“No clues, no witnesses, the girl has vanished without a trace. We need to perform an Augury, let the Suns guide us.”

Chapter 74

The blight around Aachen had drained the life from the soil until nothing grew for dozens of miles around it. The birds and wildlife had long since fled, and even the insects avoided this blighted landscape

The yellow sun of Primaris was just peaking above the horizon to the east, finally ending the long night, and the black moon had retreated from the sky.

No bird song greeted it, or the gently rustling of the wind through the leaves of trees. Aachen was dead and the only thing that welcomed the rising sun was an unnatural silence and gusts of cold wind from across the Azure Sea.

The whistling sound of a swinging blade pierced the early morning stillness as it cut through the air. The silvery steel shone brightly in the early morning light.

Breathing heavily, Wil swung the sword in increasingly complex patterns as his feet danced across the dusty ground. He was shirtless and sweating profusely as he practiced his sword forms in the light of the rising yellow sun.

Pausing briefly, he channeled his mana into his new sword until it glowed a bright blue, before holding it with both hands above his head. With a yell he cut it downwards aggressively, his sword leaving a trail of blue mana in its wake. Swinging it around in a broad loop, he held it steady in front of him again.

“Misty Step!” His Mana reacted to his call and his vision whitened as he took a step forward, disappearing, before instantly teleporting 30 feet away and stabbing his sword forward. He held it steady for a moment, arms fully extended, before exhaling and letting it drop to his side.

Exhausted, he slowly walked back to where he had left his shirt and satchel. Stabbing the point his sword into the ground to keep it upright, he toweled himself off before putting his shirt back on and picking up his sword’s scabbard.

Sheathing the weapon, he admired it for a moment in the light. It was the same length as his previous sword, but thinner and much lighter. He had purchased it the day before, right after his duty on the wall was over and he had collected his pay.

His old weapon carried to many…memories…and he had wanted a fresh start. Besides the need to distance himself from his old sword, it had been nearly useless against the undead.

His new sword was sleek and elegant, slightly curved with a black leather handle and magic runes running down the side. It had a Rank 3 enchantment, perfect for someone of his Rank to use here in Aachen and it could easily cut through a ghoul.

More importantly, it could prevent the undead from healing from their injuries. He hadn’t thought their quick regeneration possible, until Garman showed the newcomers how swiftly they could heal.

He had demonstrated on a captured ghoul, splitting it completely in half, separating top from bottom. The ghoul recombined its body in minutes. It was a lesson they all took to heart.

Strapping his sword across his back in the northern style, he picked up his satchel and his Ursine cloak, and walked down the path back to the garrison.

Wil had started to train with his sword again whenever he had spare time. When he was off duty on the wall during the Night, he had found an empty storeroom downstairs that he could train in. His time in Aachen had made him realize that he was out of practice, he hadn’t been serious in his combat training since before the academy.

He lost count of the number of times he had survived due to sheer dumb luck.

He also knew that he couldn’t rely entirely on his magic, not here. It was fine when he had companions to watch his back while he was casting, but the incident on the wall made him recognize that relying on others could cost him in a pinch.

He needed to be able to act solo, something that he hadn’t done often before.

So, the hefty payment from serving on the wall had gone into a new weapon and to repair his armor. The ghouls had shredded the leather on the first day, and he was forced to wear the ragged remains until the blacksmith could repair it.

With Night finally over, he would have a couple days to resupply and have his equipment repaired, before Garman led their group into the city. The large, unpleasant warrior, wanted to show them what to expect during the day in Aachen.

A ‘courtesy tour for morons’ he called it. A gift for surviving their first night on the wall. They would go as a large group, over forty of the new auxiliaries, walking the streets with him.

If this was a week ago, Wil wouldn’t expect much from the ‘tour’, but he had seen firsthand what lurked beneath Aachen’s streets. He needed to be prepared for anything.

Walking into the not so temporary garrison, Wil saw that the place was bustling with activity.

With the night over, the legion could relax for the month. They would train and rest, while the auxiliaries searched the town, and the craftspeople repaired the extensive damage to the walls and gate.

After the initial battle when the sun set, the rest of the 7 days passed rather uneventfully.

A few undead attempted to climb the walls, but the legion was ready. Most of the wards were burned out from the cleric’s divine attack, but the strong walls were still more than enough to keep the undead, in their greatly reduced numbers, within the city.

Making his way back to his lodgings, Wil planned to spend the next few days resting and training, he would be ready for when they went beyond the wall and walked the streets of Aachen.

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Time passed quickly and two days later found Wil standing next to the gates to Aachen, watching the craftspeople work to repair the twisted metal and wood barricades. He was wearing his newly repaired leather armor and his shimmering white, ursine cloak.

The weather was warmer than the north, but a chill breeze blew in from the ocean.

The black leather armor with silver studs looked brand new, and it was even better than when he had bought it. He had taken the armor to the Mage Guild to have it receive a rank 3 enchantment for protection against the undead, to match his new sword.

The glyphs and runes had cost him more coins than he currently possessed, but they were willing to do the work on credit. There was a understanding that the Guild would be repaid before the next Night, using his expensive spell book as collateral.

Like people, equipment had a similar ranking system, from Rank 1 to 20. It was assessed by the amount of mana the item could contain. Equipment was assigned a grade that corresponded to the recommended Rank of the user.

Standing in the sun, he adjusted the fit of his armor and thought about the relics that Quentin had lost after the auction. The auctioneer hadn’t announced the grades, since they were expensive due to their history and rarity, not power, but they were clearly high level. At least Rank 5 or 6, based on the enchantments he had felt.

Idly, he wished that he had studied enchanting in the academy, he could have made a fortune. Instead, he chosen history, just to irritate his father.

Laughing at the memory of his father’s face when he had told him about his chosen field, His companions standing nearby shot him odd glances as his stifled a chuckle.

With the yellow sun high in the clear skies overhead, Wil stood in his newly enchanted armor, with his brand-new sword on his back, deeply in debt.

Only a few months ago, the thought of owing over a thousand gold coins wouldn’t have bothered him at all, but he was on his own now. He hadn’t realized how important coin was when he attended the academy.

Advancement cost gold. Spells, weapons, items, even gaining ranks cost money.

He had wondered why people would risk their lives coming to a place like this for coin, but after traveling the empire for a couple months, he understood completely.

He would need to earn some money on their trips into Aachen to pay his debts, but it was worth it.

If his time outside the academy had taught him anything, it was that the sword on his back and the armor he wore, were worth their weight in gold.

Wil stood amongst the large group of auxiliaries, eager to enter the town. Despite the horrors that he had witnessed during the night, his fortunes lay within Aachen.

If he ever hoped to reclaim his place within his family, and his mother’s inheritance, he needed strength and coin. Aachen would provide both.