Never expected I would gladly give a fortune for a box of Dragon's Breath right about now. Wait, what is its actual name? Fenadril? Femadril? It has been over 70 years since I last had to use the damn medicine so I don't exactly remember everything about it, not even it's official name. And I sadly doubt herbalists would be able to replicate it even with the correct formula. So now I am forced to suffer a condition which most people find pleasant just because I am so adjusted to the cold.
I really wish I knew the exact reason that did this. Has the same microbe living inside the humans from Ortus somehow appeared here and is now present within me? Or is it because I was born in the frostlands so I might be affected by the same magic that created Frostlings just in a far, far less powerful form? Right now I am leaning towards latter theory since no one said my mom had carried me for almost a year, a side effect of the microbe, but I don't know for sure.
Anyway, it was a long journey to Metzaca. Longer than it should have been since we stayed with the army instead of going directly to the city. We didn't complain as we were concerned we could have shared the same fate as our parents, so we gladly helped around. I even got some useful information out of the army mages. For instance I could get an apprenticeship under Prince's mentor Mr Storm. I would need to study up on lightning magic if I want to join since I primarily use fire magic, but at least I have a potential job in the future there.
As for necromancers, I think I will stay away from them. While necromancy is where I am best at, I have serious doubts about them as a group. I mean sure, they can hold their own in a fight, but what about situations outside of combat? I also have serious concerns about their leader, one Galadea Pireni. From what I can gather, Mr Storm sounds like he would be a really interesting teacher to study under, even if it's strange for an adult man to call himself Storm.
But Miss Pireni? Not even the army trusts her completely so how can I? Not to mention, when I was near her, one night something rubbed me the wrong way and for the life of me I can't understand what. At least it looks like necromancy has been officially recognized some 15 years ago by all nations so there should some books about it in Metzaca in a library somewhere. Also it's good to know they failed to learn anything about the White Unicorn incident back when we were still in Metzaca. Apparently too much time has passed and the ship has been turned to firewood a while ago so they didn't even spend a day on the investigation.
There were several worrisome incidents while I was with the army. It all started when we went to investigate a strange tower at the northern coast. It was a black tower that had no known entrances and emitted a strange aura. For two days we were trying to figure out anything about it. But even the most experienced mages couldn't find any clues so in the end we left without any knowledge gained about it. The only clue we had was that it had some connection with the art of necromancy.
That seems to have become a theme of this expedition as our next major stop was to investigate a peculiar village out in the wild. Again there was a strange aura surrounding place, though this time it was more powerful than before so everyone was on edge in the camp. It didn't help that the army suffered some losses from giant undead birds when they were clearing it up. In the end they had to cordon it off to avoid further incidents with the undead.
There was also an accident in the camp which turned out to be my fault. I had a hard time falling asleep so I found myself a small patch of forest away from the camp so that no one would bother me and sang. I know it's stupid, but when my daughters were very young and I was home, this always calmed them down whenever they cried so I tried to see if this would work for me too. That turned to be a horrible idea. Not only did it fail to calm me down, but I also felt that something was wrong.
I didn't like the feeling of it so I decided to return back. On my way I discovered that I wasn't as alone as I hoped when I found two soldiers sleeping. I guess they were two lovebirds who wanted to relax from this tension in another way. Something strange about them was that it seemed they suddenly fell asleep like they weren't expecting it. A point proven correctly when another soldier came looking for anyone affected by the spell. As it turned out, and I wish this was a joke and not the truth, I somehow managed to knock out everyone with an area of effect sleep spell.
I don't know the exact range since there were only a dozen of victims and not everyone's positions was recorded, but at least I didn't kill anyone. Well, except the army's sleep that night. Even after both Mr Storm's and Miss Galadea's companions went into the forest to confirm there was nothing there, nobody in the army felt secure enough to sleep. That could also be because they still had nightmares about those giant undead birds from 2 days before.
As for me I also couldn't sleep that night because I couldn't figure out what exactly happened. I never heard anything about a psionic being able to knock out people without any resistance. Are my psionic abilities really that powerful or did this village somehow amplify my powers and achieve these results? If the latter is true, then how is that even possible? Whatever the truth is, right now I am sacred of even practicing my magic in fear of another incident like this. Maybe once we settle in Metzaca, I might find safe place where I won't risk lives.
Speaking of which, our journey with the army ended with the battle with the unknown necromancers that have destroyed the patrol fort. I wish I could have learned about it, but the forest incident is still too fresh in my mind to risk another one. Since we were quite close to Metzaca, Cass and my sister decided it was finally time to leave for the city. It turned out to be a better idea than I expected since the army left for the western scorched plains next.
Yeah, if I have a bad idea with Metzaca's temperate climate, I can't imagine the suffering I would have experienced there in hell. Anyway, Cass left Linne several letters of introduction so that we would have had an easier time in the city. Her family friend Lily Holmes helped us with the entry to the Metzacan merchant guild. She even found us a new home so that we don't have impose to Cass in her home. As I speak Linne has been studying up so that she can work in city. Ferlin has been trying to see if he can become a herbalist apprentice.
As for me, I am too young to work so all I can do is investigate the city to see where is everything. I must say the rumour that the Metzacan streets are filled with beggars have been grossly exaggerated. Well, more like outdated. Locals say it was much worse before. Wonder how will our future in this city be.