The captain growled as he looked around the small field they had camped in the night before, no sign of the Mage’s tent, nor the man himself. Glaring at the spot the large structure had been in, he opened his mouth and let out a roar.

“ATTENTION!” the shout startled the other soldiers, who were just finishing putting away their own tents, all leaping to their feet and saluting as Orwel stalked towards them, “Seems our friend decided that he didn’t want our protection anymore and has fled. I want him found and returned here if you have to cut off his arms and legs to do it!”

“Who are you talking about?” the familiar voice called from the carriage, the guards, who had immediately started to scramble to start searching, all freezing as they turned to look at the face looking out of the window, “Didn’t you say that you wanted to leave at dawn today? That’s in only a few minutes, so you’d better get ready.”

“What are you doing, Mage?” the captain shouted as he stomped up to the carriage, wrenching open the door and storming in, “You think you can play your tricks on us?”

“No?” Brian asked, “I just woke up early, so I’ve been reading while I waited for you lot to get ready.”

“Us lot?” the captain fumed, “Is that what you think of us? Your guards? As just a lot? You are a typical Mage, aren’t you?”

“Actually, I think of you specifically as a royal cunt,” Brian said plainly, “Your men are all human and seem like decent folk, but not you in the slightest.”

“WHAT?!” the man roared, reaching out to grab Brian by the arm, his body freezing in place a moment later.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Brian sighed, “I’m done playing nice. I’m reporting you for attempted assault and threatening my life when we get to the Aftburg. So, unless you want to be paralyzed for the next two days, I suggest you stand down and learn to control your anger.”

“How dare you!” the captain shouted, blinking as he suddenly realised he wasn’t frozen anymore, “You think you can play your games with me, Mage? I know your kind! You’re all like that bitch!”

“Ah,” Brian said, staring at the man in mild surprise, “So it wasn’t a dead family or betrayal, then. It’s the jilted lover angle.”

“What did you just say?” the captain hissed.

“Worse than that? Divorce? She took the kids and the money?” Brian hummed, shaking his head as he looked at the captain in pity, “Look, I’m sorry about that, but if you’re going to let your experiences with a woman colour your view of other people, then you should probably seek professional help. Wait, is that even a thing in this world? Is there like, a Therapist Job or something?”

“Your lax behaviour is enough!” the captain roared, drawing his sword, and storming out of the carriage, “I see you carry a blade at your hip, Mage. Come out here and show me if you can even use it!”

“A duel?” Brian sighed as he stepped out of the carriage, “Fine. But only to first blood, okay?”

“Ha! As if you could draw a single drop of blood from me with that pathetic blade!”

Brian remained silent as he drew his new sword smoothly, the action feeling natural, yet guided at the same time. The dawn light shone onto them as the sun crested the horizon, reflecting off the silvery-blue of the Mithril blade and the well kept surface of the steel one. The guards all fell silent as they watched the two men square off, their captain’s stance strong and solid, while the Mage’s was sloppy but competent.

“Begin!” the captain roared, charging forwards as he swung his blade from the side, aiming directly for Brian’s neck.

The rapier shot up, knocking the strike off course with the basket, the tip passing over the Mage’s head as he swung his own sword around and stabbed at his opponent. The captain easily deflected the attack, jumping back to avoid the second and third thrusts, before charging back in and swinging his sword downwards in a two-handed grip. The two blades clashed as the Mage lifted his sword horizontally above his head, barely managing to redirect the heavy strike to the side as he spun around, slashing at the captain’s exposed side. The two combatants continued on like this for several minutes, one too skilled and experienced to be hit by the sloppy form of his opponent, while the other always seemed to be able to get his blade in between him and the oncoming attack at the last moment.

“You fight surprisingly well for a lazy ink sniffer,” the captain snarled as he swung his sword again, Brian just barely deflecting it, before the man twisted the blade, throwing the Mage’s arm into the air, “But this is my victory! Now die!”

“Lazy ink sniffer?” Brian laughed as he suddenly turned, barely avoiding the stab as it cut the front of his robe, “I’ll need to remember that one, it’s quite good.”

“Silence!” the captain roared, twisting his sword again and turning the stab into a slash, dragging it across Brian’s chest as the Mage was thrown backwards, “That is my victory! You will listen to me from now on!”

“It was to first blood though, right?” Brian asked as he rolled backwards and staggered to his feet, revealing the shiny silver fabric-like material under his robe, “Well, I’m not bleeding yet. I am probably bruised, though.”

“You…you lying devil!” the captain roared again as he charged towards Brian, half blinded by rage, “I shall break every bone in your pathetic body and fall asleep to your cries of pain!”

“Now that is one hell of a threat,” Brian said as he barely dodged out of the way of the captain’s wild swings, “But this is good practice for me, I only got this sword two days ago and I’m already getting the hang of it.”

“A magic blade then?” the captain snarled, “A crutch for a pathetic creature like you! Die!”

“More than magic, actually,” Brian hummed as he closed his eyes, letting the blade guide him for a moment as the other man leapt into the air, slamming his blade down into the ground where the Mage had been moments before, the steel sinking almost up to the hilt in one smooth movement, “My win.”

Brian spoke as he nicked the captain’s cheek with the edge of his blade, a single drop of blood oozing out of the wound. The man stiffened, Brian simply stepping back and flicking the small amount of blood off his sword, before sheathing it skillfully. The guards all stared as their captain didn’t move, Brian looking at him oddly.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Oh fuck!” the Mage suddenly shouted, rushing over to the man’s side, rolling him onto his back as dark blood dripped from his nose and eyes, “Shit, did the sword poison him?”

“What’s going on?” the youngest guard shouted, rushing over as well as he kneeled on the captain’s other side, “Poison?”

“Yes, and a full strength one,” Brian groaned, “We have maybe two minutes before he melts away completely. Do you have any kind of anti-venom or antidote?”

“Of course,” the guard nodded, pulling the bottle of purple liquid from his ring, immediately pouring it down the captain’s throat, “Wait, why isn’t it working?”

“No, it is,” Brian said as he felt the presence of the magical poison weaken, “You have any more?”

“No, we each only carry one bottle for emergencies,” the guard explained, Brian turning to look at the rest of the guards as they stood frozen.

“What are you lot waiting for then? Get over here and give us your antidotes or your captain will die!”

The guards seemed to come too at the shout, each pulling an identical bottle from their rings and handing it to the younger guard, who carefully poured each bottle down the older man’s throat. Brian watched as he felt the poison slowly abate, but he knew it wasn’t going to be enough. He had to figure out a way to stop the effect, like he did with his own magic, except while this was similar, he couldn’t control it like he could with his own Abilities. Shaking his head, he suddenly stood, drawing his sword again as he loomed over the captain, the other guards suddenly shouting out in fear, drawing their own blades.

“I am the one in control,” Brian growled as he tried to somehow force his will onto the blade, “So stop it!”

A moment passed, the captain coughing up a mouthful of blood as Brian snarled again.

“I said I am in control, so STOP IT!” the shout echoed over the empty field, the captain suddenly convulsing as his eyes rolled back in his head, Brian lowering his blade as he let out a sigh of relief, “I…I think that stopped the poison. But give him these, they should be enough to save his life.”

The young guard gasped as Brian handed him two of the dark red potions, inspecting them for a moment, before nodding sharply and pouring their contents down the captain’s throat. The group waited several tense moments before the older man finally stilled, his breathing coming gently and regularly, making them all sigh in relief.

“Fuck,” Brian muttered as he looked at his sword, “What the fuck was that about?”

“I would like to know as well,” one of the guards asked, stepping forwards, Brian realising his armour was slightly fancier than the rest, but not as fancy as the captain’s, “I am Lieutenant Daniel, Sir Mage, and as the second in command, I am in charge until our captain wakes up.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Dan,” Brian smiled, the friendly grin quickly turning sheepish as the other man stared at him, “Sorry. Look, I’m not too sure, but I helped make this sword a few days ago, and I didn’t know it could do…that, with just a small cut.”

“What kind of blade is it? How was it forged?” the man asked, “It appears to be made of Mithril.”

“It is,” Brian nodded, “And I may have used some of my levels to…well, to make it.”

“A Soul Blade?” the other guards gasped, the Lieutenant flinching slightly as he looked at it.

“Is that what it is? The smith that forged it never told me,” Brian sighed, “Great, so I suppose a Soul Blade is able to use the Abilities of its owner, right?”

“That is how the stories go, yes,” the Lieutenant spoke, “But to have such a virulent poison as an Ability…what kind of Mage are you?”

“Dark Mage,” Brian sighed, “I specialise in negative Status effects and Curses. Shit, what if he’d been hit by a full-strength Curse? He might have died instantly!”

“A…Dark Mage?” the Lieutenant asked, a look of confusion on his face, “Forgive me, Sir Mage, but that is impossible. Only a member of the Demon race is capable of being a Dark Mage.”

“Well, I am one, and I royally fucked up just now,” Brian muttered, ignoring what the man had just said, “Look, I’m sorry this happened. Let’s just wait until he wakes up, and then we can at least try and finish this journey, okay?”

“That is quite alright, Sir Mage,” the Lieutenant shook his head, “The captain attempted to use deadly force in a duel against his own charge. That is unacceptable. He will be arrested and bound until such a time as justice can be delivered.”

“The man almost just died,” Brian blinked, “Like, his insides melting kind of almost died. Can’t you give him a break?”

“Unfortunately, no,” the Lieutenant shook his head again before turning to the other guards, “Now, men! Get the captain bound to his horse, we leave in ten minutes!”

------

The next few days of travel went surprisingly smoothly, the captain bound and gagged on his horse as two of the guards rode on either side of him, a look of anger and shame on his face. The group arrived at the next city in the evening, Brian noting that the walls were even higher than Aftburg’s. Again, they passed through the gates quickly, the Lieutenant showing off more papers to the gate guards, who just waved them through. They pulled up outside the Mage’s Guild building soon after, Brian getting out of the carriage as he glanced at the captain, the man staring back at him hatefully.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” he sighed to the man, who was being manhandled off his horse, “I didn’t mean to antagonize you so much, nor did I mean to poison you like that.”

“That’s enough, Sir Mage,” the Lieutenant said as he walked up beside Brian, “The captain has committed a crime, so he shall be punished. It is best you go get some rest for the night, as you leave for Astera in the morning, do you not?”

“Yes, I believe I agree with your guard,” the surprisingly young-looking woman said as she approached, curtsying slightly in her robe as she smiled at Brian, “I am Verona Sinclair, Arch Mage of the Derlington Mage’s Guild. Welcome to our fair city, Sir Brian.”

“A pleasure,” Brian nodded back as he followed her into the large building, “Anything pressing happen lately?”

“I assume you are talking of more attacks or murders by the mystery assailant?” Verona asked, Brian nodding his head as she shook hers, “No, they seem to have left Loftford, as there have been no more reports of deaths or strange activity in the area. The local Mage’s Guild have still placed a special surveillance Spell on the city though, just in case.”

“I see,” Brian hummed as they stepped onto the teleportation circle, “Uhm…if you don’t mind me asking, do you know what will happen to the captain?”

“He will most likely be dishonourably discharged,” the Arch Mage sighed as they appeared in her office, once again similar to the other two, but the shelves were stocked with various vials of liquid, “I had received a report on him shortly after he was assigned to your guard. He has something of a vendetta against Mages, and this was supposed to be something of a trial for him. If he could complete the job without incident, he would be allowed to continue his work in the army, but that does not seem to be the case.”

“No,” Brian sighed as well, “It’s just…I feel bad about it. I was antagonizing him most of the trip as well, so that definitely didn’t help, and I almost killed him by accident.”

“Oh? How?” Verona asked.

“With this,” Brian patted the rapier at his side, “It’s a Soul Blade, apparently. I didn’t know it could use my Abilities when I cut people with it, and he ended up severely poisoned.”

“A Soul Blade?” Verona hummed, “May I perhaps see it if you do not mind? While I am not that well versed in the creation of magical items, I specialize in Alchemy you see, I may be able to assist you in some small way.”

“Of course, any help is appreciated,” Brian nodded as he drew the blade and placed it on the woman’s desk.

“Its name?” Verona asked, Brian just staring at her blankly, “The sword, what is its name?”

“Oh! I haven’t given it one yet, or I suppose as it is a Soul Blade or whatever, it hasn’t told me yet,” Brian shrugged, “If that’s a thing they can do.”

“Apparently it is,” Verona nodded, inspecting the Mithril sword, “You only received this recently, correct? It has yet to fully attune to you, thus why you were unaware of its powers and its name.”

“I see,” Brian sighed, shaking his head as he looked at the rapier as well, feeling a deep connection to the blade, but that connection still seemed weak now that he’d noticed it, “That makes sense.”

“Well,” the Arch Mage said as she stood back up from inspecting the sword, “I am sure you are tired from your journey. I have organized you a private room in which you may rest. You leave for Astera in the morning, yes?”

“That’s correct,” Brian nodded, forcing down a yawn as he realised just how tired he was, picking up his sword and sheathing it on one fluid motion, “I think I’ll do just that. Good night, Arch Mage.”

“Good night, Sir Brian,” the woman smiled as he headed back to the teleportation circle.