Ryan’s arms strained under the weight of the stone held between his bent legs. The sweat in his eyes and the relentless midday sun conspired to prevent him from completing his small task. With a grunt, he hefted the rough rock onto the short wall of similar looking stones next to him and settled it into place. He looked down the length of the wall and into the field next to it and couldn’t help but let out a small smile of satisfaction.
Two years. He’d been in this strange yet familiar world for two years. Ryan looked out beyond the wall into the nearby forest and was once again struck by both the familiarity and strangeness of the landscape. Trees were still trees, but not any he recognized from his previous life. They often had weird geometry and colors that made no sense to his eyes. The sky was still blue, if a deeper hue that he eventually grew accustomed to. The animals tipped the strangeness from mildly different to alarmingly new and often dangerous.
The sound of jingling harnesses jolted Ryan out of his reverie. He glanced down the length of the wall again and let his eyes wander along the tilled field to Mags, who stood behind the two sinister looking oxen connected by harness to a plow scarred from many seasons of heavy use. Mags had her feet planted in the dirt, hands on hips, a sardonic look on her face as she stared at him.
“If I had known how much of a layabout you turned out to be, I would have left you where I found you, all curled up in the grass like a newborn fawn!” she yelled.
Ryan couldn’t help but flush a little in embarrassment and then let out a chuckle. He hadn’t been curled up, he’d been running for his life, or so he’d thought, and he worked as hard as anyone else around here, once he got over the shock of his new home.
“I’m coming, you grumpy old nag,” he called back, the last part muttered under his breath. It was no use though, Mags had sharp hearing and she no doubt heard it anyway. He’d pay for it later with some quick and pointed jabs at his ribs during their daily training session.
Ryan left the low stone wall and set off toward Mags, his feet kicking up the welcome scent of the freshly plowed earth left in the wake of the two draft animals. What wasn’t so welcome was the haze of dust kicked up from the turned earth, turning the sweat on his face into a layer of plaster. He took out his kerchief from the back pocket of his drab trousers, swiped it across his face, and kept slogging through the loose soil.
Mags cut an imposing figure. Everything from her long iron-gray hair, to the tops of her trousers tucked into her boots screamed sternness and practicality. She wore a plain tunic with short diagonal-cut sleeves that showed off her compact, wiry muscles and the dark tan that years of exposure to the sun had gifted her.
The farmer’s clothing did nothing to hide the sense of strength and permanence she radiated, like the earth itself. She was just over 60 years old, but had the vitality of someone in her 30s. There was no surprise there though, for she had gained two Keys and had an Earth affinity. It would be a surprise if she didn’t exhibit the qualities of the power she possessed.
Mags had saved him when he first arrived. She gave him a place to stay and helped him learn to speak, read, and write. She didn’t let him mope while he mourned his inability to go home. She was a pillar of support and they had grown close over the last couple years.
Ryan strode past her to stand in front of the two oxen, animals not dissimilar to those found in his previous life, but instead of horns they had razor sharp spines protruding from the tops of their skulls and along their neck like a deadly mane of harpoons. Their whole body was elongated and sleek, giving them a dangerous appearance. Despite their looks, they were incredibly strong, mild tempered and tolerant, if not friendly. To Ryan, they looked alien and menacing.
Mags came up next to Ryan and stopped. A look of concentration fell over her sharp features and she pointed at the ground just in front of him. Ryan’s eyes followed her finger to the ground, his heart speeding up in anticipation.
After a moment, the earth churned and rolled. The soil burst upward, as if a large fist was punching the ground up from below. A mound quickly formed and from its peak a small boulder the size of a keg burst out, spraying a small cloud of dust and soil. The whole affair collapsed to the ground, leaving the boulder lying there, devoid of dirt, next to the churned earth left from its passage. With a little extra breath of effort, Mags filled in the divot with some surrounding dirt, appearing to be sucked into the shallow hole.
Ryan let loose the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. This was it. This was the reason he didn’t succumb to depression and despair after the shock of his arrival wore off. This world had magic. Real magic. It was filled to the brim with things that for his entire life he only thought of as pleasant fairy tales, and fodder for Hollywood movies. More importantly, he was capable of obtaining this magic even though it was well outside his means.
Ryan looked back at Mags, who was staring at him. She had a sparkle in her eye and a half-hidden smirk on her face. She knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Don’t be impatient,” she said. “Keys of the Body aren’t exactly common, but they’re not too hard to find either.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “That’s what you’ve said before, but I either need to find myself enough money to buy one outright, or be out killing beasts that come from ‘weak’ Breaches,” he said. “I’m not strong enough to kill any beasts, so that leaves saving up money. Saving for years. Forget about a Mind or Soul Key. At this rate, I’ll never have enough.”
Mags shook her head slightly and said, “Don’t discount luck. Enough of this though, get that boulder moved over to the wall.”
Ryan looked at the boulder and then gave her an incredulous look. “You think I’m capable of moving that monster?”
Mags snorted out a laugh and waved her hand at the rock stuck in the dirt. With a sharp crack it split into four manageable, if not convenient, pieces.
Ryan passed the rest of the afternoon the same way. He lugged out the occasional rock interfering with the plow that Mags unearthed, wiped away the ever-present dirt caked onto the sweat on his face, and generally doing the tasks that weren’t tilling the field itself. After a while, Ryan left his body to act on its own, allowing his mind to wander through more important topics. The Breaches were front and center in his mind.
Ryan grimaced. A Breach was what dumped him into this world. He had been blissfully asleep in his well-appointed bedroom back in San Francisco when a dark maw of a portal had opened up on top of him and his bed and swallowed him. Upon his arrival, the portal dumped him into a frumpy pile of bedding in the middle of the forest.
He didn’t wish to remember that chaotic trip. Mags had taught him that the Breaches were tears in the dimensions that separated this world from others, and that this one was a nexus containing thousands of Breaches. For whatever reason, the dimensional walls were thin here, which led to beasts and sapients from hundreds of worlds coming through.
Ryan jerked his head and brought his mind back on track. The most important thing right now was that the Breaches were the source of the magical beasts that plagued the lands, and the beasts were the source of the Keys. The Keys were the reward for killing these beasts from the lost god of magic. Ryan wasn’t sure if this god of magic was metaphorical or not. Many people seemed to believe in gods and many said that the gods acted in the world, but Ryan had yet to see any such thing.
Ryan had seen Mags use the powers gained from her Keys many times. She had at least two keys, a Key of the Body and a Key of the Mind, and likely more that he didn’t know about. When one obtained their first key, their affinity was revealed along with it. He was unsure what powers were granted by her Body Key, but it had the effect of increasing her strength and endurance passively, like a permanent augmentation. Her Mind Key gave her the ability to shape the earth. Ryan wasn’t sure of the extent to her powers because she wouldn’t discuss the details. It did, however, give him some insight into how she had become a pillar of the local farming community. That and she had a decent grasp of Rune Script, another dubious gift of the supposed lost god of magic.
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With a start, he glanced around the plot and realized that Mags was leading the oxen in the direction of her homestead. With renewed vigor in his step, he hurried after her. Ryan gazed out over the property. They passed through pastures filled with strange animals with alien features, plots of land ready for planting, and various pieces of equipment scattered about. It was peaceful, even tranquil.
It was deceptive. Ryan had witnessed the tranquility shattered by beast attacks on the animals and even on Mags herself. Hell, even he’d been attacked once by what appeared to his eyes to be a drugged-up badger. He had relied on Mags to intervene and she had saved him from injury. Luckily, nothing that the locals considered a serious threat had attacked in some time. Anyone with even a smidgen of power would consider them a nuisance at best and mildly dangerous inconvenience at worst.
Ryan had heard tales of greater threats. There were sapient magical beasts out there in the world that were so powerful they single handedly controlled entire territories. Some of them were benign, but many of them were scourges and required intervention from one or more Guilds to deal with.
Ryan sighed in long-suffered frustration. There was another far fetched hope, joining a Guild. A Guild would only take on a skilled fighter if they possessed a few Keys of their own. Despite his training with Mags, he was far from skilled. After two years, he wasn’t capable of holding her off with a spear for more than a handful of seconds, if he was lucky. That result was without her powers involved. With her powers, the result was a quick and embarrassing thrashing.
Despite Mags being an insurmountable wall for him in their sparring sessions, Ryan felt like he needed to go out and hunt beasts for Keys if he was ever going to leave the farm for a Guild. Mags had been protective, maybe too much, and hadn’t allowed him to be out away from the property by himself.
“Do you think I’m ready to go out and hunt for Keys yet?” Ryan asked.
“No, I don’t think so. You’re close, but you’re still too jumpy. I doubt you’d be able to hold it together out against the types of beasts we get around here.”
“How do you know? We’ve never had a real fight. It has always been training or sparring and you always attack with kid gloves on,” Ryan said, his frustration arriving at a boiling point. He knew as soon as he said it that he was wrong. He had never been able to so much as make her miss a step in all their sparring. The words were already said, though, and he was too stubborn and frustrated to take them back.
Mags was quiet for a while, then said, “I don’t think having a real fight between us will go the way you think, but let’s do it anyway. If nothing else, you’ll be able to learn something from it.”
Surprised, Ryan almost missed a step. There was no way that he expected her to agree so easily, let alone when said while losing control of his emotions. Suddenly nervous, his thoughts raced ahead. The closer they got to the main residence, the more his nerves grew.
###
Ryan held the spear in his hands in a low grip pointed at Mags who stood across from him, her own spear ready and standing in relaxed stance. To calm his nervousness, he had reminded himself that he and Mags had crossed spears many times, and the only thing that made this time different was the intensity and the stakes. She would be judging him, judging his readiness to go out and hunt beasts for a chance to find Keys which he needed to go out into the world.
Feeling as ready as he could be and unwilling to drag the fight out, Ryan charged forward, feinting right, and swept the bladed tip from the bottom left. Mags, not fooled by his attempted misdirect, neatly defended, placing the haft of her weapon in place to deflect his spear up away from her body. Stumbling past and trying to maintain his balance, he kept his eye out for her counterattack and saw it coming just in time.
He blocked her overhand swing directly, both hands on the staff. The impact sent shockwaves through the shaft of his weapon and into his hands and arms, making his grip precarious. Bolts of pain shot through his arms and he hurriedly jumped back to get out of her range. He stepped forward warily, trying a few exploratory jabs, but finding her defense as solid as a rock.
Frustrated, Ryan circled around her, looking for a hole in her defense, an opportunity to make a move. Mags didn’t appear to be threatened in the least and maintained her balanced ready position. Ryan didn’t let that fool him. He knew that she could end the fight with a decisive attack from any position with the disparity in their skill and strength.
His frustration boiled over and he charged again. This time he used his spear as a diversion, intending to rush in to get close and use his body weight to push her around. He approached, but instead of sidestepping or backpeddling, Mags planted her spear in the dirt and lifted her free arm straight out in front of her.
The ground around her feet warped and a wave of dirt raced out. Ryan tried to stop his charge, but lost his footing on the undulating earth and slammed into Mags’ outstretched hand. The skin of her arm took on the appearance of craggy rock and earth as she gripped his shirt. Swiveling around like she was casually pointing into the distance, she shifted his momentum and tossed him to the ground. Ryan hit the dirt slid a few more feet, driving bits of sand and soil into his face and hair.
Ryan laid in the dirt panting, unmoving. The frustration he was feeling faded away and resignation took its place. The difference in their combat capability, Key abilities notwithstanding, was apparent. Progress had slowed enough that Ryan believed that he was reaching his cap and he wouldn’t ever be capable enough to join a Guild, even if he managed to get enough Keys.
She had never used her abilities on him before, and the difference was astonishing. He was caught completely off guard by two simple moves that combined simple powers to dump him decisively on his head.
“You’re too impatient,” Mags said, her usual impassive expression broken by a slight frown. “I’ve been at this for longer than you’ve been alive. I can see your frustration, but you can’t expect to be an expert after only a couple of years. Besides, fighting me is one thing, fighting beasts is completely different. They often have their own magic and abilities that you’ll have to deal with.”
“I hear you, I really do. It’s just all boiling up inside, you know?” Ryan said from the ground, position unchanged. “I want to join one of the Guilds some day, but they won’t take me like I am now. I need to work harder.” He sat up, brushed the dirt off his head, and got to his feet. He went about cleaning up the yard on the side of the residence they used as a training area.
Mags watched him clean for a minute and then said, “In this case, slow and steady is best. A strong foundation in the fundamentals will serve you better than all that fancy jumping around.” She turned and left him to his cleanup.
Ryan considered her words and knew she was right, but that didn’t stop him from feeling all his frustrations, not just about fighting, but about everything. He was stuck here because he didn’t have the skills in this new place to be self sufficient. Continuing his cleanup, Ryan mulled over the fundamentals. Eventually, he went and cleaned himself up, winding down for the evening.
###
Later that evening, Ryan leaned on the entrance posts of the earthen wall surrounding Mags’ compound, soaking in the pleasant evening air. He had calmed down, and tried to enjoy the small things. Ryan gazed at the stars piercing through the twilight and a slight breeze carried the scent of rich earth. The air had cooled down to a comfortable level, allowing him to enjoy the evening without having to deal with sweat and bugs.
The faint peel of a bell shattered the peaceful ambiance of the homestead. Ryan stiffened. He whipped his head around to home in on the sound coming and going on the breeze. The bell was coming in a pattern of one, then two rings, then repeating. He turned and sprinted back toward the main house where Mags appeared in the doorway.
“They’re sounding the bell!”, he yelled. “To the northeast of town going by the pattern.”
Mags stepped into the front doorway, looking at the sky in the town’s direction. She gave Ryan a considering look, then disappeared inside. She soon reappeared, two spears in hand, and tossed one to Ryan as he approached.
Ryan tried to catch the spear, surprise making him clumsy. Gaining control of the wood-shafted weapon, he looked up at Mags, hope and excitement appearing on his face.
“You can come but stay out of the way of those with Keys. Don’t get yourself surrounded by whatever it is and if you have any doubt, retreat behind the town walls. It can’t be too bad if they didn’t send up a flare.”
Ryan could have leaped out of his skin in eagerness. This was it. This was how he got his first Key. This was the first time Mags allowed him to take part in a beast attack in the two years he’d been here.
In his excitement he didn’t notice Mags move until she had blown past him out the entrance down the road. Stunned, it took Ryan a second to gather himself, tightened his grip on the spear, and took off after her. It would be impossible to keep up with her. He couldn’t tell if she had used an ability, but whatever extra strength and endurance came with her Key was getting put to good use.
Ryan slowed himself to a pace he could maintain the entire way. He needed to save his energy for when he faced whatever beasts were attacking. However, the prospect of the run didn’t do a single thing to dampen his excitement. He grinned and hunkered down for the long run ahead into the evening twilight.