About a month before they were set to leave for the academy, Galex returned to the manor after having spent the last month in Riftmoore City. Cypher didn’t know the reason for his visit but for a few days before his arrival, it had been a constant effort of cleaning.
Even Cypher’s sparring sessions with Eiden had been postponed in order to hasten the completion of the tasks. Eiden had of course been as overbearing as usual and even personally watched as Cypher cleaned several areas of the manor pointing out flaws in his performance. It was an awful experience but after everything was said and done, even Eiden could find nothing else to nitpick. They waited for another day before Galex finally returned. He toured the manor and was quite pleased with the condition he found it in.
Galex was a gigantic man, easily standing over seven feet tall. His arms were massive with biceps about as thick as Cypher’s torso, and forearms as large as his thighs. He had a thick blonde mustache and wore a metal band around his bald head. He always carried a scowl on his face and his aura was oppressive enough to make one feel ill, especially when he was angry.
Cypher had only seen him for a moment before he and the rest of the Galvan family departed to the right wing of the manor. There they stayed until evening and only a few servants came and went as the time slipped by. Everyone in the servant’s quarters was on edge as they waited intently for any orders that came their way.
Cypher spent the time in his room with his sword practicing combat forms and as the sun fell over the hills in the distance, a knock at his door distracted him. He set the weapon aside wiping the sweat from his brow, and then answered the door to find Jelroy waiting for him.
Jelroy walked in without a word, and a servant followed behind him, arms full. The servant, Braid, carried his newly adjusted leather armor, and a worn wood frame pack. Cypher was confused, but Jelroy soon explained.
“As you know, Lord Galex has returned to the manor to see off his son before he heads to the academy. As such he wishes to see the progress young Eiden has made in his training. Therefore he and I will be heading off the grounds to handle a small matter brewing a few miles north of here. It will be the perfect opportunity to see how much he has grown during this last year.”
Jelroy ran his index finger along Cypher’s bedpost and looked at it pleased before turning back to face him. “You will accompany us on this mission and I expect you to assist where needed. You and I both know what you are capable of and I can assure you that this is nothing you boys cannot handle.”
“I would have preferred to not have you tag along. We all know how Eiden feels about you and I’d rather not have to deal with his…shortcomings. But Galex wants to make sure that things go smoothly, and sending along guards that are less skilled than either of you wouldn’t really be much help. I’ve had your armor adjusted to match that little growth spurt you went through so it should fit quite nicely. I think you’ll like it.”
Jelroy snapped his fingers and Braid silently stepped forward to deposit the gear onto Cypher’s bed, after which he bowed and left hastily. Cypher moved then to begin inspecting the equipment. It was as good as new and was of better quality than the armor he had gotten before his trip to Gett. Jelroy had said he had it adjusted, but from the looks of it, this was a completely new set of armor.
Jelroy offered Cypher a knowing smile and a wink as he continued, “I will explain our mission and its parameters while we travel. Make sure you are down by the stables at dawn. Do not be late or you’ll be punished. Eiden’s words, not mine, so you know, be careful,” he said with a shrug.
An annoyed feeling crept into Cypher at Jelroy’s warning and he nodded before offering a bow. He held the pose until Jelroy left a moment later. Cypher quickly found that he was excited to be going on another outing beyond the manor’s walls. He had long since craved another chance to prove himself after what had happened in Gett. It had been a long year but one filled with a lot of advancements in his abilities.
Still, he worried about the details of the mission. He had no idea what might be in store for him and Eiden the following day but if Jelroy was to accompany them he felt that it wouldn’t be too dangerous. After all, an heir to a large noble family wouldn’t be put into a situation beyond his level.
Cypher quickly donned the armor. He adjusted the straps on the leather chest piece and tried it on finding it to be much more form-fit than the original armor he had received. His leather greaves and vambraces soon followed. He threw a couple of punches and kicks, ensuring he could still move and fight properly while wearing it.
His range of motion was fairly unchanged except that the chest piece would slip down a bit and hinder the movement of his sword arm. After another strap adjustment, it was perfect. He drew his sword and pulled it close, inspecting the blade. It was a bit dull but a trip down to the grindstone would fix that in no time. It would hold up well enough he hoped as he doffed his armor once more and sat down on the bed.
Molly brought him dinner a while later and he ate while reading a book on surviving in the wilderness. He didn’t dare imagine that this would be his opportunity to escape, but if something did happen he wanted to make sure he was prepared. He tucked the book under his mattress after he had finished his meal and set the plate on the floor near his door. Throwing himself onto his bed to get comfortable. It was strange to imagine that in a few short hours, he would be heading into a battle of some kind.
Perhaps another band of thieves was prowling the area and he and Eiden would be tasked with getting rid of them. He didn’t know what they might be capable of, but he would be ready. He would do what he had to, but the thought left a sour taste in his mouth as he was reminded of Gelath once again.
He shook his head to dispel the thoughts and instead, considered his chances of escape again. They weren’t good, Jelroy was much faster and stronger than Cypher. If he tried to run away, the burly man would simply catch him and haul him back to the manor where a beating or worse would await him. Jelroy might be more on his side than he originally let on but he couldn’t just let Cypher run off without permission.
He also didn’t imagine that he would be effective at all in a fight against the man. He was highly trained and a Conductor so who knew what kind of spells he had at his disposal. There was no way a twelve-year-old boy with meager training and a pitiful sword could possibly hold his own against such a seasoned warrior.
He considered his spell then. While he had never used it, he already knew that its power wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide in a battle against Jelroy. It was a common enough spell if it had been left in an unguarded book, and also a child of eight had even learned how to use it. It couldn’t possibly be potent enough to pose a real threat to a seasoned Conductor.
He turned over and closed his eyes after a while, the night was dragging on and he would have to rise quite early to get ready and be down at the stables in time. He would not be late for his next adventure. Excitement filled him, making it hard to sleep, but eventually, he managed to drift away. A smile on his face as he dreamt of the dangers that might await him.
He woke a few hours later, the gloom of predawn filling his room through the open window. He sat up and performed his morning routine. He stretched and dropped to the floor to start a short set of fifty pushups, squats, lunges, and lastly, sit-ups. The exercise was light but helped to wake up his lazy body and send energy flowing through him.
After eating a loaf of hard bread and warm cheese leftover from the night before, he dressed and equipped his new armor. It still fit nicely and he felt powerful as the leather squeezed around his body. The sword hung from his belt and he drew it a few times to test out his range of motion once more before he left the safety of the manor.
Jelroy was waiting for him as the first signs of sunlight began to peek over the horizon and Eiden soon followed a couple of minutes later. Their party complete, they mounted their horses. Cypher had never ridden a horse in his entire life. It seemed easy enough but he soon found there was more to it than simply sitting upon its saddle.
Jelroy instructed him for a few moments on how to guide the steed, and after a bit of practice, the group headed out of the main gate and started down the northern road. After a few failed attempts and a serious bruising of his tailbone, Cypher managed to get the hang of riding faster than a trot. It wasn’t long before they broke into full gallop and while he was still having a few issues controlling the horse at that speed, Cypher enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past his face. Their group rode quickly and traveled several dozen miles only stopping to stretch their limbs and allow the horses to rest and drink from a cold stream winding its way through the countryside. They continued after that and didn’t stop until the sun was getting ready to set.
As they rested Jelroy spoke, “So, now that we’re almost at our destination it’s time I fill you in on how this will work. We won’t be facing down any bandits or serious threats, however, if you aren’t careful you could very well end up badly injured. Let’s try to avoid that shall we?”
“A medium-sized pack of horned wolves has moved into territory not far from Riftmoore City called Gelrin Cliff. It’s an uninhabited area, but there is a large iron deposit there and the city would like to begin mining operations. Our job is to wipe out the pack of Zightbeasts and secure the area until someone from the mining guild arrives to survey the location.”
Eiden’s eyes lit up at the prospect of fighting magical creatures but Cypher was wary. In one of the books he had stolen he had learned about a few Zightbeasts, and Horned wolves were among them. They were not particularly strong on their own, however, their real strength lay in their ability to group up and cast low-tier earth magick against their foes.
Their horns were more than just a quirk of nature, they allowed the wolves to focus their mental energy, and in large numbers, they could use this power to move large rocks or create fissures in the ground for trapping their prey. Jelroy explained things to the two of them, but Cypher was already well aware of the specifics. He only pretended to be learning for the first time.
“You will be graded on how many of these beasts you can slay before I kill the pack leader. That part will be the most difficult since the report I received mentioned that it’s quite powerful. While I fight, you are to stay as far away as you can. The weaker ones should prove to be no problem for your skill levels as they are only in the middle and lower tiers of Rank-one. The pack leader, however, is a Rank-three Zight-beast in the upper tier. It could likely kill you with a single attack. I urge caution. Let’s not be stupid yeah?”
“What’s this about ranks?” Cypher asked. He was vaguely aware of the ranking system Dellorim used to gauge the strength of magickal creatures but his knowledge was extremely limited. Jelroy nodded and began explaining but Eiden scoffed and let out a condescending laugh.
