By the end of the first hour, Kylie's legs were sore, and Derek was grumbling miserably as they treked down the road; and despite the fact that he had over twenty spells in his tome, he didn't know any that would let him move without having to walk... which was a bit troublesome.

Derek sighed. "..At the academy, they teach us that we should minimize physical exertion at the lower levels. If you work out and train too much, you tend to end up with too much magic in your flesh, not enough in your mind, your soul."

The devil glanced back at him. "True enough. You need both to be an effective warrior. Spells, or powers, and physical might. Lacking either will get you killed in the long run. The sort of archmage that lacks any real physical power either needs bodyguards at all times, or ends up dead."

Derek nodded... and blinked. Wait. Bodyguards. That was it. He could ride on a.... Lets see.

He focused on the earth before him. The summon spell at the second circle produced a truly ridiculous variety of creatures if it was used properly; there were even a couple that were designed for helping around the home, or riding on. He'd just never had cause to use them before. He'd prepared one for this trip, and not thought about it because it was wasteful to use while they had the cart.

He focused on the ground, and started a low chant... the others stopped, looking back, staring at him... and when he finished... a pair of glowing blue ponies appeared. Tiny, not even as tall as himself. He stopped, staring at them. "Well. Fuck. That was a waste. I was hoping for something a bit bigger."

Kylie walked up, studying one of them. "This.... is adorable. Is it strong enough to carry one of us?"

He looked at it and frowned, walking closer. ".... Maybe? I was trying for three, and regular horse-sized. I think I made a mistake of some sort."

The devil gave a low chuckle. "That's a bit beyond a typical second-circle spell. If it worked, it wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes." He studied the creatures. "If you had a cart, they could likely pull it, though. Or use a few poles, improvise something. On the one hand, the creativity amuses me. On the other... you need to learn to take these sorts of long walks. Endurance is important, regardless of your intended career path."

Kylie grumbled. "His endurance is just fine, when I can actually get him alone."

Derek's face went a solid red.. and after a moment, so did Kylie's, as if what she'd said had taken that long to reach her mind. "Ahh... we... can stay in an inn in Rockdale. We're just gonna drop off that demon-head for a bounty and move on, right?"

Kylie coughed. "Ahh... ahem. There was that mystery mentioned on the bounty flyer. The local lord wanted someone to investigate something. Offered five hundred gold. Not much for us, but... a break from things that involve so much killing would be nice?"

Derek glanced at the devil. "Well. As much as we might hate it, the only way to get stronger faster than the people back home will be to keep doing it. If you want to be ready to show off and make your classmates look pathetic, get a bit of respect... then being higher level is important."

The devil gave a brief nod. "The boy's right. And its important to use what it is you want to get better at to do it. So far, all of you have been doing a good job at that. Summons, spells, melee weapons... not bad. I'd recommend you find some allies, though. Once me and Terra are gone you two will be on your own. If that's while we're here in the kingdom, I'll at the very least help you get back to the border, but if you find others, it'd let you make your own way back and keep this nonsense going."

He glanced at Derek. "The magical items you looted from the Mayor's house would make a good incentive. Plenty of folks would appreciate that sort of thing."

Terra glanced at Kylie, then Derek... and finally at her grandfather. "...I'd like to stay with them past them getting that point. You don't have to come with us, but I actually like Kylie. She's nothing like... well."

"We'll just call him the chamberpot with legs. I always hated that bastard. The only thing that was good about him was that he put me one more spot away from having to run the house if mom died. And we'd love to have you along."

The devil raised his eyebrows, studying his granddaughter. "....I promised your mother to get you safely home. You will come with me there, and let her see and know you're okay. Once they get to the point the contract is fulfilled, if they wish to come with us to see your mother, that's fine. And if you want to go out with them again after, that's also fine. But we are going to see your mother the moment we are allowed. You've got two new baby sisters to meet, anyway, and once we get there, I'm going to get to know my other grandchildren a bit better."

The girl gave a slow nod. "Yes, sir. That is an acceptable compromise, grandfather."

Derek looked between the two, then to Kylie. "...If we're wandering the kingdom looking for adventures anyway, why don't we just take bounties that lead us off towards her home town anyway? Maybe we get there before the contract is up, maybe not... but I sincerely doubt at the rate we're going it'll take a year to reach the point where it counts. We're already a solid chunk of the way past level four."

"...That would be appreciated. I don't get many chances to visit this world, and when I first arrived it was all 'Your granddaughter is in prison, go save her!' and rushing out the door before I could even get to know anyone."

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

The devil gave a subtle nod, and glanced at the false horses. "Get a few poles; I want eight pieces of wood at least six feet long. I can chain together something easily enough. You can either take turns letting the horses pull you, or let them carry your gear. Either way, it will make the one trying to avoid getting too physically strong have an easier time of things."

He glanced at Kylie. "And there may be other survivors at Rockdale. It'd be best to change up the appearance of the armor a bit. Though... the different size may be enough."

***

Terra wasn't quite certain what she expected from a town called 'Rockdale'. But it was fairly well fulfilled as it came into sight in the distance. A single tall peak, which had both a structure at its very tip that appeared to be a keep of some sort, and others surrounding it all the way up, as if they were in a competition to see how close to it the top they could get; there was a river, but it was at least a mile away from the main structures, and the city walls just barely reached it; stone walls, appearing to be roughly made; oddly shaped rocks stacked atop each other and only loosely mortared together if at all.

If not for the spikes on the top of the wall, it would be trivial to climb.

At first, she wondered why the town was built so off-center; if she were building close to a river, she'd have the whole town up against it, have a dock, riverfront property...

When they reached the gate, the guards gave a nod; wearing simple grey-black steel breastplates, they felt stronger than any of the town guards they'd met so far; both of them were just as strong as Terra herself, which... was odd.

One of the men pointed into the town, towards the spire. "The party who saved the rest of the kids, I assume? Your cart that came through?"

When Kylie gave a nod, he interjected before she could even speak.

"Head on in. There's only one tavern in town, the Laughing Lass, near the base of the spire. Lord Rockson is inside, expecting you. Probably drunk. Usually is, nowadays. The cart's there as well."

Terra stared at the guard for a bit as Kylie shrugged; and they started walking into town. The magic horses, and the poles, had been abandoned long before; and the idea of sitting down and having a drink appealed to all of them.

The town was... oddly quiet. Not many people walking around or moving. Nobody met her gaze, or looked at the party. As they passed a smithy on the way to the spire, he seemed to be hammering with a cold, calm efficiency; a dead, emotionless, face, but he was seemingly a healthy enough half-elf from the slightly pointed ears.

When they reached the tavern... a place that Terra expected to hear singing, the constant chatter of anyone who had stopped to drink... instead there was a long row of men at the bar, each with a mug of something... and they were just sitting. Staring. Not saying a word.

The only figures who were making much noise were a man in a nice silk shirt; green with white trim; and a feathered had, sitting at a booth in the corner, with two more of the black-grey armored guards sitting with him. A bottle of wine sat on the table, and three glasses; but it seemed only the nobleman was actually drinking. He looked up at the group, and gave a wave, gesturing at the empty seats at the table... and after counting the party, ordered one of the two guards to get up... which the man did, taking his glass with him.

Terra took a seat by the guard, a bit uncomfortable at his proximity; and the others followed suit, with the nobleman taking a deep breath, and starting to pour himself more wine. "Thank the goddess. Even if you don't help, you're some fresh folk to talk to. Lord Rockson's the name, you can call me David if you like. Nobody talks in this town anymore but the refugees. Thanks for that, by the way. Are the dead still attacking the town every day?"

Her grandfather spoke up first. "Probably not, Lord Rockson. You know about the curse, then?"

"Ugh. Every town around here has some sort of weirdness going on. I called for help from the Baron weeks ago when Rockdale started going all weird and he told me he'd consider sending help. When I heard about Springdale and Throckton, I sent him messages... and again when I heard about Valdale. Getting any actual help is just about impossible. I'd send my guards out... Rockdale has the strongest guard force in the area... but I'm not sure I want to with the situation."

"...The situation?"

"Haven't you noticed? All the men are acting like zombies! They aren't, of course. Living, breathing. Walking around, acting normal... they've stopped going to services, but they work, they eat, take care of their homes and families... they obey the guards, they don't fight, they don't do much of anything. I think they only come here for the routine; the ale is disgusting, and they don't even talk to each other!"

Kylie looked at the line at the bar, frowning. "...Just the men? All of them?"

"Well, no. Not me or the guards... some of the guards, actually, others act just like the rest. And some of the women as well, but aside from me and a few guards, every man in the whole town is acting like a corpse going through the motions."

"...This is the mystery you're offering gold to solve?"

The lord nodded. "Exactly. Taxes are getting paid, work is getting done... and the children in the school seem to be fine, but I'm worried about what will happen to them when the break comes up and they go back home."

The devil studied the patrons for a moment, frowning. The locals seemed unusually capable for common farmers; they were all roughly at the level of power of his daughter when he'd found her in prison. And the guard had been a bit past that. "Hmm. The school?"

He points behind him, at the wall of the tavern. "That rock we built the town around? Almost like a dungeon. There's a high-magic area centered on it. We built a school, and as many homes as possible, around it. We're just barely outside it here in the tavern; but if the kids spend enough time in the school, they're healthier, stronger, by the time they grow up. So we have a school there, and the kids stay there half the year. I sleep in my keep atop the rock, the guards train there...but we normally let the children spend the warmer months with their families. Is there any chance you could help? I'll reward you for the demon boar, and of course the refugees from Valdale will likely offer you something for the returned children, but... I've been banging my head against this for who knows how long, weeks at least, and come no closer to a solution."

Kylie spoke up first. "We'll need to discuss it among ourselves, but I think we should help. It might be nothing. Some new means of worship, some routine that changed..."

Terra shook her head, slowly. This sounded terrible. Like demonic possession. Or the Fae."...Or the lot of them could be changelings. Its easier for a pretty Fae to lure a man into the woods... and if they did it one or two a day, they could replace the whole town before you realized it. It might be that they want that high-magic area for themselves, and are planning on just seizing it... or just quietly taking over without a fight, one soul at a time."