From the top of the hill, Mike and Morris could see the village in the fading light. It was small, barely 20 buildings within a rudimentary palisade. Outlying farms dotted the surrounding countryside.
During the short walk down from the top of the hill, Mike continued to ask Morris questions that the older man seemed more than willing to answer.
"So you mentioned arcane magic. I'm assuming that is different from elemental magic?"
"Indeed. There are several different kinds of magic available through the system, but in general we tend to classify them into five distinct categories based loosely on the source of the magical effect."
[They really have a thing for the number five.] Mike thought to himself as Morris continued.
"You should be familiar with Elemental Magic. It's the most fundamental form of magic and the most easily learned. The system provides a bridge between the caster and the elements, allowing magic to be performed with only mana as a power source. Simply speaking, it is the most potent in terms of direct application, but due to the fact that casters have to specialize in specific elements in order to have a chance of reaching high-tier magic skills, practitioners of Elemental Magic often lack versatility."
"The other four categories are Arcane, Divine, Pact, and Summoning. Divine magic skills are available to the followers of divine beings. In exchange for prayer and other form of offerings, practitioners of Divine Magic receive access to powerful magic based on the nature of the divinity that granted it. For instance, worshippers of Mea, the Goddess of the Sea, would likely develop abilities regarding water, weather, or the ocean."
"Some might say there are a number of similarities between Divine and Pact Magic, but don't mention that to the religious. Pact Magic arises from pacts formed with powerful beings. These beings can be anything from nature or elemental spirits, to demons or other entities from the Outer Realms. This type of magic often gets a bad rap, since demon cultists and the like can gain power from it by sacrificing innocents, but like any other form of magic, I would argue that it is more of a tool than anything else."
"That just raises more questions." Mike started to say before Morris interrupted him.
"Save all questions for the end of the lecture. Summoning Magic is a rare and unusual type of magic that allows practitioners to call beings from somewhere, typically one of the Outer Realms, and serve them. Beyond that, it is a hard category to define, as each individual practitioner has their own unique variation of Summoning Magic."
"Arcane Magic is the most comprehensive of the group. Practitioners of Arcane Magic interact with mana directly and shape it to their will. In order to do so, they need to intricately understand all aspects of what they are trying to accomplish. Since this often requires a great deal of willpower and knowledge to perform well, Arcane Magic is often regarded as the highest form of magic. It is also the category where a number of otherwise uncategorized magic skills end up. For instance Illusion Magic, Mental Magic, Magic Item Crafting, and Force Magic are all considered part of Arcane Magic despite being separate skills."
"So does Healing Magic fall in there too?
"That's a good question, since most scholars categorized healing as a function of the fifth fundamental element, Life. As such it typically falls in with Elemental Magic, but it is important to keep in mind that there is a vast number of skills within the system, so there will be some overlap. Things that can be done with one form of magic can usually be done with another, it's just a matter of efficiency. For example, an Arcane Magic user could throw a fireball, but it would require more time and more mana than if that same person had used Fire Magic."
By this point, the pair had nearly reached the gates of the village, if the flimsy looking wooden door could be called as such. It was closed, and no one could be seen nearby. Mike walked up and tried to open the door, but found it secured from the other side.
He shouted, "Hello? Is there any one there? We're from the Adventurer's Guild, here to complete a request."
After a few moments the door opened and a grey-haired man with a peg leg and an eye patch stepped out. "Adventurers are ya? It's about time. We put in that request near a week ago."
Mike was slightly disappointed he didn't sound like a pirate. "Well, we're here now, so…"
The old man cut him off, "No time for that now, you best get moving. They're having a meeting down at the tavern. You should head there first."
"I was just going to ask that….."
The old man started motioning them along. "Hurry now. The sooner ya get there the sooner ya can deal with the problem."
Sighing in resignation Mike led a chuckling Morris through the gate and towards the largest building in the small village. The image of a frothing mug on a hanging sign identified their destination.
The pair stepped into the crowded, smoky common room. It looked like close to fifty people were crammed into a space better suited for half that number. At present it seemed that the group was in the middle of a heated debate.
"We can't just wait for help that may or may not ever come! Whatever is killing our animals is growing bolder each day. Pretty soon it'll start coming for people." A middle-aged bearded man was in the middle of yelling.
"And what exactly do you suggest we do, Randolph?" A matronly woman chimed in from the back. "I've seen what's left of Ander's goat. I wouldn't want to meet whatever is capable of that."
The man rounded on the woman angrily, "Don't you see? The longer we wait, the more likely it is for that monster to go after a person. And it won't be one of you who lives inside the walls. It will be one of us in the outlaying farms that becomes the first human victim. We have to do something. No matter how dangerous it is, if we attack it as a group we can at least drive it away."
"No!" An ancient looking man cut in. Judging from the slightly higher quality of clothing, Mike figured he must be a village elder or something to that effect. "We do not know what this creature is. If we provoke it unnecessarily the consequences could be dire. It is best to leave this to the professionals. We have already petitioned the lord for his assistance and placed a request at the Adventurer's Guild. They will know the proper way of handling this and will have the strength to do so."
The bearded man named Randolph didn't seem to be convinced however, "Brady, you and I both know that Baron Redmond won't take action until it affects his tax revenue, and it's still weeks until the next collection. The paltry sum we gave to the Adventurer's Guild would only attract the lowest ranking and most inexperienced adventurers. We can't depend on either of them."
Mike decided that it was time to announce himself, since Morris seemed content to let the drama play out and the crowd hadn't noticed them yet.
"Um, excuse me! I'm here from the Adventurer's Guild." He called while stepping further into the room, displaying his guild mark in order to speed up the process.
All eyes turned to stare at the pair, looks of relief and hope quickly turned to disappointment when they beheld a man with one arm and a youth standing at the tavern entrance.
"See! This is all our money bought us, a cripple and a child." Randolph exclaimed, setting off a smattering of murmurs from the crowd.
Morris sighed at the crowd's scorn before stepping up next to Mike. "Hm, you should know better than to judge by appearances. Before I was injured, I was a knight of the Order of the Wheel, second in command of the garrison at Fort Cayern. Mike here, despite his youth is already an accomplished mage and swordsman." He gestured to Mike, as if giving him the stage.
Suddenly in the spotlight as the uncertain crowd stared at him, whispering to one another, Mike was at a loss. Looking out at the expectant faces he could only think to give a demonstration. He raised his right hand and summoned a ball of fire. He put a little too much mana into it from his nerves and it emerged nearly a meter in diameter, burning intensely. The flame created a brilliant light that caused onlookers to squint. Startled, Mike quickly cut off his mana supply, returning the room to its former darkness.
The crowd gasped in response, much to Mike's consternation. [I know I went a little overboard there, but it shouldn't be so surprising. Don't they all have access to Lifestyle Magic? How hard is it to move from sparks to fire? I guess magic is difficult for people in this world.]
"Bah!" Randolph exclaimed. "So he can summon a little fire." That said, even he seemed subdued by the display.
Mike felt himself flush in anger. It was one thing to doubt him, after all he was a newbie adventurer, but being completely dismissed by someone was starting to get on his nerves.
"Listen here you..." He started before he was interrupted by a young boy bursting into the room.
"Help! Help! You've got to save her! Please, he…." The boy tripped and fell. Judging from how out of breath he was, he had evidently run far to make it here.
"Will? What's going on?" Randolph came over, a worried expression on his face.
The boy paused to take a couple deep breaths. "It got her, dad. The demon got Tillie."