Seems like the weather isn’t going to cooperate with us today. Dark clouds are approaching quickly from the east. The air humidity is increasing. It’s certainly going to rain soon. Though there has been some rain before, I have not seen any storms pass through here in the past month. The climate in this part of Zamora seems to be drier than Delos. Cracked earth, yellowing grasslands and sparser vegetation are good signs that there hasn’t been much rain lately. In the forest it was harder to notice this, but after seeing the farmland around Batna it’s become obvious.

“The crops around here don’t seem to be doing that well. Has there been a drought recently or is it always like this?” I asked one of the farmers.

“Aye, the rains we get in summer and autumn have been few this year. The harvest is hurting. A few more weeks of this and we would’ve been in big trouble. Thankfully it looks to be raining soon. We should be able to save most of the harvest.”

That confirms it. I wonder how much of this land was affected. A shortage of food could be a big problem when so many soldiers are moving around. Well, maybe it won’t be if they are well-supplied by the kingdom. I didn’t check how much of their food is obtained locally. The logistics of mobilizing an army is not something I’m familiar with. It would be a good idea to find out now that I’m going to be directly involved in their affairs.

After the short mission briefing, I followed Asher so he can introduce me to the team I will be working with. Apparently the 80 people in Bloodmoon are divided into 16 teams, each one containing 5 or 6 people. All teams have one member who acts as the leader. This person has extra responsibilities, but the others have a duty to follow his orders. Refusing to follow a superior’s orders in the military has major consequences. One might even be executed. Deciding punishment is probably Asher’s role.

None of this comes as a surprise. This kind of organization is standard practice in Amisos too. Naturally, I don’t really like the idea of being a subordinate to someone I don’t know. There’s a chance I could be led to my demise without being allowed any say in the matter. As for the positive aspects, the people in this unit seem quite competent and are therefore unlikely to make stupid mistakes. All of them look strong. I should be able to gain a lot of experience by working with them and seeing how they operate. It’s definitely better than being a foot soldier in the some noble’s army.

As I walk with the captain, I inquire about some things that bother me.

“I heard from one of the locals that there was a drought here. Can you tell me anything about that?”

“From what I heard, the dry season was a bit rougher than usual. At the same time, several areas in Amisos to the north have been getting sudden bursts of heavy rain which led to flooding. A lot of crops were lost. It will probably affect our mission, though it’s hard to guess how much.”

“Isn’t that what our mission is? To find out what is happening so the army can plan accordingly?”

“More or less. Don’t worry too much about the details. Worrying is my job. You can just follow instructions and you’ll be fine.”

I can see why his subordinates respect him so much. He’s an optimistic guy with a natural charisma that makes people want to follow him. He’s pretty much the opposite of someone like me who worked alone all his life. Earlier it was implied that he has direct ties to the king. Assuming that’s not an empty boast, this is my chance to get an audience with King Hamal himself. It’s important that I bring these influential people on my side and, for that to happen, I must be confident too. I know I can do this.

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Standing before us are four veterans of the battlefield. They all have their heads uncovered so that we can see each other clearly I would assume. Beside me is Asher who is directing the meeting. One by one, he begins naming them.

“This will be your team for the immediate future. The man on the left is Gamo. The two of you have already met.”

I recognize the man that Asher had me duel with. As a skilled mage by anyone’s standard, there must be a fair number of things to learn from his experience. He is tall and sturdy, which explains why he was so agile during our fight. His solid build and style of combat remind me of Alex, my old friend at the Magic Academy. Gamo nods in a friendly manner and I respond in kind. It seems we will get along.

“Beside him is Qasim. He prefers to keep his background a secret and doesn’t talk very much but he’s quite dependable. His specialty is information gathering and assassination.” The man in question glances briefly at me and then looks away. He has dark-brown hair and looks young, probably around my age or even less.

“To the right is Inaya. She is a talented mage in her own right and also has considerable interest in magic research. Perhaps the two of you have some things in common.” Her reddish-brown hair falls to her shoulders and she stares coldly at me with grey eyes.

“Last but not least is Mikel, a gold-rank member of the Warrior’s Guild. He will likely save your life many times in a head-on battle. Try to get along, everyone. We are comrades-in -arms.” The man is wearing padded armor which shows off his incredibly muscular arms. A number of scars are visible on his body, including his cheek which looks to have healed from a deep cut. He looks at me with a disinterested expression.

“Will do. May I know who the team leader is?” I interject.

“Right, that would be me.” Asher responds. “I will be observing how well you do and determine what tasks suit you best. Naturally, if you fail to meet expectations or if you cause too many problems, I will not be very forgiving. Sound good?” He demands in a serious tone.

“Yes, sir.” I respond with a military salute in the manner I witnessed earlier. He is my superior now, after all.

“Everyone get your mounts. We are departing.”

With his words, the group disperses and heads toward the stables where the horses are stationed.

“Hey, you.” The woman named Inaya calls out to me as she was passing by. She speaks in a quiet voice, almost a whisper. “Don’t think for a moment that you can take it easy just because the captain is nice to you. If you compromise our mission or hinder us in any way, I will bury you with earth magic so deeply that your corpse will never be found.” Without sparing a single glance, she continues walking toward the stables at a brisk pace.

Mind your own business, I think to myself.

All of Bloodmoon is assembled once again and we begin our ride through the countryside. I was given a new, faster horse so that I can keep up with the group. The old horse will stay with Nashira. As we discussed yesterday, she will be travelling with the army while I’m away. She will not be joining Bloodmoon and therefore will not take part in their missions. We are going to return to the army anyway. It seemed like she wasn’t entirely happy with this proposal, but she did not voice a single word of complaint.

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Three days have passed since we left Batna. Nothing eventful has happened so far. We are still inside the borders of Zamora. We ride while the sun is up and then rest during the night. We travelled on the road the entire time, making good progress thanks to our abnormally fast horses. They must have been selectively bred to increase their speed. Everyone is lightly armored so as not to put much weight on the horses. This makes us even faster. The army will take twice as long to cover the same distance. I could move even faster by using ‘Divine Step’, but that’s not really an option right now.

We have been getting intermitted bursts of rainfall. It pours on us for a few hours and then stops, only to return some time later. The dirt roads are full of slippery mud which could slow us down a lot. Fortunately the one we’re on has rocks and gravel that act as pavement.

We pass by a number of villages. Almost every square kilometer of farmable land is being put to use. I don’t know very much about farming but even I can tell that things aren’t going well for the villagers. Many crops are dead or dying. The harvest is bad. A lack of food during winter is inevitable and a significant number of people could die unless they receive outside help. Such is the harsh reality of a peasant who must depend on the land for survival.

What happens during times like these is most nobility will refuse to decrease the amount of taxes they collect. Although it’s unlikely that any rich family will face a food shortage, the mere thought that it could happen will cause them to start hoarding food, leaving the peasants to fend for themselves. The idea that famines are amplified by the nobility is extremely controversial. Fortunately for them, they can take comfort in the fact that few peasants can read and even fewer are educated. It makes me sad to think that I’m a part of their ranks, or at least I used to be.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that my appetite has decreased a lot. It was difficult to notice when living alone in the forest, but now that I’m eating the same food rations as everybody else, there is no doubt. The amount I need to eat is roughly half of the normal amount a soldier needs. At first I suspected it may be because of the sudden change in lifestyle or perhaps an illness. Going from a sedentary life in the forest to riding a horse for days might have that effect. Now I’m starting to think it’s a side-effect of the ‘Origin’ spell. I don’t feel weak or sick and I have the same level of energy as normal. Eating half as much without feeling a lack of energy is impossible unless it’s my body itself that changed. Nashira did mention that ‘Origin’ manifests differently for each person and that physical changes are likely. “Some of them might be unpleasant” she said, but I haven’t felt anything bad so far. Needing less food to eat is a positive change in my opinion.

One of the downsides of my new job in Bloodmoon is that food quality has decreased. Gone are the days of fresh meat and forest berries. They are replaced by bread and dried meat every day. We are still in the countryside with farm fields stretching in every direction, so it’s also possible to buy food from villagers. I doubt they have much to spare because of the terrible weather though.

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Another three days have passed. Yesterday, we crossed a river which apparently marks the border between Amisos and Zamora. The damn rain won’t stop. It’s like the clouds are following everywhere we go. I’m told that river we crossed is usually just a small stream.

I can dry my clothes pretty well thanks to a combination of water and arcane magic. The mage robe I’m wearing is impermeable. I can only imagine how unpleasant it must be for the soldiers who are wearing armor. However, we can’t delay our mission just because it’s raining. We continue to ride at a fast pace. Everyone looks highly motivated even in these conditions.

The time has come for Bloodmoon to split up as mentioned by Asher during his briefing. Each team will travel to a different town, with only a few exploring the wilderness. After confirming everyone’s instructions, Asher returns to his six-man team.

“We will be going westward to a town called Delfoi” he explains.

It takes us almost a day to reach our destination. This town looks slightly smaller than Batna and it doesn’t have Batna’s defensive fortifications. The security isn’t as tight either. Immediately after arriving, Asher heads toward the nobles’ district to meet with the town leaders. Gamo goes with him. Qasim also leaves to accomplish his own task, leaving me, Inaya and the muscular Mikel to wait for them at a tavern.

“Hey, boy. Why don’t you drink while we’re here? There’s plenty of beer and wine to go around.” Mikel asks in a rough, croaky voice.

“My name is Rigel and I don’t like to drink while on the job. Alcohol slows down the mind.”

“Hah, what would you know? Wine is a warrior’s blood. I bet you don’t want to ‘cause you can’t handle it. Whatever, it’s your loss.” He says while making a dismissive gesture, after which he goes to order more drinks.

What a musclehead. Even as a gold-rank warrior, he doesn’t have half the discipline that the silver-ranked Selene showed. Strength is meaningless if your judgment is impaired. This is even truer for a mage like me. It’s good to see that Inaya, who is sitting in a corner, has the good sense to avoid alcohol right now. Even if it’s considered normal and even if Asher permits drinking on the job, that doesn’t mean we should. I’m not here to play around.

After sitting in the tavern for about 3 hours, evening is upon us. The town is becoming dark and the captain hasn’t returned yet. I’m not impatient but I do wish he’d told us to do something. Watching people get drunk in a tavern is not what I expected from my first mission.

My thoughts drift to the people I’ve left behind. My friend Alex; Selene Gaios, the capable warrior; the mysterious Nashira; I wonder how they’re all doing.

Since I’m just sitting around, I might as well take this chance to do a bit of meditation. This practice should be done in a quiet environment, but I’ve practiced it to the point where it’s possible to do it anywhere at any time. All it takes is closing my eyes and focusing my attention inward. Feel the mana circuits hum gently, feel the breath as it flows. I am still as a rock on a stormy coastline, unmoved by shifting tides around me. Mana is the sea. I feel the tides and resist their pressure. I am a sea stack.

Wait, something is off here. There is a high concentration of mana in the north-west part of the town. A lot of people must be gathered there. Is it some kind of event that I’m not aware of?

“Rigel, wake up.” My eyes snap open at the unfamiliar sound. In front of me is Qasim, whose voice I haven’t heard until now. His expression is stern.

“I wasn’t sleeping. It’s a form of meditation. Do you need something?”

“We need to group up. There’s an attack happening in town.”

He then goes to warn Inaya and Mikel. Waiting for us outside is Gamo.

“What did captain say? Are we fighting or just watching?” Mikel asks him. Everyone looks alert, including the heavy drinker.

“We will assist the town guards. Silently eliminate hostiles and avoid harming civilians if possible. I will join you soon. Those are his words.”

“What about the newbie? He could blow our cover.” Inaya interjects.

Gamo turns to me and says “Rigel, we handle things like this quietly and without making a show of it. Move like a shadow and blend in as much as possible. Can you do that?”

“No problem. I have some experience with stealth.”

“Great, let’s go then. Follow me.”