Ashton flicked his wrist and continued to let the wisp fly around, testing the newly engraved spell out a few times. Specifically, he was attempting to swap out a few variables.

  A simple spell like this 'force' spell was fully determined by the actual magic circle, and couldn't take further details from the user mid-cast. Instead, the variables within the magic circle determined the size of the effect, the direction, the type of force applied, and the level of force.

  Each of these variables had a limit, which was generally the level of mana used to create the spell. Since it was engraved into the wisp, Ashton could probably crank it up a bit more than normal, but there was still a limit.

  The size of the effect would inevitably weaken the level of force as well, like it was stretched thin the larger it was. Making it directionally focused did help with that, since you could vastly decrease the overall area, so you could increase the total range. These were all things that Ashton had to find a good balance for, and that he would change depending on the situation.

  However, the one variable that was the most interesting to play around with was the 'type of force'. There were really only two modes, though. Instantaneous force, like that single blast of force, or continuous force, like magically pushing something away.

  The power of the continuous force was likely stronger than what the wisp would be able to produce on its own, so it would definitely have some uses.

  The wisp pressed up against Ashton's palm, and he used his mana to quickly alter some of the variables. At least for the time being, Ashton wasn't able to change them from afar, so he would have to decide what 'settings' he needed going into a fight. It took him a while to change, too. If he wasn't careful, the whole magic circle would unravel and he would need to take the time to inscribe it from scratch.

  He changed it from instantaneous to continuous force, focused specifically forward, in this case meaning whatever direction the wisp was currently moving in, and also increased the force to what he figured was the maximum for the time being.

  So that he could feel the force himself, Ashton activated the spell and had the wisp slowly move toward him. Starting about two metres away from the wisp, he could feel something pushing against him. It started in his chest and then spread to the rest of his torso when the wisp got closer.

  Every part of his body that was affected by the spell was experiencing the force equally, like a perfect mould of him was trying to force him backward. Ashton pushed back against it, and the closer the wisp came, the more it took for him to fight the force.

  By the time the wisp touched his chest, it felt like a grown man was using their entire weight to push him away. However, keeping this up was draining his mana extremely fast, to the point where he would only be able to do this for around half a minute at best.

  Either way, with that, Ashton had a pretty good idea of the wisp's limits now that it had the force spell engraved into it. He should try and remember a couple more spells that could be useful. 'Light' would be great, definitely. There were a few healing spells that could work well with a wisp, like the 'Recovery Field' spell. But that one was a bit too complex for him to form right now. Ashton didn't know a ton of spells, anyway, but he should be able to figure out a lot of the rules behind magic circle construction in the future and learn his own way of casting spells.

  With that, it was about time for Ashton to get moving. He wanted to make a few stops before heading out to take care of the lizardmen; Market Street and the primary school. For one, to check in on everyone, and to grab himself some items.

  However, just as he grabbed the bicycle he was given at the school, which he had put down near the front door, Sam walked out of the building. It was barely sunrise, but he was already out and about.

  "Yo," Ashton briefly waved, and his friend came over to him.

  "Perfect, I was hoping that you didn't leave yet. I want to talk to you about something," Sam started, scratching the back of his head.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Hm? Is something up?"

  It seemed like Sam was a bit conflicted and unsure how to explain what he wanted to say, but Ashton waited as long as necessary for him to come out with it.

  "I've been thinking... Do you think it's possible for us to somehow see and check up on Clementine?"

  "Clementine? You said she was in London, right?" Ashton raised a brow.

  "Yeah... You said that big cities are usually hit pretty hard by this, so I've been worried. I know you said that you're struggling to remember some things from... before all of this, but we were all super close... the same way you're my brother, she's my sister, so I... I just want to make sure she's okay."

  Ashton looked at his friend's face. His eyes were sunken in. He was trying not to show it, but he barely slept recently, for obvious reasons. Ashton was probably the only one here that didn't have any issue with sleeping, if it weren't for his scarred soul and all the things that he had to do before this main quest was over.

  Sam and Ashton spoke about it a bit more, and basically every person in any camp he came across was clearly terrified, not just for themselves, but for their loved ones. They were scared, grieving, and... there were quite a few corpses out there whose deaths were caused by their own hands, rather than the monsters or other people. This wasn't easy for anyone. And Sam, unable to leave and go find his mother and step-father, had been trying to focus on this camp as much as he could.

  But now that so many people were coming in, he must have been thinking about who else he could bring here amongst his friends. A few had already come here, though many had died. That must have made Sam even more anxious. That's why Ashton felt pretty bad for what he was about to say.

  "Sorry, we can't." Ashton shook his head. Sam stared at him confused, and clearly a bit upset.

  "What? I mean, I know it's pretty far away, but don't you think if we get a car, we could try and find her..? Isn't it at least worth a try?"

  "Oh, that's not what I mean," Ashton replied immediately. "If we were to leave our region, we would incur heavy penalties. One of them being that we'd be locked into the 'Nomad' questline. It's not a bad one, definitely, and it's technically the one I've got most experience with, but it means that we can't settle down anywhere. We'd have to travel around all over Britain, and maybe even cross the channel at some point. Well, if we want to have any shot at growing reasonably stronger, at least."

  Sam widened his eyes, confused, "Seriously? That's a thing?"

  "Mhm. But don't worry, regions should merge into bigger ones after the third quest. If we're lucky, we'll become part of the London region, but... I frankly doubt it, the way things are going," Ashton explained, scratching his neck with an awkward smile. "But with time, all region borders are going to disappear anyway."

  "... Then what are we supposed to do? Just let Clementine fend for herself?"

  Ashton shrugged. "I don't remember her all too well, but if she's anything like what you've told me, she'll be fine. For now, just worry about yourself. Make sure to get stronger as fast as you can. Aim for level 10 by the end of the quest if possible."

  Sam groaned loudly, scratching his scruffy, unkempt beard. Ashton hadn't seen him like this often, but it wasn't like anyone could properly groom themselves here. It was likely that Ashton was the only one that actually took the time for that despite the situation, just out of habit. "Yeah, you're right... Let's just hope we'll see her again at some point." Sam looked at the bike that Ashton was handling. "By the way, where are you going?"

  "Oh, just heading out for a bit. I'll take care of the large lizardman camp at the edge of town."

  "Wait, on your own? Seriously?"

  Ashton shrugged. "You know that I do better like that. Plus, I'm not going to wipe the place out. I'll sneak in, take care of the really strong ones and the ones in leadership positions, and then the remaining ones should scramble to some degree. Lizardmen are more organised than many other monsters, but the moment their leaders are gone, they'll focus back on the instinct of killing humans, which means they'll try to head back out into town."

  Sam frowned. "Which means that you're going to send a flood of Lizardmen into town?"

  "I guess. But at that point, they'll have to deal with the monsters that have already started settling down. These types of Lizardmen are strongest when they have a proper tribe, rather than wandering around," Ashton patted his friend's shoulder. "Plus, I'll take care of as many of them as I can, don't worry."

  "Urgh... if you say so. Just be careful, okay? You've been up for literally two days straight."

  "Yup, but I only feel like I've been up for a single day. And that's the magic of potions."

  With a scoff, Sam crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah. Just keep me updated, alright?"

  "... How?"

  "If you clear the costco out, make a post about it in the community or something. I've got your user ID written down, so I know if it's you."

  "Clever. I'll remember that," Ashton nodded, heading toward the camp's gate. "Mind closing the door behind me?"

  "Yeah, yeah, sure." Sam yawned a bit, clearly still tired. The two walked to the wall, and Ashton looked it over a bit to make sure that the vines had taken hold of it properly. Since everything seemed perfectly stable, he could move on fast enough.

  Once he was outside the doorway, Ashton waved at his friend again. "See you later."

  "... Be careful, okay?" Sam smiled nervously. He knew how strong Ashton was, but a moment like this still wouldn't be easy.

  "Don't worry. I'll be as careful as I can be."