The First Mage

Attempting to look at my actions from an outside perspective led me to better understand Berla’s words. If one were to stumble through life and almost always succeed at their goals, and you didn’t have any more context on the matter, would you assume them to be lucky or skillful? The latter seemed more reasonable to me, because, logically speaking, luck could only get you so far. If you were then told that the person in question was someone who oftentimes mulled over even the most mundane problems for hours on end, you might feel validated in your initial assumption. They think everything through and make careful decisions, which must be the reason they succeed. I figured that was part of how people were seeing me, and in combination with the supernatural powers we held, we inspired a lot of confidence in our abilities and decision making. Though that hadn’t been how I viewed myself.

I could make logical arguments for days, and I knew I could be convincing, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for me actually always knowing what I was doing. From my own perspective, I got very lucky many times. When I thought critically about our future, I actually wondered what would come sooner, the end of our lucky streak, or the point where we stumbled into so much power that luck wouldn’t play a role anymore. Thinking about our past successes in detail again now, however, I was overcome by the realization of how many times I was surprised about the favorable outcomes shortly after they happened. We had gotten lucky too many times already, plain and simple. It defied logic.

Was there something to Berla’s theory then? Did I have some hidden power? But what could it be? I wasn’t able to see the future, of that I was fairly certain. Too many things blew up in our face for that. No, the key point seemed to be that we always made it work somehow in the end. It was also important to factor in that we could still have gotten lucky a few times.

How do these things always work out anyway?

It was then that I remembered offhand remarks from both Berla and Riala, stating that I seemed to have a knack for talking us out of problematic situations, as well as deceiving others or talking them into siding with us. This could also be looped back around to the topic of trust. People we didn’t even know were willing to humor us with less convincing than one might expect. Logical arguments were great, but it felt too easy at times.

Another potentially related incident that popped into my head was what happened with the guards during Arax’s attack on Alarna. I commanded them to stay where they were and they complied, rooted to the spot. There could be many explanations for it, but the way the guards described the experience in the presence of Berla and the others didn’t sound like they stayed behind out of their own free will.

I thought long and hard about everything we went through, my lack of worries, how my plans had unfolded, and how any potential hidden powers might connect it all. The result was inconclusive.

Yea... I have no idea if any of this really means anything.

Maybe I knew more than I understood, or maybe I had some kind of influence over people after all, but none of it quite fit together. Frustrated with this conclusion, or lack thereof, I rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed. I stretched myself and decided to let my subconscious do the brooding, while I pursued more productive goals.

Removing the boards from the two windows set into the back wall, remains of daylight filled the room. It seemed to be late in the afternoon, the sun hanging low in the western sky, so I had either slept much longer than intended or not long at all. Given our schedule and the expected time of arrival for the moderators, it was likely the latter, or the others would have woken me. Fae also appeared to still be working on her house, as I could hear some relaxed voices and construction noises from outside.

I took my first good look around the room and noticed that several important items had already found their way here, including sheets of paper and an inkwell. Hayla had evidently made sure this “office” was equipped as best as possible. Though the current lack of a desk was unfortunate. The next best thing was the bed, so I cleared it, moved the writing utensils there, and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of it.

My mind was overflowing with ideas and tasks for my new project and I jotted it all down, under a heading saying “The Guild.” It didn’t take long for my rummaging thoughts to take form, and even my conscious mind began believing that there was a lot of merit to this plan. Some time and several pages of notes later, I was looking at a roughly drafted outline for how to put my idea into practice. We finally had somewhere to go from here.

I was still reviewing and refining a few details when someone startled me slightly by knocking on my door. It was a strange experience to hear this noise out here in the Wildlands.

“Yes?” I said, prompting them to come in.

The door was hefted out of the way and Hayla entered the room. She didn’t seem to be struggling much with it, but seeing this in action once more, I realized that Riala would presumably not be able to open this door on her own, due to the weight and especially the size.

“Acquire hinges and glass...” I mumbled, adding a bullet point to one of my to-do lists.

Hayla’s gaze immediately fell on my make-shift work area and her expression soured slightly. “I apologize for the lack of a desk,” she said, her tone apologetic. “I focused on privacy and completing the construction of the second house. Is that okay?”

Any traces of anger or disappointment had vanished, and she stood tall with a neutral expression. She exuded an air of professionalism, reminiscent of an executive assistant. Although the sudden changes in her behavior could get one whiplash, I appreciated her ability to switch into business mode at a moment's notice.

“Yea, this works perfectly fine for now,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m glad. Fae seems to be learning quickly, but it does take her longer than I would like to build everything we’ll need.”

“Right...”

Fae was very curious about everything that was new to her, and I assumed she began construction of the second house of her own volition. But in between, Hayla had her presumably build the door and window boards. I grew curious what exactly the current situation was.

“So... about the new arrivals, did you just start giving them orders?”

“That’s right. Fae appeared curious about your new building technique and wanted to give construction and carpenting work a go. She’s been tasked with building a second house and furniture, with the help of Riala and your tools. After letting them rest for a while, I sent Bren, Taul, and Grym southwards to check on the mana wall and the areas beyond, both to hunt and to do reconnaissance. I wasn’t sure what to do with Oryn, so I asked him to continue whatever research he could do on his own until the evening.”

She attempted to give everyone an appropriate job to carry out. “Everybody needs to do their part, hm?” I said.

“Yes. I let Reurig rest because he’s been on constant guard and hunting duty since we left Alarna, and Aelene should take it easy for the sake of the baby, but other than that, it’s common sense. The smaller the community, the more important it is for everyone to pitch in.”

“You’re not wrong, though it’s a very Alarnan approach. I’m thinking we will possibly do things a little differently going forward...”

Eying her with trepidation, I wondered what she would think about my pitch. It was almost certainly different from what she had in mind.

“Berla mentioned something about a change of plans,” she noted. “That’s actually why I came here.” Her eyes wandered over to my papers, full of lists, diagrams, and tables. “It looks like you’ve been working hard, but... What is this about not wanting to become a king?”

A hint of irritation flashed over her face. Her highest goal was to become a town’s ruler, and maybe, hopefully a ruler of rulers. I had never explicitly told her that this wasn’t my goal.

“Well, I actually don’t enjoy that role very much. At least not in its traditional sense. I don’t like everybody expecting me to take care of all the citizens and them looking for me to have all the answers at all times. I prefer people to be autonomous and be able to take care of themselves where possible.”

“Do these ideals necessarily oppose each other? It sounds to me like you just want to be a different kind of king. There’s nothing wrong about that.”

“No, but there’s a certain connotation to any such titles. The same goes for the mayor of Cerus. Taking care of their towns, lands, and people within them is their job. It’s what they spend all their time on. Long-term, that’s not for me though.”

“What... is your plan then?” It felt like her voice was turning a little icy, though her expression didn’t change. After having just argued about her future role a few hours ago, she was undoubtedly wary of where I was going with this.

“I want to build an organization that transcends any one town or village. It would essentially consist of hunters, craftsmen, and merchants, doing their normal jobs for the most part, while providing goods and services to administrations and individual people.”

She threw me a confused look. “That sounds like you want to build a store... Just that you would procure the raw materials yourself and travel to various towns to sell them.”

I nodded. “That’s a part of it, yes. What’s more important is what this organization will represent though. If we create more and more branches over time, it will become a sort of central point of contact for all those who want to provide or request goods and services themselves.”

“You want to rule the merchants then?” she asked questioningly. “Miles. To spell it out plainly, I don’t want to be a merchant’s wife. I at least want the power and authority my heritage would’ve guaranteed me, and you promised to give me that earlier. This isn’t...” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Where do you see me in these plans?”

All things considered, she was rather composed, and waited for me to explain how this would benefit her. One might argue that it was a little selfish to demand an answer in such a manner, but she was certainly right that I had promised.

I gave her a confident smirk that appeared to throw her off. “You probably assumed we would build a village here, maybe poach some citizens from Alarna, ideally take over again at some point, and keep growing until we integrate the nearby towns. Right?”

The implication that this wasn’t the best approach finally made her facade slip, as a confused frown overtook her face. “That seems like the most promising way to gain back and grow our authority, yes.”

I had not only thought carefully about how to approach this new venture, but also about how to make it sound good in Hayla’s ears.

“On the surface, my proposal might sound unimpressive, but you must look past the borders of Alarna, and past those couple of square kilometers its leaders control. I don’t want authority and power here, but everywhere, and I want it to spread as quickly as possible. This organization, or rather this family at its head, won’t just control a few Fighters, Charmers, and Handiworkers, we will employ the majority of them all around the world. Done right, this will give us an in on every level of any government.”

Hayla’s eyes began to shine, understanding the premise of my idea. And I wasn’t done yet.

“Though we will naturally require a place to live and work. One that belongs to us. I figured we would simply lay claim to a piece of land that’s currently not occupied. This organization, the Guild, will take the Wildlands for itself. If you will, we’re going to be the kings and queens of everything not currently under control of another government, as well as having a hand in everything that’s of importance to humans in general.”

“T-the Wildlands? E-everything?” Hayla stammered.

I could practically see her mental eye scan all she knew, which were the lands around Alarna alone, and imagining how much more lay beyond. She was floored as she let sink in this goal I set for us.

“Want to hear more?” I asked and waved her over.

As I organized my papers to walk her through my plan, she sat down beside me, close enough for our arms and legs to touch. I glanced at her with a small, exasperated sight, but she didn’t pay it any mind.

Well... I did challenge her, and then I literally promised her the world...

I began explaining my idea to her, and as expected, she was quick to jump on board. It wasn’t what she had in mind, but arguably much more. I could only hope that it would go as smoothly as I imagined it.