Chapter 20 It’s All a Game.

When you have enough money you'll have secrets.

When you have enough secrets you'll also have more money.

Alas, you can never have enough of either, because you can always hoard more.

Kilako, the Golden Prince of Gains.

{27} Nuriss (March) the 28th

Another month had passed.

I find myself enjoying the nightly games with master Navaro. We have good chemistry, he's easy to talk to, and he feels like the grandfather I never had.

We tend to play four to six games every night. I never manage to win, and every time I manage to push his army back I push it into a well-prepared trap. The plump man cheers loudly every time I step into one of his traps and points out for me how the trap works. He has so many of these traps that sharing one or two with me doesn't affect the next games directly, but it does improve the way I play.

Life becomes monotone. Sleeping late at night and early mornings, researching throughout the day, and playing until midnight with Master Navaro. Going to my weekly meetings with my friends, and the occasional cuddle and long talk with Nalfit. I dedicate four to five hours to meditation every day after waking up. I never forgot my true goal: I have to get stronger, become a mage, and get out of this place - back to my family - no matter what!

I also make more money. Along with Navaro's payments, and my small neophyte book copying business, I have enough gems to heal my missing finger. The process itself is fascinating. The priestess of Brigit puts my hand inside a bowl of a slimy substance. After an hour of sitting like that, I take out a fully restored hand. There's no pain or discomfort involved whatsoever.

After three long months of focusing on my wind mana pool, I finally fully form it. Without further ado, I start working on my ‘Wind Blade’ cantrip.

The same night, I play with master Navaro. On our last game I manage to bring my troops five hexes from his HQ. I am not surprised to find out it's another one of his traps, and soon enough my troops are isolated. Looking at the board and my isolated troops, I have an epiphany. I am too predictable for him. He can describe every move I make and even praise it. Instead of aiming for his HQ, let's aim to confuse him, even make a lot of foolish moves. As long as he can't understand why I made them I have a better chance to win.

*

{22} Nuriss (March) the 29th

And that's exactly what I do the next night, right on our first game. I move my pieces randomly, spread them around the board in an unorderly fashion, hoping that if he can't analyze my moves he'll make a mistake. And indeed, unlike our usual games, he doesn’t call out excitingly to why I’ve made such moves. His eyebrows furrow and his orange eyes are fixated on the board, deep in thought.

The moves he makes are purely defensive in nature. Forming a tight unbreakable defense formations full of traps I can and can’t see. But it doesn’t matter how many traps he has over there, I simply don’t commit to any attack.

I move my troops in a random and unorderly fashion. They don’t have any pattern, and I don’t have any plan. I don’t need a plan. My only goal is to confuse him, to have him commit a mistake, a mistake I can hopefully use to my advantage.

It lasts for a while, he’s playing it safe, staying within the boundaries of his defensive formations. After about ten turns of this, he exclaims. “You're moving randomly. You want to confuse me, good job kid!”

I smile mysteriously. “Maybe…” He may have exclaimed it loudly, but he’s actually probing me for answers because he has no proof. Maybe I have a plan he can’t see, maybe I came up with a pattern he can’t predict.

He makes his move toward one of my isolated units and I let him surround it and take it down. The same happens with the next one, and the next.

It confuses him further, and he grows wary. He expects me to try and form my troops when he attacks but I don’t do that.

There is no point, so far when I worked hard to keep my troops alive I've lost anyway. It’s time to try something else.

After a while, he can’t take it anymore and goes for my open undefended HQ in order to finish this game. “That’s just foolish kid. It’s a good trick if you aren’t losing any troops from that, but not when… nice job kid! I missed that one entirely!”

I give him a victorious smile when I channel my mana to the right gems that control the 'order messengers' on my board, and block his troops at the last moment. I isolate them before he can recall them, due to distance from his HQ he needs three turns for them to respond to his orders, and my troops only need a single turn.

I can’t stop smiling as I slaughter his isolated troops. That’s my first real victory against him. Yes, I haven't won the battle yet, and due to my losses early on, we both lost about a quarter of our army. But I outsmarted him, and that is a huge victory for me. Being unpredictable had paid off.

He sits there with furrowed brows. He doesn’t attempt to rescue his troops as I had hoped, my trap for that move is probably too obvious. Now he focuses on killing every one of my randomly spread units with a concentrated army. His tactic is simple – ‘if I kill all of your armies, you won't have anything to use against me and I win the game’

I move my units to retreat from each one of his assaults. After I won and ate my chunk, there is no need to sacrifice them pointlessly anymore. As his solders chase mine, I look at the board. His formations are in disarray, he went on a full on offensive on my scattered troops. There's no pattern to my retreat either and most of my army is retreating on the right, while the majority of his army is slaughtering mine on the left.

I order all of my right flank to simply charge, it's the most stupid single-minded direct charge. I want him to overthink what I am doing, but in the end, there is nothing hidden with this move, just a simple straightforward charge.

My troops have the order to charge straight at his HQ and kill everything in their way, and I dedicate all of my right flank to it, leaving the left side to be slaughtered.

I don’t have any complex plan, and I am not expecting to win. He can probably reach my HQ before my soldiers reach his. But I know he'd look for some sort of complex move and attempt to trap me. Yet, many of his troops are occupied with my left army, which is getting slaughtered.

I know that even my charging right flank will be slaughtered on his defenses, but it doesn’t matter. They'll get close, very close. And for now, it’s enough for me. I’ll take my victory in making him break a sweat for once.

As my army charges ahead his brows and forehead crease further and further. When there is only a thin line of his soldiers between my army and his HQ, he smashes his HQ with a plump fist declaring. “You win! Damn kid! To defeat this old man in less than five weeks, you should be proud of that brain of yours!”

I am proud, I have a hard time believing this worked so well. I didn't expect to win. I only hoped to throw him off guard, to be unpredictable, to impress him and receive his praises. Winning was entirely out of my predictions.

I tremble with excitement, now he'll have to make me his apprentice. I want to become a mage, I want to become powerful, and he can show me the way to do so. As much as I enjoyed the game and the intellectual battle with him - what I truly want is to become a mage, not a general.

There’s a hard rock of excitement in my throat, and the fluttering butterflies in my stomach make me giddy like a little girl. “You promised you'd make me your apprentice!” I exclaim without hiding my excitement.

“Ha… I did, didn't I? And here I was hoping you'd forget and play more games with me.”

I giggle. “Of course, I will keep playing with you, I enjoy these games too…” I am not lying, however enjoying the game isn’t the real reason I offer it. The real reason is to earn his praise and build rapport with him.

This man is addicted to the game, and accompanying him with the thing he likes most is an easy way to earn his trust and friendship. If he's going to be my master, getting him to like me is important. Then again, I did enjoy the game as well.

“Oh you do?!” there’s a spark of surprise in his eyes. “I thought you were only indulging this old man.”

“I forced myself to play to get the apprenticeship when we started, but I've grown to like this game. I don't mind if we keep playing it, I'll let you know if it starts to bore me, master.” I love it when the truth serves my purpose. I don't like lying, despite how manipulative I can be sometimes.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Damn you to the five hells, kid, hoping to win against me again are you?” He wipes the sweat off his forehead in irritation. I have a weird notion that he's practicing his acting skills on me, but his act is funny to watch.

I cross my hands with an uncontrollable smile on my face. “I wasn't, I just enjoy playing it. But I would request that we lower the number of games to one or two instead of six in one night, it becomes taxing when we play for too many hours straight…” The only reason we stop playing every night is that I lost my focus after five or six games. I bet he could've gone on for ten games straight if I indulged him.

“Ha! Very well, I guess I owe you an hour of a magic lesson, don't I? From today onward every night before we start playing, I'll teach you what I know. I'll let you choose any subject. As long as it's within my knowledge, I'll pass everything I know to you. Pick up your subject for today kid.”

My heart is beating like a drum, this is finally happening! Finally! “I need to know how to open my mana pools faster, meditation alone is too slow.”

“You can find mana potions for that kid, use the small ones. They aren't cheap for apprentices, a hundred gems each if I’m not mistaken. But if you take one before your meditation, the progress will be faster during that day. It can also generally regenerate your mana faster during the day you drink it and it's more cost-efficient than simply draining up your magical gems. It’s not limited by how much mana your neck pool can convert.”

So I can draw mana from gems and use it to meditate? Why did I never think about it? It should've been obvious... “Oh! Before we go on. You promised that when I'll become your apprentice you'll tell me why we're pretending that we're doing something other than playing war.” He did make that promise.

He sighs. “I hoped you'd forget about that as well, kid.”

I shake my head. “No way! I've been lying to my friends for the past month. I want to know why at the very least. I also want to stop lying to them if possible.”

He leans forward and looks into my eyes. His amber glowing eyes are a mass of tiny glowing hexagons, the ones in the middle form a very odd black pupil. “Everything you do or say within the sapphire tower is recorded kid. They won’t record the mage's private quarters, but outside… I have enemies kid, powerful ones. One of the easiest ways to hurt a mage, is to harm their apprentice. We care for and nurture our apprentices, and all the resources we invest go away if the apprentice dies.”

“You're worried someone will hurt me in order to get to you. But that doesn't make any sense... they can also just hurt me if they think I'm your favorite prostitute, I do come here every night after all.” I don’t like the idea that he’s putting me in danger with people who can kill me with the snap of their fingers…

His face twists into a perverted grin, the very picture of a rich old hedonistic fat pervert, the same face he had when he first called me to his quarters. “And what makes you think you're my favorite prostitute? Other than you I have five slaves and two other master-less apprentices who come here every day, and with them, I do have some good time!”

“Ew! Seven of them?! Every day?!”

“Ha! Don't underestimate this old man's vigor! It’s all about the game kid, it’s all about the game.” He pats his belly a few times. “Don't worry, I don't force anyone to do something they don't want, they truly enjoy themselves. No one is going to find out you're my apprentice, nor harm you, as long as you keep that fact to yourself.”

I nod, that makes a whole lot more sense. He must've lost an apprentice already... So he uses the prostitutes as a smokescreen for his real intent while pretending he's drowning his sorrows in sex to lower his enemy's guard. “You've lost your last apprentice haven't you?”

He nods. “I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't speak so casually about her...”

Her? I'm just a replacement for someone he lost then… this is why he's acting so familiar with me… The realization hurts more than it should have.

How is it different than Nalfit? Why am I always the replacement for someone people loved? Does it matter if I'm a replacement? I'm me, if he wants to think I'm someone else he can do that. In time we’ll grow closer and he'll appreciate me for being me… And if we won’t, I still get to use his knowledge for myself! I'll learn. I'll get stronger. And if in the end he likes me for who I am then I'll like him back. If not, then whatever!

“Very well, I’ll avoid the subject. How do I increase the number of mana patterns I can control at once? I’m stuck at eight. I can’t focus on more.” This is another thing I’ve hit a dead-end with. If I can increase the number of patterns I can create with my mana, I can increase the number of spells I can cast.

“Oh-oh, eight is pretty good for a kid who just started. This old man can do forty-two.”

“Forty-two?! How?” That’s imagining forty-two different complex patterns and keeping them stable all at once. Even reaching eight takes a lot out of me, and I sometimes fail with the eighth one.

“My advice to you now kid is not to push it. Eight patterns are pretty good for a second-stage apprentice. It shows talent. Your ability to focus on more patterns will increase with time and usage of magic. It’ll also increase with the amount of mana you can control." He snorts and waves his hand dismissively. "It’s more important to work on how alert you are. Even a full mage, if you catch one off guard, even you can kill them. It’s more important to work on your awareness rather than the number of patterns you can conjure. Too many make the mistake of increasing their foci, take too much time concentrating on their magic, and die to something they don't see.”

“And if I insist on increasing the number of patterns I can control at once?”

“If you insist kid… When it comes to improving in that particular field I’d recommend a book named: “the Rune Melody” by Ayla Icy Cloak. She has some interesting theories and practice methods to practice mana patterns. Some people find her work useful. Others see no effect nor progress from her tips. Apparently the way we think changes from individual to individual. You can also check the work of her male counter part, "A Dawn of Runes" by Lako of Twilights. However, the way male and female brains work differs. It also influences the way we process the world and mana patterns in our minds. So I would recommend looking at "the Rune Melody” first."

“I see, thank you. What does a second-stage apprentice even mean? How does that classification system work?”

“A person who just awakened their magic is considered a first stage apprentice. A person who formed two elemental pools and one general pool is considered a second stage.”

“What about the third?”

“Third stage apprentice would be a person who had formed all of their ten mana pools. A fourth stage apprentice is a person who has connected all of their ten mana pools and is either ready to become a mage or failed his or her ascension. Mages have their own classifications and power ranks, but don’t bother with that until you become one.”

“What about…”

*~*~*

Interlude 20.1

Bolsia

“What did the pea brained fatty do now Bolsia?”

Bolsia Daughter of the Hunter would've been a beauty, if not for the ugly yellow crystal embedded where her right eye should be and the yellow veins in her right arms, currently hidden under a golden glove.

Bolsia wears a tight golden outfit that compliments her figure. She invested a lot of resources to make herself beautiful, but it was worth it. She was always her Kynator's favorite, until that terrible accident, now he won't even look at her. “He bought the Kratu feathers I was trying to get! I swear by all the gods, he does that only to piss me off. Venomous snakes! I had to fight a bidding war with him.”

Lana Daughter of the Harpy is a beautiful woman. She has long lush blond hair, an ample chest, and her eyes glow pink. She wears a long blue dress with a very low collar. “Ahh… I swear somebody needs to teach this fat pea a lesson!”

Bolsia chuckles covering her mouth. She can always count on her girlfriends to band up together in this world of men. “Has he taken another apprentice yet? I want to slowly drain the life out of the black-robe foolish enough to follow that fat snake. Sucking out the soul of that idiot will be such a treat!”

Lana shakes her head gracefully. “Not that I know of. He takes a couple of black-robes whores though. He’s very active, the pervert!”

“He can't find anyone of his level to look at him, so he forces himself on the poor black-robes. It's not like he's a man of standards, unlike my Kynator.”

“Yeah Kynator is perfect we know…” Lana rolls her eyes. “But this is about our fatty.”

Bolsia controls her sneer, she doesn't like the eye roll, but she needs this woman's help. “You’re right. That fat pervert! Someone needs to cut off his tiny snake!” Bolsia is pissed, this stack of Kratu feathers could help the situation with her eyes, finding another Kratu bird will take her months.

“Talking about Navaro?” Rushmia Daughter of the Desert Shark joins the table. She wears a wide grin that reaches her red eyes. “I just found out the perfect excuse to finally kill him. One of his black robe whores is my slave.”

Lana shakes her head. “I don't think that's enough, it's not like black-robes have many rights…”

“I know for a fact that he's taking her against her will.” Rushmia added.

“And? He's not the only one who does that… oh wait!” Lana's smile widens. “She doesn't have a master, does she? You're her appointed guardian. We need to uphold the law to the letter don’t we?” She bursts into a mad laughter.

“You got that right sister!” Bolsia adds with a huge grin on her face. She can always count on her girlfriends in this world of men. She can finally have her revenge, get the Kratu feathers she needs, and even rescue a poor girl from a powerful perverse man.

“Sometimes I even impress myself,” Rushmia says, full of herself.

“I don't want him dead.” Lana finally calms down from her laughter. “Too good for that pervert, it needs to be long and slow. But you girls go have your fun.” Lana gets up from her seat and leaves the restaurant, making it clear she's doesn't want to take any unnecessary risks.

Bolsia understands it. The Harpy, Lana's master isn't strong enough to protect her. Unlike the Hunter. Unlike Kynator. Kynator is one of the strongest mages of his level, and his master? Oh, no one will mess with one of the five archmages who rule over the Sapphire Tower. Bolsia has a good backing, she can afford to bend the rules. “You can count me in Rushy, I want him dead as much as you do. I take the Kratu feathers he just bought, and you can have everything else he owns. Deal?”

“That's a deal Bolsia.” They shake on it and get back to their parfait.

*~*~*

Power level: 2nd stage apprentice.

Mana pools status:

Crown-knot: Affinity 10:

Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 66

Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5:

Air: Affinity 4: formed: 18 gems

Fire: Affinity 2: open: 4 gems

Light: Affinity 3:

Water: Affinity 6:

Earth: Affinity 1:

Wood: Affinity 2:

Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 41 gems

Cantrip known:

Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword.

Fire: Nuriss’ Flame.

Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light body. Alino’s Heavy body.

Spells known:

Focus capability: 8 patterns

Social status: An apprentice.

Wealth: 743 gems.

Items: 2 healing potions.

Companions:

Nalfit Flaming hair

Kolag of house Befar

Lezere of the black fang tribe

Janara of Winemaker village.

Purson of Winemaker village.

Injuries and scars: