Mirio sat on the side bank next to the grand canal. A massive fleet of ships passed heading towards the northern horizon, hemmed in by the banks of the western kingdom and the midlands. The manmade stretch of water was just a few hundred paces wide but stretched through the entire continent, making it the shortest path of travel from the southern and northern seas. On the western side was an enormous range of mountains in the distance the color of rust. Sparse woodlands and labyrinthian rock cracks dotted the otherwise arid landscape, which was in stark contrast to the midlands which were lush. The western winds and the rain with it was said to be caught by the other side of the mountains, and only by the time you reached the midlands did it fall again. A solitary puff of cloud moved overhead as Mirio sat within the short grass. The wind coming from the south hit against the surface of the water causing it to ripple, but Mirio himself was unmoved by it. Sitting in a meditative pose he settled his mind and gently closed his eyes. Around him emanated a dark aura that extended about fifty paces. He placed two fingers to his side and swished them in a circle, followed by a few sharp lines, to cast the sigil for prestidigitation.

*If I focus on the primordial energy, infuse it deeply into the foundations of the spell, while opening my magical gates slowly*

Grains of dirt, flecks of grass, and several small grass beetles, began to lift all around him. Tendrils of kinetic energy twisted and morphed. Each gate in his body, lit up like little blue lights, and buzzed with magical energy. Mana seeped through the opening cracks and trickled into the kinetic tendrils of the spell.

*If I sense deeper, past the primordial, into the universal energies that connect divine and arcane energy…*

Mirio extended two fingers of his other hand and slowly drew a divine sigil of light. The magical gates glowed with golden light, and magical energy slowly oozed from his body into the streams of prestidigitation all around him. The golden light streamed all around him like a thousand different rivers branching into one another, before overflowing to fill the entire space of his prestidigitation spell.

*I have to use them in balance with one another. Controlling the gates in harmony. Infusing each with their own primordial energy, and maintaining the link between the mana pools*

As Mirio concentrated on juggling each of the tasks, he felt a serenity overcome him like never before. A wind swept up from the canal and brushed his hair back. The soft caress of each ribbon of the breeze stirred magic that danced just below the surface of his skin. His lips dropped open, as all the muscles of his face further relaxed.

*Now that both the divine and arcane spells are in harmony, I should extend the radius further*

Mirio’s concentration deepened and the dark aura around him grew. The tendrils of prestidigitation reached out several yards further carrying the light with them.

*Further*

The dark aura grew thick in the surrounding air, almost to the point that Mirio sat within a dark plane, surrounded only by the tendrils of his prestidigitation and the glow of his holy light. The only sense he had of the world around him was the billowing of the wind against his skin and the pressure of the ground below him. He began to spread the spell out beyond him further and further. From five paces, to ten, and then from ten paces, to twenty, and then twenty five. The feeling was intoxicating to Mirio, as if a euphoria flowed through his veins, he knew he should stop, but there was a feeling that if he commanded it, his magic might reach even further.

The gnome’s advice lingered within his mind.

*That is right… This isn’t about gaining more power, but learning further control*

Mirio embraced the energy surging from within his body, but at the same time stopped pushing the energy to stream out any further. And it was in that moment something changed within the nature of the spell. An incredible clarity came over him like nothing he had ever felt before, and within the darkness it was as if he could open his eyes.

All around him stormed magical energies, like streams of molten glass, casting their pressure over everything and weaving into the nature of the world. Sparks of light were carried by the wind that brushed against his skin, and a glow of heat emanated from deep in the earth.

His blood became warm, his skin supple, and the control over every muscle in his body was finer and more precise. He then attempted to close his eyes within this plane and return to his body, but was startled to realise that he couldn’t. It was as if this realm was drawing him in, and ensnaring him.

*I have to relax, I have to slowly unfold all of my magical energies, bit by bit*

*I can sense my left hand, if I gently draw the sigil again but with less intensity it should dim the divine light. And then with my right… Can I feel it… I think so… Then let me redraw the sigil and dim the kinetic energy*

The glow of his light spell began to soften, the spiralling energy of the prestidigitation began to calm, and along with them the darkness began to ease back. Mirio’s mind drifted back into the world around him, and the magic of the ethereal plane slipped back away.

As the last of the magic evaporated Mirio opened his eyes and let out a controlled breath.

*It is difficult to control magic when it connects into your own desires, and makes you feel so good, but that is when you need to be most diligent*

Mirio chuckled and then rubbed his hands over his face to return his perspective back to normal.

*I must improve my ability to handle pleasure and pain, so that my magic won’t be at risk of losing control. Then if I keep pushing myself further, I should be able to train the strength of my magical gates*

“Now that I think about it… The oath I made as I fought off the curse of the dagger fits perfectly into this training”

4 hours later…

As the sunlight was setting over the rocky landscape beyond the canal, Mirio chanted a mantra with the resolve of a true paladin.

“I will fight hardest when weakest,

I will not be defeated by veils of truth,

I will remember who I am,

I won’t let this be cheapened,

I believe in more”

Light in all the colors of the rainbow swirled and danced around him.

Mirio, dimmed the output of magical energy and ceased casting the spells.

“Is this a new spell?”

He looked down at his hand, and thought about the feeling it created within his body and soul, “It was like an oasis, a place where it seemed anything was possible, where my ability to think was clearer than at any other time in my life… Yes, it is a new spell, and its name is Oasis!”

Mirio looked at the setting sun and stood to his feet.

“It is time to head back, or I will be late for my first night of work”, he paused for a moment longer and remarked, “The sunset really is beautiful over the mountains”.

He gathered up his things and headed back to the barracks.

…

Dereo, “There he is! Hey Mirio, cutting the timing a little close aren’t you?! We were about to head out without you!”

Mirio, “Looks like somebody is a little too eager to get to work. I don’t think I am late, am I captain?”

Captain, “No lad you are right on time, the same can’t be said for the Tower though, he is probably out by the mill could you run out and fetch him, then head out to each of the city taverns with him and check everything is running smoothly”

Mirio, “Sure thing”

Captain, “Do you have everything?”

Mirio, “Yup I’m good”

Captain, “Good lad, I know you might be eager to prove yourself as one of the guard, but if anything comes up leave it to the Tower, ease yourself into things”

Mirio, “Right”

Dereo, “Does that mean I’m doing patrol with one of these layabouts then?” he said as he kicked one of the other guardsmans feet off a bench, “Liven up Carlson, we’ve got ourselves a job to do”

The moonlight shone brightly overhead as Mirio weaved through the streets, and over the grassy fields towards the mills.

The Tower’s enormous silhouette stood at the doorway to the mill as his wife wrapped herself around him in an enormous full bodied hug, and his daughters clung each onto one of his legs.

“I love you, I will see you later tonight, and as for you my darling girls, you guys get off to bed and don’t give mommy any trouble”

Mirio came to a halt about ten paces away.

“Ah, Mirio, did the cap send you out. I’ll be with you in a second”

“Take your time bud”

The Tower’s wife looked over at Mirio, “Is this the new kid you told me about?”

“Yeah that is the one”

“He isn’t THAT small, you had me picturing him as one of the halfling folk, he is actually above average I’d say, you are just such a lump that you don’t notice”

“Hmph”

The Tower gave his wife one last kiss and left her to usher his daughters back into the house. Mirio waved as one of the girls stood in the doorway and stared at him, “Come on sweetheart, come on in”.

The Tower walked up to Mirio and gave him a hearty slap on the back, “What’d the cap say”

Mirio, “To visit the Taverns, do you know which order you normally do them in?”

The Tower nodded, “Mmph”

…

As the duo arrived at Gimly’s tavern “The Wolf In the Mist” the Tower poked at Mirio’s leather armor. “Why are you still wearing trainee leathers?”

“I’ve never trained in plate, it would be dangerous if we were to get into a fight and I fell over myself”

“It was never a problem for me when I switched, I don’t see the problem”

“Yeah… I can see why it wouldn’t be a problem for you”

“Well, cast that armor spell of yours, you never know what might happen as soon as you step in the door”

“Right”, Mirio waved his two fingers in a sigil, “Mage armor” and blue armor slipped over his leathers.

“Okay let’s head in”

The door creaked, as the two entered into the empty bar. A maid was busy behind the counter preparing barrels of liquor. She glanced up momentarily and then immediately dismissed the pair and continued her tasks.

Tower “Takes a little while to get going in Gimly as the woodcutters have to walk back from the forest, and the farmers have to finish up cleaning their equipment and the like”

He then turned to the maid behind the bar, “You expecting a few tonight”

The maid wiped her brow and stood tall, “Ay like always”, she looked at Mirio “A new edition to the guard?”.

The Tower, “Yup, he might look small but he’s strong as an ox, you are safe in our hands”

Maid “No I didn’t mean to say he was small, just that he was new”

Mirio “Don’t worry he says this thing all the time, I’m used to it”

Maid “Ah you seem like a nice lad, well be sure to head back later when it gets rowdy”

Mirio “Will do”

The Tower turned and walked back out the door.

Mirio “So I know we are just checking in with the taverns now, but what happens later”

The Tower “Well, normally we station a guard at each of the taverns, while a partner roams the area close by, while another duo scouts the streets, and yet another bunch of guards the perimeter. But early in the night we just visit place to place while it is quiet so the other guards can check the surrounding woods and farmlands to make sure fences and the like are solid and there aren’t any monster tracks nearby. We do that in the day too but we put more guards on at the night so that everyone can sleep sound”

Mirio “Okay so which tavern will we do later?”

“Since you live in Gimly I suspect the Cap will put you on this one, but I normally guard Elmvale because it is the most rowdy, since it has the port, and the noble districts. After the Cap is done with checks he’ll let the runners know who is where and they’ll let us know”

Mirio “Runners?”

“Some of the experienced guard supervisors get the role of checking in on everybody and they are called runners, but of course they don’t actually run unless it is an emergency”

“Right”

Mirio “When you said runners I thought that meant they were like messenger boys”

“No no, it is far too important of a job to give to just a messenger, they are also problem solvers and use their experience to gather information about what is happening around town on any particular night, and they are trained how to react to different emergencies. Also it is important you know and trust a runner otherwise anyone could come up and tell you that you are meant to be guarding somewhere else and you would end up leaving your post unmanned. And for this reason they are carefully selected so that they don’t get bribed from criminals to do that sort of thing”

Mirio “Are bribes that common?”

“In the noble districts there are really harsh laws against it, and you have guard auditors that maintain and check the role of the runners and all of the guards to ensure they are not… But in outlying districts where the nobles don’t do that kind of thing, yeah, it happens”

Mirio “Is there anything else I should know?”

The Tower nodded and then pointed to the tavern up ahead, “Yes, this tavern here, it isn’t connected to any town or village, and that means that travellers of all kinds visit here. Including bandits”

Mirio “Bandits? Why don’t we just kick them out”

Tower “There are two reasons, the first is that the owner of the tavern makes a lot of money from them, and the second is that he gives us intel on the structures of their organisations and keeps his ears open for intelligence that helps us ward off attacks. There are always going to be bandits and criminals, and for every bandit in the tavern you could potentially lock away another ten are out in the surrounding lands. It just makes more sense to keep an eye on them and get wind on what is happening in the surrounding lands”

Mirio adjusted uncomfortably in his armor before they entered the tavern.

*How should I act around the bandits? Should I act tougher and show them that I am boss, or would that agitate them and cause them to gang up on us? Or should I act friendlier and win them over with charm so they feel a sense of duty when interacting with us? But can a bandit have a sense of duty? What if I let down my guard and they use it to stick a knife in my back?*

Mirio cranked his neck and took a breath as he walked into the tavern.

The hustle and bustle of patrons hit him like a blast to all of his senses. The Tower gripped hands with a large tattooed man, and laughed heartily as they shared a bro hug and exchanged banter. A powerfully built woman sat at the table beside him, with a greatsword slung on her back. Her battleworn armor had markings and inscriptions all over it. She twisted around with a wide drunken smile.

“Hey, it’s a new fella! Hey newbie, come here!”

Mirio first scanned the bar around him with a glance, and took in the behaviour of the other groups. None of them seemed agitated so he then stepped towards the woman and nodded to her while looking at the markings on her armor.

“Oh, you are curious about my armor. Each mark is for a battle won, they are like tokens of respect”

Mirio acted aloof and somewhat dismissive, “That is cool I guess”

“If you want to get into a scrap sometime, I’d be happy to fight you, got a spot right here that hasn’t got a mark on it yet”

Mirio looked around the tavern and he spotted a fighting pit, “You mean over there?” he dismissively agreed to her proposal, “Sure let’s do it”

*Mirio figured that she was just attempting to intimidate him and had a crude sense of humor, but he felt like if he took initiative to start a battle it might just warm the bandits to his presence and help him get a better feel on their character in general*

“Ha!” she shouted in surprise, “I didn’t expect you to have balls on you!” she then grinned and looked at him head to toe and pushed her way past him towards the pit, “Let’s do this then”.

Mirio tapped the Tower on the shoulder and whispered to him “I’ll be back in a bit, you do your thing”

The Tower looked at him and then the woman heading to the ring and the tattooed man beside him burst out in laughter and slapped the Tower on the back, “looks like your partner here loves a scrap like the rest of us”. The Tower nodded, “Alright, I’ll handle things in the tavern until you are done”.

Mirio couldn’t help but feel a flush of nerves as he followed the woman into the ring, there was something unmistakingly intimate about it. The promise of clashing swords, exchanging blows, as well as the mental connection required to fight one another, was a promise like that of a deep embrace. The shape of her physique came into Mirio’s focus for a moment, and while she was powerfully built she was unmistakingly a woman. With ample breasts and a shapely figure she could even be considered quite beautiful if it wasn’t for her gruff attitude.

Mirio turned to a couple of the groups of patrons near the fighting pit and waved his hand in a signal to make a ruckus. Quickly catching on to the fact that a fight was about to take place they merrily stamped their feet and clanked the metal of their mugs against the tables.

Crowd: “Fight! There is a fight!”, “A newbie guard is taking on Talon”, “Whoa Talon is going to fight one of the guards!”

Mirio unsheathed his sword and raised it above his head, “This is for all you folk who came here for a good time, I’m Mirio, and I thought I’d introduce myself by giving y’all a show”

Talon smirked and looked around her, “You are a confident one aren’t you”, she then slid her greatsword off her back and brought it back and down at her side.

Mirio *she is taking a similar stance to the tower, she will have to swing her sword upwards, and it will probably be used to deflect my sword so she can swing a strike from the side or overhead. The best counter will be to sidestep and force the following blow to come from one side*

Mirio’s fingers gripped softly onto the hilt of his runesword, and mana gently rippled into its metal producing small flickers of white light.

Talon “Shall we put a wager on our battle?”, she nodded at his sword, “You have a nice sword there, how about it? A sword for a sword?”

Mirio “This sword is worth ten of yours, you’ll have to put up something else”

Talon smirked, “Then how about my sword arm, if you beat me, I will fight at your call if the need arises”

Mirio “Alright, you have a bet”

Just as soon as Mirio ended his sentence Talon charged towards him with a fierce roar. The swing of her sword tore up through the air, Mirio deftly dodged to the side, forcing her to turn in order to swing her next blow from above. The tip of Mirio’s blade followed the hilt of her sword and he deflected the next blow with a simple twist of his wrist causing it to crash down.

Mirio pulled back his front foot and then trotted around her in a wide arc, forcing Talon to pivot and pursue him.

*By forcing her to pursue, I can restrict the types of attacks she can use, and as she misses she will be further forced to use the fastest of those attacks… Which will make her predictable*

Talon swung her sword at Mirio as if he was a bug to swat, but each time she did, Mirio pivoted and took a new angle forcing her to chase and close the distance. Each time he did he would introduce a twisting motion in how he moved his sword and a shift in his shoulder alignment, these pseudo-feints would act as a smokescreen for future counters and act as a warning to keep Talon on her guard.

SLASH, SLASH, CHING!

Mirio dodged her slashes, and then clashed swords momentarily as she attempted to lunge forward with a pierce.

*This is her longest range attack, and her fastest. She has only used it once so far, but if I can frustrate her some more…*

Mirio “You have all that strength, but you are too slow to hit anything”

Talon grit her teeth, “Stand still and fight me like a man!”

SLASH SLASH SLASH

Her swings cut through the air in a wild flurry. Her strength and skill with the sword kept her form tight, so there was no discernable weakness in any of the attacks, but Mirio knew that keeping that kind of form would take a toll on her stamina, and as she grew fatigued those seemingly invulnerable attacks would start to expose vulnerabilities in her form. He pivoted and moved, his footwork like that of a dancer, flowing from one movement to the next like water might fill a cup.

Mirio “Aww come now, I thought women liked a little foreplay?”

Crowd: “Wow, Talon hasn’t even connected once”, “I thought the little fella would have been knocked out by now”, “He’s just running away, but it is a smart choice versus Talon, not much else you can do”

Talon grunted and began to sweat as she threw her next attacks.

SLASH SLASH SWIPE

Her last blow had her spin the opposite way of her previous attack and sweep at Mirio’s legs. Mirio stepped both his feet back in time to avoid the blow and then he skirted around to her blindspot where he spanked the side of his sword against her knee to warn her that she might be more vulnerable than she thinks.

Talon *tsk, he is a cocky one. Doesn’t he know that many bandits are agile fighters like himself. I am more than aware of what he is doing. I don’t need to act on his provocation. I have trained myself to have air tight defense as I attack. A tap to my knee doesn’t say anything special*

SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH CHOP

She spun back to the other side with a slash then stepped forwards a step with her next attack, and then two steps with the following, and then a half step after that. She then spun her sword above her and chopped down in the direction Mirio was heading, all in order to push him backwards into the edge of the pit.

Mirio *That was an exquisite combination, did she design that specifically to follow after her swipe in case it missed? She understands how to create pressure to take space away from an opponent*

Mirio increased the pace of his footwork and feinted one direction while his actual intention was to move in the other. He brought his sword to a position where it almost touched Talon's but paid special attention that the blades didn’t clash to avoid giving her body information on where he was and how he was moving. He covered the area with his blade because he knew he was passing through her strike zone.

Poof

Mirio shot past Talon, and spun around her until he was in the middle of the pit, and she was now on the outside.

*The problem with pressuring attacks, is that when they don’t work, and everything is set back to zero, it makes you look like a fool*

Talon *Damn it, that usually works, he is faster than most. Looks like I will have to force an exchange, blow for blow in order to land a hit. Well, what is another scar amongst the others that I already have*

Mirio looked at Talon intensely, and noticed a change in how she was holding her shoulders. They relaxed ever so slightly as if she had discarded an assumption she held about Mirio.

*She is starting to realise her normal tactics won’t work. Normally when someone is too agile to pressure into a corner it means you have to force the exchange by taking a blow yourself. I should consider how to best take advantage of it*

Talon spun her sword, and began to steady her breathing. Drops of sweat began to accumulate across her brow, and drip down her face, and patter down onto her armor.

Crowd: “Talon is sweating”, “Look at Mirio, he is still fresh”, “Uh oh, Talon is pissed!”, “You done it now boy”

“Girls like a little foreplay, that is true, but now I am hot and bothered, how about you come a little closer”

Mirio “Gladly”, he said as taking a step towards her for the first time.

Talon *Fool! This is my chance. Now to strike with my fastest attack. Once I hit him, he will be set up for a counter where I can then finish him off!*

Her sword pierced out directly towards Mirio with startling speed. All of her muscles and veins bulged as she put everything into the speed of her attack. Dust spun up behind her as her feet lunged forwards as far as they could.

Mirio twisted the profile of his body allowing the blade to pass along his body. He then stepped forwards rapidly and dropped the tip of his sword. His hand closest to her sword arm gripped her wrist, and he then smashed her other arm with his shoulder as he spun his body into hers. With one swift motion he entered into a K like stance that appeared like her own, but then in gripping her arms, he tossed her over his shoulder, and drove her hard into the ground with a shoulder throw.

SMACK!

The thud was loud as her battle worn armor smacked against the dirt, and her legs smashed into each other. Mirio twisted violently and ripped her greatsword out of her hands and tossed it to the side he then flung the tip of his sword towards her neck while holding one of her arms, and pinned his other foot onto her waist.

Crowd: “He threw her!”, “He set her up!”, “What a move!”

Refusing to admit defeat, Talon dodged her head to the side, punched into Mirio’s leg with her free hand and wrestled her other arm free. Even if Mirio had wanted to pierce her neck, he would have only hit dirt. Mirio instead kicked his weight into her waist to reduce the leverage she could put into her blow. The blow was however still just powerful enough to grant her some relief from Mirio’s dominant position.

She attempted to scurry backwards, but Mirio pursued, slashing at her legs to trip and slow her, as his own footwork sped him into position at her side. He spiralled his sword around amidst her flailing arms, and then thrust hard into the division between her chest plate and one of her shoulder pauldrons, pinning her down before she could scramble far enough back to reach her sword. She reached behind her back and pulled a dagger and cut free her pauldron and pushed herself out from under Mirio’s sword. Mirio then circled around the other way, slashing and striking, forcing her to scramble in the opposite direction away from her sword.

Mirio *I have a choice, I can kick away her sword and let her stand, or I can follow her and keep up the pressure*

Mirio decided on the latter and kept slashing at her as she flailed and attempted to get up. It looked a bit like a disgusting scene, where a man was chasing after a woman in distress, but Mirio reminded himself that fights with bandits often looked this way. He forced his way between her legs, gripping one of her ankles and then he slashed hard at her abdomen, forcing her to defend with her dagger and deflect the blow upwards, past her face.

*She is brave I’ll give her that*

Mirio struck again, but this time it was a feint and her deflection hit nothing but air. He swiftly then hacked at her wrist.

CLUNK TING TING

His sword hit with a solid thump, and the dagger was tossed free. Mirio then drove his knee through her legs, and pinned one of them to the ground, he then wrestled his other leg around, and slipped into a mount position, and held his sword in a half blade position (which meant one hand half way up the blade). He pinned the blade up against her neck, as the entire weight of his body sat on her hips and left her helplessly exposed on her back. Even if she was to strike with her arms, she wouldn’t have enough leverage to do damage, and with a sword blade at her throat, just one twist from the flat to the edge of the blade would be all it would take to end her life.

Talon twitched painfully as the threat of life and death lingered within this man’s hands. She was forced like a deer within the fangs of a lion to admit defeat, and to accept her fate. A tear rolled down one of her cheeks as the pain was almost too much to bear.

Mirio knew the pain she was experiencing all too well, and so was steeled against the cold chill it evoked within him. He smiled warmly at Talon, and eased back his sword.

“Well, I guess this means I get to keep my sword”

“Aye” she snorted back, “You are worthy of that fine blade”

Mirio, “You fought well, you have real heart, and a cunning mind”

Talon, “Well I’m waiting?”

Mirio, “Waiting for what”

Talon, “Either fuck me, or get the fuck off of me”

Mirio cocked his head back in glorious laughter, “Haha, I will hop off”

Talon stood to her feet and dusted herself off. She then picked up her dagger, and sword and put them back onto her armor. She then swatted at the damaged pauldron “I’ll have to get this fixed, bah!”.

Crowd: “I can’t believe it, the new kid beat Talon”, “No way, the guard are no joke”, “Don’t be stupid, not all guards are that strong, just this one”, “Mirio! Mirio the Magnificent!”

Mirio turned sharply to the crowd, “Hey! Who spouted that crap! Knock it off! I’m not some carnival illusionist!”

The man who made the comment was prodded and bumped by his mates for the stupid remark.

Mirio, “Thank you all for your attention! I now command you all to enjoy your night!”

Talon, “You sure know how to talk to a crowd don’t you Mirio. Damn you are a strong fighter, where did you learn to throw a girl like that? I could’ve sworn I broke my ribs when I hit the ground”

“I’m just like anyone else really, lots of practice”

“I won’t fault you for acting modest after your victory, but you’ve gotta learn to lie better. Nobody who is smart is going to buy that nonsense”, she then bumped past him and headed back towards her table, but before she did so she turned, “You are alright, and like I promised, if you should ever need me I’ll have your back”.

Mirio nodded to her.

The Tower walked up to Mirio with shining eyes, “Haha! You really put her in her place! And look not even a scratch on you. You really gave these cut throats a reason to respect you”

Mirio smiled and nodded, but in the back of his mind he came to an entirely different conclusion.

*Talon was strong, if just a handful of fighters in this bar were as strong as her, just how powerful would a bandit gang be*

He couldn’t help but come to the realisation that in a life or death battle in this tavern the guards could be overwhelmed and killed. And if the bandits really wanted to, in greater numbers they could truly pose a threat to the towns. His victory didn’t suggest he would come out on top in all other battles, but rather the opposite, it had foretold that if he remained at his current ability level he would eventually lose. And while it was true that he used no magic in this battle to tip the scale, his magic was by far not powerful enough to tip the scales of battle enough that it would change this fact.

Mirio realised that the right way to act amidst the cut throats was to look out for himself, and to retreat if anything got rough. He would need to watch his back, always have his mind on the exits, and always set in place a means to force an escape if they were to attempt to cut him off or ambush him.

He was grateful for the fight, he had won a battle over his own ignorance because of it. In fact, his new awareness seemed suffocating, so instead of entering into conversation with the crowd who were waving at him to grab his attention and get to know him, he exited the tavern and entered into the cool night air.

He looked up at the stars, and held back a desire to roar at the top of his lungs. Instead in frustration he clenched his fist and squeezed it.

“I will fight hardest when weakest,

I will not be defeated by veils of truth,

I will remember who I am,

I won’t let this be cheapened,

I believe in more”

He cast arcane and divine sigils with both hands, calling upon cantrip continua spells of light and prestidigitation in the same form as earlier.

“Oasis”

Rainbow lights shone all around him. The connection of divine and arcane mana flowed through each of his magical gates and filled his body with a feeling of ecstasy.

“Mmm” he sighed gently as the spell helped him recover his focus and restore his peace of mind. He stood within the gentle glow of the spell for a couple of minutes before slowly reducing the output of the spell until it was barely visible.

A woman exited the tavern and turned towards him, “Hi there, I’m Madi”

Mirio “Hi Madi, nice to meet you” he said without turning his gaze towards her

Madi “What you did in there was really impressive, the way you fight is really smart and stuff”

“Thanks” he huffed without any trace of enthusiasm

“I mean, the way you took on Talon like that, she is really tough you know, I’d wager most men in the bandit gangs couldn’t match her in a fight. Cepting the gang leaders o’course”

Mirio, cutting to the chase, “Is there any particular reason you are mentioning this?” he then looked into her eyes directly

Madi “You sure are straight to the point aren’t you, I was wondering, a man as strong in a fight as you, you aren’t scared of nobody are you?”

Mirio raised an eyebrow

Madi “What I mean to say is, could you help me with some trouble I am finding myself in, I need a strong man to…”

Mirio “What is the pay?”

Madi “Well I don’t exactly have none to offer, but I’d share my bed out of the case of me being grateful for your protection and such”

Mirio was displeased, “I’m not interested in that kind of offer”

Madi “Please! Please won’t you just consider it mister! You seem nice n all, and don’t think it’d be putting me out, I’d like you and all without you helping me out. Please won’t you just hear me out!”

Mirio “You shouldn’t really go around offering yourself like that… Some men who are less capable in a fight will certainly fall for it and die for a chance like that you know? It isn’t very nice of you. And further, how do I not know this isn’t some form of a trap, you saw my rune sword in there, it isn’t out of the question that someone put you up to this, to act like a damsel in distress to corner me in some house or street alley somewhere so you can take it for yourselves”

Madi “No, no, that isn’t it”

Mirio “What is the issue, tell me because there might be a simpler solution than hiring someone to fight on your behalf”

Madi “Okay sir, I will tell you. There is a noble out by Elmvale, they say he is into all kinds of magical artifacts. I happened to be one of his maids days back, and I took one of his rings. On account of it looking pretty and all. And well, I showed it to someone to sell, but they took it from me, snatched it right out of my hands, they did! I would be asking that you pay him a visit and get it back”

Mirio “Ah I see, this makes sense now. You are out of a job because you stole something, and you didn’t get any money from what you stole because someone stole it from you. So now you need a way to get it back so you can leave town am I right?”

Madi “No no, I want it back so I can give the ring back. It was a mistake to steal it in the first place, and maybe if I apologise they will hire me back”

Mirio “I’m not that naive, go find another job”

Madi looked at him with scorn, and then…

SPLAT

A glob of spit shot across his face.

The woman stormed back inside and left Mirio to laugh at the display.

“So this is what this tavern is really like? I think I’ve got it now”

He shook his head in amusement and then walked back in through the door. He then headed to the barmaid, “How are things looking, are you good here for now until we post your usual guards”

“Yes yes, we are fine thanks, we’ll survive until the other guards arrive”

Mirio “Okay then, we will head out then”

Mirio tapped the Tower on the shoulder and nodded his head in the direction of the door. Talon looked over at him, and Mirio nodded in recognition in her direction as he left.

Mirio “Okay, so what Tavern is next”

Tower “The final stop is Elmvale”

Mirio “But there are 5 towns, and including this tavern, that would make six we have to visit right?”

Tower “Another pair will be checking the other three”

Mirio “Ah okay”

The Tower laughed and retold his version of the story of Mirio’s fight with Talon, it was mostly the same as how it had happened but he emphasized how puny Mirio was and that he moved around like a fly that was too tricky to swat, but then suddenly turned into the size of an ox and stampeded his way over Talon.

“Okay, so this is where I usually work, keep in mind it is different from the other taverns because it is a mixing pot between some of the nobility, the sailors that come into port, merchants, and a few regular folk.”

Mirio looked at the sign above the giant three story tall tavern, “The Eagle’s Nest”

Tower “It is a play on words for the crows nest, the sailors get a kick out of it, and it sounds regal enough that the nobles assign it some dignified meaning”

Mirio “Makes sense… I didn’t check out the last tavern’s name, what was it, there wasn’t a sign out front”

Tower “Most call it the Spurs”

Mirio “Right I’ll remember that, is there anything I should know about the Eagle’s nest?”

Tower “Not really, just look out for the nobles, they get grumpy easily. Let the tavern staff deal with them rather than talking with them yourself”

Mirio “I gotcha, special privilege and all that”

The Tower pulled open the door for a couple of noble women who giggled between themselves and thanked him for being so polite. He then nodded to Mirio to hurry up and get inside, to which Mirio casually complied. Inside everything was well decorated and brightly lit, unlike the bare dirt floor in the Spurs with tables made of any piece of wood that was found, and only lit up by orange candle flames. Here they had specially designed lanterns that shone with bright white light, and a lot of them.

Mirio made his way to the bar and noticed that some of the prices were outrageously high.

The gentleman behind the bar smiled at Mirio, “the nobles like their fine liquor”, he nodded and then offered his hand, “My name is Jahad, I am the owner. You are one of the guards, yes?”

Mirio “Yes, it is my first night actually, the Tower mentioned to leave dealing with the nobles to you guys”

Jahad politely nodded, “Yes, that is for the best, we specialise in customer service after all so we are best equipped for it. Oh and congratulations on your admission into the guards. Despite what some people say I know they don’t just let anyone join”

Mirio laughed nervously “It would be awkward if they did”

“Awkward, and dangerous I suspect. Tell me, are you the boy I have been hearing rumors about, who was entered into the guard at a young age because of an incredible talent with the blade”

Mirio scratched his head, “I wouldn’t exactly put it like that, but I am only 15, so I had to go through a trial by combat to enter. Mostly to test I could handle the job”

“But isn’t that incredible, how many times do you think the guard has ever done such a thing, and they have countless young trainees, yet they chose to do it with you. Simply extraordinary don’t you think?”

Mirio “I don’t know much about what is extraordinary or isn’t, but is nice to have their confidence in me for sure”

Jahad looked at him with an appraising eye, “I shall be watching your future with great interest. Perhaps one day you shall rise to become a great champion, and enter the services of the kingdoms, or see glory within the great arenas, or fight and wage wars as a general”

Mirio’s eyes constricted with fear at the overwhelming burden that each path outlined before him in his mind. Was he really ready to do any of those things? He certainly didn’t feel ready to aspire to be any of those things.

Jahad “I say these things because the people who whispered to me of your accomplishment have great faith in you dear boy, you ought to have faith in yourself, and aim high. Higher than anyone else here”

Mirio gulped, “I thank you for your confidence Jahad, is there anything I should know about your patrons or the town of Elmvale?”

Jahad “There are so many things to know my boy, so many people to know too, I think the most pressing thing to understand that our port is host to many esteemed visitors, princes, dukes, and viscounts all pass through these docks on their way to the northern continents, or vice versa from the north to the south. The villages around Elmvale might seem unimportant in the scheme of the larger world, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are whispers that Kings and Queens eye this land as having tactical value in the event of a great war. You would do well to keep that in mind here”

Mirio looked at Jahad in disbelief, “I will keep it in mind, thank you, I feel you have told me something that will serve me well… I honestly had no idea”

Jahad smiled, “Good lad” he then nodded at a patron who came up to the bar to order and swiftly set about pouring the man’s order.

Mirio spun around and gazed over the crowd, analysing each of the tables. From the sailors that liked the far side windows that overlooked the sea, to women and mixed groups that sat upon the other side of the tavern, and the Merchants that only seemed to be filing upstairs. Mirio followed them to the second floor where many merchants intermingled and told jokes to one another over games of cards and dice. Mirio then headed up to the top floor, where he saw many nobles and ornately designed furniture with silver trim. The most well off of them seemed to be sitting overlooking the ocean on the outer balcony, while those who appeared to be hustling for position shared stories and intellectual conversations inside.

Mirio came back down the stairs and found the tower, “This is the last place I would have expected to be your regular position”

Tower “Am I not fancy enough Mirio?”

Mirio “Yes, bingo, you are for sure not fancy enough. I mean you always talk about strength and battle, things almost none of these people save the sailors have anything to do with. While some of the nobles might wage wars, and deal with disputes, none of them would deal with it themselves”

Tower “True, the nobles are weak and pathetic, as are the merchants. They would piss their pants if a monster were to appear. But that is why I am here” he smiled.

A lady approached the Tower and tugged on his arm, “excuse me sir, my daughter asked me if you would lift her onto your shoulders again”, he smiled, “where is the little beauty? Aha! There she is!”

The tower lifted the little girl up with one hand as she squealed with excitement and then plopped her on his shoulders. The lady clapped her hands and jumped up and down in excitement, “Oh wonderful, wonderful”

“Mommy, I can see everything from up here, I am a giant!”

Mirio stared at the Tower in disbelief, “Yes, I can see they need you here to protect them from big bad monsters”

Tower “Haha! Of course! Oh by the way Mirio, head out the front I think the Cap is waiting for you, he’ll fill you in on where you are positioned tonight”

Mirio patted the tower on the arm and headed back out to the front. The Captain turned and waved at Mirio to come over.

Captain “Ah so how was it?”

Mirio “It all went really smoothly”

The Captain whispered under his breath “The Spurs is a bit of a shithole, no doubt the Tower told you most of the patrons there are bandits and the like right?”

Mirio “Yeah he told me, but I get why you guys keep it that way, it would be more trouble than it is worth shaking them out of there”

“What about this joint here, do you like it?”

“It is certainly different?”

“Too right I can’t stand this uppity stuff myself, but there is no denying the power a noble wields, so I guess it all has its purpose right, even the frilly coats they wear” he looked side to side almost as if to check nobody was listening to him, “So real talk, what kind of tavern would you prefer tonight, I know you live in Gimly and it is nice and quiet there, just farm folk, but here there are people to get to know, and the Tower thinks highly of you”

Mirio “I notice you didn’t mention the Spurs”

“Ha, that is because we both know that no one wants to work in that shithole, the guards that work that joint usually just sit outside and play cards and let the bandits deal with things themselves”

Mirio nodded, “I could go either way, I think there is a lot to learn from the tavern here in Elmvale, but having connections with people in the Spurs wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world either”

“Are you mad Mirio?” he whispered, “Those bandits are the real deal, they’d cut your throat as soon as look at you”. He scratched his head nervously, and then settled on a decision “Okay I tell you what, work half your nights at the Spurs, and half your nights here on the docks. I’ll move you around a bit so you get to see everything and how it all works, just watch yourself”

Mirio nodded “Sounds good to me cap, so how does the spurs sound tonight?”

Captain “Alright head out there and tell one of the boys out the front to head this way”

“Gotcha”, Mirio said before jogging off back to the Spurs.

“That kid” the Captain said as he shook his head, “Absolutely fearless”.

…

Two guards sat outside the Spurs tavern by lantern light. They were tossing dice into a small metal tray and trading coin back and forth.

Mirio lifted his chin “Which one of you wants to guard at Elmvale instead?”

They both leapt up and stood at attention,”Me”, “NO ME!”.

Mirio “You guys have dice, how about whoever rolls highest gets to go”

Both of them looked at each other with intense focus, and picked up one of the die. Each performed their special rituals, one rubbing it under his armpit, and the other lifting one of his legs as he tossed the die.

The man who rubbed it under his pits rolled a five, and the man who lifted his leg rolled a two. “Alright, I’m off!” the guard said before he began to jog to Elmvale, “Suck it Brady” he said before he was out of ear shot.

Mirio looked at his partner, “You are Brady I am guessing?”

Brady “Yeah”

“So what is this gig like”

“Well normally, me and the other guard play dice until we win a full gold piece, and the one who wins the gold gets the night off, while the other snoozes out the front here”

Mirio, “So you don’t ever go in?”

“Stuff that! Bloody crazy lot in there, just cut throat bandits, who’d spit on ya like it were nothin”

Mirio nodded, “Yeah, I get that feeling too,” he said, wiping the side of his face where Madi had spat on him earlier.

Mirio pulled up a stool and picked up the dice, “Okay so how do we play?”