Before the three cousins could come to a helpless decision though, where they leaned towards the second option after rejecting the idea of escaping, the guild issued the carrot after the stick. It released the details of the conscription.
Magi at the early stage of Sequence-0, which were layer 1 and 2, only had to join the security department that would patrol the outskirts of the market. Whereas for the middle and the late stages Magi, the guild would only send them off to battles that they could afford to fight. It all came with a promise of prioritizing life and the permission to flee the battle if deemed necessary. Not to mention the guild also announced a list of rewards the Magi could exchange in return for their contribution.
The added glaze of honey smothered the bitterness of the forced draft and attracted Magi like flies. Those who wished to enlist created a queue that spanned several corners. Especially because the list of rewards contained entries of strategic resources that the guild refused to sell on any other day. Many saw through the fa?ade and called it out for what it was. What the guild was selling to the outsiders was scrap by its own members’ standards. Still, it attracted most Magi who understood their position in the hierarchy. After all, these ‘scraps’ were what they often dreamed of buying. For the sake of their future, they had to set aside their ego.
“What do we do?” Quin asked as the three lingered on the outskirts of the market, watching the queue shrink by the minute.
“What else can we do?” Thorin grumbled. “If we don’t want to lose all our savings, we can only do their bidding.”
“I don’t like it,” Clay said with a grave expression, crossing his arms. “I don’t want to sign their contract.”
“I doubt they would have anything too binding,” Thorin said, patting his back. “Worst case, we give up our savings and get out of this street market. We can start earning again, somewhere else.”
Restriction was Clay’s bane. His aversion to constraints ran deep in his bones, even more so than Thorin’s or Quin’s—a result of the years he spent in barbed chains. They all carried their scars, and their effects manifested in different forms for the brothers. Quin walked the other extreme and became a carefree but reckless bird, while Thorin embraced his past and turned it into his weapons. His chained blades were a symbol of his ambitions.
“Let’s take a look then,” Quin said. “If we don’t join the queue now, it might be nightfall by the time it’s our turn.”
……
Luckily, the contract wasn’t the binding kind. It imposed restrictions, but they could breach the terms by paying a fine if they wished to do so. The three cousins joined the makeshift security department of the guild and received their first job.
Early next morning, they trudged with the drowsy crowd of Magi towards the outskirts. A manager from the guild asked them to split into teams of three or four on their own while he struggled to keep the belt of his pants from slipping off his round waist. After he handed them their tokens that signified the security department, he assigned areas to different teams and sent them away.
In their wake, the hordes of mortals trickled in for the construction labor. He managed them as well. As the sound of axes and hammers fell into a rhythm with the workers’ chatter, Thorin and his team walked their assigned area, familiarizing themselves with the terrain. Their side held a dense stand of pine trees.
“This seems a bit too safe and easy,” Quin said, biting a leafy twig.
“It’s probably just the start,” Clay said, tying his shoulder-length hair back. “They’ll boil us like frogs in lukewarm water. By the time we realize something’s wrong, we’ll be dead.”
Thorin chuckled at his cousin’s grim presumption but didn’t disagree with him. There was a good likelihood that their conclusion would follow that train of thought. “Its fine,” he said. “With how sensitive you are about these things, we’ll leave before we get boiled alive.”
“I checked their list of rewards before,” Quin said. “The basics for artificers and the blueprint for a storage bag are priced at fifty points each.”
“So, patrol for about a month or so,” Thorin said. “We can combine our contribution points and have enough for both.”
“It also had a section for custom made artifacts,” Quin said. “You can have a set of chained blades made.”
“Pre-made is already so expensive,” Thorin said. “I’d rather not guess what it would cost us for a custom set.”
“Where are you with your spell?” Clay asked Thorin.
“Just one last step,” Thorin said. “If I can keep practicing while we patrol, I’ll cross the level in about ten days or so.”
“Alright,” Clay said. “Leave the patrolling to us for now. You focus on your spell and get your class as soon as you can. We need you stronger in case this goes south.”
“I can do both at the same time,” Thorin said.
“Just focus on your spell,” Clay said. “We’ll manage the task.”
“Fine.” Thorin grunted.
……
Their patrolling task included a round of their designated area under a set amount of time while keeping an eye out for any signs of a Fae or a suspicious Magus. Quin and Clay carried it out to the tee, giving Thorin enough space and time to practice his spell in peace. He needed it. Their initial days remained peaceful, save for the occasional scuffle among mortals and between different teams of Magi. Since the task defined the boundaries so clearly, conflicts among the Magi stayed at the level of verbal clashes. Not a single spell had been thrown yet.
Because of the organized operation from the guild that managed the scattered Magi, those who stepped into the ‘safe zone’ also succeeded in getting their first victory against the Direwolves. The rumors of their achievements often garnered a wave of cheers from the patrolling Magi as well as grumbles full of envy.
From the smooth progress of construction to clearing out the danger in the vicinity, the guild only received and released good news. Yet, the contribution points they distributed weren’t so easy to digest. The situation would worsen, even the lower-level Magi on the ground understood the fact. So, while the tension remained on a simmer, Thorin bulldozed through his practice sessions. He even sacrificed his meditation time. At last, it bore sweet fruit. The Archive showed him the notification he’d been waiting for.
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[Spell mastery level-up.]
[Deathbolt -: Adept Level 1/5]
……
When night fell, as the birds settled down for the day, Thorin prepared the spell array and triggered the rite. Because he used all five of his arcanas for the class, every section of the spell array lit up around him. He was going for the theoretical perfection. The different ripples of light marked the five spells he had mastered. Each of them tugged at him.
Like all Magi, his affinities also remained in a muddy solution. Perhaps even muddier than others because he had five. They fought and clashed. None could shine the brightest. The rite’s function was to use the spells he mastered to pull the respective affinities away and lock them. The same was true for the Arcanist class, despite its peculiarity.
Thorin grunted and growled in pain when the rite rang a grinding hum. The five sections of the spell array yanked his soul from all sides. Especially the Temperature Arcana. Because he’d practiced
The constant attraction of the spells shattered the natural state of his affinities at last. The muddy solution waned and paled. Even the last shred of different affinities slithered away from their amalgamation and gathered in their own corners. In the end, the last leg of the rite intensified the pull and locked the five affinities in their sections.
When the glow of the rite faded away, Thorin opened his eyes to the slew of notifications. He couldn’t control his grin.
[‘Arcanist’ specialization detected. The rite has begun…]
[Rite in progress…]
[……]
[Rite successful.]
[Affinities related to the class: Death, Paper, Temperature, Potion, Space.]
[Specialty of the Arcanas detected.]
[Death: Increases the total mana. The closer you are to the arcana, the more mana you will have.]
[Paper: Increases mana control and efficiency. It strengthens your ability to manipulate mana.]
[Temperature: Increases mana stability, activity, and regeneration. Your mana becomes more alive.]
[Potion: Increases mastery over potion brewing. You’ll have a better sense of every step and failure.]
[Space: Enhances physical and soul defense. It will dampen the effect of hostile spells on you.]
[Congratulations, you are now attuned to the Arcanist class.]
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