The First Mage

As I looked down at the mighty wolves, shrinking before us, I had to hold back the urge to giggle in celebration. Every single aspect of this fight had played out just as planned. With the information we had gathered during our last confrontation, as well as the data Hati had to add, combined with the fact that the moderators didn’t have much time to come up with any new strategies, there was really little room for error, but still, one had to appreciate being right. Though saying that everything went according to plan was perhaps not quite right. I actually hadn’t expected nine moderators to survive. It was the cherry on top of the cake that was the leader.

I glanced around at the other wolves, lying on the ground submissively. Like Hati before, they recognized that it was over, and they yielded after reaching this point. With Aelene and our Fighters keeping a close eye on them, I turned back to the leader. She was a large wolf with black fur like the others, but her build was ever so slightly more slender, which I attributed to her gender. As far as I could tell, she was only the second female wolf we had seen after Arax, which left me pondering the gender dynamics of their kind, but I shoved this question to the back of my mind for the time being.

The wolf’s gaze was filled with suspicion as she awaited my proposition for a deal that would let them get out of here in one piece.

“I have two proposals for you,” I began. “You only need to comply with one of them to be spared though. Let’s begin with the first. I’d like to have a chat with you.”

The wolf blinked in surprise at my request, her expression swiftly morphing back into a suspicious scowl. “A chat?” she repeated, her eyes narrowed. “About what?”

“I need to learn more about the moderators and the administrators,” I replied calmly. “As a pack leader, you must possess valuable knowledge, so if—”

Her response was instantaneous, not even letting me finish. “No,” she snapped. “If it’s information about the gods you seek, you might as well kill me right now. I will never divulge such information to you.”

“Never?” I asked, a hint of disappointment in my voice.

“Of course not!” she retorted, her tone resolute.

While I hadn’t expected her to be as forthcoming as Hati, she was less accommodating than I hoped. “Well, that’s a bummer,” I said, feeling a tinge of frustration. “Why is that?”

There was a moment of silence as the wolf locked eyes with me, her expression softening slightly. “Don’t you know respect, human? A servant who betrays their master is a disgrace.”

“Hum. Alright,” I said. My nonchalant response appeared to baffle the wolf further, and she scowled at me. “What about the moderators?” I asked in a casual tone. “Is there anything you're willing to share about your remaining troops?”

Her frown deepened as she scanned our surroundings before answering. “These are the remaining troops. We are the last ones.” She continued in a hushed tone, hissing, “Decimated by an anomaly...”

“Anomalies,” I said with curiosity. “That’s an interesting topic. What can you tell me about those?”

“You want to know about anomalies? Why?” she asked, puzzled.

Raising an eyebrow, I countered, “You keep trying to kill us for being anomalies, but we don’t even know exactly what they are. Don’t you think we deserve an answer to that question?”

“No,” she said, her confusion evident. “You’re an anomaly yourself. All you deserve is a swift end to your existence.”

I dismissed her melodramatic statement with a wave of my hand. “Let's not be overly dramatic. I’m merely curious. Besides, I’m the interrogator here...”

With a hesitant nod, she relented. “Very well... Anomaly is the term used to describe anything that does not belong in this world, as decreed by the gods. They granted us the power to eradicate anomalies and protect this world.”

I furrowed my brow, intrigued by her answer. “And what exactly are they? Aside from awakened humans I mean.”

“They take countless forms, from beasts transforming into nightmares to mana creatures and hallucinations. Most common are the latter of course,” she replied.

I was momentarily stunned into silence, listening to her name several threats I had never heard of. I looked back at Berla and Reurig, listening in, but they seemed as perplexed as I was.

“Nightmares? Hallucinations? It sounds like they are... monsters?” I asked, uncertain. “I’ve never heard of those.”

The wolf scoffed at my ignorance. “Stupid human,” she muttered. “How can you be this powerful and still this uneducated?” Realizing what she had said, she shook with worry. “I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

Still trying to comprehend this new information, I waved her off absentmindedly. “Hm? Oh, it’s alright. Speak your mind.”

The wolf was taken aback by my lack of reaction. She raised her head slightly, mumbling, “What’s wrong with you? You’re not acting like any human or anomaly I’ve ever met.” Her tone was laced with confusion.

A chuckle escaped me. “Heh, is that a problem?”

She appeared to consider my question for a moment before responding. “I suppose not...”

“Good,” I said, “then perhaps you can help us with our lack of education. Why do these anomalies seemingly don’t exist around here?”

The tension in her body lessened slightly as she cocked her head in curiosity. “They’re being taken care of. Obviously. Though, admittedly, they are also rare in these parts. I don’t know why.”

There it was again. Something about this region seemed special. I had thought the relaxed beast situation around Alarna could’ve been attributed to Arax’ former presence, but apparently anomalies weren’t commonplace around here either.

“How far would we have to travel to see them?” I asked.

“You humans are slow,” she sneered. “It would take you at least two weeks to leave the safe zone.”

Her rough estimate made sense. Most people didn’t venture outside if they could avoid it. And while an economy had formed around Cerus before, none of the towns involved in it were more than a week away, limiting the amount of information that could make it back to Alarna. The realization hit me hard—we seemed to live in an even tighter bubble than I had previously thought. Did that mean life here was easy compared to elsewhere?

It was a worrying thought, but it also piqued my curiosity. “If we’re in a safe zone here, what is it like out there?”

The wolf hesitated before responding. “I don’t know how to answer that,” she said with uncertainty.

“Well, there are anomalies,” I pressed on, determined to learn more. “And humans live there too, right?”

The look she gave me appeared to ask whether I was stupid. “Of course humans live there.”

“What about beasts? Are they any stronger?” I asked.

A look of disbelief crossed the wolf's face. “Stronger? Pff,” She snickered in ridicule. “You don’t consider the wild ones here strong, do you? No. You must know better than that,” she mused.

“Well, I don’t have anything to compare them against. Except...” I pondered her words for a moment, recalling the most powerful beast I knew. “Do you know a beast named Arax?” I asked.

Her eyes lit up at the mention of Arax’s name. “You know Arax? Now that is a capable beast,” she said with admiration. “But she is a special case. In terms of raw power, there are far more dangerous beasts out there.”

My eyes widened in surprise. I understood that Arax was special, but to hear that even more powerful beasts existed was disconcerting. “Is that so...” I said as a shiver ran down my spine.

“The wild ones have also behaved strangely as of late...” she said, her tone turning serious, “but that’s hardly your concern.”

“Funny that you would mention that. What would you say if I wanted to make it my concern?”

A doubtful look spread across the wolf’s face. “The wild ones?” she asked.

“Yes, and everything else,” I said firmly. “Including the anomalies.”

My words did not seem to compute. The way she looked at me, I might as well have spoken a foreign language. “What are you talking about? What about the anomalies?”

“We will be the ones to keep them in check.”

“You... what?” she asked, still confused. It seemed that I had to simplify it.

“In short, we will take on the job of the moderators, in addition to a few other tasks.”

Stone-faced, she stared at me. Her mouth flapped a few times, at a loss for words. “You’re an anomaly... who wants to fight anomalies?”

“Precisely.” I was happy it had finally clicked with her, though she seemed less enthusiastic than me.

“Ridiculous,” she said dryly. “You know nothing of this world, but you mean to challenge anomalies. Have you hit your head, human?”

“Not recently, no,” I said with a mischievous grin.

The wolf sighted in exasperation. “You should go back to where you came from and huddle in. Once you kill us, you will have a limited amount of time before others take over where we failed. Enjoy your remaining lives, instead of fantasizing about nonsense.” She shook her head and mumbled, “A bunch of clueless humans handling all the anomalies that appear on this continent... What a silly thought.”

She didn’t even realize how much new information she had given us already, even unintentionally. And we were well on track for my second proposal.

“You bring up good points,” I said. “Our numbers are limited, and we don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with.” She nodded in understanding, thinking I saw reason, just to stare at me in confusion again, when I continued a second later. “That’s where you come in.”

“Us?” Her eyes widened in realization. “Human... you can’t mean...”

I nodded. “I want you to work for us.”

To her, this conversation must’ve seemed like she was talking to a child, living in their own little world, spouting nonsensical ideas. And with every word out of my mouth, her exasperation heightened.

“I believe our chat is over,” she said. “Let’s get this over with.”

I stared at her pointedly. “You keep saying that I should kill you. Do you not value your life?”

“Of course I do,” she said, her head hanging low.

“What about your companions’ lives?” I asked.

“Of course I do!” she yelled.

I could sense her growing frustration in her words. Her caring hadn’t necessarily been a matter of course, seeing how Hati cared little about his brethren, but I had a feeling that this female pack leader was different, and it seemed like I was right.

“In that case, just listen to my proposal. You’ve seen a portion of our power, and we haven’t gone all out yet. We will become the strongest beings to roam these lands, and we plan to take charge of punishing everyone and everything that doesn’t behave.

“You attacked us, and we had no choice but to defend ourselves, but we don’t want the world to get overrun by anomalies, whatever they are. And if you were gone, we would do our best to continue your work. Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone involved if you helped us with this task then? You have the experience, and we would let you live. Depending on the reaction of your bosses, you’d get a few extra days or weeks at worst. And at best, you would live on, either under my command or that of the gods. If you think about it, you can’t lose with this deal.”

She contemplated the idea for a moment. Several seconds passed before she finally posed a question, a curious glint in her eyes. “You think yourself powerful enough to survive the wrath of the gods, don’t you?” she asked.

I grinned confidently. “Can’t say before I meet them, but there’s at least a chance, no?”

She met my gaze with a smirk. “I’d like to see you try and fail, human.”

I felt my heart race in excitement at a good start to our negotiations.