Path of Wizardry

After incinerating the vomit on the floor with some Coruscation, Amy and Felin broke out of the safe-room easily enough. The magical lock on the door was tough to crack but she didn't need to. Pumping some mana through her arms, she ripped the grate at the top of the back wall off and cleared some of the bricks around it. With that, she had just enough room to jump up and crawl on through.

She found herself in a small valley nestled between the green hills surrounding Harth, a miniature paradise of roaming animals and idyllic river views. In the distance was that familiar dark stain on the landscape, that which William affectionately called a pile of steaming shit, around one or two miles away by her estimates. Not too long of a walk, but one that might be hard on her with her exhaustion. Of course, she could make it easier by threading mana through her legs, supporting them, but it could only accomplish so much. Amy imagined the forceful enhancement she was using was akin to what she used in the early stages of Apprentice; effective, albeit detrimental.

In the end, she decided to push through it and avoid further mana usage, something Felin agreed with.

"The less you use your mana and the more you rest - though that isn't an option right now - the faster you'll be able to start progressing," He spoke as they walked, the cat floating alongside her. "And I'm not just talking about advancement through the Tier, no; rather you'll be able to make better progress through your corruption problem."

"How long do you think that'll take me?" Amy asked. "Last time it was barely a couple of days before I started noticing advancement."

"It'll be much longer. First of all, you did not ascend at the peak of your Tier. This early ascension means you still need to work on your Apprentice enhancement more, both to purge it of corruption and complete it. After that, you'll start assimilating more of the ascension mana into yourself passively, but you won't be pursuing it. For the next month or two, you'll be mainly working on removing the Elemental impurities in your body and essentially redoing your ascension in small amounts."

"I see."

The conversation meandered in various directions after that, but it was mostly small-talk to fill the time, by Amy to distract herself away from what she had done and by Felin to help his Apprentice ground herself. It wasn't long until they reached their destination however, as Amy found herself by where the caravan she was hitching was supposed to be. Instead, all she found was her things thrown haphazardly away on the side of the hill and the racks of carts travelling off into the distance. They had left without her.

As annoying as it was to find her luggage messy and dirty, she supposed it was better than the alternative, where she'd be forced to chase the caravan all the way to Evyria. On top of that, it gives me some more time now. I imagine the city's crawling with Mages now, so I need to keep my head down a bit, but I can say a proper goodbye now. I could use a Monstrous Visage but... No. That'd make me seem more suspicious, changing my face like that if they pick up on it. Better to have no Spells up at all and only have a slight resemblance to the Witch than risk shining suspicion upon me.

Lugging her things around would be rough if she wanted to go around the city, so she took them with her to Janice's shop first. Although she was surprised to see that Amy was still in the city, she accepted her in with open arms.

"A friend of Beatrice is a friend of mine," Janice said. "Get yourself comfortable. Do you plan on staying the night?"

"If you don't mind, yes," Amy smiled sheepishly.

"No problem. I hope you don't mind the birds waking you up though," She laughed.

Janice was right to warn her, as the day turned to night and she settled comfortably into a brought-out sofa ready to fall asleep. The birds kept on singing their incessant songs, leaving Amy restless and wide-eyed in bed, begging for them to just stop. Eventually they did calm down for an hour or so, but it was enough to drift off, finally allowed to let exhaustion claim her. Felin dutifully watched over her, the cat perched nearby, staring deep into and examining her carefully. Just as the birds felt it right to sing until late, they started up again early too, leaving the Witch with far too little sleep to function. Although she was thankful for Janice's generosity, Amy almost wished she would've paid for a night at an inn instead.

When Janice returned to the shop in the morning, she could see the tiredness in Amy's eyes right away and apologised.

"I knew what I was getting into," Amy said, "There's no need to apologise."

"Still, I did encourage you to stay."

"Hmm," Amy hummed, looking up the stairs at the aviary above. "How are the hawks?"

"They're doing good, and they're almost ready to be released. In fact, I might do it today if you're here."

"Really?" Amy exclaimed.

"Yep. They've been making some good progress recently and are now flying well and eating on their own. Nothing's stopping them now but myself."

"I see," Amy murmured, who couldn't help but be disappointed.

"I know it's sad," Janice comforted her, resting a hand on her shoulder, "But it's a natural part of life. They were born in the wild and so they must return to it. They just can't spend their entire lives cooped up in a small place like this."

"I know, I know, I just can't help it."

"I only need to do a little preparation, but I can be ready whenever," Janice said.

"I have some more things to do but... How about in a few hours?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then," She waved as Amy left, unsure of where she was even going.

Walking aimlessly through the city was helpful, both for calming and centering herself. Yet, she couldn't help but be anxious about all the Mages she spotted casually roaming the streets of the city. While their presence alone outside of their district wasn't abnormal, the sheer numbers of them certainly was. Every single one of them felt strong in the mana, Amy surprising herself with how easily she read them now. I suppose I am a Journeyman, but I thought I couldn't read Mage Tiers until later? Unless this is something else... Perhaps not Mage Tiers but just their presence in the Ocean? Maybe it's their mana portion? I suppose that would make sense.

Either way, their numbers sent alarm-bells ringing in Amy's head, sending her already panicking paranoia spiralling. Except, in this case, she couldn't even dismiss the paranoia as unwarranted. These Mages were definitely out looking for the Witch, for her. I should definitely stay away from the slums then, not that I planned on heading there anyway. I wonder if they've found where Harrison's body is yet? They must've figured out most of the battle we had, but have they discovered where we ended up? Never mind, I don't have the time nor the energy to worry about it. Worry about getting caught instead, Amy.

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Amy's first stop on her directionless journey was the train station, as now she was without a way to get to Evyria, she'd have to catch a train. Buying a ticket was easy enough, but its price certainly wasn't. Before, her tickets were footed by the association, both on her trip to and back from Triesen. Her decision to catch a caravan instead was rewarded more and more as she stared at the price for even the third-class tickets, but that option wasn't on the table anymore unless a miracle occurred.

Wincing as she did it, she did end up buying the ticket, passing over twenty-five whole bronze pieces to the ticket clerk who at least seemed sympathetic to her struggles.

Her ticket booked for the evening train, she was all set to leave for Evyria after the hawks were released. Gods, it's been so long since I've been there. I'll probably see if I can meet up with Beatrice first, if she's still there, as doubtful as that is. Then... Who knows. I could message some old School friends to see if they'd be alright with a meet up but... I can't imagine staying in the city for long. And this time, I mean it. No more multi-month long stays in a city I hardly know on some whim. Luckily, I'll have Felin to press me on that as long as I keep summoning him. I'm a lot more aware of the corruption this time too, so I'll be able to notice me slipping faster if I do. And after that? I guess I'll see about heading over to finally return home. I'll need to make sure to buy a gift for Jacob on my way there too. Maybe I'll try making something myself? I don't have any skill in enchantment, but I reckon I could fashion up something simple for him.

As she was already in the area, she made sure to check at her old inn as the matter was on her mind. Unfortunately, no letter had arrived from her family but the innkeeper had reassured her that they wouldn't just throw it away. With her leaving the city, the innkeeper would instead try to send them back with a note, much to Amy's gratitude. In thanks, she handed her a silver shilling, both for the letter and that she had let Amy stay for as long as she did.

On her walk through the city, she passed by the bench she had made Record on, the alley she had first been 'mugged' by Beatrice, and the association building where she had been taught so many times by William. So many memories, good and bad, had been made in Harth yet something about that realisation made Amy uneasy.

Just how many of those memories were made by... me? Amy wondered, not really looking where she was going. How much of that was actually me making those choices, deciding those things, instead of being pressured into them by some alien force? Did I really want to work with Beatrice, did I really want to help Felin get that Robe, or was that just my pride getting in the way of things? I used William for his teachings, no doubt about it, but would I have done that if I wasn't so affected by my affinities? I could even call him a friend, but is that friendship built on lies? I never really... talked to him. He taught me, yes, and we made idle chatter some days, yet did I really... know him all that well? Or does he even know me, or just the persona I projected? He knows about my time in Triesen, yes, but who am I really? Who is he? Beatrice probably ended up knowing me the best and I spent half as much time with her as I did with William. Maybe... I was just a bad friend. Besides all the affinity nonsense, I could've just been... better.

Hah, Amy scoffed. That could be said about my entire time here though. I could've done so much more, I could've been so much more, if I just properly listened to Felin and watched myself. Now, here I am, a wanted Witch and a murderer. A proper one too, not the attempted murder in Triesen. I genuinely intended to kill someone here and I did. Acid welled up in the back of her throat, Amy barely suppressing the urge to throw up. Just in case, she walked away from the hustle and bustle of the main street and leaned against the wall of some building in an alley, nice and out of the way.

I was even prepared to do worse to him. I would've practically enslaved the man if I had listened to my affinities. I can still hear them now, quieter than before but still so present, screaming into my ears all the damn time. She stared at the core in her chest, not that which held her mana pool or heart, but the beating nest of corruption, the whirlpool of green and purple power that stretched its roots deep into every corner of her being. Everything in her self demanded to listen to it, to act according to its desires, but it wasn't as hopeless as the day before. A little bit of her psyche felt untouched by it, some part of her that could muster some strength to rebel and actually resist its orders. Amy didn't know how much time she wasted gathering herself again, but it must've been almost an hour by the way the sun had started to approach midday in the sky. I need to avoid even recognising that it's even there, she resolved to herself, joining the crowds once more, although calmer than before. Every single time I look at it, it's like I'm validating its existence and making it all the more powerful for it. I just need to show some restraint and avoid even thinking about it before Felin allows me to. I can feel it still, crying at the thought of going to him for help, but I can see it now. That isn't really me, demanding those things. I only need to ignore it, not give it any opportunity to gain power over me, and I can soon be rid of it. I just need patience.

Somewhere during her musings, Amy found herself walking past a familiar building, one she had been living in not so long ago. And from what she could see through her Mage Sight and the large window, Tod stood there, seeming at home in a way she had never really seen him. Hiding hurriedly away, she made sure he couldn't see her, but that didn't stop Amy from inspecting the man himself.

Hidden away past everything blocking her Sight, seeing through it all with her new Journeyman capabilities, Amy saw it, right above his abdomen.

A mana pool, Amy smiled to herself. It seems he has taken my advice. Not a Mageling yet but he's well on his way. From the amount he's already gathered, it won't be long now. I almost want to check up on him and ask but... I imagine he's had enough of the Witch tormenting him. I'll leave him be.

And just like that, without him knowing, Amy left.

* * *

Janice and Amy had travelled outside of the city, as close to somewhere as forested as they could without walking for the entire day.

"Ideally, we'd be returning them to the safe environment they were born in, but Harth isn't too far from Triesen. They shouldn't be too distant from it to be a completely different habitat."

"I see," Amy mumbled, not really understanding or listening, merely staring at the eager hawks, barely fitting into that same box she had raised them in.

"Now, now," Janice comforted her again, sympathy clear in her eyes. "The quicker we get this done, the easier it will be on both you and the birds. The longer they stay in captivity, the worse their chances are at survival outside. For lack of better wording, they've been pampered enough."

"I suppose you could put it that way," Amy laughed.

Soon enough, Janice had set the box down upon the top of a hill, walking away and joining Amy who had been waiting on the side-lines. She had already said her goodbyes, patting their heads and feeding them one last time.

It took a little while, but soon they were peaking their heads out of the box, looking curiously around at their surroundings.

The hawks looked between each other at first, then looked towards the two humans standing far away.

Then, stumbling out of their box, they lifted off, in one strong flap of their wings.

Flying along the winds, they soared away into the distance, weaving in and out of each other's paths, trailing beautiful shapes in the sky.

And, at last, they had flown out of sight and into the wilds.

Wiping away the last of her tears, Amy approached the box, picked it up and hugged it tightly to her chest. Only after spending a few minutes just crouching down and staying there did she finally find the courage to walk away. Leaning into Janice, they made their way back together, but not before glancing back one more time.

And, crying one last tear, Amy turned away.