385 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Esteemed guildmaster,

Our investigations have yielded unexpected results. As predicted, both the Elven Protectorate and the Orcish Federation are actively resisting our surveying efforts. However, they are not the primary cause of the delays we’ve encountered.

A preliminary analysis of available data suggests the Human Dominion is many times larger and more densely populated than anticipated. At this stage, our working hypothesis is that the Human Dominion’s unusual size and the high frequency of points of interest within it are a result of the human home world’s overpopulation. For your convenience, I’ve attached our complete analysis.

Given our unexpected findings, it is with much regret that I must report the magical examination of the domain will not be completed to schedule. —Senior Surveyor Wysterl.

Hours later, I was still walking.

The sun had long since set, and what few stars had appeared in the sky had done little to illuminate the area. But with night vision active, I had no problem navigating through the hills and, even pulling the sled behind me, I made good time.

My journey had been uneventful so far. Despite the catcalls, hoots, growls, and other mysterious sounds filling the night, nothing had sprung out to attack me. Perhaps the night’s denizens sensed my magic and were wary. Or maybe they were simply biding their time. When I lay down for the night, that’s when I would be at my most vulnerable.

At the thought of sleep, my body’s tiredness made itself known. I stifled a yawn. It was hard to judge the exact time, but I thought it was coming up to midnight. Time to rest, I decided, and swung north into the mountain’s lower slopes.

For the last few hours, I had been walking parallel to the foot of the mountain range itself. Now I entered it, knowing my chances of finding a defensible spot to camp were better within the mountain’s rocky depths than in the foothills.

It took a bit of searching, but eventually, I found a cave to shelter in. The hole in the mountain slope was shallower than I liked but still provided me with protection on three sides. Anything that came at me could only do so from one direction. Good enough, I decided.

I dragged the sled into the cave and pulled out a couple of rations and the blanket Melissa had so generously left me. I had no cooking gear and would have to eat my food cold, but it beat going hungry. After a quick meal, I spread the blanket across the cave floor and sat down cross-legged atop it.

It was time to get spellcrafting.

✽✽✽

The first spell I attempted to create was a ward spell. Ideally, I would’ve liked to learn powerful defensive magics such as a spell shield, but like projectile spells, I suspected spell shields were out of my reach until level hundred. Not so, wards, or at least not the basic ones.

Wards were characterized by their longevity. Where the lifetime of most spells was measured in seconds or minutes, even the most basic of wards could endure for hours while the more powerful ones could exist for months. Given their long-lasting nature, wards were often used as alarms and traps, and it was for this purpose I attempted to create one.

Closing my eyes and slowing my breathing, I opened my magesight. Swirls of cobalt blue mana pooled at my center. Reaching within, I gathered a small amount and drew it upwards into my mind.

Willing the magic to do my bidding, I visualized the shape of the spell I sought in as exacting detail as I could. Streams of mana darted into the form I desired, only to stutter and dissipate a moment later as the spell construct failed to hold its shape.

You have failed to create a spell. Mana lost.

I paid the Trials message no heed. I was well used to the art of spellcrafting by now and knew that failure was very much part of the process.

I began once more, reordering the spell lattice. And when that attempt also failed, I tried again, making minute adjustments to the spellform each time.

Eventually, I succeeded.

You have spellcrafted a touch-based spell ward from the Discipline of life magic. The name assigned to this spell is life monitor. This ward can only be triggered once. Its casting time is very slow, and its rank is common.

Excellent, I thought. Rising to my feet, I approached the cave entrance. Drawing on my magic again, I cast my latest spell. Mana poured out of me to form a thin, permeable layer across the opening.

The spell snapped into place, visible to my magesight—and that of other mages—but invisible to most other creatures. Fine filaments of mana extended from the life monitor ward to my mind. As wards went, the duration of this one was short. It would only last a few hours, but that was more than adequate for my purposes.

If any living creature tried to enter the cave, the ward would trigger, and an alarm would sound in my mind—waking me from even the deepest of slumbers. The ward itself would do nothing to protect me, but it would at least alert me to danger and allow me to react to the intruder’s presence.

Resuming my seated position on the blanket, I closed my eyes. There were two other spells I needed to learn before I could sleep. Drawing on my mana, I began manipulating it anew.

The next hour passed in a blur as I experimented with different spell constructs. Starting with the basic spellform of flare, I adapted it to suit the elements of air and magic. The castings I had in mind mimicked the flare spell in function but drew from other magics, and I anticipated no difficulty discovering their spellforms.

It still took longer to create the spells than I’d expected, but eventually, after repeatedly pouring mana into my hands, I achieved more than simply having my castings fizzle out.

You have spellcrafted a touch-based spell from the Discipline of earth magic. The name assigned to this spell is toxic skin. This spell coats the caster’s hands, or Focus, in a magical poison harmful to most living creatures. Toxic skin is a persistent spell and, while active, drains the caster’s mana. Its casting time is very fast, and its rank is common.

You have spellcrafted a touch-based spell from the Discipline of air magic. The name assigned to this spell is: shocking touch. This spell imbues the caster’s hands, or Focus, with an electric charge. Shocking touch is a persistent spell and, while active, drains the caster’s mana. Its casting time is very fast, and its rank is common.

I blew out a weary breath. Finally, I thought, considering my newly acquired spells. Both were similar to flare but were powered solely by mana. More importantly, they drew from the elemental schools of earth and air instead of fire, giving me alternative attack options.

I could rest easier now, knowing I had shored up at least some of my vulnerabilities. With a pleased smile, I rested my head on my pillow and fell asleep, ready for whatever the new day brought.

✽✽✽

HEE-UUWH.

I awoke to a blaring in my mind. My eyes flew open. What the—?

The life ward. The filaments of mana binding me to it had been severed.

Something is in the cave.

The realization came swift and sharp, but before I had a chance to react, pain stabbed into my sides, and my mouth opened in a wordless howl of pain. I whipped my head downwards, trying to spot my attacker, but before I could do so, I was yanked by the feet.

My head banged against a rock, and my limbs flailed as I was dragged unceremoniously out of the cave. I squeezed my eyes shut to protect them and dug my fingers into the ground, trying to slow my exit. It was no use, though. My foe was too strong.

A handful of heartbeats was all it took for my attacker to pull me out of my refuge and dump me onto the ground outside. I forced my eyes open and caught a glimpse of a giant creature looming over me in the predawn’s half-light.

Something darted downwards, a patch of darkness blacker than the rest of the surrounding shadow.

I threw myself to the side. But I didn’t get far; my legs were still pinned. My movement, slight as it was, was enough to escape the object that smashed into the ground beside me, cracking rock and sending sparks flying.

It’s a beak. My attacker was a bird of sorts.

But before I could make any further sense of this, I heard the flutter of more wings, and a heartbeat later felt talons stab into my arms, pinning them down as well.

A second attacker?

I bit off a cry and tried to think through the pain. My torso was riddled with lines of fire, blood soaked my arms, and my vision was still blurry from the blow to my head. Do I cast invincible? I didn’t want to waste the ability, not until I could analyze my foes and judge our relative strengths. I have to wait, I thought stubbornly. Until I know what—

A beak hurtled downwards at me once more, this time from above my head.

There were two birds. There was no time to dodge again. There was barely enough time to cast invincible.

No choice.

I was staring death in the face. If I didn’t act, I was dead. Bereft of options, I called on my spirit to shield me and cast invincible.

Threads of my spirit exploded outwards and wrapped themselves into a protective weave around my body. My physical form was sheathed in a second skin of impermeable spirit in a fraction of a heartbeat.

Invincible activated. You are immune to all damage for 30 seconds.

My foe’s hooked beak crashed into invincible’s hardened shell and was rebuffed. The creature yanked back its head, confounded.

I shoved myself upwards. I didn’t have much time, and I could barely see my attackers. My night vision had lapsed when I had gone to sleep, but I didn’t spare the time to recast it.

I didn’t need to see my attackers anyway.

All I had to do was lay hands on them.

The first avian’s head darted towards me again. I made no move to dodge. Instead, I opened my arms wide in readiness. The creature’s head shoved into my torso, nearly bowling me over.

Flinging my arms forwards, I wrapped them around the bird in a tight embrace. My fingers dug into oily feathers, each larger than my arm. The creature squawked and pulled its head to the side, attempting to dislodge me, but I was already anchored in place.

Ignoring the bird’s efforts, I shaped the spellform of flare in my mind and infused it with my lifeblood and mana. Dragonfire roared to life inside me and set my blood alight. Without hesitation, I let it rage free and spew into my attacker.

The bird shrieked.

Feathers were set alight and burnt to a crisp in an instant. Its talons raked at my shielded form, to no avail, while its skin blackened and slogged off. Delicate bones designed for flying turned brittle under the heat and broke.

And in only a handful of heartbeats, my attacker was dead.

I released my death grip from its neck and spun around. Where was the other bird? It was nowhere to be seen. At a premonition of danger, I flung my head upwards.

Hurtling out of the sky, my second attacker crashed into me, shoving me hard against the ground. The bird’s clawed feet raked against my torso while its beak closed around my neck and tugged viciously.

But its efforts were useless.

Protected by invincible, I sustained no damage. Throwing my hands upwards, I wrapped them around the creature’s legs and flared anew. Twin cones of heat and burning light exploded out of my palms and upwards into the beast.

The avian screeched but didn’t let up on its attacks, its rage seemingly proof against the pain. Its body, though, was not equal to its desire. The scorching flames spread eagerly across my foe’s unprotected skin and feathers, leaving only deadened flesh and blackened bones in their wake.

In the hungry grasp of dragonfire, my second attacker survived no longer than the first. Before the charred body could collapse onto me, I rolled out of the way and staggered back to my feet.

A vein throbbed in my forehead, my breath came in short, painful gasps, and even the tiniest movement was agonizing. I couldn’t afford to tend to myself just yet, though. Not until I was certain the danger had passed. Throwing my head up, I scanned the skies. It was empty, just as the mountain slopes were. Only two attackers then. Warily I backed into the cave and took renewed stock of myself.

I was a mess. Blood poured down my arms, and my spider silk cloak was ripped to shreds. My leather armor had fared better. Though it was torn in places, it was still salvageable. My gloves were gone altogether, burnt to a crisp when I had flared. I grimaced. Melissa is not going to be happy with me, I thought inanely.

Despite it all, I was alive, though. Sitting down heavily, I began affecting what repairs I could to both body and armor.

✽✽✽

Thirty minutes later, I was done.

I had restored my battered body to full health with lay hands and patched up my equipment as best I could. There was nothing to be done about the gloves or cloak, but using the supplies the crafters had thoughtfully stocked the sled with, I’d managed to sew close the larger holes in my spider leather vest. I’d no idea how much good the armor would be in another fight, but it was useable for now, and further repairs would have to wait until I returned to the village.

Next, I turned my attention to the waiting Trials message.

You have gained in experience and are now a: level 27 Trainee.

Huh, I thought as I chewed on a field ration. I had gained a whole two levels from the encounter, something that had rarely happened before. My attackers had obviously been much higher-ranked than myself, and perhaps I’d been more fortunate than I had realized to survive.

I replayed the encounter in my mind, analyzing the fight. It had all gone wrong from the start, I realized. The alarm from life monitor had not given me nearly enough forewarning, and in the end, I’d been forced to rely on invincible to survive.

The spirit Technique had its limitations though—it could only be used once per day—and I couldn’t always count on it being available when I needed it. I pursed my lips and surveyed my refuge once more.

Clearly, next time I need a deeper cave.