The Lightbearer's Gift

I spent the rest of the day enjoying Clarissa’s company. I've never seen a woman so flexible before, so it certainly made our time together entertaining. Every hour or so several of Gardenia’s men would be brought into the Brothel for me to heal. It varied from slashes and stabs to one man who almost died from a slit throat. It wasn't deep enough to sever the carotid, so he got off lucky. I ended up having to cast invigorate on half the men. Apparently, Gardenia was running them ragged. I had no need to conserve energy, so I opted to heal them to full health each time someone was brought in for treatment.

The severity mattered little as long as they were brought to me before death. That made them even more zealous in their pursuit of the takeover. After the 3rd round with Clarissa I decided to have supper. There was a decent restaurant close by and the girls were more than willing to fetch me food.

So, I sat down in front of one of the tables enjoying a meal of a fine roasted duck and some kind of herbal salad. The door to the room opened and Gardenia walked through it. She looked like she had a rough day. Her hair was in disarray and there was a small amount of blood on her brown tunic. Her state was expected; she's been at this for hours after all.

“So how goes the hunt?” I said between mouthfuls of meat. I didn't bother to dress and Clarissa was still lying on the bed waiting until I finished eating. But a woman who was in the business of flesh as long as Gardenia wouldn't even flinch at our nakedness.

“Well, enough, we have been fighting them for most of the day, once it got around that Lars and most of his men were dead. The rest folded just as quickly.”

“How many brothels did you end up taking control of?” I asked.

“Every brothel in the Red District.” I expected a few but not all. That had to be over a dozen.

“With only 15 men?” I asked slightly incredulously.

“15 well armored and well-paid men who didn't fear death.” she said as she took a seat on an unoccupied chair.

“Half of them simply gave over ownership, the rest were stupid enough to fight. Each time I would just send the injured back here and continue on to the next brothel at full strength. It certainly does wonders for morale when someone can be stabbed with a blade and return to the fight 10 minutes later.” Gardenia wasn't a fighting woman so that begs the question.

“How do you keep them in line?”

They seemed to have no small amount of devotion to Gardenia. I doubt you could buy that with coin or sex.

“You look at them and see brutes who fight for coin. I see fathers, brothers, and sons. They all have someone in their lives that they love. I provide them with arms and armor along with a generous salary. They provide for their families. Apprenticeships, clothing, food, shelter, it all costs coin. So long as they are loyal and follow my rules their families will always have a good income.”

So, the carrot is preferable to the stick? She guarantees their loyalty not through fear but through their heart. I filed her words away for later contemplation.

“However, I do not tolerate disloyalty in any capacity if there's one betrayal, likely there's a hundred. Betrayers are dealt with permanently.”That final bit had a note of warning.

“What of the guards? I'm sure they probably know about what's happening.”

She brushed off my concerns with a wave of her hand. “So long as no innocence dies, and it doesn't spill into the trade or residential district we have little to worry about.”

“And my involvement?” This was the final concern for me.

“Rumors going around that a mage destroyed the warehouse on East End but since you haven't been seen in any of the fighting most assume it's unrelated. I'm sure more information will come out in the coming weeks, but a few coins to the right people and they will spin whatever story we tell them.”

Sounded confident, but we’ll have to see if what she says comes to pass. She seemed to not care that Clarissa was hearing all of this information. That basically confirmed that she had full knowledge of her plans.

I wondered how much of our interaction was planned. It could have been from the moment Brandon decided to invite me here. Did she get Lena to plant the idea in his head or did he do it on a whim and she simply seized the opportunity?

In the end it didn’t really matter to me. They were free to play their games of seduction to get me to assist them. So long as the payment was sufficient, I didn’t really care what their end goal was. I had made over 10 gold sitting here doing nothing but bedding Clarissa and healing Gardenia’s men. That’s not even counting the 40 she gave me for killing Lars.

“Are you done with him Madam Gardenia? He still has work to do” Clarissa said.

Gardenia rolled her eyes and continued on as if she didn’t hear her.

“It will take a few weeks for me to solidify my control over the brothels. What are your plans for during this time.”

“I’ll be working with the guard captain to set up a sponsored clinic. Then I plan on an excursion west for some leisure travel. I’m sure by the time I get back Sten will have a contract lined up “

I abandoned the rest of my meal and rejoined Clarissa in bed.

“I’ll be needing your abilities during that time. Can you make yourself available after your work with the guards.”

“Mmmhmmm” I mumbled as my lips were occupied with Clarissa’s.

There was a sigh of exasperation as Gardenia left the door closing behind her.

Two weeks later I rode atop a horse heading towards the exit of the gate. The story of how Madam Gardenia took control of all the brothels was the talk of the city. The going story is that Lars threatened her with death and a timely save from a light mage kept her alive.

The guard captain, the clever man he was, took the opportunity to increase guard presence since Gardenia’s people were far less violent. The two had settled on a mutually beneficial relationship.

He did have some questions about my involvement and of course I pretended as if I was just caught up in a situation where I was forced to protect a defenseless woman. I doubted he believed me, but he let the subject drop since he and the guard stood to benefit.

I spent almost two weeks with the guards using some of my more modern knowledge of medical practices to aid in the construction of their clinic. Quina and Morah certainly knew their business, but I had certain contributions to add here and there that we all agreed would be useful. During that time, I opted to learn to ride a horse. There were plenty of decent horsemen among the guards. But Derek, the man I saved from the gut wound, insisted that he be the one to train me.

After two weeks I wasn't a particularly good horseman, but I had enough skill to direct the horse where I wished it to go. I rented the large brown mare from the guards for 3 weeks for a few sterling. The captain thought my wanderlust was a waste of time, but he had no ability to order me to stop. So, he at the very least made sure I had a proper horse to carry me.

He also advised me about provinces and villages that I should definitely avoid if I didn't want trouble. Both for me being an elf and the fact that I elected to have the armorsmith replace all the metal studs and buckles in my armor with gold.

I looked beyond ostentatious in the purple armor, but my goal was to bait idiots into attacking me. Most people would assume I either had enough power to defend my obvious wealth or was too struck by greed and avarice to realize how much of a mistake they were making. Sten had no plans for a contract in the coming weeks, so this was an opportune time to go hunting. My plan was to head east to a village called Farrow and from there continue to the coast. The violent storms were unfit for trade, so it had a low population and a high amount of banditry.

As soon as the guards saw me approach the gate, they escorted me though and wished me luck on my journey. I took out my map of the barony and doubly checked my directions then started my journey. Giving the horse a jolt I sped off down the road east.

A week had passed since I left Vernon . The journey so far was rather underwhelming as the population decreased and so too did the quality of the roads.

I sat cross legged near my campfire with nothing but the grass, wind, and stars for company. I had decided to devote the time I took to rest for practice. In the city I had so many responsibilities and obligations that taking time out to practice was a rarity. The light orb spell fizzled out as I lost control, but my shield held firm. This was a sign of significant progress since both spells would usually fail but constant practice has gotten me closer and closer to success.

I practiced for hours well into the night until the sun began to peak above the horizon. Again, I managed to slip into that near meditative state of focus. Long hours of practice finally paid off as I held both the shield spell and light spell active at the same time. I wondered how Garett would react if he saw my accomplishment. It was slightly disappointing that I had no one around to share this moment of triumph.

I cast several different light spells in combination and found some interesting utility in both. I could cast both shield spells and have a second layer of defense. Or I would use the shield as cover while charging the radiant lance. I would still have to dismiss the shield in order to fire it. This wasn't much of a drawback, however, since I could fire it the instant my shield was dismissed. I doubt many people had the reaction to either block or dodge it.

My sense of accomplishment was somewhat underwhelming. Dual casting was a skill that took mages years to accomplish, even with years of practice without the requisite affinity succeeding at it was impossible. Yet in a little over a month, I have achieved this feat. My affinity for light had to be among the greatest of mages.

Perhaps I am simply ungrateful for the gifts I have been given. If I was placed in this world for a purpose by some omnipotent being, it is likely my ability came from that being. However, from what I have seen there is no great evil within this world to conquer. So, my existence serves no purpose.

The only person who would come close is argon the defiler, but he was long dead. I laid down staring at the fading stars again wondering why exactly I was here. Sometimes I feel as if my pursuit of power was just a distraction from the dread I felt when asking that question.

I was certainly a human in my past life so that begs the question why transform me into an elf? Why light ether instead of fire, air, or any other attenuation? I do hope that I can find answers to these questions at some point. All creatures need something to give meaning to their existence. Friends, family ,some righteous cause that is worth dying for, yet I have found no purpose for my existence beyond sating my desire for power.

3 days later I rode into a small village so destitute that it made Crowsreach look wealthy. I had seen over a dozen villages at this point, but this was by far the worst. It wasn't even on the map. The buildings were ill kept and looked as if a strong wind would bowl them over. The people had suspicious eyes and every man and woman looked to be carrying some kind of weapon from clubs to swords. There were no shops or stalls to speak of, no one seemed keen to approach, though they stared openly as they rode into the village center. Seeing what looked like a tavern I tied down my horse on a post and entered.

Inside the rundown building was as bad as the outside. There was only one man at the bar. Patrons sat in small groups drinking and talking amongst themselves. All eyes were on me as I entered, they went to my hair ears then stuck to my armor. Anyone with a brain could tell it was expensive. I had the armorsmith replace the steel studs with gold so I'm sure I looked like a walking payday. Every patron watched me as I walked towards the bar.

The bar man eyed me up and down cautiously.

I said in my haughtiest voice. “Human, I require sustenance.”

The grizzled man who looked at me certainly didn't like my tone, but an abundance of caution seemed to keep him from reacting.

“What’ll you have?” the man said slowly.

“Do you at least have decent beer to warm me up? There has been quite a chill this morning.”

“5 shilling.” That was certainly overpriced, but I didn't care. I took out my coin purse. There was at least 20 Gelding and 50 Stirling inside. The rest was hidden in my room at the Inn. By its heft and sound, it was clear I had a lot of coins on me. I took it out and dropped it on the counter to add to the effect. By now the barman’s eyes were locked on it. I didn't turn around to look but I'm sure most of the room was.

I took out a sterling and laid it on the counter.

“Will this suffice?” said, acting as if I didn't quite understand money.

“Yes,” he said, taking the coin.

The barman started to pour me some beer from a keg behind him. While he poured, he asked.

“What's an elven maiden doing so far from home.” He asked,

“I simply wanted to see the human lands. So far, I have been underwhelmed. Is there some reason you all live in filth?” I said with clear disgust in my voice.

“Gods if I were a mage I would simply burn it all down and start over.”

The man's back stiffened as I insulted their home as well as their species. The man slammed down the cup in front of me. His patience is clearly coming close to an end. Yet he held himself back.

I took a drink and immediately spit it out across the counter while making a sound of disgust. It was certainly poor-quality beer, but it wasn’t so bad as to be spat out.

“What is this filth? Ugh I should have known you humans wouldn't know proper drink this isn't good enough for my horse.” There was some rustling behind me as everyone reacted to that. Still, no one seemed keen to do anything.

Spitting out a drink that was offered was a significant amount of disrespect that would have been met with blows, but the barman seemed to remain in control of himself if barely.

“You don’t like the drink knife ear.” A tall gruff man in poorly made armor stood up and walked over to me, two other men joined him.

I looked him up and down as if he was the lowest of insects.

“You human dogs do like to bark, it's not as if your minds are good enough for anything else.” I said, trying to bait him into more anger. They looked angry enough to draw blades.

The barman finally spoke up “Elf if you do not want our services then you are free to leave. Mallon enough I’ll deal with the elf and go to your wife. Same thing for the rest of you”

I have been acting like a belligerent ass so their anger at me was certainly justified.

“But Den this elf just walks in here disrespects you and…...”

Den interrupted. “Enough Mallon I’m the one that’s insulted to take a walk and go cool off.”

“You humans” I said with a sigh as if I was speaking about particularly stupid children.

I opened my coin purse in front of the three men giving them an excellent view inside. Their eyes widened as they viewed its contents.

I pretended not to notice.

I took out a gelding and flicked it at the barman. He swiped it out of the air and pocketed it in an instant. “I'm sure that will satisfy the Barman’s feelings.”

I closed the coin purse. Their eyes never leaving it.

“It's fine Mallon just headed home.” the barman said.

Mallon still looked ready to draw blades but acquiesced to Den's wishes. After they left, I turned back to the barman.

“I'll never understand you obsession with this metal. Do you have anything worth drinking?” I said in a slightly less haughty tone.

I didn't enjoy this performance, but I have been traveling for over 2 weeks with no bandits seeming willing to take the bait of attacking me. If I had to force the issue by being a belligerent ass, then so be it.

Den brought out a bottle of wine from the back and poured a generous amount in the tankard. It actually tasted fine, and I sipped it in enjoyment.

“It's best you head out on your way elf.” he warned.

“You seem more civilized than the other humans,” I said. Remarking on his impressive self-restraint I've seen people kill each other for less disrespect than what I've shown him.

“I'm the only one in this village who knows how dangerous elves can be.” he said without elaborating.

“You have been around my people? That seems unlikely.”

“No but I've heard the stories and most say your kind is not to be trifled with.”he said it with some humor.

“Hm well at least some of you humans have sense.”

I bid that barman a goodbye after finishing my drink. I did feel slightly bad due to my behavior but he had an entire gelding for his troubles so I doubt he would complain much about it. The villagers who before, looked at me with suspicion now looked at me with open contempt.

That was not unexpected, fortunately no one decided to do anything. I mounted the horse and trotted out of the village heading further east. I didn’t see the three men amongst the villagers.

But I was hopeful that them thinking I wasn’t a mage, along with the fortune I carried, was enough for them to try to rob me.

I got off the horse and led it by the reins in the hope that I would be an even more tempting target. After an hour I doubted that my plan had worked. A rustle in the shrubbery caught my attention. The sound of wind rustling the leaves and the sounds of the horse’s hooves on the packed dirt was the only thing I could hear until that noise.

Another rustle, slightly faster, drifted in on the wind. There was certainly something hiding within the forest watching me. I strained my hearing so and could just pick out the sound of soft whispers. I resisted the urge to raise my shield and pretended as if I couldn't hear anything.

“Stop right there knife ear.” Mallon shouted. As he and 4 other men exited the forest. They all had weapons drawn from swords to axes and one man wielding a spear. They were perhaps 20 feet ahead of me.

Deciding to keep up the illusion that I wasn't a mage, I drew my sword.

“Human. You dare.' I said, brandishing my sword at him.

“I do. You came to our village disrespecting our people, did you think there wouldn't be consequences?” They slowly got closer.

“Give us your coin elf and you can go on your way.” another gruff sounding man said.

“As if I could trust the word of a human.” I said, backing away pulling the horse with me.

Mallon smirked as he seemed to believe I was threatened by them.

“Be smart elf, it's 5 to 1 just give us the coin and you won't come to harm” he said gently.

“I know what you bandits do to human women you find I’ll not trust a word” I said backing up even faster.

“Just take it off the knife ear so we can move on Mallon.” said a young brown-haired man with a beard that seemed to just be growing. He looked like he didn't want to be here.

“Let me deal with this Cal” Mallon said. Shouting at the young man

“How bout this, just toss us the coin purse and you can hop on your horse and ride off to wherever you came from. '' he said. He seemed to mean it as well.

I looked at the rest of the men. They were wearing the same homespun clothing as the rest of the village. Their weapons looked old and most looked to be in disrepair. They didn't seem like regular bandits. Den even said that Mallon had a wife.

So perhaps Mallon really did mean what he said. Deciding to end the charade. I created a spell circuit for radiant lance.

“What?” Mallon said as he stared at the spell circuit in shock.

“Yes, I am a mage. Surprise.” I said, mocking him.

“Look, look we don't want nothin to do with mages.” Mallon said with fear in his voice.

“Dammit Mallon, I thought you said she wasn't a mage,” Another man said.

As he started backing up getting ready to run. I fired the laser to my right and bisected a dozen trees. Their expressions went from horror to despair at the loud crashing sounds as the trees fell over.

“I lied now. Anyone who moves dies, drop your weapons.” I said calmly. They did as they were told.

“Listen, we’re sorry we was just following Mallon’s plan. There weren't no harm going to be done to yuh swear on Raickon '' The young man said.

“Yeah, you can just go on your way, no need for anymore violence.” another man said.

I kissed my teeth then said. “And what guarantees you don't follow and attack me in the night it's best you all die.” As I said that I started over charging the spell the lightning started to crackle from the spell circuit.

“Please there has to be something we can do. We, we all have families, please mercy.” Mallon said, getting on his hands and knees. I actually started to feel guilt creeping up my spine at the men's genuine pleading. The rest of the men followed his example, seeming to abandon any pride they had left.

“There is something I suppose.” With my left hand I reached into my satchel and pulled out a vial of Sleep Shade.

“Do any of you know what Sleep Shade is?” I asked.

“Uuuhhh medicants use it to make you sleep right.” an older graying man said. It was good that someone knew what it was.

“Yes, I don't want to be followed so this way I can guarantee that I'll be long gone on my horse. Or you die, you have 10 seconds to make your choice.”

“We’ll drink it, we'll drink it, “several of the men said.

I tossed the vial at their feet. “A few drops on your tongue and you'll sleep for most of the day. Maybe some of your families will find you on the road before you wake up. Either way I will be long gone” I said trying to reassure them

They seemed to hesitate at drinking the strange purple liquid when I summoned another spell circuit in my left hand and began to overcharge that as well as they began to drink. One by one each man downed a few drops of the Sleep shade.

“Sit over there it's best you don't get run over by some passing caravan.” After a few minutes, the sleep shade started to take effect and one by one the men started to stagger on their feet and then fell into a deep sleep. I gave it a few more minutes nervously looking up and down the road and went over to the men. I opened each eyelid to confirm that they were fast asleep.

Then taking some rope from a pack on my hours I tied their legs together, attached it to a loop on my saddle and had the horse drag them deeper into the forest. The 5 men were laid side by side. My anticipation building, I put a hand to Mallon’s head ready to drain the life from him but hesitated.

This felt wrong, before I had killed mostly from self-defense, goblins, gang members who were most likely rapists and bandits. But this felt different; it felt more like murder.

Certainly, they weren't innocent, they were trying to rob me. But on the other hand, I walked into their home, insulted their entire species, and spat their drink across the counter. I would have probably done far worse if the roles were switched. Regardless they threatened my life and brandished weapons at me another mage would have simply incinerated them as if they were insects.

Forcing down the guilt that didn't seem to want to go away I placed my hand on Mallon’s head. Looking into the Ether I could see the life ether flowing though his body bright and strong. Several orders of magnitude larger than a chicken.

I pulled at his life Ether even though the man was unconscious. It still instinctively resisted me. I pulled with all my might trying to force his life ether into myself.

At first there was a slow trickle, then a stream then a great flood of power flowed into me.

I moaned loudly in ecstasy as the power rippled through me. It was better food, better than alcohol, better than sex.

I craved more as time went on, my hunger driving me to rip Mallon’s life from him even faster. Soon enough I drank every drop. My body, rippling in a level of satisfaction I've never experienced.

I went over to the next man. Whatever moral hangups I had disappeared in a haze of ecstasy. I was neither human nor elf, only a beast that hungered. After the third man I started to feel resistance, but I was too drunk on power to care about what would happen if I consumed too much.

I ripped the life from the young man, and it became increasingly difficult to consume. At this point I was full to bursting. I staggered and tripped over myself as I crawled over to the last man, all dignity abandoned. Laughing madly the entire time.

This time when drinking his life, I pushed strongly against the barrier. I cared little for anything else than satisfying the hunger. I pushed and pushed, determined to consume more. Finally, something tore inside, and I consumed more ether.

It was as if my soul itself, if such a thing even existed, was stretched beyond capacity eventually tearing. I sat back straddling the man’s chest as I savored the last vestiges of his life. Now all the men are dead.

Soon enough the ecstasy began to fade, and warmth started to flow throughout my chest. It got warmer, still becoming uncomfortable, eventually reaching the point that I felt on fire. It slowly spread through the rest of my body until my very bones felt on fire.

I screamed in agony and thrashed around on the ground. As every cell in my boody seemed to be on fire. In my desperation I begged any god or demon to stop the pain.

The pain kept increasing and I couldn’t even move or think. I didn’t even have the luxury of falling unconscious. I started bleeding from my eyes, ears, and nose. I vomited blood near constantly.

My muscles felt as if they were tearing themselves apart.

After an hour I could do little more than twitch helplessly on the ground begging for death, the pain had grown so intense I couldn’t even find the will to scream.

I didn’t know how long it lasted; it could have been hours or days. Eventually the pain started to lessen, mind melting agony, slowly just became agony. Then slowly after some more time reduced to a dull ache only then did I fall unconscious.

I woke up several hours later, my body sore and my skin a bright shade of pink. Based on the position of the sun I had been lying there next to the dead bodies for over a day. I immediately felt the urge to relieve myself. I relieved myself against a tree for far longer than normal. The smell was ghastly, and I nearly gagged. As soon as I finished, I talked over to the pack on my horse devouring every morsel of food I could find. In the space of 10 minutes, I ate at least a week's worth of provisions.

So consumed I was by hunger that I didn't even bother cleaning the dried blood off of my face and hands. Once I was stuffed with food and water, I examined the dead bodies. They were still lying unmoved, but their pale faces showed that they were dead.

The pain was largely gone. I don't know what kind of damage I had done to my body, but it seemed I recovered. Hesitantly I began to cast a light spell. With barely any effort the spell circuit popped into existence. I formed it in under a second. I stared at my hand in fascination. I then cast the fire bolt. This took almost 3 seconds as expected.

Testing the maximum cast time of every spell I knew I realized that every light spell was significantly easier to cast. Even dual casting took barely more effort than usual. The light attenuated ether practically begged me to wield it. Testing further I cast radiant lance overcharging it to its maximum power. Still the circuit remained relatively stable. I pushed it even further beyond what I could achieve before and released the spell.

I cut down hundreds of trees as I walked the beam from left to right. I kept that spell up for over 30 seconds before any chill began to enter my limbs. I laughed at the sheer amount of power I could wield. It was as if my affinity for light ether had increased 3 or 4-fold.

Gazing into the Ether I was immediately bombarded with far too much information to the point where I instantly lost focus. Trying again ready for the effect, I looked into the ether again.

I could see into myself far beyond what I could have seen before when examining a person. The thousands of biological processes that kept a living being alive were revealed to me in agonizing detail. I must have sat on the floor for over an hour examining the process going on in my arm. I could see the muscle beneath healing on a cellular level becoming stronger. As life ether nurtured it. My bones, skin, blood vessels, tendons, organs, everything was being improved, changing in hundreds of subtle ways.

I could focus on a singular part of myself and focus on the process happening in great detail. I watched as my body slowly grew fingernails in fascination. On a whim I tried to make the process become faster and just like that my body consumed a small amount of life ether and my nails grew by several inches.

My experiments were unending. I could change almost anything about myself so long as it was a biological process. I could heal the small thin scars I had gotten from my arm from the first goblin that attacked me. I couldn't create fresh from nothing however and if I pushed the effects too far my body will begin to repurpose surrounding tissue to effect the change instead of using resources provided by digestion. Testing on the horse I realized I could modify any living creature so long as I understood the underlying biology.

My personal life ether glowed several times brighter than any creature I had ever seen. Everything seemed heightened, my hearing, smell, and taste. Is this the effect of pushing past that barrier?

If it was then could I do this to other people? What would a mage like Sarah become if I did this to her? What kind of warrior would Breala be? It felt as if I had at least 3 or 4 times the power.

A fear began to crawl up my spine at the realization. No one could know I could do this. For the lives of a few peasants, I had likely increased my power by a factor that would take decades. If this ever got out the entire world would be after me seeking power.

I burned the bodies to ash and resolved to return to the city. I avoided the village whose inhabitants I had consumed. My mind is focusing on what would happen to me if I pushed past that barrier again.