Chương 25: Re-supply

"Wake up!" A boot punted him in the stomach. Aaron had to squint hard to make out any of his surroundings. He had no idea how long he had slept for, but by the looks of the sun high in the sky and the disgruntled look on Giddeon's face, probably too long. Aaron scrambled his belongings together and stuffed them into his bag. Giddeon was pacing around impatiently. But he didn't keep them waiting for long. Aaron stuffed an apple and a couple of slices of stale bread into his mouth as he walked down the hill.

The others didn't rush off too far ahead, but he figured it was probably for Tim's benefit, not his. He still looked exhausted from the day before.

"Listen up," Giddeon said. He glanced at Aaron over his shoulder.

"When we get to town, Paige and I need to speak to the elders to register our passing in the settlement and pay the toll. The chief owes me a favour but he's a proud man and I don't need you screwing it up. I need you to pick up some supplies and bring them to house number six on Birch Street." Giddeon put his hand behind him, shaking a piece of parchment impatiently until Aaron took it. Food - Rations to last at least two weeks. Good produce, no garbage. Water - 20 skins filled with fresh water from the well.

Medical supplies. Torches - 4. Mead - 10 bottles. No garbage, Aaron read in his head. The old man didn't even need to open his mouth to sound patronising. There was also a selection of herbs. He vaguely knew a few of them from when he used to brew elixirs and tonics. He made the mana potion for his Cleanse Curse ritual to save money. He showed the list to Tim and he nodded confidently as if he knew exactly what they were. The mead was a little excessive, but everything else seemed reasonable.

As they walked down the hill, the settlement came into focus. It looked just like Aaron remembered. The river cut across the middle of the town, with several large mills evenly spaced down it. A few small boats transported goods down the river, so there must have been more towns nearby. There was a large central square where the villagers came to trade. Aaron couldn't make out any people from this distance, but by the look of the number of boats coming in, it must have been busy.

Last time he passed through, the stalls were all closed and people were fleeing the town, but it was easy to picture what it was like in full swing. Aaron felt at peace for the short journey. The fresh, crisp air and idyllic views of grassy hills helped him forget the past weeks and eased the dread of the journey back home. Painful memories of his friends and parents who perished in the attacks started to trickle back.

It must have been about an hour of walking before they reached the outskirts of the town, although Aaron wouldn't have complained if he got to spend a few more hours in the forest. He felt disappointed as they arrived in the town and the sprawl of buildings replaced the natural landscape.

"Let's split up to make things faster," Giddeon said, "I don't want to waste time. And Harrold will be looking for you." Of course Harrold knew about the land outside of the wall. He probably had spies, or maybe an entire criminal network reaching its tendrils across the Northern Expanse. There were probably natural resources like plants and minerals impossible to find in the city which fetched a good price on the black market, or at least that's what Aaron imagined.

"Tim, you come with me. I need Paige to keep an eye on Aaron."

"I can look out for myself," Aaron protested, although he didn't mind the idea of having Paige for company, and he knew Tim would be safe as Giddeon had been very clear that he needed his help to reach the farm.

"Calm down," he patronised, "you reek of corruption. If a mana hound gets too close to you, you'll need someone with you who can run. I can conceal Tim's curse from them. It's safer for all of us this way."

"Mana hound?" Aaron asked. He glanced over at Tim expectantly, but by the bemused look on his face, he'd never heard of them either.

"Nasty buggers, you'll know when you see one. Don't let it get close." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"What do I do if it gets close?" Aaron asked. Giddeon half rolled his eyes and repeated himself.

"Don't let it get close." The group split up. Tim and Giddeon went off along a fork from the right of the main road. It wound round though a few clusters of fancy houses. The chief probably had a lot of power and influence so it made sense for them to live in an expensive looking area. And it was good for Tim too. It didn't look busy down that path so hopefully they wouldn't run into any patrols with mana hounds. Aaron and Paige continued on the main dirt road towards the market. Paige seemed different today.

She was focused and business-like, as if on the way to meet a noble or for an interview. She barely spoke to Aaron except in short one to two word answers. It wasn't in a way that showed any maliciousness or coldness, but rather she was attuned to her surroundings and focusing. She looked on edge, as if danger was nearby, and it made Aaron feel uneasy. He felt it best not to talk too much. The streets filled with the shouts of people trying to sell their produce and haggling for a better deal filled the streets.

It reminded Aaron of his home in the city. The hearty smell of freshly baked bread filled his nose, making his stomach rumble. He reached into his bag and took a bite out of the stale bread Giddeon packed for them. It was extremely dense and starchy and took a while to chew through the dryness, but he was too hungry to care. Paige led Aaron around the back of the main market square through a side street running parallel to the main area. It was packed with people browsing wares on various market stands.

One man tried to stop them and convince Aaron to buy a cheap looking bracelet for Paige. Some sellers didn't have a table to stand behind and just laid out a variety of trinkets on a rug on the ground. Aaron was drawn to mana flowing around one of the tables. They stopped at a stall full of various necklaces with different shaped pendants on them. Each one had a very weak mana signature, but the combination of jewelery emanated what felt to him like a warm glow.

He suspected his Vitality Draining and Corpse Draining were giving him a sixth sense for mana sources.

"Have you got any uncommon Boonstones today?" Paige asked.

"Not today, mam," The short bald shopkeeper replied. He wore a white tunic with a bizarrely undersized red waistcoat over the top. It looked like he wouldn't be able to button it up around his belly if he tried.

"May I interest you in this Boonstone of Rock Formation." Aaron's ears pricked up as he heard the discussion. Rock Forming was an Elementalist spell which allowed the caster to lift and shape rock from the environment around them. Two years ago, he saw a mage create and fly a stone dragon the size of a donkey around the Sacred Library. The memory stuck with him.

"Sorry, I need something more powerful than that."

"No you don't! It's not about power, it's about the synergy. I've seen folk move mountains with common Boonstones. It's all in the skill of the caster and how you use it." Paige sucked on her bottom lip and tutted. It was clearly a sleazy sales tactic, but Aaron's interest was peeked. He scanned the scantily scribbled names of the stones across the table. Paige grabbed his arm and moved him along, "Don't get too worked up about common Boonstones. To get their full power, you have to absorb them into the soul.

Most people only have room for one at a time and to remove it, you have to rip the mana out of your soul. Usually farm and mill workers around here pick them up to help with their work, because it's all they can afford." Aaron shivered at the thought of it. Ripping out part of his soul did not sound like something he wanted to experience.

"How much do they cost?" Aaron asked.

"Some of the worst ones start off at 50 silver." Aaron blinked in disbelief. His salary at the hospital was 50 silver coins per month, rising to 1 gold when graduating from a novice to apprentice. He didn't dare ask how much the uncommon ones cost, but he made a mental promise to try to earn some money in case he found one which could help him remove Tim's curse. Maybe he could find a Boonstone to get back some of his old Spirit Healer spells.

Or perhaps there was a way to synergise with his necromancy spells, like healing the spirit and body at the same time. His mind whirred with the possibilities.

"Why do you keep asking for uncommon ones?" Aaron asked.

"Like I said yesterday, those of us who aren't gifted have to learn magic the hard way. And a Boonstone is a good way to make me stronger. I've been looking out for one which supplements my natural magic." Aaron hadn't thought of her as a power hungry mage, but she appeared passionate about growing in strength. Back at the hospital, she mentioned wanting to travel back to her village to discover the fate of her family and Aaron assumed this was the truth.

If her farm was near the dragon's lair, like she said, she would need to be as strong as possible to make it there and back alive. That is if the rumours were true and it was full of corrupted creatures.

"Why do you want to get so strong?" Aaron asked.

"Don't you want to get stronger?" Paige said.

"Yes, to heal my brother. I need as much power as I can get." Aaron replied.

"Well I have my needs too. There's people I care about as well." Paige folded her arms and walked ahead by a couple of paces. She clearly didn't want to share more. Suddenly, the crowd stopped moving and everyone went silent. It was jarring. Further up the narrow street, the crowd was unzipping around some men moving towards them.

"He can smell one!" A deep voice shouted over the crowd. Aaron's heart raced as he saw two men, each holding a long black leather leash around menacing looking dogs with inky black fur. The canines were drooling out of large, wide mouths full of jagged teeth, each pointing in slightly different directions. Their bodies were slim and muscular. The striations in their back muscles rippled and bulged as they walked.

Around their faces were five or six stalk-like structures the size of Aaron's arm which poked out and pointed at the villagers, as if sniffing them. They were heading their way. They turned and tried to walk away, but the crowd had stopped and stared, obstructing their path.

"This one!" The deep voice said. Aaron heard snarls and a high pitched scream behind him. He flinched and braced his arms around his head.