Even commoner physicians know commoners have acid in their stomachs. You can use this substance as an ingredient or plan for it when brewing a potion, but this is just the simplest approach. You can even make potions targeting specific mana types or even densities, this leads us to the next item on my agenda - personalized potions.

  — Excerpt from Thoughts on Pots and Brewing

  Day 253, 2:40 PM

  A week had passed, and we returned to the frozen caves to finish the job. My job was scouting out the tunnels to confirm the coast was clear. It took only ten minutes to get a feeling the tunnels were empty, but around half an hour of skulking to confirm there was no sign of frostworms.

  As I was returning, I caught Everlast’s quiet voice. “... mageknight against mageknight combat, it depends on your opponent. If they are physically weaker, you should force them into the melee. If they are more powerful, you should keep away. The key is to strike your enemy’s weakness with your strongest aspect. Master told us that wise tactics can win even against raw power.”

  “She is an intelligent woman,” I said while gliding next to them. “The floor is empty. It seems the elder frostworm has recalled its spawn from this place. We have two choices. One is to mine the ice jade and forget about the Association’s mission and the marrow, the second option is to first mine some ice jade, then head down, harvest ice jade marrow, and kill two more frostworms along the way to complete the mission. You choose.”

  I gave Newstar a meaningful look, and the kid almost turned around to see if I was talking to someone else. He mustered the courage, though, and spoke.

  “I think finishing what you start is important?”

  “Horrible reasoning,” I said, “good choice, more dangerous, but moral and orthodox. Keep thinking like that if you wish to join an orthodox order later, but know that pushing against adversity is not always wise. Our current situation is a perfect example.”

  “What do you think?” I asked Everlast.

  “I agree with Newstar.”

  “All right, follow me.”

  We passed the frozen tunnels, Newstar gripped by wonder at the sight while Everlast gripped her sword.

  The space did look magical, with crystal icicles of hourglass shape thicker than trees, and the floor glittering from the crushed ice dust from the fifth realm frostworm’s rampage in the tunnels. Over the course of my travels and long life, I had grown immune to such wonders, but the wide-eyed youth put things into perspective.

  Still, we were there on business, and I led the way to the ice jade. “Over here. I need two hundred pounds of it to repay a favor.”

  I still owed Swiftbeak for Newstar’s sword, and besides the raw materials, I had to do several days’ worth of enchanting. Still worth it, considering the value of Newstar’s sword.

  Everlast and I got to work, myself using a technique similar to a cutting torch, while she used her sword, specialized in cutting ice and inflicting frost damage. Her slabs were perfect, while mine had a muddled zone where fire had tainted the ice energy. It wasn’t a huge waste, perhaps none at all, since Swiftbeak was forging a sword combining ice and fire.

  As we worked, I noticed Newstar sitting down and closing his eyes. He’s crazy. Did he just sit down to meditate in the middle of a monster den?

  Ten minutes later, I caught movement in the corner of my eye as Newstar opened his eyes and stood.

  “Newstar, I did not expect you to trust us so completely. You left your life in our hands. What if a frostworm wandered here? What if we killed you for the treasures?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Now, Dandelion, I owe you favors and manarium. There’s no way you would let anything happen to me. Even if a fifth realm frostworm appeared, you would’ve carried me out.” I looked at the cheeky brat and the smug grin on his face for a moment short enough not to be noticeable, then laughed.

  “Good! You are using your head. But seriously, try to not meditate inside a den of monsters powerful enough to cause you trouble in a fight, let alone kill you instantly even when you are ready for battle.” With that, I went back to work, and Newstar drew his sword.

  I kept half an eye on him, watching him activate his defensive magic before he let a surge of flames into his sword. He struggled with control, but an hour later flames climbed only on the edges his blade, converging at the tip, sputtering and dancing. He didn’t know it, but even the technique he was using was more suited for a spear than a sword.

  “Not bad,” I said. “You really are a genius, it took me more than two weeks to get where you are now. Do you know how to stabilize it completely?”

  Unsurprisingly, he nodded. “I need to create another two flows on the flat sides of the blade, but I’m not sure I can do it. Even this much makes me sick.”

  “Keep practicing, it will grow easier with time. Do not worry about the ice jade, Everlast and I are mining it for the four of us.”

  To be honest, Everlast was doing more and better work than I was, but the woman didn’t complain. Considering how our mission had started, she was proving herself a valuable ally and an excellent team player. Unlike Newstar, she was assertive, spoke her mind, and made worthwhile contributions, at least she would have for a regular team of third realm awakened.

  Newstar, we were dragging along with us, but that was fine. I brought him along not because I needed his contributions, but because I wanted him to gain experience. My presence was stunting his growth and critical thinking. Whatever I asked him, he searched for confirmation and approval in my eyes, and that would harm him in the long run.

  “What are you thinking about?” Everlast whispered without pausing her work.

  “I think I’m a bad influence.” I whispered back after confirming Newstar was absorbed in his swordplay. “If we keep adventuring together, he is going to become my shadow and instead of finding his own path, he will try to emulate me, which is bad, since he isn’t me.”

  “You really care about him.” She flashed a coy smile. “What is your relationship?”

  “He is a dear friend.”

  “Really? He isn’t your son by any chance?” she said, dead serious.

  If not for my Composure of twenty-five, my cutting spell would’ve failed. “No. He really is just a friend, and I have a soft spot for him. He’s going to go far, I know it, but he’s too naive now, and I want to fix that without harming him.”

  “You could take him as a ward?”

  I barely held back a laugh at that.

  “I don’t have the resources of an order to take wards.” Which, while true, wasn’t actually a major problem. I could earn enough for the both of us, and even if we didn’t turn out exceptional exceptionally fast, we would do fine. The problem was something else entirely.

  “I can brave dangers alone, even risk my life, but to do that with a child in tow.”

  “He’s not a child,” Everlast said, with a tinge of anger to her voice. “He is at the third realm and has more power than most adults in this world. With power comes responsibility.”

  “Mind if I call you Ben?” Blunt said, much to my horror.

  “What?” She stopped cutting and looked at me with furrowed brows.

  “There was this wise man called Ben. I don’t know his real name; I just know him as Ben. You sound much like him. Have you considered becoming a soother?”

  “What? No! I was just saying something master told me when I first entered the third realm.”

  She must have heard it from Ben. Luckily, I didn’t say it aloud.

  “Like I said, those sounded like wise words.” Everlast blushed at that and went back to cutting the ice jade into chunks.

  We exchanged quips and jokes while Newstar remained absorbed in his world of blades and fire until we had harvested enough ice jade.

  “What now?” he asked with all the ice jade safely tucked inside Everlast’s spatial pouch.

  I have to get myself one of those as soon as I can. A wise, powerful warrior with a bindle is an authentic, but rather comical look.

  I looked at him and Everlast. “You are supposed to tell me what next.”

  “We rest a bit, and once everyone is in their top shape, we head down to the next floor?”

  “That’s one way we could do it, certainly. Everlast?”

  “I agree that we should rest, but instead of heading down into the unknown tunnels, I would prefer to send you alone as our scout to check out the situation and map the lower level.”

  “And what if something happens to me?” I asked jokingly, but she replied with a cold, serious voice.

  “If something happens to you, that means whatever happened would have wiped us all out. When you’re alone, you at least have some chance of escaping with your life, since you’re faster than us both, and can glide to an extent.”

  I gave her an amused look, thinking I may have shown too much ability.