Ashfall Town could become a hunting ground for the groups that had received the tasks. So, the trio bribed the sentries to open the gate and slipped away into the shadows of the night. Distant howls and the eerie whispers of the wind met their strides in the dark. Even the Ghosts accompanied them, circling close, hungry for Thorin’s heart as he thirsted for them in return. He held himself in check and let them be. Distance from the murderous group came first.

  By the time they reached the neighboring town, the crack of dawn had greyed the sky. They hired the cheapest cart there was, a bull cart, and continued their journey after preparing the necessities. Because of the hectic night, Thorin hadn’t got any shut eye. So, when the cart swayed in a rhythm that matched the bulls’ comforting moos, he dozed off.

  ……

  “Thorin. Thorin.” He woke to Clay’s calls and stretched with a groan.

  “What happened?” he asked. “Where are we?”

  “Dinner’s ready,” Clay said. “Come eat, you can sleep after that.”

  “It’s already night?” Thorin jumped off the cart and walked to the wide grassy clearing by the green road, yawning. Quin had prepared dinner on the campfire and had taken a stump as his seat. He blew the steam off the braised meat and stuffed his face before gobbling some bread.

  “You slept for more than twelve hours,” Quin said after he gulped a mouthful.

  “Yeah, I sleep more nowadays,” Thorin said, taking his plate. “It’ll probably get longer the less time I’ve left.”

  “While you were snoring away, we both triggered our first arcana,” Clay said, taking his seat and his plate as well.

  “What was it?” Thorin asked.

  “Mine is the Blood Arcana. It increased my vitality,” Quin said. “My axe suddenly felt so light, and my swing feels so weighty. I can chop a tree in one hit now.”

  “I got the Mind Arcana,” Clay said, dismissing Quin’s brag. “Same as you, it increased my spirit.”

  “All three of us are officially Magi now,” Thorin said, smiling in joy.

  “We already were,” Clay said. “We just took one more step forward.”

  “So, what now?” Quin asked.

  “We hunt for the Ghosts,” Clay said.

  “After that, I mean,” Quin said. “The diary said the method to become stronger as a Magus is to meditate with spell models and pull in this ‘radiation’ from the arcanas. Where do we find these spell models?”

  “I also have an answer for that,” Clay said but crammed his mouth with a chomp of the hog flesh without continuing. While the two halted their spoons and waited for him, he slowly chewed in great delight. Before they’d almost snapped though, he swallowed with a chuckle and answered, “We are rogue Magi now. And the one most important thing for rogue Magi is a hub to connect and trade. I’ve already inquired about the rumors of a street market. I only know the area though. We’ll have to look around when we get there.”

  “The rumors might not be true,” Thorin said. “What do we do then?”

  “We’ll continue to look,” Clay said. “Finding a street market is vital for us. We need it if we want to become proper Magi.”

  “But we only have three mana shards in total now,” Quin said. “I don’t think we’ll be able to buy much with those. We’ll have to earn more, somehow.”

  “We’ll consider that when we get to the street market. I also have those ashes from the Ghosts. Someone might buy them.” Thorin paused. “For now, let’s just focus on our destination. Where are we going anyway?”

  “The old battlefield between Adarow and Whitebridge,” Clay said. “Too many people died there. The plains are haunted now. We should be able to find what we’re looking for.”

  “How far is it?” Thorin asked. “Do you have a map?”

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  “Yeah,” Clay said and took out a large map from his satchel, unfolding it on the grass. “We are here.” He pointed at the eastern end of the Vlauria Continent. It was the area of the Vanyth Empire that kissed the crashing waves of the Bythedon Deep. “We need to go south for a distance, then west. Both kingdoms are a part of Vanyth Empire now, so we shouldn’t have any issue crossing the borders. This is the rumored place for that street market as well. So, if we’re lucky, we might fulfill both our objectives at the same place.”

  “Bythedon Deep,” Thorin murmured, touching the blue patch on the map that represented the sea. They lived so close to the endless waters that they often tasted the salt in the wind. Yet, he’d only ever heard the tales of the water giant from the passing merchants.

  “Once we’re done with everything, let’s make a detour to the sea, fulfill your wish,” Clay said.

  “Pathetic.” Quin scoffed. “If you must have a dying wish, at least aim to bed the beautiful princess of the Vanyth Empire. Looking at a massive salty lake as you die, that’s just pointless.”

  “I’ll wish to bed the princess with the sea as the backdrop then,” Thorin said and ate a mouthful.

  Quin chuckled. “That’s more like it.”

  “It’ll be a few days of travel,” Clay said. “Hurry up and eat. We need to move soon. The insects are too quiet tonight. I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t see many Ghosts around either,” Thorin said. “You really chose a ‘safe’ place.” His sarcasm oozed out.

  “We didn’t have any choice,” Clay said. “The bulls need feeding even if we can hold on.”

  They buried their faces in the plate and wolfed their food while the silent night rang aloud in their ears. The absence of Ghosts or the quietness of the insects and animals was something Thorin didn’t want to see. For it represented an anomaly. Thus, with their eyes moving about, keeping a watch on the shadows of the woods, they finished their dinner. When the carter also fed the bulls, they packed up and resumed their journey.

  Before they could rest their asses in the cart again, however, a silhouette of a man watched them from where they had eaten. Thorin felt his heart sink.

  “You really chose a ‘safe’ place,” he said and gritted his teeth.

  The bulls trotted, and the man sauntered towards them.

  “He’s just one guy,” Quin said, taking out his bow.

  “Something seems off about him,” Clay said.

  “No shit,” Thorin said then tapped on the young carter’s shoulder. “Brother, speed up. Someone’s chasing us. Could be a robbery.”

  “I only have my bulls and my cart,” the carter said, whipping the bulls into a full sprint. “Why would someone want to steal from me?”

  “Yeah. Why would someone want to steal from you?” Thorin murmured and looked back at the man who was inching closer. Soon, he broke into a run and rushed at them. Even at their best, the bulls could barely pull away from him, especially with the burden of the cart.

  “This is bad,” Quin said, nocking an arrow. “He might be a Magus.”

  The man proved him right the next second. He pointed at them and launched a dazzling ray of light that chased the night away. Thorin reacted at the last moment and dodged, but the ray still caught him and bore a hole through his shoulder. He grunted as the waft of burnt flesh assaulted him.

  “Fuck!” Quin shot the arrow at the man, but he sidestepped and avoided it.

  “Let me see,” Clay said and quickly checked Thorin’s wound.

  “No, not now,” Thorin said and turned to the carter. “Brother, speed up or we’ll all die.” The carter bobbed his head, sweating, and whipped his bulls again to speed them up.

  “How I wish we got a horse cart now,” Quin said and launched another arrow at the man. But he missed him again.

  “You suck at this,” Thorin said, his grip weakening. He fought to hold on to the jolting cart.

  “He’s dodging me!” Quin said.

  “Do you think he’ll just stand still and let you hit him then?” Clay retorted. “Aim properly.”

  Before Quin could nock another arrow, the man sent a ray of light at them again. This one grazed past Clay’s temple and scorched his skin. He broke out in cold sweat and gulped. “I almost died,” he said.

  “He sucks at aiming too,” Thorin said, wincing as the wheel slammed into a rut. His voice was loud enough for the still night. The man heard him, and he sped up with a growl.

  “You made him angry,” Quin said and missed another arrow.

  Thorin’s eyes sparkled as a wave of ideas flashed in his head. He stood beside Quin. “You stinking cunt!” he yelled at the man. “Motherfucker! If you’re a man, come at us directly.”

  “He is coming at us directly,” Quin said under his breath.

  Thorin ignored his quip and hurled curses at the man, forcing his voice through the pain. Clay and Quin stared at him, stunned.

  “You’re not your father’s son, you pig-faced bastard,” Thorin shouted. “How often did your neighbor visit, huh? No wonder your useless father abandoned you and your whore of a mother.” His voice rang through the forest, each insult striking like a spark. The man roared and charged, firing one ray of light after another. None of them came close.

  “Oh, it’s working,” Quin said.

  “Me too, me too,” Clay said then faced the man. “I’ll go and fuck your sister, you maggot!”

  “What if he doesn’t have one?” Quin asked.

  “Then I’ll fuck his mother and make him a sister!” Clay yelled.

  The man roared, and the bulls sprinted away. The distance between them widened, enough that the menacing rays of light faded before they could reach the cart.

  “Brother, keep it up,” Thorin said to the carter, who nodded grimly. “We’ve almost lost him.”

  The chase had dragged on for minutes now. The bulls huffed and strained, their hooves thudding unevenly against the road, but they kept running.

  “It’s working. Give him more,” Quin said and shot another arrow just to annoy him.

  Yet, they cheered too early. The cart they’d hired was too old, and the burden of the pursuit was too much for its creaking joints. Its wheels snapped off, and the cart crashed into the dirt path with the bulls’ painful roars.

  Fuck…