Breakfast, at least, was taken care of.

  “And why did they give us so many tasty things?” Kiana asked with her mouth full.

  Kel glanced at the table, piled high with food, and reached for the casserole.

  “I helped the innkeeper a bit last night, and this is his way of saying thank you,” he said, preempting her question.

  “Nothing dangerous.”

  His eyes stung slightly from exhaustion. Kel hadn’t slept at all. Between helping the innkeeper, calming his family, and running to fetch the local healer, dawn had nearly arrived.

  He checked the bedroom, saw that the noise hadn’t woken Kiana, and went to fulfill his part of the deal.

  The driver who had given them a ride yesterday was already standing by his cart. He was genuinely glad to see Kel. The man wasn’t young anymore, and Kel insisted on loading the sacks himself. Even without magic, he handled them easily. It seemed his new body struggled only with heavy magical strain. That needed fixing–and soon.

  “The lads told me there was trouble at the inn last night,” the man broke the silence. “You and your sister stayed there, right? What happened?”

  “Just a couple of drunkards got into a fight,” Kel replied. “Nothing unusual for a tavern.”

  The man shook his head.

  “It is unusual. People used to treat old Rono with respect. You anger him–who’s going to pour you ale next time, the spiders in the forest? We live here. You have to know how to get along. Now though… no one’s holding on to this place anymore.”

  Kel couldn’t help himself.

  “And what do you think about the archmage’s death?”

  “I’m just a simple man. I don’t think about things like that,” he said. “Right now I’ll deliver the goods to the camp, earn some coin. My family will have food. I gave you and your sister a ride – did my small part. But the affairs of mages, archmages, kings, and the like? I stay out of them, and I suggest you do the same. That’s how you end up losing your head.”

  Kel sighed and said nothing. Yesterday had already proven that staying out of trouble wasn’t something he was good at.

  As they parted, he placed a protective spell on the cart. A small gift–just enough to scare off monsters.

  Kel returned to the inn for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised to find the table already set.

  “Where are we going next?” Kiana asked, voicing the question for the first time.

  “First, we leave the Wastelands and reach the nearest royal city,” Kel said. “I need to get to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

  “That’s a long way,” she said. “When we marched to the Wastelands with the army, it took three days from the city.”

  “I think we’ll manage a bit faster,” Kel promised.

  ***

  They reached the border of the Wastelands only in the second half of the day. Kiana didn’t complain, but Kel could see how hard the walk was for her and stopped often to rest. He would need to buy her a proper potion in the city–and take her to a decent healer. The healer who had treated the innkeeper hadn’t inspired much confidence.

  An Alliance patrol was waiting for them at the border. Their task was to make sure none of the archmage’s followers slipped away. After his “conversation” with Magister Targis, Kel wasn’t worried in the slightest.

  And just like that, the magical threads were behind them.

  "Unexpectedly, Kel realized that a heavy weight had lifted from his shoulders. After walking for about a mile, he sat down on a stone by the roadside.

  The world around him was different–nothing like the Wastelands. In both places, trees and grass grew. In both, clouds drifted across the sky. Yet the difference hung in the air itself. Here, he was no longer poisoned by the lingering traces of an archmage’s dark mana.

  That realization unsettled Kel and stirred uneasy thoughts. It seemed that he was now drawing mana from the same unknown source as the archmage–yet the spells he cast left no trace of dark mana behind. He couldn’t grasp the nature of this phenomenon and feared that one day it might simply vanish.

  ‘Problems should be dealt with as they come,’ Kel decided. For now, a different task lay before him. It was time for grand magic."

  "Opening a teleport required an enormous amount of mana. The longer the distance, the more it drained. Even the strongest mages couldn’t leap hundreds of miles at once–they preferred shorter portals. Bringing someone along pushed the cost even higher. Still, for an extra–naturally, very steep – fee, a Tower mage could move non-mages too. For everyone else, there were horses, wagons, and carriages. If Kel remembered correctly, a few new ways to travel were due to appear soon.

  Remembering his troubles with the System, Kel first checked if he could even summon a portal. No interference. Now he can call Kiana..

  At first, he thought about lying–about the portal, the whole thing. He could have claimed he found a magical artifact while escaping the castle. But given his plans, if he lied about an artifact every time he used a powerful spell, he’d need at least three fully loaded wagons to escape. Better to be honest. As honest as he could be, anyway.

  ‘I wanted to talk to you.’

  Kiana stopped chewing her pastry.

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  ‘Do you need my help?’

  ‘No. Listen… when I was in the castle, it… changed me. Strange things happened, and I gained a lot of power.’

  ‘What am I saying?’ Kel muttered to himself, but kept going.

  ‘So, if you see me using unusual magic–don’t be alarmed.’

  Kel expected questions. Something like: “What kind of magic? How much stronger are you now?”

  Kiana stared at his face in silence, then nodded and said seriously,

  “The main thing is that you’re safe… and here with me. I promise I won’t be afraid. No matter what you do.”

  Kel smiled.

  “Then give me your hand. It’s time we head to somewhere more… civilized. I desperately need a bath.”

  Kel adjusted the portal so they’d emerge outside the city walls. No need to attract extra attention. Five heartbeats later, they were in the glowing void, and then it spat them out into a new place. Kel felt a slight dizziness. He wanted to ask Kiana how she felt – but it wasn’t necessary. She swayed, nearly fell, and then vomited.

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  Kel patted her on the head and handed her some water. The healer problem needed solving–fast.

  Compared to the major kingdoms’ centers, Ostalla was a small city. But next to the town in the Wastelands, it felt like the center of the world–stone buildings, neat sidewalks, flowers in beds, and clean streets. And above all, crowds of people. Among them, Kel’s eyes picked out the sharp ears of elves, the long beards of dwarves, and more than a few other curious faces.

  As everywhere, the Adventurers’ Guild stood in the center of the city square. Inside, it was a chaotic hum. Adventurers of all ranks shared experiences, made deals with clients, and discussed new contracts.

  Kel noticed there was no one above Silver rank here. Was it because the city was small? Or had all the Gold and Diamond-ranked adventurers gone to storm the Archmage’s castle?

  Even those with Silver rank looked down on his Copper badge. Kel had taken it out of his inner pocket at the entrance and pinned it to his chest.

  Ignoring the glances, Kel approached the administrator’s desk. She was a woman in her fifties. Adjusting her glasses, she asked politely,

  “How can I help you?”

  “Hello. I’d like to register for a rank-up trial,” Kel replied.

  The woman studied his badge closely, reading the information she needed. Finally, she said,

  “Congratulations, adventurer Kelmir. You’ve earned enough points and are cleared for the trial. It will take place in three weeks, in the capital of our proud kingdom. Please take the adventurer’s memo. Thank you for your visit.”

  The woman returned to her work. Yep, it seemed adventurers of his rank didn’t earn anyone’s respect–not even from their own organization.

  “But…” Kel started.

  “All important answers are in the memo,” she interrupted.

  “I wanted to talk about selling loot.” Kel pulled a pouch of magical ore from his bag.

  Many adventurers had well-established channels for selling their loot. That was something he’d need to set up later, when he started gathering truly valuable ingredients. For common goods like magical ore, the Guild would do. The pay wasn’t high, but it was fair.

  The administrator picked up a piece of ore and examined it closely.

  “Excellent quality. But, Mr. Kelmir, where did you get so much ore? At your rank, that should have been very difficult.”

  “Seriously…” Kel thought, barely holding back an eye roll.

  “Difficult, but not impossible. I was just lucky. So… can I sell it?”

  She gave him fifty silver coins for the pouch. Not much, but everyone has to start somewhere.

  After saying goodbye, Kel decided to check the notice board.

  “Recruiting a team for clearing missions. Adventurers below Silver rank, please do not apply.”

  “Looking for a healer for an expedition to the Blazing Lands. Must be a graduate of the Tower or the Temple of the Silver Hand.”

  “Accepting orders for gathering ingredients. Monsters up to level 50.”

  Kel thought for a moment. With his current rank, he could officially take orders only for monsters up to level 20. Not much money in that. It was more profitable to hunt monsters himself and then find buyers for the ingredients. And preferably, not through the Guild–if he got too lucky too often, it would raise suspicion.

  He kept scanning the board until he found the ad he needed.

  “Healer services. First appointment: just 20 silver coins.”

  It reminded Kel of when he first started playing the ‘Games of Calamity.’ You had to buy tons of resources, level up skills, and your funds were painfully limited. Later, he’d get lost in the zeros of his account, but at the start, every decision counted. Priorities had to be set carefully–and tasks completed fast.

  He found Kiana where he’d left her. She was sitting by the fountain, quickly sketching in her notebook. Artistic talent clearly ran in their blood.

  “That’s beautiful,” Kel said, leaning over to look at the page. Kiana was just finishing a sketch of a man walking his dog.

  “Of course, it’s beautiful. You were the one who taught me to draw,” the girl snorted. “Did everything go well?”

  “Yes, but the trials will be in another city. So we won’t be staying long.”

  “I’ve been here before. With the Alliance army,” Kiana clarified. “We rested a few days before the decisive push. Oh, look at that one! She’s gorgeous!”

  Kel turned toward where his sister was pointing.

  A girl was stepping out of a carriage parked by the Guild. A servant helped her down.

  Tall, slender, dressed in very expensive clothes. Most local women wore dresses of varying lengths, but she had tight pants that perfectly showed off her figure. Her light hair was elegantly styled. She moved with a grace that clearly hinted at elven blood – though only a trace, as her ears were normal, human ones.

  Judging by the carriage and the servant, she was from the local aristocracy.

  “Her hairpin is gorgeous,” Kiana continued in awe. “I’d wear one like that every day!”

  Then she abruptly fell silent.

  “Though… you know, I was thinking–why do I need all these trinkets? They’re just silly.”

  Kel felt both amused and a little sad at how the girl tried to protect his feelings.

  ‘No promises about jewelry,’ he thought, ‘but she does need new clothes.’ In the Wastelands, her outfit was fine, but next to the royal city, it looked worn and outdated.

  “Come on, we still need to stop by one more place before the inn,” Kel said, changing the subject.

  The healer found nothing unusual.

  “Most likely, your sister went through a severe shock, and this is just how her body is reacting. She needs plenty of sleep, to stay calm, and eat well. I can recommend a couple of restorative potions, but I’m not sure you can afford them,” the healer said honestly. “I don’t treat on credit.”

  Hearing the price, Kel grimaced. One vial alone would require slaying trolls on an industrial scale.

  If only he had access to his inventory!

  Today, Kel had tried extracting items from it again. Same result.

  So it was either more money or brewing the potion himself. He couldn’t heal others yet, but this method of treatment was available to him. That’s where Aigon’s knowledge came in handy.

  They had almost reached the end of the street where the healer’s house stood when a voice called from behind.

  The healer’s assistant had caught up. Kel saw him packing powders and potions while the healer had been examining Kiana.

  “S-sorry…” The boy was out of breath, struggling to speak. “P-p…please wait.”

  Kel waited until the boy caught his breath.

  “Do I owe you something else? Did the healer send you?”

  “No, I came on my own. I want to talk to you.” The boy glanced at Kiana with a hint. Kel understood the signal.

  “Kiana, when we were walking here, I saw some pastries being sold nearby. Go grab us some, please.”

  Once the girl disappeared around the corner, the healer’s assistant continued.

  “Your sister isn’t the first.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The mentor talks with colleagues, and sometimes I hear their conversations.”

  ‘You mean overhear,’ Kel thought.

  “There are already nearly twenty cases of this illness in the city. Children weakening for no apparent reason. Four have already died.”

  No wonder the boy didn’t want Kiana to hear.

  “What exactly are the other healers saying?”

  “They don’t know the cause. No signs of a curse or physical illness. The kids just… fade away. I… I thought you should know. The mentor and most of the healers believe it’s just coincidence. Or cursed air from the Wastelands. But the Wastelands have always been nearby –this only started recently.”

  “Looks like this one won’t be solved quickly.”