Fight for a Living

by Sophia Schmidt

  He gave the Count the chance to buy the perfectly preserved pelt, but for that the he needed to get in touch with Selia. Lith had no idea how to tan and preserve such magnificent fur, and neither did he know how much was its worth.

  So, he had been forced to turn to the huntress for help, and Selia had accepted in exchange of 25% on the final price. The same fate befell the deer carcass.

  Lith's goal was to improve his relations with Count Lark, by earning merits for both of them.

  Through their confidential agreement, Lith would achieve merits because he had eliminated a threat to the County, while the Count would take the credit of the kill, being the one that had discovered Lith's talent and claiming to have entrusted him with the task.

  According to the law book in Lith's possession, a noble would get great fame and honours, according to how his subjects performed.

  While they would get merits, the noble would improve his social status and importance to the King's Court, raising his chances of achieving one more title with all the lands attached to it.

  It was a perfect win-win situation.

  Lith hoped to reel in Count Lark among his official backers. Having him has a patron was not enough. Being the Count a magic enthusiast, Lith was just one of the many talented youths he was sponsoring and nothing more.

  Lith wanted their relationship to develop further, so when he finally could leave the village, he would have someone to rely on.

  If there was one thing that he had learned from Nana's story, was that a country bumpkin like him was in desperate need of someone trustworthy in an influential position.

  Count Lark was obviously thrilled at the idea that one of his proteges had achieved such a result. His hopes for Lith being accepted at the Lightning Griffon Academy skyrocketed, after so many failures, another success was on sight.

  It would further raise the Count status in the eyes of the Court. Killing a magical beast was good, but finding and developing the talent of a powerful mage was much better. Mages were the backbone of the Kingdom, together with the military.

  After settling his business with Count Lark, Lith had Solus help him completely rethink his concept of magic.

  "So far I used magic just like a club, to kill and hit. But Gerda and Irtu have showed me that magic, in this world, it's not fixed as in Dungeons & Looting. I have been too narrow minded. It's not only light magic that can act at cellular level.

  All kinds of magic can interact with matter, changing its properties. If Irtu could make the ground elastic, then I should be able to walk on water without freezing it first, by altering its density. I need more advanced spellbooks to understand magic's limits.

  It's no wonder that Magi's talent increases exponentially after discovering true magic.

  Not only they start with a better core than mine, so they can refine it to further heights, but they also become capable of replicating every single spell they saw until that point

  While inventing a new spell takes a lot of time for a fake mage, finding the right balance between hand signs and magic words to obtain the desired effect, a true mage just needs to understand the underlying principles behind a spell to perform it."

  Thanks to his battle with the magical beasts, Lith was able to quickly develop new spells, by either imitating their tactics or experimenting by himself.

  After about two weeks, his body, mind and mana core were perfectly in tune, so Lith asked Rena to go to the village with Trion, giving him the opportunity to freely talk with his parents and Tista.

  Trion and Lith were now in a more neutral relationship, there were no hard feelings left, but no trust either.

  Lith had to dumb down a lot the concepts to make them understand the risks of the procedure. He was not a doctor, but they were his parents, and Tista was their beloved daughter and his beloved sister.

  Lith would not proceed unless getting their informed consent, or at least the next best thing, since they understood very little of magic and nothing at all of anatomy.

  How sure are you about this thing? Asked Raaz, holding Tista as tight as he could, like Lith was going to take her away.

  "I'd love to tell you that everything will be alright, but I can't. I never tried something so big and complex. Tista, I worked years to develop this spell, just for you. The only thing that I can promise, is that I will give my best.

  I obsessed myself nights and days with it, because I want you to be free and happy like anyone else, instead of being stuck in a cage, be it your body or this house, no matter how golden we can make it.

  I want you to be able to run in the wind, walk in the snow. To get out of this house, to meet people, make friends, maybe someday fall in love with someone and being loved back.

  I will do all I can to free you from these shackles, but I can't do it without your trust and consent."

  Lith looked them in the eyes, one at a time, to show them his resolve and determination.

  Tista escaped her father's arms, hugging Lith tight.

  Oh, Lith. When you talk like that you sound more like dad than a little brother. She said crying.

  "Of course I trust you. You have always been by my side, taking care of me, even when I could do nothing but stay in bed all day. You worked so hard, giving me so much.

  Food, clothes, you even invented the rocking chair for me (AN: is actually a swing. See chap 17 for more details). Mom, dad, I want to do it. Whatever happens, I could never regret having trust in my little brother."

  Without saying a word, Raaz and Elina joined her in the embrace, all of them sobbing together, even Lith, so fond of their bond and so scared to lose one of them at the same time.

  After Lith calmed down, he could finally start. On paper, the treatment was simple. By using Invigoration's real time imaging of Tista's body, Lith would use light and dark magic in synch.

  Dark magic would destroy the damaged cells that composed almost half of Tista's lungs, while at the same rate light magic would enhance the healthy cells' ability to multiply, instantly replacing the lost organ tissue.

  But even with his limited knowledge in medicine, Lith could see many underlying problems. The destroyed cells would release toxins and impurities in Tista's system, and if they accumulated too much she could die of shock or organ failure.

  Also, regenerating a vital organ like the lungs was a delicate process, that would consume lots of her strength, and she hadn't much to begin with.

  So Lith had decided to take things slow, treating only a minimal part of her lungs to begin with. Then he would use his control over her mana flow to expel from her body all toxins and impurities the dead tissue would release, and give her some time to recover before attempting another session.

  During all the process, he took care of her eating and resting properly, to the point that Lith skipped hunting and magic training, only keeping his job with Nana to have a steady source of income while Tista was resting.

  The whole procedure took over a month, but thanks to all his painstakingly efforts and meticulous bordering anal-retentive preparations, everything went well.

  In some respects, even too well.

  After the treatment, Tista's mana core had gone from light orange to yellow, and according to Solus, it kept evolving over time.

  Seems your sister was quite talented, but her illness prevented her core from properly grow.

  That's good. Lith nodded "As soon she completely recovers, I can bring her to Nana to learn magic. That way she will be able to learn a trade and achieve a social status on her own. What comes next depends entirely on her."

  Won't you teach her true magic?

  "That would be idiotic. She is just ten years old. If there's really some sort of global conspiracy and control over magic, that would mean putting her in danger. She deserves to finally have some fun. To live instead of just surviving.

  I won't drag her into a beehive unless that's what she wants."

  Lith made sure that everyone in the family understood the importance
of keeping Tista's recovery a secret. Lith was still a no one, if the rumour spreaded, nobles or other mages could hunt them down to get their hands on the procedure.

  Despite they regretted being forced to keep Trion in the dark, they accepted wholeheartedly. None of them was stupid enough to endanger such a hardly achieved happiness just for bragging.

  Since according to Nana there was a chance for Tista of healing by herself with her growth spurt, they decided to stick with that version and claim it to be a miracle of nature.

  Lith had got to the point of developing a spell to alter the results of Nana's Vinire Rad Tu, so that when she checked on Tista she would still appear ill, but slowly improving. This time he would not slip on the details.

  Tista had to put up a façade every time Trion was around, but she soldiered up bravely. Being sick was a second nature to her, sometimes she even fooled Lith and her parents with her acting.

  But whenever she could, she would walk with Lith through the Trawn woods, going together at his secret clearing where she could finally be free to run, swim in the river, sing and dance at her heart content.

  Lith didn't regret even one moment spent with her instead of practicing magic or refining his mana core. Those things were of secondary importance to him.

  He had started practicing magic only because of his hunger for power, to put this new world to the test before committing suicide again. But then he had fallen in love with his new family, and magic had become a tool instead of a purpose.

  And that purpose was laughing and jumping around, in front of his eyes.

  Lith couldn't and wouldn't hold his tears.

  Wherever you are, Carl, I hope with all my heart you too have found someone to love and to protect. I love you, little brother, and no matter how distant we are, you'll always be with me.

  A few months later, Lith received an invitation from Count Lark, to join him for a day in his manor as his esteemed guest.

  Chapter 37: The Invite From Count Lark

  The whole thing happened in an odd fashion. Lith received a letter instead of an holo-call, and despite being addressed to him it was delivered at Nana's house.

  Being the host, Nana took the liberty of reading it before handing it to him. She was just concerned for Lith's wellbeing, of course.

  The letter said in a perfect penmanship:

  "Dear Lith,

  Thanks again for slaying the monstrous magical beast. You have served the County of Lustria and deserve to be rewarded accordingly. To this end, I would like you to join me in my manor in ten days since receiving this letter. We have much to discuss. I urge you to contact me as soon as you can via Lady Nerea's communication amulet.

  Count Trequill Lark."

  What does this mean? Lith asked Nana.

  It sounds so serious to be ominous. It doesn't even seem something a joyful and spirited person like the Count would write.

  Hmmm. Nana nodded, eager to avoid the outrageous accusation of being nosey.

  "I can smell good news and bad news.

  The good news is that isn't anything serious. Despite the somber tone, worthy of a payment order, Lark used a letter, this means it's nothing urgent or important, since he could afford to wait for the delivery and the reply.

  The bad news is that all the above stinks of formality and etiquette. I fear that you are in for a whole day of boredom, while attending all the official business regarding your prizes and whatnot. As I always say, little imp, no good deed goes unpunished!"

  That's my line! Lith inwardly screamed. "Not only you open my mail, you even steal my shtick?"

  Even the following holo-call was awkward. Count Lark was uncharacteristically calm and composed, managing to not make any question about magic to Lith, nor losing his monocle, not even once.

  After hearing that Lith had accepted his invite, he stated that his personal tailor would stop by later to take Lith's measurements, and that he would send his stagecoach on the set date, one hour after dawn in front of Nana's house.

  Then, the Count politely but promptly ended the call, saying he had many things to attend. For Lith was like talking to a complete stranger.

  The tailor arrived less than an hour later, he didn't give Lith any mean look or nasty remark. On the contrary, he somehow recognized him at the first glance, complimenting him for his height.

  Despite being only eight years and a half, Lith was already over one meter and thirty-five centimetres (4'6") high, and in the County of Lustria any man above 1.75 metres (5'9") was considered tall.

  Keep growing up so fast and soon you'll be as tall as the Count, young man.

  After the man left, Nana whistled in surprise.

  "Good gods, I know him. That's the tailor that personally prepare the dresses for the Lark's family. It's even worse than I thought. This occasion must be something really big, like being invited to a ball kind of big.

  This is one of those rare moments when I'm happy not being part of high society anymore. Prepare yourself for long awkward silences, insufferable small talk and being showed around like some kind of exotic beast."

  Lith spent the next ten days in his usual routine, obsessing about Nana's words was pointless, since he had already taken those things in consideration when he decided to tighten his relationship with the Count.

  Except dancing, of course. Lith had always hated dancing, even back on Earth, mostly because of his two left feet. But even that wouldn't worry him much, there was no way for him learning Court's dances in so little time.

  Even if he managed to find a book about it and added it to Soluspedia, knowing was not doing, he would still need to practice. He could only suck it up and endure.

  When the fated day came, a luxurious stagecoach stopped in front of Nana's house. It was all white, with the décors painted gold, drawn by four snow-white stallions.

  A valet descended, bowing to Lith before giving him a small wooden box.

  My Lord, would like you to change into your new outfit, before getting into the stagecoach, good sir.

  So much respect was dumbfounding for Lith, so he bowed back without a word, before going into Nana's living quarters to change.

  He came out wearing deep blue velvet pants over hard leather shoes, a snow-white silk shirt and a blazer matching with the pants, with the Count's family crest gold embroidered over his heart.

  Holy sh*t! I'm probably wearing more money than my family's farm is worth. Judging from the crest, I guess Nana was right, he is going to introduce me to someone, and he needs that someone to know who I belong to.

  Lith was alone on the stagecoach. After opening the door for him, the valet went sitting beside the coachman.

  The ride lasted over half an hour, despite the horses' remarkable speed. Having nothing to do, Lith spent the whole time using Accumulation. His deep cyan mana core had yet to change by even a shade, it definitely needed more work.

  When the stagecoach finally stopped, Lith looked out of the window, only to discover they were just at the gates of the estate.

  Two fully armed soldiers talked to the coachman, inspecting inside, above and below the stagecoach before letting them pass.

  Going at full speed, armed to the teeth guards, a full check on the coach. Maybe Nana was wrong, this looks more pressing by the second.

  Once inside the gate, and beyond the high grey walls, the stagecoach slowed down, allowing Lith to take in the full manor view. The park around the manor extended as far as the eye could see.

  The air smelled of cut grass, flower beds and finely trimmed bushes adorned the cobblestone paths that went across all the park.

  Halfway between the gate and the manor, there was a plaza, surrounded by benches, and at his center a huge pedestal with a marble statue of someone that Lith assumed had to be either the first Count Lark, or an ancestor of which they were proud of.

  The manor itself was bigger than he had imagined, extending for at least 3,000 square meters (3,588 square yards), divided into a main building, a
left and a right wing forming a reversed U shape.

  It took almost five more minutes to actually get to the manor's entrance.

  The more he looked around, the more he could feel something was amiss. One of the greatest changes happened after Lith's mana core evolved to cyan, was that alongside his five senses, also his instinct had greatly improved.

  He was able to sense hidden dangers, like with the Ry, and to more easily grasp someone's real demeanour and intentions. So, he didn't miss that there were too little servants around, and those few he managed to spot had all a tense expression.

  A butler in a white and deep blue livery welcomed him with a deep bow.

  The Count asked me to apologize on his behalf for not personally receiving you, Magico Lith. His Lordship also tasked me to bring you to his private quarters as soon as possible, where he will explain everything to you.

  The butler's poker face was impeccable, but Lith could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. He followed the butler until a double door room guarded by four soldiers.

  Looking through the windows Lith could see that there were even more guards on the outside, patrolling the windows and the glass doors leading to the park.

  Inside, he found the Count nervously pacing around, two youths were sitting on armchairs, and both were showing signs of anxiety, either tapping their feet of fiddling with their hair.

  Count Lark hadn't changed much since the last time he had saw him in person. He was in his mid to late fifties, around 1,83 meters (6') tall with a thin build, that made him appear even taller.

  The Count had thick black hair with streaks of grey, a short-trimmed goatee of the same colour. His inseparable black rimmed monocle was attached to his breast pocket with a blue silk string.

  As soon as he saw Lith, his somber demeanour returned to be filled with enthusiasm.

  Good gods, Lith, you are finally here! The Count shook his hand with such vigour that Lith thought he was actually trying to crush it.