Magic Staff!

"There's someone in the room," the armored knight said, his voice steady and authoritative.

The group froze. The idea of someone living in this remote, dilapidated wooden house was strange, almost suspicious. The mountains were treacherous, with wild animals and unpredictable weather. Why would anyone choose to live here instead of the relative safety of the town?

The sheriff immediately clammed up at the knight's words. He glanced at the knight's back nervously, his earlier bravado melting into a sheepish silence. Only when the knight didn't react further did the sheriff breathe a sigh of relief.

Knight Matthew wasn't a local, and everyone knew it. Their humble town couldn't support someone of his rank or stature. It was said Matthew hailed from the fiefdom of a powerful noble family, having passed the elite knight trials. Even the mayor treated him with deference, and his mere presence commanded respect.

"I saw a faint light behind one of the windows from a distance," Matthew said, his tone calm but sharp. "It went out as we approached."

His words carried far in the still night, cutting through the silence of the woods. But they also reached someone else: Leonard, who was crouched behind a window inside the house.

---

Leonard cursed under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd been careful, extremely careful. With no curtains to shield him, he had dimmed the oil lamp to its lowest setting and placed it on the floor, far from the window. Without the light, he couldn't read the notebook. But it was better to strain his eyes than to risk detection.

When he first heard the sounds of people approaching, he had acted swiftly, extinguishing the lamp and slipping into another room. From there, he watched them through a crack in the wooden planks, hoping they'd pass by.

But now it was clear: these people weren't here by accident.

Leonard's frown deepened as he studied the group from the shadows. Most of them carried muskets, crude yet deadly weapons. A single shot from one could rip through him with ease. Worse still, he doubted even Alfonso's arcane defenses could stop a concentrated volley of firepower.

'If they catch me…' Leonard swallowed hard, his mind racing. He had no illusions about his fate. As Alfonso's apprentice, he'd be tied to all of his teacher's crimes. Best case scenario, he'd hang. Worst case… 'burned alive.'

He couldn't afford to face them, not yet.

---

Quietly, Leonard slipped away from the window and darted up the creaky staircase. His destination was clear: Alfonso's master bedroom at the far end of the second floor. Only Alfonso could handle this situation. Leonard was too inexperienced, with no spells to his name and little hope of defending himself against armed attackers.

Reaching the door, Leonard paused to steady his breathing. He knocked softly but firmly.

"Teacher," he called, his voice low but urgent.

No response.

Leonard tried again, this time louder. "Teacher, it's me. There's something urgent—"

The door creaked open, just a crack.

Alfonso's face appeared in the gap, pale and hollow, his sunken eyes gleaming with cold intensity. His thin frame cast a shadow in the dim light, and his gaze felt like the bite of a serpent; sharp, piercing, and devoid of warmth.

Leonard's scalp prickled.

"Leonard," Alfonso said slowly, his voice a chilling whisper, "I trust you have a very 'good' reason for disturbing me at this hour." His bony face tilted slightly, the faintest flicker of menace curling in the corners of his lips.

Swallowing hard, Leonard quickly explained. "Teacher, there are people outside. A group of them and many are carrying muskets."

Alfonso's expression didn't change, but the air in the hallway seemed to grow heavier. He stared at Leonard for a moment longer, his gaze unblinking. Then, without a word, he pulled the door open and stepped out, his black robe trailing behind him like an ominous shadow.

Leonard's pulse quickened. He could hear the faint sound of footsteps crunching on the overgrown path just outside. Whoever these people were, they were almost at the house. Soon, they'd reach the yard, and after that, it wouldn't take long for them to ascend the stairs. There was no time to waste.

"Teacher," Leonard began, his voice edged with urgency. But Alfonso cut him off with a cold glare, raising a hand to silence him.

"Don't bother me with trivialities like this again," Alfonso said, his tone sharp and unyielding. "From now on, you'll handle such interruptions yourself. There are two zero-ring spells recorded in this staff: 'Acid Missile' and 'Mental Shock.' Use them."

As he spoke, the ruby ring on his finger flashed with a faint, silvery light. A moment later, a short oak staff materialized in his hand. He thrust it toward Leonard, who hesitated for only a second before taking it.

Leonard stared at the closed door, then back at the staff in his hand. His heart sank. 'He expects me to handle this?'

---

Though he'd read about spellcasting and magical tools in Alfonso's notebooks, Leonard had never used them in practice. His knowledge was purely theoretical, and now he was being thrown into a situation where failure could mean death, not just for him, but for his teacher as well.

Leonard swallowed hard, gripping the oak staff tightly. His thoughts raced as he tried to recall everything he'd learned about using magical tools.

'The staff is a conduit,' he reminded himself. 'The spells are pre-encoded into modules. All I have to do is channel my mental power into the staff and activate the spell I need.'

It sounded simple in theory, but the weight of the situation made his hands tremble slightly. He glanced at the stairs, hearing the faint creak of boards beneath his feet. The intruders were closing in.

Alfonso's volatile nature left little room for mistakes. If Leonard failed to handle this, his teacher's wrath might be worse than whatever the intruders had in store.

Steeling himself, Leonard took a deep breath and focused. He concentrated his mental power, directing it toward the oak staff.

---

To his relief, the connection came easily. It was like turning a key in a well-oiled lock. His mind touched the staff's core, and suddenly, he could sense two distinct "buttons," though they weren't physical. These intangible modules hovered in his awareness, waiting to be activated.

'So this is what the notebook meant by spell modules,' Leonard thought, his nerves steadying slightly. 'The staff does the heavy lifting, all I need is the mental energy to press the right button.'

The moment of discovery was interrupted by a deafening 'boom' from outside. A powerful elemental surge swept through the yard, shaking the entire building. Cold air rushed in, slamming against the window at the end of the second-floor corridor, causing the glass to rattle violently.

A cacophony of panicked cries and pained wails followed.

Leonard froze for a moment, his grip tightening on the staff. Whatever had triggered the surge had incapacitated at least some of the intruders, but it wouldn't stop them all.

---

He turned quickly and made his way downstairs, his steps as light as possible. His heartbeat thudded in his ears as memories of his past resurfaced, nights spent on the run, keeping watch with his father as refugees huddled in terror. He'd seen firsthand how desperation could strip people of humanity, turning them into monsters.

A gruff voice cut through the night, loud and furious.

"Damn it, there's a magic trap here!"

Another voice, shrill with fear, stammered, "W-what should we do?"

"Go on! Scout ahead!" barked the first voice, anger masking an undertone of unease.

---

Leonard reached the first floor and slipped into one of the rooms. Careful not to make a sound, he crouched behind a cracked window, its broken glass offering a jagged view of the yard.

The scene outside was chaotic. Several figures were sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. The trap Alfonso had set must have been triggered, sending a wave of magic through the intruders.

But not all of them were incapacitated.

A man in heavy leather armor stood near the center of the yard, his musket slung over his shoulder and his face twisted with frustration. He gestured sharply at a nervous-looking subordinate, who hesitated before stepping cautiously toward the house.

Leonard's fingers tightened around the staff. His heart raced, but his mind was clear. He didn't have much time to act, and he couldn't rely on another trap to thin their numbers further.

The intruders were coming. It was up to him to stop them.

The glass pane was far from pristine. Though technically transparent, it was clouded with impurities, distorting the view outside like a murky stream.

Leonard crouched low, pressing himself to the ground. He tilted his head just enough to peek through the window with one cautious eye, his breath shallow and controlled.

Outside, chaos reigned. The wooden archway that once stood proudly at the yard's entrance now lay in ruins, splintered by a violent explosion. Frost blanketed the ground like a silent witness to the carnage. Scattered across the yard were seven or eight bodies, lifeless or too injured to move. The few who remained standing bore their own scars, some squatted, clutching wounds, while others shielded their faces in silent agony.

Leonard's mind raced. He knew this was Alfonso's doing, magic traps meticulously laid throughout the yard and at every conceivable entrance and exit to the house. They weren't just barriers; they were lethal snares designed to keep intruders out and prevent anyone inside from escaping.

The leader of the group, a grim-faced knight, now stood on edge. His earlier confidence had been replaced by wary vigilance, his eyes scanning every corner. At the forefront, a hunter in animal skins crept toward the house, his bow slung over his shoulder and a dagger clenched tightly in his hand. Every step was deliberate, his head jerking back now and then as if expecting the shadows to strike.

Meanwhile, a knight wielding a massive greatsword stood near the yard's center. He leaned heavily on the blade, its tip buried in the frost-covered ground. His expression was dark, his eyes scanning the area like a hawk. Then, suddenly, he froze. His gaze locked on one of the windows.

Leonard ducked instinctively, pressing his back against the wall. Had he been seen? His pulse quickened. The knight's stare had been unnervingly precise, aimed directly at the window where Leonard had just been peeking. But it was night, and shadows danced freely. Leonard held onto a sliver of hope that he hadn't been spotted.

The hunter at the front of the group moved closer, his steps painstakingly careful. Leonard's sharp eyes tracked his every movement. His mind flickered with calculated thoughts. A trap lay directly at the gate, he was certain of that. The ones at the rear of the house were more of a mystery, though he doubted Alfonso would have wasted effort there. Leonard had walked the perimeter countless times without incident.

If the gate trap was triggered or destroyed, the intruders could pour into the house unhindered. That thought gnawed at him.

The staff in his hands offered some solace, containing two spells ready to cast. But Leonard knew his limits. He wasn't a seasoned wizard, barely a novice, in fact. His mental strength would only allow him to cast the spells three, maybe four times before exhaustion set in. That wouldn't be enough. Not against these odds.

The initial explosion had taken out seven of their number, but eleven still remained. Among them was the knight, a formidable foe with powers that made Leonard's magic seem insignificant by comparison.

His mind churned through the options. One of the spells, 'Mental Shock', was precise but limited to a single target. The other, 'Acid Missile', had a broader effect; its splash could harm multiple foes in close proximity. That would have to do.

Leonard tightened his grip on the staff, summoning his mental energy. It surged forward like a rushing tide, filling the enchanted wood. He felt his reserves deplete, a fifth of his strength gone in an instant. The staff hummed with power, the spell poised to launch at his command.

Steeling himself, Leonard's eyes narrowed. This was it. The moment he had to act.