Running errands under the torrents of rain was a bit of a droll task, but it reminded me that I didn’t really need to wear shoes. Even running through the forest, the soles of my feet were thick enough to ward off the uneven ground. After many hours the rain stopped; as the ground began to dry, the air grew muggy and the mud sticky. Unpleasant to work in, but not an active hinderance.

Luckily, when I decided to head back to the village after finishing up to my satisfaction, I could call . No need to walk on the icky ground, my noble steed carried me along.

Even if it would only be useful temporarily, was fun to use. Actual utility paled in comparison to teleport spells, but sitting astride a horse and galloping under the moonlight is so much more fulfilling. Other than a means of entertainment, my night ride also served as a chance for me to feel out the limitations of my steed.

Gallivanting across the plains, the magical horse that served me acted with spunk, as I expected. Though it obeyed when leaping about, and skidding to a stop, moments of hesitation and slight deviations from my orders resulted. Unlike the undead, did require verbal commands, although it didn’t seem as though the language used mattered. The horse also acted without room for euphemism as Hans and Clavi did.

This came a surprise, as there was still a connection between myself and the horse. However unlike with the undead, it was not mental; instead seemed to be a part of mana field that could be separated. This led to a few quick developments—by applying {Soul Field}, I could order it without verbal orders by ‘reabsorbing’ it.

A downside to this was after integrating with it, it would no longer be able to leave my {Soul Field} and remain operational. Being able to do so was a curious ability that I had not expected to succeed so easily. Even more unexpected was after fusing with , the mana used to manifest it could be recovered.

was an indefinite-hold spell, meaning that it could be sustained by temporarily ‘sacrificing’ the mana used for it. That amount of mana would not be recovered until the spell ceased, either by dismissal or cancellation by another party. Indefinite-hold type spells were usually quite powerful and restricted to rare magics—well, with the obvious exception of some lower level abilities. Giving low-level players some indefinite-holds helped them survive a little longer, and since they quickly became less useful, they were not overly rare in the basic spells.

Recovering mana used was good, even if the actual amount recouped was small. The concept of integrating separated mana fields seemed helpful. Practically speaking, since I couldn’t seem to use twice, I only ended up saving a few dozen mana. That only made up around 5% of my mana, so while it wasn’t exactly negligible, neither was it a large amount.

I enjoyed the rest of the night galloping about, active so that the spray kicked up by puddles flew in the right direction and aid my poise. Riding all sorts of beasts over the course of my VR career, horses were a bit banal, but that simplified getting used to them again. A lot less of a pain to stay on than chimeras and hippogriffs or gryphons, and anything else with feathers really, even without a saddle.

A saddle did need to be put on the list of acquisitions I needed to make. After all the leveling up I did, outrunning the horse probably wouldn’t be too difficult. The real reason it would serve me well, other than looking cooler than walking everywhere like some peasant, was to carry Ria and Tagalong Girl. I doubted they had experience bareback or otherwise, and it wouldn’t be good for them to fall off at first gallop. They needed to start on easy mode before trying it on hard.

Keeping Ria from falling off without a saddle also would present some difficulties, so there was that too. Even without one, it would at least be a step up.

Horsing around until it was almost morning, I ended the spell and headed back to the house before dawn broke. First stopping by the storehouse to grab the grains for breakfast, I hoped to stay out of the paladins’ eyes until they left. Storing the foodstuffs into Inventory until it was time to eat, I hopped on my bunk, crossing my legs while waiting.

That didn’t take long, and a couple hours after returning, the sun rose up and the clerics and paladins went on their merry way. Feeding Ria and heading out, let me detect Ross and Troy moving towards the forest, so I ran over to them to catch up.

The brothers looked a bit tired, despite maintaining their usual confident strides; I caught up to them without alerting them to my presence. They spaced out as they walked, so I had to grab their attention.

“Oi, what’s up with you two? Did those guys cause any trouble?”

“Ah, Twig!” Ross slightly fumbled as he adjusted his stride. “It’s nothing to do with the Church. We’re used to that sort of thing, and Pan keeps it under control.”

“Hmm, that sort of thing? I stayed inside, what happened?”

“Er, nothing out of the ordinary, just a few offerings…” Ross uncomfortably shifted, trying to keep a pace that made conversation difficult. Troy continued in a much less abashed fashion. “They went ahead and took two barrels of fish. As if they need that, they had plenty of food in their cart, and they wouldn’t stoop to eating that stuff. It’s just petty greed.”

“You oaf! They may have overstepped some unwritten boundaries, but they are still the Church. By right of power and protection, they could have taken more and still been within what was allowed of them. The entire country rests on the work they do.”

“Ai, ai, I got it, no need to start such serious bickering over it. I’m sorry I asked.” Two things you shouldn’t talk about are religion and politics, and this was both of them rolled into one. They were pretty close, so it obviously didn’t come between them, but I’d rather not get caught up in it. Luckily that had just been an accidental digression of the topic anyway.

“Alright, no problem. It’s not like this sycophant is going change his mind.”

“Says the ungrateful weasel.” Exchanging glares, somehow the argument lowered the tension. “Well that wasn’t what bothered me. Their presence just reminded us that you were probably going to be leaving soon. It wouldn’t make sense for you to stay long enough to pay taxes as well, would it?”

“If it was only taxes, I’d gladly stay, a bit longer, but you inadvertently hit the nail on the head, got it right.” A few silver pieces didn’t mean much to me since I raided Oirk’s treasury. “Speaking of which, I found some money on my adventures. Think of this as return with interest.”

Grabbing three aurum from my Inventory, I made sure none were the coin that was given to me; that would be kept as a keepsake. Handing one over to each of them, I held up the third. It was to make sure I didn’t have to reach into Inventory a second time, and to show that I still had sufficient funds. Even so, slipping the coins into their hands was difficult, and not because we were still walking.

“This...this is a lot of money Twig.” Troy stammered out, holding up the coin to the light, as if in disbelief. “Hah! You’re a great guy! Downright magical, I would say.”

“Are you sure you don’t need this? The reason we were able to make that much money is because we can manage to save up some every year. Traveling is an uncertain life—”

“You think he needs to be told that? Twig knows, and he’s still giving this to us. Be more grateful if you think that, don’t ignore the goodwill of others.”

“Hahaha, ahh, you two; I have money for a long time now. It’s not enough to live extravagantly for the rest of my life, but there certainly won’t be any trouble due to a lack. Besides, money can only be used to buy things. It’s better to be able to gather what you need with your own hands. Let’s set out, shall we?”

Brightening the mood, we set out for one last day working in the forest together. Along with ‘Longshaft’, the trees were felled quicker than before, Ross and Troy wearing expressions of disbelief. Going from a weakling to one who possessed superhuman strength, if not for the simple and sturdy construction of my axe, it may not have been able to take the stress.

I still required their help figuring out exactly which trees were good for cutting. Even so, the trees dropped like flies, and we continuously shifted through the forest. Apparently they kept to a system to help them stay sustainable. The pattern seemed less important than the timescale, after all, hardly any stumps were to be found anywhere, and the coppiced trees were all ready to harvest—though the regrown trunks were not always suitable as their predecessors had been.

Ross and Troy went over some other strange and esoteric trivia about the woods in between dumb jokes. Not that I didn’t find them entertaining, but they weren’t anything to write home about.

We enjoyed the time out there, but the two of them decided to head back earlier than usual. Only so much timber could be processed and there would be no point if half rotted away. Relegating the afternoon to cleaning up and splitting the logs, I led the way back.

“Hey Twig, you’re veering a little to the side. We’ll pop out at least a mile away if we keep heading this direction.” Troy lightly ribbed at me after a few minutes of walking. That required quite the sense of direction to be able to tell, although I wasn’t taking a detour on accident.

“I need to show you guys somewhere.” My voice sounded hushed, at least compared to the usual loud tone I used around Ross and Troy. This area of the forest was without sound, stilled by yesterday’s preparations. “I plan on leaving tomorrow.”

“Wait, tomorrow? So soon?”

“I’ve already stayed here far longer than I ever anticipated. It’s been fun, but residing in this village stifles my duties. The time has come.”

“Gah, I can’t believe it…” Troy shook his head. “It seemed like that day would never ome, and then you said it would be soon, and it turns out you’re vanishing tomorrow? I guess it would explain why you’ve been speaking with Pan lately, but still…”

“You figured that the arrival of the tax collectors would be the latest I could leave. How is it that surprising?”

“We knew, it’s just different for some reason when you give an actual date like that.”

“I suppose it is that way in certain instances.” People do occasionally have a poor grasp of the vague. For example, if you say a disaster will happen sometime in the next six months, it makes no sense to be surprised if it happens that very day. Yet very few people will be able to remain calm if that is the case. Having an absurdly high level of power does help you keep a cool head in nearly every instance though. Being bald helps you keep a cool head as well, but I would like to avoid that. “In any case, I do plan on coming back one day.”

“You’ve said that before—not saying I don’t look forward to that day, but more to the point, why are we out here? Something...strange has happened around here.” Ross looked around warily. His brother was also on edge, but tried harder to conceal it.

“You have some exceptional senses, or maybe I’m just not as stealthy about it as I thought I was.” Looking at the ground I kicked at the soft earth. “I sincerely hope you will never have to worry. The village does live peacefully, and maybe that won’t change. But I do not expect my journey to be a swift one, and many things may happen in the interim.”

Walking over to a tree one couldn’t wrap their arms around, Ross and Troy gazed upon the black and rotting pattern on the trunk. Though slightly abstract, Negative Energy carved the hint of an ominous visage. Using ranis petals and a catalyst applied to the inside, rot and healing should both have been prevented, leaving a permanent disfigurement.

“Let this mark remind you, the path of magic is not a light one. Power was not designed for man, it is man who made designs for power. Whether for good or ill, it can be tamed through knowledge and force of will.

“Trying to keep magicians from power is not something I am unable to understand. Some of us are privy to knowledge that many would rather not see used. This too I can understand. In light of that, unless the lives of the village are at stake, and the church has abandoned you, do not make use of it, lest you draw their ire.”

Giving a warning, I tried to make it as impactful as possible. Too short and the gravitas would not set in, too long, and important details would be lost among bloviating and flowery language. At least the rotting face had been etched with enough care, empty sockets soullessly confirming that what was present was not meant to be trifled with. The villager’s breathing ever so slightly increased—letting me feel relieved that they were taking it seriously.

“To activate the magic, you must chant, and stab into the ground in the direction the face gazes. The closer to a straight path in front of it, the better. Repeat this at least three times, and do not fear. I’ll teach you the chant on the way back, so that it is not accidentally engaged, but recall that penetrating the ground is the most important step.”

“What...will happen then?” Ross suspiciously glared at the Face of Rot, unconsciously taking half a step back, as if trying to move away from its field of vision.

“Perhaps a summoning, a binding, or dark magic. I do not know what you would call it here. However, no matter what it appears to be, the one who calls upon it shall be its first master. It can only be a tool and has no desire. There may be none who would tolerate its existence, which is why you are not to activate it unless the lives of the village are at stake.”

“We understand!” Troy, quick to put his faith in me snapped to attention. “You use the tools you have, whatever it may be, you’ve done it with us in mind. Since you’ve told us, we won’t betray that!”

I smiled at the enthusiasm.

“Remember this spot. I’ll tell you how to activate it on the way back.”

So the three of us departed from the silent patch of earth, feet sinking every so slightly into the occasional patch of loose earth. Underneath, an army of skeletons and zombies blanketed the ground past just a few inches of topsoil, waiting for the call that would hopefully never come.