The Undying Magician - Book 3 - Chapter 4 - Visitors Part I

                                                     Nathan
                               Year 2850 | Month 3 | Day 4

“Another group of refugees?” I mutter after hearing what Claire had to tell me. “And there are thirty of them this time?”

The woman nods her head and says, “Yes, sir.”

“Keep me updated then,” I tell her with a nod of my own before continuing on my way through the tunnel past where she stopped me.

It honestly feels kind of weird working with someone around my own age. Even if she’s still about two or so years older than me.

At this point I’ve been interacting with people who are around a decade or so older than me more often than not. In fact, Carol was several decades older than me, and Benjamin is a decade older as well, with Ryan being about two and a half decades older. And most of the magicians I’ve interacted with have been in their mid-thirties to mid-forties, so…

Then there’s the skeleton. I’m not even sure just how old that guy is. At least a century or two probably.

I can’t help but feel a lot older than I actually am though, if for no other reason than the pain I’ve been through.

Although there have been plenty of refugees my own age that have started living in the Undying Caverns. I just don’t interact with them much.

I frown at the thought for a moment without pausing in my steps through the tunnel before mentally shrugging and turning the corner, only to find the new group of refugees being escorted through the tunnel by several soldiers along with Benjamin. Likely heading towards the interrogation rooms, which is a customary onboarding procedure that Benjamin insisted on. Not that he really needed to since I agree with it.

People aren’t exactly trustworthy. Not in the Republic, and especially not in the Kingdom.

Benjamin quickly nods to me as they pass, each of the refugees in the group staring at my ensemble consisting of a set of black and red kevlar armor, my sword, and my terminal with awe, only to switch to wariness and some fear when they see my eyes. But Benjamin and the soldiers don’t let them linger and continue shepherding them forwards as we walk past each other.

I continue walking down the tunnel until I reach the entrance where I cross my arms and inspect the barrier.

The new barrier is holding up a lot better than the original one did. This one is not only stronger, since I used more mana to make it, but it doesn’t need my fiddling with it to add a new citizen to the barrier. Which is very nice since I rather quickly got sick of going to the barrier every single time I needed to add another person to it.

But… I’m not really sure if this barrier is doing all that much beyond keeping unwanted non-magicians out. Since most of the magicians I’d have to worry about coming by are all Class C and should be able to destroy the barrier without much trouble.

If the thing was a constant drain on my mana, then it wouldn’t be worth the trouble to keep it in the first place. But thankfully it’s not. Just a one time expenditure of mana to make it.

No real way to dispel it though. Not that I really cared much about making a way like that when I designed the spell.

I purse my lips as I continue studying my own barrier, ignoring anyone who comes through it one way or the other, along with the curious looks sent my way by them.

What could I do to improve my barriers… actually, to improve the potency of my spells in general…

The only thing that comes to mind is the space and time mana in my bones. But I have no idea how or even if I’ll be able to make use of it. Not to mention that it would make the spell exponentially more complex and would have to be accommodated for in the spell’s script.

I rub my temples at the thought of how annoying that would be despite not being able to get a headache. Or at least, not one that lasts for long before healing.

There is definitely an easy, or easier solution to this. Simply asking for a favor from the skeleton would solve my problems as he is a lot more knowledgeable on magic scripting than I am. Not to mention he could probably figure out how to let me use my time and space mana if it’s possible.

But that would not only require me acquiescing to another one of his ridiculous requests, and it would require me to let him experiment on me himself a bit to figure it out.

Neither of which are things I’m very keen on letting happen.

The guy is crazy. Sometimes he treats me like a son, which is creepy, others like I’m some sort of experiment. And others? Like his entertainment.

I really can’t tell what he’s thinking most of the time, and I hate that.

He hasn’t actually experimented on me before though, unless the whole turning me into some sort of pseudo vampire counts. So he isn’t a terrible person on a regular basis.

To me, at least.

I hold myself back from rubbing my temples again as I step outside of the caves, through the barrier to get some fresh air.

Just to find myself staring at a room full of soldiers aiming guns at my staff, who are all knocked unconscious with a few of them dead somehow.

I blink in surprise. The soldiers then turn their guns to me.

“On the ground! Now!” one of the soldiers shouts, clearly not recognizing me.

I just stare, rather shocked that someone would be stupid enough to pull this.

Wait, maybe these are the soldiers belonging to that Ashen Magician guy?

“Didn’t you hear me?! On the-” he starts, only for me to wave him off and mutter, “Shut up. I’m thinking.” Leaving the man shocked into silence for a moment.

If they belong to that Ashen Magician guy, then I’m gonna have to go deal with that city myself. But if not…

I guess I can just capture these guys and ask them who they work for.

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