The cart came to a sudden halt, jolting Lucius awake. He sat up, peeling off the bits of straw that clung to his face. The sunlight that blinded his eyes was accompanied by a warm summer breeze.

  When he realized where he was, he reached for his mask, once again slipping it over his face before the driver could see it.

  “Welcome to Verak.” The farmer opened the gate to the back of the wagon, offering a hand to help him down.

  His boots plunged into a thin coat of mud, a satisfying squelch accompanied a new found energy. The sun hung low on the horizon, yet he felt well rested.

  He thanked the farmer, tipping a few coppers for his service. The note the guild had given him directed him to a modest home in the center of town.

  It belonged to the village chief, the client on record for the request. Lucius approached a humble abode, knocking on the shoddy wooden door.

  After a short wait, the door swung open and his eyes met with a stranger. He was greeted by an old man afflicted by a mean hunch, a result of a long life working in the fields.

  His clothes were modest if not a little tattered, and his face bore a smile. “Good evening young man, can I help you?” Under his smile, Lucius could see a hint of concern.

  Minding his appearance, he slowly reached into his cloak to retrieve the letter of introduction he had received from the guild. “Are you the village chief?”

  “Hah—” The old man chuckled. “I never wanted the title, but I suppose I am.” He took the paper from Lucius’s hand, his eyes squinting in an effort to read it in the poor light.

  “Ah, of course! You must be the adventurer the guild has sent, right?” Lucius nodded in confirmation. “Though I never imagined they’d send someone so young.” He stroked his beard.

  “Pardon my manners, but could I ask to see your guild id?” Lucius obliged his request, handing him the metal plate from his pocket. The old man looked at it, confirming his identity with the name on the letter of introduction.

  “Apologies for the inconvenience sir, please join me inside.” The chief handed the id back, then ushered him inside.

  Lucius followed the chief into his home, trailing behind him all the way to the dining room. “Please have a seat.” He gestured to an empty chair at the dining table. Upon the table sat a plate of food, partially eaten.

  “Apologies for the mess, I wasn’t expecting guests tonight.” His tone was earnest, yet Lucius could detect a hint of sorrow in his words as well.

  “It’s fine, I wouldn’t dare impose.” Lucius took a seat. “Do you live here all alone?” He scanned the dining room, waiting for a reply.

  Much like its inhabitant, the structure was succumbing to time. The walls were beginning to rot, and the planks that comprised the floor were all but gone. A thick layer of dust coated every other object in the room.

  “Ever since my wife passed, it has been so.” His sorrow became more evident, his face no longer trying to hide it.

  “Don’t you have a son or daughter that can take care of you?” Lucius asked, considering his solitude strange. It was rare to see someone of his age without children, although it was not unheard of.

  “My wife and I tried many times, believe me. But it seemed it was not to be. She used to say we’d been cursed by the gods, but I never bought much into it.” He chuckled at the memory. “But anyway, enough about me. I shouldn’t bore you with tales of this old fool.”

  “As you wish.” Lucius nodded. The chief joined him at the table, scratching his head pensively. “The last sighting was two days ago, the Baker’s child if I remember right. He claimed a pack of wolves descended on a passing caravan, savaging the poor men.”

  Lucius leaned forward “Do you know where?” The man’s face strained as he tried to recall.

  “Some two miles north I believe, I don’t know exactly. If you ask Mr. Baker, I’m sure he could point you in the right direction.” Lucius nodded

  “And their numbers? Did the boy have anything to say?”

  “Oh I think about half a dozen, at most eight, but you never really know.“ Lucius nodded again in thanks.

  The conversation dragged on for some time, none of the older incidents offering much to go off of.

  “Thank you, I’ll talk to you soon.” He shook the man’s hand and thanked him for his hospitality, taking his leave quickly after.

  Lucius mulled over the info he had gathered, a sour taste pooled in his mouth. The chief hadn’t been able to offer him much information, but it was enough to begin his search. There was no point in stalling any further.

  If the man was to be believed, the Baker’s son may have held valuable testimony. But the sun had now set, and to intrude at such an hour would have been rude. He would begin the search immediately. If he turned up empty the next morning, he could always ask the boy, or so he reasoned.

  With the help of his new mask, the disadvantages that traditionally came with fighting in the dark, were now his strength. In fact, Lucius was confident that the night vision it provided was greater than that of the wolves.

  Top it off with the fact that he had been well rested from his mid afternoon nap, and he was in peak fighting condition. In the dead of night, he also wouldn’t need to fear that someone would spot him. Meaning he would have free reign to experiment with his spells.

  Lucius departed north bound from Verak, following the landmarks the old man had foggily recalled. Along the way he marveled at the artifact upon his face. In spite of its features, it consumed so little mana that he hardly noticed it.

  It was worth a professional appraisal, but Lucius pocketed the idea, unwilling to take such a risk yet. After some time, he stumbled upon a road. The dirt trail divided the plains Lucius stood upon from a dense forest, identical to the description he had received from the village chief.

  He followed the trail up some distance before he stumbled upon some tracks. Though he was hardly an expert tracker, he could tell they were recent. A set of horse hooves accompanied by wagon wheels veered sharply off the road, in contrast to the others around them.

  Lucius followed the tracks into the grass where they became much harder to see. Unlike the dirt, the grass did not bear such an obvious imprint. Luckily, when he thought he had lost the trail, a horrid stench filled his nose.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  He followed the putrid trail until he stumbled upon a wagon strewn on its side. Lucius examined the scene, discovering the origin of the smell that assaulted his nose. Three corpses laid rotting, half eaten while the rest was left to decay.

  Two of the bodies were human, the third belonged to the horse which laid in front of the cart, what was left of its body still remained attached to the wagon. It was a hideous site, a far cry from the funeral homes in which he was used to seeing the dead back on earth.

  He pinched his nose in an effort to fight back the stench as he rummaged through the merchant’s goods. They had partially spilled from the wagon bed which was now tipped on its side.

  Aside from a few pouches of coin and quickly spoiling produce, there was little to find. He considered taking the coin, but his conscience stopped him. He was not superstitious, but somehow stealing from the dead felt worse than if they had been alive.

  Before he could leave however, he felt compelled to give the bodies a proper burial in penance for his sinful thought. He grabbed a shovel from the merchant’s cart, breaking ground with earnest haste.

  Of course he could have simply parted the ground with magic, he knew a handful of earth spells that would have done the trick, but it would have defeated the purpose for which he labored.

  It was not just about showing remorse, but showing respect for two strangers before him. For if he could not offer them that much, he was no better than the beasts that tore them to shreds.

  After what must have been at least three hours of digging two separate pits, he laid both bodies to rest, crafting make-shift crosses from some wooden planks he borrowed off the wagon.

  Ragged from his labors, he said a small prayer for the two men. He had considered bearing the horse as well for a short moment before leaving it be. ‘Return to God what is God’s and nature what is nature’s’ He thought to himself.

  As if on cue, nature came to claim its bounty. Deep growls emanated from behind him as a pack of frost wolves slowly began to surround him, moving with caution. Lucius cursed his bad luck, “No good deed goes unpunished I guess.”

  He drew his sword from over his shoulder, unsure if he had been blessed or cursed. On one hand he was exhausted, the wolves could not have come at a worse time. But on the other hand, they saved him the trouble of having to track them down.

  As he steeled for battle, the wolves continued to stare him down, their growls growing louder with time. They were not stupid creatures, they would avoid a fight when possible. If they had really intended to kill him, they wouldn’t have left a gap for him to escape through.

  They had only come to finish their meal, but Lucius had other plans for them. The hunters would become the hunted. And before the night was up, peace would return to the plains once again. While the wolves growled, he used their hesitation to modulate some of his mana, forming a small blue pool inside his chest. All six of the wolves fell silent, realizing that he was not going to back down.

  Seizing the initiative, Lucius began casting. He projected some of the high frequency mana, crafting a magic circle with great speed. The wolves felt the disturbance, two of them charging him in response while the others circled behind.

  He traced the runes as fast as he could, thankful for his many hours of practice. It was a 2nd grade spell, earth and water serving as its attribute. Its simplicity however, meant that the cast time was astonishingly fast, even if its power was not impressive.

  Before the wolves could close the gap, the spell was completed. The ground beneath the two charging wolves turned to mud, as Lucius casted ‘Disturb Earth’. Their momentum caused them to slip, as they struggled to remain upright. Unable to find steady ground, they collapsed into a sprawl.

  As they were squirming to free themselves, Lucius dashed forth, igniting his mana blade. His blade was swift, as it cut through both of their skulls in quick succession. The two wolves died almost immediately, their bodies falling limply into the mud.

  Without hesitation he began casting his next spell. A magic circle appeared around his blade, as he began casting ‘Flame Sheath’, the only spellblade magic he knew.

  The 1st grade spell was quite similar to a normal spell, only one key feature separated it from a mage's magic. Whereas a normal spell consisted of only blue mana, a true spellblade spell would also combine a sword technique as its foundation.

  At least that was the conclusion that Lucius had reached, considering he had no peers to object. While the ability to use both sword techniques and spells alone granted astonishing power, the combination of both was what set a spellblade above his opponents.

  A magic circle formed around his sword. Rather than tethering the spell to the magic circle which spawned it, he anchored the magic around his ‘Mana Blade’ sword technique.

  His sword burst into flames, the mana blade technique sheltering the steel from the heat of the flames. The remaining four wolves charged at him from all around.

  Lucius charged forth again, disrupting their coordinated attack. He unleashed a horizontal slash at the one in front of him. The wolf managed to duck his blade, suffering only a minor cut on its back.

  Its claws scratched at his legs, drawing blood. But he managed to retreat in time, avoiding the worst of the bite.

  The wolf gave chase for only a second, before it found itself whimpering in pain. Although the cut had been shallow, the strike had ignited the creature's fur upon contact.

  The fire spread until the wolf could no longer ignore it. The creature rolled on the floor in an attempt to smother the flames. Instead, it ended up igniting the grasses that surrounded it, further engulfing itself in flames.

  Lucius winced at the pain radiating from his ankle. The wound hadn’t been deep enough to be considered debilitating, but it still hurt like hell. If it hadn’t been for his leather greaves, he might not have been standing.

  In that moment of hesitation, the other three wolves closed in on him. He cursed his lack of discipline, turning to face his foes. To make matters worse, he was running out of high frequency mana.

  If he couldn’t perform another modulation, his blade would extinguish, greatly reducing the efficacy of his strikes. Throwing caution to the wind, he tried to stare down death as his father had tried to teach him.

  His muscles tensed, calling a deep red mana from his core. The mana flowed into his arms and legs and he felt a great surge of strength. The 1st grade sword technique, ‘Reinforce’, gave strength to his limbs.

  The technique had many names and variation, but some form of it was essential to all sword schools. Despite only being rated at the 1st grade, its power varied from user to user. It was simple to use, yet the power gained from performing the technique was vastly different depending on three factors.

  First, the number of layers to a swordsman's core. With more layers, the density and volume of the mana would increase, thereby providing greater strength.

  Second, the swordsman’s level of mana control. Even with an infinite mana pool, if their control was weak, the effects of the technique would be underwhelming.

  Last but not least, their level of mana perception. Even with incredible mana control, a swordsman could not harness that which he did not perceive.

  By mastering all its components, it could be turned from the weakest spell in a swordsman's repertoire, to the strongest.

  For his age, Lucius had incredible proficiency in the last two, but his core was still only comprised of 4 layers. Despite his efforts, he had not yet been able to reach a 5th layer.

  But even so, 4 layers was nothing to scoff at. With his proficiency in mana perception and control, he estimated that he could manifest the technique at the same level as an average 5 layered swordsman.

  The three wolves in front of him leaped, bearing their fangs and claws at him. Despite every bone in his body telling him to run away, he stepped forward. His foot hit the ground which shattered under the pressure.

  A tremendous amount of force traveled up through his torso and into his arms. His sword slashed elegantly through the air with blinding speed, sending all three of the creatures flying back.

  It was the first time he had ever gone all out, mustering all the mana he could into one attack. Time slowed as he watched the wolves fall to the ground, mortal wounds across their chests.

  When the bodies hit the floor, time returned to normal. He fell to one knee, ragged and out of breath. He turned to face the wolf he had set on fire, whose howls had gone silent.

  Its corpse laid silent as well, serving only as fuel for a raging fire. The dry summer grasses posed little obstacle to the fire, instead fueling its growth.

  “Well shit, what did I think was going to happen?” he face palmed at his mistake. Then he hurried to put a stop to the fire, before it was too late.