the remaining year. Things tend to slow down to a crawl during the winter allowing me to finish everything up, then once spring hits it will pile up quite a bit and eventually slowly come down to something manageable before dropping down again in the winter.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that sounds really complicated. But then why do you spend your time here after you have nothing left to do? If I were in your position I would be spending all my free time doing something I loved or with family and family.¡±


    ¡°Oh I already spend quite a bit of time with my friends and family on the regular, I just like the atmosphere of the guild. Sometimes people will drop by and I have an opportunity to speak with them, like we are doing right now. And besides I still have duties to perform as leader of the alchemy club, I assume you have some portions of other alchemical creations you want to sell to the guild.¡±


    Arthur could help but grin at that statement, Lydus really did understand him quite well and didn¡¯t bother hiding it. Taking out the several days worth of spark powder from his bag Arthur placed it on the table for Lydus to look at and decide if he would buy it. Spending a minute or two on each pound of spark powder he agreed to pay the normal price for it and Arthur walked away with a full pouch full of silver coins.


    Arthur stayed for a little longer with Lydus talking about just about everything that came to mind. ¡°So how close are you to advancing to an evoker, you should be at around the halfway point by now or at least a quarter of the way given how long you have been a mage.¡±


    ¡°Actually I would say I am pretty close to becoming one. I haven¡¯t looked at the requirements just yet, but I would say I am close to those requirements. I have already mastered both geomancy and aeromancy to the limits of an apprentice level mage with hydromancy almost there as well.¡±


    ¡°In that case you technically to qualify to take the exam to become an evoker, you need to master at least one of the four evocations to the level of an apprentice and have the other three at the peak of a novice, it is recommended however that you master at least two which you do. The tests happen every month or so with a little ceremony afterwards so the guild can gift you two evoker cloaks that they like to hand out.¡±


    Arthur looked at Lydus with a bit of confusion at the mention of two cloaks, one he could understand, but why would they give someone two. ¡°Why would I be given two cloaks, I assume they aren''t cheap and I don¡¯t see why I would need more than one.¡±


    Lydus smiled and shook his head at Arthur¡¯s ignorance. ¡°There is a cloak for cold temperatures and one for warmer temperatures. They are both enchanted for their own type of weather thus drastically lowering the enchanting cost and requirements. That is the whole reason why they even hand them out as promotional gifts in the first place at the rank of evoker, otherwise they would just wait until they became a Warden.¡±


    Arthur sat in his chair and thought about that, it made a lot of sense that adding more enchantments to one single thing would be harder the more you add. For something like a piece of clothing this was a very practical thing to do, something like a golem wasn¡¯t quite the case. ¡®To bad it doesn¡¯t work that way for golems¡­ or would it?¡¯


    Arthur remained thinking about the possibility regarding golems, so long in fact that Lydus began to worry and called out to him to make sure he was ok. ¡°Arthur!? Are you alright?¡±


    Arthur quickly looked towards Lydus wondering what was wrong. ¡°Yeah, I''m alright. Why are you yelling at me?¡±


    ¡°You were just looking towards the wall for a while, I was worried you might be sick with how you didn¡¯t even react to what I said regarding the cloaks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I was thinking about what you said, and to be honest that does sound right. Adding more magic to an item would over time make it harder and harder to add more, sort of like filling up a box with stuff. Eventually you wouldn¡¯t be able to put anything else inside it.¡±

 Chapter 141

    ¡°How exactly would that metaphor work in regards to golems? Would they just be a bigger box with different stuff inside of it or would they be a bunch of small boxes stacked together that each do their own specific thing in conjunction?¡±


    ¡°Interested in golems are you? Well to be honest I don¡¯t really know much about enchanting or golemancy by extension, but I do know that your second metaphor is more accurate to what a golem would be. They are made up of many moving parts, those moving parts are usually treated as separate objects during the enchanting process mostly for mana consumption reasons, but also for the little functions like built in weapons.¡±


    To illustrate his point Lydus conjured up some water that he used to demonstrate what he meant, he showed a very simple golem shape and separated the limbs from the torso.


    ¡°I also know when it comes to really complex things like speaking it isn¡¯t even built into the golem itself, they just draw from an enchanted construct and output the words that fit the situation best. There is also a certain range that such contraptions work in, outside it just doesn¡¯t work. So if you do ever get into golemancy don¡¯t have something like that be essential to the function, because it will eventually fail somehow.¡±


    Arthur nodded along while he listened and thought about what Lydus was saying. ¡®Maybe that is what I was missing with my own golemancy experiments. I treated the whole golem as one single thing that needed to be enchanted in one sitting. Perhaps if I did each limb one at a time I could achieve a better result by putting more time into each part.¡¯


    The conversation eventually moved onto other things and then eventually ended as Arthur left to attend his daily lesson with Henry in hydromancy.


    *********


    ¡°So when do you think you will be taking the test to become an evoker? You do meet the requirements and the recommendations to do so after all.¡± Henry asked Arthur as he messed with his student¡¯s control over several of the spheres of water he was controlling through the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know honestly, though it will be soon. I would like to try and reach the peak of apprentice level in all four of the evocations before I try though. Do you think that is something reasonable to do or should I just do it as soon as possible?¡± Arthur asked as he quickly pushed off his teacher¡¯s attempt at disruption and held steady.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it is out of the question, but it would definitely take a little while longer for that to happen even with your well above average learning speed. The only way to do that by the end of the month would be to receive more lessons from me everyday, and I don¡¯t think I can speak on behalf of your financial situation for you.¡±


    ¡°Well that shouldn¡¯t be all that much of a problem.¡± Arthur wavered for a moment as he spoke leaving a small opening that Henry happily took advantage of to push his student further. This forced Arthur to spend a half minute correcting this problem before he could finish answering. ¡°I do earn quite a bit of money, and I have been making potions for the city guard and been paid quite well for it. Having longer and more lessons with you wouldn¡¯t be outside of my possibilities.¡±


    ********


    Several hours later Arthur was sitting at the table with Gaelin eating dinner. Today he decided to make a soup with a few extra ingredients that he figured that Gaelin would enjoy for his orientation day. While Arthur looked rather happy with his day Gaelin looked tired, almost like he didn¡¯t sleep at all the night before.


    ¡°So what courses did you decide to take? When I started in the guild I chose pyromancy and aeromancy because those were the two I didn¡¯t know anything of yet.¡±


    ¡°I did the same. That was what the instructor recommended we do that was there to help us out with course selection. I''ve heard you talk about them before but I haven¡¯t actually seen you use them either often. Could you maybe show me what they are like so I''m not entirely in the dark?¡± Arthur smiled at this simple request, surprisingly Gaelin had never once asked to see his perform magic of any type that wasn¡¯t for lessons.


    Presenting both his open hands to his apprentice he began to use both pyromancy and aeromancy each in one hand. Quickly shaping them both into a ball shape he spun them around for Gaelin to get a good look at, the exhausted look on his face slowly disappearing and being replaced with a childlike joy that occasionally showed on his face.


    Despite this happiness Arthur was soon forced to dispel the magic so that he could eat his soup to the disappointment of Gaelin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, before long you will be able to do what I can. And when you are done with your lessons at the end of the day I will teach you a few tricks to help you along, things that I had to figure out the hard way.¡±


    Gaelin gave a small nod and began eating his soup at a reasonable pace compared to the minimal effort he was previously putting into it.


    *********


    Over the course of the month of Opal, the second month of winter, Gaelin gave his all towards his courses and learning as much as he could regarding pyromancy and aeromancy. He had two different teachers than Arthur did during this time, Arthur suspected it was something the mages within the guild would periodically do or had a schedule for throughout the year. Gaelin did make significant progress during this time, with Arthur¡¯s help he managed to learn how to conjure up earth and fire. Aeromancy was the only evocation that was giving Gaelin significant trouble.


    Arthur continued his lessons with Henry that were now everyday and twice as long, with this change in schedule he managed to achieve apprentice rank mastery in hydromancy and pyromancy and signed up for the rank advancement test that would take place on the first of Obsidian, the third month of winter.


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    Even Calavia was making progress, though not specifically in her magical abilities. The trauma she experienced at the old ruin she briefly spoke of that destroyed any desire for mercenary work wasn¡¯t quite as strong as it once was, so she started to practice her combative magic in little sparring matches with Arthur every so often. This gave Arthur some actual experience in fighting another mage and helped Calavia regain some of her rusty magic skills. This was also when Arthur learned that Calavia was specialized in pyromancy and was quite skilled in fire related combat magic, she promised to teach Arthur a few tier three pyromancy spells once he became an evoker.


    Eventually the First of Opal arrived and Arthur went to the mages guild to take the test. The test was scheduled for noon of that day and would take place in room number 50, it was a bit of a walk through the underground portion of the guild so Arthur left at 10:45 to make sure that he would have enough time to reach the guild and the room with some spare time incase something happened.


    He arrived at the room at 11:45 and found that someone else was already inside taking their own test with three instructors testing whoever it was on what Arthur believed to be the apprentice advancement test, the test where you become an apprentice ranked mage.


    The test continued on for another ten minutes where Arthur¡¯s suspicions were basically confirmed by the tasks that the young mage was given being practically identical to those he needed to do for his apprentice advancement test. Shortly after the young mage eagerly excited the room with a piece of paper proving their advancement, Arthur was able to see that the young mage was in fact a dwarven woman wearing a light brown robe that wouldn¡¯t be uncommon amongst the common folk.


    Shortly after a high elven man exited from the room and saw Arthur was waiting. ¡°Are you waiting for an advancement test?¡± Arthur nodded and the elf smiled. ¡°Very good then, please come inside then and fill out the forms on the table.¡± Arthur entered the room and quickly walked over to the table where the forms were. There were four pages that went over the risks of an advancement test and how by signing he would be consenting to the risks.


    Using the ink from the provided ink pot Arthur used his hydromancy to sign the forms and handed them to the high elven man who appeared to be the one in charge of the tests today.


    ¡°Very good Mr¡­ Arthur. Just allow me to check today''s schedule and be sure that you are on it.¡± The elven man opened up a leather bound book that looked even more expensive than the one he bought as a journal by a long shot. Soon the man smiled and put his book away. ¡°Ah, yes. Arthur of Dom Badaher scheduled for an Evoker advancement test at 12:00 this morning. My name is Akkar and I will be conducting the test for you today.¡±


    With a wave of his hands the table and all other furniture folded up and was pressed up against the lower walls of the room while the two other instructors within the room moved to a combative position against Arthur. ¡°As you can see we will be testing your combative capabilities as well as your magical skills. For what you will be learning and have access to as an evoker the kingdom wants to be certain that you can defend such information and yourself. Do you have any questions for me?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Arthur said as he raised his hands while preparing himself to conjure up a shield to defend himself when the two instructors before him cast offensive spells.


    ¡°Very well then, the test will begin in ten seconds. Please prepare accordingly.¡± Akkar said as he brought out a circular object that looked like a very small clock with two metal pieces on the top. After doing something to the small clock it began making ten ticking sounds that were quite annoying, when those ten ticks stopped the metal pieces started to make a very loud ringing sound caused by something hitting them both very quickly.


    When the two instructors heard this they quickly conjured up a basic attack towards Arthur who blocked them both with a conjured earth shield. Arthur quickly reconstructed his shield into several dagger sized projectiles and sent half towards each instructor with the purpose of distracting them for a follow up attack with his favorite tier two spell involving a large earth spike.


    Since he was putting his focus towards casting a spell he didn¡¯t have the mental strength to control any of the earth projectiles outside of their initial direction, this made it quite easy for the instructor to block or avoid the attack and begin preparing their own spells. But it gave Arthur enough time to get through most of the casting involving the hand signs and arcane words to keep it stable. With his large earth spike created he began casting the Tri Earth Bolt spell a few times to create some proper projectiles to use against his opponents to keep them occupied instead of attacking, but with two opponents instead of one it was hard to keep them both on the defense.


    Whenever Arthur put some of his focus towards one of them the other took the opportunity to send a few projectiles his way that forced him to either block or dodge. Blocking would slow his attacking but protect him from any further attacks, and dodging would keep him from slowing while doing nothing to the rhythm of his opponents.


    Slowly Arthur was being pushed into a corner, he didn¡¯t notice it at first as the room they were in was quite large with lots of room to move around in. But he was a lot closer to the back wall close to where the door to the room was. ¡®If this keeps up I won¡¯t have anywhere to go. If I can¡¯t go anywhere I will not last very long.¡¯


    Thankfully Arthur was also a very quick learner, he managed to figure out that both his opponents favored pyromancy spells above all other types. There was the occasional geomancy or hydromancy spell, but the vast majority of those he blocked or dodged were pyromancy and were no higher than tier two spells. ¡®They must be holding back because I haven¡¯t learned anything past tier two yet, good for a test in theory but these two are definitely far more experienced than I am.¡¯


    Arthur looked around the room for something that could be used as a distraction to use the earth spike he had been keeping but everything not a part of the room itself was folded up and against the walls. ¡®Looks like I am going to need to do something drastic. Since they are mages I am betting that they don¡¯t have the best physical capabilities, this would give me an advantage in a close range fight if I can close the distance without taking every hit they can dish out at me. At that range they would just need to worry about shooting at me instead of aiming with precision.¡¯


    Ready to enact his plan Arthur quickly conjured up a large earth wall that was more than enough to block the view of himself from the instructors who were now pelting him with fire bolts. When the wall was suddenly conjured they stopped for a second before bringing out stronger spells in an attempt to bring it down. But by the time they left any noticeable holes in it Arthur had already finished preparing and bursted out covered by earth armor he conjured and with several earth bolts in each of his hands.


    Rushing towards the nearest instructor Arthur used the earth bolts in his left hand and mentally commanded them to fly towards them while he commanded the bolts in his right hand towards the other instructor. Surprised by this sudden change in his strategy the closest instructor barely managed to block the earth bolts before Arthur closed the distance.

 Chapter 142

    Now within striking range Arthur thrusted his fist forwards towards the instructors face and with a loud smack punched them in the face. Taking the opportunity Arthur grabbed the instructor to use them as a body shield against the remaining instructor and began casting any powerful spells that came to his mind starting with a few earth bolts to have something on hand quickly.


    The second and conscious instructor watched with confusion and then surprise by the tactic that the young mage before her employed, though a body shield wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep her from firing away. ¡®Smart kid, if he doesn¡¯t pass with this type of quick thinking I think I will contest the results.¡¯ The second instructor noticed Arthur casting his own spells and quickly began matching him with another far more unpredictable and likely unknown to him.


    ¡®Is she seriously showing such little regard for her ally? The cast time is taking quite a long time, that makes it likely a tier three spell. Why would she risk hurting her ally with such a dangerous spell?¡¯ Arthur watched on with confusion as the second instructor continued the casting of her spell, then suddenly once she finished it she pointed her hands towards him and the first instructor. With that gesture came two small projectiles that were made of earth and covered with fire, those two projectiles curved in an ark above and over the body shield Arthur had with enough speed to be almost blurs and struck him in his shoulders breaking the earth armor he had there and knocking him on his back.


    ¡°That is enough!¡± Akkar shouted as he stepped in between Arthur and the two instructors. ¡°Gellia, that was not called for and I certainly hope that this will not be a recurring topic between us.¡± Everyone in the room could tell that Akkar was angry with what the second instructor named Gellia did. Arthur suspected it had something to do with the spell.


    ¡°I would like to apologize Mr. Arthur, now to be honest you weren''t supposed to win this fight, but my instructor used a spell that was not permitted to be used for such a task and that changed the results of the test. I honestly believe that you would have won if such a spell was not used and as a result you would have immediately passed.¡± Akkar looked quite embarrassed as he spoke, clearly this didn¡¯t happen often.


    ¡°It is fine, as long as this will not impact whether I will pass or not.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, your magical performance was already more than enough to accurately determine your skill and is more than enough to decide your score. I am merely apologizing for such advanced magic being used against you when it was specifically pointed out to the instructors that they were not to be used unless an emergency were to occur. Though I would recommend avoiding punching your instructors in the face during subsequent tests.¡±


    Before he left Arthur was required to sign one last form covering any possible damages that may result from the high tiered spell that was used against him and instead taking legal action against the mage in question he would instead seek medical attention and would have such costs paid by the guild.


    He was also told that he would learn of the results in a few days time and that there would be an event later in that day to congratulate and have the advancing mages take the pledge of secrecy, this pledge amounted to a promise to not share anything they learned from the guild with anyone that may wish to do either the guild, the kingdom, or its people harm.


    For the remainder of the day Arthur was at his home teaching Gaelin a few things about aeromancy as it was the subject that he was having the hardest time with.


    ********


    Nearly a week later Arthur checked his mailbox within the guild mailroom and found a letter from the guild itself for him. Opening it up he found that it was his results, as he expected from what Akkar said to him he passed with flying colors. The ¡®event¡¯ that would happen for all those who were advancing to the rank of Evoker was actually akin to a graduation with a buffet for everyone there to enjoy. It also mentioned that it would be an excellent opportunity to become an apprentice to someone as many powerful mages like to attend looking for someone to share their life''s secrets with while they have the choice to.


    ¡®Becoming an apprentice again? I guess I shouldn¡¯t write that off completely, as long as I don¡¯t need to do that right away and can instead look around the library for info on things like golemancy so I don¡¯t really have a problem.¡¯


    Technically he wasn¡¯t considered an Evoker within the guild yet so he did not have any of the privileges that would come with it such as access to the Evoker section of the library. This didn¡¯t really leave Arthur with much to do aside from filling out his journal with all the events that he did not have the time or energy to do before.


    Most of the previous month didn¡¯t really have anything of note, so he instead focused on the few things that were noteworthy. Those things included but were not limited to Gaelin joining the mages guild, achieving the peak apprentice level mastery of all four evocations, sparing with Calavia and even winning occasionally when she didn¡¯t use powerful tier three spells, and taking the test and passing as well as the graduation of sort that he would be attending later in the day.


    Arthur wanted to invite both Calavia and Gaelin but they were both quite busy, Gaelin with his studies in the guild and Calavia with her work at the clinic. The graduation happened at three o¡¯clock in the afternoon in room 76 which was one of the auditoriums that were located a few floors below the surface. Inside were another ten mages all round his own age from what he could tell, though a few were not human which made it a little harder to tell.


    He actually arrived a half hour early like the letter he received told him to, he and everyone else were also instructed to wear their best clothing and stay clean the whole time.


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    Waiting there for everyone was a woman who was hired by the guild to organize events such as this one, she clearly wasn¡¯t a mage as he needed help from the eleven there including Arthur to move things around and help prepare the stage for when the possible masters would arrive. ¡°Now each and everyone of you should be on your best behavior. You never know what type of person might be watching and be willing to take you on only to find that they absolutely hate your attitude, you will need to make sacrifices for your future and it helps to avoid making terrible mistakes.¡±


    Everyone just looked at the woman as if she was crazy, and truth be told her fashion sense sort of also gave that idea. She wore a scarf made from a skinned fox with a hat that was clearly designed for hot temperatures, the rest of her clothing was typical wealthy person stuff that was also just as impractical and ugly to most people. Each of those advancing to the rank of Evoker was clearly uncomfortable with what she was saying, especially the women that were there. Though that might have been due to her clothes.


    For the remaining thirty minutes the woman had everyone put the last required parts of the graduation together which involved setting up the food tables, cleaning the seats, and wiping down the stage where they would all receive their cloaks and take the pledge.


    Surprisingly these three seemingly simple tasks took nearly the whole thirty minutes they had even with magic on their side as they needed to be thorough in doing them. They were each randomly sorted into one of three teams, the first team dealt with the food, the second team cleaned the seats, and the third wiped down the stage.


    Arthur was assigned to the first team along with a dark elf woman and a dwarven man. In a room off to the side was a kitchen where all the food had already been made, the prepared food was quite diverse consisting of several meats, some fruits and vegetables, and a few bottles of alcohol. Even mages liked to have a drink from time to time.


    The tables that the food was to be put out on were already set up thankfully so the trio only needed to place the food on them in an appealing manner. Thankfully that wasn¡¯t hard with the woman organizing the event telling them where to put what, it was a little annoying to listen to her but it was a lot easier than going against her.


    Shortly after all the food had been brought out and was in its optimal place, but that wasn¡¯t the end of their work. Instead they were ordered to help with the three that were cleaning the seats. Begrudgingly Arthur walked towards his fellow students that were clearing the seats and asked them how exactly they were doing it.


    ¡°Truth be told we are mostly just using aeromancy to collect any dust or dirt that is on the seats, anything like a stain on the other hand requires you to use hydromancy and give it a really good scrub. Otherwise it will not come out.¡± The student who was male high elf said as he gave a simple demonstration of what to do to Arthur and two that just joined.


    With the basic knowledge of what to do the three new seat cleaners quickly joined in at the back row of seats so that they would meet the original three cleaners at the middle when they were done. This lasted for around another twenty minutes before all the seats were clean, thankfully very few seats needed an actual scrubbing.


    Around this time the stage was finished being wiped down and people slowly began trickling into the auditorium, most were older mages with visible grey or greying hairs on their heads and or faces. It was roughly mixed with half men and half women and a mixture of all sorts of different races from humans to elves and even the occasional dwarf mixed in.


    Eventually around fifty or so mages were seated in the auditorium across the available seats, a few took some food from the tables but most went straight to their seats to watch. ¡°Hello everyone, I would like to welcome everyone to the advancement ceremony for Obsidian on the 1148th year of the third era.¡±


    A calm round of clapping followed this welcome from the woman running the ¡®ceremony¡¯ as she gave a bow towards the audience. After waving her hands towards the stage the all of the soon to be Evokers walked out in a single file line and stood straight up like they were part of the military. By this time the clapping had already stopped and two other people who turned out to be assistants to the woman running the ceremony walked over with a large box. Small glowing symbols could be seen across the sides of it indicating it was enchanted.


    ¡°Mr. Mettius, please step forward.¡± The woman called out to the young man in the very front of the line as the woman demanded. Nervously Mettius stepped forward until he was just about a meter from her and she was handed the winter variation of the Evoker robe.


    ¡°Mr. Mettius, do you swear to uphold the laws of the mages guild? Even if you were forced to report someone else, someone that you might even be close with?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I would.¡± Mettius could feel a small trickle of sweat from his brow dripping down his face as he answered, so many people were looking at him and watching what he was doing. It was hard for Mettius not to feel worried in such a scenario.


    ¡°Do you swear to refrain from illegal magic and hand over any books or other ledgers containing such illegal and immoral information that can and will pose a risk to the common people of not just this kingdom, but the whole world in the wrong hands?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I swear to keep such dangerous magic out of the hands of those that would use it for harm.¡± The lines of questioning continued on for around another three or some minutes, by the end the woman was clearly satisfied by his answered and waved her hands towards her assistants, one opened up the box and brought out a new cloak while the other draped the one in her hands over Mettius¡¯s shoulders.


    Mettius let out a deep breath and along with it his stress, without knowing he had been holding his breath during the wait half expecting something terrible to happen.


    ¡°Mr. Mettius, I welcome you into the arcane community not as an apprentice any longer, but as a full fledged Evoker and all the privileges that come with it.¡±


    With this the people sitting and watching began to clap for the new Evoker who quickly gave a deep bow and returned to his original position. Then the woman brought the next person in line this time being the dark elf woman that worked with Arthur in moving the food to the tables and then cleaning the seats. She too was given the same questions and answered in a similar but not entirely identical way, by the end she too was given a cloak and returned to her original stop like Mettius before her.


    This process continued all the way until the very last person was to go, the last person being Arthur. ¡°Mr. Arthur, please step forward. Arthur obeyed and stepped until he was around a meter from the woman and stood with his back straight like everyone before him.


    Like everyone else he was given the same line of questions and answered in the most truthful way he could, he believed that he was doing quite well until after the very last question the woman just stopped talking, looked down at her hand and looked back up.

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    Like nothing happened the woman waved to her assistants and they draped the winter cloak over his shoulders. From a distance Arthur was able to appreciate the design and coverage of it. But actually wearing the thing was completely different. It was very thick as to be expected with the winter variant, but it didn¡¯t feel very thick. It felt no more than if he was wearing a thin blanket over his shoulders than a winter cloak.


    ¡°Mr. Arthur, I welcome you into the arcane community not as an apprentice any longer, but as a full fledged Evoker and all the privileges that come with it.¡± The woman said as Arthur was looking at his cloak, any trace of her abrupt action was gone as if it never existed.


    The people in the audience began to clap for Arthur who quickly gave a deep bow and returned to his spot in the line.


    With each and everyone of the new Evokers the women turned to the audience. ¡°And thank all of you for taking part in the ceremony as well. To thank you all we have provided food and drink for you all to enjoy over by the door. I have noticed that a few of you have already taken something already, and I hope that you enjoyed it and will return for more.¡±


    With the end of her statement several of the people seated in the stands slowly stood up and began making their way towards the food table, some with a little more effort than others.


    The eleven new Evokers were also given permission to go and have something to eat, the woman also encouraged them to talk with some of the people there as they might even be offered to become their apprentice. Become an apprentice to a powerful mage being one of the best ways to advance the ranks and learn quickly as books can only teach you so much.


    Along with the other Evokers Arthur awkwardly walked down to the food he helped bring out, the first item that caught his attention was the large cooked chicken, specifically the large leg. Walking over to it his stomach gave its opinion on what he should do with a large growl, grabbing hold of it he gave a pull. The leg was still stuck to the chicken, annoying Arthur. Quickly conjuring a small knife from earth Arthur started to cut away at the fat that was keeping them together until the leg came right off.


    Happy with his prize Arthur walked away from the food to give everyone else space if they wanted anything. A few of the high ranking mages did take notice of him but said nothing. Most of those there weren''t really looking for an apprentice  , they just wanted the free food, but there was a small handful that were interested. Such as a high elven woman who struck up a conversation with the young dark elf that worked with Arthur not too long ago.


    Most of the other new Evokers just followed Arthur¡¯s lead and took something to eat from the table before walking away for someone else to take what they wanted. For the most part the room was filled with an awkward silence as no one really wanted to start up a conversation. Eventually however the new Evokers did start to talk amongst themselves, they mostly talked about what they wanted to learn about now that they had access to a new section of the library and all sorts of magics that were out of their reach for a while.


    ¡°I am really looking forward to learning actual healing magic, you know like healing broken bones and stuff like that without needing a potion to do it.¡± A human man around Arthur¡¯s age said in an attempt to start a conversation to fill the silence within the room.


    ¡°I''ve found enchanting to be quite interesting. I already spend some time every day doing alchemy so I could also delve into golemany as well, it is a subcategory of both of those so I should be able to make that work.¡± Arthur responded before taking a big bite out of his chicken leg, he looked over and noticed the young man he was talking to was enjoying a sandwich he made out of a bun and some of the chicken. ¡®Dam, I should have done something like that when I was up there.¡±


    ¡°Enchanting? Wow, I hear that enchanted weapons and stuff can sell for a lot of money depending on who made it.¡± Taking a bite out of his sandwich the young man continued talki8ng with his mouth half full. ¡°There was this one enchanter I heard about from my father that lived like 100 years ago, he once sold one of his creations for the lordship of a city. I think he said it happened somewhere on the continent of Pyrosa, specifically on the eastern side of the continent.¡±


    ¡°What was the enchanted creation he sold to this king that warranted such a price?¡± To be honest with himself Arthur wasn¡¯t really all that interested at first, but the mention of someone selling a single creation for a city was definitely something to get his attention.


    ¡°From what I recall it was a crown of some sort, the stories that my father told me included all sorts of power from controlling the weather to bringing prosperity to that king''s rule. Though most of those are probably just stories. The only one that sounded somewhat reasonable was that the crown could bestow great wisdom to its wearer, from what I understand you could enchant something to make you smarter, it is just really hard and at a time of such little arcane knowledge would be very worthy of such reward.¡±


    Arthur looked at the young man as he spoke, while the generic nonsense regarding controlling the weather and bringing prosperity were likely just stories, the last part regarding enchanting something to make yourself smarter did sound quite interesting. The most interesting part was the possibility that you could do something similar with other things, like physical strength for example. ¡®With something like that you could create an army of people with physical or even magical capabilities boosted far beyond what they normally had with just a few enchanted items.¡¯


    Arthur clutched at the amulet around his neck, the enchantments within being what allowed him to even understand what people were saying around him. Did it operate in a similar way to what the young man next to him just described, he would need to study it when he received some proper lessons in enchanting. ¡®I recall Henry said he would be willing to teach me once I became an Evoker, I should see him once I get an opportunity.¡¯


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    After another hour of small talk throughout the auditorium people slowly began to leave along with all the new Evokers sighting that they had things to do. Arthur amongst that crowd went straight home to hopefully show Gaelin and Calavia later in the evening at dinner which both were invited to.


    Since Gaelin was still attending classes at the guild when he returned he went into the alchemy and room and began creating a few miscellaneous potions he hadn''t done in quite some time. They probably went worth as much as the spark powder he had been selling recently, but with his sprites high he didn¡¯t really care about that and just enjoyed the process of trying out a few old potions.


    Around an hour after Arthur started brewing these old potions Gaelin returned with three loud knocks at the door. Arthur rushed over to the door still wearing his nice new cloak and let him inside. Gaelin was staging at the door covered with snow like a small blizzard just came through the city. ¡°Gaelin? What happened to you, did you walk through all the snow on your way back?¡± Arthur quickly rushed Gaelin inside and used his aeromancy to knock off and throw the snow outside.


    ¡°Well as I was walking back from the guild it started to snow, I didn¡¯t think all that much about it until it started blowing as well. I started walking faster but it didn¡¯t really help as it just got worse, I even lost my way a few times with only the familiar buildings helping me. Did you not look outside once or feel the cold creeping in through the windows?¡± Arthur paused, think back he just assumed that the cold he was feeling was because the fire was dying down a little. While it did need a bit more wood to keep burning he just assumed it would take some time to warm the house back up, the idea that there was a small snow storm out and that he should look outside didn¡¯t even occur to him as he blocked off his windows to keep it safe.


    ¡°Well I was quite preoccupied with brewing more potions to sell since I returned from the advancement ceremony, I even received a nice cloak from it as you can see.¡± Arthur gave a small twirl to show Gaelin what he received, though he didn¡¯t look happy with the answer.


    ¡°Yes, yes, very nice. I assume that was from the guild for advancing. Is it something everyone will receive or is there a special requirement for it?¡±


    ¡°From what I understand everyone who advances to the rank of evoker will get one for their ceremony, though I will receive another in my guild mailbox that was specifically made for warmer weather, the one I am wearing is for cold weather and based on my walk home it does its job quite well.¡± Thinking back to his walk home Arthur noticed that the cloak was on its own a very good insulator of heat, combine that with the enchantments that began to generate heat and he could barely feel the cold outside, it would have been easier to overheat and die from that instead.


    ¡°Do you get better ones when you reach higher ranks within the guild or was this just a one time thing?¡± Gaelin asked while actually giving the cloak a proper look.


    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know, I would suspect that at certain ranks you would be given something. Kind of like my mage staff, though this is apparently a toned down one.¡± Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out the metallic staff, since he hadn''t been using it for a while he kept it in his bag where it was safe and within his arms reach.


    ¡°Wait, this is a toned down mage staff? Why would they give you something weaker than what you are supposed to receive? That doesn¡¯t make very much sense.¡±


    ¡°That is because it wasn¡¯t from the guild, apparently it was a gift from the crown. A priest of Xardas was the one who gave me the staff in person, but he claimed that it was from the crown for my efforts against the vampire cult that was hanging around in the western district several months ago. It actually happened a little shy of a month since I arrived here.¡±


    Arthur continued on and explained in as much detail as he possibly could about how he learned about the vampire cult and how he took part in the attack against it, though he left out the detail of how he went out on his own and was followed by the paladins of the circle of fire. He made himself look to be a sort of underdog fighting against the evils of the world and was saved by the powerful albeit prideful paladins.


    ¡°Really, you were saved by paladins? I am surprised they would care for anyone or anything outside of their religion. The self righteousness of the paladins of the circle of fire is something that is well known across several borders belonging to humans, dwarves, and even elves.¡± The way Gaelin spoke of the paladins even by disregarding his comments about their pride gave away that he didn¡¯t have the highest opinion of them.


    Arthur was about to ask him about this when suddenly several loud knocks came from the door. Quickly walking those few steps Arthur opened the door to reveal Calavia standing there. Unlike how Gaelin arrived covered in snow Calavia only had a little stuck to her winter clothing and she looked to be far warmer than he was despite wearing less layers than him.


    Calavia looked as if she was about to say something when she noticed the grey cloak that Arthur was wearing, something that she hadn''t seen in quite some time.


    ¡°Oh My Gods, you advanced!¡± Calavia practically jumped into Arthur¡¯s arms as she said this. ¡°This is wonderful Arthur, now you can start studying more advanced magic. Heck you can even start learning magic outside the four evocations within the guild. Did you have any ideas as to what you wanted to do?¡±


    ¡°Yes actually, I want to learn enchanting magic as it is something that has been an interest for quite some time now.¡± Arthur quickly closed the door to keep the house warm.


    ¡°Oh, enchanting magic. That isn¡¯t quite what I expected. I would have imagined you would have wanted to learn something like alteration or restoration magic as those would complement your magic fighter style you had going on a while ago.¡± Arthur smiled at that statement, it had been a while since he used his armor instead of just conjuring shields or something else to protect himself.


    ¡°Enchanting would also help with that, I could enchant my weapons or armor to be more protective or I could even give my armor the ability to cast basic protection spells in my stead. Maybe I could have a necklace that could heal my injuries on the battlefield as they happen, that way I wouldn¡¯t need a healer or be less likely to die from my injuries.¡±


    The debate continued as the two walked further into the house, Gaelin tried ignoring the two as he practiced his geomancy more. Recently he had been able to conjure up earth from pure mana, now all he needed to do was perfect it and drastically reduce the mana consumption from it before he could start casting the tier one spells he had seen both Arthur and Calavia do so often.

 Chapter 144

    Sitting at his kitchen table Arthur was reading a while surrounded by several bottles of the enchanting ink he recently bought which turned out to be of a better quality than what he could produce by himself. The book he was reading was titled The Basics of Enchanting and covered how to create the most basic of talismans. The first several pages of the book covered the possible risks that may come with enchanting and several safety precautions that should be taken when you do so.


    The materials that were required were not all that expensive for creating the most basic of talismans, all that was needed was the ink, a rod of wood or stone depending on the type of magic being imbued, and a mana capacity of at least twenty five to keep things stable.


    Since it was cheaper to buy wood than stone, Arthur elected to buy several small logs of wood that he cut down into small pieces with a conjured saw into something that would be very good for kindling. Using his geomancy he conjured up a knife like object with a flat end on the blade to smooth out the sides so it would be easier to hold.


    Taking a quick look through the basic talismans listed Arthur thought about what would be useful for himself or for either Gaelin or Calavia as they were his two closest friends. ¡®This candle talisman might be helpful to Gaelin for practicing his pyromancy since he still hasn''t figured out how to conjure up fire yet. But this liquid talisman could be useful for Calavia for when she needs water in the clinic, she did mention they use water to clean wounds along with some soap. This could help reduce their mana consumption, and every little bit helps.¡¯


    Looking over the actual processes of both Arthur figured that it would be both easier and more beneficial for Gaelin to receive his candle talisman before Calavia received hers. Quickly getting to work Arthur picked up one of the bottles of magic ink and the wooden rod, following the instructions in the book he traced various lines of ink across it in a very intricate pattern that he unfortunately still did not understand how it worked. Once he was done he held the rod an inch above the table with his aeromancy and began to cast the tier one spell that came with the specific talisman instructions.


    Like the alchemy spells he was so familiar with despite being a tier one it took around a half minute to cast, but once he finished the inscribed lines across the body of the talisman began to glow before quickly disappearing along with around half of his mana capacity.


    Picking up the talisman Arthur looked it over before placing it back down on the table, the only way to test it out would be to connect it with his own mana, and so far he didn¡¯t know of any way to disconnect a talisman from a person without killing them. Despite its simple design as just a non sanded wooden rod it felt very impressive to Arthur as it was his very first proper enchanted item that he hoped worked as intended, the rat flesh golems did not count as they had several problems he had not addressed.


    Leaving the talisman on the table Arthur also left a short note on a cheap piece of parchment for Gaelin describing what it did and to tell him how it worked as soon as possible. Then Arthur began working on the second talisman, this one being a liquid talisman that would produce water whenever it was being used.


    Following his steps with the previous talisman he took one of the rough wooden rods and rounded the edges off until it was for the most part smooth all the way around and easier to hold. Like before he followed the instructions and copied the intricate lines down with the magic ink, by the time he finished most of the mana he used giving to the candle talisman was already recovered.


    With the liquid talisman floating in front of him Arthur began to cast the spell at the end of the instructions for this talisman and used up around half of his maximum mana pool like before to complete it. Like the previous talisman he made he placed it on the table with a short note explaining what it is and who it was for.


    ¡®Hey, it''s getting quite late. Why isn¡¯t Gaelin back yet?'' Arthur looked at the time, it was nearly five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. ¡®He should be back by now, I don¡¯t think he has ever stayed out for so long.¡¯ Arthur stood up and opened the door wondering if Gaelin might be out there. To his disappointment and growing worry he wasn¡¯t there.


    Stepping outside Arthur looked around the rood for any signs of Gaelin but only found a few snow prints from a few people walking around. Regretfully Arthur began walking back towards his house when he saw something out of the corner of his eye, it was a humanoid figure slowly walking towards his location.


    Watching for a minute this person turned out to be Gaelin covered in cuts and bruises across his body, his clothes and cloak covered with cuts and holes from only the gods know. Arthur quickly rushed over to him and draped his own cloak over the likely cold and worried Gaelin. They didn¡¯t say anything as they walked back to Arthur¡¯s house, they just remained silent as Arthur handed several potions to his apprentice starting with basic healing potions that were followed by warmth potions to get his temperature up.


    Once inside Arthur had Gaelin take off his shirt to take a look at the wounds, thankfully the shallow wounds were already healing from the potion. The only wound that wasn¡¯t was a single deep gash that Gaelin had been keeping pressure on for quite some time as shown by the dried blood on his shirt. Quickly Arthur tore up the shirt into several strips like Calavia explained to him and used the non bloody strips to wrap around and bandage the wound.


    Though it wasn¡¯t the best it could have been it would be enough to keep most of the blood from leaking onto the floor, that combined with several more basic healing and warmth potions from Arthur were more than enough to keep Gaelin safe for the time being.


    ¡°So do you want to tell me what happened out there to leave you in this condition?¡± Arthur asked as Gaelin looked away in embarrassment. Shame apparent in his facial expression despite trying his best to hide it.


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    After a short yet awkward science Gaelin eventually spoke up. ¡°I was jumped by a group of five with weapons. A few had knives while the rest had wooden hammers, I tried running away but they managed to get several hits on me. I used my magic against them, but I don¡¯t really know how they reacted or if I even hurt any of them. During that time I got turned around and lost my way, I only recently found my way back.¡±


    Arthur could tell by his body language that Gaelin was telling the truth, though the fact that the people attacking him were criminals likely wouldn¡¯t ease his consciousness regarding their fate after he started swinging magic around like a madman with a knife.


    ¡°Well, I suppose that everything is alright as you returned safely. Though I would rather you don¡¯t hesitate when using your magic next time, even if you need to kill one of them it is better that you come back here safe than risk your own life for theirs. Do you understand?¡±


    Wiping some of the dried blood from his face Gaellin gave a small nod.


    ¡°Good, and while I didn¡¯t plan this as something to cheer you up after being jumped, I made this for you.¡± Arthur stood up and walked over to the other side of the table to pick up the wooden candle talisman and handed it to Gaelin who looked at it with confusion.


    ¡°That right there is a talisman, specifically a candle talisman that upon being used will generate a small flame that can be used as either a source of fire and light or something to practice your pyromancy with.¡± Upon hearing the word pyromancy Gaelin¡¯s eyes lit up like little stars as he looked at the simple wooden rod. Suddenly he wasn¡¯t so sad.


    ¡°How exactly do I use it?¡± Gaelin asked as he realised he did not know how to use it.


    ¡°You will need to use your mana and attune with it. That basically just amounts to putting some of your mana inside of it until it recognizes it and you can use it. Go and give it a try, and be sure you don¡¯t use too much of your mana at once when you do it as it can slow the process significantly, try starting with a little and slowly increasing it.¡±


    Following Arthur¡¯s instructions Gaelin put a small amount of his mana within the talisman, around one unit of mana in total. Slowly over the course of several minutes he increased that to around five units of mana when suddenly the tip of the talisman suddenly ignited with a small flame no larger than a candle''s flame.


    Upon seeing his success at using the talisman for the first time Gaelin nearly did a little dance in celebration, but he quickly recalled that Arthur was still watching him. ¡°Great job Gaelin, now this is the first talisman I have created so I don¡¯t know how long this will work for. Just let me know when it stops working and I will make you another one.¡±


    *********


    Flipping through the book in his hands Arthur devoured the information on enchanting theory into his mind like a starving wolf, the how''s and whys of how enchanting works and its limitations were slowly coming together. The first thing that an enchantment needs is a power source, in long lasting items these usually come in the form of mana stones embedded into the object itself. The mage staff that was gifted to Arthur was an excellent example of it despite it being unseen from the outside. Though sometimes objects like talismans would simply be given an amount of mana during creation that would slowly be used up until it became useless.


    The next part that was essential for all enchantments was the engravings themselves, while not literal engravings into the material the earliest examples of enchanted items did have actual engravings that allowed the mana to flow. Nowadays the magic ink that is so common in magic stores is used instead, this allows the object to send its mana around where it is needed but also retaining its structural integrity. An old problem that has been solved with the ink was that enchanted items weren¡¯t always the strongest once they received their engravings, the engravings would be across the object and would often lead to it falling apart if struck in the wrong place.


    The last part needed to make an enchanted item work is a user with at least one unit of mana within their bodies. Since the items run off of mana you need to control your own mana to operate it. No matter how little you have it will work, though it might take longer to attune to the item which is how you control it.


    As Arthur continued reading he found several examples of basic inscriptions and why they work. The inscriptions themselves are just instructions that the mana within the item will follow to the most literal sense, that is why when you are inscribing an object that you keep things as simple as possible or it will not work properly. For example a sword that was enchanted with the intent of its blade igniting for extra damage during fights might actually just melt the blade itself because the instructions it was given either were too complicated to follow or didn¡¯t even cover what to do with the blade whatsoever.


    ********


    A week after giving Gaelin his candle talisman he returned with it in hand. ¡°Excuse me sir, the talisman isn¡¯t working any more.¡± To demonstrate this point he tried channeling his mana inside to get a flame and nothing happened.


    Taking the talisman from his apprentice Arthur looked it over from top to bottom before casting a quick enchanting spell over it. The spell being a tier one spell called Detect Talisman Power, this spell was contained within the book he was currently reading and would tell the caster the amount of mana was within a talisman with variating results depending on the caster. But if there was no mana at all within the talisman in question then it would have no feedback at all.


    The candle talisman in Arthur¡¯s hands gave no feedback signaling that it was empty of all its mana and that a new one would need to be made. ¡°I am sorry Gaelin, but it looks like the talisman has used up all its mana. I will need to make you a new one if you would like another.¡±


    Looking a little sad by that statement Gaelin hurriedly nodded his head, saying yes he wanted another one. ¡°Alright then, but could you show me your progress in pyromancy? It would help me figure out just how many more I will need to make for you to conjure fire all on your own.¡±


    Walking over to the fireplace with the blazing fire keeping the house warm, Gaelin reached towards it and pulled out a small fist full of flames and kept it floating above his hands. After showing it off for a few seconds Gaelin began doing little tricks that involved spinning the flame around his hands and body like it was some sort of toy on a string.


    ¡°That is enough, I will prepare a few more talismans for you in advance so you don¡¯t run out while you are training. Hopefully these ones will last a little longer than the first one I made for you.¡± With that Arthur walked over to his table and began the process of making the small wooden rod that would become the next talisman for his apprentice.

 Chapter 145

    Holding a wooden talisman in his hand Arthur smiled to himself, this candle talisman was easily doubly as effective in terms of mana consumption compared to the very first one he created and it only took him around three weeks to achieve this. Looking over his work he knew that with his progression speed he would be creating proper enchanted items very very soon. The big reason why this talisman in question was twice as effective was the engravings were around half as wide and more accurate to what the book showed.


    Using his mana to command the talisman he had the end ignite a flame and within a second it did so. Like it was designed the flame that was produced was no larger than that of a candle, he had also been busy creating more liquid talismans for Calavia and her clinic. Apparently being able to have water on command to clean wounds was a significant advantage, and so he started making and sending a half dozen or so every week for a small amount of money.


    Slowly he had been moving towards more and more complex talismans such as the bump talisman which would conjure up a small ball of air that could be used to hit things from a distance. The air ball in question wasn¡¯t very dangerous, at most it could surprise you, perhaps even leave a very tiny bruise if you are fragile, but mostly harmless.


    The biggest problem that Arthur was facing during the enchanting of this talisman was the mana consumption and capacity. At most the talisman could last for a single air ball and Arthur wasn¡¯t sure why this was the case, though he did know someone who might be able to help him in this regard. ¡®Looks like I might need to contact Henry again and schedule some more lessons, just this time for enchanting magic instead of evocation magic.¡¯


    Using his mana he made the talisman in his hand to stop the small flame and looked towards his apprentice Gaelin. Though he looked and was acting fine since the time he was jumped he made sure to always be there for him. He would walk him to the guild and back to his home where he now stayed the night having his own bed in the alchemy room with a small space cleared for a bed Arthur bought for him.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to schedule it during a time when Gaelin is either at class or staying here. I¡¯ll have to ask him if he is ok with giving lessons after dinner time because as far as I can see that will be the optimal time for me to keep Gaelin safe from these criminals. I should also talk to Captain Tasius about that as well, it seems like whenever they get rid of one criminal two more pop up like mushrooms.¡¯


    ********


    After quickly scheduling another set of lessons With Henry in the guild while taking Gaelin for his classes Arthur decided with a few hours to spare that he would stop by the southern district barracks to speak with Captain Tasius about the criminals running rampant.


    Inside the barrack all seemed calm and quiet, the secretary even looked a little bored with her job. ¡°Good morning, I would like to speak with the captain. I am an old acquaintance of his.¡± Arthur said while showing off his guild cloak showing his rank within the guild, not that the secretary would know the difference between the ranks.


    A little surprised by the sudden appearance of a ¡®clearly¡¯ high ranking mage within the mages guild she quickly checked the Captain¡¯s schedule for the day and saw that he was currently free. ¡°Um, of course. The Captain is free at the moment, would you like me to let him know of your arrival sir mage?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be just fine.¡± Arthur smiled as the likely newly hired secretary quickly walked and entered the Captain¡¯s office. A minute later she exited and returned to her seat and said ¡°Captain Tasius will see you know, he is just through that door to your left.¡±


    ¡°Thank you miss.¡± Arthur quickly answered as he began walking towards the Captain¡¯s office. Inside he found the Captain sitting at his desk looking a little worried, or at least he was until he noticed who the ¡®powerful mage¡¯ that his secretary told him about was.


    ¡°Oh, it''s just you Arthur. You gave my secretary a heart attack when you arrived here.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, I assume she was new to the job and didn¡¯t know who I was.¡±


    ¡°Yes she is, her brother is one of my men and he mentioned that she was looking for work since she just turned 18 about a month ago now. But enough of my secretary, what can I do for you my friend.¡± Arthur could see in his shoulders that the Captain was beginning to relax a bit, something was causing him stress and it likely wasn¡¯t just his arrival.


    ¡°My apprentice was attacked by several criminals on his way back from the guild around a week ago, while he did recover from his injuries I have noticed that there has been an uptick of criminal activities within the city. Is there anything being done about this problem?¡± The moment the work criminal came out of Arthur¡¯s lips he could see that the Captain already knew of the problem that he was addressing and was likely what was causing him stress.


    ¡°I am aware of the rising criminal activities within the city and specifically within the southern district, and I am taking action to deal with these criminals but the problem isn¡¯t as simple as arresting these people. Many of those that have turned to crime are those who are exceptionally poor and either are or have run out of food. Truth be told there isn¡¯t very much to do about it other than patrolling the streets and recommending that people stay away from dark alleyways where they may get cornered.¡±


    Arthur paused for a moment and took a seat that was on the opposite side of the table from the Captain. He thought about how the problem was that people didn''t have enough food and were turning towards stealing and robbing people to pay for it. ¡°Captain, what if there was a sort of daily food rationing for the poorer areas of the city. Would that perhaps keep these people from stealing and robbing?¡±


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    ¡°Well¡­ I suppose it might, but I don¡¯t exactly have the authority to issue such an idea. I would need to bring that up to my higher ups and see what they think of the idea. If they think it is a good idea then they will pass that along towards the people that make those decisions and perhaps even the crown if it needs their approval, this is their city after all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, could you keep me updated on the progress of this, I would be very interested to hear the results of such an idea.¡±


    ********


    Once done speaking with Captain Tasius Arthur returned to the guild to see if Henry responded to his message, luckily he did and was available for lessons after dinner time starting tomorrow. But since he wanted lessons on something more complex it would end up costing him four silver coins per hour of lessons instead of the two per hour he paid for training in the four evocations.


    Arthur was a little surprised by this but could see where Henry was coming from with his pricing. ¡®I guess that makes sense. This is far more complicated than just conjuring up fire or water, it is just as complex as magical alchemy which I have basically been learning on my own aside from the few small lessons I received from Georgius as his apprentice, only this is far more complex. I am basically asking him to share his secrets with me so I shouldn¡¯t be surprised when he wants more money.¡¯


    Arthur quickly responded to his teacher¡¯s message that he was happy with the price and wanted to schedule two hours worth of lessons from six o¡¯clock to eight o¡¯clock tomorrow night and that he would have the money with him when he arrives.


    ********


    The next day on the thirteenth of Obsidian Arthur arrived at the northern district gated entrance. The guards standing there weren¡¯t all that interested until they saw his grey cloak, when they noticed he was a mage they quickly straightened themselves out and acted like they weren''t just talking about the women they were interested in moments before.


    Arthur just ignored them, hoping they would at least try and pay attention to those entering the district. But he doubted they would and would just as quickly return to their conversation.


    Quickly making his way towards Henry¡¯s old church he passed by a few people still shoveling snow off the roads, a few were individuals doing it around their homes or business but most were city employees as shown by the uniform winter clothing that they are given.


    Thankfully the walk from the gate to the old church Henry calls home wasn¡¯t very long, giving three loud knocks on the front doors Arthur waited patiently for Henry or one of his golems to open the door and allow him inside. Listening patiently in the cool silent night Arthur could hear what sounded to be footsteps on the other side of the door. ¡®That is probably one of Henry¡¯s golems, I know these doors aren''t that thin where you could hear someone walking without stomping around like an actual golem.¡¯


    The leftmost door opened to reveal one of Henry¡¯s golems standing there. ¡°Good evening, Arthur, Henry, is waiting for, you, in, his, office space.¡± The golem spoke with its monotone and cobbled together speech and Arthur quickly passed by and started up the stairs to the office. Opening the door to the office Arthur found that Henry was waiting in his chair.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. I was wondering when you were going to arrive, or if you were even going to at all.¡± On his desk were various magical looking materials that Arthur assumed would be used in the lesson that Henry had planned for him today.


    ¡°Good evening Henry, it is good to see you again.¡± Arthur allowed himself to smile in the presence of his friend and mentor, it had been some time since they last spoke.


    ¡°And it is good to see you as well Arthur, please come and take a seat. I believe you will be very happy with what I have planned for you today.¡± Following Henry¡¯s instructions took a seat in the chair opposite Henry.


    ¡°Now I am going to assume you have at the bare minimum a basic understanding of how enchanting works, and what a talisman is and how to use one. This lesson will for the most part be about enchanting theory with a small handful of practical lessons thrown in here and there to show you progress and understanding of the subject.¡±


    *******


    For the first hour Arthur listened to Henry as he explained the origin of enchanting magic and the basic theory of how and why it worked, apparently the first enchantment was likely created by a priest under the guidance of their patron god during the early second era. The reason why there are no definitive records of this is because at the time people didn¡¯t write down when they did something for the very first time. Instead it likely became a super weapon of sorts that was used against the enemies of that god.


    One important thing about talismans and enchanted items is that they can be used by priests, mages, and occultists. This is because enchanting is one of those few selective types of magic that sort of overlap with all three types of spell casters in the same way that alchemy does, that is why there are stories about brave heroes vanquishing evil demons or angles and taking their weapons to use in later fights.


    Enchanted items also don¡¯t rely upon the user''s skill in the associated magic type, instead they use their own skill in enchanting to control those energies as they technically fall into their own category of magic. For example a talisman or wand that shoots out fire magic will not rely upon the users pyromancy skill to control the flames, instead it will be their skill in enchanting over all.


    Once this simple yet very long explanation was done Henry had Arthur do a few simple exercises to see where his skill was at, and he was quite surprised and happy with what he saw. ¡°Considering how not that long ago you just started practicing enchanting magic you are quite a ways down that path, though you have developed a few bad habits that I will be immediately correcting.¡±


    Those bad habits were him holding the talisman as he inscribed it instead of just using aeromancy to levitate it and spin it as it was needed, the second was taking his time when painting the inscriptions. Apparently he would have been going at a faster yet moderate pace which would somehow improve the quality of the inscriptions and by extension the energy consumption allowing the talisman to be used for longer.


    To test this Henry had Arthur create a candle talisman and do it as quickly as was demanded. ¡°Now take this talisman and test and see just how long it will run for, I suspect that you will be surprised by just how much of a change that little extra speed will have made.¡± Henry smiled as he handed the talisman back to Arthur.


    For the remainder of the lesson Henry just had Arthur make several more talismans while giving his opinion of how he could have improved them. It mostly came down to thinner inscriptions, smother painting, and not touching it with his hands as he made it. At the end Henry decided that he would keep the mall aside from the one that he gave to Arthur and told to watch, but Arthur wasn¡¯t all that mad about it. While his enchanting didn¡¯t reach level 3 like he was hoping he could feel that he made significant progress.

 Chapter 146

    Arthur sat up from his bed with a full night of rest and practically jumped out to get ready for the day. Apparently it was the first of Granite again and the beginning of a new year, the 1149 year of the third era to be exact, but the thing that most excited Arthur was apparently all the snow would be melting as the temperatures would rise back to how it was when he first arrived in Antium.


    Rushing over to his window he practically shoved it open to take a look outside. Like what he was told by both Calavia and Gaelin the snow had indeed melted somewhat, the snow banks were around half the size that they were the day before and most of the snow on the road looked to be gone. ¡®Praise be the god that brings us spring.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself as he closed the window and started getting ready for the day.


    Quickly putting on his overcoat he stepped into the kitchen area to start making himself and his apprentice breakfast as it was a very important meal, the very first one in fact. Shortly after Gaelin sleepily walked into the room and sat at the table, he practically had to force himself to keep from falling asleep at the table.


    ¡°Didn''t sleep very well last night?¡± Arthur asked even though he already knew the answer.


    ¡°Yeah, I had trouble sleeping last night. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of home and my family for that matter, I wonder how they¡¯ve been doing without me.¡±


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t you tell me about your home, it might help you feel better if you talk about it with someone.¡± Gaelin looked a little squeamish at that idea, but he eventually nodded and began talking about his home, the wood elf grove known as Sahil.


    ¡°My home is a wood elven grove which is like a human or dwarven city, it is known in our language as Sahil. The grove is down south near the border of the kingdom, and I don¡¯t exactly get along with most of the people living there at the moment, my family included.¡±


    Arthur nearly stopped what he was doing as he heard that, he couldn¡¯t understand why someone wouldn¡¯t be on good terms with their family. But instead of saying something he allowed Gaelin to continue.


    ¡°These disagreements as you could call them started when I was little, my older brothers Zaos and Rydel would always do mean things to me or someone else and whenever I would try and tell my parents about it they would just brush me off and tell me to stop whining about it. When I got older I would try and prove what they were doing but my parents would just get mad at me instead for ¡®making things up¡¯. The worst thing about it was that if something was even in the slightest my fault they would yell at me like I killed someone.¡±


    At this point Gaelin began rubbing his temples in an attempt to calm himself down to little effectiveness. So Arthur decided to ask something just slightly off topic to get his mind off his clearly abusive parents. ¡°Do you have any other siblings that didn¡¯t bully you as a child and into adulthood?¡± Arthur was a little worried that he would just make things worse by asking, but thankfully Gaelin seemed to be relaxing as he thought of his other siblings.


    ¡°I have a sister named Dilya, she was always nice to be unlike my parents and brothers. ¡°When I last saw her she was working with the herbalists, she always wanted to be one when she became an adult. By now she will probably be a full fledged herbalist, she can probably even make a few basic potions on her own like I can.¡± Unlike how he spoke of his parents and brothers Arthur could tell that he missed his sister, she might have been the only person in his life that was even remotely nice to him.


    ¡°Perhaps one day you will have an opportunity to go back and see her again, I am sure that she would be just as happy as you would be.¡± Arthur suggested, Gaelin nodded and smiled.


    ¡°Perhaps, though I would rather avoid my parents and my brothers. They would only be a headache to see again, though my brothers will have likely landed themselves in prison by now considering they aren¡¯t children anymore and can actually be punished by the law properly now.¡± Arthur noticed a slight grin at that statement, Gaelin definitely did not care from his very much, in fact he likely wished downfall upon them.


    Shortly after the conversation ended Arthur finished cooking their breakfast, they both got their own bowl of stew with meat and a few dried vegetables that Arthur had laying around in his cupboard. Quickly scarfing it down the two started going about their business, Arthur began creating more liquid talismans for Calavia and her clinic to use while Gaelin began brewing a few potions in the alchemy room.


    By around noon Arthur was finished with the talismans and stepped into the alchemy room to begin creating the daily two pounds of spark powder that he would later sell to the guild. But just as he had everything set up and was about to start three loud knocks came from the front door, even from such a distance Arthur could feel the strength from the knocks indicating that it wasn¡¯t Calavia at the door. She was strong, but that was in terms of her magic power, not physical power.


    Cautiously walking towards the door keeping his hands at the ready to cast a spell Arthur slowly clacked the door open to see who it was on the other side, to his surprise it was someone he hadn''t seen in quite some time. ¡°Citro? What brings you to my humble home?¡± Arthur addressed his former ally who was dressed in more casual clothes than the steel plate armor he wore during the expedition of Dom Badaher.


    ¡°Good afternoon Arthur, may I come inside?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Arthur said as he opened the door to allow Citro inside, while he was a little confused as to how he found his home he assured that he must have a very good reason for reaching out. ¡°Can I get you something to drink, water perhaps?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, some water would be nice.¡± Arthur walked over to his cupboard and bright out a cup and filled it with water from the moisture in the air before handing it to Citro. ¡°Impressive, you have learned a lot since we last saw each other. That was around a year ago now isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Closer to ten months, but yes, it has been close to a year since we have last spoken. So what can I do for you? I assume you didn¡¯t come just to have a chat about Dom Badaher.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I am here on behalf of Lyra Vettonius, she wishes to extend an offer of temporary membership within her mercenary group in the event that a war between the Rathen Kingdom and the Yolan Empire is to break out. Since you had shown to be a quick learner she wanted to offer you an opportunity to take part in what she and the rest of the crew do without making anything permanent.¡±


    ¡®War between the Kingdom and the Empire? This sounds very serious, I recall Cassia back in Dom Badaher talking about the last time that happened several years ago. She didn¡¯t give much in terms of details, but she painted a gruesome picture of what the Empire was willing to do to a few small towns and villages that pose no tactical significance.¡¯


    ¡°Why? Does she think there is a high probability that war will break out again soon?¡± Arthur sifted nervously, fighting bandits was one thing, they just wanted your valuables and many are willing to just take a few things and allow you to go on your way. The Empire on the other hand based on what he heard were nothing like that, they did terrible things not for money or territory, but to send a message. A message of fear and death.


    ¡°The Empire has been placing a good portion of its military and several mercenary units on the border close to the Niveis mountain range. The general consensus is that the empire is interested in the Niveis pass where the borders meet through to the opposite side of the mountain range. It would be economically beneficial if they could control the most effective way into the north as the only other option would be to travel by boat.¡±


    ¡°And since war is on the horizon just about every mercenary in the Kingdom is going to be hired and sent towards the front lines. Since Lyra is running her own mercenary group she wants to see if I am interested in joining up, even if it is only temporary.¡±


    ¡°Technically I am here to invite you to a test of sorts that will determine if you are skilled enough to join. If you do not pass then you will not receive the offer. All the relevant information is within this letter I have here for you.¡± Citro handed Arthur a letter he kept in his back pocket. The paper was of high quality and had an air of nobility attached to it.


    ¡°I should get going now, I have a few things I need to attend to but I hope to see you soon.¡± Citro quickly left through the front door leaving Arthur at the table alone. Slowly he opened the letter and found that it was written by Lyra herself.


    I hope this letter finds you well Arthur, as I hope Citro has explained to you war is brewing on the border between the Kingdom and the Empire. The Niveis pass is a highly valuable economic location that at the moment is shared by both the kingdom and the empire. When war does break out just about all the mercenary groups within both the Kingdom and Empire will likely be mobilised to minimise the losses of official soldiers, my group will be one of those and I would like to offer you an opportunity to become a temporary member.


    I will be holding a tryout so to speak in a week''s time at my residence located within the northern district.


    I hope to see you then.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lyra Vettonius</li>


    </ul>


    On the bottom of the letter was an address that led somewhere in the northern district.


    ¡®A tryout, to join a group of mercenaries, to fight in an upcoming war. Shit.¡¯ Arthur stared at the letter as he tried to decide what he wanted to do. Joining would present a risk of dying, but it would give him an opportunity to meet with Lyra and her mercenaries again. Saying no on the other hand would definitely shut them out of his life, probably permanently.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Gaelin suddenly asked while exiting the alchemy room startling Arthur in the process. ¡°It''s just an offer I received from an old friend.¡± Arthur said, trying to brush the topic off, the last thing Gaelin needed was to hear about a war.


    ¡°Oh, do you plan on taking that offer?¡± Gaelin could tell that Arthur was hiding details, but instead of pushing for more he just asked a simpler question that was more likely to receive a truthful answer.


    ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t know. It would definitely be very good in terms of money and for my career, but it definitely comes with some risks involved. I might ask Calavia what she thinks about it.¡± A little annoyed that he wanted Calavia¡¯s opinion and now his own Gaelin walked back into the alchemy room hoping that he could take this off his mind.


    Arthur on the other hand packed up all the talismans he made for Calavia¡¯s clinic and set out towards it so he could speak with Calavia about the offer he received. This wasn¡¯t something he could just decide like that, he needed someone else''s opinion, someone who had experience in this line of work.


    *******


    Arriving at the clinic there was a small line of people waiting outside, none of which looked to be in any serious danger. Quickly Arthur squeezed by the small line and entered the building directly. The woman at the front desk looked up from the documents she was filling out and smiled, she quickly finished up with the man she was helping and then turned to Arthur. ¡°Good afternoon Arthur, I assume you brought the talismans with you.¡± Arthur brought out the bundle of wooden talismans in rod shape out and placed them on the table before the woman. She quickly picked one up and examined it. ¡°Very well done, I say you are improving every time you do this.¡± She placed the talisman back on the table and reached into her desk for the payment Arthur was promised in the form of five silver coins.


    Quickly double checking that he had the correct amount Arthur pocketed the money before asking if Calavia was working today. ¡°Calavia? Yes I recall she came in today, but it has been quite slow business. So she is probably tending to some of the longer term patients inside, just try not to keep her for too long, she had a job after all.¡±


    Arthur gave a small nod and walked past the front desk and into the clinic where all the patients were. Quickly he found Calavia tending to a child who had a problem with his leg. ¡°There you go, it should be all better now.¡± Calavia said to the boy no older than eight years old who up until now was clutching his leg in pain. ¡°Thank you miss.¡±


    ¡°Your welcome, now I do need to advise you to avoid doing whatever it was that caused you to sprain your ankle in the future. Because you won''t always have someone who will be able to help you fix it, ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± The boy embarrassingly said and he got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked towards his mother who was just a few meters away.


    When Calavia Turned to see who her next patient was she was surprised to see Arthur was standing there. ¡°Oh, hey Arthur. What brings you here?¡±

 Chapter 147

    ¡°Good afternoon Calavia. Do you have a moment? I need to discuss something with you quickly.¡± Arthur said as he brought Calavia over towards the empty part of the building where he hoped that he would remain unheard be everyone else in the clinic.


    ¡°Of course. What is it that you wanted to tell me?¡± Calavia said as she followed Arthur. ¡®I hope this isn¡¯t something really serious, he looks really worried about something.¡¯


    Once Arthur was certain that they wouldn¡¯t be overheard by anyone he sat down on the nearby bench and began telling Calavia of what happened. ¡°Today I received an offer from an old friend to join her mercenary group for an upcoming war with the Empire. They are having a tryout in a week for me and a few other people that they have an interest in, and I wanted to ask what you think I should do. I know you don¡¯t like talking about what happened just before we met, but your experience would be helpful for my decision.¡±


    Though Calavia was trying to hide it Arthur could see that she was just as worried as he was, perhaps not for the same reasons as her brother was in the military and would be fighting the empire on the front lines, but it was somewhat comforting to know she understood the situation. ¡°What do you want to do Arthur?¡±


    Calavia kept her voice down as she asked, but Arthur could hear it clearly. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. These are people I know and I would consider friends despite not seeing them for quite some time. I want to be with them and help them, but I haven''t been in a war before. I doubt it would be anything like hunting down bandits in a forest, or killing goblins.¡±


    The two sat there for around a minute not saying anything while avoiding eye contact. The atmosphere around the two was saddening and worrying with both fully aware of it.


    ¡°If you decided to go and join them, then I am going as well.¡± Calavia broke the silence and gave Arthur a massive shock at the same time. ¡°What about your job? I know this wasn''t your first choice, but I know you enjoy helping people.¡±


    ¡°Well what about my brother, if I go with you I might be able to see him and keep him safe. I might be able to keep both of you safe, I am a conjurer in the mages guild after all. I have been one for almost a year now, casting tier three spells is something I used to do on a regular. The only reason I stopped is because several people I cared about died while we were in that ruin.¡± Calavia¡¯s voice trembled as she recalled what happened in those terrible ruins, but she didn¡¯t break. She still had her brother and family, and now someone else.


    ¡°I might not have been able to do anything against that thing, but I won''t be fighting against anything like that. We will be fighting people, and I know it is a lot easier to kill people than things. I don¡¯t care what you are thinking, if you are joining, so am I.¡±


    Arthur was taken back by her words and demand. While he could tell she was fearful it was only because he had been such good friends with her for such a long time. She was telling the truth when she said she was coming with him and he could tell she wasn¡¯t going to take no as an answer. ¡°Alright, you can come with me, but I don''t know what they are going to say. I will of course vouch for you, but the final choice will be theirs.¡±


    Calavia smiled at these words, her previous demeanor of fear and worry hidden by false bravery near instantly melted away and was replaced by a small happiness. ¡°Thank you Arthur.¡± Suddenly Calavia reached in for a hug surprising Arthur in the process. ¡°Just let me know when the tryout is so I can take that day off from work.¡±


    ********


    One week later on the eighth of Granite Arthur followed by Calavia arrived at the address listed on the bottom of the letter he was given a week before. They found themselves at a manor in the northern district decorated with a small flower garden and a few banners depicting a mage cloaked in a blue robe wielding a staff with a purple gemstone on the end with a white background.


    The two slowly walked up to the door looking around for someone as this was the first time either had arrived at the home of a noble. When they found themselves at the front door made from thick dark wood Arthur gave a few loud knocks hoping that was what they were supposed to do, after a few seconds they could hear the door being unlocked from the other side and an older woman dressed as a maid opened it.


    ¡°I assume the two of you are here for the tryouts.¡± The maid said as she ushered the two inside. ¡°Just follow the hallway down to the back door and walk through it. You will find the misses out there waiting for you.¡± Arthur and Calavia quickly thanked the maid and began walking down the hall. The hall wasn¡¯t all that large, but it did give them both an opportunity to take a peek in each of the rooms they passed. On the left side of the house was a living room that looked to be worth many gold coins, and after it was a small library. On the right side was a kitchen with a small amount of cooks moving about followed by what appeared to be a pantry which likely shared a door between where neither Arthur nor Calavia could see.


    Like the front door the back door was made from a thick and dark wood, but it was open allowing the two to see that there were several people out there already waiting. Lyro and Citro were standing to the side while a group of around ten were standing around chatting.


    Upon seeing the two Lyra waved Arthur over with a smile, but once he was close enough that they could whisper the smile quickly faded. ¡°Hey Arthur, I¡¯m not trying to be rude but I only invited you to take part in the tryouts. So why did you bring a friend here?¡±


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    ¡°Sorry, but she is a close friend with a history of dead friends and some trauma from it. She made me promise to bring her along if I were to join you, she is also quite a capable mage herself. Around a year ago she became a conjurer within the guild, so her skills are definitely up to par. Just give her a chance like you are giving me one.¡± Lyra looked to Calavia and back to Arthur with a hint of suspicion in her eyes before she finally answered. ¡°Fine, but I will be putting her through just as much as I am putting you all through.¡±


    With another person taking part in the tryouts Lyra and Citro had to spend a little bit more time getting everything ready, but once they did they quickly separated the mages from the non mages with Citro taking the non mages and Lyra with the mages. Arthur, Calavia, and the other five mages followed Lyro over to the left side of the house while the others followed Citro to the right side.


    ¡°Alright everyone, I will be testing your skills as a mage through several different means. I am assuming that you have a good grasp over the four evocations and that is what I will be testing, we will be starting with pyromancy. Does anyone have any questions?¡±


    Unsurprisingly no one said anything allowing Lyra to continue. ¡°Very well then. I want each of you spaced out and to conjure up as much fire as you can control above your head, like this.¡± Lyra raised her hands above her head and conjured up a massive ball of fire, larger than anything Arthur or even Calavia could do.


    Once she quickly ended her demonstration the seven mages quickly found their own spot and quickly began conjuring up as much fire in the shape of a ball as they could. Unsurprisingly Calavia was the best of the seven in all the evocations with Arthur ending up in second place overall by a few points which Lyro handed out. Those who failed to meet her expectations for even a single evocation were quickly disqualified and made to leave leaving only four mages left.


    ¡°Since we have a nice and even number, why don¡¯t we have a competition to see who is best and test how skilled you are in putting your magic into combat.¡± The third and fourth ranking mages looked towards Arthur and Calavia with a bit of worry, while they didn¡¯t know them specifically they understood that they must have had some sort of combat experience just based on their own expressions. While Calavia looked rather calm Arthur looked more stoic in their eyes.


    Lyro quickly mixed them up so that Arthur was with the fourth place woman and Calavia was with the third place man. Lyra had Calavia and the third placed man go first in a first strike style competition where the first hit would result in an out regardless of if it hurt at all. This way they would prioritise keeping themselves safe over rushing into combat and getting themselves killed, a common result that happened with young mages in Lyra¡¯s experience that she wanted to snuff out as fast as possible.


    Standing around five meters apart from each other Calavia and the third place man both took a stance preparing themselves to conjure up their chosen evocation at the moment they needed to. ¡®Since this is a first strike match casting complex spells wont do all that much good, we will both need to conjure up something as fast as possible either for offence or defence. I am betting that he knows he can''t beat me in a drawn out fight, so odds are he will try and take me out quickly with a few small attacks before I can fight back.¡¯


    Calavia took note of her opponent''s stance, the way his hands and body were positioned would allow for him to more easily propel the earth below his feet towards her. He on the other hand didn¡¯t even appear to be looking at her stance, instead he was staring at her like this was his first fight, which it might have been.


    Snapping her fingers and creating a small spark and crack Lyra signaled the beginning of the match, and like Calavia expected her opponent immediately went to strike using the earth below his feet to do so. She quickly did the same but used that earth to form a wall that easily blocked the attack. Calavia then used the earth that she used for her wall and split it into several small pieces along the top before propelling them forwards with a forward gesture from her hands.


    This quick counterattack caught her opponent off guard and left him unable to defend himself, he was hit with all of the pieces of earth in rapid succession with the force of something their own size being thrown by a professional. He fell to the ground clutching where he was struck and shouting. ¡°Ow ow ow ow!¡±


    Calavia didn¡¯t say anything, she just took a deep breath and stepped back to where both Arthur and his opponent were standing. Both of them looked at Calavia with shock and worry in their eyes, and Arthur was a little worried about her display. ¡®I don¡¯t think I have ever seen her do anything like that. Was it a mistake telling her about this?¡±


    While Arthur was having second thoughts about Lyra walked over to the third place man who was still crying from being hit by the earth balls. She first casted that appeared to do nothing to the man physically but told her something as her face showed, then she touched his chest and casted a tier one restoration spell. ¡°You were hit quite hard, you would have had several bruises all over your chest the size of grapes if we just left you there.¡±


    The man looked at Lyra with tear filled eyes and gave a small smile as he felt the pain slowly subside. ¡°Thank you, it was really really painful.¡±


    Lyra just smiled and casted the levitation spell on the man to carry him off to the side where he would be out of the way for the next round between Arthur and the fourth place woman.


    The two took a similar position to what Calavia and her opponent did roughly five meters apart. Unlike the man before her, the woman before Arthur was checking his stance to see what he was going to do and he did the same, though neither really knew what to look for. Arthur had a very basic understanding of tactics, but that was mostly limited to melee fights which he hadn''t done in quite some time.


    Just in case Arthur decided to go with a defensive stance like Calavia did and hopefully try and defeat his opponent without leaving her on the ground and crying. Like the time before Lyra snapped her fingers creating some sparks and a crack signaling the beginning of the match, both contestants immediately used the earth below them to create a wall for their own defense, surprising each other. For a moment everything went silent as they both tried thinking of ways to attack each other without leaving themselves vulnerable.


    The woman decided to try and brute force the fight and simply began throwing everything she had at Arthur. She used both the earth around her and that which she conjured to try and overwhelm him. Arthur was thus forced to reinforce his wall and shaped it into a sort of wedge that would prevent the attacks from putting all their force directly on, this would hopefully reduce the force applied and allow it to keep its structural integrity for longer.


    With a decent defense created it was time to think of a way to counter attack that was sure to either leave her at the disadvantage to take her out entirely.

 Chapter 148

    ¡®I could just wait for her to run out of mana before returning fire, but I don¡¯t know when that might happen. It would be quicker and less dangerous to put forth my own precise strike, something that can pierce the gap between her armor plates so to speak.¡¯ Despite the hail of attacks flying towards him he kept an eye on his opponent always, it was something that he still did that Hambel taught him in the depths of Dom Badaher.


    ¡®I see no reason why I should do exactly as she is, such a straightforward approach had its benefits in an enclosed space but in an open area it could just go around.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he conjured up a small ball of earth, the ball was no larger than his own hand but just small enough to pack a punch and be hard to see. With a small wave of his fingers the ball shot away in a clockwise rotation around the clutter that made up the hailstorm of earth and fire.


    With a sudden and loud thump Arthur¡¯s opponent fell to the ground along with all the earth he was controlling, what she had conjured disappeared like it had never even existed.


    Lyra smiled at this display of tactical thinking, while it wasn¡¯t something extraordinary it was enough to separate Arthur from the common fools that she normally dealt with. In a way this made him superior to Calavia who was a full rank ahead of him in the mages guild and spell tier, perhaps he would make a good apprentice as well, only time would tell her this answer.


    ¡°Incredible work Arthur, that was something I wasn¡¯t expecting to see put on display here. Unfortunately miss Seia, you have lost the round. Though you did give an impressive display of your magical talents for all of us, that of course counts for something.¡± Seia of course wasn¡¯t really paying any attention to what Lyra was saying, she was more preoccupied with the bruise she would be getting in a few hours. Thankfully Lyra could see this and quickly walked over to cast a restoration spell for both the pain and the bruise.


    ¡°Now that just leaves the two of you left, if you would like I can allow a short break to recover your mana but i would like to get this out of the way as quick as possible.¡± Once Lyra was done casting her spell she turned to both Arthur and Calavia who were standing looking a little surprised by her statement.


    ¡°What!? The two of you need to have a match now to see who is the most skilled mage in terms of combat capabilites. I will be doing the same with these two here once they are both on their feet, I do need to know if my candidates are up to standard before I invite them to join.¡± Arthur worriedly looked to Calavia hoping that she would object.


    ¡°Of course ma¡¯am, we have no reason to interfere with the process. I am more than ready to start whenever you are ready Arthur.¡± Calavia looked to Arthur with a smile while Arthur gave her a look of betrayal. ¡®She is more than happy to beat me up. Is this some sort of revenge for not wanting to include her in my initial plans?¡¯


    By the time Arthur was about to object to this Calavia was already standing in her position and looking on at Arthur expectantly. ¡°Are you coming Arthur? I can¡¯t wait here forever.¡±


    Calavia smiled as she talked, she enjoyed pushing Arthur around like this. ¡®Definitely some sort of revenge, but that raises the question of what for.¡¯


    Now with the expectant gaze of both Lyra and Calavia, Arthur reluctantly walked over to his side of the ¡®arena¡¯ and readied himself. Like with the previous two rounds they were given a few seconds to think before the match began, Arthur used this to look at Calavia and try and understand what she was doing. ¡®She is doing the same thing she did with the last guy, that probably means she is going to go on the defensive before counterattacking and taking me out quickly. The only way I will stand a chance in this is if I quickly form up a shield wall and watch what she is doing.¡¯ Suddenly Lyra snapped her fingers and the match started.


    Surprised by the sudden start thinking that he would have had more time Arthur hastily and clumsily used the earth below his feet to build a thin wall to block any attacks from Calavia while she also did the same but much more efficiently and thicker. Arthur then moved to shape it so it would partly deflect the attacks it was struck with, Calavia on the other hand began winding up her attacks in the form of three balls of earth around the size of his own head.


    With just a small gesture the three balls were fired towards Arthur with great force, enough so that several cracks were formed upon contact with the shield he created. Almost as soon as the balls struck they returned to Calavia¡¯s side and she began creating three more.


    ¡®Dam it, she is going to keep doing this until I run out of mana. For every attack she is creating three more balls that she will use against me, the only way for me to last against this long term is if I can either destroy those balls or if I improve my shield enough to prepare something else.¡¯ Arthur¡¯s eyes began darting around to see if there was even the slightest advantage he could get from this, but he couldn¡¯t see anything that might be.


    As the amount of earth balls Calavia had under her command increased from six to nine and from nine to twelve Arthur kept his eyes trained on her every move, but still he could find anything that he could exploit. The only this that he could do was reinforce and empower his shield wall to protect himself from the ever growing strength of Calavia¡¯s attacks.


    On the fifth attack Arthur¡¯s shield finally fell from all but one of the earth balls striking at the same time, the final ball shot past through the collapsing shield and struck Arthur straight in the gut and knocked him into the ground. The force was so great that he could feel the air within his lungs being forced out from just how much speed was behind it.


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    Laying there on the ground Arthur half expected to suddenly feel the pain from the impact slowly start like a burn, but aside from a bit of soreness he didn¡¯t really feel anything.


    ¡°Congratulations Calavia, you are the number one of this group. That makes Arthur number two.¡± Lyra smiled as she saw Arthur slowly standing up on his own. ¡®I guess I should be thankful that he isn¡¯t a glass cannon and can actually take a few hits before he goes down. Most mages aren''t like that, though I do recall him using a sword and wearing armor when we first found him.¡¯


    ¡°Are you alright there Arthur? I know a few healing spells if you need them.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I''m alright. Just a little stiff from the impact.¡± Arthur walked back to where Calavia and Lyra were standing while touching his gut where he was struck, while it wasn¡¯t particularly painful it was still a little sensitive.


    ¡°Very well. Now that we have our competition out of the way I have decided to offer the both of you an invitation to join my mercenary group for a short time. Since the both of you have shown that you possess excellent magical skills I think you would make excellent additions to the crew, the other two here I will need to be a little more thorough about before I decide.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Lyra, we would both be happy to join your mercenary group. But what is the name of the group? It would be a lot easier to talk about it if we didn¡¯t need to speak using general statements.¡± Calavia has a habit of making decisions for other people as well as being a little rude, though Lyra didn¡¯t notice even though Arthur did.


    ¡°Of course, of course. It is a bad habit of mine, my mercenary group is known as the Flock of War. My brother was actually the one to come up with the name, and even though I haven¡¯t been to a war before I couldn¡¯t think of anything better.¡±


    ¡°So will you tell us when the situation in question has happened or will we need to ask you every so often about it. We do have a few things going on in each of our respective lives and keeping up with all the politics might not be something we can do.¡± ¡®We need to get away from things like the name of the mercenary group. I would like to know how we will learn about the impending war and what exactly will happen regarding it.¡¯


    Calavia looked at Arthur with a bit of annoyance, she definitely had a few more questions for Lyra that she probably wouldn¡¯t be getting answers to. Lyra on the other hand was happy to move onto the more important reasons as to why they were there.


    ¡°Of course. We will be the ones to send you a letter informing you of when there is an official declaration. Since these things don¡¯t just progress overnight you will have a day or two to get ready before you can come to us. When you do get our letter you should come to this same place, the staff will allow you inside and we will meet with you and explain everything important. That of course will include your pay and any other benefits.¡±


    **********


    Twelve days passed since the tryouts for the Flock of War mercenary group, the other two mages didn¡¯t manage to be accepted by Lyra and instead were told to continue practicing and return at a later date. Neither stayed long enough to find out those who used physical weapons were accepted, instead they figured they would find out when or if they were called upon, and eventually that happened.


    As Arthur was just finishing up a very basic fire dart talisman, one of the few directly offensive talismans he could create, a loud knock could be heard from his front door. Though a little annoyed by the sudden visitor Arthur stood up and walked over to the door regardless. Outside and waiting was a messenger carrying a letter.


    ¡°I am here to deliver a letter to a Mr. Arthur.¡± The messenger was wearing a set of clothes far too valuable and too new for someone who delivered packages and letters for the common folk year round. This was someone sent by someone wealthy directly, most likely Lyra.


    ¡°That would be me.¡± Arthur reached out his hand expectantly for whatever was being delivered. The messenger pulled a letter from a satchel he wore over his shoulder and handed it over before he turned to leave.


    Arthur quickly removed the string binding the paper together and looked upon the well made parchment. To his confirmed worries it was indeed a letter from Lyra, and she was telling him it was time to prepare for war. Something about his letter just didn''t feel real, for a moment everything just sort of slowed down as he started at the letter. When he eventually looked back up the messenger was nowhere to be found, likely already delivering something else.


    ¡®I never really thought this would actually happen. I knew I was taking a risk in doing this, but it never really occurred to me that this would end up happening.¡¯


    Arthur slowly returned back inside his home and took a seat at the table. He didn¡¯t have the motivation to continue with his talismans despite his improved skill in that regard.


    Gaelin could still he heard brewing his potions and singing to himself in the alchemy room, Arthur wondered how he would break the news to him about how he wasn¡¯t going to be around for the time being, several months or even a year.


    Taking a small handful of the fire dart talismans he placed them to the side of the table, he was originally going to sell them but it might be a better idea to let Gaelin keep these just in case he needs them. It is springtime again and everyone is getting outside again, especially the criminal elements who might do something like they have been for the entire time he has lived in the city.


    ¡®I guess the best thing I can do is prepare him for something bad to happen, other than that I don¡¯t really know what else I can do.¡¯ Arthur looked at the newest talisman he made, it was quite simple in its functionality but it had a significantly higher mana capacity and was more powerful, both in part due to a different material and Arthur¡¯s improving skills. While the use of firewood was cheap it wasn''t very good for storing mana, just about anything else was better for this, even a random tree that you cut down yourself. This was mostly because wood that is gathered for firewood isn¡¯t needed for building things, just burning, and that along with how long it can just sit around absorbing moisture and all other things in their environment makes it not great.


    Arthur instead started to use fresh wood that he himself would cut down from the nearby forest, though so far he had only needed a single tree which he spent two whole days cutting up into small five inch rods. He was so invested while thinking about the talisman in his hand that he didn¡¯t even notice when Gaelin walked right up behind him and tapped him on his shoulder.


    ¡°Hello sir, look what I just made.¡± Gaelin presented a pale pinkish potion to Arthur, its very subtle glow gave away its magical properties. ¡°Well well, a healing potion. I see you figured it out.¡± Arthur almost laughed as he took the potion in his hands. It was quite amateurish, but it was about the same quality as the first healing potion that he created himself.

 Chapter 149

    ¡°Hey, Gaelin. This might sound a little abrupt but I am going to be leaving soon.¡± Arthur dropped the bombshell at Gaelin¡¯s feet. Gaelin looked at Arthur with confusion and worry at this abrupt statement. ¡°I''m sorry, what? What do you mean you will be leaving soon?¡±


    Gaelin looked at Arthur like he just told him he punched an elderly woman in the face. He was definitely confused, but he was more worried than anything else.


    ¡°Like I just said I am going to be leaving for likely several months, perhaps even longer than that. At this point I don¡¯t really know. I can¡¯t give you much detail on the why, but you will find out eventually and you will understand why. I plan on leaving by tonight, so we will still be able to spend some time with each other before I need to leave.¡±


    Gaelin just looked at Arthur like he didn¡¯t even hear a word of what he said. The nervous fiddling with his hands immediately came back like a terrible habit and he started avoiding eye contact. ¡°Do you need to leave at a specific time?¡±


    Seeing Gaelin¡¯s distress Arthur stood up and began to comfort him with a hug, something that he hadn''t actually done before and something that Gaelin seemed to appreciate by returning it. ¡°How about this, I will make us a nice lunch and we can spend the rest of the day just walking around the city. I think that sounds nice, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds nice. I would like to do that.¡± So the two went out and enjoyed the remainder of the day. Since it was spring all the street performers and other events that required walkable streets for both themselves and their customers.


    Most of the performances were just regular people doing some semi impressive things like juggling several balls at once or lifting something that was labelled as heavy. But the two still had their fun watching it all, they even tossed a few coins every so often when they saw something that was unique like a foreign man eating fire.


    But they eventually did need to stop as night slowly began to creep across the sky.


    ¡°Do you really need to go sir?¡± Gaelin asked while the duo started walking back to Arthur home. He didn¡¯t seem as sad as before but he still wanted Arthur to stay.


    ¡°Unfortunately I still do. I don¡¯t exactly have an explanation for not going. But don¡¯t worry, I have already taken some preparations for this. I left you a list of several businesses and what they sell so that you can keep up with selling potions even after I am gone. I also made several fire dart talismans just in case you need them, they aren''t the most powerful ones out there, but they will do wonders for someone who is fighting a few poor criminals and is in a pinch.¡± Despite his reassurances Arthur could tell that Gaelin was still worried, but he didn¡¯t know of anything else to say to ease his feelings.


    When they arrived back at Arthur¡¯s home it was already getting quite dark out, to save on time Arthur handed Gaelin the key. ¡°Now keep this safe, this is the only key I have to the house. Since I am not going to be here for a while I might as well allow you to come and go as you please.¡± Gaelin held that key like it was some sort of precious jewel.


    ¡°I will try and be back as soon as possible, alright. Just keep things standing until I come back.¡± Arthur gave one last reassuring sentence before he left for Lyra¡¯s residence in the northern district.


    *********


    Having a perfect memory aside from before Dom Badaher, Arthur easily found his way back to the residence that Lyra had the tryouts at. When he arrived he followed the instructions he was given on that day and knocked at the front door and followed the staff inside. There he found Lyra along with several members of the mercenary group waiting along with Calavia.


    ¡°Hello Arthur, I suspect that you have a good reason for not being here sooner.¡± Lyra not so subtly indicated as she walked towards him.


    ¡°Yes, I needed to make sure that my apprentice was able to keep things running while I am gone. Sorry if it took a long time doing that.¡±


    ¡°Well at least that is a half decent excuse for taking your time. We once had a member of the Flock who was late not because of personal business he needed to take care of, but because he was in a brothel enjoying himself. He didn¡¯t stay a part of the Flock for much longer.¡± Citro said as he walked down the nearby flight of stairs clad in his steel plate armor.


    ¡°There you are, does putting on your armor always take this long or were you just taking your sweet time?¡± Lyra said as she had a large grin on her face.


    ¡°We are still waiting on a few others before we will head out. Hopefully we will have the time to leave and set up camp on the road, that way we can cut down our arrival date by a bit. We just need to hope that they get here soon.¡± As he said all this to Lyra he walked by and took a seat in one of the nice chairs that were in the room. Even though he couldn''t feel the chair through his armor he looked quite comfortable and this annoyed Lyra slightly who looked away and gave an annoyed grunt.


    While waiting for the few remaining members of the Flock Arthur made some small talk with a few of the members that were in the room with him. ¡°You know this war is over the Niveis Pass just like the last one, though no one on either side has said anything about it, everyone knows both sides want exclusive access to it.¡± A tanned human woman dressed in leather armor and with a short sword and buckler on her side said to Arthur.


    ¡°What is the Niveis Pass? Does it have something to do with the Niveis Mountain range?¡±


    ¡°You clearly don¡¯t know much about the politics between the major powers, but in short that is correct. It is a massive hole that just appeared in the Niveis Mountain range around thirty or so years ago, now since it goes all the way through it has made for an excellent passage to the north beyond the mountains where most of the northmen and northwomen live allowing for easier trade between us and them. The only problem is that the pass is, or more accurately was directly in the middle of the border between the Kingdom and the Empire. For a while that wasn¡¯t a problem, until Emperor Raoul Spitzer lV became emperor after his father died.¡±


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    ¡°I assume he isn¡¯t a very diplomatic emperor.¡±


    ¡°Now that is the understatement of this era.¡± The woman said as she shook her head. ¡°Emperor Raoul Spitzer lV is a menace to the peace across this entire continent. For a little while he looked like he would follow in his fathers footsteps, but then suddenly he spun around and demanded the exclusive rights of the pass or his empire would declare war. King Gaius Caesar III tried to keep relations between the kingdom and the empire peaceful, but Spitzer wasn¡¯t having it and war was declared.¡±


    For a moment the woman went silent and just looked down at the ground. ¡®She must have taken part in the war then, she must be reliving old memories. From what I know the war was unexpectedly brutal and costly, the kingdom only barely managed to force a cease fire because of all the life that was lost and the people of the empire weren¡¯t supporting the emperor and his actions.¡¯


    ¡°I was a part of the military back then for the kingdom, I was a scout with a primary focus on reconnaissance on enemy forces. While most stories might not mention many of the things that were used by the empire that is mostly because those that fought against the few powerful demons that were summoned didn¡¯t live to tell about. During one of my earliest reconnaissance missions I was able to see a demon up close, it was one of the most terrifying things I had ever seen.¡±


    Arthur didn¡¯t say anything at this statement, he too had once encountered a demon and like what the woman just said it was terrifying. It was like every part of his body was telling him that he needed to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible, like some sort of spell was cast on him and he didn¡¯t even notice.


    ¡°All we can do is hope and pray to the gods that the empire doesn¡¯t try and use demons again to bolster their ranks. I guess that is why Lyra asked me to join this time around, if there are any demons I will find out and inform her about it.¡±


    Most of the other conversations that Arthur took part in were mostly unimportant ranging from rumors going around the city to people''s taste in women. Eventually the few remaining members of the Flock arrived, four to be exact. One was a mage, another was an archer, and the last two were carrying spears with short swords as backup weapons.


    Citro upon seeing that everyone was present stood up from his chair and walked to the center of the room. ¡°Now that everyone is here we will be leaving soon. If you have anything else that you absolutely need to bring you will have an hour to meet us by the eastern gate. If you are not there by then you will be left behind.¡±


    ********


    Everyone slowly followed Citro out of the building and towards the eastern gate. Since it was nine o¡¯clock at this point in time the streets were almost empty of people with only the city guards and the occasional citizen walking around.


    Reaching the eastern gate they found several wagons drawn by strong looking animals that carried the food and all the other things that were needed to make the journey to the border where the fighting would be happening. Thankfully no one needed to take anything that they didn¡¯t already have with them so the group numbering around twenty five left after around fifteen minutes of prepping.


    The group walked for around three hours before they stopped and made camp along the side of the road. The first thing that everyone did was set up their own tents, then a small campfire was quickly made from some nearby dry stick and grass and pyromancy. Some moisture in the air was collected and dumped around the fire to keep it from spreading.


    Arthur managed to quickly set up his own tent and looked back in the direction they came from. Most of the land they passed by from the eastern gate was flat and a good portion of that especially around the walls where most of the farmland was. He could still see part of the walls even after three hours of walking, it was a strange feeling, like when he first saw the walls from a distance on his first trip to Antium.


    ¡°Ugh, how did you manage to get your tent set up so quickly?!¡± Calavia stumbled over her tent laying across the ground next to Arthur nearly tripping over it.


    ¡°I just did what everyone else did. I put the little skeletal pieces together first before putting the actual fabric part over it.¡± Arthur answered as he turned and began walking back towards Calavia to see what she did to get such a mess.


    ¡°But that is what I was doing, it just isn¡¯t working for me. See.¡± Calavia pointed to the jumbled mess of wooden sticks that made up the skeleton of the tent as well as the fabric practically draped across it like a blanket.


    ¡°Ok, this isn¡¯t what I would call doing what everyone else did.¡± Arthur said as he walked right up to the mangled tent and yanked up on the fabric and tossed it off to the side. Like he was building a puzzle he attacked the wooden pieces together and began putting them into the x shape for the fabric to do its part.


    ¡°See, it wasn¡¯t all that hard. I honestly don¡¯t have the slightest clue what you were doing when you tried.¡± Arthur not so happily presented the finished tent to Calavia who gave him a hug out of happiness.


    ¡°Thank you Arthur, honestly outdoor stuff like this isn¡¯t really my thing. I always needed help setting up my tents when I did stuff like this more often.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± Calavia gave Arthur a weak punch in retaliation for the little insult and the feeling of embarrassment he gave her before she quickly walked towards the fire.


    Several members of the Flock were also standing around the fire, some were already drinking what was likely to be alcohol. The rest were engaging in small talk that Arthur couldn¡¯t hear from such a distance. But instead of following Calavia and going to the fire like almost everyone else, he walked over to his tent and crawled inside and sat down.


    Closing his eyes and listening to the amount of noise was limited mostly to rustling plants nearby, the voices from around the fire were mostly unhearable from where he was sitting. Laying back on the sleeping role that he and everyone else within the Flock were given, Arthur kept his eyes closed and started to relax while still listening to the soft sounds.


    Outside and around the fire everyone but a small handful of the Flock were standing around talking. Most of what was being said was just small talk, but Lyra and Citro were talking about something a bit more serious just out of hearing range of everyone else.


    ¡°Are you sure this was a smart idea? You know what Julia said about the last war, how the empire had summoned demons to act as their shock troops. We had difficulty facing just one demon warlock in the past, I don¡¯t know how we will fare against several at once.¡±


    ¡°We are also stronger than we were then. We know a lot more than we did then as well, and unlike the military we can retreat if we can¡¯t hold the line.¡±

 Chapter 150

    Arthur slowly opened his eyes as the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling around outside his tent. He took a moment to collect his thoughts while he laid down. After a minute he slowly sat up and then stood up before exiting his tent and stepping outside. Taking a quick look around he saw that most of the tents were occupied with their owners except for around five or so. Those five people were instead standing around the smoldering fire.


    The first person he recognized was Citro, and he was standing with four dwarves who were drinking more alcohol. Citro tossing a few dry sticks on the fire hoping that he could get the fire going a bit since it was still a little chilly so early in the morning and the cook would need something to cook everyone breakfast.


    Arthur slowly made his way through the twenty five or so tents careful not to touch any on his way. When he got within a few meters of the fire Citro turned and saw him, immediately he smiled and waved him over which Arthur followed.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur, could you help me out with this and give me a spark or two.¡± Citro held out the stick he had been using to poke the fire with.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Arthur said as he reached over with his hand and conjured a handful of fire and engulfed the top third of the stick with. Quickly the stick began to radiate heat and Citro placed it atop of the other sticks he had in the fire spot and it slowly began to spread.


    ¡°Thank you for that. Magic has never really been my thing. I always found swords and spears to be quicker and more effective than learning how to use magic.¡±


    ¡°From what I understand only around half of all people have the necessary talent or time to spend learning just basic manipulation, when you start counting things past that it gets even smaller dropping to around forty percent. Using a talisman would be a lot easier than learning how to conjure up flames on your own, like this one.¡± Arthur brought out one of the candle talismans he kept in his bag just in case and showed it to Citro.


    ¡°This talisman here can conjure up a small flame roughly equivalent to a candle. I gave a few to my apprentice when I was teaching him pyromancy. This should be enough to get a fire going as long as you have some kindling to start with.¡± Arthur smiled as he handed the talisman over to Citro. Given his own magical capabilities he had no need for it. The only reason why he was keeping it around was because he didn¡¯t have anywhere else to put it.


    Citro looked rather surprised by the sudden gesture and took the talisman in his left hand, he looked over it taking note of its design and the material used. ¡°Did you make this yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did. I started making talismans a little over a month ago now. How does it compare to the more professional made talismans?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it''s pretty good for someone only doing it for a month. If you keep progressing like you have been I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you could make a living out of just enchanting stuff. Is there anything specific within the field of enchanting that you are interested in?¡±


    ¡°Golems, definitely golems. I think they''re really cool and would be of great help when it comes to my future goals. Though I suspect that I will need someone to teach me more about them before I can get to doing anything real complex.¡±


    ¡°Golems? What gave you an interest in golems? From what I understand it is something that requires significant skill in both enchanting and alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Oh it does, and I am an alchemist. I actually found an old book that has a few diagrams of golems and it looked really cool. When I actually saw a golem for the first time I immediately knew that I wanted something like that, it was easily the coolest thing I had ever seen.¡±


    Arthur and Citro continued their conversation regarding golems and magic while the dwarves that were also standing around the fire started to listen in. Magic was something that most dwarves couldn¡¯t do regardless of what type it was. It was like the universe itself was playing tricks on them by withholding such power from them, that was why they found such interest in what Arthur was saying. The fact that he could make talismans was something they were considering asking about.


    ¡°Say lad, would you by any chance be willing to sell any of those talismans you make?¡± A middle aged dwarf with a thick black beard asked Arthur the moment there was a pause in his conversation.


    ¡°Well at the moment I don¡¯t have any talismans that I am willing to sell, but I do have the materials that I need to make more.¡± Arthur reached into his bag and pulled out one of the five bottles filled with magic ink, this one being around half filled. ¡°I usually bring these around with me to avoid thieves stealing them.¡±


    The face of the dwarf lit up slightly as he saw the bottle in Arthur¡¯s hand and he almost immediately began asking for a talisman. ¡°Could you make me something like what you gave him? Getting fires going with flint or spark stones is always a pain in the ass to do.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, I will need to charge you though, for the materials and the time needed.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t expect anything less than that. How much would you think something like that would cost me?¡± The dwarf smiled and reached for his coin purse.


    ¡°For a candle talisman I would say two copper coins would be more than enough as compensation. Since they aren''t very hard to make and use only a small amount of ink and the wood is no issue to collect.¡± Upon hearing what he found to be a very cheap price the dwarf couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Then I will take four candle talismans as soon as possible.¡±


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    While a little caught off guard by the request Arthur smiled and walked off to the side of the camp close to the road and using his geomancy constructed a table and chair from the earth below his feet. Once he had the structure built he used a touch of hydromancy to collect a bit of water from the moisture in the air and combined it with the dirt making it stick together more effectively than on its own.


    With a decent workstation Arthur brought out the four wooden rods and the half filled bottle of ink that he would be using to create the talismans for the dwarf.


    To start Arthur used his hydromancy to draw the engravings across the surface of the first rod. Before moving onto the actual casting Arthur took a moment to admire the almost web-like intricate set of engravings that covered a good portion of the rod''s surface.


    Using aeromancy to levitate the rob an inch above the table Arthur began casting the spells that would give the talisman its mana reserves and functionality. Taking around fifteen minutes to make sure that he did everything correctly left Arthur with the finished candle talisman. Before he said anything he looked it over and watched as the engravings slowly disappeared becoming magical pathways instead of physical.


    Happy with the outcome he placed it on the end of the table and began working on the next.


    Another fifteen minutes passed with another talisman being finished with another and another until a full hour passed and Arthur had the four talismans he had set out to make.


    Taking a big stretch as he stood up Arthur collapsed the table and chain back into the ground like a tower of cards, another few gestures and the dirt had mixed back together with the earth below his feet and leaving it almost unrecognizable.


    With the four talismans in hand Arthur walked back to the four dwarves ready to finish up the sale. On the way he took notice of all the open tents, and around the fire where there used to only be five now were around fifteen. The one in the center was a familiar face, Theo the cook that taught him how to cook some very basic meals during their shared time during the expedition of Dom Badaher.


    Theo looked to be cooking something in a large pot that as he got closer started to smell really good. The line of people was around ten people long so instead of getting in line Arthur decided he would finish up the sale with the talismans and then when the line would have shortened a little he would get something to eat.


    ¡®Now I just need to find where my prospective customer is at the moment.¡¯ Arthur started to look around the camp for the dwarf that ordered the four talismans and eventually found him standing near the wagons with his three other friends with a few empty bottles nearby. From what he could hear they were telling jokes that didn¡¯t sound all that funny.


    When the dwarf noticed Arthur walking towards them he lightened up and jumped while keeping his hand raised above his head. ¡°Hey, did you get them done already?¡±


    ¡°I did, do you have the money with you now?¡± Arthur replied as he presented the talismans.


    The dwarf looked at them with the eyes of a child being offered candy. ¡°Yes, yes. Just give me a moment.¡± The dwarf replied as he quickly reached into his purse to pay the eight copper coins. Once the coins were in Arthur''s hand he handed over the talismans to his customer who immediately turned around and spoke with his friends.


    ¡°Here, everyone take one. It is a magic talisman that makes fire.¡± Each of the dwarfs that were more interested in their jokes suddenly turned to their companion like he was offering them free gold. Quickly they each snatched up their own talisman and began admiring the magical craftsmanship that was put into it. ¡°Incredible, such a small thing creating so much.¡±


    The four dwarves with the alcohol in their blood and the talismans in their hands were more than satisfied for the time being, so Arthur left and began walking back to the fire to receive his own portion of the food that was being served which turned out to be a simple soup containing a few different vegetables and some dried meat.


    ¡°Good morning Arthur, how have you been doing?¡± Theo smiled as he handed Arthur a bowl full of soup. Arthur also smiled as he received the bowl. ¡°Good, I¡¯ve continued learning magic and I even joined the mages guild. I am an evoker within the guild so now I can learn all of the more interesting magics like enchanting and restoration.¡±


    ¡°So quickly? From what I understood it normally takes around twice as long to become that powerful as a mage. You must be extremely dedicated to your craft.¡±


    ¡°I am, but I am also very talented and naturally gifted. Combine that with some excellent teachers and you get incredible progress like mine.¡±


    Theo smiled and handed another bowl of soup to the person behind Arthur informing him that the conversation was done. Arthur then walked over to where everyone else was eating their soup hoping to find Calavia and eat with her. ¡®Where is she, I would have assumed she would have wanted to eat with me as well.¡¯ Arthur circled around the group of twenty or so people looking for Calavia while his soup started to slowly cool down. Eventually he just gave up and started to eat his soup on his own.


    Shortly after he saw Calavia exit from one of the tents and walk over to Theo and get her own bowl of soup. ¡®Oh you must be kidding.¡¯ Arthur rolled his eyes at the sight. ¡®Of course she slept in, I assumed she would have been able to get back into her routine of waking up from when she did this for a living.


    Calaiva minding her own business and eating her soup off to the side was suddenly startled by someone grabbing her shoulder. She jumped and spun around while smacking it away only to find that it was Arthur with a surprised look on his face. ¡°Someone is really jumpy, did you not sleep very well last night?¡¯


    ¡°Uh, no. Not really. I wasn¡¯t used to all the noises that are a part of nature, I haven¡¯t been for quite some time. I don¡¯t even recall when I managed to drift off, but I don¡¯t think it was for very long because I am still really sleepy.¡± To further prove her point Calavia let out a large yawn that lasted for several seconds.


    ¡°You will probably get used to it soon since we will all be sleeping in a tent for the next several months I expect assuming the war doesn¡¯t suddenly end. Hopefully it happens sooner than later though so you can get a good night''s sleep.¡±


    Soon after the entire group was ordered by Citro and Lyra to pack up their tents and load them onto the wagons as they were going to be leaving in around thirty minutes. Arthur quickly rushed over to his tent and disassembled it within minutes. When he was done he looked over to Calavia who was of course having difficulty, so he walked over and helped her out. ¡°Here, take this to the wagon. I assume you don¡¯t need my help for this as well.¡±


    Scowling at the comment Calaiva took the bundled up tent and followed Arthur to the wagon where they were placed alongside everyone else''s.


    Like the two leaders said soon everything had been packed up and the Flock continued their walk towards the east following the dirt road in a two by two formation with the wagons in the middle. Citro was leading the group while Lyra was in the back along with most of the other mages, everyone else were scattered throughout the group for security and safety.

 Chapter 151

    Days passed as the mercenaries continued their journey to the eastern border of the kingdom. On the way they passed by many small towns and villages with forgettable names and the occasional traveler whether it be a merchant or a lone wayfarer travelling across the lands. Several times throughout the journey Arthur was able to forget that they were going to fight in a war with how peaceful and beautiful the scenery was.


    But eventually they reached their destination and it was nothing like what they had seen throughout the rest of their travels. A small and hastily constructed fort with a simple central building and a set of short walls was on the edge of a stretch of flat land that was nothing but stone and snow. Over in the distance Arthur could see what looked to be a massive hole where the snow was pouring out from, the edges of the hole looked almost smooth from where he stood, like it was done with a precise machine. But he wasn¡¯t here to look upon the Niveis Pass so instead he followed the rest of the Flock into the fort.


    To the credit of whoever designed the fort it wasn¡¯t quite as Arthur thought it was on the outside. The wall that surrounded the central building had two actual buildings on the north and southern sides that stretched out to somewhat block the advance. From what Arthur could tell these buildings were used as quarters for the soldiers stationed.


    Lyra and Citro led the group into the central building and into what appeared to be a mess hall of sorts. The room was lined with tables and chairs along with a few but sparse decorative pieces throughout in the form of mounted animals, the tables and chairs were also a little unique with a style unknown to Arthur.


    Someone dressed in a thick brown animal pelt like a cloak approached the group flanked by two soldiers wearing studded leather armor with a bit of chainmail as shown around their neck and head and a metal helmet that covered the top and sides of the head while leaving the face open enough to easily breath and see. They both were wielding halberds and Arthur spied a dagger strapped to each of their hips.


    ¡°Ah, Lady Vettonius, welcome to my humble fort. I believe we have some details we need to work out before we can get to work.¡± As the man got close Arthur noticed his unusually pale complexion and his unique accent unlike anyone else.


    ¡°Very well lead the way.¡± Lyra didn¡¯t appear to be surprised by the man''s complexion or accent and simply followed him to a stairway off to the side that led upwards to a second floor. Citro stayed behind, likely to keep everyone in line so nothing bad happens.


    Around ten minutes later of waiting Lyra returned with the man. ¡°I assure neither you nor your subordinates will have any difficulty finding your quarters.¡± The man handed Lyra a small slip of paper as she said which Lyra quickly looked over.


    ¡°No, I see no reason why we would. I will take them and show them right now if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Lyra replied with a hint of smugness in her voice like she was proving something or avoiding something. The man showed no sign of this however and simply smiled and wished Lyra good luck with her duties.


    Almost ignoring his words Lyra spun around and exited the building with each of her mercenaries behind her. They followed her to the southern building where they found that the quarters were actually located underground and were accessed by a central stairway that was guarded by around ten or so soldiers that also acted as a training room.


    The quarters were more accurately described as small dormitories that were able to accommodate four people at a time with four beds and four small chests to store things inside of. The underground portion of the building was full of these dormitories and Lyra quickly began assigning people into them by name, thankfully each dorm had its own number curved into the stone that made up the underground.


    Arthur, Calavia, Theo, and the woman Arthur was speaking with about the emperor before the journey who¡¯s name was Maria were all assigned to dormitory number seventy six. Everyone aside from Arthur quickly put as much of their belongings into their chest as possible before waiting outside for Lyra¡¯s commands.


    This didn¡¯t take long as most people didn¡¯t bring anything more than just what they needed, so within a few minutes Lyra was able to give a quick briefing on the situation.


    ¡°Alright everyone, we have been ordered to take part in guarding the fort alongside the soldiers stationed here. You will all be participating alongside your dorm mates in groups of four and we will be rotating groups every eight hours so be sure that you get enough sleep before your shifts start. To start, those in dorms 70 to 72 will have the first shift, those in dorms 73 to 75 will take the next and 76 to 78 after that. Are there any questions?¡±


    Lyra waited a moment but no one asked anything. ¡°Very well. 70 to 72 follow Citro, he will explain what stations are available and what you will need to do for each.¡±


    ********


    Over the course of a week Arthur slowly adapted to the new schedule but not without some difficulty. Spending the night which he was used to sleeping through awake and on guard was something that required several days to adapt to and even then it wasn''t something that he enjoyed doing. Though he had to admit the view from atop the small two story tower that he was stationed at was quite nice, he was able to see well across the empty terrain and anything that might be sneaking across, but so far he hadn''t seen anything.


    The only other thing of interest was a fort belonging to the empire on the opposite side of the clearing. It looked to be around the same size with a similar layout, but past that he couldn¡¯t make out anything else as the distance was far too vast.


    But suddenly during his free time that he was using to practice his evocations Lyra suddenly called a group drill in the middle of the courtyard without any explanation. The drill consisted of marching and a layout for the group for it. The mages and archers were placed in the back while those with spears were placed in the very front, those with shorter melee weapons were placed just behind the spears. Then the drill moved onto tactics and those with short melee weapons practiced flanking an enemy group.


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    Arthur thought it was sudden and strange and he wasn¡¯t the only one to think so as Calavia came to him around an hour after and a few hours before their shift. ¡°What do you think that was about? Sounds like we should be expecting fighting to break out soon, I think it will be a siege. Though I''m not sure if it will be us or them doing it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, though that will probably take a bit longer than just a week to happen. I would expect several smaller scrimmages to happen before anything like a siege happens.¡±


    ¡°Well obviously, but it feels like we are slowly moving towards that. I wouldn¡¯t be all that surprised if we took part in an actual scrimmage within the week with how the overall atmosphere is and view of the war.¡± Calavia gestured to the various soldiers and mercenaries that were standing around talking like they were in a bar instead of a war.


    ¡°Then I guess we can just hope that things get settled before things get too serious.¡±


    Moments after Arthur said that a loud bell could be heard from above ground, it was only ever rung in the event of an emergency. Everyone quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed up the stairs in a half organized fashion, Arthur and Calavia being two of those who were doing so. Outside the wall and in the field was a group of soldiers from the empire marching across the clearing that numbered around fifty, another group could also be seen exiting the fort and following their advance.


    Quickly several groups organized containing all melee fighters with those with tower shields in the front and those with spears in the second row. The rest mostly contained shorter ranged melee weapons and were put in the back rows. All those that used either ranged weapons or magic were quickly ordered to the walls where they would provide cover fire.


    Everyone watched in fear and worry as five groups of empire soldiers exited the fort all containing around fifty soldiers each. Slowly they all marched towards their wall and stopped just outside the range of both magic and archery. This gave everyone with decent eyesight an opportunity to look at the soldiers of the empire.


    Each one wore identical studded leather armor with a layer of chainmail underneath specifically to cover the neck and other joints just like the kingdom''s uniform. But there were two major differences, the first was the studded leather was dyed black like the flag of the empire, and the second was that each soldier wore a helmet that covered the face concealing it from the onlookers that created an uneasy atmosphere.


    Something deep within Arthur stirred, a feeling of unease and worry squirmed around in his stomach like he ate something spoiled just by looking at these soldiers, these identical and unmoving empire soldiers. ¡®Gods, there is absolutely nothing about any of them that could be used to differentiate them. They have the same armor and even look to be around the same height, even dwarves have more height variation then these soldiers do.¡¯


    Everyone watched with growing worry as the uniform empire soldiers slowly amassed themselves just out of range. As this happened a few notable individuals became more noticeable, specifically the archers that were armed with longbows in the back rows of a few of the formations, and the mages which were dressed in robes and hoods that covered their heads and faces who carried identical wooden staves. It was like the army was made up of copies of three or so people with just how alike each soldier was, it was almost sickening.


    Then as sudden as the mobilization the empire¡¯s forces began their march towards the kingdom''s fort. All those with ranged weapons whether it be magic or arrows unleashed their attacks almost simultaneously. The empire¡¯s forces just raised their shields and blocked whatever they could, the few that were wounded just shrugged off their injuries and the fewer that were downed by their wounds were just trampled over by their comrades.


    Quickly a messy melee broke out as the quickly assembled kingdom soldiers and mercenaries tried their best to push the empire back, but all they achieved was a stalemate with the only advantage of their allies on the wall and towers providing cover fire.


    Things were slowly starting to look as if the kingdom would slowly come out on top, at least until the mages of the empire started taking part in the fighting. The ten or so mages that could be seen amassed into a lone group in the middle of all the other formations and began casting spells, the ones in the front row casted defensive alteration spells that block both physical and magic attacks. Those in the second row casted offensive spells that they used to open fire upon the kingdom''s forces standing on the walls and towers.


    The massive balls of fire and icicle shards that impacted the fortifications of the fort were sudden and powerful causing everyone who survived the impact of any of the spells to be knocked off their feet and be severely wounded. Arthur and his dorm mates would have also shared this fate if Arthur didn¡¯t bring his mage staff with him and casted the force wall spell that it contained. The massive fireball that impacted the force wall caused it to shatter like glass, but thankfully it absorbed most of the impact leaving just a few burns.


    ¡°That is tier 5 magic! We don¡¯t stand a chance if we stay here!¡± Calavia shouted, her voice almost drowned out by all the noise that surrounded them.


    ¡°What can we do? That last attack used up half of the energy from my staff, I don¡¯t think it will survive another!¡± Arthur shouted back, small parts of his hair singed as well as his facial hair making him look like he picked a fight with a dragon and lost terribly.


    ¡°If we stay here we will die! Anywhere is better than right here, and we can tell the rest of the kingdom what has happened if we escape now instead of dying with everyone else.¡± Just as Calavia finished speaking the top of the closest tower to their left was suddenly engulfed in flames and broke off falling backwards. The several archers screaming as they fell with the tower to what was likely their deaths.


    ¡°We have to leave now!¡± Calavia shouted one last time, and just as Arthur was about to agree lightning suddenly struck at the ten mages huddled together breaking apart their own alteration shield like it was glass. Several soldiers and mercenaries including Arthur and Calavia looked up to the top of the central building where the lightning originated from.


    Up on the very top they could see the strange man who first greeted Lyra when they first arrived at the fort. He still wore his animal pelt like a cloak and in his hands was an ancient looking wooden staff, from a distance nobody could make out any details but all of the mages in the area could feel the power the staff had.


    The man raised the staff up and began chanting something unintelligible while the empire¡¯s mages began to quickly try and recast their alteration shield, but within thirty second the man was dome while they were only around a third of the way. Another bolt of lightning from the very tip of the ancient staff struck the very center of the mages killing several and launching their bodies from sheer impact alone.


    With this breathing room the kingdom¡¯s mages and archers were able to focus on assisting their allies in the messy melee and slowly turn the tables.

 Chapter 152

    ¡°Dear gods, why are all of you people so heavy!?¡± Calavia groaned as she dragged one of the dead empire soldiers out towards the area that had been designated for their corpses. Taking a moment to catch her breath she dropped the arms of it which she had been using to drag it and looked around at everyone else.


    Unsurprisingly most of the other mages were having just as terrible of a time as she was aside from Arthur who was carrying a corpse over his shoulder. Like her they didn¡¯t really invest much time or energy towards their physical strength and instead focused on their intelligence and arcane attunement for magic power.


    The scrimmage between the kingdom¡¯s and the empire¡¯s forces ended around an hour earlier with the empire suffering too many casualties and retreating. But that didn¡¯t mean that the kingdom got off scot free. They also suffered high casualties but for the most part that was only their melee fighters, unlike the empire most of their mages were still alive and capable of casting spells.


    But to keep their allies from rotting alongside their allies they were forced to put up and either bury or store the bodies along with their equipment. Since just leaving the bodies of their enemies would be considered cruel they also carried their corpses far away enough that they could collect them when they wanted to.


    ¡®Gods why didn¡¯t they allow us to take a small break before they had us do all this work. If I had a moment to restore some of my mana I would have been able to do far more than I can right now.¡¯ Calavia inwardly complained as she started dragging the corpse once again.


    She wasn¡¯t the only one with this sentiment, even Arthur who was having a half decent time carrying corpses around thought it would have been smart to allow at least the mages a small break so they could use their magic to reduce the workload of everyone.


    *******


    Lyra entered the central building of the fort and followed the stairs upward to the office space belonging to Captain Bjorn, the Captain of the fort she is currently residing in. His office was located on the first left when exiting from the southern stairway, the right led to a large open room that had a variety of uses depending on the situation. As Lyra peeked around the corner she saw that he was busy writing something at his desk. ¡°That was quite an interesting magic staff you have there, Captain. Just where did you find it?¡±


    Captain Bjorn nearly lept out of his seat at the sudden intrusion, but he quickly calmed down when he saw who it was. ¡°Oh, it''s just you. I thought you were one of the empire¡¯s assassins for a moment here to strike me down. Please knock at my door next time.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, but you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Lyra smugly stated as she sat down. ¡°Where did you of all people get a magic staff with such power, and don''t think I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognise tier 6 magic. Even with the power toned down only a tier 6 spell could have such power at such a range.¡±


    Captain Bjorn looked up from his desk with annoyance slightly visible on his face. ¡°I received it as my inheritance from my father. When he found out that I was joining the military he wanted me to stay safe regardless of what might happen, so he made sure that I had something that could tip the tides of any battle I may take part in.¡±


    ¡°And do you know how he came into possession of such a powerful staff?¡±


    ¡°No I do not, and I know for a fact that he didn¡¯t make it himself as he knew very little about magic other than how to start a fire. Now if you don¡¯t mind I have a message to send.¡± Holding the unfinished letter up Captain Bjorn gave Lyra an annoyed look telling her that he wished to be left alone for the time being. Lyra didn¡¯t say anything and just gave a quick salute and left the same way she came.


    The moment she was gone Captain Bjorn stood up from his desk and closed the door to the office and locked it. ¡°Argron, how quick do you think you can deliver this letter to the Major?¡±


    A small black creature roughly the same size as a house cat crawled out from under the Captain¡¯s desk and spoke. ¡°If he is still at his fort then just a few days.¡± Argron stretched and extended his wings connected to his arms not unlike a bats.


    ¡°Good, I need you to deliver this to him. It is very important to the well being of the fort and everyone within it. We need reinforcements or the next attack from the empire will likely overrun us.¡± Walking towards the window Argron crawled over as well and took the letter with his feet before jumping off and flying away. Before closing the window Captain Bjorn took a moment to feel the spring breeze and calm his mind.


    ¡°Good luck Argron.¡±


    ********


    Everyone slowly shambled towards the mess hall for dinner as the sun started to set, it took the combined effort of almost everyone until now to carry the corpses of both the kingdoms and empires deceased forces. The easiest part was dragging corpses, but then they needed to sort out the weapons. Thankfully the empire''s soldiers all had identical styled weapons with very simple and effective designs with no personality. And since they weren''t their own allies they didn¡¯t need to figure out who owned what weapon.


    By the time this was done everyone was tired and starving, the mages for the most part were having difficulty walking still after all the physical labour they weren¡¯t accustomed to doing, some needed help to walk back to the fort.


    Slowly everyone found their seats in the mess hall and sat down taking their first bit of rest since the fight. Everyone was far too tired to do or say anything and just wanted something to eat. Thankfully the cooks within the fort were working throughout the day to make enough soup to feed everyone and quickly began to hand out bowl after bowl.


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    The soup was quickly eaten and everyone who wasn''t on duty for the night rushed back to their dorm to get some sleep. Unfortunately for Arthur and the rest of his dorm they were assigned to the night watch and would need to stay awake even though their bodies ached and practically begged for them to lay down.


    Looking down at the empty bowl Arthur dreaded standing up, the exhaustion in his body was for the time being faded as long as he was sitting, the moment he would stand up it would come right back like it never left. ¡®I either do this now or I do it later. Might as well do it now.¡± Arthur thought to himself as he slowly stood up, the exhaustion wasn¡¯t quite as bad as he thought it would be but it was still significant.


    ¡°Come one, we need to get to our post before we get reprimanded.¡±


    Calavia turned and looked at Arthur with dread and exhaustion in her eyes. ¡°Oh gods, I don¡¯t even know if I will be able to make the trip without falling. Just give me a moment.¡± Calavia slowly stood up from her seat, her legs trembling as she did so. Arthur stepped forward and helped her keep her balance. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll keep you steady.¡±


    The two slowly walked to the tower that was their station and unlocked the door before locking it behind themselves. Reaching the halfway point Calavia needed to sit and take a moment to rest and took a seat on the stairs to do so. Arthur took the moment to look around and noticed that those on duty on the walls looked just as tired as he did.


    ¡®Looks like everyone feels like absolute crap. I hope we receive some refinements or something soon, the only problem with that is I haven¡¯t seen or heard of a messenger leaving to ask for some. I hope that happens before the empire launches another attack.¡¯


    After a short breather Calavia was able to stand up again and the two finished climbing the tower and took their positions at the top overlooking the open space between the forts.


    Everything looked exactly the same but felt so very different. It was as if the very air itself had been changed by the recent battle, like the blood spilled had changed the earth in a way that couldn¡¯t be entirely explained. It was an uncomfortable feeling that remained over the course of another week when reinforcements arrived.


    *********


    A formation of one hundred marched up to the front gate of the fort with the banner of the kingdom, the banner depicted a yellow and vaguely humanoid figure that appeared to be dressed in armor and holding a sword in front of itself pointed downwards with a pure red background. The leader of the one hundred rode forward from his men on horseback with a longbow on his back and was dressed in leather armor and a cloak that looked to be designed for forest combat.


    ¡°Good day to you all, I am Lieutenant Pius and I am here to reinforce you on orders from Major Falco. Where might be your commanding officer?¡± Everyone was surprised by the sudden visitors and those on the walls and towers quickly looked around for the Captain, one soldier even ran off to inform him of the situation.


    Minutes later Captain Bjorn climbed up to the wall and took a good look at the visitor claiming to be his reinforcements with his staff in hand. ¡°Good morning Lieutenant, I am Captain Bjorn. I wasn¡¯t exactly expecting any mounted archers from the Major, I was under the impression that he liked to keep you all for himself.¡±


    ¡°He normally does, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Hence he sent me with a small company to assist with the situation. I also have a letter for you from the Major for your eyes only.¡± Lieutenant Pius said as he reached into a bag on his horse and presented an untouched letter. Conjuring up a gust of wind one of the nearby mages ensured that it found its way to the Captain who quickly opened it and read its contents.


    When he finished reading he placed the letter down and shouted to his men. ¡°Open the gate and show these men to their dormitories. They are our allies and I expect you all to treat them that way.¡± Quickly the front gate opened and the company was allowed inside the fort. The horses were quickly stabled and the men resting from their long journey.


    *********


    ¡°Oh my gods, that is my brother. Arthur, look, that''s him right there. The farthest on the back.¡± Calavia excitedly pointed towards one of the mounted riders at seemingly random claiming it was her brother. Arthur leaned over the tower wall and took a look at her supposed brother, he had to admit he was both the youngest of the group and did share a resemblance with her. But the best way to be certain would be to speak with him in person.


    ¡°If you say so. Though I would recommend that you speak with him first before you go around telling everyone that he is your brother, you know, just to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Well obviously, I wasn¡¯t going to go around telling everyone that he is my brother like a child. But you are right, during breakfast tomorrow I will speak with him. He never did tell me anything about a promotion to mounted rider though, he must have done something really impressive to receive it so quickly.¡±


    While Calavia was talking to herself about her brother Arthur was focused on something else, something dangerous was coming. It was hidden like a snake amongst the grass, but it was waiting and he could feel it as small tingles down his spine. Overlooking the open space between he could feel its presence far clearer than anywhere else. It was watching what just happened, and it was changing its plan accordingly.


    ********


    After four hours of sleep Arthur awoke in the morning to have a decent breakfast before he would eventually return to sleep for a few more hours. Unexpectedly Calavia didn¡¯t appear to be tired or sleep deprived in the slightest, quite the opposite actually. She looked like she just had the best night''s sleep and looked and sounded almost like a cheesy bardic tale.


    Calavia practically skipped out of the dorm and up the stairs to the mess hall while everyone else who was at their station the night before lazily climbed up after everyone else. Slowly Arthur made his way to the mess hall and found that Calavia had kept a seat for him just down the table from where her supposed brother was sitting. ¡°Hey Arthur, over here!¡±


    Slowly walking over like a bear out of hibernation Arthur plopped down on the chair and looked down at the soup she kept for him. It was nice and warm and a welcome sight for his tired eyes. Slowly he started to eat and space out from his surroundings.


    ********


    Calavia peeked over at her brother several times as Arthur silently ate next to her. Despite not getting very much sleep the night before she was still very much energised and could get the thought of her brother out of her mind. It had been ages since they last saw each other in person, and that was before he left to join the military and she the mages guild for her studies. As a result she was fretting about their reunion.


    ¡®Oh, what if I make things awkward by mentioning his promotion. What if he doesn''t want to talk about anything related to the military and I ruin it by not getting his hints. This is our first time seeing each other in several years now. I wonder if he would still like those dried fish that mom and dad would always buy us for dinner at the end of every week. Agh, focus!¡¯

 Chapter 153

    Slowly but surely Calavia built up the courage to walk up to her brother and say hello. She started by standing up and walking past everyone who was in the way and standing behind and waiting for him to finish the conversation. Just as the small group finished talking, one of the older men at the table sitting opposite of him pointed to Calavia and said ¡°Hey Caeso, you have someone waiting for you.¡±


    A little surprised, Caeso turned around in his chair and saw that it was Calavia, his little sister that was waiting for him. ¡°Calavia? What are you doing here?¡± Everyone at the table paused and didn¡¯t say a word hoping that it wasn¡¯t an ex that he was talking to.


    ¡°Hey Caeso, you didn¡¯t tell anyone about your promotion to a mounted rider. I at least hope you sent a letter to mom and dad about it, they will certainly want to know about something so important happening in your life.¡± At the mention of parents everyone at the table aside from Caeso let out a breath and relaxed, thankful it wasn¡¯t going to be a shit show.


    ¡°Uh yes, yes I did. The exact moment I received the promotion to be exact. Though I suspect it will take a little while longer for them to receive it since it was so sudden.¡±


    Calavia quickly took a seat next to her brother and she joined in on the conversation. Caeso¡¯s colleagues asked a few quests about their childhood since Caeso was always so tight-lipped about it and she answered honestly. ¡°To be honest even from my very first memory he was always doing something with a bow. It was of no surprise when he joined the military with the intention to become a proper archer.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of war, why exactly are you out here on a war front? While it isn¡¯t the most dangerous place where the fighting is happening, it is still quite dangerous compared to working as a mercenary and fighting bandits or monsters.¡± Caeso decided to be direct with his questioning and ask his sister outright as to why she was there.


    ¡°Oh I came here with my friend Arthur.¡± Calavia said and pointed to him across the room. Caeso looked over and saw a young man half asleep eating soup and wearing plate armor.


    ¡°His name is Arthur? That is quite a foreign name, where is he from?¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, and neither does he. He doesn¡¯t recall anything that happened in his life before around a year ago now when he woke up in an abandoned dwarven city. That was actually how he met the leader of the mercenaries here Lyra, she was hired along with her mercenaries to conduct an expedition of the dwarven city and they brought him with them back to Antium where I met him.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you came all the way out here for someone you are friends with?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did. Is there something wrong with that?¡± Calavia could feel that her brother was thinking something that she wasn¡¯t quite getting, something about her and Arthur.


    ¡°And Arthur over there is just your friend, not by any chance your boyfriend?¡± Calavia¡¯s face immediately went red with embarrassment at the sudden realization.


    ¡°What!? No no no! We are just friends, we haven''t done anything like that.¡± This embarrassed attempt at a rebuke just led to Caeso and his colleagues to start to tease her about her ¡®just friend¡¯ and how devastated he must be to hear that. Meanwhile Arthur was using up all his remaining willpower not to slam his face into what little soup he still had.


    ¡°No no no! We haven¡¯t even kissed or anything. We are just friends. Why don¡¯t you just go and ask him, he will tell you everything I have.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will go and ask him to come and eat with us.¡± Caeso stood up from his seat and walked over to where Arthur was eating alone and sat down next to him.


    ¡°Hello Arthur. I am Caeso, Calavia¡¯s brother. Would you like to eat with the rest of us instead of by yourself? Calavia even recommended that we ask you to join us.¡± Arthur looked over to the sudden visitor he found sitting next to him, in fact it was the same person that Calavia pointed out as her brother the night before.


    ¡°Sure thing, just whereabouts are you all sitting?¡± Arthur said before he accidentally let out a deep yawn while standing up. Caeso showed him to the table and Arthur took a seat on the opposite side of Caeso as Calavia was sitting while he slowly continued to eat his soup.


    ¡°So how did you meet my sister Arthur? I feel as if Calavia left out a few details when explaining how the two of you met and became friends.¡± Caeso smiled and looked over to Calavia with a smirk on his face annoying his sister greatly.


    ¡°Well it started in Antium shortly after I arrived from Dom Badaher with Lyra and her mercenaries. I was given a small reward from the crown since I wasn''t directly hired to take part in that expedition but still contributed greatly by opening the front door from the inside and explaining some of the dangers that I encountered. I actually met Calavia in the lobby while waiting for said reward and later found out she received something similar for an unexpected discovery regarding second era magic.¡±


    Taking a big gulp of his soup and finishing it up Arthur paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°Later we met up again at the mages guild while I was attending lessons in pyromancy and aeromancy, from there we met more and more often and even started having lunch together on occasion. When I eventually bought my own home after I finished my apprenticeship she would often come over for dinner, and when I found an apprentice of my own she would come by and occasionally do things together.¡±


    Arthur continued with his explanation by describing all sorts of things that they did together from paying checkers and him quickly surpassing her in skill to testing out his mage staff spells in one of the testing rooms within the guild. Arthur gave them so much detail that by the halfway point in his explanation everyone was silent as they just watched him explain. The only interruptions he experienced were from his own yawns due to a lack of sleep.


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    When he finally finished Caeso was the only one brave enough to say anything. ¡°Wow, you really have a good memory don''t you Arthur. You would be a really good detective.¡±


    ¡°I remember everything, except what happened before I woke up in Dom Badaher. Everything after that I have a perfect memory of like it happened just moments before, that is part of the reason as to why I am so talented in terms of magic.¡± Arthur quickly and easily conjured up a ball of flame in his hand to make his point.


    ¡°Wow, that is certainly impressive. But have you tried putting this impressive memory of yours to other talents, like say archery for example.¡± Calavia turned and raised her eyebrow at her brother at this question. Like she recalled everything in his life was about archery.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have, most of what I have done has been in relation to magic. Even alchemy technically falls under the category of magic due to the unique spells that are used in the creation of most useful potions, like the healing potion for example. I also dabble in enchanting which is just adding spells to physical objects to cast without the use of mana.¡±


    ¡°Well I definitely recommend that you at least consider looking into trying something new. Who knows, you might find something that you enjoy doing.¡±


    *********


    The table soon cleared out as everyone was done eating their soup. Those that were on duty for their patrols exit to go and do that while Arthur and those who were just recently on duty went back to their dorms to sleep. With this new company to reinforce the fort everyone was feeling a lot better about their odds of protecting it, so much so that several patrols and scouts were sent to investigate what the empire¡¯s forces were doing within their own fort.


    To their surprise they didn¡¯t encounter any patrols or even scouts outside the walls of the fort, there were guards on the walls that would fire an arrow or two if they got too close, but that was about it. It was odd, very odd, and Captain Bjorn wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it.


    ¡°What do you all think of the situation? The empire hasn''t made a single move since they attacked us directly. Are they planning another strike against us or are they waiting for their own reinforcements?¡± Captain Bjorn said to his high ranking subordinates and the leaders of the two mercenary groups that were hired.


    ¡°It could be nothing, but knowing the empire and how they acted during the previous war I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were summoning a powerful demon to bring us down.¡± The second mercenary captain, a Pyrosa native man carrying a scimitar and shield on his back was the first to speak. ¡°The only thing we can do if that is the case is try and find out what type of demon it is and how powerful it is. We would be lucky if it were just a brute, but knowing the empire they would try to switch things up with a warlock or succubus.¡±


    ¡°Any other possibilities aside from the worst case scenario, and do keep in mind it is not our job to conquer the enemy''s fort but to keep our own from falling into their hands.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t noticed any person of any size or shape leaving the enemy''s fort since their attack. Odds are they haven''t sent any messengers to request reinforcements.¡± The leader of the scouts dressed in light leather armor and a grey cloak stated.


    ¡°Unless their mages are capable of casting powerful conjuration magic and teleported an individual or group in or out of their fort. And don¡¯t anyone discount that possibility, you all saw the powerful spells they were throwing around without any worry for preserving their mana reserves, and I didn¡¯t see any magic items in their hands.¡± An older woman with greying hairs stated as she stepped forward, her grey mage robe showing she was a member of the mages guild. ¡°Unfortunately we have no way of detecting anything like that unless we knew they were casting that ahead of time. The best we can do is set up a long distance ward or two to detect any sort of conjuration magic, this will also be useful for detecting any summoning spells as the wards will detect the spell for a lot longer than a simple teleport spell.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Ms. Corda. Does anyone else have anything else to say because if not I will be ending this meeting.¡± Waiting for a moment to allow anyone to speak up Captain Bjorn but no one did. ¡°Very well, that concludes this meeting. If anyone thinks of anything please come and visit me at my office so we can discuss it in private.¡±


    Everyone quickly left the room aside from Ms. Corda who wished to speak regarding the wards she wanted to set up. For a moment Captain Bjorn looked out the window to the courtyard and watched as several soldiers walked around or practiced their chosen weapon. Deep down he could feel something was wrong, something that was going to cost him and everyone within the fort dearly. The only problem was he didn¡¯t know who or what it was.


    *********


    Captain Bjorn wasn¡¯t the only one to feel this way either, Arthur had been feeling the looming threat growing closer and closer as time went on. It actually woke him up with a sudden jump in intensity after a few hours of sleep and kept him from sleeping any more. Taking a look around the hallway Arthur suspiciously looked around for any signs of this danger but came up empty handed. All he saw was the occasional soldier or mercenary walking around.


    Slowly Arthur made his way up to the surface looking around like he was paranoid, though he didn¡¯t find anything that was worrying he could still feel the danger shooting up and down his spine like a cat being chased by a dog. Eventually he looked across the entirety of the fort that he could access and found nothing out of the ordinary.


    This went on for another three days with the feeling slowly becoming stranger and stronger as the days went on. This came at the cost of sleep, reducing Arthur¡¯s sleep to around four or five hours a night leaving him tired throughout the day. Captain Bjorn and his advisors started setting up the wards that would detect any and all conjuration magic but not where it is coming from to save on power, not that they really needed to know where it was happening because the empire¡¯s mages were the only ones that have are capable of conjuration magic for several miles.


    ¡°Hey Arthur. Are you alright? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± Calavia asked Arthur as she found him half awake looking around the courtyard like he was a zombie. He was so tired in fact that he took a moment to register that Calavia was talking to him. ¡°Oh, hey. I''m just looking around you know.¡± Arthur tried to play off how exhausted he was.


    ¡°Arthur, I think you need to take a few hours to sleep. Come on, we are going back to the dorm.¡± Calavia proceeded to take Arthur by the hand back to their shared dorm and forced him to lay down. ¡°Here drink this, this will help you sleep.¡± Calavia handed Arthur a blue potion in a bottle that slowed slightly indicating it had magical properties.


    Popping off the lid and smelt the potion. ¡°It is a sleeping potion. It will help you sleep for around four hours before the effects wear off. I suggest you drink it.¡± Calavia said with a stare that could kill, so Arthur quickly downed the potion and quickly felt the effects kicking in. Slowly Arthur started having difficulty keeping his eyes open and drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 154

    Everything and everyone was going about their business like the day before, those that were on guard duty were at their posts watching for any sign of the enemy and those who were not either went to sleep or practiced with their weapon of choice. But suddenly several red portals opened up throughout the fortifications of the fort as well as the courtyard and out came soldiers of the empire with their weapons raised and ready to kill.


    The kingdom''s soldiers and mercenaries were caught off guard by this sudden and tactical strike where they last expected it and did their best to fight off the invaders. Things were not completely lost for the kingdom¡¯s forces, until the empire¡¯s mages stepped in only this time they weren''t wearing the blue robes they wore before. This time they wore black robes with red accents on the ends of the sleeves, underneath the stole, and along the hood that concealed their faces entirely from all those around.


    The mages quickly started casting their powerful tier five spells at the unprepared soldiers and started decimating them in large numbers. Quickly they took the walls and the towers allowing them to rain down spells on the soldiers still trying to recover from the shock of the sudden attack. Those in the dormitories were shielded from this sudden attack but were quickly woken up by all the noise that was created mostly from the powerful spells.


    Arthur was one of those that were awoken by the sounds of spells and fighting in the fort and instinctively jumped to his feet and looked around at the panicking soldiers and mercenaries around him. ¡°Wait, what is happening?¡± Arthur shouted at those running by but received no answer as they were focused on the enemy rather than him.


    Thankfully Calavia showed up running and out of breath. ¡°Arthur! It''s terrible! The empire is attacking, they managed to bypass the walls with magic somehow and are attacking everyone indiscriminately. We need to get out of here while we can.¡±


    ¡°Wait! You saw the magic that was used? What did it look like? Was it the same mages that we fought against last time?¡± Arthur quickly grabbed Calavia by the shoulders and began asking question after question. He needed to know if he was going to fight them.


    ¡°They were using all the magic they were using before, but we don¡¯t have the benefit of defensive structures this time! That is why we need to get out of here while we still can and tell everyone we can about what happened!¡± Calavia said just as the ground started to shake from a massive blast above ground. ¡°We need to leave, we can¡¯t stay here or we will die.¡±


    Arthur listened to Calavia plead for him to leave with her, but he couldn¡¯t just turn his back on everyone and she could see in his eyes what he was going to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can just leave. You go and spread the work of what happened here, I''ll find you when this is all over.¡±


    Calavia looked up at Arthur like she was about to cry, suddenly she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled down into a quick kiss. Arthur¡¯s mind blanked for a moment until Calavia shouted at him. ¡°You better come back, or I will be mad at you.¡±


    ********


    With the knowledge that Calavia would be leaving the fort safely Arthur followed his fellow mercenaries and the soldiers up and out of the dorms to the surface where they found the empire¡¯s mages pelting fire spells at everyone they could see. The mages on the kingdom''s side quickly created shields of their chosen evocation or alteration magic to block these powerful attacks and give everyone around them an opportunity to reach where the enemy mages were. Arthur didn¡¯t follow them, instead he looked around for those that were keeping the red portals stable to allow the empire¡¯s forces through.


    At a few key points Arthur could see some of the mages in their black and red robes concentrating on spells but without any fireballs or other dangerous outcomes. Quickly running across the courtyard towards them Arthur was noticed by a few of the mages actively targeting and killing, they unleashed a few fire spells towards him with the intent of killing him. In an almost slow motion state Arthur could see the spells and their trajectory and moved just out of the way, thankfully none of those spells were explosive or he would have been killed in a fiery explosion.


    At the base of the way where the distracted mage was, Arthur conjured up a ladder from earth and raced up towards the mage to kill him and close the portal he was keeping stable. As he climbed up and onto the wall the mage suddenly turned to him and spoke for the first time. Its face was covered by a red mask and its voice was inhuman and distorted like an echo, its robes hiding any piece of individuality that it might have once had. ¡°There he is!¡± It whispered yet yelled at the same time at Arthur as it noticed him, like it was expecting him.


    Arthur raised his hands and conjured up a wave of fire which he unleashed upon the dark mage with the intent of destroying it completely. The dark mage somewhat blocked the wave of fire but in the process lost control over the red portal and it collapsed, severing one of the empire''s soldiers who was in the process of walking through and quickly killing him.


    ¡°You cannot escape the power of the master!¡± The dark mage shouted as it withstood the wave of fire almost like it was taunting him. Noticing that his attack wasn¡¯t doing anything to the dark mage Arthur reached over to his hip and drew his longsword and stabbed forward. Like he suspected, the shield that the dark mage was using only blocked purely magical attacks and did nothing against physical one, a common mistake that was done to preserve one''s mana reserves for longer. The dark mage faltered with this stab and its magic shield did as well, resulting in a face full of fire that Arthur used to engulf it entirely and kill it.


    Looking at the corpse of the dark mage Arthur was confused by the fact that the robe only appeared to take a small amount of damage from the fire, the sword however left a big hole where it was stabbed. But Arthur didn¡¯t have much time to look further as suddenly from behind he heard another distorted and echoing voice shout. ¡°There he is!¡±


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    Spinning around, Arthur saw another of the dark mages just a few meters away and a massive fireball hurtling towards him. Arthur dived out of the way and over the edge of the wall into the courtyard, with a thud Arthur landed and fell onto his face without any significant injuries. Not wasting a moment Arthur took off running for cover while the second dark mage lobbed fireballs towards him.


    Slowly but surely Arthur put enough distance between the two where the spell did not have the range to reach him. Hiding behind the upper portion of the dorm, Arthur took a moment to catch his breath and looked at the fight between the kingdom¡¯s and empire¡¯s forces. The regrouped kingdom soldiers and mercenaries were slowly pushing back the empires even with the dark mages providing cover fire, the overall skill and teamwork was just better on the kingdom''s side and their mages kept the spells from hurting them. With this teamwork the kingdom''s forces managed to reach several of the fortifications where the dark mages were attacking from and started to storm them with their weapons at the ready.


    But suddenly Arthur felt something, it was so intense that he found himself dizzy and on his knees from the sheer intensity of it. With great difficulty Arthur looked up towards where he felt this coming from in the middle of the courtyard and saw one of the red portals materializing, but instead of an army stepping through it was just one of the dark mages. But this one was different, his robes were decorated with what looked like teeth of a large animal along the shoulder portion of the stole and it wore no mask. Instead its face was simply not visible like a vail of a thick ink like substance was concealing it from all those who looked, the only thing that was still visible was two red circles that were likely to be its eyes.


    This new dark mage didn¡¯t even acknowledge Arthur''s presence and just looked towards the mercenaries and soldiers that were slowly taking back the fortifications, with a few gestures and hand signs it called upon a rain of fire upon all those it deemed its enemies. Like the wrath of a god little sparks blanketed the fortifications and the kingdom''s forces screamed out in pain as they faced the full might of this attack. Those that were inside were spared of the fire rain but quickly realized their situation and attempted to flee only to be either killed or captured by the empire''s forces or mages.


    Arthur just watched as this all happened, his danger sense acting very differently than it had been up until now. Before it acted like a cat whenever it saw a dog and would go into a frenzy to tell him of the threat, now it was like that very danger sense itself was trying to hide from the mysterious and powerful mage before him.


    Deciding that it was satisfied with the situation at hand the darkest mage turned to look at Arthur giving him an opportunity to look at it directly. Its pure red eyes were almost sickening to look into and Arthur could swear that it was almost happy with what was happening. ¡°Thank you for making my job far easier than what I initially assumed it would be, I had no idea that you would be so eager to fight the good fight and deliver yourself to my doorstep.¡± The darkest mage spoke for the first time and it was far far worse than Arthur could have ever expected. Instead of an echo its voice was more of a whisper from a demon, it was so terrible that Arthur couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to move out of the way of the spell it casted that flung him like a doll and knocked him unconscious.


    An unknown amount of time later Arthur awoke to find himself restrained with his arms behind his back and in the mess hall with a handful of other prisoners. He recognized Lyra, Citro, and several members of the flock, but the others aside from the Captain were unknown to him. They were all surrounded by the imperial soldiers who stood still like statues while the dark mages spoke amongst themselves. The darkest mage sat in the large throne that the Captain would sit in to eat and said nothing while he listened.


    Suddenly one of the side doors opened revealing Caeso and two more dark mages who entered the room surprising everyone including Arthur. But soon everyone noticed that he didn¡¯t look to be distressed or even restrained like everyone else, and instead of being seated with everyone else he was brought before Arthur and asked a question.


    ¡°Where is my sister Arthur?¡± Caeso looked at Arthur with a mixture of worry and anger.


    ¡°She is gone, I told her to run and tell anyone she could of the situation. But I don¡¯t know where exactly she went, so you are on your own when it comes to finding her.¡± Arthur answered truthfully as he slowly came to understand why he was asked the question.


    ¡°Caeso! Why haven''t you been restrained like the rest of us, and why are you allowed to ask about your sister!?¡± Lieutenant Pius asked with a raised voice when Caeso received his answer. But instead of answering, Caeso turned away and walked up to the darkest mage. ¡°My sister isn¡¯t here, I need to find her and make sure she is safe.¡± Caeso practically demanded of the darkest mage while everyone who hadn''t figured out what happened figured it out.


    ¡°I do not answer to you, Caeso. Our agreement was that your sister would not be harmed in exchange for several access points into the fortress. As you can see your sister was left unharmed and we have honored our part of the bargain, now honor yours by leaving and disappearing or we will do so ourselves.¡± The darkest mage pointed his black gloved finger towards the doors to the outside and the two dark mages that escorted him to this room escorted him outside leaving the room silent in disbelief.


    Just when things were looking the worst they could possibly be, suddenly the darkest mage stood from his new throne and slowly walked over to the group of prisoners and stopped right before Arthur. ¡°Now that we have that small matter out of the way we can move onto the important part of this arranged meeting. Your demise.¡± Arthur half expected the darkest mage before him to chuckle and say it was a joke, but he said no such thing.


    ¡°You see your actions in the depths of Dom Badaher have shown the master that you are a danger and a threat to her vision of the world. Now I must admit that you fought against us bravely, but fortunately for us that wasn¡¯t quite enough. Now feel free to tell your god that you failed him and he is welcome to send another to their demise as well.¡±


    Before Arthur could say anything the darkest mage waved his hands and conjured up a thick red smoke that Arthur accidentally breathed in and immediately regretted. The red smoke was like poison in his veins that left him unable to breathe or do anything, everyone just watched as Arthur fell to the ground and convulsed before eventually he stopped breathing all together and remained still.


    **********


    As everything went dark and Arthur lost consciousness he felt himself in a big empty nothing, and it felt like he was falling through it. Looking what he thought was up he could see small flashes of light and fire like little stars in the distance.

 Chapter 155

    I slowly opened my eyes as my vision cleared up. Looking up from where I was lying I saw a familiar stone ceiling, the very same ceiling I saw when I awoke within the depths of Dom Badaher about a year ago. ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ I thought to myself as I quickly sat up on the old bed I found myself resting on, my body stiff like I had been there for days.


    ¡®What happened? I thought I died after that one dark imperial mage used that terrible spell against me.¡¯ Slowly I stepped off of the bed and looked around the bedroom I once again found myself in. It was exactly as I recalled it before, like someone recreated my memory of the place down the smallest of details. ¡®Is this some sort of trick?¡¯ I thought to myself as I looked into the mirror, I looked thin and weak unlike the mussel that I put on from my time while fighting through Dom Badaher. I also felt slow and my eyesight was no better than the average commoner one might find on the street.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t normal. I know for a fact that I wasn¡¯t hit with a teleportation spell, I also know that such spells take a lot of time and energy to cast without even counting for the requirements regarding long distances. Which means I can¡¯t be in Dom Badaher, which only leaves one possibility for where I am. I am dead.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure how I should have felt reaching such a conclusion, I did know it wasn¡¯t a good feeling but there was nothing I could do about it. So instead of trying to run from an inevitable fate of all living things I turned to the front door of the bedroom and reached forward to open it thinking that afterwards I would be going to whatever afterlife existed. But I was wrong.


    When I opened that door I was expecting to see someone or something on the other side to greet me in a place I had never been to, maybe a god or an angel service of a god that I heard of in passing. But what I wasn¡¯t expecting was a hallway with many doors along the side just like the one I was currently in.


    ¡®What? This isn¡¯t an afterlife, this looks just like the outside of the bedroom in Dom Badaher. But that isn¡¯t possible, because I''m not in Dom Badaher. I died and my soul left the physical world, so why does this place look just like it?¡¯ Half panicking, I closed the door and locked it. In my mind I thought that if I somehow was in Dom Badaher, which I couldn¡¯t have been, then I would need a weapon of sorts. Since I couldn¡¯t feel my mana that would need to be a physical weapon like the sword I took from the nearby office the last time I was in Dom Badaher. With a slow push the door to the office space opened and revealed it to be exactly as I recall including the set of plate armor and the longsword both forged from that familiar yellow metal that I only found in this one dwarven city.


    ¡®This feels so wrong, I already took these things with me. Unless someone replaced them or something and brought me here as well before the red smoke spell could kill me.¡¯


    Like last time I donned the armor and strapped the longsword to my hip and stepped back into the hall closing the door behind myself and. Before I took my first step I forced myself to take a deep breath to somewhat calm myself down and to allow the armor to finish up its size ajustment that it did the last time as well. I used this opportunity to take a look at the magic at work as it only ever did anything like that once.


    After watching and calming myself down I walked slowly and carefully down that familiar hallway looking in each of the rooms I passed by incase something was different from how I remembered it, but everything was as I recalled. Eventually when I reached the room that once contained the skeleton with the hammer a slowed down and stoot against the opposite wall to keep as much distance from it. Something about the undead skeleton even if it no longer existed was uncomfortable to think about let alone look at.


    But to my misfortune I saw it there in the middle of the bedroom motionless and facing the wall like it was in the middle of a conversation. I held my breath to make as little noise as possible, but I accidently kicked a small stone as I tried sneaking past and the skeleton reacted by turning to look at its source and saw me. Like the last time it raised it hammer and shambled towards me ready to strike me down like last time, but the major difference this time was I actually had some training and raised my own sword for an overhead slash.


    When it was within two meters of me I stepped forward and brought the longsword down with all the might I could muster aiming directly for its right arm in which it held the hammer. With a small crunch the arm was severed from its torso and fell to the ground with the hammer, but the skeleton was undead and could neither feel pain nor fear and raised its left hand towards me to try and grab me. Using the momentum from my first swing I brought the blade back up and into the lower torso of the skeleton cutting through several of the old bones and knocking it off balance. Like a drunken man the skeleton stumbled off to the side in an attempt to regain its footing, I used this as an opportunity to make a third swing towards its head.


    From right to left my sword was swung and the skeletons skull was severed from the rest of its body and fell to the ground like a puppet severed from its strings. With that the adrenaline slowly started to wear off and the weight of the armor and sword slowly became more present within my mind. I quickly sheathed the sword and sat down on the cold stone floor as I took several deep breaths.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 200 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    /- - - - - -\


    Name : Arthur


    Level 1


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    Exp : 200


    Next Level at : 500


    Mana : 1/1


    \- - - - - -/


    The HUD showed itself once again a few moments after the death of the skeleton and I just looked up towards it like a lost child. I opened it up further and looked at my attributes and found that they were all reset to ten like when I awoke down here the first time. For a moment I didn¡¯t feel anything, I just sat there and beathed heavily and recovered my strength as I looked through the whole HUD to see if anything else had changed.


    Thankfully all my skills were still there so I didn¡¯t need to relearn anything, I probably would have cried if my magic skills were lost. But to check I conjured up a small flame on the tip of finger no larger than a candle. Seeing this small yet ever so significant amount of magic was enough for me to forget my situation for a moment, it was such a small flame and yet it filled me with hope and the knowledge that I hadn''t lost everything.


    Soon I was on my feet and mentally preparing myself to leave when I looked at the hammer the skeleton was wielding a few minutes prior. The last time I was here I didn¡¯t take it with me because I didn¡¯t have anywhere to put it, but it might not be a bad idea to bring it with me. ¡®Who knows, I might find a use for it.¡¯ I smiled as I picked the hammer up, it was lighter than I thought it would have been and further inspection showed it was designed as a tool rather than a weapon, yet the way the skeleton used it the last time was as dangerous as it was impressive. It must have been a strong person in life, perhaps a blacksmith.


    Pushing those thoughts to the side I continued walking down the hall until I reached the end which connected to the second hallway. Like I recalled it was half illuminated by the dull blue crystal that partly lined the walls, looking back I never had the opportunity to think about what they even were but they were likely the same thing that was used in that cavern system underneath the temple of Velerin located within the western district of Antium.


    ¡®I remember last time I was down here with my group the quickest way to the stairs is to follow the remaining crystals to the right. The other way does eventually loop back around, but this is quicker and there isn¡¯t anything aside from a few collapsed interiors that way.¡¯ Like the last time I was here I followed the hallway to the right and headed towards the stairs, but I did recall the cafeteria that a small group of goblins and I wondered to myself if I should kill them like I did last time. I decided that I could put off that decision until I reached the door.


    As I walked down the hall I saw the same goblin corpses that I saw before, their blood smeared across the walls and floor like a child playing in mud. The wounds they also had were telling of how they died, numerous stab wounds from small blades like knives or daggers. Instead of the fear I felt the first time I saw these I felt disgust. The extensive combat I took part in against goblins was removing any fear I might have had in the past.


    ¡®I wonder why they didn¡¯t try to eat any of these corpses after they killed them but went right ahead and started cooking up the bodies of their recently dead the last time I was here?¡¯ I made a mental note to ask someone about goblin behavior and why they chose to engage in cannibalism.


    Soon I reached the door to the small cafeteria and the goblin corpse next to it with an arrow through its eye. Inspecting the scene it looked like it was running away from someone or something and turned to look and received the arrow in its eye killing it. If it hadn''t been such a disgusting creature I would have felt sorry for it.


    I put my ear against the door and I could hear something on the other side, it sounded like small animals growling and snarling at each other and then it suddenly went quiet. For a moment I was wondering what happened when shouting of some sort could be heard that sounded an awful lot like a goblin.


    ¡®I remember this, the goblin leading the other seven goblins just killed his rival by stabbing him in the chest. That must have been him just yelling at his subordinates to carry his corpse away. I wonder how it would react to someone entering his little kingdom in full plate armor and cutting him down a size.¡¯


    Having made my decision I slowly opened the door to the small cafeteria and peeked around for any sign of the goblins inside. The first one I noticed was the de facto leader sitting in that slightly nicer chair at the very end of the room, it was fiddling with a knife in its hand and a piece of bone. The other goblins were either sitting around or standing while making a very basic effort at standing guard, they did this mostly outside of their leader''s sight likely to avoid being yelled at for their incompetence and non compliance.


    To the best of my ability I slowly stepped inside the room and hid behind one of the overturned tables to avoid being seen. Peeking over the top I was able to get a better look at what the goblins were doing. From what I saw they weren¡¯t even doing anything other than trying to look like they were guarding the room, their eyes were half closed and they occasionally yawned and had difficulty keeping their balance.


    Their layout was also just terrible as the right side of the room had only one guard while the other side had three leaving a big vulnerability on that side of the room. Since I wasn¡¯t one to turn down such opportunities and slowly made my way around to the right side of the room and up to the exposed back of the goblin. In as quick a motion as I could I reached around and wrapped my arm around its neck and squeezed like a snake capturing a small rodent to eat, the goblin predictable flailed around its arms and the small knife in its hand in a desperate and futile attempt to escape. With my other hand I reached around and took the knife from the goblin and slowly stabbed it into the goblins neck slowly letting it bleed to death, as its slowly lost its strength and put it down onto the floor and hid it behind some nearby broken and overturned furniture.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    I looked at the familiar HUD notification with a smile, even though it was so little it was quite a bit to me considering that my level somehow reset. ¡®By the time I kill all these goblins I will definitely reach level two. Then I could probably rest somewhere and use the twenty points I have received. I wonder if I should priorities my magic related stats or my physical ones?¡¯


    Pushing that thought out of my mind I looked over towards the leading goblin on his little throne, he looked unconcerned with how his subordinates were and more than happy to force them to work hard on his behalf. I didn¡¯t really think all that much about this goblin before but now that I had the time I realized that its actions disgusted me and I wanted to hurt it. I couldn¡¯t explain why, but I knew it was going to suffer for its arrogance and its undeserved pride.

 Chapter 156

    Now I had two options on how I could go about killing the goblin leader. I could do what I did last time and just run up and swing my sword at him until he stops moving, or I could take out his subordinates first and then kill him. Both options had their merits, going straight for killing the leader would be the fastest way of killing it and would demoralize his subordinates who would still be alive and since I am more skilled than I was the last time I tried it it would also carry far less risk. But taking out his subordinates first would be useful in cutting him off and leaving him without options while also demoralizing it as well.


    ¡®Given that I am easily twice as tall as any of them and I have actual training in how to fight I should be able to easily take those three remaining goblins down without much issue. The only real problem would be the goblin leader who has a bow, but I am wearing plate armor so as long as I protect my face I won¡¯t have much issue.¡¯ With my decision finalized I quietly made my way around the scattered furniture and towards where the other three goblins were standing just out of view of their leader.


    I hid behind a few broken and piled up tables and chairs as I watched them from around the edge, they were basically just moping around without any care for what they were doing. ¡®They lack even the most basic of discipline. I suppose it is no surprise that I managed to sneak in here with very little skill in that department.¡¯


    I watched for a few more minutes until I was certain that they would be doing anything on their own for a while. Slowly drawing my sword to minimize the amount of noise it made I slowly began to stand up and walk towards them. As I did this I kept to the side and kept my sword down until I was around three meters from the nearest goblin.


    I must have made some sort of noise because that goblin turned and saw me. ¡°Hugk.¡± It made a weird noise as I swung my sword from above and split its head like a piece of wood. The goblin closest to its now dead ally turned and saw what happened before letting out a shriek of terror and turning to run. I used my sword to make a wide and sweeping swing as I stepped forward leaving a deep cut in its chest that quickly started to bleed and it fell to the ground.


    Unfortunately I made a mistake with the wide swing as I accidentally hit some of the nearby piled up furniture and it took me a moment to remove my sword from it, a moment that the fourth goblin subordinate used to run and hide in the kitchen area.


    The goblin leader saw his one subordinate running away into the kitchen and shouted something at him which was disregarded. I then heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and footsteps coming towards my position.


    I waited until the footsteps were close to jump out with my sword raised for an overhead strike, and I was successful in surprising it as it let out a surprised yelp and was partly grazed by my sword when I swung down. A small cut I left on its chest started to bleed slightly as it took several steps back.


    While holding its wound with its left hand it kept its short sword raised with its right hand and looked me up and down. Clearly it wasn¡¯t expecting such a tall opponent, it had likely never even seen a human before given the isolation it had from the rest of the world. The goblin said something that resembled a series of growls and snarls that were most likely its language, unfortunately I did not speak it and instead of answering I stepped forward.


    Surprised and scared by my sudden decision the goblin yelled something else at me before actually yelling and running forwards with both its hands on the short sword disregarding its own injuries.


    Instead of using a slash of some kind I instead decided to go for a stab so I positioned my longsword correctly and when the goblin was within range I quickly thrusted forwards and stabbed it in the chest right through the rib cage. The goblin let out a gasp when the blade first pierced its body for around a second before it got deeper, then it went silent and dropped its own weapon and fell to its knees and then onto the ground. Blood slowly started to pool onto the cold stone floor as I stepped closer and picked up its short sword.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 100 Exp


    Level 2, 600 Exp


    + 10 Points


    Next at 900 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    Like I recalled it was an old partly rusted iron sword that had seen a lot of use as shown by the edge being dulled on both sides. While I could definitely conjure up something far better I would need more mana to do that consistently considering I only have access to two units of mana at the moment. ¡®But I do have twenty points to use that could immediately bring my intelligence up to thirty, that would give me three whole units for every level I earn. That would equal to a whole their one spell for every level.¡¯


    I had started to weigh my options when I could suddenly hear something from the small kitchen off in the next room. I cursed myself for stopping so suddenly when there were still more goblins within the room. ¡®If my memory serves me correctly, which it should, then there are two more goblins hiding behind the door that are probably hoping that I am gone.¡¯


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    Slowly in an attempt to make as little noise as possible I walked up to the door with my longsword drawn and held with the blade pointed forwards for a stab. I reached towards the handle and slowly turned it and pulled the door back, the door slowly opened without a sound and I looked into the room. From where I was standing I could see the dead goblin with several limbs cut off with sloppy work, the goblins outside of my sight, most likely behind the wall around the corner.


    ¡®A futile effort.¡¯ I thought to myself as I smiled and stepped forward with my sword now held before me in a defensive position for when the goblins tried to ambush me. Walking close to the corner I tapped my sword lightly against the stone floor just right next to the corner and a goblin jumped out swinging its dagger wildly and screaming as it did so. It quickly realized that it was fooled and tried to run away, but instead it received my sword through its back.


    The second goblin instead tried to run away past me while I was busy killing its friend, a smart but cruel thing to do but admittedly the only thing it could realistically do. It didn¡¯t get very far as I simply pulled my sword out from the one dead goblin and brought it down in a chopping motion that took off the second goblin''s arm.


    With both its balance and its arm gone the goblin lost its footing and fell to the ground and tried to crawl away which I quickly ended with another stab to the back of the head.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    With all the goblins within this room dead I now had a bit of breathing space to think about my next move. But before I did that I wanted to have a look around and see what was going on in this goblin lair as the last time I was here I didn¡¯t take much time to look around as I wanted to get out as quickly as possible.


    The first thing I decided to look at was the goblins themselves who turned out to be not just weak and a little stupid but also thin and frail aside from the leader of the group who had actual mussel on his body, the rest looked like they were not getting enough to eat which partly explained the cannibalism they were resorting to in the other room.


    Other than that I didn¡¯t find much else of note, there was nothing else that I found of value aside from the strange animal hides that were being used to sleep on by the goblin subordinates. They were a pale pinkish color like a mouse without its fur. The animal skins of course were disgusting so I didn''t touch them and instead left the room along with the daggers and other rusting weapons behind as I had nowhere to keep them.


    Now outside the mess hall I had a choice, I could follow the stairs back up towards the surface like the last time and possibly meet Lyra and her mercenaries again, or I could go do my own thing and kill as many goblins as I can before they get a chance to. ¡®If I go up and meet with them with such a low level they will definitely have suspicions as to how someone who is only level two has such skill and knowledge in magic assuming they are even up there. That leaves staying down here for the time being, and since I recall everything that was announced to the whole group or found with my own group I should be fine.¡¯


    I made my decision, I was going to stay down here for a while and become more powerful by killing as many goblins as I could, hopefully when I meet Lyra¡¯s flock again they won''t be suspicious of me and should accept my word regarding the demon warlock. I just need to become powerful enough to justify escaping with my life or remaining unnoticed.


    For the most part the higher that were the fewer goblins there were, the only real exception to that was the fifteenth floor which was the one that I was on, a good portion of the rooms and hallways had collapsed leaving only a small handful of what was built accessible. For the most part the goblins that are hiding out above this floor should be easy to deal with.


    So I followed the hall until I reached the stairs leading both up and down, with a deep breath to calm myself I stepped forward and up towards the fourteenth floor. Like the fifteenth it looked almost empty and barren from just the hallway, but I knew for a fact that there were goblins hiding out here. Every floor had some goblins in it and there was also something else that was discovered here that I would find useful, at least until I was strong enough to enter the cavern lush with plant and possibly animal life.


    The hallway extended for a few meters before it split into three separate pathways, the pathway directly ahead had a collapsed tunnel and resulted in only a single room of each side being accessible. Looking down both the other paths I only saw a wall and a corner that hid whatever could be on the other side. ¡®Probably best if I check out these first and then look down the other paths.¡¯ I thought to myself and started walking towards the left most room that I could see.


    The door was old like all the others that I saw, but unlike all those on the fifteenth floor this was primarily made from wood and had its outside plated with the yellow metal along with the doorknob which I took hold of and turned to open the door.


    Slowly the door opened and I stepped back to prevent myself from any possible ambush that might be waiting. Inside I saw a room illuminated by those same dim blue crystals containing several tables and chairs scattered throughout, it also looked like there were people in this room at the time whatever terrible event rocked this dwarven city as several of said chairs were toppled over like several people were quickly leaving without any regard for their surroundings. This room also had a door on the opposite side of the room that I assumed led towards the left most hallway.


    Slowly like before I walked over and turned the doorknob to open it, on the other side I found an empty hallway with several other doors lining it in a way similar to how it was on the fifteenth floor except they were more spaced out. I backed away from this door and exited through the same door I entered the room so I could enter the other room opposite to see what was inside it before I would look at the other rooms.


    Like before I carefully opened the door and looked inside, and to my disgust a terrible smell assaulted my nose. The room was filled with piles upon piles of shit, specifically goblin shit. I quickly shut the door and nearly threw up whatever was apparently in my stomach from the collective smell. ¡®Yup, there are definitely goblins living on this floor, and for some reason they decided they wanted to make this room their waste disposal room.¡¯


    I was moving in the opposite direction of the shit room as fast as I could even think of doing it and was going towards the left side of the hall so I could investigate whatever was there.


    Doing my best to avoid thinking about the shit room I walked right up and slowly opened the very first door to the left side of the left most hallway. Inside I found what appeared to once was a temple of some sort. In the middle of the room was a statue with small shrines surrounding it. But I couldn¡¯t make out anything in detail regarding who the statue was of, as it was long broken apart like fragile glass.


    The only other interesting details of this were that the walls were smoothed and there was a second door at the other end of the old temple that I immediately went to investigate.

 Chapter 157

    Slowly I opened this secondary door within this simple temple and peered inside of it. To my surprise it was a simple bedroom with a single person bed, a small table and chair, a wardrobe, a small chest at the foot of the bed, and a small shrine with a statuette. After looking around the room a second time I stepped forward and looked closer.


    Like I expected everything was designed for dwarves and the sizes of everything pointed to that, the bed was small, the wardrobe and clothes within were far too small for a full grown human, and the table and chair looked very awkward to sit in.


    Though the chest held a small bag of old coins and a strange looking cylindric oval made from metal. The cylindrical oval looked to have several moving parts along its sides that upon further inspection folded off as small tools. The first was a small knife that could possibly be used to cut string, thin ropes, or gut small animals. The second was a tiny saw blade around the same size of the previous knife, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what this could be used for. The third was a small pair of scissors that were of surprising sharpness. The fourth was a thin piece of metal with a scratchy face on it that could be used for very fine sanding. The fifth and final tool was a thin piece of metal that had a sharp point and was spiraled around like a coil, I wasn¡¯t quite sure what this was for either.


    With some difficulty I slipped it into one of my pockets hidden past my armor where it would be safe for the time being. ¡®This might be handy. I don¡¯t exactly know how something like this could be made, but I think some of those tools might come in real handy if I am going to stay here for a while.¡¯ I thought to myself and I stepped towards the shrine.


    The shine was made up of two simple stone blocks, one large that served as the base and a second that served as a small pedestal for a small statuette of what appeared to be a dwarf wearing a wolf''s skin over his head. It was rather strange but helped me understand that I was likely in the bedroom of a priest of this god.


    Though I am not a particularly religious person I gave a small prayer to this unknown god as a small thanks for what I found in this room. I didn¡¯t hear, feel, or even see anything that might have alerted me to the god acknowledging my prayer so I simply stood up after and left the room and exited the temple back into the hallway.


    I checked the rest of the rooms on the right side of the rightmost hallway and found very similar things. A temple followed by a bedroom to a priest of said religion. Most of what was within those rooms was just furniture and clothing that was too small for me, the only other thing of value to myself was a rucksack. It was basically just a bag made up of whatever fabric was available that had an opening that could be closed.


    It was a rather small and light thing to have for personal storage, but for the time being it would be useful for keeping anything that I will find without hindering myself. I even took the time to fish out the metal oval cylinder and put it inside for easier access.


    With that I had looked through all the rooms on the right side of the right hallway. Now I was going to look at the rooms on the left side of this hallway which had fewer doors and were far more spaced out. I believed this to be because these rooms were far larger than the ones I was just in. ¡®Assuming that this whole floor just consists of temples and the builders didn¡¯t just decide to add in new random rooms because they felt like it, then these are probably the bigger and more popular temples of this city. Lyra¡¯s mercenaries that were assigned to this floor never did say how many goblins they found down here or where they were, but I have a feeling that they might be hiding in these rooms.¡¯


    Slowly I unsheathed my sword and reached for the door handle, while I didn¡¯t feel danger running down my spine like I had in the past I had a feeling within my gut that something alive was on the other side of this door. Slowly the door creaked open showing a ruined temple with several goblins in one corner sleeping while others in another were doing something with bones and leather.


    I slowly entered the room and closed the door behind myself without being noticed. For a moment I watched the goblins as they either slept or worked at whatever it was they were doing, it was strange to be completely honest. It was scary or weird, just strange, like looking at the weapon designs of a foreign land from across an ocean.


    ¡®The ones that are currently awake are likely to be able to react faster than the ones that are sleeping, so I should probably take them out first hand then when the others are still waking up take advantage of their confusion.¡¯ I smiled as I slowly started walking towards the busy goblins. Since there wasn¡¯t much in hiding places I was forced to do a sort of crouched walk with my sword held low to minimize the possibility of being seen, but unfortunately it wasn¡¯t very effective as one of the goblins stood up and turned around and saw me.


    The thin and somewhat feminine goblin stepped back in surprise and gave a confused grunt before I ran forward and brought my sword down, splitting its skull open. Unfortunately there were other goblins who saw this and they reacted. They reacted by running away to the best of their abilities towards the door that led further into this complex. I of course was right behind them and made sure that they couldn¡¯t open it.


    This sudden and abrupt noise however woke up the few goblins that were sleeping and they were quickly on their feet looking around for the source of this commotion. One dressed in actual proper clothing was the first to see me and shouted out while drawing a somewhat maintained dagger and running towards me. To my surprise this goblin was actually quite quick and somewhat competent with his dagger, he ducked and dodged out of the way of several of my swings that I thought would quickly kill it like the others. He even landed a few hits on me that were thankfully absorbed by my armor completely.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡®This one has actual skill with its weapon of choice, might as well do something drastic.¡¯ I kicked forward, knocking the goblin back and followed it up with a second kick to the face that knocked it on its back. I then stepped forward and stomped down on the goblin''s face and heard a sickening crack as its nose broke. The goblin wailed out in pain and dropped its dagger which I souped up and plunged into its chest.


    The other goblins were half awake but understood that whatever happened wasn¡¯t good as their leader who was screaming just a moment ago suddenly went silent. Like the one before they quickly tried to run away, but unlike before they all took different doors which forced me to pick a group to follow and kill. I chose to kill the group of three goblins that tried to run for the very same door, the one making things with bone and leather chose while the other five escaped. The three goblins didn¡¯t put up much of a fight as they were unarmed and tired.


    Taking a moment to catch my breath I sheathed my sword and dragged the seven goblin corpses off to the side as I looked for anything of value. I did contemplate chasing down the other five goblins but since I could hear them after they left the room I assumed they left the floor entirely believing it to be too dangerous to stay.


    The only thing that I found that was of value was the dagger the one half decent dressed goblin had with it. I looked at its corpse as I looked at the dagger, it was definitely made by a dwarf considering the craftsmanship and skill it was made with, but I also noticed that someone had been maintaining it as it showed signs of sharpening with how the very thin amount of rust had formed on it. Looking at the former owner I found no whetstone that might have been used, but it must have understood how to use one.


    ¡®Goblin¡¯s are a bit more complicated than I thought they were. Despite these being outcast or banished members of the society that is within the cavern below they do have a sort of community here though it is far more refined than the one just one floor down. I wonder why that is?¡¯ I put that thought to the side as I looked at my HUD and the notifications.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 100 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


    Level 3, 1000 Exp


    + 10 points


    Next at 1400


    \- - - - - -/


    I smiled as I saw the notification. Now that I was at level three I had enough mana to cast a tier one spell, just one however. ¡®If I were to put twenty points into my intelligence then I would definitely have enough mana to cast three tier one spells back to back. Though I have been using my physical capabilities as well as my swordsmanship to kill these goblins, so it might be wise to invest some of these points into my dexterity or my strength as well so I can actually fight when I don¡¯t have any mana.¡¯


    With anything of value collected and my HUD checked upon I drew my sword and stepped towards the door towards the end of the room that based on the wall placement would lead to another room. ¡®Hopefully this one isn¡¯t full of goblins.¡¯


    Slowly and carefully I turned the knob and pushed the door open while remaining vigilant of any possible threats. On the other side I did not see any goblins, but I did see something quite unexpected that no one during the expedition mentioned despite how important such a thing would be. ¡®This is a farm, with mushrooms growing as a source of food.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t really sure how these goblins were eating before, but this certainly wasn¡¯t what I thought they were doing. But it did make a whole lot of sense when I thought about it, since everything needs to eat and they do live in an underground city with cavern access just ten floors below. Though the smell of the room was not very nice it was a functioning farm, and off towards the corner of the room there were old barrels of food that the goblins had been using. ¡®This changes a lot about what I thought of the goblins and their command structure. I just assumed that every goblin that wasn¡¯t part of the group in the cavern was on their own, but this might prove that they are for the most part one big interconnected group with a few outcasts like the group I found on the fifteenth floor.¡¯


    I walked towards the small area sectioned off for food storage and passed by a stone statue of what appeared to be a humanoid figure wearing plated armor and holding a massive sword larger than even my longsword pointed downwards. I noticed that it shared some similarities with the depictions of Solarius that I saw during my time in Antium. ¡®I should ask someone about this, perhaps this is a temple to Solarius. From what I understand he would have been around during the second era when this city was built.¡¯


    Five barrels remained intact in this small space, using the dagger I took from the one goblin I pried off the lid and found it was full of the brown mushrooms that were being grown not too far from where I stood. Quickly I filled my rucksack around halfway full with these brown mushrooms before closing the lid and moving onto the other barrels. The next three just contained the very same type of mushrooms that I had already taken so I left them alone, the last barrel however had exactly what I was most interested in, it was a barrel full of honey.


    I thought back to when this barrel was brought to the camp by a very proud group of Lyra¡¯s mercenaries, though we didn¡¯t eat the honey it was still a very interesting experience for everyone involved. I for one learned that honey is a type of food that can stay edible for an indefinite amount of time, so this barrel full of honey was very likely still very good to eat which was a good thing as my stomach began growling for food.


    Opening one of the barrels back up I took two of the mushrooms and closed it back up. Taking out the dagger I cut the mushrooms up into smaller pieces and then dipped them into the barrel of honey before eating the piece. The mushroom itself didn¡¯t really have a taste, but it certainly had a texture and I was not much of a fan of it. It almost felt like I was eating a poor copy of meat, it had an odd texture and was only made decent by the taste of the honey that I covered it with. Slowly I managed to eat all the pieces of the two mushrooms and Closed up the lid to the honey.


    With some food now in my belly I was more than ready to continue exploring this floor in hopes of finding a safe place to stay for the night, both for sleep and to assign my attribute points as I would need both to continue without risking my life with every small decision I make and to eventually get down to the caravan and hunt as many goblins on my own.

 Chapter 158

    Scouring through the remaining rooms of the fourteenth floor I found nothing of note aside from more temples and bedrooms to house the priests that ran them along with a few trinkets that were likely of little value.


    With the floor now secured I entered the room to the farthest right of the floor and blocked the door to the temple with the statue and the door to the bedroom with a chair while I prepared myself to sleep. I didn¡¯t want any surprises and I had no doubts that the goblins would return if my assumptions regarding their societal structure were correct.


    The bed was a little small and not the most comfortable that I had slept on, but it definitely could have been worse. While I was laying I had my HUD open and was trying to decide what I wanted to invest my thirty points into. ¡®Intelligence is definitely something I want to invest in soon, that way I can actually start using all the spells I know. Investing twenty points will give me three units of mana for every level I gain and still leave me with ten points to put somewhere else. Since I am also using a sword more often than before, strength and dexterity will both be useful as well, splitting that into five each might not be a bad idea.¡¯


    Following this rationale train of thought I invested my attribute points accordingly by raising my intelligence to thirty and both my strength and dexterity to fifteen.


    /- - - - - -\


    Strength 15


    Dexterity 15


    Intellect 30


    \- - - - - -/


    I smiled as I saw the numbers go up, but I also recalled that I wouldn''t feel the changes until I slept for the night which I was going to do. I closed my eyes and adjusted myself until I was comfortable until I slowly drifted off to sleep deep below the surface in Dom Badaher.


    **********


    Meanwhile at the entrance of Dom Badaher the expedition led by Lyra had hit a dead end. Despite searching for a whole day they had not found any possible mechanism that would be used to open the city gate from the outside. While it was useful for keeping invaders out it was making entry even after all this time a bit of a problem.


    Within the large tent that served as the headquarters of this expedition Lyra was speaking with an older human man with grey hairs projected via a communication orb not available to the common folk even with large sums of money. Citro was also there as he was an important part of the leadership of her Flock of war.


    ¡°I am sorry sir, but we have not had any success with finding a way into the settlement of Dom Badaher without digging a hole into its walls.¡± Lyra apologized while looking quite sad to the older man, the feeling of shame was preventing her from looking him in the eyes despite them knowing each other for almost her whole life.


    ¡°Well this makes things difficult.¡± The man on the other end of the communication sphere sighed while taking a seat. ¡°If you are unable to find any other way into the settlement within 24 hours then call me again, when that happens I will give you permission to begin digging your way into the settlement.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir. If we do find another way in before then I shall alert you immediately of it.¡±


    ¡°Very good Lyra, you are dismissed. I hope to hear good news the next time we speak.¡± The older man said as both he and Lyra gave each other a salute, the fact that neither she nor any of her mercenaries were a part of the military was ignored before the call ended.


    ¡°You and your father have quite the complicated relationship. One day he treats you like a small child and a princess, and the next he treats you like a part of the military. What is up with that?¡± Citro commented as he draped a small piece of silk cloth over the communication orb in the middle of the tent.


    ¡°Things have been like that since he adopted me 40 years ago. There is always a time and place to treat everyone a certain way, that''s what he always taught me anyways. Though I think he was a little saddened that I didn¡¯t join the military since I technically don¡¯t have any inheritance waiting for me, he is still happy that I have my own mercenary company though he would have preferred a military daughter.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have an inheritance? But he considers you his daughter and has treated you like one of his own children. I assumed you would have been a part of the inheritance from day one. Is this some sort of political scheme by your foster family?¡±


    ¡°A few family members on my foster mothers side of the family didn¡¯t like that I was adopted, less so that I am an elf. You know, typical upper class racism. They somehow managed to alter the will so that I wouldn¡¯t receive anything and my father was livid about it. To keep what happened simple we don¡¯t talk with our extended family very often anymore.¡±


    The room went quiet as what Lyra said started to sink in. Eventually she was forced to change the topic to prevent the situation from becoming any more awkward.


    ¡°So what do you think the odds are that we find an access point or mechanism to open the front gate to Dom Badaher? Since we haven''t found anything so far I would bet that we are probably going to need to dig our way inside.¡±


    ¡°That is a reasonable assessment. The only real hope we have of entering Dom Badaher without digging a hole in the side would be to have someone exit from the inside and open the door, but we would need to somehow teleport someone with conjuration magic to do that and if that were possible then we wouldn''t even be having this conversation.¡± Citro sighed and sat down while he rubbed his temples to relieve the headache he was feeling.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Even if we had access to such conjuration magic we would need to worry about the end location of the spell, otherwise we could accidently send someone into somewhere where they can''t find their way out or even inside of a living creature if we are unlucky enough.¡±


    Neither Lyra or Citro stayed in the tent for much longer as they each had their own duties to attend to, Citro went to take part in the search for an entrance to Dom Badaher while Calavia took care of the logistical problems that arrived from the expedition before the day ended.


    ***********


    I slowly opened my eyes as I awoke from my slumber, as I slowly sat up I could feel renewed strength within myself and my mind was sharp like my sword. I raised my hand and conjured up a ball of fire that fit perfectly in my hand like a key. I didn¡¯t need the HUD to know that my mana reserves were three times what they were before and I could cast a tier two spell if I either needed to or wanted to.


    In a strange way this recovered strength was almost intoxicating in a way I never knew was possible, before I was far stronger than this, but I felt so much more powerful. Quickly checking my things I made sure that everything that I wasn¡¯t wearing was in my rucksack or strapped to my hip. I ate a few mushrooms as a simple and filling breakfast. I then removed the chair from where it was and opened the door to the temple which was also untouched from when I last saw it.


    The hallway was silent as I stepped outside the temple, I looked both ways before I fully exited and walked towards the stairs intending to travel up another floor. ¡®By the time I clear out the first floor I should be at around level ten given the distribution of goblins. That would leave me quite close to my power when I died at the dark magic of that imperial mage. Hopefully I can avoid that this time.¡¯


    Walking up the stairs to the thirteenth floor was just as uneventful as before and the opening hallway to said floor was just as initially empty as I expected it to be, but upon closer inspection the signs of goblin activity was there. Small splatters of blood and the occasional severed limb gave away the nature and level of cooperation that the goblins that lived here had. ¡®Just like on the fifteenth floor, these ones are basically animals. I wonder what made the ones on fourteenth so different from the rest, was it the access to food that they had?¡¯


    I pushed my thoughts regarding the goblins who lived on the fourteenth floor out of my mind as I focused on those that were currently hiding on this floor. Given the larger area I had to cover there were likely to be more goblins hiding here than on the previous two floors.


    With the unique placement of the buildings and metal gates that could close at any moment I walked carefully through and into whatever this floor might have been. Upon stepping past the gates I noticed that there were several panels of one way glass along the side of the building, since both sides were dimly lit I was able to somewhat see inside saw what appeared to be a control room with all sorts of levers and switches throughout the room control only the gods know what at this point.


    With one hand on my sword and my other ready to cast a spell I continued forward wondering where the goblins might be hiding. As I rounded the corner I saw what looked to be a simple armory with its doors wide open and dried blood and old skeletons strewn across the floor. Looking inside the armory I found a few secretary desks and a waiting room with a few broken chairs. The next room within the building had a metal door with a powerful looking look that was unfortunately wide open. Inside was the actual armory that had a desk where I assumed the person handing out the equipment would stand and behind it were several racks where weapons and armor once were.


    ¡®Looks like someone or something looted the armory a while ago. It might have been to fight against the goblins invading from the underground cavern they dug into, considering that the front gate of the city is still closed I don¡¯t think they succeeded in their attempt.¡¯


    Climbing over the desk I looked around the room for anything that might have been missed but whoever went through this room was thorough and grabbed everything.


    The only clue to what might have been stored here was a few half rotted manuals that were written in a language I didn¡¯t understand, the only reason I even knew they were manuals was due to the pictures I could on a few pages. ¡®Things must have been really bad if they took everything from here. From what I can see the primary weapon that was stored here were metal rods that were likely used to subdue targets, the armor on the other hand was actual chainmail from what I can see so I see why they took that.¡¯


    Eventually I looked through every container and every weapon rack and was left with just an empty room containing nothing. As I was about to exit the room I suddenly heard a noise from something alive and breathing. It was the sound of footsteps of more than one creature and they were speaking in the familiar grunts and growls that I heard the goblins use to speak with each other. I stopped and remained quiet as they passed by the armory and further into the floor, I kept my sword and magic at the ready just in case they entered the building, but thankfully that didn¡¯t happen.


    Once I was certain that they were gone I slowly exited the armory making as little noise as possible. When I arrived at the front doors I looked around outside for any sign of movement before stepping outside. ¡®That group of goblins that passed by went past the armory and deeper into the floor. I hope there weren''t all that many, otherwise clearing this floor will be a bit of a problem.¡¯ With my sword still in hand I continued walking in the direction of where I heard the goblins walking and ventured deeper into the thirteenth floor.


    One of the first buildings of note that I found after the armory was a large cell with iron bars where walls would have been excluding the back wall which was actual stone bricks. The cell had enough room to accommodate around twenty or so people if they were all standing, there were several seats but they were just heavy stone bricks along the edges of the cell.


    ¡®This must be some sort of temporary prison cell where they are kept until they can be processed. I guess that would make this floor a prison, and the armory was used to stone prison guard weapons and armor. Things must have been really bad if they needed that to fight their invaders.¡¯ Pressing further into the prison I found hallways dedicated to prison cells that could accommodate two people at a time. The cells were still quite small but were a lot better for sleeping in than the temporary cell that I passed.


    As I walked through that hall I saw several skeletons of former prisoners still within their cells, whenever they were attacked they didn¡¯t have an opportunity to escape and likely died from dehydration or starvation. ¡®What a way to go. I guess I got lucky when that mage decided to kill me with that magic spell that conjured up a cloud of red smoke.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t see any blood within any of the cells furthering the likelihood that these prisoners died not from injuries but because they were forgotten. But not all hallways of cells were like this, another was completely empty and had a majority of its cells open wide for anyone to enter or leave. The only evidence that someone was actually in one of these cells was a skeleton of a dwarf laying on the floor like it was exiting from one of these cells.

 Chapter 159

    Walking further and further into the prison I found cell after cell laid empty, eventually I found the cafeteria where the prisoners would all go for their meals and inside I found the first goblins on this floor. The room consisted of two stories, the bottom where the tables and food was served and eaten, and the top where the guards could watch everything happen from a safe distance. In the middle of the room was where the goblins were in little shelters made from the old furniture. Several had tables that they used for things like butchery outside that were still stained with blood and other liquids.


    Several were wearing sets of the chainmail armor from the armory very loosely like they were wearing regular clothes. They also held simple weapons like knives, daggers, and the occasional spear, the metal sticks used for subduing opponents were nowhere to be found. ¡®I can¡¯t be sure just yet, but they might have melted them down for their own weapons. Those spears don¡¯t look like they were made by dwarves, they are too small for a full grown dwarf and the craftsmanship is terrible compared to everything else in the city.¡¯


    I could also hear somewhere else in the room the sound of chopping flesh with either an axe or a meat cleaver. I hoped that it was an actual animal that was being butchered and not another goblin like on the fifteenth floor.


    Watching the goblins for a while I looked upon their cohesion, or more accurately the lack thereof. They shouted at each other over what looked to be simple things and in general they were hostile to each other even though they were all a part of the same community. It was like someone took all the worst traits of humans, dwarves, and elves and mixed them all together and created the goblins.


    Eventually I grew tired of just standing and waiting for something to happen so I stood up with my sword in hand and prepared myself to deal with this small gang of Goblins. Before rushing in I made sure to make a rough head count of how many goblins there were, from what I could see from where I was there were roughly ten or so within eyesight, likely around fifteen given the amount of shelters there were.


    Instead of going for a surprise attack I chose to instead walk right up and fight them head on, this was because there was very little in terms of terrain that I could use to conceal myself. If I were able to cast complex illusion spells that could hide myself from their eyes I might have tried it, but unfortunately my magical studies ended far too early for that.


    When I started walking forwards I was nervous that the goblins would immediately notice me and gang up on me, but with each step I took I was proven wrong. Step after step I closed the distance so that several goblins were within range of my offensive tier one spells, they were so preoccupied with fighting amongst themselves that they didn¡¯t even notice the danger closing in on themselves. ¡°Fools.¡± I muttered to myself as I was only around twenty meters from their formation of shelters and I readied my spells.


    ¡°Tri terrae fulmina, Tri terrae fulmina, Tri terrae fulmina.¡± I casted the tri earth bolts spell and conjured forth three earth bolts which I sent towards the closest three goblins in a group of four with the aim of killing them with one strike. Since they were for the most part not moving their heads striking them there was of little issue.


    Quickly three goblins fell to the ground with a large bolt of earth sticking out of their head. The one surviving goblins shouted out in surprise and fear when it realized that its allies it was speaking with just seconds ago were dead. It looked at the bolts and then turned to look in the direction they came in and saw me standing just twenty or so meters away with my hand still raised from the casting of the spell.


    The goblin dressed in chainmail and carrying a dagger and a part of a chair as a shield shouted and held its ground. Since it was calling for its still living allies I rushed towards it with both hands on my sword ready to strike down on it. With a powerful swing from above the goblin raised its shield up and blocked it, but not without dropping the improvised shield and being left defenseless for a kick to the stomach I gave it.


    While the kick didn¡¯t do much damage to the goblin it did knock it backwards and disorient it enough to keep it from dodging my second sword strike which came from my lower right towards my upper left. The blade sliced through the air and eventually through some flesh as well, the goblin fell backwards as it felt my sword cut through part of its cheek and lip leaving a hole that connected to the mouth.


    The goblins screamed out in pain as it clutched at the large hole in its cheek, two more goblins rounded the corner and joined in on the fight, each carrying a spear that put my sword at a disadvantage in terms of range. The two goblins immediately rushed forward with their spears pointed forwards to try and force me away from their ally who was stumbling away clutching at its wound.


    Taking several steps back I readied myself and casted the Tri Earth Bolt spell again, this time I aimed for the kneecap of each of the goblins in an attempt to disable them. I would have aimed for their faces but that was a bit more risky than knocking them down since they only wore the upper half of the chainmail armor.


    The bolts found their marks on the unprotected knees of the goblin fighters knocking one to the ground while forcing the other to stop completely. Without wasting a second I thrusted my sword towards the exposed face of the one standing goblin which it barely dodged, I followed it up with a quick overhead strike in one fluid move. Even though it wore chainmail to protect its upper body the impact from the strike still left some damage and stunned the goblin long enough for a second stab into its eye.


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    The other goblin dropped its spear out of its own reach and fell face first into the ground leaving it as an easy kill with just one stab to the face.


    Even though I had just killed two goblins and greatly wounded a third I didn¡¯t let my guard down, I only had enough mana left for one more tier one spell so after that I would only have my swordsmanship left as a weapon and my armor for protection, not that I didn¡¯t trust the armor to protect me, just that one single mistake would leave me wounded and without any way to recover from such wounds. I did know a little bit about restoration magic, but nothing about applying it to actual living creatures.


    Within this little goblin settlement several voices of anger and confusion could be heard, but unlike before they were not rushing out without any regard for their own lives. Clearly they noticed that the two that arrived to fight me weren¡¯t alright.


    Noticing that the remaining goblins were hesitant to come rushing out to fight me, I took the opportunity to kill the goblin I had wounded earlier. It was just standing off leaning against a nearby shelter holding its cheek to keep its blood from gushing out. A stab to the face with the short sword I picked up on the fifteenth floor quickly killed it.


    Feeling that it would be very smart to just wait here for the goblins to all come charging at me all at once I began walking around the outside of the goblins settlement using the very buildings themselves to hide behind. ¡®I should try attacking from the other side of the settlement. That way I can get another surprise attack in and leave the goblins feeling even more confused. After that I should do the same thing again until I have thinned their numbers down enough to fight them all in the open.¡¯


    Circling around to the back of the settlement I found a second entrance there that was left unguarded, looking around the corner of one of the buildings I saw that the goblins were slowly moving towards my last position with their weapons in hand. From what I could see there were seven goblins all wearing the same chainmail armor and carrying an assortment of spears and knives.


    Slowly and quietly I started casting the Tri Earth Bolt spell again, this time I was aiming for the three goblins that I could see that didn¡¯t have any chainmail covering their heads. I smiled as I conjured up the three earth bolts and held them steady until I felt they were in the perfect position and I propelled them forwards.


    The three bolts shot forwards with power and speed towards my targets, the first goblin to be struck was the one in the very back of the group. It received that bolt in the very back of the head and fell to the ground as it slowly bled to death on the inside. The second goblin to be killed in this way was in the very center of the simple formation that was haphazardly put together, the bolt streaked past two other goblins and struck this one in the side of the head killing it very similarly to the first. The third to die this way was right near the front of the formation, like the first it was struck in the back of the head and fell into another goblin that was standing right next to it startling it when it noticed its ally was dead.


    Not waiting to see what the goblins would do I rushed around the settlement in the same direction back around to the front where I started. The first thing I noticed was that the four goblin corpses that were at the entrance were where they had been before, there had been no effort to remove them from where they died. Now this was either because they turned back around to look at the back entrance or they were too scared to do anything.


    Peeking around the corner showed that there were no goblins within sight, they were all hiding somewhere where I could not see them. ¡®Now this is either the smartest thing they could have done, or the dumbest thing they could have done. If they are trying to ambush me when I enter then I would consider that smart, but if they''re just hiding from me then they are as dumb as I thought they would be.¡¯ I inwardly sighed as I stepped over the dead goblins and entered the poorly constructed settlement of the goblins.


    The whole place was quiet as I kept my eyes peeled looking for anything that might show the goblins waiting for me in ambush, but I found no such ambush and no goblins outside the buildings if you could even call them that. The tables and chairs they had stacked together that somewhat formed walls were both hideous and bad, it was more likely that the collapsing of these ¡®buildings¡¯ would be a greater threat to their safety than I would be.


    Since I had no intention of actually entering any of these buildings I instead chose to just push them over which was actually quite easy when you knew where to push or kick. The first building that I knocked over was the closest to the front entrance and it fell like a waterfall. It was almost majestic in how it happened, but I didn¡¯t hear any goblins screaming out in pain from being crushed so I moved onto the next building.


    Three more buildings came down before any of the goblins reacted, the building likely belonged to a butcher or the closest thing that goblin societies have to one. The sudden shriek of a goblin inside almost scared me as it was sudden and full of fear. However it didn¡¯t kill the goblin as it was just partly buried in the broken stone furniture, a quick stab to the throat however was able to fix that.


    Another three buildings fell before A goblin popped out, this time however it was actually putting up a fight and had a weapon in hand. It wildly swung its dagger around in my general direction as I stepped back and pointed my longsword towards it. Once I had decent footing and a stable grip I stepped forward and thrusted forward towards the open face where the chainmail did not cover the goblin. I narrowly missed and the goblin jumped towards me trying to knock me off balance, I was forced to drop my sword and punched the knocking it back onto the ground where I tackled it to the ground and stabbed it with the short sword.


    Suddenly I heard two more sets of footsteps coming towards my position, the last two goblins trying to help their comrade and they were close. ¡®That last yell must have been a signal to attack me. I need my sword or I am screwed.¡¯


    Turning around I quickly rushed for my sword just as the first goblin entered my view closely followed by the second one. Knowing I needed to kill them quickly I ran forward and swung my sword towards the neck to try and take it out of the fight. ¡®That chainmail will probably keep it alive but if I am lucky it will take it out of the fight from the impact of the strike at least until I kill the other one.


    Striking the goblin in its protected neck the goblin coughed before it stumbled back and clutched its neck leaving its ally to receive my next attack which was another swing from the right side this time. Since it was farther away it did only get partly grazed by my strike, but I was able to follow it up with a quick stab towards the face that left a larger wound.

 Chapter 160

    Thrusting the tip of my sword into the forehead of the goblin before me it went straight through the malnourished bone that made up its skull. The bone could be heard cracking and breaking under the weight and force of the strike, I quickly retracted my sword and the goblin fell to the ground like a puppet cut from its strings.


    Seeing this goblin as no threat I moved my attention towards the one last goblin still half choking from the strike to the throat I dealt it earlier. It was leaning against one of the ¡®buildings¡¯ and clutching at its throat while breathing very heavily. I corrected this by striking it over the head with my sword and sending it to the ground where I stabbed it several more times until it was bleeding instead of squirming around.


    Taking a quick look around to be sure there wasn¡¯t anyone or anything watching me I sighed and sheathed my sword and sat down on the ground. I had just killed eleven goblins that unlike the ones I fought before were both armed and armored with half decent stuff this time. Admittedly the armor only protected the top half of their bodies but that was still an upgrade compared to what I was fighting against earlier.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    + 80 Exp


    Level 4, 1880 Exp


    + 10 points


    Next at 2000


    \- - - - - -/


    As I saw the notifications within my sight I could feel the sudden change in my mana reserves expanding to allow for two tier two spells to be cast back to back, though I would need to allow my mana to actually recover to do that. The ten additional points were also a welcomed addition, given the physical strain that I have been putting myself through I figured that improving my strength or vitality might be a smart move considering that my mana reserves aren''t high enough to allow me to rely upon completely for fighting.


    ¡®I hope these goblins have some actual good food to eat somewhere, these mushrooms might be filling but they aren¡¯t easy to force down. The taste leaves much to be desired.¡¯ I didn¡¯t remain sitting for much longer as I soon started looking through this goblin settlement for anything of value, specifically good tasting food. Unfortunately all the food that I found was either of questionable origin or what I had already eaten.


    ¡®More of these mushrooms? Were they stealing from the one below or something? How do they even stomach these things anyways? They don¡¯t exactly have good hygiene with the piles of shit and piss behind their crappy little homes.¡¯ What little mushrooms I could find that were still in half decent condition I placed into my rucksack, then I turned my attention towards the weapons and armor that the goblins were wearing.


    ¡®Dear gods they had a lot of weapons and armor didn¡¯t they? Each one has a chainmail shirt which I could probably fit two or three into my bag without dumping any food, and then there are the weapons consisting of knives and spears. I could bring along a spear and just carry it, perhaps also a knife as well. But everything else I am going to need to leave behind.¡¯


    I slowly packed three chainmail shirts into my bag and the best knife that I could find along with the best spear I could find. The rest of the valuable weapons and armor I hid under a pile of rubble that used to be one of the homes belonging to the goblins, it wasn¡¯t a very good hiding place but it was better than nothing.


    With everything packed up I exited through the side door to the cafeteria and stepped out into another hallway that had two directions, one was around a corner which was just a cell wing, the other was a locked doorway made of metal bars that looked to lead up to the vantage point above the cafeteria though I wasn¡¯t sure. I tried to open this door but it was locked and I had no idea where the key might be. The cell wing however was quite familiar as it was one of the ones that I saw and briefly looked through earlier for the remains of prisoners while I was exploring. Thankfully I didn¡¯t find any in this one.


    Walking down it I passed through the familiar halls while remaining vigilant, I counted enough homes for at least fifteen goblins and I only found eleven in that settlement, that left four more unaccounted for that could show up anywhere. Thankfully I didn¡¯t find any of them on my way out of the prison level and back to the central stairway.


    But now comes the big problem, do I continue exploring and killing any goblins I can find or do I find somewhere safe and drop off what I have collected. And if I chose to drop my things off I then need to decide where that place will be. ¡®Right now my rucksack is full and will become a liability if I end up in a fight. I am also wishing that I had my dimensional bag with me to keep everything I have taken. But for now I will need to find somewhere to keep my things safe, I could go back to the room on the fourteenth floor with all the temples. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable place to stay but it was good enough for the time being. On the other hand the one room on the fifteenth floor where I woke up had way more room and a much nicer bed.¡¯


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    Taking a moment to think the bed was what really sold me on the location, while I didn¡¯t think about it a whole lot the bed on the fifteenth floor was really soft and comfortable. I didn¡¯t even realize that I was even laying on a bed when I woke up this time it was so soft. So with a decision made I began walking back down the stairs to the fifteenth floor, past the lone goblin corpse, down the hallway and past the broken skeleton, and into the bedroom.


    The door to the room was wide open like how I left it when I left roughly two days ago now. The first thing I did once inside was close it and lock it with the yellow metal wheel thing that I assumed was a lock, pulling on the door to open it showed that I was correct in that belief.


    Once I was secured and safe I emptied my rucksack of all its chainmail and other metallic objects and placed them in one of the corners of the room, the mushrooms stayed in there for the time being or until I could find a container to keep them in. ¡®It would be smart to start locking the door from the outside when I leave to prevent any surprises when I return as well to keep anyone from stealing from me, though I don¡¯t see a key anywhere in this room. There might be one in the office, probably in one of the desk drawers.¡¯


    Turning to the office door I slowly opened it just in case there was something waiting in there, thankfully everything was about how I left it when I was last here. I quickly walked over to the desk and sat down in the chair as I started looking through the drawers. The first several just had more papers and documents that I couldn¡¯t read, the second was empty, the third was full of ink pots some filled while others were empty, and the fourth was the one that I found a key chain in along with several small trinkets that the former owner must have kept.


    Most of these trinkets were very simple and basic, some were made from stone while other metal, but one stood out from the rest. It was a lifelike small statue of a person, specifically a human that looked like a noble mage or something similar based on its cape rode thing and a staff with a crystal on the end. The crystal was of course a gem stone but it was definitely based on a real person just based on the extreme detail, it even had a beard which was well groomed. Picking it up I discovered that it was made from stone and was painted as well, holding it into the light showed that the painter was just as skilled as the sculptor.


    ¡®I wonder who this is, he was definitely someone important when this was made and I would say he looks around forty years old with the beard, maybe a little less if he shaved it off.¡¯ Placing the small statue on the top of the desk I closed the drawer and brought the keychain with me to try locking the door from the outside. Stepping outside I closed the heavy door behind myself and tried the first key against the lock which was made out of iron. The key predictably didn¡¯t fit so I tried the next and the next after that until I reached the yellow metal key of the same material that made up the door and furniture of the bedroom and office. The key slid right in and locked with a satisfying click before I turned it the other way and unlocked it before entering again.


    ¡®Good to have that out of the way, now I don¡¯t need to worry about anything stealing from me or waiting for me when I return later. I should probably go and get the last of the chainmail and weapons that I left on the thirteenth floor. Afterwards I should probably grab one of those barrels that were on the fourteenth so I have a decent amount of food.¡¯


    ********


    ¡°It has been a full day now, so we should probably contact your father and tell him of our progress.¡± Citro said as he entered the tent and removed his helmet.


    ¡°Yes, it has been. I am honestly amazed that we haven''t found a single piece of evidence that there might be another way to get inside without digging a hole into the walls. You would think that the dwarves of the second era would have a backup way inside just in case.¡± Lyra breathed out a deep sigh as she sat down in a well made wooden chair.


    ¡°Well the dwarves of the second era were also very paranoid of outside forces in addition to being very wealthy. The human gods were trying to force their way into their societies with some being a bit more forceful than others, those like Zar''Nakth who were beyond any one race had no good intentions for these powerful dwarven city states.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but you would think they would have had something.¡± Lyra continued trying to avoid the topic of her father, she really didn¡¯t like failing him and even though he was always kind to her unless she did something bad, she always felt like she was failing him when she couldn¡¯t do what he asked of her, even when it was impossible.


    ¡°As much as I would love to continue talking about how foolish these dwarves were, we need to contact your father and inform him of the situation. That way we can get our approval to start digging and finally gain access to the city and recover anything of value. Remember whose idea it was to inquire about forming an exploratory expedition here.¡± Lyra tried avoiding eye contact at the mention of her ingenious idea.


    ¡°Fine I will call him and we can tell him of our progress.¡± Lyra said with her annoyance clear in her voice as she began working with the communication orb in the center of the room upon the center table. After a few taps on the surface of the orb it began projecting four spherical dots above it that took turns making a soft ding noise and jumping upwards. After a half minute of this the dots began to rapidly multiply and change their shapes into her father.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Lyra. I was a little worried if you were going to call, I was considering calling you myself.¡± Turning his head he noticed that Citro was also in the room with his daughter. ¡°And I see that Citro is with you as well, I trust you have been keeping my daughter safe.¡± Citro responded with a quick nod before Sir Vettonius turned back to Lyra.


    ¡°Now, what do you have to report? Have you found a way inside that doesn¡¯t require breaking down the walls of the city?¡± Lyra looked away slightly at the question and tried to hide her feelings. ¡°No sir we have not, the only evidence of any live people down here is the front gate to Dom Badaher. Nothing we have seen or tried has opened the gate from the outside, there was no secret entrance, no hidden key, none of the blocks that make up the outside of the gate will open it up when applied with force. As far as we know there is no way to enter without breaking down the walls.¡± Lyra managed to keep herself from sounding worried or unsure but kept her gaze averted from her fathers out of shame.


    ¡°I see, that is rather unfortunate but we are left with no alternative now. I hereby give you permission to gain entry with whatever method you require. Whether it be the intended way or by force you may decide, but try to have it done as soon as possible. And be sure to contact me when you are inside, I wish to know of your progress so I may submit my own reports to the crown and approve a proper reward for you and your mercenaries.¡±


    Citro smiled and looked over to Lyra, unlike himself she was looking rather worried about the situation. ¡®She probably doesn¡¯t want to damage the physical structure of the gate, it is well made and durable against both magic and steel. But we will need to bypass it if we wish to uncover what secrets might be hiding within.¡¯

 Chapter 161

    ¡°Very well, we shall inform the laborer''s of their new task and have them start digging a hole into the city. We will contact you the moment we have broken through along with daily reports on our progress. I hope we will have better news for you the next time we speak father.¡± Lyra gave a little bow as she finished talking, her father noticed this as well as the tone of her voice and thought to himself. ¡®I will need to speak with her once she returns.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, I look forward to what you find.¡± In what he said instead moments before he ended the call leaving Lyra and Citro on their own in the tent.


    ¡°Hey, are you alright? You sounded disappointed in yourself about something. Don¡¯t tell me you are sad about not finding a way in without digging one.¡± Citro asked as he walked over to his friend and kneeled down to match her height in her chair.


    ¡°Of course I am, I was given one job and I couldn¡¯t do it correctly. Now we need to dig a hole into the city ruining the defensive capabilities and possibly opening ourselves up to an ambush from the outside while we are all inside. Who knows who would try something if they knew of our situation.¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes started to slightly fill with tears as she explained why she was unhappy with the situation.


    Suddenly Citro moved forward and hugged his friend forcing a quick yelp of surprise from Lyra. ¡°You worry too much about these things, if it wasn¡¯t the door that wouldn¡¯t open then something else would have been bothering you. You father and the crown just want someone to enter the city and bring back anything of value while securing for possible colonization. Do you really think they care if they need to fill one hole with bricks?¡±


    Lyra smiled and wiped her tears as she thought of the absurdity of the fact of someone being angry over filling a hole. Anyone who would be settling this abandoned dwarven city after they secure it would have just about everything they needed here, the only thing they would actually need to build would be a wall to close up that hole.


    ¡°You''re right, I do worry too much. We should probably go tell the laborer''s of their new task and put them to work.¡± Lyra quickly stood up while Citro ended the hug and followed her outside the tent to start delegating the new tasks to the laborer''s.


    **********


    With an audible thunk I placed the last barrel containing those brown mushrooms that I had been eating for my breakfast, lunch and dinner off to the side of my new bedroom. I had also brought along the barrel full of honey so the mushrooms could actually taste half decent. Now that I actually had some off where I would be staying it would become less of an issue for the time being and I could instead put all of my time towards killing any goblins I come across as I continue searching through the various floors of this dwarven city.


    But another important factor required my attention before I would go back out again, the ten points I just earned from reaching level four.


    ¡®I have my intellect at thirty which for the time being is good enough, my mana will naturally increase as I increase my level further. But I also intend to use my sword for the time being so strength, dexterity, vitality, and constitution are needed more than if I were just a mage. For now I feel that my dexterity is good enough but my strength could use some improvement to make carrying all this stuff as well as wearing my armor less burdensome. Vitality will give me more energy to move around with and will help me heal faster. I don¡¯t really need more constitution all that much at the moment because my armor can protect me pleasantly for now. So that makes a five point split for both strength and vitality the best move for me at the moment.¡¯


    /- - - - - -\


    Strength 20


    Vitality 15


    \- - - - - -/


    I smiled as I saw the number go up, though I wouldn''t feel the effects until I rested for the day I knew I was getting stronger and eventually if I played my cards correctly even demons would be trivial enemies that I could defeat with but a wave of my hand.


    But before I could think on the topic any further I opened my mouth wide and yawned deeply. Once I was done I looked around the room along the walls for a clock, when I didn¡¯t see one I entered the office and found one, but it was both very old and didn¡¯t work any longer. Even if it did work, it used a very different style of time measurement that I didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡®Well this is rather unfortunate, I don¡¯t know what the time is. I wonder if there are any spells that can measure time, something like that would be useful when you are stuck underground for a long period of time. If I had to guess, something like that would be an alteration or an illusion spell depending on the specifics of how it worked.¡¯ Looking back towards the bed I could feel the physical and mental exhaustion slowly creeping up like a wolf hunting a deer, so I took off my armor while the yawning increased and placed it off to the side of my bed. My sword on the other hand was sheathed and placed on the other side of the bed where it would remain within my reach at all times.


    But before I went to bed I had a few mushrooms covered with honey as a quick dinner, I used my geomancy to conjure up a plate, knife, and fork to eat my dinner in a half decent manner. When I was done I simply dismissed the plate and utensils and walked over to my bed and slid under the blanket.


    When I woke up here both times I never really paid much attention to it, but now that I was sleeping on it I realised just how comfortable it was, especially after the bed in that temple. It was so comfortable in fact that I didn¡¯t even realise that I had fallen asleep until I woke several hours later and my mana had fully recovered.


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    When I awoke I slowly sat up on the bed and looked around the room, everything was as I left it and I felt the strength in my body was greater than it was yesterday. Practically jumping off the bed I rushed over the barrels of mushrooms and began scarfing two down. I didn¡¯t know how long I was sleeping but given how hungry I was it must have been a while.


    When my belly was full I turned back to my armor and donned it once again, to test myself I walked around the bedroom while wearing it and I moved around in certain ways to see how noble I was with the armor. I found that for the most part I was just as nimble and flexible as I was without the armor, the armor also felt much lighter than it did yesterday.


    Next I grabbed and strapped my sword to my hip and picked up my now empty rucksack and slung it over my shoulder. ¡®I remember the twelfth floor was one big kitchen, plant, and animal processing floor. There were also a lot of goblins up there messing around with anything they could find. Since they didn¡¯t have much in terms of weapons it shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue for me to deal with them on my own.¡¯ I thought to myself and I opened the door and stepped outside of my bedroom before locking it behind myself.


    ¡®There was also that big room that was full of overgrown plants and mushrooms towards the end of the big hallway. Now that I am actually thinking about it, the dwarves probably kept their animals there to eat and then whenever they needed to butcher them they could bring them over to the butchery spots and kill them. Too bad we never found anything still alive in there, who knows what kind of strange wacky animals they must have kept.¡¯


    ********


    Up at the entrance of the city of Dom Badaher the sound of pickaxes chipping away at the rock could be heard throughout the camp as three of the five labourers were digging into the side of the gate looking for a way inside. Initially they tried to just dig into the gate and the gateway surrounding it, but even these dwarves must have had some sort of powerful magics on their side as their tools did nothing but slide right off.


    Now they were digging around the side where there was just stone instead of brick in an attempt to find a way around the magically reinforced bricks and gate. The tunnel they were digging was wide enough for three people to walk side by side as the three labourers were all working side by side. At the moment Citro was watching as the three continued their digging, he took note of how tough the stone was at their current depth and how that was slowing their progress.


    For the most part Citro was just alone with his own thoughts and he was a pretty big thinker. ¡®Once we break inside the city and start exploring it the reputation of the Flock should be greatly boosted, not many mercenary groups are able to say they have led an expedition into a second era dwarven city. The valuable artifacts alone will be enough to make this expedition worth it, the money from the crown will just be the icing on the cake. I wish Lyra could see things the way I do.¡¯


    Lyra on the other hand was still at her desk within her own personal tent dealing with the logistical problems that came from such a long term objective. Making sure that there was enough food for the duration of the expedition and making sure that more can be delivered or collected if needed. But this was both a long and boring task that required a lot of time to finish which ultimately left her alone for a long time with her own thoughts.


    She would think about all sorts of things during these long periods of work and alone time, she would think about everything from her father, her adopted family and everything happening within that, that fact that she would most likely outlive everyone that she currently cares about, the mounting problems with the expedition. ¡®I wish things would just be simpler. I wish that I didn¡¯t need to worry about feeding everyone and running this whole mercenary company to have a shot at having an actual inheritance from my own family.¡¯


    Like any sane person she would take frequent breaks from all the sitting and would exit her tent to get the closest thing to fresh air. Seeing all the hustle and bustle as everyone went about their daily tasks in the morning was one of the few things that gave her an ease of mind. She also enjoyed when these who fought with swords, spears, and any other melee weapon would practice their chosen weapon against each other in the small arena that was set up a day prior, while she wasn¡¯t a physical fighter herself she could appreciate the skill that each of her mercenaries displayed as they blocked and parried each others strikes. A display of skill and dedication to the chosen weapon that she had cultivated in them.


    *********


    Three days passed as I slowly progressed upwards clearing three more floors of any threats I might have found. Most things of value that I discovered were just old trinkets of weapons wielded by goblins I killed in their stolen homes. Every goblin I slayed led me closer and closer to recovering my once lost strength and closer to reaching the front gate where I wondered if Lyra and her company of mercenaries were waiting.


    /- - - - - -\


    Level 7, 3600


    Next at 4400


    \- - - - - -/


    I still had thirty points that I didn¡¯t really know what to do with, since my level had increased three times in the past three days my mana reserves jumped up to twenty one units of mana. I was now able to cast three tier two spells back to back, or seven tier one spells back to back. With this I was relying upon my magic more and more than I did before, and it was shown with the corpses of the goblins I left behind.


    But as I was standing on the tenth floor just about to start walking up the stairs to the ninth floor I suddenly heard something. It sounded like several pairs of footsteps all walking together several floors above, the footsteps were heavy and strong unlike the quiet and somewhat nimble steps of the goblins. Peering upwards I looked wondering if it was actual people I was hearing walking around.


    But I wasn¡¯t sure of what I was hearing as it was several floors above from where I was, that much was clear from the echoing and just how muffled the noise was. ¡®There is always a chance that it isn¡¯t people but instead goblins that found themselves some real heavy plate armor and they decided to try it out. But for the time being I should continue dealing with the goblins on the ninth floor and then continue making my way to the entrance.¡¯


    Walking up the stairs I was tense, I could still hear the footsteps from time to time and the occasional sound of yelling and shouting. I didn¡¯t recognise any of the voices as they were too far to make anything out clearly, all I knew was something above me was hunting down the goblins as well. My previous experience with Lyra and her mercenaries might have just been in my head, and for all I know this place isn¡¯t what I think it is.


    Every so often I would take a small break which would allow my mana to recover and my mind to relax, I would take this time to have a small snack in the form of one of the mushrooms and listen to the sounds above me. As the hours passed by I noticed that they were getting close and closer at a very quick rate, far more than when I worked with Lyra.

 Chapter 162

    Sitting at the stairway of the ninth floor I looked up to the source of the noise that echoed throughout the whole city. The sounds of fighting and heavy footsteps were just a few floors above where I was sitting and they were very busy footsteps. But they weren''t just on a single floor, they were definitely on several floors at the same time all clearing them from the goblins that were living relatively peacefully until we showed up.


    ¡®I never realized just how loud we were when we were clearing out these floors the first time I was here. We must have scared the crap out of the goblins when they heard us running around several floors above them if they were brave enough to stand around the stairs.¡¯ Finishing up the mushroom I was eating that had started to taste not terrible after several days of eating it I stood up and began walking back down to the fifteenth floor to start planning my next move.


    ¡®I wonder if I should start moving upwards and meet with whoever it is that is killing all the goblins that I didn¡¯t get to. They might be nice like Lyra was, but they also might consider me a threat like the goblins and try to kill me as well. I probably shouldn¡¯t assume such things about people though, they might be really nice too, but I should wait and see who they are and how they act before I try speaking with them. I got quite lucky when I met Lyra and her mercenaries when they didn¡¯t just kill me on sight.¡¯


    Since I was starting to feel quite tired from all the fighting I did and all the spells I was casting I decided that I should get some rest soon and take the opportunity to allocate my points and increase my power just in case the outside visitors aren''t as nice as Lyra.


    ¡®So I have thirty points right now and I definitely plan on recovering my might as a mage, that would make boosting my arcane something I should at least consider. Raising it to thirty like my intellect would greatly increase the raw power of my spells, but I could also benefit from increasing my perception which would help with hitting and identifying things from a distance. Then there is my dexterity and vitality which are both at fifteen, dexterity would help with casting my spells and overall movement while vitality would give me more energy and help me recover from any injuries I might suffer.¡¯


    I was sitting at the table in the office while I thought of what to do with my points. Arcane was definitely something I needed to improve to keep my spell strength high enough to fight against the more powerful and better equipped goblins that are in the caverns on the twenty fifth floor. But raising it to thirty would still leave me with ten points left to do something else with, that is where the argument between perception, vitality and dexterity came in.


    ¡®I still have quite a bit of time before I really need to worry about spending my points perfectly. So if I choose to put these extra ten points into my vitality and dexterity then I won''t exactly be losing all that much as both of those things will help me deal with the dangers within the lower floors of the city and the goblins within the cavern.¡¯


    /- - - - - -\


    Dexterity 20


    Vitality 20


    Arcane 30


    \- - - - - -/


    With the big decision out of the way I entered the bedroom and took my armor off before climbing under the blanket and slowly drifting off into sleep with my sword next to me just in case something managed to sneak up on me in my sleep.


    The next day instead of going upwards I decided to start going downwards to the twenty fifth floor where the dwarves of the second era broke into that cavern and were subsequently invaded by the goblins and the warlock demon that were all living down there. One of the more interesting things was the sudden spike in the strength and competence of the goblins that were down there, the first goblin I found actually had somewhat proper clothing and a weapon made by an actual goblin blacksmith, or the equivalent of what that is.


    The favored weapon of these sixteenth floor goblins was the short sword that were all made up of actual iron this time instead of bronze or copper like what I found on the other floors. The short swords were still of very poor quality and seemingly mass produced to give each of them a weapon quickly, I also didn¡¯t find the goblin smith that created these weapons on this floor leaving them somewhere deeper. But I didn¡¯t recall anyone saying anything about encountering a goblin smith during the expedition with Lyra, perhaps it was just an overlooked detail, they definitely weren''t the detective types to notice such things.


    *******


    ¡°Sir, mama, we have a small situation on the ninth and tenth floors.¡± A human woman dressed in traditional mage attire rushed out from the three meter wide hole that was dug into the city of Dom Badaher. The rest of the team she was leading was standing off to the side of the hole with worried looks on their face watching from a distance.


    Lyra and Citro who were both just watching everyone in the camp working as a form of simple break from all the work they just finished up quickly stood up ready to fight and kill.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Citra already had his steel shield in hand and was reaching for his short sword that he had on his hip. Lyra quickly used a current of air to grab hold of her staff and bring it to her hands which surprised the young mage who almost froze up.


    ¡°We found numerous corpses of goblins littering the ninth and tenth floors, the group on the ninth floor asked us to deliver you their report on the situation to save time. From what I and they can tell the wounds were caused by a combination of magic and bladed weapons, but with magic being the primary weapon of these fights.¡± Despite all the worry she was feeling she kept herself together and told her boss and Citro what she, her team, and the ninth floor team found on their exploration of their respective floors.


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    ¡°That is worrying, could someone else have made their way in before us through some sort of secret entrance? If so they might be hostile to us and unwilling to submit to our authority of the city granted by the crown. One of us might even need to intervene directly.¡± Citro said, the last part while looking towards Lyra who immediately understood what he meant. Unfortunately it was something that they have had to do in the past when someone else wanted to claim something they were tasked with either retrieving or destroying.


    ¡°That is definitely a possibility, but we should try to approach this without assuming whoever or whatever is killing these goblins is our enemy. If it is a person, which I suspect it is, we will speak with them and find out how and why they even got inside the city. If we are dealing with a goblin that somehow knows magic then we will likely be forced to kill it. If on the odd chance that this is the action of a demon we will do our best to avoid fighting it, but if a demon is killing its own goblin subordinates is unlikely to be very welcoming to us. That is why if anyone sees a demon they are not to try and interact with it under any circumstances and are to report to us immediately.¡± Lyra finished by looking to Citro who nodded and turned back to the mage.


    ¡°You heard the woman, spread the word to your subordinates and we will do the same with everyone else.¡± Citro sternly told the mage who quickly nodded and turned before walking back to her group who started walking back to the camp. Both Citro and Lyra could see they were talking about something, most likely their new orders.


    ¡°The situation just keeps on getting better and better doesn¡¯t it.¡± Citro gave a sad smile as he looked back to Lyra who he could tell was already stressed out enough. ¡°I will take care of this possible demon activity, you take care of the situation here in the camp. And take a day off from all the work every now and then, take a hot shower, you will definitely feel better after all the extra work you have been doing recently.¡±


    ********


    The remaining explorations of Dom Badaher were paused for the remainder of the day, those that were scheduled to take part later in the day were quite upset with the sudden change but quickly changed their tune when they understood the seriousness of the situation. ¡°As you already know we have been forced to cancel all remaining explorations for the remainder of the day. What you might not know is that on the ninth and tenth floors we have found the remains of all the goblins that were living there. Someone or something has already been through these floors and used both magic and a bladed weapon to kill all these goblins. We don¡¯t know who or what did this, but if anyone sees a demon or anything that resembles one we are expecting you to immediately turn around and return to camp and deliver your report to us, from there we will devise a plan to deal with the demon. Are there any questions?¡± Whether intentional or not Citro gave an aura of a war forged fighter and was intimidating enough without all the heavy armor, the shield, and the lightly enchanted short sword he carried around. All that combined with his little speech no one was quite brave enough to ask any questions, not even those who were veterans of the company.


    ¡°I see there are no questions, good. I will assume that means that everyone understands what I just said and we will not have any problems if and when one of you encounters a demon down there. In addition to these new orders I have given you I will also be taking part in the barricade defenses, since this unknown enemy might be very powerful both Lyra and myself have decided that it would be a good idea to have someone who could actually fight the thing close enough to stop it from killing everyone. You are all dismissed.¡±


    Citro quickly turned and left the small circle where everyone was either standing or sitting to socialize and listen to the announcement from Citro, everyone was quite surprised and shocked by the statement. ¡°Someone or something is down there killing goblins? Why haven we requested reinforcements from the crown or another mercenary company? Worst case scenario we have infighting with a powerful goblin mage that we need extra help killing.¡± A strong and study dwarf wearing steel plate armor that Arthur would recognize as Hambel was the first to speak with a young mage he would recall as Cassia sitting next to him.


    ¡°And create worry when we might not need to? That would be a very foolish thing to do dwarf, until we know more about the situation we need to remain calm and uncover more until we can safely and definitely say that we know what the threat is and if we can deal with it on our own.¡± A human man in leather armor carrying a parrying shield and a rapier shouted back on the other side of the group while pointing his finger in an insulting manner.


    Everyone could feel the tension of the situation rising and the close friends of each group quickly moved in to pull them away from each other before someone got hurt.


    Things slowly began to calm down but the mood was ruined and no one wanted to stay and talk so most left for their own tents to rest for the night that was fast approaching. A few did decide to stay, but very little aside from drinking alcohol was done and they too eventually returned to their tents for the night.


    The next morning most were up bright and early because they wanted to get ready for the exploration of the city, the best part about it was that when you found something that wasn¡¯t restricted by the crown, such as weapon schematics like what was found on the first floor, you would get to keep it and do whatever you wish with it. Selling or keeping it, it didn¡¯t matter to Lyra, and while this might cost the company some money it was an excellent way to keep the morale of the mercenaries high with these spoils.


    Today the group that Hambel and Cassia were a part of was scheduled to take part in exploring the eleventh floor. There was of course some worry in the group of five as the possibilities of what could be lurking down there that killed many of the goblins that were once living, but the possibility of finding valuable dwarven artifacts and other things lost in the second era was more than enough to braven up everyone.


    Hambel and Cassia were the first aside from their group leader to arrive at the entrance to Dom Badaher which had been opened once the expedition had reached the inside of that hallway. The large wide open doors were almost like a warning that they could feel, like a shiver down their spines warning them of what they might find down there.


    ¡°I see the two of you are up and about. We might need to wait a little longer for our other two friends to wake up and get over here, as usual they are taking their sweet time to get ready so you two might as well take a seat while we wait.¡± Aelia, the leader of this group of five said without looking up from her two handed axe as she sharpened it with a whetstone. She was using a large rock as a chair and vaguely gestured to two other rocks nearby that they quickly brought over and sat on.

 Chapter 163

    As the trio waited for their remaining two team members Hambel admired the well made stone and metal front gates of the city of Dom Badaher. The craftsmanship that blended the yellow of the magic steel to the stone that made up the majority of the doors reminded him  of his own home, though unlike these second era dwarves the gate to his own home city just had regular iron to reinforce its stability.


    Eventually his thoughts drifted towards the state of his home city and how it might be in the next era, would it still be standing like these impressive dwarves had built, or would it be a long forgotten chapter of history that had no significant impact. The possibilities of what might happen in a thousand plus years were quickly taken from his mind when the two other members of their team finally arrived looking half awake.


    ¡°Sorry we took so long, we lost track of time last night and didn¡¯t wake up until recently.¡± The human male team member said as he fixed his bag to be more comfortable. The other didn¡¯t have the courage to say anything and she chose to just stay silent.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, we have been here long enough and I have no intention of spending any more of my time yelling at the two of you. We are going to the ninth floor and if this happens again tomorrow I will be leaving the two of you behind, that also applies to you two as well.¡± Aelia said without turning around yet perfectly explaining to Hambel and Cassia what she meant, the two even though she could see them both nodded and started walking after her.


    Passing through the first major hallway that was lined with old and nonfunctional traps that ranged from falling rocks to serrated metal disks that could slice someone''s limbs clean off was for Hambel an interesting experience he was happy to repeat every day. Most of the others were however far less interested in things that could very easily cut them in two.


    The walk down the flight of stairs was slow and somber, the dim glow of the blue crystals that partly lined the walls provided just enough light for everyone to see where they were going as well as traverse the stairs. Slowly they reached their destination at the eleventh floor which was signaled by a wooden barricade and a few people taking turns standing guard and resting. The person currently resting being Citro himself who was still donning his steel plate armor and had his short sword and shield within reach.


    The two people standing guard were both old friends of Citro and were wearing similar armor but instead carried a spear rather than a sword. When they noticed the group of five walking down the stairs they gave a quick nod and allowed them to pass without issue.


    Now on the open space of the eleventh floor there were two large looking rooms that were basically large blocks that directly stood out to each of the five. They looked identical so the group chose to flip a coin and use the result to decide what side they should choose.


    ¡°On face we go to the left, on smooth we go to the right.¡± Hambel said while looking around at his teammates to be certain they were fine with what he was suggesting, when they all nodded together he flipped the coin upwards and it flew straight up spinning quickly. The coin then came falling back down and landed right on the back of his hand where he read the result. ¡°Smooth, we are going to the right this time.¡±


    Hambel offered to show the result but no one really cared all that much and quickly began walking towards the right identical building. Looking down both sides the team found that there were several doors all along the side, this likely meant that this wasn¡¯t just one room but likely several interconnect or separate rooms. But there was only one way to find out, so the team opened the first door and looked inside.


    Inside was a large open room that was lined with the dining blue crystals that were just enough to make out the size of the room. In the distance in the room were several small silhouettes of various toys and other objects that might catch a child''s interest. While everyone else just thought it was a little weird looking room Hambel felt a rush of memories as he looked into the room. ¡°This is a play room.¡± Hambel blurted out.


    Everyone looked to him with confusion as he stepped forward towards a wooden toy that was shaped like a horse and looked to something a child would ride. ¡°In most dwarven cities we have large rooms like this where we take our children during the day where we allow them to play and have fun under the supervision of people working here. I remember my parents dropping me off in the morning when they went to work and then coming back when they were done to have dinner and spend time with them¡­¡± Hambel started to trail off as he looked into the cold and empty room, the children that had their fun in this room likely didn¡¯t get an opportunity to leave when the goblins arrived. The only solace to Hambel was that there wasn¡¯t any blood in the entire room, everything just looked abandoned.


    To help ease Hambel somewhat the group decided to stay for a while and take a proper look around the room just in case there was something. This gave Hambel some time to look around and calm down. Like a small child he stumped around the room looking at all the toys left strewn around the room abandoned for an entire era, eventually he did calm down and they left the play room to look at the second similarly sized room.


    Making sure to close the doors behind himself Hambel let out a soft sigh as his hands were shaking and the thoughts of his home bounced around in his mind.


    Quickly he turned and quickened his pace to catch up with the other four who were already several meters away on their way to the second building. Even though the walk wasn¡¯t that long the feeling of something impending was digging into Hambel¡¯s mind, he had a feeling that whatever they were going to find wouldn¡¯t be very nice.


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    Arriving at the leftmost building the group quickly noticed that there were only three doors with one on each face. The first was directly across from the rightmost building and the other two were on the left and right sides right next to the wall. ¡°I am not an expert on second era dwarven architecture, but I think this building room thing is a lot larger than we can see from the outside.¡± Cassia said as the group was preparing to enter.


    ¡°Good point, can any of you read this sign next to the door?¡± Aelia asked, pointing to a sign directly carved into the stone that made up the wall. Everyone shook their heads, Hambel included. ¡°I am sorry but there isn¡¯t one singular dwarven language, the more obscure and isolated dialects become more and more unfamiliar as time goes by. As far as I know even the common comprehend language spell wouldn¡¯t work on something like this, it might catch names or a few words, but we have no way of knowing unless we open it up.¡± Hambel said as he raised his mace and shield to charge in well protected.


    Using her shoulder Aelia slammed against the door and forced it open which was followed by everyone charging inside with their weapons drawn. But as they stepped inside they quickly noticed this wasn¡¯t just any room they found themselves in. ¡°This is a cemetery.¡± Aelia said as she lowered her two handed axe.


    The room was full of stone coffins in rows upon rows stretching long and wide. The only thing stopping the group from seeing each and every coffin was the several walls with metal gates that acted as rooms of a sort. The place they were currently standing easily had one hundred coffins, each one labelled with a name in the second era dwarven of this city.


    ¡°Gods, this must be the entire first generation of those who lived here. I would bet my own mace that each of these blocked off areas contains an entire generation that lived here. I can only imagine how large this crypt must be if this is just the first generation.¡± Hambel commented as he walked around several of the coffins inspecting the inscriptions on each.


    ¡°Unless any of you are fools I have no intention of taking part in any grave robbing, so I suggest that we turn back and make our way back to the surface.¡± Aelia said as she turned to the rest of her group who looked rather unhappy with the lack of fighting goblins and the lack of valuables to take. While no one was particularly religious they weren''t exactly interested in trying their luck by bothering the god these dwarves followed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about not having your fill of violence and valuables, I will speak with Lyra about what we found and perhaps she will be willing to allow us to explore a second floor. Though I must point out I make no promises, I do not speak for Lyra.¡± At the mention of speaking with Lyra everyone''s expressions changed quickly and they looked more uplifted than before.


    The walk back however was still long and Aelia informed the two guards standing on duty of their findings which would be relayed to Citro when he woke.


    *********


    By the end of the day I managed to reach and clear out the seventeenth floor of all the goblins residing there. Still I found no sign of this goblin blacksmith that I was absolutely certain had to be hiding somewhere, how else would these goblins have weapons and tools like what I found. ¡®There might be more than one now that I think about it. To outfit all of these goblins and all the ones that are below myself and within the cavern would require a whole team working to do. They might also have some sort of independence from the warlord and their demon warlock since I have found some of their works on the goblins on this floor and several others, the goblins in the prison probably exchanged a lot of the metal they found in the armory for the spears they had on them.¡¯


    Looking at the bodies strewn across the floor I took note of the slightly higher quality of the weapons they were carrying before I changed their state of being. The goblins on the previous floor had large amounts of impurities in the iron weapons they had, while there were still several impurities in these weapons they were significantly reduced.


    ¡®Either the weapon makers are quickly improving in skill, or those who are better at making weapons are charging a lot for what they make so these goblins choose the cheaper and thus lower quality weapon makers. I guess that does align with what I found on this level as well.¡¯ Turning to look at the stockpile of old wooden and stone furniture that filled the open floor space I could see some of the drag marks of where they were taken to the stairs and carried down very slowly with several at a time.


    Making a second sweep of the floor to be certain I didn¡¯t miss any goblins hiding somewhere for me to leave, I then left and went back upstairs with my bag and arms full of the iron weapons while leaving the cheap and pitiful leather armor they wore. I took the opportunity while walking to relax and clear my mind of the thoughts and my experiences in the war against the empire. The memory of the darkest mage killing me with that red mist spell was a terrible and painful memory drilled into my mind.


    When I dropped off all the iron weapons in my bedroom I returned for the remained because there was just so much that I couldn¡¯t take all in one trip, it did make me miss the dimensional bag I received from Lyra the last time I was in Dom Badaher but I dealt with it the best way I could. But when I arrived back on the seventeenth floor I found something different from when I was last here, a second group of goblins had arrived and they didn¡¯t look very happy with what I left behind.


    The group consisted of six goblins wearing cheaply made iron armor that was basically just metal plates covering their body without any sort of padding underneath. The only good thing I had to say about it was the armor had very few visible impurities on the surface, but that didn¡¯t mean it was well made. The weapons they wielded on the other hand were quite unique compared to everything I had seen so far outside of the cavern, they were carrying curved swords and actual shields, though they were worn and old they were a step above everything else I had seen the city dwelling goblins have.


    The leader of this group wearing the only helmet of the six was the first to notice me and pointed towards me while shouting something in its own language. The others quickly turned to face me as well and began to snarl like animals before two started running towards me with their curved swords raised high above their heads.


    With the distance of twenty meters between us I was able to quickly cast the tri earth bolt spell and sent two bolts towards the one on the left with one for the right expecting them both to fall dead. But to my surprise only the goblin on the right reacted to the two bolts that struck him in his arm making him drop his shield. The left goblin just blocked the bolt with his shield and continued running ignoring the fact that there was now a hole in his shield.


    I was shocked by the sudden change in power levels between the goblins. I thought that like the ones on this floor one or two earth bolts would be enough to kill them, but I was definitely wrong and needed to do something else.

 Chapter 164

    With little time left to act I reached down to my hip and unsheathed my longsword and prepared for the incoming goblins, the first one that was running just fine gave a happy sounding yelp as it basically jumped and swung its curved sword towards me. While it was in mid jump I brought my longsword down which it blocked with its shield which deformed the metal and pushed the goblin back giving me some breathing room.


    The other goblin that decided to run at me was trying to remove the earth bolts from its arm and was paying little attention to the fight at this point or anything else other than the earth bolts in its arm. The first goblin after the sudden and powerful strike was now a little more cautious of me and was moving around a few meters from me trying to look for something.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t very good, these two goblins are tougher, faster and probably stronger as well. I guess I never really realized just how much since I never fought any of these ones up close. I was always in the back casting spells and providing support. I guess I am lucky the boss goblin decided it only wanted two of his subordinates to fight me at the start, it probably wants to figure out how tough I am and then plan accordingly.¡¯


    The leading goblin of this group, getting impatient shouted something at his two subordinates which seemed to motivate the one closest to me to try and kill me again. This time however it rushed towards me lowering its body to try and make itself a smaller target, it was definitely evidence that it was thinking and now trying something new and that they might not all be deserving of death, but unfortunately it was still a moron.


    Swinging my sword from my lower left side up to my upper right was enough to force the goblin to stop and try and block my attack with its sword which knocked it out of its hands. Following that I brought my sword down with as much strength as I could muster which the goblin tried to block with its shield, the shield made very poorly and in worse condition had part break off and fall to the ground. The goblin worried and scared watched the piece of the shield break off and fall, distracting it enough for me to kick it in the chest to knock it off its feet and onto the ground.


    Now that the goblin was disabled I raised my left hand and quickly casted the tri earth bolt spell point blank and sent each of those bolts directly into its eye. Since the goblin was dazed and knocked over it was unable to do anything as all three earth bolts penetrated its left eye and killed it. The other four goblins who had been watching this happen weren''t very happy with what I did to their friend and shouted something before readying their own weapons, the other goblin that had the two earth bolts in its arm was now trying to keep itself from bleeding out as one of the bolts hit vein and it was bleeding profusely.


    However I was prepared this time for these goblins, I already knew that unless I was up close tier one spells like tri earth bolt wouldn¡¯t be of much use, that left me with just my tier two spells that cost double the mana of a tier one spell but had much more power. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough time or distance for a ranged attack, that just leaves me with the fire wave spell if I want to kill them all. But it will be a very close call, they will be close enough to swing at me, so I will need to be quick and move backwards as I cast.¡¯


    As I started casting the tier two fire wave spell I could feel my heart thumping in my chest, the goblins noticed that I was casting another spell and were more than happy to stop me from doing that again. Slowly I took steps backwards to try and somewhat extended the distance between us just enough to stay out of their attack range, but as the seconds passed I knew they were going to reach me just as I finished the spell.


    And I was right, just as the leader was half a meter from me and his three subordinates were right behind him I finished the spell and had my hands raised above my head before in one swift motion I brought them down with a wave of fire that engulfed all four of them.


    Since pyromancy isn¡¯t physical like how geomancy or hydromancy is, the goblins didn¡¯t fly away when they were fit by the fire, instead they were just engulfed and every nerve across their skill sent signals to their brains that they were on fire. This was enough to stop them in their tracks and keep them running around panicking as they died.


    Unfortunately for myself I was dangerously close to running out of mana, while I did recover some during the walk up to the fifteenth floor and back it wasn¡¯t quite as much if I had meditated and recovered some extra. Thankfully I still had a single unit of mana left so I wasn¡¯t feeling any severe effects of mana exhaustion though I still felt tired after.


    I took a moment to relax and breathe while the side effects wore off while I watched what the last remaining goblin was doing, with the sudden shouting of its commands it looked up as saw all four of them slowly burning to death it started to panic. It stood up on its shaking feet and tried to slowly walk past me to run away, but that was when I noticed it and it froze.


    I could see that it was thinking and it was trying to find a solution to escape, since it stall had its weapon in its still functioning hand and I looked rather exhausted after what it saw a very powerful magic it decided it would try and move past by force. To start this quickly thought up plan it decided to waive its sword around and draw attention away from its injured arm in what I think was an attempt to scare me away which of course didn¡¯t work.


    Then it started to hope itself up by jumping up and down a few times to get the blood flowing before soon after it started running towards me like before. It knew I couldn¡¯t cast any more spells and it also knew that I wasn¡¯t as strong as I was before. Unfortunately for it I still had the strength to swing my sword and fight it.


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    With little consideration for its posture or its form the goblin ran right up to me and swung its curved sword from overhead to try and either hurt me or scare me. Using my own sword I just blocked the sloppy attack which surprised and left the goblin open to a counter attack. From my upper right down I swung my sword and left a deep gash on the goblins left shoulder which it at the last moment tried to jump out of the way from giving it some distance. I could see now that the goblin realized that it made a mistake.


    Now that it was injured in two places I began walking forwards with my own sword held close to my right shoulder ready to strike again. The goblin started to panic even more and started running around me to try and escape that way, it probably thought that if it got far enough away it could hide and eventually I would give up. Unfortunately I was both faster than it but I also had a better reach with my sword.


    As it tried to circle around and escape I quickly followed after it and when I was close enough I thrusted forward with the tip of my sword aiming for the upper back area. Due to all the movement and the fact I was running while doing this my thrust missed its initial target and instead grazed the side of the goblin leaving a deformity in the armor and causing the goblin to stumble. I then brought the sword back again and stabbed again this time hitting the back of its left thigh and it fell to the ground.


    Without wasting a moment I raised my sword again and slashed downwards on the goblin towards the face and head area leaving a large cut in the face that took off some flesh, the goblin screamed out in pain at this and started to wave its curved sword wildly to force me away. My next swing was towards the hand and I managed to cut around halfway through the wrist and the armor it had there where I actually landed the hit.


    The goblin screamed out in pain yet again as its right hand became useless, this time I faced little resistance as I stabbed the face again. My sword went straight into its eye and past reaching its brain where the eye socket began to crack and break open somewhat as I pushed harder against the now crying goblin. When I did eventually retract my sword the goblin was barely moving as blood poured from its eye socket.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 100 Exp X 6 (600)


    Level 8, 4600


    + 10 points, 40 unused


    Next at 5400


    \- - - - - -


    Dropping my sword to the ground I fell to my knees as I started to heavily breathe, the stress from the fight just now making itself known to my body which was now aching with exhaustion. Slowly crawling over to a wall with a view of the staircase I leaned against it as I sat down allowing myself to relax and I took a moment to meditate and recover my mana.


    Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths I could begin to feel my mana recovery spike up, I kept my ears open and listened for any sign of anyone or anything entering the floor via the stairs. Thankfully I didn¡¯t hear anything and when my mana had recovered around a quarter of the way a half hour later I saw no change to the area.


    Slowly standing up I could feel that my mussels were still tired from the fight, I didn¡¯t have enough strength to carry any of the equipment that the goblins brought with themselves or what I returned to collect as well. ¡®Dam, this is unfortunate. I guess I am going to need to come back tomorrow when I wake up to bring this all back to my bedroom. I honestly don¡¯t think I have the strength to carry anything other than what I am carrying and wearing.¡¯


    Slowly I returned back up the stairs the very same way I came and through the hallway to my bedroom. Once inside I closed the door behind myself and quickly took my armor off until I was just wearing my clothes. But as I was about to lay down I suddenly smelt something really bad. I started looking around the room for a moment to find what it was, but eventually I realized that whatever it was followed me resulting in the smell being about the same everywhere. Eventually I raised my arm and smelt my own armpit and immediately recoiled from the smell. ¡®Oh heavens, that is awful. I smell like a wild animal, I don¡¯t think I have washed since I have woken up here for the second time. I should probably do that before I sleep if I want the sheets to smell half decent tomorrow when I sleep again.¡¯


    Walking over to the door where there was some empty space to have a bath I conjured up a large tub via geomancy and started to fill it with water collected from the moisture in the air until it was around three quarters full. Then I used my pyromancy to heat up the water so I wasn¡¯t sitting in cold water. I started to take my clothes off and wash them the best I could in the water before hanging them over the edge to dry while I clean myself.


    Since I didn¡¯t have any soap or even a brush to help clean myself it wasn¡¯t a very efficient process and I only felt and smelt partly better. But the smell was much better than before which was enough for me to dry my clothes with some pyromancy and put them back on before going to sleep for the night.


    ********


    Bright and early in the morning Aelia and her four subordinates began their walk down the stairs to the fifteenth floor. The day before they were permitted by Lyra to explore the fourteenth floor in addition to the eleventh where they found no goblin activity. Passing by Citro who was now wide awake they all nodded a simple yet universal way of showing respect. Past the barricade they took in their surroundings and looked at the available paths they had. From what they could see there were two hallways they could take that were still intact, the first was directly ahead and partly illuminated by some of the blue crystals attached to the walls, the second was off to the left and soon went around a corner preventing them from seeing anything past it.


    ¡°This looks like one of the smaller floors of the city. Might not be all that much here other than a few goblins and whatever they scrounged up.¡± Aelia said as she held her two handed axe in her right hand, her face wasn''t visible behind her helmet''s visor but her voice conveyed all the emotion necessary to understand how she felt about the situation.


    ¡°Yeah, it does look quite small. But this might also be dedicated for the wealthy residents of the city. We might find something like long forgotten jewelry or even enchanted items somewhere. The dwarves of the second era were well known for being very greedy and wealthy, that was the reason why they started so many wars at the start and lost so much power and influence by losing most of them.¡± Hambel said as he started to walk down the hall directly ahead in an attempt to cheer everyone up.

 Chapter 165

    Slowly the group of five walked down the hallway watching diligently for anything that might decide to pop out and surprise them, eventually they found a corpse of a goblin that was many many days old rotting outside of a room on the left side of the hall. Aelia took point and slowly opened the door with her left hand while her right hand had a solid grip on her axe.


    The door creaked slightly as it opened, but nothing inside stirred at the noise. Slowly everyone filtered inside with their weapons in hand and started spreading out while looking around. Quickly the corpses from Arthur¡¯s first day in the city were found along with the dried blood. Their cheap and old weapons were still on the ground where they had fallen, likely not worth the effort of taking. ¡°Looks like a massacre happened here. Do you think it was other goblins that did this?¡± Cassia asked while she poked a body with her staff.


    ¡°No, these cuts were made with much larger weapons than any goblin would carry. The angle of the cuts also don¡¯t line up with the average goblin height.¡± Aelia answered while examining the corpse of the goblin leader. ¡°Whatever killed these goblins was at least as tall as an elf or human. The cuts are also clean enough to indicate a well maintained weapon.¡±


    ¡°Could it be the same thing that killed the other goblins on the other floors?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but there could also be more than one person or thing doing this. It might even be an illusive race of animal peoples, you never know what the fey might get up to in the span of an entire era with nothing else to do.¡±


    After shifting through all the broken furniture and the kitchen area the group found nothing else of importance and decided to move on leaving everything in the room like the one before. They continued down the hall and eventually found another hallway that led to the left. From what they could see it was a block of several bedrooms and further inspection revealed that they likely belonged to the wealthiest citizens of the city when it still functioned.


    ¡°Would you look at this, they even have magic steel built into their doors in these decorations. And to think this has all been untouched since the second era.¡± Hambel exclaimed as ran his hands across the stone and metal door of the first bedroom.


    ¡°We still have the rest of the rooms to take a look at, so why don¡¯t we focus on that before we start salivating over the metal in a door.¡± Cassia commented on Hambel¡¯s attitude while poking him in the back with her wooden staff. Hambel didn¡¯t say anything in response, but his glare told her that he didn¡¯t appreciate being poked like that.


    Everyone started to take turns looking through the rooms and keeping guard from anything coming from behind with four looking in the rooms and one on watch. This allowed the group to quickly search through all the rooms until they reached the last one which was not only the most impressive looking but the only one that was still closed.


    ¡°Oh my gods, look at the craftsmanship of this door alone. It looks like it was designed for a king, or an emperor. The person that used to own this room must have been a very powerful person indeed, maybe it was a power dwarven wizard, there aren''t many of them.¡± Hambel said as he was practically pressing his face against the door, his thoughts running wild.


    Eventually Aelia had enough and politely but firmly pushed him out of the way before she reached for the door handle and turned it to open it. But to her surprise it didn¡¯t open, thinking that it might have just been a mistake on her part she tried again and again until she had already tried three times. Now everyone was looking at her quite confused and were about to ask her what was wrong. ¡°The door is locked.¡±


    Everyone visibly looked disappointed at the statement and were about to turn away when Aelia suddenly raised her axe, only Hambel was able to say anything before she did anything. ¡°Hey! Just what do you think you are doing!?¡± Hambel asked with anger in his voice, he looked just about ready to fight his own boss for this transgression.


    ¡°The door is locked and it is blocking our way, since I assume none of you know how to pick a lock I will be removing the door and thus the obstacle to whatever is hiding past it.¡± Aelia said calmly as she lowered her axe and turned to Hambel.


    ¡°You will be doing no such thing! That door is a work of art and I will not stand by if you desecrate such a masterpiece!¡± The anger in Hambel¡¯s voice was evident that he probably didn¡¯t need to yell, but since he was a dwarf he did so anyways out of habit.


    ¡°I thought you were interested in finding valuables down here.¡±


    ¡°This door is valuable, the metal alone makes it worth double the other doors and the designs make it a work of art. I doubt that Lyra will be happy when she sees something like this broken into a hundred pieces just so you could open it. We can come back later with someone who knows how to pick locks and avoid breaking down the door.¡± Hambel firmly said to Aelia with his shield and mace in hand, she and everyone else could tell that he was willing to fight her over the door. ¡®He is such a fool, but he does have a point.¡¯


    ¡°Fine, we will return later. But just so you know that the person we are bringing along to pick the lock is going to want a cut of what we find, that means we will all be getting less.¡± Aelia looked Hambel in the eyes as she said this, making sure that he understood what she said.


    ¡°I can live with that, splitting things six ways instead of five isn¡¯t that much of a difference.¡± Hambel¡¯s posture calmed down at that statement and everyone else who was watching the conversation intently did as well. Slowly weapons were sheathed and the group turned around and walked back to the primary hallway and took a left to continue exploring the floor. Unfortunately for everyone they found that the rest of the rooms on this floor were either empty or had a caved in ceiling blocking any entry.


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    ¡°Looks like the settlers that will come after we are done will have their work cut out for them. All these rooms will certainly need a team of at least five people working to clear this out within a day or two, any less and the time it would take becomes exponentially longer.¡± Cassia commented as the third door on the far side of the fifteenth floor opened to show a room that was filled with rubble.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t a mage like you clear something like this out though. You are able to control rocks and dirt, I¡¯ve seen you do that before. So why can¡¯t you do something about it?¡± Hambel asked Cassia while pointing to the rubble.


    ¡°Well I definitely could, but that would take quite a bit of time and mana to do which would leave me unable to help you all if we were to encounter something dangerous such as a powerful goblin. That isn¡¯t even considering that we might not even find anything of value inside those rooms and I would have just wasted my mana for nothing.¡±


    Hambel slowly nodded as he turned away from Cassia and continued walking. ¡®In hindsight, that makes a lot of sense. Best to have all hands on deck if we are going to fight goblins.¡¯


    The group continued their search of the floor and eventually looped back around to where they started at the barricades where Citro was still standing on guard. ¡°So what all did you find?¡± He asked as they came close while noting the lack of injuries and blood.


    ¡°To be honest not much, most of the valuable stuff is literally just stone doors with metal attached at decoration. There was one room though that was locked that we think might have something interesting inside, that is why we are going back now, we can tell Lyra of our progress and find someone who can pick locks.¡± Aelia recounted their findings while the rest of her team passed by and started walking up the stairs.


    ¡°Well that sounds interesting, good luck with that, and be sure that you tell Lyra about your plan beforehand. She might be able to help you with her magic, or she might know someone who can pick locks. She did, after all, pick everyone for the expedition.¡±


    *********


    Back in the camp Aelia gave her report of her team''s findings on the fifteenth floor and brought up the locked and expensive looking door as well as that it was locked.


    ¡°Hmm, that sounds unfortunate. I assume you are looking for someone who can pick locks so you can get in there and look, right?¡± Lyra asked Aelia who nodded. ¡°Well I do happen to know a spell that can unlock most non magical locks, but I won''t be able to help you with that until after dinner. As you can see I have quite a bit of work ahead of myself with just the reports alone for this expedition.¡± Lyra gestured towards the pile of paper that she would need to sort through and organize as it was a part of the expedition to share everything that was found there from the amount of rooms to the amount of floors.


    ¡°That works for me, as long as Hambel isn¡¯t going to fight me over it I don¡¯t really care.¡±


    ¡°Did you and Hambel get into a fight or something over this door?¡± Lyra looked at Aelia with great confusion, she knew that Hambel was generally a nice person and didn¡¯t like starting fights unless someone or something he respected was being insulted.


    ¡°Yes we did, I was going to break that door down so we could get inside but apparently that door was a ¡®masterpiece¡¯ and a work or art. He really didn¡¯t like the idea of breaking it down or damaging it, it must be some dwarven cultural thing because I didn¡¯t see why he was willing to fight over it. Not even most kings would fight over paintings or pictures.¡±


    Soon Lyra was left alone in her tent as Aelia left to tell the rest of her team when they were going to open the door. ¡®That must have been one impressive door if Hambel was willing to get into a fight over it. The crown and the new settlers will probably be really happy to have it here if it is as nice as I think it is. If we get lucky we might even find a few magical artifacts in that room, most of the other rooms have been looted by goblins over the years leaving just scraps for us to find.¡¯


    *********


    Several hours later I awoke in my bed feeling much better and reenergized. Sitting up I stretched out my arms and legs and stepped off the bed as I conjured up some water to wash my face and help wake myself up. Next up was breakfast which consisted of two cut up mushrooms dipped in honey. I conjured up a plate, a knife and a fork from earth and I ate to keep everything clean and dispelled them when I was done.


    Next I donned my armor once again which took around five or so minutes to put on all the padding and then the chainmail which was then followed by the actual plate armor pieces across my body and chest. Once I walked around the room a bit to be certain that everything was how it should have been I attached my longsword¡¯s sheath to my hip and gave a few test swings to get a feel for the weapon again.


    Unlocked and stepping outside my room I looked around quickly to be certain that there weren''t any goblins or anything worse waiting outside for me before I turned my back to close and lock the door behind myself. ¡®Alright, for today I will just be collecting everything that I wasn¡¯t able to bring with me after the fight with those stronger goblins on the seventeenth floor.¡¯


    Starting the walk I was cautious and looked around each floor as I passed by, thankfully I didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary which meant that the group that attacked me were likely out of place which was both good and bad news. ¡®Given the armor they were wearing they were likely a part of the group that follows the demon warlock or the goblin warlord. That means they were either sent there for some reason, or they went there for their own personal reasons. I hope that it was just personal for them, otherwise I suspect they will be sending a few more groups to see what happened to them that I will need to deal with.¡¯


    Walking up the nearest goblin soldier corpse I first poked it with the tip of my sword, when it didn¡¯t react and sheathed my sword and began removing the armor it was wearing. The first thing I noticed was that the armor was even worse than I thought it was, like I suspected when I was fighting them they wore no padding underneath this metal armor which must have been very uncomfortable on its own, but the armor was literally wore with leather straps that dug into the skin of the wearer.


    ¡®Gods, these goblins are far more resilient than I gave them credit for. I highly doubt that any human, elven, or dwarven armies would wear anything like this with nothing underneath. Then again I doubt that the goblin warlord would care very much about how comfortable his soldiers were while they wore armor, real typical might makes right attitude going on there to do something like that. But given these things follow demons I guess I shouldn¡¯t be all that surprised by how they chose to treat each other.¡¯

 Chapter 166

    Peeling the armor off the dead goblins was a gross and time consuming task, all the leather straps made everything stay on tight resulting in each one needing to be removed before I could take them off. The worst part was the leg armor around the groin area because I had the unfortunate time of learning that upon dying these goblins all took massive shits that were responsible for a majority of the terrible smells in the room.


    Since that was more work and suffering than I care to do I left that part while stealing the shin and foot armor which I added to the pile in the middle of the room along with all the weapons and shields that I picked up as well.


    After roughly half an hour of sorting through everything I had six practically naked goblin corpses and a large pile of crappy metal armor and weapons that I now needed to haul back up two floors worth of stairs if I wanted to keep any of it for myself. ¡®Looks like I have my work cut out for myself today, this will easily take four or five trips to take everything up. I should probably start with the weapons and the shields, I can take a lot more of those upstairs faster than pieces of armor.


    Filling my rucksack with all the weapons left here I only managed to stick them in halfway while the handle and part of the blade were sticking outside. I picked up three shields that I carried like boxes and started walking up the stairs slowly to preserve my energy so I could make this trip several more times. When I eventually reached my room I just dumped everything with all the other metal weapons and armor I took from goblins and turned back around to go back for my second load.


    Like the first trip I filled my bag with as much as I could fit within before picking up as much as I could fit within my arms and began the trip again. The only thing I had to make the trip bearable was my own thoughts, specifically the ones for what to do with the forty points I still had not used. ¡®That fight with those stronger goblins showed me that I need to strengthen my magic or my fighting capabilities. Since I have already put so much time and energy into learning magic I should keep going into that, that means investing into arcane and possibly perception to help with my aim and sight. But I should also put a few points into constitution and a few more into dexterity and vitality to keep myself from being one strike from dying.¡¯


    I completed the trip two more times taking the armor from the seventeenth floor to my bedroom on the fifteenth, but on the last trip as I rounded the corner to the hall where my bedroom was at the end of I saw something I wasn¡¯t expecting. A group of six people stood around my bedroom door talking in a language that I didn¡¯t understand, but the most surprising part was that I recognised these people.


    I saw Lyra, Hambel, Cassia, Aelia, and the other two members of the group I didn¡¯t learn the names of when I joined them. They were all standing around my bedroom door talking in what was likely eevin since that was what they spoke the last time. Walking towards them didn¡¯t notify them of my presence, they seemed to be very invested in my bedroom door for some reason and it looked like Lyra was casting a spell of some sort.


    Now around fifteen meters from them I dropped the metal armor that I was carrying in my hand and created enough noise to draw everyone''s attention. At the sound of metal falling into the ground everyone shot around to see what the source of the noise was and looked rather confused when they saw me standing there in full plate armor.


    ¡°This is mine.¡± I said pointing to the door and to myself knowing they didn¡¯t understand what I was saying or even what language it was, heck I didn¡¯t even know what language I was speaking. They all looked rather worried and confused by what I said and looked to Lyra who stepped past them all and casted the comprehend language spell on herself which I recognized the arcane words of and the hand movements.


    Creating a small transparent ball no larger than an apple she shoved it into her chest and took a moment to allow the spell to work before she said anything. ¡°Hello sir, I am Lyra of the Vettonius family of Rathen kingdom. Why might I ask, are you here in this abandoned dwarven city?¡± Lyra was calm yet cautious this time around, she saw I was very confident by revealing myself when I could have tried ambushing them. I also didn¡¯t just open up the front door to the city itself so she didn¡¯t exactly have much reason to be thankful like last time.


    ¡°I am Arthur, and that is my home that you are trying to break into.¡± I pointed towards the front door to my bedroom the group was trying to open and expressed my annoyance with what they were doing. Lyra clearly noticed this and decided to back off instead of pushing me away from my things. ¡°Alright, if this is your home then we will leave you be for the time being. But I must warn you that this city is considered property of the Rathen kingdom and you may not be allowed to stay here long term.


    ¡°That is fine as long as nobody is trying to take my things, and I was planning on leaving sometime anyways. The neighbors aren''t exactly very kind or nice to be around, that isn¡¯t even talking about how aggressive they have gotten recently.¡± I subtly gave Lyra information on the habits of the goblins and how they are becoming more dangerous within saying anything about the demon. ¡®If I say something about a demon they will be forced to leave and I will have to deal with the military and Philto Sorio who would like to be leading them again this time. I don¡¯t know much about him, but if he has any common sense he will definitely force me to leave for my own safety.¡¯


    Lyra looked a little surprised by my words regarding the goblins but nodded instead of commenting on it. ¡°Of course, goblins can be quite erratic. Come along everyone, we are leaving this man and his home alone.¡± Everyone looked rather confused by what she said but didn¡¯t wait for her to say it a second time and quickly followed her back out and to the stairs which led back to the entrance and their camp.


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    I waited until they were gone before I collected the armor I dropped on the ground and opened my bedroom door to place everything inside. As I closed the door and locked it from the inside I accidentally let out a yawn and rubbed my temples to calm myself down. I didn¡¯t know how long I spent bringing all that armor and weapons up here but it was both exhausting and time consuming to do without even considering how much room it was all taking up. ¡®I might actually need to speak with Lyra and some of her mercenaries sooner than I thought if I want to actually do something with all this. I wonder if Lyra would be willing to trade something for that spare dimensional bag she has.¡¯


    ********


    The group of six led by Lyra walked up and past the barricade and up to the two mercenaries standing guard. Lyra waved the other five to go on without her while she waited to speak with them. ¡°There is a man down here that might be the source of all the dead goblins we found a few floors above us, keep an eye on him if he comes this way.¡±


    The two guards nodded and went back to their positions while Lyra left following the group of five up the stairs. After the long and somewhat tiring journey she reached the top and exited through the large and durable double doors and stepped out into the camp. Looking around for a moment she made sure everything was going well within the camp before she went to her tent and stepped inside.


    In the portion dedicated for communication with the outside world she began interacting with the communication orb and contacted her father who was overseeing the expedition. Soon his image fingered into the room and he smiled at the sight of her. ¡°Lyra, are you alright? Did something happen in the expedition you need help with?¡± He spoke with the concern of a father instead of a superior officer like he was supposed to do which helped Lyra¡¯s mood.


    ¡°I along with a group of five others have found someone living within the fifteenth floor of the city, a human to be specific. He had pale skin like a native of the region and looked to be in his early twenties, he was wearing full plate armor and carried a longsword on his hip which was the only weapon that we could see him carrying. He introduced himself as Arthur and claimed that a room within the fifteenth floor that had a well made and decorated door was his home when we were trying to open it.¡± Lyra quickly explained in as much detail as she could about the situation and what she experienced.


    ¡°A human living in the abandoned dwarven city before any of you had even set foot in there? This is somewhat worrying Lyra, what did you make of this man? Was he dangerous looking? Did he threaten any of you?¡± Lord Vettonius asked his adopted daughter when she was done speaking, he was now treating this situation as a lord instead of a father.


    ¡°From what I could tell he wasn¡¯t a danger to the expedition or anyone else unless they made themselves a problem first. He was only angry at us because we were trying to break into his home and even then he didn¡¯t draw his weapon, instead he chose to drop the metal objects he was carrying at the time to surprise and inform us of his position.¡± Lord Vettonius nodded along as Lyra answered his questions. ¡°Also he spoke a language that none of us were familiar with, but it was also a language that could be translated by the comprehend language spell, leading me to believe that it might just be a foreign language.¡±


    ¡°That is certainly possible, but there are also over 50 different dead languages that the spell is still able to translate mostly due to archaeologists wanting one spell that can do a lot. If possible try and keep a good professional relationship with this strange man and inform me of any changes he makes. I will inform the crown of this discovery, so do not be surprised when you receive a few messages regarding it.¡± Shortly after the call ended and Lyra shut off the communication orb leaving the room in a thin layer of darkness.


    However Lyra didn¡¯t move from her seat, she instead just leaned back in her chair and looked towards the ceiling with a blank expression on her face. ¡®Gods, I am seriously regretting doing this expedition already. Things just keep on piling up, and now this Arthur person showing up and throwing more questions and likely problems that will follow him and how he even managed to enter the city to begin with.¡¯


    Lyra didn¡¯t stay seated for much longer, she soon stood up and returned to her personal tent and soon went to sleep resting her weary mind along with the majority of the expedition force. The only ones who were awake were those who were specifically on guard duty and those who couldn¡¯t get to sleep which were few and far between.


    *******


    Slowly I awoke from my deep sleep and looked around the room as I slowly stretched my mussels and sat up. I could already see the effects of my decision to invest ten points into my perception, everything was already looking clearer and I could feel the bedsheets against my skin far more than I could when I went to sleep.


    I stood up and raised my arms above my head while I stretched the rest of my body. Next was a quick breakfast followed by donning my armor again and strapping my sword to my hip. But before I did anything I extended my hand and conjured up a ball of fire. Even with only a single unit of mana that I used to conjure this fire I could already feel the efficiency and power of it was far greater than the day before. It was like comparing a small campfire to a full blown bonfire, and I subconsciously smiled slightly at the sight.


    /- - - - - -\


    Constitution 20


    Perception 20


    Arcane 30


    \- - - - - -/


    Stepping outside the room I took a look around for anything dangerous before I turned my back and locked the door behind myself again. I retracted the key and tested the door handle to be certain that it was locked and only then did I leave the floor and continue downwards to the eighteenth floor.


    Stepping off the stairs I looked around cautiously for any sign of movement, for some reason I had the distinct feeling that something here wasn¡¯t as it seemed. The stone bricks that made up the walls and floor I was standing on looked far to clean if goblins were supposedly coming and going all the time, there was also what I thought to be smoke of some kind lingering in the air the further I went. It didn¡¯t have any terrible smell, in fact it just felt wet like it was made up of water instead of what smoke was normally made of.


    In case this substance in the air was dangerous I stayed low to the ground as I continued forward, but as I got deeper and deeper that wasn¡¯t really possible anymore. But what was more worrying was that so far it had basically just been one large hall with no doors or even furniture in sight.

 Chapter 167

    As I pushed deeper into the floor I discovered parts of it were covered with water in large puddles that were found alongside pipes sticking outside of the nearby walls. ¡®This must be another of the experimental rooms that the dwarves worked on while living here. Since they have pipes supplying water to this place I assume they are doing something that either requires a lot of water or somehow keeps the situation safer than if they didn¡¯t.¡¯


    Soon I found the first set of doors on this floor, specifically doors in what looked to be a security checkpoint. There was a wall made up of metal bars which would allow for one to look through to the other side, and in the middle was a heavy stone door that was locked with a large stone key. I knew it was a large stone key because I found the key on a nearby skeleton of a dwarf that was still wearing its equipment from several thousand years ago.


    Inserting the key and turning it allowed the door to open with a loud creak, the stone hinges sounded very old and very fragile. ¡®I might have been able to just knock the door down without even unlocking it. I just hope they weren¡¯t keeping anything alive in here that could chase me back out, I might have to close the door and it might not hold.¡¯


    Past this door the smoke-like substance in the air was becoming thicker and thicker making it impossible for me to avoid it. Just in case there was something I unsheathed my sword and kept it ahead of myself as I continued forward.


    Continuing down the hall and around a corner I found a second door that was thankfully unlocked and had tremendous amounts of the substance coming out through the edges of the door and the frame. Opening it up the substance practically barreled out of the room and into my face leaving it feeling both hot and wet. I waited a moment for it to pass out into the room I was currently in and make this room clearer. When I was certain there wasn¡¯t anything moving and the substance wasn¡¯t dissipating in any significant amount I entered.


    Inside I could see a few silhouettes of what looked to be various objects such as tables and a few chairs. There were a few stone bound books on these tables as well but the paper was long unusable and what was left was soaked through.


    But there were also a few other notable objects within this room, one that stood out from the rest was a large metal object that was made up of several contraptions including gears. Going down on one knee to take a better look I found that it was an incredible contraption that I unfortunately couldn¡¯t find the use of. I also found it was the source of the wet smoke-like substance in the air as well as why the floor was covered with water. It was attached to a pipe sticking out from the wall and both the contraption and the pipe were leaking water. The contraption was also doing something with the water inside of it as it was the source of what turned out to be steam in the air.


    ¡®This contraption must be heating the water up within itself and expelling the steam, but it isn¡¯t doing anything that might indicate that it is creating any kind of heat. It is very hot though, so something inside of it must be creating heat and thus creating steam.¡¯


    Taking a quick look through the contraption I found a small tube that led inside of it on the opposite side, slowly removing the tube I was able to look inside and see that there was a small container made of metal that had the water, unfortunately there was too much water being pumped inside of it and it was overflowing over the sides. The most interesting part of this discovery however was a small red stone that looked like some sort of volcanic rock that had once been lava and since cooled down. Out of curiosity I reached towards it and without even touching it discovered just how hot the rock was, my hands started to burn just within a few inches of it so I retracted my hand and left it alone for the time being.


    ¡®This place should have a control room of some kind to shut off the water, that way I can get rid of the steam and actually look around the room properly.¡¯ With that I stood up and started looking along the walls up close for any doors or rooms that I might not have seen when I first entered, eventually after basically rubbing my face against the walls I found a few rooms off to the sides. Most were not what I was looking for but eventually I found the control room which was full of levers and switches labelled in the dwarven language.


    Unfortunately I couldn¡¯t read any of the labels, but most of the levers were in the downward position which I assumed was the off position. Walking up to the closest lever that was pointed upwards I grabbed it firmly and pulled downward, the lever was hard to pull likely due to the internal mechanisms being very old but eventually I managed to pull it all the way and it clicked into place. Taking a moment to rest my arms I listened for anything that might indicate something had changed or moved, but I heard nothing.


    Stepping outside into the room with the strange contraption and found that the steam in the air was slowly yet steadily dissipating and clearing up, it wasn¡¯t very significant yet but it was noticeable especially when you were standing right next to the source of it.


    After waiting for around a half hour a majority of the steam in the air had dissipated leaving it clear, however the floors and walls were still covered with water. I was also able to see the damage the water had done to the stone itself, it had started to erode and smooth out in several places in the past era, which came out to a few thousand years ago.


    Now with the steam out of the way I was able to take a better look at the contraption and try and determine its use. Upon my inspection that took around a half hour I noted that the contraption was designed to boil the water that was being fed into it for some reason, though I couldn''t understand why. It certainly wasn¡¯t to use as the water was impossible to retrieve without removing several external components, and the hot lava stone as I came to call it was very dangerous to be near as its temperature began to rise when I stopped the water.


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    ¡®What on the earth were the dwarves trying to do with you?¡¯ I asked myself as I continued poking and looking through the contraption. ¡®From what I can tell all you do is boil water, but you also have all these gears and moving parts inside as well, and I don¡¯t exactly see how those are supposed to help with boiling water when you have the lava stone.¡¯


    I was puzzled by this contraption and was unable to find its purpose, but as I was about to leave I noticed that the temperature of the lava stone was still increasing and the inside of the contraption was becoming dangerously hot to interact with, so I returned to the control room and reactivated the water flow to keep the lava stone from getting too hot.


    As I stepped back out I could already hear the water starting to boil inside of the contraption and pressing my hand on the outside of the contraption showed that its temperature was declining with the constant supply of water. Soon after I left and took a look around the rest of the nearby rooms and unfortunately found nothing of value or interest.


    Returning the way I came I found that the hallway wasn¡¯t quite as long as I thought it was being only around one hundred meters in length, it was just the steam in the air that confused and made everything feel a lot longer as I took my time to avoid slamming into a wall head first and hurting myself. When I arrived at the locked door I chose to lock it behind myself as the contraption was rather dangerous and I would prefer that it stays there until someone who actually knows what it is or how to dispose of the lava stone arrives.


    Since this floor didn¡¯t really have anything of value and I was only here for a few hours I decided to go down to the nineteenth floor and see if there was anything there. Looking both up and down before I started walking down the stairs I listened for any sign of movement, after a minute of this I was certain that there wasn¡¯t anyone or anything nearby and started walking down to the nineteenth floor.


    The first thing I noticed on the nineteenth floor was just how open and large the place was. It looked like some sort of open area that everyone would walk through, almost like a courtyard but with various buildings across the sides that looked like they were at one point stores or other important buildings. With a quick look it appeared that the entire floor was like this roughly half the size of one of the districts in Antium. Several of the buildings I passed by even had glass windows, most however were smashed or broken in some way and the few that remained felt very wobbly and fragile as if they could break at any moment.


    I could almost feel the age and history of this place as I walked through, it reminded me of the dwarven settlements under Antium through the hidden entrance in the basement of Velerin¡¯s temple, only much more advanced and far wealthier. ¡®This must have been where most of the dwarves that lived within the city lived and worked. Several of these places look like stores and shops, and some of those off in the distance look like attached homes with those balconies along the sides.¡¯ Off in the distance I could see a wide variety of buildings that stretched up and connected to the ceiling of the floor which was around five or so stories up depending on the building.


    It was a beautiful sight to see that was only made possible by the various glowing blue crystals that acted like street lanterns attached to metal poles and the side of the occasional building. I was also able to see that several parts of this ¡®town¡¯ were dark and had no functioning blue crystals, this was both worrying and confusing as from what I understood they weren''t exactly something that would run out of light or broke easily, the mages guild uses something very similar and those use the ambient mana within their surroundings to power themselves.


    Taking several more steps forward I kept my longsword in hand as I watched my surroundings weary for anything that might be hostile which would be a goblins as unlike the cavern several floors below this place was entirely carved out by stone and didn¡¯t have any plant life that could support animals or other creatures.


    Passing through the initial archway I found myself in a more traditional area that I would expect from these dwarves that consisted of old abandoned homes and the occasional storefront. Taking my time to take a quick look through them all I found basic and old furniture in the homes that was almost entirely made up of stone, the stores on the other hand had a bit more variety with actual shelves that still contained some things of value such as metal utensils for eating. But just about anything else that one might find in a store that wasn¡¯t a luxury was gone as if the store had been looted by someone.


    Further exploration of this town resulted in the first goblin of this floor being discovered, it was already dead and likely had been for several days by now given by the decay of the body and the dried blood. The body had been looted of anything of value indicating that one or more goblins took anything this one had on him, possibly a robbery. ¡®If this was a robbery then it indicates a more complex society than I initially expected of them. But then again they might have just been greedy and wanted something this goblin had.¡¯


    There was also some blood splatter around the area outside where the goblin was killed, while I am not a detective I could see that they were likely caused by a bladed weapon both from the blood pattern and the wounds on the body. The goblin also likely died very quickly given all the wounds it had across its body, it was likely ambushed by several at once.


    ¡®This likely means that there is a group of goblins still here somewhere, they might be the attackers or perhaps they were allies of this goblin. Either way they will have something valuable on them and I still have six levels to regain until I am at the very same power level as I was before. I will need to more than triple the exp I currently have to reach level fourteen, so I better start as soon as possible and start hunting.¡¯


    As it turns out goblin¡¯s aren''t exactly the smartest when it comes to covering their own tracks as I found several traces of goblin activity throughout the area and it only became more frequent as I got closer to their hideout of sorts. Those traces consisted of feces, footprints, scattered and broken materials, as well as blood. When I found this hideout of goblins the first thing I noticed was that it was a fairly nice looking building that had more metal woven into the structure than most of the other buildings, it was well designed and looked like it was once very expensive. Unfortunately the goblins that were now living there had decided to give their own touch to the design of the building in the form of broken pieces of wood, blood, and dirt which they somehow tracked in a place without any.

 Chapter 168

    The building that the goblins were using looked to at one point have been a sort of luxurious tavern of sorts. I could see curtains in the windows separating the balconies from the rooms they were connected to, though most were tattered or torn apart. The walls showed designs that looked unique to my eyes and I wondered why nobody said anything about this place.


    The goblins were just standing around and acting like animals while I watched and observed them, inside the building on the bottom floor I could hear some of them eating something very loudly while they were talking to each other in their language. The ones outside were just lazily waiting for anything with very little enthusiasm, a few were even asleep.


    I looked around for an opening in the building such as a window or a hole that I could enter through but unfortunately the goblins were actually smart enough to block any and all entryways into the building which was a first. ¡®That just leaves the front door and climbing up the side to the second or third level. Climbing up has the advantage of surprise while the front door can allow me to escape if I need to.¡¯


    For a few minutes I watched the front door and the few goblins that were guarding it. From what I could see outside there were just three goblins wearing some basic metal armor consisting of chest plates and helmets while carrying poor quality spears as weapons. Like the other goblins I had seen, they were looking rather bored with their job and weren¡¯t paying much attention to their surroundings like they should have been.


    Hiding to the right side of the building far enough away from the door that they couldn¡¯t see me I began casting the Tri Earth Bolts spell to try and kill all three of these goblins at once. Standing straight and hiding myself behind the corner I extended my hands and pointed them towards the goblins and kept them straight as I began casting the spell, the arcane words I spoke were not noticed by the goblins and they likely didn¡¯t even notice anything until the three earth bolts punctured through the side of their skulls and killed them.


    When they fell to the ground the metal armor they wore clanked loudly alerting the goblins within the building that something had happened. I could hear one of them shout something to their allies outside and wait a moment for a response that they didn¡¯t receive. When they didn¡¯t get it after a few moments they shouted again and once more before I heard the sound of chairs sliding across the stone floor and a few pairs of footsteps coming towards the door.


    Since I didn¡¯t do anything to hide the goblin corpses they were found very quickly and the still living goblins shouted out to the other goblins that were also still alive. But they didn¡¯t sound scared or worried, on the contrary they sounded very angry by the deaths of their allies. The one shouting sounded like it was also mad at its still living allies as well and there was a brief conversation between those on the bottom floor that ended with a slap sound.


    Suddenly one goblin stumbled out of the building followed by another as if they were pushed out, then the loud goblin shouted again and based on their expressions it was likely towards them. The second one looked a little scared and worried while the first one was basically cowering to the loud goblin and its verbal assault that lasted a while. Honestly, if I wasn¡¯t going to kill all these goblins I would have almost felt bad for them.


    I kept my eyes trained on the two new goblins as they were shouted at, eventually the shouting stopped and they slowly started walking away while looking nervous. I could see in their stance and the way they were holding their spears, they were stiff and uneasy making for a group of easy targets even without my magic. But since there were definitely more goblins hiding within the building I decided to avoid doing that and instead go upwards to the second level of this building.


    Slowly and quietly conjuring up a ladder from earth I made sure that it wasn¡¯t visible from anywhere inside the building before I slowly climbed up it. Reaching a balcony on the second level I carefully climbed off and onto it making as little noise as I could. Looking inside the building from the balcony I could see that there was a bedroom of sorts connected to this balcony, unlike the balcony it had an actual door and it was closed.


    Looking around at the furniture I saw that most of what was in here was made of well crafted wood compared to the stone furniture that was in just about every other building, clearly this was a very expensive place to stay in as it had things most people here didn¡¯t have. There was also a wardrobe that I opened up to find empty except for an old pair of boots that looked like they were once very well made whenever this city was inhabited.


    Peeking outside the room I saw that there weren''t many goblins on this floor, in fact the only ones I saw were sleeping in one of the rooms with the doors wide open. On this floor I counted five goblins each in their own separate rooms sleeping making themselves easy pickings for myself. The first that I decided to deal with was the closest to my right which was also the farthest to my right. Slowly I walked forward as I carefully conjured up a dagger from earth and held it in a reverse grip, thankfully there was a rug on the floor like all the others that muffled enough of the noise that I was able to reach the goblin without waking it.


    Raising my dagger just above my chest with my arms outstretched I brought the dagger down to the goblins neck and stabbed with as much force as I could muster. The stab wasn¡¯t exactly skilled or efficient, but it was enough to kill and pierced where I wanted it to killing the goblin quickly enough to leave it with no time to say anything before it bled out and died.


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    + 50 Exp


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    + 50 Exp


    + 50 Exp


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    Daggers Level 0


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    The notification I received was a little unnecessary but it was good to know that I have actual skill in using daggers, even if it isn¡¯t very much.


    Putting any other thoughts out of my mind for now I left the room through the same door and went to the room directly across the hall and did the same thing. Each of the five goblins met the same fate before I dispelled that dagger that was soon dripping with blood. But before I did anything else I took a seat in the room I snuck in through and took some deep breaths to calm myself, as it turned out sneaking around and killing goblins even while they were sleeping was a very stressful task. The idea that they might just wake up at the slightest sound is terrifying and constantly in the middle of your thoughts, like something you want to forget but is so ingrained into your memory you can¡¯t.


    When I felt I was calm enough I stood up and slowly closed each of the doors that had sleeping goblins in them while leaving the others open. Then I slowly crept over to the balcony I entered through and looked over to see what the goblins were doing. From what I could see more than just the two that were initially sent out were now outside their little basecamp and looking for whatever killed their allies, I could see two walking around and I could hear them talking with other goblins that I couldn¡¯t see. I considered killing the two I could see with a quick spell but decided against it for the time being.


    ¡®I should remain quiet and hidden for the time being and kill as many as I can within the building before I engage with the goblins who are actively looking for me.¡¯ After reentering the building I made one last sweep in the second story to make sure that I killed all the goblins before I walked towards the stairs leading both up and down. Peeking down I saw a few Goblins walking around or sitting, the ones I could see had better equipment than the ones outside and were a fair bit taller and better fed than the others.


    Upstairs however I could see or hear all that much, so to make a full sweep of as much of the building as possible I decided to slowly start walking up. Peeking my head from the stairs I looked around the room quickly and found it was like the previous story with several bedrooms, but there was also a large open space with a solid stone table that resembled the bar of a tavern that was surrounded by a few tables and chairs. Aside from the sound of something breathing softly I couldn¡¯t hear anything else, it was like even the goblins didn¡¯t like this floor for some reason. Climbing the few remaining steps I started looking around for the source of the breathing, I knew it had to be in one of the rooms as it was definitely muffled and I couldn¡¯t find anything alive near the bar.


    I couldn¡¯t see much in the room with the minimal amounts of light that I currently had so I conjured up a small amount of fire to act like a torch, but then I suddenly noticed something that stood out compared to everything else standing near to the bar.


    What I assume was once a coat hanger was missing several pieces that actually held coats and instead had an assortment of markings and a skull resting on top. It was positioned in a way that somewhat resembled a person if you squinted your eyes and were standing really far away. I wasn¡¯t even sure what it was so I inspected the former coat hanger and looked at the markings that covered most of its thin pole.


    But as I was nearly done with my inspection I noticed something, these markings looked an awful lot like magic inscriptions that are on enchanted items like the talismans I made. These markings were rather crude and lacked any sort of substance that could direct or transmit mana, but it was definitely a good start.


    ¡®This is concerning.¡¯ I thought to myself as I slowly stood up and looked around the room worriedly. ¡®I doubt that just any goblin would have the knowledge to create enchanted items, even if they don¡¯t have any ink this requires a certain amount of knowledge and training to do. Only a once in a million years genius would be able to do something like this without help, and I doubt any of those would be goblins.¡¯


    I took a few steps backwards to try and see if the markings would make more sense from a distance, the idea being that it might not be inscriptions and instead something else like a picture that can only be seen from a certain distance. But as I was walking backwards I accidentally bumped into the bar and something else that was on the edge that fell to the ground and created a lot of noise when it hit the ground.


    Turning to look at the source of the noise I found it was a small cup made out of stone that was sitting on the edge of the counter, I bumped into it and it fell to the ground with a loud and sudden crunch as it broke into two. Cursing myself for my own carelessness I quickly picked up the broken cup and placed it back onto the bar before I noticed that the breathing from further into the room was gone.


    I quickly turned to look in the direction of the bedrooms and I was met with a ball of water that struck me in the face and left me on the ground from the impact. My face stung with pain like I was just punched in the nose, but I quickly scrambled behind the bar as another ball of water hit where I was just moments before.


    Within seconds I casted the Tri Earth Bolts spell and conjured up three earth bolts that I kept above my right hand, with a proper ranged weapon at the ready I peeked over the top of the bar and saw the source of these magical attacks. A goblin thin and frail compared to its other allies wearing robes made from thin and poor quality fabric and a skull of a larger goblin on its head while carrying what looked to be a wilted tree branch in its left hand was quickly conjuring up a ball of water in its right hand while looking right at me.


    When it noticed I was peeking over the counter it shouted something in its own language that sounded quite excited and the ball of water started growing faster, without hesitation I thrusted my right hand forward and with it the three earth bolts directed towards this goblin mage. The goblin mage looked rather surprised by this sudden attack and was quickly forced to turn its ball of water into a disk of water as an improvised shield.


    The improvised water shield managed to stop the first earth bolt from penetrating all the way through, but that left the structural stability weak enough for the second and third to quite easily punch through and hit the goblin in mage in its arm and the side of its hip.


    Now with two sudden wounds that were quite painful the goblin mage stumbled backwards into the hallway connected to the bedrooms out of my view breathing heavily as it did so. I also took the opportunity to catch my breath and cast another spell as I prepped against whatever the goblin mages was going to try.


    But after several minutes of nothing I began to grow suspicious and slowly drew my sword and crept closer to see what the goblin was doing.

 Chapter 169

    With several earth bolts in my left hand and my sword in my right I slowly stepped around the bar counter and up to the wall before walking alongside it until I could peek around the corner. When I did I saw the goblin mage had left a door at the very end of the hallway open and from what I could see there was a very large bed in the very center of the room.


    The goblin was out of my line of sight, likely hidden past the door and waiting for me to try and enter to attack me, but there wasn¡¯t really anything else that I could do. So with deep breath I started walking forwards with my left hand pointed forwards ready to use the earth bolts at the first sign of movement. That first sign of movement did eventually happen and the goblin mage poked its own head out from around the corner to look.


    Immediately I released the earth bolts towards the goblin who immediately ducked behind the corner and the bolts missed instead hitting the wall. I rushed forward with my sword now in both hands. As I rounded the corner the goblin mage had a spell in its hands that was another ball of water, only this time it was much larger than the others. Though the spell must not have been ready because the goblin didn¡¯t even try to hit me with it.


    Instead it started walking backwards while shouting at me and enlarging the ball further, I took this lack of offensive action to run towards it with my longsword tip pointed towards it with the intention of stabbing it. The goblin managed to somewhat deflect my stab with its ball that it hastily reshaped into a disk shape but I quickly followed up with an overhead slash that used most of the momentum I retained which damaged the water ball severely.


    With a damaged ball of water the goblin tried to walk backwards to gain some room but the limited size of the room prevented that from happening and left me with an open target. Taking a step forward with my left foot I thrusted forward with my sword¡¯s tip once again and this time I found my mark and stabbed the goblin mage in the stomach leaving a deep wound, the goblin shouted out in pain and fell to the floor as its wound bled. Changing to a reverse grip I plunged my sword downwards into the goblin again and again in the chest, stomach, and the face until it stopped moving and yelling.


    Leaning against the nearby wall I took a moment to catch my breath, I gave the goblin a few pokes before I was certain that it was actually dead. Satisfied with that outcome I started walking back down the hall towards the stairs back down when I heard the sounds of footsteps in the distance and shouting goblins.


    ¡®Shit, the other goblins must have heard our fight and are coming to investigate. I am betting that those shouts were them asking if the goblin mage was alright, since it didn¡¯t answer they are now coming to take a look.¡¯ Panicking somewhat I readied my sword and began casting offensive spells that I kept at the ready for when the other goblins marched up those stairs using around half of my total mana capacity to do so.


    I could hear them reaching the level just below and mutter amongst themselves in their language, eventually I heard one lone set of footsteps start walking up the stairs and I aimed my spells towards the stairs while standing behind the bar counter. After several moments of stress and anticipation I saw the head of the foul goblin poking its head into view and without hesitation I gave it an earth bolt that pierced into the back of its skull.


    With a loud thud the goblin fell down the stairs and likely ending in front of those remaining as they started shouting in anger with a little touch of fear. Three more goblins quickly rushed up those stairs this time paying attention to where the bolt came from and raised their shields to block my attack.


    Unfortunately for their quick thinking I have very good control and power with my spells and I managed to circumvent their shields or blow right through them to land a serious injury that either took them out of the fight or killed them. The three goblins followed their first ally and fell to the bottom of this flight of stairs with only one still breathing at the bottom.


    After this the goblins went quiet for a while as they thought about what they just witnessed and what they could do to kill me, but unfortunately for them I wasn¡¯t really keen on waiting on my ass for the danger to find me with my half depleted mana reserves. With six units of mana I conjured up a Wave of Fire spell which I then kept in hand as I descended a few steps until I could see several of the goblins who looked up at me with confusion. As they looked like they were going to do something I finished the Fire Wave and pushed my arms forwards resulting in the fire wave engulfing most of the goblins in my view.


    The only goblins that were not touched by these flames were the ones that were standing towards the back, the rest were practically fully enveloped by the fire leaving them in pain and screaming for their lives. Taking several steps back to avoid the now terrified goblins I took my sword in both hands and waited with bated breath as the chaos unfolded.


    By the time the fire stopped burning at least half of the goblins that were burned were dead while the other half were out of the fight permanently due to their severe burns. Raising my right arm upwards while pointing my sword forward I ran down the stairs and towards the nearest standing goblin and stabbed it in the arm.


    With a loud scream in its own language it fell to the ground and I swung my sword down on it while the other still standing goblins were still recovering from the shock of what happened, but that didn¡¯t stay that way for long. Two goblins immediately turned to flee from the current situation while the other two rushed at me with their weapons held high.


    The first goblin to reach me was carrying a piece of rock that was shaped into the form of a large club relative to its own body, it looked very awkward to carry around but this goblin looked to be doing half decent with it. With a large swing the goblin brought the club down, missing me by a few inches. I was about to swing my sword to retaliate when the second goblin followed up with a second attack with its spear towards my face.


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    Taking several steps back I took a few deep breaths while the two goblins readied themselves and ran towards me to attack again. Like before the first to attack was the goblin with the club who missed when I dodged out of the way and was followed up by the second goblin thrusting its spear towards me, only this time I waited for this to happen before I circled around to the now exposed side where the spear wielding goblin was vulnerable.


    Both goblins saw this and they began to somewhat panic as I brought my sword down on the left arm of the spear wielding goblin cutting through the flesh and stopping at the bone. Blood began pouring out and the goblin dropped its spear as it screamed and took several steps backwards out of shock interrupting its ally.


    The goblin with the club was surprised and angered by this display of tactics and practically howled at me like a wolf and began swinging its club around with little regard for anything else in the room we were in. Numerous pieces of furniture that were still present within the room were shattered apart when they met that club leaving the floor covered with pieces of stone and wood and unsafe for anyone walking barefoot.


    However I started to notice the goblin slowing down with his swings along with his power decreasing with it, it started to breath heavily and it started taking a few seconds between each of its swings. ¡®Idiot, everyone knows you can''t swing something around forever. That is why technique is so important, that way you can limit the stamina you use when attacking.¡¯


    Eventually the goblin started to grow sluggish and after its club hit the ground with a loud thump several feet away from me it began struggling to muster the strength to pick it up and attack again. Being one to take an opportunity when I see it I raised my own sword and swung it towards the goblins neck.


    Just before my swing hit I was blessed to have a moment to look directly at the face of the surprised goblin who was unable to imagine how I have the strength to swing my sword when it didn¡¯t. Unfortunately it didn¡¯t have the time to ponder this insightful question as my blade met its neck and left a very deep wound that started to pour blood like a waterfall.


    The goblin started panicking as it held its neck with one hand and it stumped around with the other for something that might keep it alive, but eventually it lost its strength and fell to the ground from blood loss. It was still breathing when it was on the floor so I did it a favor and used my sword to end its suffering.


    Looking over to the spear wielding goblin I found that it tried to escape down the stairs but tripped on its way there and went head first into the wall knocking itself unconscious as it was bleeding from its arm. Unlike its club wielding ally it wasn¡¯t bleeding nearly as bad, but it was still my enemy so I killed it anyways with a blade through the chest.


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    + 50 Exp


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    + 75 Exp


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    Level 9, Next at 6600


    + 10 points


    \- - - - - -/


    Looking up at the notification before me I smiled as I felt my mana reserves slowly growing to reach twenty seven units of mana that I will have with thirty intellect at level nine. But I was also considering what I should do with the ten points I just received.


    ¡®I should definitely use these points as soon as possible. I think for now my strength and constitution are good enough to fight and move effectively. My dexterity and vitality are a little lower than I would have liked and both of those things will help with my survivability, vitality will give me more stamina and dexterity will help me swing my sword in addition to help with my hand and eye coordination which helps both with weapons and magic. But there is also always just dumping those points into intellect or arcane as well.¡¯


    Realizing that I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best place to be making these types of decisions I quickly packed up all the goblin weapons and armor that I could carry and I began on my trip to my bedroom on the fifteenth floor where I would keep it before returning and coming back. Starting with the weapons I started stuffing as many as I could into my rucksack that could fit which amounted to around half of the weapons there, most of those that remained were two handed weapons that I would need to carry with my hands regardless so I did just that.


    On this first trip back up several flights of stairs I quickly discovered the value of having high strength and vitality as I was forced to make a couple stops to rest on my way back up. I even briefly considered dumping those ten points I just received into my strength and vitality, but I quickly dropped that idea as I wouldn''t even feel the effects of it until I take several consecutive hours of rest. The only good thing I found aside from the loot I took was I did not meet any adversaries during any of my trips back and forth.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how long I took to bring everything but by the time that happened I was just about ready to drop to the floor and call it a night. Unfortunately that wasn¡¯t something I wanted to do as it would be both uncomfortable and bad for my own well being. Instead I sat down at the office desk and ate some dinner before quickly washing myself of all the dirt, sweat, and grime I had on me from my little adventure down to the nineteenth floor.


    When I was done and happy with the results I took most of my clothes before climbing into bed and drifting off to sleep several minutes later.


    *********


    That night I had a strange and concerning dream, I was somewhere dark and blurry that looked so out of place with figures and outlines that resembled people walking around. Eventually my vision cleared up and I could see everything properly and from what I could see I was in the middle of a party or celebration of sorts in a place that resembled the castle located within the city of Antium, only this place was far more fancy and decorative with a more welcoming design.


    Soon the voice of the people came into my perception and to my shock I could understand them clearly, they were speaking the very same language that I was speaking. Like some sort of spell I could also suddenly recall the name of this language that only I could speak. The name of the language was Eldaric, language of the Runead people. I was shocked by this sudden revelation. ¡®Why did I understand and speak Eldaric when the people that spoke it had all died thousands of years ago? I would need to either be immortal or have found a way to pass through time faster than everything else, I am mortal and I don¡¯t have the slightest clue how to do either.¡¯

 Chapter 170

    I turned around and began looking at the people within the room I was in, from what I could see it was an even split between men and women and they were all dressed in very fancy and expensive clothes that looked right out of a fairy tale. ¡®It was like I was dropped in the middle of a gala. Too bad I don¡¯t fit in with this crowd.¡¯ I thought to myself before looking down at my hands and arms, but instead of regular clothes or a mage apparel that I would be expecting to wear I was dressed like I was some sort of royalty.


    I was wearing a black and red outfit with a belt at my waist and a thin cloak over my shoulders that connected with my collar, the boots I had on my feet were some of the finest I had ever seen and I wore a pair of thin silk gloves that were partly concealed by my sleeves.


    Looking around the room in confusion I only now noticed that there were banners in the same colors as my outfit with an eye like symbol in grey. As I continued looking around practically spinning around in the process I saw more and more things that I was certain weren''t there before when I was looking in that direction. Things like tables with food of all sorts and even guards wearing full plate armor standing at the ready near all the entrances.


    The last thing that suddenly appeared was also the most important of them all, it was a man dressed similarly to myself, only more ornate in design, sitting on what looked to be a throne chiseled from stone. The man was surrounded by a few others that were dressed very well but distinctly different from the two of us. Without even realizing it I started to walk towards him and I was only standing a few meters from him when he turned to me and spoke.


    Now up close I could see the man shared a resemblance with myself, only he had short hair and a beard. ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. Having fun now are we? Come, come and have a drink with me. Let us celebrate before you go back to your studies.¡± The man smiled and gestured to a nearby woman who was handing out drinks who then handed me a silver goblet filled with what I assumed was wine.


    I wanted to ask the man who he was and where we were, but something stopped me and instead I just smiled and took the goblet and drank along with him before we both broke out in laughter. After that most of my dream was a blur, and soon I awoke back on my bed confused but somewhat happy with what I just experienced.


    The first thing I did after walking up was stretch out my arms and then sit up and stand before doing the same for the rest of my body. Then I picked up the clothes I placed nearby and put them on before walking over to the office for my breakfast which like the days before would consist of mushrooms and honey. Though a little worrying I had gone through a good portion of the mushrooms and honey, a little worrying but nothing some trading with Lyra and her mercenaries wouldn¡¯t be able to fix.


    Speaking of, I had basically filled most of the floor space within my bedroom with armor and weapons that I found and took with me during my adventures and it was starting to become an issue. Without a proper place to keep it all I just had to put it on the floor, even a spare room with some shelves would have been a major upgrade from my current situation.


    ¡®I guess I can¡¯t put this off any longer now, I am going to need to speak with Lyra and see if we can broker some sort of trade agreement between us. I guess I should bring some of the weapons in my rucksack to try and trade with.¡¯ I thought to myself as I started to eat my breakfast. ¡®Spears are something that should be carried in my hands, that leaves clubs, daggers and knives, and the one handed swords that I picked up to bring with me.¡¯


    When I was done with my breakfast that consisted of four mushrooms all dipped in honey to counter the taste I stood up and started donning my armor which I kept on the armor stand in this very room. Starting with the padding underneath I slipped on the gambeson and the leg padding before the chainmail went over top of it which was then followed by the actual plate armor that went over top of it as well. The last thing I added with the belt with the sheathe to my sword which went on the left side of my hip.


    Picking up my rucksack I filled it with the nearest weapons and even a few spears that I carried in my hands, exiting the door I locked it behind myself and set out on my trip for the main entrance of Dom Badaher. I was nervous on the way upwards, I of course knew these people and spent a lot of time with them, but based on my interaction with Lyra and Aelia¡¯s group they didn¡¯t share any of those memories. I wasn¡¯t particularly worried about what they would do, the worst they could say was they didn¡¯t want to trade, but a small part of me was worried about what they might say to me.


    Some time later when I eventually arrived on the top floor I found like I remembered the old traps that were left behind since the second era were exactly as they were then. I could also see two guards each carrying a spear as their main weapon and a short sword on their hip who both immediately turned to me as I appeared within their view. The two waited for me to be within a handful of meters to the doorway before they said anything.


    ¡°*Stop! Why are you here stranger?*¡± The oldest guard who I recognized as a subordinate of Saturio Quintilius said to me in the common language of Eevin which I unfortunately do not understand. Instead of answering with words which I knew they wouldn¡¯t understand I instead held up the spears in my hands to show them what I had. They looked a little surprised at first and almost raised their weapons before they noticed I wasn¡¯t doing anything indicating hostility.


    Understanding somewhat of what I wanted to do here, the oldest guard lowered his weapon and gestured his right hand towards the camp where all the others were. ¡°*You may enter stranger, but I recommend you speak with Lyra first. I understand she knows a spell to allow for easier communication between peoples without a common language.*¡± I didn¡¯t understand most of what he said, but I recognized Lyra¡¯s name and that he was likely telling me to speak with her before doing anything else.


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    Nodding, I stepped out of the second era dwarven city and towards the camp where all the members of the expedition were either resting, training further, or having something to eat. I saw that Aelia and her group including Cassia and Hambel were all sitting in a circle made from stone furniture that they likely carried up from somewhere in Dom Badaher.


    As much as I wanted to speak with my old companions I pushed my feelings to the side and continued towards Lyra¡¯s tent which was the largest and farthest in the whole camp. As I passed through the camp some gave me confused or surprised looks, but I was left alone and I reached her tent without issue.


    Pushing open the flap of the tent I found Lyra seated at a table with several documents strewn about. Hearing the tent flap open Lyra looked up and was surprised to see me carrying various weapons in my hands and rucksack, she put down the documents and stood up to walk up to me casting a spell as she did so.


    Touching my chest with her hand I felt some energy touching and expanding across my mind when she spoke. ¡°Hello again Mr. Arthur. What brings you up here to my camp?¡± I could hear the nervousness in her voice as she spoke, she was worried about the relationship between us. I smirked a little at the realization and responded.


    ¡°Just a small matter regarding trading.¡± I said as I presented one of the spears I was carrying with me. Lyra looked it over and quickly noticed it was goblin made. ¡°I have been collecting all sorts of weapons and armor from the goblins I have been killing over the past several weeks. Unfortunately I don¡¯t have much room left to store anything and I figured it wouldn¡¯t be a terrible idea to try and trade for something that I require.¡±


    Lyra nodded along as I spoke, understanding my reasoning and relaxing as I continued, clearly I removed any worries she had about I and her mercenaries fighting amongst ourselves. ¡°Of course, that makes perfect sense. I don¡¯t see why you shouldn¡¯t be able to trade with us in our camp. Is there anything in particular that you might be interested in that we could offer you, such as food? We have plenty of that as of now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, food would definitely be something I am willing to trade for. But I am also interested in a few other things, such as dimensional bags if you have any that you are willing to spare.¡±


    Lyra looked at me a little surprised by my statement regarding dimensional bags. ¡°Well, I suppose I would be willing to trade the spare one I have. But it will not be cheap, and don''t think what little you have brought with you today will be enough for me to part ways with it.¡±


    I smiled at that statement recalling how she ended up giving me the bag for free last time, but things were different this time so I just nodded and asked. ¡°How much do you think would be enough? I have a whole room that is littered with weapons and armor from my time travel throughout this ancient city. Perhaps you would like to come and have a look sometime.¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes widened slightly at my statement and I knew she was interested.


    We continued speaking for a few more minutes and discussed the details regarding a potential trade and when we would meet up to do a possible exchange. It would of course happen on the fifteenth floor at my room where all my valuables were located. When we were done with scheduling this exchange I left the tent to allow Lyra to finish up the paperwork she was doing with the intent to trade for some food with the weapons I had with me. Walking towards the wagons where the food was located I looked and found the people that were guarding them.


    ¡°Halt, what are you doing here stranger? Everything within these wagons are property of the Flock of War mercenary company, state your reason for being here or leave.¡± The guard I recognized as one of these employed by Lyra who died in the fight against the demon.


    ¡°It''s alright, I am just here to do a little bit of trading. I have some weapons here that I took from goblins residing within the city that I was hoping to trade with for some food. I already spoke with Lyra and she said she was more than happy to trade for some food.¡± I took off my rucksack as I spoke and showed the weapons I had within which seemed to relax the guards on duty.


    ¡°Alright then, we have some bags of grounded up grains that we would be all that worried about handing over in exchange for several of those weapons. You lot, bring me some of those bags of grain along with barrels of water.¡± The guard said to his allies who I presumed he had authority over given how he was speaking with them, while they went to bring the bags of grain he turned to me and continued speaking. ¡°I hope you are able to cook down there, because you are going to need to boil those grains before you eat them. If you don¡¯t you might end up getting sick, and the few healers here are quite expensive if you don¡¯t work for the company like the rest of us do.¡±


    Instead of saying anything I just nodded and smiled while the other two guards brought over two bags of grain and a barrel of water. Each bag was large enough to feed more for around close to a week if I was careful about how much I was eating. I quickly handed over the spears that I had in hand in addition to the ones I carried in my rucksack, the guard was happy with what I gave him and had his allies hand me the barrel and bags of grain.


    The first bag I was able to pick up on my own and carry around, the other bag and the barrel of water on the other hand were too much for me to carry on my own at the moment. Thankfully the guard was more than happy to watch over them for me while I carried them back to my room.


    ********


    Around an hour later I was back in my room putting down the barrel of water within the office space alongside the rest of my food while I was breathing heavily. Even though my strength was above average carrying all that grain and then the barrel of water was still very tiring, if my strength was at thirty like before then it might not have been such an issue, but unfortunately I died and somehow came back a little over a year earlier.


    Sitting down at my desk I began preparing for my dinner which I decided would be the grounded grains today. The first thing I did to prepare was conjure up a bowl from earth and fill it around halfway with the grounded grains, then collecting some water from the barrel I filled it until all the grain was wet. Holding my hand under the bowl I conjured up a good sized flame and started to cook the wet grains like the guard told

 Chapter 171

    Once the grains were well cooked I conjured up a spoon and started to dig in with glee, but I quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t as tasty as I thought it was going to be. The grains were rather bland and tasteless, the only way this was better than eating mushrooms was the texture which still left a little to be desired. ¡®I guess that is a little unfortunate, but at least I don¡¯t need to cover these with honey to keep them down.¡¯


    As I thought to myself I suddenly paused and looked over to the honey that I still had with an idea I wanted to try. I placed a spoonful of honey into my grains and using the spoon I conjured up mixed them together well, when They were mixed up enough to my liking I took a spoonful of the grains and honey and stuffed it into my mouth.


    The taste and deliciousness of this new meal I had yet to name was unlike anything I had eaten since I arrived back in Dom Badaher. I didn¡¯t even wait until I had fully swallowed the first spoonful before I had another already going towards my mouth. Before I knew it all the grains with honey were gone and I had a full belly. Not wanting to waste any of the food I made I started to lick the bowl I conjured up until there was nothing left and I dispelled it along with the spoon.


    ¡®That was incredible.¡¯ I thought to myself as I started to clean up the table. ¡®That was the best meal I have had in several weeks now. I should start experiment with cooking more when I get back to Antium, I can¡¯t believe I stopped doing that so much.¡¯


    With everything clean and back the way it was I exited the office and entered the bedroom where I picked up my sword from the bed and strapped it to my hip. Before leaving I double checked my armor and sword to make sure that everything was working correctly, when I was done I didn¡¯t find any issues and exited through the front door before locking it behind myself.


    Following my footsteps from the day before I continued down to the nineteenth floor with the intention of killing as many goblins as I could find there and taking their equipment to trade with Lyra for her spare dimensional bag.


    **********


    One week later after clearing the entirety of the nineteenth floor with help from Lyra and her mercenaries I was standing on the twenty fifth floor looking out into the large hole that led to the cavern layer. Looking out into it was bringing back a lot of memories that I really didn¡¯t want to remember, most notably Hambel dying saving Cassia.


    Unlike how I recalled everything seemed to be a lot darker this time, almost like these deep caverns were shaped by my experiences in this world. Pushing those thoughts away I turned from the scary and awe inspiring view of the glowing mushroom forest and walked back towards the goblin corpses to take their weapons and armor.


    I found a group of five goblins wearing far better armor and carrying far better weapons than anything else within the city, even the ones that ambushed me just over a week ago. The iron weapons were still nothing compared to just about any skilled dwarven or human smith, but compared to everything else they had these weapons were dangerous.


    I started by collecting the weapons they had, which were all one handed swords made from cheap iron that were designed with slashing in mind. The blades were also wider towards the tip compared to the hilt which I found to be an interesting design choice.


    Picking the closest one up I gave it a few test swings and I found that it was a half decent weapon, only I found its reach to be lacking compared to anything I would carry. But that is to be expected with a one handed sword, and I stashed it within my rucksack on my back.


    Next up was the armor, and like the weapons they were of a significantly better quality compared to everything else in the city. This metal armor too was made from iron, and it actually had leather underneath that would keep it from making direct contact with the skin of the goblins to prevent pinching and anything else metal armor might do directly to flesh. The helmets were also quite nice relatively speaking, they actually looked to be comfortable for the goblins to wear with the leather lining keeping the metal from rubbing against their hairless heads.


    ¡®This is definitely going to be worth a whole lot more than anything else I have picked up, someone might even be able to refit this armor to be worn by a dwarf given the quality of it.¡¯


    Unfortunately there was so much of this armor I was forced to leave it behind while I transported what I could carry upstairs with me to my room. I did make sure to collect it all and pile it up in a way that would let everyone know that it was claimed by someone else, only someone who was intending to return for it would do something like that.


    ¡®It honestly might not have been necessary to do that since no one else has come down here yet. But just to be certain that nobody will take anything I should do this any time I can¡¯t bring everything with me.¡¯


    Passing by the nineteenth floor I looked into the city portion and saw two groups of five resting close to the stairs. Most of those there were melee combatance, but there were also a few bows and the occasional mage mixed in as well. When they noticed me they either gave a small wave or a nod, which I returned with a wave of my own.


    Since I conducted that trading with Lyra¡¯s mercenary company things became a bit more friendly between us, of course I filled them in on the situation on the nineteenth floor and how large it was compared to everything else. I honestly doubted that I would have had the time to clear the whole thing out myself by the time they would have reached it. This way I was able to garner a little favor from them while keeping the next six floors and anything found within for myself. I even managed to snag an albeit old, yet very functional dwarven alchemy set from one of the buildings within the nineteenth floor.


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    I had to transport the thing piece by piece to prevent the glass portions from breaking, yet I knew it would be very much worth it once I had some ingredients I could work with. Once I had an opportunity to join the mages guild within Antium I would have access to all the ingredients I would need for the time being as well as a place I could sell potions and other alchemical creations such as spark powder for a decent amount of money.


    It took me three whole trips to bring all the weapons and armor that I ¡®found¡¯ on the twenty fifth floor. And around the time I was done was when Lyra and several of her mercenaries arrived to conduct our trade deal of my assortment of armor and weapons for her dimensional bag. Thankfully I had some time to clean up and wipe the sweat off beforehand which left me just in my regular clothing when they arrived.


    I opened the door only around halfway due to the armor and weapons I had strewn across the floor. When I turned to look at Lyra I could see for just a moment she was surprised about something, but I wasn¡¯t sure about what.


    ********


    The door before me slowly opened around halfway revealing a young human man I recognized as Arthur, though unlike last time I saw him he was wearing only casual clothing instead of his armor. I also noticed his wet hair indicating that he had recently cleaned himself, but from what I could see there weren''t any water sources within the room.


    Quickly pushing such thoughts out of my mind I casted the comprehend language spell and touched Arthur with my right hand casting it on him. ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Arthur, I am here along with several of my subordinates to take a look at the weapons and armor you have in preparation for our trade deal. Would it be alright if we come inside?¡±


    I half expected him to be hesitant to allow us inside his home, but even though he was unarmed and unarmored he just waved us inside. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    We stepped inside and immediately knew he was telling the truth about the weapons and armor he was collecting, most of the floor within the room was just covered with metal weapons and armor that all looked goblin in origin. Most of what we saw was made from cheap iron, but there were a few copper and better quality iron pieces as well scattered throughout. Citro, who decided he was coming with me, picked up one of the higher quality iron chest plates and inspected the front before checking the inside.


    I saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise when he did and he turned to show it to me. The inside of this piece of armor was lined with a pale pink leather that resembled the rat dogs that goblins like to keep. The leather didn¡¯t look all that high quality, but its presence was enough to worry both Citro and myself as well as start questioning Arthur¡¯s abilities.


    ¡°I see that goblin chest plate has caught your interest. How much do you think it is worth? I would bet that it would cover a good portion of that dimensional bag I am interested in, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Arthur gave a smile as he noticed our reaction, though he did not understand the reason for it he knew that it was definitely beneficial to himself.


    ¡°Yes I would agree, but we are going to need to shift through the rest of the weapons and armor you have in here before we decide if it is worth the dimensional bag. I am sure you understand we just need some time and a few more people to look through this all.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have no issue with waiting. I have already waited a full week for this exchange, I can wait another few hours.¡± Arthur said as he extended his hand for the chest plate Citro was holding. Citro quickly handed it over and stepped out of the room with myself in tow.


    ¡°You two stay here for now, we will be back with some help to look through this stockpile.¡± The other two mercenaries nodded and took a standing position next to the door to protect both Arthur and his collection from any hostels, though admittedly that might not have been necessary as both Arthur and my own forces had already cleared the nearby floors of anything dangerous. The only real dangers that I knew of were those on the nineteenth floor.


    Citro and I didn¡¯t waste a moment climbing up the stairs back to the camp, but we did not make that journey in silence. ¡°You know what that armor design means don¡¯t you.¡± Citro said shortly after we started our climb to the camp.


    ¡°Yes, the armor is far more advanced than everything else that was uncovered within the rest of the city. That can only mean that there is a well organized and relatively advanced group of goblins where our friend Arthur took that armor from. Not only is he skilled but he is also powerful to take such goblins down on his own.¡±


    ¡°That then raises the question of if his power is strictly in physical prowess, or if he is also skilled in the art of magic.¡± Citro looked to me expectantly as he finished speaking.


    ¡°No, I did not cast any spells on him other than the comprehend languages spell. I honestly didn¡¯t think I would have needed to, but given the changes in the situation I might need to at least check his mana reserves and see if they are above average.¡±


    **********


    Around an hour and a half later the two returned along with four others each dressed similarly to the two that they left here for the time being. I recognized one of them as the older guard that was keeping watch over the wagons that traded some weapons for some food and water. Almost immediately the seven including Citro and the six other guards got to work looking through and inspecting the armor and weapons I had on the floor.


    While this was happening Lyra walked up to me and recast the comprehend language spell even though it hadn''t ended yet. ¡°What was the reason for that? You were only gone an hour and a half and the spell was still working as intended.¡± I asked Lyra who looked a little surprised by my question.


    ¡°Well, it''s best to cast these things whenever you get an opportunity because you might not get one later. And besides I can at most have the spell last up to about three hours, you were almost halfway through the duration and I would have needed to do so eventually.¡±


    I could tell that Lyra wasn¡¯t telling me the full reason for her actions but I also didn¡¯t have any reason as to why she would be lying or trying to do me harm so I let it slide. After around a half hour period the seven were eventually done with their examination and calculated the total value of the entire lot.


    ¡°To keep things simple, you have just enough to buy a dimensional bag of your own with the total value of this.¡± Citro said as he pointed to the weapons and armor now lining the hallway and sorted into groups. ¡°Though I doubt that anyone would actually buy these for their full value, and I am betting that you would like the dimensional bag now rather than later.¡±


    ¡°That is correct. I assume in that case that we have a deal, unless anyone has any objections?¡± I looked around the room for any sign of disagreement and found none.

 Chapter 172

    Slowly all the weapons and pieces of armor that were collected by Arthur were collected within my personal dimensional bag and the spare bag I had on hand was handed over. His eyes ran up and down the side and were soon followed by his hands, he seemed to be recalling memories or something about the bag that reminded him of something. Regardless it wasn¡¯t any of our business and we quickly took our leave taking our haul with us.


    None of us within our group said anything until we were two whole floors away from Arthur. ¡°All of you can go on ahead, I need to speak with Citro alone.¡± I waved my mercenaries on and they quickly followed though a little curious about what we were going to speak of. Once they were gone and far away from our sight we moved to a nearby room and closed the door. I quickly casted a very simple spell that would muffle most of the sound once outside of a radius of five meters.


    ¡°So, how high was his mana capacity?¡± Citro asked not bothering with the niceties or even a little small talk, though I didn¡¯t really mind in the current setting.


    ¡°Just a little shy of 30 units, the spell isn''t exactly the most accurate when it comes to measuring such relatively small amounts of mana.¡±


    ¡°But that confirms our suspicions, he definitely knows how to cast spells. That is why all those goblin bodies had so many magic related wounds on them, because he is a mage.¡± Citro said this with a bit of a grin on his face before his expression suddenly darkened. ¡°But that raises the question of how taught him, do you think he is imperial?¡±


    ¡°Gods, no. He doesn¡¯t even speak eevin, I doubt that anyone would be willing to work with him unless he was able to cast the comprehend language himself which he obviously can¡¯t.¡± Quickly I dispelled Citro¡¯s worries with our first observations of him, but he did raise a good point. We needed to know who taught him magic and how much he knew of each subject.


    He certainly knew how to cast some offensive spells of the four evocations, but given his relatively low mana capacity and the armor he wore I doubted he was a full on mage. Most likely his preferred weapon and armor indicated that he was either a spell blade, a mage knight, or a battle mage. All of which could be very dangerous with their combination of magic and physical skill.


    ¡°As of this moment we have no idea how he got here or what he is capable of. But we may be able to solve the second mystery if we invite him to join our expedition and have him join our ranks for the time being.¡± I suggested to Citro who thought about the idea for a moment before nodding along.


    ¡°An interesting idea, though he would need to join us willingly and from what I can tell he is more of a lone wolf type. But we may be able to convince him to take part in a few delves with a few of our groups. From what I recall Aelia was supposed to have one additional member under her command, but we never did find anyone to fill that role.¡±


    I immediately understood what Citro was saying and I smiled, it was looking like we would be having a conversation with Aelia regarding that open spot on her team.


    ********


    I ran my hands across the sides of the dimensional bag within my hands, it felt like an eternity since I last had this with me and I missed it dearly so. Opening it up I dropped my sword inside and like I expected it entered without issue and was hidden from the outside. Reaching back inside I thought of the sword and I felt it within my hands once again, quickly I pulled it back out and looked at my reflection on the blade.


    ¡®Wonderful.¡¯ I thought to myself. ¡®Lyra really is a woman of her word. Now that I have this I won¡¯t need to carry all the weapons and armor I take after my fights up several flights of stairs small amounts at a time. Now I just need to dump everything in here and I don¡¯t even need to worry about the weight or size.¡¯


    With little else to do I filled my bag with my things that I didn''t just trade with Lyra. That included my mushrooms and honey contained within the barrels, my old alchemy apparatuses, the keys I found laying around, and interesting trinkets I kept around, and my armor and longsword since I wasn¡¯t using them at the moment.


    With all my valuables in one place I slung the bag over my shoulder and took a seat within the office in the nice comfortable chair.


    ¡®Everything within the city itself excluding the nineteenth floor has already been looted by either myself or Lyra¡¯s mercenaries. That just leaves the actual cavern where the goblin¡¯s came in from for exploration and looting. I do recall the layout of the cavern that I explored along with Aelia and her group, but aside from that I will be stumbling around in the dark in a very literal sense. I guess I should count myself lucky that I can conjure up fire to see this time around.¡¯ With a quick movement of my fingers I conjured up a small ball of fire no larger than a coin, while at the moment I couldn¡¯t see it the flame was quite bright and would serve me well when I did enter the cavern.


    ¡®The only real downside to using magic for this is that I will likely be using all of my mana to keep a flame going, I might be able to cast a spell or two every so often but anything past that and I will not have enough mana to see what I am doing. Perhaps I should trade for a few torches with Lyra just in case something happens. But I did just give up everything for this bag, so that might need to go on hold for now.¡¯


    I did have a spell that generated a large amount of light for a similar amount of mana, but it was less versatile and required more concentration on the fact that it was an actual tier one spell and it had a wider range of light intensities. It might not have been bad if I was setting up camp someplace, but for exploration simple manipulation was good enough.


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    *********


    Some time later I found myself standing at the opening to the cavern peering out into the darkness. Off in the distance I could see the semi glowing mushrooms the size of trees that were near to the demon warlock¡¯s hole where we fought it. The memory of the fight, the feeling of terror that was drilled into my very being at that time rushed back for a moment. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down before conjuring up my little ball of flame and taking my first step into the cavern.


    The pathway down was basically a thin and narrow walkway made up of stone that at most could accommodate three people at a time, whatever this was it felt very artificial but the smooth stone said otherwise. When I reached the actual ground I was met with the familiar stone and moss covered dirt that was there the last time.


    The moss was of a light green color which I found to be quite odd given the minimal amount of natural light that reached this place, but I pushed my thoughts and questions out of my mind and started walking deeper into the cavern for any sign of goblin.


    Roughly half an hour passed before I found any sign of life aside from the moss, and it walked on four legs. It was a large pale creature roughly the same size as a pig, it was standing around in a patch of moss it had been eating. At first I was worried and a bit fearful at the sight of the creature, but upon closer inspection I saw that it was not only blind and without eyes but it also had no physical characteristics that would make it dangerous.


    Instead it had two large thin ears on the top of its head that allowed for it to hear exceptionally well. I knew this because when I got too close to the creature its ears moved and it spun around to face me. For a moment I did nothing, wondering what it was going to do, then all of the sudden it started to sniff with its funny shaped nose.


    I remained even further confused by the creature''s behavior when it started walking closer until it was just a few meters from me. After a few seconds of smelling at this distance the creature lost interest in me and turned away to continue eating its moss.


    Soon I left the creature as I had other things such as killing goblins to do at the moment, however I made a mental note to return and take a proper look at this creature sometime in the future. Perhaps I would be able to do something with it, such as an underground farm. It did resemble a pig, perhaps it would also taste like one.


    It took another half hour before I found any signs of goblins in the area, it came in the form of trampled moss walked over by several humanoids in a single file line. The light from my ball of fire stretched across the darkness and I leaned down to take a look. ¡®Definitely goblins, the size of the tracks indicate something smaller than a human and the only thing down here that would do this is goblins. Unless of course there are some animal people down here that were never discovered.¡¯


    With my thoughts drifting over to animal people I paused for a moment and thought back to the very first time I was down here. ¡®I don¡¯t recall any animal people the last time I was here. I don¡¯t exactly know how common they are, but I would assume a place like this would have some even if they weren''t exactly the most friendly.¡¯


    Just as I was about to think further about the concerning lack of animal people within this cavern I suddenly heard a noise from behind. It was a garbled shout that sounded very much like goblin¡¯s arguing amongst themselves. With a simple hand movement I dimmed the light and started carefully walking towards the source of this noise with my weapon in hand.


    I could feel the tension in the air as I got closer and closer to the shouting which at this point became a full shouting match with at least three goblins taking part in. When I was only around ten meters from the shouting I suddenly found myself at the base of a small hill, over the top I could clearly hear the goblins.


    I dimmed my light even further so it was only a small ember and I started climbing up the side of the hill with my body as close to the moss and dirt as possible. Reaching the edge I peeked over and the sounds of shouting were louder than I even could have imagined. Whatever was happening between the goblins was very intense and I doubted it would remain nonviolent for much longer.


    With a deep breath I took control of the small ember and had it float towards the middle of the shouting match, when I was certain it was in the very middle I used my skill in pyromancy to make it much brighter at a rapid pace. The goblins who were very accustomed to the dark were both surprised and stunned by the sudden bright light source in the middle of them.


    They all recoiled and covered their eyes from the terrible onslaught of light while I rushed forwards with my sword towards the closest goblin. With most of my strength I swung my sword toward the neck of the nearest goblin and left a large cut that started oozing blood. The goblin stumbled around for a few moments before falling to the ground while the others were in far too much pain to do or even hear anything for the time being.


    Leaving the wounded goblin to its own death I rushed towards the next closest goblin raising my swords handle up to my shoulder in preparation for another powerful swing. This time however the goblin was somewhat aware of where I was and tried to dodge my attack, it only barely managed to avoid dying and instead was left with a deep cut on its right arm which caused it to shout out in pain. I followed this up by striking the goblin in the face with the pommel and then a slash across the face leaving it on the ground.


    During this little interaction the other three surviving goblins tried running away to escape the bright light and whatever it was that was killing their allies, the first two somehow managed to stay together and run in the direction opposite of where I came from. The third instead ran in the direction I came in and fell down the hill face first.


    Leaving the one on the bottom of the hill I quickly casted the tri earth bolts spell as quickly as I could and directed the bolts towards the two goblins within my view that were slowly being consumed by the darkness. Instead of aiming for the head or another vital organ like I normally would have I instead aimed for the back of the leg where there was a minimal amount of armor in hopes of stopping the two fleeing goblins in their tracks.


    The goblin on the right received two bolts, one in each of its legs while the other only received one. The first goblin managed to take a few steps with its pierced legs before its legs gave out and it fell to the ground, the second made it a bit further before it slowed to a crawl dragging its bleeding leg behind itself.

 Lore: Dwarves

    Dwarves are a race of short humanoids that range from about 4 to 4.5 feet tall, there have been some recorded exceptions of this but none within the last one hundred years. The biggest defining trait of the dwarves is their love of their crafts, they are the biggest reason why so many people have access to things like steel in the third era.


    Most dwarves dedicate their lives to mastering a certain skill such as blacksmithing or carpentry, that combined with their average lifespan doubling the common human at a maximum of 200 years makes dwarves an excellent choice for high quality craftsmanship.


    The only downside that the dwarven people possess is their lack of any talent or affinity of any of the three magical arts, they of course still can try but they will face far more significant difficulty than even humans who are considered average in all three. This lack of magical power is one of the major reasons why most dwarven empires fell sometime in the second era, as such dwarves often live amongst or close to humans for their magical power.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Elves of course would have been the logical best alliance for dwarves to join up with for their magical skill, however most elves dislike dwarves due to their religious beliefs. The only real exception to this are the dark elves, many of which were born after the black exile of the early second era, but even then dark elves are a minority in the elven population, friendly ones less so.


    Unlike humans and elves, dwarves do not have distinct types based on climate or their society, the only big differences between dwarves are the differences in skin coloration which is mostly due to the climate they live in. However there are no significant differences between them, the only difference is their skin.

 Chapter 173

    Running forwards while raising my sword up high I chased after the limping goblin while ignoring the one on the ground. With all the strength I could muster I brought my sword down against its shoulder which was unfortunately protected by a piece of armor. While that strike didn¡¯t leave any dangerous injuries it did have enough force to knock the goblin down to the ground where I was able to keep it from moving by stomping down on it with my foot.


    The goblin with its face now pressed to the ground and my foot pressing down on its back coughed and tried to crawl away, but given its small size and bleeding leg it was unable to muster up the strength to do so. Not that it mattered much as I conjured up a simple dagger with my geomancy and plunged it into the exposed neck of the creature. It managed one last breath before its throat filled with blood and it slowly lost consciousness and died.


    Turning my attention towards the second goblin I saw it too was attempting to escape my crawling away, the small trail of blood was evidence that its method wasn¡¯t entirely pointless. However it would likely bleed out before making any significant progress, so I walked over to the struggling creature and plunged my earthen dagger into its neck as well creating a second bloody corpse.


    With the two most immediate goblins now dead or dying I rushed back over to the edge of the hill we were standing upon and looked over the edge for the last remaining goblin, however with the darkness that enveloped the cavern I couldn¡¯t see it. All that it left behind were its tracks it made as it fell down the hill and rolled around till the bottom. I was tempted to follow its tracks and hunt this one remaining goblin down, but the risk was far greater than I was willing to take. ¡®I don¡¯t know what that goblin was thinking or what it knows, for all that I could know it might be retreating back to its lair where more could be hiding.¡¯


    With little need of such a bright light I dimmed my small ball of fire which would also preserve my mana reserves, luckily I had only used around six units of mana through that whole fight. Three units went towards the tri earth bolts spell and the other three went towards the exceptionally bright light I created.


    With a surplus to my mana reserves I started looting the four goblins of anything of value. The most obvious thing I took was their weapons and armor, the design and quality were roughly the same as the group I found at the entrance of the cavern. But I also found a few other things that they had stashed within their things.


    The first thing I found excluding the armor was a small pouch of some sort of plant, whatever it was it had been dried and packed into this small pale leather pouch. It didn¡¯t have any distinguishing spell so I just tossed it into my new dimensional bag with the armor. The second interesting thing I found was a second pouch, this one being filled with some sort of powder. Since these sorts of things tend to be very very dangerous to inhale or ingest without an examination beforehand I decided against smelling or tasting the powder.


    The last object of interest I found was a small piece of what appeared to be a white wood totem in the familiar shape of the demon warlock that was living down here. I didn¡¯t sense any magic within the object and I didn¡¯t see any inscriptions along the sides leading me to conclude that this was just some personal trinket of some religion these goblins have created around the greatest power they know of.


    At least that is what I hoped, there were of course several other possibilities that I didn¡¯t want to think about such as the possibility of goblin occultists. Though that was unlikely given the lack of goblin¡¯s casting magic down here, the only outlier was dead on the nineteenth floor.


    With everything of value I could find now within my bag I started walking off further into the darkness with my ball of fire as the only company for the time being.


    **********


    ¡°Well this is certainly new.¡± I said to myself as I was atop of the dim mushroom caps overlooking what appeared to be a large camp consisting of entirely goblins. It was far past the caves that led to the goblin warlord and the demon warlock that were such an issue the first time I, Lyra, and her mercenaries were down here.


    The goblins numbered in at least one or two hundred, I could even hear a hammer striking metal every so often past all the noise they created. I also spied what appeared to be fields that were growing large amounts of food, predictably they were the very same mushrooms that I was forced to eat during my first several weeks within the dwarven city that I stole from other goblins.


    Watching for a while longer I noticed several groups of goblins coming and leaving the camp bringing dead animals with them. Most of said animals were completely new to me, but there was one that was familiar, it was the large pig-like animal that looked like it had no eyes.


    The groups that were doing this were no larger than five in size which led me to believe that I might have just ambushed a group of hunters instead of warriors. ¡®But they were carrying swords and daggers, that certainly doesn¡¯t sound like something a hunter would carry. Also I can see those hunters are carrying several spears each, most likely hunting spears.¡¯


    I supposed that raised a few questions for what the goblins I recently killed were doing, they might have been normal hunters like the ones I could see right at that moment. But they might have been something else, perhaps even bandits of some kind. ¡®I don¡¯t see why goblins wouldn¡¯t have several groups making up their own societies. These goblins might not even have anything to do with the demon warlock, maybe it''s just some cult or something.¡¯


    With little else to gain from watching these goblins from a distance I slowly climbed back down the way I came, with several sharp objects conjured from earth attached to my body and a whole lot of time and patience.


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    Slowly I made my way to the bottom taking my sweet time to prevent any dangerous and harmful falls. But I could hear something or someone making loud vocalizations somewhere on the ground as I did so. From the distance I was at I couldn¡¯t be certain, but I figured they sounded an awful lot like the goblins from before.


    When I reached the ground I knew for a fact my thoughts were correct, a goblin was shouting like a spoiled noble child at something and I slowly crept towards the source of it. The large stems of the giant mushrooms messed with the sound a little but I eventually found the source just outside of the strange forest.


    More goblins were standing about in two distinct groups each carrying their own weapons. The leaders of these two grounds were looking rather unhappy with each other and what I assumed were their subordinates looked about ready to start swinging.


    The dim glow of the mushrooms was just enough for me to make out the silhouettes of the goblins and distinguish the two groups, otherwise I would have just assumed that it was one ground with a bit of infighting. The dim light was also enough to dispel my ball of fire entirely and keep my mana reserves from being drained even a little.


    Unfortunately I didn¡¯t know how to speak even the smallest amount of the goblin language, as such the argument basically was no different from two animals screeching and growling at each other which was then followed by weapons being drawn and more shouting before the first blood was drawn. It was the goblin on the right side of the small area that thrusted its short sword towards the face of its enemy which was met with a yelp of surprise.


    With that one act of violence the other goblins that were until a moment ago standing on the sidelines immediately readied their weapons and started running forwards, what happened next could only be described as a messy brawl. Skill certainly wasn¡¯t a major port of joining either of these groups as the goblins were basically just swinging their weapons wildly.


    I would have been a little insulted if it wasn¡¯t being so effective in this scenario, I saw several goblins on both sides fall to the ground. Some were crawling away, others got back up and started fighting again, but there were a few that fell and stopped moving after that.


    The two leading goblins were quickly lost amongst the shadows as I watched from the sidelines. I tried moving around the outside of the fight to get a better angle but I was left with the same pile of shadows filled with sloppy swings left and right.


    What felt like an hour but was most likely only several minutes later and the two groups were basically gone and only a handful were left standing. There were of course several wounded on both sides and the winning side was quickly preparing to change that fact, or there were before I started to change that fact.


    Since I had enough natural light in the area to see and fight clearly I didn¡¯t need to worry about keeping my ball of fire burning for a source of light. Instead I could use my mana to cut down as many of these goblins as I could with any spell I had learned.


    To start out I decided to go with the simple Tri Earth Bolts spell and with a flick of my hand they shot forwards into three of the unsuspecting backs of my remaining opponents.


    I had my bolts aimed towards their heads, but I could be certain where they hit due to the dim lighting. All I knew was that two of those three goblins fell shortly after I felt my bolts make contact and my control over them disappeared. It took a moment for the other goblins to react to their sudden injuries or deaths as they were all in the back row, but they quickly connected their wounded allies and the direction of where the bolts sticking out of them.


    In the dim light I was able to see the ever so slight gleam of light reflecting in their eyes, the only good thing was that I was behind the giant mushroom right next to the one I fired my first volley from, as such I could still see their eyes in this darkness as well.


    For a moment I felt my heart stop as they were looking towards my location like a pack or hungry animals, for a brief moment I understood why the common people were so scared of these things, why they were hunted down like dangerous animals when they acted more like a pack of dangerous subterranean animal people than anything else.


    I didn¡¯t need to check my HUD to know that I still have a majority of my mana at hand to cast whatever spells I wanted to. ¡®It''s been a while since I have casted anything above just a tier one spell, perhaps now would be a good time to change that.¡¯


    Reaching within the depths of my mind I pulled upon the knowledge of the fire wave spell, something that I became rather fond of for dealing with groups of close enemies. The fact that the flames might even temporarily blind any goblins that somehow survive didn¡¯t even cross my mind at the time as I stepped out from behind the giant mushroom stem and into the view of the six or so on edge goblins.


    While clearly angry and with a target to vent their grievances on, the goblins raised their weapons high and started running towards me, from what I could tell they were carrying more of those curved swords that were relatively excellent for slashing attacks.


    Without wasting a moment I started casting the Fire Wave spell with the arcane words and the hand movements to keep the powerful spell steady. I just barely finished the spell when the group was just two meters from me. A bit of habit I immediately pushed the spell forwards and unleashed the powerful wave of fire a bit prematurely. Instead of killing all of the goblins that were rushing towards me I instead killed three or four and wounded the rest while also blinding them and hurting myself with the sudden burst of light. When the flames died down I saw that I did kill four and I wounded those remaining, but they were stumbling around like they were incapable of seeing anything.


    ¡®That wasn¡¯t my best idea, pyromancy in a place that is wrapped in a thick blanket of darkness. Next time I think I will be sticking with geomancy spells, that has sort of become my specialty in terms of magic types.¡¯


    With little time to waste I casted another spell, another Tri Earth Bolts spell that I used to kill the two remaining goblins from a safe distance as even in their temporary blindness they were still more than happy to sing their weapons around without any regard for anyone else.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 75 Exp x 8 (600)


    Level 10, Next at 8000


    + 10 points


    \- - - - - -/


    I smiled at the notification that appeared within my view the moment the last two goblins were dead. ¡®Eight goblins killed by me, not bad given the starting numbers. It was just enough to boost me over that six thousand six hundred threshold and reach level ten again.¡¯ I didn¡¯t even need to look at my HUD further to know that my mana capacity had increased further and thus increased my mana recovery, I was also tempted to use my additional ten points right then and there to empower myself further. But I stopped myself, anyone else who might be watching could do exactly what i just did and swoop in and take everything while I was distracted. Instead I should be picking up everything of value and getting out as soon as possible before someone else has the same idea I did.

 Chapter 174

    Stepping back inside the dwarven city of Dom Badaher Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, he checked his sword and his plate armor for any serious damage before he walked towards the central staircase and started his climb up towards the main entrance.


    ¡®That was more than enough cavern exploration for today, I think I should inform Lyra about the goblin camp I found out there today. I don¡¯t recall seeing or even hearing about anything like that the last time this all happened, not even when the military took over after we fought the demon. My guess is that something as important as that resulted in a lot of lives lost.¡¯


    For a moment his thoughts drifted back towards the second war between the kingdom and the empire, how so many people were killed that he met and spoke with died during the siege just a few kilometers from the Niveis pass. His thoughts then shifted to Calavia and the possibility that she too would have died if she didn¡¯t leave when he told her to.


    As quick as he could he forced those thoughts from his mind. ¡®No, that hasn''t happened yet. If I go somewhere else, somewhere far away from where the fighting happens, neither of us will be harmed by the war. We don¡¯t need to be killed by the empire in its lust for territory and power.¡¯


    *********


    Reaching the top of the stairs I passed by a somewhat familiar group of Lyra¡¯s mercenaries who were descending into the city for further exploration. They paid me little attention as they stepped onto the stairs and I did the same.


    The short and now surprisingly empty hallway that led to the cave was still guarded by two guards, like before I recognized them as subordinates of Saturio Quintilius. I suppose I have been quite lucky that I haven''t had to speak with him this time around.


    Lyra¡¯s tent was exactly where I remembered it was and I walked over while taking a look at the other parts of the camp. While I did care about many of the mercenaries I was looking for Saturio in particular, I was curious where he was and was hoping that I could avoid speaking with him this time around as much as possible.


    When I reached the flap I could hear a conversation happening inside, I could make out two distinct voices on the other side. There might have been more but I couldn¡¯t tell. Listening further I was able to make out Lyra¡¯s voice and someone else¡¯s, it took a moment to figure it out since it had been so long since I heard the man speak but I did figure it out.


    ¡®Of course, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Saturio Quintilius, no wonder I saw some of your men but not you. Please be reasonable and just ignore me as you leave.¡¯


    I could hear the conversation heating up slight as voices were raised without any yelling in the eevin language which I did not speak, suddenly the conversation stopped entirely and I heard footsteps and the tent flap opened up with an angry Saturio leaving.


    I didn¡¯t say anything as I watched him leave, he looked rather angry about something but I couldn¡¯t understand their conversation so I did not know the reason. I waited until he was out of sight before I entered the tent myself and saw a frustrated Lyra seated at her desk.


    The surprised look on her face showed that she wasn¡¯t expecting me and before I had the chance to say anything she was already out of her chair and standing next to me while casting the Comprehend Language spell. With a quick tap the dim glow that signified the spell entered and then enveloped me allowing me to hear her words with clarity.


    ¡°Hello again Arthur, I wasn¡¯t expecting you so soon. What brings you up here?¡± Lyra asked while she walked back to her desk and took a seat in her chair.


    ¡°On the twenty fifth floor I found a hole in one of the walls that leads to an underground cavern with all sorts of plant and animal life. It is also the way I suspect the goblins entered the city to begin with and caused so much damage throughout.¡±


    ¡°That was to be expected, we believe that the goblins had to gain access somewhere within the city. Was that all or do you have something else of importance to tell us, I am rather busy at the moment. Some other freelance mercenaries that have been sent by the crown have been complaining about certain decisions I have made and I would rather get ahead of anything they might say or do to the wrong people.¡±


    What Lyra said was a little rude but I understood her situation. Saturio Quintilius is alone a major asshole, add the fact that he was willing to kill the entire expedition team to get his hands on a demon and his attitude just becomes a small problem.


    ¡°I also found something else that may present as a major issue when it comes to securing the cavern. A particularly large group of goblins have a large camp a little ways past the giant glowing mushrooms, from what I can tell they number around one or two hundred.¡± Lyra paused and looked at first with confusion which was soon followed by worry.


    ¡°That is¡­ important information. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Arthur, I will be sure to use this information and plan out cavern expeditions accordingly. I don¡¯t suppose that I will be able to convince you to avoid going down there for now, will I?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you will not. I will do my best to trim down their numbers as much as possible, but I believe you and all your mercenaries will be needed to eliminate the camp. I will be sure to update you of any major changes though, so don¡¯t worry about the situation changing.¡±


    *********


    /- - - - - -\


    Level 11, 9275, Next at 9600


    Mana : 38.5/38.5


    Strength 20


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Dexterity 20


    Vitality 20


    Constitution 20


    Intellect 35


    Perception 30


    Charisma 10


    Arcane 30


    Available points : 0


    \- - - - - -/


    Sitting atop one of the giant glowing mushrooms which had become my favorite place to hunt for goblins, I looked over my HUD and all the changes it showed over the last week. One of the big decisions I made was to put the ten points I received for reaching level eleven into my intellect. Since it was already at thirty it now required two points to increase it for one point leading to my now thirty five points and my boosted mana capacity. When I was level fourteen my capacity was at forty two, with just another level I would have already surpassed my previous self in terms of mana capacity.


    But I wasn¡¯t just sitting atop these giant mushrooms to look at my HUD, I was also keeping an eye upon the large goblin camp to see what they were up to. Since I started my hunting within the mushroom forest the weaker goblins that I had grown accustomed to hunt had mostly disappeared and I was left with actual hunters.


    Since I had destroyed the bodies beyond recognition or hid them deep below the earth and the goblins didn¡¯t know anything about searching for a cause of death they likely thought it was just a pack or a single dangerous animal. The hunters they had been sending were all carrying large hunting spears and they certainly knew how to use them.


    While the average crossbow still had more power behind them compared to these goblin hunters it wasn¡¯t that much of a difference, apparently there were actual trained goblins within the camp, they just went warriors or fighters. Since the new hunter goblins I had to change tactics quite a bit, instead of waiting I had started ambushing the hunters as they entered the mushroom forest from above the smallest of the giant mushrooms with powerful tier two spells I had prepared in advance.


    ¡®Speaking of.¡¯ I thought to myself as I saw a group of hunters carrying their large hunting spears walking towards the mushroom forest. They numbered either five or six and they wore the standard metal armor that every other goblin that wasn¡¯t a farmer or poor wore.


    Walking over to the far edge of mushroom cap opposite of where the goblin hunting party was walking to. Taking a deep breath I started running towards the far end and at the very edge I jumped with all the strength I could muster and threw myself towards the mushroom that was in my direct path. Using aeromancy I created an updraft to slow myself down enough to prevent any injuries, when I landed I bent my knees to reduce the impact on my feet. This was something I learned after several jumps.


    /- - - - - -\


    Acrobatics Level 2


    \- - - - - -/


    I did this another three times until I was standing atop a small mushroom that was far enough off the ground that I was hidden yet could easily watch everything that happened far below. Atop that mushroom I watched as the goblin hunting party entered the forest and I waited until they were past the line of mushrooms and were out of sight of anyone outside.


    Slowly and carefully I descended the mushroom by climbing my wad down the stem and started conjuring up a mass of projectiles while behind the stem. My favorite Tri Earth Bolts was cast many times until I had easily thirty bolts within my control.


    When all my spells were ready I peaked around the side of the stem and I smiled as the hunting party was all out in the open on a rough path. ¡®Easy pickings, makes me wonder when they are going to figure out that I am just ambushing their hunters moments after they are out of view of anyone outside the forest.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t hesitate as I pushed forwards with my mana and propelled my earth bolts forwards as a barrage. The goblins barely had enough time to even hear the bolts and even then they couldn¡¯t do anything as they were soon struck and wounded. Watching the goblins suffer and fall to the ground felt good, it felt right. It was as if this was the way things were meant to be.


    Not every goblin was killed in the initial barrage, two survived with several bolts piercing their bodies and they were more than able to let the world know just how much pain they were in. Casting the spell once more I created three more earth bolts and propelled them towards my two surviving targets with an aim towards the head for a quick and fast death.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 75 Exp x 5 (375)


    Level 12, 9,650, Next at 11400


    + 10 points


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡®I am not an animal, I will allow for them to die quickly and not suffer unnecessarily.¡¯ Then the shouting stopped. I stepped onto the path where all the hunter goblins were and started looting the bodies, the first prize I took from them all were the large hunting spears they carried. Each goblin had three of these spears that had a good amount of metal as their tips, when I was done with collecting these I had fifteen.


    Surprisingly none of the goblin hunters ever wore any helmets and this group was no exception, if I were to guess it would have something to do with how helmets can obstruct your vision and the ability to see your surroundings is very important to a hunter. However the rest of their bodies were still covered with the normal armor which I happily took and dumped into my bag.


    The only other things of value that I could find were a few crude hunting knives and the bags each goblin carried, the bags were either empty or carried some food and water which was in a waterskin. I tossed the food and water, keeping the five bags and hunting knives. ¡®I am not eating or drinking something that has certainly been in regular contact with goblins.¡¯


    Dragging the bodies off to the side of the path and near the mushrooms I used my geomancy to dig a large hole that was about six or seven feet deep, pickup up the naked goblin bodies I tossed them inside the hole along with the food and water they carried before covering it back up to the best of my ability. Unfortunately not all of the dirt went back to where it was before, and there was also a large patch of dirt that didn¡¯t have any fungus growing atop it like everywhere else did.


    ¡®Hopefully the fungus will regrow rather quickly and by the time anyone walks near the hole.¡¯ The extra dirt that I had from the hole I picked up with my geomancy and scattered across the area. Little bits of nearly unidentifiable pieces of dirt ended up just about everywhere within my sight and I doubted that anyone, especially a goblin, would be able to notice.


    Taking a quick look at my surroundings before I started walking away I made certain that I wasn¡¯t being watched, when I was certain I started walking back to the hole in the wall that was a part of Dom Badaher. I was a little paranoid on the trip back, I was alone in a very dark and dangerous place with the equivalent of a torch as my only source of light. The one thing that was indisputably good however was that now at level twelve my mana reserves were the exact same size as when I was level fourteen at forty two units.


    Though I was no archmage I was still very powerful and with such a large reserve of mana I was just about as dangerous and powerful as I was then. The only thing I needed to do when I arrived within Antium was rejoin the mages guild and learn more about geomancy until I can cast tier three spells. ¡®I wonder just how dangerous and powerful those spells are considering how much use I can get out of just tier one spells. That powerful fireball spell that I recall Calavia using against me when we were trying out my mage staff is probably around the same power level.¡¯

 Chapter 175

    ¡°Alright everyone, it has come to our attention that there are several locations down in the cavern that are teaming with goblins.¡± Lyra said to the leaders of each group. I was attending this meeting as well since I was the one who delivered the information regarding these locations. ¡°The first location that was discovered was a large camp that contains somewhere between one hundred and two hundred goblins. From the information we have this is most likely a settlement of sorts with farm land and established with a local military and industry.¡±


    Lyra held up one of the chest plates that I took from a dead goblin hunter to the group leaders. The outside was just the standard cheap iron, but the inside had actual pink leather padding separating the skin from the metal. While it wasn¡¯t uncommon in powerful goblin societies, these types of things typically are a sign of trouble for the non spawn of the abyss.


    ¡°The other two locations are smaller and far better hidden from everything else, they are what appear to be naturally forming caves with a decent amount of plant life obscuring them from view if you are not specifically looking. Given the advancement of the goblins in terms of weaponry we are almost certain that there is one or more goblin warlords within those hidden caves.¡± I didn¡¯t know last time just how dangerous goblin warlords were. I had to ask Lyra what that meant and I was both surprised and worried by the answer.


    A goblin warlord is a goblin who is not only powerful enough to become a leader but also smart enough to make large changes to the societal structure. Things like farming are typically foreign concepts to goblins who mostly live off things they can hunt, warlords change that by making things change, typically by force. The only good thing about the situation is that the goblins are still just as cowardly as they were with their normal poor leadership.


    Thinking about the warlord, the demon, and the situation we are heading towards I could feel my heart start to thump in my chest. I held my hand against my chest just above my heart and I felt it beat rapidly for a moment. ¡®Dear gods, I am terrified aren¡¯t I. I just hope that Lyra doesn¡¯t suggest that we target the ¡®warlords¡¯ in two separate groups at the same time like last time.¡¯


    I continued watching off to the side of the tent as Lyra explained the layout and the rough numbers of goblins at each of the caves. I watched until she started talking about the actual plan of attack and the group composition. ¡°At the moment we are planning to split into two groups for our offensive. The first group will be attacking the first location shown here and the second group will be attacking the second location here. Any questions?¡±


    I could tell that Lyra was trying to get things to move along as fast as possible, but I knew I had to say something. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill a demon on my own, but I was knowledgeable enough to know it was there and how I could steer the conversation.


    ¡°I have something to comment.¡± I said, stepping away from the corner. Everyone''s eyes immediately turned to me with a mix of surprise and confusion amongst them.


    ¡°Uh, of course. Go ahead Arthur, you were the one to give us this information.¡± Lyra said as she took a step back, while she did just reveal the source of all the information she had, everyone was a bit more focused on what I wanted to say for the moment.


    ¡°I suggest that both groups go to the first cave together and then once everything is cleared up there they go to the second.¡± I looked at the faces of each of those present, while Aelia was hard to read because of her helmet she always wore everyone else was far more expressive, especially my good ¡®friend¡¯ Saturio Quintilius.


    ¡®He knows something, someone has told him about the demon down there and wants him to retrieve it before we do. I assume it was the same person who gave him that powerful pill that gave him the physical strength to pull it off.¡¯ I said within my own mind as I studied the reaction of the young asshat who got one of my very first friends killed the last time.


    ¡°When attacking the first cave the first group will be directly on the offensive while the second group should be on standby nearby to keep any stragglers from escaping or in case something happens to the first group. These goblin warlords aren¡¯t idiots, they managed to figure out farming, who knows what else they have figured out.¡±


    ¡°Would we be correct in assuming that we would be doing the same thing at the second cave as well?¡± Aelia asked as she stepped forward and pointed to the second cave on the small map Lyra laid out on the table.


    ¡°Yes, that is what I had in mind. Only the second group would be leading the offensive and the first group would be on standby. Does anyone else have anything they want to say?¡± Looking at the faces I could tell that all of them somewhat liked and agreed with my plan even if they didn¡¯t fully agree, everyone except Saturio Quintilius. I could see that he was smiling and nodding along like he agreed, but he was biting his bottom lip in a small show of his true feelings regarding the plan.


    Lyra suddenly walked up next to me and placed her hand on my armored shoulder. ¡°Well if nobody has any objections to this plan that your friend Arthur has come up with then I see no reason why we can¡¯t implement it.¡± Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Saturio bit his lip harder and his body tensed up, he wasn¡¯t liking the directions things were heading in.


    ********


    Around a half hour later and everyone aside from myself and Lyra had cleared out of the tent a few seconds prior to tell their subordinates about the plan and what to expect.


    ¡°Is there something you wanted to say Arthur?¡± Lyra asked while sounding a little confused.


    ¡°Yes actually, well more of a question but you get the idea.¡± I replied and Lyra looked at me with even more confusion.


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    ¡°Did you notice the reaction of that last team leader, the one on the very end of the line everyone was in that was carrying a sword on his hip.¡±


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t, I was paying more attention towards your explanation and plan. Why? Was it something I should be worried about?¡± While her statement about giving most of her attention to me was nice it wasn¡¯t really what I was hoping for.


    ¡°When I was explaining my plan and the fail safe in case something happens to the group that is fighting inside the caves he started to look rather worried, he even started to bite his lip. When you said you saw no reason not to use my plan he bit his lip even harder yet he didn¡¯t say or do anything the entire time, almost like he was worried about something.¡±


    Lyra went silent as I explained what I saw, when I was done she still remained silent while she was in deep thought. Eventually she spoke up once again. ¡°Saturio has been a rather troublesome individual, I assumed that his deployment here where we requested reinforcements upon discovering the vast size of the city was due to being nobility. But given what you just pointed out makes him a little suspicious.¡±


    I almost smiled at that statement, I knew he would betray us at the first opportunity he would get but that was only because I already experienced it first hand. ¡°Do you think he was sent here to sabotage you and your mercenaries?¡± I asked, trying to find a more realistic scenario for Lyra to decide upon rather than stealing a powerful demon warlock.


    ¡°That is certainly possible, but he might be here to undermine my credibility and take charge of the expedition himself while making me look like an incompetent fool. Just some standard political play that might even have the backing of my extended adopted family¡±


    ¡®Family problems, I never heard anything about that last time. Must be because I¡¯ve changed a good portion of the expedition and have shown myself as a far more valuable ally far earlier than before. Regardless this is a good turn of events, the more Lyra thinks this is a large political scheme to humiliate her the more careful and cautious she will be.¡¯


    ¡°That is definitely a worst case scenario, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. Is there anything you can do to mitigate what he can do, like having someone keep an eye on him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can have someone keep an eye on Saturio. Though I will need to speak with them personally and soon. I may even need to get someone to search his tent when we leave to attack the two goblin warlords within the caves.¡± Lyra sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair. ¡°Honestly I just hope that we are both wrong about him, who knows what kind of political fallout will happen if he actually is involved with something.¡±


    *********


    While seated by the fire and thinking back to my conversation with Lyra reminded me of something I once heard while walking the poorest parts of the southern district in Antium. ¡°It''s only illegal if you get caught.¡± I was tempted to say the same thing to Lyra when she spoke of searching Saturio¡¯s tent while everyone was away but I decided against it.


    ¡®Not worth messing with her mind and feelings when we have something so serious just around the corner. I expect her to do the right thing, and even if she doesn¡¯t search the tent I don¡¯t think Saturio can keep himself from getting into trouble.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine Saturio trying to steal the phylacterium at night when everyone was sleeping. Telling Lyra to keep it somewhere safe and secure would be a top priority both for keeping it safe and proving that Saturio was trying something. But that unfortunately would need to wait as right now we were in the middle of a debriefing with everyone involved.


    The normal guards that were keeping an eye upon the food and the wagons were the only ones to stay behind while everyone else was sorted into two groups of roughly equal power. Citro was leading the first group this time along with Aelia, her subordinates, and the other mercenaries. Everyone else including myself were assigned to the second group which was being led by Lyra. ¡®Looks like I may get an opportunity yet to see Lyra using her full power. That demon warlock won''t even know what is coming when it tries to trap us inside its cave.¡¯


    ¡°One last thing before we head out today.¡± Lyra suddenly said when I figured she was done talking. ¡°Both Citro and myself will have a small crystal that upon being crushed will crush the other through powerful magic. These crystals will be used to signal that something has happened to those carrying the other, if for whatever reason something happens and either myself or Citro are incapable of using the crystal ourselves then someone else will need to.¡±


    Lyra showed a small dim gemstone that looked very similar to the mana stones that I needed to try my hand at golemancy. The only difference was that its color was a bit off with a slight tinge of purple and if it was enchanted like I thought it was I wasn¡¯t certain how what is basically crystalized mana would react to the inscriptions that it would require.


    I tried standing up to get a better look but I was quickly interrupted by everyone else who all did the same only to collect their things for the offensive strike against the goblins. I tried to look above everyone but even then Lyra quickly pocketed the crystal hiding it from my sight.


    *********


    The walk down to the cavern was slow and nerve racking, my thoughts flipped from what has already happened to what might happen in both good and bad aspects. The only thing that kept me steady was the possibility of Saturio failing in stealing the demon soul and having to keep his mouth shut as he loses the opportunity forever.


    When we finally reached the hole in the wall we entered in a single file line and took up position on the actual ground where the fungus was growing on the dirt ground. About a third of those were carrying lit torches or conjured light within the cavern as everyone sorted into their assigned groups, I quickly found a spot close to Lyra in the group I was in. I wanted to be close enough to see her magic in action when we started to fight.


    Soon we started our march towards the first cave divided into our two groups, group one led by Citro would take the left side of the cave while we in group two would take the right side. After what felt like an hour of walking we eventually arrived upon our target.


    Outside the cave we saw several of the glowing crystals that were within the dwarven city in the stone wall illuminating the outside of the cave, we were able to see all of the goblins that were standing on guard that looked rather bored and unhappy with their position.


    Following our orders from both Citro and Lyra each group took its own side and circled around while cutting their own light sources to stay hidden. Everyone with a ranged weapon or magic prepared their own long range attack while those with only melee weapons readied themselves to run the moment they were allowed to.


    When the order was finally given everyone attacked immediately and like a barrage of arrows all the projectiles hit quickly and were very impactful. Around half of the goblins that were standing outside the cave were either killed or too severely wounded to continue fighting. Those that were still mostly healthy or untouched by the attack had their own weapons on hand to try and counter the attack.

 Chapter 176

    A wave of human, dwarven, and occasional elven bodies rushed forwards towards the remaining goblin soldiers. Unlike just about everyone else who was wearing heavy armor I did not join them, instead I circled around to the left side of the fight while my hands were performing the hand signs for several Tri Earth Bolt spells that slowly accumulated around myself.


    As I was moving towards this superior position to avoid any friendly fire one lone goblin soldier noticed me and started running towards me with a stupid grin on its face. Given that smile I quickly concluded that it wasn¡¯t the smartest of the bunch and I directed my conjured earth bolts towards it before I made any decisions.


    I didn¡¯t see any other dangers within my peripheral vision anywhere near myself so I fired one bolt towards the goblin soldier as a test, the bolt struck its chest plate with a loud clank and left a small hole that the goblin didn¡¯t even register. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t as well protected in the other parts of its body, such as its legs and arms.


    My next bolt went towards its leg and struck firm in its left thigh which was followed by a third bolt into the other thigh. The sudden pain and force of the two bolts caused the goblin soldier to trip and fall while screaming out in pain. Not one to waste an opportunity I ran forward towards this goblin and conjured up a small dagger with my geomancy in my right hand. When I was close enough I reached for the goblins head and lifted it up exposing its neck just enough to stab my dagger forwards into it and quickly kill it.


    Dropping the dying goblin I started running again to make up for the time I wasted and get into a good position that left me with a line of sight to the goblins and avoiding any friendly fire with my own allies, this required me to practically stand up against the stone wall that made up the cavern and cast my spells from there. From that position I used my tier one spells to wound and occasionally kill goblin soldiers whenever I had an opportunity.


    Soon the fighting stopped and the goblins were no longer fighting or exiting from the cave, while none managed to reenter the cave to warn whoever might be inside, I doubted that they didn¡¯t hear all the fighting and screaming.


    Suddenly a voice could be heard originating from the inside of the cave, it was a foreign language that I wasn¡¯t familiar with and based on the concerned expressions of everyone else as we all looked around frantically no one else did either. What I did know was that it wasn''t the goblin language that was mostly just growls and grunts.


    Suddenly several figures exited from the cave, all goblins wearing very heavy armor that was unlike anything else I had seen before down here. There was only a single goblin that wasn¡¯t wearing this heavy armor, instead it wore a dark robe of sorts that was a bit of a surprise to me. Though there was some distance between us I noticed something around its neck that reminded me of the white wooden totem that I took off a dead goblin down here.


    Reaching into my dimensional bag the magic within it brought the wooden totem to my hand. Holding it within my hand I saw it was clearly the demon warlock I remembered, but what I saw around this robed goblins neck looked very similar to the totem and the demon. Before anyone saw what I did I quickly placed the totem back within my bag and turned my attention back towards the goblins and what they were doing.


    I could see that everyone was tense at the current situation as the goblins just stood there motionless, all the members of group one were eager and ready to jump into the fight while those in group two including myself were more interested in watching the situation unfold.


    With little warning the armored goblins suddenly raised their large squared shields creating a wall with them as the robed goblin started chanting something in an unfamiliar language, not even the comprehend language spell could translate it.


    Almost like it was rehearsed everyone in group one started their attack on their new targets, those with melee weapons started running forwards in a semi cohesive formation while those with magic and ranged weapons tried hunting the goblin soldiers from afar. While some of the goblins buckled slightly under fire they managed to remain steady until the fighters arrived before them.


    Citro was in the very front of this weak formation and using his shield as a bludgeon he swung it and knocked the shield of the closest goblin soldier away leaving an open target for his short sword. With a powerful thrust of his sword Citro aimed for the right shoulder of the goblin that carried its own weapon, he aimed for the small exposed gap in the armor at the joint which his sword pierced easily. The nearby goblins started to panic at the sight of their formation breaking which resulted in the nearby goblins losing their grips on their shields or something else happening which left them vulnerable. The only good thing happening in their favor was the spell their leader was casting finished.


    In the savage language of the goblins the one in the robe finished its dark spell and from the end of its staff it unleashed a dim red projectile, the projectile was around a meter in length and streaked towards Citro like a star. As the goblin saw its target freeze up for a moment at the sight of such strange magic it started to grin. ¡®*The most powerful enemy of ours will die, and its allies will follow it as my magic will obliterate their very life force.*¡¯


    But just as the bolt was a few inches from Citro a small inconspicuous clear orb clouded with the red projectile and it fell apart into smoke and disappeared, though that red smoke wasn¡¯t completely harmless as Citro coughed and had to catch his breath after accidentally breathing some in. Two of those within group one who were close enough to Citro had to help him back and away from the fight, when he was a decent distance away that nobody would consider attacking him they left and returned to the fight.


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    Seeing his spell fail spectacularly the robed goblin gritted his teeth. ¡®*They have someone who can cast powerful magic on their side. Where is this spell caster? I must find them and stop them before I can steal their knowledge for myself.*¡¯ The robed goblins'' eyes darted across the field for anyone or anything that stood out, eventually his eyes rested on the members of group two who were standing out of the way.


    ¡®*Them! It must be one of them! But there are far too many for me to determine which one it was with all these other ones trying to stab me and beat me with their weapons. I need to focus on using quicker spells until I see who it is.*¡¯ Instead of the more powerful and larger red projectiles the goblin switched to smaller and less dangerous projectiles that were around the same size as the bolt spells that Arthur was so fond of.


    The situation was making me feel anxious, I noticed the similarities between the magic that this robed goblin was using and the magic the dark mages that killed me were using. Something about it was insidious and dark, almost like it was sentient and was gnawing at the back of my mind ignoring the distance between us.


    Thankfully I didn¡¯t need to feel this for long as Citro soon returned to the fight, he had a bright red colored potion which he drank at the first opportunity that appeared to heal most of the damage he received from that dangerous spell. With his renewed strength he rushed forwards with his shield and sword charging forwards around to the side with the intent to flank the heavily armored goblins.


    His target was the right side of the formation created by the goblins, while they had somewhat recovered their positions and stabilized themselves without Citro pushing at their weakest points it all fell apart once he rejoined the fight. The first to die was a goblin on the right most side of the formation via a short sword through the small visor into the head. The only two to notice this sudden change was the goblin directly behind the one who died and the one directly next to it.


    The goblin in the second line was carrying a spear that it was using up until a few moments ago to attack from behind it ally, now it was forced to try and use the spear to try and keep the powerful enemy and the other mercenaries from getting close enough to become a threat to both itself and its nearby and now exposed allies.


    With a loud shout the goblin tried to both scare off Citro but also alert everyone else of what was happening. ¡°*Death to you vile surface dweller! We will not be defeated by lesser beings!*¡± While this did alert everyone else nearby including the robed goblin of the nearby threat it did nothing to scare Citro who didn¡¯t understand the goblin language.


    Instead Citro darted forward with his sword ready to strike like a coiled up snake, the goblin spear carrier while still shouting thrusted its spear forwards towards the upper left chest area of Citro. Instead of blocking the strike with his shield or allowing the hasty strike to be blocked by his armor Citro instead did something different, he raised his shield and angled it just enough so as the spear struck the shield it also slid across the face as Citro pushed forwards. Citro was able to use this to push the spear off to the side allowing him to close the distance as the spear hit a nearby goblin surprising it.


    Without hesitation thrusted his short sword with as much force as he could muster towards the right arm or the goblin which was its dominant arm. With a loud squeal on pain it fell backwards allowing for Citro to pass the armored lines of goblins and reach the robed goblin who was casting all the dangerous spells.


    Though it could not be seen by anyone due to the helmet, but Citro was smiling as he stared down the robed goblin who took a few steps back in surprise at the sudden change. ¡°*How can this be? Our master has blessed me with such powerful magic, I cannot fail him or I will be bound to suffer by burning eternally.*¡± The robed goblin pointed its staff towards Citro and channeled his magic through it to cast more and more of the red magical darts aimed directly towards Citro. Raising his shield up Citro rushed forwards with his sword at his side intending on killing the robed goblin as soon as possible.


    When the red magical darts struck the steel shield Citro was carrying it left small dents from the impact though they weren¡¯t strong enough to punch through. Instead Citro was the one to land the first blow in this exchange when he slashed towards the goblin¡¯s hand that was holding the staff.


    Blood started dripping from the deep open wound and even small parts of bone were visible, instinctively the robed goblin dropped the staff and walked backwards while its body trembled in pain. ¡°*Damned surface dweller, you will never manage to defeat the master even if I am defeated! He will summon my very soul to defeat you if he must!¡± The robed goblin shouted between his haged breaths and his few remaining spells.


    Citro did not waste any more time and quickly stabbed the robed goblin in the chest leaving its robe stained with blood, when he was certain it was dead and not some sort of trick he decapitated it and tossed its head towards the middle of its still living allies.


    The heavily armored goblins had started to sustain some heavy losses with the small breaks in their formation by Citro¡¯s hand that were further pressed by the mercenaries under his command leaving only around ten or so alive out of the twenty that were initially alive.


    The first goblin to notice the severed head of its leader shouted out in surprise after it stepped on while trying to avoid a spear through its eye. The other goblins didn¡¯t have much time to look but they understood it wasn¡¯t a good thing as it distracted their ally long enough to experience a second spear strike that actually hit this time.


    Slowly but surely with Citro attacking from behind the remaining goblins slowly all died off in a pile of their own allies. It was an interesting thing to watch, a group making a last stand and slowly losing hope until they were all slaughtered like animals to be exact, but I still had a feeling gnawing within my mind, something that made me uneasy. ¡®Must be the demon and that magic I saw that robed goblin using, I never saw anyone else use magic like that aside from the dark mages that killed me. I wonder if that is something significant, when I have an opportunity I should ask around the mages guild about it.¡¯


    Before we could leave for the second cave that everyone but me thought contained a second goblin warlord group one had to take its time in looting anything of value from the cave and the soldiers stationed outside it. The first thing to go was the weapons and armor the goblins carried, when that was all accounted for they started looking through the cave for anything else that might be valuable. They ended up finding several uncut gemstones of various sizes and shapes in what they all thought were the personal quarters of the robed goblin. I personally didn¡¯t understand what made each so valuable but it was certainly something that made everyone else in group one very happy.


    I spent the time with everyone else in group two near Lyra who I started a small conversation regarding the strange red magic.

 Chapter 177

    ¡°What do you think of that strange magic the robed goblin was using, that certainly wasn¡¯t normal magic like you and I use.¡± I asked Lyra who was watching the members of group one loot the corpses of the heavily armored goblins. She looked at me with a touch of surprise in her eyes before she took a moment to think and then speak.


    ¡°I am not sure. It certainly wasn¡¯t normal magic, but it wasn¡¯t any more powerful than an average apprentice mage. Its spells also reacted to being dispelled no different than any other spells I have tried it on. The only real danger I saw was that when I dispelled the more powerful spell it used it turned into a red smoke before completely disappearing.¡± I could tell by the tone of her voice she was interested by the way the spell reacted but wasn¡¯t worried.


    ¡°Do you think this magic is the reason why this goblin became a warlord? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the goblins all thought this one was some sort of chosen one of a god.¡± I said trying to steer the conversation back to how strange the magic was as I had a feeling the similarities between this magic here and the magic used by the dark mages was important.


    ¡°Perhaps, goblins are rather superstitious beings that sometimes see demons and their own magic users as gods or something along the same lines. That is part of the reason as to why goblins have not risen to the same heights in terms of civilization and technology, the other reason is because they are naturally traitorous and often kill each other for simple reasons.¡±


    We didn¡¯t wait for much longer as we saw the members of group one exiting the cave each carrying a raw gemstone. These gemstones all varied in color and size but everyone in group one ended up getting one, some were disappointed and looked at other more valuable gemstones with envy but nobody said anything more about it.


    Soon we started the journey towards the second cave where the demon warlock was residing. While I kept myself looking calm and collected on the outside, on the inside I was worried about the approaching threat. I knew I was more powerful than the last time but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that things would still get out of hand.


    From a distance we saw the outside of the cave and all the armed goblins on the outside, like the previous cave there were more glowing blue crystals from Dom Badaher attached to the outside. The goblins themselves were just as carefree as we all expected them to be which eased my fears that they might have a way to contact each other through magic.


    Like before group one took the left side with everyone else including myself took the right side and on the designated signal, which was Lyra¡¯s own magical projectiles, everyone with magic or a bow unleashed their attack upon the unsuspecting goblins.


    The goblins outside this cave were quite sloppy and undisciplined unlike the ones at the other cave and they immediately started panicking. Many were killed in the initial barrage and many more were killed when they tried to escape or fight back. I managed to pick off two that were running off to the right towards the goblin camp. Then when most of the outside goblins were dead the commander or the highest ranking goblin exited the cave with several of his subordinates in tow.


    While these goblins were not as well equipped as the heavily armored goblins from the first cave they were definitely better off than the common grunts. They all quickly darted forwards with incredible speed that I didn¡¯t really have an opportunity to see the last time, though they were quickly intercepted by the melee fighters of the second group. Several familiar faces including Saturio Quintilius and his subordinates were quick to jump into the fight head on.


    With such strong foes and a strong formation that lacked openings preventing the goblins from exploiting and easily taking down their enemies, in reality they were getting pushed backwards and started to lose their numbers. The only hope for them was their leader who carried a spear made from raw unrefined iron. With a powerful thrust he forced Saturio back a step to avoid being stabbed, his subordinates quickly took notice of this sudden change and began to prioritize this stronger goblin.


    Two spears belonging to those under Saturio command shot out from the side towards this goblin forcing it back as well, Saturio followed it up with a third thrust that landed on its shoulder drawing blood. The goblin took several steps back while it tried to stop the blood with its off hand staring at Saturio with annoyance.


    ¡°That is what I thought you little green bastard! You are an insignificant pebble on the road that is my victory and you will die!¡± Saturio shouted at the goblin for his subordinates to hear as he started to push forward to the wounded goblin leader while leaving the other goblin to his men. Saturio thrusted his spear forwards towards the chest of the goblin which it managed to block, with its own spear. The only problem was it needed both hands to do this and it only made its own wounds worse with more blood trickling out.


    Saturio continued to taunt the goblin as it continued to force it well past its limits until it couldn¡¯t react to the spear being swung like a club towards the side of his head. The goblin leader fell like a rock and went face first into the fungus-covered ground, the spear in its hands falling to the ground as this happened.


    ¡°Well well, look what we have here.¡± Saturio said to himself as he reached down to pick up the raw iron spear. The spear felt a little odd in Saturio¡¯s hands given that it hadn''t been refined into proper iron before being forged into its shape, but it was an interesting piece that he decided would look nice in his collection.


    Without any further delays he took the goblins spear and stabbed it in the back with it, an ironic twist that someone should die by their own weapon. The goblin didn¡¯t have the time or the mental capabilities to take in the irony as it soon drew its final breath.


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    The remaining goblins didn¡¯t last much longer than their leader and decided to fight to the last man. Everyone had killed at least two goblins each with those like Saturio¡¯s subordinates each killing around four on average. I myself managed to kill three, the two that were running off and another that was about to bash someone over the head with a club.


    We didn¡¯t wait long to regroup and take notice that nobody was exiting the cave before we decided to enter and kill anything that might be inside. Saturio and his subordinates who were all melee fighters were in the front while everyone else had to go second. I along with all the other ranged fighters were in the very back of the group along with Lyra.


    Rounding the corners that were leading to the large chamber I could feel my heart beating in my chest, the gravity of the situation was digging into the deepest parts of my mind and I could feel the demon ahead of us. I could feel the magic in the air disrupted ever so slightly by its very own nature. ¡®I didn¡¯t recall anything like this last time, must be because I am actually a trained mage this time. But nobody else is reacting to the disruption of magic, not even Lyra. Is it because I¡¯ve encountered this demon before?¡¯


    The possible reasons as to why I could feel the changes in the magic around us flew in and out of my mind at a rapid pace. But by the time we reached the demon''s chamber I still hadn''t come up with a good explanation. When we first entered the chamber it was shrouded by darkness like most of the cavern, but as everyone entered the room the blue crystals lining the room started up and slowly illuminated the chamber.


    At the very end of the room the demon warlock was sitting, its cloak made from solidified earth layered like scales was just as impressive as the last time. Without the impending sense of doom I was feeling the last time I was able to take a greater notice of the demon''s physical characteristics, it looked like a stag that was forced into a humanoid form and painted with tar and had its eye replaced by red gemstones.


    For a moment it didn¡¯t react to us, instead it looked in our general direction lazily like it was bored with something. After a few moments it reached forwards and the opening behind us closed up and trapped us inside. Most of the mercenaries started to panic at the sudden appearance of a demon, more so that it just displayed powerful magic abilities. But not Saturio or any of his subordinates, instead they quickly raised their weapons and ran towards the demon without any hesitation.


    Almost everyone else was frozen for a moment aside from Lyra and myself, Lyra unlike Saturio quickly reached for the magic crystal she was carrying and crushed it with her hands to alert Citro of the situation. I on the other hand followed Saturio¡¯s example and started casting spells towards the demon, specifically tier two spells with my aim at its head.


    My first Earth Spike shot forwards with great power and precision directly towards the face of the demon warlock, but the demon wasn¡¯t a fool and quickly reacted by conjuring up a shield of earth. The earth spike harmlessly shattered into many pieces and disappeared into nothingness as the demon stood up from its throne.


    With a small wave of its hand it conjured up a large staff from earth and thrusted it forwards like a spear towards Saturio and his subordinates. They ducked out of the way of this sudden and powerful attack at the expense of their speed and momentum leaving them a good target for follow up attacks which the demon didn¡¯t hesitate to do. The only thing keeping it from landing any serious blows against them was my spells forcing the demon to block and dodge.


    By around this time most of the mercenaries under Lyra¡¯s command had awoken from their stupor and rushed forwards to help fight the demon. Lyra however was focused on the exit which would need to be opened to allow for Citro and the rest of group one to get inside and help us. She placed her hands on the face of the stone and tried pushing her mana inside to take control of it, but to her surprise the stone was rejecting the mana like a living being.


    Her eyes betrayed her feelings but nobody was paying her any attention at the moment, she tried to push her mana inside the stone once again to take control but like before it was rejected. ¡®How is this possible? This is just a stone, it shouldn''t be able to reject mana on its own unless it is enchanted. I certainly don¡¯t see any materials or inscriptions on the surface of this stone for that to be the case.¡¯


    The demon took a wide swing at Saturio and his subordinates, knocking several off their feet while the rest managed to avoid the attack. The rest of the mercenaries finally reached the demon by this time and swung or thrusted their weapons towards it with as much might as they had. Like they were trained to, they aimed for the largest part of their target which was the torso, the only problem was the cloak it created from earth managed to block the attacks leaving no significant damage to the demon.


    Seeing this failed attempt the demon laughed a terrible laugh, it reminded everyone of the deepest evil within their childhood dreams. The monsters and ghouls that we all dreamed up while young all came rushing back to everyone and forced them all to pause. Everyone aside from those with the strongest wills started to sweat and their bodies froze up.


    Even though this wasn¡¯t my first time encountering a demon I still felt a good portion of its effects, but it was drastically reduced. If I had to put a number on it I would say it was around fifty percent of its normal strength against me.


    The few remaining Earth Spikes I conjured up were all released and fired towards the demon which all broke upon contact with the earth shield it conjured up.


    I turned to Lyra who had both her hands on the stone that blocked our way out of the chamber and placed both my hands on her shoulders. She suddenly jumped and pushed away from me with a look of slight fear in her eyes before turning and relaxing when she saw it was me. ¡°Lyra, we need you to use your magic against this thing!¡± I shouted while pointed towards the demon that looked to be having lots of fun while basically playing with the melee fighters of group two while the ranged fighters tried to hurt it. The only one who appeared to be doing anything against it was Saturio along with his subordinates.


    Without saying anything to me or anyone else she stepped forwards and started chanting and performing the hand signs for a spell. I wasn¡¯t familiar with the spell or the words she was using to cast, the duration of the casting was also rather long. Instead of interrupting her like I might have when I was less experienced I instead drew my sword and stepped forwards passing the other mercenaries in the process.


    ¡®I''m not much of a leader, but it shouldn''t be all that much of an issue to try and boost the morale of the mercenaries and help stall the demon until Lyra can finish her spell.¡¯ I thought to myself as I reached closer and closer to the front where a small handful of mercenaries were already having a difficult time against the demon. A few had injuries that were already drawing blood, nothing dangerously so but enough to be noticed.

 Lore: Animal people

    The animal people as they are known are the creation of the Fey over many many generations. From what has been uncovered by speaking with some of the intelligent fey across several other books and reports this process happens over hundreds of years, some reports of even more than a thousand years.


    How the fey magic does this is unknown, but it is an intentional process that needs to be done on each and every member of the target group of animals in order to have the desired result of higher intellect and other desired characteristics.


    The most common type of animal person is what we have come to call in recent years mammals, which are things like wild cats and wolves. Humans, elves, and dwarves also fall into this category.


    While many animal people worship the fey that create them not all do, sometimes it is because the fey kept themselves hidden from the animal people and sometimes it is due to how they had been treated by their creators in the past.


    Surface Animal People -


    The most common and most friendly type of animal people, they are almost always humanoid in shape and act very similar to humans with some changes regarding the fey that created them. Most independent animal people are very primitive in terms of technology like the independent elven states but often lack the vast druidic powers that the elves have to make up for it.


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    As such to increase their quality of life they often engage in trade with humans and dwarves for metal, knowledge, and anything else they can¡¯t produce themselves.


    Subterranean Animal People -


    When a group of animal people are created underground they are referred to as subterranean even if they later migrate above ground. The animals they are created from are predictably of animals that reside within the underground caverns they inhabit, one of the common examples are spiders.


    They are less common due to the dangers of the underground caverns and the reduced space compared to the surface. They are also far more hostile than the surface tribes as they often view anything aside from themselves as a danger or food.


    The only real trade that has been observed involving subterranean animal people is with tribes of dark elves, but even those cases are quite rare and many are very old.


    Oceanic Animal People -


    The least common type of animal people to see from the surface due to the fact that they live almost exclusively in the ocean or other large bodies of water. Often they are considered little different from gnomes as teaching them a common language is more difficult than any other group of sentient due to the fact most need to remain moving to remain alive unless sleeping.


    The types of animals they can be created from can be just about anything and there is no record of what is most common, the biggest reason for that is because nobody would receive any recognition for such a task as it would need to be double checked and it would be a miracle nobody asked for if it even happened once.


    Due to their waterbound nature no trade has even been observed in any shape or form aside from unverifiable stories regarding dolphin people helping people find buried treasure in exchange for fish.

 Chapter 178

    The demon warlock raised its staff above its head and brought it back down on a dwarven woman wearing leather armor and carrying a spear made from either iron or steel. I quickly raised my hands and conjured up a basic shield of earth which managed to block most of the force behind the attack and shattered leaving the dwarven woman mostly unharmed.


    The dwarf took several steps back in shock and surprise at what just happened. I could see that she was expecting to die from that attack and was having trouble processing what just happened. ¡°Those of you with shields get in the front, those of you with longer reaching weapons stay behind them!¡± I shouted to the mercenaries who were without a good leader.


    The demon looked at me and scowled, its ears were the biggest indication of this as they turned not unlike a cat''s ears, it also showed its displeasure with my action by swinging its earth staff down at me like it was swinging an axe. With some quick thinking I managed to use some of the earth near my feet to shoot up and create a barrier of sorts that partly blocked and deflected the attack. Like the previous attack against the dwarf it broke but I was left unharmed.


    Thankfully I wasn¡¯t the only one doing something smart to fight the demon, though I didn¡¯t like Saturio or his subordinates very much, I saw them take the opportunity to strike at the warlock while it was paying attention towards us. His subordinates were trying to subdue the warlock by attacking its legs and arms where it didn¡¯t have its earth cloak to protect it, Saturio on the other hand took a running start and jumped towards the upper body of the demon with his spear pointed towards its head.


    The warlock wasn¡¯t stupid of course, but it also wasn¡¯t expecting something so bold and dangerous to happen either. So instead of batting Saturio away like a bug it instead started to panic before slapping him away and taking several steps back.


    ¡°Press the advantage!¡± I shouted to everyone and I along with everyone else ran towards the warlock to leave it with as little space as possible. The warlock seeing the situation turning bad began messing with the earth below our feet to knock us down and delay us. Unfortunately it wasn¡¯t putting its all into these attempts and we quickly managed to reach it before we started to hit it with everything we had.


    Those in the front with their shields raised high focused on blocking anything the warlock tried against us while those with longer reaching weapons like spears used the reach their weapons afforded to them to attack while being protected. Though I didn¡¯t have a shield I did have my magic and a set of full plate armor which only around four people in the entire company had counting both Aelia and Citro.


    My main target was the right arm or the warlock as it used it in wide gestures when using its magic, though as I did this I noticed something significant. It wasn¡¯t chanting for any of its spells, in all honesty it might not have even been casting any proper spells. It might have just been simple manipulation given how it never did anything complex.


    The earth cloak began to crack in several places under the combined strength of everyone all fighting at once and driving it into a corner when suddenly a clear ball around the size of my helmet shot by without making a sound and collided with the demon warlock. Like a puppet cut from its strings the demon dropped to its knees and leaned over while its cloak broke apart in pieces one at a time.


    We did not hesitate to bring our weapons down upon the demon when this happened, heck even Saturio seemed rather happy with the situation at hand. Everyone started hacking and slashing at the demon with as much force that could be mustered, yet for some reason the demon didn¡¯t even try to fight back. Instead it tried pushing away from us and even held up its arms in a defensive position.


    Eventually it suffered several injuries to the face and eyes that led to it bleeding too much black tar-like blood and it stopped moving. It was then followed by the familiar light show of the demon¡¯s soul being sucked up by the phylacterium resting just behind the throne it was sitting on. It was a strange sight to see the wisps of the soul as it was trapped within an object, it was also quite beautiful. Too bad I didn¡¯t have the time to enjoy the view the last time.


    ¡°What kind of magic spell was that?¡± I asked as I turned to the woman responsible for the spell in question.


    Lyra looked a little tired after casting such a powerful spell and had to take a moment to catch her breath. ¡°That was a spell I personally created called Iron Anchor. It does two things, first it will destroy or heavily damage any armor the target is wearing, then it will multiply the weight of the target many times over until standing becomes very difficult. As you just saw it even left a demon powerless against us.¡±


    Instead of responding I just smiled and nodded, it did make sense given what we all saw the demon do. ¡®An interesting spell. Alteration magic seems a lot more powerful than I initially thought it would be, I should probably look into learning how to do some of those things. Increasing the weight of a living being sounds useful for limiting the mobility of enemies.¡¯


    By this time everyone was crowded around the corpse of the demon and looking at it with a look of fear and worry in their eyes, I noticed a few people poking it with their weapons to see if it would react. Instead of joining them I instead walked behind the throne the demon was sitting on and found the phylacterium resting on a small podium. It was a small obelisk made of silver and decorated with those strange symbols that I now recognize as some very complex inscriptions, they were so complex that I couldn''t even understand them.


    Holding the phylacterium in my hands I walked back to Lyra with the intent of handing it to her for safe keeping as she was the most trustworthy person here. As I walked by everyone they all got a good look at the phylacterium and its glowing inscriptions, even Saturio got a look, but he looked more annoyed than anything else.


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    Lyra smiled as I handed the phylacterium to Lyra. She smiled and took it from the bottom and ran her hands along the sides. She took her time to inspect the phylacterium and the inscriptions it had. For a minute she inspected every side and angle it had, when she was done she placed it within her bag and turned to me.


    ¡°This hasn''t been the first time you have seen a phylacterium is it?¡± I was a little taken aback by the sudden question, but I nodded and Lyra smiled.


    ¡°Yes, I thought so. You handled the demon and the phylacterium itself far too carefully for this to have been your first time encountering one.¡±


    With the demon taken out of the equation we were able to start attending the wounded, while mostly everyone was alright there were still a handful of dangerous wounds, mostly those who were wearing very light armor. All of the mages immediately dropped everything they had and started healing those with the worst injuries, myself included despite my minimal skill in restoration magic.


    As such I was given the task of healing those with light injuries that required only some basic medical treatment. My first patient was a human man that looked to be in his late twenties, he had apparently hurt his arm while defending against the demon. He managed to keep himself and those behind him from being seriously injured but at the same time he strained the muscles in his shield arm.


    Placing both my hands on his arm I converted mana within myself in healing energy and poured it into the arm, gently I allowed it to flow across his arm and settle in like a river. I could tell based on his facial expressions and his soft sighing that it was having the intended effect, after a minute of this I stopped and allowed him to try moving his arm.


    Like I expected he was able to move his arm quite freely without any lingering pain. ¡°Thank you sir mage.¡± The young man said as he stood up and bowed deeply. I just nodded before moving to my next patient.


    This continued until all of the major injuries were dealt with and we were able to focus on the fact that our exit was blocked by solid stone. All four of the mages including Lyra and myself stepped up to the stone blocking our way and placed our hands up against it to try and move it. I was a little worried about what might happen as I wasn¡¯t conscious the last time this all happened.


    To our surprise there was no more interference and the stone easily responded to our collective commands, we quickly moved it out of the way where we found several concerned members of group one waiting. The first two quickly started asking questions regarding the condition of the group while the other rushed to tell the other members of the group one of us exiting the cave.


    Slowly everyone in group two fingered out of the cave starting with those with the most serious injuries, they had been treated but many still required some time to fully heal their injuries. That was why getting them somewhere safe and with proper medicine and bandages was a high priority.


    I was one of the last to leave the cave and when I was about to, Lyra stopped me by placing her hand on my chest abruptly. Citro was also there to take count of everyone to make sure everyone was still in the group, when he noticed Lyra just nodded to him and he nodded back before stepping away with his list fully filled out.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know very much about restoration magic do you?¡± Lyra asked in a semi accusatory tone. ¡°How long have you been practicing magic to not know much about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a mage for a little over a year now, to be honest I haven''t been keeping track.¡± I answered honestly. Lyra however looked a little surprised given my answer.


    ¡°Wait, what? Just over a year? You are easily at the level of a beginner evoker in terms of your geomancy skill, and you learned all that in a year?¡± Lyra''s pitch went up as I continued to explain the variety of my skill set.


    ¡°I am actually also equally skilled in all four of the evocations, my only two weak links are my alchemy which hasn''t really been that much of an issue, and my restoration. I was actually using my alchemy skill to supplement my lack of any proper restoration training through potions, though I haven¡¯t been able to create any for a while now given the situation.¡±


    Lyra just looked at me like I was some sort of freak for several seconds before she just wordlessly retrieved a piece of paper from her bag and scribbled something on it before handing it to me. Immediately I recognized the address to her home in Antium where I met up with her to join in the war between the kingdom and the empire.


    ¡°This is an address?¡± I asked after looking for a few seconds to hide my instant recognition.


    ¡°It is. That is my address in Antium where we will be leaving for soon once the military arrives on the scene. I suspect there might be a few more demons down here and I don¡¯t think my mercenaries have the might or magic to take them on with some losses.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but why exactly are you giving this to me?¡± I asked, faking my confusion.


    ¡°I think with some proper training and perhaps just one more year of time you could become quite powerful. You should be ready to start learning tier three spells in the four evocations and I don''t see why you wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up with the other types of magic.¡±


    I looked down at the piece of paper and back up a few times while I weighed my options. ¡®This is an invitation to join the Flock of War mercenary Company far earlier than I normally would have. I am betting that she doesn¡¯t expect me to join right away, she is probably betting that I will hit a roadblock in my training once I become a Conjurer. The need for a teacher will likely shoot straight up if I want to make any significant progress, she will probably be hoping that I will come to her to learn more and become her apprentice.¡¯


    ¡°Well¡­ I''m not too sure about joining your mercenaries right away. I was actually planning to go to Antium myself to broaden my horizons and try to join up with the mages guild. Maybe even get myself a proper magical education that way.¡± I instead said trying to make myself sound a little more normal, which was my plan during the first time.


    ¡°That is a good plan, Antium or any large city for that matter will have a lot more opportunity for anyone than a small town or village even if they do have a branch of the mages guild there. If you want I can see about getting you a recommendation for the guild on my own and my fathers behalf, someone like you certainly deserves an opportunity to be a part of something where you can grow to your full potential.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Lyra, I would certainly appreciate that. Would I also be able to join you and your mercenaries for the trip back to Antium, unfortunately I don¡¯t really know the way from where we are and I worry about the bandits and all the dangers on the road.¡±


    ¡°Of course Arthur, I see no reason why that would be an issue.¡±

 Chapter 179

    The wait for the military was long and tense, I waited along with Lyra¡¯s mercenaries and Saturio with his subordinates. While Lyra and her mercenaries were mostly calm and happy with the situation, Saturio on the other hand seemed to be pacing around like an animal in a cage. His expression was one of someone stressed and worried about something. His subordinates however were far more level headed than he was and almost looked bored.


    I kept my eye on him from a distance which wasn¡¯t hard as the tent I was provided by Lyra was within sight of where Saturio and his subordinates had their camp set up.


    Thankfully nothing happened during the wait and the military arrived without much issue on our part. Like I recalled Philto Sorio was the one to arrive leading a platoon of soldiers, he immediately seeked out Lyra to speak regarding the situation, she brought him to her tent and for several minutes the two spoke privately. When they exited the tent the battle mages first words were to his subordinates. ¡°We are departing immediately to the cavern! Ready your touches and prepare for over 100 goblins all ready to fight us!¡±


    The soldiers said nothing and just reached into the small bags they were all carrying and brought out a torch or other light source each, when they were ready Philto Sorio led them past the entrance and into the city of Dom Badaher.


    While this was happening we were all packing up our tents and anything else that was brought and loading it onto the wagons that were brought along to carry everything. By around noon we had loaded everything up and started our journey back to the capital city of Antium. By the time the sun started to set we had found a decent place to camp for the night and quickly set up our tents again, Theo quickly had a fire going and we had some good food for our dinner before most of us went to sleep for the night.


    I went to bed myself, but I didn¡¯t go to sleep right away. Instead I just laid down and looked up at the ceiling of my tent thinking about everything that happened. ¡®It appears that somehow I was sent back in time just before I died. I didn¡¯t get to keep my levels, but I kept all the knowledge and skills I learned along the way. Perhaps I will be able to put up a better fight against that self proclaimed vampire lord Darius this time.¡¯


    Eventually exhaustion took hold of me and I dozed off into a dream for the night.


    *********


    I was dreaming, that I was certain of. Yet I was also in a new place surrounded by many people I didn¡¯t recognize all dressed in the expensive and extravagant clothes that I recalled from my previous dream, I too was wearing the royal quality clothes. The biggest change in this place was that everyone was kneeling to an altar of sorts, I separated from everyone else except the man who was dressed very similarly to myself. We were both kneeling on a pristine and expensive red carpet next to each other.


    I wanted to stand and ask everyone what was happening, but some unseen force was keeping me where I was only able to move my head. Soon an old man dressed in impressive red and black robes dressed not unlike the few priests I saw during my time working with the Antium city guard.


    The ¡®priest¡¯ stepped towards the altar and kneeled down as well before he began a soft chant that was unexpected for his advanced age. It took around a full two minutes for him to finish his chant, but when he did he turned to look at both me and the man next to me and beckoned. ¡°My lord, please approach the altar.¡± His voice soft like his chant.


    Like I was a puppet controlled with strings I slowly stood up and silently made my way towards the altar where I took a kneeling position next to the priest.


    ¡°Please extend your hands forwards my lord for the ceremony.¡± My arms obeyed the priest''s request and I extended them both. Suddenly I saw out of the corner of my eye the priest reached for a beautiful ceremonial dagger that was made from gold and decorated with a blood red gemstone on the hilt of the blade.


    With the blade in his hands he brought it to my hands and left a small cut in my palm drawing a small amount of blood before he placed the dagger back atop the altar and began chanting softly once again. I didn¡¯t react to the sudden cut on my hands, honestly I barely even felt anything when it happened, likely as this was just a dream.


    Yet suddenly I looked up to above the altar and I saw something that I was very certain wasn¡¯t there when I looked before. It was a giant floating eye formed entirely out of blood and it was looking directly at me intently like it was evaluating me for something.


    I felt panic in my chest and I wanted no more than to simply run in the opposite direction of this horrible sight, but my body didn¡¯t obey my mind and instead I just looked directly at the eye. As this persisted I swore I was hearing something other than the priest and his soft chanting. It was a voice I was hearing, deep and rough, the voice of the eye.


    It was trying to tell me something in a language I didn¡¯t understand and it was very insistent on repeating itself, slowly my vision narrowed and all I could focus on was the eye and its words echoing within my very soul. Then suddenly I had clarity and I understood the voice perfectly like it was in my own language.


    ¡°Wake up child. It is time.¡± The voice spoke one last time far softer than before when it stopped speaking and everything slowly started to fade into darkness and the dream ended.


    ********


    Slowly the tent and all of its interior slowly faded back into my view as I looked up towards the ceiling. I could hear the sounds of the mercenaries walking around outside and food sizzling, signs that breakfast was being cooked and I should be getting up to have some.


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    As quickly as I could I stepped outside my tent and closed it behind myself, I took a look around for the source of the sizzling food and I found Theo sitting near a central firepit with a pot and a pan that he was using to cook up something good. Stepping close I noticed in the pan were some sliced up potatoes that were cooking, the pot however had an actual soup with a variety of vegetables, a few edible things found in the cavern, and even some meat from a deer that was killed the night before.


    There was already a small group waiting nearby for their breakfast before me waiting around the fire, they were all talking about just about anything they could think of and I joined in to help pass the time. Eventually I received a bowl of soup with a potato on the top, I walked over to a log that was chopped down and sat down on it while I dug into my meal.


    While I was eating I took a look around the camp and I noticed there were far fewer tents than I recalled, it took me a moment to realize but it appeared that Saturio and his subordinates had left already leaving the remainder of us behind. With a touch of worry in my mind I quickly finished my meal and dropped the plate off with Theo before walking over to Lyra¡¯s tent to speak with her regarding the situation.


    Pushing open the flap to her tent I stepped inside and I found her face down against her desk asleep and snoring quite loudly. Not wanting to scare her by touching her I gave a fake cough to try and wake her, when that didn¡¯t work I tried once again only a little louder. With that louder cough Lyra suddenly shot up and looked at me with deep bags under her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, it''s just you Arthur. Is it morning already?¡± Lyra asked while she rubbed her eyes, the exhaustion was evident in her eyes. She likely stayed up all night doing something.


    ¡°Yes, it is. You look tired, did you not sleep last night?¡± I asked, though I already knew the answer to that question. Lyra just nodded and sat up properly in her chair.


    ¡°I''ll get you something to eat.¡± I said seeing that she likely didn¡¯t have the mental energy to get up and walk to the firepit to get breakfast herself.


    Walking up to the firepit where Theo was still cooking more food for everyone I stepped up next to him and started talking to him. ¡°Hey, Lyra is exhausted and doesn¡¯t have the energy to get breakfast herself. Mind if I can get some for her?¡±


    Theo looked at me with a bit of suspicion before he turned back to the food and handed me a bowl like the one I received before. But before I could take it he stopped me. ¡°If Lyra comes by again and asks for a bowl I will be telling her of this conversation. Do you understand me?¡± Theo spoke those words like a threat, instead of acting worried or anything like that I just nodded and took the bowl before walking back to give it to Lyra.


    Lyra, who was still half asleep, slowly dug into her meal while I took a seat nearby in a chair. Lyra noticed this but didn¡¯t say anything until she was done eating.


    ¡°I assume you have something you want to discuss?¡± Lyra asked a little wearily.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I answered as I leaned forwards slightly. ¡°Did you know that Saturio and his men aren''t in the camp anymore? I just noticed this morning that their tents weren''t here anymore.¡± I noticed that Lyra looked a little surprised by my statement, but she didn¡¯t outright say anything that indicated worry about the sudden change.


    ¡°Is that so? I will have to inform the crown about the sudden departure on Saturio¡¯s behalf. Given his status as a noble I would assume this wouldn¡¯t be something he would do casually. Regardless of that, thank you for bringing this to my attention. If we do see them again you have my permission to inform them how unhappy I am with their actions.¡±


    With a small nod I left the tent shortly after to pack up my tent again so the company could get back on the road.


    **********


    In a place unknown to most Saturio and his men sat around a small campfire just outside of a cave. While his men were calm Saturio was not, he paced around the fire like an animal in a cage. The stress of his failed task was evident on his face to everyone that could see. Yet his men had very little reaction to this behavior, almost like they weren¡¯t thinking at all.


    Suddenly Saturio reached into his pocket as quickly as he could and brought out his communication orb, interacting with it a few times while walking towards the cave for privacy. The image of his Lady Alkonost appeared within the orb and she didn¡¯t look very happy.


    ¡°Good morning Saturio. How goes your progress in finding and securing the phylacterium? I assume you shouldn¡¯t have much difficulty given it was only guarded by a single demon warlock and its goblin followers.¡± The venom in Lady Alkonost¡¯s voice was thick, she already knew the answer to her question, she just wanted to hear Saturio say it himself.


    ¡°My lady, there is a problem with that. The phylacterium has been secured by the mercenary company Flock of War before we had an opportunity to take it for ourselves.¡± Saturio answered as he quickly took a seated position on his knees.


    ¡°Is that so? Would you mind telling me what exactly happened that might leave you without the phylacterium I tasked you with collecting?¡± Lady Alkonost wasn¡¯t impressed that Saturio was giving excuses, he had never done so to her before, but she might as well listen to what he has to say before she gets rid of him.


    ¡°The leader of the mercenaries basically on her own disabled the demon leaving it for the rest of us to kill. I don¡¯t know how exactly the spell she used worked, but she said it increased the weight of the while it had force behind it to shatter its armor. In case you didn¡¯t know, I and all of the men you gave me to lead are wearing heavy armor that would become worse than useless when fighting her alone. That isn¡¯t even considering the other mercenaries that were there, and the other one that was apparently inside of the city before everyone else while the front doors were still closed.¡±


    The last statement caught Lady Alkonost¡¯s attention very quickly. ¡°Someone was already inside the city? How did that even happen? It was barred from the inside, and nobody who is still alive knows what the inside looks like ruling out conjuration magic.¡± She leaned forwards in her throne toward the communication orb as she spoke.


    ¡°I am sorry my lady but I don¡¯t know how. The mercenaries already had a good relationship with him when we arrived there, so I assume they must have been trading supplies for whatever he found in the city.¡± As much as Saturio was hoping to avoid a punishment the reality of his failure was basically a non issue to Lady Alkonost at this point. She was more concerned with the possible implications that someone managed to get somewhere nobody should have been able to without leaving a trace.


    ¡°Return back here immediately and write down everything you can about this mysterious person you encountered. Do not take your time and get here as fast as you can.¡± Lady Alkonost almost immediately cut off the line between the communication orbs as she gave her last order.


    Saturio was both worried and confused by the situation and his lady''s change of tone, he was worried about his own well being and he was confused by her sudden change in tone and demeanor. ¡°I wonder if I am in more trouble or less because of what I said.¡±

 Chapter 180

    In the distance, perhaps a half day''s journey away from our campsite, I could see the large stone walls that surrounded the city of Antium. It was a strange feeling to arrive at a place I was so familiar with and yet it was technically the very first time I had ever been here. On the entire journey back here there had been no sign of Saturio or any of his subordinates which was both worrying and wonderful at the same time.


    Without Saturio I didn¡¯t need to worry about him trying to steal the phylacterium, however I had no idea where he was which meant if he was going to do something I would have no way to stop him. ¡®Small victories Arthur, remember the small victories.¡¯ I told myself as I turned back to my tent and started disassembling it like everyone else was.


    Hopefully we would have at least half of the remaining day by the time we reached the city as I had several things I needed to do, the most important was to join the mages guild so I could start receiving more training. ¡®Learning how to cast tier three spells is my biggest priority at the moment. While tier one and two are nice I need the raw power that tier three spells provide, and the only way I have to do that is to join the mages guild and receive some training from either Henry or someone else.¡¯


    When everything was packed up we started walking again towards the city, we passed by the vibrant fields full of wheat that were starting to grow not too far from the walls. The common folk with their children looked and pointed towards us as we walked down the roads that split the fields into several sections.


    While everyone else was talking amongst themselves about whatever topic came up I took the opportunity to appreciate the changes in how everyone was feeling. Unlike how it was almost dead quiet the last time when Saturio and his subordinates killed several people it seemed that everyone was just so much happier, and though I didn¡¯t make much of an effort to befriend Hambel or Cassia I could see they were better off than the last time.


    Once inside the city we stopped at a decently sized tavern that was located in the western district close enough to the mercenaries guild. Both Citro and Lyra left to take care of the payment for the contract the company just finished. Around a half hour later the two of them returned and started handing out pouches of silver coins to each of the mercenaries. Eventually Lyra walked right up to me with a pouch of my own and handed it to me. A little confused, I opened it up and found twenty five silver coins looking right back at me.


    ¡°I know you weren''t officially a part of the company when you helped us, but I asked my father to pull some strings and I managed to get some more money on your behalf. I assume that twenty five silver coins should be enough to allow you to live for a while with proper spending habits.¡± Lyra gave me a smile before she turned away and continued handing out more pouches to the few remaining mercenaries.


    Looking again at the contents of the pouch I noticed that the silver wasn¡¯t the only thing that was inside. There was also a piece of paper bound up like a scroll, I reached in and held it in my hands as I opened it up. It was a recommendation to the mages guild signed by Lyra and who I assumed was her father due to the last name that they both shared, but there was also something else stated within the writing.


    The young mage by the name of Arthur is to be awarded with an amulet enchanted with the comprehend language spell at the presentation of this document that has already been bought and paid for by the Vettonius noble family.


    There was some other legal wording that I didn¡¯t understand, but this was enough to understand what I was getting.


    ¡®Lyra must have asked her father to do this. I remember last time the crown was the ones to award me with the amulet as well as a much larger reward. I wonder just how much will change now that I saved around a quarter of the Flock of War. Lyra will probably have a stronger fighting force when she joins the fight against the empire, but I doubt that they will make any major changes to the conflict.¡¯


    Since I asked Lyra to cast the comprehend languages spell on me just before we entered the city I still have most of the day with the spell to talk with people without that amulet. That made acquiring the amulet before the guild closed down for the day very important.


    I soon stood up and made my way towards the door through the semi crowded tavern, the little snippets of the nearby conversations were somewhat interesting to listen to but were not a priority at the moment.


    Once outside I stepped going north and back onto the street joining the growing crowd of people that were going about their day. After walking for around ten minutes and passing through a small market square I found the mages guild main building and stepped inside. Thankfully the lines were short enough today that I didn¡¯t need to wait very long and I found myself up at the desk after only a half hour.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir and welcome to the mages guild, how might I help you today?¡± I recognized the woman at the desk who greeted me, I had seen her a few times while in the guild before but she wasn¡¯t all that different from the other employees.


    ¡°Yes actually, I have a recommendation here with a secondary condition.¡± I said as I handed the recommendation I received from Lyra. The secretary looked over the document quickly before her eyes went somewhat wide upon reading the order signed by the Vettonius family themselves. The words and flustered look gave me the impression they were important.


    ¡°Just a moment sir, I need to check the authenticity before you receive anything.¡± The secretary''s voice was a little higher pitched than normal as she quickly turned around and walked into a back room with my recommendation in hand. I was a little surprised by her sudden reaction and departure, but from what I could tell the amulet was very valuable so something like checking its authenticity should be standard procedure.


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    I remained standing at the desk for a while waiting for the secretary to return. The people in the small line behind me looked rather annoyed with the fact that I made their wait even longer and furrowed their brows or scoffed at me. I just ignored them and waited for the secretary to return with my amulet.


    After what felt like an hour of waiting the secretary did eventually return, but she wasn¡¯t alone and she didn¡¯t bring the amulet like I expected. Instead there were two armed human men dressed in chainmail armor and carrying both a shield and a short sword, the swords weren¡¯t drawn but I could tell by the posture of these men they were ready to use them. Their faces were protected by actual plate helmets unlike the rest of their bodies that appeared to have a small mechanism that allowed for lifting it up and exposing the face.


    ¡°Sir Arthur, if you wouldn''t mind you need to come with us.¡± The armored man on the right said as the group of three stepped forwards. I was a little alarmed by the sudden armed escort which they took notice of and tried relaxing their stance.


    ¡°No need to worry sir, it would be impolite to force someone of your standing to walk around the guild with just directions like a commoner.¡± The right armored man said as he walked up and stood next to me and gestured towards the stairway leading upwards to the second floor. This also happened to be where they came from.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, instead I just nodded while preparing my magic just in case this was a trap of some sort. ¡®I haven¡¯t been here before, not since I died and everything reset to how things were when I first woke up. So why are they escorting me somewhere upstairs to the second floor of the mages guild?¡¯


    Every step we took up those stairs I felt like my chest was going to explode, I could only even imagine how I looked to the two armored men that were escorting me up. When we reached the top of the stairs there were several interconnected hallways that led to what I believed were offices. I was led towards one that was located on the far right of the floor. Inside was a human mage dressed in some very fancy robes sitting behind a desk, when he noticed us he smiled and beckoned us inside.


    ¡°Ah, Mr. Arthur, welcome to the mages guild. I am Amulius Armiger, a wizard of the mages guild and I am here to ensure that you receive the amulet that was ordered.¡± The wizard Amulius said with a smile as he reached into one of his desk drawers and retrieved a box that he placed on top of the desk facing Arthur. The box was well made and looked like something a rich person would use to store a ring or other similar jewelry, only larger.


    Amulius Slowly opened the box showing a familiar looking amulet glowed slightly from the enchantments placed upon it. I reached towards it and held the amulet in my hands as I looked it over. With my knowledge in enchanting I noticed that most of the enchantments were located within the actual pendant itself rather than the silver chain.


    Amulius watched as I then placed the amulet around my neck outside of my armor. Later I would tuck it underneath so it would be hidden from view, but for now it would need to be visible. Slowly I felt the magic contained within the amulet flow though my body and up to my head where it connected with my brain when I started to feel the effects of the enchantment.


    ¡°I assume that the amulet is to your liking.¡± Amulius said with a smile as I started feeling the effects of the amulet. I noticed that his smile was a little odd, it wasn¡¯t a normal smile that didn¡¯t extend very far, almost like it was forced instead of genuine.


    ¡°Yes, the amulet is working just as I hoped. Is this the only reason you brought me up here?¡± I asked a little uncomfortable with his eyes watching me like a predatory animal.


    ¡°Unfortunately no, I just have a few questions regarding your magical education and skill set. Are you alright to answer those questions?¡± Amulius reached for a small amulet around his own neck as he said this, I didn¡¯t think much of it at the moment and just answered honestly.


    ¡°Of course, I see no reason why not. Ask away.¡± Amulius smiled at my statement and just picked up a piece of nearby paper and placed it before himself and then a quill.


    ¡°First question. What type of magic is most interesting to you?¡± I looked at Amulius a little confused by his question. I wasn¡¯t certain why he wanted to know something like that but I was a little worried as there was a certain tension in the air.


    ¡°I would say enchanting is likely my biggest interest in magic, I already know a bit but I still have a lot more to learn.¡± Amulius looked to be satisfied with the answer he received and moved onto the next question.


    ¡°What are your thoughts on the Rathen kingdom and the Yolan empire?¡±


    I tried to hide my emotions at the question, but I was certain I failed. The question was completely unrelated to the first and I had a bad feeling deep in my soul.


    ¡°Well¡­ I know the Yolan empire declared war on the kingdom several years ago and pillaged several towns and cities near the shared border. I don¡¯t know much else aside from the lingering feelings of hate towards each other that may lead to another war.¡±


    Amulius smiled at my answer and nodded slightly before speaking once again. ¡°One last question for you. Who would you say is the person that you serve the most?¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything more for several seconds, instead I looked at Amulius who¡¯s expression darkened ever so slightly in shadows cast from the lights located behind him. He didn¡¯t look very happy with the lack of an answer and I was feeling like a small animal before a demon.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really served anyone in particular. I¡¯ve helped out with catching criminals and helping law enforcement, I¡¯ve worked as an alchemist¡¯s apprentice, I was even a part of a mercenary company for a while. But I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯ve served anyone like a servant.¡± I managed to say as breathing was starting to become difficult.


    Then suddenly the pressure I was feeling disappeared and Amulius went back to how he was before. ¡°Good, good. Thank you for your time Mr Arthur, and before I forget please take this.¡± He reached over the desk and handed me a piece of paper. I didn¡¯t get a good look at it, but I noticed that there was a date.


    ¡°Now gentleman, please escort our guest downstairs. I am sure that he has some important work that he needs to do without us wasting any more of his time.¡± Amulius ordered the two guards that were standing by the door. They both bowed slightly to the wizard before escorting me out of the room and back down the stairs.


    ********


    Just as Arthur was escorted out of the room the door closed behind the three and left Amulius alone in his office. He quickly casted a spell taking around 24 seconds to do and created a spherical orb around himself that was cut in half starting at the floor. He reached over to the communication orb on his desk and started a call with his superior.

 Chapter 181

    Sitting outside of the mages on the nearby bench I read the piece of paper that the Wizard Amulius gave me, it was a date and a location within the guild for an entrance examination of my skills. But the very first thing I noticed about the location and date was that it wasn¡¯t for the same place where I and then Gaelin went, instead it was somewhere else for tomorrow.


    ¡®I am not familiar with this place, room fifty seven sounds far deeper within the guilds lower levels than I thought they even had. They should probably have a map or something so people can know just how deep they need to go for something.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t stay seated for long as I needed to find a tavern or an inn to stay in for the night, I also needed some actual clothes and a coat to keep myself warm.


    ¡®I can get a room to sleep in later in the day, that would make finding some nice clothes a higher priority at the moment. The tailor that Georgius took me for some better clothes should be open for several more hours, and since he is nice I should be able to get something decent looking and durable for a few silver coins.¡¯


    With that I started making my way towards the eastern district where all the workshops and production of goods were being made, I easily recalled the quickest way and started jogging slightly to get there in good time.


    *******


    ¡°What do you have to report about the young mage?¡± A voice asked the Wizard Amulius as he was seated in his chair at his desk, the voice originated from his communication orb.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t lie about any of the questions I asked him and he shows no support for the Empire, but he doesn¡¯t show much support for the kingdom either. That may change in the future when he joins the mages guild, but for now he may at most be just a normal citizen.¡± Amulius spoke with great respect and civility that he didn¡¯t really show Arthur.


    The voice on the other end sighed deeply before he spoke again. ¡°That is unfortunate, but you are right. We may need to invest some time into training someone like him to get loyalty and access to anything he might produce. What type of magic was it that he was most interested in? If we know we might be able to offer him something nice and receive his loyalty in exchange.¡±


    ¡°He said he was most interested in enchanting and golemancy. I have a few contacts that I might be able to get to teach him something, but not without a favor or two in exchange.¡±


    ¡°That is fine, I will compensate you for any expense you take. Just be certain that you don¡¯t accidentally let it slip of what our plans with this young mage are, otherwise my foolish brother will try and get involved and mess things up for his damned elven daughter.¡±


    With a deep bow to his master Amulius ended the call and started up another with someone else that owed him a favor or two.


    ********


    The door to a tailor shop in the western district opened and a small bell connected with a string dinged allowing for the owner of the store who was just behind the front counter to know there was a new customer. The old man who was both the owner and sole tailor in the store looked to the new customer, it was a young human man no older than 25 wearing plate armor and a chainmail hood over his head leaving his face open.


    ¡°Good afternoon young man, how might I help you on this fine day?¡± The tailor asked in an upbeat tone hoping to help the customer be calm and more willing to spend his coin.


    ¡°I need some proper clothing. Something a bit more durable than what I currently have.¡± The young human who was in actuality was Arthur.


    ¡°Of course I can help you with that, but I must ask beforehand what your budget is. That way I can keep it perfectly affordable for my customers.¡±


    Arthur nodded before counting out five silver coins from inside his bag and holding them in his hand. ¡°I have at most five silver coins I am willing to spend on one set of clothing.¡±


    The tailor''s eyes lit up at the sight of the five coins, it was far more than most people would be willing to spend on only one set of clothes. The average commoner might at most spend around 10 or at most 15 copper coins for a set of clothes, and even then it wouldn¡¯t usually be all at once.


    ¡°I think I have a few sets that you would be very interested in, it will of course require some adjustments to fit you perfectly, but I think you will like what I have to offer.¡± The tailor excitedly rushed Arthur over to the dressing area while he rushed into the storage area for his most valuable sets of clothes.


    He made two trips from the storage room to the dressing area each time carrying two mannequins wearing very fine clothes, nothing was quite on the level that a king would wear them, but they were better than what Arthur had worn at even the best of times.


    The first set was a pair of thick and durable brown trousers and boots, a fine white shirt, and an overcoat similar to what he bought from this very store when he came by with Georgius as his apprentice. When Arthur touched the clothes he noticed that even though they looked alike from a distance these clothes were far thicker and would even offer a degree of protection as they were made from excellent leather.


    ¡®This one is a lot like what I used to wear, just a little higher in quality and perhaps offering some actual protection on its own. I will consider buying this one.¡¯


    Looking at the price Arthur noticed that the set would cost him three silver coins, not wanting to make his decision at that very moment he moved onto the next set.


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    The second set was less like an alchemist¡¯s attire and more akin to something a wealthy merchant would buy, Arthur didn¡¯t even bother looking at the price for it as he had no intention of walking around looking like a merchant.


    The third set however did catch Arthur''s attention as it was very much different from everything else he had seen. It was a set of black leather clothes that covered the full body, the black boots extended up all the way to the shin and stopped just before the knee. The leather gloves were also black and didn¡¯t cover the fingers which confused Arthur a little but he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. The set also included a cloak with a hood that went down to about his knees which would be good in rain.


    Looking at the price Arthur noted that it would cost him 4 silver and 10 copper coins.


    ¡®I do like this set, but the leather shirt is more akin to a thick coat, I would likely need to buy a proper shirt to wear underneath to prevent the leather from rubbing against my bare skin.¡¯


    The fourth and final set was a stereotypical mage attire, it consisted of a light grey robe that covered some simple in design yet good quality grey clothes including gloves, a pair of boots, a thin scarf, and even a small satchel that went over the mannequin''s shoulder.


    The price for this late set of clothes was 2 silver coins, by far the lowest of the three that Arthur was even considering buying.


    ¡®This one is a lot like a typical mage robe, but I don¡¯t really think I would wear this unless I was short on money or I needed to dress a certain way for an event.¡¯


    ¡°So what do you think, do any of these catch your eye?¡± The tailor asked with a small sparkle in his eyes. He was most eager to satisfy his newest customer.


    ¡°This one right here is out of the question.¡± Arthur said while pointing towards the merchant-like set. ¡°I have no intention of dressing like a merchant.¡±


    The tailor immediately picked up the mannequin and dragged it off to the back room where he had it before, when he was done he was back out in the dressing area like before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the robes would be suitable for what I intend to do.¡± Like before the tailor took the mannequin with the grey robes leaving Arthur with just two options.


    After looking both over for several seconds Arthur ran his hands down the sides of each to get a feel for them, the biggest thing he was worried about was durability and that was quickly satisfied. Next up was comfortability which Arthur determined the set with the overcoat was better in terms of mostly due to the thick leather not being in direct contact with his skin unlike the other darker set.


    ¡°I think I will be taking this set.¡± Arthur said as he pointed towards the first set. The tailor nodded and quickly removed all the articles of clothing and handed them to Arthur to try on in the nearby changing room. Only a minute later he returned wearing the clothes that were a little large for him, but the tailor quickly got to work and had him stand straight up with his arms out while starting the adjustments.


    The tailor worked quickly without a word of complaint even despite his age and in what only felt like a handful of minutes the clothes Arthur bought were a perfect fit. He quickly paid the tailor and left the shop with his new clothes feeling like a brand new man.


    ¡®The clothes make the man.¡¯ Arthur chuckled to himself as he looked down at the high quality boots on his feet. They were by far the best boots he had ever worn.


    ¡®Now I just need to find a room for the night and tomorrow I will need to go back to the guild for that entrance test so I can actually join the guild and get access to the library again. Then I need to start learning some tier three spells for when I mess with the Red Eye cult and the self proclaimed vampire lord Darius. If I can manage to kill him and his blood spawn by myself I could probably get myself some goodwill with the kingdom.¡¯


    Arthur smiled to himself as he thought about how to best capitalize on the situation when he sets everything into motion.


    While he was thinking he started walking back towards the western district to find a room for the night, specifically a place close enough to the guild so he wouldn¡¯t need to walk very far to take the entrance test.


    The first place he tried was the familiar Free Parrot Bar where Lyra had brought everyone to hand out the payment for the work they did. Asking the bartender Arthur was told that there were still a few rooms underground that were available for two copper pieces a night.


    Arthur quickly handed over a silver piece which he received the change for and was given a cheap bronze key with the number seven edged into the one end. Walking down the first staircase led Arthur to a large hallway that bent around a few corners containing around twenty or so rooms.


    It didn¡¯t take Arthur very long to find room seven where he inserted the key and turned it, a small click indicated that the door was now unlocked and he pushed it open. The inside was decorated sparsely with a bed in the corner, a small dresser just next to the bed, and a table with two chairs and a lone candle on the opposite side of the room.


    ¡®Not quite as nice as the upstairs rooms are they?¡¯ Arthur joked to himself at the very simple accommodations that he found himself in. ¡®No wonder it was so cheap.¡¯


    Not wanting to make much of a deal about a place he would only be staying for a single night, Arthur locked the door behind himself and sat on the edge of the bed. It was comfortable enough to sleep on for a night, but it wasn¡¯t something that he wanted to make a habit out of given that it was quite stiff and the pillow was a little dusty.


    *********


    Several hours later I awoke within the dusty and sparse room atop the bed, I felt my mussels were stiff from sleeping on the uncomfortable bed. I still felt like I was half asleep, likely due to the fact that I didn¡¯t sleep very well.


    Suddenly my stomach growled in dissatisfaction from the lack of breakfast and dinner and I slowly sat up. I rubbed my temples with both my hands to try and wake myself up some more for around a minute before I felt confident enough to navigate my way towards the door and up the stairs to get something to eat from the tavern.


    Reaching the top of the stairs I found a half filled dining area with a handful of waiters and waitresses taking orders and delivering food. I found myself a small and empty table and waited for one of them to come and take my order. While I was waiting I looked around at the other people around me and tried to see what they were eating.


    ¡°Good morning sir, what can I get you for today?¡± A young and petite young woman, likely eighteen or nineteen dressed like the other waitresses, walked up to my table and handed me one of the menus.


    I quickly opened it up and looked through, my eyes quickly darted to the few options for soups and settled on the chicken soup. ¡°Can I get a bowl of chicken soup?¡± I asked while pushing over the three copper coins that was the listed price.


    ¡°Of course sir, it will just be a few minutes.¡± The young waitress smiled and placed the three coins within a small pouch attached to her belt before turning around and walking back to the kitchen behind the bar counter.

 Chapter 182

    Stepping into the mages guild I walked towards the stairway leading downwards, the nearest secretary looked at me with suspicion but when I flashed the paper and pointed at the room and date she turned back to the man before her with a bag of money complaining about something. Likely the reason he was there in the first place.


    I had never been to the room listed on the paper, in fact I didn¡¯t even know there were that many rooms underneath the mages guild. I had only ever assumed that there were around fifty or so as was shown on the small map by the downstairs entrance. ¡®Room one hundred and seven. Sounds a little odd just thinking about it. I wonder just how many rooms there are within the guild, maybe one day I will get to see the whole thing.¡¯


    I checked the map but I wasn¡¯t surprised to find that it didn¡¯t show anything past the forty ninth floor, though at the end of the floor right near the ninety ninth room there was a piece of the map broken off. Since I didn''t have anything else to go on I decided to take a look and see if that was where the fifty seventh room was.


    The walk took around fifteen minutes with all the foot traffic and by taking the shortest route I knew of I eventually reached it. To a small bit of surprise I found a stairway in the wall right across the hallway from the ninety ninth room, and right next to this stairway was a map of the next fifty rooms one floor below.


    Thankfully the one hundred and seventh room was only straight down the hallway from the stairs so I managed to reach it in good time. Once I was inside I noticed it was a large room about the size of one of the classrooms but with most of the furniture removed. What remained was just a few chairs and a table where three mages were sitting and writing something.


    The first to notice me was a human dressed in typical mage attire in the same grey color as the mages guild, she was sitting in the middle of the other two who were both high elven men dressed in more casual clothes that I still felt were mage-like enough.


    ¡°Good morning Mr. Arthur. I am Avita and I will be taking care of your entrance test today.¡± Avita looked to be in her mid to late forties and seemed only half interested in her job with the flat tone she was using to speak with. The other two seemed a little more energetic.


    Avita had the two high elves set up a large area within the room with some sort of magical barrier while both she and I stood inside of it. As they finished a dim humming sound filled the room which I assumed was from the barrier itself.


    ¡°I will be the one testing your magical abilities today, instead of fighting back right away like in the regular exam I will allow you 1 minute to try and break past my defenses. That way I can get a proper grasp of your offensive capabilities before I test your defensive ones.¡± Avita spoke with a high born arrogance that I assumed came from her position within the guild. I didn¡¯t let that get to me, instead I started casting the Tri Earth Bolt spell three times resulting in nine floating bolts of earth after around twenty seconds.


    With some decent magical weapons around myself I started by conjuring up a small block of earth and shooting it towards Avita with a moderate amount of force. Like I was half expecting it bounced off a mostly invisible wall that I didn¡¯t even notice until it happened.


    ¡°Testing my defenses, not a terrible idea but it will take more than that to do any damage.¡± Avita said in a taunting tone. I wasn¡¯t certain if she was trying to rile me up, but she was making a good point.


    Instead of using earth again to test her invisible wall I instead chose to try fire. I conjured up a handful of fire and shot it forwards like a small geyser of fire. Like I predicted it harmlessly was blocked and broken apart like the earth before it, only this time I didn¡¯t drop my control over the fire when I gave it a push. With my mostly intact control I commanded the fire to try and snake around the invisible wall before me and see where it ended.


    Behind the flames and invisible wall I noticed that Avita¡¯s eyes twitched at the sudden change and she made a wide and intentional movement with her hands that I assume made the wall even larger as the fire started to spread itself out wider and wider yet never found the edge. Eventually it was becoming far to mana expensive to maintain and I allowed the fire to dissipate into nothing.


    ¡°I must admit your control and creativity are more impressive than I would have expected from someone so young and without proper education. However my age and experience have overcome both of those. Perhaps you should try something else and see what else can happen in our little duel.¡±


    ¡®I''m not a master in language, but I think that was a touch of respect in Avita¡¯s voice. That little maneuver must have impressed her somewhat, and I still have around fifteen seconds to try something else and bypass her invisible wall.¡¯ I thought to myself while I studied the fading semi transparent wall just a meter from Avita. Suddenly I had an idea and I started conjuring up another small torrent of fire in my right hand while I discreetly did something else in my left hand.


    Like before I thrusted my hands forwards and the torrent of flame shot forwards and rapidly started spreading across the wall looking for the edge, Avita didn¡¯t look very impressed and gave me an unhappy look as she watched what was a futile attempt. Then suddenly she felt something strike her just enough to force her back a few steps.


    Her eyes quickly darted towards me with a look of confusion on her face, she tried to say something when the force returned and forced her back another step. With a wide wave of her hands she dispelled the invisible force and looked at the nearby clock on the wall before smiling slightly. My one minute to test her defences freely had ended.


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    I also noticed this and quickly switched to defend myself instead of attacking but Avita was a bit quicker than me. I only barely managed to get part of an earth wall up before I was suddenly pushed back by an invisible force like I had done earlier and I fell to my but. Before she could follow up I ended my attempt at my first wall and quickly conjured up a dome around myself from earth which managed to weather the next attack.


    I breathed a sigh of relief as I had a few moments to think of something before I needed to do anything to block the next attack.


    With little else to defend myself with to do I mentally commanded three of the earth bolts I still controlled to fly out in wide arcs towards Avita to force to on the defensive. I had one go around to the left, another went to the right, and the last went above. I braced myself for what she would do by standing up and extending the small barrier I created to protect myself entirely.


    To my surprise Avita didn¡¯t just block with her invisible barrier like last time, instead she chose to fire at them with clear orbs of what appeared to be air and shatter them before they reached her. I looked on with a shocked expression on my face that she definitely noticed when she started throwing more of those orbs at me.


    The first orb broke on contact leaving only a small amount of damage in its wake, but the next several started to leave more and more damage each time as the integrity worsened with each hit. I was forced to dig into my position and constantly reinforce and repair my barrier while it slowly was falling apart.


    Eventually I felt my mana reserves reach about the halfway point at twenty one units of mana, I started panicking somewhat and hastily used the remaining earth bolts and fired towards Avita without even having a visual confirmation as my barrier was blocking the way. I heard six more cracks, one for each remaining bolt as I did my best to repair any damage I could with the small amount of time it would buy me.


    Then suddenly from beyond my view something collided with the front face of my barrier that caused it to crack like it had been struck with a bolder leaving a large crack down the middle. Then it pushed harder more and more until the crack became a hole and the barrier shattered into a hundred pieces and the conjured earth dissipated into nothing.


    With nothing to protect me I faced the full brunt of this invisible force and I flew backwards towards the outside of the magical barrier entrapping the two of us. With some quick thinking I used my aeromancy to slow and rotate myself so I didn¡¯t collide face first into the barrier. To my surprise however that wasn¡¯t necessary as the barrier warped and stretched to catch me safely before pushing back and back inside.


    ¡°I think that is enough for now, you have shown me just about everything you are capable of as a mage.¡± As Avita spoke the bubble-like barrier around us slowly dissipated into nothingness as the two high elven mages stepped back.


    Avita walked over to the table the three were sitting at a few minutes earlier and wrote something down on a piece of paper, it took her several seconds to write everything which I noticed included a signature. When she was done she walked towards me and handed me the paper. ¡°Here, this is my certificate of approval for you. Show it to one of the secretaries at the front desk and they will get you what you need.¡±


    I looked down at the certificate with a smile on my face, Avita saw this and decided she needed to say something to change that. ¡°Now don¡¯t be all happy about where you are, you still have a lot to learn if you want to master even one of the four evocations. I suggest you find yourself an apprenticeship to get someone who will care enough to teach you anything past the most basic evoker skills.¡±


    Avita quickly stepped out of the room after that statement leaving me alone with the two high elven mages who were cleaning up the room and stacking the furniture off to the corner of the room which I found a little odd.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what she tells you, you still have plenty of time before you need to worry about finding a powerful master to teach you. In the meantime I recommend that you take a look in the library for some tier three spells to add to your arsenal and practice a bit.¡± One of the high elven mages suddenly piped up after Avita¡¯s footsteps were mostly gone.


    ¡°I was going to do that as soon as possible. Do you have any spells you would personally recommend I try out?¡± I asked, I had only a few ideas of what I wanted for tier three spells. The most obvious was the fireball spell that Calavia used against me while we were testing the defensive capabilities of the mage staff I was gifted.


    ¡°Well that would depend on your favorite type of magic.¡± The elven mage said matter of factly. ¡°For someone who favors pyromancy I would recommend the fireball spell. Aeromancy on the other hand I would say something like the levitation spell.¡±


    ¡°Well I personally find myself using geomancy spells the most, what would you recommend for me?¡± The elven mage paused for a moment as he thought.


    ¡°Do you by any chance use normal weapons, like a sword or a mace?¡±


    ¡°I have a sword I use on occasion, I am by no means a master but I know what I am doing.¡±


    The elf smiled. ¡°I have a spell in mind that I think you would like. The spell is of course a geomancy spell called Free Handed Earth Weapon.¡± I looked at the elf with a mix of curiosity and confusion at the name of the spell, it sounded like it would conjure up a melee weapon for me to use. But that was something I was already able to somewhat do on my own with just my skill in manipulating earth. Still I waited for his explanation.


    ¡°The spell will allow you to conjure up a weapon that you can either control with your geomancy skill or use like a normal weapon, like the basic Tri Earth Bolt spell I know many young images are fond of. The one major difference between those two is that the weapons conjured by this spell can be used again and again until the weapons break apart. It does come with a fairly long casting time, but all tier three spells are like that and it allows you to always have a weapon on hand.¡±


    I remained silent as the elven mage gave his explanation, his colleague not caring had left just a few moments before. When he was done I had already committed everything he said to memory, despite the few downsides of the spell it sounded like something that might give me the edge that I need to defeat the vampire lord on my own.


    ¡°That sounds very interesting, where might I find this spell in the library?¡±


    ¡°Definitely in the evoker section since it is a tier three spell and all, I don¡¯t recall the title of the book but at the higher levels spells start getting grouped by the type of magic rather than the skill needed to cast it. So you would find it with other geomancy spells, the same applies with all other types of spells.¡±

 Chapter 183

    With a thrust of my right hand a sword made entirely of earth shot forwards towards a target dummy I made from the nearby dirt. The sword punched right through the dirt and only stopped when it reached the hilt, only a moment after that it shot right back to my side.


    I looked at the sword and back to the hole that it left in the dummy and smiled. ¡®This will definitely be enough to turn the tides of the fight against the vampire Darius. The only problem I think I will be facing is how quickly he moves about, but I am certain that I can come up with something to slow him down enough. Otherwise I will just get the paladins to help me.¡¯


    Raising my left hand up from my waist I raised up five more targets and gave a wide swipe with my right, the conjured sword followed my right hand and made a wide sweeping strike and left deep cuts on each of the targets that led to some sagging as the dirt near the cut lost a good portion of its structural stability and fell apart.


    Again I started casting the spell wanting to see how another type of weapon would fare, the process of casting the Free Handed Earth Weapon spell took around twelve whole seconds, double as much as a tier two spell. The spell also used up twelve units of mana which was also double that of a tier two spell.


    When the spell was halfway through the casting process I could feel it asking for input as to what it needed to do, it was something that I haven''t really felt in a spell until recently but it made sense as it was a multipurpose spell. Instead of giving it the form of a sword like I did before I instead gave it the form of a spear.


    Before me the earth was conjured from the accumulated mana and rapidly molded itself into the shape I gave it through the temporary connection during the spell casting. When the spear was finished I floated over towards my left shoulder while the sword floated over my right. I could feel each one was instinctually connected to each arm like a part of me.


    Thrusting my left arm forwards like a snake striking at its prey, the spear floating above it shot forwards to what remained of a nearby target and left a hole as it passed through before just as quickly returning through the very same hole it created.


    Continued experimentation with the spell resulted in each conjured weapon lasting around five minutes before they would crack and fall apart piece by piece like some sort of puzzle. I ended up casting the spell around five more times each time creating a different weapon, unfortunately the effectiveness of the weapon was dependent on my actual knowledge of the weapons structure and shape. As such the maces, axes, and hammers I tried creating weren¡¯t quite as effective as the sword or spears.


    When I finished casting the spell a fifth time something clicked in my mind, like I was missing something very crucial and I only then found it. I stood in the same spot for a while wondering what was going through my mind.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Geomancy Level 21


    \- - - - - -/


    The notification sprung up telling me of the improvement, yet I paid it very little attention. I knew it was related but I instead followed the feeling and it led me back towards the first tier one geomancy spell I learnt, Tri Earth Bolt. I collected the mana within myself to cast the spell and extended my hands to cast it when suddenly the three bolts suddenly manifested in front of me while consuming two of the accumulated units of mana.


    The three bolts hovered in front of me no different than if I casted the spell like I normally had. I tried again to collect the mana and I found that I could almost instantly cast the spell, there was a small delay due to collecting and shaping the necessary mana to cast the spell but it worked.


    For a while I just stood there on the northern edge of the Pelcester forest confused and excited at my sudden discovery. ¡®If I can cast all the tier one spells I know so quickly then I can cast a spell that can disable or restrain someone basically instantly with little exposure. That was the main reason why I chose to only use directly offensive spells and just manipulation for anything else.¡¯


    My heart started to beat in excitement at the possibilities in my mind. I knew of a few spells that I never really had a chance to use in real combat because of the casting time which made it more effective to just cast a direct damage spell and kill my target instead of just restraining them.


    Like before I manipulated the nearby earth to create a human sized dummy, then I started casting a geomancy spell I hadn''t found much use in due to the cast time it required when I could just conjure up earth bolts. Slowly collecting the mana within myself I extended my hands forwards and only just began the movements required to cast the spell in question when the mana escaped from my grasp and conjured up a vine like coil around the dummy.


    The earth vine coiled tightly around the dummy¡¯s lower half and would easily prevent any normal person from moving. I was breathing heavily as my heart was slowing down. ¡®This is incredible. I need to talk with someone about this, I can¡¯t be the only person that can do this.¡¯


    With a big grin on my face I turned and started running back towards the city from the forest, in the sky I could see the sun was almost directly upwards indicating that it was almost noon.


    ********


    I reached the city gates in good time from the south and made my way to the western district. Passing through the southern district was an odd experience, I had first hand experience at how things could improve with a proper leader running things. But now all I saw was desperate people surrounded by thieves and criminals and I could do nothing to help them in the long run.


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    I stopped the occasional thief who made the mistake of committing a crime while I was close by, but other than that I could feel the aura of fear within the district. It radiated off the people who lived here, even some of the criminals had the same look of fear in their eyes.


    I recalled the words of Captain Tasius during our first meeting. ¡°My predecessor was quite corrupt and used the money that should have been used for upkeep of the building for his own personal uses. Since you exposed that cult of vampires their allied thieves guild Misery''s End was taken out with them, and he was exposed as an ally of theirs, helping them cover up their crimes or if that wasn¡¯t possible belittling their impact and hindering the investigation.¡±


    ¡®I need to destroy the vampire cult and allow for the investigators to discover and remove the current captain of the southern district from the position he currently has. But the last time I fought against the self-proclaimed vampire lord things got close, I need to study and learn more spells and perhaps even get the help of the paladin that killed him last time.¡¯


    ********


    ¡°Oh, welcome back Arthur. Looking for more geomancy spells? It''s only been two days since you were accepted into the guild, perhaps you should try taking a break every so often.¡± The librarian of the mages guild Mrs. Florens smiled as she saw Arthur enter the library again.


    ¡°Good after noon Mrs. Florens, actually I am looking into something else right now. Do you know of any books that have information about vampires?¡±


    The soft smile on Mrs. Florens face quickly faded into one of worry and dissatisfaction with Arthur¡¯s question. ¡°I do know of a few that I can point you to. But may I ask why you are looking into such information? Vampires are very dangerous creatures of the night and even though they still retain their consciousness after their transformation they are not the people they were before. As such I hope this is simply a curiosity of yours.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no intentions to go around hunting down vampires. It''s just that I heard a few things about vampires that sounded quite interesting, one of those was that vampires don¡¯t need to breathe air to live.¡± Arthur said mixing a lie with a partial truth hoping that the kind librarian wouldn¡¯t be able to tell which was which.


    ¡°Well whoever told you that was telling the truth, vampires don¡¯t need to breathe but most do so out of habit. Just promise me that you won¡¯t do anything ridiculous with the information you acquire, we have enough fools that are happy to throw their lives away over silly ideas like hunting down a group of ten plus vampires in their own lair while thinking it is a good idea.¡±


    Something deep down in Arthur¡¯s soul told him that what the elderly librarian was telling him wasn¡¯t just an exaggeration. But he still inquired about the book in question and received the names and their approximate locations within the library.


    ¡°The first book is titled Magical Beasts and Where They Come From. It will cover the basics of most magical creatures from werebeasts to gnomes to even some of the the weaker fey, you should be able to get some good information regarding how they act and how they are created. The second book is A Beast Hunters Guild To Vampires. This one will go over how to actually prepare against and how to easily slay a vampire, as your superior within the guild I recommend you avoid this one if it is just a simple curiosity like you said.¡±


    ********


    Looking through the library I found both books located within the open section of the library where anyone could look for information. It was pretty logical as I would occasionally see someone who wasn¡¯t a part of the guild looking through that part of the library.


    I decided to start with Magical Beasts and Where They Come From, the book was rather thick as it covered easily one hundred creatures just from a quick glance while I flipped through. The section regarding vampires was located on page fifty three right after the page covering necromancers which I thought was a little odd.


    Vampires are a specific type of undead that are created by either a curse from desecrating a temple or shine of a god or by allowing a vampire that already exists to turn them. Vampires as undead have greater physical capabilities than as mortals, improved magical affinities, no longer need for food, drink, or breathing and often lose most of their normal emotions acting more like animals. This becomes especially apparent when they are starved of blood, their primary source of food for several days. Their physical bodies will shrivel up like dried meat until they eventually look almost like statues, the only way to reverse this is to dump large amounts of blood on the starved vampire and allow it to absorb it through their skin.


    My eyes went wide as I was reading the small paragraph covering the basics of vampires and what they can do. The two parts that stuck out the most were the greater physical capabilities and improved magical affinities. ¡®Could that be the reason why Darius seemed to be so powerful yet lacked any real experience when it came to fighting someone on his level? He was definitely strong and magically gifted, but he lacked skill which was why the paladin Aulus was able to take him down so quickly.¡¯


    I thought back to the fight, it was just as clear in my mind as when it first happened. I recalled Titia the stone elf illusionist distracting Darius long enough for the paladins to get into position and jump through the windows all at once. I recalled how Aulus and Darius were about roughly matched physically and how skill was what allowed Aulus to strike him in both the arm and chest in rapid succession ending the fight in less than a minute.


    I thought back to the weapons I conjured with the Free Handed Earth Weapon spell, wondering if I had enough power in the spell to defeat him just as quickly as Aulus was able to. ¡®Pride was what forced Darius into close range where Aulus used his superior skill to destroy the vampire. I need to get him close enough so that I can hit with the spell and keep him restrained so he can¡¯t move. Looks like I am going to need to practice even more for a while if I want to even have a chance of beating him.¡¯


    With a rough plan in my mind I closed the book and placed it off to the side and in its place I brought over the new book titled A Beast Hunters Guild To Vampires. This book was much smaller than the first, but that was due to the sheer variety of what was contained.


    The first page was very similar to Magical Beasts and Where They Come From as it went over the basics of what a vampire is and what basic abilities they have. It was the second page where things started getting interesting.


    While the idea that vampires are afraid or harmed by the daylight is just a myth you should consider that every myth is rooted in fact, and it is a fact that most vampires chose to commit their vile acts during the night when they will be less likely to be noticed by others.


    Silver being especially dangerous to vampires is also a myth, this stems from the early vampire hunters using silver weapons that were enchanted with divine magic to better kill unholy creatures. The reason these early vampire and monster hunter orders chose silver was due to the decent enchanting capacity and the relative cheapness of silver compared to the other far higher magical capacity metals such as adamantine.


    The second and third page continued listing and explaining the origins of various myths regarding vampires, one that stood out was the myth that vampires were repelled by garlic. The origin was apparently a mixture of both a mistranslation from another language and one prominent vampire having an allergy to garlic as a mortal.

 Chapter 184

    Like most other undead Vampires have a natural resistance to cold temperatures, though it isn¡¯t to the same degree as something like a skeleton or a zombie''s resistance. Like a ghast vampires have a increased healing speed that can be seen by the unaided eye starting on medium levelled vampires, the best way to counter this is with pyromancy but any other lingering magical effects such as necrosis can also work well against it.


    One of the more disturbing skills a vampire has but might not know of is the ability to take and attach the limbs of another if theirs have been lost. Due to their undead state they can attach their nerves to severed limbs not belonging to themselves much like some skilled necromancers can do when creating their terrible experiments. The best ways to prevent this from happening is to leave a jagged or otherwise unclean wound where the limb was severed, this way it will take much longer to do for the vampire. Alternatively a blunt weapon like a hammer or mace will mangle the limb istead of severing which is much harder to heal from.


    I couldn¡¯t look away from the book, almost like I was under some sort of compulsion spell that forced me to look and read everything within its pages.


    All vampires will have a boosted magical affinity for all three types of magic but they usually chose to become mages rather than occultists or priests as they gain excellent affinity for illusion magic in particular which few gods offer. Even without any proper training a vampire has a natural ability to influence a mortal''s behavior to sway their opinions or thoughts to a certain extent. This is why there are so many stories of vampires becoming nobility and ruling decent portions of land, the most notable example was the Count Dracula during the late first era.


    ¡®This Count Dracula character sounds rather interesting. During the first era, that was around four thousand years ago. He must have been very impactful if he is still well known after so long. I wonder if there are any books about him, I will look into that when I have some free time after reading this book.¡¯


    The best way to identify a vampire from a normal person is their physical characteristics, vampires tend to be thin and have pale complexions compared to the average person. Many who have known vampires personally have commented about the paleness of their skin asking if they are afraid of sunlight or if they spend all their time in caves.


    Vampires will often have physical strength that doesn¡¯t match their physique, this is largely due to being undead. It can be especially noticeable if someone who is a vampire also spends a lot of time doing physical labor or lifting heavy things often. They will often only have half the mussel mass as a normal person in the most extreme cases as the mussel is dense rather than large like most creatures like the were beast. As such they are also very dexterous and nimble and often take advantage of this in young vampire hunters.


    ¡®That explains how Darius was so thin compared to Aulus and yet had such physical might to face him down. I should probably also look into levelling up several more times and investing some of those points I gain into strength and vitality. My strength is currently at twenty and my vitality is at twenty five, putting another five points into my dexterity wouldn¡¯t be a terrible idea either given just how fast he was.¡¯


    Flipping the page once more I found that I had reached the end and all that was left was a small blurb from the author who also had a highly detailed picture of himself just above it. The author was named Tiberius Trebellius, and what I assumed was the time of writing the book based on the picture, was in his late sixties with a small amount of grey hair on his head and a short grey beard.


    When I was a young lad like I expect many who are reading this very book I killed many vampires, most of which were young vampires who didn¡¯t know much about their abilities. The few powerful vampires I fought almost always nearly killed me, that is why you should never fight a vampire alone no matter how skilled or knowledgeable you are. Having people you can trust is a strength that not many evil beings can say truthfully, not even vampires with those they turn as evil will always fight amongst itself.


    It was good advice that Tiberius Trebellius was giving at the very end, however that might have been something he should have included somewhere else other than the very end. ¡®With the help of Aulus or someone like him and the templars under their command I should be safe enough when I go to the vampires cults lair. I will need to expose the existence of the cult first and then get enough attention so Darius will send the assassin to kill me like last time. Then when I kill him and inform the city guard of what happened the paladins will arrive and I can speak with their leader regarding the cults base of operations.¡¯


    With a plan in mind I returned both the books I had in my possession back to their respective locations before going back to the evoker section for more spell books. ¡®I should look into some tier three spells from other magic types as well, that fireball Calavia used against me might be enough to give Darius and his followers a surprise.¡¯


    Checking through the book shelves I picked up several books that I thought might contain the spell I was looking for along with a few others about geomancy that looked interesting leaving me with five books in hand. I walked over to the same table I was sitting at and started reading the first book on evoker level pyromancy.


    It took me around an hour to read the whole thing, but by the end I felt my knowledge had expanded enough to make the time spent worthwhile. I didn¡¯t find the spell I was looking for but I did find another that I thought would be useful in some situations.


    The spell was called Burning Weapon and would ignite any weapon I touch along where I touch with the hand I cast the spell with. According to the description the spell would last for around ten minutes which was the same as the Free Handed Earth Weapon spell. As I was thinking about the similarities between those I suddenly had an idea I needed to try.


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    ¡®What if I was to cast the Burning Weapon spell on a weapon conjured with the Free Handed Earth Weapon spell? Assuming something doesn¡¯t go wrong it should be covered with a flame and increase its overall power significantly.¡¯ I made a mental note to try this out as I opened the front cover to the second book about evoker level pyromancy I found.


    To my surprise this book was less about offensive fighting with pyromancy and more oriented towards protecting yourself and others from powerful pyromancy spells gone wrong. Funnily enough the first thing it said to do was to stay calm.


    Stay calm. Panicking in a situation where a powerful pyromancy spell whether it be your own or someone else''s will do you no good. If you panic easily you need to take deep breaths and calm your mind enough to think carefully before you do anything.


    You will need to extend your mind and take control of the wild flames that you wish to take control of, this will leave you vulnerable for any falling debris that may fall nearby, that is why you need to find a safe place where you will conduct your magic. And always remember your safety is the most important, if you are worried about getting hurt while helping someone you are doing it wrong.


    ¡®Certainly a unique take on personal safety and for others, but I assume that the writer had a good reason to write this all down.¡¯ I continued reading the book and found that the first quarter of the book covered how to keep yourself safe from what the author referred to as wild fire. It was just fire that wasn¡¯t under the control of any spellcaster but was still dangerous enough to possibly hurt someone. After that it went onto how to actually control a wild and unpredictable fire which I figured I could also put towards controlling the fire I conjured up as well.


    An hour passed as I read the book from front to back and I felt the time I spent was worthwhile. I raised my arms above my head and stretched which was followed by myself standing up and stretching my entire body. Looking across the room I noticed the clock and my eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°Is that the time already?¡± I asked nobody in particular, a little surprised that it was three o¡¯clock in the afternoon already. I had only felt a single hour had passed.


    ¡°Yes it is Arthur, you have been sitting at that table for nearly two hours now reading that pile of books.¡± Mrs. Florens said, suddenly appearing from behind a nearby bookcase with a book in each of her hands which she quickly put back in its place.


    I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden surprise, I quickly collected myself and smiled awkwardly before picking up the two books I had finished and putting them back where I found them. The other three I picked up and walked over to the front desk and waited for Mrs. Florens to return.


    A minute later she seemingly teleported behind a nearby bookcase and walked over and began the process of signing the books out under my name. ¡°Books about geomancy? That wouldn''t happen to be your specialization, would it Arthur?¡±


    ¡°It is, though I am going to try and learn a bit more about pyromancy as well. That way I can have a bit more diverse selection of spells.¡± I replied hoping that she didn¡¯t connect this with my interest in vampires and how fire can be effective against them.


    ¡°Not a terrible idea for a mage. You will find that having many tools that you never use is better than having just one tool that you can¡¯t use. Just remember that you shouldn¡¯t try to learn everything, nothing wrong with learning a little of all magic, but nobody can learn everything. Not even the gods know everything despite all their wisdom and experience.¡±


    *********


    At six o¡¯clock that night I was seated in the free parrot bar with a bowl of soup as my dinner on the table before me while I was reading the book in my hands. While the chair wasn¡¯t quite as comfortable as the ones in the library it was good enough and I could just cycle the little restoration magic that I knew of to alleviate any discomfort.


    While I was standing up to take a stretch as I was doing every half hour I looked around the room that was filled with a large assortment of people. I noticed someone dressed in a very familiar way. Somebody, most likely a man, was dressed in a red cloak that reminded me a lot of the Red Eye cult and what they wore.


    At first I chalked it up to an odd coincidence but suddenly something deep within my mind was telling me differently. The man with the red cloak was sitting at a table with two others who were dressed normally, none of them were eating anything. Nothing wrong with that on its own, but something told me that it wasn¡¯t as simple as three people meeting up.


    Trying to remain discrete I kept watching while I pretended to be reading from my book. After a minute the red cloaked man handed a small bag of something to one of the men sitting across from him and received something else that I didn¡¯t get a good look at. Only a few seconds after that the two normal looking men stepped out of the tavern leaving the cloaked man alone for only a minute before he did the same and stepped outside.


    I waited until he was at the door before standing up and following, stepping into the street I saw the cloaked man walking amongst the remaining people walking through the street. Most of the people were either walking to their homes or a place to eat after a long day of work. Following the cloaked man I hid behind people walking in his direction, I made sure to stay a good distance behind him so he wouldn¡¯t notice me. It helped that his cloak prevented him from looking behind himself without almost turning all the way around. I followed him from the tavern to the familiar plot of unkempt of land where the lair was located.


    Since we were so far from anything anybody would want to be around I had to use what few buildings and other large objects I could find to keep myself hidden. As a precaution I stayed even farther back just in case he could hear my footsteps.


    As he reached the overgrown grass our surroundings were dead silent, the rustling of the grass as he moved through almost echoed through the area. At that moment I cursed myself and watched from a distance as my target disappeared into the vast section of land that once belonged to a noble family.


    ¡®Dam, this isn¡¯t good. I can¡¯t follow him to where he is going without alerting him to my own presence. If we were going down the path with the fake trees or just actual trees then I would have been able to continue following him, but that grass would give me away faster than someone shouting blood murder.¡¯


    With little else to do I left and returned to the tavern a little bitter with my failure, I ended up ordering a drink to try and ease my mind somewhat to a limited success. I continued reading the books in the room I rented, this time I managed to snag a proper room on the second floor with a decent look over the street below.


    To pass the time I tried some of the manipulation techniques that were listed within the books of both the pyromancy and geomancy types, though I kept the amount of fire to a minimum due to the obvious dangers of fire in a wooden building that I didn''t want to be held responsible for. Knowing my luck one of those priests with lie detection magic would start asking me questions about what happened and I wouldn''t be able to lie.

 Chapter 185

    ¡®I know where the cult is located, I just need a good opportunity to prove that they exist. But the longer I wait for one the more people will die for unreasonable things. I remember the one woman I found those two cultists digging a grave for was just taking advantage of all the attention she was receiving to get some presents out of it.¡¯ I thought to myself while I was sitting in the library once more. I was there to do more reading but I couldn''t get my mind off what I saw the night before.


    ¡®Who knows what that exchange was even about. If I had followed I could have found out, but I would have made far too much noise in doing so.¡¯ I sighed to myself while I was staring blankly at the page before me. It was another book about geomancy that I was barely paying any attention to.


    ¡®If I want to follow them around without creating too much noise I will need some sort of way to stop the noise from reaching their ears. I suppose that illusion magic could be used to hide the noise or disguise it as something else, but I don¡¯t have the time to learn illusion magic now.¡¯ With a sigh I stood up and carried the book I was reading with me to put away since I wasn''t reading much of it.


    I walked back into the evoker section of the library and found the spot where I took the book and slid it back into place. But as I was about to leave I noticed something, it was a book on aeromancy titled Aeromancy of Music and Sound. Scattered across the title were strange symbols that had a long shaft and a thick dot on the end, about half had the dot on the top while the other half had them on the bottom.


    Without thinking all that much I picked up the book and flipped it open to the first page. There I found an exercise on how to create a snapping sound with aeromancy like snapping your own fingers. Flipping a few more pages I found more and more things about creating sound and even moving onto musical sounds just like instruments.


    Intrigued yet unhappy with what I found I continued looking until I found what I was looking for, a technique to trap and reduce noise both in spell form and manipulation.


    The spell was accompanied by a small diagram of what it would look like along with an explanation of how it would work, but I paid little attention to the explanation at the moment and instead looked at the diagram. It showed a clear dome surrounding a person with a few feet of room to walk around in.


    ¡®This is what I have been looking for, this is exactly what I need. If there are any gods watching, thank you all very much.¡¯ I quickly closed the book with a swift motion and walked back over to the table I was sitting at and started to read from the beginning.


    **********


    Learning to create a snapping sound with just a bit of aeromancy was very simple, so much so that I managed to do it in just ten minutes of practicing. Then I moved onto other more complicated sounds, the book recommended trying to create something knocking on wood. I managed to do that constantly within another ten minutes and I moved onto other sounds.


    I managed to figure out the next three that were recommended and a few others that I came up with myself by the time an hour and a half had passed since I found the book.


    I skipped the part about musical sounds and went directly to the barrier that blocked sound and started reading the text next to the diagram.


    Creating and controlling sound are two very different things, unless someone wishes to use illusion magic to hide a sound completely the only way to control it is to trap it within a confined space. The easiest way to do this is with a barrier made up of air, but it isn''t as simple as one of the ones you might learn in a traditional education. Instead you will need to make it thin yet thick at the same time to capture the sound within, it must be thin to allow physical objects to pass through yet thick and in the right form to trap in sound.


    I continued reading the explanation until I was certain that I understood what was being said and took a look at the actual spell on the page. Based on how it looked and where the book was found I assumed that the spell was a tier three spell and began casting it upon myself.


    The first attempt was a failure as I lost control over the magic itself and it dissipated. My second attempt was a lot closer but it was followed with the same result.


    By my fifth attempt I managed to get a portion of the edge of the dome formed before it quickly broke apart and faded away into nothing. I decided to take a break at this point as my mana was at one quarter of the maximum. It would have certainly been much lower if I had actually managed to reach this step during my other attempts.


    While I waited for my mana to regenerate I decided to reread the description and explanation of the spell just to be certain I understood it fully as in the past I had on occasion misunderstood what I had read and it led to spending more time than I should have learning a spell or recipe.


    Thankfully it seemed that it was unnecessary as I didn¡¯t see anything that confused or was misread. But I was still forced to wait for what would likely be at least an hour before I had enough for more than a single attempt.


    ********


    Several hours later at around four o¡¯clock in the afternoon I finally succeeded and found myself sitting within a clear dome that appeared to block any and all noise. Stepping outside of it I looked on with a smile on my face. I noticed that the spell clipped past anything physical that blocked its path like the table or the chair I was sitting on and continued past it.


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    ¡®Now for the moment of truth.¡¯ I smiled and I conjured up a small rock that fit snug in my hand like a ball. I tossed the rock towards the table and it landed on top of it without a sound. I sighed in relief at the lack of sound. ¡®Thank whatever gods are watching over me, it works just as shown in the book. Now I just need to study this and see if I can adapt it for my purposes. If I can do something similar with just manipulation rather than a whole spell then it would be a major improvement, if I can then adapt it to cover only a portion of myself plus some more then I should be able to tail anybody through any type of terrain without worry.¡¯


    With the basic spell that I needed at my disposal I flipped through the rest of the book to see if there was anything else that I should consider learning. Unfortunately it was all just more of the same creating more and more complex sounds with aeromancy. So I just returned the book back to its original place and left for my room within the Free Parrot tavern that I rented for the rest of the week.


    Closing and locking the door behind myself I sat down on the bed and laid back on it to rest for a moment before pulling up my HUD with a mental comment. My eyes went directly towards my mana as I still felt quite tired from the spell casting.


    /- - - - - -\


    Mana : 5/42 + 1/10


    \- - - - - -/


    The evoker cloak gave me an extra ten units of mana which was a nice addition to my reserves allowing me to cast a little extra magic. It also absorbed mana on its own which slightly boosts my actual recovery rate even if it doesn¡¯t touch my actual reserves.


    ¡®I need to start doing some alchemy soon. I do have all the tools and apparatuses I need, all I have to deal with are the ingredients and the glass bottles. Thankfully I know a place where I can buy some on a regular basis and the Pelcester Forest has most of the ingredients that I am familiar with using. I still have a few hours before nightfall, so spending some time looking around the forest might not be the worst way to spend my time.¡¯


    I quickly sat up with a decision made and strutted towards the door with my right hand on my dimensional bag before opening it and locking it as I left.


    ********


    Like I remember the Pelcester Forest was a large area of land that had all sorts of plants and trees within it. I quickly found the cave and the little lake where the Rusted Daggers bandit group was hiding the last time when their corrupt captain was exposed for said corruption. ¡®I wonder if they are hiding down there right now.¡¯ I thought before I forced myself back onto the task at hand which was collecting any plants that I recognized.


    Healing roots, goblin berries, abyss sage, glow berries, anything that I knew was useful went into my bag. Since I knew of all the spots that had an abundance of ingredients from my very first trip to the forest a little over a year ago I easily managed to collect a decent stockpile that should last me for a few days if I spent half the day brewing potions.


    At the end of my little foraging adventure I looked up to the sky and saw it was starting to turn orange signaling the coming of nighttime. I started walking back with my eyes on the small lake and the cave as I passed by wondering if I would notice any bandits walking around or if they would try something against me. Thankfully that didn¡¯t happen, but a small part of me was disappointed by that. It had been a while since I had fought anything and fighting a couple bandits might have been enough to get the blood flowing well.


    ********


    Sitting at the one table within his room Arthur was fiddling with the alchemy apparatuses to make sure they were in working order before he would try and use them tomorrow. Unfortunately he found that the Calcinator was having some difficulties getting started and he had to open it up and move around a few things before it was keeping and directing the flame in the correct way.


    When it was finally working he leaned back a let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in the chair he was sitting. ¡°Finally, now I can actually use this thing. Though I am definitely replacing this thing the moment I have a few gold coins to my name, I honestly doubt that I will be able to use such an old thing for the long term.¡±


    *********


    Early the next morning after I had eaten a simple breakfast I bought from the tavern I left and started making my way towards the western district to buy some glass bottles for my alchemy, and I had the perfect place in mind. In fact it was the exact place I had been buying bottles from before making it an easy choice.


    Since I had already been to the Ice Wares Glass Smith before finding it was a simple task. When it was within my sights I paused for a moment thinking back to the first time I was here  and when I returned to start ordering more bottles for my own use. For a moment I allowed those old memories and feelings to fill my mind before I pushed them away and approached the dwarven Forman who was at the moment writing something down.


    Standing nearby with a pouch with a few coins, I waited until he was finished with whatever he was writing. When he was, he looked up at me with a touch of surprise in his eyes and handed the paper to one of his subordinates. ¡°Can I help you sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes you can. I need a steady supply of glass bottles for alchemical purposes. I have heard that your glass is of good quality and you have a stable output.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t see why we can''t supply you with glass bottles, but you will need to give us an amount for your order so we can work out a price. How often you want us to supply you with bottles is also something you will need to inform us about before we can begin.¡± The dwarf said as he started directing me towards the small building where I assumed paperwork and other important papers would be taken care of.


    ********


    Around ten minutes later I left the Ice Wares Glass Smith building with a weekly order for twenty one bottles for just two silver coins. This would roughly equate to two copper pieces for each bottle which was a decent price given that I had little experience with haggling and making deals of the like. But it also meant that the potions I was making needed to be worth more than the two copper pieces that I was spending on them.


    ¡®I guess healing potions will be my biggest source of income for the time being since I have lots of experience in brewing them. If I can make some that are worth at least four copper pieces and sell them to the guild I can save up a few gold coins and buy some equipment that was actually made within the last year.¡¯


    Looking up at the sun I noticed that it was barely even nine o¡¯clock in the morning. ¡®I still have several hours before the glass bottles will be delivered to me. I could go and collect some more ingredients while I wait. I will need a lot of healing roots if I want to make as many potions as I think I will to turn a decent profit. I could also practice casting my new spells while I do that, perhaps I can even manage to create those sound barriers with just manipulation.¡¯

 Chapter 186

    As he walked through the forest Arthur collected anything he could recognize as a possible ingredient for his potions, his primary focus was on the healing roots and the other ingredients that were needed to brew healing potions. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing he was doing out there, he was also trying to create a small sound barrier in the palm of one of his hands as he walked around with some success.


    As long as his hands were not full with useful plants Arthur was practicing and using up a decent amount of his mana as he did so, but he was sure to keep it above the halfway point just in case something dangerous happened where he needed his magic.


    Unfortunately however danger always had a way of finding him.


    While walking along the eastern edge of the forest near the road he suddenly heard a slight whooshing sound nearby that was followed by a little wrestling of a bush. He looked around a little confused at what made the sound but it was followed by another that nearly hit him in the face. With only a second to spare he realized what it was and conjured up a shield to protect himself from the arrow that would have hit him in the arm and forced him to hide.


    Of course with arrows flying around he still did hide behind a tree to protect himself so he wouldn¡¯t need to keep his shield up the whole time. The tree he hid behind was large and thick, more than enough to hide himself behind, but not much room to move around and not very effective when someone walked around just a few meters to the left or right. Still it was enough to peek around to try and figure out where his attackers were without exposing himself entirely.


    As his heart started to slow with his steady breathing Arthur peeked around the side opposite that he hid from. Peering into the deep forest he saw nothing but more trees and bushes lining the somewhat raised forest floor.


    Not wanting to give his enemies another opportunity he ducked his head back behind the tree and cursed the bandits that just attacked him. ¡®Dam them, I just need one opportunity to deal some lasting damage to them and get them out of the fight. I just hope there aren¡¯t all that many of them out there waiting for me to make a mistake.¡¯


    Instead of just waiting there for the bandits to enclose him Arthur started listening with his 30 points of perception for any signs of movement. To help concentrate he closed his eyes and focused only on what he could hear in a way not all that different from when he would meditate to more quickly absorb mana.


    Around a minute of listening was followed with results, he could hear two sets of footsteps somewhere from where he was shot at from walking towards him with little regard for starting quiet. With a quick wave of both his hands Arthur conjured up six earth bolts and spun around the tree and pointed his hands forwards looking for the source of the footsteps.


    Roughly thirty meters away there were two bandits, both human with unkempt hair and dressed in old worn commoner clothing that a day laborer or a farmer might wear. The first and larger one was carrying a large wooden rod that had a length not far from a spear. The other who was far slimmer yet looked just as mean had a bow in his hands with an arrow ready to draw, on his hip was an old skinning knife that would need replacing.


    Without waiting for even a moment Arthur gave the mental command and the six bolts fired towards the two bandits with great speed. The two bandits didn¡¯t have much time to react, the larger one didn¡¯t even notice the bolts until they were far too close to dodge and was struck in the right shoulder, left thigh, and the lower chest before falling to the ground. The second bandit however noticed the bolts a few seconds before they hit him and managed to dodge out of the way of one of the bolts, the other two however struck him in the left shin and the last skimmed his waist leaving a cut that started bleeding.


    The second bow-wielding bandit hobbled behind the nearest tree before Arthur had the time to process everything and conjured before firing off any more bolts. Looking at the first bandit who was laying on the ground that he could hear groaning somewhat he turned his attention towards the still standing bandit and the tree he was hiding behind.


    Arthur quickly moved behind another nearby tree that was closer, closing the distance somewhat as he listened and watched the tree the last standing bandit was hiding behind. He did this once more and he could hear the bandit saying something muffled by the distance. Figuring that he would hear if the bandit tried to move from the noise he was making Arthur started casting the Free Handed Earth Weapon spell and conjured up a longsword made up from earth.


    The muffled sounds the bandit was making didn¡¯t cease during those twelve seconds Arthur was casting so he decided to walk closer with the conjured longsword hovering above his shoulder ready to strike like a snake. But as he got close enough he could hear that the bandit wasn¡¯t talking but rather was crying.


    Arthur hid behind a tree that gave him a good look at where the bandit was hiding and he saw the bandit was sitting there on the ground clutching at his bleeding waist and shin that still had the earth bolt sticking out of it. The bandit was trying to pull the bolt out but it wasn¡¯t budging, instead it appeared to be causing the bandit pain which was why he was trying to pull it out in the first place.


    ¡®Poor fool, I almost feel bad for him. But given that he tried to kill me just a few minutes ago while I was minding my own business I see no reason why I should care all that much about him.¡¯ Arthur thought as he raised his left hand from behind the tree. Three more earth bolts were conjured with just a small hand movement and shot forwards with another.


    Distracted with his wounds the bandit didn¡¯t have the time or the focus to react to the bolts that struck him in the face, the right eye, and the neck killing him in just a few seconds. As he was dying however the bandit looked over in the direction of Arthur with wide eyes, from such a short distance Arthur could see the tears in the bandit''s eyes just a moment before the bandit went limp and his head slumped down.


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    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp X 2 (100 Exp)


    \- - - - - -/


    For a whole minute Arthur waited behind that tree waiting for the sounds of anyone moving around just in case there were more bandits that he missed, thankful that appeared to not be the case. Slowly Arthur stepped out from behind the tree and walked over to the dead bandit and started looking through his things.


    ¡®A bow and knife like I saw from a distance.¡¯ Arthur said within his own mind as he placed the two weapons the bandit had to the side. ¡®But you also appeared to have a few coins on yourself as well.¡¯ Arthur smiled as he picked up a small pouch that jingled with the sounds of the familiar currency he was in such a need of.


    Opening up the pouch showed Arthur a somewhat disappointing sight, only ten copper pieces to this nameless bandit that Arthur quickly added to his own bag with a little disappointment along with the bow and knife. ¡®I really hope the other bandit has some money as well, but seeing how poor these two fools are thigh might be all that they owned.¡¯


    Peeking around to be certain that nobody had noticed anything while he wasn¡¯t looking, Arthur then carefully made his way back to the corpse and started going through his pockets as well. ¡®Looks like the two of you weren''t completely poor after all, you seemed to have another three copper coins to your name.¡¯ Arthur sarcastically said to himself as he opened the small pouch he found containing three copper coins. The only other object of value was the wooden staff that had a similar length to a spear which Arthur quickly placed within his dimensional bag.


    ¡®Well I am certainly disappointed beyond measure and this trip has been ruined. Might as well leave now and return to the city while I can still salvage the day and do something else.¡¯ Arthur thought to himself while taking one last look around to be certain he wasn¡¯t being watched and began walking down the nearby road going north back to the southern entrance of the city of Antium.


    *********


    Once he returned to the city he took the quickest path to the Free Parrot Bar that he knew of going through several back alleyways to pass the large amounts of traffic that would often be on the proper roads at eleven o¡¯clock in the morning, while it wasn¡¯t recommended by the city guard due to the thieves and criminals that lurked away from the eyes of the public it wasn¡¯t much of an issue for Arthur who could conjure up just about any weapon he needed for such low level and weak enemies. He found and entered the tavern and quickly walked up the stairs to the room he was renting and locked the door behind him.


    With a deep sigh from the lack of valuables Arthur counted up the money he took from the bandits and disappointedly dumped the coins into the larger pouch where he was keeping the silver and copper coins he had.


    ¡°I still have over twenty silver coins, so I don¡¯t really need to worry about money for the time being. But I still wished I got more money than what I did from those two, they did nearly kill me after all.¡± Arthur said to himself as he sat down on the bed.


    With little else to do Arthur started to practice casting spells, specifically geomancy spells as that was his strong suit. The earth vine spell which would conjure up a small vine of earth from the ground was my focus for this training session as I wanted to try and use the spell against Darius the self proclaimed vampire lord.


    With a small wave of my hand and a moment to manipulate his mana Arthur conjured up a vine that sprouted up like a bean plant that shifted and warped almost as if it was anticipating something. He stood back and did nothing while allowing the earth vine to move around on the spot while I watched from a distance. For a minute the vine moved around like a thin appendage of some underground animal before it simply broke apart piece by piece before it dissipated into nothing leaving no evidence that it was ever there.


    ¡®I noticed several things with that spell. First, the spell took a bit longer to cast than the Tri Earth bolts spell. That was likely because I have a lot more experience casting that spell than any other spell.¡¯ Arthur laid back on the bed as he continued to take his notes mentally. ¡®Second, the vine was just kind of doing its own thing when it didn¡¯t have a target to try and attach itself to. I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that it is an actual spell and what actually makes something a spell rather than anything on my end.¡¯


    As Arthur was about to think about other things he noticed such as how the spell acted when it came to an end he heard a sudden knock at his door. Quickly he sat up a little worried for a moment before he thought back to the glass bottles he ordered. With that he stood up and walked over to the door before unlocking it and opening to see a young human boy no older than sixteen carrying a box that was filled with the glass bottles he ordered.


    ¡°Are you Mr. Arthur? Because I have the glass bottles you ordered.¡± The young boy sounded a little nervous but Arthur paid that little attention. ¡°Yes I am.¡± He answered as he took the box from the boy''s hand and brought it into his room and placed it on the table. When he looked back the young boy was still there holding a small document and ink pot with a quill inside. Arthur quickly recalled that this was the notice of sale and would require his signature and the address he received the order from to prevent any legal disputes that may occur.


    Without even waiting for the boy to say anything Arthur quickly took control of some of the ink and filled in the blank portions of the document to the surprise of the boy. When Arthur was done and was closing the door the boy had barely moved an inch and stayed standing for a moment when it was closed.


    With his chain of thought broken by the sudden arrival of his bottles Arthur with a small hand movement and manipulation of his mana conjured up another earth vine and stepped back to observe how it acted taking notes within his own mind as he did so.


    *********


    The young boy who delivered the box of bottles slowly made his way back out of the tavern and onto the street. From there he followed the road back the way he came until he arrived back at the Ice Wares Glass Smith workshop where he found his boss and the Forman directing his workers out in front of the building.


    The boy waited until they were finished before he walked over and told the Forman that he finished the task he was assigned and handed over the notice of sale. ¡°That''s good, if you didn¡¯t deliver it and instead returned with nothing I likely would have beaten you and told you to bring them back. How was the client by the way? He was dressed a little strange compared to our normal clientele.¡±


    ¡°Well he is certainly a mage. I saw him doing magic with the ink, that was how he wrote everything down.¡± The boy said, his voice trembling a little as he spoke.


    ¡°Wait, our new client is a mage? That would explain the bottles he wanted.¡± The Forman said hoping that the people walking the streets didn¡¯t hear his question.


    Truthfully he didn¡¯t need to worry about the common folk walking around several meters away, who he should have been worrying about where the workers and one worker in particular that was listening from just two meters away.

 Chapter 187

    One of the glass makers, a human man taking a break after just finishing an order a handful of minutes ago with his back turned to the forman and the young boy speaking was listening to the conversation intently. It wasn¡¯t everyday a new mage would arrive within the city.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but he raised his hand near the ink pot I offered and he just controlled the ink and made it move across the page while I didn¡¯t know how to react. He didn¡¯t even brag or say anything that might indicate that he was proud of the achievement either.¡± The glassmaker smiled a wide smile unnatural of a commoner with no connections.


    ¡°That is interesting to say the least, do you know if he was affiliated with the guild or another organisation in the city? If so we might be able to turn this simple transaction into a larger more lucrative long term contract.¡± The dwarven forman smiled like a wolf as he spoke to the young boy, his intentions clear as the sun on that day.


    ¡°I.. I don¡¯t know. He just had a simple room in the Free Parrot bar in the western district with some simple furniture like you said he would be. If he is a part of some group like the mages guild I didn¡¯t see anything that he might have that proves it.¡± The boy said his voice quivering slightly as he knew nothing about the mage in question, he was also expecting his boss to be annoyed by his lack of in depth knowledge even though it wasn¡¯t his fault. The glassworker however was more than happy with what the boy said and even had a few ideas on how to reward him when the time was right.


    ¡°That is unfortunate. But I¡¯ll have you deliver the bottles every week from now on just in case you do see or hear something that can tell us more about this mage.¡± The forman ordered in a more casual tone that most would otherwise do, but both the boy and the nearby glassmaker understood that he was disappointed by the boy''s lack of information.


    ¡®Relax kid, I¡¯ll see if somebody can put the fear of the gods in that jackass¡¯s soul.¡¯


    **********


    Another five hours later when the glass furnaces were off for the day the glassmaker walked as inconspicuous as he could in the direction of a meeting place where he could offer the information to a group that could be trusted and wanted this information.


    The location was a cheap tavern towards the northernmost point of the southern district that was owned by a medium level member of the group. Entering the building he saw in the far corner a human woman dressed in a deep red cloak who was reading a book without a title. With a brief look around the room he walked over towards her and took a seat opposite of her. The sounds of casual conversation helped him relax and remind him he was in a public place where murder was unlikely to happen.


    The woman didn¡¯t react to his presence at first, instead she chose to continue reading her book when a waitress arrived next to the glassmaker and took an order for a soup while the woman was just ignored. The glassmaker was a little confused by this but suddenly realised that something was a little off about the woman and how she was acting, until suddenly she spoke up.


    ¡°Do you have a code name?¡± The sudden question caught the glassmaker off guard for a moment before he managed to answer. ¡°No, not yet.¡±


    The woman in red lowered her book for a moment to look at the glassmaker''s attire before asking another question, though this one seemed a bit unrelated. ¡°What is your job?¡±


    ¡°I am a glassmaker.¡± He replied as the woman in red looked at his clothing and nodded in agreement. The thick tunic and pants he was wearing to protect himself from the heat of the furnace was evident of working near one.


    ¡°Then we will be calling you the Glassmaker from now on.¡± The woman in red said without even a change of expression, and without waiting to hear about his opinion she wrote something down in her book that was likely the said code name she gave him.


    ¡°Now do you have anything to report Glassmaker?¡± She asked in a very flat tone that gave no indication of any emotion that disturbed the Glassmaker in a way he couldn¡¯t describe.


    ¡°Yes, I have heard of a mage likely to be unaffiliated with most groups that is currently residing within a room in the Free Parrot bar located in the western district. From what I heard he is able to move ink around like how other mages move fire and water around.¡±


    ¡°That is certainly interesting Glassmaker, now how exactly did you come across this information? Given that you ¡®heard of¡¯ this mage I am assuming that you have not directly seen or spoken to this mage in question.¡± The red cloaked woman pushed against the statement the glassmaker made and was trying to force him into a corner and keep him uneasy, if she did that she could extract more information while keeping him from noticing just how important and valuable the information was worth.


    ¡°One of the people I work with, a young boy who handles some of the deliveries, told my boss about what he saw when he delivered something to this mage. He said the mage controlled ink like how many other mages control fire or water.¡± The Glassmaker nearly blurted out his response, he managed to stop himself from saying any more once the woman leaned back and wrote something else down in her book.


    A minute later when she was done she spoke again without even looking up. ¡°You are free to go now Glassmaker, return in a week''s time and we will give you your deserved reward.¡± The red cloaked woman said with little emotion in her voice, like she was telling a servant to clean the floor. The Glassmaker wanted to say something, to rebuke her for how rude she was, but he kept his mouth shut out of the aura of ear that seemed to be radiating from her.


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    Now that she was alone the red cloaked woman¡¯s expression tensed up somewhat as she closed the book and placed it within her bag before standing up and walking up the stairs to the second floor. Up there was a small hallway leading to several rooms, she walked to the room at the very end and opened it revealing a small room with an open window filled with carrier birds all of light grey or black.


    The woman chose one of the grey birds and wrote down a small message on a piece of paper she picked up nearby and tied it around the bird''s leg before carrying it over to the window where it flew out and towards a decent sized wooded area within the city.


    If anybody was able to see the woman through the window they would see her stern expression with a small hint of worry. She knew that her organisation, the Red Eye Cult, was looking for mages, especially ones with some ability for hydromancy but she didn¡¯t know why. All she knew was it something their mysterious leader specifically ordered his followers to look out for and report to him whenever they did.


    She didn¡¯t know why but it made her feel uneasy sending the message, something about the request was just off. Wanting more mages was one thing, but he specifically wanted those with skill in hydromancy. She was missing something, but she didn¡¯t know what.


    *********


    With the bottles in my hands I smiled softly like I saw an old friend after many years apart. It had been some time since I had done any alchemy and I was most eager to start again.


    With a spring in my step I brought out all of the ingredients I needed for my healing potions and started grounding them up with the mortar and pestle like I always did.


    I followed the recipe drilled within my mind and after ten minutes of brewing I was left with a bottle that was filled with the liquid that I could easily sell for a small handful of copper coins, but before I could do that I needed to cast one last spell. The simple alchemy spell that bonded the healing magic to the liquid allowing for it to actually be called a potion.


    The spell was just a simple tier one and took a few seconds to cast, controlling it however to do what I wanted it to take a little longer. But I was more than skilled enough in both alchemy and mana manipulation to succeed and I was left with a light pinkish glowing liquid in a sealed bottle that was easily worth three or four copper pieces.


    ¡°Now to do this two more times today.¡± I said to myself as I put the bottle down and looked to the mess that I had left on the table and my apparatuses. I felt it was a little ironic that the longest and worst part of alchemy wasn¡¯t the actual mixing or casting of the spell that gave the potions their magic, no it was cleaning up after each potion or batch of potions. Unlike brewers, leaving residual potions in your apparatuses was a good way to get mixed results and failed potions according to my old teacher Georgius. Thankfully I hadn''t experienced anything like that yet due to my diligent cleaning.


    Another half hour passed as I brewed and cleaned my temporary workstation with an end result of three healing potions that I could imagine would sell for around twelve copper pieces total if sold to the right people. ¡®But to get that price I would likely need to sell this directly to the mages guild like I did before. But to do that I need to go through the whole certification process of brewing those potions with the other three alchemists watching. Thankfully I don''t need the money right now, there was a bit of a wait last time.¡¯


    I quickly slipped the apparatuses and then the potions into my bag for safekeeping and I got ready to leave for the mages guild library. I wanted to take a look at the evoker level aeromancy books and see if learning something from them might help with the sound barrier.


    ********


    I managed to find a few books that detailed evoker level training exercises and I began trying them out each for around five minutes before moving onto another. I didn¡¯t try and push myself all that much, I just tried them out to see how they worked and if I could use them, when I was done with each I turned back to the sound barrier and tried creating one again with a focus around my feet.


    The resistance I felt from the air trying to return to its original form was still there, but I wasn¡¯t certain if there was that much of a change given its relatively small size, so I slowly increased the size until it covered my knees in addition to my feet. I felt a considerable change and the shape of the barrier warped slightly under the strain from the air trying to revert to its original form, but I held firm and kept it from breaking apart.


    ¡®Gods this would be so much worse if I needed to actually move around with this thing. But I don¡¯t need it to be huge and cover a full room, just enough to cover myself while staying low to the ground and a bit extra for any grass or other plants that shift as I move.¡¯ I thought to myself while trying to calm and focus my mind towards the task at hand.


    With a mental command I made the barrier rise even more up to around my hips, this was where most of the structural problems became far more apparent.


    The outside of the barrier was almost rippling like a body of water as I was barely able to contain its form. I knew enlarging it anymore or moving around would cause the barrier to break apart completely so instead I just stopped and kept in how it was while focusing the entirety of my mana and my focus towards keeping it stable.


    I remained there allowing my mana to flow into the barrier and keep it running, eventually I felt the barrier stabilise somewhat as I managed to somewhat improve my control.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Aeromancy Level 21


    \- - - - - -/


    I didn¡¯t open my eyes but I already knew what the feeling was. The mana I needed to keep the barrier stable was slightly smaller than it was before, but nothing significant enough to take my attention off it for even a second.


    ¡°Um, excuse me?¡± A young voice suddenly asked, breaking me from my task which resulted in my barrier cracking apart and popping like a wine bottle. I looked up with a mixture of surprise and annoyance evident on my face to the source of this distraction. But to my surprise it was a familiar face that I had first seen during my pyromancy lessons.


    The spider person who I was certain was a male based on the deepness of his voice tried averting his eyes behind the hood of his cloak as he saw my annoyed expression.


    Recalling how nervous and shy he was when we shared our classes I quickly calmed down and relaxed my face. ¡°Do you need help with something?¡± I asked hoping I didn¡¯t scare him too much.


    ¡°Um, do you know any good books on pyromancy or geomancy for beginners? I just started my classes and I want to try and learn as much as possible.¡± The thick accent the spider man had made it a little difficult to understand what he was saying even with my amulet translating everything he said. A small flaw with the spell that it didn¡¯t account very well for accents, likely due to how many there were.


    ¡°Um, well I know of a few good books for novices. Here I will help you look for them.¡±

 Chapter 188

    In the novice section of the library I showed the young spider man a few books that I myself had read in the past when I was learning the basics of both pyromancy and geomancy. Though he was very shy he gave a deep bow and thanked me profusely. ¡°Thank you very much sir. I will remember this.¡± He quickly scampered off to somewhere else in the library before I had an opportunity to say anything.


    ¡°A bit of an odd fellow isn¡¯t he.¡± A familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind. I turned to see Mrs. Florens turning the corner of the book shelf with a small table-like object with wheels on the bottom. The object was covered with books that she quickly began placing back.


    ¡°Mrs. Florens, you surprised me.¡± I said, a little surprised by how quiet she was.


    ¡°Sorry about that. I just noticed that you were helping out a young mage not unlike yourself who was just starting his journey into the arcane. Normally that would be my job to help, so I wanted to thank you for helping him.¡± Mrs. Florens moved a few of the books around and exposed a few that were piled upon by other less advanced books.


    ¡°Now I know you are an avid reader so I thought you might be interested in something like these which you normally would get access to until you seek someone out.¡± Reaching into the pile she picked out three books that looked quite advanced. The first book was titled The Basics of Ritual Casting, the second How to Convert Manipulation Effects into Rituals, and the third How to Convert Basic Spells into Rituals.


    I took the books and looked the covers up and down with a look of confusion on my face. This was the first time I heard anything about rituals let alone converting spells and manipulation into them. When I looked back up Mrs. Florens obviously knew what I was thinking. ¡°Read the Basics of Ritual Casting first and it should explain everything to you. I don¡¯t really know what you are planning on doing with that magic spell you were converting into manipulation but I don¡¯t see how you can keep that up for long while moving around without at least a few months of practice.¡±


    With that Mrs. Florens walked away leaving only the books on the shelf and those in my hands. I kept the Basics of Ritual Casting in my hands while the other two went into my dimensional bag before I returned to the table I was practicing at and started reading.


    My eyes widened at the statements within just the very first page of this book. Preparing spells ahead of time such as the Tri Earth Bolts I was so fond of was definitely something doable, but with rituals far more advanced spells were able to be cast far ahead of time and stored within a mana stone.


    ¡®This is incredible. I might even be able to use this ritual magic to maintain my sound barrier while I am moving around. I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about my mana usage and it would be far more stable since it wouldn¡¯t be subjected to my own mana fluctuations. The only real problem I see here is acquiring a mana stone strong enough to remain active for a decent amount of time. I bought one from that powerful merchant Osvald in his likely illegal warehouse, but buying one from the guild should probably be a lot cheaper since he was selling for both a profit and illegally.¡¯


    I made a mental note to look into the prices of mana stones so I could actually try out a few of these ideas that came to my mind and continued reading. As it turned out not all ritual spells required mana stones to operate, things like preparing a spell and moving it around certainly did, but if you just wanted a longer lasting variant of a spell or effect there were spells directly designed for that. The one downside ritual spells including these had was the caster would always need to perform the hand signs and speak the arcane words which was an answer to my questions about casting the tier one geomancy spells with just slight movements and mana.


    One of the spells was called Bonfire and it predictably created a fire around the size of a bonfire that would stay in its spot until it ran out of mana. The interesting thing about this spell and how ritual spells worked was that I could actually hurt myself very badly with rituals spells like this one since it would actually be mostly using mana from the world around it, some of the mana would be mine but that was just to give it direction and orders, to fuel it the mana came from its own surroundings.


    ¡®I will need to cast this spell somewhere outside, preferably somewhere outside the city where I won''t need to worry about anyone stumbling upon it and hurting themselves.¡¯ I thought to myself as I stood up from the table and closed the book. There were a few other ritual spells that looked interesting that I also wanted to try, but I needed to get outside the guild before I tried them out. ¡®I should be able to find an abandoned building or two in the southern district that I won¡¯t be disturbed in.


    **********


    I knew of one building that was abandoned in the southern district, but with the young widow living there it didn¡¯t seem like a very good place to practice magic. Instead I looked around the area the same building was in until I found another more worn down building with a few holes in the walls. The front door was either locked or blocked from the inside so I was forced to conjure up a ladder to climb inside through a window not unlike what I did with the other building. It was also just as dark which forced me to conjure a flame to see.


    Stepping inside I found myself inside of a strangely shaped warehouse with a small second floor that overlooked the actual storage area. I followed the wall until I found the staircase down that was more accurately described as a ladder, but since it was technically connected to the building itself and had a much larger slant to walk down it was considered a staircase.


    The storage area was empty aside from a few old and rotting pieces of wood scattered across the stone floor. I allowed myself to get lost within my thought about what this place might have looked like many years ago, perhaps even just ten years ago this place was filled with tradable goods owned by a merchant making his way though the world.


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    ¡®That likely stopped once the current captain of the guard took over. It must have been for at least ten years now for all the nearby buildings to suffer so much damage without any repairs. I¡¯ve never even met the man and I would happily punch him in the face for all the damage he has done to this place.¡¯ I recalled how Captain Tasius even with all his goodwill was having a terrible time trying to undo the lasting damage the district suffered.


    Knowing I shouldn¡¯t be wasting any more time I pushed those thoughts from my mind and sat down on the cold ground while I followed the instructions for casting the Bonfire ritual spell. I collected the small amount of mana I needed from myself and then focused on performing the hand signs and speaking the arcane words which collected mana from nearby and into a small area before myself. This process took a whole minute and ended with interesting the last bit of my own mana and sort of connecting it to the rest of the mana to give it the instructions for the spell.


    Suddenly a flame shot up from the ground where I placed the spell like a beam. It remained for a second before quickly shrinking until the flame stopped altogether. I looked at the small flickering flame with a mixture of annoyance and confusion by what I just witnessed.


    ¡®It should have been a lot smaller and lasted a lot longer. Must have been something that I did when casting it, maybe I did something I wasn¡¯t supposed to, or maybe it was something I didn¡¯t do.¡¯ I reached into my bag and brought out the Basics of Ritual Casting and flipped to the page on the Bonfire spell. Rereading the actual forming of the spell I realized I miss understood something, I was supposed to shrink the connecting pathway between my own mana and the foreign mana to limit the amount of mana it could access at once which would limit the output of the flame and make it last longer.


    I made the mistake of just leaving the pathway very large and wide which allowed most of the mana to pass through all at once. Thankfully it was a quick fix and the spell could be cast again within just a minute.


    Like before I gathered a small amount of my own mana and began casting the spell to collect the foreign mana at the target location and shape it. After a minute it was done and I quickly inserted my own mana with the instructions on what to do, this time I made sure to thin out the pathway and took a step back.


    The flame that came out was a bit smaller than I would have liked it to be only reaching halfway up my shin, but it was a noticeable improvement and the spell lasted far longer than it did the last time.


    I continued my experiments with the basic ritual spells within the first few pages of the book, I tried a variant that created a small spinning motion with air, another that conjured and then squirted water upwards, and the last of the four which conjured up a few clumps of earth that rolled off in a random direction.


    Clearly they didn¡¯t have much real value outside of a basic training environment but I still kept trying out different things with them to see what exactly made them act the way they did. I wanted to see if I was able to direct where the magic went, for example I wanted to see if I could have the water squirt in a direction other than straight up.


    With a lot of practice and experiments that took a few hours based on the changes in the sun''s angle I did manage to do something like that. It was a lot harder then when I normally did something like that because I wasn¡¯t able to direct it after the spell started, I just had to take notes of what I observed and try again.


    To do this I needed to slightly change the instructions that I gave with the small amount of mana I personally provided the ritual. However since it was just a small amount, one unit of mana to be precise, I was only able to provide so much direction for the spell without just controlling the spell itself which would defeat the purpose of ritual magic.


    The best I could do with such a small ritual was change the direction of the intensity. But that didn¡¯t mean this was a waste, with the other two books in my possession I could definitely figure out how to use and make more powerful rituals and use stronger magic. It wouldn¡¯t be perfect, but I was betting that it would replace a spell or two and save me in a pinch.


    But to do anything more complex required an actual mana stone which ended up costing me around ten gold coins when I bought it from Osvald and his illegal market. Considering that it was the lowest grade of mana stone which was referred to as petite it was quite expensive, but I should be able to get a better price from the guild since they do receive funding from the kingdom and don¡¯t really need to make a profit.


    ¡®Looks like I will need to look into mana stone prices when I get an opportunity. Hopefully it won¡¯t cost as much as a house this time.¡¯ I sighed to myself knowing I only had a little more than a gold coin in silver, the potions I was making might help with buying it but if it was even five gold coins for the mana stone it would take several weeks to gather the money, perhaps even a whole month.


    **********


    ¡°Five gold coins?¡± I asked with defeat evident in my voice.


    ¡°Yes, that is the cost for a petite mana stone. And don¡¯t bother asking for a discount, we sell these things at cost. Any less and the guild would just be dumping money and the kingdom would just abandon us and find another ground to support for powerful mages.¡± The clerk said as if it was something he had been required to answer many times.


    I didn¡¯t say anything else, instead I nodded and turned to leave the magic item hall where mana stones were sold alongside magic items to those who would ask.


    ¡®Well that is an unfortunate turn of events. At least I don¡¯t need to save up a whole ten gold coins, but five is still quite a bit. I don¡¯t really know how I am going to save that much.¡¯ I thought to myself feeling rather depressed when I suddenly recalled something that might help me acquire the money.


    ¡®The bandit camps! I can raid them and take anything I can find once the dust settles. Since I would be killing bandits nobody would care all that much about what I was doing, but I would also be able to make the forest safer for when I go foraging for ingredients out in the forest.¡¯ I was excited by the idea that technically wasn¡¯t my own, but at the moment that didn¡¯t really matter as I knew of two places that would likely have a good amount of money once I killed everyone in there.


    The first was the camp in the cave that was filled with the highest members of the Rusted Daggers, for now that was not an option given how strong they were. The alternative was the smaller and less powerful camp that as I recalled was controlled by a dwarven woman.

 Chapter 189

    ¡®Depending on how wealthy the bandits are I could easily afford a mana stone and a nicer place for a few months. I have been living in a tavern for long enough, might as well find a place worthy of a mage such as myself.¡¯ I thought to myself with a deep smile.


    It had only been a day since I was testing out the basic ritual spells and it was still morning. I had plenty of time to take a look in the Pelcester forest for both ingredients that I would need for my potions in addition to the bandit camp that I, alongside the stone elf Titia, infiltrated to capture their dwarven leader.


    ¡®I am assuming that the camp even exists right now, but even if it doesn¡¯t I will have an opportunity to swipe something from the main base of the Rusted Daggers if I keep my head straight.¡¯ I was a little nervous but I was just as excited about the trip to the forest which was why I had my mana at my fingertips just in case something happened.


    ********


    Passing through the fields with growing crops I headed south to the Pelcester forest that was no more than twenty minutes of walking away. I followed the familiar path and passed by the small lake with the cave, like every time before I saw no sign of anybody walking anywhere near it. It was a little unnerving to know that someone without magic was able to hide their tracks so well, it was almost more mysterious than if they did use magic.


    Pushing my curiosity out of my mind I continued down retracing my steps I took with Titia towards the bandit camp. It was deep within the forest, so deep that it was really unlikely that anyone would even stubble across it by accident, you would need to know ahead of time where it was to avoid walking around in circles for hours which was likely what the city guard had done when they were looking for the place.


    For a moment I mentally voiced my thanks towards the guards for the work they did that technically doesn¡¯t exist anymore before I continued on my way with only my task on my mind.


    It took me nearly a whole hour to find the place but it was certainly there. The first part I noticed was one of the watchtowers with a bandit lazily keeping an eye out for anyone who could have been walking around. I couldn¡¯t see anyone else but I didn¡¯t do anything just yet as more bandits could be watching from behind the log wall surrounding the camp. Instead I circled around the camp just past the tree line the bandits created from all the trees they had cut down to build their wall.


    From what I could tell there was a minimal amount of bandits on guard. Each of the three watchtowers had only a single bandit using them with just a bow as a weapon, and each of the two entrances on either side of the camp had only two bandits who instead of standing guard were doing other things they likely weren''t supposed to. The first two were playing some sort of game with a table and a cup while the other two were sleeping.


    Since I was still close by, I stepped closer to the second entrance with my hands ready to conjure up some earth bolts or an earth vine at a moment''s notice. When I was right next to the entrance and hidden behind the log wall I peeked around the corner to take a look at the camp and see what sort of activity was happening.


    What I saw was a bit of a disappointment.


    I didn¡¯t see anyone that wasn¡¯t either face down on a table or standing guard, the two guards that were supposed to be guarding the entrance I was at also suspiciously smelled like alcohol along with the half dozen bottles laying at their feet.


    ¡®Looks like they were really lazy until the captain of the southern district got caught with my involvement. I don¡¯t think there is anyone, excluding most of those on guard, who didn¡¯t have a large amount of alcohol last night. But I would have assumed they would be doing something at this time of the day. They have weapons, shouldn¡¯t they be maintaining those?¡¯ I shook my head at the sheer sloppiness of the bandits I could see, the ones I couldn¡¯t see were likely just as bad or even worse. Since I had no intention of sparing any of these bandits I turned my attention towards the two drunks to my left who were currently sleeping rather soundly while everyone else I saw today was busy working.


    Worrying about the noise that could come from drawing my sword I instead chose to conjure up a knife in my hand. Slowly the blade formed in my hand and I stepped closer to the closest sleeping bandit with the conjured knife in my hand pulled back like a snake. Just as I was close enough and about to stab him in the neck he suddenly stirred in his sleep and mumbled something while he moved around.


    For those few seconds before he became motionless again I watched not moving a muscle while my heart was beating like a drum in my chest. It only slowed when he stopped moving around and I took a very slow and deep breath. ¡®I should have just killed him from a distance.¡¯ I thought to myself as I was nearly face to face with the bandit and I quickly inserted the knife into his neck and clasped my hand over his mouth. He still managed to let out a soft grunt as the knife slid out along with some blood but thankfully it wasn¡¯t quite enough to wake his friend up.


    Unwilling to risk waking the other sleeping bandit I raised my hands up and quickly conjured up three earth bolts with only a small delay and aimed for both the eyes and the mouth which was wide open. I had to change my position to get the best angle, when I was in position I flicked my right hand forwards and in one motion all three bolts flew forwards towards my target.


    The first two bolts each pierced one of the closed eyes both waking and startling the bandit who quickly opened his mouth wide to scream out in pain, the last bolt however was right in the perfect position to go straight into his mouth and pierce the inside of his throat. Instead of shouting this bandit barely managed to cough the blood that quickly was pooling in his mouth and he fell to the ground from his chair. He looked up at me with his blind eyes that somehow still had his desperation plain as day. He reached towards me and started crawling towards me on his knees which was a bit surprising and further disgusted me.


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    ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked, my voice dripping with contained anger. ¡°You people kill innocents and have the audacity to try and ask for help when someone else gets revenge. Nice try, but the only mercy you will be receiving is dying here rather than in a prison cell.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to hear me as he continued crawling towards me just moaning softly before he slumped to the ground and stopped moving.


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    With nothing nearby to hear anything I did I unsheathed my sword and poked the bandit to be certain that he was dead. When he didn¡¯t react I walked behind him and picked him up by his arms and dragged his body off to the side of the entrance. I did the same with his ally before I started searching through their pockets.


    The first and most obvious prize I took was their weapons which turned out to be a pair of half decent iron short swords. They were definitely human made as the quality of just about everything made by a talented dwarf was easily twice as valuable as these two swords were, but it was still a good thing to have either to sell or if I needed a backup weapon for some reason. The next prize was the money they were carrying on their person.


    Checking their pockets resulted in a combined seven copper pieces, not a terrible amount but not what I was hoping. ¡®Though this doesn''t mean they won''t have anything nice in their tents, when I deal with all the conscious guards I will need to look into those and see what I can find.¡¯


    I quickly discarded the idea of keeping their clothes as they weren''t anything special, they also were not wearing any armor which left me with little else to take for my time.


    Looking to the nearest watchtower from behind the wall I noticed that it was a good distance away from the others, in fact they were all roughly evenly spaced apart. That would be good for watching for enemies if those doing the watching were any good at their jobs. Luckily for me they didn¡¯t really seem to be doing their jobs that well and I doubted they would be looking at each other unless one of them shouted something.


    Slowly I crept through the entrance like a cat and stayed low while I slowly made my way to the base of the tower. When I reached the base I took a good look to make sure that nobody had seen me and then to see if there was anything I could take advantage of.


    The watchtower was very simple in that it was just four large logs with a platform on the top and a ladder to climb up. Both the ladder and the watchtower looked rather old as if they had been sitting out in the elements for years at this point. ¡®Given how lazy these bandits are acting, I wouldn''t be surprised if that was the case.¡¯ I thought to myself as I took one last look around before starting up the ladder.


    When I reached the top I peaked over the edge and for a moment watched the bandit on guard sitting on a chair holding his bow. On the ground nearby was a cheap glass bottle indicating that he was drinking alcohol not long ago, but unlike the two by the entrance I came through he was still conscious and doing his job.


    With a deep breath I slowly pulled myself up onto the platform and slowly conjured up another knife from earth and held it in a reverse grip to better stab the bandit from behind.


    With bated breath I slowly walked forwards with my knife to the side while my left hand was slightly reaching out to easily grab and prevent the bandit from shouting.


    For a moment I was standing right behind him barely an inch from the back of his head when I finally did it. With as swift of a motion I could muster I brought my hand against his mouth and the conjured knife into his chest, I stabbed him several times in both the neck and chest until he stopped struggling and practically fell out of his chair.


    I hurriedly kept my hand against his mouth and conjured up some earth to cover it like a gag in case he tried shouting for help but he never did. He just fell backwards and looked up at me with a terrified expression like I was some sort of monster. I had to resist saying anything at the expression as it angered me.


    ¡®I¡¯m not the bandit murdering people just for a small amount of money, I¡¯m not the one with a friend inside the city guard who does me favors and helps me get away from the law. I am justice and unlike you I am doing the right thing.¡¯ I mentally shouted at the bandit as I stared holes into his eyes. I didn¡¯t know why but that look of fear angered me for a reason I couldn¡¯t understand and I had no desire to entertain it.


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    To try and push these thoughts away from my mind and calm myself I started looking through this bandits'' things the moment he stopped drawing breath. The first and most obvious thing was the bow he was carrying along with the quiver with ten arrows. I didn¡¯t know much about bows but this one looked like it was of decent quality and the arrows didn¡¯t have any apparent flaws that I could see.


    Looking through his pockets I only found four copper pieces leaving me with a total of eleven copper pieces from the bandits so far. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t these bandits have more money on them? They are basically at the height of their entire lives at this point, they should have all the money they could want from raiding the merchants that come by the forest. Anything from money to valuables they should have an abundance of because they will not get caught.¡¯


    I looked over towards the other two watchtowers with a strange mix of disbelief and annoyance at this apparent poverty these bandits were living in. With a small grunt I climbed back down the ladder and started walking towards the next closest watchtower which was directly ahead from where I was along the very same wall.


    Like before I kept low to the ground and made my way towards the second watchtower and climbed up it. At the top was an elven woman this time that looked like she was having a difficult time standing up straight, she was leaning against a small log that was placed in the middle of the platform which each of the watchtowers had. I noticed several empty bottles strewn across the platform each looking the same.


    Like I had done before I conjured up a knife and partly restrained the bandit before quickly stabbing her in the neck, though unlike the ones that came before she started putting up a struggle as I stabbed her. She managed to swing her arms around and hit me several times in the face as well as anywhere else she could manage.


    Annoyed with the struggle I was dealing with and stabbed the bandit several more times in both the chest and stomach which resulted in her trying to force the knife out of my hand.


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 Chapter 190

    I slowly lowered the bleeding corpse of the elven woman onto the platform as I was heavily breathing. This elven bandit managed to put up quite a good fight despite the fact that she was drunk enough to have difficulty walking, I even felt a bruise or two on my face where she was wildly flinging her fists trying to escape from me.


    Thankfully I managed to keep my left hand over her mouth and kept her from screaming or shouting anything. If that had happened I likely would be fighting against the whole camp and I was fairly certain that I wouldn''t be able to do that without lots of preparation.


    When my heart slowed down and the pain from where the elven bandit had struck me had lessened I started going through her things as well. The first item was the bow and arrows which looked to be around the same quality as the ones from the first watchtower bandit. However upon looking through her pockets I found she didn¡¯t have any money at all, not even a single copper piece. I double and triple checked every pocket she had and I did not find even one coin on her.


    At this sudden discovery I was both annoyed and bewildered by the fact that somebody could have no money to their name and still have a perfect means to feed themselves. With that bow the elven woman could have been a hunter and fed herself that way while also selling any trophies or animal hides she took. Instead she chose to be a bandit and die a silent and terrifying death by my hands.


    Looking over at the bandit on the last watchtower I considered just casting a spell and killing him from a distance just to ease myself from the pain that was sneaking up behind people. But since that still left many opportunities for him to shout to give away the fact that he was injured I chose to swallow my feelings and descend from the ladder and make my way towards the third and last watchtower.


    I decided that I would continue following the wall until I was close enough to the leader''s little section towards the top left section of the camp. When I was there I changed my direction and started walking towards the first entrance I stumbled across and I prepared to deal with the bandits standing guard.


    When I stood just ten or so meters away I started to cast the Tri Earth Bolt spell twice and quickly ended up with six bots, three for each of my targets. Funnily enough these two seemed to be the only sober bandits within the entire camp, I didn¡¯t see any empty bottles by their feet, they were standing straight, and they were even talking fine.


    ¡°You think the boss is getting lazy recently? I think she is, and I think her attitude is rubbing off onto all the other lads as well.¡± The bandit on the right said to the second bandit who was standing just a meter or so away from him.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve definitely noticed a change with her. Since we joined up with those Rusted Dagger fellows things have been changing and not for the better. I reckon that this alliance will bring the camp down around us with all the booze and that swamp grass crap. Honestly why do the lads even smoke that stuff, it smells like cat piss.¡± The second bandit started going on a short rant regarding the ¡®swamp grass¡¯ which I quickly realized was the swamp weed that started getting sold by the Black Eye gang after the purge of the criminal elements of Antium.


    As much as I wanted to just kill the two and be done with it, the second bandit was making some good points that I did agree with. However when he was done there wasn¡¯t anything stopping me from dealing with them both without hesitation.


    ¡°The price of the stuff is the worst part about it, the merchant fellow that we do business with says the markets at the moment are doing quite terribly at the moment and that is why he needs to charge us more. But he has been saying that since-¡± The bandit coughed up blood alongside his friend as they were both struck in the back of the neck and back. They dropped their weapons to the ground and fell to their knees while they desperately reached back behind themselves trying to grab at whatever was harming them.


    I just stood back and watched as they slowly died from their injuries with a look of indifference evident for anyone to see if they were not black out drunk.


    When they stopped moving I took their weapons which were two iron short swords and I rifled through their pockets for any coin they might have. Funny enough the little rant the second bandit went on was the likely reason I found ten copper coins on each of them resulting in twenty copper pieces which was equal to a whole silver coin.


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    Finally I followed the wall to the last watchtower and climbed up with a conjured dagger in my hand, carefully positioning myself behind him and took the first opportunity to strike. I plunged the blade into his neck and covered his mouth with my hand. He tried struggling but soon the blood reduced his strength and he fell to the ground where I stabbed him a second time just to be certain. I took his bow and arrows before looking through his pockets and discovering that he had a nice seven copper coins in his pockets which I added to my own.


    With nothing to stop or even look at me I stood at the edge of the platform and looked over at the inside of the camp, this place was filled with nothing but evil and fools who care nothing aside from drinking and killing. Though unlike before when I came here at the request of the city guard to capture the leader of this place I was here because I wanted to be here, and now I had a golden opportunity to ride the world of this evil and acquire some money to further my studies and help defeat the wannabe vampire lord and the criminal underworld he collude with.


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    Slowly I descended from the watchtower and made my way towards the leader''s large tent. I didn¡¯t bother trying to be stealthy as I walked since there wasn¡¯t anybody who could notice me at the moment. When I arrived I found it looked a little different than when I last saw it, it was in a better condition likely given how it would accumulate damage over time and their entire operation being exposed drastically reduced the amount of money she had following in to make things like repairs. ¡®Too bad that is going to change on this fateful day.¡¯


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    Unlike with the previous watchtowers and guards I slowly drew my sword on the off chance that she was awake and able to fight back. While I was swift with my magic it would be quicker to block with a weapon I already had on hand than something I conjured up.


    Pushing through the drape with my sword first I peeked inside before I fully entered. The first thing to pop out was all the valuables the dwarf had laying about. I saw a table with an assortment of silver rings and necklaces, there were many pouches just filled to the top with copper and silver coins, it was a dramatic change from what I saw when I was here with the stone elf Titia.


    But for the moment I left the money and the valuables alone. First I needed to find the leader and kill her, preferably as quickly as possible. I already knew the layout so I slowly made my way towards the bedroom area with a slight twitch in my hands and my step.


    Looking through the archway of the tent I saw the dwarven woman sleeping soundly with an assortment of large pillows and empty bottles on the floor. There were several more bottles that looked to still be full of whatever alcohol they continued on a nearby and small table. While being as careful as possible I stepped into the room with my sword pointed towards her, I moved closer until my sword was just an inch away from her drooling face.


    I could hear her snoring as I took a deep breath and prepared to plunge the blade into her neck. Just looking at her face angered me for a reason I couldn¡¯t understand, I knew she was evil and a murderer from before but for some reason it was like being around her was making me sick, like it was making me ill just being around and looking at evil.


    To try and ease this ill feeling I closed my eyes while the blade was kept exactly where it was, for a moment I remained like that, like a statue frozen in time. Then I thrusted the blade forwards into her neck with as much strength as I could put into it.


    I heard a sudden choking and coughing sound as the dwarven bandit tried to breath, then I felt her moving around as she tried to get away from me. Still my eyes remained closed. It wasn¡¯t until she stopped moving and the choking died out did I open my eyes. All I saw before me was a pathetic corpse of a pathetic woman. Oddly enough the sight brought a small amount of joy to me before I suddenly realized that I had never felt that way before.


    I looked down at my hands as a sickening feeling slowly rose out from my stomach. ¡°Am I becoming like them?¡± I wondered aloud as I looked at the face of the dwarf I just killed.


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    In what was almost a panic I grabbed my sword and sheathed it before I left the room and picked up anything and everything I could find that was of any value. Everything from the piles of jewelry to the pouches of money was dumped into my dimensional bag with little delicacy for anything in particular, at the moment I just wanted to leave, but I came for a purpose and that was to steal from these monsters.


    By the time I emptied the tent I easily had stolen several gold coins worth of money and valuables, most of the valuables were rings or other apparel items but there was also a small silver statuette of Solarius mixed in as well. The statuette stood at around a third of a foot tall and fit well within my hands, the statuette itself depicted Solarius as a humanoid being wearing a set of plate armor and a cape holding a large two handed sword with the tip pointed towards the ground. There was a sort of elegance to the pose that was chosen that I couldn''t explain.


    ¡®I¡¯ll need to return this to the circle of fire or one of the temples under their leadership. I would bet they would have an easy time figuring out who sold this statuette with their truth telling magic, though they likely wouldn¡¯t try and punish me. It would be better to avoid the hassle and danger that might come with it. Who knows, this might even help convince the paladins to listen to me when they hear I returned their statuette showing myself to be an ally.¡¯


    I placed the statuette into my bag with a little more care than anything else I found within the tent, and with that I had taken everything of value within the tent and I exited through the front flap. Looking out towards the rest of the tents all placed side by side I noticed that nobody had noticed that any of the guards were missing from their posts let alone those on the watchtowers. Once again I was filled with disgust by the sight, the sheer laziness of these people and I intended to do something permanent about it.


    I stepped out to the tents sitting side by side in somewhat neat rows, I watched and listened for any sign of movement but I found none. In total I counted thirty five tents which equated to thirty five bandits excluding the leader, subtracting those on the watchtowers and at the two entrances that left just twenty eight bandits still breathing.


    With a cold face I stepped towards the right most tent and opened it before poking my sword through the flap to see inside. There I saw a scruffy looking human sleeping soundly on what was basically a thick carpet made from an animal hide. I stepped inside with my sword pointed towards his neck and stabbed downwards with no hesitation. I didn¡¯t blink, I didn¡¯t flinch, I was stone cold and the little bastard at my feet didn¡¯t have a chance in the abyss.


    All he managed to get out was a few coughs of blood before he died and I started looking through his things. I found a cheap iron shortsword, cheaper than what the guards had but good enough for someone sleeping on a carpet, and his savings were quite pitiful with only three copper pieces to his name.


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    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    I moved onto the next tent and did the same, I took the bastard''s weapon and his money after stabbing him in the throat before moving on all the same. I did the same with each and every bandit I found in those tents despite the small morsel of sadness curled up in my soul. By the time I was done my sword was soaked with blood and a trail was leading from one tent to the next. I barely even felt like a person at that point, I was more like a machine doing what needed to be done without any messy emotions getting in the way. When I was eventually done I just stood back and looked at what I had done.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp X 26 (1,300)


    Level 13, 11,675 Exp


    Next at 13,400


    + Sneaking Level 6


    + Sneaking Level 7


    + Assassination Level 1


    + Assassination Level 2


    + Assassination Level 3


    + Assassination Level 4


    \- - - - - -/


    I noticed the HUD showing my progress but I paid it little attention. I just looked upon the carnage I left and conjured up a small amount of fire which I tossed to the tents and the walls engulfing the dry wood and fabric as I left back for the city.

 Chapter 191

    I walked through the forest with my sword still in my hand, the blood dripping from the blade had mostly dripped off by this point and been wiped away by the plants I passed by. When I eventually reached the edge of the forest I stopped and looked down at the sword as the coldness within my soul slowly melted away leaving me with a hollow feeling.


    ¡®What was that? That wasn¡¯t me, I don¡¯t act like that. I¡¯m not a bad person, I help people, I stop the bad guys.¡¯ I raised my sword until the tip of the blade was at my eye level and looked at the little blood that remained. I looked at it for a while until I had the sense to wipe away the little remaining blood and sheathe it back on my hip.


    ¡®Something is wrong with me.¡¯ I thought to myself as I sat down at the base of a nearby tree. ¡®I can feel it, something has changed. I have never felt that way about anyone or anything before, not even the dark mages that killed me the last time. The only thing I can think of that was drastically different from the last time was the dreams I had that was in the Runead Kingdom and everyone was speaking the Eldaric language. The one with the floating eye made of blood was the most recent dream like that I have had, and it happened on the trip back to Antium.¡¯ I felt a skinning feeling in my soul as I came to the realization, something about those dreams was changing me for the worse and I could only hope that I wouldn¡¯t experience any more.


    ********


    Once inside Antium I went straight for the Free Parrot Bar to lay down and take a rest on the bed I was renting. I needed the mental and physical rest that only rest could provide me.


    Slowly I walked up the stairs in the middle of the day ignoring the various conversations happening on the main floor and walked down the hallway towards my room. I pushed the key into the lock and opened it with a slight creaking before stepping inside and locking the door behind myself. I slowly walked to the bed and sat down before I turned and laid down looking up at the simple wooden ceiling.


    I felt the sickness in my soul and knew I needed to do something about it, but the question of what remained. ¡®If this is a magical problem then I will likely need a magical solution. If is the big question, but I think I am on the right track. That would mean I need someone well versed in magic to help me clear this influence from my mind. I do have some money and other valuables from the bandits but I think I would like to save that unless completely necessary. That just leaves the statuette as a bargaining token.¡¯


    I reached into my bag and pulled out the silver statuette of Solarius and held it in both of my hands, it was still just midday and I already knew of a nice temple dedicated to Solarius in the northern district that would definitely be more than happy to take it off my hands.


    *********


    A while later in the northern district I was standing just before the largest temple in the district. Outside were stone statues of men in plate armor and bucket helms holding their swords by the hilt and pointed downwards just like the statuette. It was a given that such a wealthy place would have the nicest place to pray to the most popular god in the kingdom.


    I climbed the ten steps made from stone up to the large double doors and stepped inside the temple. Even just at the entrance of the building I could already see that it was massive and beautiful, more than fitting for a powerful god like Solarius. For a moment I even forgot just how I preferred the god Xardas and the message he offered over any others.


    In the middle of the main floor was a pathway large enough to allow two or even three people to walk between the wooden benches that lined the room. At the very front was a stage and an open space which likely allowed for some small demonstrations related to the religion. I also quickly found several young priests talking and helping some of the wealthy citizens that were in the building, in fact one came right up to me.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir. I am brother Quintin, can I help you with something on this fine day?¡± The priest was a cleanly shaven human man no older than twenty years old which made it feel a little odd hearing him call myself sir. He was wearing an almost entirely white roble with just a simple red stole over his shoulders.


    ¡°Yes actually. I have something I need to return to the circle of fire. I assume there is someone here that has some authority within the circle, so would you be kind enough to go and find them for me?¡± I asked as I presented the statuette to the young priest. He looked down and up before looking down and back up again and walking away to a door leading deeper into the temple.


    I waited right in that sport for several minutes before Quintin exited the door with another priest. This second priest was dressed far nicer with a deep red robe with some fire-like designs along the ends of the sleeves and a black stole over his shoulders. This priest was also much older than Quintin, at a first glance perhaps in his late fifties at most with a thick graying beard and head of hair.


    The priest walked right up to me with a soft smile and looked down at the statuette I was holding in my hands. ¡°Ah, the silver statuette of Solarius. It appears you have found it for us. It was commissioned all the way from the southernmost point of the empire you know. It was supposed to be delivered to a smaller temple in the western district several months ago. How exactly did you find it? We assumed it was lost.¡±


    I could already tell that it wasn¡¯t just a question to make small talk, the priest was using some sort of divine magic to see if I would lie to him. I could feel the magic in the air as he did so, it did feel quite the same as when I was doing magic. It was more elegant whereas every mage I knew did magic in a practical way, an interesting distinction I decided to remember.


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    ¡°I found the statuette in a bandit camp in the Pelcester forest earlier today. It was actually with the leader of those bandits, I think she was keeping it as some sort of trophy along with several other trinkets I found with her.¡± I said trying to speak the truth without sounding suspicious, I was just hoping that he wasn''t going to ask how I found the bandits in the first place.


    ¡°Is that so? That sounds like it was a very dangerous task to undertake just on the behalf of the circle of fire is it not?¡± The priest kept his soft smile up like a vail hiding his true thoughts. I didn¡¯t know what he was trying to determine but I knew it was best to remain truthful as much as possible to avoid any issues.


    ¡°It was quite dangerous, but I didn¡¯t do it for the circle. I have a personal dislike for bandits and when I found across their camp I decided to do something about them. I had even been attacked by a group of bandits in the past which was part of the reason I even seeked them out. I was just lucky to find that statuette.¡± The priest maintained his smile, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. He knew I wasn¡¯t telling him everything, but he also knew I hadn''t lied to him.


    ¡°Well in any case I and the circle thank you for the bravery you displayed in recovering this wonderful work of art for us. Would you by any chance like something to drink? I have some of this new drink imported from the far west across the ocean that is called tea. I think someone like you is deserving of a little taste.¡± The priest said while he waved off brother Quintin who gave a small bow and left to help another believer.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t see why not, it sounds like a very interesting drink.¡± I said, a little caught off guard by the sudden offer. I was going to try and ask to speak with the priest in private for help with the dream and the sudden changes in my personality, but him offering something even as simple as a fancy drink was a good ice breaker.


    The priest just smiled at my answer and beckoned me to follow him into the temple further. We passed through the door to the back of the room and into a stairwell with another door on the opposite side, the wooden stairwell went both up and down at least ten floors each way. We went up and stopped only at the fifth floor before entering through another door that led to a hallway with many doors on each side. We walked down the whole hallway until we reached the very last door on the left side. The priest opened the door to reveal a well furnished and designed office space with a polished wooden desk in the very center.


    The priest stepped behind the desk and opened up one of the compartments and brought out a cylindrical metal object that opened up to show these small little fabric bags filled with all these holes allowing me to see a greenish plant inside of each. The priest picked out two little bags before closing the metal cylinder and returned it to his desk before closing it. Then he walked over towards a shelf on the left side of the room and picked up two clean glasses and brought them over to the right side where he had a container filled with water. The priest filled both glasses up before walking back to the desk and offering me a seat.


    Placing both glasses of water on the desk he placed the two fabric bags in each and began to use his magic to heat up the water. With just a few gestures the water boiled and the water began spinning around, the greenish plant must have been a part of the process as the water quickly began turning a soft brown color as the water spun.


    When he was done he handed me one of the glasses and took the other for himself. Holding the glass I could feel the heat radiating off into my hand and the smell that was very unique and unlike anything I had experienced before.


    ¡°What did you say your name was again?¡± The priest asked as he took a sip of his own tea.


    ¡°Arthur.¡± I replied while sipping on my own. I was a little surprised by the flavor I experienced. It wasn¡¯t the best thing in the world, but it was certainly unique.


    ¡°You may call me Brother Albin. Now what exactly is it that you do for a living Arthur? I assume it has something to do with going out into the forest, but it must also pay quite well to afford something as high quality as what you are currently wearing.¡± I knew Albin wanted to know who I was and what I was doing out in the forest, but I wasn¡¯t sure what he really wanted. He might just be a very cautious man, but he might also suspect something.


    ¡°I am an alchemist. I was an apprentice around a year ago and I recently came to Antium to rebuild myself after an unfortunate series of events.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds rather dreadful, and how exactly is that going for you at the moment?¡±


    ¡°I would say I am making good progress so far. I have some nice and healthy savings and I think I have enough money to start working on a few side projects I have been putting off for a while.¡± I was a little confused by the line of questioning Albin was going through, but I assumed it had purpose.


    ¡°That is good to hear Arthur. There isn¡¯t anything else that you might be interested in telling me is there? You seem rather tense about something, but from what I can tell you have been telling the truth almost in its entirety during our conversation.¡±


    I froze a little at that, I knew divine magic was powerful and acted strangely compared to anything a mage could do but I wasn''t expecting him to feel my emotions. ¡°Well yes actually. You see I have been having some issues that I think I need help with.¡±


    I could feel my heart beating faster as I began to speak about my shifted personality and how I only noticed changes after certain conditions are met.


    ¡°You see, I have been experiencing something rather odd that I haven¡¯t before, not until I was making the trip here to Antium.¡±


    ¡°What have you been experiencing? If it is any sort of physical injury then the lower ranked priests or even a mage or alchemist could very easily help you.¡± Albin looked at me with a spark of interest in his eyes, it was something I was quite familiar with.


    ¡°Actually it is something a little different. I have suffered a drastic personality shift when I was dealing with the bandits that stole the statuette. I became cold and uncaring to anything in a way I have never experienced before and only when it stopped did I realize that I was acting in a way I have never done so before. It was quite scary to be honest, and I wasn¡¯t really sure what to do about it.¡±


    ¡°You said it happened during the trip to the city. Was this when you killed the bandits?¡± Albin was leaning towards me as he asked the question, he was invested and I felt a small weight being lifted from my shoulders at the sight of his concern.

 Chapter 192

    ¡°No, it happened a little while later when I was in the forest looking for ingredients and then again later when I found the bandit camp I told you of.¡± Albin pressed the palms of his hands together as he listened. I could see him putting the pieces of the puzzle together as I spoke.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really notice anything until a little after killing all of the bandits and walking back towards the city. It was rather scary to find myself walking through the forest with my sword covered with blood when only a moment ago I was perfectly calm.¡±


    ¡°You said this all happened after this dream of yours. What exactly happened in the dream?¡± Albin asked, almost interrupting me.


    ¡°Well, I was in a strange place that I knew I had never been to yet felt very familiar. It was in a temple of sorts and there were many other people there all kneeling to the altar. I had no control over myself and I followed by kneeling as well, then the priest that was there used a dagger to leave a small cut on my hand before he started chanting softly. When I looked back up I saw an eye formed entirely from blood, it was speaking but I couldn¡¯t understand it until its very last words.¡±


    ¡°And what were those words Arthur?¡± Albin was standing at this point and leaning over his desk. I could see the desire, no, the need to learn what I dreamt of.


    ¡°Wake up child. It is time.¡± I said exactly like the eye said to me. Albin nearly leapt back out of shock at my sudden change in tone and I almost gasped. There was the evidence, now I only hoped that I could be helped by Albin and the divine magic of Solarius.


    ¡°You are not well Arthur. I think I may have a way to help you, but you will need to return to this place later this evening. I have never personally done an exorcism before but I know of the magic and I will have some help in doing so.¡± I could see his hands were shaking as he walked back to his chair, he was worried or surprised about what he just saw.


    ¡°So that means you have a way to fix whatever it is that is wrong with me?¡± I asked, I didn¡¯t know what an exorcism was but it sounded rather strange.


    ¡°We have a method that may work, but that entirely depends on what you are suffering from. The most likely possibility is a demon is possessing you, though given your independence and self awareness the demon is either very weak or you are very strong willed. The preparations will take most of the remaining day so I will need to ask you to return to us then. If you so wish you may stay until we are done, but I assume you have something to do to fill the time with.¡±


    I soon left the temple with a small feeling of hope in my soul I hadn''t felt in some time. As I stepped off the stairs leading to the front entrance I looked back up to the temple and looked at the symbols carved into the top face of the temple. Humanoids in metal armor were carved into the stone like protectors and it gave me the feeling that I was being protected.


    I left for the eastern district to sell off some of the jewelry that I took from the bandits as I was still in serious need of money for my experiments and practicing. I found a few stores that sold trinkets, gemstones, and other apparel items and sold a handful of silver rings and necklaces for what I assumed was around held their value. When I was done I counted up all my money and found that I have just over thirty five silver coins which equaled one gold and fifteen silver coins. It still wasn''t enough to buy even the least powerful of mana stones but it was progress and I still had more jewelry to sell and potions to make.


    I spent the rest of the day practicing my ritual magic in the old abandoned warehouse where I wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. I made a bit of progress but for anything substantial I would need a mana stone to use actual tier one spells in the rituals.


    **********


    I returned to the temple at eight o¡¯clock that night when the sky was getting rather dark. The streets were mostly empty and the few guards and people that were still about kept their distance from me as I did the same to them. When I climbed up the stairs to the front door of the temple I found the young priest Quintin there waiting for me.


    ¡°Good evening Mr. Arthur. I am here to show you the way.¡± Quintin smiled softly as he brought me inside the temple and closed the door behind us.


    Quintin led me towards the door at the back of the room to the stairway and we started walking down under the ground. We walked down three floors before we stopped and entered a hallway carved from stone. Along each side were three doors and we entered the first one on the right side.


    Inside was a square room about ten meters in length and width, in the middle was what looked like a complicated ritual spell with a handful of mana stones in a pattern I didn''t understand. Albin was there in the room alongside two other priests that I assumed were a rank or two below his own based on the designs of their robes.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Arthur. We are almost done with our preparations if you would just give us a moment.¡± Albin smiled and waved to me as he spoke. I just nodded in response before he was back down on the floor finishing up with the preparation with the ritual spell.


    About five minutes later the three were done with their preparations and Albin started speaking again. ¡°Now if you would please stand in the middle of the formation.¡± Following his instructions I stepped over the mana stones and what appeared to be enchanting in and stood in the very middle which was only around two feet of space.


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    ¡°Is this a ritual spell you are using for this exorcism?¡± I asked as I took my place.


    ¡°Oh, you know about ritual magic. Where did you learn about that?¡± One of the other priests half jokingly asked as he took his position one third of the way around the formation from each of the other priests.


    ¡°Well I am a mage, I just recently started learning about rituals and how to cast them. Though if I am to make any significant progress anytime soon I will need to invest in a mana stone which will cost me five gold coins from the guild.¡±


    ¡°So you belong to the guild, and from what it sounds like they charge mana stones at cost. Anywhere else would charge you at least seven for a petite mana stone, though the legality of those establishments should be taken into account.¡±


    ¡°Not to be rude, but now is not the time for such conversations. We are about to start the exorcism.¡± Albin interrupted the conversation I was having with the unnamed priest. All three started focusing entirely on the ritual which at first was nothing notable but soon the mana stones and magic ink started to glow brighter and brighter.


    I felt the divine magic flowing like blood between the mana stones and the ink. It started as a soft and gentle grasp around myself before it slowly became stronger and more forceful until I could feel the ritual magic beginning to work. The three priests started chanting and directly the flow of magic towards me. I could feel it working as I looked around the room until suddenly the world around me faded into black and my vision went blurry.


    When I next opened my eyes I was back in the room with the altar where all the people were kneeling, only this time I was alone aside from the eye of blood floating about the altar that was looking at me intently. It remained silent for several seconds as if it was studying me.


    ¡°You cannot survive without me, child. The hatred, the wrath that I offer you will be your only way to victory. Without it you will fall and fall again and again.¡± The voice was rough and deep just as I remembered it the first time I saw it.


    ¡°Who are you? Why am I here? What have you been doing to me?¡± I asked as I rose from my kneeling position standing before the eye with a weary soul. I couldn¡¯t feel anything physically pushing or wearing me down which meant that it was likely some sort of magical phenomenon that happened just by being near it.


    ¡°I am not here to harm you child, I am here to help you. I know you do not remember what we were, our enemies did their best to ensure neither of us would live another day, but here we are anyways. That is why you must trust me, to recover your memories of who you once were. You must allow me to help you child.¡± I could somewhat feel the emotions of the eye, it was telling the truth when it said it was here to help. It did care about me, and somehow it knew me, knew who I was in the past. But I didn¡¯t really want that.


    ¡°I want to be happy, but I can¡¯t be happy if I am killing people with that mindset like I was before. That isn¡¯t how a normal person lives their life.¡± I looked up to the eye as it stared at me without any movement aside from the flowing blood.


    ¡°You want to spend your life with that young woman.¡± The eye said, the sadness evident in its voice. ¡°You will never truly be happy with her, because you will never keep her. Regardless of how long it takes we will have this conversation again, no matter how many times you must cheat death to do so.¡±


    I was about to speak, to ask how it knew about how I died before when the dream world around us faded into black and I left. I tried reaching out to get an answer, but I could do nothing as I was forced to return to the real world.


    ********


    I woke up again in the same room where the ritual magic was done. I was laying on the cold stone floor in the middle of the ritual formation with all the ink and mana stones surrounding me. The three priests looked at me with a mixture of worry and relief as I raised my head and the two I didn¡¯t know the names of rushed to my side.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± The youngest of the two asked. I recognized him as the one who asked how I knew about ritual magic, the other had remained quiet the entire time aside from the chanting during the ritual itself.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m alright. Was that supposed to happen? I would have imagined it would have just removed any spells I might have placed on me.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. The intention of the spell was to force out any outside influence that we would detect, I am certain that your eyes were not supposed to start glowing red as you stood in the middle.¡± Albin started to clean up the formation around me as he spoke, he started with the mana stones by placing them in a small bag. The other two priests started to clean up the ink with pieces of cloth that absorbed it.


    ¡°So what exactly did happen? I feel a lot better than I was before this exorcism.¡± A few awkward looks were shared between each of the priests in the room before Albin stood to explain what happened.


    ¡°At first we didn¡¯t notice anything out of the ordinary, the only odd thing that happened was that you closed your eyes. Not exactly something that calls for our attention. Then as the ritual was starting its scan for anything out of the ordinary your eyes shot open, they were glowing red like a demon. You didn¡¯t say anything, not a word came from your mouth so we continued. We found the source of this personality shift you described and tried to do something about it when we discovered it was no simple demon.¡±


    ¡°Then what was it? I saw the eye again during that time and I was back in the same place. It said a bunch of nonsense and that I wouldn¡¯t be happy without the anger it was giving me.¡± Albin and the two other priests looked at me again with increasing concern as I told them what I saw at the end of the ritual.


    ¡°Well we do know that it wasn¡¯t a demon, it was something else. A demon would have used your physical body to try and stop the ritual from finishing as we in the circle of fire are established enemies of the demons. It was more likely one of the fey with connections to demons that was possessing you. You should just be thankful that it allowed you to go without a fight, those fey can be rather chaotic at times, even the good ones.¡±


    I remained silent for a while as I thought about Albin¡¯s words. I had heard of the fey several times throughout my journeys but never anything definitive, I knew they were powerful beings but this was the first time I heard them compared to demons in terms of power.


    ¡®If that eye was some sort of fey then why was it so interested in me? Why did it start influencing my personality? Why did I think I would never be happy with Calavia? How did it know about how I have died before?¡¯ I was left with several questions and I was worried that unlike most people who wouldn¡¯t get an answer to these things I would, and I wouldn¡¯t like that answer. It acted like it knew me well while I didn¡¯t know anything about it.

 Chapter 193

    Exiting the temple I looked up to the night sky above me, it was far more beautiful than I ever remembered it was. I looked at the little stars in the distance. I recalled that some schoolers theorized that those stars were just like the sun and lighted up other worlds. At first I dismissed that theory, but for that one moment I considered something that might be true, the old gods of the second era did go somewhere after all and many didn¡¯t return.


    ¡®Who knows. I probably won¡¯t ever know the truth, but maybe my children will one day.¡¯ I smiled at the thought of children. I wouldn¡¯t just marry anyone, no it would need to be somebody I know cares a lot about me like Calavia. Though she doesn¡¯t remember me I do know where she works so I could join the clinic as an apprentice and learn a lot about restoration magic as I do.


    But just for that night I wanted to enjoy the feeling of being from the influence of whatever that eye was. I returned to the Free Parrot Bar and found myself at a table with a few others that seemed to be having a good time. The one with the biggest smile was a dwarf with a big mug of alcohol in hand with what I assumed were his two human colleagues.


    ¡°Do you mind if I join you lot? you all seem rather happy with something and I would like to celebrate a happy occasion of my own.¡± The dwarf smiled and raised his cup at my question.


    ¡°Of course lad, take a seat and a mug. We are celebrating something rather important ourselves aren''t we lads!¡± The two humans next to the dwarf smiled as well and raised their own cups before bumping them all against each other and taking a big drink.


    Soon a waitress came by and I ordered a cup of alcohol, the very same that they were drinking, which was beer. ¡°Ah, a good choice. This place has good beer for the common folk, the best stuff in all in the empire. Haven¡¯t been able to get anything from them in a while.¡± The dwarf said as he took a drink from his cup emptying it.


    ¡°A real shame, I think it was the crops they used that gave it the unique taste. But I honestly doubt that anyone here in the kingdom would be able to replicate it, the economy has been spiraling downwards for a while now with the tensions between the kingdom and the empire reaching bigger heights than we all thought possible.¡± The human sitting to the right of the dwarf said while he looked into his half empty mug.


    The dwarf suddenly gave the young human a smack in the arm and an annoyed look. ¡°Don¡¯t go talking about things like that Lyco. What would people think about you saying such things?¡± The dwarf said with some sort of authority over the young human, like a parental figure or a boss. ¡®Perhaps he is a foreman of sorts to these two.¡¯


    ¡°But boss, you know it''s true. It''s been like that for around five years now, since the first war with the empire and the loss of several border towns and cities. They didn''t just handle the trade from the empire, they also handled a lot of the stuff from down south too with all their patrolled trade routes.¡± The dwarf looked rather annoyed by this explanation.


    The other human however quickly tried to ease the situation with a few words of his own. ¡°Well you are always telling us to think outside of the box. You can¡¯t really blame us when we start doing exactly that now can you?¡± The dwarf looked at the second human with a disapproving look before he eventually relented and tried taking a drink from his cup only to find it empty. Instead he placed his cup on the edge of the table and tried waving down the waitress to get it filled again. When that wasn¡¯t working he stood up and with some difficulty walked over to the bar where the bartender was pouring drinks to everyone.


    ¡°Sorry about him, he has been like that since the war five years ago now. He lost a lot during that time, we all did really, but he lost all his brothers and sisters.¡± The second human I was sitting with said the moment the dwarf was out of earshot. ¡°I am Hegio by the way.¡± Hegio said as he reached out with his hand for a firm shake.


    ¡°I am Arthur, sorry if I ruined your celebration.¡± I said taking Hegio¡¯s hand and shaking it.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that. Lyco just has a difficult time keeping the war out of any topic we speak about. He should have been one of those people that work for the crown that do all the calculations about how well the economy is doing. At times you would think he was gifted with divination with how accurate he is about certain events.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need divination to see what is happening around us. I don¡¯t think the kingdom will be able to maintain its status as the only rival to the empire for long. At most it will last for another twenty or thirty years depending on what the king does, even then it will likely just be delaying the inevitable with all the corruption right here in the city.¡± Lyco leaned over the table as was speaking, like he was letting us in on classified information.


    Suddenly a cup slammed back onto the table with a dwarf holding onto it. ¡°Here we are, I finally got another cup of beer. That dam waitress is blind as¡­ as something that is blind. I was being rather obvious that I wanted another cup of beer.¡± The dwarf said with increasing difficulty, he likely had more than just one cup of beer while he was gone.


    ¡°Anyways, to celebrate our independence!¡± The dwarf shouted with his cup raised high, his two human friends followed his example before I did the same. We all followed that up with a big drink and some less disheartening conversation. We talked about all sorts of things, everything from our careers to our plans in life.


    ¡°So you three are all blacksmiths?¡± I asked, a little surprised by the idea of three blacksmiths all being very good friends with each other, though that might have been the alcohol thinking.


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    ¡°Oh yes, for a while we were all working for another fool who was barely keeping the business afloat. He wasn¡¯t even a blacksmith himself, he just hired us a few others to do all the work for him. No more of that, now we have a proper job set up for us with me as the master blacksmith.¡± The dwarf who¡¯s name I learned was Thovus said with lots of pride in his voice, he even straightened himself up as he spoke about it.


    ¡°So where abouts is this position? It sounds very lucky for the three of you to find something like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh we certainly are. But as it turns out the kingdom is funding several colonization efforts into old dwarven settlements that have been abandoned for a while, we got some positions in them as blacksmiths. The crown even got a few sections of the military to help with clearing any monsters or goblins that might be in the area after they have mercenaries sweep the area.¡± Lyco said cutting into the conversation after remaining quiet for a while now, he looked almost like a child happy to share some weird information he uncovered on his own.


    ¡°Oh yes, I know about that. I actually know a few people who have taken part in those expeditions. There is this one old dwarven city called Dom Badaher where they ended up fighting a demon that made its home in a cavern connected to the last floor in the city. Apparently it was a powerful geomancer as well as a fighter.¡± I said while avoiding any significant details, while it wouldn¡¯t be bad for these three to know of my involvement today, I just wanted to have a nice night before I started working hard again.


    ********


    I awoke hours later in my room in the tavern atop the simple bed. I sat up and looked around wondering if I missed anything from the night before, but I didn''t see anything out of the ordinary. I stood up and put on my overcoat which I found on the floor next to the bed. I recalled I was rather tired after the long conversation with Thovus and his employees and instead of placing it somewhere proper such as the small closet I chose to instead just leave it on the floor where I was certain I would find it.


    I walked over to and looked out of the window seeing the sun rising from the east. I didn¡¯t have a clock on hand but I assumed that it was close to eight o¡¯clock in the morning.


    ¡®Well I should get the potion making out of the way as soon as possible so I can focus on selling the remaining jewelry and acquiring the remaining gold coins I need to buy the mana stone. I am just five silver coins shy of two gold so I should definitely get busy as soon as possible. Avoiding the same locations should definitely be a priority, that way I should be able to avoid the eye of Darius, his cult, and the thieves he has hired.¡¯


    I picked up my bag and looked through it to be certain that I still had everything inside. When I was certain that was the case I took a seat at the small table and brought out my alchemy apparatuses and started my work for the day. Within half an hour I had my three basic healing potions and I had used up around an eighth of the ingredients I had stored and the last of the bottles. Adding those potions to the ones I had been brewing throughout the week I had a grand total of twenty one healing potions, each would go for around four copper coins for an estimated eighty four copper coins or four silver and four copper.


    ¡®I need to get certified by the guild as an alchemist soon, otherwise these potions will start piling up. I don¡¯t have much use for them as I tend to avoid getting hurt.¡¯ I made a mental note to become certified as soon as possible so I could actually sell my potions and get a good price for them.


    But for the time being I didn¡¯t have the time for that, I needed to sell the jewelry and acquire the remaining three and so gold coins for the mana stone.


    ********


    Several hours passed as I searched for any and every store and merchant that was willing to take the rings and necklaces off of my hands. Sometimes I was given a lowball offer by some sketchy looking merchants who I ignored and moved onto those who were actually offering something close to the actual value. I likely didn¡¯t ever get anything that was the true value of the jewlery, but by the end of the morning and into the afternoon I had four gold coins and seven silver from all the sales I made.


    I made sure to count up all the money twice just to be certain I didn¡¯t make a mistake but I was quickly shown to be correct, that added to what I already had left me with six gold and two silver coins. More than enough for the mana stone and enough to survive for a while.


    Stashing the money within a few pouches which I placed within my bag I made my way to the mages guild to buy myself a petite mana stone for my ritual experiments.


    ********


    I stepped into the magic item hall with a smile on my face and walked right up to the clerk working the counter and asked to purchase a mana stone. He quickly left and returned with a small catalogue for me to look through that listed all of the mana stones that the guild branch was selling and their costs. I only needed to flip open to the very first one when I told the clerk what I wanted to buy while I started counting up the money mostly in silver.


    The clerk called someone with a simplified communication orb and an elf wearing simple mage attire brought out the mana stone in a simple wooden case. Before handing it over to me the clerk started counting up the money on his own. When he was done he nodded to the elf and returned the money to the pouch and slipped it behind the counter.


    The elf handed me the case and I opened it and picked up the mana stone. I could feel the mana within the stone, it was pure and powerful, a little more powerful than the one I bought from Osvald even though I paid him far more. It wasn¡¯t a significant difference in power, perhaps a unit or two of more mana but it was still noticeable enough to be slightly annoyed. I already decided that I wouldn¡¯t return to that merchant for anything unless I needed something very specific that couldn¡¯t be acquired normally, but I still wanted to give him a piece of my mind.


    Instead I just left the guild and returned to the old abandoned warehouse and started conducting my experiments with ritual tier one spells.


    The major difference between simple rituals and more complex and powerful ones was the fact that there wasn¡¯t enough mana in the general area to fuel them without having a mage present that was willing to use their own mana, but the intention of a ritual was to do so with as little mana as possible. That was why mana stones were needed, they were an abundant source of mana that were not in any way connected to a mage''s reserves.


    The one problem I encountered when creating the ritual was that the spell''s effects were predetermined based on how I integrated them into the ritual, as such I had no way of changing anything about the spell without restarting the ritual itself.

 Chapter 194

    Lifting a small rock with my hand I tossed it towards the small circle I carved into the stone that signaled the area the ritual was in. The rock sailed through the air until it was a few inches above the circle when a vine of earth shot out from the ground and reached for the rock and gripped it tight. The vine then sunk into the ground and held the rock against the ground with all the might as it could.


    I chuckled at the sight of the functionality while thinking back to all the work that I put into getting just this one spell to work properly in ritual form. First I had to connect the mana within the mana stone to the mana I used for the instructions, then I needed to give very specific instructions on when and what to do.


    The first spell I tried doing was the Tri Earth Bolts spell, but I unfortunately found out that everything about the spell, even the direction of the projectiles in this case, needs to be accounted for as the ritual is being casted. If you don¡¯t then it just picks a direction to shoot at random, or in that case three directions at random from the mana stone itself. Such limitations would only make rituals useful when in certain situations, the best example I could think of as setting magical traps.


    I also found with another day of experimentation that the best spell to use that I was intimately familiar with was the Earth Vine spell. Though I needed to give it certain instructions such as to only attack certain things to keep myself from being harmed it was very effective and would help keep me safe when I attract the attention of the Red Eye cult.


    ¡®Now I just need to work out a few of the kinks before I can actually do something to that damn cult. I think killing and capturing a few cult members before turning them over to the city guard would get me enough attention for that vampiric assassin. With that I can get the Paladins of the circle of fire involved and deal with the vampire lord himself.¡¯


    I felt proud of myself with the little plan I cooked up, I had everything set up like some sort of lord or king. All the pieces were falling into place, and I was taking as little risk as I could when dealing with such a powerful threat.


    *********


    Back at my room within the Free Parrot Bar I was setting up the mana stone against the wall below the one window in the room. I was hoping that the vampire would strike at night like he did the last time, this way he would be restrained by the earth vine that would be conjured as something other than myself moved through the window and into the room.


    The one problem that I thought would be large was the mana stones and the light they emit, but as it turned out mana stones don¡¯t emit any light at all. Though they look like they are glowing that is just an illusion created by the fact that they are literal mana taken physical form. The magical glow they emit is how the strength of stone is determined. As such I didn¡¯t need to worry anyone seeing the mana stone from the outside when I was ready.


    ¡®Now I just need to find one of the cult members out there doing something illegal and catch them. This place doesn¡¯t have a view of the land surrounding the manor, so I will need to stay around the place and watch for any activity.¡¯ I gritted my teeth at the thought. The idea of wasting all that time that would be better off studying or practicing my magic.


    ********


    Two nights of watching on the ground level I had wasted before I found anything. At first I thought it had been just a trick of my mind from all the stress and time I wasted outside, but then I heard the noise once and then twice more. I looked up and in the field of grass was someone dressed in a red cloak dragging something. I nearly smiled at the sight, though I quickly corrected my thoughts when I noticed they were dragging something.


    ¡®If my memory serves me correctly, which it always has, then that is likely another corpse that a cultist is dragging off to be buried in one of their secret graveyards. I wonder just how often they need to do that considering this will be the second time that I will be catching them burying corpses drained of blood.¡¯


    I started following the cultist with the mana stone within my left hand ready to activate the ritual casted upon it. One of the wonderful things about mana stones was that the rituals they are used for can be centered around them and follow them around, which was why I had an air barrier ritual ready and waiting to be activated.


    I followed this cultist for quite some time until we eventually reached a small clearing that was completely empty aside from a single shovel laying on the ground. The cultist dropped the corpse which had been wrapped in a large piece of fabric like a blanket at a spot in the far corner of the clearing before picking up the shovel and starting to dig a hole right next to the corpse. I waited there just out of view with the ritual active for the cultist to finish so I had some good evidence for the city guard.


    The cultist took quite a while to dig the hole which likely showed that this cultist wasn¡¯t very strong or experienced with digging graves to hide corpses, even though I had no experience I could easily see that he was only digging up a little dirt with only some of the shovel blade instead the whole thing. In truth it was a little sad to watch.


    When the cultist was happy with the hole they dug I stepped out from my hiding place and quickly conjured up three earth bolts and stepped towards them. I kept my open palm pointed towards the cultist¡¯s head for when he would turn around. Just as he started to try and drag the corpse into the rather shallow grave I gave a fake cough to get his attention.


    In both surprise and shock he turned with a start towards me and was about to say something when I willed my three bolts to shoot towards him. They quickly sailed across the air between us and found their mark in the eye, the throat, and the left shoulder of the cultist. He quickly fell to the ground clutching his injuries and ironically falling into the grave he dug.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I rushed over to him and watched as he tried pulling out the bolts that had sunken well into his flesh and bone, he struggled and struggled but I knew he wouldn''t survive without proper medical attention. That was something I was both unwilling and unable to give him. Instead I conjured up three more bolts and put the cultist out of his misery. I had to watch the blood pool from his injuries for a few seconds before I received a notification of his death.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 50 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    With that I took a quick look around the area to be certain that I wasn''t followed or watched by anyone before leaving to find the city guard.


    *******


    Half an hour later I was standing near the clearing that had been closed off to the general public while an investigation was undergoing. Three guards were keeping an eye with their spears on hand while the detectives were looking over the crime scene I brought to their attention. After around twenty minutes of investigating and collecting evidence the lead detective walked towards me and nodded to the three guards who gave us some distance.


    ¡°Good evening sir, if you would be willing I would like to ask you a few questions about this place you discovered for us.¡± The detective was a middle aged human man dressed in middle class quality clothing and wearing a leather overcoat. His voice was a little rough and he looked as if he was tired and called while he was sleeping, yet he remained respectful.


    ¡°Of course detective, ask away.¡± The detective eyed me suspiciously at the statement of his profession but quickly looked to the small piece of parchment that contained his questions.


    ¡°You said you discovered this small and illegal graveyard while following someone in a red robe. Would you tell me why you decided to do that?¡±


    ¡°Pretty simple really. I saw someone else wearing a red robe just like the one here today and they entered this property and disappeared into the grass. Today while walking around I saw another wearing the same color of robe and dragging something behind themselves that was rather large and heavy. I got closer out of curiosity and discovered that they were in fact dragging a corpse wrapped in a large piece of fabric.¡±


    The detective eyed me with a touch of suspicion in his eyes but didn¡¯t ask anything about why I was in the area. ¡°And I assume you were the one to kill the perpetrator after they dug the shallow grave for the corpse.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct. I wanted to be certain that they wouldn¡¯t get away while I was gone.¡±


    The detective wrote something down on the paper before continuing. ¡°How exactly did you kill this robed young man? I see you have a sword on your hip, but the wounds on him don¡¯t match with a sword. They resemble more of an arrow or crossbow bolt.¡±


    ¡°With my magic of course.¡± I said before quickly and easily conjuring up three earth bolts with a small wave of my hand for him to see. The detective seemed to wince at the sight of such effortless magic casting and continued with more stress and worry evident in his stance as he quickly wrote more on his paper.


    ¡°And you felt that you needed to kill this criminal rather than simply capture him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any spells that work as long lasting prisons or cages. I could have made something like that with just geomancy manipulation, but that would have disturbed the crime scene and possibly the evidence.¡± I could tell the detective wanted to say something to me, to say I was wrong in my actions, but he was scared of something. Most likely it was the guild itself he was afraid of given how much influence and power they have within the kingdom and how I was able to easily cast tier one spells with just a small motion.


    The questions continued for another few minutes before the detective was done asking. He directed two guards standing on watch to take me back to the public street and then to return. But before we left he had one last thing to say to me. ¡°Sir mage, do try and keep out of trouble from now on. This group you have discovered might become more active against you if you continue to antagonize them.¡± I smiled and nodded towards the detective that just looked happy to see me gone.


    The guards escorted me like they were directed to the nearest street and then left me on my own. Instead of walking right back to the Free Parrot Bar where I was staying I just stood in the street and looked up to the sky. All those little stars in the sky were just little glowing dots in the distance, in truth I wondered what they were. I know some of the priests I have passed by have stated they were other suns like our own orbiting other worlds. ¡®I guess when I have some time I can look into astronomy. The library should have a few books on the subject in the public section. I wonder just how people are able to look at those stars with such accuracy and precision, they must have some sort of device to do that, likely a dwarven made machine. I don¡¯t know of any others who have the skills to create something as complex as that.¡¯


    ********


    When I arrived back in my rented room I quickly attached the mana stone to the wall just below the window and quickly prepared the ritual. When it was done I conjured up a small clump of earth and tossed it over the area where the ritual would operate, as the clump was sailing through the air above the ritual area the vine of earth shot out from the floor and snapped at the clump like a snake jumping out at a rat.


    I had set certain requirements for the ritual to activate, specifically I had set two. The first was of course for anything that was not me which it checked based on mana, the second was for conjured earth created by myself. It did cost a little extra mana for the ritual to check that each time but it was a good way to check and be certain that the ritual was working.


    ¡®Now I just need the cult to track me back here and send their vampire assassin to deal with me. Given that I am far more powerful than I was the last time he should try a more stealthy approach instead of just smashing through the window like last time. I wish I had enough money to do the same thing with the front door as well, unfortunately I will just need to rely upon the lock to keep him from trying it.¡¯


    For the last few hours of the night before I went to sleep I decided to continue practicing my magic, specifically my geomancy and the only tier three geomancy spell I knew. I conjured up several weapons but mostly stayed with longswords as those were the weapons I knew the best. Something interesting I found was that I was able to put more power behind the conjured longswords as I was able to mostly negate the effects the weight had on handling as I could control them with just my thoughts and my connection through mana.

 Chapter 195

    The next morning I awoke in my bed with a good night''s sleep. Looking out the window revealed a wonderful sunny morning with no sign of any break ins. I knew that one night was far too soon to expect anything from the cult but deep down I was hoping that they would do something so the plantains would arrive and give me an opportunity to take them down permanently. ¡®Looks like I will need to wait for a little while longer, but I should have a few things to do while I wait for them to act. I should look into a few other tier three geomancy spells that could give me an edge against Darius.


    **********


    Auria stood before her boss as her heart was practically beating out of her chest from the sheer stress alone. One of the blood spawn of the Red Eye cult was standing just a few feet away from her as she was given her assignment. She could see in its eyes that it was very interested in her, like it was just about ready to reach out towards her to take her and bleed her out like an animal the same way they did to their other victims.


    ¡°Now Auria, I want you to work with this¡­ gentleman here and look into the person or people that uncovered the hidden dumpsite the sect was using to dispose of their waste. I am certain that you will be more than enough to satisfy our clients.¡± The grandmaster of Misery''s end Hanno Metilius said this with a false smile on his face as if he was trying to convince himself that what they were doing wasn¡¯t such a horrible thing.


    Auria was disgusted and terrified by the idea of working with the blood spawn, but she knew she couldn¡¯t say anything. Not without insulting the cult and them in turn demanding something in return which would likely end up being her. ¡°Of course sir. Consider it done.¡±


    The red cloaked blood spawn smiled and walked over to Auria creeping both her and the grandmaster out. ¡°Such an enthusiastic little girl. I just want to keep you all to myself.¡± The blood spawn said as he grabbed Auria by the chin and forced her to look him in the eye. She was given a look at the young vampire that she didn¡¯t want in a million years.


    She was forced to look directly into his deep red eyes like rivers of blood. The pale flesh that made up his face was equally unappealing as his eyes, he looked almost like a corpse. His breath was no better as it smelled like a mixture of blood and death.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me all of the ways you use to find sensitive information.¡± The blood spawn said as he released his grip on Auria¡¯s chin. Auria trying to avoid his face just kept her head down and left the room with him right behind her.


    The guild master watched all this happening holding his breath out of fear. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that the guild and his leadership might be numbered because of the Red Eye cult. For the past year they had been a small but regular client that on occasion helped deal with people that were a threat to the guild, but now they were making big steps in the city, they were expanding, and he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    *********


    Two days passed as I continued with my studies and harassment of the Red Eye cult. I learned another tier three geomancy spell called Wall of Earth, it was a defensive spell that would conjure up a large amount of earth that would take the form of a flat wall standing a little shy of two meters tall and a meter wide. I ended up testing it against a few of my own spells and I found that it was a decent protective spell that I was able to move freely around myself within about two meters. The spell was able to withstand several tier two spells and even two strikes with weapons conjured from the Free Handed Earth Weapon spell before suffering significant damage and breaking apart.


    I was more than confident that the spell would do well when I would eventually face Darius again. Given what I recall of his physical strength it should be able to survive at least one strike before breaking on the second, but that would depend on how much strength he uses against me.


    ¡®I will be certain to have the paladins there just in case something does happen. For all I know, given my greater strength Darius might even use everything he has in his first attack to try and take me out quickly. Having a ritual just in case would be a smart move, something like an extra Wall of Earth centered around the mana stone.¡¯


    ********


    On the last day of the month of Slate was when the attack happened. I had waited for quite some time at that point for the vampire assassin to strike, but I couldn¡¯t feel him watching me from a distance like I did the last time. It was like he was so much weaker than I am that I couldn¡¯t even register him as a major threat to my life.


    The vampire arrived at my room to kill me at night while I was asleep and like I suspected he tried to enter through the window to avoid anyone who might have been inside the tavern. The ritual ended up activating as he stuck his head through the window to take a look around and the earth vine grabbed him by the neck. If the loud snapping sound that was made by the shifting earth didn¡¯t wake me the sudden shout of surprise and fear certainly would have.


    He tried cutting the vine off with his knives but before he could I was already on my feet and running towards him with my longsword in hand. When I reached him I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room while the vine kept its grip around his neck. At this point the vampire started to panic and swung his knives around wildly like an animal snarling as he did so, he also managed to deal a fair bit of damage to the vine holding onto him and he started to try and pull it off.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Instead of just waiting around to see what he would do I raised my longsword and pointed the tip towards his very exposed chest and stabbed. The blade only found a bit of resistance from the thin leather armor he was wearing before it pierced the pale flesh and drew blood. The vampire shrieked in pain and instead moved his efforts to try to block my attacks with his two knives, but with the vine around his neck and the angle he was at he couldn¡¯t see much below himself making it rather easy to stab him again and again.


    After seven total stab wounds to the stomach and chest he eventually let out one last gurgle and stopped moving, at the same time the earth vine dispelled and his corpse fell to the ground with a thud. A pool of blood had formed from all the stab wounds he suffered and was only growing larger as he was on the floor.


    Before anything else happened I picked up my mana stone and placed it in my dimensional bag. I did the same with anything else that I didn¡¯t already have in their other than my sword.


    Several minutes later the city guard arrived due to all the commotion from the people all around me in their rooms. I guessed it was the owner of the tavern that actually called the city guard. Two guards took my sword and pushed me to one side of the room to keep an eye on me while the other two investigated the scene to find out who the instigator was. Eventually I could hear people out in the halls exiting and speaking to a few other guards who were blocking the doorway.


    ¡°Excuse me, what happened in there? It sounded like some sort of fight going on. Did somebody die?¡± An older man asked from the hallway.


    ¡°Nothing you need to worry about sir. We have the situation well under control and the suspect is in our custody.¡± One of the guards in the hallway answered the old man.


    Another ten minutes passed before an actual detective arrived and began looking at the crime scene. When he took a look at the corpse he quickly recoiled and demanded that the two guards keeping an eye on me bring me to him. When they brought me over just a few meters the detective started asking me questions. He started with the expected questions such as asking my name and what I did for a living before he asked anything about the case.


    ¡°Do you know what you just killed sir?¡± The detective was direct with his question which was a little surprising, but I answered honestly, mostly.


    ¡°It was a vampire. It tried sneaking through my window, thankfully I woke up as it was doing so and managed to kill it before it killed me.¡± The detective nodded with a stern look on his face and nodded to the two guards next to me who then exited the room to the hallway.


    ¡°Well sir I am not certain if you are incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky because a vampire entering someone''s room in the capital isn¡¯t something that happens very often. A small village is one matter, but the capital itself. I will need to report this right away.¡± The detective turned to the two guards still in the room. ¡°You two keep everyone who isn''t a member of the city government outside this room. We can¡¯t have just anyone coming and going as they wish. They might damage the crime scene.¡±


    But just as the detective was about to leave he stopped in the doorway and turned to me. ¡°And you sir, I recommend finding another place to stay the night. Preferably someplace out of the way where you won¡¯t be followed by anyone. I would rather there was no more death within the city tonight.¡± With those final words the detective raced out the door and out of the tavern. I suspected that his destination was the castle where the king and queen were, he likely wanted to make certain that they know of the situation before any other vampire or associates have the opportunity to cover up what happened.


    I was also forced out by the two guards in the room and instead of finding another room in the same tavern I left and looked for another. Unfortunately it was not only late at night but there were also very few rooms left in the few places that were still open. After a half hour of searching I found a small cramped room in a place called the Black Pot for a couple copper pieces. The room was located underground in a basement area along with several identical ones which were only three meters in length and width, the only thing inside of each was a cheap bed that creaked as I moved around.


    ¡®What an interesting night.¡¯ I thought to myself as I looked to the ceiling that was just a few cheap wooden boards connected to the top of the walls. ¡®I should expect the city guard to send for me sometime soon to get a proper statement from me since that detective has my name and knows I am a part of the guild. Hopefully they bring in the paladins soon, that way Darius can die sooner rather than later.¡¯


    Past that last though I didn¡¯t remain awake for much long, despite the uncomfortable bed I was laying on I soon drifted off to a dreamless sleep and felt my body relax after the dangerous situation I found myself nearly an hour earlier.


    **********


    When I awoke the next morning I instinctively looked to where the window in my previous room was to take a look outside, I was disappointed but quickly reoriented myself. I dressed myself and stepped outside my room and followed the stairs up the main floor and out the door to find it was around nine o¡¯clock in the morning. I had apparently slept in an extra hour.


    My first priority of the day was to collect more ingredients as I was practically out of everything I needed for more healing potions. After that I would need to find a new place to stay for the long term which would be followed by speaking with the foreman of the glassmakers to inform them of my new address.


    ¡®But I might need to be in the city when the city guard comes looking for me. If I am in the forest when that happens they might think the vampires have gotten to me and made me disappear, then when I return they will likely be very annoyed because they wasted their time looking for me. I should go and look for another room to rent right away and then speak with the glassmakers. After that I can think of some way to spend my day.¡¯


    I started looking around the western district looking through all the taverns I could find and even checked out a few buildings offering far more long term rentals. Eventually I found a place within a ten minute walking distance of the guild that had living spaces available. Outside on the front entrance and a few nearby boards was an ad for five living spaces that were a little larger than the room I was renting in the tavern.


    Instead of paying by the day or week or whatever payment plan that someone made with the tavern, this would be paid every month. The monthly rental was for just one silver coin which was a very good deal compared to what I was paying at the tavern, the only real downside was that the place didn¡¯t come with any furniture so I would need to buy all that myself.


    After looking the ad up and down and even checking the back I walked into the small reception area at the bottom of the building and walked over to the receptionist.

 Chapter 196

    After explaining that I was interested in renting one of the available living spaces of the building, the receptionist handed me several forms with several questions and other important details to fill out before pointing me to a nearby table and chair. I have to list my name, my profession and employer, my age, my average monthly income, and all sorts of other things that were apparently important when it came to renting a place for the long term. The only thing I didn¡¯t fill out was the section about the bank accounts, instead I just left a mark in a square for the no option asking if I already had a bank account.


    I returned to the receptionist with the form in hand, she took it and looked it over before asking me a question. ¡°I see you don¡¯t have a bank account at the moment, do you by any chance have the money on hand? If so, you can move in right away.¡±


    With a smile I reached into my bag and pulled out a pouch of coins and reached inside for a single silver piece, I placed the piece in her hand and returned the pouch to my bag. The receptionist took the silver piece and exited from my view for a moment before returning with a document that she handed to me.


    ¡°This right here is the paperwork that is evidence of your residence here. You will receive an updated copy every month in the mail located just behind you on that back wall when you pay your rent every month.¡± I turned to look behind and saw around twenty metal mailboxes all around the size of a small wooden chest.


    When I turned back to the receptionist she was handing me a thin and rather large ring of metal with two keys attached, one key was larger and thicker than the other with a number ten stamped onto the head. ¡°These here are the keys for your living quarters and mailbox, the smaller key is for your mailbox while the other opens and locks your front door.¡± Taking the keys I found they were made of decent quality iron as well as the metal ring that kept them together.


    The receptionist then handed me another piece of paper that had what appeared to be a list of rules. ¡°This here is a list of the rules you will need to follow while you are living here. There are some obvious ones such as no loud noises after 10 o¡¯clock at night, and a few others you might not have expected. Oh and do open an account with one of the banks soon would you, that way you can just have your rent paid automatically every month.¡±


    I looked up and down the list and the first half of the rules were something to be expected, mostly consisting of no loud noises after ten o¡¯clock and the like. However one rule that stood out right away was no bathing farm animals. I looked at the rule and reread it several times over to be certain that I was reading it correctly.


    Instead of trying to figure out why that was a rule I looked at the number ten stamped onto the head of the key and went to the stairs. There were no living quarters on the ground floor, all of them were on the second or third floors and mine turned out to be the very last one on the first floor. Each floor consisted of the stairway which led to a hallway that was collected to each of the living quarters, each door had the room number painted with yellow paint that made it easy to determine which room was which.


    I found mine at the very end across the small hallway from number nine, I inserted the key and unlocked it before stepping inside. As it turned out the room was a little larger than I thought it was, I thought it had been just a little larger than the room in the tavern I was renting, but I was mistaken as the place was easily fifty percent larger and it even had a nice window on the western side overlooking the street below.


    It still wasn¡¯t a very large space compared to the house I had bought in the past, but for just a single silver coin this was a very nice deal. ¡°Alright, now I just need to inform the glassmakers about the change of my address and then buy some furniture to fill this place out with. To start with I am going to need a bed, a few chairs, a decent sized table, a closet, and a divider to separate the bed from everything else.¡¯


    Looking outside I saw it was around noon already, a little surprising considering I had woken up at nine in the morning. ¡®I must have spent a lot of time filling out all that paperwork. I¡¯ll need to rush over to the glassmakers before I do anything else.¡¯ I thought to myself as I started rushing out the door and heading for the exit of the building.


    *********


    I managed to quickly inform the glassmakers of my recent address change before I started walking around looking for a store to buy some furniture, since I was already in the eastern distinct I decided that it wouldn¡¯t be a terrible idea to just find a carpenter or two that are already in the area to buy everything from. They might even have been willing to help me transport everything with how large my purchase will be.


    I ended up finding a decent sized carpentry store that had some nice looking furniture for a decent price just a few buildings down from the glassmakers. But as I was speaking with an employee regarding the prices of some of the furniture I was interested in, namely a set of chairs and a large table, we were interrupted by a group of four guardsmen and the detective I spoke with the night before.


    ¡°I am sorry to interrupt you sir but you need to come with us.¡± The detective said as he waved the employee away. I looked at the group of five confused and a little annoyed as I was definitely planning on buying that table and chair set.


    ¡°I was going to buy a few things.¡± I said not caring to hide my feelings. The detective didn¡¯t really seem to care and just continued speaking as if I didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I would have done this last night, but I was rather occupied by the fact that a vampire had managed to operate within the city undetected for quite some time. I informed the king''s advisor of the situation and just about everyone who was in the room with him about what happened and they ordered me to return to my post and inform my superiors as they would be contacting a group who specializes in vampires.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°And I assume your captain ordered you along with these fine gentlemen to come and find me and keep me safe in the event there are more vampires hiding somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though I don''t think this is the proper place for such a conversation. So if you be so kind, come with us someplace where we will not be overheard.¡± The detective wasn¡¯t asking any more, he was demanding. Though he wasn¡¯t threatening me, instead it was more of a ¡°for your own good¡± type of demand. I went with him of course as I expected more information on the situation given that I wasn''t just a nobody this time.


    *********


    Several hours later the six of us were standing in a room with the captain of the western district city guard Lucia Dio. She looked exactly the same as I remember her with her armor and thin stabbing sword.


    Since the vampire attack happened in the western district for the time being she had authority on the case and was leading the investigation. Since I was both the victim and survivor of the attack she wanted me to give her all the information I had on the subject as well as anything that I had been doing beforehand that might have led to the attack.


    ¡°So you attacked and killed some sort of criminal that was disposing of dead bodies on an unused plot of land a few days prior to the attack?¡±


    ¡°That is correct captain.¡± I answered back. I remember the last time I spoke with her was regarding another crime, but she was far nicer to me when it happened than she was now. She seemed very tense about something and it was affecting her emotions regarding the vampires. I just hoped that it wasn¡¯t affecting her judgement as well.


    ¡°So there is a very real possibility that this vampire is involved with this group of red cloaked individuals. Then we must also consider the possibility of many more vampires as members of this group.¡± Captain Dio said as she took a seat at her desk.


    ¡°Do you think that is what all the corpses are from, feeding all those vampires?¡± I asked, already knowing the answer to that question. ¡°I¡¯ve read a bit about vampires and from what I understand they need to drink the blood of mortals in order to survive. Otherwise they shrivel up and become a sort of living statue until they are bathed in blood.¡±


    I could feel the captain, the detective, and the four guardsmen in the room with me tense up at the statement. They knew if I was correct, and I was, then there were very likely many more shallow graves all over that plot of land where they were hiding.


    ¡°If there are more vampires then it is very likely that this group of red cloaks are servants of these vampires. It is likely they are finding and later disposing of victims that the vampires drink the blood of.¡± Captain Dio abrupted stood up as she finished speaking and headed for the door. She pushed it open and the detective followed after her.


    ¡°Captain, is something wrong?¡± He asked as he pushed the door open.


    I looked to the two guards that were just as surprised as I was and asked ¡°Is it alright if I follow them?¡± The guards looked a little surprised for a second before nodding.


    Quickly I jogged after the duo through the building and down several flights of stairs. By the end of this chance we were in a basement area that was rather cold compared to the rest of the building with a large and presumably heavy metal door before us. Captain Dio reached for the key chain she had on her belt and inserted one into the lock before opening the door and pushing inside. Both the detective and I followed just seconds behind her.


    When we stepped inside we found that we were inside some sort of cold storage section of the building. The room we were in wasn¡¯t used for preserving corpses, but it was still very cold. We saw the captain speaking with somebody that was wearing strange clothing that somewhat reminded me of a butcher''s outfit, only this man was wearing goggles over his eyes and a partial cloth mask over his mouth and nose.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we haven gotten to the corpses from that case just yet. We have a few other important cases to deal with before we can worry about just a few old bodies.¡±


    ¡°Well consider this case of the highest priority right now, we have new evidence that suggests that this is something the entire city should be very concerned about. So I suggest that you get your priorities straight and take a look at the most recent corpses for the cause of death and bring me a report the moment you are done.¡± Captain Dio turned and walked back towards us without even giving the man a chance to say anything back.


    ¡°You two, follow me back to my office. We have several things to discuss going forward.¡± Captain Dio said as she grabbed each of us by an arm. As it turned out she was quite strong, far stronger than I thought she would be, I still could have likely gotten out of her grip but that wouldn¡¯t have been very productive to our situation. The detective was likely thinking the same way as he didn¡¯t try either.


    The captain let us go when we were out of the room to lock the door behind her before leading us back up to her office. Once inside she ordered the guards who were still waiting inside out and locked the door behind them.


    ¡°Now that we have the room to ourselves we need to make a decision about what to do with you Mr. Arthur.¡± Both the detective and I looked at Captain Dio with a touch of confusion.


    ¡°And why exactly do we need to be alone for that captain?¡± The detective asked.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want the information to get out if we plan for something that needs to remain a secret, detective Carius. However, that decision will rely mostly on our mage friend here and what he wants to do.¡± I looked at the captain rather confused by the statement.


    ¡°And why exactly would it matter what I want to do? From what I understand about the law you have the authority on this, I see no reason why you wouldn¡¯t be able to make me follow whatever plan you want to use.¡±


    ¡°Quite simple really, you seem to have a good head of your shoulders and some knowledge when it comes to fighting vampires. You might have just killed your first vampire last night not knowing what it was until after, but you know enough about how to protect yourself and as a mage you have a decent arsenal of tools and spells to use at will. So if you have anything to add to the conversation I invite you to do so.¡±


    I looked the captain in the eyes for several seconds trying to understand her reasoning before I gave up and gave my thoughts on the situation. ¡°If we want a minimal amount of casualties and a group that has proper experience and a lot more knowledge than I do then we should get the circle of fire¡¯s paladins involved and have them ready to fight the vampires and their servants.¡±

 Chapter 197

    ¡°The paladins, can they be trusted fighting against these vampires? I don¡¯t mean to be sacrilegious but paladins don¡¯t exactly deal with threats like this very often. From what I understand they mostly protect their temples and holy sights from those who would try to destroy them.¡± Detective Carius¡¯s scepticism was a surprise to me. I knew that a majority of the kingdom followed the circle of fire as their religion, I would have assumed that even those that didn¡¯t follow would see the circle as a force of stability and strength.


    ¡°You think they don¡¯t have the ability to handle such a matter?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s not that I think they are incompetent, I just think they just have higher priorities. Things like stopping occultists from summoning their demon masters and keeping the goblin hoards to the north from bearing down on us.¡±


    ¡°Even if the paladins and the circle of fire can¡¯t help us with manpower we should still contact them or ask the crown to contact them on our behalf. They may still be able to offer information that would be invaluable when fighting against this vampiric threat.¡± Captain Dio interjected as I was about to rebuke the detective.


    ¡°Even in the event the circle doesn¡¯t send anyone there are still many powerful individuals that would be more than willing to fight against the vampires, many of which are a part of the circle anyways. I know a priest who calls himself Brother Albin, he has helped me in the past and I see no reason he wouldn¡¯t be willing to at least offer his spiritual guidance for something like this.¡±


    Both the captain and the detective were quiet as they thought about what I said. I could see that the captain was more than willing to try and contact the circle while the detective had already decided that the circle was a waste of time. I didn¡¯t know why he felt this way, but I already knew that the circle would send their paladins so contacting them was worth it.


    ¡°Do you have contact with the crown of one of their advisors?¡± I asked, turning to captain Dio. She nodded and brought out her communication orb from her desk and called the kings secretary. He picked up the line with a rather tired look on his face.


    ¡°Captain! We are having a rather interesting day today, are we not? How can I help you?¡± Despite the tired tone he spoke with he still tried to look presentable and upstanding.


    ¡°It''s about the vampire situation. I would like to suggest to the crown that we should inquire to the circle of fire for information and perhaps even some of their paladins to help fight against them.¡± Stepping behind the captain I got my first good look at the man. He was a middle aged human of about average height with short brown hair and a clean shaven face. He also seemed rather surprised by both the captain¡¯s recommendation and my sudden appearance.


    ¡°Well that is an interesting suggestion, captain. But I must ask, who is that man standing behind you?¡± The king''s secretary asked nervously, I noticed he fiddled with his fingers as he spoke. Likely a nervous habit he picked up from his job.


    ¡°This here is the evoker Arthur. He is a mage from the mages guild and the target of the vampire attack that has the whole upper echelons of the kingdom panicking. It was actually his idea to contact the circle to ask for help.¡± I nodded as the captain gave this explanation, I could see the man relax somewhat as he understood I wasn''t just some nobody listening in on the conversation.


    ¡°Ah, very well then. Is there anyone else in the room with the two of you? This is a rather delicate matter so it would be best that I know of everyone who is a part of this conversation from the start.¡± Both the captain and I turned to the detective who looked rather annoyed with our decision regarding the circle of fire. He sighed and walked over standing next to me and within view of the view of the orb.


    ¡°I assume that is everyone?¡± The king¡¯s secretary asked and the three of us nodded.


    ¡°Very good then. Now regarding your suggestion, asking the circle of fire for help, that has already been done. The king is actually on very good terms with the current High Lord of the circle and she was willing to send a platoon of paladins to assist with the vampire threat.¡±


    I smiled at the statement, it already lined up with what happened the last time and it looked like they would be here on schedule. Soon I would be able to deal Darius with some powerful backup in case things go wrong.


    ¡°So do we know when they will be arriving? Having a timeline of how long we will need to keep the vampire threat occupied would be a gods-send at this point.¡± I could see the captain relaxing her shoulders as she asked the question. I already had an idea of the answer, but knowing from the source would be better.


    ¡°They are estimated to be here in around a week''s time. If there are any delays I am in charge of informing all of the guard captains. Now if there isn¡¯t anything else I have my duties to attend to.¡± Moments later the call with the king¡¯s secretary ended and captain Dio returned the orb to her desk.


    Only when she closed and locked the drawer did she turn to me and speak. ¡°So now we just need to discuss your protection until this threat has been dealt with. How do you think we should go about this detective?¡± Captain Dio then looked to detective Carius for an answer.


    ¡°Well that mostly depends upon what Arthur is doing. Since he is an alchemist I would assume that he is brewing potions on the regular. That would mean either buying lots of ingredients from places that sell ingredients or going out and collecting them himself. So do tell us Mr. Arthur, how do you source your ingredients?¡± The detective had a slight unhappiness in his tone that I could make out, but I could see that he was trying to keep his feelings out of the conversation. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°In the past I have been buying my ingredients from a supplier, but as of recently I have needed to collect them from the nearby forest personally. I do have a decent amount of money saved up and I have a living space rented out for a month, so shelter and work are not exactly an issue that I am dealing with. I do however still need to be certified by the mages guild as an alchemist, I will be doing that as soon as possible in light of these new developments.¡±


    ¡°We were thinking more in terms of an armed escort given your interest in the situation. We wouldn¡¯t want another vampire to make their way into your home and try again.¡± Captain Dio corrected my thoughts on the matter and brought up a good point while doing so. I was expecting that I would be asked to stay in the barracks at night to ensure my safety like the last time, however this time I was being offered an armed escort.


    ¡®An interesting development, perhaps this is due to my status as a proper magical practitioner. I was just a nobody the last time I went through all of this, my little display of instant casting of tier one spells must have made its way higher and been more important than I thought.¡¯


    ¡°In truth in cases like this the monetary situation of those we are protecting isn¡¯t really a major factor, we will be providing food and drink if you can¡¯t afford it, but given what you just said I doubt that is an issue. Our biggest priority right now is keeping you alive, and the best way to do that is with an escort which will be following you around to keep you safe. Wherever you go they will be nearby and more than ready to jump in to protect you.¡± Detective Carius¡¯s explanation was sounding far nicer than the previous arrangement.


    ¡°I have one question about this armed escort.¡± I interjected. ¡°I won¡¯t need to sleep in the same room as this armed escort will I? I like my privacy and I would be far more comfortable without some heavily armed man or woman standing around while I am asleep.¡±


    ¡°No no, you will have your own privacy during the night when you are asleep. However during the day whoever is chosen will need to be in the same room as you for most of the time. At night they will be waiting just outside your door, all you will need to do in that situation is call for help and they will come running with their weapons ready.¡±


    I paused for a moment to think about the arrangement. It was a considerable upgrade from what I had to endure the last time and I was still able to retain my autonomy to go about my work. I would of course be spending a considerable amount of time in the guild library for anything on restoration magic as that was something I needed if I wanted to greatly improve my healing potions, but I would also need to choose a supplier for my ingredients since for the time being I wasn''t leaving the city.


    ¡°Very well then, I will allow an armed escort. But I would like to meet them beforehand and I would like to have full autonomy of my decisions while inside the city. Otherwise I am going alone because I have things I need to do and little time I am willing to waste.¡± I said making my terms firm, I wasn¡¯t going to be sleeping in a barracks full of sweaty and smelly guards again and I was more than willing to go alone.


    ********


    One week later on the very first day of Felsite Arthur was walking through the streets of the western district to pick up the ingredients he ordered, his armed escort just a few steps behind him. The first face was a familiar one, the stone elf he had spent some time with by the name of Titia. She was on loan from the eastern district for the duration of the task to keep Arthur alive and safe from any threats. Worst case scenario she had the skills needed to escape and inform the city guard of the situation with her illusion magic.


    The second person following him around was a new face to Arthur, he was a human man that called himself Eric. Based on the name alone it was easy to figure out that he was from the empire, but he was apparently loyal to the city guard and both skilled and trusted enough to handle the task. Unlike Titia his weapon of choice was a spear and he wore proper chainmail armor with several pieces of metal plate armor over his head and his other most vital areas.


    While this trio was walking through the streets Eric used his intimidating presence to keep a small amount of breathing room around them. He said he was doing it to keep any hidden assassins from trying to sneak up on them. Titia disapproved while Arthur didn¡¯t really care too much, he was more concerned with getting to the store and back to his temporary home.


    But as the trio was walking south a commotion occurred from the west and was heading in their direction, they along with everyone else on the street stopped to see what it was. As they waited the sounds of metal boots marching in sync almost echoed off the buildings. The people parted like the ancient saints of old were commanding the oceans, when they did it gave Arthur and his armed escorts a sight of who it was.


    A platoon of heavily armored men wearing plate armor with a symbol of a sword wrapped in a golden flame marched down the street towards the seat of the crown at the very centre of the city. It was the paladins sent by the circle of fire, and they were here to fight the vampire threat. It was both good and bad news.


    ¡®Darius and his little cult should start getting a little uncomfortable as the news spreads. But that also means the likelihood of them contacting me will rise which will almost certainly lead to confrontation. Hopefully I will be ready to fight him when that happens.¡¯ Arthur was nervous as he watched the paladins pass by. He knew that if he could get them to follow him without the cult finding out about them then it would be an issue to survive the encounter.


    ********


    Not too far from where Arthur was, a young human woman dressed in some rather worn thief-like garbs pushed her way through the crowd and back towards the southern district to the old tavern her guild operated from. When she was outside of the large bunched up crowd she started running with as much strength as her legs could muster up. When she reached the tavern she was breathing heavily, but she didn¡¯t stop moving and pushed open the door and stepped inside.


    When she was inside he walked by the few drunkards at the tables and bar drinking so early in the day into the back and down the hidden hallway to the guild master. The Pyrosan bodyguard tried to stop her but she just shoved him with the strength and adrenaline in her system out of the way just enough to pass by.


    The guild master looked up from his desk rather surprised by the sudden visitor. He wasn¡¯t expecting anyone for another hour, and here was one of his subordinates that he unfortunately had to allow the blood spawn barrow for a while. He felt a little bad about it but the timely death of the young vampire was both happy and unhappy news.


    ¡°Boss, we have a situation down in the western district.¡± Auria said while breathing somewhat heavily. ¡°We have paladins entering the city, they were heading for the center of the city the last time I checked. They are probably here because of the vampire.¡±

 Chapter 198

    Hanno Metilius, the guildmaster of Misery''s end just looked down at his desk with a look of pure disbelief. One of his best agents just told him that the paladins were in the city just a week after a vampire was killed and brought to the attention of the authorities. He could feel the walls closing around him, trapping him with no way out and he didn¡¯t know what he could do but prepare to escape when the law inevitably came for him.


    ¡°Thank you Auria, you may go now.¡± Hanno said without even looking up. Instead he gave his attention towards the finances of the guild wondering if he could get away with making several hundred gold coins vanish just in time for the authorities to come knocking.


    ¡°Sir!? What are we going to do about it!? If they find the vampires and their cult then we are going to be discovered as their accomplice!¡± Auria knew that speaking to the guildmaster in such a way was normally enough cause to be thrown out but she needed to know that he had a plan, only his reaction showed otherwise and she had a sinking feeling that he wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t do anything about the situation.


    ¡°Yes, I heard you the first time. You may leave now.¡± His voice was cold and stiff like the most terrible winter nights, Auria knew that she could do nothing and slowly stepped out of the office passing the rather confused looking Pyrosan guard wondering what happened.


    *********


    Arthur and his two protectors didn¡¯t remain for long in the street after the paladins passed by. Arthur of course had a batch of potions to make for today and now that he had the ingredients he needed to get it done he was going to spend the rest of the afternoon if need be to get them all done. Time was money after all for a skilled alchemist like Arthur.


    ¡°So how much do you get paid for each of your potions? You seem to make a lot of those and I doubt they are cheap.¡± Titia asked from inside the door as Arthur placed the box of ingredients by the table where his alchemy apparatuses were.


    ¡°The guild will buy each of them for four copper pieces each. I am however hoping that I can increase that number sometime soon a bit higher with some better healing potions. I have several projects I am interested in continuing and I will need a steady supply of money, knowledge, and material to work on them.¡±


    ¡°So what do you think you need to improve the quality of your potions?¡± Titia had a way of asking questions in a way that resembled that of a child. Perhaps it was the fact she was so skilled with illusion magic that factored towards her demeanor, the childish innocence that came with the ability to create images of all the beauty you could think of.


    I will likely need to look into properly learning restoration magic. I know a little bit about it, but not enough to heal any super serious injuries. Looks like I have another project to look into.¡± Arthur sighed as he imagined learning about enchanting, alchemy, geomancy, and restoration magic at the same time. If he was going to keep up with his plans he would need to drop at least one of the subjects for the time being.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t worry so much about it, you are pushing yourself a lot and it is no wonder that you are having problems learning everything that you want to. Most people wait until they are wizards before trying to learn so many things at once, the fact that you can even make any significant progress at all is a testament to just how talented you are.¡±


    Arthur looked up to Titia with a soft smile, it wasn¡¯t very often that he received compliments like that, not since he lost Calavia anyways. ¡®Perhaps I should keep her around as a friend. I wouldn¡¯t mind meeting up with her every so often, or introduce her to Calavia once I befriend her again. All I need at that point is a big house to host holiday dinners at.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you Titia, I don¡¯t think anyone has said anything like that in quite some time. But my previous point still stands, I will certainly need to look into learning restoration magic if I want to sell these potions for anything above four copper pieces. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have any books on the subject that you would recommend, would you?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask someone to teach you. Isn¡¯t that what the guild is for, to teach other people about magic?¡± A rough voice came from outside the door. Both Arthur and Titia recognised it as the voice of Eric. He didn¡¯t speak all that often, but when he did most people were a little put off by his voice.


    ¡°Well yes that is true, however I would still need to pay them for their time and expertise on the subject. You can¡¯t just expect people to work for free after all, they have things they need money for as well, and at the moment I am rather pressed for money.¡± Arthur replied after a short pause. Eric speaking was a bit of a surprise, I didn¡¯t really know all that much about him or the way he thought. Both Arthur and Titia knew he was born in the empire close to the border with the kingdom and moved once he was an adult, but past that he had kept quiet.


    Just about everything about him was a mystery. They didn¡¯t even know if he followed a certain religion or if he didn¡¯t follow ant at all, whenever I would try and ask him about his personal life he would just brush my questions off and say something to the effect of ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m just here to keep you safe.¡± It was a little weird hearing him say anything more than what a simple hired thug would say.


    ¡°Yeah, the guild can be weird at times. Sometimes they have introductory courses for most magic types to allow for those willing to learn, but they often get cancelled or something happens in management that prevents them from happening. That was actually how I managed to learn anything about illusion magic when I was in my twenties.¡± Titia said as she conjured up an image of a rainbow winged butterfly. ¡°This was the first thing I figured out how to create past simple shapes.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Interesting, what all can illusion magic do?¡± Arthur asked, turning away from his table of alchemy. The idea of creating illusions like the one he could see Titia doing was rather interesting to him, the possibility of combining it with enchanting or rituals to create something more powerful.


    ¡°Oh illusion magic is typically used to create false images like this one, basically I am just manipulating magic to look like there is a physical object or creature where there isn¡¯t. The more complex things like invisibility you need to cover yourself with magic and shape it to look like everything around you.¡± Titia hesitated for a moment before she continued. ¡°Then there is the mental aspect of illusion magic. You need to use illusion magic on the target''s brain to change their perception or reality or to change their memories. I of course don¡¯t know how to do either of those two things.¡±


    Both Arthur and Eric could see that Titia was rather uncomfortable when talking about the far more dangerous aspect of her chosen field of magic. Arthur almost immediately believed her statement about not knowing how to manipulate someone¡¯s mind or memories, but Eric was a bit more skeptical. He noticed she seemed far more uncomfortable about it despite the fact that she didn¡¯t know much about it, almost like she had seen what it looked like.


    Of course Eric was a smart man and didn¡¯t say anything despite his suspicions as so far Totia had been a good member of the city guard. In fact this wasn¡¯t even the first time he had worked with her.


    Soon Arthur finished up with his potion making and left his living space to walk to the mages guild with his armed escort in tow. Speaking with Lydus Arthur sold most of the potions he had on hand for a decent amount of money before making a quick stop at the library for a few books on restoration magic. With the help of Titia he picked out three books that would cover the basics of learning restoration magic up to the apprentice level.


    Though he wanted to stay for a while and read the books he picked out, it was getting rather late and Arthur wanted to be home and in his bed by midnight, so the trio left the guild library just as quickly as they arrived and returned to Arthur¡¯s home.


    When they arrived Arthur unlocked the door and both he and Titia stepped inside while Eric remained outside to keep an eye out for anyone in the building while Titia would stay to keep Arthur safe. Though before Arthur could retrieve the books from his bag he noticed something on his table with all his alchemy apparatuses that wasn¡¯t there before. A piece of paper that looked almost like it was thrown inside through the window with how it was crumpled up.


    Opening the paper and flattening it Arthur saw that it was a note addressed to him.


    Mage Arthur of Dom Badaher


    I believe that a congratulation is in order with how you dealt with Mulier.


    Mulier was one of my children who has been blessed with my blood. While he never had much interest in magic he certainly had plenty for knives and blades of all sorts and my blood helped him with that, just imagine what my blood could do for someone as talented as you. In fact I think imagining would be a waste of your true potential, that is why I am inviting you to come and speak with me.


    I am certain you recall the place where you uncovered the first of the many hidden graveyards, if you would be so kind I would ask you to return there alone tonight. One of my other followers will be there waiting for you, she was the one delivering this letter.


    Arthur looked the letter up and down twice before he took a seat. He noticed that the wording was different this time around with Darius being far more respectful, but he was also in a way calmer than before. Regardless, Titia was looking at him with a worried look on her face without saying anything, Arthur wanting her to know handed her the letter and waited for her to finish reading it. When she was done she looked back up with her mouth open wide and for a moment she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Her next move was to reach into her bag and pull out her guard issued limited communication orb and call Captain Dio. Just a few seconds later the captain picked up and asked for a status update.


    ¡°We have a development ma¡¯am, the vampires have reached out to Arthur and are requesting he meet with them.¡± For a moment there were no words spoken, the tension was so thick that Arthur imagined he could cut it with a knife.


    ¡°And what does Arthur intend to do?¡± Captain Dio asked suddenly, surprising them both.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really sure ma¡¯am, that was why Titia called you.¡± Arthur said quickly, he wanted to kill the damn vampires, but he also didn¡¯t want to anger the captain or the city guard. The last time he snuck out was one of the most dangerous decisions he ever made.


    ¡°If you are willing I would like you to accept this offer and lead us to their base of operations. Now this is just a request and you don¡¯t need to do this if you do not want to, but it would be a god send for the investigation and Titia will be following right behind you in the event something happens to you.¡±


    Arthur looked at the image of the captain, the communication orb with a mixture of surprise and worry, he knew it was dangerous but now he was far stronger. While he wasn¡¯t certain he could beat Darius on his own he knew that with Titia he was unlikely to die, and if Titia was following him then the paladins were likely also being given the same information and would be intervening if something very dangerous happens.


    With a deep breath Arthur gave his answer. ¡°Alright captain, I will do it. I trust that you will be informing the paladins of the situation so they can intervene.¡±


    ¡°I will be, now keep Eric guarding the front door or something so it looks like neither of them know you have left the building. You never know who all might be watching.¡±


    The conversation lasted another few minutes as the captain told Arthur how to remain calm and a few other important details to help maintain the illusion that he was alone. This like to keep his responses to a minimum and to keep his hood up to avoid showing his face, things that would help reduce the chance the vampires notice something was up.


    When they were done Titia ended the call and Arthur climbed out of the window using his geomancy to create a ladder, the young stone elf watched from inside away from the window. When he was on the street below Titia slipped a piece of paper under the door to Eric and followed Arthur while invisible.


    With his cloak covering himself Arthur made his way to the hidden graveyard at a moderate pace so that Titia could keep up.


    The first major detail that Arthur took notice of was that there was a minimal amount of people walking the streets, there was of course the occasional drunk and guard or paladin patrolling, but foot traffic was down to a minimum and all wagons or carriages were gone from the streets as well. It was an eerie feeling that reminded Arthur why he was doing what he was doing, stopping such evil so people could live without fear.

 Chapter 199

    Arthur walked behind the young vampire through the overgrown plants and trees, like he recalled she was dressed in that crimson red cloak and kept her face hidden with her hood. When they reached the illusionary tree line the vampire turned to speak with him. ¡°Lord Darius has placed an illusion here that helps prevent anyone from snooping around, so don¡¯t worry when I disappear.¡± With the quick explanation the vampire stepped through the illusion and it shimmed before quickly returning to normal, after a moment Arthur followed.


    Once on the other side of the illusion he looked back and saw the image was exactly the same as it was on the other side, only this time it was mirrored. ¡°Is your master a skilled illusionist? This is a rather impressive illusion after all.¡±


    Looking to the young vampire he noticed she stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back around to look at the young mage, he could see she was both surprised and a little tense from the question as she likely didn¡¯t have an answer.


    ¡°When you meet Lord Darius he can tell you himself.¡± The vampire answered and began walking back towards the mansion at the end of the path they were walking. Arthur didn¡¯t say anything and just followed the vampire knowing he had his answer.


    Reaching the front door of the mansion Arthur saw its old and worn walls, the cult that had taken refuge here clearly hadn''t been taking good care of it. The young vampire reached into her bag and brought out an old iron key which she then used to unlock and open the front door, she ushered Arthur inside after her and then locked it behind them.


    The inside of the mansion unlike the outside, was far better taken care of, the paint on the walls looked almost new in the dim candle light that lined the walls. A few cultists in their red robes were walking in the distance towards the large ballroom where Darius had brought him the last time, the vampire led him in the same direction.


    Within a minute Arthur was standing in the old ballroom, looking up he could see the old chandeliers covered with spider webs. Along the sides were the cultists each holding a candle in an eerie fashion, and at the very end of the room sitting on a throne was the familiar face of Lord Darius.


    Darius smiled as he saw Arthur enter the room, he had acquired the young images file and saw it was rather impressive for someone with no backing. Mastering all four evocations to the apprentice level and then diversifying himself further with alchemy and enchanting, he was certainly an excellent catch that Darius very much wanted.


    ¡°Welcome Arthur, welcome to my home. I am happy that you accepted the invitation, please take a look around and tell me what you think about the place.¡± Darius said in a generous tone, he wanted Arthur to feel like he had a choice in the matter when in actuality Darius had no intention of allowing Arthur to leave without joining him.


    Listening to Darius Arthur looking around the room which was almost entirely empty of furniture, the only nice thing to look at was the windows which were made from stained glass depicting various phases of the sun and moon throughout the day and night. It was a unique design choice, but it was likely that Darius wasn¡¯t the one who made it.


    ¡°It is certainly an interesting place you found yourself, the illusion was also a nice touch to keep those who like to snoop out of the way.¡± Arthur commented as he looked Darius down.


    Darius, a little surprised by the young mages'' behavior, shifted in his throne. ¡°Yes, illusion magic is such a wonderful skill to have. You can make all the annoying people in your life stay far far away while you keep your eyes trained right on them. Now what did you think of my offer? I think joining us would be a good decision for both of us, your talent would blossom even further and we will benefit from having someone as skilled as you on our side. What do you say Arthur, will you join us?¡±


    The two surviving vampires that served Darius stepped forwards in front of Arthur¡¯s view in a sort of demonstration of their unity. Arthur smiled and reached for his sword before giving his answer. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will. I have done my fair share of reading and I have found vampirism to be a rather poor way of achieving my goals. Since the three of you and all your cultists are in my way I will have to assume you will not allow me to leave without a fight.¡±


    Arthur stood with his sword in his right hand while his left was ready to cast a spell of his choosing, he stood defiantly angering Darius in a way he had never experienced. Darius snarled like a beast at the display and stood from his throne as he pointed towards the young mage. ¡°Break his arms and legs, then bring him to me!¡±


    At their master¡¯s command the two young vampires stepped forwards to follow their orders. The female vampire stood several steps behind the larger male vampire as she started casting a simple tier one spell. In response Arthur raised his left and and with a small gesture conjured up three fire bolts and fired them towards the male vampire. The male vampire being far more dexterous than his ally rolled out of the way, she however wasn¡¯t so lucky. She was struck in the right hand, left shoulder, and the chest falling to the ground from the pain. She tried to remove the bolts with her hands but only further hurt herself.


    ¡°How dare you! You are going to serve Lord Darius like us whether you like it or not!¡± The male vampire shouted at Arthur as he raised his two handed axe and gave an overhead swing at Arthur. Arthur raised his own sword and blocked the strike with the lower half of his sword to maintain his strength. The vampire, not one to back down, pushed down and forwards with his axe trying to force Arthur into an unbeatable situation, Arthur on the other hand had a few tricks up his sleeves.


    Taking just one second to do so Arthur removed his left hand from the sword''s handle and with a quick flick of his hand he conjured up three more fire bolts point blank towards the vampire''s chest. Unlike his two fellow vampires this one was wearing actual metal armor to protect himself, specifically chainmail that was covered with the red cloak they all wore. But it wasn¡¯t enough to block the bolt entirely, it stopped most of the impact but not the heat itself.Stolen novel; please report.


    The vampire cried out and back away from Arthur the moment he felt his flesh cooking while still alive. He reached down, dropping his own axe in the process, to try and remove the bolts like his ally only to fail the same way. Arthur, not wanting either of the vampires he wounded to survive, brought his longsword to his right side with the intent to slash. When he was within range Arthur swung his sword towards the vampire¡¯s neck only going around halfway stopping at the bone. The vampire fell to his knees and could only let out a few gurgles as he tried to ask for mercy. The second strike at the vampire¡¯s neck severed his head completely with both it and the rest of his body falling to the ground.


    Arthur stepped over his corpse to the female vampire that was trying to heal her charred and painful wounds, the fire bolts had disappeared already but the pain they left behind was still very much there along with the wounds they left. The young vampire of course did have the natural ability to heal her wounds at an accelerated rate without any magic, she also knew a little bit about restoration magic. Unfortunately Arthur was standing over her with his sword pointed at her, and with one swift thrust he stabbed her through the chest.


    With gasp cut short from the punctured lung she suffered she fell to the cold floor and her blood started to pool alongside her fellow vampire.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 150 Exp X 2 (300)


    \- - - - - -/


    With somewhat shaky breath Arthur looked up to the somewhat surprised looking self proclaimed vampire lord. Darius wasn¡¯t expecting something quite like that to happen, he knew that Arthur was skilled in terms of magic but this was well out of his expectations.


    ¡®He can instantly cast tier one pyromancy spells, his file from the guild and my other sources never said anything about that. That means he is likely to know how to cast tier three spells as well, looks like he could be far more trouble than he is worth.¡¯


    Quickly Darius put on a fake smile, both for Arthur and his followers. ¡°Well look just how powerful you are Arthur. Just imagine how much stronger you would be with my help, we could become gods amongst all these people. I was just a man before I acquired this power, imagine what you would become.¡± As he spoke Darius could feel his heart beginning to beat far above normal, this was something that hadn¡¯t happened in years since he took refuge in this old abandoned mansion.


    Instead of responding to what Darius said to him Arthur instead took a rag from his bag and wiped off the blood that was covering his sword, with a few wipes most of the blood was cleaned off and he turned his attention back towards Darius who was angered by the act of pure disrespect for him and his two dead blood spawns.


    Stepping forwards Darius reached his right hand downwards and conjured up a mace from earth, when it was fully formed he jumped off from the small elevated platform his throne rested on and moved towards Arthur with unnatural speed.


    Slightly startled by the sudden burst of speed displayed by the vampire, Arthur quickly adopted his best defensive position with both hands on his sword and one leg back with the tip of the blade pointed towards Darius. This position gave him stable footing and a good range of movement to either block or counter anything that Darius would try.


    When Darius reached Arthur he quickly raised his conjured mage above his head and swung downwards with all high might. Arthur quickly repositioned his sword to block and deflect the attack off to the side, however Darius turned out to be far stronger than he expected as the bones in his arms felt the impact all the way to his elbow.


    Darius followed up with another attack this time from his right towards his left, this time Arthur stepped back and avoided the strike. But Darius used the momentum to make one more strike with minimal wasted energy back across from his left to right. Arthur, who wasn¡¯t expecting the sudden change in direction only barely managed to block the attack with his sword at the cost of absorbing the power behind the blow through his arms yet again.


    Taking the first opportunity to take several steps back Arthur¡¯s arms burned with pain from the impact of those attacks, the sheer power that Darius managed to put into them gave him a better perspective as to what the paladin Aulus experienced when he fought and then defeated this very same vampire.


    ¡®Darius is a very strong opponent, likely the strongest I have ever fought against in terms of physical might. However his skill with his weapon is rather lacking in comparison, and even though I am not particularly skilled with my sword, magic is my go to weapon.¡¯ Upon reaching the ten step mark away from the vampire before him Arthur stopped and planted his right foot behind him, and with his shaking hands he raised his sword back up to the very same position that Darius rendered useless.


    ¡°You are obviously suffering from terrible eyesight Arthur, otherwise you would see that my gift of blood is the only real choice here. All you need to be blessed just as the three you have bested is to lower your weapon and kneel before me.¡± Darius said as he looked at Arthur. He could see his hands shaking from absorbing the power of his attacks and now holding the weight of his own sword. Darius had no worries, and when he didn¡¯t receive an answer he decided to give Arthur another example as to why his gift was needed.


    Darius dashed towards Arthur with his mace to his side intending to knock the weapon out of his hands and even force him to consume his blood if need be, but as he was doing this something happened that wasn¡¯t within his expectations. Arthur removed one of his hands from his sword and made a small gesture towards the ground in front of him, Darius wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was at first until he was suddenly stopped in his tracks and he could feel something grabbing onto his leg.


    At first he tried to continue running and escape from whatever was holding onto him, but it didn¡¯t seem to work. Looking back he saw a tendril of earth sticking out from the ground wrapped around his leg with a solid grip, he brought his hand back with the intent to smash the weak tendril to show Arthur how weak his magic was without the blessing of blood he was offering. Suddenly another bursted up from the ground this time grabbing his other leg and forcing him to keep the rather uncomfortable position he was currently standing in. At first it was no big deal, but then more and more tendrils were conjured up grabbing not just his legs but also his arms and torso. The only place he wasn¡¯t being destined by tendrils was his head which he turned to look at Arthur.


    Arthur who he saw wasn¡¯t one to sit on an opportunity as he started to chant and perform hand signs for a powerful spell. Thoughts of worry and fear began running through Darius¡¯s mind, he could barely move any part of himself and now the young mage he was intent on turning was casting a spell that could very likely easily wound him.


    Twelve seconds later the spell was finished and a longsword conjured from earth floated above Arthur¡¯s right arm. With only a second after the spell was finished Arthur thrusted his arm forwards and the sword followed plunging into the gut of the restrained vampire.

 Chapter 200

    Darius let out a pained grunt as he felt the conjured blade pierce his stomach, he could feel it cutting through his intestines in several places as it pushed deep inside him. Slowly the blade retracted before darting back to Arthur¡¯s side like a loyal dog. Again Arthur raised his right hand and thrusted it forwards and the conjured blade followed, a third and fourth strike followed until blood was pouring from the vampire¡¯s wounds staining his expensive clothes and pooling on the ground.


    Through this humiliation and in pain Darius struggled against the conjured tendrils to try and escape and stop the horrible spell, but for each failed attempt he was struck again and his strength further faded. By the time a minute had passed and the first of the conjured tendrils had faded Darius had already lost the strength to fight against Arthur.


    When the last tendril was gone Darius was left alone standing in the middle of a puddle of his own blood. He tried to walk towards Arthur with shaking legs, the weight of his body almost too much to bear with all the blood he had lost. The best he could manage was a walk even a drunken child could easily surpass.


    In a desperate act for even the smallest possibility of survival Darius reached out with his right arm while his left held onto the mangled flesh that was once his stomach, the natural healing ability that vampires had was not enough to heal such a wound fast enough.


    Arthur barley even reacted to the actions of Darius at this point, instead he chose to bring his right arm all the way to his left side with the conjured weapon following. When Darius stopped to look only then did he notice he was within the reach of the conjured weapon. He stood as straight as he could and looked the young mage in the eye. To his surprise he didn¡¯t see anger, disgust, or fear that he was so accustomed to see in the eyes of those who stood against him. Instead he saw defiance, defiance to all the evil in the world should it show its face to him. He could see that Arthur didn¡¯t hate him, he just saw him as a danger to the world that needs to be stopped, deep down in his soul where he had long forgotten his humanity Darius could respect that view of the world.


    With one swift swing of his arm Arthur sliced off the self proclaimed vampire lord¡¯s head, it fell to the ground with the remainder of the body following close behind it. When the deed was finally done Arthur dropped to his knees, the sheer amount of mana he used in just a minute to conjure all of those earth vines easily used up half of his mana reserves. Add the tier three spell and he was just about ready to lay down for the night.


    /- - - - - -\


    + 300 Exp


    \- - - - - -/


    The cultists who had watched the whole fight play out didn¡¯t know what to do, they had just watched their master die at the hands of a mortal mage that he told them was a lesser being simply because he was human. They could take the opportunity to enact revenge for their master, but what for? Killing him wouldn¡¯t bring their Lord Darius back, but this very outcome proved everything that they were taught by him was wrong. It was a dilemma that wasn¡¯t easily resolved and as such they started speaking amongst themselves.


    ¡°We need to enact revenge for our master!¡± Some shouted at their fellow cultists.


    ¡°We should take a moment and consider our options.¡± Others said trying to calm everyone.


    Most didn¡¯t say anything at all. The shock of the loss they just suffered was more than enough to stop them from doing anything drastic for quite some time.


    While the cultists spoke amongst themselves the paladins led by the high paladin Aulus Gallus entered through the three doorways and sounded the cultists preventing them from doing anything drastic. Some tried to fight back using the basic magic they had been taught but their efforts were quickly stopped by a combination of their allied cultists and the paladins who were keeping their eyes out for anything suspicious.


    Titia who had been following Arthur from behind and had been hiding within the room just in case dispelled her invisibility and ran up to Arthur to make certain that he was alright. She dropped to her knees and sat next to him checking his face and arms to see if had any injuries, thankfully he didn¡¯t but his hands were still in pain from absorbing all that force behind those attacks.


    ¡°Do you need a healing potion?¡± Titia asked as she picked up Arthur¡¯s bag and reached inside for a potion.


    ¡°Yeah, that would probably be a real help.¡± Arthur replied through pained breaths as he reached into the bag and slowly brought out one of his potions.


    He held out the bottle towards Titia so she could remove the cork that kept the light glowing liquid from spilling out. With the last of his remaining strength and willpower Arthur brought the bottle to his lips and tipped it upwards, the potion flowed into his mouth and he quickly swallowed. In a matter of seconds he could already feel the weak healing magic starting to work, a small tingling flowed down his arms and the rattling pain he was feeling ever so slowly started to fade away.


    ¡°Do you think you could help me over to a chair or something?¡± Arthur looked to Titia as he asked. Titia nodded and helped him to his feet while holding him up with his arm over her shoulder. Suddenly a set of footsteps could be heard and someone else took Arthur''s other arm and helped carry him, both Titia and Arthur looked over to see a young paladin with noticeably less adorned armor helping.


    ¡°Sorry if I am surprising you two, but you looked like you needed help.¡± The young paladin spoke, he sounded no older than eighteen to the two mages.


    ¡°It''s alright, I think Titia was having a bit of difficulty carrying me on her own anyways.¡± Arthur quickly replied. Titia didn¡¯t say anything but her far heavier breathing implied that Arthur¡¯s assessment was correct.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The trio walked into the next room and stopped at the nearest bench they could find in a hallway to allow Arthur to sit. The bench was old and worn but showed that it was likely a very nice piece of furniture at one point in time, they slowly eased Arthur down onto it and he leaned back against the wall once he was sitting.


    ¡°My arms feel like they are broken.¡± Arthur complained as he let them simply lay at his sides.


    ¡°Yeah well maybe you shouldn¡¯t have fought a vampire with a melee weapon if you didn¡¯t want to feel that way. I thought you were a mage, use your spells more often.¡± Titia pointed her finger in Arthur¡¯s face as she scolded him for his bad decision.


    ¡°Well I think you did well considering this was your very first fight against a proper vampire.¡± The young paladin piped up. Both Arthur and Titia looked up to see he had removed his helmet and held it with his left hand as he continued speaking. ¡°Most of the specific details regarding how to fight against vampires and just how powerful they can be are hidden from the public to avoid people desiring vampirism. There is a certain appeal to raw power to some people that was displayed just minutes ago, things would be so much worse if that was common information.¡±


    Arthur looked at the young paladin with a bit of surprise which was followed by understanding. It made sense that such information would be kept away from the general populace, if they knew that they could acquire such power from simply being a vampire it was almost certain that somebody would go looking for vampires. The people that would do that would either be killed by the vampire or turned into one of their blood spawn, both of which would be issues to deal with.


    Titia scoffed at the statement, she clearly didn¡¯t agree but she didn¡¯t say anything. Arthur looked at Titia with some confusion from this reaction but also kept quiet.


    ¡°Oh and by the way my name is Bromia just in case either of you were wondering.¡±


    ********


    Bromia stayed for a few more minutes before he had to leave. The paladins were taking the cultists as prisoners to the dungeons of the city, but shortly after he left a familiar paladin arrived to speak with Arthur.


    Stomping his foot down and raising his right hand to where his heart was, the high paladin Aulus Gallus gave the salute to Arthur who looked up with a mixture of surprise and happiness to see the high paladin again.


    ¡°Good evening sir mage, I am the high paladin Aulus of the circle of fire. I would like to thank you for helping us with the situation and offer my congratulations for killing the vampire on your own.¡± Aulus smiled and removed his helmet as he spoke which helped remove the stiff feeling of order and power that he gave off, it helped him feel more human.


    ¡°Thank you for your words of support sir paladin, but I think I was very lucky with that fight. Odds are I would have died if I was fighting that monster alone, my arms can attest to that.¡± Arthur gestured towards his arms with his head to illustrate his point.


    ¡°Do you require any healing? I am rather skilled with divine magic and Solarius shares his knowledge of the healing arts with those who follow him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be nice. My own skill in restoration magic is rather lacking at the moment, I think that will be one of the first things I will do once I recover.¡±


    With his permission Aulus started a short and simple chant that Arthur didn¡¯t recognize, when he was done his hands started to glow with a soft golden light. He placed his hands upon Arthur¡¯s forearms where the injuries were and Arthur let out a soft sigh as he felt his injuries mending. It felt like his bones were itching as the pain slowly faded into mere memory, when the high paladin was done the pain Arthur felt was easily half as intense as he was experiencing before.


    ¡°There, that should help with the pain considerably. If you need more healing speak with another of my paladins as I will be rather busy with the cultists for the time being.¡± With that Aulus left the hallway leaving Arthur and Titia alone on an old bench in an old mansion. For a while the two just sat there relaxing before the long walk back to the living space Arthur was renting, Arthur closed his eyes as he did so, almost falling asleep several times.


    ********


    Eight o¡¯clock rolled around and Arthur awoke with deep bags under his eyes, slowly he sat up from his bed and looked out the window. He could see the sunlight on the street below and hear the people in the streets below, they sounded far happier and calmer than they had been several days prior when the rumors of the vampires and assassins were making their way through the city. Now as Arthur stuck his head outside the window he could hear people muttering to their close friends about how the vampires were slain.


    For a minute Arthur stayed there basking in the glory that he helped all the people below him, they were happy and they were safe all because he chose to do the right thing. His arms were still a little nub from the blows he took, but that was nothing compared to the feeling of satisfaction he was feeling at this moment.


    Suddenly from behind the door someone knocked rather loudly. ¡°Sir, it is morning now. I recommend you wake up sooner rather than later.¡± The loud voice of Eric boomed from the other side of the door.


    ¡°I am already awake Eric. No need to yell so loud.¡± Arthur shouted back, though he was rather constrained compared to Eric who seemingly shouted at the top of his lungs.


    With nothing stopping his morning routine Arthur dressed himself in his alchemist attire and picked up his bag before stepping outside the door.


    Outside he found both Eric and Titia waiting for him, Titia looked rather annoyed and embarrassed with Eric while he looked unaware of her feelings towards him.


    Before Arthur even had a chance to lock the door behind him Titia started speaking. ¡°I am sorry to bother you so early in the morning sir, but captain Dio has requested you meet with her as soon as possible. She wants to discuss what happened last night with the vampire threat in person in the western district barracks, her secretary is expecting us.¡±


    Arthur groaned slightly at the mention of speaking with the captain before having his breakfast, but given that she was a very important person in the city it was best not to keep her waiting for very long. So with that the trio left for the western distinct barracks rather than a nice place to have breakfast.


    The walk wasn¡¯t much longer than what would have been needed to walk to the mages guild but the wait to enter the building was nonexistent in comparison. The secretary took the trio and brought them right to the captain''s office before opening the door and bringing them inside and announcing their arrival.


    ¡°There you are Arthur, please take a seat.¡± Captain Dio gestured towards the chair on the opposite side of the desk as she turned back to look through documents on her desk. Only when she was done did she turn back and address Arthur.


    ¡°First thing on the agenda is a congratulations my good sir. You defeated a whole group of vampires on your own, not all at once, but still rather impressive for someone such as yourself.¡± Captain Dio seemed rather happy with the situation. She was even smiling which Arthur had only even seen her do when he was doing a good job and impressing her.

 Chapter 201

    ¡°Second on the agenda is the reward provided by the crown for your help with the situation.¡± Captain Dio reached into her desk and pulled out a very heavy bag filled nearly to the brim with coins. Looking inside the bag Arthur saw that all those coins were gold. His eyes widened and he looked up to the captain for an explanation.


    ¡°That right there is 100 gold coins for your help in defeating the vampire threat within the city. The crown knows that you are a part of the mages guild and are very interested in alchemy and enchanting, this is their way of supporting you for a job well done.¡± Captain Dio leaned back in her chair as Arthur looked through the bag half wondering it was only the top portion of the bag that was filled with gold. But as he looked he saw it was entirely gold coins.


    ¡°There are two other important things to take care of before you leave, first is this letter from the crown itself.¡± The captain handed Arthur a letter with an important red seal keeping it shut. Opening the letter Arthur found it was an invitation to a party of sorts hosted by the crown itself, the party was being hosted for a few reasons but his achievements were one of the more important ones that were listed.


    ¡°Wow, an invitation from the crown itself. Not quite what I was expecting after killing some vampires even if they were hiding in the city. Looks like the event is in a month.¡±


    ¡°Not just some vampires Arthur, you defeated an independent vampire that could have fought against a paladin with the end result being a toss up. In all actuality you should have been killed in a one on one fight, thankfully he wasn¡¯t taking the fight as seriously as he could have, which gave you an opportunity to restrain him and then kill him.¡± Captain Dio was clearly happy with the situation, somehow Arthur¡¯s actions had to be a good thing for her department of the city guard for such a reaction.


    ¡°One last thing, this is actually a gift from me rather than the crown.¡± Captain Dio reach below her desk and brought out a sword just like the one she was carrying on her hip. ¡°This here is a steel rapier, the very same type of sword I use. I noticed that you use a longsword as your melee weapon of choice which is a good weapon but I don¡¯t think it is the best one for you. You are a mage at heart and something that relies upon dexterity rather than physical strength would likely be better suited for you.¡±


    The captain handed Arthur the rapier who took the sword by the one handed grip. Standing up he gave a few slow and light swings in open space to get a feel for the weapon. ¡°This is a unique weapon, but why is the blade so thin? I don¡¯t really see how someone would be able to slash with a weapon like this very effectively.¡±


    ¡°That is because a rapier is a thrusted weapon designed for stabbing your opponents rather than slashing. Strength is of course good for piercing power, but dexterity is what allows this weapon to function at its best by finding small gaps within armor. The sword is typically used by higher class people rather than common folk, but that doesn¡¯t make the weapon any less effective in the hands of someone who is skilled.¡±


    Arthur looked at the weapon in his hands with a different view after hearing the captain¡¯s explanation. The tip of the blade was rather thin and looked like it could slip right in between the little links of chainmail armor with enough precision. In the end Arthur placed his own longsword within his dimensional bag and attached his new rapier to his hip.


    ¡°One last thing before you leave, if you are willing to learn more about the rapier you can get some lessons from an old friend of mine in the mercenaries guild here in the city.¡± Captain Dio said, stopping Arthur as he was about to leave. ¡°His name is Hostus Scaevola, he works as a trainer full time for quite some time now. He used to teach me back when I was a young woman.¡±


    Arthur nodded and committed the name to memory before leaving the office with his armed escort in tow. Without much wait Arthur left for the mages guild with the intent of learning something more of restoration magic now that he didn¡¯t need to worry all that much about a vampire crawling through his window to kill him.


    *******


    A week passed as Arthur spent his time learning restoration magic proper and continuing to improve his healing potions as a result. He had managed to remove all of the noticeable damage that his arms suffered from his fight with Darius as the pain was nothing but a memory at this point. In the meantime his armed escort was removed as there was no longer any reason for Arthur to require protection.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Restoration Level 3


    \- - - - - -/


    In his living quarters in the late morning Arthur was seated at his table working with his alchemy equipment brewing his healing potions, with his improved skill in restoration magic he was able to focus more healing magic within the potion itself and create a healing potion that was at least twenty percent stronger than what he could create before. The value of such a potion was also worth quite a bit more, now Arthur was able to sell each of his potions to the guild for five copper pieces each.


    When he was finished with the potions for the day Arthur placed the bottles he hadn''t used yet back into his bag before bringing back out a piece of cloth. Using that piece of cloth Arthur wiped down his equipment and then used hydromancy to clean the inside of any apparatus that had a part that contained liquids. When he was done he poured the conjured water outside his window out onto the streets where it would likely be eaten by whatever animals that wandered the streets at night.


    With the reward of one hundred gold coins Arthur had bought himself a new alchemy set that was worth five gold coins in total. The set allowed Arthur to produce many more potions in a faster period of time than he could before allowing him more time to spend learning other things such as restoration magic.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Picking up the invitation off on the side of the table Arthur looked at the writing within. He already knew everything it said, but it helped to reorient him and solidify his goals when he did so. ¡®I will need to buy a new outfit for this party sometime soon. I have no doubts that the crown and all of their loyal subjects will be expecting me to be there for my slaying of the vampires, I suppose I will need to look around the northern district for a high quality tailor for something that is appropriate to a party hosted by the crown.¡¯


    Arthur sighed as he thought about the cost such an outfit would cost him, the only upside he could see was that he might be able to get something that was both expensive and usable outside of a party setting.


    ********


    When noon rolled around Arthur was done with his alchemy and knew he should put off finding something for the party any longer, so he stood up and cleaned himself up before heading out into the street for the northern distinct and whatever the best tailor was.


    Reaching the gate there were a handful of guards standing around with their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, they gave Arthur no trouble though they did watch him with some suspicion in their eyes as he passed.


    Once inside he noticed that several of the rich folks walking through the street actively avoided him like he was sick, the only people who didn¡¯t act in such a way were the guards patrolling the streets and the workers who were cleaning and doing other menial tasks. Arthur walked up to the nearest one and asked his questions. ¡°Excuse me, do you know where I can find a tailor in this district?¡±


    The worker was a thin high elf man that looked old and tired despite the fact that elves are immortal beings. The elf looked up to Arthur with a mixture of surprise and worry in his eyes. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry. What was it you said?¡± Arthur could see in his eyes that the elf was worried about something, worried about what he would do. This confused Arthur but he brought his mind and thoughts back towards the topic at hand.


    ¡°I am looking for a tailor in the distinct, do you happen to know of one?¡± The elf looked at Arthur and then his clothes for only a second before replying.


    ¡°I know of a place towards the middle of the district. They sell real expensive clothes there, most of what they sell is sold by gold coins rather than silver.¡±


    Arthur with the information in hand nodded and handed a silver coin to the elf as he left to the elf before he left. The elf looked like he needed the money more than anything given his rough complexion.


    ¡®The city might not be such a great place for elves after all. Must be a rich person thing.¡¯


    *********


    Eventually after walking through the streets of the district for several minutes Arthur found the tailor that the elf was speaking of. It was located right about in the exact middle of the district alongside several other high value stores and shops that sold a wide assortment of things from jewellery to even an enchanter in the corner.


    Stepping inside the tailor Arthur saw only one other person inside waiting for the tailor, a middle aged human man dressed like some sort of nobility. He appeared to be waiting for someone as he was constantly checking his watch. When Arthur took a seat on the other side of the room he looked over with a touch of disgust in his eyes but said nothing. Shortly after another man, this one being only around twenty years old, exited from the next room with an outfit not unlike the man waiting for him.


    ¡°It''s about time. What took you so long?¡± The middle aged man asked in an almost accusatory tone to both the tailor and the young man.


    ¡°There was no problem sir, I just needed to look around the storage room for the proper color. After that it was smooth sailing. Would you like me to send you the bill?¡± The tailor as it turned out was a young human woman that stood almost as tall as the young man next to her. Her hair was blond and her accent very noticeable indicating she wasn¡¯t a local.


    ¡°Yes, do that. The bank will settle the matter.¡± The man said, waving the worry of money away. ¡°Come now son, we have important business to deal with.¡±


    The man dragged his son out of the store leaving just Arthur and the young tailor alone. She sighed and leaned against the wall for a moment before she noticed Arthur and her demeanour changed. ¡°Ah, a customer. I didn¡¯t see you there. What might you be looking for today?¡±


    Arthur was slightly taken aback by the sudden mood change the tailor displayed but pushed it to the back of his mind for the moment. ¡°I am looking for something to wear while attending a party the crown is holding in three weeks time. I was hoping that you would be able to help me with that.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can help with that, I am the best tailor in the city after all.¡± The tailor brought Arthur to a room behind the waiting area and the front counter where there was a wide assortment of fabrics and clothes on shelves lining the walls. He was brought to a small area with a table and several mirrors where Arthur had to take off his overcoat so the tailor could begin taking his measurements.


    ¡°So what type of outfit were you thinking about? I can of course give you something generic, but I find my clients are happier when they leave with something more unique than just typical clothes.¡± The tailor asked as she wrote down Arthur¡¯s measurements.


    ¡°Well I was hoping for something that I could also wear outside of a party setting while doing my job.¡±


    ¡°Ok, what exactly do you do for a living then if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    ¡°I am a mage, I mostly sell potions to the guild to earn my money. Though recently I was rewarded for killing those vampires that were hiding in the city.¡± Arthur answered in a fairly casual manner. The tailor was about to just smile and agree when she stopped and thought about what her client just said.


    She was leaning over the table when it finally hit her. ¡°Wait, you were the one to kill those horrible vampires?¡± The tailor¡¯s eyes were wide open as she looked at Arthur in this new light. ¡°I have an idea for an outfit!¡± She excitedly shouted as she rushed into another room off to the side. Arthur just stood there for a moment unsure of what to do, when she returned she was holding a book with a picture on the cover.


    ¡°This book here is about a vampire hunter in the old Runead kingdom. The Runead kingdom was an old king that was situated mostly to the north of us right now, but more importantly the clothing shown in the book is all based on what was worn in that very kingdom.¡± The tailor flipped open to a page with an ink drawing of a man that Arthur assumed to be the main character. He was a middle aged human man with a dark brown leather vest and a leather overcoat along with an interesting hat unlike anything he had seen.


    ¡°This here is Dan Helsang, he is the main character and he kills all sorts of vampires through his journey. I was thinking we could do something like this with a few minor adjustments to suit you as you are a mage while Dan is a vampire hunter.¡±

 Chapter 202

    ¡°I was thinking instead of the leather overcoat like Dan has in this picture you could have something made of cloth in the same design. This in my opinion differentiates you as a mage rather than a hunter.¡± The tailor looked at me with clear excitement in her eyes, she was definitely invested in her work and thought the design was a good fit.


    I nodded along with her, the idea sounded pretty good and the outfit did look nice. ¡°There is one thing I would like to change though.¡± I said, interrupting her. ¡°The hat doesn¡¯t really fit my style. So could we do without that?¡±


    The tailor smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course, you are the customer after all. And that is a good idea, the hat is a little outdated. I don¡¯t think anyone has worn anything like that since the second era, and only towards the end of it, which was just a little over 1,100 years ago.¡±


    The tailor quickly got to work using the measurements she took to design my outfit. She started with the pants which were made from a dark brown fabric and were rather simple compared to everything else. When the pants were done and adjusted to fit me perfectly she moved onto the shirt and the leather vest that I would be wearing under the cloak/overcoat she would be making after.


    The shirt she made was just a simple brown color, yet the material it was made from was very comfortable. However the color didn¡¯t really matter all that much as it would be almost completely covered by both the vest and the cloak/overcoat. The vest was a bit different, it was made of special treated leather and dyed a very dark brown that was almost black. Like a nobleman''s jacket the vest had little metal buttons to open or close parts of the vest.


    With just the pants and vest I was feeling like some sort of noble in his casual clothing, they were by far the most comfortable set of clothes I had ever worn in my life and I still didn¡¯t have the last part.


    The two of us had decided on calling the last part a cloak as it was made from dark brown cloth rather than leather like how a normal overcoat would be. The tailor started with a simple long piece of cloth and slowly created a simple cloak with just an armhole on each side. From there she added on the somewhat complex sleeve design which was made up of two parts, the inner stitching being covered up to prevent anything from leaking through the weak points.


    From that point the tailor only needed to worry about the smaller details such as the design of the collar and the buttons to close it from when it rains.


    When I finally was able to put the cloak on I felt like a real vampire hunter. I gave a spin to the tailor and looked at myself in the mirrors around the room. The tailor was ecstatic at the outcome and couldn¡¯t stop smiling for the life of her. ¡°This is my best work yet, I need to make more of these whenever I get an opportunity. The design will be famous throughout the whole distinct by the time I am done with the design.¡±


    When she was done we walked back to the front counter and I paid for my clothes with five gold coins. It was a little surprising how expensive the clothes were, but they were custom made so I paid with no complaints.


    ¡°You are paying with coins on hand? Most of the rich folks around the district like to pay through their bank accounts instead. I have no idea why they chose to do so, if I had to give a guess they must think it is a classy thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Well I personally find paying with coins right away is a far better way to keep track of my spendings.¡±


    ¡°Well said. If only the rich had enough common sense to do something like that, But it might be for the best that they don¡¯t, otherwise I certainly wouldn¡¯t have nearly as much business. The rich ladies always have some sort of event that requires a new dress or something along those lines, in fact most of this street is dedicated to appealing to them and their clothing needs no matter how ridiculous they get.¡±


    *******


    Stepping outside the tailor around an hour after entering I looked around the street for a cobbler with my new clothes on. I would need a cobbler for a new set of boots, while there was nothing wrong with the boots I was currently wearing I doubt all the important and wealthy people at the party would feel the same way.


    Directly across the street was a cobbler with a nice selection of shoes and boots in the window. I noticed a pair of dark brown boots that I thought would go well with my current outfit, so I entered the cobbler¡¯s store and looked around a bit more just in case there was something else that would catch my eye.


    Unfortunately that set of boots in the window was the best looking set I could find, more unfortunate was that they were far too small for me which I found when I picked them up to get a better look. ¡°That is a little disappointing.¡± I muttered to myself as I returned the boots.


    ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡± An old voice suddenly came from behind. I turned around to find an old dwarven man with mostly grey hair with the occasional brown strand standing just a few feet away from me. He was dressed in what I assumed was a typical cobbler outfit with all sorts of tools that I assumed would be needed to make shoes, boots and anything else someone might wear on their feet.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I quickly answered. ¡°I like these boots right here in the window, but they are far too small for me to wear. Do you by any chance have another pair just like this one, only larger?¡±


    I handed the boots to the cobbler and he looked them up and down before answering. ¡°Well I¡¯m not too sure. I can have a look in the storage room to see if I have a similar pair, but I make no promises.¡± I smiled upon hearing the dwarfs answer. It wasn¡¯t definite, but there was still a chance that he had another pair.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Thank you, I will wait right here.¡± With that the dwarven cobbler left the room and stepped through a door past the front desk. After several minutes of waiting he eventually returned with another pair of boots in hand that looked very similar to the pair I liked.


    ¡°Here I found this pair of boots in the back a few sizes larger.¡± The dwarf said as he handed me a pair of boots that was almost identical to the pair I wanted. ¡°I have several pairs just like this one in all sorts of sizes if you like em.¡±


    Taking a seat on a nearby stool I took off the boots I was currently wearing and slipped the new pair on. While they were a little big for me they looked very nice with the rest of my outfit and I quickly told the cobbler so. ¡°I really like these boots, though they are a little big on me. Could you bring one that is a size smaller?¡±


    The cobbler nodded and took the pair he brought and returned with another pair that was slightly smaller. When I tried this pair on they were practically a perfect fit. The boots completed the look that the tailor was going for and I liked it wholeheartedly. I quickly paid the dwarven cobbler a gold coin for the boots and left back onto the street.


    Since I didn¡¯t have anything else I needed to worry about for the day I decided that I would return home, but the way the people around me in the northern district acted around me changed quite a bit. I didn¡¯t notice right away, but the guards didn¡¯t keep their eyes on me as I walked through the streets and the rich folk didn¡¯t try to avoid me. It was an odd change that I wasn¡¯t really expecting but it was nice to not have everyone staring at me like I was a murderer or a thief without even doing anything.


    ********


    Time rolled onwards and lots of trying happened in the city. The first and most notable was the conspiracy regarding the captain of the southern district. His affiliations with the Misery''s end thieves guild and by extension the Red Eye cult were uncovered with an extensive investigation. I almost wished I was there when it happened just to see his reaction when he was being arrested. The only problem was that someone tipped him off beforehand and he managed to escape the city before he could be arrested.


    The members of the Red Eye cult were taken to the dungeons of the various districts to be used as fodder for the new recruits to strengthen them for the job, a similar fate fell upon the members of the Misery''s end thieves guild members that the city guard managed to capture before a good portion managed to escape.


    There was a manhunt for them, but given the lack of physical descriptions that the city guard had there were only a handful of unconfirmed reports of a few members from the occasional nearby village before nothing more a week later.


    I continued with my studies during this time learning more about restoration magic on my own. By the time the first of Hematite rolled around, which was also the date of the party the crown was holding, I had managed to reach level seven in restoration magic. My healing potions and healing magic were much better than they had been before, I was able to heal cuts in a far faster and more effective manner than before both with and without potions. The most interesting part I found about restoration magic is that it technically just accelerates the natural healing abilities that a person has, as such someone with better vitality will heal faster with the same amount of healing magic than someone with average vitality.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Restoration Level 7


    \- - - - - -/


    When I wasn¡¯t learning more about restoration magic I was either brewing more potions or receiving some lessons for the rapier I was gifted by Captain Dio. The man in the mercenaries guild that she recommended I speak with, Hostus Scaevola, was more than happy to teach me about the weapon for a small fee for each lesson. By the date of the party I managed to reach Level three with the rapier.


    Like the captain said the weapon was very effect and far better suited to a mage such as myself. While I did invest ten points into strength I invested twenty into dexterity which showed far more with the rapier than my longsword. I wasn''t anything close to a master, but I was making steady progress given how occasional my lessons were.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Rapiers Level 3


    \- - - - - -/


    **********


    I spent the morning of the first day of Hematite brewing my daily potions to sell to the guild the next day, when I was done I left my home and walked to my ingredient supplier as I was running low on the necessary ingredients for healing potions. It gave me an opportunity to relax before the party that would come later in the day. I had no idea what to expect in a party hosted by the crown, all I knew was I needed to arrive when it started and show my invitation as evidence.


    Speaking of the party I noticed a well made wagon drawn by a white horse carrying all sorts of expensive looking things pass through the street as I was walking towards my supplier. Most of what was there was covered with a large sheet but I along with a few others managed to catch a small glimpse of what they were hiding. Several objects made out of gold and silver were poking out along with several bottles of what I assumed was expensive alcohol, specifically wine given the shape of the glass bottle and the twine that was wrapped around it like some sort of poor protection.


    A few rough looking folks tried their luck and tried to swipe something from the wagon while they had an opportunity, however they all failed. Somehow they couldn¡¯t keep a grip on anything they touched like some sort of magic.


    ********


    Hours later when all my business had been dealt with and the time of the party arrived I found myself standing just outside of the castle in the very center of the city. Several carriages were parked around the entrance and their occupants were walking towards the large front doors where a group of royal guards were standing.


    Each of these royal guards was wearing silvery armor and a halberd of the same material. They all stool straight at their posts like statues watching over all the guests of the party. It was both comforting and disturbing at the same time to look at people standing so incredibly still and yet be very much alive, to be ready at a moment while not moving in the slightest.


    Like those around me I started climbing the stairs to the front doors with my invitation in hand for whoever it was checking invitations. As I walked I noticed a few of the other guests looking at me and speaking amongst themselves, I couldn¡¯t tell what they were talking about so for the time being I ignored them and focused on the party.


    Reaching the top there were two of the royal guards standing and checking the guests and their invitations with a glass orb before allowing them through. A small line had formed as they only allowed one person at a time to pass and enter the party, it took about a minute of waiting on my part before it was my turn.


    ¡°Your invitation sir.¡± The royal guard said almost with a voice almost entirely devoid of emotion behind his helmet. I handed him my invitation and he placed it against the orb, a few seconds passed and the orb glowed green.

 Chapter 203

    ¡°You may enter sir.¡± The royal guard stated just as emotionless as before and handed me back my invitation. The second guard who was blocking the door moved out of the way to allow me to pass and enter the castle to join in the party.


    I didn¡¯t wait and took back my invitation and quickly stepped through the door to see what type of party I was about to experience, and to my surprise it was rather interesting.


    The castle was built like a large tower on the outside but anyone would have assumed that it would have been separated into different floors at certain elevations at a consistent rate. There were of course different floors but they were more akin to balconies that went around the inside of the wall allowing for a large opening directly down the middle. Along with the fact that most of the interior of the building was decorated with banners and other sorts of insignia related to the kingdom and its history.


    In the center of the building was an area dedicated to the guest with tables and chairs along with food and drinks. Several of the horizontally larger guests were already taking a look at the selection that was on display.


    Like outside there were many royal guards on watch within the building as well, most remained along the walls and on vantage points to keep an eye on any suspicious activity. With nothing else to do to pass the time I decided to take a closer look at all the decor and the food and drink.


    The most important bits of the decor was the symbolism which involved lots of weapons crossed in an x shape along with many depictions of odd humanoids. These humanoids I found to be far more interesting than the weapons due to the fact that they had oddly thin faces and still seemed to show great power with each of the images they were in.


    Their faces in particular almost looked sunken, like they were starving for weeks at the point of depiction. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just an art choice or if it meant something more.


    ¡°Taking a look at the tapestries are we?¡± A youthful voice suddenly came from behind. I nearly jumped where I was out of surprise but quickly composed myself and turned to face the origin of the voice.


    A young human man that couldn¡¯t have been any older than I was looking up slightly with a sly look upon his face wearing something between a young noble''s garb and a leather cloak that was attached to his shoulder piece. He seemed rather interested with my opinion of the decorations he called tapestries. ¡°Yes I was, I am very interested in the humanoids being depicted in these ones. Do you know why they look the way they do? They almost look like they are starving.¡±


    The young man looked up to the tapestries I was referring to and gave a smile. ¡°Those tapestries are depicting some of the early angles of the second era. As you can see they are fighting against the forces of darkness.¡± The young man pointed to the largest tapestry as he gave his explanation.


    ¡°But why do they look so unwell? Do all angles look that way or is it just an artist''s flawed depiction?¡± I quickly asked again almost the exact moment he was done speaking.


    ¡°Well from what I have learned from the libraries I have been to, the way an angel looks is dependent upon which god created them. A god of fire might shape his or her angels to look like they are made up of fire, a god of death might shape his or her angels from bone or dead flesh. Gods with several circles of influence often mix several together when they create their angels creating something unique to them.¡±


    I looked up to the largest tapestry, this one showed in the very middle of the thin looking angels punching an ink black monster in the body while others like it fought against smaller monsters that looked suspiciously like goblins. ¡°So the god that created the angels shown in these tapestries¡­¡±


    ¡°Created them specifically to look that way.¡± The young man finished my sentence. ¡°There are no records of which god it was as most of the records that did exist at the time were destroyed in the various wars that followed. All we know is that these tapestries were created in the early second era by a skilled dwarven weaver in the region.¡±


    I looked upon the tapestries for a while longer wondering about the intent and reasoning behind the art designs, but eventually the young man next to me grew a little unhappy with my actions and spoke up. ¡°So what brings you to this fine party? I don¡¯t recognize you from any of the other parties the crowns have held.¡±


    ¡°I was invited for my service to the city and the kingdom.¡± I quickly turned to answer, realizing just how rude I was being. ¡°I killed four vampires that were living within the city and exposed the cult they had built up to worship them. It was a rather messy series of events with the assassination attempt and how the leader of the vampire tried to convince me to join him.¡±


    The young man''s eyes widened when I spoke the words ¡°four vampires.¡± He blinked several times in rapid succession as if that would somehow make what I just told him make more sense then it did before. After a couple of seconds he managed to collect his thoughts and speak in a coherent voice.


    ¡°That¡­ was you? You killed those vampires?¡± The disbelief in his voice was more than evident, but I could tell he was torn between believing me and dismissing what I said.


    ¡°Very much so Mr. Hiberus. I read the report itself when it arrived at the court.¡± An old and familiar voice came from off to our side, we both turned to look and found an old man with grey hair walking towards us with a soft smile on his face. This old man was wearing the familiar robe that all priests of Xardas wear and he was someone who had shown great kindness to me during my past interactions with him.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Ah, good evening Claudius. I didn¡¯t know you were attending the party.¡± The young man next to me whose last name was Hiberus said in a half nervous voice.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t for quite some time, I was dealing with some issues regarding the temple when I heard that our local hero was attending I just had to meet him in person.¡± Claudius said as he stepped forwards and took my hand with his own before shaking it. ¡°I read the report that was delivered to the crown about the events of your vampire slaying. I must admit I am very impressed with what you did given how you are only an evoker at the moment. So how exactly did you manage to slay all four of those vampires?¡±


    Claudius was being more than just kind to me as he spoke, he was far more interested in how I killed the vampires than he had been when speaking with me before. Perhaps it was because I did something I shouldn''t have been able to do with my limited skill set, perhaps it was something else that was out of my control.


    ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t kill them all at once. The first vampire I killed was an assassin that was sent to kill me, he tried breaking into the room I was renting when I awoke and discovered him. I quickly used my magic to stop and kill him by conjuring an earth vine to grab him by the neck.¡± I quickly deflected to my official story on how I defeated the vampire assassin, I could see that Claudius took what I said as fact, likely as he read that in the report.


    ¡°Yes yes, I know all about how you have already learned how to instantly cast tier one magic. The report on the situation was very thorough regarding your feats of magic you were willing to show. But what about the other vampires? The reports said you fought the last three in the same location.¡±


    I was nearly taken aback by how well informed Claudius was with the situation. I was also a little interested in how he had access to such information.


    ¡°I was invited by the leading vampire calling himself Lord Darius. I was brought to his hidden base of operations by one of his vampires and then he tried to convince me to join him. I refused and he ordered his two remaining vampires to fight me.¡±


    ¡°And then you killed them before killing this lord Darius as well?¡±


    ¡°That is a bit of an oversimplification, but yes I did. First I killed the young vampires, then Darius stepped down from his throne and fought me personally.¡±


    ¡°He was sitting on a throne? How humorous, he must have been very arrogant to believe that he was someone worthy of sitting on a throne like a king.¡± Claudius half chuckled as he spoke, finding the idea of the vampire on a throne quite laughable.


    ¡°Darius wasn¡¯t taking the fight as seriously as he should have been, though he was still far stronger than I. I was forced to block several of his attacks with my sword as my hands became numb and started to hurt from the sheer power behind each of his attacks. Eventually I had an opportunity To cast several earth vines and restrict his movement. I ended up casting more than twenty total just to keep him from moving while I casted a far more powerful spell to deal serious damage to him.¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly it was stated to be a geomancy spell.¡±


    ¡°It was, the spell was tier three and conjured up a weapon of my choice. I chose to conjure a longsword which I used to repeatedly stab him in the chest.¡±


    ¡°And this was what killed him?¡± The young Hiberus asked as he looked upon me like some sort of idol. I had accidentally captured his attention in addition to Claudius.


    ¡°Eventually it did, but before that the earth vines faded and he took a few steps towards me with great effort before decapitating him to be certain he was dead.¡± While my recounting of the events was just an attempt to paint a realistic picture of what happened I could see that the young Hiberus lad was enthralled by what I was saying. He looked at me like a child hearing a campfire story from an uncle he looked up to.


    ¡°Very nasty those vampires are. Thank Xardas that we had you there to save the common folk and expose them to the world.¡± Claudius abruptly said, interrupting the daze the young man was in. He quickly collected his thoughts and joined back in the conversation.


    ¡°Do you often fight such dangerous creatures? What are they like?¡± I could feel the mix of nervousness and eagerness in his voice as he asked. It wasn¡¯t just curiosity that was driving him to ask such questions, he wanted to do what I did and fight against dangerous creatures and monsters.


    ¡°Now now Adamus, you are a court mage after all. You can¡¯t just leave and do whatever you wish at your whims, you have duties to the kingdom and the crown to attend to.¡± Claudius was quick to jump in and stop the lad from asking any more questions of the type. Both I and Adamus could tell it wasn¡¯t to be hurtful, he told the truth and there likely wasn¡¯t any negotiating when it came to one''s duties to the crown.


    ¡°How long have you been a count mage Adamus? You seem to be well taken care of given the clothes you have on your back.¡± I asked, wondering if there was some sort of opportunity that the young court mage had to go out into the world, even if it was only for a few days.


    ¡°I joined when I just turned sixteen at the request of my family. Since I am the youngest I never really had much chance to lead the family, it was actually my mothers suggestion as we didn¡¯t have any living mages in the family. That was a little over a year ago, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°As a court mage you should have some time off to pursue your own interests. A day or two to spend however you wish every month or so?¡±


    ¡°Well I am still a rather young mage, I still have lots to do before I have any such privileges. Most of the work that I do as a court mage isn¡¯t particularly hard, just tedious. Though I do have time at the end of the day once all the work is done to study and sleep.¡±


    ¡°So the lack of free time is just an issue of rank and authority?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. Why, is that important?¡±


    ¡°I would say so. You just need to become a more powerful mage and I would assume that you will be given such privileges. What exactly is it that you spend most of your time doing as your duties?¡±


    ¡°That would be alchemy. I mostly make common alchemy objects that are used by the royal guards such as their fire seeds. You can see the pouches that they use to carry them.¡± Adamus smiled as he pointed to the nearest royal guard and the little silk pouch he carried on his belt, it was located right next to his sword sword.


    ¡°So I take it you are a novice in alchemy given that you are making rather simple alchemical creations at the moment.¡± I said as I reached into my bag for a piece of paper and one of the ink pots I always carried around with me.


    ¡°Yes I am. Are you by any chance an alchemist as well?¡±


    ¡°I have a few books I think you would be interested in.¡± I brought out a simple piece of paper and a half filled ink pot from my bag. I quickly wrote down the names of a few books that helped in the past when it came to learning alchemy. ¡°These should help you learn more. I would expect becoming an apprentice in alchemy should change your situation.¡±

 Chapter 204

    On the other side of the room while Arthur, Adamus, and Claudius were speaking a small group of three very well dressed individuals entered the party. Anyone familiar with the royal family would immediately recognize the king and the queen along with their youngest son. The royal trio chatted amongst themselves about the party and some of the guests while their royal guards were at the ready, each with a halberd in hand just a few meters off to their sides like a wall of metal and flesh.


    ¡°What about that young mage that killed those pesky vampires? Is he attending the party? I would certainly like to meet him. Perhaps he would be willing to share some of his knowledge with you Octavius, he is a mage like you are and that is how he killed those dangerous vampires.¡± Queen Annia turned to her son as she spoke hoping he would consider trying to befriend someone his age like the rest of his siblings.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t even know where he is or if he even arrived. How exactly am I meant to find out what he looks like?¡± Octavius asked hoping he would be allowed to be alone for the rest of the party, however he had a feeling that his parents wouldn¡¯t allow for that.


    ¡°I do have access to the archives of all the guests that have arrived.¡± King Gaius said as he retrieved his personal communication orb. He went through several tabs and eventually found the list of the guests that had their invitations verified at the front doors. Sorting the list alphabetically he didn¡¯t need to scroll very far until he found Arthur.


    ¡°It says right here that Arthur the mage has had his invitation verified upon arrival. Odds are he is somewhere around here.¡± King Gaius said as he turned to his son with a soft smile unaware of how that was the exact opposite that he wanted.


    Forcing a smile upon his face Octavius nodded to his father and walked off to ¡®look¡¯ for Arthur the vampire slayer as he was known by the upper nobility and the crown.


    Looking through the crowds of nobles and other important figures within the kingdom Octavius was half convinced that the famous vampire slayer wasn¡¯t even there. The fact that almost everyone was wearing the same colors and type of clothes didn¡¯t help at all with his search. He was half convinced that his parents just wanted him to speak with someone about something other than magic. ¡®That is likely the whole reason why they invited him in the first place, just to try and force me to speak with someone. Why do they even feel the need to intervene in my life in such a way?''


    Taking a sigh the young prince took a seat at one of the tables with all sorts of food spread across. Several of the party goers would stop by every so often to grab something to eat or drink before going back to where they were before. For a while Octavius just sat there nodding every once and a while when someone spoke to him without really listening, eventually he noticed an odd group of three walking towards him.


    The person in the lead was an old priest of Xardas that the prince recalled seeing in the court on the occasions he was present. The second was a young court mage, and based on the colors of his uniform he was a low ranking member of the alchemy division. The third member of this group was by far the most interesting of the three as he was the only one not wearing a uniform he was familiar with, it might have been a uniform but the prince didn¡¯t recognize it.


    This third man was about his age and wearing dark brown pants with a dark brown leather vest and a light coat or cloak over that. Octavius could see that this man had both taste, style, and wealth, but for the life of him he couldn¡¯t figure out where the designs originated from. He was about to stand up and ask the man himself when the priest recognized him.


    ¡°Ah, Prince Octavius! I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± Claudius gave a soft smile as he approached the prince. ¡°If we knew you were sitting here we would have come over sooner.¡± He quickly his two companions over to the young prince.


    Prince Octavius stood from his chair and smiled. He recalled this priest from the past being a kind person, but unfortunately he didn¡¯t recall his name. ¡°And it is nice to see you again, I was just a little bored with the party as it was going. Not much to do except eat and make idle and useless small talk with random nobles you don¡¯t recall the names of.¡±


    ¡°A rather unfortunate fact of these parties the crown throws, however there is some good that comes with these parties. It makes for an excellent opportunity to meet up with old friends again every few months.¡±


    Octavius gave a small chuckle and smiled at the last statement. He would have admitted that was a good point and something he might get to look forward to in the future if he ever made nay friends.


    As the two finished speaking Arthur and Adamus hand finished picking out something from the table of food to snack on and walked over and stood next to Claudius. In Arthur¡¯s hands was a handful of these small square shaped pieces of food called crackers with a small piece of cheese for each, Adamus on the other hand had a small handful of assorted nuts.


    ¡°There you two are, I would like to introduce both Adamus Hiberus and Arthur to you Prince Octavius.¡± For a moment Octavius¡¯s mind went blank as he heard the name Arthur. He knew that was the name of the mage who defeated the vampires but he certainly wasn¡¯t expecting to just have the man walk right up to him.


    ¡°Arthur the vampire slayer?¡± Octavius looked at the man roughly the same age as him and Claudius nodded. ¡°That is correct. Quite an interesting man if I do say. He managed to kill a proper vampire all on his own after killing all the others that had been turned. He even managed to impress the paladins sent to help with the situation.¡±


    Octavius looked at the well known vampire slayer before him. Unlike all the stories he heard from the various voices of the court the man was far more humble looking and acting than anyone had said. ¡°You fought this vampire and killed him?¡± Octavius asked outright to Arthur who nodded with a straight face.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I did, it wasn¡¯t by any means an easy fight but I did kill the self proclaimed vampire lord Darius.¡± Arthur stated quickly before eating one of his crackers with cheese.


    ¡°But how exactly did you do it? The rumors said you are a mage. Did you use some powerful spell to cripple his limbs and drag him to the streets to be executed like what everyone was saying?¡± Octavius stepped forwards with a look of fascination written on his face.


    ¡°Um... no. I don¡¯t have access to any spells like that. My favorite type of magic is geomancy at the moment which I used to restrain and then kill the vampires. What you just described sounds something like alteration magic, I do know someone who was able to shatter armor with an alteration spell and weigh the target down though.¡±


    ¡°Alteration magic is capable of such a thing? Who was this and when did they cast such a spell? I would very much like to meet them.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Lyra Vettonius, we were actually in the ruins of the old dwarven city of Dom Badaher. In an underground cavern we discovered below the city we found a demon warlock. It was a very dangerous fight and without that spell the demon would have likely killed several of us that were there before we would have taken it down.¡±


    ¡°Vettonius. That name sounds familiar. I will look into this Lyra Vettonius when I have an opportunity, thank you Arthur.¡± The young prince smiled at Arthur and gave a small nod before walking off looking far happier than he did before.


    ¡°Looks like you left quite the impression on the young prince Arthur.¡± Claudius said, suddenly popping next to Arthur and placing his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Not many can have such a conversation with someone of royalty and leave them in a good mood. Perhaps your talents are more diverse than anyone expected.¡±


    ¡°It was just a conversation, I don¡¯t really see who that can be as important as you are implying.¡± Arthur quickly dismissed the idea, he saw himself as a fighter not a speaker.


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not. The only way to know is to try and have a little faith in yourself.¡±


    ********


    The party lasted for another few hours with lots of food and drink for all present to enjoy. Arthur also spoke a bit with some of the other party goers making some small talk here and there, but for the most part the remainder of the party was rather simple and boring. The one other highlight was when the king gave a quick speech to everyone present. He started with thanking everyone for coming and spoke a bit in detail about how the unity of the kingdom and everyone present was important in the upcoming years.


    He spoke of the empire and their expansionism that resulted in many deaths in the previous war and how he suspected they were readying for another. The speech brought Arthur¡¯s mind back to the days before his first death. Those men in black and their red magic, how they easily destroyed the defenses they had built up and took the survivors hostage.


    He didn¡¯t hear much of the speech after that as tried to keep the memory from his focus which he failed to do. ¡®The mind has ways of doing things the body doesn¡¯t want.¡¯ Arthur recalled a sentence he had read in one of the restoration books. He didn¡¯t understand what it meant at the time, but now he had an idea.


    When the king was done with his speech he quickly disappeared from Arthur¡¯s view, not that Arthur was looking for him. He spent the remainder of the party trying to avoid thinking until the party neared the end. When the other guests started leaving Arthur took his leave as well. Stepping outside he looked at the wealthy nobles and other important leaders of the kingdom stepping into their carriages and riding off into the dark streets of the night.


    Looking up at the sky Arthur figured it was around eight o¡¯clock at night and began walking back to his home. Several carriages passed him by as he stepped out of the metal that blocked the only entrance to the castle. His walk was long and dark and during that time he thought about what he was going to do with his time until the war began, then what he would do when it happened.


    ¡®I need to continue learning about restoration magic for starters, that type of knowledge will be useful regardless of what I do with my life. Being able to heal my own wounds or even being paid to heal someone else''s wounds is a good thing to have. After that I should get in contact with Henry again and continue learning about enchanting. I still recall the entirety of the journal that belonged to Brexius Sanguine Bane and all the golems he wrote about. If I could create golems like that I could either sell them or use them for my own purposes. The only real problem is when the war with the empire starts I have no idea what I will do then.¡¯


    Arthur briefly considered joining the war again but quickly dismissed the idea, he died in a rather terrible way the last time he got involved. The only way he could think of to avoid such a death was to have overwhelming power to destroy the empire''s forces or to not be involved at all.


    It was an odd thought process to have when you know of your own death and how to avoid it, it left Arthur feeling almost hollow, like he was nothing but a physical shell of who he was, his soul distant and cold to reality.


    He had a desire to leave the city and search for bandits which he knew were in the forest, a desire to find and kill them. It dug at the back of his mind like the eye of blood was still there and pushing him to give into his anger. He resided and within moments the feeling faded like it was never there. The exorcism wasn¡¯t perfect but he could feel it helping suppress the force of the eye and keep it out, but the idea wasn¡¯t without merit. The bandits were out there and they were killing people, the only difference was that now everyone knew it was happening.


    ¡®Looks like I have something else to add to my list.¡¯


    *********


    ¡®I need to learn more about restoration magic, then I need to help deal with the bandits in the southern forest, then finally I need to continue with learning about enchanting and take that towards golemancy.¡¯ Arthur said in his mind as he wrote down his three current goals on a piece of paper. At the very top lies restoration training which made it the highest priority.


    ¡®The guild should be able to help me find someone to teach restoration magic. I imagine there should be a good portion of people more than willing to teach about restoration magic, I will check with the guild and if I don¡¯t find anyone offering then I will ask around.¡¯


    Looking to the second line on the list Arthur thought back to how easy it was to get involved with the southern branch of the city guard. ¡®Capturing or bringing some sort of information regarding the movements or actions of the bandits should be enough to help along the investigation to the right outcome. The location of their base of operations should be a good way to surprise the bandits, they won¡¯t even know how the information will have leaked out.¡¯ Arthur gave a small chuckle to himself as he thought of the reactions of the bandit leadership when they are discovered without even a traitor or leak.


    ¡®Henry should be able to help me with golemany and enchanting when I am done with my other two tasks.¡¯ Arthur wasn¡¯t very concerned with getting Henry¡¯s help, all he really needed to do was offer him some money and have an open schedule.

 Chapter 205

    I slumped down in my chair in the alchemy club minutes after failing to find a teacher to teach me restoration magic. I looked through the job board for anyone that might be offering restoration training but found nothing, for some reason restoration wasn¡¯t being taught by anyone and I had no understanding as to why.


    ¡°Are you alright Arthur?¡± I turned to my left where I heard a familiar voice ask. When I looked I saw it was Lydus standing just a few meters away with a slight look of concern on his face.


    ¡°Oh, hey Lydus. I''m just having some difficulty finding someone to teach me restoration magic. I looked through all the postings on the job board for magic teachers and I couldn¡¯t find anyone. You don¡¯t happen to know of anyone who might be willing.¡± I wasn¡¯t really expecting anything from Lydus since he was an alchemist rather than a healer, but asking him for help couldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°Found an interest in restoration magic eh? I actually know why you aren¡¯t having any luck with your search.¡± I quickly straightened myself up upon hearing Lydus¡¯s words and gave him my full attention. ¡°When it comes to teaching restoration magic it is slightly different from every other type that the guild offers. You will need to become an apprentice to one of the healers within the city to receive any real training. Now I don¡¯t know of anyone that is looking for an apprentice, but you never know what you might come across.¡±


    Though Lydus didn¡¯t have a solution for me he did have some information I was lacking. With that information I already knew of a place that might be willing to take another apprentice, in fact it was a place I had been to a few times to spend some time with one of the apprentices that was a friend. ¡°Actually I think I know a place that might be willing to take me on.¡±


    ¡°You do? Good news then, and the best of luck with that.¡± Lydus gave me a smile and went back to his paperwork while I stood up and left the club and then the guild. I quickly joined with the common folk on the street and started walking south for the clinic that Calavia had been working at during the time we were friends.


    ********


    Following the roads in the most direct way to the clinic took me around half an hour with all the foot traffic, most of which was in the western distinct. Like I remembered before the previous captain was exposed for his crimes the southern district was in rather poor condition, but the people that were walking around the streets and in the buildings looked far happier and more relaxed than before. Though their structures still needed some work their spirits seemed to be healing from the prolonged suffering caused by the old captain.


    Eventually the clinic came into my view, its old wooden sign being one of the few objects on the street that had any paint or even color. A small line of poor yet happy looking people were standing outside its door. I joined at the very back of the line and waited until I was at the very front of the line, the woman I recognized as the owner of the clinic was the one directing and processing the clients at the very front. She looked up and with an eyebrow raised asked me a question. ¡°You aren¡¯t here for medical treatment are you?¡±


    ¡°No, I was wondering if you are taking on any apprentices at the moment.¡± I quickly answered, which surprised her for a moment.


    ¡°You are interested in an apprenticeship as a healer?¡± She leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed as I nodded. ¡°Do you have any experience with restoration magic? Because that is how I and my employees treat our patients.¡±


    I gave a small nod and showed what I could do by making a small cut on my hand and quickly healing it right back up. She took my hand and inspected where the small cut was just a few seconds prior before letting go.


    ¡°You do have some skill with restoration magic, I assume you learned all that from books though instead of actually healing people.¡± She said as she started writing something down on a piece of paper and handing it to me. ¡°I am rather busy right now with all my clients, but that is a date when I will be free to conduct an actual interview with you.¡± I stepped outside the clinic before taking a look at the paper I was given.


    The paper had a location and a time where the owner of the clinic would be in one day. It was a local tavern in the district that I had actually passed on my way to the clinic. I smiled and placed the paper into my bag before stepping back onto the street and walking back towards the western distinct.


    ¡®Looks like I have a bit of time to handle sharing the hidden base of the Rusted Daggers with the southern city guard. I have some paper back home I can write everything I know on, then I can figure out how to get it to the captain without linking me.¡¯


    *********


    I quickly found a cheap piece of paper and with an ink pot in hand wrote down as much as I could fit onto the page about the Rusted Daggers bandits and their camps. I started with the hidden camp within the cave where the upper leadership was and gave the two other long term locations I already knew of. Then I started giving information regarding their leadership and what they were capable of, by the time I finished with the first three leaders I already needed a second page.


    ¡®I need an envelope or a piece of twine.¡¯ I thought to myself as I realized I had no way to keep the pages together without holding them with my hands or magic. ¡®The only other option I have is to slide it through a window or under a door.¡¯ I looked at the papers and over to my own door, there was a small crack underneath that I could slide paper under.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡®That is risky if I want to avoid anyone knowing I have the information. I know captain Tasius is a good man and would be more than willing to listen to what I have to say, but even he would be suspicious at this amount of information. That just leaves the windows, though I will need to check out the building from a distance before I try anything like that.¡¯


    Looking out the window for a general sense of the time I saw it was a few hours past noon, late enough to make a walk by to see if the window to the captain¡¯s window was open.


    *********


    Outside the barracks of the southern district I made my move and started walking around the building in a wide arc. I kept to the west side of the building where I recalled the captain¡¯s office being. Eventually I noticed the window to his office and it was slightly open, just wide enough to allow some air inside that I could take advantage of.


    I soon left the area and found a good spot to stand just a street away, from there I watched the building until darkness came. Only then did I make my move.


    With an old cloak over my back and its hood to cover my face I made my way towards the side of the barracks where the captain¡¯s office was located. The streets were mostly empty at this time and a small handful of guards were standing around the barracks, they were mostly concentrated around the entrance with none on side which I took quick advantage of to get close.


    When I was within around ten meters of the building and out of sight I looked up and smiled as the window was still slightly open. I picked up the papers and folded them so they would remain together long enough to enter through the window. With the folded papers in my left hand I used my right hand to manipulate the air around it to slowly bring them up and towards the window. Slowly but surely the papers made their way up and with a small flick of my wrist the papers slipped inside.


    I didn¡¯t wait to see what would happen next and quickly turned and walked away as quickly as possible. I didn¡¯t even wait until I was close to the western district to take off the old cloak. From there I quickly made my way back to my home and entered through the door. I briefly considered climbing through the window but quickly disregarded the idea, the guards were far better here in the western district than the southern and suspicion wouldn¡¯t do me any good even if it was perfectly legal to enter my own home through the window.


    ¡®Now all I need to do is wait and see if the captain takes my information and uses it. Assuming Lar Tasius is the captain and it wasn¡¯t someone else promoted to the role he should at the bare minimum send someone to investigate the claims and validate them before launching a proper assault on the Rusted Daggers.¡¯


    I sneaked a quick peek out the window on the streets below just in case someone was following me. For several minutes I stood there watching but all I saw was the dimly lit streets and the occasional group of guards passing by on their patrols. Soon I stepped back from the window and started getting ready to sleep for the night as it was getting rather late into the evening and I had work to do in the morning.


    *********


    Hours passed and the dream world that enveloped my mind and soul eventually faded into the real world, slowly I sat up from my bed and looked out the window. I saw the sun was rising from my bed and when I stood to get a better look I saw that it was around seven o¡¯clock in the morning based on the sun¡¯s angle.


    Quickly I dressed myself in my new clothes I bought in the northern district and fixed myself a quick and easy breakfast for the morning. I didn¡¯t want to spend much more time doing menial chores and I left my home for the street outside the moment I had a chance. Once outside I quickly joined those who were on the road and made my way towards the tavern the owner of the small clinic for my interview.


    With the morning rush it took me some time to find the tavern but when I did I pushed past the common folk rushing towards it and made it inside. Taking a quick look around the interior I eventually spotted the clinic owner at one of the back tables for two having her own breakfast, specifically she was eating some bread and eggs.


    I stepped past the tables filled with people and took the chair opposite of the woman much to her surprise. ¡°Here already? I would have assumed you would have taken a bit longer, the time I wrote down to be specific.¡± She said in a half surprised and half annoyed tone.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I try to avoid being late and as a result I usually arrive at places ahead of schedule just in case.¡± I said quickly trying to avoid leaving a bad impression on the woman who might become my boss very soon. I noticed her eyes softened slightly at my statement and she didn¡¯t look so annoyed by my early arrival.


    ¡°I suppose that is a good problem to have. Are you going to eat anything?¡±


    ¡°No, I already had breakfast at my home.¡± She looked at me strangely at my statement but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Alright¡­ So my name is Laelia, and why don¡¯t you tell me why you want to become an apprentice at my clinic? While my clinic is perfectly functional there are certainly better positions in the city that most definitely offer better pay than I can.¡± Quickly she brought up why I wanted to join as her apprentice. Since I didn¡¯t want to tell her about Calavia I instead chose to tell her half of the truth.


    ¡°I have an interest in learning restoration magic as I am an alchemist and healing potions are something I make almost every day. Since healing potions are just healing spells placed within a liquid containing it, becoming better at restoration magic would make my potions far more powerful.¡± Though I had no reason to be nervous I still felt that way. I was very interested in learning restoration magic for that reason, but I also wanted to see Calavia again and this would make for an excellent opportunity.


    ¡°You''re an alchemist? Would you be willing to brew up some healing potions for the clinic as well if I take you as an apprentice? Sometimes we don¡¯t have enough mana to keep our patients alive and even a small stockpile of five or ten decent healing potions could help save lives in emergencies. I will of course pay you for the potions, so don¡¯t worry about compensation.¡± I could feel in her tone that she was very interested in the fact that I was an alchemist, the idea of easy access to potions likely helping that interest along.


    ¡°Yes, I am more than willing to supply you potions. Does this mean you are taking me on?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, I would like to have a demonstration of your ability in restoration first if you wouldn''t mind.¡± She placed her fork back down on the plate and took a decent iron dagger from her pocket, without any warning she made a swift cut across the palm of her left hand that quickly started to bleed.


    A little startled by the sudden self inflicted wound I reached forwards and began applying healing magic on the wound. I carefully guided the energy to the cut and directed it to start closing the wound and to stop the bleeding. I didn¡¯t keep track of how long it took but with how sudden and surprising it was it felt like minutes passed as I healed the wound.

 Chapter 206

    When the wound was fully healed I removed my hand revealing to us both a light scar. Laelia took her hand back and ran her right hand over the scar. ¡°Good work for someone without proper training, this small scar will likely be unnoticeable in a few days time.¡± Laelia smiled as she showed me her open hand. I looked down and barely noticed the scar myself.


    ¡°Wow, I wouldn¡¯t even have noticed that if you didn¡¯t point it out beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully by the time you are done with your apprenticeship even the smallest of scars like this one will be invisible to someone as perceptive as myself.¡± I looked back up to Laelia with a bit of surprise at her comment.


    ¡°Does that mean you are accepting me as your apprentice?¡± I asked with a ball of nervousness in my stomach.


    ¡°That is correct, unless of course you are caching your mind.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. Thank you. When do you want me to start?¡± My breathing became easier and my posture relaxed. I had an opportunity before me and I was certain to take it.


    ¡°Are you free today? If so you can begin right as soon as I am done with my breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am more than willing.¡± I quickly answered, an opportunity to work with other trained healers was something I didn''t want to pass on.


    ¡°Very good then. Just allow me to finish up eating and we can head right over.¡±


    **********


    Another five minutes passed as Laelia finished up her breakfast, during that time we spoke a bit more about magic and our plans for the future. She seemed rather interested in me and what I wanted to do with my life once my apprenticeship was over.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what I am going to do, other than brewing more potions to support myself of course.¡±


    ¡°You should think of something, perhaps you will find someone you want to spend your life with. Love is something that everyone should try.¡± Laelia said while pointing her fork at me. Though she didn¡¯t outright say anything about herself I had the feeling that she found that belief from personal experience rather than from religion or colleagues.


    Eventually we left the tavern and made our way to the clinic, as it turned out Laelia knew of a few shortcuts in the streets and alleyways of the southern district that helped cut down the trip back a few minutes. When we arrived we found a short line consisting of four people waiting. Inside was one of healers taking notes as the person in the front was giving details about his condition.


    ¡°My back has been in a lot of pain recently. Every time I go to sit down I feel it aches, like someone is pulling my back apart.¡± The man who upon closer inspection was around sixty years old said to the healer dressed in normal mage clothes and a piece of thin white fabric that was worn almost like a vest.


    ¡°Sir, based on the way you are describing your pain I think you might have pulled one of your back muscles. I am going to cast a quick spell to confirm this if that is alright with you.¡± The healer, who was a young man, said to the old man before placing the paper down and raising his hands.


    ¡°Yes, please do. I want nothing more than to be rid of this pain.¡± With the old man''s permission the healer casted a quick tier one spell that created a small ball of yellowish magic and quickly shot forwards and entered the old man. The healer reacted like he was receiving information from the spell and slowly relaxed himself.


    ¡°Sir, it appears I was correct. You have pulled some of your back muscles. Have you by any chance been carrying around something that is very heavy throughout the day?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working for one of the merchants recently moving around his wares. Am I getting too old to be working like that anymore?¡± The old man asked, sounding dejected.


    ¡°Not necessarily. You said you are carrying things around for a merchant, correct? Are you by any chance leaning over to pick things up when you do this?¡±


    ¡°I am. Why? Is it a problem?¡± The old man looked confused as he gave his answer while the healer looked satisfied with a soft smile on his face.


    ¡°That is likely the reason why you pulled a muscle in your back. When you do your job from now on try to keep your back straight as you pick things up. Here I will show you what to do.¡± Without waiting for a response from his patient the healer dropped something on the floor and squatted down with his back straight and reached down and picked it back up. Rising up he held the small object in front of the old man to show he indeed picked it up.


    ¡°Hang on just one moment sir while I fix your back pain.¡± The healer quickly returned to the topic of the old man''s back pain and started casting another spell that had a longer cast time than the previous. Based on the time it took him I would assume it was a tier two spell. When he was done a small orb of brighter yellow light shot out from his hands and collided with the old man. Within moments the old man let out a soft sigh or relief as his pain faded.


    By the time Laelia and I were next to the young healer he was already taking the payment of the old man which amounted to four copper coins. ¡°Ah, good morning Laelia. Who is this you brought with you? Another patient for me to heal?¡±


    ¡°Not this time Vel, this is actually the newest apprentice. Would you be willing to show him the ropes for the morning, just start with him taking our patients'' symptoms.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Of course ma¡¯am. Right away.¡± The healer named Vel said as Laelia smiled and left for a room in the back of the clinic.


    ¡°You heard the woman, take these and get a list of symptoms from those patients.¡± Vel said in a cheery voice as he handed me a few sheets of paper and an ink pot before pointing me towards the three patients waiting near the door.


    Stepping off to the side one of the patients walked right up to me with a worried look on her face. The patient was a pretty looking woman dressed in mostly normal commoner clothing, the one difference that made her stand out was that her clothes showed slightly more skin in the shoulders and the stomach. Other than those two things she looked normal enough.


    ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am, how are you doing today?¡± I asked with the intent of getting this woman''s symptoms and moving onto the other two patients.


    ¡°Well¡­ It burns when I need to piss.¡± I paused writing the words ¡®It burns¡¯ as I heard the woman say when it was doing so.


    ¡°Is this by any chance related to your job ma¡¯am?¡± I asked, fearing the worst.


    ¡°I would say¡­ most likely related to my work. Do you want to see it?¡± Never before had I ever written anything so fast. I quickly wrote the major symptom, the likely cause, and the likely cause before handing the paper to the women. ¡°Please take that to my colleague standing over there, he will help you from there.¡±


    The woman quickly took the paper and walked over to Vel with her face to the ground. The awkwardness of the situation was made worse by the indirect wording we both used, yet neither of us wanted to say the quest part out loud.


    The next patient walked up with little wait and stood straight up like a soldier. He was a middle aged man with a thick and unkempt beard and head of hair, his clothes were very normal for a commoner being simple and brown in color. Yet I could see in his eyes that he wasn¡¯t a normal man, something about his soul was different from everyone else.


    ¡°Good morning sir, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°My eyes are itching, like I have bugs walking all over them.¡± Looking up from the paper I was holding I saw that his eyes were wide open, he was only blinking half as much as he should have been. I quickly wrote the symptom down and looked back at the man.


    ¡°Are there any other symptoms you are experiencing sir?¡±


    ¡°I am blind in my left eye, but I¡¯m not here for that. I can¡¯t afford to have my eye replaced just yet, maybe in a few weeks I will have the money to do that, but not right now.¡± The man said as he held his hand with his index finger pointed towards me. I looked at his eye and unlike the other blind people I''ve seen on the streets this man''s left eye looked perfectly normal, still I wrote it down just in case there was something Vel could do.


    ¡°Is that everything sir or are you experiencing something else that is rather worrying?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t see anything else that isn¡¯t how it''s supposed to be.¡±


    ¡°Then please take this and speak with my colleague over there.¡± I handed the paper to the odd man and pointed him towards Vel who was casting a spell on the woman with the burning disease. Almost like a child the odd man walked over and stood a few feet away from Vel and the woman for his turn.


    Turning back towards the doorway there was one last patient at the moment waiting. He was a young pyrosan with a light brown complexion, both his head and face were clean shaven and he wore simple commoner clothing with both the sleeves on the shirt torn off.


    ¡°Good morning sir, how can I help you?¡± I said forcing a smile while hoping that this last patient would be normal.


    ¡°I got bit by a rat yesterday and now it''s feeling a little weird. I was hoping someone here could check it out to see if it''s infected or not.¡± The young pyrosan said as he brought his arm up and close enough to show me the bite on his arm. There on his right bicep was a rat bite, the wound and skin around the bite was a little pale but otherwise looked like a normal rat bite.


    ¡°Looking at the color of your skin around the bit I would say it is probably infected. Likely with something the rat had when it bit you.¡± I quickly wrote this all down as I spoke to the patient.


    ¡°Damn, how bad is it? I¡¯m not going to need to take a lot of expensive medicine am I?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, when I am done my colleague will use a spell to treat the wound and then another for the infection. Assuming you are alright with that.¡±


    ¡°No I am, just the healer back home would always try to get people to take medicine for all their injuries and illnesses. I was never sure why they did it, I¡¯m just thankful things are different over here. Thank you.¡± The young pyrosan was the first to thank me for helping in the day as I handed him the paper with his symptoms listed.


    With that I didn¡¯t have any more patients so I just stood by and watched as Vel treated the patients. From what I observed Vel was casting a few different types of spells depending on the injury, for illnesses he would first cast a spell that would help him diagnose the disease. When he knew the disease he would cast another spell that would treat it, if there were any physical injuries such as with the pyrosan man he would cast another to mend the wounds. After the healing was done he would collect the money which didn¡¯t amount much past a few copper pieces for each patient.


    When the last patient left the clinic Vel placed the coins he collected in a wooden box with metal reinforcements along the edges through a small hole just large enough for the coins. When he was done he walked over to me with a soft smile on his face. ¡°Good work there. You acted almost like a professional healer.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that is what I was trying to do.¡± I replied still a little weirded out by the behavior of the first two patients I dealt with. ¡°Are all of the patients that we will be dealing with here going to act like that, or was I just unlucky?¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, most patients we will be receiving will be normal. On occasion we will have someone with a few problems with their heads, but for the most part you will be dealing with the common folk of the district and the occasional traveling who is in the area.¡±


    ¡°That is good to hear, I was a little worried for a moment that this would be how most of the patients would be acting.¡± I sighed, feeling a little better that I wouldn''t need to hear people talk about how their eyes feel like there are bugs on them on the regular.


    ¡°How often should I expect someone who is not entirely there to walk in and need something?¡±


    ¡°I would say a few every day. If there is a fight or something like a gang war that number can jump considerably depending on how bad it is. Speaking of since I don¡¯t see anyone waiting for us I should probably teach you something as we wait.¡± Vel took a quickly glace to the door and the small waiting area for a moment before turning his attention back towards me. ¡°Do you know any proper healing spells yet? Because if not, I have one that you should be able to learn in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t, not yet anyways. What is the spell?¡±


    ¡°The spell is called Light Healing. The spell will create a decent amount of healing energy that will envelop the whole body of the target and heal anything from light cuts to even internal injuries, the only downside to the spell is that since it is spread across the whole body the healing isn¡¯t particularly powerful.¡±

 Chapter 207

    Vel gave me a quick demonstration of the spell, in just a handful of seconds his right hand glowed with a soft yellow light and he quickly placed it against my chest for a moment. When he took his hand back the glow was gone and I could feel the magic slowly flowing over my body like a wave from the ocean. The healing magic was soft and gentle as it slowly healed a few unnoticeable cuts and scrapes I had, by the time it was gone I felt a little different.


    ¡°That was definitely something.¡± I said, my mind for a moment feeling both light headed good for a reason I could not explain.


    ¡°These types of spells tend to do that when they reach the brain, just a few tiny corrections that have a massive impact. I don¡¯t recommend doing that often though, it can be addictive.¡±


    ¡°Healing spells can be addictive? That sounds worrying coming from a healer. Why exactly are these spells so addictive, does it do something like a drug?¡± I asked with my worry clear as day on my face. The idea of becoming addicted to a spell wasn¡¯t something I had ever read about before or even heard about.


    ¡°In a way it does function similar to taking a drug, but since you aren''t ingesting something it will not last very long unless the spell is specifically designed to do so. The reason it does that is because it is correcting all the little tiniest imbalances in your brain which creates a temporary rush. In the early days of healing and restoration magic it wasn¡¯t much of a problem as it wasn¡¯t really well known, but now with the formation of numerous mage grounds to share knowledge accidentally over using such spells on yourself can have problems.¡±


    I listened to Vel as he gave his explanation. I had to admit he was very well educated in the field of restoration magic as well as biology, something that I was starting to suspect would become useful when it came to restoration magic and its effectiveness.


    ¡°Anyways that is enough about magic for now, why don¡¯t you tell me about yourself. You can start with your interest in restoration magic if you want.¡±


    An odd request even if it wasn¡¯t phrased as a request, but I answered anyways to be nice. ¡°Well I have in recent times found myself to be in some rather dangerous situations involving things from demons, goblins, bandits, and even vampires. Having some skill in restoration magic would certainly reduce the chances of death as well provide a skill to earn money from if in the future things don¡¯t go the way I hope.¡±


    ¡°You have fought vampires?¡± The smile Vel kept on his face quickly dropped. ¡°When was this? Where was this? You shouldn¡¯t be seeking out such dangerous creatures until you are at least a conjurer, preferably a warden.¡± I could see in Vel¡¯s hands by the way they were twitching ever so slightly and how he glossed over the demon I mentioned he had a particular worrisome spot for vampires.


    ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t easy, that much is certain. But I would assume that demons would come off as more dangerous to just about anyone, it certainly was far more powerful than anything I fought, even all the four vampires combined.¡±


    ¡°You fought four vampires?¡± Again he focused on the vampires. ¡°Why would you do that? Those are some of the most dangerous creatures anyone could fight against, and you fought four of them.¡± Vel¡¯s breathing started to quicken as he continued worrying me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fight them all at once. The first one tried climbing through my window so I killed him. The next two tried to defeat me and force me to submit to their leader, I killed them and fought against their leader. After a long and drawn fight I eventually managed to restrain him with twenty earth vines and stabbed him to death with a conjured longsword.¡± When I was finished with my explanation Vel seemed to relax a bit and sat down in a nearby chair, his breathing steadied somewhat and he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Suddenly a knock came from the door to the clinic and a young woman with a seven or eight year old boy holding her hand. ¡°Excuse me, my little brother isn¡¯t feeling that well. Can you help him?¡± The young woman who shared a striking resemblance to the boy asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I quickly answered. ¡°Please come in.¡± I picked up one of the nearby chairs and placed it next to the spot I was taking people''s symptoms several minutes prior. The boy slowly climbed into the chair and sat looking towards me, even without asking I could already see he wasn¡¯t well. His skin was pale and he held his stomach with his left arm as if he was going to puke.


    I kneeled down so that I was at the boy''s eye level. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked him as I placed my hand on his forehead. I didn¡¯t feel a fever and the boy looked at me like a zombie.


    ¡°My stomach hurts Mr.¡± The boy eventually said, though I almost couldn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°When did you first notice him feeling this way?¡± I asked, turning to the older sister.


    ¡°About a day ago, it was during dinner. He wouldn¡¯t eat anything. I thought he just had an upset stomach so I let him sleep, when I woke up I found him looking pale.¡± I could feel the worry in the older sister''s voice, she was worrying it was her fault.


    ¡°Vel, come over here.¡± I said waving Vel over to my side. ¡°Do you know what this could be?¡±


    ¡°No, not with just a glance.¡± Vel grimaced when he saw just how pale the boy''s skin was. Without me even saying anything he quickly started to cast a spell. It took him six whole seconds to cast indication it was a tier two spell, when he was done he touched the boy on the head and his eyes widened in surprise. Without warning he turned and almost ran towards the back room where Laelia was. He threw open the door and stepped inside.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Boss, we have a situation that requires tier three restoration magic at the minimum!¡± Vel shouted, pushing his way inside the room.


    ¡°Why? What happened?¡± Laelia asked, her chair scraping across the floor as she quickly stood up and walked out of the room behind Vel.


    ¡°A young boy has a parasite in his stomach, a really big one too. I don¡¯t even know how long it has been there for, but the boy will likely die if we can¡¯t get rid of it.¡± As Vel was speaking both he and Laelia exited the back room and walked right up to the bay. Laelia almost instantly casted a spell to confirm Vel¡¯s statement and her eyes widened in shock as well.


    ¡°You made the right decision to call me Vel, this will require tier four restoration magic. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this on your own.¡± Laelia didn¡¯t hesitate and started casting several more spells in rapid succession, each spell left her looking more and more worried until the seventh spell. When she received the information back her eyes widened in shock, for a moment she didn¡¯t do anything, when she came to her senses she quickly started casting a powerful spell that neither Arthur or Vel understood. When she was done she turned to Vel and I and gave us one order. ¡°Keep the boy still.¡±


    Though we were both confused as to why we needed to keep the boy still we both without hesitation gripped the boy by his shoulders and kept his head pointed slightly downwards. Laelia touched the boy''s forehead and began concentrating on the spell she conjured. A small amount of yellow light was visible from time to time exiting the boy''s body, but when the boy started gagging and lurching forwards like he was about to throw up. Vel and I managed to keep him still but it kept getting worse and worse as Laelia continued with her spell. Eventually the boy opened his mouth wide and threw up all over the floor barely missing Laelia who stood right in front of him.


    Like we were expecting we saw stomach fluids and bits of food mixed together like anyone would, but we also saw something else that was far more disturbing wriggling around in the pile of puke. A thin and black fleshy worm thing wriggled around desperately trying to hide from us, both I and Vel covered our mouths in disgust while the older sister nearly threw up her own breakfast. Surprisingly the bot looked far better now that he didn¡¯t have such a horrible parasite living in his stomach.


    Then the black worm looked up at me and I looked into its crimson red eyes, those horrible red eyes that belonged to demons and demons alone. ¡°Dear gods.¡± I muttered to myself as Laelia reached down with a large jar in hand that I didn¡¯t even notice she had. ¡°That isn¡¯t just a parasite, it is a demon.¡±


    Vel flinched in surprise at my statement. ¡°A demon!? But I thought all demons were large and dangerous monsters that led armies of goblins!¡± Vel shouted as he backed away from the parasitic demon that looked me right in the eyes.


    ¡°I know what demons look like Vel. Those eyes it has, those crimson red eyes are something I have only seen in demons. There isn¡¯t anything else it could be.¡±


    ¡°Quiet! The both of you are scaring the patients!¡± Laelia shouted at us as he used some sort of magic to force the small demon into the jar. It didn¡¯t resist as she dropped the thing inside, but it still didn¡¯t remove its eyes from me even as Laelia placed the jar on the table.


    ¡°I need the two of you to stay here and keep our current patients and any future patients that enter through the door happy and safe while I report this to the authorities. While this is happening I need the two of you to keep this thing under wraps.¡± Laelia pointed to the wormy demon in the jar as she spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything about it no matter what you are told or offered. And for safekeeping I will be taking this with me.¡±


    With that Laelia picked up the jar with the demon and entered the back room with it closing the door behind her. A moment later we could hear the lock on the door clicking as she locked it from the outside. For a moment neither Vel or I knew what to do, but when we looked back to the half awake boy and his older sister we quickly sprang into action.


    ¡°There is nothing to worry about ma¡¯am, we just need to keep you and your brother here until further notice.¡± I quickly told the sister while I pushed her towards one of the chairs in the waiting room. ¡°And your brother will be here with you during this unplanned stay.¡± Vel quickly picked the young boy up and placed him in his sister''s lap.


    ¡°What was that thing in his stomach? Was it some sort of monster?¡± She asked with tears building up in her eyes. ¡°Was this my fault?¡±


    ¡°No, absolutely not. You never could have known that such a dangerous thing was living inside of your brother. You made the right decision when you brought him here, your actions might have just saved his life.¡± Vel quickly answered, trying to ease the young woman who was now forcing back tears.


    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t watching him, not for a long while.¡± She started sobbing loudly and hugged her brother tightly as the tears poured from her eyes. ¡°He just returned home after being gone for several days. I didn¡¯t know where he was while he was gone.¡±


    The older sister continued to cry as she tried explaining what happened to her younger brother, from both I and Vel managed to piece together her brother went missing about four or five days ago and suddenly came back yesterday. Her brother didn¡¯t even react like he was gone so she didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    While the four of us waited for Laelia a few more patients came in with lesser injuries that Vel dealt with using a few simple healing spells. Most were just suffering from cuts and bruises and wanted help with the pain they were having, I learned that just tier one spells were needed to heal such lesser injuries. I would have been very interested in the spells if I wasn¡¯t trying to keep the older sister from losing her mind.


    Eventually after around a half hour of waiting Laelia returned with a grim look on her face. She waved both myself and Vel over to the doorway in which she was standing below before she quietly told us of the situation. ¡°I have contacted the restoration division of the mages guild and shown them the parasite, they will be sending someone to investigate it and the boy. Whoever it is will be here within the hour and will be dressed in a yellow mages guild robe, when they arrive bring them straight to me to confirm their identity. This situation is very dangerous and requires the maximum caution to keep things from spiraling. Do the two of you understand what I am asking of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes we understand.¡± Vel quickly replied while I nodded.


    ¡°Good. Now do try and keep the boy and his sister from leaving. The guild wasn¡¯t to check them both out to be certain there aren''t any more such dangerous parasites out there.¡± With that Laelia reentered the back room and closed the door. Soon we heard her locking the door and we turned back to our current patients.


    I could hear Vel¡¯s breathing becoming more unsteady as the stress of the situation started getting to him. I wasn¡¯t unaffected either as the sisters'' statements about the boy going missing painted a worrying picture in my mind, the possibilities of how the boy may have ingested the parasitic demon becoming worse and worse for us as I continued thinking.

 Chapter 208

    ¡°And what of your report Private?¡± Captain Tasius asked the young guard standing before him. The guard being an oak wood elf dressed like a hunter, his clothing and tools were even grown by a druid like how most wood elves with good relations with their homelands.


    ¡°I found the cave sir, and I found a small group of wealthy looking warriors in there as well sir. They had all sorts of valuables and boxes filling the cave, I didn¡¯t really get a good look as I was forced to leave to avoid being spotted.¡± The elven guard replied with a straight expression and posture.


    ¡°And this was all in the cave that I directed you to investigate?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, I even looked around the area for any sign of people or animals, but I found nothing that wasn¡¯t inside of that cave. Whatever those people were doing they didn¡¯t want anyone stumbling across them.¡±


    Captain Tasius remained quiet for a moment thinking about the information he was given. ¡°You may leave now, and don¡¯t tell anyone of this conversation or your orders.¡± The captain said dismissing the young guard and becoming alone in his office with his thoughts.


    Around a day ago today the captain received two notes from an anonymous source regarding the origin of the bandit activities in the southern territories belonging to the city. The notes were very detailed regarding the name of the bandit group but also giving a description of the leader of said bandits. The only problem was the secrecy of who delivered the information, clearly they wanted the bandits gone, but Tasius didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡®Things would have been different if the source of this information had delivered it to me directly, but they chose to slip it in through my open window instead. Were they trying to avoid being caught? Were they a criminal trying to get rid of the competition? Or were they just not very trusting of the city guard after what my predecessor was exposed to being doing behind the scenes? I honestly wonder what the higher ups were thinking when they appointed me to this position.¡¯


    While this was worrying information, captain Tasius now had a way to deal a massive blow to the bandits and their leadership, without this imperial bandit leading the operation they should become weakened and easy to clear out.


    ¡®Now I just need to build up sufficient forces to strike at their base of operations. I don¡¯t think I will have enough men to keep the streets safe while also taking out these bandits, I may need to employ some mercenaries to help with this strike, I just hope the crown approves the funds to hire these mercenaries.¡¯


    ********


    Vel and I waited nearly an hour for the guild mage with the restoration division to arrive, when he did we immediately understood who he was as he was dressed like a stereotypical human wizard. He wore a pointedly tipped yellow hat and matching wizard robes, he had a thick and well groomed grey bread and carried a wooden staff that looked like it was a branch off a tree and on the end was a glowing yellow gemstone.


    ¡°Excuse me, I am looking for a Laelia Nabor. Do either of you young gentlemen know where she is?¡± The wizard asked us with a soft smile on his face. You could tell even without him saying anything this old wizard was a kind soul, like one''s own grandfather.


    ¡°Yes, she is expecting you.¡± Vel quickly answered as he stepped up to the wizard. ¡°Please come with me.¡± Vel quickly turned and led the wizard to the back room where Laelia was staying. With three loud knocks Vel called out to Laelia and the door opened.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir Wizard, please come inside.¡± Laelia quickly brought the wizard into the back and closed the door, again the sound of the door locking could be heard as she locked the door to keep us and anyone else out.


    ********


    ¡°Why, aren''t you very stressed out today Laelia.¡± The old wizard commented as she led the wizard to another room that was also locked. ¡°Well I recently found this massive parasite in the stomach of a young boy, when I managed to get the thing out of him my newest apprentice identified it as a demon. So yes, I am very stressed right now.¡±


    ¡°Your newest apprentice identified the parasite and not you? Who exactly is this apprentice? He sounds rather knowledgeable for someone taking such a job.¡± The wizard asked as Laelia dispelled the magical locks she placed upon the door.


    ¡°His name is Arthur, he is an evoker within the guild. I was actually doing a background check on him when the boy and his older sister showed up.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. An evoker who has experience with demons, and a keen enough mind to notice certain details that give away the identities of such creatures even with a vastly different type.¡± The old wizard thought out loud as he stroked his thick grey beard. ¡°How long did you say he would be working under you for?¡± He asked shamelessly.


    ¡°Today is his first day, I haven¡¯t actually taught him anything yet so I have no idea. And just so you know we are in the middle of something very important.¡± Laelia said as the lock clicked open revealing a small room made entirely from stone bricks and a multitude of engravings across the walls that glowed softly. In the middle of the room was the parasitic demon in the jar.


    Laelia quickly entered the room and picked up the jag before stepping back out and handing it to the old wizard. ¡°Here is the damned thing. Now tell me, is it a demon?¡±


    The wizard held the jar with just his left hand and spun it around several times before he started casting any spells. The first spell he used took him almost a whole minute to use, when he was done the spell penetrated through the glass of the jar and was absorbed into the parasite glowing for a few seconds before dissipating.


    The wizard unhappy with the outcome sighed and began casting another using his staff this time to help, this spell took even longer and had a similar effect on the parasite, only this time the wizard looked happy with the information he received.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Interesting¡­ Very interesting.¡± The wizard commented as he placed the parasite and the jar in a bag he had on his side. ¡°Your new apprentice was correct in his assessment, though he obviously didn¡¯t get the full picture.¡± The wizard said to Laelia as he fished out his communication orb from his bag and placed it on the nearest table and activitied a toggle.


    ¡°Wait, Quintus. What do you mean? Was Arthur correct when he said it was a demon?¡± Laelia asked, rushing up to her old friend and mentor.


    ¡°He was partly correct, however I do not blame him for his lack of knowledge. This is not just a demon Laelia, this is a demon that has been modified to make it both small and parasitic as you saw with that young boy. That doesn¡¯t mean that its life force and soul are any weaker than a normal demon, quite the opposite actually, it just doesn¡¯t have any way to directly fight without finding its way inside of someone first.¡±


    ¡°A modified demon!? Who would do such a thing? Who would even have the ability to do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The usual suspects come to mind, but we have no evidence of the empire''s involvement. All we have is this very dangerous specimen that will need to be quarantined and then studied to create a medicine or spell to easily eliminate them.¡± Without waiting for Laelia to speak the wizard Quintus called his superior with his communication orb. Only a few seconds passed as the person on the other hand picked up the call.


    An old female voice came from the other side. ¡°What do you have to report, Quintus?¡±


    ¡°We have a dangerous situation here ma¡¯am. The parasite that was discovered here is in fact a modified demon that has been changed to act like a parasite without diminishing its life force in any way.¡± As Quintus spoke Laelia went quiet, she didn¡¯t recognize the voice on the other end but very few could make her mentor and friend act like a proper wizard.


    On the other end the voice went quiet for a handful of seconds before she spoke again. ¡°Who else knows of this demonic parasite?¡±


    ¡°Only a handful of others. There is my former apprentice Laelia who is standing next to me, her two apprentices who found the parasite, the victim who is a young boy, and his sister who brought him to this clinic.¡± Quintus answered quickly as the voice on the other end went quiet, she was likely considering the information she was just given.


    Eventually she asked another question. ¡°Can they be trusted to keep this quiet?¡±


    ¡°Laelia is more than trustworthy to keep such information a secret, the other however I don''t have the authority to speak for.¡±


    ¡°I may speak, I will be more than happy to talk to my apprentices and convince them to stay quiet for the time being.¡± Laelia quickly spoke moments after Quintus was done. ¡°The boy and his sister however I don¡¯t think will be easy to keep quiet, it may be best to take them elsewhere for the time being to keep them safe and quiet.¡±


    ¡°You have a good head on your shoulders Mrs. Nabor, we shall do as you suggested.¡± The voice spoke, a hint of amusement detected in her tone. ¡°I recommend you bring your apprentices in here right now so I can have this conversation recorded. Best to keep their promises saved in case something happens.¡±


    ¡°Of course ma¡¯am, I shall do so right away.¡± Laelia gave a quick bow to the orb and the unknown voice before exiting the room and calling Arthur and Vel into the room.


    Seconds later both Arthur and Vel had joined Quintus in the room and stood before the communication orb while Laelia kept an eye on the boy and his sister.


    ¡°From what I understand one of you identified the parasite as a demon.¡± The voice said not even a second after the two were within detection range of the orb.


    Vel subconsciously shivered at the sound of the old woman''s voice on the other side, it reminded him of his grandmother who was a particularly mean woman. Arthur instead stood straight and spoke. ¡°Yes, that is true. It was me who identified the demonic parasite ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that the parasite was a demon? To my knowledge you are just an evoker, someone like you shouldn''t be encountering anything nearly as dangerous as demons let alone being close enough to notice key details about them.¡±


    ¡°I was on an expedition exploring the old dwarven settlement of Dom Badaher under the leadership of Lyra Vettonius. While we were there we uncovered an underground cavern system that housed a demon, we ended up fighting against it and eventually came out victorious though we did later leave due to the large goblin presence down there.¡±


    For nearly a minute the voice didn¡¯t speak as she considered everything Arthur told her and looked through the files she had access to to see if he was telling the truth.


    ¡°And what about you Mr. Vel? Do you have any experience with demons like your colleague?¡± The voice asked, almost suddenly and surprising Vel.


    ¡°Um¡­ No ma¡¯am. This would be the first time I have ever seen a demon.¡± Vel managed to say as the nervousness he was feeling practically radiated off him like a bonfire.


    ¡°Do the both of you understand the situation and why you must keep it a secret?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Both Arthur and Vel quickly answered, though one was more confident and convincing than the other.


    ¡°Good. In the future the guild will send someone to interview the two of you, this will likely be within the next few days. For the time being continue doing your jobs and do not under any circumstances tell anyone about what happened unless it is under the mages guild roof.¡±


    Shortly after Laelia returned from the clinic lobby and brought Arthur and Vel back out to deal with patients and to keep an eye on the boy and his sister. While Arthur wondered about what was being spoken now that they were gone Vel was more of a nervous wreck.


    ¡°Hey Vel, are you alright?¡± Arthur asked when all the patients were gone and the two had a moment to relax.


    ¡°No. No I am not.¡± Vel replied as he fiddled with his hands. ¡°We are in way over our heads Arthur. I mean what kind of demon was that? I have never heard of parasitic demons before. If they were normal then you would think they would be in a medical book or something covering parasites and other diseases.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the guild isn¡¯t capable of dealing with these parasitic demons?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that.¡± Vel sighed as he collected his thoughts. ¡°I really like to have a routine every day. It doesn¡¯t need to be perfect, but I like starting a job at a certain time of day every day, I also like ending a job at the same time as well. Stuff like demons and war, it makes things all confusing and chaotic. There isn¡¯t any rhyme or reason for what happens when things become chaotic, and now things are going to be changing a lot since we witnessed the demon parasite being ejected from that boy''s stomach.¡±


    Arthur didn¡¯t have a response for what Vel said, while he did like have a routine for extended periods of time he did like to change things up every so often like how he was now an apprentice to a healer. But he did understand why Vel felt so worried about the future, he recalled the first time he looked at the demon deep below the surface in the caverns of Dom Badaher. Demons were certainly dangerous when they were big and noticeable, how dangerous will they be when they are small and can jump out from anywhere without warning.

 Chapter 209

    ¡°Hey Arthur, do you know what is going on with Vel? He¡¯s been really distant for a while now, like something is bothering him.¡± I looked over to my right and saw it was Calavia asking.


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t know what he is going through. When I first met him he was pretty different, since then he has changed a lot.¡± I quickly lied through my teeth, I wanted to tell her the truth but I knew the risks.


    She nodded with a soft frown on her face and turned back to what she was doing before in the other room, I slumped back into my chair and rubbed my face to try and keep myself awake. Since the interview with the guild which was more of an interrogation Vel had gotten a lot worse, he was like a little boy jumping at the smallest shadows and it was starting to affect me as well. I could see in his eyes whenever I spoke with him that he wanted to tell everyone about the demons, the strength to keep that dangerous secret away from everyone else was fading.


    I looked out the nearby window at the night sky and the stars that glittered like gemstones. I came to learn in my week of working in the clinic that the night shifts were the worst, most people didn¡¯t do much during the night which left us mostly just sitting around all night. If we had the motivation we would practice magic, but we would need to keep a decent amount of our mana reserves in the event that someone needed medical attention.


    Eventually Vel walked into the room looking like a dead man and took a seat opposite of me. For some time he just sat there looking at the floor without moving an inch, only after several minutes passed did he say anything. He started with just some soft mumbling that eventually turned into actual words. ¡°Do you think what we are doing matters Arthur?¡±


    I looked up a little surprised by the sudden question. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked back.


    ¡°Do you think us being here learning restoration magic to better heal others'' matters?¡± He clarified in a slow flat tone that was slightly uncomfortable to listen to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Vel. I do know that it matters to other people, like that old man you were helping just last week with his back pain. He seemed a lot happier when his pain was gone, and that advice you gave him for lifting heavy things definitely helped him.¡±


    After that Vel went quiet for several hours until Calavia came into the room. ¡°Hey Arthur, it''s your turn to keep watch in the waiting area.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, I will just be a moment.¡± I quickly answered as I stood from my chair. I took a big stretch before stepping away from the chair and allowing Calavia to take my place.


    I quickly made my way towards the waiting area and found it was empty aside from the regular furniture and a chair in the middle of the room. I quickly walked over to and sat down on the chair as I waited for anyone that might require medical attention at such a late time. A couple hours passed and I eventually dozed off lightly, then around the second hour I was there I heard the door open and close. Quickly my eyes shot open and I looked to see a middle aged man covered with small cuts across his body and arms. His shirt was also covered with holes and cuts and small amounts of dried blood.


    I quickly jumped up with several healing spells at the tips of my fingers the moment my mind could process what I was seeing. ¡°Good evening sir mage.¡± The man said in a clear half awake tone. ¡°I¡­ got into a fight and there was a knife involved. Do you think you could patch me up quickly and take note of everything you heal?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can do that. How exactly did all this happen?¡± I quickly rushed the man over to the chair and forced him to take a seat. I immediately started casting the tier one Identify Injury spell to assess the full extent of his injuries.


    ¡°Someone owed me a small amount of money he borrowed, when I asked for that money back he got angry and when I told him I needed the money back he started swinging a knife around. He has been avoiding me for quite some time since borrowing the money, so when I found him well after the required time he needed to pay me back I demanded the money.¡±


    I had him take his shirt off the moment the spell gave all the information it could collect about his injuries. Most were just light cuts that would heal on their own without any problem, there were a few however that slightly risked infection if not treated.


    I started with the Light Healing spell to heal all of the lesser injuries, then I began casting the Heal Wound on each of the more serious injuries. One by one the man was left with just a handful of small and barely noticeable scars primarily on his arms.


    When I was done I started writing down each of the injuries in as much detail both to properly charge the man for the healing I provided and because he specifically asked for a copy. When I was done I handed it to him and he counted up the money and paid me in full.


    ¡°So why exactly did you want a copy of your recorded injuries if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± I Asked as I had all the coins in my hand. I was curious and I had a feeling the man would be willing to answer after I just healed him.


    ¡°This is for the city guard so they can properly charge the man for his crimes. In recent years the courts have changed the way crimes like this are dealt with, in the past this would just be a case of assault. A full list of the injuries he has inflicted will help find the specific crimes he will be punished with, it helps the courts to fit the crime to the punishment.¡±


    The man quickly left with the paper in hand and I took the seat again and waited for the next patient, if there even would be another, to arrive. Another half hour passed and I heard the door to the rest of the clinic open up, I looked over and saw Calavia slowly closing the door. She looked up and gave a soft smile before picking up a chair and placing it next to mine, she sat down next to me and let out a sigh.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Vel is doing very good.¡± The defeat in her voice was as clear as the night sky. ¡°I tried speaking to him about what was bothering him, but he wouldn''t tell me about it. It must have been really bad if he won¡¯t even acknowledge that something even happened.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything as she continued speaking. ¡°I¡¯m worried about him, Arthur. He was doing so well when I first joined, now he is a nervous wreck and nobody knows or is willing to say why.¡± She sniffled a few times and I could see in her eyes she was at a loss as to what to do. Without really thinking I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. She was a little surprised by the sudden movement but understood what I was trying to do. For a while the two of us just sat there, she rested her head against my shoulder while we kept an eye for anyone coming in.


    ¡°I know how to brew drowsiness potions, maybe those would help Vel get some proper sleep.¡± I suggested after several seconds of silence.


    ¡°You think that might help him?¡± Calavia asked, the doubt evident in her voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I am betting he hasn''t been getting a lot of sleep since whatever happened to him. I think he would be a lot better if he could just get a good night''s sleep.¡±


    ¡°How soon can you make these potions for him?¡±


    ¡°I should be able to brew up a batch with just a few hours at home, I have all the ingredients that are needed and the bottles to keep the potion in. We would just need to get him to drink the potion every night before he sleeps.¡±


    ¡°I will talk to him about the potion as soon as you make some. You can meet me at my own home, here I will write it down for you so you can actually find it.¡± Calavia sat up and then stood from her chair and walked over to the nearby table where an ink pot and a few spare pieces of paper were laying, she picked up a piece and quickly wrote something down using hydromancy on the ink. When she was done she walked back over and handed me the paper.


    Like I recalled it was the same address she had when we were friends the first time around, though I had never actually been there I recognized the address as she did something similar then when we became close.


    ¡°Do you work tomorrow?¡± I asked, figuring it would be a good time to deliver those potions.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t. I assume that is when you want to drop off those potions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, do you know where Vel lives or when he works? Because I don¡¯t, he has been mostly quiet about everything regarding his personal life.¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t, but I can ask Laelia if she knows where he lives. Odds are she would know if nobody else does.¡±


    *******


    Within a few days of supplying the drowsiness potions Vel¡¯s mental condition improved. The look of perpetual exhaustion that was always present slowly faded away as he was able to get a good night''s sleep. Price wasn¡¯t an issue as the potions were very cheap to both make and sell so I was able to get at least a bottle for him for each day. Calavia¡¯s mental state also improved upon seeing the positive changes in Vel, she would smile more filling my heart with joy.


    During my time working in the clinic I also learned a lot more about restoration magic from whoever was the supervisor for the shift, sometimes it was Laelia but most of the time it was one of her more trained apprentices.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Restoration Level 11


    \- - - - - -/


    I was able to cast most of the tier one spells I was taught without much difficulty assuming I wasn¡¯t tired or under a lot of stress, exhaustion wasn¡¯t much of an issue but stress wasn¡¯t quite the same. On occasion we would have a patient come in with some very serious injuries, the most recent example of this was a hunter with an arrow sticking out of his stomach. He wasn¡¯t in any pain and acted quite normal, however for a healer even shifting the arrow slightly could lead to internal bleeding which would be disastrous.


    I had to call upon the supervisor to help the man, however I was still required to help with the healing to the best of my ability. I did this when the arrow was removed and we needed to close the wound as well as any smaller and hidden internal injuries. My supervisor dealt with the internal injuries while I dealt with what was outside. It was a long and stressful procedure, but we managed to heal the hunter without making things any worse.


    **********


    Only when the month of Malachite did either I or Vel learn of how the investigation regarding the parasitic demons was going, based on the questions I was asked in my own personal interrogation I guess that it wasn¡¯t going very well.


    Sitting in the same simple stone brick room with just a stone table and chair I watched as the interior entered through the thick iron door and it closed behind him. The sound of it being locked from the outside would have echoed through the room if there was enough room.


    ¡°Good afternoon Mr¡­ Arthur.¡± The interrogator said as he looked at my file. ¡°As I understand you witnessed what the restoration division of the mages guild is referring to as a new species of demon, this one being parasitic in nature. I just have a few questions regarding what you witnessed and you will be free to go.¡± The interrogator said without even looking up as he sat on the chair opposite of mine.


    ¡°Of course, anything to help with the investigation.¡± I said with a fake smile on my face.


    ¡®Why do I have the sinking feeling that the guild hasn¡¯t made any significant progress on the demon? I already told them everything that I could have known about the last time this happened. There is nothing else they could learn from me.¡¯


    ¡°Very good. First could you for the record explain to me what happened when the demonic parasite was discovered and how everyone who witnessed it reacted?¡±


    ¡®The same question as last time.¡¯ I resisted the urge to sigh as I thought back to what happened. I took a deep breath to both calm myself and to speak without stopping.


    ¡°A young boy came to the clinic on my first day of working, my coworker Vel immediately casted a diagnostic spell on him. When he received the information regarding his condition he ran to Laelia to tell her what he found. When she took a look she agreed with his decision and removed the parasite by forcing the boy to puke it up. That was when we saw it and I identified it as a demon based on its distinct red eyes and black skin.¡±


    ¡°How many people saw the demon when the boy puked it up? Were there witnesses other than you five?¡± The interrogator quickly interjected.


    ¡°No there wasn¡¯t, just the five of us. After we all looked at it in shock for a few seconds Laelia quickly placed it in a glass jar and brought it into the back room to keep it safe while she called for help. While we waited both Vel and I kept an eye on the boy and his sister to make sure they didn¡¯t try and run, eventually that wizard arrived and we spoke with that woman over his communication orb.¡±

 Chapter 210

    ¡°And did you speak with anyone else about this parasite?¡±


    ¡°No I didn''t.¡± I looked at the interrogator with my annoyance clear in my eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone about the parasite regardless of how much I wanted to say something.¡±


    Without a comment the interrogator wrote something down and continued his questioning. ¡°What about your colleague Vel? From my understanding he hasn¡¯t been doing all that well since the situation started just over a week ago.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he wasn¡¯t getting much sleep and it was impacting his mental state.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t getting enough sleep, so this has changed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my colleague Calavia noticed he wasn¡¯t doing well and I suggested giving him drowsiness potions to help with his sleeping. While he isn¡¯t perfect he has been doing a lot better since he could get a proper amount of sleep.¡± I was certain that the interrogator could understand how unhappy I was with his questioning with my tone alone, he likely just didn¡¯t care and continued asking what I considered to be foolish and unimportant questions.


    ¡°So this Calavia you mentioned, are you close to her?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why is my relationship with her important?¡± I glared at the interrogator as I answered, though he didn¡¯t notice as he was still looking at his notes.


    ¡°Has she been asking questions about what happened? Perhaps even letting slip information that she shouldn¡¯t have access to?¡± His tone was dull and empty but I could somehow tell that he was enjoying digging through my personal life by asking all these stupid questions.


    ¡°Yes she has asked questions regarding Vel and why he was acting so strangely compared to before, but I highly doubt she is involved with the demonic parasite. That isn¡¯t who she is.¡± I stared the interrogator directly in the eyes as I gave him my answer and for the first time he seemed to react to my feelings towards his word choice. He fixed his posture to something far more professional and moved back onto more reasonable questions.


    ¡°Have you noticed anyone following you to your home?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen anyone in the area of the clinic that looks suspicious?¡±


    ¡°Do you think Vel is capable of keeping the situation a secret?¡±


    ¡°If he is left alone I would see no reason why he would feel the need to tell anyone.¡±


    The questions continued for at least another half hour before the interrogator was done and allowed me to leave, and I was more than happy to get out and do something with the remainder of the day I had off.


    ¡®I should be getting another shipment of ingredients today, I will need to spend an hour or two brewing some potions. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to try out some of those new potion recipes I found in the guild library recently.¡¯ My mind went back a few days prior to a small assignment I was given outside of work by Laelia. The task was to find a few books on restoration magic and anatomy to help expand my understanding of the most common diseases to impact mortals. I was supposed to learn how they separately affect humans, dwarves, and elves and what spells could deal with the symptoms.


    While I was looking I found a book on alchemy that contained a few simple potions and their associated spells that had some interesting effects. The most interesting were the lesser fortification potions which would temporarily increase one of your attributes. The lesser fortify strength potions for example would increase your strength by about five points when made by the average alchemist with a duration of a handful of minutes that would also vary.


    The one that I had a specific interest in was the lesser fortify magic potion which would boost my magic attribute to boost my magic power. With that I would have more powerful spells while being of far lower level than normal. ¡®I bet each potion would sell for quite a nice sum of money as well, mercenaries and mages alike would find great value in their respective type of potions.¡¯


    *********


    When I arrived back at my home I began my work and brewed up my daily dozen healing potions to sell to the guild. Then I brought out the ten potions worth of ingredients I specifically ordered through the guild and began my first attempt of the lesser magic potion.


    Like I expected my first attempt was a failure, I accidentally added too little glow sap which was what gave the spell its magic boosting properties. With insufficient glow sap the other ingredients were far too much of the end result which burned in the calcinator, when I managed to pull the mixture out I saw it had turned black like a burnt piece of meat and was smoking like a small campfire struggling to ignite.


    I placed the failed potion on the open windowsill to keep the smoke from filling my own home and continued by beginning my second attempt.


    This time I managed to get the correct amount of glow sap along with the other ingredients, only I messed up during the actual spell casting part and the spell didn¡¯t work correctly with the potion mixture. It interacted and was absorbed by the mixture but it didn''t glow like it should have, this told me that the potion wouldn¡¯t have any magical properties if drank.


    Again and again I tried brewing the potion with small problems causing large failures, thankfully after nearly half an hour and the fifth attempt I managed to get a working potion. The potion was light purple in color and shimmered when the liquid moved. It was also very small, no larger than a half cup that you could find at any tavern or pub.


    To finish the experiment and determine how effective the potion would be I brought the bottle to my lips and drank the potion in a few seconds. The taste was an unexpected mix between apples and oranges and felt like I was drinking a small amount of magic itself.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Within a few seconds I could feel the small changes the potion brought, I channeled my mana and conjured three earth bolts. I could feel the magic was slightly more powerful than before, not by equivalent to five points more powerful, but enough to be around one point.


    I looked down to the now empty potion bottle and smiled to myself. ¡®This is a major improvement to my alchemical skillset. Now I can boost my physical and magical abilities past what I would normally have, I can also sell these potions for a nice sum once I am skilled enough for these potions to give at least five points worth of attributes. I would easily earn way more than what I am selling these healing potions for.¡¯


    With such a stream of money I would be able to easily hire teachers for whatever magical interests I might have. Other things like a large home and gardens of ingredients would follow as well with an opportunity to become close with Calavia again.


    *********


    When the third month of summer called Galena eventually rolled around Vel, Calavia, and myself had formed a small friend group. We would share meals and magic with each other every week as we all progressed in our apprenticeships, though Vel was doing most of the sharing when it came to magic while I shared most of the meals. My progress with the lesser fortification potions was a decent success as I was able to sell a decent variety of those potions to the guild, each was worth around double a healing potion. The only problem limiting my production was the small amount of ingredients from my current suppliers and my equipment.


    /- - - - - -\


    + Alchemy Level 14


    + Restoration Level 15


    \- - - - - -/


    ¡°So what are your plans once winter is over?¡± Calavia asked the both of us abruptly as we were sharing breakfast in a tavern near the clinic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is a little early to be asking such questions? It isn¡¯t even autumn yet.¡± Vel quickly answered while suppressing a yawn which escaped the moment he stopped speaking.


    Calavia was about to say something back when I spoke up. ¡°Assuming I am done with this apprenticeship by then I was planning to head up north, maybe north east to some small town up there when I can continue studying magic in relative peace.¡±


    Both Vel and Calavia looked at me with surprise written on their faces. While Vel looked skeptical Calavia looked more interested in my idea.


    ¡°That sounds really interesting, what were you planning on pursuing up there if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    ¡°Alchemy.¡± I stated. ¡°With all the open space I was hoping to build a home with a large garden where I can grow all the ingredients I need for my potions.¡±


    ¡°Building a home isn¡¯t as simple as just digging a hole in a hill, Arthur. You will need bricks and lumber to build something that is actually habitable. You will need a lot of money if you are just going to do something like out with just a town and its resources to support you.¡± Vel was quick to interject, he had been more pessimistic since the parasite situation.


    ¡°I already have a decent amount of money saved up, most of it I earned from the crown for killing those vampires. It alone should be enough to get myself a decent sized home and the seeds for a garden. After that I will just figure things out as I go.¡± I gave a smug smile as I looked back at Vel in defiance to his pessimism.


    ¡°Well I think it is a wonderful idea Arthur. Perhaps you should try being more adventurous in the future and come up with something like that.¡± Calavia didn¡¯t look to Vel as she spoke to him, instead she looked more towards me. It might have just been in my head but I was wondering if she was looking at me more often than before.


    ********


    Regardless of any unusual actions on Calavia¡¯s part we quickly finished our breakfast and went off to work for the day. We were told ahead of time that Calavia and I would be learning a few new spells, specifically tier two spells that Vel already knew and would be helping with.


    Arriving at the clinic we quickly entered the back room where our teacher and one of the senior employees was waiting for us. She was a high elven woman sitting at the table while writing something down in a notebook. When she heard our footsteps she looked up and smiled when she recognized us.


    ¡°Good morning you three. I am Sana, though Vel already knows that.¡± Sana gave a light chuckle as she gestured to Vel who seemed not to understand why she did so. ¡°I will be teaching the three of you some tier two restoration spells that I am certain that you will be needing in the future to heal certain injuries and diseases.¡±


    She handed the three of us each a book, the title of which was A Mages Guild to Common Diseases and Injuries. Opening the book up the first page covered two tier two diagnostic spells, the first was for detecting diseases and the second for internal injuries.


    ¡°I see Arthur is already looking through the book, I want you two to follow his lead and open to the first page and tell me what you see.¡±


    Instead of doing as Sana asked Vel stepped forwards with the book still closed. ¡°I am sorry to interrupt Sana, but I already know these spells and how to use them.¡±


    ¡°Yes I know that, but I will be covering a few important things that weren¡¯t covered the last time. Now we have an opportunity to change that, so if you would please open the book to the first page and follow along.¡±


    Vel gave Sana an annoyed look but didn¡¯t say anything as he followed her instructions and opened the book to the very first page.


    ¡°Now as you can see there are two spells listed with their descriptions. The first known as Lesser Disease Detection, and the second as Lesser Injury Detection. The function of the spells is just about as you expect, though how it feels to receive the information from the spells can be a little surprising the first time it happens which is why we will be testing them out in this controlled environment.¡±


    Stepping over towards and then in front of Vel, Sana turned to Calavia and myself before continuing. ¡°The two of you will be casting these spells on each other while Vel will do so on myself. Just take turns and follow the instructions in the book, if you have any questions about the spells just ask me.¡±


    While Calavia and myself were a little confused Vel seemed to know what to do and quickly casted both spells in rapid succession on Sana. Both of us were rather impressed with his skill and the practice he showed. After taking a moment to appreciate Vel¡¯s skill I allowed Calavia to try out the spell first, with a half minute to try and memorize the process she gave her best and began casting the spell.


    Unfortunately she messed up the pronunciation of the arcane words and the spell fizzled out before she could even finish. She sighed defeated and looked up at me with sad eyes that were like daggers in my heart.


    ¡°Hey, it''s alright.¡± I blurted out without thinking. ¡°Casting new spells is never easy, why don¡¯t I have a try and then you can go again.¡±


    Calavia nodded slowly without saying anything and I began the six second process of casting the Lesser Disease Detection spell. Since I could remember everything I made no mistakes when speaking the arcane words or when performing the hand signs, I did however have some difficulty when controlling the mana itself but I managed to pull through and my right hand glowed a light and soft yellow. Without waiting I touched Calavia against the forehead with my open palm and the spell identified her as the target to begin its work. The spell searched for any of the diseases it was designed to identify and reported back to me within just a few seconds as my open palm was still against her forehead.

 Chapter 211

    The information flowed like a small cup of water into my mind, the spell couldn''t find any of the diseases it was designed to detect which subconsciously made me smile.


    ¡°Good news I assume?¡± Calavia asked with her own soft smile.


    ¡°Yes, the spell didn¡¯t find any of the diseases it was designed to find.¡±


    ¡°That is good news then. My turn now.¡± Calavia almost gleefully said as she started casting the spell herself. This time she managed to do the spell correctly and like with myself her right hand glowed like a small little candle. With just a moment of hesitation she placed her own hand against my head. Quickly her expression shifted, signaling she received the information for the spell like I did before.


    ¡°Good news?¡± I asked as Calavia remained quiet for a moment longer than I expected.


    ¡°Y-yes, good news. Just a little surprised by how that works.¡± Calavia stuttered a little as she answered me. I found her reaction a little odd considering I didn¡¯t react the same way.


    ¡°Done already, you two?¡± Sana asked as she stepped away from Vel who seemed rather annoyed with everything at the moment. ¡°Good job, both of you. I trust you are more than capable of casting the Lesser Injury Detection.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we will start right away.¡± I quickly answered and looked toward Calavia who was nodding along.


    ¡°Good to hear, I will be just over here with Vel should you need anything.¡±


    Quickly Calavia and I started casting the spell on each other, Calavia went first and like before accidentally mispronounced one of the arcane words and the spell failed. I consoled Calavia and then it was my turn to cast the spell.


    With steady and firm hands I performed the hand signs and spoke the arcane words, within just three seconds my right hand glowed again and I pressed it against Calaivia''s head to make her the target of the spell. Within just a few seconds I received back from the spell that it didn¡¯t detect any serious damage to the outside of her body which I took as the spell was working as it should be.


    I smiled and nodded to Calavia who started her second attempt at casting the spell. This time she managed to cast the spell correctly and she followed my example once again and touched my head with her glowing right hand. Like before she seemed surprised by the results, like it wasn¡¯t what she was expecting.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I quickly asked half worried she wasn¡¯t well.


    ¡°I''m alright, just a little surprised by how the spell works. How do you remain so stable after casting these spells? I felt a little light headed after casting each one.¡±


    ¡°Light headed? I felt a little off when I received the information from the spell but that is about all I feel. Are you sure you are feeling alright? That doesn¡¯t seem like something that is normal after casting a spell, let alone a simple tier one spell.¡±


    ¡°But these spells actually put information directly into your mind, I think I just need to get used to it before the symptoms start to go away.¡± Calavia said trying to make her symptoms look like nothing, but I wasn¡¯t having that and pushed back a little.


    ¡°I think we need to tell Sana about this. Best case scenario this is just normal, worst case this is really really bad.¡± Calavia paused for a moment with her mouth open like she was about to say something, after a moment she closed her mouth and thought about it before nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Hey Sana.¡± I called over to the high elf speaking with Vel. ¡°We need to ask you something.¡±


    Sana gave a soft smile and nodded to an annoyed looking Vel before walking over to the two of us. ¡°Are you both done casting the spells already? You know you can continue casting them as practice for a few more minutes if you would like.¡±


    ¡°Actually it is about something else.¡± I said and looked at Calavia. She looked far more worried than before, likely the reality of the situation was hitting her.


    ¡°I-¡± She stuttered out of nervousness. ¡°I have been feeling rather light headed after casting each of the spells. Is that something we need to be worrying about?¡±


    ¡°High headedness? No, that isn¡¯t anything to worry about. It''s just a side effect of how the spells work.¡± Sana quickly waved off any concerns that we had. ¡°Since spells aren''t actual people they can¡¯t think, they are however able to hold information and carry out instructions. The way they do this is similar enough to allow the transference to living creatures, however it is slightly different which forces our minds to work very hard to translate the information into a way we can actually understand it. That is why you are feeling a little light headed, in time and practice you won¡¯t even feel it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t I feel the same way after casting the spells?¡± I asked without thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly have lots of experience with restoration magic. I only started this apprenticeship around a month ago.¡±


    Sana looked at with a mix of surprise and confusion for a moment before collecting her thoughts. ¡°Well¡­ you must be very talented in restoration magic then.¡± Sana sounded rather unsure of her statement but didn¡¯t give me enough time to say anything.


    ¡°Anyways, now that we have that out of the way I think it is time that we move onto the next page and the spells that are listed there.¡± Sana quickly walked back to the table where she had left her own copy of the book and flipped to the next page leaving the three of us without much of a choice in the matter.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Putting my questions out of my mind for the moment I did the same and looked at the page before me, On it were three spells. The first was a simple healing spell called Lesser Restore Wounds that targeted more specific injuries than the spell I knew of, the second was a disease curing spell called Cure Lesser Soft Voice that would cure the soft voice disease. This disease was apparently very common in poor places like the southern district and would cause the victim to feel a rough pain in their throat that would result in a soft and quiet voice. Given that the spell was only a tier one it likely wouldn¡¯t be very difficult to cure.


    The third and final spell on the page was called Cure Lesser Flaming Rash which would need to be casted several times to cure a victim of the flaming rash disease. This disease would come in the form of several red rashes that would appear in several places across the victim''s body which was why the spell needed to be casted several times. These rashes would be very painful in a way that they would almost burn like they were on fire.


    When we were all done we closed our books and turned our attention back towards Sana.


    ¡°I assume that everyone is done reading the spells?¡± We all nodded in agreement. ¡°Very good then. For the occasion I have procured some test subjects for the three of you to try the spells on before moving onto actual patients.¡± With a wave with a wooden wand three loud thumps sounded on the table. We all turned to look and found there were three of these ball shaped flesh things attached to wooden poles.


    ¡°These here are what we mages at the guild like to call flesh testers. These are made from the flesh of high priority criminals and are used by young mages such as yourselves to test out spells on technically living targets when it is needed.¡± Sana explained with a disturbing lack of emotion considering what we were looking at.


    ¡°This first flesh tester will be used for testing Lesser Restore Wounds.¡± Sana said as she brought out a dagger from her robe and gave a quick slash to the flesh tester. It started to bleed only a little before Sana quickly casted Lesser Restore Wounds and healed its wound. When she was done she left the dagger on the table next to the first flesh tester and moved onto the very next one.


    ¡°This one will be used for casting Cure Lesser Flaming Rash.¡± Looking at the flesh tester I noticed there were several red rashes across its entirety that looked rather painful. If the flesh tester was still a person I would have expected some screaming from just its appearance alone. Without waiting for us to speak Sana casted the Cure Lesser Flaming Rash spell on one the larger rash and within just a few moments it disappeared and was replaced with healthy looking flesh.


    However before stepping over to the next flesh tester she reached into her robe and brought out a small handful of vials containing what looked to be some sort of identical potions. She left all but one on the table next to it and slowly poured the contents of the potion onto the flesh tester. Somehow the ball of flesh was able to quickly absorb the potion without any mouth or other orifice and where the rash that Sana cured another took its place.


    With Sana walking towards the last flesh tester I noticed this one looked rather different compared to the others, this one had what appeared to be a hole just large enough to be someone''s throat.


    ¡°This last flesh tester will be used to test out the Cure Lesser Soft Voice spell.¡± Sana picked up the last flesh tester and brought her hand towards the hole and opened it up wide with her fingers. It was an uncomfortable and almost sickening sight but it gave us an opportunity to see what the Soft Voice disease actually looked like. The sore and painful looking tissue that made us this artificial throat gave both Calavia and myself a little nausea.


    Thankfully we didn¡¯t need to look for very long and Sana removed her hands to cast the spell. With just a few seconds a small ball of light was enveloped by the flesh tester and Sana showed us the inside of the hole, like the other two there was now a normal looking throat without any sore looking flesh it once had.


    When she was done Sana brought out more identical potions, taking one she poured the liquid down the artificial throat and within just a few moments it was absorbed and looked similar to how it did before.


    ¡°Who wants to go first?¡± Sana abruptly asked us in an almost cheerful voice.


    Vel looked mostly bored and annoyed with the situation while Calavia and myself shared a mixture of confusion and worry at her tone.


    ¡°I will go first.¡± Vel quickly stepped forwards with a slight scowl on his face. ¡°Might as well get this repeat test done and out of the way sooner than later.¡±


    ¡°Very good then, come right up Vel.¡± Sana said with the same cheery tone as Vel stepped to the first flesh tester. Like I had seen him do many times before he used the Lesser Restore Wounds spell to heal the wound in just a handful of seconds. When he was done Sana walked right up too and picked up the first flesh tester and looked it over.


    ¡°Very well done Vel, I don¡¯t see a single issue with just my naked eye.¡± Vel didn¡¯t react to the compliment he was given as Sana casted a few diagnostic spells I didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Very good, very good. Now to the second flesh tester please.¡±


    Stepping over to the second flesh tester Vel casted the Cure Lesser Flaming Rash spell on the largest rash he could see, though unlike Sana the rash didn¡¯t go away within a handful of seconds. Perhaps due to his lesser skill the rash lingered around for nearly fifteen whole seconds before it left the flesh it once covered clean and pristine. Like before Sana quickly walked up to the flesh tester and casted a few spells to look at the recovery.


    ¡°Very good Vel. A bit more strength behind the spell needs to be recommended, but otherwise I would say you did a very good job.¡± Sana said as she placed the flesh tester back down onto the table and lightly pushed Vel towards the last one.


    Using his left hand Vel held the artificial throat open and casted the Cure Lesser Soft Voice. Like before the spell took a bit longer to cure the flesh tester of the disease but it eventually did work and Vel handed it over to Sana to take a look at.


    ¡°My words regarding more power behind your spells still stands, but you did achieve the desired outcome so I will give you a pass.¡± Sana smiled and patted Vel on the shoulder. Vel pretended he didn¡¯t notice and walked back over to Calavia and I to wait for the testing to continue. When she was done with her examination Sana went back to each of the flesh testers and reinfected or harmed them as they were needed and looked back towards us.


    ¡°Now that we have one of you done, why don¡¯t we move onto another. Who wants to volunteer?¡± The eagerness Sana showed was not shared by either Calavia or myself.


    ¡°I will go first.¡± I abruptly stated as I stepped forwards. I looked back to Calavia and gave her a small nod, hopefully she could use the little extra time to mentally prepare herself for when it was her turn.


    Like Vel before me I stepped up to the first flesh tester with a cut down its side. I raised my hands and started casting the Lesser Restore Wounds spell and my right hand glowed slightly, I touched the wound and slowly the wounded flesh slowly mended itself before my eyes. It was in its own way beautiful to look at and when the spell stopped working the wound was gone I ran my hand across where a small scar had formed.


    ¡°Great job Arthur.¡± Sana said as she stepped beside me and took a look at my healing. ¡°You did very well for your first time. Now onto the next one.¡±

 Chapter 212

    The coming of autumn was what just about everyone in the city would call a disaster.


    I knew of the coming threat that was the wereboar in the southern district and I planned accordingly. I had stockpiled a handful of healing and lesser fortify magic potions to increase the odds of my survival when fighting the beast, I could still recall the raw power and might it could muster and the fact that nearly ten men were needed to hold it back.


    With several breaths to calm myself I stepped out into the first autumn night of the year, my hands were already twitching like the wereboar was about to pop out from any of the buildings I could see. After about an hour of walking I managed to find my way on the path I used to take while walking home from Henry¡¯s lessons.


    Slowly and carefully I continued down the short and narrow roads that made up the ¡®shortcut¡¯ I used to take, each step I was half certain would be the last one I took.


    Eventually I heard the familiar sound of a large animal eating. I stopped my search and pressed my back up against the nearest wall to hide myself from the beast. Holding my breath I listened closely to the sounds to be certain I knew what I was hearing.


    I could hear the sound of flesh tearing and bone cracking under the force only a werebeast''s jaw could apply. I slowly peaked around the corner and looked upon half of the animal it was eating. Like I saw the last time a dog, most likely a stray, was unlucky to be noticed and then caught by the wereboar. The amount of blood and small bits of flesh told me that this werebeast was also a very messy eater.


    With a long and deep breath I conjured up a ladder with my geomancy and climbed onto the roof adjacent to the beast to give myself a better look. Peeking over the edge of the roof I saw the horrible sight that was the wereboar. It looked exactly like a boar that was forcibly shaped to the body proportions of a human, only it was much larger than any human I knew.


    ¡®Why is the damned beast so large?¡¯ I thought to myself as I pressed my back against the roof. ¡®Is there some sort of starting phase where the beast becomes hungry and must eat everything in their sight? Does that allow them to grow to such sizes? Will it keep growing the more it eats?¡¯ I looked at the beast with a mix of fear and disgust as I thought of why it and likely any other werebeast''s act the way they do.


    ¡®Now isn¡¯t the time, I need to focus on either killing or disabling the wereboar for the city guard to deal with.¡¯ I stood up and peered down on the wereboar which was almost done eating the stray dog, all that was left was its head. ¡®This won''t be like when I fought against Darius, he was underestimating me and trying to recruit me. This werebeast has no such desires, it just wants to eat me.¡¯


    As quietly as I could I conjured up an earth longsword and left it above my right shoulder as I conjured up another. ¡®Getting hurt in a fight like this will likely be the end for me, I will need to attack while it is distracted and then keep my distance. The best way to do that will be by attacking the legs before anything else.¡¯


    As the wereboar stuffed the stray dog''s head into its mouth I conjured up a second earth longsword and held it above my left shoulder. Then the beast used the power in its jaw to bite down on the skull with a loud crack, at that very same moment I thrusted both my arms forwards and the conjured longswords followed shooting down towards the wereboar. The first longsword stabbed into the left forearm and sunk around a foot into its flesh, the other however missed and instead sunk into the dirt that made up the street.


    In one swift motion no normal creature that not even a demon could replicate the wereboar turned its head and snarled with its hollow and animalistic eyes. It seemed to recognize it was harmed but it didn¡¯t react in any negative way to the pain itself, almost like it didn¡¯t have the mental ability to do so.


    Within a few seconds the wereboar jumped up at me atop the roof and dug its teeth into the corner as it tried pulling the rest of itself up to chase after me. Pulling my hands backwards I recalled both conjured weapons back to my side before turning and running to the edge of the roof on the opposite side.


    Reaching the edge of the roof I extended my hands and conjured up a small and thin platform angled up somewhat, I continued running up and at the peak jumped up and towards the nearest roof while using aeromancy to help propel myself further. With a loud thump I fell to my knees on the next roof and I looked back over to see the wereboar pulling the rest of its body atop the previous roof.


    I looked directly into those horrible white and empty eyes as it snarled and began running towards me. Without really thinking I extended my left hand towards the beast and one of my longswords followed and struck into its chest just as the wereboar was about to jump across to the roof I was on. The blade sunk a few inches into the thick furred hide that covered the beasts chest and it almost was pushed slightly off balance by the force, as such instead of making an easy leap to my position it stumbled slightly and only managed to get its upper half on the roof. Without hesitation it bit into the roof and started kicking its legs trying to get its footing.


    I thrusted my right hand forwards as I stepped away from the edge and the second longsword plunged into the wrist of the beast right above the hoof. Blood started pooling onto the roof in a rapidly growing puddle as the conjured sword also managed to pierce through most of the flesh. Quickly I recalled both my conjured weapons and turned and ran to my right to another roof, but before I could jump I heard the roof creaking from the shifting of weight. The wereboar was climbing up and I was just a handful of feet away.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Adrenaline surged through my veins as I put as much strength into my legs as I could and leapt to the next roof. I could feel the air rush by as I sailed through the air and I could hear the wereboar starting to run towards me and seconds later make a running jump. The moment I landed and without looking back I turned and started running to my left towards another roof. The wereboar with its simple mind ended up putting far too much power behind its jump and ended up sliding off the far end of the roof and back onto the street.


    Turning right and as I was about to jump to the next roof I extended my right hand towards the wereboar and commanded one of my longswords to strike as it was down. Shortly after I landed on the roof I heard the sound of flesh being pierced by my conjured blade, unfortunately it didn¡¯t seem to stop the wereboar and I could hear it jump up and dig its teeth into the closest roof edge to chase after me again.


    Cursing myself for choosing to fight the damned beast I hastily looked around for something I could use for just a moment of safety, that was when I found it. Off just a handful of buildings away to my left was a two story building, most likely an old warehouse of sorts, made from stone bricks. The door was likely made of wood but I didn¡¯t need to get inside, I just needed to get on top and take a moment to breathe.


    Abruptly I turned left and ran towards the building as the adrenaline in my system kept me running at max speed, behind me I could hear the wereboar climbing back atop the roof and snarling at me as I created distance between us. I managed to get two buildings away before the wereboar started running after me.


    As it started closing the distance between us I was forced to start making more random and abrupt turns to keep it from reaching me. For a while it worked, the beast would put far too much power behind its jumps and it would go too far, several times it almost went over the edge again, but it managed to save itself just before. This however was troubling, it was also getting better at controlling its jumps which told me it was slowly but certainly learning and improving. I was still able to trick it, but I had the feeling it wouldn¡¯t last.


    When I was just one building away from the old warehouse I let out a quick chuckle, however the sound of the wereboar behind me quickly changed that. Like before I extended my hands before me and created a longer and narrow platform that was angled upwards towards the top of the warehouse, I followed it up and at the end I jumped with as much might as I could towards the top. Just barely, my right hand managed to grab onto the edge of the room as the wereboar crashed into the wall just a couple meters below me.


    Looking down I got a good look at the wereboar as it fell to the ground with a loud thump. It quickly stood back up without regarding its injuries and tried jumping back up at me reaching its hooves like hands, it was only at this time did I notice the damage I caused with my conjured weapons. Down across its right arm I saw a deep cut that was bleeding very badly. If a human, elf, or dwarf was to suffer a wound like that, I would have doubts about their survival if they didn¡¯t receive healing magic within at least a half hour.


    Looking at the two conjured longswords that floated above my shoulders that were slowly nearing their end I looked down to the wereboar and gave a small chuckle. ¡®Might as well.¡¯


    Raising my left hand up I quickly pointed downwards and both of my conjured blades followed and plunged downwards. The sound of the blade finding their mark was the first thing that followed before the sound of the beast falling to the ground. I saw the first blade plunged into the beast''s left shoulder right where the arm connects to the torso, the other found itself halfway through the right thigh which finally brought a reaction to pain.


    Its left arm was limp as it tried to regain its footing, the nearby walls and road becoming painted crimson as it started jumping up at me like a dog. Eventually it seemed to understand I was out of its reach and lowered itself to its three remaining good legs and began pacing around with its eyes watching my every move.


    To keep myself from falling I pulled myself atop the roof and took a moment to rest. I breathed heavily as my conjured weapons faded into nothing. I could feel my mana reserves were almost empty leaving me with little to use against the wereboar.


    ¡®I have wounded it quite seriously, I may not need to wound it any further at this point. Those wounds the beast has are losing it a lot of blood, it is honestly quite a surprise that it is even still standing with how much is on the road alone.¡¯ Looking down I could see the wereboar moving slower and slower by the minute. The left arm was of course contributing but this was different, it was becoming sluggish and instead of pacing around it was just standing in one place as it looked up to me panting heavily.


    Off in the distance towards the center of the city I could hear voices, looking over I could see many small pockets of light likely being torches used by the city guard. It was to me expected given the noise the two of us were making, but they were also earlier than I expected them to be. Perhaps it was the bandits being dealt with far sooner that allowed for such a quick response, or perhaps it was the fact I chose to fight the beast rather than stay just out of its reach. Regardless it was a bit of an issue.


    ¡®Damn, I was hoping they would take longer. Looks like I will need to kill the beast sooner than later. I doubt the scattered city guard is capable of dealing with a wereboar, it took ten men to stop it before even if it is wounded now it will not be easy.¡¯ Looking back down I saw the wereboar turned its attention from me to the sounds of the city guard shouting to each other. At first it was just its head that was turned, but soon it started turning the rest of its body which was followed by a footstep towards the nearest group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± I shouted at the beast without thinking. It slowly turned its attention back towards me as I started conjuring up a tier two earth spike pointed directly towards the beast¡¯s face. It took me just six seconds to finish the spell and I already thrusted my right hand forwards directing the earth spike to follow.


    Everything seemed to move in slow motion for the handful of seconds that followed, perhaps it was a side effect of depleting my mana reserves so much but that didn¡¯t matter. The spike sailed through the air to the wounded and weakened wereboar, it didn¡¯t even have the sense to try and dodge the attack. The sound of the spike piercing through the beasts eye and its body falling to the ground was by far the loudest thing I had heard since I left the caverns of Dom Badaher and I was certain that the city guard heard it as well.