Chapter 2: Shrouded in shadows

Kael’s eyes darted ceaselessly as he navigated the rain-soaked, overcast town, his practiced gaze sweeping the streets with the precision of a seasoned tracker. A lifetime of honing his senses had made him acutely aware of his environment, always on edge, always ready. He kept a discreet distance from his companions, trailing through the winding streets like a shadow at dusk.

Ahead, the wizened form of Magus Edric was engaged in animated conversation with the much younger Magus Lyra. More than a few had mistaken her as an apprentice and despite her best efforts to hide it Kael could tell that it bothered her. Their voices, but mostly that of the old man carried back to Kael, filled with the enthusiasm of a lifetime’s passion, oblivious to the world around him.

As they passed through the town, Kael couldn’t ignore the condition of the townsfolk. There were far more sickly faces than he would expect. A poor harvest didn’t make sense to him either, those that were healthy didn’t appear to be particularly thin for this time of year. As he focused his senses the realization struck him. An air of gloom hung over the town like a shroud. Even the healthier-looking men and women moved about with a listlessness that felt disturbingly out of place.

Kael frowned, his instincts prickling with unease. Something was clearly wrong in the small town of Brindleburg. He cinched up his cloak, keeping his observations to himself. He needed to watch and gather more information.

His compression sack still had enough water for 3 weeks and food for 2 months. It was time to start cutting into the rations he had prepared. That should help keep him safe and it came with the added bonus of reducing how much weight he was carrying. Even if he was using a compression sack, carrying water was still extremely taxing.

As the sun was finally beginning to fade over the horizon Edric finally came to a halt in front of the home of the mage they were supposed to meet. But calling it a house was a bit of a misnomer. Despite its wooden structure and modest two stories, it was closer to a mansion. The sprawling mansion dwarfed all of the buildings Kael had seen in town. It was very, very out of place in this stinky, muddy town. It made Kael think of a noble’s hunting cabin he had looted when he was younger.

Edric walked up and slowly knocked on the door with his staff. It didn’t take but a few seconds before it was opened to reveal a middle-aged woman, her expression uneasy. Edric felt a vague recognition but couldn’t recall her name, nor did he care to try.

“Magus Edric, it is so great to see you! Master Neul was beginning to worry that his letter had not made it all the way to Falkrik. I am so glad that it did!” The sense of anticipation had vanished from her the instant she noticed it was Edric at the door, suddenly looking much younger despite her graying hair. It was not a response Kael was familiar with seeing Edric’s presence facilitating.

‘Things must be really bad.’

Once they were settled in the man's study, the owner of the house slowly made his way into the room. Lyra was the first to reach out and help him come to his chair. She had heard that Raynes Neul was younger and fitter than Edric. But this man looked to be at the end of his natural life.

Edric hadn’t failed to help his old friend out of laziness or his usual apathy, he was genuinely shocked by the man’s state. The very old looking man turned to Edric with a grave expression. "I'm glad you came, old friend. The reason I called you here... As you can see it's not good."

The man's gaze swept over the group before settling on Edric. "It would be easiest if I were to just show you. Inspect my lungs."

Edric's brow furrowed as he positioned himself behind the sitting man, placing an arm along his neck. After a few moments, his eyes widened in shock. He placed his other hand against the old man’s back before moving his hands to his abdomen and skull. "By the old gods... it can't be."

The frail magician nodded solemnly. "Yes, precisely… And just a little over two months ago I didn’t have a single symptom.” He paused, catching his breath before continuing, “And it's not just me, Edric. It is the entire town. I am getting afraid for Martha.” The old man paused as he pulled out a hand-drawn map, “I fear this is why nobody has heard from Winsperch or any of the other towns or mining communities further up the valley."

Edric's face grew grim as he continued to survey his old friend’s body with his mana. "There is no way to cut this out. It has spread...”

“Everywhere… Even in my head” Neul finished the thought so his old friend wouldn’t have to.

“The town has been getting sicker for several years. I became overconfident and complacent and thought I could figure it out on my own and well, here I am. I was still a day away from not Winsperch when I felt myself being affected and decided to come back.”

The old mage pulled out a handkerchief and proceeded to cough into it for a few moments before continuing. “In less than a week I had developed multiple tumors in my lung. It has been maybe 7 or 8 weeks since then and I am doing everything I can to hold on at this point.” As if to reinforce his words the sickly mage threw another coughing fit, this time ejecting several clumps of dark, coagulated blood into his handkerchief.

Kael noticed the closest thing he had ever seen to compassion in Edric’s eyes. ‘So this old blowhard does have some friends’. He did not have an overly fond impression of the man who had hired him. It was well known that one should never expect a magician to do anything other than what suits themselves.

Edric grabbed Raynes hands and began to filter his mana through the old man, hoping to ease some of his pains. “We'll need to investigate further. The hospital would be our best bet for information. Mudrats make good test subjects."

The old magician nodded wearily. "Exactly what I was going to suggest. My servant, Martha, can give you directions. I'm afraid I need to lay down for the night, but I would like to introduce you before I go."

He gestured towards the doorway, and the middle-aged woman they met earlier stepped into the room. "This is Martha, my trusted servant. If you need anything just let her know. Treat her well and you won’t regret it, she is quite the cook."

The ailing old magician turned to Martha. "Please prepare rooms for our guests. They'll be back later in the night after they visit the hospital. And on that front could you tell them how to get to old Jimmers place."

Nuel placed his hand on Edric’s shoulder, conveying a genuine feeling of companionship, “Be careful out there. And we have much to discuss tomorrow. I have made some peculiar findings on mana synchronization. Something with real promise… “ For the first time Kael saw a genuine smile spread across Neul’s face. “For now I’ll turn things over to Martha."

Martha nodded, her eyes showing concern for her master but warmth for the visitors. "Of course, sir."

After hearing where the hospital was located Kael stepped out into the night. As he waited for the mages to follow him outside his vision quickly acclimated to the darkness. Despite the sliver of a moon hanging in the sky it was hardly visible through the layer of fog hanging over the town. It reminded him of a battlefield the night after the carnage. ‘An unnatural darkness.’

As Edric finally made his way outside Kael voiced his intent to stick back as he always did. As he followed Edric’s eyes, looking for a sign of recognition he noticed that the old mage’s eyes had changed. It would be a quiet walk across town.

***

"By the old gods," Edric muttered, his hand resting on the chest of a sobbing, young pregnant girl whose labored breathing began to fill the room. "It's everywhere."

Lyra could not believe how big of an ass Edric was. He could have pulled her aside or said it later but he said it right in front of her. She caught her temper as she said some comforting words to the girl and pulled the old mage into the hallway. "I have never seen this before. What is this, Magus Edric?"

The old magician started to straighten himself before his shoulders sagged once again, as if under an immense weight. "This, my dear, is something they won’t teach you at those magic academies. This is what we magicians call 'the enemy.' It's the very thing that prevents us from achieving true immortality. Cancer."

Edric nodded solemnly. "Although it is not openly discussed in schools any magic family is aware of it. As in many things, your lack of knowledge in itself shows your mundane background.” Edric sighed as a gloomy look once again covered his face, “It is the silent killer that comes for all mages, eventually. It has taken down all of the greatest wizards to ever live. But to see it here, in so many people, and so young… This is supposed to be a disease for mages and nobles, not muddy mortals." He shook his head in disbelief.

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Turning to Lyra, Edric's voice took on the tone of a teacher, despite the gravity of the situation. "Pay close attention, Lyra. This is a rare opportunity, though a grim one. What you see here is what we must overcome if we ever hope to extend our lives beyond their natural limits."

Kael, feeling somewhat out of his depth, nonetheless listened intently as Edric continued his impromptu lesson.

"Cancer manifests in many ways," the magician explained, gesturing to different patients. "It corrupts the lungs, taints the blood and bones, twists the very essence of our bodies against us. We magicians, with all our power, can stave it off for a time, but even we succumb eventually."

Lyra's voice was barely a whisper as she asked, "But why is their mana flow barely impacted?"

Edric's brow furrowed deeply. "That is hard to answer. Although some magics can cause cancer, those would cause much more disruption to the subject's mana than what we are observing here. These are not caused by magic, or even by mana.”

“The reason cancer is so hard to fight, even for a wizard, is because your mana does not recognize it as harmful. Your mana will not recognize it or react to it in any real way until it is too late. The only way to attack it with mana is using it as a blunt weapon. And cancer usually won’t visually impact mana flow until it is already lethal."

“Regardless, especially as a mage it is easy to check for maladies if you are routinely checking your own body and when caught early cancer can often be excised out. This will be a good opportunity for you to build some practice.”

Edric paused in quiet contemplation as he thought through all of the patients they had just seen before coming to a smile. “I recommend the pregnant girl. Lung cancer is especially common and can be successfully excised if caught early enough, not by yourself though, but it is still good to get some practice in. And she is strong enough that she should last for a while during surgery.”

***

As they left the hospital and headed back to Maus Nuel’s house, the weight of their discovery hung heavily upon them. Edric had been slowly coming to terms with losing his friend. Lyra was slowly learning about the horrors of cancer. And Kael had come to another realization.

As they left the hospital and made their way back to Maus Nuel’s house, the weight of their discovery hung heavily upon them. Edric was gradually coming to terms with losing his friend, while Lyra was beginning to grasp the horrors of cancer. Kael, meanwhile, had come to another realization.

Leading the group back to his friend’s house, Edric found himself deep in thought, wrestling with an intense internal debate. He understood what this moment represented: a tremendous opportunity in disguise. Despite the risks, the potential to advance cancer research was something highly coveted among mages. With his Tower Master’s 180th birthday approaching, this could be a good chance to earn some favor.

‘Nuel must have thought the same, but he never managed to become an Advanced Mage. To deal with poisons, you need at least a grasp of Purify and Regenerate, and that was beyond his reach.’

Edric finally made up his mind as the giant log house came into view. “Don’t eat anything that old hag gives us until I purify it first. Even if mana cannot fight cancer it can still regenerate or purify the sources that cause it.”

Another factoid Kael quickly added to the ‘likely to be bullshit’ pile.

***

It had been three days since they began their journey upstream to find the source of the mysterious threat. Kael thought it was a monumentally dumb idea but he had plenty of rations and water so he wouldn’t turn back now, lest he not get paid.

Despite the improving weather, the old trail was still hard to follow at times. It had fallen into disuse over the last decade, making Kael’s skills necessary to make decent time.

They were currently camped at the base of a large hill which the river appeared to wind around. As the female mage began begrudgingly preparing a meal for herself and Edric, Kael decided to slip away and climb the hill to see if he could get an overhead view. The sun was just beginning to set as he finally summited the hill. As he turned around to look down upon their shoddy camp, he was still able to clearly see both of his travel companions despite the waning light.

He turned his vision towards the northeast, following the river with his eyes when he saw a small little town another 100 to 120 furlongs up the river at its source in the center of a cluster of small lakes. Even from this distance he could tell that the town was completely deserted. The only movement in sight was the swinging of some unlocked doors.

But that is not what made Kael’s instincts buzz. It took him a few moments to notice what was missing.

‘Plants. There are no plants.’

Abandoned towns were quickly overrun with wildlife. At least they should be. Hadn’t this town been abandoned for nearly a decade? It was beginning to get dark so it was hard to see colors well, but he was having trouble finding even a hint of green anywhere in the area.

As he continued to survey the area looking for any signs of life, something caught his vision to the northeast, at least 300 furlongs beyond the town. It took him a second to realize that it was not one object but many. Tens, maybe even over one hundred. They were just too far away to make out clearly. Even if the light were better he doubted he would be able to make out what they were.

He continued to focus on the flickering objects as the sun set, hoping to discern some clue as to what the movement was. As the sun retreated he became even more engrossed with the scene.

Much like the hill he stood upon, the summits of the towering structures remained bathed in sunlight, while their bases had long since submerged into shadow. The full scale of the mysterious objects finally dawned on Kael, their immense height hitting him with full force.

He would have to tell Edric about these structures, he was positive these giant objects were in some way related to their mission. The problem was that it was at least another 3 days' travel to reach them at their current rate. That would be a 12 day round trip at the shortest. He had 3 weeks of water with him, but that was at normal usage, walking nearly 150 furlongs a day had nearly doubled his consumption.

‘If Edric gets too rambunctious I can just steal some of their food at night and make it look like a mongoose.’ Mages were notoriously soft; at least to trackers. Even the idea of going without food for a day or two was usually enough to get them to abandon any plans they may have held.

***

Kael’s first reaction was to crouch down and pull his bow out when he saw Lyra laying down on the ground covered in her own blood. He quickly looked around but couldn’t see Edric anywhere. He wanted to call out for the old fool, but until he identified the threat he refused to give away his position. Fortunately, the game trail he had used to climb the hill directly overlooked the camp allowing him to see Lyra from several hundred yards away thanks to his remarkable night vision.

Kael quietly pulled out a gray robe from his pack, put it on and began coursing his meager mana through it as he began to descend towards camp with the stealth of a hunting cat. The cloak was easily his most valuable possession, maybe even more valuable than anything Edric or Lyra had on them. It would use his own mana to emulate the natural flow of mana around him, making him undetectable to all but the best wizards and smallest animals. He had tested it’s capabilities against both Lyra and Edric and neither of them had noticed him. Or at least they hadn’t given him any indication that they had. The only problem was that with his meager mana pool he could only keep it activated for 15 or 20 minutes at most. He didn’t have time to mess around.

Kael slowed his descent as he came to the edge of the camp. Lyra’s gurgling and wheezing doing their best to distract him as he snuck around to the river in order to observe the scattered piles of blood and footprints along the shoreline. After a few minutes of studying he sighed and pulled off his magical robe.

‘Nobody has been here. All of the blood should belong to her. Edric’s footprints head back the way we came, and in a hurry. He must be panicking.’

He walked over to the female mage as she struggled to make eye contact with him.

“Help… me. Help.. Pl..ease.”

From this close she really did look young. Young enough to be his daughter, maybe. Kael bent over to soothe the girl but as soon as he did he approached her he had an uncontrollable, visceral reaction. An image stuck out in his head. A twisted memory he would likely never forget.

He bent over by her side, placing his hand under the young girl’s bloody hair, propping her head up as he whispered to her. “It’s just a shame there isn’t a mage here to cut you apart and harvest your organs while you plead for your death.”

It took a moment for her to process but Lyra’s eyes suddenly shot open in shock. Perfectly timed with the knife descending into her chest.

It may have been a mercy killing, but for some reason it felt good deep down inside.

‘I should run into Edric in a few furlongs at most. His mana may protect him, but with the rate at which she deteriorated he won’t make it far.’

Kael still had a paycheck to collect after all. Just because his employer died didn’t mean he wouldn’t recover the payment from his corpse.

***

The converted super huey descended near the small remnants of a camp, kicking up dried clumps of grass and mud. Arjun was the first to exit, surveying the area with keen eyes.

"Secure the perimeter," he ordered the two soldiers accompanying him pointing to a game trail overlooking the camp. They nodded and moved out, weapons at the ready.

Arjun called the two medics and drone operator to him as he approached the camp, his pace measured but quick. As soon as they got to the campsite Arjun stopped. Signaling for the drone operator to deploy the sneak drone to record the state of the area.

After a few minutes the operator signaled that he was done. Arjun slowly walked directly towards the body of the young female mage. Despite his usual deference, the sight gave him pause.

"Bag and tag. Be thorough."

As the two medics moved to recover the body, Arjun began a methodical search of the camp. His trained eyes missed nothing - scattered supplies, a hastily abandoned fire pit, and a dead mage with a hole in her chest yet no signs of struggle.

Arjun clicked on his walkie-talkie. "Base, this is Arjun. We've recovered one body at the primary site. Female, early twenties, mage by the looks of it."

“Copy that, Arjun," the voice crackled back. "Drone footage shows the next location just a little over 3 kilometers to the south. Proceed with caution."

“Roger that.”

Arjun turned to his team, who had finished securing the body. "Pack it up. We're moving out in five."

As they prepared to leave, Arjun took one last look around the camp. His mind was already racing, trying to piece together the puzzle of what had transpired here.