With another 4 to 5 hours of good daylight left, Logan picked up the final villager quests from the board at the adventurers' hall, 6 in total. Again, the staff member on the podium noted Logan as the adventurer assigned to them, holding an inquisitive look to his gaze. “Get these sorted and that's one additional objective done. Might as well clear the board out in case I get another skill point”, Logan rationalized. Leaving the hall, Logan went on to another slew of labour for the common folk.

The first quest to be undertaken was that of helping the local lumber yard to chop firewood for the citizens. A cold wind was brewing and they couldn't keep up with demand. With a 12 Strength, Logan had no issue cutting the wood, and a 16 Agility meant he could do it at a blistering speed. Doing the work of 5 employees, Logan was able to help the crew meet their supply. Paid 3 copper for an hour of work, Logan headed off to the next job.

1 silver, 20 copper. 8/10 quests.

Returning to the hall, Logan arrived just in time to help the staff members organize their stock of items and clean the stadium. With amazing speed, Logan darted up and down the stairs, sorted through shelves, and pulled around debris within the stadium after its assessments. With little fatigue, Logan was able to help out within another hour, getting paid 3 copper for his work. He did have a short break, drinking water and chatting with Rubené, where they talked about recent quests.

1 silver, 23 copper. 9/10 quests.

A surprising third quest led Logan back to the library, Bobcu having asked for a cleaner to spruce up the library in a quick time. Even more surprised was Bobcu who saw that Logan had accepted it.

“Well, it was meant to be so that you could see a better library. But hey, I guess you get some of that coin back”, Bobcu informed Logan.

Due to the sheer size of the library, it took Logan a long two hours to repeatedly use his Clean mick across the shelves and windows. He made sure to ask Bobcu to leave the library while he worked, allowing him to quick-cast his mick without worry. Two hours later, he was paid 6 copper for his help.

1 silver, 29 copper. 10/10 quests!

With the completion of his third villager quest, an alert popped up, informing Logan he had completed one of his additional objectives. It noted his final reward would be higher, though didn't tell him what it would be beforehand. Wanting to keep his streak going, however, he continued aiding the villagers.

Moving onto the fourth quest, Logan was tasked with noting down the exterior walls of the village, making sure everything was in top repair with no sign of attack. Combining his Agility and Intelligence attributes, Logan was able to inspect the walls at a hastened pace, writing down notes on parchment with a quill that were supplied to him by the client. Identification was a major boon too, as it could be used on structures just like objects. Overall, the walls saw some weakened sections in the south due to lower terrain and recent rain, the west also had some dug holes around the walls, signs of goblins scattered about. Making his report, Logan was paid 4 copper for two hours of work.

1 silver, 33 copper. 11 quests done, 9 villagers. Identification tier increase.

“If only I had this before that hobgoblin encounter, I probably could have identified it at that level difference”, Logan cursed. Accepting what he couldn't change, the hard-working Spellthief had run out most of the day's light and so decided to head back to the Dogslop Inn after handing over his quest contracts to Rubené.

Rubené was as thankful as ever, reaffirming that Logan had done more for the villagers individually than the other adventurer's at the hall ever had. With his signet adjusted to note he had done 11 quests, he made his way back to the Dogslop Inn.

“Ho, Logan. A room again tonight?” the innkeeper Coach asked, a hearty wave inviting Logan in from the doorway.

“Yes please, Coach. Long day of work again”, Logan answered, making his way to the counter.

“The same room is still available, just as you left it, aside from it getting the normal servicing between visits”, Coach informed with a smile on his face. The innkeeper placed the key for room 6 onto the counter as Logan handed over 5 copper.

“Not many customers lately then?”

“We've had a good string of customers actually, they often have to share rooms, 2 to 4 each. Though your room stayed free”, Coach replied, seemingly insinuating that he left it open for Logan. “Guess that good rep is following me around”, Logan surmised.

Taking up his key, Logan thanked Coach before heading back up to his room. While he could instantly clean himself via the use of his Clean mick, it didn't have the same sensations of a good bath. Soaking away the pains of a long day, Logan used Clean to dry himself off before sitting in his straw bed back lent up against the wall.

Placing a hand into his newly-bought backpack, he picked out the new tome he bought today “Magi's Magick Vol. 1”. The night was young at around 8pm or so, giving Logan plenty of time to dig into the long process of book reading. “How long has it been since I actually read a proper book and not some instruction manual? Well, I guess this is an instruction book of sorts since it's teaching me magic”, Logan pondered.

Reading slowly, Logan investigated the pages of the books intently as not to miss any information. The first 30 or so pages explained magic as a whole, though a lot of the details were old as the System summarised it earlier. There was no mention of MP, just spellforce, as this world's naming convention for it. Aside from the previous information, he was able to glean a few tidbits of information the System didn't tell him earlier.

As he read, the System also gave him some window alerts to notify him that his guidebook was expanding as he learnt more about the world. A new summary of magic was added into his System.

“Mana Points, referred to as Spell Force by the native dwellers of Avanar, is the fuel used in casting spells that don't run off of spell slots. The calculation for MP is your casting class level plus your (Intelligence-10)/3, or Wisdom in the case of Devouts. If someone is using Magic Vision, they can tell the amount of MP a creature has remaining due to an aura around their body, emanating to 1 inch per 1 MP in height and 0.5 inches per 1 mp in width. Classes that use spell slots do not emanate a magical aura and so can hide how many spells they have left.”

“Good, I can hide my number of slots from the examiners and other mages. That'll help in keeping my class a secret since I don't gain more slots based on my Intelligence or level”, Logan praised, though still somewhat displeased in his lack of spells per day.

The hours pressed on, the moon sitting high in the sky outside of Logan's open window. Nighttime chirps were heard over the conversations of late-night drinkers. Engrossed in his book, Logan realised he had spent the past 3 hours reading, though he was only about a third into the tome. “They don't make these quick to read do they”, Logan complained, though was happy he could have some downtime to read.

About to settle in for the night, Logan placed the tome back into his backpack and stood to close the wooden doors to his window. As he got to the window, he noticed a dog sniffing around the dirt roads, making its way to the inn. “Is that Spike?”, Logan thought. Giving out a swift whistle, the dog whipped its head up. Letting out several loud barks, Spike was jumping around.

“Alright, alright, I'll come down, Spike”, Logan shouted to the dog, trying to shut him up. Quickly moving from the window, Logan threw on his clothes in a hurried manner, leaving his bags in the room. Strapping his belt on, his daggers dangled at his hips as the Spellthief jogged down the stairs.

“That your dog?” Coach asked, worried about the noise.

“No, but I know where his home is. I'll take him back, don't worry”, Logan explained, hurriedly walking to the door. Coach nodded, Logan exiting to the village streets. Jogging to Spike, the dog continued to bark and jump about.

“What is it, Spike? Got lost?” Logan tried to ask. With a mind for details, after investigating the city walls alongside other villager quests, Logan noticed something. The dog was doing a sideways jump, its head jarring up the road. A large bruise was on the dog's right side. “He wants to lead me somewhere”, Logan concluded. Stepping up to the dog, he followed.

“Alright, Spike, lead the way boy”, Logan said, the dog darting off down the road as the Spellthief ran after him. With his Agility, Logan was able to keep up with the dog easily. Running through the streets, the two made sure to dodge out of the way of the villagers, a few calling out and wishing a good night to Logan.

Spike and Logan arrived at the house the adventurer had slept at with Jrizan, however, this isn't where Spike wanted to go. Logan took a glimpse at the house, its gate had been kicked in and the door showed signs of damage. “Someone came for those people from the forest?” Logan thought, worried that Spike's true owners might have been in danger. “Shit, it isn't the next day yet, I have no spells left. If it's a big group of bandits or loan sharks, could I handle them if it got rough?” Logan's head started racing.

Darting across the roads, Logan and Spike eventually wound up at a small shack, a more run-down part of town. Muffled talking could be heard from inside, though Logan couldn't make any of it out. Spike had positioned his body into a point towards the door, looking up to Logan. Kneeling, Logan spoke quietly

“Wait here, boy, let me handle this”, he assured the dog, making sure not to touch its wounded side. Standing up, he used Stealth to approach the door.

His breath was heavy and fast, Logan felt his heart racing. “Just look, if there is nothing, we can leave. Please. Please be nothing”, Logan recited to himself.

Slowly, Logan opened the door of the house, his Stealth causing it to let off less sound than normal. Looking inside, Logan saw a similar design to other buildings, an entrance hall, dining, and living open plan room. With the light of the moon, Logan saw shimmering blood across the floor, leading up with the bodies of 2 humanoids on the floor, 2 more standing over them.

“Fuuuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Identify”, Logan could hardly contain himself at this point, he knew he would need to interfere if his next move told him what he didn't want to see.

“Trei: Fighter 1, 14/14 HP, 0 MP. A thug who is working up the money to become an adventurer. Longsword. Leather Garb”

“Marc Lor: Sorcerer 2, 14/14 HP, 3 MP. An industrious mage who hunts down lesser races to make money. Staff. Cloth Robe. Knows Flame, Frost, and Lightning.”

“Forletta Mova: Classless 0, -2/4 HP, 0 MP. A gashriek from the nearby forests.”

“Punissa Mova: Classless 0, 1/3 HP, 0 MP. A gashriek from the nearby forests.”

“The hell is a gashriek? No matter, one is wounded, the other is dying. Damnit, one of those thugs is a Sorcerer, this could get ugly if he starts casting spells. Maybe I can talk my way out of this? No more bloodshed is needed”, Logan tried to formulate a plan where everyone could walk away. “System, what is a gashriek?” he asked.

“Gashriek, a civilized race that most see as a lesser race. These humanoids show signs of mixed blood from goblins, humans, and monsters, their ridged bodies often better suited to shrugging off damage than humans. In tune with the forest, gashriek have a close faith to Desma, and are not often found outside of their forests.”

“Ok, they aren't monsters then. Damn, I wish they were. I wouldn't have to get involved then. One of them looks similar to that adventurer I saw on my first day, they must have been a gashriek too”, Logan contemplated, his legs straightening as he began to engage the situation.

Moving into the room, Logan shut the door behind him, though without Stealth it let out a loud bang. The two thugs twisted around quickly to see the Spellthief standing here.

“Huh? Who goes there?” the Fighter thug demanded. Standing at 6' he was just a bit shorter than Logan. Wearing brown clothes, similar to Logan's starting gear, showed the man as one hurting for money. His short black hair was hidden underneath his drawn brown cloak, though his green eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

“I think that's the Logan fella who's been helping out around town”, the Sorcerer informed. At only 5' 8" he didn't seem too threatening, but Logan knew of his magic. The Sorcerer was dressed in a long dark-blue robe with cuts all across it as if he had seen quite a few battles. Long blonde hair could be seen flowing out of his drawn hood, his blue eyes glistening against the light of the moon.

“What is going on here?” Logan asked, trying to put on a strong showing.

“None of your business”, the Fighter spat.

“Yeah, go home, nothing to see here”, the Sorcerer added.

“There's plenty to see. Those two over there are acquaintances of a friend of mine. What did you do to them?” Logan forced. He could feel his stomach churning, he didn't like the thought of having to fight other humans.

“Oh, these two pointy shits? They thought they could fuck up our town with their filth. We offered to allow them stay, for a silver a night each, but they refused”, the Fighter explained.

“Shut it, Trei!” the mage snapped, obviously the more intelligent of the two.

“They are allowed to be here, they live in that house you broke into.”

“Who says so? A tree-hugger who sold them the house? We got our own rules around here”, the Fighter continued. Quickly slapped over the head by the Sorcerer, he shrunk down a bit in his posture.

“Like we said, it does not concern you. Leave, or would you like to join the floor with them”, the Sorcerer demanded.

Logan's eyes laid on the two gashriek on the floor, the still conscious one with bruises across her body and tears in her eyes. Almost pleading for help without a word, Logan saw the status of the male gashriek, he had lost more blood and was down to -3 HP. “Damn, he doesn't have long, -10 and he is dead”, Logan's situation became worse as he observed.

“I'm going to have to ask you to let me get that man aid, he isn't going to last long.”

“Oh yeah? Well let's add one more!” the Fighter shouted as he kicked the woman, dropping her to -1 HP.

“Now how are we going to get the location of their base if she is unconscious? We only need one, so keep her alive”, the Sorcerer stated to his comrade. Logan had already drawn his dagger in one hand.

“Let them go!” Logan shouted to the thugs. The Fighter raised his sword, the Sorcerer his wooden staff.

“What are you going to do? There is two of us and you're a caster. Hah, I bet you don't even know what to do with that knife!” The Fighter laughed at Logan.

It didn't take much more to push him to action though, Logan eyed the male, whose HP had dipped to -4, the blood pooling on the floor. With a quick kick of his left leg, Logan darted forward towards the two thugs. “Gotta be quick, I only have one backstab, take down the Fighter first!” he planned, doing a jumping knee into the stomach of the Fighter.

“Urgh! What!?” The Fighter tried to speak, a solid hit winding him as a knife struck into his lower back from Logan. “Backstab”, alerted the text, as the dagger dug into the man's kidney. With a combination attack, Logan had dealt 8 damage to the Fighter, bringing him to 6/14.

“Watch yourself, he has enhancement magic!” the Sorcerer shouted, backstepping away as he began to chant his spells.

“Shut it!” the Fighter exclaimed, swinging his sword wide, but an experienced Logan ducked underneath, retaliating with another strike at the man's stomach for a further 5 damage.

“Strikes, bolts, and thunder, destroy and burst all in your way. Lightning Shot!” the Sorcerer enspelled, lightning sparking to life in his hand as he threw it across the room towards Logan. Hitting his side harshly, the lightning landed with a solid punch into the Spellthief, a stinging and tingling sensation all over his body.

“You have received 7 damage, current HP: 25/32”, a window informed Logan.

The Fighter continued his assault, slamming down his sword into the parrying dagger of Logan. A battle of Strength ensued, though Logan was not strong enough, his parry being returned and pushed back, letting the Fighter land a solid slash into Logan's chest.

“You have received 3 damage, current HP: 22/32”, Logan had already lost a third of his health.

“Fuck, this isn't going well. Wait!” Logan was trying to handle two foes at once, though this led to the Sorcerer beginning his next spell. “If it's ‘Shot’, then!”

“Strikes, bolts, and thunder, destroy and burst all in your way. Lightning Shot!” the Sorcerer incanted once more, though Logan saw it beforehand. Giving a low kick to the Fighter, Logan hit the man's knee to the side, having the Fighter dip a bit. Rolling over the back of his adversary, Logan grabbed onto his foe's cloak, pulling the man back up. Using the Fighter as a meat shield, the Fighter was shocked and stunned, the lightning hitting him dead in the chest.

Slumping down, Logan let go of the cloak to have the body fall to the floor. “One!” Logan counted, eyeing up the Sorcerer as the Fighter fell to the floor. A worried Sorcerer began his next spell, but Logan was blocked by a body and a table, he had to be quick.

“Flames of the core, boil up and turn everything to cinders! Flame Shot!” the Sorcerer spoke his last spell, fires igniting his hand and burning the nearby wooden table and chair he was behind. “The house! He's trying to burn it down!” Logan realised, accepting he had to take the hit or let the house burn with the unconscious gashrieks. Thinking back to his class, he instinctively used something for the first time.

“Spell Absorb!” he thought, jumping to the air with an arm outstretched to catch the hurling ball of fire. The flames exploded in his grasp, a spinning star of red hot majesty. The star spun faster and faster, and as if sucked in by a vacuum, it was absorbed into the hand of Logan.

“Spell Absorption successful. Flame charge stored, Flame has progressed to tier 2”, a window informed Logan, who landed onto the table after his leap. The Sorcerer had a look of sheer bemusement and surprise.

“Wha-how!? You're no Wizard”, the aggressor accessed. Raising his staff to defend himself, the Sorcerer began to run around the table, though Logan cut him off by jumping onto his foe with a dagger being thrust down into the shoulder of the Sorcerer. 4 damage brought him down to 10/14, another strike dealing 5 for 5/14, and a final one dealing 4 to bring him to 1/14.

A hand around his foe's neck, Logan looked over to the gashrieks, the woman was stable at -1, but the male was at -7. Twisting his head quickly to the Sorcerer he saw the mage begin to speak.

“So, you're the one master spoke of. I shall have to let-” he began, raising a gold watch in his hand.

Moving his hand quick, Logan covered the mouth of the Sorcerer who could only let out muffled words. “I can't, he is a human. Bu-but he knows of my skill. I… I”, Logan ruminated his next action. Noticing the golden watch start to glow, his instinct took over.

“Essence Absorb.”

The hand of Logan vibrated with energy, black and dark-green lines coursed across his veins to the tips of his fingers. The lines jumped from his fingertips to the face of the Sorcerer, his eyes going wide in fear. A sound of shattering glass could be heard, as the mind of the Sorcerer was stabbed and broken by the lines, and then quickly, the lines flowed with blue and purple energies, sucking out the life from the Sorcerer.

Going dim, the Sorcerer started to shrink and become gaunt, until his body was sucked in like a black hole eating matter. Absorbed totally into Logan's hand, the Sorcerer left behind only his clothing.

“Absorption of foe complete. Calculating reward…”

“50 absorbed experience, Flame and Frost have been learnt. Flame has progressed to tier 3.”

The windows did little to aid in the fact that Logan was sick to his stomach, but his willpower let him operate for a minute more. Ignoring the floating XP alerts of his defeated foes that read “90” for the Fighter and “190” for the Sorcerer, Logan began tearing apart the robe left behind. Running to the body of the male gashriek the Spellthief started to apply first aid to the man's wounds. His patient had faded to -8 HP, Logan shouting out.

“You're gonna make it! Just hold on!”

--- *** ---