“Interesting use of transmutation magic,” a voice from beneath the hood said.

Like a startled cat, I jumped up from the bench I had just been sitting on. Most of the man’s head was covered by a concealing hood. Even without being able to see the man’s head, however, there was still much to perceive.

Just about every finger of the man’s hands was covered in silver or brass rings, and each ring had a fine jewel inlaid within its metalwork. A small silver bracelet hung from his left wrist, and a foot-long wand sat in a small leather holster at the man’s side. Both the staff and the wand were fashioned out of a dark wood.

In contrast to the expensive jewelry worn by the man, his outfit was astoundingly dirty, and his skin was covered in a thin coating of grime. It seemed to me like he had not bathed or washed his hands in weeks, yet his jewelry must have cost several dozen gold pieces.

The mage wore a necklace from which hung five rubies, and several talismans hung from his belt. It was difficult to tell at a distance, but the talismans and magic foci were completely covered in runes carved into the wood.

My experience from [Ferrum Online] made me immediately aware of what that man was. He was a War Mage. Every seemingly meaningless piece of jewelry or esoteric talisman the man carried on his person served an important combat purpose. His equipment reminded me of the necromancer character I played back on Earth.

I knew that the man was powerful, but I didn’t know who he was, so I made a snap decision.

[Observe, Lvl. 7]

Name: Beltane Ostara

Class: War Mage

Level: 25

HP: 153

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

MP: 259

Fortitude: 12

Strength: 10

Agility: 15

Intelligence: 20

Willpower: 20

Charisma: 8

Talents: [Lie Detection], [Observe]

Healing Potential: 0

The man’s name was Beltane Ostara, and there was absolutely no way I could take him in a fight. Back in [Ferrum Online], army units would often deploy with war mages. They were a level beyond typical mages that could only use 2-Point sorceries and 1-Point illusions.

I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender a moment before two words escaped Beltane’s lips, “Level seven…?”

Crap, I had almost forgotten to read his Talents. Beltane had the [Observe] Talent, so he knew the significance of what I had just done. It took a year of consistent training to use [Observe] at level 5, and it took several years to reach a level beyond that. I was only able to use [Observe] at level 7 after many years of training.

“Lord Thale…” Beltane said, his voice a mixture of naked shock and respect, “you’re even more impressive than I was led to believe.”

He knew who I was, but I wouldn’t let that rattle me. “You were watching me. Why?”

“You’ve caught my attention, Lord Thale. I heard about you all the way back in Hinnom, and I’m here now in the Northern Realms for several reasons, one of which is to serve as the Observer on your seventh birthday,” Beltane said.

“Those are a lot of big words, Mister,” I said, though my cold tone of voice belied my awareness of the situation. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Right, you’re right,” Beltane chuckled quietly. “You’re just a normal nine-year-old who can use [Observe] at level 7. That makes a lot of sense to me.”

Beltane Ostara has targeted you with [Observe, Lvl. 9]

This line of text appeared at the top of my vision as soon as Beltane had finished speaking. There was nothing I could do to stop Beltane from gleaning an unacceptable amount of information from me. A small part of me started to resent the [Observe] Talent, and I decided I would need to acquire a Ring of Mind Shielding as soon as possible.

“A normal nine-year-old with… Nyx above… eighteen Intelligence?” Beltane gasped in surprise.

“Fine…” I sighed heavily. This guy was a serious problem for me. I certainly couldn’t handle him physically, but perhaps I could handle him with political influence. If he was working in Northwind, he would have to be working for Armond. Perhaps I could subtly push Armond toward exiling him. “I’m a genius. Congratulations, you’ve unveiled my great secret. What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Beltane said with a wry smile. “No, I want to teach you.”