"You’re in my seat," Ricket said angrily in response to the stare. He actually did not feel angry, nor did he want the man’s seat. His body and mouth were just following Zane’s orders: "Go rile him up then take him outside." The first step was completed.
The man didn't take kindly to Ricket's tone and retorted, "What did you say?"
"You heard me," Ricket seethed. "I can’t believe I’d have to go so far for a whelp like you to follow orders. I hate having to repeat myself too." What Ricket truly couldn’t believe were his own words. These lines he was saying were typically reserved for people weaker than him to intimidate them out of their valuables, and this man was far from being weaker than him.
The burly man rose to his feet and grabbed his claymore. “I’m going to kill you,” the man declared.
“I hate when people put on airs,” Ricket complained. Nervous sweat began to stream down his face.
The man unsheathed his tall and thick blade, an angry vein protruding out of his forehead.
Master, Ricket called out inwardly, Are you going to do anything?
Ricket looked sideways to find that his master had already departed from where they were sitting. If he wasn’t bound by his slave imprint to continue his act, Ricket would’ve been crying.
"Hey," a man from behind the bar shouted, "Take that kind of business outside unless you want to pay for damages."
The large man with the claymore eyed the man who spoke and recognized him as the innkeeper. He still wanted to come to this inn for alcohol, so he conceded and was about to tell Ricket to follow him outside when he saw that Ricket had already started walking towards the door.
“Hurry on up, boy,” Ricket grinned at him while waving him over to follow. Ricket inwardly begged his body to stop but it carried on regardless.
Another vein popped out of the large man’s forehead.
The two men then walked for a bit until they were on a patch of dirt road away from the nearby buildings. The larger one did not hesitate and charged, holding his claymore high above his head, ready to strike down with all his might.
Ricket felt like a toad staring at a viper and began to flee without hesitation. There wasn’t any order for him to actually fight, so he had the freedom to try and escape.
“Oh, no you don’t” the large man barked as he began to chase Ricket.
Beginner earth spell: “Unpaved Earth”.
From below the large man’s feet, a chunk of earth shot up and tripped him, causing the man to fall down in a loud, metallic heap.
Novice wood spell: “Restricting Roots”.
Grunts left through the large man’s grinding teeth in his attempts to rise, but plant roots grew rapidly from the soil had suddenly taken hold of him, restricting his movement.
“What is this?” the man grunted in confusion.
Witnessing plant life move as if it had a will of its own prompted Ricket to search the area and to his relief, he found his master not too far off near an oak tree. He then sauntered up to the struggling body of the scarred man and began to taunt him.
"You're not so tough in front of magic, are you?" Ricket mocked and kicked dirt into the man’s face.
The large, scarred man growled as more veins squirmed to life on his forehead.
Zane started walking towards the two with an unimpressed expression. He knew that getting two slaves wasn’t much, but it was necessary to gain allies, even if he had to enslave them. He chose bandits, seeing enslavement as a worthy demise for these kinds of murderers and thieves.
The sounds of roots snapping stilled Ricket and made Zane reevaluate the man he’d thought he’d captured.
In the next moment, plant roots were tossed up as the scarred man broke free of his bindings, his claymore already swinging toward a wide-eyed Ricket. An arm flew through the air as blood shot out of one side of Ricket’s torso. The mid-aged bandit blanched at seeing his arm become detached and was unable to resist against the shock of losing a limb.
The claymore was still in motion, already on its way in a return swing. The scarred man was aiming to cleave Ricket in two when a ball of light appeared between him and his target.
Beginner light spell: “Blinding Light”.
The ball of light exploded in a dazzling display, blinding both Ricket and the large man.
Beginner earth spell: “Unpaved Earth”.
A piece of earth turned upward, tripping Ricket in the process and causing him to fall down. The claymore sliced through the air above him, cutting his unkempt hair in a diagonal direction all the way down to the scalp, where it oozed blood.
“Ricket,” Zane called over to him, “crawl backwards three paces and one pace to the left, then keep moving in that direction.”
Still blinded by the flash of light, Ricket obeyed due to his slave imprint and carried out the instructions accurately, resulting in him avoiding blind sword swings.
“Ricket,” Zane called out once again, “Tear off some clothing and try to stop the bleeding.”
Despite the shock of losing his arm, Ricket's body moved as if it had a will of its own. It swiftly tended to the wound under the direction of an unseen force, while Ricket himself remained numb and unresponsive.
Meanwhile, Zane watched the large man continually swing his weapon aimlessly, and he decided he could not approach without losing a limb like Ricket had.
Sighing, regretting the further consumption of mana, Zane used a more costly spell. Mana surged around him as he conjured more magic.
Novice lightning spell: “Sparking Bolt”.
Zane held up a finger as the mana that had begun surging around his body concentrated at the tip of his finger. It coalesced there for only a few moments before it was unleashed in the form of a thin lightning bolt, shooting towards the man haphazardly swinging his weapon.
The scarred man stilled briefly as he felt the bolt hit, then fell down paralyzed while twitching like a dying rat.
Zane wobbled as he walked up to his stationary foe. He had used too much mana in his spells, and it was beginning to make his head ache and his mind tired.
He placed a hand on the man’s head as he pushed a bit of mana into him.
Beginner psychic spell: “Sleep”.
The large man became motionless as he fell asleep.
Zane shook his head to clear it, but his thoughts remained muddled. He cursed inwardly at his weakness, and it was not frustration toward the power he lost as an Archmage. No, instead, his inability to endure a weakened state was what truly aggravated him.
When he was an Archmage, as well as a Master Mage, he never ran out of mana, and now he had forgotten what it was like to struggle as a mage. In the past, he had treasures and artifacts to always supply him with mana. Now, he had to deal with the lack of mana the hard way.
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Stumbling toward Ricket’s dismembered arm, he picked it up and made his way to Ricket.
Ricket was pale and no longer had the strength to hold the cloth to the stump where his arm used to be.
The middle-aged bandit would meet his end soon.
“Lie still,” Zane commanded the older man in a weakened voice. Ricket lied onto the ground flat.
Zane placed the lost arm against Ricket’s stump with one hand and placed his other hand firmly against the dividing line between the bandit’s torso and dismembered arm.
Beginner holy spell: “Prayer Hand”.
Light shined onto the wound and began to reconnect flesh between the arm and Ricket’s body. It took longer than usual since Zane was running out of mana. With the arm finally attached, Zane immediately sat down and began to absorb mana from his surroundings.
Novice mage stance: “Meditation”.
After half an hour, Zane returned to normal, though weary from processing mana. Since processing mana was a physical one, his body had become tired, as if he had just finished trekking up the side of a steep mountain.
With a yawn, he got up and went back to the large man still sleeping. Zane noticed right away that his sleep spell was beginning to fade, so he decided on a more demanding but swifter manner to enslave him.
He put his hand onto the ground and pumped mana into it.
Beginner earth spell: “Sculpting Earth”.
From below the sleeping man’s body, Zane guided a magic circle into creation, carving a half-inch into the ground to become the lines for the circle. The intricate designs were hard to follow. Even an experienced mage would find it hard to derive meaning from the lines.
Magic circle: “Spell Enhancement”.
The magic circle of Spell Enhancement was a circle that enhanced a mage’s spell that was used within its confines, almost doubling its potency.
The circle lit up in a vibrant display of light as Zane placed a hand onto the sleeping giant’s head. Mana released from Zane’s outstretched hand into the man’s mind.
Novice psychic spell: “Slave Imprint”.
The large man suddenly woke from the invasive energy inside his head, but it was too late. He was already shaking uncontrollably, thwarting any actions he could take in response. Unlike Ricket’s enslavement, blood did not ooze out of any orifice of the large man. With his talent and experience as a mage, it wasn’t difficult for Zane to correct his errors from his last use of the enslavement spell, so the magic was smoothly cast in the end.
Within only a matter of seconds, due to the magic circle, the scarred man’s mind was Zane’s to control.
Getting up with a stretch, Zane moved over to Ricket who was still pale and on the verge of dying before the day was out.
The large man had recovered from being invaded by Zane’s magic and felt his vigor return to him. He got up off the ground to move to his claymore and picked up the massive weapon. He then walked over to Zane, who was kneeling next to Ricket, and hovered over him like an executioner. The claymore was then swung down on the crouching young man’s neck, but the thick blade did not connect with flesh and instead stopped right before the edge of the weapon could touch any amount of skin.
Zane, unperturbed by what was happening behind him, examined Ricket for a moment to diagnose the state of the man’s health.
Blood loss, Zane identified and nodded his head.
"Hey," Zane said over his shoulder to the larger man, who was still unsuccessfully swinging a claymore at his face, "Pick this guy up and move him over to that circle." Zane pointed toward his engraved magic circle.
The large man smirked as if he thought Zane’s orders were funny but became wide-eyed as he felt himself move to what was commanded.
“What is happening…?” the large man wondered aloud.
Once Ricket was placed in the circle, Zane moved over to put his hands onto the dying man’s body. Mana pumped out of Zane and into Ricket’s body.
Novice blood spell: “Blood Increase”.
The magic circle shone with brilliant light once again as Zane casted his spell.
The blood within Ricket’s body started to flow rapidly as more blood was created. Soon, the color of Ricket’s face returned to normal, and he was finally brought back from death’s door.
“Whew,” Zane let out a heft of breath, “Now that’s out of the way, I need to go rest.” He turned to the large man and commanded, “Give me all your money.”
“No,” the large man replied as he untied a coin pouch from his waist and presented it to Zane.
Zane unceremoniously snatched the pouch and placed it inside his pocket. He got up from his magic circle and began to walk back to the inn while speaking without looking, "Take care of that guy, and then you both standby for when I return."
“Who do you think you’re talking to…?” the large man grunted, irritated. Regardless of his own will, he still stood by the unconscious Ricket and made sure no one was to disturb the middle-aged man’s rest.
“What is happening…?” he wondered aloud again.
Zane purchased a room for the day from the innkeeper and turned in for the night.
Waking up the next day, Zane walked unhurriedly back to the bottom floor. He saw that both Ricket and the large man in iron armor had already been awaiting his return.
He did not bother greeting either as he took a seat at the bar.
“Food and drink,” Zane called out to the innkeeper who was sweeping up the floor, getting ready for a new day.
“Right away, sir,” the innkeeper replied and walked into the kitchen behind the bar.
“Ricket told me what you did to me…” the large man said gruffly, walking up to Zane but was interrupted.
“Silence,” was all Zane said and the large man quieted immediately.
Ricket did not bother saying anything after watching the interaction.
After some time passed, food was brought to Zane, and he ate leisurely as the large, scarred man who was waiting for an explanation grew more agitated.
Finally finishing his food, Zane left the bar and waved for the two standing near him to follow. Zane sat at a table at the back of the inn and gestured for them both to sit.
“Alright,” Zane said with a yawn, “Speak.”
The large man started to shout, “What did you do to me?!”
“Punch one of your eyes until you can no longer see in it,” Zane commanded.
"Why would I…?" The large man tried to say something but stopped as he felt his own fist hit one of his eyes. "Ugh...!" he grunted as he tried to fight off his arm from moving but couldn’t. More hits to his eye caused him to start grunting louder while he strained to combat his own body.
“Be quiet while you do it,” Zane complained, “It’s too early in the morning for you to make such a racket.”
The large man quieted once again except for the thuds his fist made in connecting with his eye socket.
Zane looked to Ricket and commanded, “Go to the market and buy me as many as ten metal rings.”
He tossed his pouch of coins to Ricket.
Ricket caught the pouch and headed to the market. He didn’t think of questioning the reason for the order after seeing the large man’s punishment.
The large man finally stopped punching himself after his eye had been closed in a bloody and swollen mess.
“Alright,” Zane said to him, “Speak.”
“What did you do to me?” the large man seethed.
“I don’t like your tone,” Zane replied.
“Tell me…” the large man started to raise his voice.
“Silence and hit your other eye until it closes.”
After some time, Ricket returned to the inn with metal rings jingling in a bag to find the large man had become so disfigured that he didn’t seem like the man Ricket had left at the table half an hour ago.
“Oh, Ricket,” Zane acknowledged, seeing him return, “It seems your visit to the market was successful.”
“Yes, my lord,” Ricket said in a bow and presented the rings along with coins left over.
Taking the items, Zane then held his hand over the wooden table and conjured a spell.
Beginner wood spell: “Wood Carving”.
Zane guided the wood of the surface of their table to be carved into a magic circle.
Magic Circle: “Enchantment Augmentation”.
Enchantment Augmentation was simply a magic circle used to enhance enchantments.
Zane placed a ring onto the circle of magic and garnered a chunk of mana for a spell.
Novice modification spell: “Inscribing Enchantment”.
Zane did not like enchanting items without the proper tools, but he was without those. He also wasn’t that much of an enchanter to begin with. Mages were divided up into categories for battle, support, or enchanting. Zane was a mage of war. But that didn’t mean he didn’t dabble in other fields. He just wasn’t as good at them as he was at fighting.
In his circle, lines of magic started to be engraved on the ring, weaving in and out of each other until they created a lovely design of magical enchantments. Anyone ignorant of what was on it would’ve thought it was a wedding band or other decorative accessory.
The ring glowed for a moment on completion until it dulled back into its basic metallic state, reflecting a distorted image of the man with unremarkable looks above it.
Zane placed the ring on his index finger and nodded in satisfaction.
Novice enchantment: “Ring of Mana Absorption”.
He had thought he'd fail since he wasn't used to enchantment anymore, but the outcome turned out rather well. Shutting the world off, his dark eyes closed as he began to meditate and found the ring working properly. He could sense his ability to absorb the wild mana around him at a faster rate.
The enchantment also helped with the consumption of mana from casting spells.
"What’s this buffoon’s name?" Zane asked Ricket, gesturing to the angry, broken face of the scarred man sitting across from him as he placed another ring on the magic circle.
"Huh?" Ricket blurted. He was in the midst of being amazed by the magic he was witnessing. "Oh, this one," he said, recovering, "His name is Lahrg Quin, a bandit that is a part of the Roving Forest Bandits that raid mostly in the area just north of here. He was just about to go back up to them after he got a chance to rape a local woman who had denied his advances. He also wanted to try some of the new wine that this inn just got in stock."
Zane narrowed his eyes at the burly man called Lahrg, bothered by the man’s backstory.
Staring up at the silent, swollen face, he commanded, "Take Ricket’s dagger out and stab yourself through the throat."
Fear filled the large man’s dark eyes, but he complied regardless of his disobedient thoughts to not follow through. His wide hand reached across Ricket’s waist and pulled out the dagger from a belt made from hemp rope. He then pushed the dagger into his throat and gurgled from the blood that came up and out of his mouth.
"What filth," Zane commented while shaking his head. "To think I’d have to rely on such swine. Tsk, tsk." He placed another ring on another finger and then placed one more ring onto his magic circle.