The First Mage

I returned to camp with Hati and another fire wolf that I added to a growing pile of game we hunted over the course of last night. From snakes, over wolves, to bears, we had seen most of the aggressive animals that could be found in this area and brought back at least one specimen of each.

As it turned out, not all beasts were suddenly magic, and normal ones were still around as well. The closer you got to the wall, the more fire beasts you would see though. It was possible that the mana actually had an effect on them, which might even match the popular belief that forests aided the birth of beasts, as they were surrounded by mana from the moment they took their first breath. The aura our wall gave off was thousands of times stronger than a typical tree, and might change them. Unfortunately Hati didn’t remember much of his time as a puppy and was unable to corroborate this theory.

Regardless, we learned that Riala and I were capable of hunting beasts with an efficiency that Fighter squads could only dream of. In many cases we could kill them on sight with one hit, and since we didn’t even need to get close to them, we were rarely in any danger. It honestly felt a little like cheating. Transportation of the carcases was a bit of a problem though. Wolves and beasts were too large and heavy for normal humans to carry around, and while Hati could drag them with relative ease, it was time-intensive work—especially in these dense woods. For the most part, we employed the help of our Fighters to move them to our camp, and they were just finishing up as I approached the campfire.

Throwing off my jacket and undoing the topmost button of my shirt, I plopped myself down to relax and get my mind in order after this long night, while Hati laid down under a nearby tree. Ever the dutiful guards, Bren and Grym went back on patrol immediately, while Taul trotted over and sat down opposite of me.

An exhausted sigh escaped his lips.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Huh?” He was startled by me addressing him all of a sudden, and he hurriedly straightened himself. “Ah. Yes, Sir. I’m fine.”

“Relax. You can speak freely with me. And there’s no need to call me ‘Sir.’”

“Hm...” Taul mulled my words over, seemingly unhappy. “Bren mentioned that formalities bother you. But would it perhaps be acceptable if I stuck with them? It feels... right. Sir.”

Hanging my head, I wondered why it was so difficult for some Fighters to just act casual. Bren had been very reluctant as well, though his mannerisms were slowly becoming more bearable. At some point I had accepted that it was a process.

“If it makes you happy, so be it,” I said. “Just know that it’s not necessary. Oh... and do not call me ‘Mr. Miles’ or something... That sounds ridiculous.”

“Understood.”

“So, how is everything going?”

His eyes widened. “Y-you want me to make a report?”

“If you want to call it that...”

“I... I will do my best!” he said, smiling happily.

He was the same age as Bren, and he had his Calling, but he seemed rather insecure and was evidently lacking experience. He kept stumbling over his words as he recounted all of their recent activities, from uneventful patrols around the camp, to transporting the beasts and planning how they were going to be processed. We had no dedicated butcher, but with the combined experience of the Fighters, as well as Fae—a merchant’s daughter—we were apparently ready to separate useful materials from dead meat. He even detailed what every member of our group had been up to while I was busy showing off to Alarna, and how everyone had gone to rest for now.

Taul had a habit of getting lost in the details, and much of what he told me was rather obvious, like Fae having finished the second house and having begun construction of a fence around our camp. But I feared I’d make him uncomfortable if I criticized him during his first “report,” so I listened patiently to his explanations, nodding along as he spoke, until he finally finished.

“That is all, Sir.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Very informative.”

At least I have no more open questions.

My praise elicited a happy smile, and following that, we sat in silence for a moment. Taul kept glancing at me, however. It was obvious that he was gathering the courage to ask me something. I waited, in a continued effort to be patient with him, but his stares were starting to bother me before long.

“Something on your mind?” I prompted.

Startled once more, he muttered, “C-could I... ask you a question?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Perhaps I shouldn’t have interrupted his thoughts, because it took several more seconds until he finally sorted out his query.

“Uhm.... How powerful are Ms. Riala and you?”

Uncertain of where he was going with his question, I asked, “What do you mean?” while holding back a chuckle. “Ms. Riala”... Why is that so funny to me?

“Well...” he said, frowning slightly. “You hunted all these beasts, and... I mean, you don’t even appear to be that tired... And you don’t have a scratch on you, even though many of them were that new kind. It... seems inhuman.”

“Hm.” I leaned back, looking at the blue sky as I wondered how to respond. “Honestly, I have no idea how strong we are. We’re still figuring it out.”

“You’re powerful enough for the king to be helpless though.”

“I suppose so. To a degree.”

“But then,” he continued with growing boldness, “why do you even need this ‘Guild’? From what I gather, you plan to rule by influencing the administration indirectly. Couldn’t you just march into Alarna and command them to do as you wish? Who would stand against you?”

“You’d want me to become a tyrant?” I asked, curious.

“I’m not familiar with that word,” he said apologetically.

“Nevermind then,” I said. “To answer your question, controlling a large group of people by force is a lot of work, and it would only become more difficult over time as the population grows and we expand our efforts to more towns. Not to mention that, despite our offensive capabilities, we’re not invincible. Someone could be hiding behind a tree over there, bow at the ready, about to kill me with a single arrow to the throat.”

“I... didn’t think about that. Should you be telling people that?”

I chuckled at the idea that this should be a secret. “I won’t worry about potential enemies that can’t figure out that much on their own. The point is, the more people we rub the wrong way, the higher the risks. Instead, we’re going to convince them to follow our lead voluntarily.”

“You really think that will work?” he asked, doubtfully. “I can’t picture any Fighter facing these new beasts of their own volition... And if nobody is willing to risk their lives for the Guild, your plan won’t work.”

“That’s a fair point, but you must look past your fear of the fire beasts. You saw the preliminary job list, didn’t you? Someone who can’t or won’t hunt strong beasts can still choose less demanding jobs. Say you went out to hunt snakes—category ones—what do you think, how many could you gather in a day, while avoiding confrontations with stronger beasts?”

“Hm... Ten?” Taul said contemplatively. “Perhaps twenty if I find a nest?”

He stared at me in confusion, uncomprehending of what I was getting at until I asked a follow up question. “And how much Kira would you get from the Guild for such a haul?”

“Five Kira per snake was it? In that case...” Taul’s mind was hard at work until his eyes suddenly widened in realization. “Fifty to a hundred Kira per day!?”

Mine and Hayla’s quick explanation of what we were planning to do had been too quick for Taul. He accepted our orders without truly understanding them.

“But anyone could catch snakes!” he exclaimed in shock. “And they would earn as much per month as a Fighter in Alarna... I see... Now I understand why you’re so confident people will want to risk it.”

“Mhm, exactly. Though it’s also worth mentioning that I don’t expect massive amounts of people to actually do it. The Wildlands are dangerous, and even a snake can kill an incautious non-fighter.”

“Right. That makes sense. But one thing I don’t understand yet. What do you intend to do with hundreds of snakes? Their meat doesn’t taste very good.”

“Oh, you don’t know? Their poison is used to make ink—for writing.”

“Huh? Really?” Taul asked, incredulous.

“It’s true. One of those things you rarely ask yourself where they come from,” I said with a smile. “You’d be surprised how many parts of the various beasts’ bodies have a practical use.”

Learning about the raw materials used in this world during our short time as leaders had been interesting, though I had been surprised as well that, in this world, even poison had uses outside of the obvious ones. But it made sense. Hunting monsters in an RPG-like world needed to be worth the hassle. They needed “drops.”

As if someone designed this world with that in mind.

“Wow! What else?” Taul wondered wide-eyed, like a child learning about the world.

Always happy to share knowledge, I spent some time breaking apart various beasts and how their parts were repurposed, from their strong bones, which could be used in place of wood or iron in crafting, over sinews serving as bow strings, to their fur, used as stuffing for pillows or raw material for ropes. Even their saliva and their blood were apparently used in medicine, leaving very little that did not have some purpose. It really was an interesting topic.

After this we talked some more about the Guild, and by the time the sun rose over the treetops, Taul’s doubts were well and truly cleared. It had only taken me talking him through everything step by step.

“Now I understand why Reurig was so excited,” Taul said. “This will change the world.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it will be interesting.”

And I don’t know if Reurig is a good measure... He seems easily excitable over every one of my ideas that disrupts the status quo...

Suddenly, a shrill voice interrupted us from the main house. “Miles!” Riala called out as she ran up to me. “You’re finally back!”

“Finally? I’ve only been gone for an hour or two,” I teased.

“But you left without me,” she pouted.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have fallen asleep on the way back,” I said, enjoying the banter.

She squinted her eyes, acting tough and angry.

“Good morning, Ms. Riala,” Taul interjected.

“Hi,” Riala said without even really acknowledging him. He watched us awkwardly as she instead continued to talk to me. “Can I show you what I learned now?”

“Oh, right. Of course.” I realized I had almost forgotten again. “Let’s hurry, before something else happens,” I said, grinning.

“Okay, I’ll make it quick!” she said, pumping her fists eagerly. “I can extend my shrouded aura now!”

Without further explanations, Riala focused, and the thin shroud of mana surrounding her body began expanding. I finally understood why she was so excited to show me.

An uncontrolled aura usually looked like steam rising from our bodies, but the state that came most natural to us was a solid-looking veil that flowed around us like an additional layer of skin. So far we had been unable to modulate this state, however. We weren’t able to expand or shrink it, no matter how hard we tried. We didn’t even know exactly what had caused us to adopt this default state, as it was suddenly there after we last removed our mana control script. Now, Riala had made a breakthrough though.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed as her mana continued to grow in a bubble around her, slowly enveloping me and Taul.

I braced myself, worried that we’d be hit by the force of her aura again, but there was no discomfort at all. I felt like I was being submerged in warm water—it was a pleasant experience. Riala didn’t stop at the campfire though. She kept going until her mana bubble extended past the edges of the clearing.

I marveled at what she had accomplished. Going from not being able to change this type of aura at all to this was quite the leap. Though she still wasn’t done yet.

“That’s as far as I can go,” she said as she closed her eyes and turned away from us, deep in concentration. “Now... Please move around.”

My memory sparked, I finally realized what this was about. “No way...” I said as I stood up and raised my arm high into the air.

“You moved your arm up!” Riala said happily.

I took a few steps back and leveled both of my arms at her, as if to attack her.

“Now you’re aiming at me!”

“Amazing!” I cried out in excitement. I didn’t remember what show I had seen this in, but the idea of feeling movement within a being’s extended energy was familiar to me. “Can you explain how you’re doing this? And what exactly can you feel?”

Riala’s head suddenly jerked upwards and she turned back around. Her focus seemingly interrupted, her aura bounced back in an instant. “Uhm... I know when someone moves. And I felt something behind that tree,” she said, tilting her head and pointing behind me.

Frowning, I turned towards the tree—the very same one I used as an example while talking to Taul earlier. I was quite befuddled when a set of hands stretched out from behind it, followed by a young female guard’s head I had seen before.

“That came as a surprise,” Emeryn said with a wry smile.