Chapter 12

I couldn’t think much though, because Marina approaches me and says: <That was amazing! I just taught you some basics but that was an actual well-directed use of magic. You should probably snuff the flames before you start a wildfire though.>

<Uh… How do I go about that?> I ask, having no idea.

Marina looks at me for a long second and says: <hum… well, you should still feel some kind of connection to magic you cast… If you can draw it back to you you can recover some of the magic used, and also stop the effect… If not I can try and conjure some water over it, but it’s gonna be a waste of magical energy.>

Evan chimes in: <Whatever you 2 wanna do about the fire, do it quick because if we need to start cutting bushes we have to start quick… The villagers won’t give us a bonus for burning their forest.>

I sigh, get close to the flames that were growing bigger, and focus up, trying to feel the fire’s magic. Thankfully it didn’t take long for me to feel it, it was like a beast, eating everything it could to grow bigger. I tried to reach towards it, walking in its direction to test something, and as I suspected the “beast” avoided me, maybe it was normal that something I created can't hurt me? maybe it was like a magnetic charge, and since I and the fire have the same “charge” we repel each other… I hope not because if not how do I “draw it back in”. 

Having no idea what I’m doing I just try and catch the beast, thinking that if I get in contact with it I should be able to easily, and it seems to work for the most part, I jump on where I feel the most magical energy and then I try doing the same I did when casting the magic, except inverted. The fire envelopes me and hurts a bit, but then it dissipates fully as if the oxygen fueling the fire was gone all of a sudden.

Marina says: <good job! now the other two! fore they get out of control.>

Other two? oh! right I casted magic three different times, so it only makes sense there would be 2 more. I make my way to the other two fires, and this time I waste no time getting in contact with them and snuffing them. I need to find a better way to snuff my flames, but for now, it will do until I have more magic to work with.

I walk back to Marina and the others and say: <How did I do?>

Marina says: <good enough, it looked like you were wrangling a beast. It was fascinating, I only read in books how magical beasts can “recover” their magic.>

<You cannot do the same?> I ask puzzled

<No, Sorry if I didn't explain fully, while we humans recover magical energy through rest and focus, once we use magic it’s gone for good, it also means that if we start a fire it's going to rage uncontrollably… or well it needs to be controlled in other means. Magical creatures on the other end, being well... creatures of magic cast a piece of themselves when using magic, and so they can regain that fragment, even if at a reduced value, but are unable to generate magic on their own and have to rely on other means, whether it be stealing life energy, cultivating magic giving plants, or conducting rites to siphon energy from other worlds or sources… there are many ways magical creatures gain their magic.>

<and demi-humans?> I ask, But Lionel approaches us and says <hey you two mingle after we got the wolves back to the village, or while going back at least.>

I nod and then I have to help them make a makeshift sled with bark and rope Evan was carrying with him to carry all 6 wolves back to the village before Marina could answer.

<Well, demi-humans are a bit in between, as in they can regenerate magic, and can dismiss their magic, but don’t gain magic back from it, though it does mean that they have a greater deal of control, as maintaining a sort of contact with your magic means you can easily guide and shape it how you want, probably the reason as to why you found it easy to cast a wall of fire with minimal training, it was probably as easy as casting a stone… while I had to train for 10 years only to learn how to not soak everything and to turn water into ice… but I’m trailing off again> Marina says a bit embarrassed.

 <well you know your stuff, it's fun to hear it, I hope I have good memory to remember> I say to be nice. It’s not like I hate her trailing off, but sometimes it can confuse you.

We get to the village and again Lionel tells me to go to the wagon and I oblige.

I am sitting in the wagon for a good fifteen minutes when they come back and Lionel tells me <Well Ivo, do you want your share of the pay now? Or I can keep it for you, I will also teach you how money works, it's not hard, I doubt you are not smart enough to learn to count>

<Well, will I even be able to spend it? you keep on telling me to stay in the wagon.> I say dejectedly and then add: <Also I know how to count…> 

Lionel gives me a sad but determined look and says: <Well, I’m just trying to make sure nothing bad happens, because I’m gonna be real with you, if you harm someone, even in self-defense, it’s me and my group who is gonna go under fire because of you, so, until the evaluation is done, we’ll keep off big towns, and we’ll keep you outside of the villages, you are gonna be out wagon and horses guardian fox until we get you an adventurer’s license.>

I snort full of disdain and say: <Great...>

Lionel says to compromise: <Look, you are not a prisoner, you are free to go anywhere. I’m just telling you, to avoid problems, stay clear of the villages. If you feel like talking to people, find someone outside, they are probably gonna run away or try to knife you, but I doubt you are stupid enough to get hit by a hunter or a peasant. and even if it ends with you killing it In Self Defense you can always get rid of the body… not that I’m telling you to kill people, I shouldn't be the one telling a fox how to be cunning, it's just your curiosity might end you up in a bad situation, and I’m telling you to think of yourself and us first.>

I understand the situation he is in… he doesn't want me to mess his life up, nobody wants to be the one accused of having taken a dangerous creature in a village… Still, I feel rebellious, but not enough to actually stroll in the village. It's fine for me not to enter it for the time being.

<Ok, I will avoid villages as you prefer, though I do want to have contact with other humans. I want to learn more about you humans, not just how you fight and arm yourselves. I want to learn about your customs and life…> I say a bit whiny.

I wanna know how humans live… it's obviously a medieval-like style but I wanna know if their way of living is even compatible with what I want, or if they would even be willing to have me. 

I don't want to end up having to disguise myself with illusions, hiding and hoping I don't get found out, I refuse to end up like I was in my world, alone, trusting no one, and wasting my life.

<You said you will teach me how money works… if that offer still stands I want to learn, and also, I would like the money with me, if anything it will allow me to distract someone from wanting to shank me if I even ever meet anyone.>

<Fair enough, and well if you know how to count the matter is simple, this realm money is golden coins...> he pulls out a small bag and pulls out a crude-looking golden coin <They look like this, commit the shape, symbol and color on it to memory, fake coins are uncommon, but you don't want to receive a big payment with a quarter of them being fake, so always count them and check them. Other than that, remember to haggle, everyone is gonna try to high ball you, so whatever you get asked, knock down at least 20% of the price. That said if you stick to looking like a fox you might have problems, people might raise their prices or refuse to sell your stuff altogether. Bribing guards and people is commonplace for adventurers, though it depends who you are trying to bribe, the minimum I ever managed to bribe someone with was 10 coins, another thing that might happen especially when you are a scary magical being is that in case someone kills himself while running away or something dumb like that that is not obviously you tearing them apart, while you are still held accountable for it, you can generally get out of it by settling the matter with the family or whoever claims to have had a loss of money from his death, and well you are expected to compensate whoever the amount they ask… remember to haggle. I’ll let you think about what I told you, and give you your 50 coins> And he hands me a small bag and 50 coins, and I tie it around my waist.

I find it strange that bribing is common, and I guess life insurance is not a thing, so if you caused someone to die, even if accidentally it would only be fair to be expected to pay… all this just tells me to make sure I don't chase someone off a cliff or just dispose of the body, but I guess in a village or town that would be harder, and I don’t plan on just needlessly killing anyone, humans especially, animals and monsters are a thing, but killing humans is out of my comfort zone, even though I know that it’s an inevitability.

While I stay in the back of the wagon Lionel and the others start moving it again, so I go to the front where Evan is driving and ask: <how many stops like this are we gonna have?>

Evan answers: <where we stop and work? as many as possible, though we aren't gonna stop for trivial work, hunting wolves for the village paid decently or we wouldn't have stopped. Though that said, the village warned us that a few trading caravans that made stops to the village didn’t show up, so I expect either bandits or worse, so if you could play spotter it would be great. Also if you want a straight answer is gonna be around like 5 villages before we reach the capital, if you don't feel like spotting, I’d suggest working on your form change.>

I nod and figure out training my senses is not a bad idea as I'm still not used to my heightened senses, So I climb on top of the wagon and start listening.

I can distinctly hear the clinking and clanking of the wagon and the noise of the horses stepping on the road, but that doesn’t help any, that sound will likely not change unless something stops us. What I focus instead is on the chirping of the birds and other animal calls on the sides of the road… and well I can’t hear much of anything else, I can only hope I will notice something wrong when it presents itself, until then I listen.

We travel through the night, and while at night the noises change I still find nothing out of the ordinary.

We stop for the night and I get some training on my form changing, it’s still not quite fast but every time it gets faster, probably another day of practice and I will be able to swap in a fight, which would be very useful.

I do the whole spotting thing for two days still in which I become at least somewhat familiar with what a forest sounds like, or should sound like, I also get some more fighting training from Evan, and I have to say I start liking it, bobbing and weaving using my body to do something more than running away, I hope next fight I will be more prepared and not just defending.

At the end of the third day, though as we were looking to reach the next village the forest falls eerily silent and I say: <Evan… everything is quiet, it makes me uneasy>.

Evan nods and reaches for his bow inside the wagon and places it beside himself while Lionel and Marina get their weapons ready and take defensive positions at the sides of the wagon as Evan makes the horses slow down to a steady pace.