01/13/ AWAD 201

Jania was pissed. The Kavus family had the gall to demand for her inheritance directly after her father died on one of his expeditions. Sure she had no real backers, but they could have waited a little.

"Pick up your pace! I have research prizes to earn!" She harped.

Their lackadaisicalness was baffling, and instead of doing as she asked, one by one the men she hired began drawing their weapons.

“Has a mutant blocked our way? You should be capable of smashing through anything else,” Jania grumbled.

She certainly paid for such an escort.

Instead of answering her, Kazal, the leader of the ruffians, called out, "how about we get the real job over with? We should be far enough into the ward zone, and I think we are all tired of the gavitch of a ‘boss.’ Let’s have a hunt rather than wait until she’s asleep.”

Jania’s eyes widened. The thugs she hired somehow slipped free of the contract-work for guarding her.

She sighed. The Kavus family was probably behind these thugs trying to kill her on top of lacking in decency, but how? Even in a rush to attain achievements in order to gain a backer, she made sure to prepare the contract-work herself. How had the thugs weasel out of the contract?

"So it ends this way does it?" Jania asked, hoping to buy some time.

She immediately began casting a gate spell she modified as a diagnostic spell for wards.

Kazal replied, "I would say this isn't personal, but with how much of a gavitch you were to us... that isn't true anymore. Right guys?"

All forty of the ruffians grunted in agreement.

Jania scoffed, “your professionality was pathetic. Thinking back, our interactions should have clued me in. Plus, requesting fighters of your ability should have taken longer.”

Honestly, she didn’t have any clue anything was off, but the conversation needed to keep going.

Kazal snorted, “I heard how your father treated some of his escorts. I’m sure you would have been the same gavitch to even a proper escort.”

Jania grit her teeth. These thugs were not amateurs. Casting a gate spell didn’t work among other long range spells, but short ranged ones weren’t blocked. She probably didn’t notice the ward due to that detail. Lafia's idiocy!

The forty angry mercenaries almost had her cornered. Well the angry part probably saved her from a dagger in her sleep. She had contingencies against such attacks, but the ward managed to disable some of them without her knowing.

Some of the deceptive bastards shifted to her left, west. She smiled. There was something there they didn’t want her to find, and she had an idea as to what.

Jania launched a wind slash she crafted from her diagnosis spell at one of the men, forcing him to dodge. She didn’t waste the opening in the now broken formation and rushed off.

“She’s going after the ward stones!” an especially stupid thug called out.

The confirmation was nice but unnecessary. Jania already knew.

Kazal howled, “you fool! You basically told her!”

Jania heard him smack the fool as she ran, consulting her reformed diagnostic spell.

There appeared to be two wards zones superimposed on each other. She could simply take out the standard gate spell preventer, but she needed to know how the thugs escaped the escort contract. Plus, some retribution was called for.

Disabling the anti-gate ward would be first and made the situation simple, a race. Her former guards who were now hunting her must have thought her escape was impossible. Jania smirked. The ward didn’t reach into her. She would have noticed.

A familiar rush came after pushing more mana into her personal speed spell. The sensation never got old. Showing her hunters a rude hand gesture, she dashed off towards the anti-gate keystone.

"What in Kazaro’s bane? Hafar! I thought you said any sort of spell other than simple melee spells would be disabled?!” Kazal yelled with clear panic and fury.

Jania smiled but gained too much distance to hear Hafar’s response.

01/15/ AWAD 201

The forest was rather vacant for some reason. She expected to have more trouble dodging various monstrous fauna and even flora. The danger was the reason why she could have gained research prizes. All idle thoughts came to a stop when she realized the wards were no longer in effect. She hadn’t noticed out of exhaustion from setting up surprises while fleeing.

She could finally escape or fight, but there were two possibilities. A hermit magi might have taken up shop. Clashing wards created dead zones, after all. Or, a monster higher tiered than the wards could handle had taken up residence.

Jania immediately expanded her mana field, prepared to snuff any magic effects, and began crafting a gate spell. Soon after, the presence of monstrous mana assaulted all her senses.

“Finally another human! I was getting tired of silence and I ran out of monsters to ‘keep me company,’” a person called out.

What in Lafia’s fall? Why was there a person so far out here? Was he one of Kazal’s men? But then, wouldn’t he fain normalcy then? Asking for help should answer those questions.

“You have heard of Icarzo Kavus, correct? I’m his daughter,” Jania declared. “Can you step out where I can see you?”

“Sure I know who Icarzo Kavus, the adventuring researcher is, but coming to where I am would probably be easier for both of us,” the person snickered boyishly.

But a boy shouldn’t be so disconnected from civilization.

Jania crafted a wind slash and crept past the trees she heard the ‘boy’ call out from behind. She didn’t know what she expected, but she certainly hadn’t expected a lone boy on a wagon in a clearing.

The dark brown haired and unusually light skinned boy got down from the wagon.

“Do you have people after you? You seem a bit of a mess for someone of high standing,” he asked.

Maybe Jania would have been considered pretty normally, but the combination of her no doubt bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep and random bits of the forest stuck on her including and not restricted to mud probably made for quite the sight.

Jania shook her head in disbelief at the amount of mana pouring off the boy, “why didn’t you complete your Auracraft training? Your ferocity tinted mana is everywhere.”

The mana seemed absurdly subdued almost as though refined, strangely.

“Is that what my mana became? Aura? I can still cast spells, though?” The boy tilted his head slightly sideways, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Jania was the most baffled she had ever been. The boy was a walking ward nullifier. Auracrafters shouldn’t be able to extend their auras so far, much less cast spells. He would serve well as a research subject!

“I do, in fact, have forty mercenaries, well thirty-six mercenaries now, after me,” Jania answered. “If you can help me subdue them, then I will pay you more, but I only need you to stay in this clearing.”

“I don’t need more gold. I have plenty of that, but I do need a base of operations…” the boy trailed off. “Making more enemies would probably not be wise but your enemies are rich, right? They would have to be, going after the daughter of Icarzo Kavus. They would probably become my opponents also then.”

The boy looked up at the sky then said, “I’m Jay Black. What’s your name?”

His justification for helping her was strange, but she would take any help.

“Jania Kalen. Thank you for agreeing,” Jania sighed in relief.

She wrinkled her nose at Jay’s state of appearance, “how long have you been in the Wilds?”

Her own was pretty awful, but Jay must have been out in the Wilds for weeks.

“That’s rich coming from someone who was about to be hunted down like a dog,” Jay laughed.

Jania scowled but swallowed her indignation.

“So, you never completed Auracraft training?” Jania inquired.

”Yes. What of it?” Jay gruffed.

Was the subject sensitive? But didn’t Jay not know his mana had turned into aura?

Jania continued, “well I doubt any sentient settlement would allow you in, but you clearly desire such company specifically humans. I can hook you up with a trainer. My uncle is one of the few trying to keep the art alive and has made his aura stop feeling like miasma.”

Jay nodded, “thank you.”

Jania set up more surprises, trembling with anticipation.

Jay asked what she was doing, but she promised to explain later. All he needed to know was the contraptions being spell traps.

After an hour had passed, Jay came and tapped her on the shoulder, "they're here."

Crouching next to one of the trees, he pointed to his left, west.

Jania grimaced. She only managed to set up a little over thirty spell traps. Not all of Kazal’s group would fall for her spell traps. Two of them weren’t even lethal and therefore might not work at all.

Jay whispered, “when they get close, cast a dark zone around them and without disabling the sound canceling effect.”

Jania replied, “very well. I will set up a light zone also.”

Jay nodded in appreciation.

At first she had been confused, but the ‘why’ dawned on her when she looked around at how expanded Jay’s aura-mana was.

“Boss I suggest turning back and regrouping,” Lajen whispered carefully.

Kazal glared at him, “and let our prey escape? What has got you spooked? The monster in the area? You know we can easily take something at the level of whatever is lurking.”

Most of Kazal’s group didn’t really use stealth and had the penchant for being absurdly cruel, both being against their original texts. What they did do was make for really good meat shields. Despising all things to do with valor as idiotic, Lajen brought stealth and surveillance abilities to the table, so he didn’t really need to get involved in much actual fighting.

Lajen had an unpleasant feeling about the situation. Clearly they thought that if a monster got their target then they would just kill that and dig the target’s corpse out. There was one issue with the plan, though. Why wasn’t there proof of a fight? Their wards wouldn’t work in an area filled with such a monster’s mana so the target should have been able to put up a fight. Lajen didn’t like the situation at all.

Plus, their target somehow managed to keep well ahead of them while harrying them with spells.

“Ah! Something grabbed my foot!” Someone yelled as they were dragged away.

Lajen realized that someone was Hafar and cut down roots trying to drag off another. The attacks weren’t the work of a treant or any monsters but of spells, but the spellcaster, presumably their target, was nowhere to be seen.

Kazal called out, “our prey should be near! Keep your eyes open and make sure she can’t get any more cheap shots!”

The following incidents were from a nightmare. A fellow mercenary would be walking along when a lethal spell of some type roared into existence under them. Some died to acid spells, some died to poison spells, some died to fire spells. Their numbers were cut to a forth in no time.

“Ah!” another man fell to a fire spell.

Lajen frantically searched for the target but had no luck once again.

When Kazal finally seemed ready to quit the job, they broke into a clearing.

In front of a wagon, a boy stood holding two swords with a grim expression. Also in front of the wagon, their target stood-their target who was casting a dark zone.

Everyone lunged forward, only to be engulfed in darkness.

Lajen strained his ears for the sound of movement, but nothing was audible either. So the target hoping to buy enough time to cast an area effect spell? The situation could still be salvaged if they reached her.

Lajen found his forward charge interrupted, feeling two blades stab into his mana field from the right. Somehow his attacker, probably the boy, found him. Lajen leaped away and strained to detect the boy but couldn't. The next attack came from his left with a similar result.

The boy took full advantage of the darkness, dealing heavy blows from all sides unpredictably. Lajen felt death near for the first time in a while. Even if he ran, the boy would be able to trip him. Lajen didn’t see himself surviving a trip.

When the dark zone fell apart, Lajen found himself greeted by their target who smiled triumphantly with a wind slash storm spell ready. Next to her, stood the boy who toyed with him. Men who probably attempted to continue charging or flee instead lay motionless, cut down.

Lajen realized escape would be impossible. Everyone read up on their target and knew Jania Kalen’s wind slash storms could reach half a mile in radius. She had plenty of time to craft one of those. In an uncharacteristic roar of rage, Lajen joined Kazal and the few others surviving in a rush of their target, also thrusting his own mana forward in an attempt to disrupt the spell.

Lajen only managed two steps forward.

Jay vomited seeing the remaining mercenaries reduced to cubic chunks of meat.

Wiping his mouth he asked, “was cutting them up like that necessary?”

Jania grimaced, “All of them were of high ability. Overdoing is better than underestimating them."

Jay looked at the now sniveling man restrained with tree roots.

With a look of disbelief, he asked, “ so he’s Hafar?”

Jania wondered what he expected briefly, but she could always ask him later.

“Hafar, can you guess why we left you alive?” Jania asked, peering straight into his terrified eyes.

“No…” Hafar mumbled.

Jania took control of the spell trap keeping him captive, constricting the roots. Hafar screamed from the pain.

“You think I’d be the easiest to squeeze.” Hafar panted out with a bloody grin. “But I can’t say anything.”

Jania growled in frustration. She probably had her first bit of proof of the dishonesty of the Kavus family but only if she got Hafar to cooperate.

"Hey Jania, am I correct in assuming mercenaries pillage, rape and enslave on some of their jobs?" Jay asked.

Jania nodded slowly in confusion and annoyance from his interruption.

“Jania, do you know whether Hafar has a family?” Jay asked in a sigh.

Hafar’s eyes widened.

“Yes. ” Jania confirmed, narrowing her eyes. “Background checks are standard procedure for hiring escorts, but my check was obviously insufficient. His whole name is Hafar Kalson and has a wife and three sons.”

She didn’t appreciate the interruption but maybe Jay had an idea.

Jay continued, “His family shouldn’t be too difficult to find right?”

Hafar’s face visibly paled and what Jay was hinting dawned on Jania.

“Hafar… you know I can’t really let you go, but your death isn’t necessarily the worst case scenario, is it?” Jania let her words hang in the air a little.

"If I can't get what we want out of you, then I would have to take out my frustrations on your family. I wouldn't immediately kill them. I would first slowly make their lives unbearable, maybe bribe the people living near them. I could have the merchants raise their prices just for your family. I don't have to go on do I?" Jania leaned forward to stare into Hafar's eyes.

“Please leave my boys out of this!” Hafar pleaded.

“Are you ready to give me what I want?” Jania whispered softly.

Even feeling righteous anger, going so far to get answers left a bad taste in her mouth.

Hafar cried out, “I can’t! The contract-work would kill me too quickly even if I tried!”

Jania growled in frustration once again.

“I might be able to get the answers out of him, but I will need some time,” Jay broke the silence.

Jania asked incredulously, “how?”

Jay replied, “I’ll look for flaws in his contract.”

Jania nodded and walked away to set up camp.

After hours of asking strange questions about hypothetical situations, Jay stood up. He motioned to stay put and walked over.

“Jania, I think the king himself might have had a hand in trying to kill you.”

Jania’s eyes widened in shock. The king might want her dead? Why? Her father did refuse to work for him, but did that call for killing her?

Shellshocked, she rushed over to Hafar, “does the king want me dead?”

Jay yelled desperately, “no! Don’t!”

A fire roared into existence swallowing Hafar. Only ashes were left when the flames died down.

Jay sighed, “I only managed to keep Hafar alive by keeping him thinking he hadn’t told me anything crucial.”

Jania blushed in embarrassment.

01/16/ AWAD 201

Jania woke up and accepted some bread and cheese Jay offered. Realizing the king wanted her dead did not help her sleep. The curiosity brimming in Jay’s eyes was too early in the morning.

"You said you would explain spell traps?" Jay asked.

"I store whatever spell sequence I choose in this contraption, setting them to trigger when certain conditions are met which I can decide also,” Jania yawned while taking out a mana stone. “My father figured out how to store spells in mana stones, but realizing a sequence of spells had to be cycled through in order to maintain the integrity of the spells took a while.”

Jay’s eyes widened and he began laughing uncontrollably.

Jania asked coldly, “may I know why you are laughing at that statement of facts.”

Annoyance shifting into anger woke her up completely.

“Sorry, but I think I know why the king wanted you and your father dead,” Jay weezed. “Your father’s invention would completely negate the necessity of your feudal system, because any person with a little mana would become capable of defending themselves.”

Jania replied even more frostily, “I hadn’t thought of the implications too well admittedly, but I don’t see why you laugh.”

Jay guffawed, “you have exactly what I need for my plans for turning everything upside down, and I just can’t believe how lucky I am finding you.”

Jania choked on a piece of bread.

She asked apprehensively, “you would plunge the world into chaos?”

“Wouldn’t you?” Jay shot back, smiling devilishly. “Neither of us will live long otherwise. The world has cast you out just like an otherworlder, like me. I imagine your king has asked the other kings and queens to put bounties on your head too.”

"You are an otherworlder?"