“Humanity barely clung to life, huddled remnants of their once mighty race. The conflict had changed the face of the world, one that was now hostile and antagonistic to human existence. The Gods, with their infinite kindness and boundless cruelty, provided their blessings. Mana was a gift, allowing mortals to exceed their limits, and providing a path to divinity. Mana was also a curse, twisting and changing those who used it. Where there was once one race, now there were many. Animals grew large and wild, grotesque and beautiful.”
Hectares the Wise “Treatise of Magic, Vol 1” 832 IC
Chapter 5
The following days passed by in a blur for Wil, with a constant feeling of dread lingering from his father’s words of disappointment. Knowing that whatever he was planning, it would not be pleasant. Wil attended classes and training in a daze.
Wil felt a strange sense of relief when the leader of his father’s guardsmen stopped and informed him that he would be joining the eastern Auxiliaries for the upcoming Nightfall. The waiting was finally over, and Wil was oddly calm and detached about it.
Kellerman, captain of the Brookmoor House Guards, was an older rank 4 warrior who had risen to his position because of his competency with a sword and his no-nonsense attitude. Wil found him to be surprisingly easy to talk to, and they had bonded over the years as he tutored Wil occasionally.
Sitting in the carriage across from Wil, Captain Kellerman was accompanying him in order to purchase his supplies and the gear he would need. He was provided exactly 100 gold coins for equipment and told that he would get no more than that. He would be treated no different than the other auxiliaries, regardless of his birth and status.
“Captain, what are the Auxiliaries like? I’ve only briefly heard of them. Are they comparable to the mercenaries that merchants hire to guard their caravans?” Will asked, curious about his new companions.
“Aye, similar, but the Auxiliaries pay more, so they get quality people.” He paused, before muttering under his breath. “Or the desperate ones.”
“I was an auxiliary, before I was recruited to your father’s guard. They only accept those with Mana, no rank-less allowed.” Kellerman replied.
“And they work for the Legion?”
“On paper, they take orders from the Legion Commander. But they’re paid from the local lord’s pocket, so they take orders from them as well.”
“Sounds like a mess, why doesn’t the Lord just hire them directly?”
“Politics! The Emperor doesn’t want the Lords raising private armies and the lords don’t want to depend on the Emperor for protection from the Nightfall raids. So, the compromise is that the Legion directs the Auxiliaries, with the Lords fronting the money to hire them.”
“But wouldn’t that be just mean the Lords are paying for an army for the Emperor? What keeps them and the Legion from turning on the Lords afterwards? I know that the Council of Lords and the Emperor don’t see eye to eye. I can’t imagine either agreeing to a compromise like the Auxiliaries.” Wil reasoned.
“Because the Legion and the Lord’s House Guards balance each other out, while the Auxiliaries do the real fighting. And because they are only in it for the money and resources from the Nightfall beasts and monsters, they aren’t a threat to either.” Kellerman explained, gesturing with his hands. He raised one and then the other, until they were both at an equal height.
“What do the Auxiliaries get out of it?”
“Where do you think that 100 gold coins came from? That’s a lot of money for most folk, enough to kit them out and feed their family on top of it.”
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“They would throw away their lives for 100 gold coins?” Wil exclaimed, shocked that people would throw their lives away for so little. “I’ve heard rumors of causality rates as high as fifty percent for some Nights.”
“People give their lives for a lot less” Kellerman said quietly, looking out the window with a sad gaze.
“There’s also the loot after the Nightfall.” Kellerman continued after a moment. “The Auxiliaries keep anything they kill, with a tax to the Lords and the Emperor, of course.”
“What could Goblins have to offer? Wil disgustingly muttered. The small creatures infested caves and undergrown warrens, stealing from farmers, he couldn’t imagine them with piles of gold coins.
“You’d be surprised. I remember once when we searched a lair after a raid, Goblins must have robbed every farm and village for 50 miles. They even had a Sun Altar, gods only knows where they took that from. After we split the loot and paid our dues, I had enough coin to buy a home back in Brookmoor.”
“You were with them for a while then?” Wil asked.
“I did five Nights, but there were only half of my old company left when your father made the offer to join his guard. I leapt at the chance, at least now I don’t have to worry about ending up in some Goblin’s supper pot.”
“No, now your worst enemy is your gut preventing you from fitting in your uniform!” Wil laughed.
The carriage continued on its way to the marketplace. People walking along the pathway next to it were confused by the sounds of laughter and swearing that followed in its wake.
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Wil had an easy enough time finding all the supplies and equipment that he needed for the upcoming journey.
His first purchase was a set of padded leather armor, black with silver rivets. Sturdy, but lacking in any magical enchantments, the armor set him back 45 gold coins. A thick cloak, silk with a wool lining, completed the outfit, a dull greenish grey that was lightly enchanted to keep the rain off. A bargain at only 10 gold, Kellerman told him that a good cloak was essential while traveling.
Wil chose to forgo a helmet, as it would interfere with his incantations. The last item was a sturdy long-sword with a black grip and a matching black scabbard, mundane, with no magical enchantments.
With his equipment settled, Wil purchased his spell casting components. As a 1st rank spell caster, Wil only required a few common components. Some feathers, scraps of leather and vials of pure alcohol, they would be stored in a small bag next to his satchel that contained his spell book.
He would not require a Focus for the minor spell castings he was capable of, so he would hold off on purchasing a wand or staff until he gained ranks. As he gained in rank, his mana would grow as well. It would become unmanageable without a suitable item to control the Mana flow, to ‘focus’ the energy into the shape and direction he desired.
Wil, having spent the gold coins his father had given him, made his way back to Flemington’s, the shop he had entered a few days earlier. Making his way to the counter where the single use charms were, Wil selected one that he could use in a life-threatening situation.
A thick, square sheet of paper, covered in runes with a symbol of an open door on it. Simply ripping it in half would instantly send Wil a distance of up to 300 feet, as long as he could see the location.
Wil had to spend almost every coin that he had squirrelled away over the years and hidden from his father to purchase the charm. Although he was nearly destitute, with only a few coins left, it would be well worth it in the event his life was truly in danger.
Leaving the shop, Wil joined Kellerman back in the carriage. They would be returning to manor for Wil to pack the remainder of his belongings and grab a horse from his family’s stables.
Staring out of the carriage window, holding onto his new purchases, Wil thought about his last few years here in the capital. If he were to be honest with himself, there was nothing he would truly miss here.
Stress at disappointing his family at the Academy, all the while maintaining his façade of indifference had taken its toll on Wil. Although he would be heading into unknown dangers, it was freeing to finally be away from here, and his father’s influence.
Arriving at the manor, Wil proceeded to his room, packing his belongings and taking inventory of what he had. Armor, cloak and sword he would wear while he traveled.
His spell book would be wrapped tightly in oiled cloth in his satchel, to prevent the elements from damaging the precious book. Component he would hang from a small pouch on his belt.
His pack, filled with the essentials of traveling: Flint, torch, blanket, rope and rations, he bundled together, they would stay on his horse along with the saddle and fodder. The precious, lifesaving charm, he kept under his armor, near his heart. It would be essential to have it close at hand in case it was needed.
With everything packed and ready, Wil closed the curtains of his room to block out the yellow light of Primaris, he would be leaving early in the morning, traveling first to the legion outpost outside of the capital, then making his way with a legion convoy and other Auxiliaries to the East. It was a two-day journey to where they would be stationed for the upcoming Nightfall.
Closing his eyes, Wil tried to calm his racing heart. He cleared his mind and attempted to fall asleep.