Chapter 104

Tessa placed the display crystal in the center of a table, roughly shoving aside the piles of odds and ends that lay there. Tapping it with her finger, she injected a small thread of mana into the crystal, activating the device. It projected a map, an image of Ur, along with a line of mountains stretching from the southwest corner to the northeast edge.

To the northwest, a wide stretch of land marked ‘The Wilds’ was separated by the mountain range. The southeast contained over a dozen towns and cities, all labeled clearly, with a larger title of ‘The Borderlands’. Looking closely, Wil could spot the Village of Aramoor, a tiny speck on the edge of dwarven territory.

“Our pot.” Tessa said, pointing at the wilds. “It’s divided by the mountains, isolating the turbulent mana within.” She explained. In the center of the Wilds, someone had marked a series of concentric circles, with notations that Wil could recognize as research notes.

“What are the lines?” Wil asked, pointing to the circles.

“My investigations into the Wilds were what first brought me to Ur. I wanted to discover the source of its strange mana. Each circle indicates a qualitative ‘leap’ in the chaotic effects of magic in those locations. The center?” She explained, indicating a shaded part in the dead center of the Wilds.

“That’s our fire, the source of all turbulent mana. I still haven’t discovered what it is. It’s much too hazardous to penetrate that far, but I theorize that it may be the location of an ancient battlefield, or the grave of a god-like entity.”

Tessa stared at the location longingly, and Wil could see that she had undoubtedly attempted to reach that location in the past. For someone of her Rank to not be able to reach it, Wil could hardly imagine what hazards existed there.

“What does this have to do with the curse that affected Wil?” Astrid asked, losing patience with her mother’s obsession.

“The effects of the Wilds lessen the further one is from the source. By the time your trolls had traveled over the mountains, their mana should have largely returned to normal. The fact that it didn’t indicates that we’re about to expect a ‘Chaotic Flux.’ A time when all the Wilds will experience massive fluctuations in random events caused by turbulent mana.”

“The crisis.” Wil deduced, frowning at the thought that the Wilds would become even more unpredictable. If a rank 5 shaman could nearly kill him, what about the stronger monsters lurking in the depths of that chaotic landscape? He couldn’t count on facing a creature of the same rank as himself and coming out on top, not if he couldn’t trust any of his spells to work.

“Over the next few years, we’re going to see more events like what you experienced. And not limited to the Wilds, it will spill over into the borderlands. Even Ur will not be spared.” Tessa finished, retracting her mana from the display crystal. The projected image faded immediately.

“I don’t see how the entire borderlands being overrun by powerful monsters, with us only having to rely on chaotic and unreliable magic, could be considered an opportunity?” Astrid asked. To her, the chaotic mana was less of a concern, wands and artifacts relied on a stable matrix engraved into the item to function.

“The increased chaos affects materials as well, doesn’t it? You’re saying that resources from the Wildlands that made Ur such a paradise for trade are only going to grow as the ‘pot’ boils?” Wil deduced, piecing together the information Tessa was offering.

“Rather astute, aren’t you? Perhaps there’s some hope for you yet.” Tessa confirmed, her icy expression melting a bit as she observed him.

“You’re correct. The chaos will affect everything equally, flora and fauna, animate and inanimate. Untold riches and resources, and not just in the Wilds, but everywhere affected. The borderlands, even Ur, will see a substantial increase. What was rare, will become much more common.” She finished, and Wil could see a hint of excitement in her eyes.

“How long will it last?”

“It will take months, possibly even a year to reach a noticeable level. As for how long, I predict at least another year after it peaks. The mana will grow more unstable, until enough is pushed beyond the mountains that the remainder will reach equilibrium. The Wilds will return to ‘normal’ once that level is reached.”

“And during that time, the Guild will no doubt send a call to every adventurer in the borderlands, possibly all of Lund.” Wil whispered, thinking out loud. The betrayer was somewhere in either the Wilds, or the borderlands.

With the focus drawn to Ur, it would only be a matter of time before he caught sight of him. Until then, he could continue to quest through the area, helping where he could. All he needed to do was wait, and the Betrayer would come to him. He would need to inform the Elemental of the new timeframe.

‘It certainly is equal parts crisis and opportunity.’ Wil thought, thinking of the upcoming Flux.

“Thank you, for explaining everything.” Wil said, bowing to Astrid’s mother. “It will give Astrid and I plenty of time to prepare, and I will be more wary of using my magic in the future.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. Although Astrid will not be accompanying you. It’s far too dangerous.” Tessa said, turning away for the pair and walking towards her workbench, dismissing them from her presence. Astrid sputtered in anger at her mother’s casual dismissiveness and her ban on Questing. Wil could see her about to erupt, her pale skin flushing red from anger.

The rest of the afternoon passed with Wil quietly sneaking away from the mother and daughter duo just as their argument reached a deafening crescendo. He didn’t know how long they argued for, but the next day Astrid was waiting for him at his new, rented estate, ready to travel to the Guild.

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Wil eased himself out of bed, leaving the warmth of the covers for the chill air of his bedroom. He winced when his bare feet hit the stone floor, cold despite the thick layers of the decorative rug.

He had been in Ur for nearly two months now, and winter had come upon the city with a vengeance. Born in the warm southlands of Illyria, he was having trouble adjusting to the harsh, mountain climate. Erik had told him that it was warmer in the Wilds, to the point that snow was a rarity there, but that was little comfort to Wil.

Wil had been taking quests in the borderlands and surrounding mountain ranges for the last few months, accompanying Astrid as she became more comfortable with Quests. The silver haired beauty had recently broken through to Rank 6, and Tessa had felt that it was time for her to learn Artificing under her tutelage.

Astrid had been splitting her time between the Guild and her new responsibilities, leaving Wil to travel solo. He had several offers to join larger groups, even a few established teams within the Guild, but so far, he had deferred, preferring to travel alone.

Shivering, Wil wrapped a blanket around himself, while he stepped quickly to the fireplace. The blazing flames that had been present when he went to sleep had been replaced by dull coals, barely enough to take the edge off the chill.

Throwing a few pieces of wood onto the dying fire, he waved his hand, channeling a thread of mana into the remaining flames to help the dry wood catch faster. To his frustration, nothing happened, the spell failed to manifest, a simple cantrip by a Rank 10 mage fizzled.

Irritated, he tried again, this time the magic worked flawlessly, and the room was filled with the warmth and merry crackle of burning timber.

‘It’s happening more frequently.’ Wil thought, frowning briefly at the flames. Tessa had told him a few months ago that it would become worse, the magic more unpredictable, mana increasingly difficult to control. It had been contained to the Wilds until a couple weeks ago.

Now, at nearly every location in the borderlands, Guild Adventurers were having trouble casting spells, or enhancing their strength with mana. It wasn’t just the humans, other races were having the same difficulties. He had heard the Dwarves had sealed their mountain homes, waiting out the ‘Flux.’

Sighing, Wil dressed quickly in front of the fire. Wearing his Ursine fur cloak, the final shred of cold was driven from his body. Belting on the ‘Dragon’s Tooth’ and his bag of holding, Wil left his bedroom.

His room was at the end of the hall, with large windows facing the main street. Overall, he was pleased with this rented home, and with the income he was bringing in from working with the Guild, he had already tucked a small portion away to put towards purchasing the estate, rather than renting.

It was lonely, however. With just him living here, combined with his busy schedule, he hadn’t even bothered to hire any servants or caretakers yet, leaving the estate empty most days. A few cantrips took care of any mess he made, and he often ate at the Guild, preferring to listen to the news brought in from his guildmates, rather than eating alone here.

Stepping out of his home, and locking the door, he watched as the protective wards covered the entrance with a shimmering barrier.

The streets were snow covered, the street cleaners hired by the palace to remove last evening’s snowfall hadn’t had a chance to make it to his road yet, focusing on the main thoroughfare first, before branching out. The peaceful section of town that appealed to him for its quiet and remoteness meant that they wouldn’t make their way here until the afternoon, at the earliest.

Lifting the cloak of his hood over his head to block the still falling snow Wil made his way towards the guild. His boots made crunching noises that echoed off the buildings around him, and he hunched against the wind.

It was rare times like this that he missed home.