By the time Wolf had reached Silver City a number of things happened in his life. The most important ones were the experiments he ran inside his Mind Palace. Through a bit of fiddling he had discovered that even though he was unable to prepare Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Order spells, he could activate the three most powerful grades of runes on the silver shell. All Wolf had to do was trace the grooves and allow the little fellow living within to drain his Soul Force.

One day, Wolf realized that referring to the little guy as egg or little fellow was idiotic and decided to name her-him.

Since the egg was silver colored and Wolf was traveling to Silver City and the voice that gave Wolf the egg reminded him of the chime of silver bells, Wolf decided to name her-him Silver. Whether this name was better than egg was questionable, but Wolf liked it. He was also proud that the name was gender neutral and would probably suit the denizen of the egg just fine.

And then the day had arrived! After spending weeks of effort, Wolf had finally infused the last remaining rune with Soul Force.

The dramatic result that had been greatly anticipated was there! Silver now shone just a bit brighter than before Wolf had infused the final rune. That was it.

Wolf’s Mental Aspect made a long face, unmet expectations painted all over him. He’d thought that Silver would hatch, but instead she-he started siphoning a third of the Soul Force Wolf’s Mind Hall produced. He felt like he had been conned. He was under the impression that once he filled in all the runes he would be done wasting Soul Force. Instead, all he had done was create a bridge through which Silver could eat all on her-his own.

However, not all developments were as bad as this one. Wolf had read all the books he had on him. He wanted to read more hero biographies. He greatly enjoyed them, but unfortunately there were only two dozen books of that genre in his library.

Once he had gone through all his books, Wolf had more spare time, which he used to practice magic. Unfortunately, despite his half-assed diligence, Wolf was unable to advance and become a Mage of the Eighth Order.

He had lost track of the number of brigands he had dispatched, but he firmly believed that he had done a service to all the travelers moving along the route he had passed. As far as Wolf was concerned this was him fulfilling one of his late father’s wishes.

Bandits attacked in groups that ranged between two dozen and a hundred men. Among all those slaughters only one stood out in Wolf’s memory. The rest were just uninteresting bloody messes nobody, Wolf included, cared about…

That day Wolf ran into a group of four youths. Those four men appeared to be in their late teens, but it was kind of difficult to tell their age because of their sunken cheeks and the generally starved appearance. When Wolf was about to pass them by, believing they were just travelers, one of them suddenly yelled.

“You there! Boy! Give us everything you have and we will let you live!” The would-be bandit seemed emboldened. He was certain the four of them could handle a lone boy.

“Mark, he’s just a kid,” another youth spoke with obvious unease.

“You dolt! That cloth sticking out of his backpack looks expensive! And that ring is golden and the backpack doesn't look cheap either! He’s probably got some coins on him as well!” Mark seemed to have gone crazy at the sight of easy money.

Wolf looked at the four people standing in front of him the way he would examine exotic fowl. They wore tattered clothes and their weapons of choice were cudgels. The cudgels appeared to be freshly made. Well, using the word make here is a bit of an overstatement. They were branches freshly broken off from a tree. One of them didn’t even remove all the leaves from the stick he wielded.

Looking at this sorry bunch Wolf couldn’t help but remember the folks from the Oakwood Freeland. He had a pretty good idea on how these guys ended up here.

Wolf looked Mark square in the eyes. “Don’t you have people back home that cried when you left?” he asked. “Don’t you have anyone waiting for you to come back?”

Mark was stunned for a moment. This was not how robberies were supposed to go.

“Shut up! What the hell does a little kid like you know,” the young man shouted.

“Sigh. You’re the type that doesn’t cry until they see their own coffin aren’t you?” Wolf shook his head and spoke in an overly dramatic way, mimicking the heroes whose biographies he’d read. They all made such aloof gestures, standing above common people.

It was now Mark’s turn to blink in disbelief. While the bandit was confused, a sword appeared in Wolf’s hand. He dashed and a moment later appeared behind the four would-be bandits. Four soft thuds sounded as the severed branches clattered on the road.

As for the bandits, the youths stood frozen in place, still holding the stumps of their weapons and not daring to move a muscle.

Wolf slowly walked back to his original place, giving the adolescent boys a wide berth. They were shaking in fear and sweat was pouring down their faces. After returning to his place, Wolf looked Mark square in the eye again.

“Wait,” Mark said, suddenly realizing that everything had gone horribly wrong. What he believed to be easy prey was actually an apex predator.

Wolf didn’t wait to hear what Mark had to say. Instead he made a fist and struck the young man straight into the gut. Mark was sent flying, shocking his friends. He landed hard on his back some four meters away. Then he rolled to the side and started retching.

“I understand your circumstances,” Wolf said calmly, but his calm manner just intimidated the youths even more. “I know you’re not here because you’re bloodthirsty by nature. Go back home to your families, only certain death awaits by the roadside.”

He was about to leave like the noble hero that he was, when he suddenly thought of another lofty line. “You know, if you had encountered a professional mercenary your heads would be rolling on the ground, not some sticks. For a professional, you’re nothing more than a handful of copper pieces.”

Satisfied with his performance Wolf turned to leave. As he walked away the youths that still stood were shaking. Mark was laying on the side, doing his best to impersonate a shrimp.

“Thank you for your kindness Sir!” the man that tried to stop Mark shouted, clattering his teeth in fear.

Am I really that scary? All I did was teach them a little lesson. I didn’t even unleash my baleful aura. Wolf stopped and turned around, but the men seemed to be glued to the spot, not daring to move even the slightest.

“Well go home already,” Wolf shouted and the bandits moved like startled rabbits.

“Yes Sir! Thank you Sir!” Three friends picked up Mark and scurried away like beaten dogs.

Wolf watched them scamper away before sinking into contemplation. Father told me to pay attention to how people act. He said that I shouldn’t kill those that don’t have the air of a killer. On the other hand Red and his men hunted down all bandits they came across without exception.

Wolf paused to think about which side was right, but then he shook his head. Father knew best. His approach must be better.

That was the only memorable encounter Wolf had with bandits. He felt like these four were lost souls. The rest of them were scum of the earth he removed on his way to Silver City. And now that the city was before him Wolf felt... odd and empty.

Was this haphazardly constructed barricade guarded by a bunch of heavily armed men really the reason he and his father decided to go on a journey of ten thousand kilometers?

Looking at the distant scene Wolf stored the backpack and the bait inside into his Ring of Holding. He would soon approach the gate and there was no need to flaunt his wealth here.

Before heading down, Wolf checked his appearance and realized that he was too clean when compared with others waiting for entry. He rubbed some dust onto his clothes and face before deeming his disguise good enough.

At least that’s what a little boy thought. If anyone gave him a second look they’d easily notice that the boy was only dirty at the front, while his back was clean. He was too well fed and even radiated a subtle aura of power which clearly showed that he was at least a talented novice of the Mage Academy. Fortunately nobody in their right mind would give a beggar child a second glance, let alone do a full body search looking for riches. As for his aura, only Mages would be able to notice it.

Wolf quietly got in line, waiting to be admitted into the city. While waiting, he listened in on the conversations of the people nearby. From what little they’d said, Wolf found out that the entry fee was a silver piece per person and that this price was outrageous.

The residents and people invited by nobles were exempt from the insanely high tariff. Also, members from major guilds such as Mages, Alchemists, Spell Formation Masters and Artificers were free to enter the city, and they didn’t have to wait in line either.

If Wolf wanted, he could easily pass as a high Order Mage or Spell Formation Master. However Archibald planned for them to live here without attracting attention until Wolf grew strong enough to fend for himself.

Revealing his identity and having the guards roll out a red carpet to welcome him just to skimp on a silver piece was definitely against his father’s wishes.

Coming to terms with the fact that he was about to spend hours waiting in line, Wolf started stealthily practicing an Eighth Order spell. The chance of him actually casting Finger of Death was nonexistent, but he had to work hard in order to make his advancement. Wolf was about to start his twentieth repetition of the spell’s chant when a feeling of hostility followed by a rough voice pulled him back to reality.

“Make way! Make way, peasants! Two young lords are passing by!” someone shouted behind his back.

Hearing those haughty words, Wolf turned around.

He’d expected to see some nobles and their guards, but all he saw was a cackling pair of thugs plowing their way through the line. They weren’t violent, but people still stepped to the side, looking down at the ground.

In no time at all, the burly pair had reached Wolf who looked at them indifferently.

“Move out of the way boy! These two lords are passing by! If you don’t move your ass this lord will slap you dead!” one of the lords shouted with an evil, self satisfied smile.

The lord was unaware of it, but the two of them had horrible luck. For today Wolf had prepared a full set of spells that would help him interact with people. He’d originally chosen these spells to stay out of trouble, but a glib tongue and a bit of hypnosis could get you into a mess just as easily as it could get you out of one.

Wolf looked at the speaker with disdain while casting a Subtle Mind Trick.

“If you’re really a lord, you should skip the line and slap the gate guard for making you go through all this hassle,” Wolf issued his command.

The other thug was about to say something to the crazy kid, when suddenly his mate decisively nodded his head. “You’re right. This lord shouldn’t take shit from lowly guards.”

Saying those words the burly man stepped out of the line and onto the part of the road reserved for the nobles. He strutted towards the guard post with his back straight.

The guard whose job was to greet the nobles sat idly. If any notable guests were coming today, he would’ve been notified in advance. By the time he’d noticed the burly man’s approach it was already too late.

“Bro!” The other burly man shouted, but didn’t dare cross the line that separated the plebs from the nobility. He bit his lip nervously, not knowing what had gotten into his partner.

“You know, if you’re really his bro, you should help him out,” Wolf suggested through another Subtle Mind Trick.

The fidgeting man froze for a moment. Then he ran after his bro with determination written all over his ugly mug.

Wolf wasn’t sure what kind of aid the first person he charmed could expect, nor did he care. In his mind the boy once more praised his father’s genius. Dad was right when he said to have three Subtle Mind Tricks and two regular ones expecting to interact with people. But I really shouldn’t have wasted them like this…

While Wolf wasn’t paying attention the first burly ruffian stopped, looming over the lazily sitting gate guard. The chubby guard was so surprised, it took him a moment to figure out that the one getting in his face was actually a filthy commoner.

As soon as he came to this realization the guard started shouting, while sending a shower of spit. “Crazy bastard! What do you…”

*Pa!*

Before the chubby man finished his question, a savage slap hit his face. The guard felt his ears ring and his teeth loosen as he staggered.

The world turned silent as everyone started at the scene with disbelief.

Someone actually dared walk up to a guard and slap him? The guards standing before the commoner gate were just as flabbergasted as the people waiting in line. The only one not surprised was Wolf, who thoughtfully gazed at the heavens.

Then, all hell broke loose.

“What are you doing!?”

“Catch him!”

“Kill him!”

“Bro!”

As the guards lurched into action the thug running to help his bro gave Wolf an unexpected surprise. Wolf thought that the best way he could help his friend was to tackle him. Apparently the thug disagreed.

Using his running start, the ruffian delivered a shabby flying kick straight into the gate guard’s flabby belly. Him shouting “Bro!” was just icing on the cake.

Taking in the sight, Wolf kind of felt bad for the guard. The man got a beating just for sitting there, napping in the line of duty.

The guards shouted furiously while rushing the two assailants. Meanwhile one of them went over to help their battered mate. The thug that delivered the slap finally realized that something was off.

“It wasn’t us!” he shouted. But, before he could explain, truncheons started smashing into his head, arms and torso. While the thug was taking his beating standing, his bro was much worse off. The man was sprawled on the ground thanks to his rough landing. Guards didn’t bother with cudgels and instead viciously kicked him with reinforced boots.

Half a minute later the pair was beaten into a bloody pulp and dumped into a nearby ditch. Wolf glanced at them and noticed that they were still breathing, albeit very weakly. He didn’t feel sorry for them one bit, and the only hint of guilt he felt was for the unfortunate guard that ended up being a victim.

Those two reek of blood. I wonder how I missed them on my way over here, Wolf mused, but didn’t do anything suspicious. After the incident everyone was quiet and thoughtful, so he didn’t stick out.

“Crazy fuckers!” the chubby guard shouted then moaned in pain, holding his ribs as his friends helped him into the city. He was hurt pretty badly and in no shape to resume his duty.

After things settled down, the guards started inspecting the goods and people more carefully. They had also turned very quiet, ignoring people who tried to start a friendly conversation.

In front of Wolf, a merchant trying to smuggle contraband was cursing his luck. The bribe he had to pay had just gone up several times. Apparently he was the one to cover the wounded guard’s medical expenses.

Due to all of this it took even longer for Wolf to reach the guards. Fortunately they didn’t bug him one bit. He paid his silver piece and after being frisked, Wolf was finally free to enter Silver City.