Brian gasped as his eyes snapped open, the warmth of the forge strangely pleasant against his body. He sat up from the floor where he’d been lying, looking at the dying coals in confusion for a moment before he jumped to his feet.
“Woah there, whelp,” the familiar gruff voice said, “You just sacrificed two whole levels to make this blade, so you shouldn’t be forcing yourself to move about just yet.”
“Two whole levels?” Brian blinked as he opened his Status Screen, staring at it in amazement.
Name: Brian Andrews
Level: 5 (7)
Class: Dark Mage
Job: Scribe
Skill Points: 40
Titles: [Holder of Forbidden Knowledge]
“Wait…does that mean that I’ve lost the Abilities I levelled up before?” he muttered.
“No, it means you have an Experience Point deficit,” Gert hummed as she spat into the coals, the blob of mucus sizzling in the heat, “Takes twice as many Experience Point as usual to pay off an Experience Point deficit, so forging this kind of sword is usually best done early. Also gives it the maximum amount of time to grow with the owner.”
“I see,” Brian nodded, suddenly realising just how much his entire body hurt, his head feeling like it was full of molten lead and his bones like they’d been exploded, “What now?”
“Well, if you can walk, you can take your blade and bugger off,” Gert huffed, holding out a slender cloth wrapped bundle, “Pretty vicious looking thing, I must say. What Class are you anyway?”
“Dark Mage,” Brian answered automatically as he accepted the sword, pulling the cloth cover off hurriedly, staring at it in awe.
The sheath was made of black leather inlaid with silver, runes to keep the blade clean and sharp inside it woven intricately into the pattern. The blade itself looked like a rapier, with a long thin straight blade which shimmered the bluish grey of Mithril when he drew it, the basket looking like a skeletal claw clasped over his hand, protecting it. Shivering, Brian quickly sheathed the blade again, blinking as he realised he’d done it almost perfectly, despite never having held a real sword before.
“That’s because it’s a part of you,” Gert chuckled when he asked, “You gave a hell of a lot of yourself, and something most folks wouldn’t dare to give, to make that thing. So, it’s a true part of who you are. Means you can use it passably right now, but if you practice with it, well, it’ll turn you into a true nightmare for your enemies.”
“Thank you,” Brian nodded as he walked slowly out of the shop, pausing only long enough to attach his new sword to the belt of his robe, before wandering off, Gert watching silently as he went.
“Merciful hells,” the old dwarf sighed as she sat back down on the small stool in the corner, “Two levels? That child is insane. Oh well, it’s his problem now, so he’ll just have to learn to control that thing himself.”
Gert hummed as she leaned back against the wall, a smile hidden under her thick beard.
“Best damn sword I’ve ever made, though.”
------
“You’re late,” the stern bearded man said as Brian approached the carriage, “We should have left more than twenty minutes ago.”
“Sorry, I was…getting something from a shop,” Brian muttered, staggering past the man to get into the carriage and hopefully get some sleep.
“Hmmph,” the man snorted, “Youth these days, not even giving the courtesy of introducing themselves anymore.”
Brian paused, already halfway into the carriage as he looked back at the man with a tired scowl.
“Guards these days,” he huffed back, “Not even having the competence of knowing who they’re protecting anymore.”
“What?” the man snarled, stomping up to Brian as he finished getting into the carriage, the other guards all standing stock still as they stared at their charge and captain in shock, “Come out here and say that again, boy!”
“No,” Brian sighed, poking his head out the window of the carriage, “You were hired to do a job, which doesn’t include ordering me around last I checked. Now, you wanted to get going? So, let’s get going already.”
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“Insolent…” the man growled, before spinning on his heel and glaring at his men, “You heard the Mage. Get on your horses. NOW!”
------
Brian groaned as he woke up, the midday sun coming in through the flapping curtains of the carriage. Slowly, he sat up on the padded seat he’d been sleeping on, his body still sore from the night before, though his headache seemed to have mostly cleared up, now just a dull throb in the back of his head. Yawning, he peeked out the window, spotting two of the guards that were riding alongside his carriage, which was currently travelling along a dirt road at speed.
Nodding to himself, Brian pulled out some nuts and fruit he had been given by Tyrenius the day before, as well as a wine skin of mead. He ate and drank until his stomach was full and his throat didn’t feel like a desert anymore, the alcohol helping to take the last edge off his headache. Fed and pleasantly tipsy, Brian pulled out a book from his bracer, settling down to read until they reached their destination.
------
“Bed,” the bearded captain said as he stood beside Brian in the roadside inn’s common room, “Now.”
“I think we got off on the wrong foot this morning,” Brian sighed as he looked up at the man from his seat, “I apologize for my rudeness, but still, that is no excuse to treat me like a child.”
“You may think yourself an adult, Mage,” the man said flatly, “But you are my charge, and my responsibility. So, I say you must go to bed. Now.”
“We aren’t going to get along at all, are we?” Brian sighed as he stood, matching the man’s height almost perfectly, actually being a little taller, “Unless you want to spend the rest of the night frozen in place outside, I suggest you start speaking to me a little more kindly.”
“Hmmph,” the captain huffed, a slight sneer crossing his face, “As if you could do anything to me, Mage.”
“You keep saying that like it’s an insult,” Brian growled back, “What? You have a Mageslayer Class or something?”
The look of surprise on the man’s face told Brian all he needed to know, his own sneer appearing on his face.
“So, you do? That means you probably have Abilities that let you resist magic effects, right?” Brian continued to grin, “Perfect.”
“What do you mean by tha-?” the question was cut off as the captain froze in place, Brian just smiling as he flicked the man on the forehead, making his helmet ring slightly as the captain fell over like a cut down tree, crashing to the ground loudly.
“Take him outside,” Brian said as he turned to the rest of the guards, all of whom were staring at him in shock and even a little fear, “Throw him in the horses’ drinking trough or something. Maybe that will cool his temper.”
“W-with all due respect, Sir Mage,” one of the younger looking guards said after the other didn’t move a muscle, “We, uhm…we can’t exactly do that. We could get court marshalled for assaulting a superior officer.”
“Oh,” Brian blinked, “Right. Sorry, forgot about that. Well then, just leave him here in that case. Anyway, I’m going to bed, see you all in the morning.”
The guards continued to stare as Brian headed upstairs, letting out a loud yawn as he did so.
------
“Good morning, Sir Mage,” the captain of his guards said as Brian headed downstairs, smiling at the man as he walked past.
“Better, but you’re still saying it like an insult,” Brian replied as he sat at a table, “Have a pleasant night?”
Brian could already guess the answer, considering the seething rage and eyebags he could see in and under the captain’s eyes. Continuing to smile, Brian thanked the serving girl that brought him his breakfast, pressing a copper coin into her hand as she placed down his drink. She smiled back at him, walking off as he set about eating.
“So, another day of travel,” he said as the captain watched him closely, “Where are we stopping tonight?”
“We’ll have to camp on the side of the road,” the man glowered at Brian as he spoke, “With our current pace, we will be several hours from the nearest town, village or roadhouse come nightfall.”
“Okay,” Brian nodded, “I trust you all have tents?”
“Of course,” the captain huffed, lifting his hand to show a finely polished storage ring, Brian able to feel the magic in it, “What good soldier doesn’t have a tent with them?”
“Fair enough,” Brian shrugged as he finished his meal, “Was just asking. Anyway, everyone ready to leave?”
“We’ve been ready for an hour,” the captain snorted, “Unlike someone.”
“Dawn was an hour ago, right?” Brian asked the younger soldier that had spoken up the night before, the young man nodding frantically, “I see. Next time let me know if you want to leave earlier. Though I guess that would be a little hard with you being paralyzed for the night.”
“You…” the captain snarled, his hand twitching towards his sword.
“Your job is to protect me, right?” Brian asked flatly, “What will they say about you if they find out you attacked me instead?”
“Very well,” the captain growled, untensing his arm as he let it drop back to his side, “Men, we leave in five minutes. Get a move on!”
The guards all scrambled to get out of the room, Brian following after then as he looked up at the morning sky, taking a deep breath of the cool, fresh air.
“Uhm…Sir Mage?” Brian looked up as he started to get into the carriage, the younger guard from before looking nervously at him, “Please try not to antagonize the captain anymore. He…he doesn’t really deserve it.”
“His family were killed by Mages, weren’t they?” Brian asked, the guard blinking in surprise, “Either that, or he feels that Mages somehow betrayed him. I am familiar with that kind of backstory. Of course, he could just be a Classist asshole as well, but I’ll take it into consideration. Thanks.”
------
“Bloody Mages and their fancy items,” Orwell growled as he looked at the large tent his charge had set up in mere moments while his men were still putting up their regular ones, “Think they’re so much better than us rank and file. Entitled bastards.”
“Sir, permission to speak?” Carter, the youngest of the guards in this group said as he saluted the captain.
“Permission granted,” the captain nodded.
“I think…I think that the Mage isn’t that bad of a person,” the young man said, “He…I think he just doesn’t like being treated badly, as anyone would. Maybe if…if you showed a little more…well, not necessarily respect, but…decency, I guess? Towards him, he would do the same for you?”
“He’ll get respect and decency when he earns it,” Orwell grunted as he glared at the young man, who was almost shivering in his boots, his arm still in a salute, “Enough, get to sleep. We leave at dawn tomorrow. No delays.”
“Yes sir,” the young man nodded as he hurried towards his tent.
“Bastard Mages,” the captain muttered again, “Always able to weasel their way into your mind. Poisoning it with their lies. Just like her.”