A Summoner Awakens, Chapter 5 [Rowan Wilder]

"Is everything alright?" Crook asked anxiously. He watched the three men who had just entered his store as they looked over the items. One of the gentlemen held a pad in his hand. He'd stopped writing and frowned at an empty space on one of the shelves.

The other two men removed their hoods, revealing stern looks on their scarred faces. Each of them had dark hair, and they all held very similar features. The biggest of the brutes scratched at the collar of his dark robe, revealing a skull tattoo on his lower neck.

"Would any of you gentlemen care for a drink?" Crook asked when none of them spoke. "On the house, of course."

The largest of the men frowned at the merchant's strange behaviour. Even if the Pope himself walked in, this man wouldn't give out anything for free. He stepped toward the counter, towering over the little man, and grunted, "What's got you so worked up, Crook?"

"Rock," Crook took a deep breath and nodded respectfully. "I-"

"The pay don't match the merch," the man with the pad interrupted him. "Missin' a good five thousand Essence or so, dependin' on how bad he managed to shaft the buyers."

Rock frowned and turned on the smaller man. One of the other men walked over and leaned heavily on the counter. He was a tall, lean man with a splotchy beard and yellowed teeth. "Is this how the Society treats its business partners? We're providin' you with all this merchandise, and you think you can hold out on us?"

"Boulder..." Rock warned his little brother, who scoffed and backed off the counter. Boulder grumbled and moved to stand with the third and youngest of the brothers, who was going over the checklist, "That ain't his place... but he's right. If you're tryin' to nab a bigger cut..."

Rock snatched the merchant's collar and drug him onto the counter, scattering small items and displays across the floor. He held his arm on the man's throat and bent over his face, a knife suddenly in his hand.

"If you wanna take a cut from us..." he pressed the knife against Crook's cheek, "Then I'll be takin' a cut from you."

"It wasn't me!" Crook shouted, flinching when the knife began to tear his skin. Rock squinted at the man for a few seconds before pulling the knife back.

"Talk," he spoke softly. "The boss wants that Essence. Today."

Crook was sweating buckets. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to tell the man what had happened. The knife crept back toward him, and he finally choked it out.

"I- It... It happened today. Not too long ago," Crook gulped. The knife moved away, and Rock let go of his collar. The merchant slid off the counter and teetered unsteadily on his feet.

"What happened?" Rock narrowed his eyes.

"A m-man came in... around noon," the merchant looked wary. "H-he threatened to tell the guards about our relations. Took a few items and left. B-But he was just a kid, Rock. Some fool from the Academy."

The giant of a man suddenly moved. Crook flinched but looked back up when he didn't feel any pain. Rock was on his side of the counter, towering over him.

"Now," Rock's large hand's adjusted the merchant's collar carefully. "How bouts you tell me what this... just a kid, looked like, hmm?"

Crook gritted his teeth, "He had on one of the Academy's red uniforms. Final year from the looks of his sleeve. He wore a ratty set of leathers over it and carried a cane."

"S-Sorry..?" Boulder guffawed, forcing himself to hold back his laughter. "You let some kid wiff a stick work you over? What bloke put you in charge?"

"Boulder!" Rock snapped. "Mind your tongue. If he wasn't standin' in this shop, this man could do us both in."

"Well, he is in this shop, innit he?" Boulder mumbled before slamming open the door and stepping out.

"Just tell your boss the Skull will receive another ten per cent from your next load," Crook sighed. "Just... let the kid be. He clearly doesn't know who you are."

Rock clicked his tongue and growled, "Then someone ought to teach him. Stone, what did he take?"

"Let's see," the youngest man flipped the page back. "Strength, Dash, and a case of Infernal Wash."

"We'll be expecting that ten per cent or your employer will be hearing about this," Rock stared at the merchant for a few seconds before turning to his brother. "Stone. Let's go get what's ours."

"You don't even know his whereabouts," Crook called.

Stone glanced back, "He's young and not in class. You said he was wearin' armour, and he swindled you for a couple of Cards. He'll be testing them in the forest."

With that, they left the store. Crook watched through the window as Boulder joined them, and they turned toward the forest instead of the old inn where they were based.

He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples for several minutes before calming down, "It isn't your fault, Crook. You didn't make that boy do what he did."

Grabbing a bottle and glass from under the counter, he poured himself a shot and tipped it back. He then filled the glass before putting the bottle back and sipping slowly on the drink.

''It's probably for the best. If it had been my employer who'd found out and not the Skull...'' Crook shuddered and downed the glass.

...

Aurora sat in her seat at the front of the class. She glanced back and forth between her notebook and a large, open book filled with images of Cards and brief descriptions beneath them. One of her Cards was currently active, muffling the ruckus of the rowdy class behind her.

The Spell was involuntarily cancelled when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She huffed in annoyance and turned around. The afternoon sun shone through the window and blocked her view, something the Academy designers obviously didn't consider when the building was erected.

"Miss Price?"

She knew that voice. Aurora raised her hand to block the stream of light, revealing the face of one of her least favourite classmates, Zachary Gray. He was second in the overall class ranking, just behind her. He was very handsome with his blonde hair and blue eyes. And even though he'd always seemed kind, something in his eyes made her feel uncomfortable. His posse of low-life cheaters and rich boys stood behind him, glaring at her over his shoulder.

"What do you want, Gray?" she asked sharply, hoping he'd make it quick. She needed to back to work. The year was coming to an end, and once it was over, she'd lose access to this information until reaching the Fifth Floor.

Zachary smiled, ignoring the cold attitude, "Would you mind if I borrowed your notes on the drop rates of the Plagued Beasts?"

"There a problem with yours?" Aurora huffed.

"Hah. You'll have to excuse me. It seems I've lent my notes to the wrong person, and they misplaced them," He smiled at a chubby young man standing behind him. The plump man shrank back and looked at the floor. "Even if I had them, arithmetic isn't my strong suit. It would be useful to see how you go about it."

"Your poor judgment is not my problem, Zachary," Aurora turned around, casting Sphere of Silence and returning to her studies. The man's demeanour didn't change, not even showing a hint of frustration. He simply continued smiling and turned to the group behind him.

In contrast to him, the heavy man who'd misplaced the notes looked livid, "How dare you act like you're better than us! You're just some whore from a third-rate merchant family! If you don't treat us with respect, I'll-"

"You shouldn't show yourself in such a way, Graham. Those aren't the makings of a proper gentleman. Besides, we're all equals until we've graduated," Zachary's placed his hand on the man's shoulder. He shook his head, "And you're putting on a show for nothing. She didn't hear any of what you said."

A fetching young woman standing close to Zachary huffed in annoyance. Her cheeks flushed as she glanced between the young man and the beautiful woman who stood at the top of the class, "How can you be so kind to her while she's treating us like rubbish? You aren't any less important than those from the esteemed Families."

One of the other students nudged Zachary with his elbow, "I don't blame you. I'm infatuated myself. Shame she's so callous."

The girl clenched her fists and glared at the back of Aurora's head. A mere merchant's child didn't deserve to have so much attention.

Zachary didn't think anything of all this talk, only calmy watching the reactions of the group bickering around him. Before anyone could get even more riled up, a chill washed over the crowd of students.

Miss Warren stepped in, carrying a stack of papers and a few old, leatherbound books. The chill dissipated once all of the young men and women had taken their seats. She nodded in approval and down the stairs toward the oversized blackboard.

Aurora closed her notebook, recalled her Sphere of Silence, and watched respectfully as the professor moved forward. Miss Warren stopped about halfway down the stairs and frowned. She turned to an empty seat on the far end, closest to the window.

Aurora followed the woman's gaze and took note of the empty chair. It seemed Rowan hadn't shown up for the afternoon class. She scoffed internally. His missing class was odd, but she couldn't fathom why he bothered to show up since he slept all day, anyway.

Though she never paid attention to most of her classmates, Rowan Wilder got under her skin. And the way he'd smirked at her the day before? She was at the top of the class and had worked hard to get there. There was no mistaking that look of superiority.

"Has anyone seen Mister Wilder?" Miss Warren asked loudly once she resumed her descent. Some students snickered, and others looked between the empty seat and the teacher, wondering why she cared.

Aurora glanced at the seat, rolled her eyes, and turned her textbook to the page they were studying the day before. She didn't have time to deal with some dud who wouldn't bother coming to class just before the finals.

Miss Warren took in all her students' actions, sighed, and rubbed her temples. She wished they would care more about one another. Having a solid team that one could trust was just as crucial to surviving one's ascent as knowing the dangers.

"All right, everyone! Open your textbooks," her volume was the same for every student, regardless of their seating arrangements. "Miss Price, please remind everyone where we left off."

...

Swoosh!

My blade tore through the air, slicing wind and leaving a barely visible tail behind. Two boars' heads thudded to the ground, rolling slightly before coming to a stop. Not a drop of blood remained on the blade, and I was pleased to find myself as clean as if I'd just dressed for the day. The Infernal Wash had even removed most of the stains from the old armour.

That's six hundred ninety-two...

Without pause, I tore off into the next clearing. Though many Climbers would kill thousands of Wild Boars before heading to the Second Floor, they took the time to cut out the Essence. If it weren't for that, the Families wouldn't have had such an easy time keeping it a secret.

Completing this task required one kill every twenty-one seconds. Unless a Wielder could remove Essence without stopping, there wasn't nearly enough time to accomplish this feat.

The best I could hope for was that the corpses would remain untouched, so I could return to collect the Essence later. I wasn't expecting to get much of it. Wielders and other creatures regularly roamed these parts, and none would pass up such effortless gains.

The sun had begun to fall, leaving long shadows dancing wildly between the trees. I was only left with a couple hours to finish my task... It was more than enough time for the killing, but the number of boars in this area had begun to thin. I'd already relocated twice, and it seemed I'd have to do so once more before the day was through.

Leaping over some overgrown bracken, I found myself face to face with three startled boars. I smiled. My feet hit the ground, and before they could charge, I Dashed forward.

"Squuueeeaaaa-"

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Dash carried me over the next bush and around a tree before its Effect faded. My control had increased exponentially over the last few hours, and I could alter the distance and even slightly change direction while the Ability was active.

This improvement is far faster than I thought it would be. I expected to make progress, but this... No. No. Don't get into it. Focus on the goal.

I used Dash nonstop. Every time I felt the Cooldown end, I Dashed forward, eating up the distance between myself and the deep forest. Every minute I covered several hundred yards.

The Cooldown ended again, and I Dashed over a thicket to find myself in an open space. It was huge, a vast clearing within the forest... and there were boars as far as the eye could see.

This...

I couldn't believe it. Hundreds of the tusked beasts wandered aimlessly about, sometimes stalking off into the surrounding trees.

No doubt about it. I've discovered a spawn zone.

Plagued Beasts didn't reproduce like humans. Instead of breeding, they just... appeared. Spawn zones weren't permanent, and studies showed they were utterly unpredictable. Some teams tracked these zones and kept tabs on the spawn times of higher Ranked Beasts. Selling information was lucrative.

These zones moved sporadically around the Floor. At times they would stay for days, while others... only minutes. Each zone maintained the population of a specific Class of Plagued Beast.

It looks like I'll make it in time after all.

With practised movements, I pulled two throwing knives from my belt and clambered to the lowest branches of a nearby tree. I chose a plump boar about a fifth of the way into the crowd. I flicked my wrist, using Throw to sling the knife forward.

It flew toward the creature, striking it perfectly on the rump. The boar cried in anguish and thrashed about, crashing into the Beasts surrounding it before turning toward my position and barreling at the woodline. Each boar that it knocked into followed suit, and they formed a small stampede that paraded loudly through the woods.

One, two, three...

I counted forty in total. It was a solid pull. The small horde of swine raced harmlessly by the tree where I was perched, smashing the brush and leaving a striking trail through the thick woods.

The final boar passed by unawares, and I Dashed after it. My body lurched forward, and the Ability's momentum carried my blade directly into the pig's skull. Almost no sound was made as my feet lightly tapped the ground, and I directed the skill to launch me toward the next target.

My sword Pierced its side, and I drove the second small throwing knife into the Beast's eye before choosing my next target. Two boars had died, and the small horde ahead of them were none the wiser.

Over the following minutes, I chased after the slowly diminishing pack, striking down one after the other until those in the lead began to take notice and slowed. It was too late for them. The boars' numbers were down to twenty-six, and like the mindless Beasts they were, they'd charged in a straight line... and corralled directly into a small clearing I'd passed before finding the spawn zone.

With their momentum gone, the overgrown pigs couldn't bust free from the other side. Turning around was hardly an option for the thick brutes either. A smile crept on my face... I took a deep breath and...

"Hooowwwoooooooooooo!"

A deafening Howl escaped my throat, sounding close to that of a wolf's. The effect was immediate. Every boar in the clearing froze. It didn't last long, but the fear remained. Trapped in the cramped space with no means of escape, the Wild Boars scrambled into one another, trampling their peers into the ground. I smiled, knowing that my kill count was rising.

This was a trick I'd picked up in my later years. Plagued Beasts killing each other would produce loot as long as the Wielder provoked it. This had been thoroughly tested over the years. Kills by area-of-effect Spells, crushing one Beast with the body of another, conning the Beasts into killing one another... These methods all generated loot.

On the other hand, some methods yielded absolutely nothing. Many Wielders had attempted to burn forests or lead Beasts into a cave before collapsing the ceiling. When the bodies were retrieved, there was nothing. No Cards would drop, and no Essence would form upon their deaths. Not to say that this method wasn't beneficial. Killing a Beast in this fashion would leave its blood, a vital substance for the Tower's inhabitants.

I waited until the boars' frenzied movements ended before I made my move. My blade glinted as I Dashed between the remaining Beasts, heads rolling with every step. This time, I hadn't come out of the mess unscathed.

Almost seven hundred boars and not so much as a speck. Just one herd and these boots are stained so severely that even the Infernal Wash won't be able to clean them properly.

I sheathed my sword and pulled my knife from the leading boar's thigh. Begrudgingly, I gripped the handle and made my way around the edge of the spawn zone... without cleaning myself. Infernal Wash may not have been a rarity on the Origin Floor, but getting another case of the stuff here would prove a challenge.

Quiet grumbles constantly sounded from beneath the forest canopy as I trudged along, my blood-soaked boots squelching with every step. Each time I heard the noise, I cringed and forced myself to ignore the warm, wet feeling between my toes.

It only took a minute of searching to find another similar clearing... and then the game began again. The efficiency was much greater than I imagined, and I finished the task just as I lost sight of the sun behind the trees. It had been a long afternoon, and the blood-soaked floor of the forest was a testament to my perseverance.

I stood in the centre of another small clearing, the corpses of nearly sixty Wild Boars strewn around me. Sweat poured from my brow, not that I could tell. Not one part of me had been spared from the shower of blood that had occurred only moments before.

"Haahhh..." heaving a sigh, I stretched and pulled the open vial of Infernal Wash from my bag. Without hesitation, I pulled the cork and emptied the contents onto myself, my pack, my clothing, and my weapons. Dim, red light enveloped me as the blood and grime turned to dust and blew away in the wind.

Now... where is it?

I sheathed my blade and watched the skies. This was something that hadn't been specified. Based on the information from the Network, the Tower should gift me a Card, but the time it took hadn't been recorded. Each task would reward the Wielder with a Card. The Card would usually reference the theme of the task.

It took another few seconds, but I finally felt a change in the air. A warm breeze surrounded me, and a chime sounded in my mind. Golden light fell from nowhere, materialising no more than a yard above my head. Within the rays, a small, rectangular item slowly took shape.

When I reached for the Card, it drifted out from the light and landed in my open palm. The theatrics ended the moment I touched it. As one, the wind, the music, and the lights vanished. Curiously, I scrutinised the metal Card, my Demon Glass already in my hand.

The face of the Card held the figures of two men. One of the men was slightly injured, and the other waved a pair of luminous hands over his wound. I knew what it was from the image alone, but since the glass was already in my hand...

[Card Name: Heal]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Blessed]

[Level: 1]

[Essence: 0/1,000]

[Description: The Wielder can heal middling-level non-magical wounds. Can not regrow organs or limbs. Healing wounds uses the nutrients within the target's body]

[Effect 1: Instantly heals superficial or minor wounds. Deep, non-lethal wounds are healed at an accelerated rate. All healing uses the nutrients stored within the target's body. More nutrients are required to heal the wounds of those with a higher Vitality. The higher the caster's Intelligence, the fewer the nutrients needed to heal wounds]

[Effect 2: Lethal wounds are more challenging to heal. Injuries suffering from any adverse magical or non-magical Effect can not be healed. Wisdom offsets the difficulty]

[Cooldown: 5 minutes]

After reviewing the text, I shoved the Demon Glass into my pack and carefully placed the Card into my Deck. It may have only been a Blessed Rank, but it wasn't a Card that could be obtained easily. The Church of Liberation lorded over the areas where heals and buffs were the most common drops and then only sold them to their supporters.

Something rustled in the brush behind me, breaking me from my thoughts. I turned calmly and found three men standing behind me. One was somewhat lean, but the others were brutish. Each donned a familiar cloak that I recognised from the images shared by the Network. These men were members of the Skull Mercenaries.

It seems my gambit paid off.

The smallest was carrying a pouch, looking around the clearing as he weighed it in his hand. In the future, he would become the most treacherous of this bunch. I eyed the pouch before inspecting the man's gear. My gaze trailed over his weapon before coming to rest on his feet... we looked to be about the same size.

I grinned.

I could use a new pair of boots.

...

"I hate comin' to this place," Boulder griped, tossing a small, glowing ball back and forth between his hands. "It's so muggy... couldn't we have just waited for the kid to come back?"

Stone grunted and kept walking forward, but Rock scoffed at his younger brother, "Did you also plan to invite the guard to watch us deal with him? Besides, look at all the Essence Stone's grabbing."

Stone bent down and held his hand over a corpse. His palm lit up, and after a few seconds, the boar's skin began to stretch as if something were trying to get out from the inside. Stone made a small nick with his dagger, and a shard of Essence burst through.

"It's odd," Stone frowned, tossing the Essence into his bulging pouch.

Rock nodded, "I've counted almost a thousand. What kind of loon goes hunting without snaggin' his rewards?"

Stone shook his head as his brothers went back to bickering. Something felt wrong. Looking around the clearing, there were nearly forty bodies. This was supposed to be an Academy student, but what kind of student would do this?

That was strange, but it wasn't what bothered him. At first, every kill was sloppy. Heads were only partially cleaved, or there were multiple stab wounds. Then, after the first hundred, the Beasts were slain with a single strike. He'd become more unnerved with every corpse as jagged incisions slowly shifted into flawless lacerations.

Then, they'd come across the first clearing. Several corpses were strewn about, and most were stomped and bruised. It was like they'd been struggling to escape some terrifying predator.

Stone could almost visualise the entire process. He watched as this kid gained several years of experience with just a few hundred measly boars. They'd taken a short detour to get a profile on the boy first, not wanting to gain the ire of one of the esteemed Families. Nothing the rat mentioned implied their target was capable of this.

"He's still only a kid... Right?" he mumbled, glancing at the carnage around him. His eyes shone with a faint light as he observed the surrounding brush.

"You two look alive... We're close."

Boulder dismissed the glowing ball and jogged up next to him. Rock was already moving forward, pushing aside the thick leaves of the brush Stone indicated. Through the bush, they found another clearing full of corpses. But this time, they weren't alone.

Standing in the centre, a young man stood patiently with his head cocked slightly. He had long black hair tied into a ponytail and bright green eyes that looked at them with no hint of surprise. Despite the young man's surroundings, there wasn't a speck of dirt on his person.

He leaned forward casually on a long, black cane, confirming that this man was their target. His description perfectly matched everything the rat had told them. This was the youth named Rowan Wilder.

Stone felt unsettled as the fellow gazed at each of them with a discerning glare. Where he was, the way he stood... It was like the youth had been expecting them. And those eyes... Those weren't the eyes of a fearful young man. Stone watched as the youth's eyes shifted to the bag in his hands... and then, for some reason, to his feet.

The young man grinned, sending shivers down Stone's spine.

"It seems you gentlemen have saved this old man the trouble of a lengthy stroll," the youth continued to smile. "I suppose I'll have to thank you properly."