Chapter 73

Alex followed the two now hooded elves as they quietly pushed their way through dense shrubbery.

He rubbed the back of his neck and turned around again as he felt like someone was watching him from afar. 'I don't have time to worry about stalkers.'

"Why did we stop?" Alex asked in a hushed voice.

"There is break in the patrol is about to close up."

"How far are we from exiting?"

"We shouldn't have any more trouble after getting past them."

Suddenly the scenery in front of Alex changed as he opened a portal, and then it changed again as he sent his energy through and opened another. He was about to open another but found that his spacial control was surprisingly not up to the task. 'Let's hope that nearly half a mile of distance is enough.'

He paused for a moment. "Don't resist my energy I'm going to make us invisible while we go through the portals." He told the two elves completely ignoring the looks of surprise they had plastered on their faces.

After looking at the two he realized his mistake. When riding Ger, he didn't have to see his instructors, but here they couldn't afford to accidentally get separated.

He reached out and grabbed one of their hands each surprising them. Slowly climbing out of the portal and making sure that the other two were still with him, Alex closed the two portals and spread out his spacial energy.

"I don't feel anyone, did we pass them?" He asked and felt Taeral stand up and search for the patrolling elves.

"Just barely, let's go." She whispered as she pulled him along at a quicker pace.

After a few minutes Alex stopped bending the light and shade and the three stopped.

Taeral pulled out a map and looked at it for a moment before pulling out a vase which looked familiar to Alex, and tossing it to Ospret.

"That looks a lot like what was in Ecknats room." He said as he watched Taeral pull out another one for herself.

"They're necessary for when elven scouts leave the forest." She answered while activating the whatever magic was within the vase.

The two glowed softly for a moment and it took Alex a moment to realize that they had changed slightly.

Their ears had changed shape and they shrunk down in height slightly. "You changed into humans?!" Alex paused before speaking again. "Without potions?"

"We can answer you riddles later, but for now let's find and inn, it's been decades since I've left the village."

"Okay, how far are the nearest towns then?"

"About half a days worth of travel, if you can keep up that is." Taeral said as the two elves broke off into an extremely fast jog.

Alex groaned as he moved into a full sprint just to keep up. 'Their not that much taller than me and yet each step of theirs is like two of mine, if not more.'

He struggled for a moment as he secured a piece of fabric to his arm.

A warmth circulated around his body and his speed increased drastically as he caught up to the two elves.

"See, I told you he is blessed by the goddess of light."

"I'm not blessed by anyone, this is my own magic. I would know if it were not coming from myself." Alex said while slowing down to catch his breath.

"We know, but it doesn't change the fact that we can feel her presence when you use that magic." Ospret responded.

"Or maybe you have just associated the feeling of each magic with different gods."

"Could be. Can you go faster?" She asked seeing him fully composed.

Alex looked around as trees and brush flew past them. "This isn't fast enough for you guys?!"

"We aren't guys, and no, we have to make it to the town before it gets dark. The woods here aren't protected by the elves so if you don't speed up you will learn why we don't want to be within them at night." Taeral taunted before blurring within Alex's vision.

'I will not last long like this.' Alex thought as he stopped wasting his light mana and opened up a portal. He turned just as he watched the other two sprint past him.

——————

'Finally!' Alex thought as he nearly fell to his knees after seeing a road and hearing voices off in the distance.

After sliding to a stop and making sure he wouldn't pass out, he walked over to the two elves who seemed to be breathing just as heavily as he was, even though he had been hopping through portals for most of the day.

"Is this it, are we finally here?" Alex asked as he rested against a tree.

"Calm down magic man. Yes this is it." Taeral said while laughing at Alex's condition.

Alex nearly fell down as he remembered something important. "I don't have any money, well I do but it's worthless here."

He quickly looked through everything before sighing. 'I'm not really willing to sell anything I have on me.'

"We can cover the costs of the inn." Taeral said as she watched Alex gather a bunch of fallen branches.

"While fire kindling material can be sold, you probably won't get very much for them." She told Alex who kept on gathering them.

He carved a rune into one of the sticks and imprinted a series of runes into the stick before activating the main rune.

"A magical torch, good for a few hours of constant light. If it was a crystal it would last a lot longer, but I only have a limited supply of those." He shook the branches and dust fell off of them as runes were carved into them and runes imprinted.

"These seem impressive right, much better than a fire starter? Do you think I can sell them without to much trouble." Alex asked as his stomach growled once again.

"With those you should be able to get a meal whenever you wish. There not as impressive as true magic torches but even still, with so many..."

"That's good enough then, let's go." Alex said as he leapt onto the main road and finally saw the town where all the voices were coming from.

He moved to the side of the road as a cart being pulled by two large beasts walked by him. His eyes locked onto the cabin where a pair of yellow eyes watched him before moving away from the window.

'What was that?'

He quickly scanned the cart and saw two people. 'One with scales and one with… fur.'

The two elves flanked him as he tried to comprehend the world around him.

As they walked into town a balding man walked towards them a smile visible on his face. "Hello travelers, have any materials I can take off of your hands for you, and in turn fill your pockets."

'This is easier than I thought. Look at this guy just by looking at us his eyes are filled with greed. I've never actually had a use for this strange ability, but right now I think I have found such a use.'

"I think I might have some things that I'm willing to part ways with." Alex said as he followed the man into his shop. The two elves waiting outside for him.

Alex dropped the bundle of sticks on the table as the balding man looked at him dumbfounded.

Alex sighed and picked up a stick pressing the rune on the side. "Two hour lifespan and uses a strange type of magic that a wizard or even a scholar would pay good money to research."

Alex felt something stir within the man, but he still didn't seem to believe what was told to him. Alex pressed the rune again and the glow died down. "I myself am a wizard and have already researched these to the fullest extent."

He looked around as if checking that nobody was listening. "They hold a key to casting magic without words." Alex whispered as a ball of light appeared within his hands.

'If they can see the runes then they should be able to see or feel mana, according to David that is. I still don't know why my spacial affinity can only sense runes.'

"You, that's, you should've told me this beforehand sir, if I had know I would've set up a proper meeting. Follow me."

Alex stood up as the man took him to the back of the store. "What takes a wizard like you all the way out here?" The balding man asked as he fiddled with a locked door.

"Well to be honest a bit of trouble entering the wrong portal and finding myself in an entirely different place. Almost feels like a completely different place down here."

"Not too far down, more of the eastern edge of the continent, I'm guessing you are from up north?"

"You could say that."

"Put your hand on this and answer truthfully after I ask you a question."

Alex put his hand on a spherical object that was sitting on the table next to them and waited.

"Can these… uh sticks do everything that you say they can do?" He asked and watched the sphere.

"Yes." Alex answered.

"Good, and you are a wizard as you say you are?"

Alex paused. "With wordless magic, I consider myself more of a mage." He answered trying his best to not give himself away.

"Someone as talented as you should have the right to give yourself a title."

Alex watched the balding man swallow his greed before opening a safe. He pulled out a pouch and after a bit of filling it he placed it on the table. "Around ten golds worth of currency."

"However, if you would like to wait I can see if gri… ahem, the local wizard would like to verify the goods himself. It would probably take a few days, but if good things are said it could safely be said that these artifacts are worth more than to or three times this amount."

"That's fine, I'm not going to be in town for very long and if their value turns out to be more than this, then you can keep it. In the meanwhile I'm looking for having some maps made. I'm not really religious but I told the two ladies outside that I was going to visit the temple of the god of teleportation magic and the old temple of the god of knowledge."

The old man frowned for a moment. "Those are quite the distance away."

"To think that you've even heard of there glory from all the way up north, though." The balding man said as he patted Alex's back. "If you come back tomorrow morning I'll see if I can bring you something. In the meantime go enjoy yourself, You can't keep such beautiful ladies waiting, just ask my wife, last time I did it didn't end well for me. My legs were messed up for a while."

"Okay?" Alex said as he was lead out of the shop.

'What did he mean by that?'

"Hey, you two. What's with that look?" Alex asked as he exited the shop.

"Nothing, we should find the inn get some rest before you take us to visit some temples."

"You heard us talking from all the way out here? Well good, is it normal for wives to attack their husbands legs when they are late?"

Ospret laughed. "It seems that where you are from, they teach you about everything except relationships."

'Why would they? In a word run by money how would that benefit them?'

"Everything is controlled for us. There is a lot of stuff locked away from us until we become eighteen years old. Although the temple says that it should not exist entirely." Alex said as he smelled the pleasant smell of food coming up.

"What temple would dare anger the goddess of love?"

Alex chuckled. "gods don't exist where I'm from. No amount of prayer is answered, no amount of faith repaid. We are told to bite our tongues and wait until the end of times before we can witness justice."

"Let's get something to eat before I say something I'll regret." Alex said as he entered the inn that the other two had stopped in front of.