Eight sticks of dynamite, it wasn’t a lot, but he didn’t consider it a little either. The damage of each was monstrous, and he doubted that even a group of three warriors could throw them all fast enough before the golem began its charge.

After the first few went off, they’d be lucky if any further sticks of dynamite exploded close enough to harm it.

In which case, he needed to focus on defence at that point, and hope that the warriors sent could stop the golem from there. But now that he had the best preparation available, he collected the sources of darkness and went to sleep for the day. As he was unsure how long the journey tomorrow might take, he wanted to leave a full day, especially if the villagers wanted to investigate the tower with him as well. Killing a single golem shouldn’t be a long process, in theory. So, he calmly cooked some more meat in the cooled oven and ate it before the sun completely fell over the horizon.

After a fair bit of sleep, he found the journey wasn’t particularly hard, and nothing interrupted him on the first leg besides some nitro-slimes being their usual nuisances.

Follow the stream, down past the small waterfall, turn left at the gravel tree, and finally dash for his damn life to the village in hopes that nothing found him.

Unfortunately, at the trip’s finale, just as he left the forest ridge, he saw something move over a nearby hill and on instinct ran away. For that brief moment, he confirmed the thing’s existence. But all he saw were eight thin legs, like a spider’s, and attached was what appeared to be a bulbous sack. A pure black one, and as it lacked any peripherals he couldn’t possibly describe it better.

At this distance he didn’t even see if it was furred or not.

Either way, he retreated to the forest, and then hid by the gravel tree for a while before making sure the coast was clear. Then, when sure of it this time round, he completed the somewhat stealthy sprint over.

At the gates he shouted for entry, and received it. This time he made it clear that he came to see their expert in magic, Diavolo, as to not get anyone’s hopes up.

He did tend to just appear every and then without any forewarning.

No one raised a fuss as he stepped inside and walked to the hall’s end whilst greeting the few people he recognised. A few of the smiths, Shalner and her apprentice producing and handing out medicines, some of the wood carvers from which he asked for advice about totem carving, and even a few of the doctors he spoke to about treatment.

Rather obviously, many individuals noticed how both his arms now lacked the strange tattoos, but they didn’t ask.

Once by the chief, he didn’t stand on ceremony and told him after a short greeting, “I’m sorry to say I don’t have any fragments this time. I purely came to seek knowledge from Diavolo.” Not that the chieftain nearing old age particularly cared, the important traveller had every right to do this as a person cherished by the village’s only user of magic.

If Diavolo’s skills were lost it represented a far greater problem than an outsider learning them. And so, he went back to gently tapping his finger on the rocking chair, and Joey headed sideways to greet the man who was supposedly his master.

“The new rune?” Before he’d even approached, Diavolo already questioned him. A fair one, albeit kind of rude as they could have at least exchanged pleasantries first.

He took out the rune of the boar to show off, which prompted the elderly miser to lift up the thick binder and pull out another set of three notes. These three spoke of the Ritual of the frog, one of the runes he actually wanted for quite a while now. But it was clear that Joey wanted to ask more, and even after storing the notes, Diavolo held onto the notebook.

“I wanted to know more about the ritual of the ox, specifically how it’s meant to be completed.” He stopped to breathe for a moment, but stopped as he saw the old man’s eyes open and glared towards him. With a sigh as well, he completely interrupted Joey’s follow-up.

“You failed the ritual?” He asked dryly.

To which he nodded awkwardly, not understanding what exactly he’d done wrong.

He didn’t get that chance though as the normally slow Diavolo exploded with an unexpected speed no less than the elite warriors. In a single motion, his right arm had received a tight grip, and he found it impossible to escape, no different from the outrageous strength of the zombie. In Diavolo’s other hand, a strange marking appeared as though engraved into his skin with a blade. The symbol was a set of concentric rings… And they glowed yellow.

“What are you doi– AHHHH!” A fire spread up his arm, starting from his fingers and moving all the way up to the spot Diavolo had grabbed his forearm, whereupon the fire simply remained.

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This wasn’t an illusion though, as he felt the flames eat away at his flesh, the heat almost made him cry, and he waved his left arm to escape the suddenly cruel old man. However, just as it swung forwards, a new pattern emerged on the back of the wrinkled hand and froze Joey’s body in place.

No longer could he scream as well, and whilst many looked over, his current silence only confused them.

Finally, after what felt like half a minute, Diavolo removed the two strange powers and left Joey to collapse in a combination of pain and shock.

“That’s what you sacrificed; the easy way. A short few seconds,” an angered voice swept over him, it didn’t take Joey long to figure out what this pain represented. This hell was the few seconds of pain he would have endured if he completed the ritual… So what about failing troubled the old man so much? Still holding his arm which ached with every touch, no damage occurred but it truly felt as though it’d burnt through entirely. “Foolish! I will be with him for 8 hours, ignore his screams.” At first it seemed as though Joey had been addressed, but from the chieftain’s nods, it was clear what was meant…

His arm pounded with memories of the hell he briefly took part in, and he almost begged. “Why? Surely there’s a way around it?”

However, Diavolo merely ignited the circular pattern on his palm and created the same flames on both his arms, but not for a moment did he flinch or scream. “It is a test we are required to complete.” He reached out for a moment and confirmed that the fires were real, except they simply did not cause damage to physical objects.

So this meant… He struggled to last merely a few seconds just now, and yet, the elderly figure which he imagined to shatter at a slight hit stood with flames wreathed about his arms in silence. It was like he watched a statue lit on fire.

But there was the other thing he didn’t understand. If that was the easy way, which he lost, then what did he have to complete instead?

For a moment he considered leaving… Running to escape the imminent torture that would leave him broken. But he saw two reasons that was impossible.

One was that he obviously required this rune to continue his path of nature magic, its acquirement was unavoidable. But more importantly, why would Diavolo allow him to get away? Clearly the old man possessed a way to freeze his body in place, and with all the guards in this village who utterly exceeded him physically…

He gave in, distracting himself through focus on other matters.

“Wait, before that, I wanted to ask about another matter!” Diavolo squashed the flames and already began to walk towards the exit. Every step exuded power and failed to match the appearance he held, but Joey’s frantic statement made him stop in place and turn with a blank face. “I was in the yellow-bark forest roughly east of here. And in the middle of it I found a tower in a clearing, however, it only appeared once I got closer. And also it–” He was about to go on to mention the effect it had on his necklace, but Diavolo ignored him to talk to the Reader for some reason.

“Bring the notes on arcane magic to us when you have time,” his voice suddenly swapped to a respectful tone, an expectation as he clearly saw the Reader as an equal. But Joey’s mind clearly grew excited at the words ‘arcane magic’.

How did it differ from all this totemic and sun related stuff?

“You know it shouldn’t be possible,” she apathetically replied to Diavolo. But could only shake her head as he completely ignored her in favour of Joey, who grew even more confused by the revelation.

What about him finding the tower was impossible?

“Follow, and I’ll answer.” The two paced down the hall at a fairly standard speed for someone with Joey’s physique, but it still amazed him that the robed man in simple slippers was on par with him, not to mention none of his joints seemed to have trouble moving.

“What was the tower? And what is arcane magic?”

“Arcane magic… Is hard to describe. It was created so long ago by those who wished to utilise magic but did not hold talent in manipulating nature. So, they came to discover a way around nature, to directly utilise powers above it for their own means.”

“So it’s more powerful than nature magic?”

“It is… Unnatural. That is the only way I can say it. To supersede the tests and requirements of nature, and draw on other powers. We cannot help you learn of arcane magics.” He didn’t truly understand what made it so strange. And clearly Diavolo knew very little of such magics as well, perhaps the Reader’s notes would clear things up a bit.

He returned to the initial question. “What was the tower then? The abode of someone who used arcane magic?”

This explanation hadn’t been too far off what he originally imagined though, as the fearful circlet and necklace already created this sort of expectation within him.

“Yes… But for you it means so much more. They were desperate for any talented in their ways as well, and any capable of wandering into their abodes held enough talent. Take off your necklace before entering, the tower will treat you as its enemy in its presence.” As he learnt more and more, the two already left the village and stepped out towards the crop fields before settling down in an empty field which had been tilled but not yet sown.

From what he understood, he could go into the tower without any fear as long as nothing related to nature magic was on him. For safety’s sake, he would leave the cube behind in case that too agitated the tower.

He knew for a fact just how insanely valuable any knowledge within that place would be, if any remained intact. From what Diavolo said as well, most towers contained a full tablet back when the arcane practitioners were at full strength!

However, the Forger and years of decay resulted in many dying out.

Their towers remained as lost monuments which none in the villages ever walked upon…

And even now, many of the other villages had disappeared. With every passing year, they feared they were the only ones left in the surrounding area. Diavolo briefly mentioned a greater world beyond the endless sand barrier in the far west… But it was impossible to traverse without great power and months of protection with large tablet chunks.

“I take no pleasure in the pain you will suffer today. Know that. But you only have two chances for the Ox, I cannot allow your path to stop here.”

He didn’t even get a chance to ask another question as both of Diavolo’s palms lit up with those concentric rings…

And his whole body lit on fire at once.