A Mage Rising: (The Chronicles of Herst 2: A LitRPG Saga)

by Thomas Whipple

  Contemplating his options, Major Brown looks around the abandoned village. When they first arrived here he was expecting to pick up the trail of the large number of people that must have left here. All his scouts that searched the nearby area had come up with the same answer as the mage Varl. “We will stay here a little longer. I don’t expect that they will return since they obviously expected us to come, but we will expand the search a little farther and see if we pick anything else up. Otherwise we will have to come back empty handed.”

  Varl’s Anger boils over a little at that point and he snarls “I will find something.” Then he turns around and walks off.

  “I hate dealing with that crazy hothead” Major Brown mumbles as he turns and walks over to a few soldiers that are standing watch on the main building. He passes the orders to one so that their forces will set up a temporary base here. After the soldier takes off the Major starts walking around the village. He tries to see if there is any clue as to where the villagers may have gone. Knowing he is unlikely to find anything he still can’t help but try. A failed mission, like this is shaping up to be, always bothers him for a long time after.

  Picking a house at random, the Major enters and looks around. It’s obvious that the people left in a hurry from the detritus. On the other hand it looks like there wasn’t an immediate threat because most of the belongings were gone and he could see where magic stones were removed. When he arrived here it was apparent to his scouts that no one had been here in a while. There was dust on everything and there were some of the smaller inhabitants of the forest roaming around. Obviously they aren’t planning to return either.

  Walking out of the house and still trying to figure out how to make something of this mission he starts to formulate a course of action. As it is starting to get dark he gathers all of his captains in the largest building and starts issuing out the orders. “We are going to start increasing the distance that our scouts range from the village. This village will be our base for the foreseeable future. Make sure all your scouts have strict orders to make sure they do not engage should they encounter anyone. They should link up with the main forces to pass along the location and try to remain hidden if possible.”

  One of the younger captains raises a hand to get everyone’s attention before he starts talking. “Why don’t we want them to try and capture someone for questioning?”

  Nodding to the younger man the Major responds with the tone of an instructor. He always did take pride in training promising future leaders of the military. “You have a good point. Standard procedure in this type of situation would dictate that, but remember what already happened here. These people have already been able to fight off an attack from our forces even though we should have had the element of surprise. On top of that, it’s obvious from where we found the other bodies they were able to track down our people and turn the tables on them before they could fully retreat back to the main force. Underestimating them has already cost enough promising young soldiers. I won’t have that happen again to us.”

  The other Captains nod in agreement and the planning session continues as sections of the village are divvied up and assigned for the men to set up in and guard. Even Varl was given an assignment to roam, scouting further out. Shortly after the captains all leave to start their preparations. Varl steps up to Major Brown clearly displeased with the way things are going. “Are we just giving up then. You want us to just hunker down here waiting for people to return when they obviously abandoned this place.”

  The Major cuts him off with a slash of his hand and snarls back. “You think I like doing it this way. If you have a better plan then I’m all ears.” After giving Varl a minute to respond and not getting anything from him he continues. “I hate waiting around just as much as anyone but we need to expand our scouts to find them. I also won’t send out smaller groups so they can be slaughtered in isolation from the rest of our forces.” By the end of his little speech he was yelling at Varl, having been fed up with the entitled and aloof mage. On the part of Varl, he is stunned into silence at the reaction of the normally collected Major. Not having anything to retort with and being without any constructive plan to offer, Varl just storms out of the door.

  *******

  Waking up on the morning of the day before we leave, I got out of bed and let the girls sleep a little longer as I took care of the normal morning stuff. There are no lingering feelings from my sleep today. I don’t think I dreamt last night. At least not the same kind that left a sense of dread and urgency with me when I wake up. Done in the bathroom I wake the others up so they can get ready for the day too. While they were doing that I took a little time to stretch. Lately I keep forgetting to do it but I decide to get back in the habit since we will be traveling again. While I stretch out I take the opportunity to check over my messages. I was busy last night and tired so I had instantly fallen asleep after our talk.

  With everything I did building the village and then practicing my magic I gained a level in Fire, Earth and Space type magic. I was also able to get a skill level in Identify and my Staff Mastery. An interesting new ability I gained is called Magical Instrument Mastery. The description says that it is an advanced ability for playing musical instruments. It also says I can play music using magical and non-magical means which will get better the higher I level in this ability. It will also make learning a new instrument faster. As it is related to magic, I also have 100% resonance in it too. On top of that, the one song I played last night brought the ability level of it to level five. I can only attribute the rapid increase to my previous, if small, experience playing a guitar.

  After all the girls meet up with me again we head down to the main hall. I want to eat breakfast at one of the inns again to help support their business, but first we have to talk to the council members. We walk over to the long table they are usually at and greet everyone. We are early enough that even Dolan is still here to get the news that we will be leaving tomorrow. Not surprised by the information they all took it in stride. Dolan insists that we give him our armor and other gear so that he can repair it all before we leave. “Now, I can’t be repairin that there fancy jewelry ya got on so if’n any be damaged ya be needin ta take it ta a jeweler.” Dolan tells me as he is walking out the door to get started in his workshop.

  Checking my gear I find none of my jewelry is damaged, but when I look to the others I can tell Timbre’s could use a little work. Saving that for later we head over to The Roost. This is the other inn in the main square. It’s set up as a mirror of The Golden Feather. There are a few town residents here enjoying their meal. If the gossip about this is right then the food isn’t as good as the other inn, but the drinks are stronger. Ordering from a gnome waitress we get our food and enjoy the meal.

  As I’m sitting there I try to think of anything I should be taking care of before I leave. Remembering something I open my Land Development Menu. Checking the level of the Town I’m surprised that it’s level two. It must have leveled up after the quest completed and I missed it, excited about my level up and the new Spatial Door spell I have been wishing for. Just as IMA predicted there was a new option that opened up under the Special section. It’s called Elemental Automaton and cost two DP to purchase. Doing so I am able to see the information on it.

  Elemental Automaton: Summon an automaton made from the four elements that can be used for manual labor and to defend the territory. Must stay within the territory and can be summoned by any authorized person. Cost: 1000 MP. Duration: 24 Hours.

  I want to test it and see what they are exactly but I wait for everyone to finish eating and we go outside. In the main square I step away from anyone moving around and ask IMA to summon one. The tiles on the ground fold back and the ground bulges out. The girls take a step back since I spoke to IMA in my head and not out loud, but they settle down when they see I’m not alarmed. Within a couple seconds the ground releases a stone shaped like a person about five and a half feet tall and bulky like a professional
body builder. Then cracks start to form all over the stone and light seeps out. The light is reddish orange and flickers like there is a flame inside. Where the eyes should be little balls of fire catch inside otherwise empty sockets. Last, the head, arms, and legs separate from the body and I can see water connecting everything together. Inside the water is a flickering golden light that looks like a constant arc of electricity.

  The automaton looks impressive. I can imagine how they would be intimidating for anyone trying to attack the town. “IMA. Notify the council and Grondar of the new functionality and let them summon automatons as needed.” Telling the automaton with me to follow I lead the girls off to the training area. When we get there the guards are already at work. When I get into one of the sparring circles with the new automaton Grondar shows up. “Is this one of the things the town can summon now. I just got updated on it by IMA. She nearly took a year off my life when she suddenly started talking into my mind.”

  Repressing a chuckle at his expense I answer. “Yeah. I brought it here because I was curious about its capabilities. Want to watch while I test it out?”

  “Definitely. I need to know what I’m working with in case they‘re needed to defend the town.”

  Turning back to the sparring circle I start creating targets. Mostly person sized silhouettes, but there are a couple larger and smaller. I tell the Automaton to destroy one of the target dummies and it raises its arm. A moment later the glow from the cracks all through it intensifies and the light travels into the arm it’s pointing. A second after it starts a ball of stone at the end of the arm shoots forward. It also has the glowing cracks all over it. When the rock impacts the dummy it explodes sending stone chips everywhere and fire from inside the projectile scorches the ground. The target is completely destroyed and the ones next to it are scorched and damaged.

  “Well that was more than I was expecting” I say to the others present. Then I order the automaton to physically attack the new targets I set up for it. I can see the elemental drawing earth from the ground beneath it and its arm is back to the same length it was. Next it steps forward and starts punching and kicking the targets. It only takes one hit for each one and they are shattered by the strength of the elemental. A few seconds later all the targets I created are destroyed. The automaton is powerful but slow. Looking over to Grondar I can see he is impressed and maybe a little excited. “Does that give you a base idea of what they are capable of?” I ask him.

  “Yes. I would like to see how easy it is to control them and the extent that they can follow orders, but I think that covers the basics.”

  “Good” I tell him. “I’ll leave this one with you here to work with then. I have other things I need to take care of.” With that the girls say goodbye to him and we walk off. Next, I swing by the jeweler’s shop. Pora takes Timbre’s things and repairs them in a few minutes while we wait for them. We say our goodbyes to her again and head off once more. At Bolden’s shop we wave to his son as we enter. “I just want to look and see if there is anything I missed that could be of use” I tell him. He waves at us and we head over to the side of the shop with the skills and spells. I don’t find anything new, but Azzaria grabs a skill book and walks over to pay for it.

  When we leave the enchanters shop, we start walking to our next destination. “What is the new skill you got, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “It’s an area of effect skill that allows me to fire an arrow into the air, where it will get copied and a rain of phantom arrows pelts the intended area. The number of copies increases with skill level” she tells me. I can see how happy she is to be able to increase her power like this.

  A few minutes later we enter the general shop to grab a few provisions and visit with Tayna. When we walk through the door I get hit in the chest with an excited snow elf. A quick hug and she is off to squeeze Azzaria. These past weeks Azzaria and Tayna have been getting close again. It makes me happy she was able to reconnect with someone who was such a big part of her life growing up.

  Speaking quickly and with nary a pause for breath, Tayna starts peppering Azzaria with questions. “I heard you’re going to the human kingdom. Are you scared? What are you going there for?....” A minute of not being able to interrupt her friend finally causes her to resort to covering Tayna’s mouth with her hand. The constant stream of consciousness finally stops.

  I’m chuckling at my companion as I see her frustration. Every time she tried to get a word in Tayna just kept talking until she was forcibly stopped. “Tayna! Yes I am going to the human kingdom, but I won’t be alone. Now calm down for a minute so we can talk normally.” Still chuckling, I walk into the rows of the store as Azzaria talks to her friend about our plans. I have to admit that Tayna’s overly bubbly personality and constant enthusiasm has caused me to take a liking to her as well. Even if she is a little annoying when she gets extra excited like today.

  Looking through the store I pick up more spices to replenish those that I used in the past and to get a bigger variety. I replenish the stocks of travel rations and even pick up a few extra items that I already have. This is so I can kit out Azzaria with the basics for travel as well. When I make it back to the counter to pay Tayna has calmed some. I pay and we all say our goodbyes, with Tayna making me promise to bring her best friend back to her. Leaving the store I can see by the sun it’s around lunch time. As we walk I catch sight of a couple familiar faces heading north through the main square.

  Raising my hand I call out to them. “Nira, Zia. Over here!” Hearing my voice, they both turn to us.

  I’m going to miss seeing the energetic Zia around town. Deciding to have a little fun I cast Mana Decoy, creating the image of a tortoise and a hare that dance around Zia as we approach. Seeing the silly images circling her, Zia laughs and then looks up to me when we near. Seeing the staff she is holding onto I ask “Heading off to practice?”

  Her expression turns serious when she answers. “Yes. I need to improve so you can keep your promise.” The determination in her eyes and voice when she says that throws me off for a moment, but I quickly recover.

  Returning her seriousness I give her an encouraging nod. “I need to go away for a little while. I’ll be back though so don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be ready soon. Maybe even before I’m back. While I’m gone though I want you to keep practicing. Remember that you need to concentrate on the spell as you cast it. Make sure to pay special attention to how it works and try to understand it as much as possible.”

  Zia listens to my instruction intently and when I’m done she says “I will.” A moment later her smile is back and she gives me a hug. Returning it in kind I squeeze her tight and just hold the bundle of optimism for a moment.

  Releasing her for a moment I step next to Nira as the three girls all talk to Zia. “That is one special girl you have there.”

  She looks away from her daughter for a moment and gives me a bright smile. It’s a nice smile. Genuine in a way I don’t often see from the woman. “Thank you lord.”

  I cut her off there. “Don’t call me that. Just Vol. I’m already tired of hearing it and we are friends.”

  Catching the hint she continues. “Vol. Thank you for taking such an interest in my girl. I’m so proud of her. She is taking to magic and it has made her so happy. She always talked about wanting to be a mage. Magic was always her favorite part of the bedtime stories we told her. I can’t thank you enough for helping her realize that dream.”

  “It has been my pleasure to work with Zia” I tell her honestly.

  Turning back to watch her daughter we see Thia and Timbre have transformed to their animal forms and are playing with her. “I heard you will be going into the human kingdom.” She shakes her head while it looks like she is thinking about something unpleasant. “It’s dangerous. Even for a human like you. You call me a friend and I’m truly honored” at this she nods toward Zia, “but to her you are her idol. A role model. You need to come back.” She turns back to me again as her voic
e lowers a little with her intense look. “If for no other reason than for a promise to a precious little girl.”

  Looking her dead in the eye I return her intensity. “I will.” After that we just watch the girls play in silence. A little while later I call out. “Okay, enough of that. We have things to do and Zia has her practice.”

  As the girls say their goodbyes Nira steps up to me and gives me a hug. “We all have faith in you Vol. Make sure you come back, and don’t let us down.”

  “Count on it” is my response. Then I turn to scoop up Zia in another hug. “All right my delicious little morsel” I punctuate this with a little nip to her cheek, “I have to get going, but I’ll see you when we return. Keep practicing and maybe I’ll have a surprise for you when I return.”

  “I will” she says happily at the prospect of a gift. Then she squeezes me tight once more and turns back to her mom. “Bye uncle Vol.”

  Returning her wave, we all go our separate ways. Grabbing a bite to eat at The Roost for lunch we split up after. Azzaria heads over to Enora’s shop to learn what she can about Life magic before we leave and to grab a few potions. Timbre comes with me and Thia takes to the air. I head back to the arts district I started and put up a couple all-purpose buildings that the council can decide on what to do with.