388 days until the Arkon Shield falls

All living things possess spirit. —Trials Infopedia.

The loggers and their guard companies caught up with Tara and me soon after.

It seemed that when the scouts had caught sight of the strange burning light through the trees, the loggers had already been heading back for the Outpost.

The train of logs, hauled by men and sleds alone, moved slowly through the forest, making the trip back much longer than the one going out. I did not mind though. Weary as I was, the pace suited me just fine.

Tara and I didn’t get a chance to talk. The captain spent most of her time scanning the surroundings for threat or barking orders to the soldiers under her command. Despite Tara’s concern though, we reached the Outpost without mishap.

We rolled into the camp well after nightfall. The loggers had stayed out much longer than usual to meet their quota of felled timbers. And while the Outpost still remained short of the logs it needed for the palisade, Albert was satisfied with the progress they’d made today.

The loggers’ new saws and axes had made their tree felling much easier, and Albert was convinced that his people would meet the commander’s deadline, if only marginally.

When we got to camp, as much as I wanted to, I didn’t let myself fall straight into my pallet. My battle with the hounds had shone a glaring light on many of my deficiencies.

I couldn’t afford to let myself be caught so unprepared in the future. With a sigh, I sank down and resumed my air magic training.

An interminable time later, I reached my goal for the night.

Your skill in air magic has advanced to: level 10 and reached: rank 2, Trainee.

I smiled in satisfaction at the message. Right, that’s enough training.

On that thought, I rested my head on my pillow and was dead to the world soon after.

✽✽✽

I awoke late the next morning.

When I finally managed to pry open my eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. Sitting up on my pallet, I saw that a fresh set of clothes and armour had been set aside for me along with some food.

When I left my tent, I found the camp was mostly deserted. Everyone else was already up and about their daily chores.

What to do today, Jamie?

Despite the successes of the last few days, I still had a long list of things to accomplish. I needed to check in on the guards at the river, visit the dragon temple, train my magic further, and find Tara. Then there was the palisade. To meet the deadline, the wall had to be completed by day’s end tomorrow.

I chewed my lip, wondering where to begin.

Priority one, I decided, would be to see how the builders were faring. With that in mind, I set off for the crafting yard.

✽✽✽

The yard was buzzing with the sounds of industrious activity when I got there. Despite my newly shaven look—or because of it?—everyone seemed to recognise me. Friendly greetings and cheerful waves marked my passage through the area.

Reaching the centre of the yard, I drew to a halt. Now that I was here, I was unsure where to begin looking for the builders.

“Jamie!”

I turned at the shout. “Melissa,” I greeted as the head blacksmith approached closer. “How are you?”

“Much better now that my people are equipped with the tools of their trade. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for that the other day.”

I waved off her words. “You, Anton, and Jeremy were as much responsible for our success as me,” I said. Before she could contradict me, I went on. “I am actually looking for Albert or Soren—the head builder.”

Melissa smiled wryly at my change of topic. “You’re too late,” she said. “Both left the camp before dawn. Albert and his people are in the forest, and you will find Soren on the north side of the encampment. The builders are working on that section of the wall today.”

“Oh,” I said, disappointed. Though now that I thought of it, I realised I shouldn’t have expected to find the pair here. I had also hoped to speak to Tara that morning. But she was likely guarding the loggers again today. Perhaps I will see her tonight. “Do you know how the work on the palisade is going?”

“Now that his builders have the logs they need, Soren foresees no problems in completing it in time.”

“That’s great news,” I said, relieved. “Thanks for the feedback, Melissa. I just wanted to make sure everything was on track.”

I began to turn away, but she stopped me. “Wait, I almost forgot. Albert’s people left something for you.”

“They did?”

“Yes,” she said, a frown marring her face. “It’s a handful of green sticks. I thought it was a mistake, but Albert insisted you wanted them.” She raised an eyebrow in question.

“I did. I mean, I do,” I said with a pleased grin. “Can you show me where they are?”

Melissa led me through the yard and to a large table filled with an assortment of items. On end of the table were the green sticks in question: three young saplings just as I had requested. Thank you, Albert.

The saplings were each about two inches thick and between four and six feet in length. I cast analyse upon each in turn.

The targets are a rowan, ash, and oak tree sapling. These items have no special properties.

Melissa scratched her head. “I have no idea what you want with them, but they’re yours.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. Laying my hand on the rowan sapling, I channelled mana through it. A second later, I had cause to regret my impulsive action as a Trials notice opened before me.

A rowan tree sapling has died. Your lore skill is too low to attune this Focus.

I frowned at the message. Outwardly the rowan’s sapling appearance had not changed, but inside it I could feel the spark of life that been present was now absent.

Contrary to the Trials alert, I had not been attempting an attunement. It was idle curiosity sparked by my experience casting the fire ray spell that had caused me to channel mana through the sapling, no more. Yet, the Trials had interpreted my actions as an attempt at attunement.

It did not escape my notice either that the sapling had been referred to as a ‘Focus.’ A Focus, I had surmised by now, had to be a living object and seemed to be as much a mage’s tool as a hammer was a smith’s.

I chewed my lip thoughtfully. Could the process to attune a Focus be similar to the one I had used to attune my own mana? But why did I need lore, then? That was unexpected.

“Something wrong?” asked Melissa.

“No,” I replied. “Can I take these?”

“Of course, they’re yours.”

“Thanks,” I said. Grabbing the saplings, I began to step away, then stopped. “Oh,” I said as I withdrew the knife I had shoved into my pocket for want of a sheath. “Can you get someone to make me a new casing? Th old one was… uhm, destroyed.”

Melissa looked wryly at my hairless face. “Yes, I heard about that,” she said, taking the knife from me. “I’ll have someone bring it over to your tent when it’s done.” She eyed my armour. “Perhaps some better-fitting armour is in order too.”

“Thank you, Melissa,” I called over my shoulder.

I set aside my other plans and hurried away to experiment further with the saplings.

✽✽✽

Back in my tent, I sat down crossed-legged with the second sapling across my knees. I stilled my breathing and closed my eyes, then opened my magesight.

Lines of spirit flowed through the sapling. They were nowhere near as complex as the intricate web forming my own spirit, but they were nonetheless unmistakable.

Ever so carefully, I attempted the process of attunement, much in the same way as I had attuned my own mana.

The sapling, of course, had none of its own mana. But after thinking on the matter I had come to the conclusion that the attunement process for a Focus required me to align its spirit to my mana. That way, the Focus would survive my spellcasting and not die as the previous saplings had, when exposed to my magic.

I gathered my mana and dribbled a little into the sapling—the tiniest amount I could manage. I exhaled in relief when it caused no adverse reaction and moved on to the next step. Manipulating the mana I dropped into the wood, I coaxed the sapling to recognize my magic.

The wood’s grains shifted minutely in response to my will, but then a moment later they snapped back, in seeming rejection of my magic. In dismay, I watched as the spirit weaves riddling the sapling vanished.

An ash tree sapling has died. Your lore skill is too low to attune this Focus.

My face fell. “Damn,” I muttered in frustration. I felt as if I had been so close to success.

I considered the Trials message. Again, there was the reference to my lore being insufficient. Lore was not a Discipline I had studied much in the wiki. It wasn’t a combat Discipline and was instead a crafting one. Yet lore seemed essential for attuning a Focus.

Do all mages need lore… or only those creating their own Focus?

I sighed. If I still had access to the wiki, I could learn more of the Discipline and consider its merits in greater detail. But I had no choice now.

I ran my hand along the dead sapling. I knew I couldn’t ignore the Trials alert for a second time, and I had only one sapling left. I could get more of them from the forest, but I suspected that without increasing lore I would keep failing.

I would have to increase the Discipline through the temple, if only for the benefit of creating an attuned staff. I set aside the saplings. Before I visited the temple, I wanted to train at least one other of my magical Disciplines.

I had spent my trip back from the forest last night analysing my battle with the hounds, and two things had become immediately apparent to me.

One: I was too vulnerable at night, and two: I couldn’t always depend on flare and invincible. The day-long standoff with the hounds had taught me that if I couldn’t bring my spells to bear on my foes, I was helpless.

The solution was obvious: I needed a disabling spell, a means to hold my enemies in place while I damaged them. I knew of a basic spell that could do the job, but it was from the Discipline of earth magic.

I closed my eyes and drew up my mana. Manipulating the magic, I shaped a rudimentary representation of earth in my mind. Then while I let intuition guide me, I twisted and turned the mana as I refined my understanding.

I don’t know if was because I was getting better at magic, or a result of my past training in the other magic Disciplines, but whatever the reason, I advanced my knowledge of earth magic much faster than I’d expected. After only a few hours of practice, I reached Trainee rank.

Your skill in earth magic has advanced to: level 10 and reached: rank 2, Trainee.

Wincing at the stiffness in my limbs, I creaked to my feet and ducked out of the tent. The time had come to visit the dragon temple again.

✽✽✽

You have entered Wyrm Island.

Aurora met me in the centre of Wyrm Island, next to the gate. Just like the previous few times I had been here, she didn’t seem particularly happy to see me.

“Human,” said Aurora, her voice oozing boredom, “what can I do for you today?”

I bowed, minding my manners as I had been warned to despite her less-than-courteous demeanour. “I’d like to advance my Disciplines and enhance my Attributes,” I replied.

“You have one hundred and sixty-one Tokens and twenty-six Marks available. What Disciplines and Attributes do you wish to train?”

“Dragon magic, life magic, earth magic, air magic, and lore. Please increase them all to twenty.” After the temple made the changes, I would have four magic Disciplines to call upon, giving me some much-needed versatility.

“Done. You have one hundred and twenty-seven Tokens remaining,” Aurora said. “In which Attributes do you wish to invest your Marks?”

“Vigour, channelling, constitution, and spellpower.” Now that I had increased my spellpower to rank two, the limit of what I could expect to achieve with training, I could not easily enhance it further without Marks.

“Noted,” Aurora said. “You have ten Marks remaining. Your new knowledge and the changes to your body will be effected once you exit Wyrm Island.”

Satisfied with the improvements I had chosen, I waved goodbye to the purple woman and stepped back through the gate.

✽✽✽

You have exited Wyrm Island. Your spellpower, constitution, vigour, and channelling have increased to: level 20.

Your skills in dragon, air, earth, lore, and life magic have advanced to: level 20.

Stepping out of the dragon temple, I felt the new knowledge settle within me and my body adapt to its new Attributes. A pleased grin broke out across my face. I was getting stronger.

And now it’s time to attune my staff.

Limping down the temple steps, I began to hurry away towards my tent. That was when the scream cut through the air.

High, shrill, piercing—it was a child’s cry.

I froze. What was a child doing here? Turning around, I saw a family of three—two parents and one child—in almost the exact same spot I had appeared on entering Overworld.

Two spearmen hurried towards the trio. They had likely been posted to keep watch for new arrivals. The child, a girl who looked to be no older than ten, was bawling. Unlike the vast majority of human players, the child had entered in her own body. So had her parents. They were both middle-aged, with grey-flecked hair and faces lined with worry.

What were her parents thinking, bringing her to Overworld? I wondered.

Slowly, I made my way to the trio. The two spearmen were trying to calm the family. The parents appeared just as confused and fearful as their daughter.

“Ma’am, sir, I am Jamie,” I said, cutting through the shouting and screaming. “How can I help?”

“Who are you?” demanded the father, rounding on me.

I paused. “I am the settlement’s mage,” I replied. Knowing he would likely scoff, I cast flare.

The parents stepped back fearfully, but the girl’s screams stopped—as I had hoped they would—and her eyes lit up as she stared in fascination at the flames wreathing my hand. “Can I touch it?” she asked, reaching out.

I drew my hand back and shook my head. “No, you cannot, kiddo. It’s dangerous.”

“But I want to,” she said crossly.

Smiling, I knelt down before her and cast lay hands. Holding out my glowing blue-white hands, I said, “Here, you can touch this.”

Her hands snapped out immediately. Her father stepped forward to pull her back.

“It’s alright,” I told him. “There is no danger.”

He hesitated, but before he could intervene, his daughter decided the matter. “It tickles!” the girl said as her hand touched mine and the spell faded.

The father relaxed, and I rose to my feet. “You are in Overworld, sir,” I said, addressing the man. “In the Outpost, a location settled entirely by humans.” I hesitated, glancing down at his daughter. “Why did you come here?”

“I’m Greg,” the man said. “And we had no choice.”

“No choice?” I asked, confused.

“I don’t know when you left Earth, young man, but things back home have turned grim. Volcanoes, tornadoes, earthquakes, every natural disaster you can think of; they’re all happening, all over the world, and all at once. The only places on Earth not unstable right now are the gates and their immediate vicinity.”

Greg’s lips twisted. “People are finally taking the overworlders’ words to heart. The exodus has begun in earnest. Millions are fleeing through whichever gate is closest.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how many will make it. We were more fortunate than most. Our own home was very close to a gate, so we entered it as soon as we could.”

I frowned. “Are you from New Springs?” It was the town Tara, the commander, and the other recruits had come from.

Greg shook his head. “No. I am from London. The gates have been—what did that reporter call it?—unlocked. You can choose to exit anywhere in the Human Dominion now.”

I pursed my lips. “Why come here though? Why choose location seventy-eight?”

Greg hung his head. “Honestly, we chose at random.” He rested a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Because of Claire here, we underwent our Trials Initiation together.” He smiled bitterly. “At least this blasted world had the decency not to separate our little girl from us.”

My brows shot up. All three had been initiated? Surely the child was too young for that? “Claire is a player?” I asked.

“Not a full one,” answered the mother, her voice quivering. “Or that’s what those stone tablets we found in Wyrm Island led us to believe.” She clutched at Claire protectively. “Until she becomes an adult, my poor girl is defenceless!”

I was puzzled by the mother’s words. Stone tablets? What was she talking about? I hadn’t seen any items like that during my own visits to the island. But before I could question her, Greg spoke up.

“Now that isn’t quite true, dear,” he said. “Those tablets did say Claire can train her Disciplines through natural learning.” He paused. “Whatever that means.”

I glanced down at the little girl and applied analyse. The results were surprising.

The target is Claire Thompson, a level 1 human child-player. Due to her child status: the target’s Potentials are hidden, temple access is denied, and experience gains are locked.

I frowned, troubled by the analysis report. I turned to the two spearmen, who had been patiently observing our conversation. “Soldiers, you better take these three to the commander and make sure she hears their story.” I hesitated. “Also, tell her that given what’s happening on Earth, she can likely expect more recruits today and tomorrow—many more.”

Jolin would likely reach the same conclusions I had after she heard the trio’s story, but I wanted to be sure she didn’t miss the implications. I only hoped the Outpost could cope with the sudden influx of people that was certain to follow.

The two nodded and led the family away. Claire waved goodbye and I waved back.