Taking a drink from my mug to wash down the taste of greasy meat and dry bread, I masked a grimace at the bitter taste. Though I could appreciate good food and drinks, what was in front of me was neither. It was as if someone scooped sawdust and oil onto a plate and added a cup of bathwater to finish it off.
After this meal, I had a newfound appreciation for the beads I was using to replace eating. At least they were tasteless, something particularly enjoyable now that my sense of taste had been sharpened thanks to body refining.
Still, it would have been impolite to turn down a present. Helping those kids had, as I hoped, earned me some goodwill in the town, and the local inn offered me free room and board.
"So, whereabouts you from, Aren?" the man behind the bar asked. I had picked the name for one reason. It was a common noble name, particularly up north past Volaris, and one often given to the younger children.
"Oh, I come from Eymond. Decided I wanted to experience some warmer weather," I replied with a smile. I had never been there but decided during the journey to use it as a cover. The city was small, isolated, and filled with a few dozen minor nobles families too poor to afford mage training but wealthy enough to teach their scions how to protect themselves.
The guarded expression on his face told me he filled in the blanks as I hoped. A traveler with excellent equipment, a confident attitude, and proficient martial skills pointed to a lesser noble with a chip on his shoulder. The youngest child of a poor family looking to gain some prestige was a common enough tale that few would question.
Before he could pry further, I heard the padding of boots on wood and glanced over to see two of the young men I encountered earlier, standing a few feet away.
"Good evening..." I said, trailing off as I realized I never bothered to get their names.
"Evenin', my lord. Sorry ta bother ya, but we was wondering if you'd-well if you could teach us some o' your skills." the lead one said. I noted it was the same young man that had swung around a shovel as a makeshift weapon.
"Why?" I asked, turning in my seat to look at them straight on. As I stared, I tried to affect a somewhat arrogant demeanor befitting my "status."
"Well, we've been 'ttacked before on the way home, and it's always tough to fight 'em off. Be nice to know how to do it for real, ya know?" he said, not meeting my eyes.
I nodded several times, thinking it over before replying, "Before I leave, I can show you a few exercises. Nothing special, but if you practice long enough, you could keep yourself alive, at least. It is my duty to Ferris to help protect others, after all."
It was the sort of answer every noble should give, but few would, not that the boy knew any better. His face brightened, and he bowed low before straightening.
"Thank ye, my lord!" he said before the two of them practically ran from the inn.
I heard a snort from my side and looked over at the barkeep, who shook his head as he cleaned one of the glasses with a rag. Something told me he did not believe my apparent generosity.
"So...you always have issues with those beasts?" I asked, taking the chance to pry for information.
The man's posture briefly turned rigid before relaxing.
"What's it to you?" he asked, a frown now on his face. I recognized it as worry, suspecting he felt if I was injured, it would fall on his head.
I shrugged, responding, "I am a decent hunter. If you have an issue with some of these, I could take care of it for you. Call it a favor, from one man to another."
He snorted, my appearance likely not instilling much confidence in my abilities. Though I might appear dangerous and skilled, I was still a teenager barely older than the ones I saved.
"Bit of a friendly warning. Stay outta the forest and be on your way. Over the years, we've had a few travelers think they could take care of the beasts, wander into the forest and never come back. Don't add to that number."
"I have some experience fighting them, and they have never managed to kill me yet. Besides, I have never run from a challenge." I responded, lifting up my shirt's sleeve to show off the now-faded scars on my forearm, a souvenir from my expedition out east.
Staring at them, he did not respond immediately, looking back down at the glass in his hands. Judging by how long he had been cleaning it, I doubted there was a cleaner mug in the building. Finally, he sighed, shaking his head several times.
"Attacks used to be rare, but lately they've been happening more and more often. Raids on our livestock, doors ripped open, and the like. A few months back, a kid was carried off. Parents never saw him again."
"Any ideas why they suddenly became so aggressive? Beasts, particularly ones enhanced with mana, tend to avoid human civilization."
Shaking his head, he responded, "No idea. I ain't a hunter, and I'm definitely no mage. All I can tell you is that most of the attacks come from the south side of town. Might be the best place to start."
Nodding, I stood, tossing down several silver coins as a tip before making my way up to my room.
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The bartender's information should prove helpful, but the beasts' actions did not make much sense. The oasis concentrated enough Aether that it could provide energy for dozens of animals without issue. This value was actually what kept the creatures nearby common but weak. The strongest of them often warred over the water, injuring themselves enough to be torn down by lesser animals.
Despite this, attacking a town instead of staying near the waters was a risk and carried no real benefits. Ordinary humans had little mana to absorb, and other magic beasts were a better prize.
Their behavior was strange, but that mystery could wait until later. I had two days until I needed to move on, and delaying longer was a risk I could not take. My faked death might fool some, but I doubted it would work for long. The water's potential benefits were too great to pass up, and unlike those beasts, the reward was worth the potential threat.
I took several hours to regain my strength before slipping out of bed shortly after midnight. By my estimates, I could exert myself for most of a day without much trouble by this point, and I needed as much time as possible to search.
After dressing in my armor, weapons, and cloak, I slid open the window, pausing for a moment afterward. No noise came from outside the inn, and I stared at the roof of a nearby home, casting Flicker Step and reappearing just a few inches over its surface.
Landing with a soft thud, I quickly padded across the roof, jumping to the ground without a sound. Though I might have shown off some of my abilities, there was no need to display too much strength, if possible.
Darting from one house to another, I made my way to the south end of the town, where the bartender indicated the beasts typically attacked. My running theory was that the oasis caused such a high number of magic beasts and that if I could track where the concentration was highest, I could find my prize.
Of course, that was also where the strongest creatures would be, but between my weapon, magic, and enhanced body, I should be able to handle most threats. If not, running was always an option. Better to lose the potential benefits than my life.
Hours passed as I wandered through the forest, weapon drawn and senses cast as far out as I could manage. My ability to detect mana had grown steadily over the months, and I could sense for miles away by this point with some focus. At that range, my precision would suffer, but I did not need that for my purposes. All I needed was a rough idea, enough to narrow my search window.
As expected, my search was hampered by magic beasts of varying species, who seemed to take offense to my presence on their lands. A half-dozen times I was attacked, and every time I managed to drive off the creatures, taking only minor injuries each time.
When I returned to the inn by the next night, I had several nasty cuts on my face, a bruise on my ribs that ached whenever I breathed, and a swollen ankle. The last was a reminder to keep my guard up, a mistake that nearly cost me my life. During my search, I made the mistake of leaning against a tree to catch my breath, only sensing the serpent in the leaves above at the last second.
My stumbling retreat and clumsy counterattack had chopped off its head, but I had fallen over a root, injuring the joint in the process. Improved reflexes and durability aside, my body's weak points still remained, and I had plenty to learn about combat.
At least the pouch I had taken from Flynn now carried fifty pounds of meat and a half-dozen glass vials of blood. If magic beasts could absorb mana from flesh and blood, maybe I could as well. And if not, they might sell for some gold in a larger settlement.
Resting and recovering, I went back out the next night, knowing that it was my last chance to find the oasis. If I had failed by the following morning, I needed to move on and continue further south.
It was not long into the night that I sensed something rumbling through the forest, leaves, and branches snapping in its wake. Taking a moment, I scanned above my head before jumping high, grabbing a low-hanging branch, and pulling myself up. I wanted a good vantage point to check out whatever was coming my way.
I did not have to wait long, watching as a bear ripped through the foliage and sending bark scattering. It looked massive, easily ten feet tall and hundreds of pounds heavier than any I had seen before. More interesting, it was covered in fur that, although appearing black, had a faint blue tint.
Stretching out my senses, I felt the telltale surge of Aether running through its body, the strongest I had felt from any beast so far. Though I was confident I could kill it if needed, it was powerful enough that I would prefer to avoid a fight.
After several minutes, it had moved far enough away that I was comfortable leaping back to the forest floor. Looking back at where it disappeared, I decided to go the opposite direction, towards where the beast came from. It had the highest concentration of mana so far, which gave me hope it originated from or near the oasis.
Following the path the bear had torn through the forest, I kept my senses outstretched, and my eyes open. I found nothing for miles, and my hope began to wane as I was ready to resign myself to failure. Finally, with only a few hours until sunrise, I felt something just on the edge of my awareness. It was pure, strong, and unmistakeably Aether.
Breaking into a faster run, I made a straight line for the location, adjusting my path along the way. The closer I got, the more confident I became that I was right. The energy I was sensing was either the oasis or an ungodly powerful mage. I could only hope it was the former, or else my journey would be remarkably brief.
When I broke through the tree line into a small clearing, I skidded to a halt, remembering that I was still surrounded by potential predators. This was a place they would fight over, and I needed to make sure I would not be torn to pieces the instant I approached.
Scanning the entire clearing and surrounding forests for several hundred feet, I sensed nothing but the background mana that permeated everything. In fact, the only significant source of energy was the oasis, which I approached with a spring to my step.
The pool was small, only around thirty feet across and gloving with a bright white-blue luminescence, unlike my naturally green-hued energy. Some mages thought pure mana was actually colorless and that the different colors are due to external factors, but they were unsure exactly why. All they knew was that most mana had a shade similar to the natural phenomenon attached to their aspect. Fire mages tended towards reds and yellows, water mages blues of various types, and so on.
As I wondered if drinking this water would add a blue tint to my mana like it had to the bear's fur, I felt the ground shake just the slightest bit under my feet. Whirling and spinning my staff into a ready position, I prepared my mana, looking around for the foe I had missed.
Strangely, there was nothing around me. No trees rustled, no dirt tore open, and I did not see the shadowy form of wings in the air above me. In fact, the night seemed quiet.
Unnaturally so.
A chill ran down my spine as I realized the tremor I felt was not physical but magical in nature. Something powerful had escaped my notice, hiding nearby, and there was only one place I could think of that could disguise it.
Slowly turning, I watched with dread as the formally placid water started to move. Bubbles rose to the surface as something shifted from deep underneath, disturbing the entire pool.
There was something inside the oasis.