Chapter 38

Travel [https://i.imgur.com/2mAR3jm.png]

Four travelers traversed the old overgrown forest road leading south in a slow crawl. The road was barely recognizable, the old cobblestone road was well hidden behind the long thick dark green grass. The path was only recognizable by the lack of trees and unnaturally even surface. Long ago this road like many others was protected with magical wards keeping the vegetation and greenery from ruining the stone road. It was a long time ago. Now wards were erased only memory of them staying in the form of dislodged boulders standing on the sides of the road here and there. Like relics of times long gone, they held their stories a secret buried under the layers of moss and dirt.

Four travelers were adorned in light leather attire with simple weapons hanging by their sides. Those were outfits suitable for a long journey, not for battle. Yet travelers didn’t hold themselves as farmers or traders, nor hunters or simple people of the road.

They held themselves as warriors, leather attire be damned. Fresh adventurers who have not seen enough to call themselves veterans of their craft. Yet seen enough to waltz through the dark forest with no fear on their shoulders and an almost tangible aura of confidence. Confidence in facing any forest critter inside the Empire borders and coming out of the scuttle victors.

The oldest man sat on the wagon and guided the horse pulling it forward in a slow walk as the rest of them cleared the way from fallen treetrunks or larger rocks in the way. Two of the travelers held metal spears even while working and used them as levers to push larger boulders out of their way, while the third traveler had a handaxe by his side and a round shield tied on his back. They moved slowly, but that didn't seem to bother them too much.

These travelers were Mad Dogs of Rosmorre.

Status Class: Spearman Lvl: 14 Xp: 91% Mana: 31/31 _ Title: Moon Seraph

Core: Moon Core Race talent: Scourge Tier I talent: Hands of Spearman

_ CON 14 END 0 STR 14 PER 0 INT 0 WIS 0 _ Perks:

* Spearman's thrust II

Status Class: Spearman Lvl: 14 Xp: 91% Mana: 7/7 _ Race talent: Scourge Tier I talent: Hands of Spearman

_ CON 14 END 0 STR 14 PER 0 INT 0 WIS 0 _ Perks:

* Warrior’s conditioning II

Status Class: Guardian Lvl: 14 Xp: 91% Mana: 0/0

_ Divine grace Language of Empire Race talent: Scourge Tier I talent: Hands of Spearman

_ CON 14 END 0 STR 0 PER 0 INT 0 WIS 0 _ Perks:

* Recovery II

Status Class: Silent Watcher

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Lvl: 14 Xp: 91% Mana: 10/10 _ Race talent: Growth Tier I talent: Eye of the Silent _ CON 0 END 0 STR 14 PER 42 INT 0 WIS 0 _ Perks:

* Watchers sense

* Silent strikes

“Do you feel it?” Orla asked Linus.

“Feel what?” Linus looked up at her.

“Wood up your arse! What else? Do you feel the Blood cult mark on your chest?”

“No, I don’t. It burnt a little bit at the beginning, but now I don't feel anything of note. It's almost as if there is nothing under my shirt.”

“That’s good! At least you are going to die in comfort when they come after us.”

“I said it, and I will say it again. If we get to the city in one piece, we must go our separate ways,” Linus said with conviction, “It’s a death sentence to stick by my side. Sooner or later they will come, and when they do, there is no reason for all of us to die.”

Orla slapped back of Linus' head without holding back anything. Her enhanced physique allowed her to hit him with staggering might. If Linus would not clutch his own spear, enabling Hands of Spearman talent, he would fall unconscious right then and there.

“What was that for?” Linus stammered and took Zaun’s hand who helped him get back on his feet.

“Don’t say things like that,” she said with anger, “ We are together in this. You not gonna bail on us like that.”

“Girl is right, Linus,” Jack chimed in, ”Besides, you are our shiny new mage now. You better learn how to use your new superpowers and do it quickly. By the time deer cult finds us, you better be able to shoot moon beams without passing out like a damsel in distress.”

Linus' cheeks went red from the remainder of his first time using his new mana core. When he faced the priest in the underground city he unleashed everything he got in an uncontrolled wave. There was no skill or craftsmanship in his spell. There was no knowledge. Just a poorly executed will. Desire and nothing more. And after a single strike, he became a burden.

In the fight against the Blood cult, he did not use his mana fearing falling unconscious once again. He fought with his fists like everybody else and held his core ready as a last resort, in case some stronger foe shows its face. Luckily it didn't come to that. Some of the caravan men died, and Linus couldn't help but think that if he used his core as soon as the fight began he might save some lives, but he understood that there is no way to predict the future. All he could do was do his best.

If Linus wants to become a true mage or at least some sort of parody of one, he must put in the work. Right now he had the tools necessary – his moon mana core and natural talent needed – an enormous mana pool for a human male, but he lacked the knowledge to use what he got. He needed books about magic, and what’s even more important he needed a master. Somebody to show where to even began in his path of mastering the natural energies of this world.

“I don’t even know where to start with my core. Arcane arts are as mysterious to me as it gets. I have no idea how I even proceed in advancing my spellcasting skill without inadvertently killing myself.”

“Nose up, soldier. First, we find a city, then we find smart people, who will tell us what to do with your core and with your mark,” Jack said.

“If only it would be so easy.”

“It’s not interesting if it’s easy.”

The old road in front of them suddenly opened up and led them into a clearing with some old dilapidated buildings on one side of the road. There was an old rusty metal fence and a lot of tombstones. Collapsed buildings were mausoleums, and this whole area was unmistakably a cemetery. The whole place was long forgotten and left to rot in the middle of the forest.

“What is this place?” Jack asked with genuine interest.

“Old cemetery. It is our tradition to bury our dead in the ground to give them one last rest before they venture to the spirit world.”

“Truly fascinating!”

“What do your people do with the dead?”

“Exactly the same. My people also bury dead in the ground, and that’s fascinating. How can civilizations separated by worlds be so similar? Architecture, language structure, culture, and weapons you use despite having magic at your disposal are exactly the same as my people used a few hundred or so years back. Even our cemeteries even look almost the same. The only distinction I see is that the ones in my home have symbols of Christianity plastered all over them. Symbols here look more like Nordic or old Celtic runic writings.”

“What’s Christianity?”

“It is one of the largest religions in my world. At least the largest in my country. Belief in Jesus Crist, his father, and holly spirit. Never have been a believer myself, but my father used to bring me on Sunday prayers… when I was in more or less civilized look.”

Jack stopped the cart and jumped down on the road leaving horse rains free.

“Sun is setting. We will stay here.”

“Here? In the cemetery?”

“I like the atmosphere here,” Jack smiled, “It’s quite peaceful here.”

The grey and dreadful cemetery stood as unwelcoming as they come. Orla could not see anything peaceful about this place which told stories about death and human lives long lost. Death was a natural part of the cycle of life, yet it was one thing to acknowledge death as an inevitability and completely another to rest for the night in a location fully devoted to honoring the peace of those for whom death was not a mysterious future anymore.

“Is it?” Orla couldn’t believe her ears.

She looked at Linus, but the young man was still in his own head. He flexed his palm in front of his face, his eyes unfocused. He could not care less where they camp right now. He has his own thoughts and worries. A slight sense of power came from his palm and disappeared before manifesting as anything else but just that – a vague feeling of energy in the air.

Orla looked at Zaun and he just shrugged his shoulders. He had a hand axe and round shield on him, but he didn’t seem to be worried or ready for a fight. Even his animalistic senses could not catch a sound or whiff of something not being alright in this place. Zaun carefully scanned the old tombstones and collapsed mausoleums, but he did not find a single thing out of order, and he lowered his axe.

“Lovely place,” Jack happily entered the cemetery and with his hand touched the closest tombstone,” I just spent so much time in cemeteries back in my youth. I loved and still love the aura they have. This place reminds me of an old friend, who always sheltered me when I did not feel like myself.”

“It is of course very lovely, but I still don’t think it’s the best idea to stay right here,” Orla persisted.

“Nothing going to happen,” Jack reassured her, “This place is harmless.”