Chapter 64

In the center of the Midnight Desert exists a natural spring, the only commonly known, and mapped, source of surface water.

For centuries, it was a well-guarded secret of the local desert tribes and select merchant groups. They discovered it while making expeditions deep into the dunes to gather the rare resources and plants that grew beneath the ground, or around its rare, underground water wells.

Eventually, word leaked of its existence to other groups, and it became a landmark, a destination to work towards while journeying across the desert. It was also a valuable resting area for the adventurers and profiteers in their excursions through the sands.

The center area of the desert was also the safest place in the entire region. For some unknown reason, the Wyrms and other beasts avoided the Desert’s center spring like the plague, even breaking off while giving chase if their prey breached its boundary.

Rumors persisted that the land was sacred to a particular god, and the Wyrms feared its divine wrath, while others told of a fearsome beast that slumbered deep beneath the ground of the desert’s center, its presence driving away potential rivals.

Regardless of the reason, it was here that most of the potential adventuring recruits made their way towards.

Of the thousands that had gathered for this particular test, a surprising amount came from wealthy backgrounds, drawn by the thrill of adventure rather than material rewards. Their families, sensibly, ordered experienced retainers and guards to assist them, forming groups to challenge the adventurer guild’s test and bring the rich scions through these obstacles.

Their hope was that eventually they would tire of the rugged life of an adventurer and return, settling into arranged marriages or roles their families had decided for them. This wasn’t unreasonably, especially after experiencing the harsh landscapes the Guild often operated in.

The remainder of the gathered were an eclectic group of thrill seekers and opportunists, trailblazers, and fortune seekers. It wasn’t just potential recruits to the adventurer’s guild that were currently gathered in the Desert’s center, but also merchant groups and their guards.

Having nothing to do with the Guild’s test, ranked parties of competent individuals searching for resources were in large numbers at the spring, resting. Even archeologists, looking for remnants of lost civilizations, the evidence of which were scattered across the dunes, were scattered amongst the crowd.

But it wasn’t the diverse group that led to most problems in this place, with their different goals, ambitions and personalities, but a quirk of the land itself.

The surface water wasn’t the main reason people gathered here, it was the mana. Water and mana often went hand to hand in the Midnight Desert, one following the other. The Center Spring was the only easily accessible and mapped place for mana users to draw in ambient mana. It was critical to anyone seeking to cross the desert.

It made for the perfect place to restore oneself on a journey filled with hardship and danger, and this led to conflict over resting spots close to the mana’s source.

The quirk of this place what that the closer one was to the spring at the desert’s center, the stronger the ambient mana and the faster a group’s recovery. The mana here ebbed and flowed, like an ocean’s tide, dependent on factors that no one could determine, seemingly random.

There were times when the mana was strong and potent and the land for miles around would be absolutely drenched in it, allowing thousands to feel its effects at the same time. Groups could rest for a single day and leave, refreshed and strong, capable of confronting the remaining distance to the far side of the desert or delving below the surface for rare materials and resources.

At other times, it was so low that only by standing directly next to the spring itself could one draw on its mana. It was during these low times that struggles erupted, as countless people fought for the Spring’s effect, knowing that it could be a matter of life and death, or, more importantly, fortune and poverty.

Unfortunately for the test takers, the spring was currently in a period of ‘ebb’ and the mana was scarce, causing disputes with those in the area regarding the ‘right’ to occupy the best spaces.

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Wil spotted the gathering in the distance first by the buzzards and vultures flying overhead, long before he spotted the people on the ground or the water that drew them there. Thousands of small, black winged figures dotted the horizon, wheeling and turning in the sky above as they waited to feast.

It didn’t make the area seem like an oasis paradise that the cavern they had just left had been, but rather an ominous battleground or the site of a potential massacre.

‘Maybe it will be.’ Wil thought, shielding his eyes with his hand to get a better look.

The scarcity of mana made any area with a trace of it valuable. With the elemental’s warning, he knew to expect people, and where there were people and something valuable, in limited quantity, there would be conflict.

Astrid and Wil didn’t have much of a choice, the Clockwork Owl carrying them was running on fumes, the mana Wil had supplied it was running out. Even conserving its energy by gliding, it would barely make it to their destination.

Wil wasn’t willing to risk using any more of his, or Astrid’s, mana for the flight, not when they didn’t know what to expect when they arrived. If they needed to fight to reach the spring, better to be in the best shape possible for it, even if it meant walking the remaining distance.

For better or for worse, the pair had thrown their lot together, deciding to work as partners. At least until they were settled at this new, mana rich area and had refilled their cores.

However grudgingly, Astrid agreed to listen to the more experienced Wil, although she also took it upon herself to educate this foreign barbarian. He was still slightly shocked that she considered him uneducated, even with his academy training.

Wil had thought what she explained to him about Lund’s nobility and upper classes would be completely useless information, he was a noble of Illyria after all, but some of what she said contained useful tidbits he wouldn’t have known otherwise.

Lund was massive, something he already knew, but lacked a centralized government. Unlike Illyria, there wasn’t an emperor or king that ruled over all the land. Things were broken up into fiefdoms, ruled by powerful lords and ladies. Some regions could also be controlled by clans, some small, while others could have tens of thousands of people, all belonging to the same ‘extended’ family.

There were also schools and sects, factions and guilds, all owing alliance to the nation of Lund, but not to a single authority. They ruled through power, or influence, or wealth.

It was complicated, and the more Astrid explained, the more Wil was convinced that Lund would have been destroyed in civil war ages ago if it wasn’t for the constant threat of monsters, beasts, and races hostile to humans, to keep them all with a common goal of self-preservation.

As it was, the rule that Guild members to not attack or harm each other came from the need to bring these various groups together. They would be called upon to operate across the continent, with people they may have past histories and feuds with. The Guild weeded most of this out, only taking people who are willing to look pass grievances for a greater good.

“So, you’re saying that the Guild rule will hold, even here?” Wil asked, after Astrid finished her explanation.

They were close now, and Wil could see traces of humanity on the ground. Long lines of tracks in the sands, the tops of tents and shelters in the distance, and even banners, fluttering in the hot desert wind.

“Doubtful. This is a test, after all. I think they weed out most of the worst bigots and idiots before they even sign on, but there’s always a few that slip through the cracks. Luckily, you’re a foreigner, so most people will just disregard you.” She said, running her hands through her hair to get the dust and the sand out.

Astrid had spent the last hour or so of the flight making herself presentable. A quick cleaning spell from Wil had removed the dirt and grime from both of them, but the sand was everywhere, and seemed to constantly worm its way into her hair and clothing.

Wil liked to keep clean and presentable as well, but even he thought she was being unreasonable, until Astrid pointed out that they would undoubtedly be judged in the eyes of their peers as soon as they arrived at the Spring, and a neat appearance may mean the difference between a long fight or a short walk to the front of the line.

So it was that a neat and tidy pair, a handsome man and a beautiful, silver haired woman, landed at the edge of the desert’s center, ready for anything.