“I’ll never understand how you can read and walk like that at the same time,” Lindon said to me as I stepped over a tree that had fallen down in the inclement weather. In my hand I held the book that Green had left me before she fell down and died and I was performing the arduous yet incredibly interesting task of reading this book. Truthfully there was more than one book but for the most part they were in a tongue that I couldn’t read. While this book was in the Goblin language there had been a fairly consistently done translation throughout and I realised that I had not only managed to gain a book on how to concoct potions but also a book that should be able to help me learn the basics of Goblin.

That was the theory anyway. In practice it was just an extra thing to learn to add to my list. I had lost my spell book and Magite crystal just three days ago and the next day I already had a list of spells to learn and an even better Magite crystal. The list of spells that were given to me was weird as well. All of them had to do with something that was called magnetism which if I remember correctly the birds were weak against. Still even the beginning cantrips Magnetize and Compass were beyond my understanding currently and so after a lot of reading I switched to the book on potions and started practicing my cantrips.

“I’m surprised you’ve never learned to multitask,” I retorted as I flicked through the next page with my thumb as I followed my guide through the remains of the Tulpa Forest. The process of making potions was fascinating and there was some weird level of intuitiveness that I couldn’t even begin to grasp behind the whole process. While it was recommended to follow the ingredients when just a beginner a master could probably create a new recipe on the spot. While this was going on I was practicing casting Prestidigitations with my other hand causing four pebbles to hover over my digits while trying to simultaneously change the colour and temperature of the stones with limited success.

“Inattentive merchants are often dead merchants,” Lindon said seriously. “Yes, Tulpa Forest is normally safe but we are nowhere near the roads and even if we were there is no telling how the situation would have changed.”

“Because of the Dragon,” I said understandingly. “Are those common?”

“Nope,” Lindon said giving me a strange look. “If they were then we would have long gone extinct. The problem was that the Dragon was heading towards Answerh and or all I know the city is burnt to the ground and bleeding refugees.”

“Is that likely,” I asked finding holes in my assumed knowledge. “Surely a city like Answerh would have thousands of people and powerful wizards and the like.” Tegram had always told him stories of powerful wizards who outstripped his own capabilities.

“Nah,” Lindon denied. “Wizards don’t grow on trees and powerful wizards are even rarer. If I remember correctly there are about eight thousand permanent residents in the city of Answerh; it’s a fairly middling city by most standards.”

“That’s more than ten times Amberhearth,” I said getting a nod from Lindon in response.

“Well to call Amberhearth a town was a bit generous,” Lindon admitted. “It’s closer to a much larger village than a proper town but there are so many small villages that feed into that place it gets specially named.” Lindon said shrugging. “That’s not really the point though. I would say generously that in that city there are only two or three wizards with their apprentices. So let’s say there are about six people who can cast magic altogether. Of those how many would be specialised in combat and of those that are specialised in combat how many do you think can beat a Dragon.”

“So Answerh’s dead,” I said trying to wrap my head around those numbers.

“Well not certainly,” Lindon replied after a few moments of thought. “The Dragon could have got bored and left or not even attacked Answerh at all. The city could have called in reinforcements beforehand or they could have some secret weapon; or maybe the Monster King had popped in for a diplomatic mission.”

“Doesn’t he hate us?” I asked after a bit. I wasn’t good at politics but I was fairly certain we were at war with him and his kingdom at some point.

“It was just an example,” Lindon said shrugging. “There are just very few others still alive that are as powerful and well known for defeating a dragon.” Lindon paused for a second as a look of frustration overcame him. “I genuinely hope the city isn’t destroyed. I need to unload these goods.” Lindon gestured to his rather full pack that he had been bestowed by Green. My friend’s greed had shown these past few days as they eagerly hurried onward to earn more coin.

“I wonder__” I started, but I wasn’t able to finish that sentence as I heard a rustle in the bushes a moment before five men carrying bows stepped out of concealment in a spread that I realised would lead to them cover us from all angles, causing me to resent my lack of sensing skills. With one hand behind my back I made half a gesture for my Hydraulic Push only to pause as two of the men instantly trained their bows on me.

“Merchant… and wizard?” the lead man asked, a grizzled pale old man who looked like he had spent many years in the forest said as he fixed me with narrowed eyes.

“Maybe,” I replied instantly only to flinch as an arrow flew past me. The movement was so fast that I had no time to react until I saw it thunk into a tree behind me. I felt a pang of fear as I saw that, that swiftly transitioned into anger. Without making a single hand sign I started conjuring water beneath me stealthily soaking the ground as I eyed them down. I couldn’t use the water to attack but I think I could use it for battlefield obstruction. Maybe I could think of some way out of it.

“Answer the question,” the man said as he notched another arrow. “Or the next one won’t miss.”

“I am an apprentice wizard,” I said enunciating my words as I focused on the situation. This was bad but it didn’t look like they would be going for the kill immediately. If I could wait until their back is turned I might be able to get rid of one and use the surprise to get rid of another. Then it would become a three on one which I would lose. However if Lindon also attacks at the same time successfully it could turn into a two on two which I have a chance. If he gets two then it’s a two on one which stacks in our favour. Maybe I could attract a monster that would provide a distraction and then use that distraction to finish them off.

“I must inform you that the city of Answerh requires your assistance,” the man said as he lowered his bow slightly while talking to us.

“What are the conditions in Answerh,” Lindon spoke up as I kept running plans over and over in my head. I really needed to learn some defensive spells next. There was a water shield that I was going to aim for next but it had disappeared along with the rest of Tegram’s spellbook.

“The city of Answerh has been occupied by a Dragon,” the man said as he made a gesture and two of his men moved forward occupying my blind spots. “My men will escort you to one of the refugee camps. How familiar are you with the process of creating water.”

“I know very little,” I replied instantly before taking a step backwards as the man suddenly aimed his bow again at me with his eye glinting furiously.

“I thought I said to stop with the horseshit,” the man said aiming dead centre and I raised my hands in the symbol of surrender. The correct answer to my problem was potions. Lindon was carrying quite a few premade potions which had enough water content that I could manipulate them. Some of them were explosive and I could possibly remote detonate them with Spark. In addition the two archers were now over my water puddles and I was sure that I could trip them with a bit of luck. Even if I took a few arrows then as long as they didn’t hit vitals I could heal up afterwards using potions. My enemies wouldn’t be so lucky.

“Are you threatening citizens of the Ettram Kingdom,” Lindon spoke up with an edge in his voice. “On whose authority exactly are you doing this?”

“On the authority of Lord Aardhilt,” the man said focusing on my merchant companion and I started refining the scenario in my head as I snuck glances at the two other archers behind me. “We have been empowered to conscript any locals who may have the skills needed to maintain order in the refugee camp. That would include both of you. The two of you will be compensated when control over Answerh has been restored.”

“Which could be never judging by the fact that a dragon has taken up residence there,” Lindon said frostily.

“That’s not my problem,” the man said unsympathetically. “As citizens to the Ettram Kingdom who have benefited from the protection of Answerh your entire lives you have a duty to aid the city in their time of need.” His voice softened for a moment. “There are still thousands of survivors starving and dying of thirst. You have the opportunity to save more than you have ever saved in your life and get rewarded for doing it. This is the situation in which wizards shine. Even if they are just an apprentice.”

“Wizards shine in any situation,” I said as Lindon made a gesture for me to go along. Since my companion wanted to cooperate I lost any possible chance of turning the situation around. I realised it was still being stubborn but my irritation had severely peaked. I didn’t feel like talking and playing nice and so I just kept my hands in my pocket and showed no signs of aggression as I started mentally reviewing my two newest cantrips, visualising the sequence of gestures, words that would combine with my own mental image to produce an effect.

Over the cycle that followed I had run through each of those particular sequences a hundred times and I felt like I was on the verge of some breakthrough that, if it wouldn’t let me comprehend how to cast it, would let me understand certain portions of that spell. My epiphany was delayed however as the stench of human habitation wafted through my nostrils and I felt my eyes watering at the odour.

“No sewers in a refugee camp,” the man answered my unasked question. “We have a priest of Tarday who is able to produce some black bread each day but even so there is never enough.”

“Tarday, the God of Restriction,” I mutter to myself. The god of moderation was not a popular deity but I would bet the priest gets a great deal more converts after this. Strangely enough times of crisis were always great times to discover religion. My town always used to get really religious around the harvest and it was always the time of the year when the priest ate best. Not that I would begrudge him that.

“Yaffur,” the old bowman said to one of the other bowmen. “Show the wizard to Sir Cronceet. He could use another helping hand. Razur please direct the merchant to the quartermaster. Don’t worry you will be compensated fairly for any useful wares.”

“I bet,” Lindon replied with a smile that didn’t reach their eyes. “Let’s meet again sometime Marv.” With those words Lindon detached from the group along with a red-haired youth, apparently named Razur.

“Don’t worry,” one of the remaining men said clapping a hand on my shoulder in a move that was overly familiar. His dark tanned complexion made it look like he came from the Land of Shadowed Sands and he appeared to have more than a few years of wear and tear on him. “Cronceet’s young but he’s good at his job. Plenty of people try to get apprenticed to him every year. Maybe he’ll show you a few tips.”

“Maybe,” I thought. To be honest I had no idea how well I stacked up against an actual wizard or even an apprentice. I had seen Tegram fight only twice in my life against monsters that got to close to the village and in both cases the fight ended in a few seconds. In addition my lessons with the village elder were…scarce; at least those ones involving magic. He was happy enough to tell me stories and he was the person who taught me how to read and write after all.

“Come on don’t be like that,” the man said as he directed me into the camp along trails that were muddy and trampled by hundreds of feet. The smell of sweat and faeces was particularly thick and I found myself wincing internally as dead eyes filled with hunger, sorrow and despair stared out at me. This was not a pretty sight but one thing that stuck out to me was how few wounded people there were. Most people were dirty, cold and half-starved but they appeared to have no wounds.

“The Dragon didn’t seem to want to leave people half-killed,” the man said as I made my inquiry, his cheerful tone fading. “There are a few wounded who were hit by rubble and trampled and other things. They’re in a tent in the centre of the camp but for the most part those who met the Dragon were all killed.”

That was a sobering thought. I almost asked how they were going to take care of it but held myself back. There was no way that this man would know. Most likely the Lord Aardhilt, whoever he was, was grappling with the problem; if it was even solvable. Once again I envied those who were powerful enough that they could actually make a difference in the situation.

“We’re here,” my companion said as we arrived at a large black tent. “Just go inside and introduce yourself to Cronceet,” he said taking a step back and watching. “Go on,” he said as I continued to stare at him before I sighed and walked into the pitch black tent.

“What do you want,” a feminine voice said as soon as I entered and I blinked to adjust my eyes to the near darkness in the tent. “Dancing Lights,” I intonated as I cast the spell causing three white orbs to appear around me and brighten the tent revealing a brown haired girl about my age with large bags under her head and a sullen disposition.

“Where is Cronceet?” I asked looking at the woman who was rapidly blinking as she was caught off guard with the light.

“Right behind you,” a more masculine voice appeared right behind me and in an instant I felt my Dancing Lights snuffed out and the tent plunged into darkness. “Have you tried changing the colour of that spell? I find that red light is far more suited to most purposes. By the way, that was also an incredibly rude thing you did right now.”

“I’m afraid I’ve never been good at etiquette,” I said as I turned around trying to get my eyes adjusted once more.

“Some wizards would have killed you for that,” the man said casually before a slow red glow permeated the room revealing a young man with an unshaven appearance and messy black hair. “I suppose you’re the newest unpolished gem that they’ve sent to me.” He straightened up from his slouching position dusting off his clothes which looked more like stuff that I wore when pushing a plough then proper wizard clothes. “Alright follow me,” he said as he stepped outside with a lazy stride.

I followed him letting my eyes adjust to the sun briefly before I turned towards the man. Behind me the young girl also stepped out, still saying nothing. In front of me were three dozen pails that I swore were not there when I first walked in.

“Do you know the Create Water spell?” the man said staring at me with half lidded eyes until I nodded my affirmation. “Water is at a premium here in this camp. Please fill up as many buckets as you can.”

“Alright,” I said restraining a smile as I focused on my spell watching the thirty six buckets. “While normally I would do it without word or gesture this time I wanted to truly show what I had so I redoubled my concentration. Resonated with my newly-gained Magite crystal and formed the image of what I wanted to do before I dug deep and spoke…

“Create Water,” I said firmly as gallons of water appeared above the buckets before I directed them into the buckets using the Shape Water spell. In twenty seconds the buckets were all full and I stood there a bit tired but feeling proud of my achievements. I turned towards Cronceet who had lost his nonchalant demeanour instead looking at my feat with amazement.

“That was prodigiously awful,” the man said with a dumbstruck look upon his facecausing my confidence to shatter instantly like ice before a dragon.