It was the second time Michael had woken up in the bed of Madwin's Barrow with bandages wrapping across his body.
Michael sipped on the herbal tea a goodwife had left for him—meant to help with the pain. He thought the drink was working, as the sharp pain he had felt after waking up had receded to a dull ache. He could ignore the pain as long as he did not think about it for too long.
Liam stood next to him, holding a wooden board, and a charcoal meant to be used as a pencil. Papers were an expensive commodity for the people of Madwin's Barrow so they used wooden boards to write on. Only the mayor used papers to keep certain records, and that too sparingly.
Liam read a list of the names from the board, names of people who were injured during the battle.
Michael only listened half-heartedly. Why was the man reciting those names to him?
"Is there a point to this?" Michael growled.
He wanted to drink his pain killing tea in peace—the sounds of any voice made him irritable. Even the chorus of children playing outside made him want to wring their necks.
Liam blinked in confusion for a moment before he spoke. "Oh, you don't know, do you? ... Your name was added to the village council."
Michael choked on his tea, sending him into a coughing fit.
"Village council? Me?" Michael said, half hysterically.
He wasn't a month older than fourteen. How could he get a seat in any council, even if it was a council of a small village? It was absurd. Michael knew nothing about leading a village or running it. What were they thinking? Giving him a seat in the council? Insanity!
"Why?" Michael continued. "You people barely know me."
"We know you well enough," Liam said, setting aside the board he was holding. "You played a vital part in saving our village twice over. If that does not give you a seat on the council, nothing will."
Michael refused the notion. He was no leader.
"Me, a council member?" Michael protested. "I don't know a thing about running a village. What am I supposed to do with it?"
"Nothing much, really," Liam said. "When the people come to you with a problem, you will have to listen to them and bring the problem you think needs to be taken care of, to the mayor. And when you have nothing else to do, just go about helping the people with their chores. You will learn your other duties in time."
"What if I decide to leave the village for good? Did you think about that?"
"We… Did not," Liam said. Closing his hands into a fist. "Are you… going to leave the village?"
"No," Michael said. "I have nowhere else to go."
Liam relaxed visibly. They wanted him to stay in the village. Was that why they had added his name to the Council. But why did they want him?
"Why are you so eager to have me stay in the village?" Michael asked carefully.
"We defended ourselves against a legion of Titan Spawn. The news will spread and the reputation it will garner for us will bring some protection to the village, but not enough. Yet, having two magic users in the same village will bring protection against most brigands. Your presence alone will help protect this village. Mages and above can become adventurers, you see. If we do decide to become one, it will bring further protection to the village."
"I see," Michael said. In every story he had read, Adventures always levelled up faster. Perhaps he should become one too. That might help him grow stronger, faster. He would have to think on it. He was not going to jump into the sun without a suit to protect him.
Michael opened his mouth to ask how one could become an adventurer. However, before he could say anything, a knock at the door stopped him.
Michael closed his mouth.
"Yes," Liam said.
A woman poked head through the door. "Liam, Michael, mistress Castra wants to meet with you in her study."
"If mistress Castra wants to see us, she can come here," Liam said briskly.
Blood drained from the face of the woman at the door. "Liam, you can't mean that. We cannot afford to offend her."
Liam let out a heavy sigh. "I did not say I want you to be rude to her. Just tell her something, politely, that will get across the meaning of what I said… You know what? Tell her this, 'Michael is still too weak to leave his bed, and Liam has refused to leave his side until he makes sure Michael is not in any danger.' That should suffice."
The woman nodded and left.
"Who is Castra?" Michael asked. "She sounds like someone important."
"She is a Great Mage," Liam said, almost reverently. "Michael, she's the one who healed you. I was too weak to do it myself."
"Healed me?" Michael said, frowning at the bandages and wounds it covered. "That does not seem right, Liam. My wounds are still there."
Liam sighed again. This time there was a hint of disapproval in the way had sighed. "Impatient as always. Didn't I explain this to you before? You were heavily injured, and all Castra did with her healing was keep you out of danger. Any more than that, and the trauma of healing itself might have killed you."
"Oh! I did not know healing spells could be dangerous."
Liam glared. "You haven't listened to my lessons, after all, have you?"
He had not. Michael flushed.
As it turned out, healing spells were boring. It was far too complicated for Michael and studying it was like listening in a history class, only ten times worse. Healing spell was not for him.
"You said this Castra healed me." Michael said, changing the subject. "But who is she?"
"Like I said, she is a Great Mage. Isha's and Nairobi's master."
"What's a Great Mage?" Michael asked. "How powerful are they compared to us, I mean?"
Liam grumbled something inaudible before answering his questions. "It's like trying to compare a small mound of earth with a large hill."
Michael arched an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"
"Where have you been living your whole life, inside a cave? … Great Mages may be as common as flies on dead bodies in the north and large cities. But they are like the rarest gems in Naiker's Field… Do you know the stages of advancement for a Mage?"
Michael shook his head.
"It goes like this," Liam said. "Practitioner, then high practitioner, Mage, High Mage, Great Mage, Elder Mage, and Archmage. There are more class advancements than that, but I do not know what they are."
"This Castra is only two steps above you. It does not seem like that big difference to me."
"You really know nothing, do you?" Liam said in an exasperated tone. "There is no requirement for advancement from Practitioner up to Mage, but after that, things … changes. To advance from Mage to Great Mage, you must complete a trial, not something deadly or too difficult, but a requirement nonetheless. This requirement in advancement means that the increase in power is also equally great."
"The gap between a Mage and a High Mage is tenfold. And the gap between High Mage and Great Mage is a hundredfold. However, unlike the High Mage trial, the trial to become a Great Mage is deadly. So most people never go past level forty in their lifetime."
"From what I have heard, only one in four survive the trial to become a Great Mage … or equivalent for other classes. Do you understand what I am saying? A mage attacking a Great Mage would be like splashing water on a person, it will do nothing but wound their pride."
"They are that strong?" Michael said, eyes widening.
"Yes."