“I don’t like those guys, not one bit.” Lexi huffed as she dropped herself beside Earon, who sat atop a knee-height ledge beside the merchant square.

“We’re not trying to make friends,” said Earon. The truth was that his mind was elsewhere. He had not expected to hear his companion's name.

How was Fane tied up in this?

Relief came with the revelation. At least Fane was alive. However, it was concerning that Rayets had no idea who Dordan or Iliana were. Could they have been split up in the battle, or was the answer to their absence more sinister?

“Earon, hey, Earon,” Lexi nudged him. “You're being weird again.”

“Huh, what?”

“We’ve got time and coin. What do you think about filling out your reagent bag? Barely got anything with the few coppers he had last time. And maybe we can even pick up a useful cantrip or something.”

“Yeah, that’s actually a pretty good idea.”

Kaligulo’s emporium for reagents, herbs, and medicinal salves was an impressive, sprawling compound with multiple counters for different items – almost as if it were a little market.

The friendly woman behind the medicine counter smiled as they entered – Lexi had become somewhat of a regular during Earon’s healing.

Lexi returned it with a wave, but they continued past and toward the reagents counter.

All kinds of strange and peculiar items were on sale. But Earon stuck to what his current list of cantrips required. Bat wings, death peppers, nymph scales, radishworth tears, giant spider’s silk, sea serpent shedding, and wart garlic. All in all, everything only cost Earon a silver coin, and this time he refused Lexi’s contribution. Reagents were generally the cheapest of all magical items, and the ones Earon had purchased were far from the most potent of their kind.

“Are you sure I can’t pay for anything?” Lexi asked.

“You’ve got a single cantrip to your name, no book, no reagents of your own. No nothing really. You’re going to want that coin once you figure out what you want to spend it on.”

“Fine,” Lexi narrowed her eyes on Earon and grabbed his wrist. “We’re going to Luxarant’s shop for the magically inclined, then.”

Earon barely managed to get a word out as he was dragged across the street and down the road.

Luxarant’s was a far smaller store – having once been a rather standard four-story townhouse turned into an imitation mage tower.

Inside, however, it was arguably the more impressive of the two. All kinds of magical items were on display across the walls and within cabinets. And suits of animated armor watched them as they entered, immediately reminding Earon of Trudels – although, even with his rather basic skills, it was easy to tell they were far inferior to the golem master’s creations.

“How may I help you?” Asked a high-nosed and pouty figure behind the counter.

“I’m looking for cantrips and anything else that might help a young caster.” Said Lexi.

The attendant’s brow raised. “Oh, you don’t look like a caster.”

“I’m a trickster, you mightn’t have heard of it,” Lexi scrunched her nose.

“Oh, I certainly have heard of tricksters,” the attendant replied, directing them toward a glass cabinet with a wave of his hand. “A specialty caster class for rogues. Particularly common in Saner, would you believe?” He said with a pointed look.

Spread out and weighted down by little, timber claps were hundreds of scrolls for different cantrips.

Even Earon, who hadn’t come with the intention of buying anything had been left speechless as he glanced across the impressive selection.

“We have the collective knowledge of hundreds of casters across many different classes representing here, within our collection of cantrips.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

What was perhaps even more eye-catching than the selection itself, was the heart-sinking price tags beside them.

“I’ll only be able to afford a couple of scrolls at these prices,” Lexi shrunk as she perused the displays.

“Maybe get just get one. Something that will work with the skills and abilities you already have.” Earon said as he decided against picking up any new cantrips for himself. He still had plenty left to try, after all. And they might need some coin, spending everything they had managed to earn, seemed like a bad idea.

“I’ve got a bunch of stealth and thievery skills. But how are they going to help me become a caster?”

“You’re a trickster, aren’t you?” Earon asked. “I don’t want to pretend to be an expert or anything, but your class kind of sounds in line with roguery skills. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to try and reinvent yourself, all things considered.”

Lexi nodded along, her chin held between her index and thumb. “You’re right, Earon. See, you would make a good master.”

The attendant's brow raised curiously.

“I’m not sure that’s the great revelation you make it out to be.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re helping. Sometimes we just need somebody else to vocalize our own thoughts. It makes hard decisions easier.” Lexi said as she stopped at one of the glass displays. “What about this,” she added, pressing her index finger against the display.

It was a defensive spell. Feylan’s Feint; this spell was a combination of other defensive spells used by the Master Wizard, Feylan. Its purpose was to provide Feylan with a pre-castable spell that could get him out of trouble when in a bind. After casting Feylan’s Feint, the caster will be protected by an invisible aura for three hours. When someone attempts to attack the caster, it will reflect a false image. Once someone has been exposed to the false image, it loses its edge and is instead seen as a shimmering outline around the caster.

Earon liked the sound of the cantrip. Lexi had useful skills, but she hadn’t proven herself as much of a warrior yet, and that worried him. At least if she had something like this, she might be a little safer if they found themselves in a difficult fight.

“It sounds perfect,” Earon said.

“That’ll be one and a half silvers.” The attendant smirked as if he expected the price to be too much for Lexi.

Their little shopping spree might have been a little disappointing, but at least they were a little more prepared for the road.

Back at the merchant caravan grounds, the sellswords had gathered around the wagons and were loading the last of the things they needed.

Only Rayets and some other sellsword who looked as if he struggled to stand upright and carried a flask he was constantly sipping from, rode atop the wagons.

Both Lexi and Earon had filled packs with dried and cured foods and bedrolls, as did most other sellswords as they marched beside the wagons on their way out of the city.

Guards stood around lazily as they watched their exit, a luxury afforded to them thanks to Saner and the immediate roads around it being rather safe.

Hundreds of wagons filled the roads up until they reached Sadar, a smaller town a few miles from Saner, that was crisscrossed by intersecting roads that led all across the empire. But upon reaching the road leading toward the Clain and Ome beyond that, it had grown empty.

Tension rose amongst the group, and any that hadn’t already been gripping the pommels of their weapons, were now.

“Be on ye guard,” Rayets called out. “But keep yourselves steady, okay? We’ll survive this if we keep our heads about us.”

Earon looked about the chattering sellswords. There was no way these men, as scared as they were, were doing all this for the equivalent of five silvers.

Over the next couple of days, the tropical greens and luscious undergrowth of Saner gave way as the caravan traveled southwest toward Ome. And soon, the burnt, sandy grass and skeletal trees of the Clain had taken over.

Earon could think of things he preferred over marching endlessly, and Lexi had begun complaining about her feet and boots on the first day. But it hadn’t been all bad. At night he was able to practice his runes, redrawing them – helping to increase both his rune crafting and spell levels.

On the road, the Matron Mother's riddle played on his thoughts. Frustrating Earon as he seemed to remember it differently every time it reentered his thoughts.

On the other hand, Lexi didn't have much love for the journey. Growingly agitated at Earon’s gains, she still had no idea how to use her class. And it wasn’t as if her cantrip helped. She could of course train her mana channeling by using it, but that cost reagents; and even if she had the spare coin to spend, they didn’t have any shops out here.

The Arch of Man was a towering archway that connected the Stone Hedge to the Clain. Much like the Ridge Spine, the Stone Hedge separated the civilized lands of the empire, from the untamed wilderness of the Clain. But unlike the Gates of Caedstad, the Arch of Man was an open passageway. Knights took watch atop the path that ran its length, whilst a handful guarded the passage itself. But otherwise, it was open to all. An invitation and a testimony to the power wielded by the empire, an empire that didn’t need to hide behind walls and gates.

Earon almost didn’t recognize the scene that greeted him as they marched out into the Clain as dark, thunderous clouds crackled ahead.

“Good luck out there,” one of the Sanerese knights said as they passed. “Haven’t seen anyone crossing the Clain in weeks.”

Earon turned and another knight pointed to a corner section of the natural, rock wall of the Stone Hedge where a small mountain of corpses was piled atop a mound of ash.

“Monsters. They keep coming, we keep cutting.” The knight nodded. “When the pile gets a little larger, we’ll burn this lot like the others.”

“Keep your eyes on the road, lads. They’re just bored, tryin’ to invoke fear in ye.” Shouted Rayets.

“You’ve been in the Clain, right?” Lexi asked, turning to Earon. “Is it really that bad?”

Earon nodded. “And it’s probably worse now. You can still go back if you want to.”

Lexi shook her head. “No way. I told you, Earon. I’ve got nothing worth going back to. I’m going to become a true caster, I swear it.”