When Uzca opened his eyes again, he stared into the sky. His head pounded unpleasantly. Bezben groaned nearby.

"Oh good, you're finally awake. I thought I was going to have to try to find a healer among these gods-forsaken people."

Uzca was in too much pain to be amused by the choice of words. "They're not all bad, but I definitely see why Warren warned us to be careful."

He managed to sit up and look at Bezben. The young man had a wicked black eye, and Uzca was reasonably sure he looked the same.

"I guess that answers my question about whether or not some of the mages hold the same prejudice," Uzca said, gently rubbing his head and checking for blood.

"Yeah. I'm just glad we didn't tell that mage in town we were from the mountains. I don't think my pride could handle getting beat up twice in one day."

"Forget pride; I don't think my skull could handle it. Clearly, these mages are more capable than we are. We should be careful around them from now on."

Bezben nodded in agreement, wincing as the motion caused more pain.

"Let's move down the road for a little longer," Uzca said. "We can camp in the woods for a little while. We need to rest, but we probably shouldn't stay here."

Uzca picked up his walking stick which was blessedly unharmed.

"Maybe I should make one of those. I could use the extra support," Bezben said, getting to his feet and limping over. "Besides, I have no idea what I'm doing with a weapon. We only really trained in wrestling back home. Maybe I can train myself with a staff."

"A spear might be good. Maybe once your gift matures, you can summon one for your personal use rather than just shooting them. Warren had one. Maybe we should have bartered for a weapon for you..."

Uzca looked down at his own belt where his unused sword hung.

"I guess I can't lecture you. I didn't even think to pull out my own weapon. Do you want my sword?"

Bezben thought about it and shook his head, wincing again. "Gods, I need to stop doing that. No, I like your spear idea. I'll wait until we have an opportunity to get one."

With no small amount of effort, they managed to get their heavy packs on their beaten, but not quite broken, bodies. They slowly headed down the road. They ducked into the trees once as a wagon rolled by, but it wasn't the mage again, and the man and woman driving didn't seem to notice them.

They traded off using the walking stick. Bezben used it to practice thrusting more than he used it to assist himself. Uzca didn't mind. The practice probably helped his cousin take his mind off the pain. Besides, it wasn't like Uzca had stopped practicing, either. Though he didn't use his sword. Instead, he shifted parts of his body to metal, one at a time.

Each day it got a little easier. He wasn't winded by the action anymore, but it definitely sapped something from him. He could tell whenever he ran out of that invisible reserve, and he stopped before the gift took from his endurance instead. In this way, he could keep practicing while not exhausting himself for the walk.

They ended up walking for around four hours instead of one. Part of that was because they didn't see anyone on the road, and walking helped ease the pain in the rest of their bodies. Their feet and legs had come out the best in the fight, and walking wasn't a significant burden. The other reason they kept walking was because the forest had fallen away, and there was nowhere to camp out of sight anyway. They just had to hope the mage wouldn't return this way tonight. The woman at the bakery said they could make it to Orzii by the end of the day if they walked straight through the day, but they were going much more slowly, and Uzca wasn't sure how long they had been knocked out.

The plain that had opened up from the forest far behind them stretched out over the valley. There was a small ridge several miles ahead, and another forest sprang up around those hills. Orzii would be along the river that flowed out of that forest, and the road would lead them right to it.

"I think it's time we take that rest, Bez. We'll just have to hope no one or nothing aggressive comes along."

"Oh, I don't know, cousin. I wouldn't say no to more of that delicious boar."

"And you think you have enough light left in the day and energy left in your body to butcher and cook the beast before you pass out?"

Bezben made a face at him, but he didn't argue the point.

They settled down a little off the road near a small stream. They managed to get enough dried material from bushes and some fallen branches from the occasional nearby tree that they were able to start a small fire.

Uzca thought it was probably safe to drink from the stream, but he decided to boil water to refill their skins. No point in accidentally getting sick with unclean water. They had eaten a little and put out their bed rolls by the time their water skins were filled once more.

"Soooo, Uzca," Bezben started, but Uzca was way ahead of him.

He pulled out the small pouch of cake mix that Warren had given them.

Bezben grinned.

"We did survive our first encounter with a mage today."

"That does seem like a reason to celebrate."

"Besides, we need to keep up our energy."

They nodded to each other.

Uzca measured out the powder and mixed in the appropriate amount of water. They would have enough for about four cakes. They wouldn't be huge, but it was just an occasional treat for them. He would need to make sure Bezben didn't talk him into eating it every night for the next four days. He wanted to save it for special occasions. He just happened to agree that surviving that encounter was worth celebrating.

When the cake was cooked, they ate straight out of the pot. Warren had had some small plates for the meat last night, but they didn't have anything like that.

"Oh, sweet gods above, that is good," Bezben practically moaned. "I could eat that for every meal."

"I think I'd get sick."

"Not me, cousin. This is the kind of food I was meant to eat."

Uzca laughed at the face Bezben was making.

After they enjoyed their cake, they cleaned up and stoked the fire a little to keep any animals away. Then they quickly and easily passed out.

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They were awoken the next morning by a voice calling to them.

"Ho there! Travelers! Ah! If it isn't my two friends from Donarin."

Uzca blinked crusty eyes open, surprised to find it was well into the daylight hours. That beating had really taken it out of them. Bezben groaned again.

Once his vision cleared, he took in the person standing before them. It was Thad, the mage that had been repairing the waterwheel in Donarin.

"Wow, what happened to you two? You have matching black eyes."

"Ah, yeah. Thad, right? We encountered someone who was less than hospitable on the road yesterday."

"Let me guess, a mage with a cart pulled by a single mule?"

"Uh, yeah. Do you know him?"

"Everyone around here knows him. He has a solid mastery of a few spells and styles himself as the guardian of the region. The only reason he's out here is because he was kicked out of more polite society for causing too many brawls. Anyway, he drives around out here and does some minor trading and work with his magic, but he's constantly challenging people he doesn't recognize. You must have said something he really didn't like, though, because he usually doesn't actually beat anyone up." He rocked his head back and forth in thought, "Well, at least not so badly."

Thad walked over and put down his bag. He rummaged around in it momentarily, then pulled out an ornately stylized book.

"If you allow me, I can heal the worst of your injuries."

"Really?" Bezben said quickly. "That would be amazing. Everything hurts."

Uzca wasn't sure dealing with another mage was a good idea, but Thad seemed like a nice person, and they could use the healing.

The mage looked at his book when they both agreed and began tracing something on the page.

Uzca tried to read the page, but none of the writing made any sense to his eyes. He wanted to ask, but he didn't know if it would be dangerous to interrupt the man.

Thad started saying something under his breath. Uzca couldn't make out the words. Thad stopped tracing the book and stretched out his right hand where an orb of light manifested. Without any interaction that they could see, the sphere shot into Bezben.

"Ah! What was that!?"

The darkness around Bezben's eye faded away, and some smaller cuts on his face smoothed out and vanished as though they had healed over a week instantly.

"Oh, sorry. I should have warned you. How do you feel?"

Bezben was already prodding his eye socket and feeling his face.

"Amazing. I still have a few sore spots, but it's like I never took a hit to the head."

"Perfect, you next, friend. I'm sorry, I never caught your names."

"I'm Bezben, and that's my cousin, Uzca."

Thad nodded but was already tracing the picture in his book again. He started muttering once more and extended his hand. Uzca tried not to flinch when the orb of light came for him, but he failed.

The healing power was a warm balm for his injuries. He felt the pain in his head fade, and the soreness around his eye retreated. His back still hurt from where he fell over, but he felt much better overall. The healing felt the same as the healing gifts he had experienced in the village, but none of those manifested that strange orb. The person with the healing gift would always just touch the one they meant to heal.

"Thank you, Thad. That's much better."

"Uzca and Bezben. Say, you two wouldn't be from the mountains, would you?"

Uzca stiffened, and Bezben's hand drifted toward the walking stick.

Thad recognized the body language of cornered animals and held up his hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, guys. Wait, is that why the wandering asshole beat you two up? That would make sense. Listen. I don't put any stock in all that 'barbarians from the mountains' nonsense. You two seem like decent folk, and that's how I intend to treat you."

Uzca let out the breath he had been holding, and Bezben let his hand fall, but his cousin didn't totally relax.

"That is good to hear. We were warned not to share too much about ourselves, but it is hard to know how people will react."

"That makes sense. Around here, people will recognize you as mountain folk. Especially since you two seem to be particularly large specimens. Once you get a little farther out, maybe even in Orzii, people probably won't notice as much. That mage you met just has a real fondness for oppression."

Thad packed back up his book and sat down next to them, making himself more comfortable. He pulled out a pipe and lit some leaf he had stuffed inside. Uzca had never used a pipe, though some of the older men in the village were quite fond of it. His father didn't care for it.

"What do they call magic up there? Boons or something like that?"

"Gifts."

"Oh right!" he pointed his pipe at Uzca. "I don't know if this is rude. Do you two have gifts?"

Bezben glanced at Uzca, and he shrugged at his cousin. He guessed there wasn't any point in hiding it now.

"We do. Nearly every adult in the mountains has a gift."

"Really? Fascinating. I had no idea. Down here, magic is closely guarded. You know, if I had to guess, I would say that's one of the reasons they vilify your people. Someone wants to control magic distribution, and if everyone could just pop up and get some magic in the mountains, it would ruin what they have going on."

"Who are 'they?'"

Thad waved a hand through the air. "You know, them. The man. The people that are trying to oppress the common folk. I don't know if it's the magical academy magisters, or the emperor, or what. I wonder if I could get one of these gifts. Do you think so?"

"They're only given out by the gods once every ten years. The festival was just over a week ago."

"Ack! You're killing me here! I just missed it? Wow, talk about bad timing. Did you two just get your gifts, then? Or did you get them ten years ago?"

"We just got them. You have to be at least twelve, sometimes thirteen."

"What happens if you go before then?"

"The god won't give you a gift."

"Really. The old gods are really still around?"

"I spoke with Rethkam, God of the Forge. He's very much around."

"That's amazing. Oh, I definitely need to come back in ten years. If nothing else, observing the rituals would be excellent research. Would you be able to...show me? Your gifts? Is that allowed?"

Bezben shrugged. A spear appeared above his head. He pointed at the nearby stream, and the spear shot into it, fading a moment after it struck.

"Wow. So easily conjured. Did it take you long to master? To be able to use the power?"

Bezben lifted his chin. "I was ready to use my gift a day after I received it."

"Incredible. And what of you, Uzca?"

Uzca held up a hand, and it turned to metal.

Thad's pipe fell out of his mouth, and he swore, brushing it away before he singed his robe. "That's something else, friend. Did it only take you a day to be able to do that too?"

"Five days."

The mage nodded. "That makes sense. Wow. I had no idea that type of magic could come from gifts."

"What about you?" Bezben asked. "What kind of magic can you do? You said something about cantrips earlier. How does your magic work? We've shared a lot with you."

Uzca agreed with Bezben. He would have beat around the bush a little first, but Bezben was never one for subtlety.

"Fair, fair. Magic, like I wield, is what many might refer to as 'true magic.' The designation is horse shit, of course. Gifts are just as much magic as my own arts are, but that won't stop some people from looking down on you, religious superstition or not. I am a first-circle mage. I have mastered all the magic within the first circle and can reach into the second circle for a few things. If we compare things you're at least somewhat familiar with, The mage you met on the road was also a mage of the first circle, who can reach into the second circle for a handful of spells. He has a particular spell in the second circle that he likes to use. I suspect you've seen it."

"Let me guess," Uzca said, "a giant ball of ice?"

"That's the one!"

"So what do these circles mean?" Bezben asked.

"They're a hierarchy of organization. Cantrips, the small spells I showed you yesterday, are the weakest and not part of any circle. You're technically not even a mage if you only know cantrips. At least not by academy standards. The first circle, the one I've mastered, allows me to use many different spells and read spells from spell books. The real difference between tiers is the amount of power they can use, but there are also some other limits."

"I feel like I know less about your magic than when we started," Bezben said.

"Ha! Yeah. It's annoying, and I'm not good at explaining it. There's a whole class on magic categories at the academy. But to tie it back to some things you might know, a spell like your gift, Bezben, would be at least a second-tier spell. They're typically spells that can form solid effects and be separated or shot away from the caster. It's a powerful ability. I suspect it will become more stable as you grow with it."

"What about mine?" Uzca asked.

"Hmm. Your gift is interesting. Spells that can actually transform the caster, as yours does, are at least the second tier as well, but without knowing the properties or how it changes things, I can't say for sure. They're more rare, so I have yet to study that kind of effect much. It's why I was so surprised when you showed me. It might be equal to a higher circle's magic."

Thad sighed and put away his pipe. "Well, we should get going unless you two were planning on sitting here all day and enjoying the sunshine?"

"You want to walk with us?"

"You're heading to Orzii, right? Then why not? We're heading for the same destination. Besides, I can get bored walking, and even more importantly, if that mage comes back, I can probably talk him out of beating you to a pulp."

That was enough reason for Uzca. "Alright, Thad. As long as you don't mind us grilling you on lowlanders."

"That's fine, as long as you don't mind me grilling you on highlanders. And the gifting process. It's really fascinating."