My dagger was holding back the fangs of the Star lion, as the last line of defense for my neck.

The thing was on its last legs and making a desperate gambit to take me down. Kidra was hacking away at its head. A few more smashes of his axe, and I'd live. The other mercenaries supposed to fight this thing looked on in disgust or disdain.

"Would be better if that cursed just died. Take the manaless one with him, too. Good riddance." The most oversized oaf out of all of them muttered.

"A bag boy won't be dying on my watch. Can't have my record as captain stained." Helena Feather grumbled.

She sent a tier 1 wind bolt through the ears of the Star lion, likely turning its brain into mush. A few "stray" blades of the bolt cut my cheek. Helena tended to use her spells to show off her annoyance or disguised worry. A mage easily had that right in this world. Knowing that my spot in the group was as a porter, I took out my knife to dismantle the lion for valuable parts. This wasn't my first foray, so taking the precious pieces, including the mana crystal, took me only a short time.

Once the dismantling was done, Helena used one of her neutral tier 0 spells, minor mend, on me. Of course, the spell didn't work on me.

"This is why no one hires the cursed bag boy. Be glad I gave you a chance in the first place. Or really, be thankful your friend over there is a useful guide to the Wolves grove out in the Naien." Helena said as she nodded over to Kidra.

It was true. Getting hired for anything was hard for me. Being dirt poor was my everyday life, with no sign of ending in sight. That made this job far more important to me than you can imagine.

"I'll continue my duties as a porter dutifully, captain," I said, even though the lack of confidence was coming through my body language. The social environment putting me down constantly got to me, at least on a subconscious level.

She nodded at that. "Just take care not to become a burden, and on account of your friend there, I'll keep you alive out here, cursed one." Leaving those words, she went back to the rest of the group.

Kidra came by my side, making sure I was still okay. Some worry was coming from his voice. "That Star-lion did a number on you. You sure you're okay, Falond, my slum-rat in arms?" He was chuckling toward the end.

I responded more brightly, something I was apt to do only around him, "Yeah, yeah, we slum-lords of Ulis survive the guards each day, let alone some pesky star lion."

The half-inside joke had me peering down at the pinned badge I was to wear each time I went out to the Naien Forest or even out of Ulis City. The gate guards wouldn't let me leave otherwise.

"That we do," Kidra responded. We started to return to the group.

A strange white moth flew by me. Its presence was captivating; the word natural wouldn't even begin to describe it. Catching my attention for far too long, I snapped out of it. My eyes searched for Helena, our captain for this expedition. A rogue who hadn't spoken much since this expedition to the wolf's grove was formed was standing beside her.

Glancing over at me, she sounded out to the group. "Let's get a move on, you oafs, enough lazing around. Further down the Harrius trail, we go. We're not resting again until we reach the end of the trail, near the pond."

I hoisted up the porter gear that was on loan to me, full of our supplies and valuables found on the trail so far. Regardless of some enchanter's superstitions, the weak enchantments on the bags and belt weren't affected.

The group was careful to stay on the trail. While it wasn't safe by any means, the chances of dealing with a tier 2 beast or monster on the trail were far lower in this manafested forest than in any other area. That rogue had disappeared by now. He was our scout and likely half the reason we only encountered two tier 1 beasts until now. Kidra would guide us after we left the Harrius path, sometimes called by its old name, pond's way. Getting to the wolves grove would take us at least a day from that point.

"If we didn't need you to carry everything for us, you blight to the church, I'd leave you here to die." One of my other "team" members said that as he passed me.

Apart from the captain in the rear, I was the furthest one behind now. Kidra was out front, with the last three behind him.

I tried to tune out their conversation. The oversized one of the trio liked to make me a target of ridicule, maybe to satisfy a sense of superiority over me. People like him had placed my confidence in the gutter, especially after "that" happened to me at a young age. Still, despite my best efforts, that annoying sycophant's voice carried over to my ears, grating on them.

"Best to avoid that one. Heard he steals mana materials, even from mages. Despite nearly losing his life, that idiot won't learn. As if being an unholy creature who can't have mana used on him wasn't enough." The volume of his voice was high and went up a notch when insulting me. It was on purpose, of course.

His words caused the recent burn scar on my back to start to itch. A mage had given me that.

One of his cronies chimed in. "Why's half his hair white anyway? Them nasty blue veins are all over his body, too. Not to mention his eyes; more red than a demon's almost."

Just as they would no doubt continue their game of insulting me, Helena's voice rang over. "You lot need to do less talking and more doing out here. This is the Naien forest, not some tea party for gossip. Plenty of things are looking to make a meal out of us out here. Focus before I make you focus."

The sycophant changed his tune immediately. "Of course, captain! We're on guard at all times. Ain't that right, boys?" He said, turning his gaze over to the other two. They m

mirrored his words immediately.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Helena muttered, "Bootlickin' oafs."

Our way down the trail so far was only moderately challenging. This group had come prepared. Besides Kidra and I, everyone in this group was a tier 1, and we had a mage to our rear. My eyes showed a mad desire when I thought of the mana someone like her must wield. Even I knew my level of desire for the stuff wasn't normal, but then again, my life hadn't been normal for years.

More than a few tier-one beasts and monsters hindered our way down the trail, especially toward the end. While each individual fight wasn't brutal, the stamina drain was getting to everyone. Lucky for us, we came to the trail's end. There was a clearing, and an ancient pond known for its pristine water lay beyond that. The hours it took to get here felt like a crawl, but the captain looked relaxed enough. Strangely, I hadn't seen the rogue for a while now.

I settled our packs at the trail's end once the group started to take a break. Kidra put his back to a tree and hummed to himself. The rest of the group went off to their ways of rest. Just as I was to sit down, the sycophant called me over. He had a name, but I couldn't bother to remember.

"Hey, you worthless cursed, if you don't want me tellin' every mage back in Ulis about all them mana reagents you stole from em', be a good little runt an' take these water skins to fill up at the pond a short walk north of the end of this path. Now." The big oaf sneered. His two pals were missing strangely.

Kidra was about to say something, but I held up my hand. Now wasn't the time. We were both broke, as could be. This job was too important to let my status ruin us from getting paid. I took the waterskins and walked off to the pond. That water was known for having an exquisite taste; being the first to have some wasn't the worst thing in the world.

As I ventured through the clearing, I couldn't help but notice the abundance of vibrant flowers and a permeating sense of purity in the air. However, a strange feeling gnawed at the back of my mind as if I were being watched. My gaze fell upon a moth, a familiar one that I could have sworn I had seen earlier in the day. Dismissing it as mere coincidence, I shook off the unsettling thought.

The feeling of being watched turned out to be very real, however. The two missing friends of my favorite sycophant stepped out in front of the pond.

"You look more like a demon than one of the seven." The smaller one to my left let out.

"You never learn, do you? Cursed boy," sneered the other of the two as he addressed me.

"That mage couldn't bring himself to end your miserable existence, so, out of the kindness of his heart, he decided to spare you. But he also wanted to teach a youngin' some manners. That's where we gentlemen come in with our brotherly teachings and discipline you."

The words didn't match his following actions, though, as he rammed his fist at my face. The other one joined in, mercilessly assaulting me. All I could do was curl up and shield my face with my arms, enduring the relentless barrage.

"If I could just use mana..." I whimpered through the pain, my voice barely audible.

A mocking laugh escaped one of the other thugs. "We'll leave a few extra marks on you just to make sure you remember us, exile." he sneered with cruel satisfaction. A dreadful feeling was building around the pond as if something was furious. The two thugs were oblivious to it.

The mage who had hired these thugs had burned my back with a searing fireball, leaving behind crimson scarring that still stung, the same spot from earlier.

I had stolen mana materials or reagents countless times, driven to change my fate. A part of me refused to give up, clinging to hope. Add in my stubborn nature; it was a disaster recipe, as those two thugs proved.

The two thugs began to catch their breath, landing a few more solid kicks before preparing to depart. The smaller one, not to miss an opportunity, decided to leave a final remark. Spitting on me as they walked away, his eyes lingered on the bloody wounds he had inflicted upon me while he uttered his parting words.

"Mana won't save you from anything, boy. You're cursed and condemned. Be happy you even got the chance to dirty a mage line. Accept your fate, vermin." With those bitter words, he left.

Seeing as I'd rather die than give up by now, his words had no meaning. What would be the point of it all anyway? Nothing would matter anymore to me. I would become an empty shell of a man devoid of purpose. Trying to attain mana was the thin thread that kept me sane amidst the chaos of my life.

The two were about to continue their rain of insults. Still, the pressure building around the pond had grown noticeable by now, even to them. Their expressions changed, and they hurriedly left, returning to the group.

For a moment, my body lay there, discarded and ignored. Acting like nothing had happened, I slowly brought myself up. There was some bleeding, but not too much. The men seemed more focused on making me black and blue rather than causing me lasting damage.

The pressure vanished once I stood up, as if afraid I'd be scared off.

The forest around me grew eerily silent, unnaturally so. The ring of trees and the unobstructed sky above the pond brought a sense of tranquility amidst the chaos surrounding me. Curiously, the clearing lacked any presence of birds and small animals. A large stone with a prominent scar caught my attention as if it held some significance. It seemed out of place, unlike my earlier visit to the area. As the late afternoon sun illuminated the surroundings, I couldn't help but notice the absence of typical wildlife. Instead, the area was adorned with fluttering moths, casting an ethereal atmosphere. A sense of unworthiness washed over me in this sacred place, amplifying the feeling of being an outcast.

And then it happened.