DOMESTICATION

©2022 SETH RING

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ALSO IN SERIES

Domestication

Germination

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Thank you for reading Domestication

Groups

LitRPG

CHAPTER 1

This game is the worst.

John stared morosely down the long path, wincing as his cart bounced across the ruts formed by the late spring rain. The rolling hills had given way to steep mountains that thrust up into the sky like they had something to prove, and the dry summer sun had baked the dirt road into a dusty purgatory that left grit on his tongue with every clop of his horse’s shod hooves. For the millionth time since he had appeared in this godforsaken world, John checked his status and active quest.

Name: John Sutton

Age: 27

Class: Mage

Spells: 1

Active Quests: [Retire]

Seriously, whoever designed this game should be strung up by their toes.

No matter how many times he looked at the floating blue window hovering just outside of reach, John could not quite wrap his mind around the fact that he had been summoned to a parallel world like some web novel protagonist. It had been ten brutal years, and no matter how he cut it, this world was no fun-loving adventure. The fact that he had survived long enough to activate his current quest was nothing short of a miracle, and no matter how barren the mountains ahead of him, he was positive it was better than what he was leaving behind.

Using his gaze, John selected his active quest, rereading it to relieve the tedium of the plodding horse and jolting cart.

[Retire: You have been discharged with high honors by the Royal Lepierian Army and granted a deed to a small farm in the Robain Mountains, at the frontier village of Fairford. Speak to the village leader to claim your land.]

Spitting to try and clear the dust from his mouth, John stared ahead at the mountain path, no shorter than it had been when he looked a moment ago, and sighed, forcing down the annoyance that smoldered in his chest.

If I ever find the person who created the summoning spell, I swear I will visit such wrath upon them that their ancestors feel it.

Alas, the spell, and its creator, were long gone, burned to ash in the ruins of a city far from the Robain Mountains. The grumbling had long become a habit, and after sending a few more choice curses into the ether, John settled into his other habit, pulling mana from the air around him, breathing it in and circulating it through his lungs and into his heart. Like liquid fire, the pure essence of the world poured into his body, causing a burning glow to light up his half-closed eyes. Breathing out the impurities he had filtered from the ambient mana, he could sense them igniting under the heat manifested by his gaze.

Paying careful attention to bend all the heat his mana breathing cycle was generating back into his body to avoid accidentally killing his horse, John passed the next few hours in the oblivion of meditation. He would have continued, but the path finally changed as the cart arrived at the top of the mountain that he had been climbing. Taking one final breath, John held it, letting the liquid fire running through his veins sear into his bones and muscles. The process was as excruciating as always, but not a twitch crossed his face as the pain rolled through him. Once it faded, John opened his eyes and stared down across the short valley that spread out at his feet.

Roughly sixty miles wide and only fifteen miles long, the valley contained everything a picturesque valley should, and for the first time in ten years, John felt a sense of genuine happiness washing over him. Thick green forests covered most of the valley with small patches of green and yellow fields concentrated around a small village at the foot of the mountain path. A river wound its way through the valley, appearing from the woods and then vanishing into a gorge further down the mountain range, reminding John of a silver belt he had once seen discarded among the crumpled covers of a bed.

Taking a closer look at the village, John could hardly suppress the sigh that rose to his lips. He had fought hard for this chance, and nothing in the entire world would stop him from achieving it. Come hell or high water, he was going to retire. Pulling his cloak tighter around his shoulders, John was about to start his horse down the mountain when a gruff voice sounded from the rocks and brush along the side of the path.

“Hold, stranger.”

Pulling on the reins, John looked toward the rocks but did not see anyone. Carefully spreading his hands to show he carried no weapons, he waited for the voice to continue.

“What business do you have here?”

“I’m looking for the village of Fairford. Is that it?”

“Aye, but that doesn’t tell me what business you have.”

“Must I have business?”

“Aye.”

The voice echoing off the rocks grew hard, and John did not blame them. This world was rife with bandits, thieves, and killers who would gut their own brothers if it meant getting a few coins. As a rule, strangers were harbingers of disaster, and whoever spoke from the bushes was right to be careful. While John had not expected to be stopped so far out, he had never thought he would be able to walk into the village unchallenged, as villages that did not secure themselves soon vanished.

“My name is Sutton. I should be expected by the village leader. I’ve been granted the Burrows homestead.”

Silence followed John’s words, stretching so long that he began to wonder if the man who stopped him had just decided to leave. Tired of watching his horse flick its tail, John looked at the rocks again, just in time to see a lean hunter in stained leathers standing up. A heavy crossbow was held casually in the crook of the hunter’s arm, but the practiced way he controlled its swing spoke to years of use.

“The name is George,” the hunter said, giving John a nod. “The path is straight and the first big house in the village is the leader’s place. You’ll want to see him before you go out to the Burrows homestead on account of you being a stranger and what.”

“Thank you, George. I appreciate the help, and once I’m settled in, I’ll have to have you over to share a cup of wine.”

“Mmm, perhaps. Speak to the village leader first.”

Sensing that he was less than welcome from George’s steely gaze and non-committal grunts, John just smiled and nodded and clicked his reins, starting his cart down the long path that led to Fairford. The clear mountain air was deceptive and despite the village being clearly visible from the top of the mountain, it took John nearly two hours before he finally arrived. By the time he made it to the first few buildings on the edge of the village, he was completely covered in dust from the road, so he stopped his horse to try and make himself look presentable. Untying his cloak and tossing it into the back of the cart, he did his best to brush the dirt away from his body, sighing again when he just made himself look even more disheveled.

If this was a normal game world, there would be an easy clean function. Or better yet, I wouldn’t get dirty in the first place.

The village leader’s house was easy to find as it was the only two-story building in the entire village apart from the inn that sat just off the village square. All of the buildings were made of the same hardened mud blocks with thick timber supports, sourced, no doubt, from the dense forests around the village. It was late in the afternoon and the streets were fairly empty, so John only had to endure a few suspicious stares on his way to the leader’s home. From his experience, being friendly was almost considered more suspicious than being standoffish, so John settled for the pleasant but distant expression he had developed over years of interacting with over-enthusiastic superior officers and ignored the looks he was getting.

Knocking on the open door to announce his presence, John stuck his head in and looked around. Hearing a shout from another room, he made a futile effort to brush the dust from his pants one more time and stepped into the small parlor.

“Sorry, sorry, just coming,” a middle-aged man said, hurriedly tucking his shirt into his pants as he appeared from the hallway.

“Are you Jonas Halden? Village leader?” John asked, sizing up the middle-aged man who was still tucking his shirt in. “My name is John Sutton.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sutton, pleased to meet you. You’ll have to excuse me, I was just cutting some wood out back when someone mentioned I had a visitor.”

Straightening his collar, the village leader offered a firm handshake with a wide smile.

“I’m Jonas, but everyone calls me Halden.”

Instead of taking the village leader’s hand, John handed him a piece of paper. Slightly taken aback by the skeptical expression on John’s face, Halden took the paper and looked over it, a frown marring his features as he struggled to read the official language the document used. Giving him time to work out what it said, John took the opportunity to examine the village leader a bit closer. Thick hands and forearms spoke to years of work, and the man had not quite managed to clear the sweat from his hairline.

A leather vest bearing the village’s heraldry on its right breast had been hastily thrown over Halden’s linen shirt, but from the gaps under his arms, it was obvious it had been made for someone of significantly larger girth. The room they were standing in looked like any parlor that could be found in one of the larger cities, though from the dust on the knickknacks and the well-worn path on the wooden floor, it was clear no one had sat in any of the overstuffed chairs for some time.

“Ah, I see. You’re actually looking for my father. We share a name,” Halden said, waving the paper. “He’s been dead these four years, otherwise, I’d take you to meet him. We submitted the paperwork with one of the traveling merchants after I was elected to take up the role of village head, but I still haven’t received the official notice.”

“If you haven’t gotten it after four years, then it’s probably buried at the bottom of an endless pile of papers on a bureaucrat’s desk, if it wasn’t used to start the merchant’s fire. I wouldn’t expect it any time soon.”

“Hah, if ever.” Halden grinned good-naturedly, handing the paper back to John. “I don’t read so well, but from what I can make out, this is a deed to the Burrows place, right?”

“Twenty-five acres of fields, a hundred acres of forest, three pastures, a home, two barns, half a dozen cows, and a bull,” John said firmly, putting the paper back.

As the list continued, Halden’s face grew stranger and stranger, causing John’s heart to fall.

“Ah, yes, well, most of that won’t be any trouble,” Halden said with false brightness. “Though no one has been maintaining the fields, so it might be a few more acres of forest than fields. Oh, and the roof of one of the barns looked like it had fallen in the last time I was out that way, but the house and the other barn should be in fine shape.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’,” John said, his gaze narrowing.

“Um, yes, well, you see…” Stuttering a bit, Halden got out a well-used handkerchief and mopped his brow, his eyes shifting a bit. “Well, the thing is, no one has been living there since Old Man Burrows died, so, you know, things are a bit different these days. Um, I think it might be best if you went out and saw it for yourself.”

Measuring the village leader with a calm gaze, John finally nodded, putting the deed away.

“That suits me. Do you have someone who can show me the way?”

“Oh, I can. It’s not too far outside of town. Let me just put my axe away and see if I can borrow a cart. Do you have a lot to carry?”

“I have a cart, thanks. You can ride with me if you like.”

Looking relieved, Halden asked John to wait for a moment as he left the room. A few minutes later, he strode back in, his village leader vest nowhere to be seen. From the drops of water on his neck, John could tell he had washed his face in the few minutes that he had been gone. He had also made an effort to tame his unruly hair and even changed his shirt. Catching John’s stare, Halden blushed slightly but did not explain.

“Shall we? We should be able to get there in about half an hour if the road is clear.”

Leaving Halden’s home, John found a small crowd of townsfolk standing around his cart. Most of them maintained a good distance, but there was one man who was standing closer, his head and neck craning as he tried to see what was in the back of the cart. Getting a fright when he noticed John and the village leader approaching, he coughed and shuffled back into the crowd quickly, earning himself jeering looks from the rest of the townsfolk.

“Hey, move away, move away,” Halden said briskly, waving for the gathered people to get out of the way.

“Aren’t you going to introduce your friend, Halden?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, Martha, but this here is Sutton. He holds the deed to the Burrows place and will be taking over there. He’ll be our new neighbor.”

Feeling the townsfolk’s gazes, John gave them a small smile and nodded a greeting, making sure to tip his hat to the few ladies present. The gentlemanly motion earned him a few smiles in return and even one curtsy from a young lady who had been standing behind the middle-aged woman Halden had called Martha.

“Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Sutton,” Martha said, pushing her daughter back behind her.

“And you, ma’am.”

Giving one last nod to the crowd, John backed up his horse, turning the cart and climbing up. Halden scrambled up next to him and they started out of town, leaving the crowd behind.

CHAPTER 2

Bouncing along the road that led out of town, John did his best to avoid the largest ruts, but it was clear from its state of disrepair that it was rarely used. The houses quickly gave way to gently rolling hills covered with fields and small stands of trees. Following the winding road until the town disappeared, John and Halden sat in silence, listening to the thud of the horse’s hooves on the dirt. Sensing Halden’s nervousness, John glanced at him.

“So, have you lived here your whole life?”

Shocked out of his stupor by the sudden question, Halden turned to look at John so suddenly, he nearly fell off the cart. Gripping the side of the seat, he recovered his balance and nodded.

“Uh, yeah. I have. Born and raised.”

“How did your father become the village leader?”

“Well, actually, when he was young, he served in the military as an advance scout. He managed to survive long enough to get a discharge after the Battle of the Torrens Plains,” Halden said, pride clear in his voice.

“Wow, I heard that battle had something like a ninety percent casualty rate. How did he survive?”

Obviously passionate about the story, Halden nodded excitedly, his ruddy face glowing with pride.

“The way he told the story, he had been part of some forward action, but their unit was hit by the enemy kingdom’s mage!”

Halden paused, glancing at John from the corner of his eye to see if his words would have the intended impact. Seeing the shocked expression on John’s face, he nodded seriously.

“That’s right, they ran into a mage who controlled water, using a spell that summoned a giant wave that crushed them. The first wave killed almost the entire unit, but my pops was a tough one. He managed to hide under a log and was washed away with the wave. The mage had turned the plain into a giant river and there were bodies washing away all over the place. But my pops was smart. He actually stabbed an arrow into his armor and hung on to the log, pretending to be a dead body as he floated away. That kept him alive until the kingdom’s mage arrived and he was able to crawl back to his side’s headquarters.”

Shaking his head in wonder, John did not have to fake his amazement. It was practically a miracle that Halden’s father had survived an encounter with a mage.

“Did your father see the mages fight?”

“Are you kidding? Only from a distance. He said it looked like two storm giants fighting. Both sides tried to pull back their armies, but they didn’t make it in time. Water on one side and wind on the other. He didn’t see it firsthand, but according to the rumors, his side won the battle. But in the end, the plain was completely destroyed and is still a wasteland. Nothing grows there anymore because of the magic. Even the enemy kingdom was wiped out when their own mage cast his last spell.”

“Sheesh, how many years ago was this?”

“Oh, it must have been about forty-five years ago? The trader who comes through every couple months tells me it’s still forbidden land.”

“So that was before the Conclave of Magic.”

Scratching his head, Halden thought about it for a second before nodding.

“Yeah, I guess it was. Actually, I bet that battle was part of what made them do the conclave in the first place. Can you imagine, ten million soldiers, all wiped out just like that. Like the snuffing of a candle. I’m glad they’ve outlawed magic. Nothing but trouble if you ask me.”

“Which makes it all the crazier that your father survived.”

“You’re telling me. Ha, I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t.”

“So, after he survived, did he stay in the army or did he move here right away?”

Letting out a loud laugh, Halden shook his head and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

“Nah, he was done. What he saw scarred him up pretty good. To the day he died, he would only talk about it in whispers, like a mage would jump out from around the corner and blast him if he were too loud. No, he was discharged, along with everyone else, and was given a first-class merit and the post of village head. He had passed through this village with his unit once and seen my mom, who was working at the mill at the time, and ended up wandering back here since he had nowhere else to go. A dashing soldier with a first-class merit, a pretty farm girl, you know. As they say, the rest is history. My history, haha.”

Continuing to chat, the time passed quickly and the Burrows homestead soon came into view. Nestled on the side of a hill, the homestead looked out over a largely flat piece of ground with sprawling fields surrounded by a broken-down fence. A large patch of woods stood to the north and east of the fields while the buildings were set off to the west.

“Ah, uh, there it is.”

As soon as the homestead came into view, Halden’s nervousness came back in full force, causing John to throw another glance at him. Approaching the short road that split off to the homestead, John and Halden heard the sound of voices, raised in argument. Exchanging a glance with Halden, John flicked the reins, causing the cart to speed up as the horse began to trot. The road leading up to the buildings came up into a wide courtyard where the house and two barns were. Pulling up in a small cloud of dust, John surveyed the situation playing out on the porch of the house while Halden jumped down immediately.

The people on the porch seemed to be divided into two groups, one consisting of a young woman and a preteen boy, and the other consisting of three rough-looking men. Surprised by the cart’s sudden arrival, the three men stepped back, not wanting to give their backs to the two newcomers. While the three men’s attitude was suspicious, what interested John the most was that the young woman and preteen boy seemed equally wary of them.

Climbing down from the cart, John slowly followed.

“Ellie, are you okay? Are these men bothering you?” Halden asked, rolling up his sleeves as he glared at the three men aggressively.

Clearly enraged by the village leader’s tone and look, one of the three men stepped off the porch to meet Halden, spitting on the ground as he did so.

“Hey, who do you think you’re talking to? You better watch your tone before I send you back to wherever you came from.”

Undisturbed by the threat, Halden glanced at Ellie and then back at the man in front of him.

“Are they threatening you again?”

“That’s a great question,” the leader of the three men spoke up from the porch, giving Ellie a hard look. “Are we threatening you? Do you feel threatened?”

Pale-faced, Ellie looked between Halden and the man who asked her the question, her words caught in her throat.

“Ahem, excuse me.”

Hearing a voice at his elbow, Halden turned his head and saw John standing there. He was carrying one of the large bags from his cart and was clearly trying to walk up onto the porch with it. Bemused, Halden stepped aside, allowing John to continue on his way. Walking up to the steps, John jerked his head, indicating that the rough-looking man blocking his way should move to the side.

“Would you mind? I’d like to get settled in soon. It’ll be dark soon and I still need to get dinner started.”

Completely confused, the rugged man glanced over his shoulder, but his leader was just as lost as he was. Growing angry, he turned back to John, his eyes squinting as he glared at the dusty figure holding a giant bag.

“Huh? What do you think you’re doing?”

“Moving into my house, obviously. Actually, I’m pretty sure I should be asking you what you’re doing on my porch.”

“Your porch?”

“Your house?”

Startled, both Ellie and the leader of the three men spoke out at the same time, their words overlapping. Glancing at the pale-faced young woman, the leader stepped forward to confront John, pushing his companion aside.

“What do you mean your house?”

“I own this homestead, so obviously, the house is mine,” John replied, his tone matter-of-fact.

“I just arrived today and would like to move in. With that in mind, I’d like to offer you the yard as a convenient space for you to finish your conversation, as I will need the porch to move my stuff into the house. Feel free to continue your conversation there.”

“New to the area, huh. That explains a lot. Do you have a deed for this place?” the leader of the men asked, his expression hard.

“Twenty-five acres of fields, a hundred acres of forest, three pastures, a home, two barns, six cows, and a bull,” John stated, not missing the flicker in the leader’s eyes when he mentioned the cows and the bull.

Staring down at John, the leader suddenly smiled and walked down from the porch, gesturing for his two men to follow him. As he walked into the yard, he patted John on the shoulder.

“Huh, is that right. Good to know this place has an owner. Ellie, I’ll be waiting over here to finish our conversation.”

Continuing up onto the porch, John found himself face to face with the young woman and the preteen boy. Trying to say something, the boy was muffled by Ellie’s hand as she dragged him to the side.

“Thank you, miss.”

The door to the house was ajar, and pushing it open revealed a neat kitchen with a large stove and sink. Stepping inside, John looked around, a small frown fluttering across his face. There wasn’t much in the kitchen, but everything that was there was as clean as a whistle and neat as a pin, showing the obvious care of an expert housekeeper. Feeling a headache coming on, John felt like he was beginning to understand why Halden had been so nervous. Putting a tight lid on the anger that had begun to bubble up in his chest, John let out a breath.

This world had been nothing but a headache since he’d arrived and he was not about to let a little thing like this get the better of him. Placing his bundle down, John turned and went back out to his cart to get the rest of his things. Outside, the three groups were all staring at the door to see what John was going to do. When they saw him ignoring everyone and walking back to the cart, the three rough-looking men were emboldened and sneered at Halden and Ellie. As he continued to carry his things into the kitchen, John got bits and pieces of the conversation.

“Ellie, you know the boss is not a patient man. He’s already made a great offer. You’d be an idiot not to take it.”

“I’ve already told you, Wale, I’m not interested.”

Ellie’s voice was sweet but surprisingly deep, causing John to shoot a glance at her as he walked by with his second bag.

“She’s told you to leave her alone, Wale, so I suggest you do that,” Halden said, walking up beside Ellie.

Like a skittish deer, Ellie backed up a step as Halden approached her, seeming to be just as wary of him as she was of Wale and his companions. Pretending to not notice, Halden stopped and faced the three men, his chin jutting out combatively as he continued to speak.

“You might think you’re a big deal around here, but believe me, we’re not afraid of you.”

“Hah, not afraid, that’s rich. How about I tell the boss about that, Halden? What do you think about that?”

“Tell him whatever you want. We won’t stand by while you bully our own.”

“Your own? Oh, that’s a new one. I’ll tell the boys, they’ll appreciate the good laugh. What do you think, Ellie? Are you one of theirs? Last I heard, you were run out of Fairford. How did you suddenly become one of them? Unless you’ve set your sights on our mighty town leader here? Is that it, are you going to reject our leader for your knight in shining armor?”

“No.” Ellie’s voice was quiet but strong.

“In that case, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. You don’t have anything here, and no one in the valley wants you to stay. Hah, you don’t even have a home anymore,” Wale said, gesturing to the house. “Believe me, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop fighting the inevitable and come with us. The boss is sincere, and we’ll take good care of you and your brother.”

“That’s not true,” Halden protested. Turning to Ellie, he spoke gently. “Ellie, you know the townsfolk didn’t mean it. They just got worried. They only need a bit of time. You can come back, stay with me. I promise I’ll help you.”

“Oh, shut your trap, Halden. You didn’t stop them when they drove her out in the first place. Why would you do it now? Besides, the boss will be really annoyed if you keep butting in where you’re not wanted. Ellie obviously doesn’t want your help, so my suggestion is you move on before we help you.”

“Huh, I think we should just cut to the chase and break his legs,” one of the other men said, cracking his knuckles and taking a step forward.

Shaking his head, Wale sighed dramatically.

“No, no, the boss said we had to keep this a peaceful visit. We wouldn’t want Ellie here to get the wrong impression of us. She might think we’re a bunch of bloodthirsty bandits who have no problem maiming people.”

“Aren’t we, though?” the quiet man who had not spoken asked, eliciting a loud laugh from his companions.

“Haha, yeah, I guess we are,” Wale said, giving Halden a nasty smile. “Hear that, Halden? If I were you, I would get running.”

Halden was about to retort when he realized John had stopped next to him, causing his words to die in his throat. Even though John’s expression was relaxed and even faintly friendly, Halden found himself unable to speak under the weight of his stare. Taking advantage of the silence, John gestured toward the barn.

“I’ve checked the barn, but it’s empty. Where are my cows?”

CHAPTER 3

Silence reigned over the farmyard after John’s question, the only sound the gentle swish of the leaves on the trees near the house. Not shifting his gaze an inch, John calmly looked at Halden, waiting for an answer.

“They, uh…” Looking around for a way out, Halden saw Ellie and her brother standing together.

Pointing at them, Halden shifted the responsibility.

“The last time I saw them, they were all hale and hearty. But Ellie and Ben here were taking care of them. They’ve been squatting here and taking care of the homestead since Old Man Burrows left.”

Letting his gaze linger on Halden a moment longer, John turned to look at the young woman Halden was pointing at, his face expressionless as he waited for her to speak. Struggling with what to say, Ellie glanced at Wale from the corner of her eye, not daring to look directly at him. It was clear to John she was filled with an internal struggle, but before she could say anything, her brother spoke up.

“They took them!”

The young boy’s voice broke the silence, shocking all the adults. Ellie’s face went completely white as she tried to cover up her brother’s mouth, but before she could he struggled free, pointing an accusing finger at Wale and the other two men.

“They stole them over a month ago. They said it was because you owed them money, but that was just a lie!”

“Ben!” Ellie hissed, trying to get her brother to close his mouth. “Be quiet!”

“No! I won’t be quiet! We took care of them this whole time and then they just came and stole them!”

A cold look came over Wale’s face as Ben continued to speak, and he nodded to one of the thugs next to him. Slamming a fist into his palm, the man walked toward the young boy, a sneer on his face.

“You’ve done it now, kid. You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you.”

Eyes going wide, Ben backed up a step before realizing his sister was behind him. Despite his obvious fear, he swallowed and stopped retreating, holding his arms out to keep his sister behind him.

“You have my cows?” John asked.

“Who says we have your cows? You going to believe this little liar?” Wale asked, gesturing to Ben.

“Three days.”

Unable to process what John was saying, Wale’s brow furrowed.

“Excuse me?”

“You have three days. Six cows, one bull. And not old ones either. No older than five years old.”

This time, Wale didn’t have any trouble understanding what John was saying; he just couldn’t believe he was actually saying it.

“Are… are you serious?”

Thinking for a moment, John nodded his head, meeting Wale’s gaze squarely.

“I’m always serious. In fact, I’m so serious it might as well be my middle name. John ‘Serious’ Sutton. You have three days.”

Turning away without giving Wale a chance to speak, John looked at Ellie and Ben.

“You’ve been taking care of this homestead, right? Thank you for your work. Now, if all of you would excuse me, you’re welcome to carry on your conversations, but please do it on the road. I’d like to settle in and I’m not really ready for visitors.”

Nodding to Halden, John grabbed the last bag from the cart, checked to make sure the barn door was closed and his horse wouldn’t get out, and walked into the house, shutting the door firmly, leaving everyone in the yard speechless.

He had already seen the kitchen, so he carried his stuff further into the house, checking it out. Besides the large kitchen, the house consisted of a small sitting room, a bathroom, and three other small rooms. One of the small rooms was acting as a storage room, though from the dust on the empty shelves, it was clear it hadn’t been used in a long time. The other two rooms were also nearly empty, but there were thin mattresses on the floors, so John assumed they were being used as bedrooms. The entire house was almost completely devoid of stuff, making it clear just how poor the current occupants were.

Going back to the kitchen, he got a loaf of bread and some dried meat out of one of his bags and a pot out of another. The kitchen had a sink with a pipe sticking out of the wall above it. Sliding the stopper back, John was pleasantly surprised to see a stream of clear water pouring out. The water was bone piercingly cold, and John figured it must be connected to some sort of underground stream. Filling the pot, he recapped the spigot and carried it over to the stove. A small stack of wood sat next to the stove and, taking a few pieces, John stoked the coals, quickly starting a fire. As he put the pot on the stove, he heard some shouting in the yard outside.

A deep frown crossed his face, and he slammed the package of meat and spices he’d been about to dump into the pot onto the table, stomping over to the door. Throwing it open with a bang, he glared out at the people who were still in the yard.

“I thought I made myself clear. Get yourself off my property. Now.”

Like a deer caught by a hunter, Halden stared at John blankly while Wale and the other two thugs looked at each other. Ellie pulled her brother close and started to back up, but before she could distance herself from Wale, he stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

“You heard the gentleman. We better go. Come along, Ellie, you better come with us.”

Looking like he wanted to say something, Halden swallowed. Seeing the threatening glances Wale’s two men were sending his way, the village leader kept his silence and, with an apologetic glance at Ellie, turned and left. Pleased, Wale tugged on Ellie’s arm, nearly pulling her over.

“Come on, before I get angry.”

“No, we’re not going,” Ellie said, trying to pull her arm free.

Ignoring her protests, Wale jerked her arm, forcing her to follow him as he started for the road. One of his men grabbed Ben when the young boy tried to grab his sister to pull her back, and the other thug stepped forward to stand between Wale and John, as if daring him to leave the porch.

“We’ll be on our way and out of your hair,” Wale said, a nasty look in his eyes as he stared at John. “But we’ll be back to have a chat about how things are run in this valley.”

Seeing the desperate look on Ellie’s face and hearing Ben’s muffled yells, John closed his eyes for a second before letting out a sigh and stepping off the porch.

“Seriously, you couldn’t just leave peacefully when I asked, could you? You better leave them behind before I lose my patience.”

Sneering, the thug who had been facing him started to step closer, but John did not give him the chance. Walking closer, he didn’t even stop when he was less than a foot away from the thug, forcing the man to step back. With every step back the man took, John advanced, as if there was nothing in front of him. It was only when the thug nearly bumped into Wale that John stopped. Looking past the thug at Wale, John pointed at Wale’s hand.

“Let go.”

About to snap back, Wale stopped before the words left his throat. From the corner of his eye, he could see the hand of the thug who John had backed up. The man had his fist clenched so tightly, his knuckles were white, but that still wasn’t enough to suppress his trembling. Looking again at John’s calm expression, Wale carefully let go of Ellie, who ran to grab her brother from the thug who held him. Seeing Wale’s action, the thug gave his boss a confused look but still let go, letting Ellie take her brother.

Stepping back, Wale and his men left without another word, but before they made it out of the yard, they heard John’s voice.

“Don’t forget my cows.”

Flinching, Wale was about to spin around and come back but thought better of it after seeing his trembling subordinate speed up. In the yard, John let out a sigh and kicked the ground morosely.

So much for staying low profile.

Turning around, he saw Ellie and Ben staring at him, their eyes wide in their pale faces. For the first time, John got a good look at the two of them, noting their thin faces and straw-like hair that showed a clear lack of nutrition. Both of them were wearing old clothing that showed many signs of repair, but like the inside of the house, they were meticulously clean. Ellie appeared to be about twenty years old, though the calluses on her hands and the clear worry around her eyes made her look older.

There was a faint beauty to her face, mostly centered around her expressive eyes, but at the moment, the stress of the situation caused her to look drawn out and strained. For a moment, John just stared at Ellie, his expression unreadable. Sensing that his sister was growing worried, Ben stepped forward, his expression fierce.

“We aren’t leaving. You may be able to drive those other people away, but this is our home. You can’t have it. You can’t make us leave!”

Taken aback by the fervor in the young boy’s voice, a deeply buried memory streaked through John’s mind, causing his spirit to tremble. A hot wind started to blow the dirt of the yard into the air, but John forced the feelings down ruthlessly. Looking around the neat farmyard, he pondered for a moment and then turned away, walking up onto the porch.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

Staring after him as the door slammed shut, it was Ben and Ellie’s turn to be speechless.

“Do… do you think he’ll make us leave tomorrow?” Ben asked, all his bravado replaced with quiet panic.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Ellie replied, pulling Ben into a hug. “We know this farm, and he’ll need someone to help. Just leave it to your big sister.”

Walking confidently toward the house, Ellie made sure to keep the worry overflowing in her heart off of her face. Quelling the slight tremble in her hand as she reached for the door handle, she swallowed and then pushed the door open, walking into the warm kitchen, Ben following behind her. The fire in the stove was blazing merrily and the pot of stew bubbling happily filled the room with a mouthwatering smell.

Stopping short at the sight of John sitting at the kitchen table carefully peeling an apple, Ellie felt the confidence she was projecting draining away, but she forced herself to maintain the facade. Finishing the apple, John looked up, meeting Ellie’s gaze. To his surprise, she just smiled at him and moved past the table to a cabinet, getting out three bowls, three plates, three cups, and three spoons. Returning to the table, she carefully set out the dishes, returning to add well-worn cloth napkins under the spoons.

Once the table was set, she opened another cupboard and pulled out a cloth-wrapped loaf of bread, carefully cutting off three thin slices. John watched her as she put a slice of bread out on each plate, her motions careful, as if she was handling something incredibly precious. Returning to the cupboard again, she reached for a small pot, trying to open it in a way that John couldn’t see into it. Shoulders stiffening, she hesitated for a moment and then put the little pot back and returned to the table, a slight blush of embarrassment on her face.

Realizing what was going on, John pretended he hadn’t noticed. Rising, he walked over to the stew to see how it was doing. Scooping up a spoonful, he didn’t bother blowing on it, just shoved the scalding liquid into his mouth. Smacking his lips, he frowned and added a bit more salt and pepper from a pouch next to the stove. Giving it another stir, he tasted it again and nodded.

“I can get it,” Ellie said brightly, coming over to get the pot, only to wither under John’s calm stare.

“Sit down.”

Quickly sitting down, Ellie couldn’t help but feel like the room was incredibly warm all of a sudden. Ben seemed oblivious as he hurried to get into his chair, his eyes never leaving the pot of soup except when they would stray to the peeled apple sitting on John’s plate. Picking up the pot, John carried it to the table and set it down. Picking up Ben’s bowl, he scooped some of the chunky stew into it and held it in his hand for a moment, staring down at it. In the middle of reaching to take it, Ben froze when he realized John wasn’t moving. Looking at his sister, he realized she was just as unsure as he was about what was going on, but a moment later, John placed it down in front of the boy like nothing had happened.

Repeating the process with Ellie’s bowl, he finally ladled some stew into his own bowl and sat down at the table, picking up his thin slice of bread and starting to dig in. Seeing him begin eating, Ben wasted no time, quickly scooping spoonsful of stew into his mouth. About to warn him it was still boiling, Ellie was startled to see her brother had no trouble eating the stew at all, despite the fact that he was practically inhaling it.

Cautiously tasting the stew herself, she was surprised to find it was hot, but not so hot that it burned. Even more important, the taste was unlike anything she had ever eaten. It contained a richness she’d never experienced before, and as the hot stew settled in her stomach, she found herself abandoning all sense of decorum, just like her brother. Looking up from his own stew to see Ellie and Ben devouring the food as if they had been starving, John frowned and reached out to touch the side of the pot.

“Slow down. There’s plenty.”

No sooner had he spoken than Ben reached for the ladle, scooping more stew into his bowl. Ellie was not far behind her brother, and not even the embarrassment she felt at John’s stare could stop her from taking a second helping. Carefully dipping his bread into his stew, John calmly ate his food while the siblings inhaled the entire pot of stew, cleaning it out so thoroughly, John began to doubt he had cooked any stew in the first place.

Picking up his knife, he cut the apple into three sections and placed a section on Ellie’s and Ben’s plates. Suddenly self-conscious, Ellie stared down at the apple and then up at John. Ben had no such compunction and gobbled his down in a few bites. Licking his fingers, he eyed Ellie’s apple. Realizing her food was under significant threat, Ellie quickly bit into her piece of apple. Her mouth still full, she tried to thank John but only managed a garbled sentence he waved off.

“I’m using the back bedroom.”

Leaving those parting words, John stood up, picked up his knife, and left the kitchen, leaving Ellie and Ben to clean up.

CHAPTER 4

That night, after tossing the thin mattress in the room he had chosen into the hall and setting up his own, more-comfortable mattress on the floor, John dreamt of flames, screams, and burning steel. He found himself on an endless plain filled with dying soldiers, their flesh burning away, leaving nothing but charred skeletons that stretched their bony fingers toward him even as their armor dripped from their arms in molten drops. In silence, John watched them, unable to move or speak as the blood-red sky grew dark with smoke. Just as he felt he would be choked by the fumes, the grasping skeletons turned their hollow eyes toward him and spoke with one voice.

“The apocalypse comes.”

Jerking up, John felt his breath coming in quick gasps. Unblinking, he stared at the wall of his small room and the blinking blue notification box in front of it. Despite the fact that it was still dark in the early morning light, he had no problem reading the writing in the blue box.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

Hearing a sound in the hall outside, John swiped the notification window away and listened carefully, picking up the quiet shuffle of feet as Ellie and Ben got up to start their day. John still had not decided what to do about them, so he lay back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he began his morning meditation. It was an hour later when he got up from his bed and opened his door, arriving in the kitchen to the sweet smell of porridge. Ellie was by the stove stirring the pot when he walked in, and turned to greet him, her thin cheeks flushed from the fire.

“Good morning,” Ellie said brightly, only the barest hint of awkwardness in her tone. “How did you sleep last night?”

“Fine.”

Her smile freezing at his curt word, Ellie was relieved when Ben pushed open the door with his foot, bringing in an armful of wood for the stove. Bustling about, Ellie soon had the table set and food served. The meal was simple, and John did not comment on the fruit and nuts that had clearly come from one of the bags he had brought in the night before, or the honey that had been used to sweeten the porridge.

This time, both Ben and Ellie showed some restraint and only ate a single bowl each, though Ben kept shooting longing glances at the pot after he had finished. Giving her brother a warning glance, Ellie put the lid on the pot and carried it back to the stove.

“Mr. Sutton, do you have plans this morning, or would you like me to show you around the farm? There’s a lot of land included in it and I would be happy to give you an introduction.”

“I… I can feed your horse!” Ben blurted out before his sister had even finished talking.

His eyebrows rising, John looked at the young boy and nodded before turning to meet Ellie’s hopeful gaze.

“That would be good. Thank you.”

Relieved and somewhat incredulous that John had accepted her suggestion, Ellie quickly cleared the table and washed up the dishes while John and Ben went out to the barn where John’s horse was stabled. The building was in pretty rough shape despite Halden’s assurance it was in good repair, and John took a look around while Ben scooped some oats out of the feed bag John had brought.

The barn was a good size and there were clear signs that the cows had been kept in the stalls when they were still on the farm, but over time, the hinges on the door had broken, leaving it leaning at an angle, and there were a couple holes in one corner of the roof. The other barn was in much worse shape, with two walls that had completely collapsed and a giant hole in the roof. While Ben was dragging a bucket of water from the well, Ellie came outside and walked over to John.

“We kept meaning to fix the hole in the roof, but we never quite found the time. There’s just so much to do on the farm.”

“This is where the cows were, right?”

“Ah, yes,” Ellie said, her expression souring slightly. “Before Wale took them, we mostly kept them in the barn except when they were eating. We would milk them two times a day. We also kept a garden out behind the house in the closest field, but they wrecked that too when they stole the bull and then again when they came yesterday.”

“Where was the bull kept?”

“In the far pasture. I’ll show you.”

Leading John past the barn, Ellie brought him to the fenced-in pastures, all overgrown with grass. The fences were in good shape, though there were a few spots where they were starting to show some disrepair. After looking at the three pastures, John and Ellie went to take a look at the fields behind the house. A fairly large area close to the house showed signs of a garden, but the plants had been completely destroyed and the trellises had been broken. Catching a pained expression on Ellie’s face as she looked at all her hard work that had been destroyed, John turned his gaze to the large fields that stretched out beyond the house.

“When was the last time they were worked?”

“Three years ago? They’ve been lying fallow since then. We wanted to farm them, but we weren’t able to find anyone to plow.”

“You couldn’t hire someone from Fairford?”

Shaking her head, Ellie showed some bitterness for the first time since John had first seen her.

“I don’t know if you noticed from the conversation yesterday, but we’re not particularly welcome around here. No, the only people who would plow for us wanted payment I couldn’t give. It’s not like we have anything to give them anyway.”

“Is there a plow on the farm? You had a bull, right? Or you could have used a cow.”

Seeing that Ellie was looking at him strangely, John suddenly felt self-conscious.

“What?”

“Um, it takes time for an animal to learn to plow. The bull was only two years old and was too much for me to handle. Anyway, I don’t know how to plow, and even if I wanted to learn, someone stole our plow. That’s why we were just growing on the land we could hoe.”

A faint furrow appeared on John’s forehead as he listened to Ellie. It was clear the locals had gone to great pains to get Ellie and Ben to leave, but either the siblings were abnormally tough or the townsfolk had a sense of limits. If John had to guess, he would have put his money on the former rather than the latter.

“Need a plow, check. We can use my horse. We’ll see about training the bull once it’s back.”

Giving John another strange look, Ellie held her tongue.

“In the three days before that, I’ll take a look around the woods and get a good lay of the land. What are you and your brother going to do?”

Biting her lip, Ellie glanced at John, only to see he was staring straight at her, his face set in his normal, unreadable expression. For a moment, she considered trying to play on his sympathies, but something in the back of her mind warned her that was the wrong tack to take. Instead, she squared her shoulders and looked back at him.

“We’re staying here. This farm is too big for one person, and you’ll need help. I can work hard and so can Ben. I can even cook and clean.”

To Ellie’s surprise, John just nodded and turned away, his eyes scanning the far edges of the field. The farm was surrounded by thick forest, and it was clear where the forest had begun to creep into the fields.

“How is the hunting in the surrounding area?”

“There are deer and hare and squirrels. Ben has had some luck with deadfalls for the smaller creatures, but there are wolves and bears in the woods, so we try to stay close to the house. There are also some fish in the river, but that’s an hour hike, so we’ve only gone over there when we were desperate.”

“For now, we’ll use the food I brought.”

Her eyes lighting up, Ellie tried her best to keep the relief she felt out of her voice as she continued to introduce the farm to John, but as soon as he wandered off to check out the woods, she couldn’t help but clutch her brother and cry quietly. Despite being across the field and about to enter the woods, John heard the sound of Ellie crying and frowned, resisting the urge to glance back.

The woods were quiet, but thanks to his mana-enhanced hearing, they seemed to be teeming with life. Bugs and small animals scampered this way and that, while deeper in the forest, he could hear larger creatures making their way carefully through the trees. Pausing when the house was finally out of sight, John crouched and checked his boots to make sure they were tight. He had already told Ellie he wouldn’t be back until dinner time, as he was preparing to get a lay of the land. Checking the knife hidden in his boot, John reached down and snapped off a piece of grass, putting it in his mouth to check for mana content.

Sensing that the concentration was rather high, he spit the grass out and stood up. Ever since he had come into the valley, he’d been able to sense that the mana concentration was unusually high, though considering that most of his time in this world had been spent in places where mana had been used heavily, it made sense that a valley like this would have an untouched mana supply. Breathing in, he felt the molten mana pouring into his lungs. Guiding it down into his spine, he sent the tendrils of fire into his legs and took a step forward. Appearing a dozen feet away, he stopped and looked back, his eyes filled with surprise.

Huh, it must be an effect of the mana-rich environment.

Shrugging, John began to move forward, each of his steps covering a dozen feet. Like a tongue of flame, he flickered through the woods, weaving in and out of the trees as he tried to get a sense of the land. For the next few hours, he explored the northern side of the farm, making a large loop. During that time, he found tracks for many different creatures, including deer, wolves, bears, pumas, and even some wild pigs.

It was mid-afternoon when he finally stopped for a break, his eyes scanning the clearing he had just come across. Walking normally, he entered the clearing and began to examine the ground. While he wasn’t an expert tracker by any means, the ground showed clear evidence that someone had been using the clearing as a camp for the last few days. A small pile of dirt drew John’s attention and, pushing it aside, he uncovered a few coals that were still smoldering. Covering them back up, John stood up and checked around the edge of the clearing, soon finding the spot where the campers had left. From what he could tell, the campers had at least a few horses or mules with them and had set up at least three tents.

I wonder what they’re doing on my land?

Deciding he wasn’t going to follow them, John shook his head. He had already started to think of the homestead as his, despite having only arrived the day before. Chuckling to himself, he continued his tour of the woods, arriving back at the farm just as the sun was starting to dip past the mountains. Walking across the pasture, he ducked through the fence and entered the barn to see how his horse was doing. Though he had no particular attachment for the creature, he knew he was going to need it to help with farm work, so he thought he should at least make sure it was well fed.

Seeing that Ben must have fed it, John nodded to himself. It was clear the siblings were meticulous and serious about making themselves useful. After patting the horse’s neck, John took a look at the harnesses hanging up on the wall to see what sorts of things he would need to get for the plow. He had never plowed before in either world and was curious to know how it would go. Thanks to his mana-reinforced strength, he could probably pull a plow himself, but since he was retiring, he wanted to try and do things correctly.

Hearing a strange voice, John’s eyes narrowed, and he walked out of the barn after patting his horse again. A group of five people leading two pack animals had stopped at the end of the farm’s road, debating quietly among themselves if they should go up and knock on the farm door. Seeing John emerge from the barn, one of the two girls nudged the largest man in the group, pointing out John to the others.

“There is someone living here, see? I told you.”

“Fine, we can go ask.”

Just then, Ellie came out of the house and saw John standing by the barn, staring down the lane at the five people who were walking up to the yard. Opening her mouth, she hesitated for a moment and then kept quiet. The group of five was made up of three men and two women, all dressed in solid leather armor, the mark of a high-quality adventuring team. Despite the friendly expressions on their faces, the weapons they carried gave them a dangerous look, and it was clear from the way they handled themselves that they were quite experienced. Stopping in the yard, they looked between Ellie and John. Lifting his hands to show they were empty, the large man who looked to be the leader spoke gruffly.

“Greetings. We are the Red Coral adventuring team. We’re brand new to the area on a commission and were wondering if you could give us some directions or potentially even guide us.”

“Welcome,” John said, his voice anything but. “I’m sorry, but we’re not very familiar with the area ourselves. I don’t think we can help you.”

Frowning at John’s unfriendly tone, the large adventurer glanced at Ellie, only to see her face was just as cold. Letting out a humph, he took a step forward, his gaze turning fierce.

“Look, we don’t want to cause trouble, but—” Before the large adventurer could finish, John interrupted him.

“Good. Don’t. We can’t help you.”

CHAPTER 5

Under the astonished gazes of the adventuring team, John walked across the yard to the porch, jerking his head for Ellie to go inside. As she entered the door, she looked back at him.

“Dinner is ready.”

“I’ll be in.”

Turning back to face the adventurers, John carefully observed them. From where he stood on the porch, he could see the tracks they left on the dirt lane, allowing him to confirm they were the same people who had been camping in the woods.

“Look, if we could help, we would, but I’m serious when I say we won’t be able to assist you. I actually just arrived in the valley myself, so you’re probably more familiar with it than I am. If you are looking for a guide, try the village. The village leader, Halden, is a helpful guy, and I’m sure he’d be happy to assist you.”

Still unhappy from being interrupted, the large adventurer was about to say something when one of the two ladies placed her hand on his arm. She carried a staff and a healer’s pouch, and John caught the edge of a hand crossbow on her back as she stepped forward.

“Reese, calm down. He’s not worth making a scene over,” she murmured under her breath, assuming John wouldn’t be able to hear her. Once she was sure the large man had cooled down, she smiled at John, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I feel like we got off to a bad start. My name is Catherine. I’m the team’s herbalist. We mean no harm, we’ve just been having trouble getting our bearings here in the valley. This is our team leader, Reese.”

“Hello,” Reese said gruffly.

Seeing that John didn’t respond to the introductions at all, Catherine’s smile stiffened, and she didn’t bother introducing the rest of the group, instead moving on to talk about their goal.

“We’ve been commissioned by a noble house to recover one of their family heirlooms. They believe that it is located in a ruin in this valley, but the location of a ruin has not been confirmed as of yet. As soon as we find it, we’ll be out of your hair. Are you aware of any ruins nearby? They would be quite overgrown, so even if you’ve just seen an old foundation or even a buried stone wall, that would be helpful.”

Scratching his chin as though in thought, John let his eyes wander over the five adventurers, wondering how much they had left out of their explanation. He could believe they were being employed by a noble given the quality of their armor and weapons, but that would mean that whatever they were looking for was incredibly valuable, considering how far they would have had to travel to arrive at the valley.

Though he had never been an adventurer himself, John had interacted with more than his fair share, and he could tell this team meant business. Even their positioning was perfect for responding to sudden attacks and spoke to a high level of training. What was more troubling, however, was the disdainful look in their eyes as they spoke to him. Letting his gaze linger on the other woman in the back of the group a bit longer, John finally turned his attention back to Catherine, who was starting to grow impatient.

“I’m sorry, like I said, I’m pretty new here, so I’m not familiar with any ruins.”

“You may not be, but what about that woman? She’s been around here for a long time, right? Maybe she knows something,” Reese said, gesturing toward the house.

“No, she doesn’t know anything either,” John said, his expression never changing. “Now, if you will excuse me, my dinner is getting cold.”

As the door shut behind him, John heard a muffled argument outside, but he ignored it and sat down at the table where Ellie and Ben were already waiting. It was clear the two siblings were much more concerned with the food that was about to be dished out than they were with the fact that five heavily armed adventurers were in their yard, causing John to nearly laugh out loud. It was clear he had stumbled on kindred spirits in Ellie and Ben, reinforcing his decision to let them stay on the farm. It was not until Ellie got up to take the dishes to the sink that she hesitated and glanced at John.

“Will it be okay that we didn’t help those adventurers?”

“Those people were adventurers?” Ben butted in, his eyes wide with wonder. “I thought they were noblemen’s guards! Their leather armor was so nice.”

“It will be fine.”

“But what if they go to the village? Won’t they find out we’ve been here for a long time? They might demand we help them look for that ruin.”

Face paling, Ben looked between his sister and John. He had heard stories of adventuring groups, none of them good. Sensing his nervousness, John glanced at the young boy before shaking his head.

“I know you’ve probably heard that adventurers are all just glorified bandits, but that’s not true. Sure, a lot of them are rough around the edges, but most of them are retired soldiers. They typically will obey the local laws and they might be a bit forceful, but most of them aren’t bad. We’ll be fine.”

Looking out the window at the darkening yard, Ellie hoped John was right.

The next morning, John left right after breakfast to continue his exploration of the woods, this time covering the land to the south of the homestead. This time, he took a bit more time, exploring along the river that ran through the valley even beyond his homestead’s borders. On the way back to the farm, he spotted some deer feeding in a meadow, and with a single, flame-fueled step, appeared next to one of them, breaking its neck with a chop of his hand.

Taking out his knife, he hung the deer from a tree and dug a hole underneath it, draining its blood. Once it had been drained, he field-dressed it and buried its entrails, kicking the dirt back over the hole when he was done. He knew it wouldn’t stop the wolves from finding it, but he would be long gone by then, so he wasn’t worried. Putting the deer over his shoulder, he ran through the forest, making his way back to the house. Arriving on the edge of the forest, he took a loop around the farm, making sure no one had visited while he was gone. Not seeing any new tracks, he carried the deer into the barn and hung it up.

Fetching some water from the well, he was cleaning himself off when Ben came bounding over. At first, Ben had been reticent around John, but over the last two days, he seemed to have reverted to his normal self. Seeing John scrubbing the blood from his hands, his eyes lit up and he sniffed the air.

“Did you get some meat? Is that deer? Wow! How did you catch a deer?”

Without speaking, John’s hand twitched and his knife appeared in it. Seeing the blade glinting in the fading sunlight, Ben’s already wide eyes grew even wider as John’s wrist flicked, sending the knife deep into the side of the barn with a heavy thunk.

“Oh, wow. That was incredible! Can you teach me how to do that? Ellie! Ellie! John got a deer!”

Finishing washing up, John stood up and retrieved his knife, carefully checking the blade to make sure he hadn’t damaged it. Drawn by her brother’s shouts, Ellie had come outside, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Ben! I told you, call him Mr. Sutton.”

“John is fine. We’ll smoke the meat tomorrow. I’m thinking of using the broken barn. I’ll convert it into a smoking shed. Let me know if you want any cuts and I’ll pull them off.”

Her face brightening at John’s words, Ellie gave him a small smile.

“Okay, dinner is ready.”

Closing up the barn, John joined Ellie and Ben at the table, eating his food quietly as Ben recounted everything that had happened to him in the last twelve hours, no matter how inconsequential. Finishing his food, John pushed his chair back from the table, nodding his thanks as Ellie took his plate and cup. Putting the plates in the sink, she refilled his cup from the faucet and brought it back over to him.

“Is that a book?” Ben asked, seeing John taking a leather-bound object out of his bag.

“It is. Have you seen a book before?”

“Yeah, but only once. But my sister talks about them all the time. She’s always sighing that there are no books, but if you ask me, I sure lucked out. She already made me learn the alphabet and my numbers, but what a colossal waste of time. I’m already ten years old, and the only book I’ve ever seen was that tax book the village leader tried to use to make my sister marry him. What an idiot. Anyway, if there were more books, she would probably try to make me read them, which would be a drag.”

Blinking at the deluge of words spilling out of Ben’s mouth, John was unsure how to respond. Thankfully, Ellie saw his confusion and came to his rescue, shooing Ben away to do his evening chores. Catching her curious glance, John held the book up so she could read the title.

“Myer’s Guide for Starting Your First Farm? Is that a book about farming?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Are… are you reading that because…”

“Because I have no idea how to farm. This is my first time owning a farm.”

“Ah, I, I didn’t know that.”

Lapsing into an embarrassed silence, Ellie busied herself with the dishes while John quietly read his book at the table. She had just placed the last plate on the drying rack when he spoke quietly, his eyes never leaving his book.

“Where did you learn to read?”

“Ah, it was a long time ago. When I was a little child.”

“It’s impressive how much you remember. And that you taught Ben to read.”

“It was a good way to keep him occupied when he was a child, but he’s much more interested in playing and getting dirty now.”

“He is quite a lively kid. That’s good. It’s easy to lose that spark in this world, so it’s commendable that he’s kept it. I picked up a few books when I left the capital. I don’t know if they’ll be to your taste, but you’re welcome to read them.”

Standing up from the table, John opened up his bag and got four books out, placing them on the table for Ellie to see. Her fingers trembling, Ellie ran her hands along the books, a faint expression of longing in her eyes. Letting out a slight sigh, she bowed her head to John as she thanked him.

“Thank you. I admit, I have missed books tremendously, but they are so rare out here.”

Suddenly unsure what to say, John just nodded and returned to his book. Thankfully, Ellie was too engrossed with the books to realize how awkward he was feeling. Later that night, as he sat in his bed meditating, John’s mind wandered back over the earlier conversation. Ellie hadn’t struck him as an educated woman, but it was clear from her response to the books that there was more to her than appeared at first blush.

Not like she’s the only one with secrets. Oh well, I don’t need any more trouble than I already have.

The next day, waking to another notification that the apocalypse was drawing closer, John got up and got to work on the broken-down barn. Taking an axe he found in the horse barn, he walked over to the woods and found a tree that was about nine inches in diameter and twenty-five feet tall. Looking between the tree and his axe, he scratched his head.

Can’t be that hard, right?

Loosening his shoulders, he swung the axe into the tree, letting out a frown when it just bounced off. Thinking he had swung it too lightly, he put some power behind it and was pleased when the axe bit deep into the tree trunk. Trying to pull the axe out, he realized it was completely stuck, pinched by the weight of the tree. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he gripped the handle of the axe and pushed sharply on the tree with his other hand.

*CRACK*

Snapping off where he had cut into it, the tree trunk fell over, its branches breaking as they caught other trees. With a light cough, he lifted his axe and lopped off the branches to make it easier to pull it out of the forest. All morning, he cut trees and dragged them out of the woods, piling them up near the broken-down barn. Eventually, he got the hang of the axe and was able to chop them down cleanly without having to resort to his mana-enhanced strength. After a brief stop for some lunch, he cleaned the trunks and cut them down to the right lengths.

The broken-down barn had two standing walls, so he set cut logs to match them, and after smoothing the top and bottom of the logs, he notched their ends and began stacking them up, quickly forming two new walls. Using the leftover logs, he repaired the roof of the barn well enough that the rain wouldn’t get in and then gathered the scraps of wood to begin making venison jerky. Later that night, as they were finishing dinner, John put down his spoon and looked at Ellie and Ben.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be going into town. You should come with me. Make a list of everything you need from town and we’ll pick it up with the cart. There is paper and a pencil in my bag. After that, I’ll be gone for about a day, so you should stick close to the farm. Ben, while I’m gone, you’ll be responsible for keeping the fire going in the shed. I’ll show you how to do it.”

“Where are you going?” Ben asked, his tone revealing some nervousness.

Scooping a spoonful of steaming soup from his bowl, John brought it up to his lips and ate it without blowing on it. Smacking his lips, he nodded at Ellie as he spoke, no emotion in his voice.

“To get my cows back.”

CHAPTER 6

It was early the next morning when Ben helped John hook up his horse to the cart while Ellie made a quick breakfast for them. Fairford was only about half an hour away, but John wanted to arrive early enough to commission some work with the local blacksmith. On the way into town, he opened up his active quest, reading the changes in the blue notification.

[Retire: You have been discharged with high honors by the Royal Lepierian Army and granted a deed to a small farm in the Robain Mountains, at the frontier village of Fairford. You have claimed your homestead, but your cattle are missing.]

Stifling his sigh, he closed the window and stared at the road ahead. One of the worst features of the game was the absolutely terrible quest descriptions. There was little to no indication what the objective of the quest was, and even after ten years, he still had no idea what triggered the quests in the first place. He had heard from other earthlings that there used to be manuals that explained how the system worked, but by the time he had been summoned, all of that was gone, destroyed by the endless war that raged between the nations. Instead, he had been left to figure out what he could on his own.

Lost in his memories, he was about to start his habitual meditation when Ben’s voice broke him out of his trance.

“Whew, it’s really hot this morning.”

Stiffening, John hastily dispelled the mana he had been unconsciously gathering, causing the temperature to return to normal. Coughing to hide his embarrassment, John clicked the reins, urging his horse on. When they finally reached the entrance to the village, the sun had risen over the mountains, bathing the valley in soft golden light. People were starting to stir, but John ignored the stares and, after dropping Ellie and Ben at the grocer to begin shopping, asked her where the blacksmith was.

Following her directions, he headed down one of the side streets and soon found the open-air forge. Despite the early hour, the blacksmith had already gotten started on his work for the day, the ringing of his hammer acting as an alarm clock for his neighbors. Looking up between strikes, the blacksmith saw John pull up and transferred the bar he had been pounding back into the forge. While his apprentice pumped the bellows, he wiped his soot-covered hands on his apron, only succeeding in making them dirtier.

“Morning,” John said, getting down from the cart.

“Mornin’. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a plow. Something that a horse or a bull could pull.”

“You must be the one who took over the Burrows place. Sutton, right? The name is Gerret. J.A. Gerret. Welcome to Fairford.”

Taking the blacksmith’s offered hand, John shook it lightly, pretending he didn’t notice the blacksmith’s overly tight grip.

“Thanks. You can call me John. Do you take custom orders? I’m in the market for a few other things as well.”

“Sure, sure. We have the best forge this side of the capital and should be able to help you with everything you need.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only forge on this side of the capital,” John said with a small smile.

Laughing loudly, Gerret slapped his thigh and nodded proudly.

“Makes it easier to be the best, doesn’t it? A plow shouldn’t be any trouble, but it’ll take a few days. Maybe a week. What else do you need?”

“A bigger axe, some woodworking tools, and parts for an outdoor oven. Nails, a set of wheels for a hand cart, a breaker bar.” John rattled off his list, causing the blacksmith’s eyes to go wide.

Giving John an appraising look, Gerret scribbled something on a dirty piece of paper he pulled from his pocket.

“You really do plan on staying.”

“Did someone say differently?”

“No, but Halden doesn’t seem to think you’re going to make it. I heard you had some words with Wale and his thugs? They’re a rough bunch, so watch yourself.”

“Are they local? I got the impression they were from outside the valley.”

“How many of us are actually from around here?” Gerret smirked at John. “Their hangout is at the other end of the valley. Up on the mountain. Just be careful. They’ve been pretty quiet in the last few months, but they’re not friendly neighbors.”

“Thanks.”

After coming to an agreement on the price on the order and arranging for John to pick them up after two days, John said goodbye to the blacksmith and took the cart back to the general store, only to see Ellie and Ben standing empty-handed on the street in front of the grocer. Stopping the cart, John jumped down and tossed the reins to Ben, who ran to grab the horse’s bridle.

“Trouble?”

Ellie seemed to have trouble looking at John, and her face was pale. It was clear to see Ben was furious from the expression he wore, but his sister must have warned him about saying anything because the young boy had his lips pressed tightly together. It wasn’t hard for John to piece together what had happened, and before he could speak again, it was confirmed. The door to the grocer opened, and a wide middle-aged woman with a nasty expression appeared in the door, holding a balled-up piece of paper in her hand. Throwing it onto the ground like it was a piece of trash, she stepped back and slammed the door without a word.

Reaching down, John picked up the piece of paper, spreading it out and carefully smoothing out the creases. It was the list Ellie had made the night before with all the groceries and supplies they needed on the farm. Despite her initial protests, he had told her not to skimp, so the list was long.

“Come with me.”

Seeing John walking toward the general store, Ellie wanted to shake her head but found herself reluctantly following behind him. The tinkle of a bell announced their entrance to the store, causing the middle-aged woman to look up and sneer.

“I already told you, witches like you aren’t welcome in my store,” the lady said, her shrewish tone as nasty as the look on her face as she spoke to Ellie. “And you, if you’re with her, get out! I don’t need people who associate with her kind dirtying my store.”

Completely ignoring her, John looked around, carefully examining everything in the store. Satisfied they could get what they needed, he casually walked up to the counter and placed the list down. His casual disregard of her words seemed to ignite a fury in the middle-aged woman, but a moment later, the words froze in her throat as John looked up at her.

“Do you have a husband? Call him out. We have an order to fill.”

“We… we…”

Stammering, the woman tried to point at Ellie but found herself unable to tear her eyes away from John’s.

“I won’t ask again.”

Audibly swallowing, the middle-aged woman turned and rushed into the back of the store, her forehead dripping with sweat. She nearly collapsed as she staggered into the back room. John heard her husband’s raised voice, and a moment later, a portly man with a black goatee stormed out of the door his wife had just passed through. Freezing when he saw John and Ellie, his expression hardened, and he was about to speak when he saw John place something on the counter.

“Think very carefully about the words you are about to say, shopkeeper.”

John’s voice was still mild, but the golden badge that glinted on the polished wood counter caused the shopkeeper to break out in a sweat. Licking his lips, he hurried over to examine the badge. Seeing the crossed swords under a heavy crown, he gave John a shaky smile and pushed the badge carefully back to him.

“Ah, hello. I never imagined I would meet one of the royal knights out here in Fairford. Haha, what brings you to our fair town?”

“I’m retired. Settling down at the Burrows place. My name is Sutton. I’ve got an order for you to fill,” John said, tapping the creased list.

“Of course, of course. Yes, I can do that. Ahaha, this list is pretty long, so it will take an hour or so.”

“I’ll be back in an hour.”

Leaving the store with Ellie, John paused to survey the street. Across the street from the general store, he saw an inn and next to it a hunting shop and a clothing store. There were a fair number of townsfolk going about their business, but it was clear they were paying pretty close attention to Ben and the cart. Looking around until he spotted what he was looking for, John told Ellie to stay with her brother and walked across the street, pushing open the door to the local inn. Finding himself in a long room with tables scattered around the floor and stairs that led up to the second floor, John walked over to the bar where a bearded young man was wiping glasses with a cloth.

“I’m looking for George.”

Carefully placing the glass he was wiping down on the bar, the bartender picked up the next one.

“George who?”

“Good question. He never gave me his last name. The last time I saw him was at the entrance to the valley. He was carrying a crossbow, if that helps.”

Nodding, the bartender placed the second glass down and picked up a third.

“George Wells. He lives out on the edge of the village, but he comes in here most days for lunch when he’s not hunting.”

“If you see him, can you tell him I’d like to talk to him?”

Shooting John a glance as he picked up the fourth glass, the bearded bartender nodded.

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back for lunch.”

About to turn away, John looked back at the bartender, his expression even.

“I’ll be bringing the kids outside with me. You won’t have a problem with them, will you?”

Stiffening slightly, the bartender put both the glass and the cloth he was holding down on the bar. He was just about to say something when a loud voice sounded from the stairs, interrupting the conversation.

“Hey, look, if it isn’t our new farmer friend. Sandra, look, it’s that unhelpful farmer.”

Walking into the bar, one of the adventurers from two days ago pointed at John as he spoke to the woman beside him. Both were still dressed in leather armor, but their weapons were nowhere to be seen. Rolling her eyes at her companion, the woman smiled at John and the bartender, giving them a little wave. Quite pretty, she had thick golden hair that fell in curls, perfectly framing her almond-shaped eyes and cherry lips.

Recognizing her as the woman who had not spoken when the adventurers were at the farm, John responded with a curt nod and turned back to the bartender, waiting for the answer to the question he had asked.

“Wow, just as unfriendly here in town as he was back on his farm.”

“Hush, Grimes. Don’t cause trouble.”

Hearing them walking toward the bar, John frowned slightly but did not turn around.

“I’m not causing trouble, I just want to ask Mr. Standoffish some questions.”

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, John spun around, catching the adventurer’s wrist. Taking a step forward, he pushed him backward, meeting his gaze squarely.

“Grimes, right? I already told you I can’t help you. More than that, I really, really don’t want any trouble. So do me a favor and leave me alone.”

Letting Grimes’ wrist go, John looked over his shoulder at the bartender, speaking as he pushed past the two adventurers.

“I’ll be back for lunch.”

Staring after him, Sandra was surprised at Grimes’ complete silence. When she glanced at him, she realized he was staring at his wrist in a trance. Looking up, he shook his head at Sandra, only speaking after they had left the bar.

“What’s the matter with you? Why’d you just let him grab you like that?”

Shrugging uncomfortably, Grimes shook his wrist.

“I… I think he might be a class holder. I couldn’t move my wrist at all.”

“A class holder? In a village like this? We need to tell the others.”

Hurrying to meet up with the other members of their team, Grimes reported their encounter with John, explaining the strange sensation he had felt when John grabbed his wrist.

“Do you think he’s a Knight? Or maybe a Barbarian?”

“If he was a Barbarian, he would be as large as Reese. Maybe larger. I think he has to be a Knight based on how strong he was,” Sandra said, shaking her head. “Since Grimes couldn’t shake him off, he has to be a strength-based fighter.”

“He could be a Monk,” Catherine said.

Shaking his head, Reese frowned and gestured to the fifth member of the team.

“If he was a Monk, he should have a vow of poverty like Hopper. He wouldn’t have a farm. I agree with Sandra. He’s probably a Knight. Grimes, it only makes sense that you’d be overpowered by a Knight in a contest of strength. Your Ranger class is dexterity-based, not strength-based. But the real question is, what is a Knight doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Do you think he’s looking for the ruins? Did he get wind of the rumors?”

“Impossible,” Catherine said, shaking her head. “I made sure the old man can’t tell anyone else.”

“Sure, but what if he told someone before he told us? We can’t take the chance that he’s hunting for the tower like we are. We’ll have to keep an eye on him. Sandra, I want you to monitor him for the next few days. If he doesn’t do anything suspicious, we’ll leave him alone. The last thing we need to do is pick a fight with another class holder.”

“What are you scared for, Reese? We’re all class holders. I don’t care how strong he is; against all five of us, there’s no way he’d survive. I think we should just take him down and make him spit out his secrets.”

His face turning ugly, Reese sneered at Sandra.

“And that’s why I’m the leader and you are not. We cannot afford to create a fuss, especially against an unknown Knight. He might have a Knight’s order behind him, and if he disappears, what then? We’d have Knights crawling over every inch of this valley.”

“Fine, sheesh. I get it.” The blonde woman held up her hands in surrender.

“Remember. No trouble.”

Watching the rest of the team leave, Reese let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. Beside him, Catherine let out a light laugh and handed him a drink.

“Something to help you relax. Don’t worry about Sandra. She’s a professional.”

“That’s what I am worried about. I’ve never met a Rogue who wasn’t unhinged, and she’s no exception. Do you remember what happened during our last mission? I could have killed her myself for all the trouble she created. If she messes this up, I swear on my sword I’ll end her life myself.”

CHAPTER 7

When John left the bar, he found Ellie and Ben hiding behind the cart as village children yelled at them from across the street. Seeing one of the children picking up a rock from the ground, John’s frown deepened. Sure enough, the kid drew back their arm and let the rock fly, sending it straight at Ben, who was peeking out from behind the cart. Jerking his face back, Ben heard the thunk of the stone hitting the wood and ground his teeth. Emboldened, the kid picked up another rock, but before he could throw it, a hand grabbed his wrist, causing him to yelp in surprise.

With no apparent effort, John lifted the kid into the air and tossed him in a nearby rain barrel, causing the water to splash out. Aghast, the other children all stared at him, unable to believe what had just happened. Sweeping them with his gaze, John ignored the wailing child who was trying to climb out of the barrel and jerked his thumb at the cart.

“No throwing rocks. Or you get thrown.”

Without a word, the kids all scattered, leaving the crying boy to whatever follow-up fate awaited him. Ignoring the flailing kid, John walked across the street to Ellie and Ben. Ellie’s was visibly flustered, but Ben was positively beaming as he watched the boy struggle in the barrel.

“It would seem that having you come to town with me was a bad idea,” John said dryly, looking around at the villagers, who were watching them surreptitiously.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would be this bad. The… the rumors seem to have gotten worse,” Ellie said, bowing her head.

“What rumors?”

Butting in angrily, Ben waved his fist as he glared around the street.

“These stupid people believe my sister is a Witch! Can you believe it? They think she uses black magic to seduce the men of the town, like that evil empress!”

“Evil empress?”

“From Allera. You know, who used her magic to seduce the emperor and then killed him? Ellie would never do something like that, even if she did know magic! Can you believe it?”

John’s eyebrows rose as he looked at Ellie for confirmation. Letting out a sigh, she nodded, a glimmer of fear buried in her eyes.

“Someone started a rumor that I’m a Witch. They… the townsfolk blame me for the death of a young lady from a few years ago.”

“It’s worse than that,” Ben interrupted. “They think she seduced the idiot of a village leader too. Who would seduce such an ugly guy? My sister is way too pretty for him!”

Embarrassed, Ellie put her hand over her brother’s mouth.

“Hush, Ben.”

“Is that true? Not you seducing him, but that he’s interested in you?”

Nodding, Ellie looked quite troubled.

“Why would I be worried about rumors? If you were a Witch and they treated you like this, they would all be dead, their entrails used to summon a devil, so it’s pretty clear to me the rumors are a load of nonsense. It’s best if you try not to let it bother you.”

Hearing a commotion behind him, John turned around and saw a heavily built man lifting the little boy out of the rain barrel. When the spluttering boy pointed at John, the heavy man stomped across the street, his face murderous.

“Oi! Did you throw my kid in there?!”

“Yes.”

“Are you insane?! He could have drowned!”

“Unlikely. It was only half full.”

Slightly derailed by John’s calm response, the big man floundered for a second but quickly recovered his anger when his wife came to support him. Realizing that John was standing with Ellie and Ben, he sneered and was about to speak when John cut him off. Stepping forward, John held out the rock he had taken from the kid, his tone turning grim.

“Your precious child was throwing rocks at my cart. He’s lucky he didn’t spook my horse. If he had injured my horse or damaged my cart, it would not have ended with him getting dunked. Be glad nothing worse happened and discipline your child.”

Seeing his angry dad turning toward him, the boy grew scared and pointed at Ben and Ellie.

“I wasn’t throwing them at the cart! I was throwing them at the Witch!”

Hearing him say it out loud, the boy’s father had the decency to look embarrassed, but his wife did not seem to have any problem with her son’s statement. Hugging him close, she glared at John and Ellie.

“My sister is not a Witch!” Ben yelled, trying to struggle free of Ellie’s grip.

“Even more reason for you to beat your child,” John said, his hand still outstretched. “Can you even imagine what would have happened to your family if he had hit a Witch with a rock? Curses that can cause you to scratch all of the skin off of your body, poxes that cause your flesh to melt from your bones. If it were me, I would make sure he never, ever does something so foolish again.”

Reaching out to grab the hand of the large villager, John turned his palm up and placed the rock in it. Just before he let go, he tightened his fingers, grinding the rock to dust in the horrified man’s palm.

“Be glad she is kind and wishes no harm on you.”

Turning away, John brought Ellie and Ben into the general store to begin loading the goods they had ordered. Behind him, the village woman saw her husband standing dumbly in the middle of the street, his hand still outstretched.

“Hey, are you going to let them go?”

Spinning around, the large villager glared at his wife and son, slapping her hand away.

“Shut up!” Realizing he was being too loud, he lowered his voice to a hiss as he grabbed his son and wife and dragged them away. “Do you want to get us killed?! He’s a class holder!”

It took some time to load up the cart, and by the time they were finished, it was getting toward lunch time, so John took the siblings across the street to the inn to get some food. He was not sure if it was his earlier warning or if word about his trick with the rock had gotten around, but none of the villagers gave them any trouble. Even Ellie and Ben were a bit more subdued than normal, but John just attributed that to the messy morning they had experienced. About halfway through their lunch, George Wells walked in, heading straight to the bar. After speaking with the bartender, he shot a glance at John’s table and walked over.

“Grab a seat,” John said, gesturing to the empty chair.

“Are you buying?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Pulling out the chair, George sat down, nodding at Ben and tipping his hat to Ellie. The meal was served family style, so once the waitress brought over a plate and fork, George loaded up his plate and dug in. Giving the old man a chance to get a head start on his meal, John gestured toward the window.

“I’m looking for a map of the valley. Any idea where I could find one?”

Pausing mid-bite, George carefully placed his fork down and stared across the table at John, his expression hard. After a moment, he relaxed slightly and brought his fork to his mouth, carefully chewing his food.

“I might. But I have some questions for you first.”

“Let me guess, you want to know my class and you want to know what I’m doing in the valley?”

Nodding, George’s eyes never left John, even as he continued to eat.

“Sure, information for information. That’s fine,” John said, wiping his lips with his napkin. Taking a golden badge from his pocket, he placed it on the table where George could see it.

“That’s a Royal Knight badge,” George said after a moment, his voice unable to contain his shock.

“It is. As for why I’m in the valley, I spoke the truth when we last met. I’m here to settle my homestead. I’m retired. Now, time for my question. Why are there so many class holders in this tiny village?”

Eyes narrowing, George stared at John, his expression returning to its normal, guarded state.

“Pardon?”

“I’ve counted three already, if you don’t count those five adventurers staying in this inn. And I’d bet there are more floating around. I don’t mind you discovering my secrets, but you know that the Royal Knights can detect mana in other people. That’s one of the class features, so don’t try to pretend you don’t know anything, Mr. Ranger.”

“That’s why I hate Royal Knights,” George said, looking like he could spit. “What a messed-up class. Yes, there are a number of class holders in the village. We all moved here around the same time with Halden senior. He didn’t advertise it, but he had a Fighter class himself.”

“Ah, it makes more sense how he survived his famous encounter.”

“Exactly. Thanks to his training method, he had some resistance to the fallout from the mage’s spells, which is why he made it out alive. Anyway, a few of us formed an adventuring party and then decided to settle down here. Others have come over the years. So long as they don’t cause trouble, we leave them alone.”

“That sounds like exactly the type of deal I want,” John said, nodding. “One last thing. Tell me about this Wale character and the thugs he runs around with.”

“Wale? Where did you meet him? He normally sticks to the Wolf Den.”

“He stopped by the farm. Wolf’s Den? What’s that?”

“Just Wolf Den. It’s a bandit hideout in the mountains. Haver the Wolf King is the lord of that little spot of sin.”

“A titled class holder?” John asked, his eyebrows rising.

“Yup,” George nodded, helping himself to more food. “Tamer. Specializes in wolves, obviously. Has a wicked wolf-tooth club too. They’re a bad bunch, best to steer clear of them. They mostly don’t bother us here at Fairford, but out at the farm, you’ll be easy targets if you get on their bad side.”

“Hmm. Thanks. You got that map?”

Rolling his eyes at John’s obvious disregard for his warning, George called the bartender over and had him pack up the remaining food. Taking it with him, he left the inn, quickly returning with a rolled-up buckskin map that he handed to John.

“Make sure you get that back to me; it’s my only copy.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Saying goodbye to the bartender and the old Ranger, John, Ellie, and Ben got back in their cart and left the village, heading for the farm. As they traveled, it was clear to John that Ben was burning up with curiosity, so he tapped the boy on the shoulder and invited him to ask his questions. Suddenly shy, Ben took a moment to formulate his first question.

“I… I ‘ve heard about class holders, but, but I don’t really know what that means.”

Turning his head to look at Ellie, John asked if she knew what a class holder was.

“I’ve heard about them. They’re people who have superhuman abilities, right?”

“Yes,” John nodded, navigating the cart around a pothole. “That’s the easiest explanation. Normally, a class holder gets their class through training, but it could also be through the class being bestowed on them from a higher rank class holder. There are a lot of different classes, like Fighter, Rogue, or Monk, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. But they are all similar in that they channel mana to use their abilities, making them superhuman.”

Her eyes widening, Ellie gasped.

“Mana? I thought… I thought that only magic users could use mana?”

“You mean Mages? Mages are the ones who are most well-known for using mana, but the truth is that anyone can use it. And if you learn to harness it, you develop a class accordingly. I was trained with the Royal Knight, who are tasked with guarding the king’s palace. But other people train in different ways. Mr. Wells is a Ranger, which means he can use mana to help him shoot his crossbow. The bartender is what is called a Rogue, which makes him good at stealth and sleight of hand. A Fighter would be someone skilled with weapons, while a Monk is going to be better with unarmed combat.”

“What about a Royal Knight?”

“A better ability to manipulate and detect mana, and then a split between strengthening abilities like a Fighter or Monk and defensive abilities like a Knight. But even though a class holder has abilities, that doesn’t mean all class holders are evenly matched. Remember, everything comes down to how well they can use mana.”

“But isn’t mana evil?” Ben asked nervously, looking between John and Ellie as if simply mentioning the word could get him in trouble.

“Is a knife evil?” John asked in response. Shaking his head, he tapped the knife in his boot. “This is a powerful tool that can save your life or take the life of another person. When it comes to mana, it’s the same principle really. Mana is a tool, a means to an end. What you use it for is what determines if it’s evil or not.”

Emboldened by John’s words, Ben shook his head stubbornly.

“I heard all magic users are evil. That’s why all the villagers hated my sister so much, because they thought she was a Witch. Witches enchant people and make them into slaves. But I heard that Mages are even worse. I heard Mages are like demons. Everywhere they go, everything dies and nothing can grow ever again. I heard one of the village kids say that if you don’t go to bed on time, a Mage will come and eat your still-beating heart out of your chest!” Getting really excited, Ben pantomimed having his chest cut open and his beating heart removed. “Not that I believe that.”

“You know, you’re not that far off. Mana has a way of twisting the hearts of those who wield it. Class holders included. That’s why so many of them are really dangerous people. Which is why I got you this.”

Reaching into his bag, John pulled out a cloth bag, handing it to Ben, who unwrapped it excitedly. The cloth fell away, revealing a long silver dagger with a black leather sheath. Stunned, Ben didn’t know what to say, his mouth hanging open as he examined the knife.

“I’ll be gone for a few days, so I got you this so you can protect your sister,” John said, the ghost of a smile on his face. “You know, in case any heart-eating Mages come by.”

CHAPTER 8

The forest was quiet, even the bugs and birds reluctant to make more noise than absolutely necessary. The eerie silence had only become noticeable as John approached the end of the valley, but it didn’t bother him one bit. A smile curled at the corner of his lips as he thought about his earlier conversation with Ben.

One positive of being an unstoppable killing machine, I guess.

He had left Ben and Ellie at the farm after helping them unload the supplies and double-checking to make sure his cows had not been returned. Once everything was where it should be in the house and the horse had been given its lunch, he took off through the woods, soon arriving at the end of the valley. According to the map George had given him, the trail leading up to Wolf Den was both arduous and well-guarded, but John casually walked up it like he was out for a Sunday stroll.

Winding up the steep mountain, John glanced over his shoulder, once again seeing the valley laid out in all its splendor. The warm afternoon light gave the trees and rolling hills a glow that was breathtaking. Taking a moment to relish the natural beauty of the valley, he could not help but think of how different it was from the devastated battlefields he had so recently left behind. It had been some time since any of the nations had sent their Mages to the battlefield, but when mages clashed, little to nothing survived, including the land. Letting out a sigh, he shook his head. As far as he knew, there were only two mages left in the whole world, and it was unlikely they would ever meet again.

I wonder how Katrine is doing?

Katrine, once called the Witch of the Wind, now empress of Allera, had been one of the most feared mages in the world before she retired from the battlefield to sit on her late husband’s throne. Shaking his head, John let out a breath, letting his darkening thoughts flow away with the stale air in his lungs. He had retired and was no longer of that world. His concerns were no longer the concerns of nations and war. Right now, his concern was cows. Glancing up the mountain, his lips twisted wryly. He still had a long way to go.

Despite his internal complaints, it didn’t take him that long to climb the rest of the way, and a scant two hours later, he was standing at the entrance to a small walled outpost. Made up of six buildings, the outpost was built for defense, and the guards who stopped him at the gate looked like they meant business.

“Hold, stranger. I don’t recognize you. What’s your business here?”

“I’ve come to see Wale about some cows,” John said, giving the guard a smile. “He’s expecting me.”

“Oh? Wale, you say? Stay here, I’ll go get him.”

When he saw that John didn’t seem to be opposed to the idea, the guard felt a flash of annoyance, thinking he should have just let John go in. Jerking his head for his partner to keep a close eye on John, the guard hurried into the camp to try and find Wale. Ignoring the guard who was glowering at him, John turned around and looked out over the valley again with appreciation.

It was not until half an hour had passed that John heard the guard returning. Turning around, he saw the guard hurrying over with Wale in tow. Just like the last time John had seen him, Wale had thugs trailing him, but this time, instead of two, there were six, all carrying some sort of blunt weapon and sneering expressions.

“This is the guy who wanted to see you, Boss Wale,” the guard said, gesturing to John. “He said you were expecting him.”

A slight sense of shock crossed Wale’s face as he realized who John was, but it was gone in a flash, replaced with clear derision. Stopping in front of John, he looked at him with a mocking smile and nodded.

“Yeah, I know him. Though I honestly can’t say I was expecting him. Sutton, right? You didn’t look suicidal to me when I saw you at your farm, so you’ll have to forgive my surprise at seeing you here.”

Listening to the laughter from the crowd of thugs, John only smiled briefly and nodded, his eyes scanning the camp. Turning to see what he was looking at, Wale could not see anything that would have attracted John’s attention.

“Something the matter? Or have you come to join us?”

“I don’t see my cows.”

“Excuse me?” Wale looked around at his men to see if they were hearing what he was hearing. “Are you an idiot? You really do have a death wish, don’t you?”

“I gave you three days. That’s plenty of time to bring my cows all the way from here to my farm, so there are no excuses. This is your last chance. Where are my cows?”

Bursting into laughter as if he’d just heard the funniest thing in his entire life, Wale shook his head and gave a wave, causing his men to spread out. Surrounding John, their blunt weapons held at the ready, they sneered at him. Just as John thought that Wale was going to give the command to attack, he saw another man walking over. Easily seven feet tall with a waist as thick as a tree trunk and arms like logs, the man was bare from the waist up, apart from a single pauldron on one of his shoulders and the leather strap that fixed it to his barrel-like chest.

“Ho, Wale, what’s all this?”

Bowing his head toward the giant man, Wale gestured to John, who still stood calmly in the middle of all of the thugs.

“Jemal, this is the farmer who wants his cows back. I told you about him the other day.”

“Ho, he actually came?”

Looking impressed, Jemal put his hands on his hips and leaned forward slightly to get a better look at John. Seeing nothing special about him, he shook his head and straightened back up.

“Got guts, that’s for sure. I like that. I like guts in a man. Tell you what, I’ll give you a choice. You can crawl down the mountain or I can kick you down it. Up to you. Either way, we’ll be breaking your legs, but I’ll let you decide how you get yourself out of here on account of your bravery.”

Staring up at the massive man for a moment longer than was comfortable, John turned his placid expression back to Wale, causing a strange sense of pressure to fall on the thin bandit’s shoulders.

“Is this your boss? Does he know where the cows are?”

Letting out a savage laugh when he realized he was being ignored, Jemal lifted his hands and lunged forward, mana quickly gathering on his hands, arms, shoulders, and chest. Seeing the earthen glow covering his upper body like a suit of magical armor, the nearby bandits all jumped back. There was only one rule when it came to being around a class holder who was using their ability. Don’t.

Stomping forward, Jemal reached out for John, intending to grab him with his massive hands and rend him limb from limb. Just as he thought he was going to grab on to the placid-looking farmer, John stepped forward and jabbed with his left fist, landing a clean hit on Jemal’s chin. Seeing the move, Wale was at first impressed with John’s speed and then gleeful when he imagined John’s hand being broken against Jemal’s mana reinforcement. That glee turned to complete shock when John’s jab stopped the charging giant in his tracks. With another jab, John kept Jemal in place, and a powerful right hook quickly followed the second jab, sending the giant man stumbling away.

His mind racing, Wale saw John turning toward him, his hands still in fists. Realizing John was none the worse for wear despite punching a mana-reinforced Barbarian, a terrifying thought flashed through Wale’s mind, only to be rejected a moment later. There was no sign of mana reinforcement on John’s fists, which meant he couldn’t be a Monk or one of the extremely rare, unarmed Fighters. He was much too small to be a Barbarian, and Wale had never heard of a class with such strength that it could stop a charging Barbarian with only a fist.

Before he could think further, he realized John was only a few steps away from him. Letting out a terrified yell, he ordered his men to attack and stumbled backward, falling to the ground in his haste. Loyal to a fault, the thugs all rushed forward, their sticks and clubs swinging. All except one, who still remembered his encounter with John on the farm so vividly he just stood where he was, trembling.

Seeing five thugs and two guards coming for him, John rapidly scanned them. The five thugs were all armed with heavy sticks or smaller, one-handed hawthorn clubs, and the two guards held short spears. Seeing two of the thugs wind up their attacks, John took a small step to the side to avoid the first two blows. Lifting his hand, he grabbed the side of another swinging stick and spun, pulling the thug into the path of his friend’s club. Unable to stop himself, the thug smashed his club into his friend’s spine, hearing a loud crunch as his friend’s ribs broke. Before he could lift his club and back away, he felt an iron-like grip on the other end. John shoved the club, ripping it free of the thug’s hands in the process and using the handle to knock the wind out of the thug’s lungs. With two down, he stepped back, avoiding another attack while he flipped the club around, catching its handle neatly, dodging a stabbing spear as he did so.

Another spear stabbed toward his back, but with a flick, the club he had picked up knocked the point of the spear away. Two rapid steps forward brought him to the side of the shocked guard, and a casual swing of his club laid the guard out with a broken nose. Spinning around, he kicked the downed guard’s spear, sending it into the other guard’s legs, nearly tripping the bandit as he rushed forward. Sensing another attack aimed at him from behind, he simply angled his head slightly and swung his weapon, breaking the attacker’s elbow.

The first two attackers had only just recovered from their first wild swings when they realized their friends were on the ground and John was coming for them. Swinging wildly, they only felt a breeze blow by, followed by excruciating pain that caused them to fall to the ground. It only took a second, but somehow they’d lost their grip on their weapons and collapsed to the ground after two precise blows that broke their bones and left them bellowing in pain. With only one guard left, John dashed forward, his club breaking the guard’s spear in half and crushing his collarbone. As the guard fell to the floor in agony, John turned to look at Wale. Just as he was about to walk over to the dumbfounded bandit, he heard a roar of rage behind him.

Jemal had recovered from his punch and was completely infuriated. Standing up to his full height, the Barbarian let out a roar that shook the mountain top. As he stomped forward, the earthen mana armor covering his torso began to sink into his skin, turning it a deep bronze as his body swelled. Already huge, he grew another half a foot and his muscles bulged grotesquely. Letting out another roar, he charged forward, intending to flatten John completely.

An annoyed expression flashed across John’s normally impassive face and the surroundings seemed to grow slightly warmer, but a moment later, he returned to normal and lifted the club he held. Just before Jemal reached him, John ducked and spun, slipping through the Barbarian’s arms and landing a wicked blow on the side of the giant’s knee. Not enough to take the enraged Barbarian down, the blow still staggered him, giving John a chance to strike again. Spinning the club in his hand, John slashed, this time hitting the small of Jemal’s back with the tip of the club.

Jemal’s roar of rage twisted into a bellow of pain as the heavy club smashed into the sensitive nerves on his spine. Not letting up, John dashed forward, landing two more blows on the bronze giant, forcing him to his knees. Unwilling to give up, Jemal reached out with his huge hands, intending to crush John’s arms, but his grasping fingers only found air as John danced backward. Advancing almost as soon as he retreated, John looked like a phantom as he dodged the Barbarian’s clumsy grabs, his flickering club delivering blow after blow to Jemal’s head and neck. Finally, with one last slash, Jemal was laid low, his body reverting to his normal state as his mana failed and he slumped to the floor.

Pausing a moment to make sure Jemal was actually out, John looked at the heavy club he had been using. Twisted and splintered, the club had not been able to stand up to the abuse John had put it through, ultimately losing the battle against Jemal’s Barbarian body. Dropping the ruined weapon on Jemal’s unconscious form, John turned to look at Wale, who was still sitting where he had fallen. The thin bandit was staring at John in utter horror as if he was looking at a terrifying monster.

A faint smile appeared on John’s face as he started to walk over, only to stop and turn his head, staring at the final thug who was still frozen. Seeing John’s gaze, the bandit nearly screamed but managed to choke it back at the last moment. Recognizing him as one of the two thugs Wale had brought to harass Ellie, John’s eyebrows slowly rose. When the bandit had confronted him at the farm, he had released his mana for a moment, letting it envelop the man. The experience had obviously scarred the man deeply, as he could no longer bring himself to move against John. Instead, he lifted his shaking fist and, while John watched on in awe, hit himself in the head so hard, he fell to the dirt, unconscious.

Blinking, John shrugged and turned back to Wale. Walking over, he crouched down, his nose wrinkling as he noticed a clear stream of fluid staining the ground under the thin bandit. Still, it did not stop him from leaning forward until his face was only a foot away from Wale’s face, their eyes locked together.

“So, about those cows?”

CHAPTER 9

“I’m telling you, Ellie, you’re not safe out here. I know there have been some nasty rumors about you in the village, but I’ll talk to the villagers and we’ll clear them up.”

Ellie put down the bucket she was carrying and pushed a stubborn wisp of hair out of her face, shooting a glare at Halden, who was standing awkwardly next to her. The ungainly young man had shown up the morning after John left, and after looking around the farm cautiously, had spent the last few hours following Ellie around shamelessly, trying to convince her to move back to the village with him.

“For the last time, I’m fine here. Please just leave me alone.”

“But, Ellie, you don’t even know him! He’s just some random stranger who showed up one day and took over your home! I suspect he’s here for some evil purpose.”

Lowering his voice and looking around conspiratorially, Halden said his next words in a whisper.

“In fact, I have good reason to believe he’s killed people before! It’s not safe living with a murderer!”

“I don’t know, Halden, a Witch and a murderer seem like good company. Why don’t you just leave us wicked people to our own devices and go back to your perfect home?”

“Oh, come on, Ellie. You know those are just rumors. Come back to the village, I’m begging you.”

Unable to take his nagging any longer, Ellie whirled around, nearly hitting him with the bucket. A furious expression flashed in her eyes and she stabbed her finger into his chest, causing Halden to stumble back.

“A nasty rumor you started. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on, Halden, and don’t think for one second that you being the village leader means I won’t tell people what you’ve been doing all of these years. I just want to be left alone, so go back to your precious village and bother the girls there.”

Realizing the air had changed, Ellie met Halden’s eyes and realized all of the softness they had shown before had long since vanished. Instead, he stared down at her with a deep coldness that made her heart chill.

“What do you know, Ellie? Tell me, what is it you think I’ve been doing all of these years, hmm?”

This time, it was Ellie’s turn to back up, her expression growing fearful as Halden stepped forward, looming over her.

“I’m quite curious, Ellie. Why don’t you enlighten me? What exactly are you going to tell the villagers?”

Her words stuck in her throat, Ellie felt her back touch the wall of the barn. Seeing Halden’s hand reaching for her, she was about to scream when a shout broke the tension.

“Ellie! Ellie! He’s back! John’s back! And he brought the cows!”

Ben’s shout snapped Halden out of the strange state he was in, and a moment later, he had reverted back to the friendly, slightly awkward look he normally wore. Grateful for the interruption, Ellie ran around the corner of the barn just as John started leading the cows up the lane to the house. He was walking calmly at the front, a long switch resting on his shoulder, while behind him walked six cows and a bull in formation. Stopping once he reached the yard, John pointed to the barn with his switch and the six cows calmly walked into the barn, passing by Ben, who was holding the door open.

The bull seemed reluctant to leave John and tried to nuzzle him, but after getting a threatening look, he reluctantly walked over to the pasture and stopped at the gate, waiting for Ben to come and open it up. Wide-eyed, the boy held the gate while the bull walked in, his drooping head exuding sadness.

What a drama queen.

Looking around, John saw Ellie and Halden coming around the corner of the barn. Ellie’s face was pale and even Halden had a strange expression on his face, but it was clear to John from the way Ellie flinched when Halden stopped next to her that whatever encounter they’d just had was not pleasant.

“Halden,” John greeted the village leader before turning to Ellie. “How has the farm been while I’ve been gone? Have you had any trouble?”

Quickly regaining her courage now that John was back, Ellie walked over next to him, her brother joining her.

“It’s been fine, though I haven’t gotten as much as I wanted to done today.”

Unlike his sister, Ben had no problem throwing Halden under the cart.

“Yeah, because Halden won’t stop bothering her! He’s been nagging her the entire morning!”

Smiling sheepishly, Halden rubbed the back of his head, letting out an awkward laugh. It was clear from his body language that John made him nervous.

“Ah, glad you’re back safe. Haha, I see you, uh, got your cows back.”

“And one bull.”

Slightly pale, Halden nodded, taking a small step back.

“That’s great, yeah, that’s great. Well, you know, since you are back, I should, uh, I should go. Haha, I really just stopped by to make sure everything was going well, uh, but it looks like you have everything under control.”

Without any further ado, Halden hurried off, not even bothering to say goodbye in his haste to leave. John’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Halden go, but in the end, he didn’t do anything. Feeling a tug at his clothing, John looked down and saw Ben staring up at him, his eyes wide with anticipation.

“How did you get the cows back? Did you have to fight anyone? Did they really just let you take them back?”

Chuckling, John messed up Ben’s hair and walked toward the pasture where the bull was standing, staring out at them.

“It wasn’t bad. We just had a bit of a chat and I convinced them to return the cows. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, wow, that’s so great! Ellie, look, look, the bull remembers me!”

Unable to bear telling her brother that the bull would probably accept food from anyone, Ellie just gave him a small smile before shooting John a worried look. Seeing the unspoken concern, John leaned against the fence.

“Ben, can you grab the harness from the barn? I want to make sure it fits before we head into town to pick up the plow tomorrow.”

“Sure!”

Watching her brother disappear into the barn, Ellie finally felt comfortable voicing her concerns.

“Did… did it cost a lot to get the cows back?”

Realizing that Ellie thought he had bought the animals back, John let out a laugh and shook his head. Ellie had been suffering under the thumb of the Wolf Den bandits for a while—it was obvious why she would think that.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have to pay for them. They felt really sorry that they took my cows, so they let me take them. Once we discussed things properly, they were happy to let me leave with the cows.”

“But won’t there be trouble when the Wolf King returns? Wale told me he was keeping the cows to make milk for the Wolf King’s pets.”

Falling silent, John looked out over the pasture, his lips curling up in a smile. While he had not yet met the Wolf King, titled class holders were, without exception, smart people. If the Wolf King returned and didn’t know how to read the situation, he would find himself on the short end of the stick.

“It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Hearing Ben running up, out of breath, John turned around and took the harness he was holding out.

“Here, I brought the harness.”

“Thanks.”

Turning it over in his hand, John examined it for any damage before jumping over the fence. Seeing him enter the pasture, the bull brightened up and walked over, his tail slapping against his side.

“What are you, a dog?”

Trying to press up against John, the bull looked like it was asking him to scratch its head, leaving Ben and Ellie speechless. Slapping the top of the bull’s head, John pushed it away and held out the harness.

“Here, put this on. Your front legs go through here. I think your head goes in this part.”

Stepping into the harness, the bull tried to get its head through the top loop John was holding open but kept getting his horns caught.

“Hold on, hold on, I’ll undo the buckle. Alright, stay still. I said stay still.”

Freezing in place, the bull waited while John undid the buckle and tried to rebuckle it around the bull’s neck, quickly realizing the harness wasn’t long enough. Frowning, he looked at Ellie, who was staring at him, slack-jawed.

“Hey, am I doing this right?”

“Um, I think the front loop is supposed to go up in front of the bull’s chest.”

“Up here? Come show me. Don’t worry, the bull won’t hurt you.”

Hesitating slightly, Ellie gave the bull a long look before slipping through the fence. Before Wale and his henchmen had taken the bull away, it had been much too aggressive for Ellie to handle and she hadn’t dared go into the same pasture as it. Even though it was exhibiting completely different behavior with John, she wasn’t convinced it was safe.

As if it could read her mood, the bull looked at her from the side of its eye and snorted loudly, earning itself a slap on the top of its head from John. Nearly collapsing, the bull gave him a hurt look, but John had no sympathy for its behavior. Pointing at Ellie and then at Ben, he glared down at the bull.

“They are going to be helping me take care of you, so you better be obedient. If I hear you’ve been messing around, believe me, I’ll make you regret it.”

Seeing that Ellie was giving him a weird look, John paid no attention to the animal and gestured for her to come closer to help with the harness. Completely cowed by John’s admonition, the bull stood there meekly as Ellie adjusted the harness, showing John how to fix it on the bull. Unable to believe the huge beast was acting so docile, Ellie was ready to jump away at any moment, but the bull just stood in place calmly. Even when she commanded it to step out of the loop of the harness it was in, it did so without complaint.

“Oh, I thought this thicker band was the breastband. I guess I had it upside down,” John said, scratching his head. “Well, it looks like it fits pretty well. Do we have ropes to connect it to the plow?”

“Old Man Burrows always used a chain,” Ben said, edging closer to the bull, a nervous expression on his face. “But it disappeared with the plow.”

“I’ll pick up some chains from Gerret when we get the plow. Alright, let’s get this off and put it away.”

As if it was sad to see them go, the bull followed John to the fence and stood there, gazing after him with sorrowful eyes. Ignoring it, John took the harness back to the barn and hung it up on its nail. After checking to make sure the cows were all settled in, he gave them some hay and then spent some time looking at them, a strange expression on his face. Ellie, who had followed him into the barn, saw his expression and had to cover her lips to keep from laughing. Guessing what his issue was, she grabbed a stool and bucket and carried them over.

“Have you ever milked a cow?”

Shaking his head seriously, John watched as she set up the stool next to the cow and placed the bucket under the cow’s udder.

“No, I haven’t had the opportunity before. Is it difficult?”

“Not really, but the motion does require some practice. Here, let me show you how to do it.”

Watching closely, John saw Ellie press on the cow’s udder, pushing lightly with her fist to signal for the cow to relax its muscles. Once the cow was prepped, she trapped the cow’s teat between her thumb and forefinger and squeezed down, producing a steady stream of milk that squirted down into the bucket. With her firm motions, the bucket’s bottom soon disappeared, replaced by a creamy yellow milk.

“Do you want to give it a try?” Ellie asked, getting up from the stool.

“Sure. Do you just, uh, grab them?”

“Haha, yeah, just grab them, like this. You want to use your thumb and the side of your hand. Yeah, just like that.”

Carefully squeezing down, John was pleased to see a stream of milk appear, but the motion of his hand had pulled the teat out of position and the milk sprayed all over the barn floor, completely missing the bucket.

“Haha, that happens to everyone. Don’t worry about it. Just keep going.”

It took a while, but John soon started to get the hang of it, though it was a slow and laborious process for him, nothing like the natural motion Ellie had shown him earlier. When the cow’s udder was finally empty, he sat up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“And we need to do this twice a day? For each cow?”

“Yes,” Ellie nodded. “Once in the morning, once in the evening. But Ben and I can handle it.”

“Who was responsible for it before? When Burrows was still running the farm?”

“At that time, Ben was too little, so I did most of the milking, but in the last year before the cows were taken, he was able to help me out. It looks like Wale’s men milked them regularly, because they’re in really good shape.”

“Alright. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Carrying the milk over to a large stone tub that sat along the barn wall, John put the bucket down and covered it up. The stone tub was dusty after not being used for a few months, so he went to the well and brought some water over, using it to wash out the stone tub and clean off the thick slab of stone sitting next to it that served as a lid. Once it was clean and dry, he poured the milk into the tub and picked up the stone lid to close it up, leaving a small gap that Ellie covered with a board so more milk could be added later. While Ellie and Ben were milking the other cows, John went out back with his axe and began to cut some of the extra logs, splitting it into firewood.

By the time the cows had been milked and fed, it was getting toward dusk and John had a nice pile going. Sinking his axe into the last chunk, he split it neatly in half and picked up the two halves, placing them on the top of the pile. Hanging up his axe, he stopped to draw a bucket of water from the well, taking a long drink of the cool water and then using the rest to wash his hands. Dropping the bucket back in the well, he sighed, letting his eyes wander over the neat farm. He could hear the sound of pots and pans in the kitchen as Ellie bustled about getting dinner ready and Ben’s chattering voice from the barn, where he was feeding and brushing the horse.

*ding*

[Active quest complete.]

CHAPTER 10

[Completed Quest - Retire: You have been discharged with high honors by the Royal Lepierian Army and successfully settled a small farm in the Robain Mountains, at the frontier village of Fairford.]

[Reward: -15 Doom Points.]

[The apocalypse retreats.]

[Reward: +1 Skill Point.]

[New Quest Generated: Grow Wheat]

It was late in the night by the time John finally got around to taking a closer look at the notifications he had seen right before dinner. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, his breath dragging sparks from the air as he sent the mana deep into his body. With a thought, he opened up the transparent window that showed his class. This time, he expanded it, watching as his skills, spells, and quests were added to the window.

Name: John Sutton

Age: 27

Class: Mage

Spells: 1

Active Quests: None

Skill List: [Mana Breath: 00], [Arcane Tongue: 00], [Mana Control: 00], [Mana Reinforcement: 00]

Skill Points: 33

Spell List: [Fireball (Basic)]

Quest List: [Prevent the Apocalypse], [Grow Wheat]

Doom Points: 71/100

Every time he looked at his status window, John had to resist the urge to curse. Instead, he channeled the frustration he felt into deepening his breaths, letting the burning mana sear his skin as it flowed through his body. It had been like this since he had first woken up in that dirty tent ten years ago and had not once gotten better. The only saving grace, if it could be called that, was the class he had awoken after mana was forced into him for the first time.

Not that things got any better. If anything, they got worse.

Immersing himself in his memories, John felt his body shake slightly. The years after he had arrived had been pure hell as he was dragged from battlefield to battlefield, thrust into unwinnable situations and pitted against enemies who were countless times more powerful than he was. Yet here he was, a full ten years later, alive. The same could not be said for those he had faced.

This world, which, if the stories were to be believed, had reached the pinnacle of a flourishing magical civilization, was already ruined by the time John had arrived. Magic had been bent to war, and the result was utter devastation as the most powerful magic users wiped out entire kingdoms with a snap of their fingers. As soon as the kingdoms realized the advantage of having mages, they began a ruthless campaign to wipe out their enemy’s magic users by any means necessary.

Poison, assassination, blackmail—nothing was taboo in the fight for magical supremacy, and by the time the world leaders realized what was happening, the majority of magical knowledge had been burned away. What little remained was guarded jealously by the handful of surviving mages, used to cement their position at the top of the world. It was into this broken world John arrived, the victim of a mass summoning that brought a dozen terrified earthlings to a world of endless war.

Breathing out, John carefully contained the heat that flowed from him and pushed his fiery memories deep into his mind. Selecting his skills, he saw that another skill point had been added to the thirty-two he already had. One of the inherent limitations of being a class holder was that it was impossible to learn any skills that were not part of his class. No matter how many times he swung a sword, and no matter how good he got with it, his abilities would always be capped at the level of a non-class holder. In the past, he would have had hundreds of skills to choose from that had been developed over thousand years of exploring the mage class. But when he arrived, the historical records that taught past mages had been reduced to little more than ash.

In the ten years he had struggled to survive, he had only learned four different skills, three of which he had started with as part of his class. The last had been forced on him by circumstance and his desperate will to survive. Constant conflict had forced him to grow faster and go further than anyone thought possible, but the end result was that the four skills he knew were completely maxed out, giving him nowhere to put the skill points he earned.

At least I got rid of some Doom Points.

With a deep sigh, John opened up the first quest on his quest list.

[Prevent the Apocalypse: Ruined by war, this world is teetering on the brink of annihilation. Food and other resources are growing more scarce, and the echoes of destruction threaten to rip apart even the tightest community. As one of the last mages in the world, you have both the strength to fight against the tide of darkness that sweeps across the land and the means of hastening its flood. Should the number of accumulated Doom Points reach 100, the apocalypse will begin. This quest cannot be rejected.]

This was the single quest that had accompanied him since he had first woken up in this world. The hanging doomsday clock that threatened to end the game once and for all, for him and for everyone else. He had watched as the number of Doom Points slowly accumulated, kept down by the efforts of the few summoned who survived the first few months of pain and struggle in their new world. Taking another deep breath, John sucked in more mana from his surroundings, trapping it in his lungs and pushing it into his body. The scalding mana burned his lungs, but the feeling brought a sense of liberty and clarity to him, so he continued his meditation while he opened up the new quest he had gotten.

[Grow Wheat: Food is important, not only to you, but to everyone in the world. Learn to grow wheat that will survive in any environment.]

A slight frown crossed John’s lips, but he erased it immediately. When he had gotten the quest to retire, he had no idea what was going on. Until then, his quests had all been linked to his incredibly destructive abilities, so a quest that was miles removed from violence had appeared quite strange. Now, however, he was starting to get the sense of what his mysterious quest giver was trying to do.

Stretching out his hand, John allowed the mana that was swirling around his body to seep through the skin of his palm, gathering together in a tiny tongue of flame. The temperature around him instantly skyrocketed, jumping to such a degree that the air itself began seething. If he had not controlled the temperature, pulling the heat toward his body and swallowing it down, the bed under him would have burst into flame along with everything else in the house. Letting out a sigh, John closed his fist around the tongue of flame, erasing it from existence. Even after he did, the mana that had created the flame hung in the air, boiling like superheated plasma. It was not until he breathed in all the ambient mana that his room returned to the way it had been before his spell.

The most potent of the unforeseen consequences of mages entering the clash of nations had been the utter destruction of the lands over which they fought. Simple magics were one thing, but as soon as legendary spells were used, the concentrated mana scarred the world, making it impossible for regular people to inhabit those spaces any longer. The first places to suffer mana blight were the academies and towers where mages were trained, but the wide plains where nations grew their food were next, causing widespread destruction and devastating famines that destroyed nations faster than the armies could.

Though it was not impossible to find food that grew in those irradiated lands, even touching it would kill most people, as the mana it contained corroded their body. Thanks to John’s laborious toil, most of the threats that were hastening the apocalypse had been completely eradicated, so it appeared that the quests were turning to solve the next biggest problem that faced the broken world. Closing his status window with a sigh, John sucked in a breath, making sure to pull every trace of mana into his body.

While normal mana was not harmful to normal people, and was even beneficial in many ways, mana in the concentration generated by a mage was pure poison, and if Ben or Ellie were to encounter it, they would be dead before they could blink. Once he was sure the area around him was clean, John lay down on his bed, letting his mind wander over what he had to do. Since his next quest was based around growing mana-stable wheat, he decided to prioritize learning how to grow regular wheat first. Filled with thoughts of golden wheat, John drifted off to sleep.

Despite the nightmares that plagued him, he slept well enough and was up early the next morning to make his trip into town. Since he was only planning to go to the forge, he was going to go alone, but Ellie and Ben were already done with the milking when he got the horse hitched up. Seeing them standing on the porch staring at him, he stopped in the yard.

“Do you need anything from town?”

“Can… can we come?”

“You want to go into town?” His forehead furrowing, John looked between the siblings, picking up on the faint worry hidden behind Ellie’s eyes.

Remembering the strange encounter with Halden the day before, John only hesitated a moment more before nodding his head and holding the horse in place. Hurrying over, Ellie climbed to the main seat while Ben jumped into the back. For Ben, it was the prospect of getting out of a morning of work, but the relief John could feel from Ellie was palpable. Climbing up into the driver’s seat, John clicked the reins and they left the homestead, heading for town.

As the horse clip-clopped down the road, John could sense Ellie’s nervousness from the way she unconsciously twisted her fingers in her dress. At first, John wasn’t going to say anything, but Ellie kept giving him glances from the side of her eyes, her mouth opening as if she were going to say something, only to shut her lips tightly each time. Figuring that any conversation would be better than the awkward silence, John nodded to the mountains in the distance.

“I’ve met the townsfolk and the bandits in the mountains. Are there others living in the valley, or is that about everyone?”

“Ah, for the most part. There are a few more farms close to town and there are some people who live deep in the valley or up on the slopes, but they’re mostly hermits and don’t encourage visitors.”

“Hmm, seems like a mostly peaceful place. Even the wildlife is pretty tame.”

“What about the grimm and the spectres?” Ben asked from the back of the cart, his eyes wide and his voice hushed.

“The grimm are just a legend, Ben. They’re not real,” Ellie said, shaking her head.

Curious, John looked over his shoulder at Ben.

“Are they some sort of large creature?”

“Yeah! They’re like the size of a house and they have large, flat faces with fur all over their bodies! Their eyes are especially large and they throw boulders around, shaking the valley when they’re mad. They eat little kids!”

“Ben, I told you, they’re not real.”

“What are the spectres?” John asked, guiding the horse around a pothole in the road.

Encouraged, the young boy spoke up, his voice vehement.

“Spectres are thin, short creatures like ghosts. They’re not ghosts, but they can fade away like one and their magic can make you get turned around and lost in the forest forever! They leave small footprints, but the footprints never point in the direction they’re going. You can say that the Spectres aren’t real, Ellie, but I saw them. I can’t remember where, but I saw their thin, pale faces and heard their whispering voices. I still have dreams about them!”

“Oh, interesting. Where do they live?”

“In the valley’s myths, the spectres live underground,” Ellie said, making sure to place special emphasis on the word myth. “Supposedly, there’s a giant cave system that runs under the valley where they roam.”

“Elves and giants, huh?”

Sensing the undercurrent of humor in John’s voice, Ben wanted to protest, but Ellie turned around and shushed him. Annoyed, he lapsed into a pouting silence as Ellie glanced at John.

“They’re just old wives’ tales told in the valley. Neither creature has ever been seen except by some of the crazy hermits.”

“And Ben,” John said, turning his head to smile at the pouting young boy. “That’s certainly interesting. Maybe if we have some time, we can go and find them. If they exist, of course.”

Clicking the reins as the cart pulled up to forge, John stopped the horse and jumped down.

“Do you need to go into town for anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” Ben said grumpily, still annoyed that no one believed him.

“Can… can we stop by the general store?” Ellie asked, her voice cautious. “There… they have some bolts of cloth I’d like to buy. The weather is going to start getting colder in a few months and Ben and I would like to start working on the clothes now.”

“Sure, that’s fine. Let me get this plow and we can swing by there.”

Walking into the forge, John saw Gerret’s apprentice connecting a chain to the small plow that sat on the ground. The blacksmith was nowhere to be seen, so after paying the apprentice, John loaded the plow into the cart and gathered the rest of the tools he had ordered. The axe was particularly impressive, looking more like a war axe than a farming implement. Despite the weight of it, John lifted it with no effort at all and took an imaginary swing, pretending he was going to split a log. Satisfied, he put it in the cart and thanked the apprentice before leading the horse toward the main street where the general store was located.

Leaving Ben to watch the cart, John took Ellie into the general store. Despite the obvious aversion on the storekeeper’s face, they did not have any trouble, and after a few minutes, they left the store carrying the bolt of cloth Ellie had her eye on. Despite her attempt to pay for the bolt of cloth, John just put it on the farm’s credit and waved her off. Seeing that Gerret was coming out of the inn, John told the siblings to wait for him and walked across the street to talk to the waving blacksmith.

CHAPTER 11

“Gerret.”

“Sutton.”

Shaking hands with the blacksmith, John glanced past him into the inn where the tables were bustling with townsfolk as they got breakfast.

“Did Caleb get you your plow?”

“Yeah, and the rest of the tools as well. That axe is something. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything that sharp,” John said, giving Gerret an appraising look.

Laughing it off, the blacksmith waved his hand.

“Haha, it was good to make something beside a horseshoe again. I was afraid my touch had gotten rusty. Let me know how the plow works for you. If there are any problems, just bring it back in and I’ll take a look, no charge.”

“Thanks, I will.”

“Are you headed in to eat?”

“No, but I thought I’d pick up something to go. I want to try and get started with the plowing today.”

“Well, best of luck. It’s looking like it’ll be a scorcher.”

Saying goodbye to John and tipping his hat to Ellie, Gerret strolled away, one hand holding his pipe and the other tucked into his leather apron. Heading into the inn, John ordered some breakfast to go, surveying the room as the waitress packed it up. Aside from the townsfolk, he saw the team of five adventurers sitting in the corner of the room, talking quietly. When the waitress brought the food out to him, he thanked her and grabbed the bundle she had made, carrying it out to Ellie and Ben.

As they headed out of town and back to the farm, the sun grew hotter, lending credence to Gerret’s comment. Despite the sunlight beating down on him, John seemed entirely undisturbed, even when Ellie mopped her face with her handkerchief.

“Whew, it’s starting to get hot.”

Glancing at her, John noticed the fine beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead and then looked up at the cloudless and clear sky. Taking a deep breath, he sucked in the surrounding mana surreptitiously, dragging the heat from the sunlight along with it. As the heat moved, so did the air, creating a small breeze that spun around the cart, bringing a slight cooling sensation along with it. Feeling rejuvenated, Ellie fanned herself with her hand and let out a contented sigh.

“Are you going to try plowing today?”

“I was thinking of it.”

“It might be better to let the bull get used to the weight of the plow for a day or so. It would be a shame if it got spooked and damaged the plow, or worse, hurt itself.”

Giving a mirthless smile, John shook his head.

“No, the bull will be fine. I’m more concerned with my practice. It seems to me like it will be hard to make it cut deep enough. The book I was reading says you have to put the right amount of pressure on the plow or it will cut too shallow or too deep. I want to get started early so I can practice before it’s time to plant.”

“Does your book say when to plant as well?”

Looking over, John saw there was no mirth in Ellie’s face and that her question was serious. Nodding, he looked back at the road, feeling the cart bump as it passed along the dirt road.

“Yeah. It says we can grow over the winter and harvest early spring. And then plant again in early spring.”

“I’ve never seen wheat grown before. Old Man Burrows always planted corn, which goes down in the spring. Are you sure the winter’s snow won’t kill the little plants?”

“That’s what the book says, so we’ll give it a try,” John said with a shrug.

Once they arrived back at the farm, Ben jumped down and carried the tools that the blacksmith had made into the barn while John grabbed the plow. Watching him pick it up casually with one hand while his other hand grabbed the two long chains, Ellie’s mouth nearly dropped open. The plow was solid metal and easily weighed as much as she and Ben did combined, yet John’s expression didn’t even flicker as he casually lifted it over the side of the cart. Not noticing that Ellie had seen his feat of strength, John carried the plow over to the garden and put it down, returning to the cart to help Ben carry the rest of the tools to the barn.

Once everything had been put away, John went inside and got his book, bringing it with him as he began to survey the fields where he was going to begin plowing. According to his book, a farmer with a skilled team of oxen should be able to plow about an acre a day. Considering he only had a single, untrained bull and had no idea what he was doing, John figured it was would take him a lot longer than that. Of course, most farmers weren’t mana-infused superhumans, but apart from lighting the fields on fire, he wasn’t confident his mana ability was going to help him.

Nothing else for it but to give it a try, I guess.

Shrugging, John put his book back inside and walked over to the pasture holding the bull. Seeing him walk up, the bull ran over, its tail whipping back and forth as it twisted its body with excitement. Stopping outside the fence, John stared at the bull suspiciously. It had been acting strange ever since he had brought it back from the Wolf Den, reminding him of a giant dog as it dipped its head and waved its butt in the air like it wanted to play. Opening the gate, John held out his hand and the bull rushed over, its tongue snaking out and licking his palm. Tasting nothing but dirt from the field, it gave a deep moo and nudged him with its forehead.

The bull was two years old and weighed at least two thousand pounds. Around five feet tall at the shoulder, it was a large animal, with most of its muscle packed around its large shoulders. Mooing again, it pushed against John, nearly knocking him over.

“Hey, cut it out.”

“MOOOO!”

The animal’s mooing grew more insistent as it pressed against him, forcing him back. Frowning, John glanced around, making sure Ellie and Ben were out of sight. When he didn’t see anyone, he held out his palm again with a frown.

“Fine, fine. But this is the last time.”

Pure mana spiraled together, compressing until it was solid. Able to sense the mana that had formed a tiny crystal fragment, the bull frantically licked John’s palm, swallowing it down. A euphoric expression flashed through its eyes as the condensed mana dissolved into its body, filling it with tremendous energy. With an explosive jump, it twisted its body this way and that. Landing with an earth-shaking thump, the bull dashed off, zipping around the pasture at full speed, its muscles squirming as they tried to accommodate the unbelievable energy contained in that tiny bit of pure mana.

Leaning against the fence, John watched the flow of mana raging through the bull’s body as it ran, paying careful attention to how it was moving. Thankfully, he didn’t see any issues, and when the bull finally came to a stop and trotted over to him, he patted it on the head.

“Stay still.”

Its excess energy worked out, the bull stood patiently while John put the leather harness on the way that Ellie had shown him and then led the bull out to the field. Hooking up the chain was relatively easy, and soon they were ready to start. Carefully pressing the plow into the soil, John suddenly realized he had no way to signal the bull to begin pulling. After a moment of thought, he flicked a pebble at it, hitting its butt. Feeling a light touch, the bull swished its tail lazily.

“Hey, start pulling.”

Turning its head, the bull tried to stare back at him, but it couldn’t get its head back around far enough, so it ended up shifting sideways, pulling the plow out of line in the process.

“Stop! Stop! I said stop!”

Even more confused, the bull seemed to realize John was annoyed from his tone of voice and began backing up, trying to distance itself from him, trampling over the chains and getting tangled up in the process. The feeling of the chain on its leg spooked it even more and the bull tried to jump away, kicking its legs as it attempted to escape. Annoyed, John stepped forward and grabbed the bull’s horn, locking it in place with an iron grip.

“Stop moving!”

Whether it was fear or the strength of John’s arm, the bull froze in place, not even blinking as it looked at John from the corner of its eye. Still holding on to the bull’s horn, John unhooked the chains from the harness and straightened them out before leading the bull back to the beginning of the row. Finding a stick, he poked it into the ground and tied the bull’s lead to it.

“Stay here.”

Walking back to the house, he found Ellie working in the kitchen to prepare some lunch. Seeing John poke his head in the door, Ellie wiped her hands on her apron and came over.

“Do you know where Ben is? I think I may need someone to lead the bull.”

“He’s out checking his traps and probably won’t be back ‘til closer to dinner, sorry. I can come and help you. Let me just finish making lunch. It’s about ready.”

“Only if you’re not busy,” John said.

“Nothing I can’t do later. I’ll get Ben to help me.”

Nodding, John took the thick sandwich she offered him and stepped out onto the porch to eat it. Joined by Ellie a moment later, they were just finishing up when John saw the Ranger, George, sauntering up the drive to the house. Seeing his crossbow on his back and a quiver of bolts on his hip, John’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped off the porch to meet him.

“George. I didn’t expect the pleasure of your company so early. Come for that drink of wine?”

“Not yet. I’m out on patrol, so water will have to do for me today,” George said, his sharp eyes sweeping the yard. “Afternoon, Ellie.”

“Mr. Wells.”

“Ellie, would you mind getting George a glass of water?” John asked.

Nodding, Ellie took John’s plate and headed inside to fill up a cup. Watching her disappear into the house, George let out a sigh and then turned his attention back to John.

“You seem to have settled right in and wasted no time throwing your weight around.”

Hearing the edge on his voice, John’s eyebrows rose imperceptibly. Keeping his face even, John took a seat on the bench on his porch and gestured for George to take a seat. Walking over, George sat down on the edge of the bench and spoke quietly so Ellie couldn’t overhear.

“You’re either incredibly confident or completely mad.”

“Sorry, I’m not following,” John said, his head cocking to the side as he looked at the wiry Ranger.

“Word is that when Haver the Wolf King returned to the den, he found Wale and Jemal hanging from a pole in the middle of Wolf Den!”

“And?”

“They were naked!”

“They shouldn’t have taken my cows,” John said, shrugging. “Maybe this will teach them to keep their fingers to themselves.”

“Wale and Jemal are not your problem. Haver the Wolf King is. He was furious. I hear he beat Jemal half to death for disgracing the Wolf Pack. Knowing him, he’ll come for you too. I would watch myself.”

“If he’s lucky, he won’t. In fact, you could pass a message along for me.”

Despite the fact that he could hear no fluctuation in John’s voice, George felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at John’s words. His class gave him a heightened sense of danger, and even though John was just sitting on the chair, perfectly relaxed, George could feel his senses screaming at him to get as far away as he could as fast as he could.

“You can tell him that wolves belong in the mountains and will not be tolerated in the valley. There are plenty of hunting lands across the mountains.”

“Definitely mad,” George mumbled under his breath as Ellie came out with a cup of water.

Taking the cup from her, he quickly downed it and handed it back, standing up like he was afraid to stay around John any longer.

“Well, take care of yourself.”

“Thanks. See you around.”

Watching George hurry to the road, Ellie stood next to John, the cup clasped tightly in her hands. Noticing how tightly she was holding it, John looked up at her.

“Something worrying you?”

“The Wolf King is a powerful man. He has hundreds of wolves he commands. Everyone in the valley is afraid of him,” Ellie said, her voice serious. “Even the townsfolk don’t dare cross him when he comes into town. They say that once he sets his wolves on someone, there is no escape.”

“Oh? Have you had trouble with him before? Wasn’t he trying to get you to join his band of merry men?”

Watching George’s back until it disappeared around a bend in the road, Ellie looked down at John, confusion clear on her face.

“Merry men? What do you mean?”

Stifling his depressed sigh, John shook his head.

“Bandit troop. Thugs. Those sorry excuses for men who hang around his camp. Wasn’t Wale trying to drag you off to live at Wolf Den?”

Nodding seriously, Ellie’s expression grew stiff.

“Yes, Haver saw me once a few months ago and Wale has been showing up ever since. Until you came. Before that, he was coming at least once every two or three days.”

“Why didn’t he just drag you off?” John asked. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but I highly doubt you could have resisted if he’d just carried you off by force.”

Seeing the strange expression come over Ellie’s face, John waved his hand.

“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s fine. Remember those rumors the townsfolk were talking about?”

“About you being a Witch?”

“Yes. They were afraid I would curse them. But eventually, since I didn’t, Wale started getting bolder. Since everyone in the valley is afraid of Haver the Wolf King and the army of wolves he commands, no one was willing to step in and save me from them.”

“Not even Halden?”

“Hah, that scumbag? He was the worst of the bunch,” Ellie said, spitting on the ground in a very unladylike manner.

Letting out a laugh, John stood up from the chair and stretched his waist.

“Heh, well, we know one thing for sure,” John said, a quiet flame burning in his eyes. “There’s at least one person in the valley who’s not afraid of this Wolf King. Come on, let’s see if the bull is still where I left him.”

CHAPTER 12

The bull was exactly where John had left him, but even with Ellie’s help, it proved a challenge to plow in a straight line. Ellie was not strong enough to keep the bull moving in a straight line, and not heavy enough to press the plow deep enough into the earth. On the other hand, John didn’t understand how to press the plow down while also guiding the bull with the traces. Finally, after a full afternoon of working, John looked at the three crooked rows they had plowed and let out a rich laugh.

Ellie, who had been standing nervously by the bull’s head, was startled by his laughter and her expression eased considerably. John had largely been taciturn and somewhat grim since he had arrived, and she’d been worried he would be frustrated by the plowing. There was much about John that Ellie still didn’t understand, and his quiet confidence could be downright frightening at times. Hearing him laugh with obvious humor at the meandering plow lines lifted a weight from her heart.

“This is much harder than it looks,” John remarked, scratching the back of his head. “Though the real problem is this bull.”

“That’s true. I’ve never seen a bull constantly try to turn around and look at the person who’s plowing.”

“Well, we’ll work on it. For now, let’s put everything away. I’ll do that while you go check on your brother. It sounds like Ben is back.”

Unhooking the bull, John led it back to the pasture. Along the way, the stupid creature kept nuzzling him, looking for a shard of pure mana.

You were worthless and you want to be rewarded? Hah, fat chance.

When the bull tried to push through the gate when he was closing it, John’s eyes narrowed and a haze of mana leaked from his body, causing the bull to freeze in place. Keeping its eyes fixed on his, it slowly began to back up until he could close the gate. Letting out a snort, John pulled the mana back into his body as he fixed the gate latch. Returning for the plow after he hung up the harness, John picked it up and knocked the clumped dirt from the blade. Once it was clean, he carried it into the barn.

When he walked in, holding the plow in one hand, Ben and Ellie were already starting the evening milking. John set the plow down with a thump and cleaned the dirt from his hands before pulling up a stool to join them. He had been trying to practice his milking, but by the time he had milked one cow halfway, the siblings had finished milking the other five and Ben was standing next to him, hopping from foot to foot with impatience as Ellie poured the milk into the stone trough.

“Would you like me to do that?”

“I’m managing.”

“Yeah, but Ellie won’t let me play ‘til the milking is done, and it’s going to be dark soon, so if I wait for you to be done, I’ll be here all night.”

Measuring Ben with a long stare, John sat up. Shifting nervously under John’s gaze, Ben still looked determined. Rubbing his nose to hide his smile, John stood up and off to the side as Ben sat down and quickly started milking the cow. Mortified by her brother’s behavior, Ellie rushed over, but John stopped her with an outstretched hand.

“He’s not entirely wrong, I am pretty slow. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with saying things as they are. Even if it was pretty cheeky.”

Feeling the stone jumping in her throat settle, Ellie let out a gratified smile. For the second time, she found herself peeking at John as he stood there and watched Ben do more in a few minutes than John had managed to do in nearly an hour. Once he was finished, Ben pushed the stool back and nudged the bucket with his foot, causing the milk to slosh.

“Ellie, I’m done. Can I go? I want to check some of the close traps.”

“Fine, but be back before dark. I don’t want you out in the woods when it’s dark.”

“Okay! Thanks!”

Dashing off like a shot, Ben vanished from the barn, leaving the cleanup to John. When Ellie hurried to try and pick up the bucket, John stopped her once again and took it, pouring it into the stone trough. With a thought, he pulled the heat radiating from the fresh milk, causing it to cool rapidly as he closed the lid of the trough.

“I’ll scrape it tomorrow to make butter and take some milk the next day for cheese. It would be better if we had a dugout, but I can make do with the corner of the barn for now. The milk is staying really fresh in the trough, but we’re going to run out of room soon. Each cow is producing a bit over three gallons at each milking, which is thirty-six gallons total. That’s way more milk than we can use.”

“What if we make cheese from all of it? We can’t have too much cheese, right?”

“That would be nearly thirty pounds of cheese every day.”

“Huh, that seems like too much cheese,” John said, patting one of the cows who was chewing on the feed that had been added to its feed bag. “What do you think we should do? I don’t want to dump it. Can we sell it?”

“Well, if we increased the capacity of the tank, we could probably store it and sell it to someone in town. Or we could make more cheese and sell that in town? However, between milking and making cheese, that would take up most of my time.”

“Hmm. Let’s think about it. For now, I’ll work on increasing the size of the storage container,” John said, turning to look at the large stone tub. “Where did this one come from?”

“It was here when I came, but Old Man Burrows said something about an abandoned stone mine in the western mountains. It may have come from there.”

“I’ll go check it out. We should be able to fit another two days in there, right?”

“Yes.” Ellie nodded. “Three, even, if we pull some out for cheese.”

“Alright.”

Heading into the house together, Ellie started on dinner while John got out the map George had lent him. Spreading it out on the table, he marked where the farm was with his finger and then began to trace the path to the western side of the valley. Looking along the mountains, he soon found the abandoned quarry Ellie had been talking about.

Judging from how long it took me to make it to Wolf Den, it should be doable in about half a day. Huh, I could probably do it in a night if I pushed it. Maybe I’ll go tonight.

Settling on a plan, John rolled up the map and started trying to come up with solutions for the plowing. If he didn’t want to plow by hand, he’d have to train the dumb bull to plow in a straight line, but he seemed to have ruined it by feeding the bull the pure mana crystal to get it to follow him back to the farm. Flipping through his books, he found one that had a description of the process for training a horse to pull a cart and decided to try and adjust it for training the bull. As he was putting the book away, Ben burst into the kitchen, clutching three dead rabbits by their legs.

“Ellie, I got some rabbits!”

“Great! Dinner is ready, so hang them on the porch and wash up. Don’t forget to wash behind your ears if you don’t want to have to take a bath.”

“Yeah, yeah! I got it!”

Listening to Ben banging around outside, John helped Ellie set the table as she carried the food to the table. Soon Ben came in, water glistening on his neck where he had hurriedly splashed it, and the three of them sat down to eat. Their meal was quiet, but John felt a certain warmth as he watched Ellie loading up their bowls. He had eaten countless meals with others, but almost all of them had been rough meals around military campfires with coarse soldiers or decadent feasts with nobles whose only fear seemed that others would not know how rich they were. It had not been until he’d arrived at the farm that he remembered what it was like to eat a simple meal in a homey environment.

Burying his face in his food, John felt something stir in his chest, but he pushed it down with a large mouthful of bread. As always, the food was delicious if simple, and John was more than satisfied when his spoon finally stopped moving.

“Are you going to eat that?” Ben asked, his eyes fixed on the extra piece of bread on John’s plate.

“Ben!”

“What? Food shouldn’t go to waste, right?”

Smiling, John slid the bread over to Ben and then carried his and Ellie’s dishes to the sink. Returning to the table, he sat down and gestured for Ellie to keep her seat.

“I’m going to be away tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow, but not until it’s light. Lock the door behind me and stay in tonight, alright? Ben, you have that knife, right? If you hear anything strange, stay inside. I don’t think anything will happen, but just to be safe, don’t open the door for anything.”

Her face serious, Ellie nodded and put her hand on her younger brother’s shoulder. Sensing the shift in mood, Ben looked slightly scared, but he still pulled out the dagger John had given him from his belt, holding it tightly.

“Like I said, I don’t think anything will happen, but since George came to warn us, there’s no harm in being cautious. I’ll be back by the time it’s light tomorrow. If I’m not, then, well, I will be, so don’t worry about it.”

Suddenly feeling awkward, John stood up and nodded to Ellie before walking out of the house. Seeing the three rabbits hanging on a hook on the porch, he called back into the house.

“I’ll take care of the rabbits and put them in the smoke house to dry before I go.”

Without waiting for an answer, he took the rabbits and carried them to the repaired shed they were using to smoke the venison he had brought back. Rapidly skinning them and trimming the meat, he pulled some mana from his body and superheated the air under his palm, using it to incinerate the blood and waste left by the rabbit corpses. Once he had dealt with the rabbits and the meat was hanging up, he left the farm, quickly entering the forest.

Pausing once he was out of sight of the house, John stopped and let out a breath. There was a warmness to the farm that seeped through the calloused exterior he had built up over the years, and it was worrying how quickly he was growing comfortable with it. Shaking his head, he breathed in, sucking up all the mana in the surrounding area and feeling the liquid flame setting his body on fire. A savage smile twitched at his lips, but he suppressed it, forcing the burning in his lungs deeper into his body.

Hah, any time I start to feel like a normal person, it only takes a breath to remember I’m not human any more.

Out of habit, John flicked open his status window and, seeing no changes, took off running. As he channeled mana into his feet, his body flashed forward, leaving a scorch mark where his foot had just been. Sprinting through the woods, he dodged through the trees, the only sign of his passing the faint scent of burning grass.

Flying would be a lot faster, but if anyone saw me, my retirement would be over.

Letting out another sigh, John stayed on the ground as he traveled across the valley. The sun soon vanished over the mountains, casting the world in moonlight and shadow as John ran, his feet giving off a crimson glow as he darted through the forest. Under the bright moon, John couldn’t help his thoughts from wandering, returning to the many moonlit nights he had spent on the battlefield. One in particular stood out to him, the night he had first learned magic.

It had been bright, so bright, he could clearly see every line on his palm. Hand outstretched, he had recited the words of the spell scroll that had been handed to him. With a burning flash, mana had run from his core through his palm, erupting into a burning fireball that hovered over his hand. The magic had been unbelievable to him, but no amount of pinching woke him up, and eventually, he had been forced to come to terms with the fact that he had, in fact, been summoned to a world of magic.

The presence of the game window that had popped up when he first appeared in the summoning circle had given him hope it was just a game. That he could somehow log out and go back to his life from before. Yet everything he had learned about this world since then had reduced that hope to a distant memory. That night had cemented the reality that, regardless of the strange blue box that hovered in his vision, this world was a game of life and death.

That night had changed his life forever. It had been the first time he had cast a magical spell. The first time he had realized his value in this wartorn world. And the first time he had ended a human life. Just like his first spell, the way his magical fire had consumed an enemy was burned into his memory, forever fixed in all of its horrifying detail. No matter how much time had passed, no matter how many people had died to his magic, that death stood out.

It had been an enemy scout who had been watching him from the shadows and saw him cast the spell. Whether it was greed or fear that caused the scout to jump out, John would never know, but in the wild scramble that followed, the scout was hit with that same fireball John had conjured and was reduced to little more than a screaming cinder. The screaming only stopped when one of the captains, who had rushed over to see what the commotion had been about, put a sword through the scout’s heart, mercifully ending his suffering.

Shaking the morbid memories from his head, John took stock of where he was. After traveling for two hours, he had arrived at the foot of the western mountains. Cliffs rose high into the air, stretching north and south along the edge of the valley, broken by the occasional gorge or rockslide. Finding the three peaks he had picked as landmarks, John oriented himself to the northwest and advanced until he was stopped by a tall cliff. According to the map, the stone quarry was on the other side of the mountain that loomed high over the cliff.

This would be so much easier if I could just fly.

Ignoring the impulse, John crouched and pulled mana out of the air, pushing it into his arms and legs. With a leap, he shot upward, catching a protruding rock and using it to propel himself further up the cliff face. Finding a crack with his foot, he pushed off again, his body accelerating as if he were dashing across flat ground. He was a quarter of the way up the cliff before he finally paused, stabbing his hand into the bare rock to keep himself in place as he looked out over the valley.

CHAPTER 13

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that view.

Appreciating the beautiful moonlit scenery for a moment, John let out a sigh and resumed his climb. Thanks to his mana-reinforced muscles, it only took him five minutes to scale the entire cliff, and soon he stood on top of it, looking up at the rest of the mountain. Pouring mana into his feet again, he dashed up the slope, each step leaving a slight blackened mark. Within another half an hour, he had found the abandoned stone quarry, a giant pit that had been dug into the side of the mountain. Spotting a heavy wall of granite, John jumped down with a great leap, causing the earth to shake.

Brushing off his hands, he snapped his fingers, casting the only spell he knew. Mana swirled together, forming a brilliant blue fireball that hovered over his head. With a thought, the fireball split apart, transforming into three smaller fireballs that spread out, filling the entire quarry with lights. They were far enough away from the farm that John wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him, but just to be safe, he used mana to cover his face, forming a mask from the blue flame.

With another snap, he formed another blue fireball above his hand. Reaching out, he gripped it tightly and shook his wrist, causing the flames to narrow and lengthen until they formed a straight blade that was nearly six feet long. With a light swing, the flame blade sank deep into the granite wall, burning through the stone like it was paper. Nodding happily, John let go of the blade and stepped back.

Hmmm. I should have asked Ellie how big to make it.

Unsure how large the new tank should be, John settled for huge.

*snap*

Nineteen more fireballs appeared in the air in front of him, spinning into flame blades before shooting into the granite wall. Stretching out his hand with two fingers extended, he flicked his fingers to the side and the flame blades cut a neat rectangle into the wall. Pushing his fingers forward sent the flame blades even further into the wall, cutting out a chunk of granite that was twelve feet long, six feet wide, and six feet deep. Hearing it fall free from the mountainside with a thud, he reached out and grabbed the huge stone, his mana-reinforced fingers sinking into it like it was mud.

It needs to have an opening at the top to pour buckets in and one at the bottom for getting milk out. It should also be sloped inside to keep the milk from getting trapped at the back. Hmm. Let’s add an opening to help with scraping the cream too.

As he thought about it, the flame blades he had created danced, carving out the interior of the box and reducing the stone to fine ash. Sloping the bottom of the twelve-foot-by-six-foot box down to one corner, he melted a small hole for the milk to exit. Unsatisfied with that, he cut out another chunk of stone, shaping it into a cylinder and poking a hole in it to make a pipe. Gripping the end of the pipe, he heated it until the stone started to melt and then stuck it to the massive box, using his mana to pull the stone together and suck the heat away, effectively welding it together.

Just call me the human torch.

Laughing at the utter ridiculousness of his life, John was starting to work on the top of the giant tub when the sound of rocks falling on the other side of the quarry made him turn around. Eyes narrowing, he blinked and mana flooded his eyes as he scanned across the quarry, quickly identifying the thermal signatures of six large creatures. Blinking his eyes again in surprise, the creatures vanished into the darkness as his sight returned to normal.

Were those giants? What did Ben call them? Grimm?

The creatures he had seen were at least ten feet tall, though the largest appeared closer to twelve, and their hunched backs and long, muscular arms indicated they could likely be even taller if they straightened up. Covered in fur with faces that looked like a more human-looking ape, they reminded John of the legendary Bigfoot or Yeti from his original world. Almost impossible to see without enhancing his eyes, he only spotted them again when they moved, heading across the side of the stone quarry to check out the light his magical flames were emitting.

Keeping one eye on them as they got closer, John continued to work on his stone tub, finishing carving it out. Once he was done, he snapped, pulling the mana out of the flaming swords and allowing the superheated flames to die out. As they vanished, he turned to look at the half dozen monsters who had arrived. This was not his first time seeing fantastical creatures since coming to this world, but since every other encounter had ended with bloodshed, he was somewhat wary.

Staying just out of range of the light being cast by the burning fireballs that hovered over John’s head, the grimm paced around, letting out soft cries as they tried to figure out what strange thing they’d encountered. The dense mana John’s flames were giving off acted as a nearly irresistible draw for the large creatures, but their instinctive sense for danger was warning them that getting close was a death sentence.

Finally, after much prodding from the others, the largest of the grimm stepped into the light, its eyes squinting against the brightness. Four huge tusks protruded from its bottom jaw, curving up above its top lip and nearly reaching its wide and flat nose. Two curling horns extended from the top of its head, and three sets of spiky ears constantly turned this way and that on its head. Without needing to cover his eyes with mana, John could sense the dense waves of mana the beast gave off. Like all creatures, the more mana it consumed, the larger and stronger it would grow, which was what made John so attractive to it.

Spotting John standing under the three floating flames, the large grimm reared up, standing at its full height of nearly sixteen feet as it bared its fangs and let out a deep growl that rumbled around the quarry. Eyes narrowing, John spread his hands, palms out to show he held nothing in his hands. He had no idea if the beast would understand the action, but creatures who had consumed a lot of mana tended to be much smarter than dumb beasts, and some even had intelligence approaching that of humans.

As soon as he moved, the large grimm pulled back, its eyes darting this way and that. Obviously nervous, the beast saw that John had stopped moving and regained its courage. Letting out a hooting sound, it pointed at one of the hovering flames and then slapped its hairy chest. When John didn’t respond, it looked around the area, spotting the large box John had created, its eyes lighting up.

Pointing to the fire and slapping its chest again, it let out some loud hoots, causing the other grimm to scramble back into the darkness. For the next few minutes, it paced back forth in a half circle, always maintaining a respectful distance from John, repeating its motion over and over as it hooted. Just as John was about to leave, he heard the sound of the large grimm’s companions returning. Excited, the creature dashed into the darkness and grabbed something the others were dragging along, quickly returning to the light to show John its prize.

Held in its hand was a metal rectangle John immediately recognized as a chest. Despite the casual way the creature was holding it, John had seen chests like that in the past and knew they weighed a tremendous amount. Putting the box down, the grimm pushed it forward, its expression growing more cautious the closer it got to him. When John started to reach for the box, the grimm growled and pulled it away, gesturing to all three of the flames and then patting itself on the chest while it pointed to the box with its other hand.

Is it bargaining with me? How much mana has it consumed to learn how to do that?

Eyes narrowing behind the flame mask, John suppressed his desire to cut the creature open to see what made it tick and nodded. Incredibly sensitive to mana, all of the grimm must have sensed his flash of desire, because the smaller ones let out screams and retreated as quickly as they could while the larger one backed up warily, lifting its body and arms to make itself as large as possible.

*snap*

The three floating fireballs merged into one and John extended his hand, allowing pure mana to crystallize above his palm, forming a tiny glittering crystal, just about the size of his pinky nail. Repeating the action again, he sent them to hover in the air on the other side of the box with a flick of his wrist.

“Two crystals for the box.”

While the grimm had been attracted to the blue fireballs, the mana crystals caused them to salivate. Greed grew in the largest grimm’s eyes and its companions even began to push their way forward, only backing up when the large grimm began roaring and throwing out vicious slaps that sent them tumbling. Bouncing up, completely unhurt, the smaller grimm roared angrily at him, but despite the fact that his eyes kept straying to the two crystals, he was unmoved. Obviously fighting his nearly overwhelming urge to grab the two condensed mana crystals and run, the large grimm stubbornly pointed to the remaining fireball and slapped its chest.

“No, two is enough. I don’t know what’s in the box, so I won’t gamble more than that.”

John had no idea how much the large grimm understood, but it was clear it knew he was refusing. Grunting and roaring, it paced back and forth for a moment before letting out another roar, this time commanding its smaller companions to fetch something else. This time, it was only one grimm that left, running speedily out of the quarry and into the mountains beyond. Since the creatures seemed to be smart enough to understand how to trade, John waited patiently for the creature to return.

Nearly half an hour later, it was finally back, completely out of breath. Collapsing to the ground, it offered up a large flower to the hulking grimm. Even as it lay on the ground with its tongue out, John could see the desire to eat the flower in its eyes. Despite that, it still gave the large grimm the offering. Hooting excitedly, the big creature carefully took it and placed it on the box, stepping back and repeating its now familiar gesture. With six colorful petals, the flower had been pulled up from the ground, roots and all.

At first, John was utterly confused, but as he examined the flower closer, his eyes grew wide. The flower was impossible to identify, but what was incredible was the mana that flowed through it. Thanks to his maxed out [Mana Control], John found it simple to differentiate and identify the distinct mana signatures every living thing carried. However, when he examined the flower being offered to him, he realized that he could sense the mana signature from multiple types of flowers all mixed together.

This is a grafted flower. And the only people who could graft a flower like this are mages. Wait, if there were mages in these mountains, is that why the grimm know how to trade? Have they been eating plants from the mage’s garden? Are they still here? No—if they were here, they would have come to find me after my light display. Then, are there still ruins? Wait, is that what the adventuring team is looking for?

His mind racing, John found himself suddenly filled with excitement. It was clear from the reverence with which the grimm handled the flower that it was extremely precious to them, but the allure of the crystallized mana was obviously much stronger. Letting out a laugh, John snapped and pulled the fireball out of the air. Holding out his hand, he created four more fingernail-sized mana crystals, ignoring the window that popped up in his vision as he did so.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

This game is seriously the worst.

The more he used mana, the closer the apocalypse seemed to come and the more Doom Points appeared. Shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts aside and tossed the four new crystals out to join the two that hovered in the air. Pointing at the metal chest and the flower, he slapped his own chest, hearing an excited hoot from the largest grimm. Taking that to mean it agreed to the trade, John grabbed the chest and flower and stepped back. Putting the flower in his pocket to study later, he took the granite tank he had made in one hand and the metal chest in the other.

With a thought, mana swirled around him and his body rose up into the air. Flames boiled around him as he shot up to the top of the quarry, rapidly vanishing over the mountain. Behind him, freed from the overwhelming feeling of danger his presence had given them, the six grimm dashed forward, grabbing the crystallized mana and trying to shove it into their mouths. With a loud cry, the largest of the grimm slapped one of its companions on the head until it spit out the two crystals it had managed to seize and made it give one of them to the slowest grimm. Once it was sure each of them had gotten one crystal, it let out a triumphant roar and led the way back into the dark forest.

Once he arrived at the top of the mountain, John dropped to the ground, allowing his flame mask to vanish. He had spent considerably more time with the grimm at the quarry than he had anticipated, but if he hurried, he was confident he would be able to make it back to the farm before the morning sun dawned. He was incredibly excited to examine the metal chest and the flower, but a long time in this world had tempered his expectations.

The endless wars had turned all records of magic and the mages who used it to dust, and if any fragments had survived, they would have survived in a place like this, untouched by the flames of destruction. Just imagining what could have survived in a complete mage’s tower was enough to set his brain on fire, but taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, John pushed away the thoughts that sprang unbidden to his mind and focused on returning to the farm.

CHAPTER 14

The sun had just started sending its golden rays spilling over the top of the mountains and down into the valley like warm syrup when John made it back to the farm. Putting the metal box down on the porch, he carried the stone tub over to the barn, where he stopped and stared. He had completely forgotten to check how wide the barn doors were, and it was clear from even a cursory glance that the granite tub was at least a few inches too wide to fit. Letting out a sigh, he carried it around to the back of the barn and placed it against the wall.

Saying hi to the bull who was practically hanging over the fence to try and get to him because of the mana leaking from his body, John took a moment to center himself, pulling all the residual mana that surrounded him into his body. Walking back to the house, he knocked on the door.

“Hey, it’s John. You can open up.”

The sound of bolts told him someone was standing right inside the door. With a creak, it opened an inch and Ben’s eye appeared. Seeing that it was John standing on the porch, Ben threw it open, his dagger still clutched in his hand. Smiling down at the young man, John patted him on the head, ruffling his hair.

“Good job, Ben.”

Walking into the house, John saw that the table was set and Ellie was just carrying a pot of porridge over from the stove.

“Ben, come sit. Breakfast is ready.”

Hesitating for a moment, John watched as Ben and Ellie sat down at the table. The morning sun was shining in the window and the smell of freshly baked bread mixed with the sweet scent of porridge. Outside, the farm was coming to life with the sounds John had been slowly coming to recognize as the sounds of ordinary, everyday life. For someone who had been locked in a constant fight for his life since the day he had arrived, there was something unnatural about life on the farm, but John had been doing his best to fit in.

Hearing Ben’s complaining voice and Ellie’s teasing response, John was struck by the utter incongruity of the situation. Before him was a perfect representation of what life should be for a human. Safety, shelter, warm food, warm feelings, beauty and peace. It was all there. Everything he had been struggling to find in this rotten world, at the table before him. There was even a place set for him.

Yet there was something in him that hesitated. A small voice that resisted his efforts to take his seat at the table. The memories of the past ten years rushed through his mind, stronger this time, flooding him with incoherent scenes of war, of flame, of death. It was only with supreme effort that he stood amid the torrent of memories, keeping his mind clear. As the memories roared through him, the feeling of incongruity deepened.

Having used mana all night, he was once again struck by just how frail and fragile everything was. A single exhale of the mana he was holding in his lungs would incinerate the entire building, turning Ellie and Ben to nothing but charred skeletons buried in the ash of the farmhouse. As he blinked, his vision seemed to alternate between the two scenes. In one, everything was warm and comfortable, but the other was a raging inferno where everything but John was consumed by magical flames.

Clenching his teeth, John shook his head, ruthlessly suppressing the scene and forcing his mind to focus on reality. As the apocalypse grew closer, he found himself struggling more and more to find his place in the world, and situations like the one he had just experienced grew more and more frequent. Despite his desperate attempts to keep everything together, he knew well the destruction he brought to the world, causing him to constantly distance himself from others. Now, however, he seemed to have inadvertently crossed the line he had tried so hard to keep.

They don’t deserve to have their lives ruined. They have no idea what kind of monster I am. If they knew they would run to the end of the world to hide.

A monster that stalked the world in the skin of a human—that was how John felt. About to turn away and go outside, John was stopped when Ellie suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting his. Looking up at him from the table, Ellie’s eyes held exactly the opposite of all the thoughts and feelings piling up inside of him. Her eyes showing nothing but happiness and trust, Ellie flashed him a sunny smile as she picked up his bowl and the porridge ladle.

“Mr. Sutton? Can I get you a bowl?”

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment as John soaked in the perfect, peaceful moment, all his senses full of the wonderful vibrancy of life. The doubts that bit at his thoughts, the agonizing memories that dragged him down, the confusion that clouded his thoughts, the fear of rejection and the pain in his heart—it all melted away like fog retreating from the sun. As the moment dragged on, John felt the burning mana in his lungs melt away, leaving nothing but peace behind. Taking what felt like the first breath of his life, John felt a smile creep up onto his lips.

“Call me John. Yes, yes please.”

[-1 Doom Points.]

[The apocalypse retreats.]

Sitting down at the table, John stared blankly at the notification that had popped up in his vision. Seeing him staring directly at her, Ellie matched his stare. A slight blush rose on her cheeks as the staring match continued, but she bravely kept her eyes on John’s until he suddenly blinked, seeming to only then realize he had been looking at her. Coughing to hide his embarrassment, he turned and glanced at Ben, who was blowing furiously on his spoon.

“Did you have any trouble last night?”

“Huh? No, though we did hear some wolves. Just a few howls in the distance.”

“Wolves?” John looked at Ellie, who nodded seriously.

“Yes. We may want to consider taking the bull inside if they start getting closer.”

Instead of that, maybe I should feed it more mana.

Nodding along with Ellie’s suggestion, John kept his real thoughts to himself. After finishing breakfast, John thanked Ellie for the meal and carried his axe to the woods while Ben and Ellie started milking. Finding a tree that was about two feet in diameter, he squared up and drew his axe back. Just as he was about to send mana flooding into his body, he paused, the experiences of the last twelve hours running through his mind.

He had often experienced gaining a Doom Point after using mana, but this was the first time he had lost a Doom Point from something other than a quest reward. Slowly lowering the axe, he looked at his hand, flexing his fingers. Even without using mana, he was unbelievably strong thanks to the [Mana Reinforcement] skill he had been forced to level, so there was no reason he would use mana for such a mundane task beside habit.

Is it the habit of using mana that brings the apocalypse closer?

Frowning, John let out his breath and shrugged. He had been trying to figure out the rules to this terrible game for years and doubted he would suddenly see through them now. Lifting his axe, he loosened his shoulders and let the blade swing down, planting it firmly in the tree trunk. Even without mana reinforcement, the new axe quickly chopped through the wood, allowing him to fell the tree in a bit under half an hour.

Once it had crashed to the ground, he trimmed the branches and then dragged it out of the woods, only realizing how long the log actually was when he saw Ben staring at him open-mouthed from the barn door. Coughing, John walked over and patted the young man on the shoulder.

“Ahem, that’s why you have to drink your milk.”

After figuring out where he wanted the tank to be positioned, John cut two holes in the barn wall, one at the bottom corner of the tank where the spigot came out, and the other near the top of the wall where they would pour the milk in. Neither Ben or Ellie had realized there was a gigantic stone tank outside, and when they walked out to see it, they were so surprised, they looked like they could fit eggs in their mouths.

“Wha… where… how… how did that get there?” Ben asked, completely dumbfounded.

Keeping the grin off his face, John crouched down and looked Ben squarely in the eye like he was going to tell him a great secret.

“Magic.”

Listening intently to hear the secret, Ben rolled his eyes, his expression morphing into the very picture of exasperation.

“Oh come on. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that the grimm carried it here from the mountains and installed it themselves.”

“Do you think they could do that?” John asked, stroking his chin like he was thinking.

“No, they’re way too dumb. Maybe the spectres could, but they’re probably not strong enough. It has to weigh at least a few tons. Seriously, how did it get here? Did you hire the bandits to help you? Is that why you didn’t want us to come out? Wait, but you said you weren’t here.”

Patting the confused boy on the head again, John began sawing the large tree apart. Making planks, he built a small roof extending from the barn to keep the tank out of the rain and a set of stairs on the inside of the barn so that it would be easy to climb up to pour the milk in. Once everything else was ready, he cut five thick sections of the widest part of the trunk and leveled them out.

Looking around to make sure Ben wasn’t watching, John grabbed the stone tank and moved it to the side. Setting the five thick logs in place, he picked up the tank again and fit it into place. Stepping back, he looked at it carefully, checking to make sure everything fit as he had hoped. Realizing he had bumped one of the legs out of position, he took the tank down and reset the piece of the trunk back into place, pressing it down into the ground to match with the others. Putting the tank back on, he nodded to himself and brushed his hands together as he turned around and froze, seeing Ellie standing at the corner of the barn, staring at him wide-eyed.

“Haha, Ellie. Hey, how’s it going? This is our new tank. It’s a good bit bigger than the other one, so we shouldn’t have too much trouble storing the milk, you know?”

Even though it was obvious Ellie was brimming with questions from the way she looked back and forth between him and the gigantic stone tank, she only nodded.

“That looks really nice. Is it one piece of stone?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. It’s all one piece. Come here, I’ll show you inside. There’s a spot for a spigot inside the barn. Before we use it, we’ll need to get one from Gerret’s shop, and I was thinking of getting a wire filter from him too that we can put at the top where we pour the milk in. This’ll make it easier if we’re making cheese because you can control the quantity exactly. I’m going to be working on training the bull for the next few days, but I thought I could make a cheese barn too. Ha, I might not know much about farming, but heavy lifting is something I can do.”

Taken aback, Ellie looked at John, unsure how to respond to his enthusiasm. She had never met someone who spoke so casually about things like building barns and starting businesses while not seeming to know which end of a hoe went into the ground. Not noticing her conflicted thoughts, John gestured for her to follow him to the plot of ground he had picked for the new cheese barn.

“If we put it here, you’ll have easy access from the barn, so moving milk will be easy, though I’d really like to build a cart on a guided rail for that. That way, you just have to put the milk into the containers and let gravity move it into the cheese barn. You can swap the full containers for empty ones and then it’ll be light enough to pull back up to the milking barn.”

Lost in his ideas for how to streamline the farm’s cheese production, John didn’t notice that Ben had come up and was standing nearby, a strange look on his face.

“Then, once you have the milk here, we’ll have metal tubs and a fire for cooking it here, and then a table here where we can keep the cheesecloth and pots. Once you flip each pot into the cheese cloth, we can pat it and press it here. Do you think cheese wheels are better? Or do we want bricks? I like bricks because they slice better, plus we can make them larger and cut them down for resale, but people seem to be more used to wheels. Anyway, we’ll build a rack for hanging and a shelf for aging.

“Do people eat aged cheese? I feel like aged cheese is great, but honestly, I don’t really remember. It’s been at least six years since I had any aged cheese. I don’t remember what it tastes like at all. Oh, and here we can set up a wrapping station for packaging when it’s done. We can let these tables do double duty as butter tables and even put a triple churner here. Have you ever seen those? We’ll need to get the pieces from Gerret’s shop. Hmm, I wonder if we should build a forge here. It seems like we’re going to need it quite a bit. Oh, I need nails too.”

Encouraged by Ellie, Ben spoke up hesitantly, interrupting John’s stream-of-conscious mumbling.

“Um, Mr. Sutton?”

“Huh? Oh, hey, Ben. What do you need?”

“Um, I think there’s something wrong with the bull.”

CHAPTER 15

Hurrying over to the pasture, John and Ellie saw what had caused Ben to be so nervous. The bull was lying on its back in the middle of the pasture, its front legs sticking up in the air and its head twisted to one side. Eyes narrowing, John jumped over the fence and walked over to the bull. As soon as he’d seen it lying down, he’d used mana to examine its body but hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. As he approached, the bull’s large eye blinked at him, and then, with some effort, it twisted its head to the side and let out a deep moo. Giving him what it obviously thought was a sorrowful look, the bull opened its mouth and let its tongue hang out to the side, clearly pretending to be suffering.

“It started to do this when I was walking by, Mr. Sutton. It was fine earlier, but then when I carried the harness over, it pretended to fall over and started sticking its tongue out. I… I think it’s playing at being sick?”

Neither Ellie nor her brother had ever seen anything like this, but John, having more experience with creatures that had ingested pure mana, had a better idea what was going on. Letting out a sigh, he gestured for the others to leave the pasture.

“I’ll deal with this. This stupid cow is messing around.”

As though offended at being called a cow, the bull let out another moo, this one tinged with some anger.

“I’m going to be working on plowing for the afternoon, but I’ll start the cheese shed once I’m done.”

“That’s fine, we have some work to do in the garden,” Ellie said, pulling Ben away. “Tell me if you need one of us to pull the lead.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Waiting until the siblings were far enough away that they wouldn’t notice what he was doing, John exuded a little bit of mana from his palm and reached out, holding it in front of the bull’s nose. Eyes snapping open, the bull tried to push its head up from the ground to lick John’s palm. Before its tongue could reach the treat, it felt a steel grip grab its horn, locking it in place. Leaning down, John stared at the bull, his eyes cold.

“Listen. I know you don’t understand language, but if you want to avoid getting turned into prime rib, you better understand this. If you want to eat, you work. If you want mana, you work extra hard. Now get up, get into that harness, and plow a straight line. Otherwise, we’re having steak tonight.”

Though he knew it was still too dumb to understand his words, the bull appeared to understand when John pointed at the harness and then offered his palm to it. As soon as he let go of its horn, the bull shot up and practically pranced over to the fence where the harness had been hung up. Lifting it from the fence with its horn, it galloped back to John and put it in his hands before standing in front of him expectantly. Holding the harness, John stared at the bull and then back down at the harness, only snapping out of his daze when the bull nudged him gently in the chest.

There is no way. It could not have gotten that smart from just a few fragments of mana. Plus, what is with the clear increase in its intelligence in just one day?

Unsure what to make of the bull, John shook his head and put the harness on, leading it out to the field. After connecting the plow behind it, John got two large sticks from the forest and a long length of twine from the barn. Sticking the two sticks into the ground, he ran the length of twine between them, creating a long guide. With his line set, he positioned himself a few feet over and pushed the plow into the ground.

Over by the house, he could see Ellie and Ben working in the garden, clearing out weeds and picking some of the ripe vegetables. Even as he watched, Ellie straightened up and shaded her eyes to look out at the field. Seeing him, she waved and got back to work.

“She’s a hard worker. We should get started as well. I don’t know why I’m talking to you, but if you understand, you need to pull the plow. If you do, I’ll give you some mana, alright?”

Staring at him dumbly, the bull let out a moo as if it understood his words, but when he flicked the reins, it just got confused and tried to turn around again, almost getting tangled up in the trace. With a sigh, John pulled it straight and thought for a moment.

The problem is that it knows I have the mana, but I’m behind it, so it’s constantly trying to turn around. I need a good way to attract it to the end of the line.

Walking to the other side of the field, John was about to create a crystal when he heard an excited moo behind him. The bull, excited by the smell of mana he gave off, had followed him across the field, creating a perfectly straight furrow in the ground where the plow had been pulled through the dirt. Stunned, John felt like smacking his forehead. Leading the bull around, he made sure the plow was planted properly and then led the bull forward again. This time, he walked backward, watching the dirt turn over. About halfway across the field, the plow hit a rock and was pulled off course, popping out of the dirt.

Stopping the bull, John picked up the rock that had been dug out and tossed it aside, resetting the plow into the ground. For the next few hours he worked with the bull, leading it up and down the field and feeding it tiny rewards of mana he gathered in his palm. The bull was highly motivated and didn’t seem to be tired, even when Ellie called him in for dinner. Since the sun was starting to drop in the sky, John led the bull back to the pasture and took its harness off, giving it a slightly larger chunk of crystallized mana as a reward for its hard work.

Watching the bull run around, its butt wiggling with excitement, John laughed out loud, finding his heart strangely light. He had no idea how the bull had adopted the mannerisms of a dog, but he didn’t care as long as it kept pulling the plow. Just as he was about to head back and wash up, he saw the bull stop at the far end of the pasture and look around, as if it were checking to see if anyone was paying attention to it. When it felt like it was alone, it used its horns to flip over a big rock and spit something out of its mouth onto the ground. Pushing the rock back into position, the bull wiggled happily and turned around, freezing when it realized John was standing right behind it.

“What do you have there?”

Vigilance tinged with fear shone from the bull’s eyes, and it lowered its head as if getting ready to attack, but John just patted it on the head. Though the taps were light, they completely stunned the bull, causing it to realize it was outclassed. Reluctantly backing up, it flipped the boulder aside, its entire body radiating a sense of sorrow that made John burst out in laughter again.

“I just want to see what you got, not take it from you.”

As the heavy rock moved away, John saw a thick, dark brown vine with a few fleshy pods that looked like small clumps of broccoli growing out of it. The crystallized mana John had given to the bull had been dropped into the middle of the vine, and already there were little roots that had wrapped themselves around it, sucking out the mana as fast as they could.

What in the world is that?

Unable to understand what he was looking at, John crouched down and gave the vine a poke. At first, there was no response, but when his finger hovered close to the little vine, he realized there were small roots moving toward him. Entirely unconcerned, he allowed the vine’s tendrils to touch his skin. As soon as they did, the tendrils curled up and the plant shook as if it had suddenly found something terrifying.

Hah, even the plants can recognize what I am. But this is really interesting. This must be what the bull has been eating that has made it so much smarter. Hopefully, there are no side effects.

Creating another small crystal of mana, John tossed it to the bull and then moved the stone back over the plant. He waited until he was sure the bull had finished eating it and entered the mana-drunk state where it just sort of gazed around blankly like it had never seen the world before. Recognizing the state of mana overflow, John just patted the bull on the head, a faint memory rising from the deepest depths of his mind.

“You need a name. Hmm. You obviously like flowers, so maybe Ferdinand? Or maybe Ferdie so I don’t get sued? Yeah, Ferdie is good.”

Turning away, John missed the little spark of light that burst forth in the bull’s eyes as the name resounded in its head. Returning to the house, John had dinner with the siblings and then got to work on the cheese shed while they did the evening milking. Armed with a shovel, he planted it into the ground and lifted a large chunk of dirt. Over the next two hours, he moved like a machine, never once pausing as he dug out a six-foot-deep pit that was sixty feet long and forty feet wide. The dirt he moved was piled up to the side, forming a large hill that was nearly as tall as the barn. Though she wondered how each shovel full of dirt managed to reach the top of the pile without scattering, Ellie didn’t say anything, just preparing a glass of cool water for John when he had finished.

Draining the glass, John handed it back to Ellie and spent the last few minutes of daylight cutting out some stairs leading down into the pit. Once night had fallen, he picked up the metal box that had been sitting on the porch all day and headed into his room to check it out.

He could not sense any mana coming from the box itself, but it weighed at least a few hundred pounds and was made from solid metal. In the military, they had been used for storing munitions and anything that might explode, providing a layer of safety for the troops who handled them. Taking a look at the lock, he saw it was jammed and looked like it had been bashed by a rock.

Probably the work of that grimm. There’s no way a key would work anymore, even if I had one. I guess I’ll do it the old-fashioned way.

Carefully controlling his mana, John extended it from his body, forming a sphere around the chest in case it was trapped and then grabbed the lock with his mana-reinforced fingers, twisting it out of the metal chest and tossing it to the floor. Not sensing any change, he opened the top, revealing the contents of the chest. Two robes, once neatly folded, a book, and some pouches of meticulously labeled seeds appeared before him, causing him to sigh.

Come on, you could have at least given me a spell scroll. I mean, these are obviously mage robes. What is with all these seeds? Hold on. Is that a magic lock?

What caught his attention was the leather-bound book in the bottom of the chest. A thick metal lock sat on its cover, binding the book shut. However, unlike the lock on the chest, there was no keyhole. Instead, it was a flat piece of metal carved with an intricate scrollwork. Closing his eyes, John felt the mana that radiated out of the lock.

There’s no way to safely open this here. I need space in case it explodes. Let’s put it aside for now. I’ll deal with it after the farm is sorted out.

Putting everything back in the chest, he pushed it into the corner and went back to the kitchen, spending a while at the table drawing up plans for the rest of the cheese cellar he was planning before heading to bed. The next morning, he got up early and went into the woods to cut some trees. As he dragged the sixth giant tree trunk out of the forest, he found himself musing how much harder everything would be if he didn’t have mana.

Stacking the tree trunk with the others, he sharpened the saw and began to cut planks, forming a large pile of lumber with spacers in between to allow the planks to dry properly. Looking at the stack of green wood, he glanced around and then put out his hand, concentrating on the light breeze that was blowing. Instantly, it grew dry and hot, like a desert wind blowing off a sand dune. As the air passed over the planks, the moisture in them was sucked out as if they were being squeezed.

Hearing a noise, John looked over and saw Ferdie standing at the fence looking at him. As he watched, the bull slowly shook his head as if unable to believe John was using magic to speed up the drying process of the planks. Snorting, John increased the potency of the wind, drawing even more water out of the planks, only stopping when they started to creak.

“You didn’t see anything,” he said, speaking to Ferdie.

Laughing when Ferdie rolled his eyes, John left the boards to finish drying and went back to survey the pit he had dug the night before. He really wanted to put down a layer of crushed stone, but the distance to the quarry was a bit far. Flying a load of stone over wouldn’t be that hard, but it would also give away everything he had been trying to hide. On the other hand, taking the cart would require at least a couple days which he could not spare. Deciding to look around for a closer source of stone, John got the harness out of the barn and walked to the pasture.

“Ferdie, let’s go. Time to plow.”

He wasn’t sure if the bull understood he was calling it or just wanted to be near him and the delectable mana he carried, but Ferdie ran over, snorting happily, and stood still while he buckled up the harness.

“Alright, we’re going to practice plowing again. We’ve got some rows to catch up on.”

CHAPTER 16

For the next few days, John kept himself busy between training Ferdie to pull the plow in a straight line and scouting the area for stone. Eventually, he found a spot along the river where a group of large boulders had been deposited when the valley was formed. Figuring they would work for his purposes, he hooked up Ferdie to the cart and dragged them back to the farm. Once they had all been pulled over, he began to cut out stone blocks and sink them into the ground around the edge of the pit, creating a solid stone footer. Using a heavy hammer, he crushed a few of the boulders into gravel and tossed them into the bottom of the pit, forming a solid bed of ten inches of crushed stone in between the blocks.

After that, it was just a matter of continuing to cut blocks and stack them up to form the walls. Thin panels of stone that were two feet by four feet were laid edge to edge to create the floor, and then more blocks were added until the walls started to rise up above the edge of the dirt. Once the walls were ten feet tall, John cut long stone beams and laid them across the top of the walls, building up the walls around them and then sealing the large building’s ceiling with more stone tiles. On the outside of the ceiling, he piled up some of the dirt, creating a mound shaped like a small, flat-topped hill.

It only took a touch for him to weld all the stone together, and pretty soon, he had a completely enclosed room that was ten feet tall, sixty feet long, and forty feet wide. Without the light from the door, it was completely dark, and because it was covered in dirt, it kept a temperature of about fifty-five degrees, which served his purposes perfectly. With a bit more stone to coat the stairs and a door to keep it sealed, he finished the new cheese cellar.

Taking a moment to look over his work, he nodded in satisfaction. Even though he didn’t need the light thanks to the mana that swirled through his eyes, John still went into the house and opened up one of his boxes, taking out four small lamps. Placing them on the table, he unscrewed the bottoms, revealing a complex circuit and a perfectly round, milky white stone. Carefully examining the circuits to make sure they hadn’t been damaged, John put them back together, lining up the grooves on the outside of the lamps.

Carrying them into the cheese cellar, he clipped one of the lamps into the slots that had already been cut in the wall and tapped the bottom three times, turning it on. Soft white light that looked like the clearest summer morning spread from the lamp, casting a bright circle of light from the wall above the door. After installing the other three lamps on the other walls, the entire cellar was well-lit.

For the next few days, John split his time between continuing to plow and making furniture for the cheese cellar. Like everything he made, there was a rough quality to it, but it was solid and would last a long time, which was the only thing he cared about. When it was finally done and everything was prepared, he began the next stage of the project, which included cutting two holes in the walls. The first was only waist high and was next to the outside door. Digging up through the dirt, he sloped the ground and lined it with stone, making a four-foot-by-four-foot stone chute that went into the barn. Using some of his remaining wood, he built out a wooden cart and some containers, putting them aside until he could go into town and get the rest of the parts for the rail system.

The other opening was dug on the opposite side of the cellar and led to the house. Just like the first opening, this one was also four feet tall by four feet wide, but the stone he used to line it was much thicker and took much longer for him to get into place. Nearly two weeks passed before he was finally done. Once the finishing touches were complete, John called Ellie and Ben together and gave them the tour. As soon as they walked into the cheese cellar, John saw Ben’s eyes open wide. With a trembling finger, he pointed at the four lamps on the wall.

“Is… is that magic?”

“No, it’s magitech. A mana lamp. Runs on mana stones.”

“But, aren’t they really expensive?”

“Mana stones? Yeah, I guess. I got a few of them when I retired,” John said, shrugging. “This is where the cart is going to go. Remember how I told you it would run from the milk barn down into the cellar to make it easier? I still need to get the parts, but once I do, it’ll have a smooth rail and a pulley system so it’s easy to use.”

“How do they work?” Ben asked, his eyes still fixed on the light.

“There’s a circuit under the mana stone that releases light when it’s completed. They’re pretty ingenious, but you can buy them in most cities.”

“What happens when the mana stone runs out?”

“Your great-great-great-grandchildren will have to change it out.”

“Huh?”

“He means it takes a long time to run out, Ben. Naturally formed mana stones last a really long time.”

Giving Ellie a smile, John nodded.

“Exactly. Because of how long they take to form, and the amount of mana they contain, natural mana stones can power the lamps for generations, even if they’re never turned off. So these will last for a long time. Come, let me show you the last few things.”

On the back wall, there was a wooden door set against the wall that John moved. Crouching down, he gestured to it.

“This is a tunnel that leads from the house into this space. I’ll show you where the opening is. You have sixty seconds to get through it before it starts to seal, so if you enter it from the house, make sure that you come all the way through. Once it seals, that’s it. Additionally, once it seals, so will the front entrance. This cellar will be doubling as our bomb shelter.”

“Bomb shelter? What’s that?”

Hearing Ellie’s question, John paused for a moment and then smiled.

“It’s just a phrase. It’s like a specially defended room. The walls are stone and have been reinforced, and we’ll keep our food stores in here so you should be able to survive for at least a month if you ration the supplies properly. Here, let me show you. Over here, we’ll have space for emergency bedrooms. There’s a pit here that will double as a latrine, and this is the switch that will seal the front entrance if it wasn’t already sealed. If you ever find yourself in trouble, come into this cellar and seal it.”

While Ben ran around checking everything out, Ellie stood in the center of the room, her expression impossible to read. Eventually, she glanced up at John before speaking in a quiet voice.

“This is a fortress. But there’s no exit once it’s sealed.”

“Correct on both counts. Once it closes up, it should protect you against just about anything in this world. For at least a while. But you don’t have to be worried about being trapped. Even if you close the entrances, I can get them open.”

Looking at John quietly for a moment, Ellie nodded, her expression serious.

“Thank you.”

“Hmm? For what?”

“For letting us stay. For thinking of us,” Ellie said, gesturing to the cellar. “You clearly don’t intend to use this for yourself, which means you don’t need it. Yet you still built it. Thank you.”

A feeling John hadn’t felt in a long time washed over him when he heard Ellie’s words, causing him to blush slightly and look away. Looking around the cheese cellar, he scratched his head. For some reason, what had started as an expansion to the economic capability of the farm had morphed into a doomsday bunker tough enough to stop a cruise missile. Thanks to the mana reinforcement he had applied to the stones, John was positive there were only two people in the entire world who could open up the bunker once it was sealed, and one of them was him. The problem was, he had no idea why he had built it.

Shaking his head, he pushed the feelings that were creeping into his mind aside. He hadn’t survived in this war-torn world by second-guessing himself, and he wasn’t about to start now. Looking at Ben running around, John patted one of the heavy wooden tables.

“I’ll be going into town tomorrow to get the pieces I need to finish the rail. You can come with me or let me know if there’s anything you need me to pick up. Once that’s done, we can start using it for cheese. We’ll be doing some planting soon, so I’ll probably need you and Ben to assist with that as well. But then we’ll have a good amount of time until the plants are ready for harvest. Come on, I’ll show you the escape door in the house.”

Recognizing how uncomfortable John was because of her words, Ellie couldn’t help but smile, finding the situation funny. Nodding to show she understood, she called to Ben, who was exhausted from running around the giant room, and dragged him to the house to see where John had installed the small door. Standing in the hall, he showed them how to move the planks aside and drop into the hole. The planks were attached to a piece of wire, and when it was pulled it would set off the mechanism that would collapse the small stone passage, giving whoever removed the planks entirely sixty seconds to make it through the passage.

“Hopefully, there’s no need to use this, but if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that it’s better to be prepared.”

Later that night, after dinner had been cleaned up and the last few chores taken care of, John sat on the porch as the sunlight faded from the valley, the magically locked book in his hands. He had brought it out to take a closer look at the lock, but Ellie’s words continued to replay in his head, forcing him to reckon with the feelings they had caused. Ever since he had been summoned to this world, his main focus had been on keeping himself alive, which hadn’t left much space for caring for others. In fact, before coming to the valley, the last thing on his list of priorities would be giving others a way to survive. Yet for some reason, without even stopping to consider it, he had expended considerable effort to plan and create the cheese cellar safe house for Ellie and her brother.

Letting out a sigh, John shook his head, unable to make sense of his tangled thoughts. Restless, he stood up and stepped inside, the sound of the door making Ellie look up from the chair by the hearth where she was mending a rip in one of Ben’s shirts. Seeing John’s face, she paused, her needle hanging in the air.

“I’ll be gone tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Keeping her face carefully neutral, Ellie put down the needle and set the shirt to the side.

“Do you need any food?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll prepare breakfast for you tomorrow.”

About to reject the offer, John saw the tremble in her fingers that she was trying to hide in her skirt and found himself nodding.

“Alright. I’ll be back for breakfast.”

Turning away, John opened the door and stepped out. Pausing on the porch, his broad back reflecting the light of the lamps, he spoke, so softly that Ellie had to strain to hear it.

“Thanks.”

As soon as the word had registered in her ears, he was gone. A second later, he was in the forest, his body accelerating as he sucked in a deep lungful of the crisp night air, pulling in the dense mana it contained and pushing it around his body. The burning sensation brought a measure of calm to his turbulent emotions, and he finally stopped in a small clearing a few miles away from the farm. The forest around him was utterly silent thanks to the overwhelming amount of mana leaking from his body, but with a breath, he drew it all in, restraining his presence and returning the night to its previous peaceful state.

Standing still, he listened to the night sounds that began to return as the bugs and birds and other small creatures started to stir once again. The coolness of the night brought both clarity and comfort to him, gently quenching the flames that threatened to consume him. When he had finally calmed down, he turned around and glanced back at the farm before looking down at the book that was still clenched in his hand.

I need to be somewhere private before I open this. Maybe I’ll head for the quarry. I can check up on the grimm while I’m there.

With a thought, mana flowed into his feet and John shot off, dashing through the forest at incredible speed. When he finally arrived at the cliff, he didn’t bother climbing it. Instead, he released a blast of mana from his feet as he jumped, sending him flying up to the top of the cliff in one giant leap. With two more leaps, he arrived at the top of the mountain, able to overlook the entire valley. Scrambling up the final boulder that rested atop the peak of the mountain, John sat down with his legs crossed and held the book out in front of him.

He had been keeping a tight hold on his emotions and his thoughts for the last few weeks as he worked on the farm to avoid getting too invested in what the magically locked book might contain. While it was clearly a magical lock, that didn’t mean the book’s owner was necessarily a mage, and a part of John feared that might be the case. In the magic-rich society before the war, it was not uncommon for wealthy people to have magical products. Even now, many affluent people had magical items like his lamps.

The chance that the book he was holding was one such item was high, but John was desperately hoping that wasn’t the case. Calming himself, he did his best to get rid of his worries and began to inject his mana into the magical lock, taking extra care to control it. Like a regular lock, the mana lock would only recognize a particular sequence of mana, which would act as a key to unlock it. Unlike a regular lock, a magical lock that got the wrong key could explode, wiping out whatever it was locking, which was why nearly all of the old mage’s writings had been lost. By the time John had been summoned, nearly every magical lock in the world had been forced, forever erasing everything they had hidden.

CHAPTER 17

If it had been anyone else, what John was attempting would be a guaranteed recipe for failure, but thanks to his maxed out [Mana Control], he was able to feed mana into the lock slowly enough that he could feel out the spaces where the proverbial teeth should fall. Ever so carefully, he let his mana flow into the lock, paying careful attention to its state. One minute turned into two, then five, then a dozen, yet his precise control never fluctuated once. After close to forty-five minutes had passed, he felt the lock transform.

The change was subtle, as if it had gained the last piece that had been missing, forming a solid, unbroken whole. Without daring to breathe, John carefully pressed his hand on the book, willing the mana key he had created to trigger. With a light click, the book popped open, the lock vanishing. Relief flooded through John’s body, and he relaxed the muscles he hadn’t even realized he was tensing.

Wow, what a nerve-wracking experience. I honestly didn’t know if that would work.

If his entire body had not been reinforced with mana to an unimaginable degree, John was sure his hand would have been shaking as he reached for the cover of the book. As the moonlight illuminated the page, a small sigh leaked out of his lips and he began to read.

Martius 4, 169

A new adventure seems to be as good an excuse to start a new journal as any. Today, we left for the valley. I write this by lamplight in our first camp. The journey should take no more than two weeks, thanks to the improved lightness spell the tower master cast on our carts. Speaking of, Tower Master Kelvis is quite a jovial fellow, nothing like my college professors. There is little that seems to bother him, but that is probably because his mind is entirely absorbed in his research.

Martius, that’s March. One sixty-nine? That was nearly one hundred years ago. Ninety-four. Wow, so this was a few years before the first Mage War.

Continuing to read, John found another passage that detailed the writer’s arrival in the valley.

Martius 18, 169

Despite losing a day to examine an odd plant we found, we have finally arrived at the valley. I think everyone will be happy to rest their feet after our long trip. The tower is a truly beautiful place, but right now, I think any place that was not a dusty road or cold tent would look beautiful. According to Tower Master Kelvis, the tower was made from local stone quarried from the nearby mountains. There was supposed to be a handover ceremony, but the last tower master seemed to be in a hurry and we barely saw him before he ran off. Oh well, I’m too tired to think about why he was in such a hurry to leave. Glad to be here finally.

What followed was a daily description of the mundane life of a research mage at a mage tower, detailing the various experiments the writer was assisting with, with an occasional note about how boring life in the valley was. From what the journal recorded, the experiments all had something to do with magical plants, explaining why John had found the bags of seeds in the chest. Making a note to match up the packs of seeds to the various experiments detailed in the journal, he continued reading, getting a picture of just how peaceful life had been at the mage tower when the journal was written. It wasn’t until he’d gotten halfway through the book that the slow rhythm of the writer’s life was disrupted.

Iunius 3, 173

Tower Master Kelvis gathered us today. He looked terrible. The academy has sent a message that the research we are working on is going to be cancelled. They want us to switch to studying an air magic spell. According to the tower master, they have commanded all of the research towers to work on developing the Tower Master’s Master Level spell into a forbidden spell. Why would anyone want another forbidden spell? The Magus Convocation destroyed all forbidden spells nearly twenty years ago after thousands of people died. What on earth would cause them to want a new one? We were all given copies of Tower Master Kelvis’ Master Level spell, Wind Blade.

Wind Blade? That’s one of Katrine’s spells. Hold on, that’s where I knew that name from. Storm Master Kelvis! So this tower must have been part of Allera before it was divided. Wait a second, is it the same person? He looked like he was in his fifties when he died nine years ago, but this journal is from a hundred years ago. Maybe it was a descendant? Unless Master Mages live for a long time? I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised. At that level, you don’t really qualify as human anymore.

Iunius 10, 173

It has been a week since things changed. Two mages arrived from the academy and everything has been tense. I don’t like either of them, but the taller one, Vinko, gives me the creeps. They keep snooping to see what sorts of results we are getting. A few of the other researchers were not able to learn Wind Blade and were sent back to the academy. Tower Master Kelvis almost got into a fight with them. I am worried.

As John continued to read, it was easy to form a mental picture of what was happening in the tower. Having the benefit of knowing how things turned out, it was clear to John that the writer was experiencing the beginning of the first Mage War, when the nations leveraged their academies to launch preemptive strikes against each other. Sure enough, early in the next year, John found the frantic entry.

Ianuarius 7, 174

There was an attack on the tower! Six mages arrived under cover of night, let into the tower by Mage Vinko. They slaughtered all the other mages and would have killed me as well if the tower master had not stopped them. He used the spell he has been developing, obliterating all seven of them with a sky full of wind blades! What on earth is going on?

That’s a month before the official start of the war. This must have been one of the preemptive strikes. But Tower Master Kelvis survived, along with the writer of this journal.

After the entry about the attack, there was a jump of a few months until the next entry. Unlike the entry before, this one was written in careful, determined strokes, detailing just how much the writer had changed.

Aprilis 1, 174

The world has gone mad. There have been four more attacks. Somehow, word of the tower master’s forbidden level spell has spread and mages from half a dozen nations have appeared, trying to convince him to defect and trying to kill him when he refuses. The last attack was the worst. When they realized they cannot beat the tower master they changed their target to our research. Thankfully, they failed, but they nearly succeeded in bringing the entire tower down. Tower Master Kelvis has decided to move back to the academy, but before he does he is going to destroy the tower to make it look like everything has been lost. He has asked me to stay behind and guard what is left, along with continuing our research. He will tell the academy I am dead and will simulate a great battle. Maybe then we can preserve the legacy we have fought so hard to create.

Aprilis 6, 174

It has been done. The tower fell with a crash that shook the mountains. Thousands of tomes were left to burn in the ruins of the tower to hide the truth that we moved the important research and the core of the magical knowledge we have gathered to the caves in the mountains. It is a dark place, a tower that plunges into the depths of the earth. Tower Master Kelvis jokingly called it the tower’s shadow, but I think the name fits. As the only member of this new earthen tower and the de facto tower master, I will therefore christen my new home the Shadow Tower.

Aprilis 7, 174

Tower Master Kelvis left today. He took my locket to prove my death and grant my family a keepsake.

Iunius 15, 174

How many times I have sat in the dark, this journal open before me. My words do not come to me anymore. It is only in the last week that I realize I am utterly alone. A dozen times I have seen the streak of mages flashing across the sky as they search the valley and the ruins. A dozen times I have wanted to call out, but then I remember Master Kelvis’ instructions and remain silent.

Iulius 15, 174

It has been a month since my last entry. I think I will put this journal away for a time. It reminds me too much of the good times. Still no word from Master Kelvis.

Letting out a breath, John looked up from the journal. The writer’s oppressive feelings seemed to leak from the page, infecting him with a somber mood. There was still over half of the journal left to read, but the night was progressing rapidly and John still wanted to stop by the village before he returned to the farm. Putting the book away, John used his own mana to reset the lock, ensuring that he would be able to open it up again whenever he wanted. Standing, he stretched, more from habit than anything else, and was about to jump down from the top of the mountain when a sudden thought struck him.

I wonder how those grimm are getting along?

On a whim, he went down the other side of the mountain, soon arriving at the quarry. Scanning the quarry, he didn’t see the grimm, but his sharp eyes instead spotted something interesting down where they had made the trade. Summoning the surrounding mana, he floated down into the quarry, not worrying if anyone saw him flying. There was a mountain between him and the valley, which would give him enough of an alibi if anyone did.

Touching down lightly, John stared down at the large, flat stone that had been moved up next to the wall where he’d cut the milk tub. Three flowers had been left on the stone, their roots carefully cleaned. Next to them were a few other fragments John recognized as mundane gardening tools and an empty milk bottle. Letting out a laugh, John bent down to examine the items, quickly realizing none of them showed any sign of being magical. The grimm must have thought that, since he wanted the trunk, he would be interested in these other items.

Standing up, he glanced casually over his shoulder and froze, unable to believe his eyes. Carefully drawn on the wall was the shadow of a figure nearly twice his size. But what had arrested his attention was the halo of crimson flames that had been drawn surrounding the figure. Two crimson eyes that appeared to bleed red light sat in the drawing’s head, giving the image a frightening feeling. Despite the barely contained violence of the drawing, the figure had its hands outstretched, a green flower in one palm and a yellow crystal in the other.

That’s me. It must be. How on earth did they draw this? Ten years in this ridiculous world and only now am I starting to meet intelligent fantasy creatures. Hah, it makes me look forward to meeting those spectres or whatever that Ben was talking about. I’ll have to ask him where he saw them.

Clenching his palm, John created two tiny fragments of mana and placed them down on the flat rock, exchanging them for the three flowers. He had planted the other flower by the house, but it seemed to be entirely ordinary, leaving John at a loss. Maybe with a few more, he would get some sort of clue. Another whim struck him, and John picked up a nearby stick. Flames burst from his fingers, charring the end of the stick. Using it, he roughly sketched out a book on the rock, complete with a magical lock. Pleased with his rudimentary drawing, he smiled and flew up to the top of the mountain, landing and beginning to make his way back down.

The sun had barely begun peeking over the far mountains when he arrived at the blacksmith’s shop, but the forge was already burning hot and Gerret and his apprentice were banging away at their anvil. Seeing John walk up, Gerret gave him a nod but never stopped swinging his hammer, sending ringing sounds echoing through the early morning air.

“That’s some early morning wake-up call,” John said once Gerret had finished smacking the lump of iron he was working on.

Thrusting the ingot into the forge to get it back up to temperature while his apprentice worked the bellows, Gerret grinned.

“You ain’t lying. Most of the folks who used to live on this side of town have moved to the other. Haha, what can I say? The best work happens in the morning. Speaking of, I’m sure you didn’t come by just to chat. What brings you into town so early?”

“I need some pieces for the farm. I drew you out some designs. I’m also interested in seeing if you have a spare forge, anvil, and hammer I can buy. I wouldn’t mind having something at the farm so I didn’t have to come into town for repairs and the like.”

Carefully looking over the drawings John had given him, Gerret looked up at John’s words, shaking his head.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t have anything to spare in the way of smithing tools. But there is a caravan that comes in once every three months. Brings some supplies. You could order something. It’d be expensive for them to haul it, but that’s about your only option unless you want me to build you something from scratch. Is this for a moving cart? What do you need that for?”

“Cheese production line.”

“A what?”

“We’re making cheese and this will make it easier. Who do I talk to about that caravan?”

“Sven should be able to get you sorted.”

This time, it was John’s turn to look confused.

“Sven?”

“The bartender? At the inn. Has a beard.”

“Oh, right. I know him. How do those designs look? Think you can do it?”

“Yeah, though it will take me a few days. Especially the rail. A forty-foot-long rail is going to be tricky.”

“You can do it in shorter sections. Just do five-foot-long sections. I don’t need them to be attached together.”

“Got it, then two days.”

“Perfect. I’ll bring the cart by then. Anything I should know before I head into town?”

“No, though those adventurers have been poking around. Trying to find someone to play guide for them. Want some breakfast?”

“Thanks, but no. I’ll eat back at the farm.”

Ignoring the knowing look Gerret gave him, John just waved and headed into town.

CHAPTER 18

It was close to eight when he finally made it back to the farm, but to John’s surprise, Ellie still had a hot breakfast waiting for him. The milking and a bunch of other chores had been done and her brother had been fed, but Ellie had waited for John to arrive before serving up a piping hot stack of pancakes. There was a bit of honey and some of the cream she had skimmed from the milk to go on them, as well as fresh-cut strawberries from the garden. Staring down at the plate, John almost felt as if they looked too good to eat. Almost.

As he dug in, Ellie got her own pancakes and sat with him, pouring a cup of milk for each of them. In between bites, she talked quietly to him about the farm and what still needed to be done before they could start planting. In the last few weeks, Ferdie had become adept at plowing straight furrows, making it much easier to prepare the fields, so John had switched to clearing the fields. Chopping the trees and then using the bull to pull out the stumps was a time-consuming job, but thanks to the pure mana John had been feeding Ferdie, the bull’s stamina was nearly endless, so they could work all day.

The last few trees would only take a morning to clear, and John was confident that, within another two days, they could plow the rest of the fields. There was still a month until it was time for the late summer sowing, so John decided to spend that time learning as much as he could about growing plants. He had been keeping an eye on the large garden Ellie and Ben tended and had been impressed with how much it produced. While some of that extra growth could be attributed to the high mana concentration in the valley’s soil, it was clear Ellie knew exactly what she was doing.

After breakfast, John got out the mage’s journal and undid the lock, opening it back up to the page where he had ended. Before he began reading, he opened up his quest window, selecting his active quest and reading over it, as was his habit.

[Grow Wheat: Food is important, not only to you, but to everyone in the world. Learn to grow wheat that will survive in any environment.]

Wheat that will survive in any environment, huh? That means it needs to be able to grow in mana-irradiated land where forbidden level spells have gone off. Huh. Wait, does that mean it has to be able to survive in super hot or cold temperatures too? What about underwater? Ugh, this stupid game.

Letting out a sigh, he shut the quest window and began to read the journal, picking up where he had left off.

Ianuarius 1, 175

Still no word from Master Kelvis. But it has been six months since my last entry and I fear that I am about to go crazy. I am a mage, so the work has not been overly difficult. The same cannot be said for my mental state. I live in a constant state of fear. Why has Master Kelvis not returned? Regardless, it was clearly the right choice to move everything of value into the Shadow Tower. There have been at least forty fights over the ruins of the tower since I stopped writing in this journal. All of them have ended with death. I have witnessed companions stabbing each other in the back so often that I do not know that I will ever trust another person again. Hah. I am beginning to suspect the whole world has gone mad, apart from me. Maybe I will join them soon. Or maybe I will just live alone forever.

Ianuarius 2, 175

Today I had a steak for dinner. There are twenty left.

Ianuarius 6, 175

Another fight over at the ruins of the tower. There is next to nothing left of them. What wasn’t destroyed by Master Kelvis’ Blade Storm has been crushed and burned by the fighting mages.

Ianuarius 18, 175

Another steak today. Nineteen to go. I need to do something about my supplies.

Februarius 26, 175

I need a goal or I truly will go mad.

Aprilis 7, 175

It has been one whole year since I descended into this tower. Today, I felt something different in the air. Whether I have gone crazy or accepted my plight, I do not know. Regardless, I have decided I will grow a garden. With it, I can continue the research I had just begun when the orders came from the academy.

In order to grow plants, I will need a few things. I have soil and water, but the lights I use to see in my dark prison will not work for growing plants. Therefore, the first order of business is to create a light source that can stimulate the growth of plants since I cannot use the sun. The second thing I need is a source of seeds. I cannot leave the tower myself and have no helper to gather seeds for me. I do not know how I will accomplish either of these things.

I feel like I have become little more than a shadow looking out at the world. Fifteen left.

I wonder if this is the source of these flowers the grimm keep giving me. Speaking of, I should plant these three new ones before I forget.

Leaving the journal on the table, John walked out behind the house where he had planted the first flower. Rounding the corner, he stopped, staring at the empty spot where the flower had been planted. Looking around with a frown, he was unable to see it anywhere. Mana flooded into his eyes as he blinked and the mana in the surroundings jumped into focus, but he was still unable to find it. The only thing he saw was a large concentration of mana in the area the plant had once been. His frown deepening, he walked over to Ellie, who was tending to the garden.

“Ellie, have you seen the large flower I planted by the house?”

“No, I didn’t see anything over there. What did it look like?”

Getting one of the flowers out of his coat, John went to show it to her.

“Like this. The other one had even larger petals.”

No sooner had his words sounded than the sunlight fell on the flower, dyeing its petals a midnight blue. A moment later, the petals began to melt away completely and the plant evaporated into mana, dousing the area in a layer of mist-like mana. Almost immediately, the nearby plants began to sway, trying to suck in as much mana as they could. With a gasp, Ellie stepped back, her hands going to her chest as multiple plants began to bud and flower.

“What… what was that?”

“That’s a great question,” John said, scratching his head. “Though it does explain why I can’t find my flower. Apparently, they melt in direct sunlight. Huh, strange. Have you ever run across a plant like this?”

“No, I haven’t. There are plants that only bloom at night, like starwort, but I’ve never heard of one that explodes into mist in sunlight.”

“Alright, well, sorry for the interruption. I have a few more, but I might keep them out of the sun.”

“You have more? What if we put them in pots?” Ellie asked, her eyes glowing. “And is it direct sunlight or just some sunlight? Look at what it did to my garden! This is incredible! Did you find these when you were out at night? So they must grow nearby. Were they in a cave?”

Shaking his head, John pointed west.

“I found them in the mountains. It was at night, which explains why they survived. We’ll have to test them out.”

“I’ll go get the pots. Oh, what if we took them down to the cheese cellar? I started the first batch this morning after milking, but there’s no sunlight down there.”

“Good call. Let’s take them down there.”

Caught up in the excitement of something new, Ellie ran to the barn to find two pots while John walked over to the cheese cellar. Soon she carried the pots she had found down into the cellar, putting them up on the table. John carefully took out the smaller of the two remaining flowers, watching vigilantly in case it decided to melt under the bright light from the lamps. Seeing that it remained fine, he put it down on the table and got out the other flower.

“I’ll get some soil for the pots.”

“And I’ll get some water!”

“That reminds me, we need water down here,” John said, looking around. “I should tap into the spring.”

While John took the pots out to fill them up with dirt from the garden, Ellie fetched a bucket of water, putting it down next to the table. John soon returned and they planted the two flowers, packing the soil around their roots and adding a little bit of water to the pots. Unsure how much water they would need, Ellie just put in a single cup.

“Alright. I should get to the plowing.”

Leaving the plants with Ellie in the cellar, John went to the barn for the harness and carried it to the pasture. Even before he made it to the fence, Ferdie had trotted over and was standing still, ready to get into the harness. Holding it out, John looped it over Ferdie’s horns and buckled it under his stomach and across his back.

“How is your special plant doing?” John asked, getting a happy moo in return.

Nudging John gently with one of his large horns, Ferdie pushed him toward the back of the pasture and then trotted off. Seeing that John was not following him, the bull mooed again and jerked his head, as if telling John to follow him.

It’s like talking to a person. There’s no way it understood me, is there? Can mana really do this? I mean, how many creatures have been fed a daily diet of pure mana like this guy has?

Following Ferdie, John arrived at the large rock the bull used to shelter the plant. Moving it aside, Ferdie proudly showed John that it had gotten a little bit bigger and the fleshy pods on the sides of the plant had grown a bit longer.

“Uh, very nice? Nice… pods? Very green.”

Prancing happily, Ferdie pushed the rock back over the plant and followed John out of the pasture to the field where the plow was already waiting from the day before. Hooking it up, John flicked the reins and Ferdie started to pull. The bull’s intelligence had grown every day and he now had no problem plowing perfectly straight lines all day long. By the time the plowing was finished for the day, Ellie had finished dinner, and after sitting down to eat, John picked up the mage’s journal to read on the porch while Ellie and Ben went to the barn for the evening milking.

Maius 31, 175

My garden has made no progress. So far, I have only succeeded in destroying nearly twenty mana stones. No matter how much I concentrate the mana in the stones, I cannot mimic the intensity of sunlight without overloading the mana stone’s capacity. I have decided I will not eat another steak until I have solved this problem.

Iunius 11, 175

Using multiple mana stones does not work either. Another fifteen destroyed. At this rate, I will run out of mana stones. I will need to find a new source of mana stones.

Iunius 29, 175

Strengthening the mana stone does not work.

Iulius 12, 175

Today, I am feeling quite down. Yesterday, I thought I had succeeded. I have been working on an overlaid light circuit with attached amplification circuits using Farbeiger’s Method and it showed a lot of promise. It took me six mana stones to activate, but once it did, I actually felt heat from it. The value of this circuit would be priceless to the academy, if it still exists, but after a dozen seconds it exploded, badly damaging the wall of the tower. I was so upset, I could not bring myself to eat. Tomorrow, I will fix the wall.

Iulius 21, 175

My last failure has saved me! The explosion that destroyed part of that tower wall has allowed me to discover why Master Kelvis created the tower here! There is a natural mana mine under the tower. I only realized it when I was repairing the wall. Though I don’t know how deep it is, this gives me hope. To celebrate, I had a delicious dinner. Fourteen left.

Augustus 1, 175

I have spent the last week surveying the mine. It will be more than sufficient for my needs.

September 1, 175

My experiments continue apace. Though I have not made any progress with the sunlight-generating circuit, I have strong hope that I can figure out a way to stabilize it. The heat I felt was real.

October 1, 175

The circuit has proven to be harder to develop than I thought. No further progress.

October 31, 175

This is a fool’s errand. Despite being convinced of that, I will give it to the end of the year. No further progress.

November 1, 175

No progress.

December 31, 175

The year is over. I have nothing to show for it. I fear I cannot continue. I must find a different approach.

Leaning back in his chair, John couldn’t help but shake his head.

Wow, that’s some serious dedication. Though, it’s clear from these flowers that the mage succeeded in some capacity.

Flipping the page, he continued to read, eventually coming to a page where a big, bold sentence was inscribed at the top of the page.

I FIGURED IT OUT!

I cannot believe I did not think about it before. My approach has been entirely wrong. I was mining mana stones and came across a particularly tough root. As I was chopping at the root, I realized the answer to my problem. Why do I need to create a sun when I can create plants that can grow in the dark? I spent the rest of the day cleaning my lab and preparing to resume my experiments!

Iulius 6, 176

Today, I realized I missed the anniversary of my stay in the tower. It does not matter. What matters is my research.

Iulius 13, 176

Already I have had success. Taking a note from the roots in the mana mine that seemed to seek out the largest mana stones, I have successfully grafted a flower that shows a trend of growing toward mana.

Augustus 24, 176

I barely have time to pen entries anymore. My research is too exciting. I have not yet succeeded in developing a flower that can absorb mana directly without dying, but I can feel I am making progress. Today is a day worth celebrating. Thirteen left.

CHAPTER 19

Over the next two days, John finished the plowing and got ready to begin sowing. He had brought bags of seeds with him when he had arrived at the valley, but after looking at the amount of land he cleared, he knew he was going to need more. In the evenings, he continued to read the journal, slowly making his way through it. On the morning of the third day, he got up early and hitched up the horse to the cart. While Ellie and Ben were taking care of the morning milking, John went into town to pick up the rail from Gerret’s workshop.

Loading the sections of metal rail into his cart, he paid the blacksmith and swung by the inn to talk to the bartender, Sven, about the order he had placed the other day. Stopping the cart in front of the inn, John jumped down and walked into the inn. Even early in the morning, there were a few townsfolk who were eating breakfast at the tables. Seeing John, the waitress went back into the kitchen to get Sven while John took a seat at the bar.

“You’re up early.”

Pushing through the door with three plates of food balanced on his arm, Sven slid them onto the bar and wiped his hands on his apron while the waitress carried the food out to the tables.

“Had some things to pick up from Gerret.”

“Want breakfast?”

“No, thanks. Just checking on the caravan.”

“Sometime this week, most likely. But it’s a hard thing to pin down. Depends on how much trouble they run into.”

“Bandits?”

“Yeah. The wolves have been howling lately.”

“Oh? I haven’t heard them. They must be running in the mountains.”

“Not sure that’s better. It’s most often the enemies you can’t see or hear that can do the most damage.”

Giving Sven a long look, John nodded and glanced at the stairs.

“Speaking of, are those adventurers still around?”

“No, they’ve been out of town for a few days. Seems they found someone to show them around. But they had me keep their rooms, so I imagine we’ll see them today or tomorrow again.”

“Do me a favor and send me a message when the caravan arrives, alright?”

Standing up, John slid a gold coin across the counter and nodded to the bartender. As he walked out of the inn, he found Halden standing by his horse, looking at it glumly. When the village leader heard the sound of John’s feet on the porch, he spun around, a pleasant smile on his face.

“Ah, John, how great to see you. I was thinking about you the other day. I remember someone saying that you had gotten a plow, right? Well, I know where to get my hands on an ox that has been trained to plow. If you’d like, I wouldn’t mind setting up a meeting between you and the farmer who owns it.”

Staring at the honest-looking village leader, John felt a strange feeling welling up in his chest. For some reason, he was feeling a nearly overwhelming impulse to punch Halden in his teeth. Unsure where the feeling was coming from but trusting his gut, John walked by Halden and climbed up onto the cart.

“Thanks, that’s a kind offer. I think we have it handled, though I’ll let you know if we need the help. Nice to see you.”

Without waiting for a reply, John clicked his reins and the horse began pulling the full cart out of the village. Standing in front of the inn watching him go, a strange look flashed in Halden’s eyes, but when John glanced back, he only saw the smiling village leader giving him a wave. As John’s cart disappeared from view, Halden turned to go into the inn, only to find a pretty blonde woman standing behind him.

“Ms. Volz! Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Please, call me Sandra,” the blonde-haired woman said, smiling at Halden.

“Oh, uh, yes. Sandra. You can call me Jonas.”

“Jonas? How nice. I saw you were talking with Mr. Sutton. Do you know him well?”

Glancing over his shoulder at the spot where John and his cart had disappeared, Halden turned back to Sandra, a wide smile on his face.

“John? As well as anyone, I guess. He keeps to himself, but if anyone in this town can claim friendship with him, I think it’d be me.”

“He is a curious one, isn’t he? Sort of mysterious. I wonder why someone like him came into the valley.”

“I think he was a soldier. The farm was part of his discharge reward if I remember correctly.”

“Oh? A soldier? Is that right?”

Oblivious to the conversation happening behind him, John continued on his way, soon arriving back at the farm. After taking the horse out to the close pasture, John joined Ellie and Ben in the house for breakfast. Once they were finished, Ellie started cleaning up and Ben helped John unload the metal rail from the cart, carrying it over to deposit it next to the barn. Once everything was piled up, John took a moment to review how everything was going to go together.

The barn and the cellar weren’t far from each other, and John had already dug out the path the rail was supposed to follow. Gerret’s work had been precise, and setting up the rails in their brackets was not difficult. Using the holes he had created along the path when he dug it out, John lined up the brackets and inserted a metal rod. A trace amount of mana was enough to melt the end, causing it to expand and fill the hole, locking the bracket in place as he sheared off the end of the rod to create a rivet.

“Here is the next rail,” Ben said, huffing as he dragged a length of rail over from the pile.

“Thanks. Grab another bracket as well.”

Taking the rail and the bracket, John slid them together and held the end of the rail flush against the rail that was already in place. A tap along the bottom of the spot where they connected with a hammer was enough to melt the metal together, and after pulling the heat out of the welds, John continued down the line. Though it would have been faster if he had just done it himself since he wouldn’t have had to hide his mana use, John let Ben help him by running errands and holding things in place, and early in the afternoon, they finished up the line and put the cart on the rail. After setting up the stoppers, they arranged the pulley system, hooking it up in the milking barn. While John made sure the break worked on the cart, Ben ran to get his sister, pulling her over to show her what they’d built.

Watching Ben proudly pulling the cart up and down the rail, John smiled, a strange feeling he hadn’t felt for over a decade boiling up inside his chest. Picking up some of the remaining pieces of scrap metal that they didn’t end up using, John carried it back out to the cart before the feelings could grow. The farm was quiet in the early afternoon light, but the quiet did not last long. No sooner had he finished putting the scrap metal away than he heard voices on the long drive that came up to the yard.

Straightening up, John wiped off some of the soot on his hands on a rag he had grabbed as he waited. Walking up the road were three people, a dangerous feeling radiating from them. Two of them John recognized immediately as Wale and Jemal. Both seemed to be in much better shape than the last time John had seen them, and the deference they showed the man in between them was a solid clue that John was currently looking at Haver the Wolf King, leader of the bandits who inhabited Wolf Den.

If that wasn’t enough of a clue, the two waist-high wolves that walked on either side of the bandit cemented his identity. Advancing until they got into the yard, Haver and his two lieutenants stopped to look around. The bandit king was handsome, with thick curly hair and a chiseled chin. It was clear from the way his wide shoulders and thick arms fit into his leather armor that he possessed considerable power, though John knew better than to judge based on appearances. When mana and classes got involved, little in this world was ever as it seemed.

The thing that clued John in to Haver’s level of strength was the easy way he walked. Not hurried, but ready to accelerate explosively at a moment’s notice. Just like the wolves that stalked next to him, his handsome face held a slightly sleepy expression, but his gaze was sharp and he never stopped scanning for threats. The sound of the barn door let John know that Ellie and Ben had come out, but his eyes never left Haver and the two large wolves. After glancing past John at Ellie and her brother, Haver took another step forward, putting him in the center of the yard.

“Are you Sutton?”

Haver’s voice was rich and deep, and mixed with the devilish charm he exuded, John suddenly thought he would have made the perfect bandit king in a TV show if he had lived on Earth. Glancing past the charismatic bandit at the two men who followed him, John had to stop himself from smirking. Both of them wore expressions that were part fear, part anger, and part embarrassment. Embarrassment that the plain farmer in front of them had beaten them all into submission. Anger for how he had stripped them all and hung them up for their boss to find. And fear because, even now, they could remember the feeling of his rock-hard fists.

“Yes.”

Nodding calmly, John faced Haver, his hands tucked in his belt and the rag flipped over his shoulder. The bandit king searched for a flicker of unease in John’s eyes, but all he discovered was a deep well of absolute calm. A small smirk lifted the corners of Haver’s lips and he let out a deep laugh.

“You know, I have to commend you. Few people are so calm in my presence. I hope my pets don’t make you too nervous.”

Reaching down as he spoke, Haver scratched behind the ears of one of the two wolves, his eyes never leaving John’s. At some unknown signal, the other wolf slowly stood up and began to bristle, the fur on its neck rising as its lips pulled back to reveal its large teeth. Seeing that John didn’t even twitch, Haver’s eyes narrowed slightly and he straightened back up, patting the bristling wolf on the head. Instantly, the wolf calmed back down, returning to its impassive state.

“You have a neat little farm here. I was surprised to hear that someone came to take over Old Man Burrows’ farm, but you really have settled right in. Bit of a shame how rundown it was getting. Ellie and her brother were doing their best, but you know how it is.”

“I don’t,” John interrupted, shaking his head.

Taken aback, Haver felt like he had lost the thread of the conversation.

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know how it is.”

“Oh, hah. There’s only so much a young woman and child can do. But a few weeks here and you’ve already fixed the place up, embarrassed my men, and stolen my cattle.”

A sharp air burst from Haver as he finished speaking, causing the yard to suddenly become stifling. As soon as they felt the change in the atmosphere, both wolves leaned forward, low growls rumbling in their chests. Behind Haver, Wale turned completely pale, sweat breaking out on his forehead as the force of Haver’s presence washed over him. Though he was able to withstand the pressure better since he was a class holder, even Jemal trembled slightly, his lips tightening as he kept a wary eye on his boss.

Behind John, Ellie pulled Ben behind her and took a step back, getting closer to the entrance to the cheese cellar. Glancing over his shoulder, John saw her move and gave her a reassuring smile before lazily turning his head to look at the Wolf King.

“The cattle are mine.”

“See, that’s the funny thing, because I sure thought they were at Wolf Den, and everything at Wolf Den is mine,” Haver said, taking a small step forward. At his side, the two wolves mirrored him.

“Everything except my cows, maybe.”

Listening to John’s calm voice, Haver burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, you know, I think I like you. It’s been a long time since I have talked to anyone with the guts to actually stand up to me. The last few people to give me lip like this were fed to my wolves.”

This time, it was John’s turn to smile, though his neutral expression returned so quickly, Haver thought he might have imagined it.

“They might find me a bit of a tough meal,” John said, reaching up to hold on to the edge of the rag on his shoulder.

“I heard. You’re a Knight, right? I was quite surprised to hear that another class holder had come into the valley. But regardless, there’s something that’s really important if you want to live your idyllic farm dreams. I don’t care if you are a Knight, a Templar, or the captain of the Royal Knight himself. This valley is mine, and if you don’t like that, you have no choice but to leave or become wolf food.”

Punctuating his words with another forward step, Haver sneered at John, only to see the ghostly smile flash across his face again.

“Or you can leave me alone. I’m more than happy to wipe out all of our past history and start completely new,” John said. “You and your men leave this farm alone and I won’t bother you. Live and let live, right?”

“Hah, that sounds great, except that stories about how you beat up my men have already spread. Normally, I wouldn’t care. A class holder beating up these chumps? Completely normal. But you not only stole from me, you also took my girl,” Haver said, gesturing to Ellie. “I’ll assume you’re not only ignorant, but blind as well. As a favor to a fellow class holder, I’ll give you a chance. But just one.”

“And what chance is that?”

“Within three days, bring the cattle and Ellie to Wolf Den. You can keep the brat, but you better not be missing one single cow.”

Raising his eyebrows slightly, John remained silent as Haver smirked at him.

“If you don’t, I’ll be forced to pay you another visit and give you a firsthand demonstration of how I got my title, Wolf King.”

CHAPTER 20

Dinner was a quiet affair as both Ellie and Ben seemed preoccupied with their thoughts. John, who didn’t speak much in the first place, didn’t notice anything different and finished three helpings of food like normal. Pushing back his plate once he was done, John got the mage’s journal out and went out to the porch. The farm was quiet, but he could sense the mana disturbance Haver had left behind hanging in the middle of the yard.

The pressure the Wolf King had exerted was one of the tricks class holders could learn and marked the difference between those with titles and those without. By using their own mana to agitate the mana in the air, they could create that feeling of pressure, using it to suppress or overpower others who were less skilled. By tying their internal mana to the mana around them, they could project their personality, creating a signature feeling that acted as much as a calling card as a tool for intimidation.

Haver the Wolf King’s aura was that of a predator and felt like a bloodthirsty hunter staring at its prey from the shadows. It was clear from how the feeling remained in the air after he left that the Wolf King’s control of his mana was considerable, making him one of the most dangerous class holders John had encountered in the valley. Letting out a sigh, John stepped off the porch and walked out to the middle of the yard. With a light inhale, the mana that had taken on Haver’s aura was sucked into his lungs, where it burned for a moment before spreading through his body.

What kind of idiot leaves mana just hanging around like that? Someone could get hurt.

Going back to the porch, John was about to sit down when the door opened and Ben stepped out of the kitchen. Clearly nervous, Ben stopped in place when he saw John, his eyes going wide as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. After waiting for a moment to see if Ben was going to say anything, John sat down and flipped open his book. When Ben still didn’t say anything, he frowned and looked over at the boy.

“If you want to say something, just say it.”

Jumping slightly, Ben swallowed and looked back at the kitchen, trying to gather his courage. John could hear that the sound of dishes had stopped and knew Ellie was listening as well. When Ben finally got himself together, he looked down at John’s boots and stammered.

“What… what the Wolf… Wolf King said…”

Lapsing into silence, Ben swallowed, having lost his words. The slight frown on John’s face grew deeper, but that just made Ben cower back. With a sigh, John closed the journal and looked out at the setting sun in the distance.

“You know, there are many types of people in this world.”

John spoke quietly, but somehow his voice sounded exceptionally clear.

“But at the end of the day, there are only really two groups. There are people who fear what’s outside of their control, and there are people who do not. As you grow, you must make it your objective to be the latter rather than the former. To become that person, you have to learn to trust yourself. You must trust your ability to handle suffering, you must trust your skills, and you must trust your ability to learn. In learning to trust these three parts of yourself, there will be no situation that can shake you.

“Haver the Wolf King is a powerful man, and has many strong people who work under him. And yet, he still came here, cautiously, because he fears what’s outside of his control. He gave a deadline of three days. Once that time is up, he will be faced with a choice. He can either act as he said he would, or he can choose to do something else. We have no control over his choice, but whatever he decides, we have no need to be shaken.”

John’s words lingered long in Ben’s ears as he tried to understand them. Seeing that John did not pick up the journal to begin reading, the young boy was encouraged and hesitantly asked another question.

“So… so you’re not going to send my sister to him?”

Letting out a light laugh, John shook his head and opened up the journal.

“No. I’m not.”

Though John did not elaborate, Ben felt a huge wave of relief wash over him as the fear that had gnawed at his mind ever since the Wolf King had left the farm evaporated into nothing. Letting out a big sigh, Ben shrugged his shoulders, almost as if he was unloading all the weight from them.

“Oh. Oh good. I’m really glad to hear that.”

As he watched Ben run off to check the traps he had set in the nearby woods, John heard the sound of dishes clanking together from the kitchen and smiled. Enjoying the peaceful moment, he was about to start reading when a notification popped up in front of his face.

[-1 Doom Points.]

[The apocalypse retreats.]

Ugh. I don’t understand this game at all.

The next morning, John got up bright and early and, after helping with the morning milking, harnessed up Ferdie. Today was the day when he was going to start sowing seeds and since it was not yet time for the winter wheat, he had decided to start with planting corn. He wanted to create a few test gardens to try out different sorts of seeds, so after pulling some wood from the drying pile, he headed for the field he had plowed and began to set out some stakes, marking large areas for each type of wheat he was testing.

Alright, I’ll use twenty acres for the control and do another acre for each of the five variants.

Looking over his setup one more time, John was about to begin sowing when he heard someone calling for him. Turning around, he saw Ellie waving to him. Halden, the village leader, and another man that John had never seen before were standing next to her, causing John to frown. Despite the distance, he could see that Halden was trying to talk to Ellie, and though he was not sure why that would make him uncomfortable, it did. With Ferdie following behind him like a giant puppy, John walked over to the house, nodding a greeting to the two men as he came to a stop next to Ellie.

A slightly annoyed expression crossed Halden’s face as John came between Ellie and him, but remembering why he had come all the way out to the farm in the first place, he coughed and gave John a big smile. Turning to the man standing beside him, he gestured to John.

“Ahem, John, let me introduce you to Gofreid Fulke, caravan master and merchant. He runs the regular monthly caravan that comes into town each month. Gofreid, this is John.”

Stepping forward, Gofreid held out his hand, a wide smile on his face revealing a set of perfect teeth.

“Hello, John. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve been hearing much about the valley’s new resident from the folks in town. Nothing but good things, I assure you.”

Taking Gofreid’s hand, John could see the wheels turning in the merchant’s head, as if he was trying to catch a fleeting thought. A bad premonition ran through John as he dropped the merchant’s hand after a quick shake, and a moment later, it was proven accurate.

“Though I don’t live in the valley, it’s hard not to feel a sense of attachment after doing business here for so long. It’s wonderful to see someone taking over Old Man Burrows’ place.”

Laughing, Halden shook his head.

“Though, I guess we can’t call it the Burrows Homestead anymore, can we? You’re calling it Sutton Farm now, right?”

“Sutton?” Gofreid asked, his eyes darting from Halden to John and back.

Oblivious to the merchant’s reaction, Halden nodded and gestured to John.

“Yes, John here is the new owner, so it makes sense to use his last name.”

Seeing the shock registering in the merchant’s eyes, John turned his head and spoke quietly to Ellie.

“Ellie, would you mind showing Halden some of the cheese we were going to bring into town? I would love to hear his opinion on it. I have a few things to speak to Mr. Fulke about. We’ll join you in a minute.”

Sensing the unusual tone in John’s voice, Ellie glanced at the frozen merchant and nodded. Without saying anything to Halden, she turned and walked around the house to the kitchen, Halden happily following her. As soon as they were out of sight, John heard a small thump and turned around. Where Gofreid had been standing confidently a moment before, he was now completely prostrate on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ground and his arms outstretched toward John, palms up.

“All hail the Eternal Flame!”

A disgusted expression flashed across John’s face as he looked down at Gofreid. The merchant was doing his best to suppress it, but John could see that his whole body was trembling.

“Who sent you here?”

“Your Eminence, no one… I did not… I… I did not come here intentionally. Please… please spare me.”

Risking a glance, Gofreid saw John looking down at him and nearly fainted. Though John’s presence had not changed, the look in his eyes as he stared down at the merchant was so intense, Gofreid feared it would burn his soul. As a merchant who traveled to the furthest, most dangerous reaches of the empire, Gofreid fancied himself a man of composure, but it was impossible to keep himself together under the flames that danced in John’s eyes. They were not the eyes of a man, but rather the eyes of something else entirely. Terrified, Gofreid turned his head back to the dirt, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to lower himself even further. Able to sense the fear radiating off of Gofreid, John let out a small sigh.

“Get up.”

Like he was being stung, Gofreid jumped to his feet, his eyes still screwed tightly shut.

“What are you doing? Open your eyes.”

Trembling, Gofreid nearly burst into tears.

“Th-the Eternal Flame burns forever. None may look upon your countenance and live.”

“What foolishness. You just looked at me and you’re fine,” John said, his voice clearly expressing his annoyance. “If you don’t want to have the worst day of your life, you better do what I say. Open your eyes and drop the honorifics. You have my permission.”

Opening his eyes a crack, the terrified merchant saw that John was looking at him calmly, his eyes normal again. Holding up his hand, John shook his head.

“No one in the valley can know who I am. If anyone finds out, I’m going to assume you’re the one who told them.”

“Your Eminence, I would never…”

“Shut it. I’m talking,” John interrupted, his voice hard enough to chop steel. “It just so happens that I need someone to help me get things not available in the valley, and now that you’ve stumbled across my little secret, you’re the guy. But there are some rules. Rule number one, no one is to know where I am. You will die before you tell Ecclesia, or so help me, I will end your life in the worst possible way. Rule number two, you’ll pretend I’m a regular customer. Rule number three, no matter what happens, you will not, and I repeat not, mention my other identity to anyone, ever, at any time.”

This time, it was Gofreid’s eyes that burned, though with excitement rather than mana. As John had listed the rules, the fear had melted away and a wild passion was born. Standing up straight, he stared at John.

“Is… is this a holy mission?”

“What? No, no, it’s not…”

Seeing Gofreid’s face fall, John massaged his forehead.

“Fine. Yes. This is a holy mission.”

Bringing himself under control with surprising speed, Gofreid bowed his head, and when he raised it, he had carefully schooled his face into a mask of calmness.

“The Eternal Flame burns forever. It shall be as you say.”

“Great, then come on. I have a list of things inside.”

Walking around the corner of the house, John found Ellie standing on the porch, holding a block of the cheese they had made earlier in the week. She was staring, stone-faced, at Halden, who was loudly praising the slice of cheese he had just tasted. Seeing John and Gofreid, Ellie carefully cut the block in half and offered it to them. Glancing at John and seeing him accept the piece, Gofreid hid the elation he felt and took the other chunk of cheese. Putting it in his mouth, he bit off a chunk and chewed carefully, savoring the rich flavor.

“Mmm, delicious. I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted cheese like that.”

“Ellie is the one who makes it,” John said, jerking a thumb toward the cheese cellar. “But if you want to taste some really good cheese, come back in a year. We’ve got some cheddar we’ve just started aging that will knock your socks off.”

“Cheddar?” Gofreid asked, hearing a word he had never heard before.

“Socks?” Halden asked, confused.

Coughing into his palm, John waved his hand and went into the kitchen, coming out a moment later with a list for Gofreid.

“Here. You’ll find everything we’re looking for on that list.”

“Thank you,” Gofreid said, scanning over the list. “None of this looks like it will be too complicated. I should be able to have most of it, if not all of it, here by the next time I come through.”

Putting the list away, he glanced at Ellie, giving her a smile.

“Do you have any thoughts of selling that cheese that you make? The texture is really nice, and the flavor is as well.”

Sneaking a glance at John, Ellie saw he was looking at her encouragingly. Realizing he was leaving it in her hands, Ellie felt a warm feeling in her heart. He had built the facilities, brought back the milk cows, and even taught her to make the cheese, but now he was having her lead the discussion with the caravan master, putting this clearly lucrative business in her hands. Gratified, she smiled at Gofreid and nodded.

“Yes, though we won’t have any product ready until next month. After that, we thought about selling it to the village.”

“Haha, that’s great. Instead of that, why not sell it to me?”

“Pardon?”

Popping the remaining fragment of cheese into his mouth, Gofreid nodded seriously.

“The texture and taste are exceptional. As you know, most cheese on the market is much runnier than this, and those that are firm are nearly tasteless. Yet you’ve managed to keep the flavor while also getting the best sort of texture. This would do amazingly well, even in very small quantities. In fact, the smaller the quantity, the better! We could present this as an exclusive, high-end product to drive the price up!”

Seeing that Gofreid’s merchant instincts were kicking in as he started spouting all sorts of marketing strategies, John let out a loud cough, bringing the merchant back to reality.

“That all sounds very exciting, but we have to get back to planting.”

“Ah, yes! Of course, of course. We’ve taken up too much of your time. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Sutton. Mrs. Sutton. Please keep me in mind as you make your cheese. I’m certain I could turn you a tidy profit if you deem to trust your delicious product in my hands.”

Blushing furiously as Gofreid bowed in front of her, Ellie didn’t know how to respond. Stealing a glance at John, she saw he was completely expressionless, causing the redness that covered her cheeks to deepen.

“Hey, she isn’t….”

Cutting off Halden’s protestation with another flourishing bow, this time to John, Gofreid grabbed the village leader and dragged him off to the cart that was waiting for them.

CHAPTER 21

“You said you need help with the sowing?”

Ellie and John had been standing quietly on the porch for a good two minutes, each occupied with their own thoughts after Gofreid and Halden left. Hearing her voice but missing the question, John looked over at her, only to find that Ellie was looking away.

“Hmm?”

“You said you need help with the sowing, right?”

“Ah, yeah. I figure it’ll go a lot faster if we work on it together.”

“Okay. I’ll get Ben.”

Watching Ellie pick up her skirt and hurry off, John noticed that the tips of her ears were still bright red. Wondering if she was sick, he turned around and found Ferdie staring at him. For a moment, he thought he saw a scornful look in the bull’s eyes, but after blinking, it was gone.

Man, I really am going crazy.

With a shake of his head, he went back to the fields, taking a few sticks along with him. Estimating Ellie’s height, he cut the stick off just under where he thought her belly button was. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he conjured a tiny thread of flame and inserted it into the top of the stick, burning a hole all the way through to the other end. Pulling the heat out of the stick, he held up the wooden tube he had created, looking through it to make sure it was unobstructed.

Taking another stick, he attached one of the metal tools he had asked for from Gerret, pushing a nail in to attach it to the end of the stick. Checking to make sure it wasn’t going to shift, he picked up the last tool to make sure it was working properly. Made completely out of metal, it was designed to be dragged by an ox to cut a furrow for planting. He had just finished checking all the tools when Ellie and Ben hurried over.

“Sorry we’re late, Mr. Sutton,” Ben said breathlessly. “I was fashioning a new trap.”

“No problem. What’re you trapping?”

“It was a deadfall. I’m hoping to catch a deer,” Ben said proudly.

“Huh. You’ll have to show it to me.”

Handing Ellie the hollow stick and Ben the scraping tool, John gestured to the field.

“I’m going to cut a furrow. My idea is that Ellie can use the stick planter to drop the seeds and Ben can follow behind with the flat rake to push the soil back over the seeds. How does that sound?”

Seeing that no one had any complaints, John hooked up Ferdie to the furrow device while Ellie put corn from the bag into her apron pockets. Setting the depth, John gave the command and Ferdie began to pull. Thanks to his mana-reinforced strength, the bull had no problem with the already plowed soil, neatly carving a furrow into the ground where Ellie could drop the seeds. Holding the hollow piece of wood the way John had shown her, she dropped a couple pieces of corn down the hole and then took a small step forward, repeating the action.

Following behind his sister, Ben dragged the flat rake, using the angled blade on its end to pull the dirt that John had moved back over the corn kernels. For the rest of the day, they continued to work, stopping only for a light lunch. By the time dinner rolled around, most of the fields had been planted and Ben was absolutely exhausted. About halfway through the day, he and John had switched and the boy had walked behind Ferdie while John took over the raking.

“Alright. That’s enough for today. Let’s grab some dinner.”

Falling to his back dramatically, Ben groaned loudly, causing his sister to laugh. Emptying out the bits of corn still in her apron pockets back into the bag, she couldn’t resist teasing him.

“You’re not done yet, Ben. We still need to do the evening milking.”

“What!? Noooooo!”

“Come on, let’s get some food in you first.”

While Ellie dragged her brother back to the house, John gathered up all the tools and carried them back to the barn, followed by Ferdie, who kept nudging him lightly, obviously impatient for the reward he thought he was due. Pushing the bull back with his hand, John entered the barn and hung up the tools after carefully cleaning them off. He knew little about farming, but he had gotten into the habit of taking care of his weapons and armor during his days as a soldier, and to him, this was no different.

Once he was satisfied with the condition of the tools, he left the barn and led Ferdie back to the pasture. Tossing the bull a sliver of condensed mana, John suddenly thought about the quarry in the western mountains. It had been a little while since he had been there, and he wondered how the grimm he had seen were doing. The sound of dishes clanking in the kitchen brought his mind back to the present, and John headed inside to eat dinner.

Life on a farm was one of nearly constant work, and after dinner, John helped Ellie and Ben with the milking. After that, he spent a bit of time repairing one of the stalls, mending a spot in the fence of the first pasture, and checking on the meat that was curing in the smoking barn. By the time he was done, it was well and truly dark, so after cleaning the dirt from his body, he said good night to Ellie and Ben and went to bed. The moon drifted behind thick clouds, making the night darker than normal, and as John lay in bed, he found that sleep did not come quickly.

The encounter with Gofreid that afternoon seemed to have brought back to life a part of his past he had been trying hard to leave behind. The valley was supposed to be a clean break, a distancing from everything he despised about this world. Yet even here, it seemed impossible to escape what he had become.

Maybe I should go and kill him. Then no one will know.

Catching himself as the dark thought flashed through his head, John closed his eyes and let out a sigh. The last few months had been a welcome break, but it was clear just how easily he fell back into past habits when the opportunity presented itself.

Besides, if he dies, who will handle selling the cheese? Hah, let’s give him a chance.

Flipping over, John tried to go to sleep as, across the valley, the merchant in question dreamt up a million schemes by the light of his candle, completely unaware of how close to death he had just come. That night, John dreamed of war, of raging flames that consumed the world until all that remained was the chant of charred skeletons. As the darkness fled before the morning sun, he woke up with a start, a familiar box hanging in front of his eyes.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

Suppressing the curse that rose to his lips, John let out a sigh and stood up, glancing out his window. Despite how early it was, the farm was already full of activity as the sun broke over the mountains. After breakfast, John got to work finishing up the planting. Since he was nearly done and Ben and Ellie had other chores, he worked on it by himself, finishing up just after lunch. Once he was done, John didn’t know what to do next, so he went to find Ellie. She was in the kitchen working on some bread for lunch and dinner, so he pulled one of the chairs to the wall and sat down.

Feeling slightly self-conscious as she worked, Ellie nervously pushed some of the strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face to the side, only succeeding in leaving a streak of flour on her cheek. A light blush crept up her cheeks, making the streak of white even more noticeable, but to her relief, John didn’t seem to notice at all. Instead, his attention was fixed on the dough she had been kneading. Unable to bear the silence, Ellie tried to find something to talk about.

“How did the planting go?”

“Hmm? Oh, it went well. All twenty-five acres are planted. Twenty acres of regular corn, which should be enough for us to sell, and a few different types I’m testing. Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to check how much corn we’ll get. Do you know how many bushels we should expect to get from an acre?”

Shaking her head, Ellie put the dough aside to rise and washed her hands, finally managing to deal with her stray hair.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t know much about growing crops like that. I’ve really only done gardening.”

“Maybe my planting book has it.”

Getting out the book he had brought on planting crops, John flipped through it, his eyes lighting up as he found what he was looking for. Seeing that the table was clean, he brought the book over for Ellie to see.

“Here, look. It says between fifty-five and eighty-five bushels is an average yield per acre. Um… it looks like soil is one of the main contributing factors. Oh, interesting, and wind too. Without wind, it won’t pollinate properly. Well, the soil here in the valley is pretty good, so let’s say seventy bushels is what we’re expecting. But… wait. How much is a bushel?”

“Would you like some tea?”

“Hmm, oh, yes. Thanks.”

Bringing the tea to the table, Ellie poured out a generous cup for John and a smaller cup for herself. Returning the tea to the stove, she got a small jar out of the cupboard along with a box that had been hidden behind some bags of flour. Putting the jar on the table, she opened up the box and put it in front of John, revealing a number of delicate-looking cookies.

“Um, to measure bushels, we use a large barrel. There should be one in the barn. I think it’s up above, where the hay is.”

“A barrel? Isn’t a bushel a weight?”

“No, every bushel is different. It’s how much can fit in the barrel, not a particular weight. So a bushel of fruit will be different from a bushel of shucked corn.”

“Oh, it’s a volume. Interesting. Learn something new every day.”

Picking up a cookie, John took a bite, his face lighting up with surprise as it melted in his mouth, spreading a pleasant sweetness across his tongue.

“Mmm, these are good.”

“Thank you,” Ellie said, hiding her face in her cup of tea.

Seeing him take another, she opened the jar and added a little bit of honey to her cup. Sitting in silence, they both drank their tea as John flipped through his book, careful not to get crumbs down into the pages. Watching him from the side, Ellie had just worked up the confidence to ask John what had happened on the porch the day before when Ben burst in through the door, his face pale and his chest heaving.

“I found wolf tracks! There were wolf tracks! Hey! Are those cookies!? Hey! You said there were no more!?”

Sharing a glance, John and Ellie worked in perfect synchrony to make the evidence vanish as they each grabbed one of the two last cookies in the box and shoved them in their mouths. Quickly shutting the box as Ben stood in the doorway, his hand outstretched and his face frozen in shock, Ellie shrugged. Swallowing the sweet crumbs, John turned around, his face completely neutral, like nothing had happened.

“You said wolf tracks? Where were they?”

“Hold on,” Ben held up his hand, his narrowed gaze darting between his sister and John. “Let’s deal with the real problem first.”

“There are no more cookies,” Ellie said, her face as deadpan as John’s, showing her brother the newly emptied box. “But I’ll let you know when I make more.”

A sudden smile crossed Ben’s face and he nodded knowingly at his sister, causing her blush to slowly return.

“Oh, I see how it is. That’s fine. That’s fine.”

Unsure exactly what was going on, John pushed his chair back and stood up, walking over to his bag, which was hanging on the wall. Pulling out a small pouch from the side pocket, he tossed it to Ben and then sat back down. Catching the bag in surprise, Ben opened it up, his eyes going wide as a few dozen round candies were revealed inside.

“Don’t eat them all at once, because I don’t have any more.”

Regaining his enthusiasm, Ben snapped what he thought was a sharp salute.

“Yes, sir!”

“Now, what was that about wolf tracks?”

“Ah.” Ben’s enthusiasm over the candies faded slightly as he came to the table. “I put out some bigger traps the other day, and when I was checking them today, I saw some wolf tracks. There were maybe three or four wolves.”

“How fresh were they?”

“They couldn’t have been older than a day, because I didn’t see them yesterday. And today… today is the third day.”

“Come, let’s go and see them,” John said, standing up and carrying his cup to the sink. “You can show me your deadfalls while you’re at it.”

Following Ben out of the door, John paused for a moment.

“Thank you for the tea. And the cookies. They were delicious.”

Before Ellie could respond, he had vanished and the door had closed. Clutching the empty box, she looked down at the table with the book on farming that John had been reading, a warm smile on her face. Outside, Ben led John toward the woods. As they walked, the young boy glanced back at the house and then at John, wrinkling his nose as if he was trying to suppress something. Unable to hold it in, he stammered his question.

“Um, Mr. Sutton. Um, are you, uh… and my sister? You know… um.”

Unable to make heads or tails of what Ben was saying, John looked down with him, his eyebrows rising.

“What?”

“Ah, nothing,” Ben said, all his courage failing when he saw John looking at him. “The deadfalls are up here.”

Making their way through the forest, Ben led the way to a spot next to a natural outcropping of stone. He showed John how he had dug out a little at the bottom of the boulder, creating a hole where a deer would have to extend its neck to get at the food he’d placed in the bottom of the hole. Up above was a large log he’d balanced on the edge of the boulder, attaching a rope to it that would pull it down when the unsuspecting deer nudged a stick aside to get at the food.

“Huh, this is really good. Did someone teach you how to make this?”

“No.” Ben shook his head, looking at John nervously. “I just thought of it myself.”

“Impressive. Let’s check out the wolf tracks, and then I can show you how to improve it a bit.”

CHAPTER 22

The day passed quickly, and though John was completely relaxed, it was clear that Ben and Ellie were not quite as calm. To their credit, they did their best to act as if everything was normal, and Ben derived much enjoyment from describing the deadfall he and John had set up in meticulous detail. He even went as far as to run outside to find some twigs, rocks, and string to build his sister a model. Sitting outside on the porch, John could hear Ben’s words and found himself lost in a sea of memories.

In the ten years since he’d been summoned to this world, the number of times he had almost lost his life was too many to count and until the last two years, he had constantly been pitted against people who were much stronger than he was. Despite the tremendous power spells gave him, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the only reason he was still alive were the traps an old hunter had taught him. Shaking his head, John let out a sigh and looked down at the journal on his lap.

It’s almost like this valley is a new world. It’s hard to believe it was spared the devastation of the war.

Just then, a distant howl echoed across the forest. His head slowly rising, a small smile curled at the corners of John’s lips.

Hah, that’s right. It’s not completely different.

Suddenly in a good mood, John heard the door open and looked over. Ben and Ellie stood in the doorway, their eyes wide as they looked out into the forest. Seeing John looking at them, Ellie’s head dropped and she pulled Ben back. Rising, John took the journal he’d been holding inside and put it away. Coming back out of his room carrying a long bag, he put it down on the table and got out three wrapped bundles. Unwrapping the cloth, he revealed a pair of daggers in black leather sheaths with a matching belt, a gleaming steel bracer, and a longsword with a flame motif. Ben’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the sword, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“Is… is that a sword?”

“Mm. Want to hold it?”

“Can I!”

Picking up the sword, John reversed it and held it out, pommel first. Ben reached out with one hand, gingerly touching the tightly wrapped hilt.

“You’ll probably need two hands. It’s not light.”

Gripping it with both hands, Ben nodded and John let go of the sword, causing it to immediately dip as Ben struggled to keep it extended. Smiling, John helped him straighten it up so the blade was pointing up into the air and then pulled the sheath off, revealing its razor-sharp edge.

“This is a longsword. Typically used by knights or armored infantry. The Royal Knights of both Lepiera and Allera use them as well.”

“Wow, it’s really heavy.”

“Hah, I told you.”

Taking the sword and putting it down on the table, John fixed the shining bracer to his left arm and then tapped the daggers.

“Most Knights don’t use daggers like this, but in my experience, a dagger is often much more useful than a sword. And do you know what’s better than one dagger? That’s right—two daggers.”

Buckling the longsword and daggers around his waist, John rested his hand on the pommel of his sword, a smile slowly spreading on his face. It was not often he showed any expression on his face at all, much less a smile, but for some reason, Ellie suddenly felt sorry for whoever was prowling around in the night. Giving Ellie a nod, John rubbed Ben’s hair and walked to the door.

“Have you been practicing with that knife?”

Swallowing, Ben’s hand went to his belt where the long knife John had given him rested. Seeing his motion, John nodded.

“Good. Stay inside. I’ll be going for a bit to double-check the traps we placed.”

Without waiting for a response, John walked out of the kitchen and stepped off the porch, vanishing into the darkness. As soon as she couldn’t see him anymore, Ellie took a deep breath and shut the kitchen door firmly. Turning to look at her brother, she gave him a little smile and pointed to the hallway.

“Go and check that all the windows are latched. John will be back soon.”

Standing at the edge of the forest, John looked up at the full moon and the smile that had been tugging at his lips burst into full force on his face.

Haha, a full moon. How appropriate. This will be a good way to blow off some steam.

Another long howl sounded, this time closer to the farm than the last. Taking a deep breath, John could feel the mana surging through his body, igniting his lungs and then spreading to his limbs. Blinking, his eyes shone with crimson light, casting a red hue on the nearby trees. Letting out another chuckle, he closed his eyes completely, hiding the light that poured out of them.

Wouldn’t want to alert them needlessly. Alright, let’s not keep our visitors waiting.

A flicker of flame under his feet carried him a dozen feet forward as he darted through the trees, heading toward the location of the last howl. All around him, the forest fell silent as the small creatures froze wherever they were. Flashing through the undergrowth, John’s mana-enhanced ears picked up on the faintest whisper carried by the wind, allowing him to correct his path with unerring precision.

A few miles out from the farm, a grim procession made its way through the trees. At the front of the group walked Haver the Wolf King. Unlike the last time John had seen him, his body was covered in black leather armor with metal spikes protruding from the shoulders and elbows. On his head was a helmet made from a wolf head, giving his handsome face a savage look. The two large wolves that had accompanied him earlier were still by his side, but in the shadows of the woods on either side of the group lurked a dozen more.

Behind the Wolf King came Jemal with his large axe, and a thin woman who carried two curved blades on her back and a whole bandolier of throwing daggers. An assortment of spear- and sword-carrying bandits followed after Jemal and the thin woman, making sure to keep a respectful distance from the three class holders at the front of the group. As they walked along, the thin woman spat to the side and called to her boss.

“Hey, do you really need all of us to deal with one farmer?”

“That farmer is a class holder, Rosalee,” Haver said, his deep voice oozing a violent sort of charm.

“Yeah, I know.”

Skipping ahead so she was walking in front of the Wolf King, she put her hands behind her head and walked backward so she could talk to him.

“But what’s one measly Knight going to do?”

“He already beat Jemal along with nearly the entire gang.”

“Oooh, so scary. Come on, boss, you know that either of us could do the same with our eyes closed. Jemal is trash.”

Walking heavily through the woods behind the Wolf King, the large Barbarian heard what Rosalee said and glared at her.

“Hey! What did you say?”

“Haha, oooh, what a glare. Come on, big guy. You want to go for a round or two? I wouldn’t mind playing with you,” Rosalee said, her tone taunting.

“You!”

“Enough.”

The Wolf King’s voice brooked no argument, and Jemal shut his mouth with a humph. Laughing, Rosalee blew Jemal a kiss and spun around. Dashing ahead, she called back over her shoulder to Haver.

“This is too boring. I’m going to scout ahead.”

“Don’t attack on your own,” Haver said, continuing to walk forward steadily.

“Haha, okay, okay, I get it.”

With her words fading into the night, Rosalee was gone, leaving Jemal glowering at the shadow where she had vanished.

“Boss, are you sure it’s okay letting her go off on her own like that? You know what she’s like. If she runs across that farmer, she won’t be able to resist attacking.”

“Then if he doesn’t kill her, I will,” Haver said, his voice ice cold. “Now shut up.”

Flickering flames carried John through the woods, but hearing a noise up ahead, he stopped and stepped behind a tree. The sound he’d heard was the whisper of a leaf on leather armor, and though it was so quiet it would be hard for most people to pick up the sound if they were standing right next to it, to John’s mana-reinforced ears, it sounded as loud as someone’s sneeze.

A moment later, he stepped out from his hiding place, advancing into a small opening in the trees as if he had just been walking through the woods. Stopping, he looked around, his hand resting on the pommel of his longsword. Scanning the woods, he heard a tinkling laugh that seemed to come from every direction at once. Slowly stepping back, he suddenly spun around, staring up at a branch on a tree near where he had emerged into the clearing.

Sitting on the branch, her feet kicking idly, sat a thin woman in a revealing set of leather armor. Moonlight glinted off of the bandolier of throwing knives that stretched across her chest, and the two curved blades on her back looked like twin crescent moons. Smiling sweetly down at John, the woman gave him a little wave.

“Well, hello there. I’m Rosalee.”

Looking around cautiously, John didn’t see anything, and his eyes returned to Rosalee.

“Are you with the Wolf King?”

“Haha, what do you think?”

“You look like you are. What are you doing here? This is my land.”

“Is it? That’s funny, because the last time I talked to my boss, which was earlier today if you were wondering, he seemed really positive that this was all his.”

“Huh?” John looked slightly confused, but he still didn’t drop his guard. “What do you mean?”

Rolling her eyes, Rosalee jumped down from the tree and took a few steps toward John.

“It means you’re going to die, silly.”

As soon as he heard her words, John’s eyes widened and he started to move, but Rosalee was already gone. Instead, John saw two throwing daggers flying toward his eyes. Jerking his head back, he brought his left arm up, his bracer deflecting one of the daggers as the other one passed by his face. The silvery blade flashed by his face, but in the moment it crossed his vision, he saw a wicked grin reflected in it and realized Rosalee had appeared behind him.

With a mighty wrench, he spun his body around, landing in a crouch as he escaped the lazy thrust of her curved blade. Letting out a light laugh, Rosalee unsheathed the other curved blade from her back and spun them around in her hands. Giving John a wink, she stepped back and gestured to his sword, which was still in his sheath.

“Aren’t you going to get it out? It seems impolite, you know. I showed you my swords, won’t you show me yours?”

Still watching her carefully, John stood up from his crouch and unclipped the sword from his belt, slowly unsheathing it. Holding the sheath in a reverse grip, he pointed the blade of his sword at Rosalee, who was just casually waiting, spinning the blades in her hands.

“Your mouth is dirty.”

“Haha, you say that, but you still drew your sword.”

Taking a step toward him, Rosalee smiled sweetly again.

“You know, I normally love teasing people like you the most, but unfortunately, today isn’t your lucky day. Haver wanted to deal with you all together, but that is so lame. Honestly, I could have killed you three times so far, which just proves you’re not worth the time. I’ll just kill you quick and get rid of your body so we can go back. Now, be careful. I’m coming, but if you blink, you’ll miss it.”

Finishing speaking, Rosalee tossed one of her blades up in the air, causing the reflected moonlight to flash wildly around the clearing. As John was blinking his eyes to get rid of the flashes of light, she darted forward, her body dropping low to the ground. A grim expression crossed John’s face as he jumped back, his sword waving in front of him to try and block the attack he knew was coming.

A light *ting* sounded as one of the daggers that Rosalee had thrown was knocked off target, but a moment later, the other cut past his shoulder, slicing through his shirt. Jerking his shoulder back, John heard Rosalee’s laugh, which seemed to come from everywhere at once. Jumping back again, he tried to gain more distance, but another dagger arrived as soon as he landed, making it impossible for him to dodge. Letting out a shout, John brought his bracer in front of his chest, blocking the dagger.

Movement flickered at his side and he brought his sword down in a vicious slash. Sure that he was going to hit Rosalee, she somehow managed to bend her body around the slash. Rolling backward, she used her hands to vault up to her feet, neatly catching the falling curved blade in her hand.

“I hate rogues,” John said, his voice grim and his breathing rough.

“Haha, I guess I should take that as a compliment,” Rosalee said, giving him a wink. “I must say, you’re much better than I expected. No wonder you could beat Jemal. But it’s not enough.”

Launching another attack, Rosalee kept her curved daggers as she darted straight at John. Leveling his sword, he waited for the trick he knew was coming, and sure enough, her body suddenly shivered and vanished, replaced by two daggers that shot straight at him. The distance was much closer this time, and John had almost no time to react. Jerking his body to the side, he barely avoided the two daggers when Rosalee’s two curved blades stabbed toward his back.

Rosalee’s sweet smile took on a vicious look as her blades cut into John’s shirt, but a moment later, the pommel of John’s sword slammed into her side and she let out a terrible scream and vanished, reappearing in the distance. Holding on to her broken ribs, she looked up at John in shock as he tossed aside the curved blade he had stolen from her.

The grim look he had sported throughout their fight was gone and in its place was his customary blank expression. Turning his head to look at the woods, he saw the shadowy forms of large wolves weaving through the trees and smiled faintly.

“Looks like you weren’t fast enough, Rosalee. Your boss is already here.”

CHAPTER 23

Low growls rumbling in their chests, the wolves surrounded the clearing, their black and gray fur blending in with the shadows of the trees. A moment later, Haver the Wolf King walked out from the forest, appearing on the edge of the clearing. Seeing Rosalee’s crouched figure and the clear expression of pain on her face, his lips twitched, his anger barely concealed under the smile that graced his lips. Walking into the clearing, he stopped as Jemal came to his side. The rest of his men stayed further back, their wary gazes locked on John.

It had been a while since he’d visited them, but every single one remembered the brutal efficiency with which he had torn through them. Sensing their reluctance to advance, Haver’s anger burned all the hotter, but he didn’t allow it to show on his face. Instead, he spread his hands out and gave John a smile.

“Mr. Sutton. How nice to run into you here.”

Looking around, his smile turned into mock confusion.

“But I don’t see any of the things you owe me. Where are my cattle? Where is Ellie?”

Not giving John a chance to respond, Haver lifted his finger and wagged it disapprovingly. Taking two steps forward, he stretched out his hand and one of the bandits hurried forward, giving him a large black flail as his other hand pulled a club with a large row of wolf teeth protruding from it from where it hung on his back. Letting both weapons hang down, he stared at John, a cruel expression in his eyes.

“Tsk tsk, Mr. Sutton. I had hoped you would have made a wiser choice. Either way, I would have taught you a lesson, but you’ve chosen the worse one.”

Still having trouble finding her feet, Rosalee let out a gasping breath.

“Boss, be careful. He…”

“Shut up.”

Haver’s voice was filled with anger as he turned to glare at Rosalee.

“You’ll be punished next for ruining my plan,” Haver snarled. “Maybe it will teach you to obey my commands.”

Turning his attention back to John, Haver stalked forward slowly, starting the flail swinging with a flick of his wrist. As he got closer, he stared at John, clearly trying to intimidate him.

“Do you know how I got my title, Mr. Sutton?”

A shiver ran through the air as Haver abruptly projected his aura into the surrounding area. Everyone, including the wolves, winced, crouching slightly as the pressure pushed them down. Everyone but John. John didn’t even blink, his complete inaction causing Haver to freeze for a second. Gesturing for Haver to continue, John tapped on his bracer with the guard of his sword, causing a shield of mana to shimmer into existence.

“Is… is that an artifact?” Rosalee asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“No, it’s magitech. It’s a mana shield. It runs on a mana stone.”

John’s calm response did nothing to reduce the shock that Haver, Rosalee, and Jemal felt. Instead, it succeeded in awakening a burning greed in all three of them.

“Oh? So you mean it’s not class restricted?”

“Nope. Even a commoner can use it, so long as they have a mana stone,” John said, shrugging and wiggling it in the air. “This is what the last war was fought over. Unfortunately for everyone, the only guy who understood how to make them died and blew up his lab, completely destroying the chances of any more being made. So, in that way, you might say it’s like an artifact? It’s just not class locked. Interesting, huh?”

Licking his lips, Haver’s greed-filled eyes never shifted from the glimmering mana shield as he walked forward.

“If you give it to me, I’ll let you off with only breaking one of your legs.”

“That sounds like a terrible deal. But what are you worried about?” John asked, cocking his head to the side. “There are three of you and only one of me.”

“Heh,” a sneering smile appeared on Haver’s face, “there are a lot more than three of us. Attack!”

With a howl, the wolves darted from the edges of the clearing, leaping at John in a staggered pattern, forcing him to choose which ones he would block. Taking a step back to avoid the snapping jaws of the first wolf, John found another pair of jaws was quickly closing in on his heel. Pivoting in place, he slammed his foot into the side of the wolf’s head, kicking it away. At the same time, his shield was raised up to his shoulder, blocking the heavy charge of another wolf and throwing it back.

Flourishing his blade, he slashed at another wolf that was getting close, only to miss as the wolf darted backward. Frowning, he was about to pursue it when two more wolves attacked his legs from the opposite side. Realizing he was quickly going to be surrounded, John was about to retreat when a whistling split the air. At the last moment, he lifted his shield, intercepting Haver’s flail just before it slammed into his face. Chopping backward to keep the snapping jaws at bay, John looked like he was barely keeping his balance but still somehow managed to avoid falling over as the fight entered a slight lull.

Ever since John had smashed her ribs without her understanding how, a sense of dread had been growing in Rosalee’s chest, and watching John stumble through the attacks only caused it to grow even faster. As a Rogue, she prided herself on her ability to gauge her target’s strength, but it was clear to her that John was inscrutable. Every time she thought he had been backed into a corner, he extricated himself by the skin of his teeth. Starting to edge backward, she felt a predatory gaze lock on to her and realized Haver had noticed her movement. Though she was starting to fear John, her fear of Haver had been carved into her bones, so she stopped in place, her face pale.

“I said attack!” Haver yelled, his face red with fury.

“I know, I heard you,” John said, smiling at the enraged Wolf King.

Letting out a loud roar, Jemal hoisted his axe and charged forward, bringing it down on John’s shield as Rosalee darted toward his back. Blocking the axe with his shield, John held his sword behind his back, intercepting Rosalee’s curved blades. Half a second later, one of the Wolf King’s large wolves lunged at John, only to get a hard boot in his teeth. Falling back, another wolf lunged forward to take his place, but this time, the edge of John’s shield slammed into its neck, nearly decapitating it.

John’s sword flicked toward the staggering wolf to finish the job, but he was forced back by a black flail that shot toward his head. Deflecting the attack with the guard of his sword, he kicked the wolf away and dove forward, rolling over as an axe and two curved blades smashed into each other where he had just been standing. Thrown back by the full-force clash with Jemal’s axe, Rosalee threw a dagger at John while she was still in the air, aimed directly where John’s head should be as he came out of his roll, but he seemed to stagger as he tried to get up, causing it to go over his head.

While Rosalee’s fear continued to grow, Jemal had no such hang-ups as his Barbarian rage flowed through his body, erasing any pain and discomfort he felt and carrying away his common sense. Roaring, he wielded his giant axe like a hammer, smashing it down on John. Blocking the first strike with his shield, John sidestepped the next and snapped a kick into the side of Jemal’s knee, forcing him to fall to one knee. Surging back up to his feet, Jemal slammed his axe sideways, only to be intercepted again by John’s shield. With every blow caught on his shield, the two fighters shifted their positions slightly, but as time dragged on, John realized something had changed. Jemal’s Barbarian Rage was beginning to fade after fighting with John for a few minutes, but that wasn’t what was bothering him.

Every once in a while, he was still fending off attacks from the occasional wolf, but it was clear from the infrequency of them that most of the wolves had left. Haver the Wolf King and the Rosalee had also vanished, causing a bad feeling to sprout in John’s mind. Pushing back against Jemal, he bought enough time to get a good look at the clearing, only to realize it was entirely empty apart from Jemal and two wolves that continued to harass him from the sides. Even the crowd of bandits had fled the fight. The bad feeling grew stronger as his mind spun, trying to identify how long it had been since he had last seen any of the others.

Flooding his eyes with mana, he scanned the area and almost immediately spotted signs that someone had abandoned the fight and headed toward the farm. The feeling that had sprouted in John’s mind immediately transformed into incandescent flames that boiled through him. It was only his iron-willed control of his mana that prevented the forest around him from bursting into flames.

In his Barbarian Rage state, Jemal’s instincts were highly sensitive, but for the first time in his life, they completely failed him. It was impossible to tell if the last dregs of Barbarian Rage had muddled his mind, preventing him from registering the danger, or if John’s control was just too good, but whatever the reason, Jemal stepped forward and unleashed a powerful blow. His axe swung down with all of the momentum he had been building up during the fight, making it one of the most powerful attacks he had ever unleashed. And also his last.

The axe landed, stopping fast as it reached John. But instead of the feedback he was expecting, Jemal felt his axe jolt to an abrupt stop. So abrupt that it shocked him out of his faltering rage. Looking down, he saw that the axe head had been gripped in John’s bare hand and crimson streaks were racing through the metal under his fingers as it turned molten. With an annoyed twist of his wrist, John snapped the top of the axe off, sending it flying into the woods. At the same time, his sword flickered, moving so fast that the blade vanished.

Though Jemal didn’t see the blade or feel the blade, he knew that he was dead. He wasn’t sure how he knew, he just did. Time seemed to slow for a moment and then his vision spun, fading away even as his headless body came into view. At the same moment, the two wolves who had frozen when John’s fury spiked fell into pieces, their blood dyeing the grass red. A flicker of flame shot from John’s eyes as he swept the scene, landing on the bloody bodies and transforming them all to ash in a moment. As his burning gaze turned toward the farm, John felt the burning flame in his mind grow hotter.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

Ignoring the window that popped up in his vision, John vanished from where he stood, his body moving so quickly that he had no time to dodge the trees that got in his way. However, the obstacles simply didn’t matter, as any tree that appeared in front of him simply burnt away under the mana leaking from his eyes. Like a dark comet, John shot through the woods, crossing the distance to the farm that had taken him half an hour earlier in the evening in only a few minutes. As the farm came into his view, so did another notification.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

Swearing, John dropped out of the air, his descent leaving a furrow in the ground. Taking a breath, he pulled all of the raging mana in the air around him into his body, locking it away. Ruthlessly crushing the raging flames in his mind, he began walking toward the farm. Straining his ears, he did his best to identify even the smallest of sounds. Thanks to his flash entrance, all of the natural night sounds had vanished, and even the wind seemed to be afraid to blow lest it drew his ire.

The farmyard was quiet, but when John walked out of the woods, he was stunned to see Ferdie standing in the yard, his head slowly sweeping back and forth. The large bull saw John but could not immediately tell who he was because he had sealed in his presence and turned his head to face him. Taking a step forward with his horns lowered, Ferdie’s eyes flashed with crimson flames, causing John to stop in place and put his hands up.

“It’s me.”

Though he spoke quietly, the bull perked up when it heard his voice and let out a soft moo, trotting over to nudge him happily. When he patted Ferdie on the head, the bull let out another happy moo and turned its head, gesturing to the farmhouse with its horns.

“Did anyone come by?”

Pausing, as if he was processing John’s words, Ferdie shook his head again and took up a fierce stance, as if he was about to charge. Pawing at the ground, he snorted loudly and looked left and right before jumping up and wiggling his body happily. Feeling the last vestiges of his rage bleed away at the sight of the bull’s ridiculous behavior, John let out a laugh and scratched Ferdie behind the ears.

“Thank you for protecting the farm. I’m back now, so you can go rest.”

Nodding, Ferdie nudged John toward the house and then trotted over to the pasture. Using the end of his horn, he hooked the gate latch and flipped it open. Opening it just enough to squeeze in, he closed it the same way, flipping the latch back into place and giving John one last goodnight moo.

Alright. So, obviously the mana has fried my brain and now I’m hallucinating. Great.

Shaking his head, John headed for the house. All was quiet, but as he walked up on the porch, he heard the shift of someone inside.

“Mr. Sutton?”

Recognizing Ben’s voice, John sat down on the chair, his eyes sweeping the yard.

“You should be in bed, shouldn’t you?”

Hearing his voice, a palpable sense of relief flooded Ben, and before his sister could stop him, he unlocked the door and threw it open.

“Mr. Sutton! You’re back.”

“I am,” John tried to make his voice normal, but even he could feel the strain it carried. “But you should really head to bed. The cows get up early.”

“Haha, yeah. True. And we have to check the traps.”

Lingering for a moment longer, almost as if to reassure himself that John was really there, Ben said goodnight to his sister and went inside. Ellie stayed on the porch, her hands twisted in her skirt as she quietly kept John company.

CHAPTER 24

Sitting on the chair on the porch, John’s arms and legs were lit by the light from the open door, but the light failed to reach his head, leaving his face shrouded in shadow. Even though she had looked at his face countless times, Ellie had the strangest feeling that if she were to bring the light closer, she would not find John but some sort of devilish creature that had taken his place. A dangerous aura surrounded him, causing the cool night to feel absolutely frigid. Suppressing the shudder that rose up in her, she spoke quietly.

“Would you like some tea?”

The darkness seemed to thicken for a moment, making it hard for Ellie to breathe as she waited for John’s answer. As the seconds stretched on, she started to wonder if he would even respond. Just as she was about to open her lips, she heard his voice, rough and halting.

“Tea… would be nice.”

“Let me put some water on.”

Stepping back into the house, Ellie took a moment to breathe, her hands pressing on her beating heart. Once she had calmed down a little, she carefully got the pot off of the stove and filled it up at the sink. Putting it back on the stove, she added a bit of wood to the fire, getting the flames going. While the water waited to heat, she measured out the tea and got the cups ready. Sticking her head out of the door, she looked at John.

“Would you like honey or milk?”

“No.”

“Okay, one minute.”

The night air was cool, but to John, it still felt stifling. There were many consequences to abusing his body with mana the way he did, but the uncomfortable feeling that burned in his chest was chief among them. He had been hoping to blow off some steam by fighting with Haver and his men, but all he had succeeded in doing was killing someone and bringing the apocalypse two steps closer. Frustration and disgust raged in equal measure in his heart, threatening to burst through his tightly held control.

I’m going to go crazy! I need to get out of here before I wipe everything out.

A sense of urgency consumed John as the mana continued to surge in his body, fighting to escape the tight grip he was maintaining. Feeling a particularly bad surge, his eyes snapped open and he nearly got up from his chair, but before he could stand up, he found himself staring at a mug that appeared in front of his eyes. Freezing in place, he mechanically took it, his fingers brushing over Ellie’s by accident. Nearly dropping the mug as he quickly moved his hand, he heard Ellie gasp.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you had it.”

“I do, I have it.”

The raging mana in his heart still battered against his control, but with every sentence that Ellie spoke, the mana seemed to cool slightly. Focusing on the texture of the cup in his hands, John found himself growing strangely calm.

“I don’t have any cookies, but I buttered some bread with a bit of honey. Would you like a piece?”

“Ah. Yes,” John said, taking a piece of the offered bread. “Thanks.”

“Mmm.”

Sitting down on a chair she had carried out of the kitchen, Ellie let out a deep sigh and took a sip of her tea, nearly scalding her mouth. Gasping, she jerked her head back and fanned her lips. Almost mechanically, John reached out, his finger touching the edge of her cup briefly before retreating. Unsure what he was doing, Ellie stared at him and then at her cup. It took her a moment to register that the cup was no longer burning her hand, and when she took a sip, it had somehow become the perfect temperature.

Glancing at John’s face, which was still obscured by the shadow of the porch and then down at his clenched hand, Ellie only hesitated for a moment before taking another sip of her tea. Smiling at John, she put her cup down and picked up a piece of bread. Watching her bite into it, John’s thoughts flashed to the other woman who had smiled at him today. She had been pretty, prettier than Ellie in many ways, but the sickly sweet smile she gave him made him want to hunt her down and cut her head from her shoulders.

Ellie’s smile was different. It was a smile of happiness. Of contentment. It was the sort of smile that made him feel like all was right with the world, even though his heart felt like it was burning to the ground.

Why am I thinking about her smile? I must really be going crazy.

“Oh, look. That’s the Great Hunter constellation,” Ellie said, pointing to a line of stars that had appeared over the mountains in the far distance. “You can always see it this time of year. My… my grandma said that the Great Hunter teaches us that we have to go after what we want. The Great Hunter chases the Great Bear, seeking its meat to keep his children’s bellies full and its coat to keep their home warm in the winter. If he does not chase the bear, he will never achieve his goal, but the bear is not so kind as to offer up its skin and meat without a fight. She said we have to fight for what we want as well. Life is like that bear. It will eat you up without a second thought. But with the right tools and the right mindset, our bellies will be full and our home will be warm.”

Falling silent, she looked up at the constellation and stretched out her hands, as if she were holding a bow. Stretching back the string, she released it, a smile covering her face as she watched the imaginary arrow fly into the dark sky.

“Your grandmother sounds like a wise woman.”

“She was.” Ellie nodded, her face serious as she picked up her cup. “She was the wisest. She knew everything. She could read the wind and understood more languages than I can name. She used to say that the world was bursting with secrets to tell if you only knew how to listen.”

“And she knew how to listen?”

“Yes, she knew how to listen.”

“But she didn’t teach you?”

“She did teach me,” Ellie said, her voice taking on a defensive tone. “She taught me to care for plants, to cook, and to milk the cows. She taught me my numbers and how to read, both common and runes. And she taught me to be careful around strange men.”

Letting out a low chuckle, John held up his hand in mock surrender.

“I’m sorry. It’s clear she taught you many things.”

“Yes. Useful things. But she passed away. I’m sure she had many more things to teach me, but there was no time.”

“You have my condolences.”

“Oh, it was a long time ago. The edge of the ache has faded, leaving only the sweetness behind. She was a wonderful woman and such a marvel. I’m sure you would have loved meeting her.”

“I’m sure I would have.”

“Well, what about you?”

“What about me?”

Ellie nodded, gazing at John and speaking in a moment of braveness.

“Yes. I really don’t know anything about you. I live with you, but you might be a mass murderer for all I know.”

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Ellie regretted them terribly, but it was too late to take them back. Her face paled and she hurried to try and clarify, somehow making everything even more muddled.

“That’s… that’s not. I mean, I’m happy even if…”

Laughing softly, John held up his hand, genuine amusement in his voice as he reassured her.

“It’s okay. I get what you mean. Actually, it’s not so far from the truth. I was active in the military before I came to the valley. Ten years. Ten years of war. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you how many people have died at my hands. I think that qualifies me as a mass murderer.”

“No, it’s different,” Ellie said, shaking her head, her voice surprisingly vehement.

Surprised by her response, John blinked.

“How is it different?”

“My grandmother said soldiers aren’t murders. She said soldiers are to be pitied because they’re just tools in a machine of destruction. I don’t really understand what that means, but I know that people who kill to fulfill their own selfish desires and someone who kills for survival are different.”

“Like the Great Hunter and the Great Bear,” John said quietly, gesturing to the constellation that glowed brightly above the horizon.

Shifting happily in her seat, Ellie smiled and nodded.

“Yes! Exactly. We don’t call the hunter a murderer if he manages to get the bear. And we don’t call the bear a murderer if he catches the hunter. Hmmm. Well, maybe that example doesn’t work completely, but you understand what I mean.”

“I do. And it’s kind of you to try and encourage me like that.”

“What about family?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have any family?”

Blinking, John wondered what had gotten into Ellie. She had never been this talkative before, but tonight she seemed desperate to keep the conversation going. He was not sure if it was her way of shedding the stress she must have felt or if something else was going on, but the easy flow of conversation was helping him keep his raging mana under control, so he didn’t mind.

“I did. A brother. Heh. Maybe I still do. But that was a long time ago, in a place far away.”

“Oh, was your brother younger or older?”

“Younger. He… he was about Ben’s age when I last saw him.”

Falling silent for a moment, Ellie took a long drink from her cup as hundreds of thoughts ran through her mind. Carefully placing her cup down, she curled her legs up under her and looked at John.

“I’m sure he would be happy to know you’re well. Are you able to visit him, or is it too far?”

“Heh. It’s too far. Though who knows?”

Pausing, John stretched out his hand, slowly tightening his fingers into a fist. Staring at his clenched fist, he whispered, as if trying to convince himself.

“Who knows?”

“I sincerely hope you’re able to see him again someday. I know how painful it is to lose your only family member. But that’s enough about all this sad stuff,” Ellie said, her voice matter-of-fact. “As my grandmother said, the past is but an unemployed ghost—it can only haunt you if you hire it.”

“Hah, that’s quite the saying.”

Smiling happily, Ellie nodded.

“It was one of her favorite sayings. Any time I complained about something that had happened, that’s what she would say. But it’s true. There’s too much to do today to spend our time immersed in what happened yesterday.”

Hearing Ellie speak, John felt a subtle ache in his chest. Letting out a sigh, he smiled bitterly.

If only it were that easy. But I’m afraid my past won’t let me go.

“Speaking of tomorrow,” Ellie said, turning to look at John, “are you going to be making a trip into town?”

“I hadn’t planned on it, but the planting is done, so I’m sure I could make a trip.”

“Widow Brown had some chickens for sale and I was thinking we might be able to buy a few of them from her. Ben is getting old enough that he could handle managing a coop, and I wouldn’t mind the help with the bugs in my garden.”

“How much is she asking for?”

“When I asked, it sounded like she was hoping to get three gold for them. I think she wanted to leave the village, but I heard that secondhand.”

“Three gold? How many chickens?”

“There are a dozen, though a few of them are probably only good for the pot. Honestly, that’s a bit high in my opinion. If they were all young, then it might be acceptable, but realistically, a single gold would be the best price she could get at the market.”

“Hm. Eggs would be nice. Sure, let’s take a trip into town tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Silence fell between John and Ellie as both of them became preoccupied with their thoughts. Finally, with a happy sigh, Ellie stood up and picked up her cup and the empty plate. When she looked over, she realized John’s cup still had tea in it, a slow curl of steam rising from his cup.

“Thank you for talking with me, but I think it’s time for bed for me.”

“Alright. I’m going to sit out for a bit longer.”

“Goodnight.”

“Mm. Goodnight.”

Once he heard her bedroom door closing, John slowly stood up. He was still wearing his bracer and the two daggers on his belt. Picking up his sheathed sword, he didn’t bother clipping it onto his belt as he stepped into the darkness. Walking calmly, he looped around the farm, double-checking to make sure there were no threats nearby. Stopping by the pasture, he saw Ferdie was bedded down by the large stone. Hearing him approach, the bull opened one eye to check him out but lazily closed it when he saw it was just John.

Even at a distance, John could sense the mana coursing through the bull’s powerful body. Though Ferdie was a bit dumb still, John had no idea what to make of him. There had clearly been mana flames burning in the bull’s eyes when he had seen him standing in the farmyard, but John had no knowledge as to how that had happened. Seeing an element expressed in the eyes was a clear sign of a powerful class holder, but as far as John knew, animals could not actually become class holders. Especially totally normal farm animals.

Hah, not that I know anything about this stupid world. I really need to find some time to track down that mage’s tower. Maybe I can find some information about what’s happening here.

Letting out a sigh, John walked back to the house, stopping on the porch for one last look up at the stars. His eyes were drawn to the constellation Ellie had pointed out earlier in the evening, the Great Hunter.

We have to fight for what we want, huh? My life has been nothing but fighting since I arrived, but the Great Hunter hunts because he wants to. Not because someone told him to. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s time to fight for what I want. But what is it that I actually want?

Unable to find the answer to his own question, John sighed and went to bed.

CHAPTER 25

The morning sun rose right on time, with no regard for how late anyone had stayed up the night before, but to its dismay, John was already up and about, having been unable to sleep. After helping with the milking, he filled the cheese cans with milk and sent them down to the cheese cellar to prepare while Ellie was starting breakfast. The cellar was calm and cool, giving John a bit of respite from the boiling feeling that still followed last night’s excursion. Taking the cans of milk out of the cart, he transferred them onto the stove and started the fire with a flick of his fingers.

Placing washed cans on the cart, he used the pulley system to send the cart and empty cans back up to the barn to get ready for the next batch. While the milk was coming to a boil, he walked over to the pots that held the strange flowers he had gotten from the grimm. As beautiful as always, the flowers seemed to sway when he walked close, their petals turning toward him as if they could sense the density of mana his body carried. Reaching out, John poked one of the petals, letting out a laugh as it trembled. A small shoot was poking out of one of the pots, but it was too small for John to tell if it was another of the flowers or if it was something else. Picking up the watering can next to the pots, John sprinkled the soil with water.

They still didn’t have water running directly into the cheese cellar, so John put that on the list of things to work on while he was waiting to see how the corn grew. He was confident he would be able to tie into the water system that the kitchen used without much trouble, but since it would require using mana, he would have to wait until the others were asleep.

While I’m at it, I should make a shower and a toilet. I wonder if I could build a toilet that self-fills? Either way, a shower is a must. Man, it’s been a long time since I had a proper shower.

A hiss let him know that the milk was about to boil, so he walked over to the stove, checking the temperature to make sure it was even. Adjusting the flames so that all pots were being heated evenly, he got out a measuring cup and got the vinegar ready to stir in. While he was waiting for the correct moment to add the vinegar, Ellie came down the stairs to let him know breakfast was ready.

“Alright. I’m just making the first batch of cheese.”

“Let me help. I can pour if you want to stir.”

Working together, they quickly processed the twelve cans of boiling milk, and once the curds were properly separated, they transferred them to the lined colanders John had gotten from Gerret. Rinsing and salting the curds was next, and then they pressed them into shape and tied them up to hang for a few hours on the rack John had built. Double-checking the cheese that had hung overnight, John saw that it was done and got it down to shape while Ellie piled up the dishes to take to the kitchen. Once the cheese had been shaped, he took some of them to the shelves at the back of the cellar where he had stacked the cheese for aging. Stacking the new cheese up, John checked some of the cheese that was already on the shelf. Crumbling a piece off the corner of a wheel, John tasted it and frowned.

It’s drying out a bit too fast. I’ll need to get some wax from Gofreid. For now, cloth wraps will have to do.

Taking a few of the washed cheese cloths, John laid them out and cut them to the right size to wrap up the round wheels of cheese. Grabbing a stick of butter, he rubbed it on the cloth, using the heat from his hands to melt it, soaking the fabric. Carefully wrapping the cheese so that none of it was exposed, he restacked it on the shelf and stepped back happily. Turning around, he realized it had been nearly an hour since he had started and breakfast had likely long gotten cold.

Heading over to the house, he found that Ellie and Ben had already eaten, but the pot of porridge was being kept warm for him. Wolfing down a few bowls, he cleaned up the dishes and put the food away before hurrying back to the cheese cellar. Seeing that Ellie had already started the second batch of cheese boiling, John double-checked that the temperature on the stove was right and then gestured to the rail system.

“How’s the cart working? Do you have any trouble with it?”

“No, it’s working fine. It would be a challenge to pull it up the slope if it was full, but since we empty the milk down here, it’s not bad.”

“Good. What about the yield? We’ve only been making cheese for a week, but we seem to be doing pretty well.”

“We get between thirty-five and forty pounds depending on if it’s a butter or cream day, which leaves a few gallons for us to use for drinking and cooking.”

“Hah, look at that. That’s a good amount of cheese. If we keep this up, we might actually run out of space to store it. Though that will take a little while,” John said, looking around the large cellar. “I’ll add building more shelves to my list. What about the garden? How’s that going?”

“It’s growing like crazy,” Ellie said, shrugging. “We’ll probably have too many vegetables for us to eat, so I might try to jar some if we can find the supplies.”

“Hah, we’ll add that to Gofreid’s list.”

“Okay.”

Seeing that Ellie was looking pensive, John leaned against the table next to her, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“You seem like you’re thinking about something.”

“Oh, I was just wondering, you know, about Gofreid. Do you think he can actually sell this cheese? He seemed to think we could get a good price for it.”

A smile flickered across John’s face and then vanished.

“If you want to know my honest opinion? I think this cheese will make the farm a fortune. My bet is that six cows won’t be nearly enough to keep up with the demand. But that’s also okay. It’ll just make it sell better. Who knows? We may need to expand the barn to make room for a few more cows.”

“If we do that, we’ll have to find more people to help with the milking. There’s already not enough hours in the day between milking, making cheese, washing, cooking, and tending the garden, and I’ve nearly tripled Ben’s chores.”

Frowning, John glanced quickly at Ellie and then looked away.

“I can help with some of those things now that planting is done. And we can look for someone to help out.”

“That would be good. When Old Man Burrows ran the farm, there were six people working on it, though a couple of them were part-time. It’s a miracle we’ve been able to manage with three,” Ellie said, transferring the last batch of curds to its colander. “I’ve been meaning to ask, where did you learn how to do all of this anyway? I mean the cheese-making? You said you’ve never farmed before, and it was clear you’d never milked a cow, but you seem to know everything about this.”

Seeing Ellie gesture to the cheese production line, John nodded, his eyes growing hazy as he looked through the folds of time. Shaking his head, he shrugged.

“When I was growing up, my aunt had a cheese business. It was just me and my brother, so I worked in her business to bring in some extra money. I learned how to make cheese from her.”

“Isn’t it wonderful to be able to use the things you learned from your family?”

Rubbing the heavy wood table, John nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is. Alright. We have a trip to make into town. Do you want to do it this morning or this afternoon?”

“I think the earlier the better.”

“Great. Let’s take some of this Farmer’s Cheese in as well. It’s not as distinct as the cheddar will be, but it’s really nice. Which reminds me, we need to make some brie as well. I think Gofreid will be interested in its texture. Alright, I’ll hook up the cart.”

“Let me wash up these dishes and I’ll be ready.”

Leaving the cheese cellar, John was pensive as he got the horse and harnessed it to the cart. It was telling that as soon as he had a moment to breathe in this world, he had unconsciously reverted to what he knew best. It had been years since he had thought about his aunt and the years he had spent in her home, but just like seeing Ben had triggered memories of his own little brother, the scents and textures of the cheese-making process had flooded his mind with memories. Leaving the horse in the yard, John wandered over to Ferdie’s pasture and leaned on the fence.

Noticing John, the bull pranced over happily, poking his arm as he searched for a treat. Considering he had seen Ferdie open and close the gate on his own, John wasn’t so worried about the bull, and instead, he created a mana crystal and held it out. Licking it from John’s hand in a flash, Ferdie let out a moo and nudged John again.

“What? You want another? Is it for your plant friend?”

Nodding his head, Ferdie let out a loud moo and looked at John expectantly. Smiling ruefully, John created another mana crystal, holding it out of reach of Ferdie’s long tongue.

“Look, I’ll give this to you, but if anyone comes around here, I expect you to deal with them, okay? Obviously not if they’re too dangerous or anything, but no one is allowed to go in the house or the cheese cellar. I don’t care about anything else.”

Blowing a snort through his nose, Ferdie nodded impatiently and shoved his head forward, managing to snag the crystal with the tip of his tongue. Disgusted, John let go of it, shaking his head as he watched the bull run off to the other end of the pasture triumphantly.

The fact that I don’t care that my bull somehow learned to understand common is a clear sign I’ve lost all hope for this world.

Letting out a sigh, he left the pasture and went down to the cheese cellar to select some samples of Farmer’s Cheese. Loading two pounds into a sack, he put it in the cart and helped Ellie load up some of the extra vegetables she’d grown. Once Ellie and Ben were settled in the cart, he jumped up on the driver’s seat and they set off. Catching Ellie’s worried glance back at the farm, John just clicked the reins to have the horse speed up.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to the farm.”

Surprised that John had been able to tell what she was thinking, he just shrugged.

“The Wolf King shouldn’t bother us for the time being, but even if he does, it won’t be a problem.”

“Did you get into a sword fight with him?” Ben asked, his eyes glowing with excitement. “I saw you were cleaning your sword this morning. Did you have to kill some of his wolves? Oh man, I wish I could have seen it.”

“We exchanged some words,” John said, much to Ben’s disappointment.

“Just words? Aww, I was hoping you fought.”

“Ben! What if John got injured?”

Looking abashed, Ben ducked his head a little, causing John to chuckle. Taking that as a sign of encouragement, Ben stole a glance at John.

“Can… Could I learn to fight? Like with swords?”

“Fighting with swords is a dangerous business, Ben. No matter how good you are, there’s no guarantee that you won’t get hurt, or worse, killed. Every time you hold a sword, you put your life on the line.”

“But what if the Wolf King comes back? Shouldn’t I know how to defend myself? I feel like I’m going to need to know how to do this in the future.”

Nodding, John glanced at Ellie and saw that she was biting her lip, clearly torn. Reaching back, he tapped the handle of Ben’s dagger.

“How about we compromise. I’ll teach you how to use the weapon you have. After all, a knife is just as effective as a sword in a lot of situations. And besides, most swords are going to be too heavy for you.”

“Deal!”

“Hold on there. Nothing comes free, kid. In exchange for me teaching you to use a weapon, you need to take on more responsibility around the farm.”

“That’s fine! I can get up earlier and do the milking and feeding by myself. I can also help in the garden.”

“If your sister consents, of course.”

“Aww, come on! Can I, Ellie? Think about how helpful it will be. I’d be so much safer in the woods! Can I?”

Shooting a glare at John for throwing the decision on her after getting Ben so worked up about it, Ellie saw him wrinkle his nose and look away, pretending he had nothing to do with the conversation. Sighing with annoyance, she shushed her brother.

“Hush. I’ll think about it. Besides, John teaching you is conditional on you doing more work on the farm, not on promising to do more work. The work comes first.”

Taking her statement as tacit consent, Ben pumped his fist excitedly, nearly falling out of the cart in his exuberance. Continuing to chat, they soon arrived in town, but it was immediately clear that something was off. Pulling up outside the inn, John got down and tied up the horse. All along the main street the villagers stood in small groups, talking about something in hushed voices. As soon as they saw John, their groups seemed to draw back, watching him with wary eyes.

“John,” Ellie said nervously, her hand clutching her skirt.

“I’m going to talk with Sven. Keep Ben close.”

Taking the bag of cheese, he pushed open the door of the inn, scanning the dining room with a quick glance. To his surprise, the inn’s dining room was nearly full. The Red Coral adventuring team sat toward the back of the room with Halden, while Gerret, George, and a few other townsfolk sat at a table in the middle of the room. However, what was most surprising to John was that the front table was occupied by Wale, Rosalee, and Haver the Wolf King.

CHAPTER 26

Despite his surprise, John smiled calmly at Haver and walked past the table toward the bar where Sven, the innkeeper and bartender, was wiping down a glass. The reaction from the three at the table, on the other hand, was anything but calm. Wale jumped so high, he nearly stood up, and Rosalee choked on her drink and clutched her side, spilling her cup all over the table. Even Haver rose halfway out of his seat, his handsome face warped into an expression of anger. Completely ignoring them, John put the bag holding the cheese up on the counter.

“John. How are you today?”

“I’m doing well. How about you?”

“Passing, passing.”

“Only passing? Business seems to be booming.”

“That’s true. Unfortunately, the cause isn’t one I’d wish for.”

“Oh? What do you mean? Did something happen?”

Nodding, Sven put down the glass he was drying and picked up another, causing John to wonder where he was getting all the wet glasses from. It seemed that whenever he looked at the bartender, he was drying a new glass. Leaning forward, Sven gestured for John to come closer.

“George found another traveler on the path out of the valley.”

Waiting for Sven to continue, John was confused when the bartender leaned back and nodded at him seriously, as if he was supposed to understand the comment. When it was clear there was no more information forthcoming, John raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

“And?”

“And? And he was dead. Stabbed in the back and stripped of all his worldly possessions,” Sven said, giving John a strange look.

“You speak as if this happens a lot.”

Realization dawned on Sven’s face, and he put the cup down and flicked his dish towel up onto his shoulder. Resting his hands on the bar, he nodded.

“That’s right. I forgot you’ve only been in the valley for a little while. This has been happening every few months for the last few years. All the victims have been travelers or people who live out on the fringes. Same means of death, same patterns.”

“Hmm. Nasty business.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me. It gets the community all spooked.”

“And no idea who it is?”

“Don’t think so. At least, if George knows, he isn’t speaking up. Regardless, keep an eye out.”

“I will. Thanks.”

Smiling, Sven tapped the bartop next to the bag John had put down.

“Enough of that depressing stuff. What’d you bring me?”

“Well, there are some fresh vegetables in the cart, but we’ve been working on something special I thought you might want to take a look at.”

Opening up the bag, John got one of the blocks of Farmer’s Cheese out and placed it down. Reaching for his lower back, he unsheathed one of his long daggers and sliced a thin piece off of the top. With a flick, he put it down in front of Sven and then carved another few slices from the block of cheese.

“Give that a try.”

“Is this… is this cheese?”

“Yeah.”

Picking up a slice, Sven bit into it, chewing carefully. His eyebrows shot up and he stared down at it. Cheese wasn’t a new thing in this world, but for the most part, it was wet and crumbly with very little flavor. Used as a way to pack out filling or eaten by the very poorest of citizens who couldn’t afford fresh milk, Sven had never eaten anything like this. Reaching for another piece, he ripped it in half and put it on his tongue, letting the taste permeate his mouth. There was a bit of salt and a lot of cream, but the biggest feature was the slightly tangy flavor that was completely new to Sven. When he reached for the third piece, John smiled and chopped a few thick pieces from the end of the block. Picking one up and biting it in half, he pushed the rest of the cheese over.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s delicious.”

“Yeah? So did Gofreid when he stopped out by the farm.”

Pausing midbite, Sven stared at John and then slowly finished chewing as he put the piece of cheese he was holding down. Wiping his fingers on his towel, he put it back on his shoulder, his eyes never leaving John. Unbothered, John cut himself another piece of cheese and looked around the room.

“Do you know what that money-worshiping snake in the grass will do if he gets ahold of something like this?”

“Who? Oh, Gofreid? He said he could help us sell it. If you like it, you can wait and buy it from him.”

“Buy it from him!”

Letting out an angry snort, Sven slammed his hand on the bar.

“If Gofreid had his way, he’d suck every single penny out of us. You better be careful. I don’t know anyone who has partnered with him who hasn’t lost their shirt and worse.”

Laughing, John shook his head.

“Don’t worry. No one can take what’s mine.”

Almost by accident, his eyes happened to pass over Haver’s table as he spoke and his gaze locked with the pale-faced Wolf King. Giving Haver a happy nod, John straightened up and tapped the bar next to the half-eaten block of cheese.

“Well, I better get going. I just thought you might like the taste of our new cheese.”

“It’s delicious,” Sven admitted, looking troubled. “But if Gofreid has an exclusive contract, I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford it. Hah, no one in the valley will be able to. On the other hand, if you can sell some locally, I’d love to buy some blocks each week.”

“Hm. I’ll have to talk to Ellie,” John said, mirroring Sven’s troubled look. “Really, this is more her thing than mine. The biggest issue is that there’s only so much milk the cows we have can produce. You know how it is.”

“Oh, if it’s only a matter of cows, I know where you can pick some up,” Sven said, his face brightening. Leaning in conspiratorially, he whispered, “This is just between you and me, but Keller out at the edge of the valley is looking to sell. He got a windfall and is heading for the capital. He’s scared of this killer that’s been lurking around and wants to get out quick. If you talked to him in the next day or two, you could probably get a great price.”

“That’s a choice bit of business right there,” John said. “If we can get them, I’ll keep some blocks with your name on it each week. Which reminds me, I have to go see Widow Brown about some chickens. I heard she’s getting out too.”

“Yeah. A lot of people are thinking about it, especially if they live by themselves. There’s a whole group leaving together in a week. Nasty business, these murders. Nasty business.”

Tapping the counter, John nodded as he turned away and then stopped as he remembered something else.

“It is. I’ll drop off some blocks when the next batch is done. We can talk about the price then. Feel free to keep that cheese as a trial. Oh, and if you know of anyone looking for work, we might have a bit to do at the farm.”

“Alright, I’ll keep my eyes open. Thanks.”

Watching John leave, Sven unconsciously picked up another piece of Farmer’s Cheese and popped it into his mouth. Realizing what he was doing, he froze and then let out a defeated sigh. As John walked past the table where Haver sat, Wale and Rosalee watched him cautiously. Both had suffered under his fists and neither particularly liked their chances if he suddenly attacked. Praying he would just walk out, Rosalee shivered when John stopped in front of their table. Mercifully, he didn’t even look at her as he addressed Haver.

“Hello, Haver.”

Glowering up at John from where he sat, the Wolf King spoke slowly, his deep voice hiding a vicious edge.

“Mr. Sutton.”

“You strike me as a smart man, or if not smart, cunning at least,” John said, his voice as expressionless as his face. “I’m happy to pretend I’ve never met you if you’re happy to do the same. The alternative will not be pretty, I assure you. You were clever enough to leave when you had the chance last night, but I won’t tolerate your presence or the presence of your dogs on my property again. You might consider last night your one and only warning.”

Sniffing, Haver nodded.

“I can live with that.”

“Wonderful. Have a good day. Ma’am.”

As John turned away, Haver’s finger twitched, but he ultimately didn’t take action. Instead, it was Wale who stood up and spoke to John’s retreating back.

“Where is Jemal?”

Stopping at the door, John didn’t turn around, instead speaking over his shoulder.

“The Barbarian? He’s gone. Hopefully to greener pastures. Though somehow I doubt it.”

Watching the door swing as John vanished, Wale slowly sat down, his expression troubled. Haver and Rosalee both looked at him.

“What does that mean?” Rosalee asked, glancing between Haver and Wale.

Slowly pulling something out of the bag at his feet, Wale slid it across the table for the others to see. Sitting amidst the plates of half-eaten food was a ruined axe head. Four gouges where melted metal had evaporated ran through the cheek of the axe and the base was twisted and snapped. Swallowing, Wale looked at the door and said nothing.

Ellie and Ben were still in the cart, so John untied it and climbed back up into the driver’s seat, handing the bag with the remaining block of cheese to Ellie.

“Where does Widow Brown live?”

“On the southern side of the village. Out by the big willow.”

Turning the cart around, John drove the horse forward and then down a side street, soon leaving the center of the village behind. As the houses thinned out, he spotted a massive willow tree and a small house with a fenced-in yard under it. Through the slats of the fence, he could see some chickens walking around, their necks bobbing this way and that. Bringing the cart to a stop, John jumped down and walked over to the fence as Ellie and Ben got down behind him.

“Hello? Yes? How may I help you?”

Hearing a voice, John looked over at the little house and saw a thin old woman staring out at him from behind the door.

“I’m here to ask about your chickens,” John said, jerking his head at the chickens in the yard.

“Oh, yes, that’s fine. I’m coming.”

The door closed and the sound of rummaging around drifted out of the house’s only window. A moment later, the door opened back up and the old lady shuffled out, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Walking over to the gate, she shooed a few hens aside and opened the gate up, inviting John and the others in.

“Come on in. You can see, the chickens are all healthy and in great shape.”

“Why are there only eleven? I thought there were a dozen chickens?” Ellie asked, looking around.

“Oh, there are twelve. It’s just that one of them is a rooster; he’s around here somewhere. Hold on, let me call him. Sigvald! Siiiiigvald!”

Looking around, John didn’t see any rooster, but the old lady continued to call out. Just as John was going to suggest that maybe the rooster had gotten eaten, he saw Ben’s mouth drop open and followed his pointing finger, looking up at the top of the small house. Perched on the top of the house was the largest rooster John had ever seen. Easily two and a half feet tall, it was over half as tall as Ben and boasted beautiful orange and red feathers down its back and wings. A deep blue tail stuck proudly up in the air and two thick legs that ended in wicked-looking claws kept it standing tall on the peak of the roof. Staring down at John and the others, it seemed disdainful, as if it couldn’t be bothered with them.

“Sigvald! You come down from there! Sigvald, come down this instant!”

Unimpressed with the rooster’s attitude, the old woman bent down and picked up a small rock. Taking aim, she heaved it at the rooster, nailing it in the side of the neck. With a surprised squawk the monster bird flailed, its sharp claws not managing to find purchase on the slick slate roof. In a flurry of feathers, it tumbled off of the far side of the roof, landing in a cloud of dust. Jumping up, the rooster let out a furious squawk and shook its feathers, trying to get the dust out. Lifting its head, it glared at the old woman, but when she picked up another rock, it quickly turned its head and stalked away as majestically as possible.

“That’s Sigvald. He thinks he’s hot stuff. But he’s as good a rooster as any, so long as you keep him in his place. Eleven hens and one stuck-up rooster. Three gold. You can even take the hen house.”

John knew nothing about chickens, so he looked at Ellie and shrugged, indicating it was up to her. Frowning, Ellie shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. That rooster looks like trouble. And some of those hens probably only lay what, once a week? If even that often? Three gold is a lot.”

“Sure, it’s a lot, but I’m telling you, these hens are high producers. Plus, you won’t find another rooster in the valley like Sigvald. If you want, you could raise a whole flock. I just didn’t because it’s only me to manage and I don’t have the energy for it anymore,” Widow Brown said, doing her best to sell the chickens. “On the other side, I’m leaving the valley and I need the gold for the trip. It’s highway robbery, but they charge a whole gold to get to the capital.”

“Mmm. I don’t know. Three gold is just… plus, we’ll have to feed them, which is already more than we can afford,” Ellie said, her eyes darting toward the chickens pecking at the ground. Stepping a little closer to John, she reached out her hand, hooking his finger and looking up at him apologetically. “It’d be different if it was just us, but winter is coming. Three gold will just make it so tight.”

Looking back and forth between Ellie and John, Widow Brown suddenly smiled and took Ellie’s hand, patting it gently.

“Oh dearie, I was young once too and I know how it is. It’s always tight when you start out, but the days get better. My Abram was an enterprising one too, though not as strapping as your man here. I can let them go, all twelve, for two gold if you can manage it. On account of having been there myself.”

“Would you?”

Her eyes lighting up, Ellie beamed at the old woman, gripping her hands tightly.

“Of course. Two gold and they’re yours.”

Handing over the two gold, John took a look at the chicken coop and then all of the chickens in the yard.

“We need to catch them all,” Ellie said, starting to push up her sleeves.

“That’ll take too long,” John replied, snapping his fingers.

A jolt seemed to run through everyone, chicken and human alike, and everyone’s eyes turned to John’s fingers. Ellie, Ben, and Widow Brown shook the strange feeling a moment later, but the chickens did not. Darting toward him, they stood around his feet, staring up at his hand. Even Sigvald, the giant rooster, came stalking over, his beady eyes locked on to John’s fingers. With the chickens seemingly enthralled, it wasn’t hard for John to stuff them into the chicken coop. Widow Brown watched in slack-jawed amazement as John locked up the chicken coop and then picked it up, carrying it easily to the cart.

“Definitely not as brawny,” Widow Brown muttered under her breath, shaking her head with regret.

CHAPTER 27

“I never realized you were so good at acting,” John said quietly as he passed Ellie to climb up into the driver’s seat.

Rolling her eyes at him, Ellie put a sweet smile on her face and took the last block of cheese out of the bag. Carrying it over to Widow Brown, she gave it to her and, after saying goodbye, joined Ben and John in the cart. Ben had barely been able to squeeze into the back of the cart because of the large chicken coop, and as John drove out of the yard, the young boy found himself locked in a staring match with the massive rooster. Glancing over her shoulder, Ellie saw the situation and laughed.

“You can’t let him intimidate you, Ben. Otherwise, he’ll never leave you alone.”

“But what if he scratches me? Look at the size of his claws! They’re as long as my dagger.”

“Then he’ll end up as Christmas dinner,” John said, twisting around to look at the big bird.

It only took a second of matching gazes with John before the rooster seemed to understand he wasn’t someone to mess with. Surprisingly, he lowered his head and then blinked his beady eyes coyly at John, as if he was trying to act cute. Giving Sigvald a strange look, John turned around, shaking his head.

Great, I picked up another weird one.

“Ellie?”

“Yes, Ben?”

“What did Widow Brown mean when she said it would get easier later?”

A slight blush rose on Ellie’s cheeks at the question, but she hid it by looking out at the countryside that was passing them by. Composing her voice, she tried to keep her answer as light as possible.

“Oh, she just meant that when you’re raising chickens, or really doing anything, the hardest part is starting.”

“Oh, okay. I guess that’s true. Like when I learn to fight with my knife, the hardest part will be that I have to do more chores first. But once I do those chores, it will get easier because I get to do the fun part!”

“Yeah, uh, sort of like that.”

Enjoying listening to Ben and Ellie chat, John passed the trip back to the farm in silence. When they finally arrived, he looked around, but everything seemed normal, so he got the chicken coop out of the cart and put it down near the back of the house. He had been thinking about where he was going to put it and, after chatting with Ellie, finally decided on the back of the house by the garden. In order to teach the chickens that the farm was their new home, they had to keep them in a fenced area, but since they hadn’t fenced in the area behind the house yet, John would have to build one before they let the chickens out.

Surveying the back of the house, John marked out where he wanted to put his posts, and then, fetching his axe, he walked toward the woods. Along the way, Ben ambushed him and peppered him with ideas of extra chores he could help with, but John managed to pawn him off on his sister, claiming she was in charge of all the chores. Feeling a sense of relief as Ben finally ran off, John shook his head and walked into the forest.

It took him a while to find a tree that was thin enough for his fence post, but once he did, chopping it down only took a matter of minutes. With a loud crash, it fell to the ground, and after trimming the branches, John pulled it out of the forest and chopped it into six-foot sections. Heading back to the forest, he found a couple more trees he liked the look of, and soon he had his twelve fence posts. Six feet long and around eight inches wide, the fence posts were sharpened slightly at one end and trimmed of their bark.

Carrying the first one to the spot he had marked out, John looked around to make sure Ellie and Ben weren’t watching and sank it into the ground with a gentle push. Checking the height, he realized it wasn’t quite far enough in, so he put his hand on top of the post and pressed down until only four feet remained above the ground. Hearing a surprised squawk, he looked up and saw that Sigvald was standing on top of the coop, staring at him.

The giant rooster, who had somehow managed to get out of the chicken coop, seemed both shocked and intimidated by what it saw, though as soon as John crossed gazes with him, his head raised proudly in the air and he looked away. Laughing, John picked up the next post and walked to the next position, sinking it into the ground with a thrust. All of the posts went in easily, and soon the basic outline of the fence was ready. With all the posts in, it was time for John to put the rails and pickets together. The most time-consuming part of the process was cutting the material, but thanks to the plasma torch that extended from his finger, John was able to cut and trim the pieces as he worked.

It was midafternoon when he finished pushing the last nail into the final picket, and apart from having a slightly scorched look, he thought the fence looked great. Currently, the coop was sitting on the ground, so he lifted it up and added some posts to the bottom to raise it up a few feet. After double-checking to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, he opened up the chicken coop and let the slightly traumatized chickens out into their new home. Seeing Ben staggering by as he tried to carry a giant load of wash he had just pulled from the wash line, John called him over.

“Has your sister talked to you about caring for the chickens?”

“Yes! She says I have to collect the eggs and feed them.”

“Good. Let me know if you need help. And let me know if they run away.”

With the chicken fence finished, John put away the tools he had barely used and headed out to check the fields. It had been a few days, but thanks to the quality of the mana-rich soil, there were already tiny shoots starting to poke through the dirt. Looking over the rows of bright green shoots, John smiled. It was a marvelous sight. Five one-acre sections had been marked out and planted with corn so that John could try some different things, and heading to the first of the five sections, he crouched down.

Alright. Let’s try this. It’ll probably fail, but I’ve got time.

Placing his hand on the ground, he began to pull ambient mana out of the air and push it into the earth. Feeling the ground starting to heat up, he carefully controlled the temperature, allowing it to be slightly warmer than the surroundings but not letting it get hot enough to scorch the tiny seedlings. Once he had flooded the entire patch with mana, he moved on to the next section, repeating his action but increasing the amount of mana by one stage. Three more times, he injected mana into the ground, stepping up the amount of mana he pushed into the ground each time.

Standing up after he was done, he dusted his hands off and looked over the fields. The differences in the five sections were impossible to see with the naked eye, but to John’s eyes, they looked drastically different. The mana concentration in the last of the five one-acre sections was high enough that John was a bit concerned it would harm anyone who wandered into it. While it was not as bad as the mana-irradiated wastelands left on the battlefields by forbidden level spells, it was starting to approach that level of mana density.

Resolving to mention something to Ellie and Ben, John headed back to the house. There were still a few hours before dinner, so he wanted to start work on getting water into the cellar. Seeing that Ben was still running around helping his sister, John got out some paper and drew out the house and the cheese cellar. Marking the position of the well, he began to plan his excavation. Poking around under the sink in the kitchen showed that the well was using clay pipes, which John was not overly excited about since they were hard to tie into.

Metal pipes would be much better. Hmm. I wonder if there are any sources of ore around here? Otherwise, this is going to get really expensive. Hopefully, Gofreid was able to find me a forge.

Never one to do anything by half measures, John took a look at the bathroom as well, trying to figure out if it would fit a shower. Currently, there was a large tub they used for taking baths, but John wasn’t particularly happy with it. Soon one drawing had turned into two and then five, and it wasn’t long before John had over a dozen sketches that included everything from an addition to a complete water and septic system. By the time he was finished, night had come, and he sat at the table with the sketches spread out in front of him.

“Tea?”

“Thank you.”

Accepting the warm cup from Ellie, John took a sip of the scalding liquid, licking his lips as the bitter liquid traveled down his throat. Putting the cup down, he picked up one of the drawings and then glanced at the back wall of the kitchen. The house was currently shaped like a capital L, and he was considering whether it would be worth it to push it out, making it a square to add some more rooms. Ellie and Ben were sharing a room at the moment, and an addition would give them some space to stretch out.

Sitting down at the table with him, Ellie peeked at the drawings. John had been working on them for most of the afternoon, and she was curious what he was doing. Seeing the glance, John shuffled the papers together and slid them over in front of her.

“I’ve been thinking about expanding the farm.”

Slowly sifting through the sketches, Ellie glanced up at John, a slightly strange look on her face.

“That’s what the farmhouse will look like once it’s finished. See, we would be converting this window at the back of the kitchen into a doorway, extending the hallway all the way around the house, and then adding a room on this side. Oh, and extending the bathroom to add space for a shower and a sink.”

“Shower?”

“Ah, it’s where the water is carried up with a pipe and then pours out from the top.”

“Like a really tall hand pump?”

“Uh, sort of? It ends up like rain instead of a solid stream. Haha, it’s hard to explain,” John said, rubbing the back of his head. “The bathroom would also include a proper sink. I figured, if I’m redoing the plumbing for the cheese cellar anyway, I might as well put in a proper bathroom.”

“What would this extra room be used for?”

“Oh, that’s so that you wouldn’t have to share a room with Ben. It has to be inconvenient to share a room, even if he is your brother. I figured you would be more comfortable having your own space.”

Looking down at the drawing, Ellie could clearly see that the proposed room was nearly four times as big as the small room she was currently squeezed into. Slightly flustered, she didn’t know what to say, but thankfully, John seemed oblivious to her confusion and pointed to the next sketch.

“I also did another one with a second story, but that would pretty much be a complete rebuild. I realized that if we do end up getting help, we’ll probably need to arrange sleeping quarters for them. We could extend the house, or we could build a bunk house. I’m leaning toward a bunk house, since a full rebuild of the house would be really time consuming, but that would also mean running another set of pipes. What do you think?”

“Most of the time, workers sleep in the barns. The farm hands that Old Man Burrows employed slept in the barn that fell in,” Ellie said, pointing out the window at the barn John had repaired for a smokehouse.

“Alright, then they’ll be used to a bunkhouse. That reminds me, I want to see about getting a few more deer to make sure we have plenty of meat. I meant to check Ben’s deadfall. I better do that now.”

As John stood up, Ellie flipped through the last few sketches, stopping on one at the very back.

“What is this?”

“That’s an ice house. I thought it would be good to make sure we had ice, so I’m going to expand the cheese cellar to include an ice house.”

“Where are we going to get ice?” Ellie asked, her forehead furrowing. “The river moves too fast, even during the winter, and there are no lakes around here.”

“That’s okay, I have a trick for it that will get us plenty of ice.”

Nodding, Ellie put the sketches down, her expression still skeptical.

Seeing that John was about to leave, Ben stood up.

“Can I come?”

“Sure, grab some rope and make sure you have your dagger.”

Watching John and Ben until they disappeared in the darkness, Ellie let out a little sigh and looked down at the sketches on the table. It was becoming increasingly clear to her that John really did intend to transform the farm into his home. It had only been a couple months since he had arrived, and yet it was already almost completely transformed. She had never met someone who moved with the sheer force he possessed, yet no matter how swiftly he moved, the things he turned his hands to happened without fail.

Letting her finger trace the outline of the room he had sketched out in the addition, she felt her hand tremble. She had lived on the farm for almost five years now, but despite all her efforts to make it feel like a home for her and Ben, it had remained Old Man Burrows’ farm in her heart. Yet, in the few months since John had arrived, it had changed so much, and she was terrified to realize she was changing with it. For some reason she couldn’t quite pin down, John had taken her and Ben into his life, adopting them along with the farm as if they were part and parcel.

Now, looking at the changes he was proposing and hearing his offhand comment that she needed her own space, she felt like the walls built up around her heart were starting to crack. She had been living on the edge of a knife for as long as she could remember, always ready to abandon everything and flee with Ben if the danger grew too great, but the weight of John’s presence had allowed her, for the first time she could remember, to imagine a life without having to run. A small smile curled at the corner of her lips as she indulged in the fantasy of having a home, a real home, for the first time since her grandmother had died. Hearing an excited shout, that smile grew as Ben ran into the yard.

“Ellie! We got one! My trap got one!”

CHAPTER 28

“I don’t think we should build an extension to the house until after we build a bunk house,” Ellie said, looking across the table at John.

It was the next morning, and they were enjoying a breakfast of oatmeal and biscuits with butter and cream. Pausing as he reached for the bowl of blueberries Ellie had set out, John nodded.

“Okay. Why is that?”

“First, I’m fine sharing a room. And if we need to spread out, we can clear the storeroom. Second, I think there are more important things we need to do. You mentioned that you found some cows you might be able to get, which means we need to expand the barn first. But if we’re expanding the barn, we need a bunk house because we’ll need to hire a farm hand. Third, all of this is going to cost a lot. I think it would be better to wait until the farm has a stable income source before spending so much.”

Realizing there was some sense to what she was saying, John nodded.

“That’s fair. I forgot about expanding the barn last night. We’ll need to do that if we’re getting more cows. Speaking of, what would you say a fair price is for a cow? According to Sven, a farmer out at the edge of the valley is looking to get out quickly.”

“No more than five gold a head,” Ellie said after a moment of thought. “But if he wants to leave soon, I would say you could probably get him down to two with hard bargaining, or three without so much trouble.”

“You really think he would take half price for them?”

“It’s all a matter of time and place. Who else has the money to buy them? Not everyone has the capital resources you do, John. And anyone who does has no need for cows.”

“True. Alright, I’ll head over there today to see what he has, but before that, I’ll dress the deer and start it smoking.”

“Mr. Sutton! Mr. Sutton!”

Bursting through the door, Ben looked wild-eyed and restless, as if he had seen something that had shaken him to the core. Hurrying over, Ellie smoothed his wild hair and looked at him, concerned.

“Ben, calm down. What’s going on?”

Pushing her hand away, he completely ignored her and spoke to John, his voice breathless.

“It’s that rooster! Sigvald! It’s trying to fight Ferdie!”

Putting his spoon down slowly, John swiveled around in his seat and stared at Ben.

“He’s doing what?”

“Ferdie and Sigvald! They’re fighting out in the pasture!”

As soon as Ben’s voice faded, John heard a powerful bellow and an answering crow in the distance and stood up abruptly, his face grim.

“If either of those stupid animals…”

Letting his words trail off, he strode past Ellie and Ben and out of the door, leaving the brother and sister staring after him. Exchanging a glance with Ben, Ellie put down the towel she was holding and picked up her skirt. Despite running after John, neither Ellie nor Ben managed to catch up with him as they headed for the pasture, and by the time they arrived, he had already hopped the fence.

In the middle of the field stood Ferdie, his hooves spread wide and his head held low as he stared down at Sigvald. With less than a foot between them, the large bird was clearly annoyed that Ferdie wasn’t making way for him and had drawn himself up to his full height and spread out his powerful wings. The two animals faced each other in an uneasy standoff, neither willing to budge. Pawing the ground, Ferdie let out a snort, blasting air from his nose, only to be answered by a piercing chirp as Sigvald scratched a deep furrow in the grass. Just when it looked like they were going to come to blows, John arrived.

An ice-cold expression plastered across his face, he stomped over and grabbed Ferdie’s horn. Sensing John’s hand coming toward him, Sigvald tried to dodge away, but John was too fast and clamped on to the rooster’s wing with an iron grip. Slamming both creatures down into the dirt, John crouched down so his face was right next to theirs.

“Listen to me, you dumb animals. You both belong to me, and I am the absolute pinnacle of whatever pecking order is established on this farm. If either of you picks up so much as a scratch, you’ll have to account yourself to me. And if either of you inflicts so much as a scratch on the other I will cook and eat both of you. There will be absolutely no, and I repeat, no fighting. This is Ferdie’s pasture. The garden and pen behind the house is Sigvald’s. Everything else is common space. And all of it, every last inch, is mine. Do you understand me?”

Managing to somehow look hurt by John’s name-calling, Ferdie nodded his head frantically. Sigvald, on the other hand, tried to look away, but the increasing pressure on his wing refused to let him ignore John. Almost reluctantly, he nodded his head. Satisfied, John let go of the two animals and stood up. About to turn away, he remembered something else and pointed at Ellie and Ben, who were standing at the gate, staring at him.

“And they outrank both of you by a mile, so don’t cause trouble, okay?”

Turning around, he shook his head.

What a farce. Most powerful person in an entire fantasy world, and I’m reduced to bullying farm animals.

Seeing the concerned expression on Ellie’s face, John hopped over the fence and dusted off his hands.

“They’ll behave now.”

Hearing the certainty in his voice, Ellie gave him a doubtful look. He seemed to be able to work miracles on a regular basis, but declaring that two alpha animals were suddenly going to get along was a hard pill for her to swallow. Looking past John, she saw the two animals in question were still standing close to each other, but instead of staring each other down, they both looked dejected, almost as if they were finding solace in the other’s company.

“What did you say to them?” Ben asked, his eyes wide as he hung on the fence, staring at the two animals.

“I just told them who was boss,” John said, leaning against the fence and staring out at the pasture. “And that I would eat them if they fought.”

Out in the middle of the field, Ferdie caught John looking at him and hurriedly turned his head away, acting like he was upset with him. Ben’s eyes got even bigger, and he peeked at John’s impassive face. Shaking her head, Ellie just threw up her hands, abandoning any effort to understand what was going on.

“I have a kitchen to clean,” she said, calling out to her brother as she walked away. “Ben, have you checked for eggs yet?”

“Yes, there were two, but most of the hens didn’t lay anything,” Ben replied, jumping down and chasing after her.

“That’s normal; it might take them a few days before they start laying again.”

Listening to the conversation between Ben and Ellie while he watched Sigvald and Ferdie to make sure there wouldn’t be any trouble, John soon found himself alone.

I guess I better figure out what’s going on with the barn.

The cow barn was attached to the first pasture and had a considerable amount of room to expand, but John wasn’t sure he was skilled enough to make the extension work seamlessly with the existing building. Instead, he was thinking about building a second, larger barn on the other side of the stone tub where the milk was stored. Walking over to the barn, he ran his hand over it, trying to figure out how it was built. It looked like a simple frame building with thick boards for walls, but when he went inside, he realized that mud and hay had been used on the inside to keep it insulated.

The ceiling, like the roof of the house, was slate laid over wooden planks, creating a watertight seal. Unsure where he would find the slate for a new roof, John decided to get the cows first and then worry about the rest later. Walking back to the pasture, he whistled, and after a second, Ferdie came trotting over. Sensing the bull was still a bit hurt, John patted his head and then fed him a mana crystal.

No sooner had the crystal formed than Sigvald, who was studiously ignoring John, snapped his head around, his beady eyes fixed on the crystal in John’s hand. With a speed that would put an Olympic sprinter to shame, the rooster crossed the pasture, only stopping when the mana crystal vanished into Ferdie’s mouth. Seeing there was no hope of recovering that one, Sigvald looked at John, shaking his feathers to make himself look as pretty as possible.

What a stupid bird.

Despite his thoughts, John pulled mana into his palm, condensing it into another mana crystal. Holding it between his fingers, he showed it clearly to Sigvald as he spoke to both animals.

“I’m leaving. You know the drill. Keep the farm, and more importantly, Ellie and Ben, safe.”

Without another word, he tossed the mana crystal to Sigvald, who gobbled it out of the air with a lightning-fast strike. Crowing triumphantly, Sigvald spread his wings and flew up to one of the fence posts, posing there like he was the king of the farm. John and Ferdie shared a look, both rolling their eyes at the bird’s theatrics. After letting Ben and Ellie know he was heading out, John walked past the corn fields and left the farm, cutting through the woods toward the Keller farm.

Hmm. So, according to the book, corn takes sixty to ninety days on average, but I think the mana might be doing something to shorten that. Ellie said we should start to expect frost to start coming in a few months, so we should be able to harvest the corn before that happens. Even if we get an early frost, I think we’ll be okay. Once the corn comes out, it’ll be time for wheat to go in.

As he moved through the woods, John’s thoughts spun, thinking over the problems that faced him. Apart from things like improving the cheese cellar and building another barn, he still had to figure out how to make wheat that could grow anywhere. Already, the corn in the plot of land where he was testing the highest concentration of mana was beginning to show clear signs of mana poison. Though it was growing quickly, even touching it would likely start to corrode a normal person’s skin, and eating it was a sure recipe for death.

The problem is the corn is just storing the mana; it’s not actually processing it. I need to figure out a way to make plants that process the mana as a nutrient. I wonder how that flower works I picked up from the grimm? That seemed to transform the mana it stored into something that the plants could use when combined with the light. But I have no idea what it’s doing or how it’s doing it. Maybe if I had more of the research from the mage who wrote the journal. I wonder if they’re still alive?

A small group of buildings soon came into view as John arrived at the edge of the valley and walked out of the woods. Seeing a fenced-in pasture with almost two dozen dirty dairy cows, John frowned. It was clear from the complete disrepair of the buildings and the general lax feeling that whoever ran the farm had other things on their mind that took clear priority. Walking over to the field, John spent a bit of time looking at the cows and then headed for the house.

“Can I help you?”

As he was walking up onto the stoop to knock, a large-bellied man walked out of the barn.

“Are you Keller? I’m John Sutton.”

“Oh, you’re the one who took over the Burrows place, right? Are you here for the cows?”

“If you’re selling, I’m buying.”

“Great, great. Come on over and see them. Haha, I was worried no one in the valley would be interested. They’re fine animals, and it would be a shame for the wolves to get them,” Keller said, rubbing his hands on his dirty shirt and only succeeding in making them even dirtier. “Take a look. Like I said, fine animals. A bit dirty, but that’ll all come right off.”

“Hmm. They look a bit gaunt. What are you looking to get for them?”

Giving John a measuring glance, Keller leaned against the fence and made a show of thinking about the question.

“Well, I’d hate to see them dead for nothing, but, you know, cows in these parts are rare. Even harder to bring into the valley, you know?”

Waiting impassively, John just watched the cows milling listlessly around the pasture while Keller babbled on. Finally, his patience growing thin, John looked at the fat farmer.

“One gold coin per cow.”

“What?! Impossible! You and I both know these are the only other cows in the valley. Do you really think I’d sell them for one gold coin a piece?”

Holding up his hand as Farmer Keller protested vehemently, John spoke calmly, not a trace of emotion on his face.

“First, you’re leaving and cannot take them with you. You can, on the other hand, take twenty-three gold coins, which is more than enough for you to live for a few years. Second, they’re practically dead on their feet. I’m pretty sure most of them are diseased. If you sold them to anyone for meat, they would hunt you down and kill you, if they didn’t die first. Third, I’ll ensure you make it out of the valley safely.”

His face turning red as John listed his reasons, Keller was about to explode until John listed the last point. Seeing John staring at him evenly, the fat farmer’s face went white and his lips opened and closed like a fish as he tried to find the words to say. Looking at the cows and seeing what terrible shape they were in, Keller deflated and nodded weakly.

“Alright. I’ll take it. But you won’t get the deed for them until I’m out of the valley.”

“No problem, but you have to help me drive them to my farm first.”

“Okay, that’s fine. Let me get my stuff and we can go.”

CHAPTER 29

While Keller went to get his bags, John hopped the fence and went into the pasture, walking through the cows to examine them closer. Many of them had sores on their legs that had been left untreated, and it was clear from the blank looks in their eyes that they were completely dispirited. Frowning, John suppressed the impulse to throttle the fat farmer and began condensing mana crystals. Ever since he had started feeding them to Ferdie, he had realized the tremendous impact they had on animals. The six cows back on the farm had also been fed mana crystals a few times, and not only had their health improved, but they’d also yielded more milk.

John was guessing the same would hold true for these cows and started to feed them crystals, watching carefully for any signs of trouble. Instead, the cows perked right up, following him around, their eyes wide. As the rush of mana surged through them, they seemed to gain a liveliness that had been missing before, and by the time Keller came out, a giant bag strapped tightly to his back, all twenty-three cows were following John like a brood of ducklings.

Staring in shock as John opened the gate and led the cows out of the pasture, Keller didn’t know what to do and could only follow along behind the cows as they lumbered after John. The path he had taken through the woods was relatively flat, so John headed back the way he’d come, periodically summoning mana into his palms for the cows to lick. Since the cows moved much slower than he did, it took until a bit after dinner time for John and Farmer Keller to get the cows back to the farm, and by the time they got there, the cows were exhausted. Letting them into the pasture next to a very excited Ferdie, John grabbed some food for himself and Ellie and had Ben hitch up the horse to the cart.

“Are you running him into town?” Ellie asked, glancing at Keller, who was stuffing stew into his face.

“Actually, I’ll be escorting him out of the valley. The trip shouldn’t take more than a few hours, so I expect to be back before morning. There’s a caravan forming up on the other side of the pass, so after I drop him off there, I’ll head back.”

“Alright. Travel safely.”

“Yeah! Watch out for bandits!” Ben shouted, causing Keller to blanch.

Nodding seriously, John patted Ben on the head.

“I will. Have you been practicing what I taught you?”

Reaching for his waist, Ben grabbed the handle of his dagger and drew it in one smooth motion, at the same time jumping backward into a solid stance, the dagger held out in front of his body. Looking up excitedly, he blocked down and then up and to each side, each time returning to the central position.

“Good. Remember, fighting with a knife is one hundred percent about surviving. The same is true for fighting with any weapon, whether it’s a knife, a sword, a spear, or your fists. Goal number one is always to survive. Nothing else matters. You’re doing well. Tomorrow morning, I expect to see you up bright and early practicing before it’s time to milk. Four laps around the farm and then thirty defensive draws.”

“Yes, sir!” Ben said, his eyes glowing as he slid his dagger into its sheath.

“Keller, you ready to go?”

Shoving the last little bit of bread into his mouth, the fat farmer nodded, giving Ellie a smile to thank her for the food. Picking up his big bag that had never been more than a few inches from him since he left his house, Keller followed John out to the cart and climbed up into it.

“Let’s go.”

Looking back as they turned onto the road, John saw Ellie’s shadow still standing on the porch, staring after them. About to turn away, he saw another shadow and frowned, his eyes rising to the house’s roof. There, perched majestically in the moonlight, was Sigvald. Noticing John’s frown, Keller grew nervous.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hah, nothing,” John said, smiling wryly. “Everything is fine. It’ll take about two hours to get to the caravan’s camp. Oh, and we’ll be swinging by the town to see if anyone else needs a ride.”

By the time they left Fairford Village, it was nearly three hours later and the cart was absolutely bursting with people who were all planning on leaving the village with the caravan. Some of them were leaving for good, like Widow Brown and Farmer Keller. Others were taking a trip to the closest city and preferred to do so with the safety of a large group. John couldn’t blame them, since bandits had been rampant since the last war finished up.

That was one of the reasons he was so hesitant to get rid of Haver the Wolf King. Should the Wolf King ever disappear, the valley would undoubtedly be plagued by many other smaller groups of bandits. The fact that he’d seen the bandit leader and his lieutenants eating in town was a clear sign that he wasn’t the only one who knew this. Often, a large evil that was known was better than a thousand small evils in the shadows.

Grateful for John’s willingness to take everyone out of the valley in his cart, George came along with him, his crossbow held ready. Thankfully, there was no trouble to be found along the way, and they arrived at the caravan without incident. Dropping everyone off, John got out a sack of coins and carefully counted out twenty-three gold coins into Keller’s palm. Happy with the gold, Keller handed over the deed to the cattle with a nod. Folding it up, he put it in his pocket and had just started to climb into the cart when Keller called to him softly.

“Sutton. If you have another twenty-five gold, you can have the whole farm.”

“Twenty-five? A bit steep for a bunch of buildings that probably won’t last the winter.”

“Sure, but it comes with water rights to a spring coming out of the mountain there. There was a mine there, but the spring filled it right up, which is how I got it. It’s fresh, clean water, and if you have it, you can claim rights to all the land in between that can be used for grazing.”

Recalling one of the books he’d read on raising cattle and how grazing rights worked, John paused.

“You said there was a mine on the property? What kind of mine? Wouldn’t it ruin the spring?”

“It was iron, I think. But you don’t have to worry about it being poisoned. The spring comes out completely clear; just don’t drink the water that runs down into the mine shaft and you’ll be fine.”

“Is there still iron in the mine? Or is it tapped out?

“Oh, sure. There’s still tons of iron in there; it was just too expensive to get out with all that water flooding it. Actually, before I farmed on the property, I was the mine supervisor. Where do you think those cows come from? Yes, it was quite the mine back in the day. There was a smelter and everything—shame it’s all under water now. Of course, anything you can get out is yours. Only twenty-five gold for the lot of it. But if you’re not going to buy it, I’ll have to find someone in the city to take it off my hands.”

“You have the deed?”

“Yup, it’s right here.”

Staring at Keller for a moment, John tossed the bag of coins to him. Catching it, the fat farmer opened it up and counted exactly twenty-five shining gold coins. Grinning, he signed the farm’s deed over to John and nodded happily.

“Thanks for doing business.”

“You know, I think it’s good you’re heading to the city,” John said, a faint smile on his face as he put the deed away. “I think you’re in the wrong business. You should be a merchant or a shop keeper.”

“Haha, you know, I’ve heard that before. Thanks.”

Driving his cart back into the valley, John dropped George off and then headed for the farm, arriving early in the morning. Putting the horse away, he flicked a bean-sized mana crystal to Sigvald, who was still standing guard on the roof, and went to bed.

Despite the fact that he only got two hours of sleep, John was up before the sun the next morning to check on Ben’s practice and help with the milking. Most of the two dozen cows he had bought were in no shape to be milked, so he and Ellie spent some time after breakfast taking care of the sores on their legs. After feeding them more mana crystals, John needed to figure out how to build another barn. Thankfully, George had told him where he could find slate for the roof, so John was pretty confident he would be able to complete the whole thing by himself.

After checking the corn to see how it was growing and making some adjustments to the amount of mana in each of the five test plots, John headed for the woods and began chopping down thick trees and dragging them out to saw into logs. After shooing Sigvald away after the rooster strutted over to see what was going on, John quickly stockpiled a giant number of wooden planks, which he dried quickly. Adding a massive stack of trees with the branches trimmed off to the pile, John felt like he was ready to start.

Somewhere along the way, he had stopped caring if Ben or Ellie knew he was tremendously strong, figuring they would think it was part of his class, so the work progressed at an incredible rate. Notching the logs before he put them up, he didn’t even bother digging holes in the ground and instead just rammed them into the earth with pure force. After the ten posts were in the ground, he set up a log at an angle to one of the central posts and, gripping a cross beam, scrambled up.

Setting the cross beam in place across the width of the barn, he tapped it down and then grabbed another beam, placing it lengthwise down the side of the barn. With those two beams in place, it was easy enough for him to put the other beams in place, and soon the structure of the barn was almost done. It was easier for him to build the roof beam on the ground, so he did, attaching the angled poles on the ends of the beam and then carrying the entire thing up onto the top of the frame and lifting it into place. Once everything was fitted together, John went around with long dowels, sinking them into their places with a few taps of his palm.

Okay, so maybe being impossibly strong isn’t so bad. I mean, it’s not everyone who can raise a barn by themselves in an afternoon.

Standing back and admiring the structure for a few minutes, John had to admit he was pleased with his work. With the framing done, it was time to attach the planks to the sides, which John did rapidly, pushing the nails in with his fingers. By the time dinner rolled around, John had been working furiously all day and the barn was entirely finished, apart from the interior, the doors, and the slate roof.

Any normal person would have been utterly exhausted, but thanks to the mana that coursed through his body, John felt as fresh as a daisy. Once dinner was finished, he got one of the mana lamps and continued to work on the interior of the barn, building out stalls and making doors for the front and back entrance. Finishing around eleven o’clock, John was stunned to find that Ellie had left a cup of hot tea warming on the stove and some cut-up fruit out for him. Happily eating it all up, he went to bed, sleeping better than he had in a long time.

[-1 Doom Points.]

[The apocalypse retreats.]

Waking the next morning to some welcome news, John shook his head as he got ready for the day.

I better not get too excited. When has this world ever been this easy? The easier it is now, the worse it’ll be later. I really need to get that water to the cheese cellar. Something is coming, I can feel it in my bones.

Despite his prediction, the next few days passed peacefully as John and Ben took a trip to the slate shelf George had told them about between large bites of stew, breaking off big chunks of rock and carting them back to the farm to be turned into slate tiles for the roof. Once they had enough, John used a chisel and a bit of mana to chop them into the right size and shape while Ben helped him stack them. Then it was up to the roof with them and John began to put them in place, starting at the edge of the roof. Leaving a bit of an overhang to allow moisture to drip off without running down the wooden walls, he discreetly punched holes in the first slate and put it in place with a nail.

Heading down the line, he moved quickly, using nails to affix the slate tiles in a stepped, alternating pattern. Ben quickly tired of running slates up to the roof, but after Ellie brought out some juice for them, he got back to it, and on the evening of the second day, they had completely finished the barn. Removing the supports they were using as a ladder, they went to the pump to wash off the dirt from their hands and faces before heading in to dinner.

That’s the barn knocked off the list. That just leaves new plumbing, the bunk house, the addition to the main house, and finding someone to help with the milking. Maybe two people now that we have so many cows. But for now, it’s time to update the plumbing.

Without the availability of PVC piping or the facilities to create clay pipes, John was banking on the abandoned iron mine Keller had mentioned. He had been almost gleeful when he’d heard that the Keller Farm had once been an iron mine but had been careful to avoid showing it to Keller himself. The next day, after checking on the corn, he headed for his new property, making the trip in only twenty minutes thanks to his mana-enhanced legs.

The entrance to the mine had been boarded over, but John had no problem pulling the boards out. Needing no light, he advanced into the mine, quickly coming to the place where the tunnel began to slope down into the mountain. Seeing that the tunnel was filled with dirty, grimy water, John just shrugged and snapped his fingers, surrounding himself with a burning flame that was so hot, it evaporated any water that got close. As he walked forward, the water simply transformed into steam, flooding the passage behind him.

CHAPTER 30

The raging flames caused the toxic mine water to evaporate almost instantly, filling the mine tunnel with steam and harmful gas, yet John simply walked through them. His mana-reinforced body had long lost the need for mundane things like oxygen, and instead, he breathed in pure mana pulled from the air and the mountain around him. The magical flames that rolled around him were so hot that the toxic gas burned away completely, leaving nothing but evaporated water behind. Calmly walking forward, he boiled away the water, at the same time using his mana control to pull the heat from the air at the mine walls to prevent them from melting away.

Like the smoke from a volcano, the steam escaped out of the mine’s entrance, quickly rising into the sky in a thick cloud. Without caring for the scene he was causing, John pushed forward, his feet lifting from the ground as he rushed deeper into the mine. Within a few minutes, the water level had dropped considerably, revealing a passage that shot off to the side. Seeing the steam he was creating rush in that direction, John knew there was some sort of passage to the surface that must have been filled with water.

Guessing that the passage led to the smelter Keller had spoken of, he pulled the flames in and walked that way, soon arriving at a large room with a massive pile of partially rusted tools and a hulking stone furnace with a smelter on top of it. A tall chimney had been drilled into the rock for the smoke from the smelter, and John could still see water dripping from it. With a thought, the heat in the room increased, sending a dry wind spinning, and a few minutes later, the room was dry.

Thanks to the light from his flames, the entire room was well lit, and John had no problem examining the things that had been abandoned when the mine flooded. Piles of metal ingots were scattered around the room, obviously disturbed from their places when the water had originally rushed into the mine. Picking up a piece of pig iron, he snapped it in half, examining it carefully. Despite a layer of rust on the outside of the iron, the interior was perfectly fine and would suit his needs perfectly.

He had spent enough time around the nation’s weapon manufacturing while he was in the army that he understood the process for making steel, so he wasn’t concerned about being able to use the pig iron. Rather than clean out the whole mine, John went back and continued to burn through the water until he found another passage. Heading in, he found huge piles of pig iron and happily moved them into the smelting room. Once he had moved everything that could be moved, he came back out into the main passage and snapped his fingers, creating a large fireball.

With another snap, it thinned out, transforming into a sword. Using his fingers to control it, he dug out the top of the passage, completely caving it in. Once he was sure it would be practically impossible to clear, he went back to the smelter room, continuing to fill the passage in until the smelter room was completely cut off. With the passage filled in, the only path to the surface was the small chimney, but a few minutes of work turned that into a passageway that was more than big enough for his body to fit through.

Close to sixty feet long, the passageway went straight up, emerging on a sloped part of the mountain behind some large rocks. Pleased with his new entrance, John found another large rock he could set over the opening to prevent animals or people from wandering in and falling to their deaths. Heading down to the forest, John knocked down a couple trees and brought them back up the mountain, dropping them down the passage. Flying back down, he landed in the smelter room and arranged his material.

Picking up the pig iron, he tossed it into the smelter and placed his hands on it, channeling mana into it. Within thirty seconds, the interior of the smelter turned a bright orange and the pig iron melted completely. Breaking off a piece of the tree, John held it over the smelter, transforming it into charcoal, which he ground up and spread over the puddle of iron.

Reason number two that it isn’t so bad to be a living flame.

Reaching into the smelter, he grabbed the puddle, bending and massaging it so it mixed together. Repeating the process a couple of times, he pulled the puddle out of the smelter and began to pull the heat from it, transferring it back to the smelter. As the metal hardened, he shaped it with his hands, turning it into a long bar around two inches in diameter. While it finished cooling, he began to work on the next bit of iron, transforming it into a thin, flat sheet that was around six inches wide and six feet long.

Laying the sheet down, he placed the rod in the middle and sent a surge of mana down it, causing the thin sheet to heat up. Bending the sheet around the metal bar, he made sure it was properly aligned and then, after pulling the rod out, melted the edges of the sheet together, sealing the pipe shut. Pleased with the final result, John began creating piece after piece until he had a massive pile of pipes of various sizes and shapes. Time passed seamlessly as he smelted and created until he had transformed nearly half of the raw iron into pipes. Grinning, he started carrying them up to the surface, piling them up in Keller’s old kitchen to keep the water off of them while he went to get the cart.

Once he had moved everything and put the large boulder back, he took off for the farm, carrying a large stack of pipes he had bound together, soon arriving at the corn fields. Walking past the corn, he checked it out and was surprised to see the mana level was much lower than he expected. Frowning, he poured mana into the soil to get it back to the proper levels and then went back to the house. As he rounded the corner, he was startled to see a whole crowd of people standing in the yard, clumped into a small group around a familiar-looking cart. Despite their agitation, it was clear they were loath to step out due to Sigvald, who was stalking majestically back and forth between where they stood and the porch. Hearing a happy snort, John looked over and saw Ferdie on the opposite side of the cart, trapping the people neatly.

“John!”

“Mr. Sutton!”

“Your em… Mr. Sutton!”

Seeming strangely happy that John was back, Ellie ran over, reaching out to grab his sleeve. Realizing what she was doing just as her fingers touched his arm, she jerked her hand back and grabbed her skirt tightly.

“I… I’m glad you’re back.”

Not even remotely as composed as Ellie, Ben ran over and glared at him, an accusing look in the little boy’s eyes.

“Mr. Sutton! Where have you been?!”

“What do you mean? I just went to the Keller Farm. I told you I bought it, didn’t I?”

“But why were you gone for two days?”

“Two days? Wait, what day is it? Was I really gone for two days?”

Ellie nodded mutely, putting her hand over Ben’s mouth. Stunned, John’s mind spun. Down in the darkness of the smelting room, the only light had been the light of his flames, and the passage of time had melted away as he created steel and bent it into pipes. Now that he thought about it, there was no way, no matter how skilled he was, that it would have been possible to create as many pipes as he had created in only a single day. Letting out a sigh, he rubbed his forehead.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to leave for that long.”

“You’re back. That’s what matters,” Ellie said. “And just in time.”

Taking a step back and pulling her brother with her, she gestured to the cart that was in the yard and the people trapped by Ferdie and Sigvald.

“Gofreid and Mr. Halden have just arrived. But the animals don’t seem to welcome them.”

“I can see that,” John said, laughing. Walking out into the yard, he called the two animals. “Sigvald, Ferdie, that’s enough.”

Mooing happily, Ferdie trotted over to him, nuzzling him in the chest as he asked for his reward. Sigvald was slower, leveling a long, arrogant look at the people by the cart before he strutted over to John. Rewarding both of them with a small mana crystal, John patted Ferdie on the side. Wiggling his butt, the bull snorted at Sigvald, who jumped up on his back, balancing on his wide shoulders. Together they trotted off to the pasture to revel in their victory, leaving John facepalming behind them.

“Ah, Mr. Sutton, it’s so wonderful to see you again,” Gofreid said when he saw the coast was clear.

Striding forward, he gave John a flourishing bow. Tipping his hat to Ellie, who was still standing on the porch, he let out a light laugh.

“Your animals are quite unique. I’m afraid they didn’t like my men overly much.”

Looking past Gofreid, John saw one of the merchant’s men bore a large gash on his arm from where Sigvald had slashed him. Noticing John’s frown, Gofreid smiled and waved his hand.

“Please, don’t worry about it, Mr. Sutton. It’s our fault for not observing the proper etiquette on your farm. Believe me, we’re just grateful he was left with an arm. Sigvald? Is that the rooster’s name? Sigvald is an impressive bird.”

Giving Gofreid a long look, John nodded.

“Mm. Come on in.”

“Thank you, thank you. Oh, Jeremy, Vorl, please get the gifts we brought.”

As Gofreid followed John, Ellie, and Ben into the farmhouse, two of the muscular men standing next to the cart grabbed a heavy chest and carried it inside. Placing it down, one of them unlocked it with a key he carried on his neck and then gave the key to Gofreid, stepping outside to join his companion. Flipping the lid open, Gofreid began to pull things from the chest, placing them on the table.

“Hold on,” John said, his brow furrowing. “If it wasn’t on the list, we’re not going to buy it.”

“Buy? Oh, no, no, sir. These are all gifts. Think of it as a little token of my esteem for your being willing to trust me with your partnership. Look, some heavy wool coats with a cotton lining. Great for winter. This one is for the lady, cut in the latest fashion from the capital but without the unnecessary ornamentation. Of course, there is still a silver brooch, as is the fashion, but I’ve pinned it inside the collar, here. And for the young master, a short coat to keep you warm while giving you the freedom to run.”

Never having been called anything even approaching “young master” in his life, Ben had no idea how to respond and just stared at Gofreid blankly. Ellie didn’t seem to care what she was called, but it was clear from the way her fingers lingered on the tightly woven wool that she was completely enchanted. Realizing suddenly that the room had fallen silent and everyone was looking at her, her hand withdrew and she took a small step back, dropping her head. Sensing the atmosphere was growing slightly strained, Gofreid smiled and looked at John.

“I hope I am not imposing on you in this way; this really is just a very small token of my happiness. I predict that once your wares reach the market, you’ll rapidly become so wealthy that trinkets such as these will mean nothing to you. You might even say that this is simply my way of buying your favor ahead of our business partnership.”

While Gofreid prattled on, John’s eyes drifted to Ellie, who had grabbed ahold of Ben to keep him from trying on the coat. Despite her outward lack of care, John had not mistaken the desire in her eyes when she had touched the smartly cut coat. Glancing at the chest, he realized that most of the things in it were for a woman and suddenly smiled.

What a sly dog. He isn’t the master of a caravan for nothing. I clearly picked the right person.

Reaching out, John picked up the coat Gofreid had brought for him and felt the smooth wool. It was cut in the style of a military coat with a nicely sized collar and two rows of brass buttons. Opening it up, he saw that it had a few interior pockets and a built-in sheath for a dagger on both sides. Recognizing the design that he’d used throughout his military career, his smile grew slightly. Gofreid had obviously done his research.

“This is really nice. Thank you.”

Gofreid let out a silent cheer as John accepted the coat. Despite his smile and easy composure, his entire back was drenched in a cold sweat. For a moment, he’d thought he’d judged wrongly and that he was going to die a fiery, painful death. Thankfully, John, who obviously did not care about the gifts at all, was happy to accept a gift if it would make Ellie comfortable accepting something as well. Choking back the tears of happiness at his new lease on life, Gofreid began unloading everything else from the box and introducing it.

Like John had suspected, almost all of the gifts were for Ellie, with only a set of books for him and a little wrist-mounted crossbow for Ben. The rest of the items that came out of the chest were high-quality pots and pans, a set of chef’s knives, scarves, two dresses, and three bolts of high-quality cloth. Besides the silver brooch that was attached to her coat already, there were also a pair of silver earrings to replace the plain studs Ellie wore, a few fashion catalogs complete with dress patterns, a high-quality sewing kit, and a pair of cute leather boots that happened to be Ellie’s perfect size. Once all of the gifts had been given out, John stood up and nodded to Gofreid.

“Thank you. Your gifts are appreciated. But don’t think they’ll mean you can squeeze more profit out of us when it comes to the cheese business.”

Feeling a light tug on his sleeve, he looked down and saw that Ellie was holding on to the earrings, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Alright, so maybe you can squeeze a little bit.”

CHAPTER 31

The day was almost done by the time John, Ellie, and Gofreid finally finished discussing their partnership. The merchant had brought a considerable amount of supplies for John and Ellie, including a press for adding a design to the top of the cheese, a large supply of wax and cheese cloth, and many of the tools that cheese shops in the city used. For the most part, John simply stood silently while Ellie and Gofreid negotiated, but eventually, he couldn’t stand another moment of it and rudely interrupted the conversation to lay down some guidelines.

Far from trying to take advantage of one another, both Ellie and Gofreid seemed to give the other person as good a deal as they could, leading to a hilariously frustrating discussion where each of them argued for the other’s side. Breaking into the conversation while Gofreid was expounding the virtue of hard work and simple country living, John slammed his palm on the table.

“You sell the cheese for one gold a wheel or more as the market allows. We get the profit from three of every five units sold. We bear the cost of production, you bear the cost of distribution. We’ll buy our supplies from you at market price. That’s it. End of discussion.”

Doing a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn in a single second, Gofreid completely changed tack, nodding seriously along with John’s statement and carefully writing it down.

“A fair deal, a fair deal.”

Pouting, Ellie gave Gofreid an annoyed look.

“I just suggested that and you said the value of our labor was too low.”

Putting his hand in front of Ellie’s eyes to block her stare, John shook his head.

“Enough, enough. I don’t want to be here all night.”

Giggling, Ellie jumped up and gave Gofreid a little bow.

“Will you stay for dinner?”

“Hm? Dinner? That sounds wonderful,” Gofreid said, hesitating just long enough to glance at John. Seeing his short nod, the merchant smiled widely and continued smoothly, “I would be delighted to.”

“Not your muscle. We don’t have enough food for them. Or Halden.”

Standing up, Gofreid continued to speak to Ellie, pretending John had never said anything at all.

“However, my men have some business back at the village. Village leader Halden as well, I’m sure. So I’ll have to give my thanks on their behalf. Please excuse me for a moment as I give them some instructions.”

Watching Gofreid step out the door, John played idly with the blank stamp the merchant had brought. The deal they had worked out was massively in their favor, and while John understood why Gofreid was trying to give away all his profit, it still bothered him. John had no desire to take advantage of anyone, and when people like Gofreid were actively working to give him as many benefits as they could, it got under his skin.

“Did I do badly?”

Hearing Ellie’s quiet question, John shook his head and stood up, walking over to the stove to help her light the pot.

“No, you did perfectly fine. Gofreid is a shrewd merchant and won’t do anything that will damage his interests in the long term. He’s probably just seen the potential in a partnership with us, so he’s doing his best to establish himself in our good graces.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ellie began to get potatoes out for John to wash.

“Oh, good. That’s what I thought. The more we gave up, the more nervous he got, so I thought it was a good idea to maintain some distance.”

“Shrewd.”

Looking quite pleased, Ellie began to chop the vegetables.

“Thank you.”

Hearing the door open, John glanced over his shoulder and saw Ben coming in, a box of eggs in his hands. Through the open door, John could see the merchant’s men climbing into the cart. Strangely, Halden was nowhere to be found.

“Look, I got a lot of eggs!”

“You can put them there on the counter. Put the cloth over them. We’ll fry them up tomorrow.”

Placing the peeled potato on the counter next to Ellie, John picked up another and began removing the peel, sending the scraps flying perfectly into the trash. Flipping the potato around, he trimmed the ends and placed it next to the other one. As he peeled the potatoes, Ellie began the broth, adding some chunks of the dried venison they had stored. The kitchen was warm and cozy and there was something calming about the bustle of cooking dinner, allowing John to put away the countless thoughts swirling through his head.

After dinner, Gofreid said his goodbyes and rode back to Fairford on the horse that had been left behind for him, and John began to bring the pipes he’d made over from the Keller Farm. He had been intending to take the cart over to pick everything up in one trip, but there was no clear path between the farms without going across half of the valley. Instead, he just carried everything back, taking a dozen trips before midnight. With everything moved over and all evidence of the new entrance to the smelter room hidden, John washed up and went to bed.

Waking up the next morning, he lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his status windows hovering in front of his eyes.

Name: John Sutton

Age: 27

Class: Mage

Spells: 1

Active Quests: None

Skill List: [Mana Breath: 00], [Arcane Tongue: 00], [Mana Control: 00], [Mana Reinforcement: 00]

Skill Points: 33

Spell List: [Fireball (Basic)]

Quest List: [Prevent the Apocalypse], [Grow Wheat]

Doom Points: 72/100

There were no real changes apart from a single point decrease in his Doom Points, but to John, that was already a tremendous win. Ever since the war had ended, his Doom Points had climbed rapidly, so seeing them decrease, even by a single point, was a tremendous relief. Letting out a sigh, he got up. Doom Points increased when he used his powers, and specifically when he used his power on other people. At the same time, they seemed to decrease as he lived a normal life.

I still don’t know what exactly decreases my Doom Points, but as long as I keep going, I should be able to figure it out.

The sun had not yet risen, so John went out to tend to the cows, feeding them mana crystals and checking their sores. It had only been a few days, but already the cows were in noticeably better shape. The mana John had been feeding them had not only healed their wounds but had also filled them out, returning a shine to their hair and a gleam to their eyes. Already trained that John was the source of the mana crystals, they all followed him around wherever he walked, making it easy for him to lead them into the barn. Joining him, Ellie patted one of the cows on the neck, fending off its attempt to eat her apron.

“They’re looking great. I expected it would take much longer for them to heal.”

“We have better grass,” John said, his face as calm as a thousand-year-old well.

“We do,” Ellie agreed, her face just as neutral. “But we’re also short on hands. There is no way that the three of us can milk all twenty-nine cows. It’s nice that we expanded our herd, but it’ll be a waste if we can’t milk them.”

“I guess I better go find some help,” John said with a sigh. “I feel like I just got back to the farm and now I’m leaving again.”

“Just wait for Gofreid to come back. I’m sure he’ll be back today. He wants to be useful, so let him.”

Glancing at Ellie, John hid the smile that popped onto his face. At first blush, Ellie appeared to be a typical hard-working farm girl, but every once in a while, it was clear she had once been something entirely different. Her level of comfort with ordering people around and the way she used innocent charm to get what she wanted was the mark of someone who had been raised in the social intrigue of the noble circles. Part of him was curious about her past, but considering that she hadn’t said anything, John felt that it be impolite to dig into it.

Besides, I have my own things to hide. Which of us doesn’t have secrets?

“Alright, that’s a good idea. I’ll ask him when he comes.”

Helping Ellie and Ben with the milking, John fed the other animals and then started the first batch of cheese while Ellie got breakfast ready. Then, once he had eaten, John grabbed his shovel and went down into the cheese cellar. While Ellie was cleaning up the dishes, he cut a hole in the stone wall with his finger and summoned a fireball. Using it to burn through the earth, he melted a tunnel through the ground and then quickly pulled the heat out of it to create a long, hardened tube. Continuing to tunnel through the earth, he occasionally poked a stick up through the ground, using it to mark his progress as he dug to the house.

Once he was under the house, he continued to the kitchen, abandoning the fireball for a shovel as he got closer to avoid destroying the clay pipe. Working the dirt out with his shovel, he soon found the pipes and cleared a nice space around them. Backtracking, he turned and dug another tunnel under the bathroom, being careful as he broke into the cesspit under the toilet.

Ugh, gross. No wonder the bathroom always smells. We’re not keeping this.

If there hadn’t been a house above him, John would have just burned it all up, but lighting up a fire above a cesspit would produce a large enough explosion to level the house completely. Instead, he backed up and began to dig down with his shovel, rapidly filling the hole leading into the cesspit. Once that area was blocked off, he cast his only spell with a snap of his fingers, summoning a blue fireball that burned through the ground like a block of hot steel falling through a snow drift.

After digging down for six minutes, he started widening the tunnel, creating a large cavern with flame-hardened walls. Standing in the middle of the cavern, he thought about it for a moment and then, snapping again, summoned seven more fireballs. After he had tripled the size of the cavern, he nodded to himself and shot up through the earth, quickly returning to the cesspool. Using his shovel, he dug through the ground, cutting a path so that the cesspool could empty into the giant cavern that was deep underground.

While the cesspool drained, John headed back up to the surface and dug another path out to the place where he would be building the bunk house. After that, it was time to start running the pipes. The hardest part was rerouting the old clay pipes from the well and tying them into the new steel pipes. Because there was no pump in the well, pressure had to be generated by pumping wherever the water was supposed to come out, but by installing the pressure tank that he’d ordered from Gofreid, John was able to ensure that that entire system kept enough pressure to keep pulling water from the well.

There was also a large, copper heating tank that had a spot for a fire at the bottom that John put next to the pressure tank, running a second set of lines to the kitchen and the bathroom. Thicker pipes were run from the bathroom and kitchen to the new cesspit, but after realizing he had way more pipes than he needed, John laid the pipes needed for another bathroom in the bunk house and one more in the cheese cellar.

By the time he’d finished putting all the pipes out, it was well into the afternoon and he was filthy. Taking a quick bath, he walked down to the cheese cellar, where Ellie was showing Gofreid the cheese they were aging.

“Tremendous. Tremendous. Completely amazing that something like that even works. Oh, Mr. Sutton, I was just admiring your setup. I’m excited to try your aged cheese when it’s finally ready.”

“It’ll be delicious. But before that. Has Ellie mentioned we need more hands? Got anyone you can recommend? They need to be steady, quiet, and good at milking. We pay a fair wage.”

Freezing, Gofreid almost looked like he was about to volunteer himself, but at the last moment, he relaxed and nodded.

“As a matter of fact, one of my men just expressed how inspired he was by your farm. He was telling me that he intends to settle down and live a simple agrarian life. If you give me a minute, I can go and let him know.”

Stopping Ellie, who was going to follow Gofreid out of the cellar, John shook his head.

“He needs time to remember which of his men it was. Here, let me show you how this will work. I still need to put in all the fixtures, but the pipes are in place and the system is primed.”

After some thought, John had created a separate room for the water system to avoid heating up the cellar too much. Though it didn’t have a door yet, it was set far enough from the cheese storage that it wouldn’t ruin the cheese.

“Is that for heating the water?” Ellie asked, her eyes going wide as she saw the copper tank.

“Yup. Warn Ben not to touch it when it’s hot. I’ve run pipes for hot water and for cold water, as well as for sewage.”

“Sewage?”

“Ah. Waste. Anything that goes down the sink or the toilet or the shower will end up in the new cesspit I dug.”

“You dug a new cesspit?”

Looking at the tank system, John didn’t see how wide Ellie’s eyes got.

“Yeah. The other one was too small. This is a new pump system I had Gofreid pick up for me. I heard all the nobles are using them now. Well, the king at least. Like the mana lamps, it runs on mana stones, so it will last for a long time. I wanted to get a heater that worked on a mana stone as well, but apparently, he couldn’t find one. He said he’d keep an eye out.”

Biting her lip, Ellie nodded.

“Alright. That’s the system. If you need to shut it off, just flip this switch. It’ll kill the whole system. I think that’s everything. Let’s go see if Gofreid managed to remember which of his men is volunteering to stay with us.”

CHAPTER 32

Outside, Gofreid was standing by the cart that he’d brought John’s goods in, a short but powerfully built middle-aged man standing next to him. Brown hair and brown eyes set in a nondescript face would have made the man impossible to pick out of a crowd if there had been a crowd around, and even still, Ellie could honestly not remember having ever seen him before. He wore a plain cotton shirt with a tan vest and brown breeches, looking like any villager that might have wandered out of Fairford Village. The only odd thing that caught her attention was the long black glove on his left hand, but otherwise, Ellie couldn’t see anything special about him. Blinking at the middle-aged man, Ellie looked back at Gofreid, wondering if this was the man the merchant was going to recommend.

John, on the other hand, had a completely different reaction. If glaciers had faces, none of them would have been as cold as the expression that flashed across his face. Perfect mana control meant no one sensed the spike in his killing intent, but that didn’t stop the middle-aged man from raising his eyes to meet John’s briefly. Controlling himself, John forced his expression back to normal, but he could feel the anger building in his chest.

“This is Thomas Little. He came highly recommended, but he was just telling me on the way over here how much he was looking forward to settling down. He was mentioning that the valley really reminds him of his home where he grew up. If I could be so bold, maybe I could recommend him to help you on your farm? I’d hate to let him go, but I’m sure he would be a great asset to you.”

Glancing at the middle-aged man again, Ellie’s forehead wrinkled and she looked at John. His expression having returned to its normal, neutral state, John nodded.

“Sure. Since Thomas has come, there’s no reason for him to leave. I’m afraid he’ll have to stay in the barn for now, as I haven’t finished the bunk house. And the pay isn’t very good, so if that’s going to be a problem, then maybe he’ll have better luck in town. I know there are a lot of farmers leaving the valley these days.”

Remembering that John had said the pay was generous when they were down in the cellar, Ellie blinked and Gofreid faltered, but Thomas just stepped forward and bowed, speaking in a soft voice.

“Thank you, that will be fine.”

“Hmm. Do you even know how to farm?”

“Yes, sir. I grew up on a small farm. My family kept goats.”

“Then you can stay. Come on, I’ll show you the barn.”

Nodding to Gofreid, John turned and walked off, not bothering to see if Thomas was following him. The middle-aged man bowed to Ellie and followed, carrying a small bag over his shoulder. Watching them leave, Ellie looked at Gofreid, her brow still furrowed, but only got a shrug in return.

Walking into the larger of the two barns, John turned around and waited for Thomas to appear, his eyes frostier than the wind over a frozen lake. The middle-aged man walked in, gently closing the door behind him. With the same unhurried gait, he put down his bag and kneeled down, stretching out his arms with his palms up. Pressing his head to the ground, he remained there as the seconds ticked by, completely silent.

“Get up and stop it with that stupid bow. You look ridiculous.”

Carefully getting to his knees, Thomas kept his head bowed, not even looking at John’s shoes.

“All hail the Eternal Flame.”

Though his voice was still quiet, it was impossible to miss the fervor that hid behind it.

“Does the Ecclesia know I’m here? Because if so, a lot of people are going to die, starting with you and that blasted merchant.”

“No, Your Eminence. I recognized the cheese Gofreid carried. You’re the only one I know who has ever possessed that cheese, so when I saw it, I thought he might have been in contact with you.”

Letting out a bitter sigh, John shook his head.

“Is there anyone else who would know that? Is selling it going to bring the entire Ecclesia down on my farm?”

“No, Your Eminence, besides your holy self and me, the empress is the only other one who might recognize it. Everyone else is dead.”

“Katrine? That’s fine. What about Gofreid? Do I have to kill him?”

“No, Your Eminence, not unless you wish. He doesn’t know who I am.”

“How many times have I told you to call me John?”

“Countless, Your Eminence.”

“And yet?”

“You are the Eternal Flame, Your Eminence. I cannot.”

Silence fell over the barn as John stared down at Thomas, his gaze wandering to his gloved hand. After almost a full minute, John shook his head.

“Fine. Here’s how we do this. You can stay and call me Mr. Sutton or sir, or you can just disappear.”

For the first time since he had entered the barn, Thomas looked up, his clear, clean gaze gaining a little warmth despite the fact he knew there was a fireball right behind his head.

“Yes, sir.”

Grumbling, John waved his hand and the blue fireball that had appeared behind Thomas vanished.

“Get up and stop acting like a fool. How’s your arm? Did they finally finish it?”

“Yes, sir,” Thomas said, standing and rolling up his sleeve.

The glove on his left hand was so long, it covered his entire forearm and buckled above his elbow. Unclipping his glove, he slipped it off, revealing that from his elbow down to the tip of his fingers his arm was made from gleaming silver metal carved with all sorts of arcane symbols. Three mana stones were embedded in the underside of his forearm, giving off a feeling of subdued power. Reaching out to touch the arm, John examined it carefully and finally nodded.

“Are you going to be able to milk a cow with this thing? I don’t want you accidentally exploding my cow’s udders because you can’t control your strength.”

“Thank you, sir, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

“Yeah, whatever. Oh, be careful of the bull and rooster; they may try to pick a fight.”

“Pardon, sir?”

Ignoring Thomas’ question, John left the barn, slamming the door behind him. Grumpy, he went to get the pieces he had put together for the shower and the new sink and carried them into the house. Sensing he wasn’t in a good mood, Ellie stayed quiet while John banged about in the bathroom. By the time he finished, dinner time had passed, but Ellie just kept the food warm while she and Ben waited. Having vented his emotions on the plumbing, John came out of the bathroom, a slightly sheepish expression on his face.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to delay dinner. Next time, just tell me.”

“Should I get Mr. Little?” Ben asked, his eyes straying to the soup on the stove.

“I’ll get him.”

Walking out of the kitchen while Ellie carried the food over, John made his way to the barn and opened the door, sticking his head in. Seeing Thomas sitting on a bale of hay chewing on a loaf of hard bread, John frowned.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and get in the house. It’s dinner time.”

Jumping up, Thomas started to raise his hand to salute but caught the death glare John was giving him and let his hand fall. By the time John had put his tools away and washed up at the pump, Ellie, Ben, and Thomas were all sitting at the table waiting for him. Once he was sitting down, Ellie served up the food and the four of them began to eat in silence. Halfway through dinner, John couldn’t stand it anymore and slammed his spoon down on the table, causing Ben and Ellie to jump. Thomas just kept eating calmly.

“Ellie.” John paused slightly as if unsure how to continue. “This is Thomas Little. He was in my unit while I was in the military.”

When John fell silent and picked up his spoon, Thomas let out a sigh and pushed back his chair. Standing up, he bowed to Ellie and Ben and then took his seat again.

“More specifically, I was your adjutant, sir.”

“Adjutant?” Ellie asked, looking at Thomas. “You were an officer?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, please, call me Ellie.”

Eyes narrowing, John pointed his spoon at Thomas’ nose.

“He won’t. If you don’t watch him, he’ll start calling you ‘my lady’ and other annoying stuff like that.”

Ignoring the spoon, Thomas looked at Ellie calmly and shook his head.

“My apologies, ma’am. That wouldn’t be proper.”

“Oh, look at that, a proper gentleman,” John sneered. “Remind me again why I let you stay on this farm.”

“Because I saved your life,” Thomas said calmly, licking his spoon clean. Helping himself to more soup, he blew on it and then added, “Three times.”

Bursting into laughter, Ellie gave Thomas a thick slice of bread and pushed the butter over to him while John glowered into his soup. Seeing the abashed look on John’s face, Ellie had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing again. Instead, she turned to Thomas.

“Then that means you’ve known John for a long time.”

“That’s correct, ma’am. Ever since his em… since he made second lieutenant. That’d be, what? Seven years ago now?”

“Eight,” John corrected, his voice sullen.

“Eight, then. I was with him until the day he left. Our unit was disbanded after the war, and that was the last time I saw him.”

“Oh, then how fortunate you managed to come to the valley,” Ellie said.

“How fortuitous indeed.”

Ignoring John’s mutters, Ellie smiled at Thomas.

“You said you grew up on a farm, right?”

“Yes, ma’am, though it was only a small family affair. Nothing like this farm. But I know how to milk and muck and I’m good with animals. I’ve done my share of plowing and harvesting on the neighbor’s farm and I’m handy.”

“Well, aren’t you just good at everything,” John sneered. “Maybe you should just start your own farm.”

“Oh, hush,” Ellie said. “We’re very happy to have someone as skilled as Mr. Little.”

Thomas’ face paled as he heard Ellie scolding John, but to his surprise, John just gave him a begrudging look and admitted defeat.

“Fine. You’re right. He’ll undoubtedly be a big help.”

Thomas hadn’t served in the military for twenty-five years without developing a keen eye for sensing which way the wind was blowing. Hearing John give in without a fight, Thomas, like Gofreid before him, instantly knew what he had to do.

“Please, ma’am, call me Thomas.”

The entire meal Ben had been staring at Thomas, a burning question on his lips. Every time there was a lull in the conversation, he’d wanted to ask, but before he could work up a good way to bring it up, the conversation had moved on. Finally, unable to wait any longer, he just blurted it out.

“Are you a class holder?”

Surprised, Thomas’ eyebrows rose and he glanced at John. Sensing that Thomas didn’t know if he should answer the question, Ben continued.

“Because Mr. Sutton is a Knight, and if you were an officer, then you probably were too, right?”

“A Knight?”

“Yeah. I’m a Knight. A Royal Knight.”

Ellie, not missing the look the two men exchanged, lowered her head and took a bite of her bread.

“Ah, yes, well, I am a class holder. I’m a Duelist.”

“Duelist?” Ben’s eyes grew wide. “What sorts of weapons do you use?”

“I use a sword and dagger,” Thomas said after a slight hesitation.

“Ben, I don’t think it’s polite to ask someone about their class,” Ellie said, having picked up on Thomas’ hesitation.

Waving his hand, John shook his head.

“Typically that’s true, but Thomas is going to be teaching Ben how to use a dagger, so I think it’s fine.”

“He is?!”

“I am?”

“Yes,” John said, pointing at Thomas. “He’s the one who taught me how to use a dagger, so who better to teach Ben? Actually, I like this better and better. Thomas?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Ben is interested in knives and swords and all sorts of things. Train him to fight.”

“Yes, sir.”

Wanting to protest, Ellie didn’t know what to say after seeing the easy way Thomas accepted his new role as Ben’s combat instructor. Sensing her concerns, John patted her hand, causing a slight blush to flood her cheeks with pink.

“Thomas is an excellent teacher. It’s no joke that he saved me three times, but if you take into consideration the fact that he taught me how to fight, he’s saved my life at least a thousand times. Ben will be in good hands with Thomas teaching him.”

“Thank you!” Ben said, his eyes shining. “I’ll work really hard!”

“I know you will,” John said, rubbing Ben’s hair. “Alright, time to get this cleaned up. I still have some fittings to install in the bathroom before it’s ready to use.”

Half an hour later, after John had finished reinstalling the sink, he called Ellie into the bathroom, proudly showing her what he’d done.

“Here we have normal, cold water. But here we have hot water. See, it’s being heated by the boiler. I mean, the copper heating tank. Also, I’ve run a line for the toilet so that it fills when you hold this tap. Then, once it’s full, you can flush it. Haha, isn’t that great? Man, I’ve been waiting for indoor plumbing for such a long time. I’ll make an auto filler system later. Oh, and this is the shower. Look, when we turn the water on, it goes up this pipe and pours out, almost like it were raining.”

“Oh, it’s like taking a bath in the rain,” Ellie said, her face lighting up as she watched the water fall into the tub.

“Uh, yeah. Like a rain bath. It’s called a shower. You can adjust the temperature here. The water will just run out of the drain in the bottom. Which reminds me, we need a stopper so we can still take baths. Oh, and a curtain to keep water from getting on the floor. And we need a lock for the bathroom door. Haha, the list is endless.”

“This is all very nice.”

“Thanks,” John said, surveying his work happily.

CHAPTER 33

The next few days passed quietly as Thomas got used to his responsibilities. As much as it annoyed John that he’d been found by yet another person from his past, he had to admit that Thomas was more than capable. Methodical and quiet, Thomas managed to anticipate almost all of the farm’s needs, quickly taking over the majority of the milking and generally making himself helpful. Even with the mana they were consuming, not all of the cows John had bought produced milk, but even so, the amount of milk the farm produced skyrocketed, eventually getting to the point where they couldn’t make cheese fast enough to avoid building a stockpile.

After a few weeks, John went into town with a small stone tank and began selling cold milk to the villagers to get rid of the excess. There seemed to be a demand for it, so John began to make it a regular trip, often taking Ben along to help fill the containers. Thanks to his ability to control temperature, the milk from Sutton Farm was creamy and fresh and soon became a staple of the village diet, leading John to hire another part-timer named Even, who Sven had recommended to him, to help with the milking.

Slowly but surely, John could feel the farm starting to take shape, and as the months passed and he sat on the porch in the evenings, watching the sunset vanish behind the mountains, he found himself growing more and more attached to this sort of life. The first batches of cheese had already been stamped with a picture of an idyllic farm on a hill dotted with flowers and sent out with Gofreid to introduce in the capital city. John had insisted on adding the words “Sutton Farm” to all of the blocks of cheese, along with another stamp that identified what sort of cheese it was, much to Gofreid’s bemusement, but the merchant hadn’t protested.

With the milking in hand, cheese production continuing apace, and the plumbing redone, John felt like he had arrived in paradise. But even in paradise, there was work to do. One day, looking out over the corn, he realized it was ripe and ready to harvest. Frowning, he scratched his head and went to find Thomas. Finding him in the barn, he knocked on the edge of the stall.

“Yes, sir?”

“Seriously, call me John. So annoying.”

“No, sir.”

“Ugh, whatever.”

Giving up, John leaned against the stall, watching as Thomas skillfully milked the happy cow.

“The corn is about to ripen. How do we collect it?”

Over the last few months, he’d realized Thomas had a wealth of knowledge about farming in his head, and in most cases, it was much easier to ask him how to do things than refer to a book and try to figure it out. Thomas was happy to comply, so the arrangement worked out, and John felt his knowledge about farming growing by leaps and bounds.

“Even! Can you take over here?”

“Yes, Mr. Little.”

Hurrying over, Even, a skinny young man who John estimated to be around seventeen, took over the milking from Thomas. Though he wasn’t quite as smooth as Thomas, Even was still way better at milking than John and had cut down the farm workload by a good bit. At first, John had been skeptical because of the young man’s age, but he had proven himself to be a hard and able worker. So much so that John had just hired him full-time.

Washing his uncovered hand in the sink John had run to the barn, Thomas carefully dried them and walked with John out to the fields. The corn had begun producing silk almost a month earlier and it had turned brown, standing out clearly against the green husks. Examining it closely, Thomas nodded.

“It looks like it’s ready. We don’t have a binder, so we’ll need to pick everything by hand, but there’s a sheller in the barn. If we knock the rust off of it, we should be able to handle a dozen bushels an hour once it’s dried.”

“Drying won’t be a problem,” John said, doing some quick math in his head. “Hold on, that means with that sheller device, it’s still going to take us a hundred hours to shell all this corn?”

“Is that a long time, sir? That’s only about two weeks of work, sir. That seems pretty normal. We also have to shuck it before we can shell it, which will slow us down.”

Looking at the field of corn, John frowned again.

Man, now I need to invent a combine. But I have no idea how a combine works. Or what they even do.

It was clear to John that, no matter what, he was in for a few weeks of hard work, so the next morning, he got down to it. Harvest season was all hands on deck, so when the cows weren’t being milked, everyone on the farm pitched in, picking the heads of corn from the stalks after cutting them down. Stacking up the corn in the cart John had attached to Ferdie, they pulled it over near the barn and dumped it, piling it up to get ready for shucking.

Once they got toward the end of the fields, John had Ellie and Ben begin shucking the corn while the men finished up. After that, John and Even joined Ellie and Ben while Thomas fixed up the turn-crank sheller and got it ready to go. The days were full and the work was tedious, but even in the seemingly endless monotony, John found himself at peace. Though the motions were repetitive, the company was good, and over time, conversation started to become easier.

Thomas seemed to be filled with stories from his days in the military and had a knack for transforming the brutality of war into amusing anecdotes. Once the ice was broken, Ellie and Even joined in as well and slowly a sense of camaraderie began to build. At first, John felt a strange sense of distance, as if he was removed from all of it. Everything felt so mundane and John felt a strong temptation to jump into the sky and unleash his mana to its fullest extent. Despite bottling up those feelings, John often felt a sense of isolation, as if he was just watching the group from the outside. Thankfully, Ellie seemed to instinctively know when he was starting to drift and would pull him back into the conversation, helping him remain tethered.

Once the corn was all shucked and stacked in the barn, John got up in the middle of the night and went out to the huge pile. Hearing some movement, his eyes narrowed, but when he looked up, it turned out to just be Sigvald, perching on the top of the pile like he was king of the hill. As John watched, the large rooster pecked down, grabbing an entire cob of corn. Tossing it back, Sigvald swallowed the entire thing in one gulp, leaving John rubbing his eyes, unsure if the moonlight was playing tricks on him. When Sigvald did it again, John grabbed a cob from the bottom of the pile and hurled it up at the rooster.

Letting out an angry but very quiet squawk, Sigvald waved his wings, batting the flying cob aside. Staring down at John, the big bird decided he didn’t like his chances and, grabbing a few more cobs, flapped his way up onto the roof of the barn. With the pesky bird gone, John stretched out his hands and let his mana expand into the air around the pile of corn. Slowly swirling it around, he began to create a hot wind. Carefully controlling the temperature, he increased it degree by degree. As the hot air blew over the corn cobs, the moisture they contained began to be pulled out, speeding up the drying process as the warm air carried the moisture away into the sky.

By the time the farm stirred back to life in the morning, the corn was completely dry and ready to shuck. Marveling at the strange miracle, Even scratched his head, but when everyone else just pretended it was completely normal, he eventually just shrugged and got to work. Thomas and Even took turns spinning the shucking machine while Ben and Ellie fed the dried cobs into it, sending the corn flying into the big basket underneath the mechanism. With no patience for any of it, John just picked up a cob and, closing his hand around the kernels, pulled them off.

Staring at the handful of corn in his palm and then up at the giant pile of corn cobs, he could only smile wryly and got to work. Cob after cob was freed from the grasping kernels, and as John sped up, Thomas soon sent Ellie over to hand John pieces of corn so he didn’t have to bend down. At least five times faster than the machine, it took John next to no time to strip the kernels from the corn cob, and eventually, the machine was abandoned altogether as the others hurried to bag the pile of corn John was creating.

For the next week, all John felt like he did was shell corn, but mercifully, it eventually ended and John vowed, then and there, that he would never plant corn again. There were still five one-acre plots, but as far as John was concerned, they were all failures. Humans couldn’t eat the corn they produced, but John was pretty sure the animals wouldn’t have any problem with it, so he buckled down and, after a few more days of work, he had enough feed for the winter for all thirty head of cattle and all the chickens.

Once the corn had been completely harvested, it was time to prepare the fields for planting wheat, so John hitched up Ferdie and got to plowing. The bull kept getting stronger and stronger and was now more than smart enough to follow John’s commands, making the plowing easy. After he had finished turning over the soil, John got out a rake and smoothed the fields out. After leaving the fields for a few days to firm up, he raked them again and then, with Ellie’s and Thomas’ help, spread the wheat seed that he had brought into the valley. After he raked it over one last time, it was just a matter of waiting until spring to see how it came up.

There was still at least a month before it would be cold enough for snow down in the valley, but John could see the tips of the mountains were beginning to frost and the mornings were starting to be a bit nippy. To John’s baffled but pleasant surprise, Thomas also announced they should be expecting almost two dozen calves in the next year. John had been completely unaware that cows would only produce milk during and after pregnancy. He’d just assumed the cows would keep producing milk until they got too old. After putting his head together with Ellie and Thomas, the three of them came up with a good milking rotation that would allow the cows to rest before they gave birth to help ensure the longevity of the dairy. Exceptionally pleased by the new schedule and the additions to his herd, Ferdie had taken to trotting around the farm proudly with Sigvald on his back. Watching them from the porch, John could only shake his head.

The days quickly got colder, and the first frost had settled in when a group of people came down the road, stopping at the farm and asking to see John. Coming up from the cheese cellar where he had been rotating the cheddar, John saw the adventuring party who had stopped by earlier in the year. Casually scanning the farmyard, John nearly burst into laughter when he saw Sigvald standing up on the roof of the house, Ferdie peeking out from near the barn, and Thomas standing in the doorway of the bunk house. In the middle of a triangle formed by the two animals and the farmhand, the adventuring team was clearly oblivious to the position they were in from the way they just stood there, completely at ease. Seeing John, the leader of the team, Reese, raised his hand and greeted him.

“Hello, Mr. Sutton, I hope you’ve been well. It’s been some time since we were last here. You’ve done some major improvements to the place.”

“We have.” John nodded, looking over the group of adventurers.

Based on their cold-weather gear and the full packs their horses carried, it looked like they were just leaving for a trip. Wondering if they were finally leaving the valley, John waited patiently for Reese to continue. When the large man saw that John wasn’t going to continue the conversation, he let out a sigh and shook his head.

“Well, let me cut to the chase. We’re hoping we could hire you. We found the ruins we think we’re looking for, but there are signs of beasts, and I’m not confident our party composition is suited to exploring it. At the worst, it’ll be a bust and the ruins will be picked clean, but on the other hand, it could also make us really rich.”

Sensing that Reese was keeping his words tight because of the listening ears, John frowned slightly. His instinct was to turn them down again, but he also knew that if he didn’t get a break from the routine of farm life once in a while, he was going to go crazy. After a second, he decided to at least hear them out.

“Thomas, look after the horses, will you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Come into the kitchen so we can talk about this properly.”

Following John into the kitchen, Reese saw that Ellie was putting on a pot of water for tea. While she put out cups, the rest of the adventuring team filed into the kitchen. Grimes, the Ranger, let out a low whistle as he looked around.

“Cozy little place you got here, Mr. Royal Knight.”

“Shut up, Grimes,” Sandra said, walking past the Ranger to the stove where Ellie was putting the mugs on a tray.

Taking the tray, she brought it to the table, placing the cups out. While they were waiting for the tea, John gestured for Reese to start talking. Giving John a grin, Reese went around the room and introduced the team.

“I’m Reese, as you know. I’m a Fighter. We’ve got Hopper, our Monk, Catherine, our Herbalist, Sandra, our Rogue, and finally, Grimes, our Ranger. We make up the Red Coral adventuring group.”

“John Sutton. Royal Knight.”

“And how about you, cutie?” Grimes asked, looking at Ellie.

Paying exactly zero attention to the question, Ellie brought the tea over to the table and poured a cup for John. Putting the tea down on the table, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Grimes spluttering. Letting out a peal of laughter, Sandra picked up the pot and filled up the rest of the cups. His face growing hot with embarrassment, Grimes turned to glare at John, but before he could cause trouble, Catherine, who had been watching John the whole time, put out a hand to stop him.

“Settle down, Grimes. Don’t ruin the reason we’re here.”

CHAPTER 34

Catherine’s words seemed to douse Grimes’ fire, and with a nasty expression, he pulled a chair over, spinning it around and sitting on it backward. Taking the cup of tea Sandra handed him, he sat silently glowering at John, who paid him no attention. Taking a sip of tea, Reese cleared his throat and began to explain the situation.

“Ahem, yes. It might be helpful for me to give you a bit of background about our group. We’ve been a professional-level adventuring group for around six years now, with a few of us having worked together even longer. We were hired to find a family heirloom by a noble in the capital city. However, he only knew that the ruins were here in the valley. The heirloom is exceedingly valuable, so we don’t want to retreat before we find it, but the ruins have proven elusive.”

Pausing, he took a sip of his tea, glancing around at the rest of his team before turning back to John.

“Recently, we managed to discover a ruin up in the mountains. We think it’s the place we’re looking for.”

“But there are beasts?” John asked, his voice calm.

“Yes, well, we can’t be sure. Grimes is a very accomplished tracker and thinks he found some signs that the ruins have been taken over. Additionally, there will be traps and the like to protect it. Regardless of if there are beasts, we need a large-enough group that we can be assured of our safety.”

“Why me?”

Smiling, Reese put down the cup he was holding.

“In the interest of transparency, I’ll let you know that we’ve already hired two more people. Haver, known as the Wolf King, and the Laughing Blade, Rosalee, will be working with us. They recommended you.”

For the first time since the conversation had begun, John’s expression changed. Though it was only a light movement of his eyebrows, it was as monumental as if the earth itself had moved. Happy that he’d managed to surprise John, Reese’s smile grew even wider.

“Yeah, I was pretty surprised too. But as you can see, we need someone who can serve as the team’s front line. Our party is balanced to allow us to be flexible, but for exploring ruins like this, we need someone who can block a bit more damage than me and Hopper. When we were talking to the Wolf King and the Laughing Blade, they mentioned you were quite adept with a shield.”

“They also mentioned you have an artifact-level shield,” Grimes said, leering at John. “I must confess, I’d sure like to see it.”

“Shut up, Grimes,” Reese said, glaring at the Ranger. Turning back to John, he smiled again. “With you, we’ll have a solid team. A Knight to block at the front. A Fighter, a Monk, and a Ranger for melee coverage, two Rogues for flanking, and a Tamer and Herbalist for support. It would be hard to put a team like that together even in the capital city, so I feel very fortunate there are so many skilled people in the valley.”

Putting his cup down on the table carefully, John tapped his finger on the table.

“What’s the split?”

“Split? We’ll pay you a few gold,” Grimes said, leaning back.

“Shut up, Grimes.”

Silence blanketed the room as the Red Coral adventuring team stared in shock at John, who had just interrupted the Ranger. As the seconds ticked by, his face began to grow frightfully red, but before he could blow his top, John’s lazy gaze settled on him.

“If you want to have any chance of coming to an agreement, you need to hold your tongue. I don’t like your flippant attitude, and if I wasn’t interested in exploring the ruins, I would have thrown your entire party out on your ears. Keep your mouth shut while I talk to your party leader or get off my farm.”

Gritting his teeth so hard it looked like he might crush them, Grimes’ eyes burned with anger as he stared at John, but he wasn’t given another chance to speak as John calmly continued.

“Now, I’ll repeat my question, but only once. What’s the split?”

Lost for words, Reese didn’t know how to respond, so Catherine took over the conversation.

“Our primary interest, and the sole interest of our contractor, is in the family heirloom. Everything else will be split according to contribution. There are five of us, and with you, Wolf King, and Laughing Blade, there will be eight people. As normal, front line point and healers will get double shares, which brings us up to ten total shares.”

“Who will get the first pick?” John asked. “After all, most ruins aren’t packed full of gold coins.”

“Normally, healer and then point, but I’m willing to waive the right for you.”

“Who’s commanding?”

“I will be commanding.”

“Is there a hazard bonus?”

“No, we’re hiring you because we think it will be hazardous.”

“And is there a minimum guaranteed earn?”

Exchanging glances with Reese, Catherine found herself sweating slightly. They had assumed John was a retired Royal Knight who had spent his whole career in the palace, so to hear him ask questions like a seasoned adventurer was a little disconcerting.

“Um, we’ve not talked about it, but I think ten gold would be appropriate. Reese?”

“Yeah, ten gold should be good. I’m willing to guarantee that if you don’t get at least ten gold worth of spoils from the ruins, I’ll make up the difference to you from my own pocket.”

“When did you want to leave?”

“Either tonight or tomorrow. There will be at least two days of camping before we get to the location of the ruins, maybe three depending on the conditions in the mountains. What do you say? Are you in?”

Looking down at his hand, which was resting on the table for a moment, John tapped the table twice and nodded.

“Yes. I’ll be ready to leave tomorrow morning.”

An intense look of relief flashed across Reese’s face, but he hid it as fast as he could. Smiling widely, he stood up.

“Then I’m looking forward to our partnership.”

“Mm. Just keep your people in line and we’ll get along fine.”

Bristling, Grimes stood up slowly, his glower turning into a full-blown glare.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don’t like you,” John said, his voice even and matter-of-fact, “and I don’t want to talk to you. I’m not here to mess around with you, so save it for your friends.”

“Or what?” Grimes asked, shoving the chair out of the way with a clatter.

“Grimes!”

“No, Catherine, he said the words and I want to know what he means,” the Ranger snarled, taking a step forward and leaning over the table. “Or what?”

Sitting up slightly, John leaned his head in, staring straight into Grimes’ eyes as he spoke, carefully enunciating every word.

“I’ve got a shovel and twenty-five acres out back. Keep mouthing off and you’ll find out what.”

Her eyes going wide, Sandra let out a loud laugh. Grabbing Grimes, she dragged him away and shoved him out the door. Pausing before she left the kitchen and looking at John, she flipped her hair and gave him a wink.

“I like you, you’re cute.”

Left in awkward silence, Reese, Catherine, Hopper, and John just looked at each other until Hopper stood up and put his hands together. Bowing to John, he spoke softly and then headed for the door.

“I’m pleased to work with you. Please excuse Grimes; he’s impulsive.”

Standing up, John nodded.

Reese and Catherine followed their teammates after a few more perfunctory words, and soon John was alone in the kitchen. Sitting in silence, he was lost in his thoughts until the hallway door opened and Ellie peeked her head out. Seeing that the adventurers were gone, she came out and cleaned up the cups, starting on dinner once she had washed them.

As the farm began its evening routine, the Red Coral adventuring team were on their way back to the village. Riding along, Grimes continued to grumble, obviously unhappy with how his encounter with John had turned out. Finally, unable to contain it, he lashed out at Sandra, who was still chuckling under her breath.

“What are you laughing at? Or have you grown so enamored with that dirty farmer that you’re going to take his side?”

“That so-called dirty farmer is hilarious. Have you ever heard a cleaner threat than that? That was amazing.”

“Well, I didn’t see you stepping up when he insulted us. I seriously don’t see why everyone is so obsessed with getting him.”

“Because he killed our meat shield,” Reese said quietly. “In one-on-one combat, even though Jemal was enraged. You know what kind of power an enraged Barbarian has. Apparently, he blocked both a Barbarian and a Tamer’s beasts at the same time. We need that sort of skill if we’re going to make it through the ruins without taking casualties.”

Falling silent, Grimes let out a breath.

“Fine. But once we’re done, I want his head on a spike. And then I’m going to pay a little visit to that farm girl. No one gets to ignore me like that.”

Giving Grimes a disgusted look, Sandra pulled her horse’s reins, distancing herself from the plotting Ranger. On the other side of Grimes, Catherine turned her head to stare at the Ranger, her eyes ice cold.

“You nearly ruined it for us back there. I don’t care what you do after the mission is done, but if you screw it up for us by messing around, I will personally skin you alive.”

Quailing under her glare, Grimes nodded.

“I got it.”

That night, after everyone else had gone to bed, John sat on the porch, his silver sword resting on his knees. It was a chilly evening, but he was only wearing a light cotton shirt and the air around him seemed abnormally warm. Breathing in a steady rhythm, he pulled mana into his body and cycled it through his lungs, into his muscles and bones, and finally, into his skin. He was pretty sure he was gaining no real benefit from the insanely painful exercise, but the habit had been so deeply ingrained in him that he simply couldn’t help it. Seeing the flicker of a shadow, he reined in the mana that swirled around him.

“Sir, would you like me to take care of them?”

Hearing Thomas’ soft voice, John smirked and shook his head.

“No. If you did that, who would lead me to the ruins they found?”

“They might mean you harm.”

“Haha, they wouldn’t be the first, now would they?”

A pregnant pause followed John’s question as Thomas’ mind spun, memories of the last ten years flying through his head. Taking a step forward into the moonlight, he shook his head.

“No. No, they wouldn’t.”

“And I’m still here, aren’t I? Besides, who cares if they intend to harm me? They’d need the ability to do it first. No, I need you to stay here and take care of the farm. I don’t know how long I’ll be away, but if something happens, send Ellie and Ben into the cheese cellar. It can be locked down. Sort of like the bunker we built in the war with the Moralythe Empire. Oh, and Sigvald and Ferdie will be able to help as well. I’ve made a stockpile of mana crystals and left them in your room, under your mattress. You can give each of them one every two days if they’re behaving. Otherwise, just keep everything stable. Oh, and do something about Even too. He’s been watching you train Ben in the mornings.”

“Yes, sir.”

Standing up, John flicked his wrist, smoothly returning his sword to its sheath. Adjusting the silver bracer on his forearm, he picked up his coat and slipped into it, buttoning it up and turning up the collar. Picking up the bag that rested at his side, he nodded to Thomas and stepped off the porch.

“Time to get going.”

“Yes, sir. Have a good trip. And, sir?”

“Yes?”

“Come back safe.”

“Haha, thanks, Thomas. See you.”

With a flash, John vanished, a flickering flame that quickly died out the only sign he’d ever been there. Staring after him, Thomas’ face was heavy, but he kept his silence, only glancing at the dark kitchen where a young woman sat, her back pressed against the closed door and her hands clasped tightly together. Shaking his head, Thomas stepped back, melting into the shadows of the barn without a sound.

Far from the farm, in the dark woods, John strolled along, each step sending him a dozen feet forward as flame flashed under his feet. It was quite a while until morning, but he had just enough time to pay a visit to Wolf Den before he returned. It was unlikely he would find Haver and Rosalee there, but that didn’t concern him. Instead, he wanted to know if the bandit town was being abandoned.

If they don’t plan on coming back, it means that trouble is brewing. But if the town is operating normally, then chances are good they’re not in on whatever the Red Coral team is planning.

Glancing at the sky to check the time, John sped up, moving through the forest so quickly, he was little more than a flash. It didn’t take long for him to arrive at the foot of the mountains, and the trip up to the bandit town was even quicker. Sucking in a breath of mana, he surrounded himself with it, completely sealing his smell and mana signature, using a trick he had seen Rogues do to effectively erase his presence.

Unless someone looked directly at him, they would have no idea he was there, making infiltrating Wolf Den all the easier. A light jump put him over the wall and in a small alleyway. Putting on a wide-brimmed hat, he pulled the brim down and walked out into the street. Keeping to the buildings, he passed along the street, not stopping until he got to the big central hall where the Wolf King kept his rooms.

What he was really interested in, however, was behind the hall, in a set of large pens. Peeking through the bars, John saw a dozen wolves sleeping together in a pile, their black and gray bodies blending together in the darkness. Nodding, he slipped back out of the bandit town and started toward Fairford Village, where he would meet up with the adventuring team.

CHAPTER 35

It was still quiet when John arrived in the village, but Sven was already out, sweeping the walk in front of the inn. Seeing John, he jerked his head toward the inn’s great room.

“Morning, John. They’re waiting for you inside. You gonna want breakfast?”

“Morning,” John said, stopping on the porch and glancing in the open door. “Yeah, breakfast would be good, as long as it doesn’t take too long. Wouldn’t want to keep my new bosses waiting.”

“Hah, just tell Claire you want to eat and she’ll grab it for you. Eggs and steak this morning to get you started on the right foot.”

“Fancy. How are you finding the milk these days?”

“Great, really great,” Sven said, leaning on his broom. “Though we could use a few more gallons. And if you have any butter, we might need a bit more as well.”

“Sure, just tell Even when he comes through.”

“Any chance for more cheese?”

“Yes, actually, as long as you don’t mind trying some new types. Our first batch of brie is coming out in a week. It’s delicious, especially warm. I think you’re already on the schedule to get a sample.”

“Are you going to include a recipe again?”

“Yup. Brie is a bit different in terms of consistency. It’s got a really gooey center that’s great, but it can be a mess if you don’t know how to prepare it.”

“Great. That last recipe you sent was a big hit. I hope you don’t mind that we’ve been selling it.”

“That’s what it’s there for. Just make sure you tell people you’re only using Sutton Farm cheese and we’ll be square.”

“Haha, of course.”

Pushing open the door to the inn, John saw that the adventuring team was sitting at one of the large tables with Haver and Rosalee. Nodding to them, he walked to the bar and ordered breakfast from the waitress. Taking the tall glass of ale she gave him, he joined the others at the table, taking his seat next to Haver, who was watching him cautiously. Looking over at the Wolf King, John nodded.

“Don’t worry, I don’t own any ruins.”

In the silence that followed his straight-faced delivery, the adventuring team all traded glances, worried that John and Haver were going to fall out before the trip even began.

“You know, I think that might have been a joke,” Sandra said, a smile creeping across her face as she tried to defuse the tense atmosphere.

Turning his head slowly, John stared at Sandra, his expression completely blank.

“I never joke.”

Choking on the sip of water she’d just taken, Catherine broke out into a wild coughing fit as John suddenly smiled, humor clear in his eyes.

“Haha, that was a joke. How’s everyone doing? Sorry, I didn’t realize everyone was gathering so early or I would have come earlier myself. Have you had your breakfast already? I hear there’s steak coming. I’m excited.”

Watching John rub his hands together in anticipation, no one quite knew what to do with his abrupt shift in tone and mannerisms. Surprisingly, Haver was the first to thaw, nodding his head and gesturing to the plate in the middle of the table.

“Yeah. Just finished. It was good. They put some cheese on the eggs that is really good too.”

“Mm. Can’t wait. Well, I don’t want to hold things up, so if we need to go, I can tell them to make it into a breakfast sandwich.”

Hearing an unfamiliar word, Sandra leaned forward.

“A what?”

“Sandwich? Never mind. I can take it with us.”

“No, that’s fine. We’re not in that much of a rush that an hour will make such a difference,” Catherine said, waving her hand.

“Great.”

Falling silent, John listened to the others make small talk until his food came out. It didn’t take him long to put away the thick steak and three eggs the waitress had brought him, and soon the team was on their way. John, Haver, and Rosalee didn’t have horses, so the Red Coral adventuring team had hired some from the village’s livery, and after engaging in a short staring contest with the lazy-looking animal he was presented with, John mounted up and followed the others out of the village.

No one seemed to want to chat, but after riding for forty-five minutes, Grimes dropped back and brought his horse up next to John’s. Looking rather uncomfortable, he dipped his head and spoke quietly.

“Hey, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was out of line. My mouth sometimes gets away from me. Sorry.”

Surprised by the apology, John raised his eyebrows, shooting a glance at the Ranger. From the awkward look on his face and the way his eyes kept straying toward Catherine, it was clear the apology wasn’t his idea. Still, John acknowledged the effort. Considering they were about to spend a few days fighting together, it was a good idea to try and keep up at least a pretense of cordiality.

“Happens to the best of us. Don’t worry about it.”

“Haha, yeah, I guess it does. Thanks.”

Spurring his horse, Grimes quickly returned to the front of the group, leaving John plodding along on his dull horse. As they continued to travel through the valley, it became increasingly clear to John that they were headed in the direction of the quarry, and he started to wonder if the ruins the team had found were related to the destroyed mage’s tower he’d read about in the journal.

It had been a month or so since he’d finished the journal, but try as he might, he hadn’t found any clues to the location of either the ruins of the old mage’s tower or the Shadow Tower the journal referred to. The entire second half of the journal had been devoted to cryptic references to the research the mage had undertaken without giving any real details. John had been meaning to find time to go and visit the grimm again to see if he could convince them to show him where they got the flowers, but he’d never found the time.

The weather was cold and night was coming early, so after traveling for the entire day, they found a spot to bed down for the night. Setting up camp in a little hollow off the road, they set up their tents and gathered wood for a fire. Seeing the practiced way John handled his tent and gear, Reese and Catherine shared a glance, reworking their evaluation of him once again. Dinner was a thick beef stew with plenty of spice to help fight the cold. After eating and cleaning up, Reese assigned the watch and they all went to bed. Some time early in the morning when the frost had started creeping up the tents, Rosalee tapped lightly on John’s tent, and a minute later, he crawled out, yawning and stretching.

“I gathered some sticks for the fire. You’ll find them in a pile on the other side. Oh, and there’s an owl flying around, so don’t get freaked out.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure.” Rosalee nodded, looking like she wanted to say something else. After a moment, she just smiled and said, “Stay warm.”

Watching her crawl into her tent, John looked around the quiet camp. The fire had been well fed all night, and though the cold didn’t bother him in the slightest, John still walked over, pretending to warm his hands. Feeding the fire periodically, he also walked around the camp, taking care to avoid stepping on any dry branches. Twice the owl passed silently overhead, its tawny feathers blending with the night sky as it hunted for prey. John was supposed to wake up Hopper for the last watch, so once the time came, he added a few more sticks to the fire and tapped on the tent the Monk was sharing with Grimes and Reese.

“Coming.”

Almost immediately, the Monk crawled out of the tent, nodding to John.

“Brr. It’s a chilly one. I’d almost rather there be snow than this wind,” Hopper said, smiling good-naturedly.

The Monk wore a thick robe, and despite his bald head being uncovered, didn’t seem as bothered as he was making out.

“Wood’s by the fire. Oh, and there’s an owl. Otherwise, everything was quiet.”

“Sleep well.”

Waving, John crawled back into his tent and lay down on top of his blanket, going to sleep almost instantly. When he opened his eyes again, the sun was just starting to rise and the camp was rising along with it. Sounds of cooking came from the fire, so he got up and rolled up his bed. Putting his tent away quickly and efficiently, John packed everything up and put it on his horse, tying it behind his saddle. The horses all had thick blankets on to help against the cold and had been tethered near the fire to help them keep warm, so he moved the pickets to allow them to graze on fresh grass before they got going.

By the time he was done caring for the horses, breakfast was ready, so he joined the rest of the team at the fire, greeting everyone casually as he accepted the bowl of oatmeal Sandra handed him. While everyone was eating, Haver tapped his spoon against his bowl, drawing everyone’s attention with a ringing sound. His two large wolves that had accompanied him lay at his feet, their eyes alert, making him look even more dashing.

I bet he picked the Tamer class because of how cool it would make him look.

Oblivious to John’s internal monologue, Haver looked at Reese and Catherine.

“Mind sharing a bit more information about what you’re leading us into? I’m not a cowardly one, but it’s nice to be prepared when the chance is there.”

“Ah, yeah, of course,” Reese said, licking his spoon. “The ruins we found are in some pretty rocky terrain and everything that was aboveground has been knocked down. There are still a few buildings that look to be mostly intact, but I’d say ninety percent of it is rubble. The big challenge is the underground area. According to the records our contractor has, the lower levels should consist of a few miles of tunnels and rooms, so we’re going to be exploring those things.”

“Shouldn’t something like that be picked out?” Haver asked, his brow furrowed.

“Normally, yeah. But according to our information, the basement area has a magical seal, and we have the key. So we’ll need to look for the door when we get there. But Grimes believes he spotted it in one of the buildings.”

Seeing John, Haver, and Rosalee looking at him, Grimes smirked and tapped next to his eye.

“Eagle Eye. One of my class skills.”

“Okay, so we’re going to be underground? That’s fine. The twins have great dark vision,” Haver said, patting the two wolves that lay at his feet.

Helping himself to another serving of breakfast, John lifted a spoonful of the steaming oatmeal and blew on it.

“You mentioned you saw beast signs?”

When he heard John’s question, Reese’s face grew serious and he nodded his head slowly.

“There were a number of signs, including claw markings. Grimes is well versed in beast signs, and from what we could tell, there should be at least a dozen beasts in the area. Additionally, the information we have suggests there are beasts in the underground area as well.”

“What do you mean when you say beasts?” John asked, lifting another spoonful of oatmeal. “Are we talking mutated animals, or proper beasts?”

“Is there a difference?” Grimes asked, flashing a crooked smile at John.

“Yes.” John nodded, putting his spoon down and looking around at the group. “Any animal that consumes mana long enough could mutate into a monstrous version of itself, becoming something akin to a beast. But true beasts are born with improved mana efficiency and possess the ability to harden their skin. Add to that a variety of magical abilities depending on the type of beast, and you have two very different situations. Mutated animals may be stronger and faster and tougher than their normal versions, but they can’t breathe fire or turn invisible.”

“Sheesh, it was just a joke,” Grimes muttered, lifting his hands in mock surrender.

“I know, but I’m going to be the one standing in between you and whatever is down there,” John said, letting out a sigh. “I don’t mean to be so nitpicky, but my strategy will change depending on what we’re actually facing. Like the Wolf King said, if we can, it’s better to be prepared.”

“Fair point.” Reese nodded, reaching into his coat.

Pulling out a roll of leather, he tossed it to John, who caught it with one hand. Putting his food down, John unrolled it and spread it out, his eyes going wide when he saw the contents. Letting out a low whistle, he shook his head and passed the leather to Haver. Just like John, Haver showed shock when he saw the leather’s contents. Craning her head over, Rosalee peeked at the leather and let out a helpless-sounding laugh.

“Do you have a death wish? You want us to walk into a nest of a dozen thorn bears?” Haver’s low voice carried a dangerous edge that made the two wolves at his feet slowly bare their teeth.

“No, no. That would absolutely be a death wish. The signs we saw outside are gnolls. There’s a nest of a dozen gnolls in the area. The thorn bear is down in the underground area.”

A memory, long buried in the recesses of John’s mind, floated to the surface as John took another look at the picture on the leather. He knew from personal experience that thorn bears were much scarier in person than they looked in a drawing.

“A dozen gnolls shouldn’t be bad as long as we don’t get ambushed,” John said, “but be clear about the thorn bear. Is there one, or is there more than one?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know,” Catherine replied, letting out a sigh. “If there was one, we would have just gone down ourselves. But we weren’t able to confirm that, which is why we hired you. Our team is enough to deal with one thorn bear by ourselves, but we would struggle with two. With the three of you added, we’re confident we’ll be able to handle two thorn bears without any trouble.”

“And if there are three? Or four?”

“If there are three, we should be able to squeeze through. If there are four, we run,” Reese said matter-of-factly. “But we have a map of the underground area and will be taking it slow, so even if we run across more thorn bears than we anticipate, it won’t be a problem for us to call a full retreat.”

CHAPTER 36

The party continued on after cleaning up from breakfast, a subdued air shrouding them as they each prepared mentally for what was coming in the days ahead. By noon, they had reached the mountains, but they didn’t stop, instead pushing on until it was almost dark. When Reese finally called for a stop, everyone was tired from a full day’s travel, and after quickly setting up camp and shoving down some food, they went to bed. According to what Reese said, they would arrive around mid-morning the following day at an abandoned hunter’s lodge where they could leave the horses. From there, it would be a four-hour hike further into the mountains to the ruins themselves.

It had been cloudy all day, but John was pretty sure they were around thirty miles south of the quarry, making him start to doubt that the ruins and the tower mentioned in the journal were the same.

I guess I don’t know how far grimm typically range. But if it is the ruined tower, then maybe there’ll be some clues to the location of the Shadow Tower.

Hearing a sound, John looked up and saw Rosalee crawling out of her tent, a thick coat wrapped around her body. John had pulled the first watch, and Rosalee the second, so he wasn’t surprised to see her.

“Anything out of the ordinary?” she asked, looking around.

“No. It’s calm and quiet. Added some wood to the pile.”

“Got it.”

Rosalee gave John a small smile, clearly hesitating, as if there was something she wanted to say. Poking the fire, John shot her a glance and then turned his head away. There were still a few more minutes until his watch was over, so he continued to tend the fire.

“I’m going to answer nature’s call.”

“Sure. There are some rocks and a pit I dug just around those trees.”

Nodding her thanks, Rosalee walked past John and headed into the woods. Reaching up to scratch his neck, John palmed the slip of paper Rosalee had slipped into his collar as she walked past him. Bringing his hand down naturally, he poked the fire again, using the motion to cover for opening the folded paper. The words, “watch your back” were scrawled on it in sloppy writing, accompanied by a simple drawing of a crossbow.

Well, things are getting interesting, aren’t they?

Poking the fire again, John tossed the stick into the fire, at the same time burning the paper in his hand to ash with a tiny spark. Standing up, he nodded to Rosalee, who was walking back to the fire, and stretched.

“Thanks. I’m headed to bed.”

“Sure.”

Leaving the Laughing Blade at the fire, John crawled into bed. Chuckling at the strangeness of life, he shook his head and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly. The night passed quickly, and early the next morning, the team set off for their third day of travel. Just like Reese had predicted, they arrived at a broken-down hunting lodge around ten in the morning. The house had collapsed entirely, but the shed was still sturdy enough for the team to leave their horses in without fear. After making sure they had enough food and water for a few days, Grimes led them into the mountains, following a ridge for a few hours before beginning to climb around the side of a tall mountain.

Coming to an outcropping that overlooked the mountain’s slope, Grimes called a stop and the team settled down for a quick bite. While they were eating, Grimes disappeared to do a bit of scouting, soon returning with a serious look on his face. After a whispered conversation, Reese nodded and turned to the party.

“There are gnolls active in the ruins. We had hoped to avoid them by coming during the daytime, but Grimes saw two of them actively foraging. It’s going to be impossible to get through them, so it means we’re in for a fight. We’re estimating there are a dozen, but that’s only an estimate, so everyone needs to be on their toes.”

Looking up from the piece of cheese he was eating, John looked back and forth between Reese and Grimes.

“You said they’re foraging? Were they eating their prey or dragging it?”

Taking a moment to think, Grimes’ face suddenly turned a shade whiter. Noticing his change, Catherine’s eyebrows rose and she gestured for him to speak.

“Spit it out, Grimes. We’re a team and need to know what we’re walking into.”

Nodding, Grimes took a deep breath.

“They were dragging half a deer.”

“So? What does that mean?” Sandra asked.

“It means there’s a gnoll matriarch,” Grimes said, his voice stabilizing. “Gnolls are nocturnal beasts, and the only time they’re active during the day is when there’s a bigger and badder predator hunting at night, or if they’re gathering food for their matriarch’s litter.”

“Wait, you mean there might be more than a dozen?”

“Yeah.” Bending down, Grimes started writing numbers in the dirt. “Based on their range of activity, I estimated twelve in total, but if they have a matriarch and are gathering food, we’re looking at one litter, maybe two. Gnolls are precocial, so every litter will add between five and eight to their number. Just to be safe, we need to be prepared to face at least twenty-four gnolls.”

“They’re what?”

Looking up, Grimes saw everyone in the party except Haver was staring at him blankly.

“There are going to be at least two dozen,” Grimes said, having misheard the question.

“No, you said they were something. That p word.”

“Precocial,” Haver said, his eyes still fixed on the numbers Grimes had been scratching in the dirt. “It means they’re fully formed at birth.”

“Ah, right.” Grimes nodded. “Gnolls can walk within minutes of being born and start hunting in packs within a week. They still need to be supplemented with food for at least three weeks after, but their teeth and claws work just fine.”

“Ugh, I hate beasts,” Sandra said, shivering.

“Alright. Then we’ll be moving fast. There’s no way to sneak past them, so we might as well try to make it to one of the buildings where we can establish a choke point.”

Getting out a leather map, Reese took a moment to orient it and then pointed to one of the buildings.

“This is our target. We want to try and get there as quickly as possible, but John will set the pace. Does that work for everyone?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Yup.”

“Of course.”

Hearing everyone in agreement, Reese nodded.

“Great. Gear up. We’ll head out as soon as everyone’s ready.”

Shrugging out of his coat, John checked his sword and daggers and adjusted the silver bracer he wore. Everyone else was busy double-checking their own gear, but John still caught the glances they sent at the gleaming bracer. Hiding his smile, he began to stretch, pretending he hadn’t seen anything. Artifacts, while not particularly rare, were almost all tied to classes, making an artifact like the bracer, which was classless, practically priceless.

Once everyone else was ready, John led the way out of the rocks, quickly descending the mountainside toward the ruins that were laid out below. As they went, he scanned the broken-down buildings, looking for the building Reese had pointed out while keeping an eye out for the gnolls. Spotting the building, he corrected their course and broke into a jog.

“Speeding up.”

In a fast jog that was just short of a full run, John led the way forward, weaving between the broken walls and vaulting over any obstacles that were in the way. The entire team followed him easily, keeping in a tight formation. All class holders were supernaturally strong and fast compared to regular people, and even Catherine, who had a healing class, was able to keep up without any challenge. As they cut through the ruins, Haver’s wolves and Grimes served as their first line of detection, carefully scanning for enemies.

The last stretch before they got to the building was across a wide avenue, and it was also the most dangerous part of the run. Up until that point, John had led them behind cover, but running across the wide road would make it impossible to hide. Sure enough, John had only just stepped out when Grimes spoke up.

“We’ve been spotted. Three gnolls on the right in the alleyway.”

A moment later, a harsh laughing sound rang out as the gnolls began to call out. Not stopping for even a second, John continued to dash across the road, as if the doorway to the building was the only thing in his view.

“Careful! They’ve got bows!”

Hearing the shout, the team looked up as two arrows shot toward them. Hopper, seeing that one of the arrows was heading straight for Catherine, jumped in front of her to use his body to block the arrow, but before it hit, a sliver flash crossed in front of him, knocking both arrows off course.

“Keep running!” John’s shout jerked the team out of their shock and they continued forward, soon rushing past John into the open doorway.

Spinning around, John deflected another arrow with his sword. Backing up into the doorway, he held his position while Catherine snapped out orders.

“Reese, Hopper, cover the windows. Grimes, get us information. Everyone, on your toes!”

Standing in the doorway, John could feel the cold wind blowing at his shirt. Though he was completely immune to the temperature, it brought a sour scent to his nose that he knew all too well. A moment later, the gnolls stepped into view, letting John get a good look at them for the first time. Their wicked faces were stretched in diabolical grimaces as they padded forward.

Gnolls were large, humanoid hyenas with long, muscular arms and hunched backs. Typically armed with basic bows or short throwing spears that were surprisingly deadly considering their crude construction, gnolls also had sharp teeth and claws that they were happy to apply in close combat. Watching the gnolls stalk toward him, all the while letting out their strange, laughing cry, John quickly ran over what he knew about them.

As one of the lowest-ranked beasts, gnolls in small numbers were more of a nuisance for class holders than anything else, but as their numbers swelled, they could become a force to be reckoned with. If Grimes’ suspicions were correct, the team was in for a tough fight.

“Six more gnolls on the way!” Grimes said, his voice tense. “Three of them are younglings.”

Before his voice had faded, the three gnolls in front of John launched themselves at him, abandoning their bows as they charged. Dropping his stance slightly, John’s left hand went to his waist, emerging with a long dagger even as his sword flicked out like a snake’s tongue, the point burying itself in one of the gnoll’s shoulders. A spurt of blood splattered through the air as the beast screamed and fell back a step, but there was no time for John to rest as the other two gnolls lunged into the doorway.

Blocking an attack with his dagger, John’s sword slashed across his body, opening up the gnoll’s thick skin and drenching them in blood. With cries of pain and anger, they fell back out of range of John’s sword as it flashed back in. Watching his skillful display from behind, Sandra couldn’t help but let out a whistle and peek at Haver and Rosalee. Ignoring her slightly mocking glance, Rosalee flicked her fingers, sending a dagger blurring past John’s head and into one of the attacking gnolls.

Letting out a scream as the dagger cut through the muscles in its chest, the gnoll took a staggering step. Seizing the momentary opening, John jumped forward, his dagger forcing one of the other gnoll’s back as he slashed with his sword, neatly taking the injured gnoll’s head off. Two quick steps back put him back in the doorway before the other gnolls could recover and charge through.

“One down,” Rosalee reported with a giggle, giving Sandra a sickeningly sweet smile.

“A lot more are coming!” Grimes called out as half a dozen more gnolls appeared on the street and charged toward the building the team was hiding in.

Lifting his bow, he watched for openings, occasionally sending out arrows as the gnolls rushed forward. Rosalee and Sandra both joined him, throwing their daggers as they tried to slow the rush down. John stood in the narrow doorway, forcing the gnolls to advance two at a time. His sword and dagger flashed, weaving a silver net any time the gnolls tried to advance. After a few frantic minutes, the gnolls retreated, backing up and staring angrily at the team from a distance. Another two gnolls were dead and the passage was slick with their blood, but the team had trouble feeling good about it as the gnolls’ numbers swelled to eighteen.

A number of the beasts were smaller than their companions by at least a head, but their claws and teeth were no less sharp, so it made little difference. Hearing a guttural barking coming from one of the gnolls, John’s eyes tightened slightly, but he resisted the urge to glance up at the ceiling. A moment later, the gnolls advanced again, but this time, they split into three groups. Seeing two groups headed for the sides of the building, John warned Hopper and Reese.

“They’re heading for the alleyways. They’ll be trying the windows next.”

“We’re doing well,” Catherine said, her voice bright and upbeat. “They’ll soon see we’re not worth the effort and will pull back.”

With a laughing cry, the gnolls threw themselves forward again, rushing headlong toward John and the wall of silver he drew in the building’s doorway. Hearing fighting at the windows, John was tempted to glance back and see how the others were doing but instead stuck faithfully to his part, not letting even a single claw pass through the door. Occasionally, a dagger or arrow would fly out, breaking the attacker’s rhythm long enough for John to deal a heavier wound, but for the most part, John was only blocking the attacks.

On each side of the building, Hopper and Reese had blocked the windows, using their weapons to bash any gnoll that tried to force its way through. Keeping careful watch over the battlefield, Catherine realized they had stabilized and called to Haver.

“Can you help John break the front?”

“Of course,” Haver said, stepping forward and hoisting his large wolf-tooth club.

“John, we’re going to move into an attack formation.”

Hearing Catherine’s command, John nodded.

“Got it. Give the call.”

Happy that John seemed to understand the basic adventuring formation, Catherine gestured for Haver to do the honors. Advancing until he was two steps behind John, the Wolf King watched the fight in the doorway with cold eyes, searching for a chance. Seeing his opportunity, he lifted his club and launched himself forward, letting out a bellow.

“Attack!”

So smoothly that it looked like they had practiced it a thousand times, John stepped back as Haver rushed past him, his club falling with unerring accuracy on a gnoll’s protruding head. With a crack, the wolf teeth bit into the beast’s skull, killing it instantly. As Haver ripped his club free and jumped back, John slid back into the doorway, his flickering sword taking an eye from another gnoll.

CHAPTER 37

As the fight continued, the team slowly started to feel the strain of it. Individually, the gnolls weren’t a match for anyone on the team, but together, they formed a potent fighting force. Their thick skin was tough to pierce and they were cunning creatures, never letting the team get an advantage more than once. Smashing a gnoll back who was trying to jump through the window, Reese glanced at Catherine, as if asking what they should do. Seeing the glance, Catherine bit her lip. She had a strategy in mind, but it was entirely reliant on the point fighter, and she wasn’t sure if it would work with their current roster. Deciding it would be better to try it, she called out to John.

“John, can you let a few gnolls in without letting the others in? We just need a few at a time.”

“You want me to switch to gatekeeper?”

Hearing the name of the strategy she was thinking about on John’s lips, Catherine smiled widely. John had surprised her at every turn, and she was firmly convinced he had spent considerable time as an adventurer like her.

“Yes!”

“Sure. Three gnolls, coming up.”

His sword blurring, John hooked one of the attacking gnolls and pulled him into the doorway. Stumbling forward, the surprised gnoll felt John’s dagger force his claws down, and a moment later, John had spun past him as the beast stumbled into the middle of the room. Without pausing, John snapped out a heel kick, stunning the gnoll that had rushed into the gap. Flipping his dagger around, John planted it in the gnoll’s shoulder and heaved, sending the beast tumbling into his companion’s legs. The last gnoll was a bit tougher, but after a confusing three-second dance, another gnoll rolled into the middle of the room to join the first two gnolls.

The gnolls were confused but happy to have made it into the room, but their cackling cries were soon silenced as Sandra, Rosalee, Haver, and Grimes jumped them. Less than thirty seconds had passed since John had unceremoniously tossed the gnolls into the room, but they were already dead, filling the air with a metallic tang.

“Perfect! Keep it up!”

Hearing Catherine’s call, John knew the team had finished and were ready for the next batch of enemies to be sent into the room. This time, he pressed forward, his sword hacking wildly as he pushed the gnolls back. Just as he had nearly driven them out of the doorway, he gritted his teeth and his shoulders heaved as if he had run out of energy. With a defeated look, he took a step back like he was going to retreat. The three closest gnolls cried out in triumph and rushed toward him, blood from his slashes splattering them. With a neat dodge, he slipped through them, tapping them on the backs of their outstretched necks to give them a bit more forward momentum.

As soon as the three gnolls stumbled through the doorway, John redrew his line with his silver blade, slicing the next gnoll to the bone and forcing it back. Breaking into the room behind John, the first gnoll to stumble through the doorway was met with a dagger to its throat and a flail to the back of its head. Its companions, following behind it, fared no better, and soon all three of the beasts had joined their dead brethren on the floor. Quickly dragging the bodies away, Catherine paid no attention to the thick smear of blood and spoke in her bright voice.

“Thirty seconds to rest, then we do it again!”

Taking big gulps of air to recover from the frenzied action, Haver couldn’t help but stare at John’s back. John had been fighting non-stop since they had reached the building, but his actions seemed as smooth and nimble as always, causing the seed of wariness Haver felt to bloom into a full-on flower. Silently reaffirming his decision to never get on the enigmatic farmer’s bad side again, Haver took his gaze back and focused on regaining his energy.

By the time John had pulled in the fifth group through the doorway, the gnolls were almost completely dead and the ten remaining gnolls backed up, trying to get out of his reach. With a moment to breathe, the team did their best to adjust their conditions. Cleaning off his dagger, John watched the gnolls who were out on the road, his brow furrowed. Seeing the expression on his face, Grimes suddenly had a bad feeling. Gripping his short sword tightly, he stepped up next to John.

“Is something wrong?”

“Hmm? No, not really. I was just thinking about the last time I fought gnolls,” John said, shrugging. “We didn’t have a nice choke point like this. We were on a wall and they just climbed up it like it was flat.”

“Yeah, they’re skilled… climbers! The roof!”

Jumping back, Grimes threw his short sword with as much force as he could as a gnoll thrust his head through a hole in the roof. With a scream, the gnoll vanished, but four more took its place, jumping through the roof and scrambling along the walls.

“So much for our choke point,’’ John muttered, looking at Catherine.

To her credit, Catherine kept her cool and quickly assessed the situation, ordering Reese and Haver to take the lead and charge outside. John quickly moved to her side, his sword intercepting a rock that one of the gnolls hurled at her. Reese, brandishing his large sword, joined Haver, and the two of them rushed out, attacking the six gnolls outside of the building. With Haver’s wolves and the two Rogues joining in, the six gnolls quickly fell, and the team regrouped in the middle of the wide avenue.

“Do we fight it out or head for your tunnel? Because that looks like a lot more than twenty-five gnolls,” John said.

Watching the number of gnolls up on the roof of the nearby buildings continuing to increase, Catherine nodded, her face pale.

“We head for the tunnel. Grimes, you know the way the best.”

“Got it.”

With Grimes at the front and John bringing up the rear, the team began to sprint, running all out as they headed for the other end of the ruins. Seeing them run, the gnolls began to let out war cries and give chase. Every once in a while, the beasts would unleash an arrow or send a spear toward the group, but thanks to John’s warnings and flashing sword, none of them connected. As dangerous as they were, gnolls weren’t particularly known for their speed, and the team soon began to outdistance them. Running between two buildings, they sprinted across a wide-open area and into a half-broken building that was built into a hill. Sliding to a stop, Grimes pointed at a closed door that was covered in curving runes.

“Great! That’s it! Hopper, help me get this open! Everyone else, watch for attacks!”

Catherine rushed to the door with the bald Monk, her hands reaching into her pouch and emerging with a stone tablet. Not bothering to give the magically sealed door a glance, John spun around, placing himself at the entrance to the ruined building. As the seconds ticked by, John could feel Reese, who had come up next to him, growing more and more nervous.

“Catherine?”

“I’m hurrying, Reese. This isn’t as easy as turning a key.”

“Yeah, I know. Not to rush you or anything, but there are a lot of gnolls coming.”

“What do you mean, a lot?” Catherine snapped. “How many times have I told you to be precise?”

“Uh, sixty?”

“What!”

Letting out a shriek, Catherine began to work even more feverishly to open the door while the rest of the team lined up beside John, watching the ever-growing horde of gnolls rushing toward them. Sneering, Haver glanced at Grimes.

“A couple dozen at the most, huh?”

“Oh, shut up and get ready to fight,” Grimes said with a growl.

As the gnolls drew closer and closer, John felt the mana sealing the door shut loosening, and just when the beasts reached the edge of the open square, Catherine gave a happy cry.

“It’s open! Quickly, get inside; we can reseal it from inside!”

Breathing sighs of relief, the team ran through the door, slamming it shut behind them. They had cut it so close that a few arrows bounced through the shrinking doorway, skidding off of the stone floor and clattering into the darkness. As the stone door shut, the only sound in the silent passageway was the heavy breaths of the team. Feeling his way over to the wall, Grimes leaned against it and slid down into a seated position, gulping down air.

The mad run they had executed, combined with the drastic increase in the number of gnolls chasing them, had put everyone’s nerves on edge, and they all needed a moment to reset before heading further in. Everyone apart from John, of course. After double-checking that his dagger was clean, he slipped it into his sheath and tapped his bracer. With a hum, a shield of mana appeared on his arm, its faint golden glow lighting up the whole passage. Ignoring the stares that came his way, John used it in place of a torch to look down the passage.

Six feet wide and at least ten feet tall, the passage sloped slightly as it headed into the hill. Around thirty feet ahead was a set of stairs that plunged down into the darkness. Glancing over his shoulder, John saw the rest of the team were in various states of collapse around the passage, so he put his sword away and sat down as well.

“Let’s rest for a few minutes, then we’ll head in,” Catherine said to John.

“Sure. You made a good call getting us out of that building when you did.”

“Pure luck. Thankfully, the door wasn’t too hard to open. And it will be impossible for the gnolls to enter.”

“Yeah, but how are we going to get out?” Haver asked, gesturing to the sealed door. “There are close to a hundred gnolls out there. There’s no way we’ll be able to fight through that.”

Sharing a glance, Reese and Catherine seemed to come to a silent agreement. Nodding, Catherine spoke softly, as if she was trying to keep everything calm.

“Actually, we never intended to come back out through this entrance. Our employer is actually the descendent of a mage.”

In the shocked silence that followed Catherine’s words, John seriously thought Haver had just stopped breathing entirely. When the Tamer finally did inhale, it was with a gasp. His voice trembling, he pointed at Catherine.

“Are you insane? You brought us into an abandoned mage’s tower?! Do you mean to kill us all, or are you just crazy?”

If he’s this afraid of an empty mage’s tower, then how frightened would he be if he found out he was standing next to an actual mage? Actually, that might be pretty funny.

Holding up her hands, Catherine tried to placate Haver, but John didn’t miss how Sandra casually shifted to Haver’s side. To his credit, the Wolf King didn’t either, and with a tap on one of his wolves, the animal shifted to face Sandra. Realizing that things were about to get ugly, Catherine spoke quickly.

“Hold on. Just hear me out. I promise you won’t think we’re crazy after I explain it. This isn’t a modern tower. Our employer is the descendant of a mage who lived over a hundred and fifty years ago. There used to be a tower here that was part of the empire’s academy system. This was before the empire split up in the second Mage War, right? Well, this was one of those academy towers. They studied food or something harmless like that, okay? No war machines or forbidden spells or anything. Food.

“According to what our employer heard from his grandpa, that he had heard from his uncle the mage, the entire place was abandoned, but before they left the tower master, who would be the mage in charge of the whole place, sealed this tunnel so that only people with the tower’s access token could get in. That’s how we got in, using one of those tokens.

“Now, if that’s all we knew, we wouldn’t have come here, even in a million years. But what made us so confident is that this great-granduncle didn’t just tell them about it and leave a tower token; he actually mapped out the lower level as well and gave them another token, which we have. That map shows there’s actually a portal stone set up deep in the lower level. It’s only a one-time use thing, but it will take us out of here and drop us off near the hunting lodge. We’ve confirmed the other end of the portal stone.”

“There’s a working portal stone?” John asked, his forehead creasing as he stared at Catherine.

“Yes. Are you familiar with portal stones?”

“Only from the stories,” John said, shaking his head. “They had some dead ones at the palace.”

“That’s right, I’ve seen them from a distance. Yes, this one is confirmed to be working through a method our contractor gave us.”

“Okay, so there’s a portal stone,” Haver said, his eyes still narrowed. “We’re still walking into a mage’s tower. There are bound to be traps and worse. I still think this is madness.”

“Don’t forget the thorn bears,” John said, smiling helpfully.

“Believe me, if a quarter of the stories about mages are true, thorn bears are going to be the least of our worries,” Haver sneered.

“You obviously haven’t met a thorn bear,” John muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” John said, getting up and brushing off his pants. Adjusting his arm guard and shield, he smiled at everyone. “Going back doesn’t seem to be an option, so our only option is to head deeper in. Besides, think about it. If this really was a mage tower, we’ve stumbled on a gold mine. People will pay a fortune for even a scrap of information about mages. We could all be sitting pretty by the time this is done.”

“Exactly!” Catherine said, her eyes glowing. “Even the information we’ll find down here will be priceless. To say nothing of the artifacts, and magical tools!”

“You’re not afraid of walking into a death trap?” Haver asked, staring at John with astonishment.

“Not as long as I get my two shares,” John said, starting to walk down the passage.

CHAPTER 38

The stairs that led down into the earth were broad and easy to traverse, but John didn’t let his guard down for even one moment. Despite being confident that there was nothing in the tower that could truly hurt him, John had fought with dozens of mages and knew better than to underestimate their cunning. There was a sense of excitement growing in his chest that was hard to suppress no matter how he tried. Ever since he had come to this world he had only seen a single spell scroll, the scroll that had forcefully injected the knowledge of the fireball spell into his mind.

Every other scrap of knowledge from the ancient mages had been obliterated, seemingly on purpose. He had never imagined that, in coming to the edges of civilization, he would find clues to the mages’ legacy.

What are the chances this place also survived the purge? Probably not good. Others must have come here before us.

Trying to temper his expectations, John led the team down into the earth. The stairs finally ended, spilling them out into a large room that appeared to be a hub of sorts. Easily a few hundred feet long and at least half that wide, the hall was so big that the glow of John’s shield actually failed to light the whole thing. Six hallways led off of the main room, but there were no markings or signs anywhere, so John wasn’t sure how to proceed. Glancing at Catherine, he waited for her to speak. Thanks to the light from his shield, the team could see passageways exiting the room, and she pointed to the second passage on the right.

“That’s the one we want. It’ll bring us down one more level. That’s where we’ll find what we’re looking for.”

“What’s in these other passages?” Rosalee asked, looking around.

“Um, I think one was a library? But they burned everything they couldn’t carry away before the tower was sealed,” Catherine said, much to everyone’s disappointment. “Another led to the animal holding area.”

“Let’s avoid that,” Grimes said, rubbing his bow nervously.

“Agreed. Then there was a kitchen, staff rooms, storage, that sort of thing. But the more interesting areas are downstairs. A laboratory and the official mage’s offices. That’s what we’re aiming for. If we have time afterward, we can come back and search the other rooms.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Reese said, patting John’s shoulder.

The Red Coral team was obviously excited to be so close to what they’d been working toward for so long, and it was clear the excitement was starting to infect Haver and Rosalee. John, on the other hand, found his mood dampening with each step. Having stripped a few secret lairs in his day, he knew all too well the obvious signs that others had been there first, and to his dismay, the signs were everywhere. He was starting to think he had stumbled into the tower the journal had talked about, but if that were the case, there was probably nothing of value left.

As they walked through the large room, John’s sharp hearing caught a hint of something, and a moment later Haver’s wolves picked up on it as well. Stiffening, they both looked toward the shadows on the far side of the giant room. Crouching, Haver stroked the wolves’ heads while he tried to figure out what they were hearing. Closing his eyes, he melded his senses with the wolves’ senses, shooting up a moment later, a horrified expression on his face.

“R… r…”

“It’s a thorn bear,” John said, his voice matter-of-fact.

“Wait, what?” Reese looked between Haver and John, confused.

“He saw a thorn bear. They’re the only thing down here that would make him look like that. And from his stuttering, I would suggest we begin to move.”

Reaching out, John smacked Haver on the back, knocking him out of his stuttering shock. The Tamer’s expression was no less horrified, but at least he could speak. Backing up, he was about to turn and run for the entrance tunnel when Reese grabbed him.

“Spit it out! What’s out there?”

“Thorn bears!”

“Thorn bears? As in more than one?”

“S… six.”

Unlike the rest of the team, who couldn’t see through the thick gloom, John could see just fine. Suppressing his shudder, he counted seven of the hulking monstrosities known as thorn bears. Like the stuff out of nightmares, the thorn bears were heavy, six-legged beasts that had a bear-like head. Barbed bone protrusions grew out of all of their joints, and their fur was mixed with thick, bony plates that covered their legs, chest, and back like armor. As if that wasn’t bad enough, two sinuous whip-like tails grew from their tailbones, complete with toxic stingers and bone barbs. The first time he had seen a thorn bear, he had nearly wet himself, so John didn’t blame Haver for his reaction at all.

“Well, that escalated quickly,” John said, chuckling mirthlessly. Giving Catherine an even look, he raised his eyebrows. “So, what’s the plan? We’re sealed in here, right? And even if we could get out, there are hordes of gnolls.”

Licking her lips, Catherine nodded.

“We head further in. That’s our only option. And we do it quickly. Reese, Grimes, you lead the way. Hopper, John, you’ll block at the back. Haver, your wolves are the only ones who can see through the dark, so we’ll need you to keep scouting. Sandra, Rosalee, with me. Be ready to support the front or back as needed. Let’s go!”

Quickly falling into formation, the team hurried toward the second passageway on the right, but before they could arrive, a hissing sound froze them in their tracks. Near the entrance to the passageway they were heading for, a muffled sound brought fear to the team’s faces as a grotesque beast lumbered into view. In the soft light of John’s shield, the beast looked like something that had crawled out of the deepest pit. Overly large eyes stared out of a bony face that looked like a bear’s head with the flesh stripped away. Large fangs extended from the monster’s bony jaws, and a forked tongue flickered in and out between its teeth.

Thick plates extended across its body, holding together slack and drooping flesh. Scabby skin and sporadic tufts of hair were visible whenever the beast moved, explaining the intense stench that rolled toward the party. Behind the monster, two tails lashed, almost invisible in the darkness. Letting out a muffled shriek, Sandra covered her mouth, but not before the monster turned its lantern-like eyes on her.

The thorn bear looked like a demon that crawled out of the deepest hell, and its presence pressed down on the team, making their movements sluggish. Sweeping the group with its terrifying gaze, the beast seemed to hesitate, almost as if it was waiting for its companions. Teeth chattering together, Catherine pointed at the passageway that was half-blocked by the beast.

“Alright. I’ll engage, but I doubt I’ll block it for more than thirty seconds,” John said, his hand resting on the handle of his sword.

Hearing his words, Reese seemed to receive a burst of courage from somewhere and nodded, unsheathing his long sword.

“I’ll help. Grimes, get ready to lead everyone forward. John and I will follow.”

“Alright, I’m ready,” the Ranger said nervously.

Taking a deep breath, Reese brought his sword up in front of him and nodded to John.

“We’ll flank to the left to draw the monster’s attention while the team goes right. Then, once they’re past, we’ll run.”

“Seems like a plan,” John said with a nod, his face calm.

To his credit, Reese took the first step toward the thorn bear, but as John walked forward, the Fighter slowed down, and within a few steps was following behind John. The closer he got to the thorn bear, the clearer the feeling of suppression that flowed from its body. Though it didn’t bother John in the slightest, he could sense the way the beast naturally tried to take control of the mana around it.

Eyes narrowing, John suddenly paused and lifted his shield, parrying a bone barb that shot toward him from the side. The strike was lightning fast and nearly invisible in the darkness, and though it wasn’t a particularly hard attack, the clash between bone and magical shield still echoed throughout the great hall. In the distance, the other thorn bears swung their bony heads toward the party, alerted by a sound they hadn’t heard in years.

Swearing under his breath, Reese stepped forward, his sword swinging at the thorn bear. Though he was still a dozen feet away, he swung his sword as if he could actually hit the beast, causing John to roll his eyes. The sound of the large blade cutting through the air seemed to draw the beast’s attention, and it took a lumbering step forward, bringing it closer to John.

“If you’re going to run, I would do it now,” John said in a low voice.

Without waiting for a response, he lifted his shield and tapped his sword against it. With the sound of a ringing bell, the front of the shield suddenly flashed with bright light, flooding the space in front of John with light so bright that it hurt. For the party, the burst of light made them wince, screwing up their eyes and lifting their hands to block the gleam. The thorn bear standing in front of the shield wasn’t so fortunate.

A hissing scream burst from the lips of the beast as it reeled from the sudden assault of light. For a monster who lived its life in lightless tunnels, the soft glow of John’s shield was already hard enough to look at, and the incandescent flash was enough to completely blind it. Reese, seeing an opportunity, yelled for the others to run and dashed forward, his sword lifted above his head. Flashes of blue mana wrapped around the large blade, coating the edge as he completed his charge and attacked.

“Mighty Strike!” he roared, activating one of his class abilities as he brought his sword down in an arc onto the staggering monster’s shoulder.

Cracking under the power of his attack, the bony plate on the beast’s shoulder still held, but Reese slammed his sword down again, cutting into the thorn bear’s flesh. Letting out a triumphant yell, he was distracted and failed to see the beast’s tail headed for his side. Flashing out of the darkness like a whip, the barbed end of the thorn bear’s tail slashed through Reese’s shoulder, turning his yell of triumph into a screech of pain. Feeling toxin starting to invade his system, Reese was horrified to see the still-blinded beast open its grotesque maw and lunge toward him.

Idiot. It’s used to operating while blind.

Charging forward, John’s silver longsword slashed at the thorn bear’s neck, somehow managing to slip in between the bone plates to score a slash on the monster’s flesh. Abandoning its attack to defend against this new, much deadlier threat, the beast launched both of its tails and its front claws at John, allowing Reese to retreat. Sidestepping the first tail barb, John parried the second with his sword and crouched, blocking the thorn bear’s large paw with his shield. Borrowing the force of the blow, John tumbled past Reese, somehow making it to the entrance to the passage the team had vanished down before the Fighter did. Jumping to his feet, John glanced back over his shoulder, an expression of fear on his face.

“Run!”

Together, John and Reese fled down the stairs, soon joining up with the rest of the team at the bottom. Seeing John and Reese arrive in a hurry, the others looked at them, fear clear in their eyes. Glancing up the stairs, John shook his head.

“They’re coming. We weren’t able to do more than crack one of its armor plates.”

“We need to go,” Reese said urgently, his hand pressed tightly on his shoulder.

Seeing that he was wounded, Catherine hurried over and pulled something out of her pouch, giving it to him to drink. Out of another pouch, she got some ointment and a bandage, and as the team began to move, she skillfully spread the ointment on the wound, taking care not to touch the toxin herself. Once it was bandaged, she got out a small crystal flower and handed it to Reese, who reluctantly put it in his mouth. Seeing Rosalee’s look, she shook her head.

“Angel flowers. It’ll keep him from feeling the pain of the wound so he can still fight. Otherwise, he’ll be dead weight.”

Nodding, Rosalee didn’t say anything. As the team ran, John could hear the thorn bears starting to move down the stairs after them at a leisurely pace. Eyes narrowing, John glanced at the tunnel ahead. If the thorn bears weren’t concerned about catching them before they headed downstairs, it meant that the team was going to run into traps, a dead end, or both. After five solid minutes of running, almost everyone was starting to flag, so Catherine called for them to slow down. His chest heaving, Grimes shook his head and leaned against the wall.

“Whoever said we could beat a thorn bear should be strung up by their toes.”

“That would be Reese,” John said, not hesitating to throw the Fighter under the cart. “I think he said we could handle up to three.”

“Yeah, that’s my mistake. Our contractor said they were only four feet tall at the most. Not ten feet tall.”

“Maybe they were four feet tall a hundred years ago,” John said, amusement clear in his voice.

“But… how could they have lived for a hundred years?” Sandra asked, her voice trembling as she remembered the horrifying monster.

“Hibernation. A lot of non-humanoid beasts can hibernate almost indefinitely by taking in ambient mana. We must have woken them up when we opened the door.”

“Regardless, we don’t want to wait for them to catch up,” Catherine said, letting out a loud sigh. “Thankfully, they don’t seem that fast. So as long as we keep going, we should be able to stay ahead of them.”

Gathering themselves, the team began to move forward, happy to put more distance between themselves and the thorn bears. Since John was at the back of the group, Grimes and Hopper each got out a small lantern on a stick, lighting up the passage so everyone could see. The passage was long and straight and completely silent, but the peace didn’t last long. They had just started to walk when a soft click sounded.

In the silence that followed, John heard the sound of a body hitting the floor and the rusty smell of blood began to fill the passageway. A hard expression crossed John’s eyes, but he kept his expression under control as he turned his head.

“What just happened?”

CHAPTER 39

The passageway was completely silent and John’s question seemed to echo around the stone walls, hammering into the party’s hearts. Rosalee’s body was stretched out on the floor, her head completely separated from her body. Frowning, John looked down at the body, noting the perfectly smooth cut. Not hearing an answer to his question, he looked up, his eyes going to Catherine, who had been standing next to the Rogue.

“Rosa… Rosalee just died. I… I think there was a trap,” Catherine stammered, her face completely white.

“You think!” Haver snarled, glaring at Catherine.

Looking down at Rosalee’s headless body, the Wolf King trembled, clearly trying his best to keep it together. Whether his anger was due to grief or the fact that one of his allies had died, thereby decreasing his own chances of living, John wasn’t sure, but as Grimes, Reese, and Sandra all gathered between Haver and Catherine, it quickly became clear that Haver was outnumbered and starting any trouble would be suicide. Glancing at Hopper, who was next to him, John saw the Monk had his hands together like he was praying.

“It’s really unfortunate, but we need to keep going,” Reese said, his eyes showing none of the grief his words expressed. “She knew the risks. It’s time to press on.”

Despite his obvious reluctance, Haver had no desire to strike out on his own and face the thorn bears who were lumbering closer with every moment, so the party resumed their journey. The death of one of their party members had been so sudden that the team was in shock, and everyone seemed to step much lighter. At the front of the group, Reese and Grimes hurried along, seeming to check for traps as they walked.

The trap that killed Rosalee was still a mystery, so Reese and Grimes made a show of checking both the floors and walls, but even after the party had traveled for an entire hour, they never found another trap. Passing through a twisted maze of hallways, they followed Catherine’s directions, going deeper and deeper into the earth. The entire time they had been traveling down a slight slope, but as the passages began to turn this way and that, the slope began to get even steeper. Faintly, in the distance, John thought he heard a sniffing and then the sound of flesh tearing.

No wonder they’re not worried about us getting out.

Arriving at a small room, the team stopped for a moment to rest. Seeing the others gathering together to talk quietly, Haver sat down next to John, his handsome face twisted in an ugly expression. Biting into a piece of jerky, John glanced at Haver and then offered him a piece of venison jerky. Taking it, the Tamer split it into two pieces and tossed them to his wolves. Blinking, John offered him another piece.

“Can you believe it?” Haver spoke quietly, his cold gaze fixed on the adventuring team who had gathered on the other side of the room.

“Believe what?”

“That they just left Rosalee there? You saw them. They didn’t care one bit that she died.”

“Do you?” John asked, looking at Haver calmly.

Nearly choking on the jerky, Haver shot a quick glance at John, only to realize it had been a serious question. Chewing slowly, he swallowed the meat and then looked down at the piece of jerky, lost in thought. After a moment, Haver nodded.

“Of course I do. Me and Laughing Blade go back a long time. It’s pretty crazy to think she won’t be around anymore.”

“Then why’d you come?” John asked, biting off another piece of jerky. Seeing Haver’s confused look, he clarified the question. “You both knew the risks. I imagine this isn’t your first time doing something like this. In fact, you move like an adventurer rather than a bandit.”

“A debt needed to be repaid,” Haver said, his voice quiet, “and I repay my debts. But now, I’ve racked up another.”

“One that will be much harder to pay off.”

“Unfortunately.”

Brushing off his hands, Haver got out his canteen, his eyes inadvertently drifting to the passage they had come through. The memory of thorn bears was still fresh in his mind, and not even Rosalee’s death could shake the fear he felt. As he finished his drink and put the water back on his hip, the look in his eyes hardened.

“Look, I know we’ve had our disagreements, but I’ve got a sinking feeling that me and you are next, you know? They didn’t need us to get in here. The only reason they brought us along is to toss us to the beasts and use the time the monsters spend chewing our bones to escape. But I’m not about to turn into beast food like Rosalee, rest her soul.”

“What’re you proposing?”

“You watch my back, and I’ll watch yours,” Haver said, his voice grim. “At least until we get out of this death trap, we act as one. After that, we can settle our differences. But while we’re down here, we keep an eye out for each other.”

Blinking again, John looked at Haver, but the Tamer was busy glaring at the adventuring team and didn’t see the ghost of a smile on his face.

“Sure, I’m fine with that.”

“Great.”

Lapsing into silence, Haver busied himself with his wolves until Reese and Grimes finally came over. Neither was wearing the friendly expression they had earlier, and the look in Grimes’ eyes was openly mocking.

“Get up, we’re heading out. Same formation as before, but this time, we’ll need Haver up at the front. If there really are thorn bears coming after us, we need to move faster.”

“Then why not put both me and John up front together?” Haver asked, his deep voice harsh. “Wouldn’t that let us move even quicker?”

“No, we need him at the back in case we get attacked from behind. No more questions. We’re leaving in two minutes.”

Gritting his teeth, Haver glared at Reese’s back as the Fighter walked away. Slowly getting up, he looked like he was about to curse, but ultimately, he held it in. Spitting on the ground, he wiped his mouth and looked at John.

“They’re trying to split us up. Watch your back. I don’t trust these traps of theirs.”

“You too.”

Leaving the room, they continued down one of the two passages that split off of it, following Catherine’s directions. As they continued to twist and turn, John frowned. The maze was confusing, but not so confusing that he couldn’t remember the way back. What was strange was that they hadn’t encountered any of the types of rooms Catherine had mentioned. Instead, it felt as if the entire floor had been designed to get people lost. Unable to make heads or tails of why a mage tower would have a maze in its basement, John shook his head.

He was walking along with Hopper at the back of the group, but to his surprise, the smiling Monk had never once tried to speak to him. He had heard the Monk speak before, so he knew that he wasn’t dumb or under a vow of silence. Glancing at Hopper, who saw him and smiled, John smiled back.

“Have you been with the adventuring team for a long time?”

The question was loud in the quiet tunnel and caused everyone to pause. When it registered that John was just making small talk, they continued moving forward. Nodding his head, Hopper didn’t seem to want to talk, but John continued to ask him questions.

“Oh yeah? Reese said you formed five years ago? Is that when you joined, or did you join up before that? Have you known Sandra long? Are you two a thing? Or is it her and Grimes? I know Reese and Catherine are a pair, but I figured you were more handsome than Grimes, so if Sandra had any taste at all, she would pick you over Grimes. Besides, he has a really nasty mouth. And a bad temper. Not the kind of guy a woman wants, know what I mean?”

Even though he had lowered his voice, the sound still echoed off of the stone walls, allowing everyone to hear it clearly. Gritting his teeth, Grimes glanced back at John, but a warning glance from Reese turned him back around. Oblivious to the commotion he was causing, John walked along like he didn’t have a care in the world, continuing to chatter. Up ahead of the team, Haver and Grimes were carefully checking for traps, and the constant sound was starting to wear on the Ranger. Finally, unable to take it any longer, he spun around and shouted at John.

“Can you shut up!”

Hunching as if he’d been struck, John looked guilty and bowed from the waist, as if he were about to sincerely apologize to the team. At the exact moment that he bowed, a soft click sounded, and before anyone could react, Hopper’s head tumbled to the ground.

As John lifted his head, he had a perfect view of everyone in the party. Apart from the shock that was dawning on everyone’s face, there were plenty of other emotions that John found curious. Most evident was the clear horror on Catherine’s bloodless face, but he found the glee on Haver’s face and the sliver of relief in Sandra’s eyes just as interesting. Blinking at everyone, John pretended to be unsure why everyone was staring at him. When the sound of Hopper’s body hitting the ground echoed through the corridor, he turned to look, pretending to be shocked.

Quickly taking a few steps back, John lifted his shield up so it covered his chin as he looked around. It was only then that the team managed to react. Rushing over, Grimes looked down at the body of the bald Monk and then looked up, his eyes red with rage. Glaring at John, he lifted his hand as if he was going to grab John’s collar, but a low growl sounded from the shadows at the edge of the tunnel. Freezing, Grimes glanced back and saw the gleaming eyes and large teeth of one of Haver’s wolves. Before things could really get out of hand, Reese rushed over, grabbing Grimes’ arm. Looking down at the headless body and then up at John, he frowned.

“What happened?”

“There must have been a trap,” John said, shrugging. “It’s really unfortunate, but we need to keep going. He knew the risks. It’s time to press on.”

Trying to keep from laughing out loud at John’s deadpan delivery of the same words Reese had spoken earlier, Haver drifted closer, his hands hanging inches away from his weapons. The large Fighter’s face blanched and fury began to grow in his eyes. To John’s surprise, it was Grimes who stopped the Fighter from attacking. Raising his eyebrows, John jerked his head toward the darkness.

“I’m serious. We have maybe two minutes until the thorn bears arrive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this is the best spot to fight against them. Hopper, rest his soul, will at least delay them for a few minutes.”

Jerking his head up, Grimes blinked his eyes rapidly, activating his Eagle Eye ability. Unlike a normal vision magnification, Eagle Eye could actually be used for remote viewing, and a few seconds later, Grimes’ face paled as he saw the thorn bears lumber into view. Though it was hard for him to make out exactly what was happening in the tunnel due to the absence of light, his class gave him basic dark vision, allowing him to make out a few details. After watching for a few seconds, his expression got even worse.

“There aren’t six of them; there are eight.”

“Six, eight; either way, it won’t be a pretty fight,” John said, smiling. “Can we go? Or are we waiting for them here?”

“Yes, we need to go, now. John, Haver, you’re at the back.”

Not bothering to wait for their protests, Reese and Grimes hurried over to Sandra and Catherine, and after a whispered conversation, they hurried down the tunnel. Following close behind the surviving Red Coral team members, Haver looked both happy and scared. Happy because he and John were no longer split up, increasing their chances of survival, and terrified that the thorn bears would emerge from the shadows of the tunnel behind them. Noticing that Grimes and Reese weren’t bothering to check for traps, John cracked a smile.

I guess the facade is starting to crack a bit. I’m curious to see how long they can keep pretending. Not long now ‘til everything shakes out.

After a few more twists, the tunnel ended and the party emerged into another wide hall with a dozen doorways. John and Haver realized they had reached the end of their path when Catherine and the others stopped and turned to face them. While he was waiting for Catherine to speak, John looked around the hall. Unlike the hall upstairs, this one looked much older. A series of large pillars ran down the length of the hall, and the stone walls looked well-worn. At the far end was a small dais that was raised a foot off the ground. Even without being able to see it clearly, John could feel the mana coming off it. Set evenly around the hall, each of the twelve doorways held doors with a different ornate carving depicting all sorts of scenes.

“This is the place we’re looking for,” Catherine said, her face cold.

“Great!” John interrupted, rubbing his hands together. “So, where’s the loot?”

Thrown off by John’s cheery attitude, Catherine paused and then gestured to the sealed rooms.

“There are twelve rooms. How about this? Since this adventure has been much more difficult than we anticipated, you can take six of the rooms, and we’ll take six of the rooms. Anything we find is ours, and anything you find is yours.”

“Do I still get the first pick?” John asked, his grin wide.

After hesitating for a while, Catherine eventually nodded.

“Yes, you can pick. But you’re responsible for opening your doors and we’ll be responsible for ours.”

“That sounds like a fair exchange, but there is a small problem. We don’t have long before this party gets crashed. Is that going to be enough time to open up any of the doors?”

“Every second we talk wastes time.”

“Hah, true. Unfortunately, I don’t think the thorn bears care,” John said, turning his head to glance over his shoulder at the entrance to the hall.

CHAPTER 40

The flickering light of the lamps Grimes and Reese carried lit the hall but failed to reach into the passageway, making it look suspiciously like the yawning mouth of the abyss. Lightly at first but quickly growing louder, the shuffling sound the team had been dreading could be heard coming from the darkness. As the thorn bears advanced, they didn’t seem to be in a hurry, as if they knew there was no way out of the hall.

So bulky that it nearly didn’t fit through the passageway, the first thorn bear shook its body as it came into the hall, the bone spikes that covered its body clattering. The two barbed tails darted around behind the beast, slashing against the stone walls, almost as if they wished to escape from the thorn bear’s body. Gulping, the team gripped their weapons. As terrifying as the thorn bears looked, records of adventuring teams coming out on top did exist, proving that thorn bears weren’t impossible to beat.

“We can do this,” Catherine said, her voice forcefully upbeat.

As soon as she spoke, a second thorn bear emerged from the darkness of the tunnel, its snake-like tongue flicking as it tasted the air. Seeing the second monster, Sandra glanced mutely at Catherine, as if to ask if they could still do it. Before Catherine could say anything, another thorn bear shuffled out of the passageway, completely sealing her lips. After the third thorn bear came a fourth and then a fifth and sixth. Each new shuffling beast drove terror deeper into the team’s hearts until they were all shaking. When two more of the beasts arrived, even breathing became hard. Her expression growing frantic, Catherine looked at Reese and swallowed.

“I think now would be a great time to leave,” Grimes growled, glancing over his shoulder at Catherine. “Like right now. If you have a way to activate that portal stone, now would be the time to use it.”

Shaking her head, Catherine gestured to one of the doorways.

“I can’t activate the portal stone until we open the room with the item we’re after. There’s a token in it that will let us use the portal stone.”

Fury nearly bursting from his eyes, Haver glared at Catherine, but she was too worried about the slowly approaching thorn bears to care.

“Don’t worry, I know which room has the item we’re looking for. We need it to activate the portal stone anyway, so block the thorn bears for five minutes—no, even two minutes is fine. I’ll grab what we need to activate the portal stone and we’ll leave.”

“Alright,” Reese responded, his face just as pale as Catherine’s. “Everyone, form up and get ready.”

Seeing Haver look at him, John jerked his head back, indicating they should join the others. They were still standing out in front of the Red Coral team from when they had been talking, and if they didn’t want to face off against the thorn bears alone, they would need to retreat. It was clear the Wolf King was just as worried about the adventurers behind them as he was about the thorn bears, but in the face of the greater threat that faced them, John was certain the Red Coral team wouldn’t mess around.

Sure enough, Reese, Grimes, and Sandra each grabbed their weapons and lined up, leaving space for John and Haver as the adventurers did their best to control their shaking hands. Haver began to slowly back up, John following him step for step. Unfortunately, so did the thorn bears. Letting out a hiss, they shuffled forward, their large eyes fixed on him. Stopping when John and Haver stopped, the beasts stared at the party as if unsure whether to attack or leave.

Behind the team, Catherine edged over to one of the doors, her stone token reappearing as she began to unlock the door. Seconds ticked by as the magical seal slowly unraveled, but to the party, it felt like years were passing. The hissing beasts had stopped around thirty feet away from the team and seemed hesitant to get any closer. John was the only one who actually understood what was happening, but he wasn’t about to share, so the team passed a few of the most nerve-wracking minutes of their lives. Locked in a strange tableau, the party faced down the eight terrifying monsters until the door to the room began to open up. Darting into the room, Catherine vanished for a second and then reemerged, clutching a small box in her hands.

“I got it! I got it! I’ll activate the portal stone!”

Dashing across the room toward the small dais at the end of the hall, a million things seemed to happen at once. Grimes swung his short sword toward John’s side while Reese bellowed and hacked down toward John’s legs with his broadsword, its edge covered in a blue glow. Both Grimes and Reese moved in sync, attacking with all of their might. Yet they weren’t the only ones moving.

John’s silver blade casually dropped to intercept Reese’s broadsword and his shield swung around the side of his body to block Grimes’ thrust as if they were engaged in a perfectly choreographed dance. Shocked that their attack had failed, Grimes jumped back to set up his next attack while Reese bulled forward, intending to knock John off-balance. With a crunch, the Fighter slammed into John, failing to move him even an inch. Thanks to the Angel flower he’d taken earlier, Reese still couldn’t feel any pain, but from the sound of it, he knew his already wounded shoulder had just been cracked.

Unable to make sense of what was going on, he felt a powerful force slam into his solar plexus, throwing him back. Lowering the shield he’d just used to punch Reese, John’s sword flicked out, cutting a long scratch on Grimes’ arm, causing the Ranger to drop the short sword he carried.

Next to John, Haver was suffering an attack of his own. Sandra had been standing next to Haver, her daggers in her hands, and as John was attacked, she pivoted on her heel so she was back to back with the Wolf King. Crouching, she crossed her arms above her head and stabbed backward, her two daggers darting toward Haver’s kidneys in a brutal assassination attack. The attack was so sudden, Haver nearly lost his life right there, but, with an instinct born of a million scraps, Haver kicked back with his heel, slamming into Sandra’s back and pushing the Rogue away as he leaned forward, bringing his body just outside the range of her blades.

The two daggers snapped together, barely missing as they cut through the leather armor Haver wore. Green slime that coated the edges of the curved blades began to corrode his armor, but the Wolf King had no time to care as his instincts screamed at him. Turning his head to look back over his shoulder, he saw Catherine lift a small hand crossbow and fire a dart. In what felt like slow motion, Haver used every ounce of his strength to throw himself sideways, passing behind John’s body and landing on the floor.

Letting out enraged howls, the two wolves that walked by Haver’s side sprang into action. One of them spun and lunged at Sandra, trying to bite her neck, while the other wolf jumped backward, vanishing into the shadows. Rolling forward, Sandra blurred, somehow causing the wolf’s sharp teeth to catch nothing but air as they snapped shut. The hall was pandemonium as the thorn bears began to hiss and lumber forward, their steps shaking the walls and pillars.

Paying no attention to the thorn bears, John spun around and looked down, seeing the end of the dart protruding from Haver’s abdomen. For the first time since he’d arrived at the valley, John was truly stunned. In complete shock, he stared down at Haver, unable to make sense of what had just happened. Coughing in pain, the Wolf King looked back up at him, his teeth bloody from the wound in his intestines.

Rushing forward, the thorn bears slammed into the party’s battle line. Already thrown into disarray by their fight with John and Haver, the Red Coral team barely avoided dying to the thorn bears right then and there. Sandra, with an impressive display of flexibility, twisted out of the way of another bite from Haver’s wolf and stabbed her dagger up into its chest, the curved blade sliding neatly between its ribs. With a heave and a kick, the wolf flew free of her dagger, flying into the waiting jaws of a thorn bear. Diving backward, her body blurred again as two toxic barbs cut through the air where she’d just been.

Grimes and Reese were not as lucky as the Rogue and bore the brunt of a thorn bear’s charge, doing their best to block its large claws. The force of the attack knocked both of them across the hall. Slamming into a pillar, Reese let out a groan as his shoulder cracked even more alarmingly. Scrambling up, he grabbed his sword with his left hand and tried to grab Grimes with his right, only to find that his hand no longer worked.

“We need to leave, now!”

Hearing Catherine’s scream, Grimes, Reese, and Sandra all scrambled toward her. Looking over their shoulders, they saw that John and Haver had vanished into the press of beasts, most of whom were looking at them. Terrified, and convinced that the thorn bears would do what they’d failed to, the Red Coral team sprinted for the portal stone and vanished in a flash of light. Appearing in a small cave, Catherine and Reese immediately started smashing the rune formation under them. They’d been told it was a single-use portal stone, but they had no desire to find out they’d been misinformed.

Hitting the stone so hard his sword deformed, Reese didn’t care one bit. Only when the stone was entirely destroyed did he stop, his chest heaving as he sucked in huge gasps of air. Slumping to the ground, he tossed his ruined sword to the side and clenched his head with his trembling left hand. His right shoulder had been so badly damaged, he’d started feeling the ache, even though the powerful narcotic he took hadn’t faded away.

Despite being in better shape physically, the others were just as scared, and it was almost half an hour later before they managed to calm down. Realizing how bad Reese’s injuries were, Catherine crawled over and began to work on his shoulder, her hands trembling so much, she could hardly open her pouch. Once Reese’s shoulder was set and she’d given him another Angel flower crystal, she turned to Grimes, helping him bind up the long gash on his arm.

“That… that was much too close,” Sandra said, unable to keep her hands from trembling.

“Absolutely. No more mage towers,” Grimes agreed. “No matter how much gold they promise. Tell me you got the box at least.”

Still taking shaky breaths, Catherine nodded and produced an exquisite little box. Made from an unknown stone, it was bound with silver that bore runes, a clear sign of a magical lock.

“All that for this little thing?” Grimes asked, his face turning glum.

“And after all of that, we can’t even see what’s inside.”

Sending a warning glance at Sandra, Catherine shook her head.

“Not if you don’t want to die. I’ve warned you already, so don’t mess around. We only get paid if the mage lock is intact. Besides, you know just as well as anyone what happens when you try to force a mage lock. If you were going to do that, it would’ve been better to throw yourself to the thorn bears.”

“Ugh, let’s not bring those things up ever again,” Sandra said, shuddering.

“Are you sure?” Grimes said, giving her a crooked smile. “There aren’t many adventurers who can say they faced down thorn bears and survived.”

“Haha, and I’m sure after a couple cups of wine, it will turn into you defeating all eight thorn bears single-handedly,” Reese said, smiling. “Probably with a single arrow.”

“And don’t forget rescuing the princess.”

“Right, how could I forget? Grimes, delver of mage towers, slayer of thorn bears, rescuer of princesses.”

Nodding, Grimes stood up, his smile turning nasty.

“That reminds me, there’s a princess waiting on a farm in the valley for me to rescue.”

“Again? Are you serious?” Sandra asked, rolling her eyes. “We just barely escaped death and that’s all you can think about? Besides, what if she doesn’t want to be rescued? She didn’t seem so hot on you before.”

“I’m sure she’ll learn to enjoy the city,” Grimes said, sneering. “Besides, this is as much about settling scores as anything else. I never did like the way that farmer talked to me. That farm girl either. Thinking he was so high and mighty because he was a Royal Knight? Well, look where that got him. I want something to remember him by, and that cutie is just the thing.”

“She wasn’t even that cute,” Sandra muttered.

“Doesn’t bother me,” Grimes said, shrugging.

Realizing Grimes wouldn’t change his mind, Catherine shared a glance with Reese and then put the ornate box away. Rubbing her temples, she stared at Grimes, shaking her head as she spoke.

“Mark my words, this habit of avenging every petty grievance will burn you one day, but if you must, I guess you must. Before you go, we need to establish our story, and we need to make our plan. I want to turn in this commission as fast as possible, and I’m not going to wait for you to rile up the locals. We have a mountain of gold waiting for us, and I for one am tired of wandering around this forsaken wasteland. But when I go back, the adventurer’s guild will want to know what happened.”

“Our story is simple. We hired some local class holders, they got greedy and fell into traps,” Grimes said, shrugging.

“No, that won’t work. Haver is known as one of the most canny class holders around,” Reese said. “I say that they sacrificed themselves for us.”

This time, it was Sandra’s turn to shake her head.

“Again, that might be believable with that farmer, but the others? Not so much.”

“Does this really matter? You can decide. I have places to be.”

Turning on his heel, Grimes left the cave without another word, leaving the rest of the team behind.

“What an idiot,” Sandra said, sneering at the Ranger’s back.

“Yes, but supremely useful,” Catherine agreed. “Reese, Sandra, both of you go with him to keep him out of trouble. I’ll head for the capital and we’ll meet at the old hideout. Grab the girl and get out fast. The last thing we need is to bring the local class holders down on us.”

CHAPTER 41

When Haver was young, he had dreamed of joining the ranks of the powerful troop of soldiers he’d seen marching through his village, their brass buttons gleaming on their crisp blue uniforms as they followed the fluttering flag to the battlefield. He and his friends had played at being soldiers, defeating entire legions of enemies and counting the years until they could enlist. Until, that is, he had watched a dozen broken men limp past the village under the cover of darkness, their muddy, tattered uniforms and bloody bandages a clear testament to the horror they had experienced.

Those twelve men were all that remained of the once glorious troop after their encounter with an enemy nation’s mage, and it was at that moment when Haver understood that being a soldier was the very last thing he wanted to become. Realizing he had a talent for animals, the young boy took to raising pigs until the flames of war spread from the broken front line, burning everything he’d ever known to the ground and forcing him into a life of banditry to survive.

And survive he did. His affinity for wolves had led him to the rare Tamer class, and after building his pack, he had quickly grown to control one of the largest groups of bandits in the kingdom. Leading his men to the mountain valley far from the battlefield, he had lived like a king in his own domain. Yet now, as his life bled out through the hole in his stomach, he found himself filled with bitterness. His thoughts raced, replaying his life at frightening speed, and as the scenes flickered past his eyes, he found himself with little to be happy about.

Blinking, he looked up at the hall’s ceiling, at as much of a loss as John, who was standing over him. Unsure why he had intercepted the dart for John, his last thought before he passed out was for his wolves. If Haver had managed to stay alert for even one more second, he would have seen a sight that would have changed his understanding of the world forever.

Mana surged at the portal stone, transferring the survivors of the Red Coral team away, but John didn’t look up, his eyes still fixed on the Wolf King. Around him, the thorn bears hissed and attacked, but a flashing net of silver appeared around John as his sword moved, driving their barbs back. With a snap of his fingers, the mana shield on his arm disappeared, reverting into its silver bracer form as a blue fireball appeared above Haver’s unconscious form. Splitting into a dozen tiny tongues of flames, the magical fire spread out to surround the Wolf King as John turned around, his eyes burning with mana.

Lifting his sword, John shook it, allowing mana to flow into it. The flame symbol on the pommel burst to life, its blue glow lighting up the hall and setting the shadows dancing. A moment later, flames surged along the long silver blade, causing the thorn bears to shrink back slightly. The presence that had been giving the thorn bears pause this entire time suddenly surged, and for the first time in their long lives, the beasts understood what it felt like to be the prey instead of the predator.

John’s body blurred as he darted forward, his flame-covered blade carving straight through the thick bone plates on one of the thorn bear’s shoulders, showing none of the difficulty Reese’s blade had a few hours earlier as it cleaved through the beast’s shoulder joint. Hissing in pain, the beast didn’t have a chance to pull back as John spun, his sword completing a circle and cutting straight through its neck. Following up his deadly slash with a kick, the beast’s body knocked the two thorn bears behind it head over heels as John danced to the side, somehow managing to avoid the stabbing bone barbs that shot toward him.

With a snap, another fireball manifested, flying toward one of the thorn bears attacking him and melting straight through its bony head. The fireball continued, its magical heat obliterating everything in its path as it shot through the beast. Emerging from the dead thorn bear’s back, the blue fireball, now much smaller, darted toward the next thorn bear, sending it fleeing in terror.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

Seeing the notifications popping up, John frowned and angled his head, dodging a lightning-fast stab.

Ugh. As I thought, using my power is triggering these notifications. I need to end this quickly.

Dodging another series of stabs, John cartwheeled over the head of the thorn bear attacking him, taking its head off with a casual slash. Landing lightly, his body blurred again as he jumped forward, burying his flaming blade in the neck of another thorn bear, severing its spine and killing it instantly. There were only two more thorn bears, and he dispatched them quickly with vicious slashes of his sword, but not before another notification popped up.

[+1 Doom Point.]

[The apocalypse draws closer.]

His frown deepening, John waved his hand, causing the flames he’d conjured to die out. Standing in the pitch-black, blood-strewn hall, John looked around, his mana-infused eyes able to see perfectly. The stench of the dead thorn bears was overpowering, but John didn’t seem to care as he kicked the bodies into a pile. With a snap, he lit the pile of bodies on fire, burning them into ash in just a moment. Dusting his hands off, he heard a movement and spun around. He spotted Haver’s remaining wolf staring at him from behind a piece of broken pillar, its entire body trembling in abject terror. As he took a step toward it, the wolf rolled over, clearly showing its belly as it closed its eyes. Letting out a short laugh, John walked over and reached down, patting its exposed chest.

When he stood up and walked over to Haver, the wolf seemed to understand it wasn’t going to die and followed him, gently sniffing at the bloody wound on Haver’s stomach. The dart that Catherine had fired was a cruel device with protruding spikes that made it nearly impossible to remove without tearing a chunk of flesh out with it. Judging from the black lines around the wound, it was also poisoned, causing John to shake his head. As much as he wanted to help the Wolf King, all of his abilities revolved around destruction, and if the Tamer so much as touched John’s mana, he would die of mana poisoning before the poison from the dart could kill him. After nosing around for a moment, the wolf looked up at John and whined.

“Yeah, sorry. Nothing I can do,” John said, shrugging.

Shaking its head, the wolf carefully grabbed the feathered end of the dart and tugged. Letting go, it stared up at John and whined again. Frowning, John crouched down and pointed at the dart.

“You want me to pull this out.”

Blinking when the wolf nodded and then backed up and sat down to wait, John shook his head.

Ah, why am I surprised? Ferdie and Sigvald both understand human speech, why wouldn’t a wolf. This world is nuts.

Reaching out, John got a firm grip on the dart and carefully began to pull it out. The pain of the dart’s spines being pulled from his body caused Haver’s body to twitch even though he was unconscious, but John didn’t stop, and soon the bloody dart in his hand was free. Looking down at the mangled flesh bleeding profusely, John let out a tsk.

“Alright, I took it out. If you’re going to do something, you better do it now, because he won’t last more than a minute.”

Nodding, the wolf stood up and slowly walked to Haver. Licking his face, the wolf let out a mournful howl as mana began to swirl around it. Surprised by the surge of mana, John saw something else mixed in, something he’d never encountered before. For a moment, he was tempted to seize the wolf to try and discover some of its secrets, but he suppressed the impulse and stepped back. Keeping his eyes on the wolf, he did his very best to memorize what it was doing even as he tried to understand what was happening.

The swirling mana lit up the dark hall, causing the shadows from the pillars to dance across the walls. Stretching out its paw, the wolf touched Haver’s chest gently, causing the mana swirling around it to flow into his body. Eyes going wide, John stared as the mana intensified, pulling more and more energy from the wolf’s body. Falling silent, the wolf began to vanish, but not before it gave Haver one last lick.

Powerful mana surged into Haver’s chest, causing the Wolf King to thrash as the mana ran through his body. Everything that John knew about mana told him the Wolf King should be dead, but instead, the power John had seen in the wolf shielded Haver, keeping the mana from ripping him to pieces. Moments passed as the mana raged and then, with a gasp, Haver began to wake up. The mana that surrounded the Wolf King faded away, plunging the hall into darkness, so John activated his shield, giving them a bit of light.

Haver’s eyes opened with a jerk and he looked around wildly, completely disoriented. One moment he had been sure his life was over, and the next he woke up, all the burning pain in his body gone. Looking down at his abdomen, he saw the wound that had been there moments ago had vanished. A frantic expression covered his face as he looked up, eyes searching the darkness.

“Tag? Seek?! Where are they?!”

“One died trying to get revenge for you. The other died so you could get revenge.”

Hearing John’s calm voice, Haver’s baffled expression cleared and he looked over, only now noticing that John was squatting across from him, his face calm in the soft light from the glowing shield. Swallowing, Haver felt his stomach, blinking his eyes rapidly.

“If you keep it up, you’re going to be buried in debts by the time you get out of here,” John said, a small smile on his face.

Nodding, Haver’s face grew grim. Slowly his teeth curled back, revealing a wolfish smile.

“At least I’ll be able to clear them all by killing the same people. Speaking of the devils, did they leave us behind?”

“Mm. Yeah. They activated the portal stone. And probably destroyed it on the other side.”

“Doesn’t that mean we’re trapped here?” Haver asked, his face pale in the dim light.

“No,” John shook his head, “it just means we can’t get out with the portal stone. And they’ll probably take our horses, so we’re going to have to run back.”

“If you can get us outside, I can solve that problem,” Haver said, his eyes flashing darkly.

“Great, then let’s get started. I want to see what’s in these rooms. You can stand watch while I open the doors.”

Nodding, Haver accepted the hand John offered and stood up. As he brushed off his pants, his hands suddenly froze. From where he was sitting, he hadn’t been able to see the blood stains and burn marks scattered across the floor, but after he stood up, John’s shield revealed them clearly. Swallowing, Haver blinked, his mind still trying to catch up. With a gasp, he remembered what he’d forgotten, his hand scrambling for the handle of his club.

“The thorn bears! Where are the thorn bears?!”

“Hmm? Oh, they left,” John said, waving his hand. “I don’t think they’ll be a problem anymore.”

Trying to process what John had just said, the Wolf King looked around. Not volunteering any more information, John walked over to the door that had already been opened and looked in the room. It looked like a regular office with a desk and bookshelves, but the shelves were all empty and it had clearly been cleaned out. Seeing a few papers scattered around, John picked them up and glanced over them before putting them away. One of the desk drawers was open, and John could see from the dust outline where the small box that Catherine had taken used to sit.

Checking the rest of the desk drawers, John saw they were all empty. The last of the drawers was locked but carried no mana that he could tell, so he gave it a jerk, snapping the lock into pieces. Inside the drawer was a small journal, much like the one he’d gotten from the grimm. His eyes lighting up, John tucked it away, and then, after another search of the room, went back out into the hall.

One by one, he tried the rooms, but to his disappointment, he discovered that their magical locks had already been undone and the rooms completely cleared out. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he tried the last door, stopping in place when it didn’t budge. Stepping back, he blinked, carefully examining the flying birds on the door. The mana lock was still engaged, and John could feel an intense amount of mana waiting in the door frame for him to try and break through.

Carefully inserting his own mana, he slowly worked to take control of it, solving the puzzle piece by piece. Giving him plenty of space, Haver had retreated to the entrance of the hall and was sitting quietly against the wall, his head bowed. After a few minutes, John smiled and pressed lightly on the door. With a creak, the door swung open, revealing another office. From the ornamentation and the size of the desk, it was clear this was the office of someone important. What was even more exciting was the sight of three leather-bound tomes sitting on the edge of the desk. A small compass-like mechanism sat on top of them, along with a quill pen.

Sucking in his breath, John blinked, trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He had been searching for the legacy of this world’s mages since he had first been dumped into this wartorn wasteland, and to have finally found something, anything, brought a flood of emotions he didn’t know what to do with. Carefully stepping into the room after double-checking for more traps, John saw an empty box on the ground next to the desk and stopped.

It’s almost like they were going to pack this stuff up but got distracted at the last minute. Hopefully, that means they were important and contain something magic related. At least the two items on top are artifacts.

Gathering them up, John carefully put everything away in the box and carried it out of the room. Going back in, he searched through the rest of the room but didn’t find anything. Picking up the box, he brought it to where Haver sat.

“Alright, I’ve got everything. Let’s head back up to the first floor.”

CHAPTER 42

Getting to his feet, Haver glanced at the box John held but offered no comment. The Wolf King’s face had returned to his habitual sneer, but John could see the pain and rage that hid in the depths of his callous eyes. Leading the way, John jogged through the passage, retracing the party’s steps with complete confidence. When he saw John picking passages without any hesitation, Haver couldn’t help but speak up.

“Do you really remember the way back?”

“Sort of.” John nodded, gesturing to the wall. “I left markings.”

Staring at the mark John pointed to, Haver blinked in surprise. He hadn’t noticed John leaving the marks as they traveled, making him quite curious as to how they were formed. Crouching, he ran his fingers along the thin groove, his mind trembling. The groove was smooth and a finger’s width, almost like the mark that would be made from running a finger across clay. Swallowing, he stood up, his face carefully blank.

“Good idea. I should have thought of that.”

“Yeah, I thought it might be necessary once we got into the maze. They’d been dishonest about a lot of things, so I suspected we weren’t going to be offered a ride out through the portal.”

“Honestly, I should have seen the warning signs way earlier,” Haver said ruefully, rubbing the back of his head. “If I had, Rosalee and my wolves might still be alive.”

“No use in dwelling on what-ifs,” John shrugged, “because this world doesn’t give us the chance to go back and try again. You’re alive right now because of your wolves, and in some ways, Rosalee too.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Haver nodded.

“That thing your wolf did, that healed you? What was that?”

Biting his lip, Haver remained silent, and as the moment stretched, John thought he might not answer at all. Just as John was about to tell him to forget it, Haver let out another sigh and spoke.

“It’s part of my class ability. How much do you know about Tamers?”

“Only that they have animals and can communicate with them in some way.”

“That’s a good basic overview, but the truth is that Tamers are only able to speak with a single animal. It’s just that most Tamers pick a pack animal to maximize their force.”

“Ah, so one of those two wolves was your companion, and through them, you could control the whole pack?”

“Yes. Well, sort of.”

Haver paused as they jogged around another corner, his eyes scanning the empty passage. Seeing nothing, he continued, pulling aside his shirt to reveal a tattoo on his chest.

“Tamers bind themselves to the spirit of a particular kind of animal. Then, as we raise that sort of animal, a wolf for me, that animal melds with that spirit, becoming our bonded animal and allowing us to communicate with it.”

Raising his eyebrows, John looked at Haver, surprise evident in his eyes.

“Does that mean you don’t lose your class when your bonded animal dies? I mean, does your spirit die when the animal dies?”

“No, it just returns to us. It’ll take a while to retrain another animal to the point where the spirit can bond again, but given time, we can recover.”

“Then you’ll have your wolf back soon,” John said, smiling.

“One of them,” Haver said, his voice sad. “The spirit I bonded with was actually rare twin wolves, which allowed me to have two bonded animals. That’s what allowed my pack to be so big. That’s how I got my title, Wolf King. What you saw was something Tamers call Spiritual Sacrifice, where a bonded spirit sacrifices itself to save its Tamer. Tag will come back eventually as long as I nurture another wolf, but Seek is… Seek is gone.”

“I’m sorry.”

Unsure what else to say, John just stayed silent, the only sound in the passage the slap of their feet against the ground. It had taken the team hours to pass through the complex labyrinth since Catherine had to figure out the right way to go at every junction, but thanks to the marks John had left, the two men were able to make it to the stairs leading to the giant hall in a short twenty minutes. Breathing heavily, Haver followed John up the stairs and into the wide, open hall. Looking around, John gestured to one of the other halls.

“I’d like to take a look at the library quickly. You can come or you can head back to the door.”

“I’ll come,” Haver said, a little too quickly, his eyes drifting toward the corner where he’d first spotted the thorn bears.

Heading across the hall, John and Haver entered another passage, soon coming to a big set of double doors that were already propped open. Beyond the doors was a giant room filled with ash-covered shelves and broken furniture. Clear evidence of dozens of battles covered the room, and as John looked around, he felt his heart drop. Every single scrap of anything with value had been erased from the room. Even the words on the ends of the bookshelves had been scraped away with a clean slash.

What a disappointment. At least I’ve confirmed that this is the ruined tower the journal talks about. These cuts were made with a wind blade.

After poking around for a few more minutes, John was about to leave when Haver stopped him. Turning to look at the Wolf King, John saw him point to the remains of what had been the library’s front desk.

“There’s probably a stone safe under there.”

“Wait, what?”

“A safe? Like a storebox that’s really hard to open? Made of stone?”

“I know what a safe is. I’m asking you how you know,” John said, rolling his eyes.

“Then why didn’t you ask that?” Haver muttered under his breath, walking over to the collapsed desk. “This library is laid out the same way as the national libraries. All of them are required to have a fireproof safe to keep records, but most librarians store other stuff in there too.”

“Okay, that’s useful information, but it still doesn’t answer my question.”

Grinning widely, Haver tapped his head.

“You would be amazed at the sort of information you can get reading an architect’s blueprints and city code. I’m a bandit king—it suits me to know how and where people hide their valuables.”

“Yeah, I guess it would,” John chuckled.

Reaching down, he pushed the ruined wood aside, revealing a smooth stone floor, dusty with age. Not seeing anything that looked like a safe at first glance, he looked up at the Wolf King, but Haver just motioned for him to watch. Drawing a dagger, he tapped the hilt on the stone, listening to the clunk it made until it made a slightly different sound. Smiling, Haver scraped the edge of his dagger across that spot, causing the stone to tilt in place. Grabbing the slight edge, he lifted it up, revealing a metal keyhole in the stone. Frowning, Haver was about to try to pick the lock when John tapped his shoulder, gesturing for him to move aside.

“This sort of stuff is my specialty.”

Surprised, Haver moved back, giving John room to work. He was expecting to see a set of picks or something like that, but instead, John just shoved his finger down into the lock and ripped it out of the ground. Casually tossing it aside, John pulled the stone top up and tossed it aside.

“That’s… a new technique.”

“It seemed helpful when I picked it up,” John nodded, his face serious.

Pulling out the contents of the safe, John’s eyes lit up. A stack of thin books that looked like they were the library’s catalog weren’t so interesting, but underneath them was a book with a magical lock. Unlike the journal, this one appeared to be an instructional tome, giving John hope that he would be able to find more information about spells in it. However, the real jackpot was a small scroll that had been shoved under the instructional tome. Feeling his heartbeat speed up, John carefully unrolled the scroll, his eyes going wide as a window he’d been waiting to see for ten years appeared.

[New Skill: Mental Model detected.]

Hurrying to select and expand the notification, John read the description carefully, not wanting to miss a single word.

[Mental Model: Learn to simulate magical experiments in your mind rapidly, using known information to extrapolate unknown information. Consumes mana to use. With practice, more difficult simulations can be done.]

[Would you like to learn Mental Model?]

Nodding mutely, John felt a flash of heat as the scroll crumbled away, mana pouring into his mind. Blinking, he stared at the ash in his hand as he pulled up his status.

Name: John Sutton

Age: 27

Class: Mage

Spells: 1

Active Quests: [Grow Wheat]

Skill List: [Mana Breath: 00], [Arcane Tongue: 00], [Mana Control: 00], [Mana Reinforcement: 00], [Mental Model: 01]

Skill Points: 33

Spell List: [Fireball (Basic)]

Quest List: [Prevent the Apocalypse], [Grow Wheat]

Doom Points: 74/100

“Aww, that’s a shame. But I guess it makes sense given how old it was. But at least that book should fetch a pretty price. Rich people are obsessed with those mage locks.”

Brought back to the present by Haver’s words of comfort, John carefully controlled the smile that threatened to explode onto his lips and nodded.

“I’m going to keep the books, but I’ll pay you your share in gold. An extra share for finding the safe as well.”

“Sure. That works for me,” Haver said, looking warily at the locked book.

“You’re not curious about what’s in them?”

“Inside a mage lock? Are you crazy? Those things explode if you look at them sideways. When I lived in Kingsmouth, someone took down a whole block with one of those things. Turned himself and his whole family into pus-covered monsters. Forget it.”

Smiling, John put everything away in the box he was carrying and looked around. Considering what he’d gained, John felt like he hadn’t been happier in as long as he could remember. He had hoped to gain a new spell from his trip, but considering how high his mana control was, there wasn’t much a new spell could offer him. A new skill, on the other hand, had nearly limitless potential. Done with the library, John and Haver decided not to keep looking around and jogged toward the entrance, covering the distance in only a few minutes.

As excited as he was to explore his new ability, John knew there were more important things to worry about at the moment. The adventurers had a head start of at least three hours, and John was worried they would be heading back to the farm. He hadn’t liked the way Grimes looked at Ellie, and if the Ranger thought John was dead, it spelled trouble. Originally, John hadn’t intended for anyone to survive the trip, but Haver using his body to try and save John from Catherine’s sneak attack had thrown a major wrench in his plans.

Arriving at the door, John put his hand on it, carefully sensing the mana in the seal. Once he had seized control of it, it was simply a matter of establishing the right sequence. A moment later, the door rumbled open and John and Haver walked out into the sunlight. Blinking, Haver gripped his wolf head club, looking around warily for gnolls. Seeing a few in the distance, Haver motioned for John to get down, but John just shook his head.

“We don’t have time for sneaking. You said you have a way to deal with the lack of horses?”

“Yeah. But there are almost a hundred gnolls. We have to get through them first.”

“Haha, the gnolls aren’t going to come within a mile of us if they can help it.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Just watch.”

Breaking into a sprint, John charged the gnolls, not even bothering to draw his sword. Not wanting to be separated, the Wolf King hesitantly followed behind. Getting closer to the gnolls, Haver was stunned to see their heads jerk up, terror appearing in their faces. Backing up as fast as they could, the gnolls turned and fled, letting out desperate cries. Eyes wide, Haver followed John through the ruins and up the mountain they had crossed to get down to the ruins. Stopping to pick up his coat from where he’d left it, John brushed it off and put it on.

“Alright, I give. What was that? I saw you projecting your aura, but there’s no way they would be scared of that. No offense.”

“Haha, guess what every beast in this mountain range is probably terrified of? And guess what we smell like?”

“Thorn bears?”

“Exactly. I’d run too if the thorn bears got free. Staying in the ruins would be a death sentence.”

Shuddering, Haver shook his head, like he was trying to get rid of the memory that was lodged in his head.

“Let’s not mention them again. If I never see another thorn bear, that’ll be entirely too soon.”

Grinning, John finished putting the books and papers he had recovered into his bag.

“Let’s head for that hunting lodge where the horses were. Maybe we’ll be lucky and they’ll have left our horses. More likely, however, we’ll have to come up with another solution.”

“That’s fine. That’s where my backup is.”

“Backup?”

“You’ll see,” the Wolf King said.

Rolling his eyes, John started running.

“Alright, be mysterious.”

Laughing, Haver followed him, easily keeping pace. Running around the side of the mountain, the two men covered a tremendous distance in a short amount of time, and John found himself having to re-evaluate Haver again. Though the difference in their strength was the difference between the sun and the moon, Haver managed to keep up with him the entire way, despite clearly growing exhausted. As a result, the trip that had taken four hours for the team to walk on the way to the ruins was completed in only an hour.

When they arrived at the ruined hunter’s lodge, they found the corpses of their horses in the still burning remains of the little stable they had used. Staring at the fire, Haver’s mouth twisted, and he looked like he was contemplating murder. Not far off from that feeling himself, John frowned.

“If it’s still burning, they can’t be too far off.”

“True. We should be able to catch up, but it might mean not sleeping.”

“Won’t be the first time I’ve skipped some sleep,” John said.

“Haha, you know, you’d make a good bandit.”

Pulling a small whistle out of a secret pocket in his pants, Haver blew three long blasts. Pausing, he listened for a second and then blew three more long blasts. Almost immediately, a long howl sounded in response. All around the mountain, the howl was picked up until the mountain range practically shook with the sound. Smiling, Haver spread his arms out and turned around to face John.

“Let me show you why they call me the Wolf King.”

CHAPTER 43

The howls grew louder as the wolves began to gather, and soon John’s sharp ears picked up the patter of paws on the forest floor. From the edge of the forest ran four large wolves, their breath making clouds in the frosty air. Stopping next to Haver, they sat down, looking up at him happily. Blinking, John was about to make a comment when he saw a dozen more wolves run out of the woods, quickly taking up ranks behind the first four. Raising his eyebrows, John scanned the forest as more wolves appeared, filtering through the trees until they packed the ground around Haver. Soon, there were so many, it was impossible to count, but John estimated there were hundreds of the gray and black animals, completely surrounding them.

Still hearing howls in the distance, John’s face grew stiff and he glanced at Haver. He’d assumed that the Wolf King had a few hundred wolves at the very most, but it was clear from the sound echoing around the mountains that a few thousand would be a better estimate. While each individual wolf wasn’t even as powerful as a gnoll, thousands of wolves could completely drown even the most powerful of fighters. If he had his pack down in the ruins, Haver would have had no need to fear even the thorn bears.

“Impressive.”

“Haha, thanks. Have you ever ridden on a sled?”

Whistling, Haver turned and walked to the twelve wolves who stood up, revealing they were wearing harnesses. Slipping a number of sticks that the wolves were carrying out of the harnesses, Haver had constructed a small sled in no time flat. A moment later, the twelve wolves were hooked up and the sled was ready to go.

“It might not be as fast as a galloping horse, but we can easily beat them on distance. Even if they’re ahead of us, we should be able to run them down. Or at the very least, make it back to the valley around the same time they do.”

“Can you pick up their trail?”

“Of course,” Haver nodded, “my pack’s already on it.”

Within minutes, the sea of wolves had vanished back into the woods, leaving the twelve wolves pulling the sled and the four large wolves who had first responded to Haver. A few minutes later, a few wolves ran up to Haver and whined at him. John noticed that all of the wolves were giving him a wide berth, going the long way around to talk to the Wolf King. Given the way he smelled, he couldn’t blame them. Communicating with the wolves for a moment, Haver stood up, his expression stiff.

“It looks like only three of them went back to the valley. Catherine headed the other direction. Granted, I’m assuming it’s Catherine from the description ‘stinks like leaves.’”

“Hah, yeah, that sounds like a Herbalist.”

“If we want to catch both of them, we run the risk of losing whichever one we don’t head after. Unless we split up, of course.”

“I’ll go after Catherine, and you can start after the others. After I deal with her, I’ll catch up.”

Looking like he was about to protest, Haver suddenly stopped and nodded.

“Fine. That makes the most sense. If we’re both on the sled, we probably won’t be able to catch up. Depending on how hard they’re pushing, it’s going to be a close thing anyway, so it makes more sense for me to cut them off. I’ll have one of my wolves lead you to Catherine,” Haver said, his smile turning wolfish. “Want me to leave any of them for you?”

“Nope. If you get to them first, you get to them first,” John said, shrugging. “Just don’t get any fresh ideas about the farm. Or about Ellie.”

Shaking his head, Haver stepped onto the back of the sled and looked at John.

“Believe me, I won’t. That ship has sailed.”

“Oh?”

“Yup, right about the time you melted Jemal’s axe with your bare hands.”

Placing the whistle in his lips, he blew a silent pattern, pointing at John and then making a few hand motions. One of the big wolves gave John a wary look and then sat down while the rest of the wolves vanished into the woods, pulling Haver behind them. Watching the Wolf King go, John shook his head.

He would look way cooler if he rode a wolf. Though I guess he is a bit tall for that.

Shrugging, John looked at the big wolf, who was watching him carefully from the corner of its eye. Gesturing, John smiled at the furry animal.

“Lead on, Fido, lead on.”

Deep in the mountains, Catherine pulled her horse to a stop, staring back over her shoulder. Not too long ago, she’d heard the long howl of the wolves that shook the air. It had startled her horse terribly and she had only managed to get it under control after it had galloped for over a mile. Even now her horse was trembling uncontrollably, causing her to frown. Getting down from the saddle, she made sure to keep a tight hold on the reins until she could tie them to a small tree.

Groaning, she twisted her waist, trying to work out some of the kinks. The intense pressure she’d experienced in the mad escape from the ruins had exhausted her, and all she wanted to do was find somewhere to pitch camp so she could sleep. However, she knew that the more distance she could put between herself and the valley, the better. Sitting down, she leaned against a rock, massaging her neck. Blinking, she suddenly realized the sun had moved in the sky. Jerking her head up, she stared in utter shock at the figure seated across from her.

“You fell asleep,” John said, looking at her with the most terrifying eyes she’d ever seen in her life.

“Y… you…”

“I didn’t want to wake you, since betrayal is a tiring business and you looked like you were sleeping well, but I am on a bit of a tight schedule.”

Scrambling to her feet, she looked around, spotting her horse standing where she had tied it. Judging her chances at reaching her saddle, she glanced back at John and saw he was still just sitting there.

“Getting to your horse probably wouldn’t be hard. Unfortunately, your hand crossbow is in the right pouch, not the left, so you would have to go around the horse. You would also need time to load it, and that’s if I hadn’t already removed the darts. I didn’t, of course. They’re still in there, I just moved them underneath everything else so you’ll have to dig for them.”

Swallowing, Catherine turned toward John, her eyes bright and hard.

“What do you want?”

“Pardon?”

“What do you want? Everyone wants something, and you’re no different. What do you want?”

“How do you know you can give me what I want?” John asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

“I don’t, but if I can’t give it to you, I can get it for you. No matter what it takes. No matter what I have to do. Whatever you want.”

Standing up, John’s lips turned up slightly, but when the smile was combined with his completely emotionless eyes, Catherine found her feet had frozen in place.

“You know, I used to think I wanted to ask you that same question. Why would you do what you did? What is it you want so bad that you killed two people in cold blood and tried to kill two more just for a stack of gold? I’ve been told that everyone has a reason for what they do, but after hearing what you just said, I realize I’ve been thinking about this incorrectly. I don’t care why you did what you did, or why you’re doing what you’re doing. All I want to know is, who hired you, how did they know about the ruins, and where is the box?”

Swallowing, Catherine reached into her bag slowly and pulled out the ornate box. Crouching, she placed it on the ground and then carefully moved two steps back. Reaching into her bag again, she brought out the stone token she had used to open doors and began to speak, her voice slow and clear.

“We were in the capital of Lepiera when we were approached by an earl named Vacek.”

“Dominik Vacek?”

Surprised to hear that name out of John’s mouth, Catherine nodded. John’s mirthless smile increased slightly and he nodded for her to continue.

“Yes, Earl Vacek has hired us for jobs before and pays well, so I had no reason to refuse. We were told that one of his ancestors was an aide to a mage a long time ago, and while the tower he worked in was being closed down, he managed to smuggle out the mage’s extra tower token. This token gave the mage access to the tower, the tower’s underground area, and his office. We were tasked with going to the ruins, gaining entry, and retrieving this box. That’s… that’s it.”

“Simple as that, huh.”

Nodding, Catherine stared at John, half-expecting he would begin asking questions. Instead, he seemed entirely uninterested in learning anything more as he drew his sword. Panicking, she stumbled back half a step.

“Wait, there’s more. The… the box, it has the secret to becoming a mage! It holds the secret to how to use magic! Don’t you want to know how to control magic? Have you ever seen a mage? They’re the rulers of the world! They can have everything! Everything! I… I don’t know how to open it, but Earl Vacek does! He knows! We can go and get it from him! We can go together and open the box and become rulers of the world!”

Seeing that John didn’t stop, Catherine grew even more frantic.

“Wait! Wait! Don’t you want to know what’s in the box? Or, or how Earl Vacek is going to open it? I can tell you all about the earl. Or Grimes! Grimes is going to your farm right now! He’s going after that girl!”

Seeing John pause, Catherine seized on her chance, speaking so hurriedly, her words jumbled together.

“That’s right, he’s going to the farm! Grimes is a terrible person. Really terrible. But he listens to me. I’ll come with you! I’ll come and tell him to leave her alone!”

“Hah. If they make it to the farm, your friends deserve what they get,” John said, his smile turning real for a fraction of a second. “Anything else?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I mean that if they are lucky, Reese, Grimes, and Sandra will get ripped to pieces by Haver’s wolves before they get to the farm.”

“H… Haver?”

“Yeah, did I not tell you he survived?” John asked, his head turning to the side. “We both came out just fine. Well, not just fine. Haver lost both of his wolves, and his lieutenant. I don’t know about you, but I would be concerned if I had an angry, vengeful king of wolves on my trail. Lucky for you, I picked this direction, so you won’t have to worry about being eaten alive.”

Her face paling, Catherine seemed to lose strength and sag down, but just as John took another step, a soft click echoed loud in the clearing. Without missing a beat, Catherine jumped back, her hands coming up as poisoned needles shot from her sleeves toward John, cutting apart the air as they sliced toward his neck.

As calm as ever, John didn’t even blink as his silver longsword tapped the two flying needles aside. Even more impressive, however, was the sight of his other hand, which was raised to his neck height, blocking the shimmering blade of wind Catherine had shot out. The faint scream of impossibly fast wind echoed on the edge of her hearing as the wind blade was frozen in place. Unable to believe her eyes, Catherine felt like she was in a waking nightmare as she watched John flick his finger, sending the wind blade right back at her.

So fast that it was invisible, the wind blade sliced through her knee, completely severing the bones and sending her leg tumbling. So clean was the cut that it didn’t bleed at first, only beginning to bleed when she collapsed to the ground. Catherine appeared to be in genuine shock from what she’d just seen, because she didn’t react even when John took another step forward. Looking down at her, John nodded.

“That’s what I was waiting for. I knew you were producing wind blades—after all, they have a distinct signature. I would know that clicking sound anywhere. Believe me, I’ve had nightmares about that sound for years. I thought it might be the token you were given, but I wanted to make sure you were not, in fact, a mage. You know, when you killed Rosalee, I was sad. Not really sad, because she tried to kill me too, but a bit sad because she seemed to be turning around. Making better choices. She warned me about you, actually. Told me to pay attention to your crossbow. The one that Haver blocked? Now there’s a human. He started making better choices too.

“Not you, however. You had even more opportunities than both of them did, and yet here we are. But that’s the thing about humans, I guess. We all make choices. And then we live with the consequences. Well, the consequences of your choices will manifest themselves shortly, but before that, I wonder. You talked so fervently of becoming a mage. Of standing on top of the world. Have you ever seen a real mage? Someone with the ability to cast real spells? Powerful spells that can rend flesh from bone and burn you from the inside out? No? I have. And the truth is as you thought. Mages do rule the world. Real mages are terrifying. They’re cunning and crazed and more dangerous than an entire army of thorn bears. Hah. Over the years, I’ve met a lot of real mages.”

Snapping his fingers, John leaned close as the light of a dozen blue fireballs reflected in Catherine’s eyes.

“And I’ve killed them all.”

CHAPTER 44

Turning off the water pouring into the sink, Ellie plunged the plate she was holding into the warm water, marveling at what John had managed to accomplish. It had only been a few months since he’d arrived, and yet the farm felt totally different. There was a life to it that hadn’t been present since Old Man Burrows had passed away, maybe even before that. Once she was done washing up the dishes, she dried her hands and stepped out onto the porch, her eyes drifting to the road.

“Ma’am? Here are the vegetables you asked me to get.”

Turning, she took the basket from Thomas, smiling when she saw the plump radishes and green lettuce he had picked.

“Thank you. Is Even back yet?”

“No, ma’am. Though it should be soon. He had a couple extra deliveries to do out on the edge of the valley.”

“How is he doing with everything? Any problems?”

“No, ma’am. He’s a bit slow on the uptake, but once he gets ahold of an idea, he’s got it for good. So long as I show him a couple times, he does great.”

“Good. Thanks to you and Even, the farm is running smoothly.”

“Just doing my job, ma’am. But don’t be upset at Mr. Sutton. He gets antsy some days and needs to stretch his legs.”

Raising her eyebrows, Ellie gave the middle-aged man a faint look.

“Do I look like I’m upset?”

“No, ma’am,” Thomas said, shaking his head and shutting his mouth.

“That’s what I thought.”

Taking the vegetables, Ellie escaped into the kitchen, but not before she peeked at the road again, causing the corners of Thomas’ mouth to twitch. Busying herself with preparing the vegetables, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh. John had brought life to the farm, but now that he was gone, there was a certain emptiness she couldn’t quite describe. Shaking her head, she decided she needed a cup of tea, so she filled up the pot at the sink and put it on the warm stove. About to get the tea out of the cupboard, she suddenly froze, her head snapping up.

Stepping back out onto the porch, she closed her eyes and listened, her face growing whiter by the second. After listening for a moment, she gathered her skirts and ran for the barn.

“Thomas?”

“Ma’am?”

“We’re about to have visitors.”

From the bloodless state of her face and the tremble in her voice, Thomas knew it wasn’t a happy occasion she was describing. Letting go of the udder he was holding, he sat up on the stool, his face still as calm as ever.

“You should go to the cellar, ma’am.”

“No, I can’t,” Ellie shook her head. “Even and Ben are due any minute now. Once they’re back, we’ll all go into the cellar. Until then, we need to delay the people coming.”

Thomas’ eyes narrowed a hair, but eventually, he nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m going to the house. When they come, I’ll speak to them.”

Before Thomas could say anything, Ellie walked back to the house and entered the kitchen, adding a bit more water to the pot on the stove. Getting out a few cups, she put them on the table, adding the honey pot and some fresh cream in a little pitcher. As she was getting out some cookies she had just baked that morning, she heard the thunderous sound of hooves coming down the road. Their horses lathered with sweat, Grimes, Sandra, and Reese charged into the farmyard, pulling their horses up with a shout.

Looking around, they saw that everything was peaceful and quiet, just like the last time they’d seen it. Grinning widely in what he thought to be an extremely dashing manner, Grimes swung down from his horse and walked up to the porch, Reese and Sandra close behind. Before he could set foot on the step, the kitchen door opened and Ellie appeared, her face calm and composed.

“Well hello there!” Grimes said, removing his hat and giving Ellie a sweeping bow.

“Hello. Have you come to see John? He’s not in at the moment.”

“Haha, no, no, I haven’t come to see John. I’ve come to see you.”

“Oh.” Ellie’s face showed faint surprise. “Are you here to talk about ordering cheese? Please, come inside.”

Seeing her step back, Grimes turned and looked at Sandra, jerking his thumb over his shoulder toward the doorway.

“And you thought there would be trouble. Look, she’s inviting us right in.”

Rolling her eyes, Sandra just walked past him and went into the kitchen, followed closely by the Ranger. Seeing that Reese wasn’t following, Grimes stopped and looked at him.

“Something the matter?”

“I… I don’t know. I’m getting a strange feeling about this place,” Reese said, looking around at the farm, his expression slightly confused.

“Haha, it’s the Angel flower. You’re just coming down. Take another one if you’re starting to feel it.”

“Yeah, that must be what it is. I’m going to wait out here. Whatever you’re going to do, hurry up. This place is giving me the creeps.”

This time, it was Grimes who rolled his eyes. Shaking his head at the addled Fighter, he walked into the kitchen where Sandra and Ellie were waiting. Giving Ellie a smile, he walked to the table and pulled out a chair and flopped down. Lounging in the chair, he pushed one of the cups toward her with his finger.

“Fill it up like a dear, will you?”

Seeing Ellie’s hesitation, Sandra let out a laugh and walked to the table, patting her on the shoulder as she walked past.

“I’d do what he says. Grimes gets nasty when he gets angry.”

Biting her lip, Ellie picked up the pot and brought it to the table, hesitating a moment longer before she poured Grimes’ cup.

“I take honey and cream.”

Turning to look at him, Ellie’s eyes met Grimes’ and quickly dropped. Putting the tea pot down, she put honey and cream in his cup and pushed it toward him, quickly pulling her hand back as he reached for it.

“Haha, shy one, huh?”

Picking up his cup, he took a sip and grinned at her over the top of the cup. Before he could say anything, the door slammed open and Reese stuck his head in, his eyes darting around.

“Grimes! Hurry up!”

“Give me a break, Reese! These things are delicate! Just relax a little bit.”

“We have no time! Listen!”

As everyone grew silent, a long wolf howl was heard in the distance, causing Grimes’ eyes to go wide and Sandra’s face to pale. Standing up from the table, Sandra strode to the door, her ears straining. Hearing another howl, she spun around and glared at Grimes.

“Hurry up or we’re leaving without you! No more games!”

The kitchen door slammed behind her as she and Reese ran toward the horses. Inside the kitchen, Grimes took a long drink of his tea and put it down regretfully. Standing up, he looked at Ellie, who had taken a big step back.

“Well, you heard them, cutie. Time for fun and games has gone. Come along nicely and you won’t get hurt.”

“What are you talking about?” Ellie asked, taking another step back.

“I’m talking about me and you and our life together,” Grimes said, his smile turning nasty. “At least for a little while.”

Opening her mouth as if she was going to speak, Ellie instead spun and, with surprising agility, jumped up onto the counter and slipped out the open window, grabbing a pot as she went. Caught off guard, Grimes swore and lunged after her, barely missing her skirt as he slammed into the counter. Grabbing the window sill, he pulled himself up and out of the window, only to get a face full of boiling water as Ellie threw the pot at him.

Screaming in pain as the scalding water blistered his skin, he jerked back, slamming his head on the top of the window hard enough to draw blood. Though it hurt terribly, he pushed through the pain and tumbled out the window when he saw Ellie sprinting through the chicken run, her skirts clutched in her hands. Hearing the noise of blades from the farmyard, Grimes was too enraged to think about what it meant, instead running after Ellie, quickly gaining on her.

Right before Ellie had escaped, Reese and Sandra had run for their horses when they suddenly saw a short, middle-aged man standing in front of them. Sliding to a stop, the adventurers stared at him, unable to understand how he had just appeared. It took Sandra a moment, but she quickly recognized him as the farmhand she’d seen the last time they’d been on the farm. Striding forward, she pulled out her curved daggers, her lips turning down in a grimace.

“Get out of the way if you want to live,” Sandra said, her voice ice cold.

“My apologies, ma’am.”

Hearing his reply, Sandra’s eyes narrowed, and her grimace turned into a sneer as she suddenly dashed toward him, her daggers crossing like a pair of scissors as she slashed at his throat. Right before her curved daggers landed, her body blurred and she jumped backward, a silver rapier appearing in the air where her heart had been a moment earlier. Turning his body slightly, the middle-aged man lifted his rapier so that the hilt was in front of his chin, his other hand holding a long straight dagger in a reverse grip across his stomach.

“I’m afraid you must stay, ma’am.”

As she watched the perfectly calm middle-aged man, Sandra got the distinct impression that if she took her eyes off of him, she would die. Never in her entire life, even when facing eight thorn bears, had she felt such a suffocating pressure.

“Reese! What are you doing?!” Sandra snarled.

The large Fighter heard Sandra’s question, but his mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with the strange feeling that had been plaguing him ever since they stepped foot on the farm. His large broadsword had been ruined when he destroyed the portal stone, and he was currently holding a scimitar that he kept as backup. Looking around wildly, he suddenly saw a dark shadow darting at him and raised his scimitar just in time to block a raking claw that nearly took his eye out.

Hearing a hoarse scream from the kitchen, both Reese and Sandra were distracted, and in that moment, Thomas and Sigvald attacked again. Steel clashed as rapier and dagger met in the air and Sandra was forced back. Pressing his advantage, Thomas’ rapier hissed through the air, carving and stabbing so fast, it looked like he was wielding a silver whip. Barely defending even when using both daggers, Sandra’s face was growing paler by the second. Despite how flexible his sword was, every time she blocked it, Sandra felt a shock run through her weapon. The vibrations ran through the handles of her daggers into her hands, causing her grip to loosen.

Across the yard, Sigvald had jumped toward Reese, letting out a loud squawk as his large wings beat in the air. Flashing talons met the curved sword, sending sparks flying. Slamming his wing into the Fighter’s face, Sigvald crowed fiercely, his sharp claws continuing to scratch at Reese’s chest. With a bellow of rage and panic, the Fighter slashed out with his sword, drawing blood from Sigvald’s head. Falling back, Sigvald flew up to the roof of the porch, blood streaming from one of his eyes. Laughing madly, Reese waved his scimitar at the large rooster, only to hear a powerful snort from behind him.

Spinning, Reese saw a massive bull glaring at him. Flames burned in the bull’s eyes, and with every breath, steam burst from his nostrils. In his addled state, Reese could have sworn he saw the tips of the bull’s large horns glowing red. Letting out a loud moo, the bull lowered his head and charged forward, each pounding hoof leaving a burning flame on the ground. Terrified, Reese turned and tried to run, but a crimson horn stabbed through his back, cutting his spine and crushing his ribs. With a wrench, Ferdie threw Reese into the air as Sigvald let out a furious cry and attacked again.

Reese desperately tried to lift his scimitar, but his body was not responding to his thoughts, and as Sigvald’s claws and beak closed in on his throat, the adventurer found himself wishing he had never set eyes on Sutton Farm. Blood splashed, soaking Sigvald’s feathers as Reese’s throat was ripped open. The light faded from the Fighter’s eyes as Sigvald landed on his broken body. Throwing back his head, the rooster crowed loudly, causing everything for a mile around the farm to fall silent.

Only a dozen feet away, Sandra heard the sound and her heart caught in her throat. The tiny sliver of distraction that Sigvald’s cry caused vanished when she felt a lancing pain across her ribs. Pulling back his sword, Thomas flicked the blood from its edge and brought it up around his head, slashing down at Sandra’s shoulder. Realizing things were going terribly, Sandra threw away any thought of getting out of the fight uninjured and threw herself forward, trying to force Thomas to abandon his attack or get stabbed by her curved dagger.

For a moment, Sandra genuinely thought that her poison-covered dagger would reach Thomas’ liver, but with a casual movement, he brought his dagger around, neatly intercepting her attack, even as his sword continued down, laying open her shoulder with a wicked slash. Screaming, she jumped back, nearly losing her grip on one of her daggers as her arm weakened. Without a change in his expression, Thomas followed after her, his sword flicking in and out like the tongue of a poisonous viper.

Desperate to escape, Sandra’s body blurred and she appeared a dozen feet away, running for her life like Reese had done just a moment before. Yet before she could get more than a few feet, a silver line appeared in her vision, almost like it extended from her own body. Confused, she stopped and stared down at it. Trying to open her mouth, she felt a rush of blood and her body was suddenly cold, like she had been dropped into a frozen lake. Feeling something bubble out of her mouth and over her lips, she tried to speak, but only flecks of blood appeared. A moment later, the silver line vanished and she fell to the ground, the gaping hole in her throat quickly stealing the last moments of her life.

CHAPTER 45

Around the time Sandra and Reese were clashing with Sigvald and Thomas in the front yard, Ellie was running as fast as she could from Grimes in the backyard. Holding her skirt, she darted through the chicken run and scrambled over the fence, not caring when her skirt snagged and ripped on one of the pickets. Behind her, she could hear Grimes tumbling through the window, so she kept running. Heading for her garden, she dodged through the trellises and started running for the woods on the other side.

By the time she reached the trees, Grimes was only a dozen steps behind her, his burnt face contorted with fury and a crazed expression in his eyes. Hearing his heavy breathing behind her, she spun around, a handful of pepper she had grabbed from her apron pocket spraying toward his eyes. Unfortunately, the Ranger had learned his lesson the first time and was ready with an arm in front of his face. Seeing his hand reach out, Ellie dodged to the side and ran a different direction.

“Hahaha! Run while you can! Once I get you, I’ll break both of your legs! We’ll see if you can run then!”

Ignoring his cruel words, Ellie continued to run for twenty more feet and then suddenly stopped, turning to face Grimes. Seeing her stop, Grimes stopped as well, his eyes darting about warily, trying to spot the trick. When he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, he leered at Ellie.

“Hah, changed your mind? Well, it’s too late. You’re not going to get off without some suffering.”

“There is certainly suffering to be had,” Ellie said seriously, nodding her head. “But not by me.”

Hearing the certainty in her voice, Grimes wanted to laugh, but something about the situation made him unable to. Lifting her finger to point it at him, Ellie continued.

“The villagers call me a Witch. Do you know why? Because I curse people.”

His eyes narrowing, Grimes took a step forward, but Ellie’s expression remained too calm, her words continuing to land in his ears like the steady drip of rain drops into a pond.

“A few years ago, there was a young lady who fancied herself to be better than me. When a few of the young men in the village appeared to prefer me over her, she decided to prove it with a knife by scarring my face and making me too hideous to look at.”

“I don’t care about your stories,” Grimes said, taking another step forward, now only a few feet away.

Paying no attention to his words, Ellie simply continued, her hand still pointing toward the Ranger’s chest.

“She thought she could overpower me—after all, she was older, stronger, and this was not the first time she’d done such a thing. She came to my home, sat at my table, and ate my food. And then, she took up her knife against me. But she didn’t know. She didn’t know.”

Here, Ellie paused and, despite himself, Grimes found himself enthralled. Unable to squelch his budding curiosity, he couldn’t help but be caught up in the moment.

“What did she not know?”

A small, sad smile crossed Ellie’s face, as if the words she spoke brought up a dusty memory from the dark corners of her mind. Letting her hand drop, she shook her head.

“She didn’t know that to eat a Witch’s salt is to bind yourself. Fortune follows blessing, misfortune follows a curse. There’s one rule in dealing with Witches. Eat nothing, lest you bind yourself to threads of fate beyond your means to cut.”

Silence fell over the forest as Grimes tried to process what Ellie had just said. Unable to make heads or tails of it, his expression soured and he shook his head.

“Enough foolishness. Keep talking and I’ll have your tongue out. You won’t need it anyway, so don’t tempt me.”

Striding forward, he was about to grab Ellie when a piercing pain struck his stomach, causing him to hunch over like he’d been struck. Eyes going wide, he stared at Ellie, who was looking at him calmly, still standing where she had stopped.

“You… you poisoned the tea!”

“Poison? No. I don’t deal in poison.”

Struggling to take another step forward, Grimes felt another sharp pain, causing him to groan. Nothing he had ever felt in his entire life was even half as painful as what he was experiencing. A racking cough ripped through his body, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the forest floor. Staring down in horror at it, his mind reeled, unable to process what was going on. Suddenly, a mad expression appeared on his face and he forced himself to move forward, his hands reaching out like claws for Ellie.

In the shadow of a nearby tree, a calm middle-aged man had been listening to the exchange. As Grimes lunged forward, Thomas’ eyes widened and the pitch-black blade at his side started to rise. Just as he was about to jump out, a hand landed on his shoulder and a calm voice spoke in his ear.

“Just watch.”

As Grimes’ claw-like fingers drew close to her, Ellie suddenly pulled a dagger from her skirt and stepped forward, striking toward Grimes’ chest with lightning-fast speed and a terrifying accuracy. Alas, no matter how fast she was, she wasn’t as fast as a class holder. An ironlike grip closed over her wrist and squeezed, forcing the dagger to the ground. Leering at her through blood-covered lips, Grimes forced her a step back.

“Hah, nice try, but I knew you still had a trick up your sleeve. Your pathetic poisons might work on a normal woman, but I’m much stronger than you could ever imagine! I…”

Grimes’ voice came to an abrupt halt, and he stared at Ellie with wide eyes. Using her other hand, she pried off the fingers that were holding on to her wrist and stepped back, her calm gaze never leaving Grimes’ insane eyes. With a fumbling hand, Grimes felt toward his chest where another dagger was planted in his heart. Looking down, he saw the handle of the dagger and, gripping it, tried to pull it out. Yet his strength had vanished as pain continued to rip through his body. Slowly looking up, he saw Ellie smiling at him.

“Do you know what’s better than one dagger?” Ellie asked. “Two daggers.”

With that, her face flushed heavily and a drop of blood began to slip from her nose down onto her lip, but she wiped it away and walked around Grimes, who was still frozen in place. Walking a few feet, she stopped and looked up at John, who stood between the trees. Seeing his calm gaze, she gave him a wan smile.

“Welcome back. I meant to have dinner for you, but things have been busy.”

“I can see that. You seem to have managed well.”

“Mm.”

Taking a step forward, Ellie tried to say something, but the world spun and darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision. Before she could fall, she felt a strong pair of arms catch her and a warm voice speak by her ear.

“Rest. Everything is fine.”

As she gave in to the pull of darkness, Ellie found herself delighting in the warm breath that tickled her ear.

“Is she okay?”

Hearing a voice, John turned his head and saw Thomas standing in the shadow of the trees.

“Yeah, she’s fine. Just a bit of fever. I’ll take her back to the house. Clean up here.”

“Yes, sir.”

About to leave, John stopped and looked at Thomas for a moment.

“Your doppelganger technique is getting better.”

For the first time since he’d arrived at the farm, a genuinely happy smile appeared on Thomas’ face as he bowed toward John’s back.

Walking through the cool forest, John carried Ellie carefully. He could feel the mana spinning around the inside of her body, causing damage to her heart and intestines as it moved. Never in the ten years since he’d been summoned to this world had he encountered a non-class holder who could harness mana, but somehow, Ellie had managed to do it. Considering what she had told Grimes before he died, John could only suppose it had something to do with her grandmother, but with Ellie unconscious in his arms, he had no way of satisfying his curiosity.

Slowly, carefully, John began to pull the swirling mana out of her body. Sucking it into his lungs, he allowed it to rampage through him, marveling at the different feeling it gave him. His mana was like molten metal, but this mana was completely different, reminding John of the wind and rain that accompanied a thunderstorm. As he continued to pull the mana out of her body, John felt Ellie relax, the tension fading from her muscles as the mana that was threatening to pull her apart vanished.

Carrying her to the house, John had just stepped into the house when Haver, the Wolf King, appeared in the distance. Sticking his head out the door, he called to Thomas, who was raking the yard to get rid of the bloodstains that had soaked the dirt.

“Yes, sir?”

“The Wolf King is coming. He’s not on the list anymore, but I don’t have time right now. Let him know that I’ll visit him in the future.”

“Of course, sir.”

As the kitchen door slammed shut, Thomas turned around and looked at the exact copy of himself that had appeared, holding Grimes’ corpse. Placing the body down, the Thomas who had been carrying Grimes flickered and faded away, leaving only one Thomas in the farmyard. The middle-aged man turned to look at the wolves who were dashing up the road pulling Haver’s sled behind them, and waited calmly.

Rushing up the drive, Haver pulled up, his eyes scanning the calm yard. At first glance, it looked no different than any other time he had been to the farm, but as the seconds ticked by, his eyes took in more and more details that proved almost nothing was the same. The first thing he realized was that the number of buildings on the farm had increased. The second thing he noticed was the calm farmhand standing in the middle of the farmyard, three dead bodies laid out beside him and a bloody rake in his hands.

Haver prided himself on his wolf-like instincts, and right now, those instincts were screaming at him to keep his distance from the bland-looking man. Starting to gather the sled’s reins to turn it around, he saw a shadow from the corner of his eye and glanced over. Looking at him from the corner of the barn was a massive bull he almost didn’t recognize and a proud-looking rooster he’d definitely never seen before staring down at him from the bull’s head.

Seeing the caked blood on the rooster’s face and the strange flames that burned in the bull’s eyes, Haver suddenly felt like he wanted to be anywhere else but on the Sutton Farm. John was strange enough, and adding a killer farm hand and two animals that looked like they could eat a dozen of his wolves alive was simply too much for Haver to handle. His eyes swept the three bodies, immediately recognizing Grimes, Reese, and Sandra.

“Ah, well. It looks like I’m not needed here.”

“You must be the Wolf King.”

“Yeah. That’s me. Um, and you are?”

“My name is Thomas. I work as a farmhand here on Sutton Farm.”

“Ah, got it. So, everything is good? No trouble with them, then?”

“There was a bit of a fracas, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Unfortunately, both the madam and master are occupied at the moment, but I’m sure the master will visit you once he has some free time.”

“Master? John is here? Of course John is here. No, you know what? That’s fine. No need to bother him. He can just stay right here on his farm and I’ll stay on my mountain.”

“Of course, sir. Have a good evening.”

Muttering something under his breath, Haver jumped back onto his sled and took off so quickly, he nearly overturned it. Watching him go, Thomas heard a low moo and turned to see that Ferdie was looking at him questioningly. Judging from the murderous way Ferdie had watched Haver, Thomas didn’t have any problem understanding the bull.

“No, Mr. Sutton informed me he was off the list.”

“Moooo.”

“I know, a shame really. Come on, help me out with these bodies. It wouldn’t do to leave them in the yard.”

Walking over, Ferdie stood still while Thomas put the three dead adventurers on his back. With Sigvald holding them still, they took the bodies out into the woods and dug a deep pit for them. Dumping them into the pit, Thomas was about to start covering them over when Ferdie shook his head. With a snort, the bull blew out a thick cloud of steam, the tips of his horns taking on a molten orange hue. Lowering his head, Ferdie let out a low moo and flames burst from his eyes, raking over the bodies and reducing them to ashes.

“Huh. Showoff.”

After filling in the pit, Thomas returned to his raking and was just finishing up cleaning the yard when the milk cart clattered up to the farm, piled high with empty milk bottles. Ben balanced on the back of the cart as Even drove it, stopping in front of the barn. Giving the dirt one more rake, Thomas rested the rake on his shoulder and walked over to the cart as Ben jumped down.

“How was it?”

“Great! We picked up three more customers in the village and then made the deliveries out to the other farms. Oh, and I saw George at the inn and he said that the hunters are wondering if we can make a cheese delivery out to their cabins. I told him we usually don’t go out that far, but that I would ask. It was a good day,” Ben said, jingling his full pouch happily. “Where’s Ellie? Is Mr. Sutton back?”

“Yes, Mr. Sutton is back.” Thomas nodded. “But the madam has had a fainting spell and should be lying down right now.”

His face going white, Ben sprinted for the house, slamming open the door to the kitchen and running down the hall. He froze when he saw John carefully closing the door to the room Ben shared with Ellie. Giving the boy a calm smile, John gestured for him to be quiet and they went back out into the kitchen. Shutting the open window, John put the tea kettle back on the stove to warm up.

“Is… is she okay?”

“Ellie? She’s fine. Just resting at the moment. She’ll be back to normal tomorrow morning. How have the last few days been? You seem to have handled things here well. I heard you’ve been going out with Even to do the collections?”

Grinning proudly, Ben stuck out his chest and began to tell John all that had happened since he had left the farm.

CHAPTER 46

The sun had been up for a few hours when Ellie finally stirred, her eyes drifting to the white curtain on the window. She’d put it up when it had been just her and Ben on the farm in an effort to make the house less lonely. Her head still felt stuffy, but she slowly got up and made her way to the bathroom, turning on the warm water and washing her face. The sounds of the farm were faint, but she could hear voices in the kitchen, and after fixing her hair in the mirror, she opened the door.

John and Thomas were sitting at the table talking quietly as they sipped on their morning tea. Seeing Ellie enter, both men stood up. John pulled out a chair for her, and Ellie smiled thankfully and sat down. Soon there was a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toasted bread with butter and berry jam in front of her and she began to dig in, only now realizing just how hungry she was. Between bites, she listened as John and Thomas talked about the cows that would be giving birth soon.

The farm couldn’t support a constantly growing herd, so the plan was to raise the male calves as steer for beef and sell the extra female calves while trying to maintain a milking herd of about thirty cows. At first, John had wanted to raise another bull as well, but after hearing from Thomas about Ferdie’s ability with flames, John gave up on that idea. It was clear that Ferdie had already crossed the threshold from animal to beast and would probably outlive everyone on the farm apart from John.

Seeing that Ellie was about done with her food, Thomas stood up and gave her a short bow, excusing himself. Left alone with Ellie, John didn’t rush to speak, instead pouring her a cup of hot tea. Pouring a cup for himself, he took a sip and put the cup down.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

“A little woozy, but I didn’t expect to wake up for at least a week, if ever,” Ellie said, her calm voice at odds with the frightening words she spoke.

“That means this isn’t your first time doing something like this.”

Nodding, Ellie held her cup in two hands, breathing in the curling fragrance that rose from the top of her cup.

“I have to admit, I was quite surprised to see you activate an ability like that. It was a curse, right?”

“Yes. My grandmother was a Witch, and she’d intended to pass down her class to me. There was a problem, though, and I lacked the aptitude. Still, she taught me a few things to help me protect myself against other people. I didn’t know if it would work on a class holder, so I had to move much more mana than normal.”

“You did quite well. Amazingly well, really. And the fact that your grandmother could adjust a spell so that you could use it means she was an amazing woman.”

“She was really amazing.”

“But what was even more impressive was your attack with the dagger. Very fierce.”

Blushing slightly, Ellie hid her face behind her cup. Taking a sip, she put the cup on the table, still holding it with two hands.

“I’ve been watching some of the training Ben has been doing with Thomas.”

“I can tell. It was a good strike. Swift, clean, and perfectly aimed. You can take comfort in the fact that you gave him the most merciful end he could have gotten. If I had gotten my hands on him... well.”

Falling silent, John looked out the window. The early morning frosts had given way to a light dusting of snow that glistened in the winter sunlight. After a moment, he turned his head back to Ellie and took a sip of tea.

“Do you mind if I ask you what went wrong when your grandmother tried to pass on her teachings to you?”

Shaking her head, Ellie took a moment to straighten out her thoughts and then began to speak quietly.

“The problem had something to do with affinities. Witches use a medium for most of their spells as a way to borrow power from the natural world. My grandmother’s affinity was the stars. She could borrow their light to reveal the truth of the world. She could also store up their power to use when she cast other spells. My mother also had a star affinity. In fact, all of the women in my family for ten generations had the same affinity. But for some reason, my affinity was different. We didn’t discover it until too late, and the backlash when the class ceremony failed almost killed me.”

“Your grandmother saved you.”

“Yes,” Ellie said, her eyes downcast. “She took the excess mana out of my body, but doing so shortened her life by a dozen years. She died little more than a year later.”

Sitting in silence for a moment, John let out a sigh.

“I’m really sorry. That’s a tough break.”

“Thank you.”

Filling up his tea cup, John poured more tea for Ellie as well. Putting the pot back on the stove, he returned to his seat and looked over his cup at her.

“And Ben? When did you pick him up?”

Ellie’s eyes widened slightly at the question, but after a moment, she smiled slightly.

“I found him in the ruins six years ago. He must have been four at the time. I was eighteen and had just come into the valley, so when we arrived in Fairford, everyone assumed we were related. I just went with it. How did you know?”

“Magic runs in families. When I saw you, I knew you had magic or had used magic before. Even during the first meal we had, you did something to the bread. I assume it was the same spell you used on Grimes. Ben, on the other hand, only has enough magical talent to be a melee class holder.”

Seeing Ellie’s clear embarrassment, John smiled and waved his hand.

“Seriously, I don’t mind. I only brought it up to point out that I knew. Besides, mana of that level has no effect on me. Anyway, I thought it was unlikely you and Ben were biological siblings since your mana was so distinct.”

Blinking her eyes as John’s words sank in, she looked at him curiously.

“Is that part of your class skill? To understand someone’s mana? I imagine it would come in handy when guarding against hidden class holders at the palace.”

Realizing Ellie still thought his class was Royal Knight, John just smiled.

“I’m sorry, I got us a bit off track. You were telling me what happened with your class ceremony.”

“Ah, yeah. Well, since we didn’t know what my medium was, when I tried to accept the mana my grandmother put in my body, my body completely rejected it and started to collapse, so she pulled the mana back out. However, the mana had already been infected by my body and it was destructive.”

His eyebrows rising, John looked at Ellie in astonishment.

“Hold on. You mean your ceremony didn’t actually fail? It just stopped halfway through?”

Scrunching her forehead, Ellie shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about it apart from what my grandmother told me.”

“No wonder you can use mana,” John said, his eyes lighting up. “You’re actually still in the middle of your class ceremony! Wow, what a strange situation.”

Seeing that Ellie was looking totally lost, John laughed and jumped up, getting a large bowl from the cupboard. Grabbing the kettle, he brought both to the table and set them down. Draining the tea from his cup, he placed it in front of Ellie.

“Imagine that this is a regular person. Their capacity for holding mana is this tea cup. What would happen if we were to try to force this entire pot of water into the tea cup?”

“It would overflow?”

“Exactly. It would overflow, and the boiling water would burn everything around the cup. Now, when someone undergoes a class ceremony, the first thing the bestower does is use some of their mana to construct a bigger cup for the person in the ceremony.”

Moving the tea cup to the side, John put the big bowl in the center of the table.

“Now what would happen if you filled the person up with this entire pot of water?”

“It would fit just fine.”

“And, if the ceremony succeeds, the new class holder would have taken that extra mana, the water in our example, and used it to make the bowl their own. That way, they could hold mana from that point on. When a class ceremony fails, the temporary bowl that was created vanishes and the tea cup cracks, making it virtually impossible for that person to ever try again. But your situation is still at the halfway point. Your grandmother’s temporary bowl is still inside you, allowing you to use mana to a very small degree, almost like a brand new class holder. If you can figure out your medium, or learn to control mana, you could make that bowl your own and you would be a mana-manipulating class holder.”

Staring at John in complete shock, Ellie didn’t notice the tears that began to drip from her eyes. It had been her wish from as early as she could remember to follow her grandmother’s footsteps, so to hear from John that it might actually be possible was almost too much for her heart. Taking a deep breath, she realized she was crying and quickly wiped her tears.

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” John said seriously, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward. “The big question is, how do we determine what your medium is?”

“I don’t know. My grandmother always said it was just something we would know. She spoke so fondly of the stars, and I think she just assumed I felt the same way. But she never knew what my medium was.”

“How did she gather her medium? You said it was stars, right?”

“Um, it wasn’t actual stars. She would go outside at night and dance under the stars. She said it allowed her to be closer to them and that their light held mana she could use for her craft. She could use other mana, but it wasn’t as strong.”

“Mm. What was her mana like? Do you remember?”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Ellie’s face relaxed, as if she could feel her grandmother’s mana all around her.

“It was beautiful. Glimmering. It looked like diamond rain set against a soft navy blue sheet.”

Rubbing his chin, John began to think back over the feeling of the mana he had pulled out of Ellie the day before. It was clear to him her mana had a particular feeling to it, but nailing down exactly what that feeling was proved difficult. Suddenly struck with an idea, John opened up his skill list and selected his new skill.

[Mental Model: 01]

He had thirty-three skill points to spare and there were no other skills in sight, so, with a shrug, he dumped all thirty-three skill points into the skill.

[Mental Model: 34]

John had never added skill points to a skill so quickly before, and when the first wave of pain slammed into him, he knew he had made a mistake. Holding up his finger to ask Ellie to wait, he carefully placed his hand in his mouth and bit down so hard, his teeth creaked alarmingly. As the waves of pain pounded into his brain, he continued to bite down, focusing as best he could on the pain in his hand and not the fact that his brain was being reduced to mush and rebuilt from the spinal cord up.

It took a few minutes for the intense feelings to fade, and when he did, John found himself in a whole new world. Clarity unlike anything he had ever felt coursed through his mind. Years of crud had been cleared out of his mind, and even as he blinked, he realized memories that had been jumbled about in his brain were being neatly categorized and optimized for information retrieval. Shuddering, he brought himself back to the present and smiled apologetically at Ellie, who was looking at him with concern.

“Sorry about that. Now, let’s see if we can figure this out.”

Leaning back in his chair, John closed his eyes and recalled the feeling of the mana that had rampaged through Ellie’s body. If what he suspected was correct, the mana she absorbed had taken on the form of her medium. The problem was, the container that held it wasn’t hers. Instead, it was made up of mana from another Witch who had a different medium. Selecting his Mental Model skill, John activated it and began to try and figure out what sort of medium could create the feeling he had experienced.

Over the years, John had come to a rough understanding of the various ranks of class holders. The system he and the other summoned people had was unique, and to his knowledge, no class holder native to this world had access to it. Still, they seemed to be instinctively aware of their classes and, as time went on, he had realized they were split into a few different grades. Class holders who were just starting out had skills that ranged from a single point up to twenty-five. Skill levels from twenty-five points to fifty points were roughly equivalent to titled class holders like Haver the Wolf King, while skill levels above fifty points were considered legendary class holders and were rarer than unicorn horns.

Having been able to boost his Mental Model skill to thirty-four points in one go, John was excited to see what it could do. Quickly, he realized the Mental Model skill was like a small computer that had been plugged into his mind. Using mana, it pulled from his knowledge of the world to create a complex model that simulated whatever he was trying to discover. Right now, it was running back through every single magic user he had ever encountered and was comparing the mana he had pulled from Ellie to what he remembered about the spells they had used.

Many categories of mages were quickly compared and rejected, and that information was used to further refine the model, quickly narrowing it down to only a few possibilities. Once it could go no further, it spit out the answers it had come up with.

[Match to Lightning Magic: 31%]

[Match to Wind Magic: 44%]

[Match to Water Magic: 87%]

[Assessment: Medium is likely to be related to storms. Acquire more data to create a more accurate model.]

CHAPTER 47

Night had fallen and John dashed through the forest, his flame-covered feet leaving rapidly fading sparks on the forest floor. As he ran, his mind wandered over the books he had in his bag. In addition to the all-important skill scroll he had recovered from the ruin, he’d picked up three important-looking books from the office along with a quill and a compass, and another book from the library. He hadn’t had time to look over them while dealing with the adventurers, but as things calmed back down, he was growing more interested in his spoils.

Leaving the farm under cover of night, he was heading for the quarry where he had met the grimm. It was remote enough that he wouldn’t be bothered, even if he accidentally destroyed some of the mana locks, and he was interested in seeing if any of the grimm were still around. Quickly arriving at the bottom of the mountain, he launched himself into the air, rising almost two hundred feet in one powerful jump. Catching a protruding rock, he threw himself further up, the force causing the rock to crumble away.

This time, instead of going up to the top of the mountain and down the other side, John opted to head around the mountain once he was halfway up, which put him at the top of the quarry. Flying down to the place where the trade had been completed with the grimm, John saw that there were a number of items sitting on the flat table. Before he checked them out, he looked at the cave painting and saw that more detail had been added, including a section that showed what John had traded for. There was even a clear replica of his drawing of a book that was circled.

I wonder, is this a history? Or maybe there’s more than one group of grimm?

Walking back out to the table, he saw there were a few broken pieces of metal in a little pile off to the side. Poking through them, he realized they were old tools you might find in a hunting camp. What was of more interest was the dozen flowers that lay neatly on the other end of the table. Quickly creating eight crystals, he swept up the flowers and then shot up into the air, heading for the peak of the mountain.

The top of the mountain was just as bare as it’d been the last time he was here, but the clouds had deposited a thick layer of snow earlier in the week that blanketed it in soft white. With a flick of his finger, the snow melted from the top of the boulder he had set up at the top of the mountain, and with another flick a line of flame sliced the top of the rock perfectly smooth. Smiling happily, John sat down, his legs crossed under him. The night was freezing cold and the wind would have cut like knives against his skin if he hadn’t been entirely immune to both the temperature and the force. Instead, John thought it felt pleasant. A feeling of awe filled him as he looked out over the quiet valley and his smile grew even wider.

After meditating for a few minutes to make sure he was in the right state of mind, John began to get out the items he had gotten in the ruins. First was the leather-bound book that had been hidden in the safe. Taking it out, he examined the archaic writing on the cover. It took him a moment to work out what it said due to the faded, well-worn lettering, but when he did, shock ran through him.

“Basic Arcanum: An Introduction to Mages, Spells, and Spellcasting.”

Even though he was whispering, John felt as if his voice was as loud as thunder in his head. For a moment, he simply sat in complete silence, unable to believe what he was seeing. He’d been looking for just such a book ever since he had ignited his first fireball, but the grim realities of this wartorn world never relented. So much time had passed, and the truth was he’d already reached a level of magical control and power the ancient mages only dreamed of. Even the legendary mages who could cast forbidden-level magic were little more than a nuisance in John’s eyes.

Yet even the most basic magical knowledge was completely foreign to him. A wave of his hand could crush mountains and yet, in many ways, the newest mage of the bygone era was probably more useful than he was. Taking a deep breath, John stabilized his surging emotions and began to undo the mana lock on the leather-bound book. Maybe because he was afraid of damaging it, it took him nearly three times as long as it should have before the lock was removed and the book fell open.

Swallowing nervously, John opened it up and began to read. Written in the same archaic lettering, the text took a while for John to get through, but with each word he figured out, he could feel his Arcane Tongue skill sucking up bits of mana as it magically enhanced his understanding of the writing system. By the end of the first page, he was reading with hardly any trouble, and by the bottom of the second page, it was no different than reading any modern book. The first few pages of the book were an introduction, and when he saw the name at the end of the introduction, his smile grew so wide he thought his cheeks might split open.

Storm Master Kelvis. So, the ruins were the tower the journal describes. That means that it’s highly likely the other books and artifacts I got are from the tower master’s room. That would have been the room with the strongest seal, since it would have been based on Kelvis’ strength. From the fact that Tower Master Kelvis could cast a forbidden level spell like Wind Blade before the tower fell, he must have already been a legendary mage.

Growing even more excited to examine the other books he had recovered, John put Basic Arcanum down and picked up the two artifacts he had found. The first was a small compass without any needle. John could feel the mana it contained, but without spending a long time examining it, he knew it would be hard to discover what its use was. The more interesting of the two items was the quill. A faint mana signature that John was familiar with covered it, but otherwise, it appeared completely ordinary. The mana signature was something that almost every surviving document John had ever found contained and served to strengthen the material, ensuring the documents wouldn’t decay with time.

Someone wanted to preserve this regular pen. I wonder why. This is getting interesting. Let’s see what these books say.

The first book was a simple, brown leather-bound tome, but as soon as John began to crack the mana lock on it, he could tell that it’d been set by a legendary mage. Once a class holder’s skill grew beyond level fifty and entered the ranks of the legendary, their mana would undergo a qualitative change, becoming purer and more powerful. The increase in its purity meant it was much more resilient than the mana of class holders who had not yet reached that legendary status, and the increase in power allowed it to dominate mana it came into contact with that wasn’t as strong.

This mana is at the same level that Storm Master Kelvis had when he died and it feels like it matches. Hold on.

Plugging the mana into his Mental Model skill, John waited for a moment while his mind whirled.

[Query: Was the mana lock on this book created by Storm Master Kelvis?]

[Answer: 99.7% match. Purity of mana in memory is slightly higher than the mana lock.]

Pausing, John put the leather book down and stared into the distance.

That means that Tower Master Kelvis and Storm Master Kelvis were the same person. Maybe the stories of legendary class holders being immortal are right? Wait, but then that means Thomas wouldn’t be aging either, and he’s clearly older than he was three years ago when he crossed the threshold. Though, in his case, we can’t rule out stress. Anyway, could it be that Storm Master Kelvis had actually reached the sage level? Crazy.

Shaking his head, John got down to work on the lock, slowly adjusting his mana until he saw the mana lock fall apart. With a light click, the book opened and he saw a loose piece of paper tumble out. Catching it, he narrowed his eyes when he saw archaic writing and began to read.

Martius 2, 253

To think that it would be almost the anniversary of the day I first set out for the valley? So much has changed, so much has gone, and we go with it. My life will come to an end within two years, I can feel it with the same certainty I feel when I cast my spells. I had thought I could escape the pull of time, but though it beckons me toward death more slowly than most, it beckons me still.

Forgive me. I am old and my mind wanders more than it used to.

If you are reading this, you must be a descendant of mankind in the future when my seal has faded, or maybe you are another race entirely. It does not matter. Let this be considered the final will and testament of Storm Master Elmer Kelvis, the greatest and most feared legendary mage known to the world.

In one week, we will attempt a spell that has not been used for a thousand years, and it will either save our world or damn it further, but at this point there is no other choice. War has raged too long, the damage has been too great. There are few left who understand magic, and those that do horde their knowledge with lethal jealousy. Even I, the most powerful being in this world, do not dare to share what I know for fear that it will be turned to make more weapons of war, or bent to the destruction of mankind rather than our salvation.

This book and the other two books I leave here contain the research I am the proudest of. Laughably, it is research I did well before I ever developed the deadly wind spells I am so known for. It was with the intent of furthering this research that I originally accepted my banishment to this out-of-the-way valley, but before real progress could be made, war started.

The only saving grace was that no one, not even the academy’s master mages, knew that I had become a legendary mage. Because of that, I was able to create another tower, hidden in the mountains, to ensure the research was able to survive the war. To continue the research, I sent my most promising student to the tower, hoping I would be back when it finished. And yet, even now, I dare not go to the true tower lest others find it.

I cannot speak much of it, as there exist those who can peer into the truth of the world and discover secrets hidden to all, but just know that I am not the only, or even the most powerful of beings in this world. There are others whose thirst for immortality far surpasses mine.

But none of that should matter to you. By the time you read this, I expect that so much time will have passed that not even the memory of the wars that destroyed our world will be remembered. Only then will my mana fade enough that the seal can be opened. So, to you who read this, I beg a favor. Seek out the inverted tower I built, seek out the remains of my student, and use it to restore this world. You will find two items on top of these books that will help you discover the path to the tower. The spell for using them is hidden between the three books.

I have stalled long enough. It is time that I go. We will attempt the summoning and pray that it brings us salvation. I fear that it will bring us destruction instead. To those who survive us, I can only express my regret that I contributed more to the destruction of this beautiful world than I did to its preservation. My earnest wish is that the research I left might play some small part in contributing to its restoration.

Looking down at Storm Master Kelvis’ broad signature, John couldn’t help but remember the warm-looking man with the salt and pepper beard who had taken Katrine as his apprentice. Though he had died only a year later after a truly terrifying fight with three other legendary mages who had appeared from the south, John had never imagined that Kelvis had such a complex history. Flipping through a few of the pages absently, John saw they were filled with tightly scrawled notes detailing experiments.

Putting the book down, John wasn’t sure quite what he thought. Those involved in the summoning of people from Earth had been one of the most tightly guarded secrets of the nations involved, and the little bit that John had discovered had indicated that everyone involved had died as the spell completed. But if what he read was true, Storm Master Kelvis had not only known about the summoning, but even played a major part.

Which would certainly explain why he was on hand to accept Katrine as an apprentice. We all just assumed he had been passing by, but he must have known exactly what was going on. Wait, that means that the others…

Letting out a breath, fury began to grow in John’s heart, but he hurriedly suppressed it before he got another Doom Point. He already had seventy-four from his mana use in the ruins, and he didn’t want any more if he could help it. Calming down, he did his best to examine his memories rationally.

All of us were taken in hand and taught by class holders almost as soon as we arrived. My teacher was Thomas, while Katrine became Storm Master Kelvis’ disciple. Of the six mages who were summoned, the two of us were the only ones who survived the first two years. All the others died to assassinations. Katrine survived because her master was so powerful, and I survived because, well, Thomas is a cockroach and I learned really quickly. It’s clear they knew exactly what was going on. I wonder if there is anyone else who was involved who’s still alive?

Shaking his head, John knew there was no reason to continue dwelling on it. Taking out the last item he’d received, John held it up and looked at it. The ornate box gleamed in the starlight, giving off an alluring sense of mystery. For this little box, six people had died, and John had a feeling they weren’t the last. If he was going to be drawn into problems in the future, John wanted to know what he was dealing with. Catherine had said that the box contained the secret of how to become a mage, and if that was true, there would be others, many others, coming after it. With a soft click, the mana lock fell apart and the top of the box opened a crack. Sensing nothing dangerous, John carefully lifted the lid, his eyes going wide as he saw a set of six glowing spell scrolls.

[New Spell: Summon Water detected.]

[New Spell: Water Arrow detected.]

[New Spell: Downpour detected.]

[New Spell: Raging Waters detected.]

[New Spell: Greater Storm detected.]

[New Spell: Apocalyptic Flood detected.]

* * *

The story continues in Book 2, Germination.

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Legends speak of wizards with the power to rival Gods…
To Hump, it’s just a story. Apprenticed to a wandering wizard, he grew up on the road, following the coin on whatever quest it took them. He always believed his master was just an ordinary hedge wizard, until the old man suddenly died, and his book of spells bound to Hump’s soul.
Knowing no other life, Hump takes up his master’s staff and heads out alone into a world of dungeons and monsters. Scorned by the gods, wizards can trust only their own wit and skill to survive.
Lacking the godly gifts and grand ideals of the Chosen few, Hump fights for something else. If he wants to eat, he needs to work. And with a new Dungeon opening in Bledsbury, where better for a young hedge wizard to earn some coin?
So begins the path of The Wanderer. The White Flame. The Hedge Wizard.

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* * *

In the West, there are worse things to fear than bandits and outlaws.

Demons. Monsters. Witches. James Crowley’s sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down and send them packing, banish them from the mortal realm for good.
He didn’t choose this life. No. He didn’t choose life at all.
Shot dead in a gunfight many years ago, now he’s stuck in purgatory, serving the whims of the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his penance and fade away.
This time, the White Throne has sent him investigate a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill. An outlaw with the ability to conjure ice has frozen and shattered open the bank vault and is now on a spree, robbing the region for all it’s worth.
In his quest to track down the ice-wielder and suss out which demon is behind granting a mortal such power, Crowley finds himself face-to-face with hellish beasts, shapeshifters, and, worse … temptation. But the truth behind the attacks is worse than he ever imagined …
The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this weird Western series by the Audible number-one bestselling duo behind Dead Acre.

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Also available on audio, voiced by Red Dead Redemption 2’s Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan)

* * *

Jeff Driscoll becomes the only active Game Master for the VRMMORPG Infinite Worlds after a rogue patch turns the game into a buggy, dangerous mess. Can he fix it on his own and save the players?

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