The damn mayfires have a mana controlling barrier. Don't ask me how the bastards have managed to get something like, but I can feel the damn thing in front of me.

  Before you ask me about how do I know that, I will be clear. The feeling it gives me is very clear. A sticky sensation that makes me feel like I will be caught in it if I were to take a step into. This is a mana controlling barrier. Nothing else would be able to present such a clear sensation.

  We have not yet entered into the barrier, though we are going to do so in a minute. Right now Alfred mayfire is preparing the ritual to enter into the place. Don't ask me what the exact ritual is, I don't think that the mayfires would appreciate me revealing it. Anyways, I don't think I have really understood it.

  The man has been standing in front of the barrier and has been chanting for the last couple of minutes. The man makes sure that I won't be able to hear anything of interest. The bits that I have understood make the entire thing seem like a prayer to their ancestors.

  As the man does his thing, I might as well explain how exactly I have ended up here. It took us about a couple of hours to reach the place. Without Alfred mayfire, we would have not reached here this quickly. Without the man, it would have been pretty unlikely that we would have made it alive.

  After all, the damn place is crawling in zombies. There are enough corpses here that I am left wondering just how many servants the mayfires keep. The mayfires are seriously lazy folks if the number of corpses they have here are to be considered. This also shows that the necromancers have managed to take over almost the entirity of the place.

  That is the only way that they would have been able to something make so many undead is if the necromancer have managed to take a significant portion of the fort. The mayfires are not in a pretty situation, is all I will be able to tell.

  Right now my main question is where exactly have the necromancers come from. It is pretty unlikely that they came from somewhere outside. Necromancers are very messy enemies to fight. They would not have left the city so pristine if they were fighting out there. So how exactly did the necromancers appear.

  Well, I am sure that I will be finding that out soon enough. For now, I am just happy that I don't need to fight the zombies. I mean, fighting zombies is easy, but the problem is dealing with a large amount of them because you absolutely don't want to get bit by them. They also don't have any vital mana that I can draw on so fighting them is very hard for me. They can be considered to be the perfect counter for me.

  For alfred mayfire, the situation is the exact opposite. The man has been built to destroy the zombies. Alfred mayfire doesn't even struggle to get rid of the creatures in an instant. Their magic is just suited to get rid of a large number of weaklings.

  The man literally summoned a flock of fire sparrows and burns a group of eight zombies to crisp just like that. I would have taken about half an hour to pull that off. I would have to attract the attention of each individual zombie and kill them like that. That is the only way that I can be assured that I won't be bit.

  Anyways, where was I? Yeah, we have reached a mana controlling barrier. Now, a mana controlling barrier is something that you only tend to see down south. They are the only ones with the knowledge and the resources to build something this complicated.

  I am completely sure that this is a mana controlling barrier. This not only due to the fact that it just feels so wrong arround the barrier. It is also the only thing that can explain the view that I can see in my mana sense.

  Mana in the atmosphere is always flowing. It crashes into each other, with mana of different kinds combining to form other kinds of mana. In short atmospheric mana tends to be very chaotic. (It is literally a kaleidoscope of color.) Even in the northern wastelands this holds true. The only thing about that place being that the mana there is of a single type. That is why the place is so dangerous.

  In this barrier there is mana of every variety present inside. The only thing being that the mana has stopped moving completely. It almost feels like the mana has frozen in an exact moment of time. It almost looks like a painting if I am honest about it.

  With a mana controlling barrier, the mana inside the barrier is under the absolute control of the person that is controlling the barrier. Inside the barrier, nobody else can take control of mana outside their body. That means that I won't be able to do anything that would require me to control mana externally. That includes inscription as well. That means that most kind of spells cannot be used inside the barrier. Well, let's hope that the mayfires don't plan to kill me. I won't really be able to put up a fight inside the barrier.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Captain sevenstars.", Alfred speaks. "How long will you be observing the fire altar barrier. I have completed the ceremony to allow you inside."

  That breaks me from my study of the barrier in front of me. Can't make it too obvious. Even the most friendly of our allies do not like to be the victims of our curiosity.

  "I apologise, you don't get to see formations like this this north of the continent.", I reply. "It must have cost you a lot to build such a fine formation."

  "Well, it would be wise that we enter the barrier as quickly as possible.", he speaks, the unease clear in his eyes. "The necromancers have been getting more and more aggresive nowadays. We don't want you get involved in one of their attacks. Anyways, It is not polite to stand at the door so long."

  "Oh yeah, I apologise for that. Let's go in.", I speak, noting that the man had been staring at my sword as he spoke this. Looks like the man also wants me in a place where he can get rid of me easil

  Entering into the barrier is a weird feeling. It feels like a foreign mana is trying to break into me and is trying to take control of it. I could have resisted it but that would have lead to me being killed by the man next to me. My troop would not have been able to save me.

  It is very hard, but I don't resist the foreign mana. Soon enough, it finally leaves me as I take control of myself. Almost on a impulse I try to push out my mana in the form of mana strings. As soon as my mana leaves my body I can feel it slip out of my control. The mana bleeds away from me.

  I cycle my vital mana, feeling it strengthen my body. The mana is under my complete control, as long as it remains in my body. The instant that I push even a bit of it out of me, I can feel it bleed away. Now I want to know who has made this formation.

  Creating a mana barrier capable of breaking a persons control over vital mana is very rare. The reason for that is necromancers ironically. Such a barrier would make the work of a necromancer quite easy. Where before they would have needed to manually separate a person from his vital mana to make him undead, the barrier will do it for them now.

  "Only those blessed by the fire altar can use mana inside this place, captain.", speaks Alfred mayfire. "The only reason that the barrier is not attacking you is because I have named you allies of the mayfires. Otherwise you would already have begun to burn at the altar."

  As he speaks, the man has been taking us through the narrow tunnels of the keep. Finally, the tunnels have opened up into a room full of tombs. There are rows and rows of corpses placed evenly across the room. I would say that there are at least a hundred corpses in the place. A bow of reverence from alfred is enough to tell me that this is a important place to these people.

  "Where are we?", I ask Alfred.

  "We are in the fire crypts. Every member of our family is put to rest here in the presence of the fire altar.", Alfred speaks.

  I don't reply to as I digest this information. The mayfires are from the east. They are really superstitious about their dead. They would never disturb their dead unless they were pushed into it. Just how have the necromancers managed to do so much damage.

  As I am pondering in this, we have been making our way through the crypt. Passing the corpses we have finally ended up in some kind of safehouse.

  I can see different rooms connected to each other through a single tunnel. Every room has the mayfires, either cultivating, sleeping or just staring at the wall in front of them. Most that I have seen till now has a injury of some kind of the other.

  Even the ones that don't seem to be particularly injured move with a kind of resolute energy as if they are steeling themselves before a fight. Alfred finally stops in front of a door. I don't even need to peek in to tell that the room is empty.

  "Captain, you and your troops can rest in here.", he speaks.

  "I was under the assumption that we would be meeting the patriarch of the mayfires.", I ask.

  Right now I just want to lay down and drift off. Sadly. I represent the black mountain here. Meeting the patriarch cannot be missed.

  "Well the patriarch is right now busy with other works. You have been fighting a pretty grueling battle with the dead, the patriarch wishes you rest now", he replies, "he wishes to meet you at a more opportune time. Anyways, it would be wise that you are a bit more presentable before you go to meet him. This will give you the opportunity to freshen up and rest before he calls for you."

  Well, this gives me the opportunity to rest without Insulting the mayfires. I don't even need to command it as the soldiers begin to filter Into the place one by one. I don't as I can see that the man is about to leave. Before he can do that.

  "What is the situation right now?", I ask, knowing more than well, I won't be getting anything here. "What exactly is happening here?"

  The instant that I ask the question I can see the man stiffen up. While his expression doesn't change I can see his guard rise.

  "I am not sure what I am allowed to say.", he speaks, his voice taking in "The patriarch will brief you on the situation himself. I would advice that you don't get out of this room. With how high the tensions are, I cannot predict how the soldiers will react to your presence. Your sword can cause a lot of panic here."

  Saying that the man leaves, clearly intent not to speak anymore with me. The room that has been provided to us is pretty small, with barely enough place for two beds. The four us will be able to somehow adjust on the bed, but it is not going to be easy.

  Still, none of us complain, as we fall on the bed in armour. Even as my back hits the bed, I can feel exhaustion catch up as the dreams begin to take me.