A few days later the dreaded morning approached that Alastair would be leaving, Ash walked alongside him just in front of his contingent consisting of two guardsmen that whilst being described as older would not be as accurate as to describe them as old. The rust coating the metal breast plates which showed their age unabashedly with dents from bashes, chips and cracks.

  They held spears which served less of a weapon and more of walking stick, one of the men sported a significant limp.

  The other guardsman was nearly the complete opposite, a young bright faced and bushy tailed lad. He looked at the others with admiration and was so busy concentrating on his form that he expectedly tripped over anything unfortunate enough to come into his path.

  He had a leather breast plate, immaculately displayed, a sword that had not even a scratch in fact the only thing that was out of place was the lipstick stain on his cheek from where his mother had bid him farewell whilst chastising everyone else to ‘take care of her boy’.

  The march came to an abrupt stop when Alastair announced ‘This is where we part ways, I will be back in a few days. See that you keep up with your training and get better with that sword of yours, I expect to see a marked improvement when we return’

  Ash nodded and held out his hand to shake, Alastair grabbed him by the wrist whilst patting him on the shoulder.

  ‘See you soon my friend’ Alastair smiled

  Ash once again nodded, he watched his only friend in the world march off, a hollow feeling in his chest ached and somehow grew.

  Once they were out of sight he started to make his way towards the town but took a diversion through the forest in order to pick a few fights and feel more in control of his situation.

  "Quest – Hunt the hunters!

  Objective – Eliminate and loot twenty monsters in your vicinity.

  He took out a lot of his anxiety out on various creatures, rabbits, wolves and even one stag. He was washing his hand in a stream when a familiar voice called out to him.

  ‘Master Ash’ called Nina

  ‘Oh hey Miss Fellmirr, how’s it going?’ Ash said

  ‘How’s what going?’ she responded

  ‘You in general I guess’ he said

  ‘Well, after our conversation in the awakening chamber I have decided to branch out into a completely new magical study’ She smiled

  ‘That’s great, what are you going to study?’

  ‘You’ she smiled ‘You are from a completely magicless world yet have abilities before you have absorbed cores, it’s fascinating’

  ‘I’m not sure how I feel about this’ Ash looked concerningly at the elf looking him over like a surgeon with a scalpel.

  ‘The potential for us to understand magic and its uses are limitless, just describing what you experienced in your first days I have theories that would take centuries of study’ she said excitedly

  ‘I’m not sure about elves but I don’t think I’ll be around to study for centuries’ Ash said

  ‘That depends on your core intake, those that can absorb more than five cores generally live for a few thousand years, human or elf’ she made notes in a book she pulled from her robes.

  ‘Thousands!’ Ash exclaimed

  ‘Yes thousands’ she said ‘If you take a century and put ten of them together then you get a thousand years, is your translator not working?’

  ‘Its working fine, I know what thousands are, I just never expected that to be a thing’ he said in shock

  ‘Well there’s no guarantee so don’t get too excited, you may only be able to absorb three or four’ She remarked ‘The average is three so we’ll go from there’

  ‘I think I need a minute to take all this in’ Ash sighed

  ‘I know how you feel, the revelations and potentials that have been rushing to me are quite a lot to contend with, your worlds existence fundamentally changes our view on how the world works’ she spewed out

  ‘I get that, thats how I felt when I found myself in a world of magic’ Ash nodded

  ‘To a degree however it’s like living underground and stumbling into day light whereas for me it’s like living above ground, studying the ground for decades and understanding the laws that govern its very existence, then one day a mole pops up and tells you there’s a world under your feet that you have missed this whole time.’

  ‘I followed about half of that and I think I’m offended by most of it’ Ash furrowed his brow ‘Why is my world underground? Why am I a mole and I’m fairly sure you called me stupid’

  ‘Well at least you were able to get the gist of it so well done you’ She smiled down at him.

  ‘And that’s my queue to carry on hunting, good day to you Miss Fellmirr’ Ash made to walk away.

  ‘Wait’ she said ‘My apologies, I just get so excited that I forgot my manners, please just call me Nina’ she said apologetically.

  ‘Very well’ he said in return ‘Apology accepted and you can call me Ash’

  ‘I thought Ash was your family name?’ Nina said

  ‘Nope, its Ashburn, Ash Ashburn’

  ‘Well then Ash Ashburn, shall we go back to the tavern and answer a few questions?’

  ‘I’m actually busy hunting monsters here’ he said gesturing to the other side of the river where a few rabbits were milling around. ‘I promised Alastair that I’d train until he comes back whenever that is’

  He reached into a black circular void and brought out his sword’

  ‘If he even comes back from his suicide mission, which I’m to much of a liability to go on’

  ‘Considering you are new to a world of magic I never thought I’d come to see you sulking’ Nina remarked

  ‘I’m not sulking, I’m brooding, the only person I know has abandoned me to go to into hells mouth while I sit here and repeatedly kill animals like some sort of sociopath’

  Nina looked over at the bodies and with a brief look held out her hand and announced ‘Incinerate’

  below the rabbits a cylinder of flame arose engulfing them where they now lay.

  ‘I’m not sure what a sociopath is but killing monsters is a necessity, the animals that are infused with mana slowly go mad and try to take down as many people as they can’ Nina said ‘So all in all, life isn’t so bad for you in comparison’

  ‘How did you do that’ Ash asked ‘That was amazing’

  ‘I’m going to ignore that question as it seems rather redundant’ Nina chastised ‘Now a better question would be How do you communicate over vast distances with no magic?’

  ‘I know it was magic I just meant what core did you absorb to get that power?’ Ash asked

  ‘Oh just a common fire core, but do remember the power or skill granted is not guaranteed’ Nina said ‘And as for my question’

  ‘I’m not one hundred percent sure but I know it involves machines and computers in orbit around the planet bouncing signals to and from the earth’

  Nina drew out her notepad and started furiously scribbling down

  ‘Hello?’ ventured Ash

  ‘Sorry, this is all very fascinating, how do you light your homes or cook food or move vehicles, oh by the divine tree what kind of animals do you have there?’ Nina rambled on

  ‘I’m not getting any of this, you are going way too fast and I really need to get back to hunting’ Ash started to walk.

  ‘I say, what if I were to accompany you I can assist you in hunting and you can answer my questions’ Nina offered ‘Youd be able to go after tougher foes and get stronger quicker and id answer any questions you have in return’

  Reaching down to the charred remains of a rabbit a prompt popped up in his vision.

  Looting unavailable – You did not kill this monster

  suggestion – Either gain permission from the person responsible or form a party

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  ‘would you like to form a party?’ Ash asked

  Nina was startled to see a screen appear in front of her ’Is this your screen power?’ she probed the screen with a curious finger. She made a quick sketch on her pad and cautiously pressed yes.

  You have formed a party with Nina Fellmirr.

  communication and looting paradigms engaged

  ‘Incredible said Nina, what core did you absorb to gain this power?’ Nina asked

  ‘I didn’t, well I don’t remember any, it was just here when I arrived’ Ash replied

  ‘I have so many more questions’ Nina remarked

  ‘Okay but if we are hunting you need to stay quiet’ Ash said

  ‘You’ve got a deal, now how do you warm water?’

  Ash sighed

  Hours later the pair were standing over a vaguely wolf shaped charred carcass.

  ‘I was supposed to get this one’ Ash exclaimed limply

  ‘You can get the next one, so you have a box that has a little person in that tells you what is happening all over the world?’ Nina said

  ‘Kind of yes’ Ash replied

  ‘And the box has families in that people laugh at’ she continued

  ‘Yes, they are called sitcoms’ Ash sighed

  ‘Do they have to change the people in the box? Surely it cant be life sized people, perhaps imps or small goblins, but then they wouldn’t really talk, and how do they know what is happening all over your world, is it the interweb? How do they…’

  ‘We said one question at a time, if you are going to take my kills and bombard me with questions I’m not going to keep playing this game’ Ash said stubbornly ‘In fact I think I need a breather, I’m going on ahead, I need a few minutes without a question being asked’

  With that Ash stormed off through a thicket taking deep breaths in an effort to calm down.

  Out of ear shot he paced back and forth and muttered to himself, he moved over to a tree and noticed vertical grooves in it, he followed the lines with his fingers up and down.

  They were deep into the bark about his hip height and as Ash wondered what could have made them a snort sounded out behind him.

  He turned to see a boar the size of a great dane, tusks protruded from the creatures mouth and had a yellowy tinge that did not look hygienic at all.

  ‘Ok pork chop, you can have your tree, all get out of your way’ Ash slowly made to move away when the beast half squealed and half snarled. A black and red ooze dripping from its eyes and mouth which dispersed into smoke the moment it dripped to the floor.

  It charged with a hateful glare in its eye full pelt at this interloper, when all of a sudden all it could see was a grey mist. The boar charged on making contact with something throwing it into the air, sniffing the ground to determine where it landed revealed no trace.

  a sword swung from the cloud and bounced off the boars thickened hide, whirling round the boar once again charged at its prey, grabbing a leg with its mouth and tossing the man back and forth a cry sounding out like music to the boars ears. He raised his fore legs to bring down and trample the figure, but his hooves only met dirt. The smoke dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, he did not hear the gliding decent of Ash, He did not feel the sword plunge down behind its head, He was only aware of the encroaching darkness that filled its vision as the figure stepped round into its eyeline, crouching down his face concealed by the shadow of his hood.

  ‘Rest up fella, time to sleep’

  Ash pulled the sword to one side and the animal went limp.

  You have killed Tusker

  Would you like to loot Tusker?

  Yes/No

  Ash hit yes just as a voice called out ‘Nice kill there boy’ Said a gruff voice.

  He turned round to see three men, wearing cloth clothes and worn leather scraps of armour. Both the men were a head taller than Ash and looked very physically imposing.

  ‘Although I’m afraid you’ve just killed my Tusker’ the man exclaimed

  ‘I had no idea, it attacked me’ Ash replied

  ‘Well of course, you was just defending yourself’ the man grinned ‘But I am going to need to claim my prey’

  The other man moved to circle round to where the body of the boar had been, ‘It’s gone Harrigan’

  ‘Where’s my prize boy?’ the man’s smile turned down and his teeth showed a snarl

  ‘I looted it, it’s a power of mine, you can have whatever I got though’ Ash said

  He pulled up his inventory and dropped to the floor,

  Boar pelt – Common

  Tusker tusks x 2 – Uncommon

  Tusker core – Uncommon.

  ‘Its all there, I’ll be on my way’ Ash said

  The other man stooped down to pick up the items as Ash backed away, he was about to leave the area when Harrigan spoke again ‘You out here alone stranger?’

  ‘No I’m with someone and I really should be getting back to them’ Ash replied

  ‘Wouldn’t be an elf woman would it?’ He said coldly

  Ash stopped in his tracks.

  ‘It is, why?’

  ‘Bring her out boys’ the man shouted

  Two other thugs pushed Nina through into the clearing, blood clearly dripping from her nose and a burst lip.

  ‘Bitch cooked Wrex Boss’ the man said

  ‘Well, now it seems you owe us for the loss of one of my men’ said Harrigan ‘Mayhap I take it in coin, blood or something else’

  He looked up and down at Nina

  ‘Tell you what priestess, help me take in this core and maybe given my good nature I’ll let you both go’

  Nina looked up at Ash who shook his head subtly.

  ‘I’ll do it, but you let him go first’ She said

  ‘The deal is, you put that core in me and if I’m happy, you both walk away unharmed, he held her chin up with his thumb and forefinger ‘Well mostly’

  Nina agreed and began to set up the ritual, using a stick to trace out the runes and markings required for the ritual, Harrigan stood in the centre and placed the stone at his feet.

  Nina sat just outside the circle, two guards either side of her.

  Her eyes glowed a light blue just as in the chamber previously and light flared along the lines and runes and the stone floated up into the air and turned into a translucent brown and charged straight into Harrigan’s chest.

  The light died down just as Harrigan began to scream, he spat out blood as tusks pushed their way out of his mouth, he fell to the ground as his heel seemed to be travelling up his calf changing to a joint. His shoes fell off revealing his tows curling up and hardening into hooves, the screaming continued.

  Nina did not let the opportunity pass announcing ‘Immolate’ and the two men beside her burst into flame, screaming erupted and the men dropped to the floor and were rolling around. ‘Immolate’ she cast again, the flames roiling and the skin of the men blackening, cracking and blood seeping from the wounds.

  She started to run to Ash when she was tackled by another thug and pinned to the floor by her arms and a rag hurriedly stuffed into her mouth. Ash ran to her aid but was hit by what felt like a big truck, from the floor he looked up at the grotesquery of a man that was once Harrigan.

  He now stood even significantly taller than before, his torso covered in a course bristle like fur, his nose had elongated to a snout and from the top of a bloody mouth protruded two yellowed tusks.

  One of the men that originally walked into the clearing with Harrigan grabbed Ash’s arms and twisted them behind his back, grabbing his hair and twisting his head so he was looking at Nina being pinned down by a third bandit.

  ‘Hold the bitch down and she can have a taste of the animal she’s made me’ Harrigan announced walking over to where the elf was held captive.

  All three men laughing menacingly.

  Ash struggled and the man on his back slammed his head off the ground.

  Ash looked up and heard a faint ringing in his ears growing louder when all of a sudden his head slumped down.

  ‘AHHH, ITS BEEN A MMOMENT’