The First Cultivator

Eight days! It took Azura eight days to escape the confines of her home. The days were profitable, with plenty of time to cultivate and … well, cultivate some more. Okay, the only thing she could do was cultivate. It was boring as hell! Sure, Azura knew she needed time to recover, but after the third day, she craved the outside world. The warden, however, refused to budge on her release. When she finally stepped out of her home, she was rewarded with a dense mana cloud and enough pent-up energy to level a small city. Nearly vibrating in place, she dashed off toward Toren's home. Her friends had visited her often in the first few days, but she hadn't seen any of them since. They deserved a hammer blow to the head for forgetting her. The devastating blow would at least give them a valid excuse.

Her plans ended abruptly when she turned down the main road. Azura hesitated as she stepped out. The warning her mother had given her now made a great deal more sense.

"Azura, you can go out, but be careful. Things are getting bad out there," her mother had said.

"I'll avoid mages," Azura had said with an eye roll. Seriously, she said this every other time she went out.

"Not just them. Watch out for everyone."

Azura frowned, not understanding, but she did now. The street was the same, yet so very different. Tense was the word that came to mind. It was in the posture of the crowd, the flicker of kin's tails, and the purposeful strides of those about. None of it was the relaxed atmosphere of her home. What was happening?

Azura cautiously made her way to Toren's house. She didn't do her usual playful dash and kept a safe distance from everyone.

The trip took twice as long as usual, but finally, she was in front of the weathered door. She rapped on it timidly. Azura, halfway, expected some mysterious mage to open the door while framed in darkness.

"Who's there?" A muffled voice asked.

That's weird, Azura thought. When did Toren's family start acting like this?

"Azura." Her voice was a little too soft, as if she were questioning it herself. The door flung open, and Toren rushed out, embracing her in a hug.

"Are you okay? Do you have enough food? Sorry, I haven't been by recently." The comments came flooding out of Toren. Azura blinked, trying to process everything. She pulled back and looked at her closest friend.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

His face was gaunt, and his eyes were sunken. It looked like he hadn't slept well lately.

"You look horrible," Azura said, wincing at her lack of tact.

Toren shrugged. "We never had a lot of coin. We, err, ran out of food two days ago. It's been hard."

Azura grimaced. She had forgotten her mother had been saving money for a while. Even so, they would run out soon, too. Azura had noticed that her mother had a distinct lack of work.

"Could we go fishing at night?" Azura suggested.

Toren shook his head sadly. "The mages created water elementals. I saw them attack anyone close to the river's edge."

"There has to be something we can do. Could we sneak out of the walls and take food from the local farms?"

"I was told they are searching all carts entering the city. Besides, the farms have mages protecting them. There's no food anywhere. Hamal's family has been smuggling in some supplies, but it's nearly as expensive as the local food." Toren slumped against his front door. Azura joined him, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"Martel joined the army," Toren said after a minute of silence. He was one of Toren's older brothers who had taken turns watching their troublesome group.

"Why? That's so dangerous."

"Our family gets a discount on food while he works for them. It's still not enough. Two more are thinking about joining. My mother is trying to talk them out of it. Not sure what else we can do."

Furious, Azura clenched her fists as her mind raced. The army was a death sentence for kin. She couldn't let more of Toren's family die. But what could she do? The river was out. The farms were out. Prices were super high in the city, and theft was undoubtedly high. The filthy mages probably weren't paying as much as they were. Where else was left? Azura paused, a sudden idea springing to mind. It was a reckless, crazy, and possibly deadly plan. But it might also work. She turned toward Toren.

"What about the mana forest?"

"Are you crazy? The mana beasts in there would slaughter any non-mage that entered."

"I'm a mage… of sorts. I think I could do it," Azura said, hoping it was true.

Toren just looked blankly at her momentarily, and then she saw it. A twinkle in his eye. The kind he got when they planned their mischief.

"You think you could?" Toren asked.

"I can try. I would need a spear or something, but I have my magic if I get desperate."

"Let's grab Hamal and Gerald. We'll need their help.

As they went to talk with their friends, Azura thought about the mana forest. A region of dense mana caused an abundance of life to flourish. That would be great, but it also attracted powerful beasts to the area. Mana or magical beasts are extremely dangerous creatures that evolved to live in mana-dense regions. Skilled mages sometimes hunted mana beasts for their dense mana flesh. Previously, Azura didn't know why the mages would risk their lives for mana-rich meat when it was all around them. Now she suspected she knew why. If mages ate a diet of mana beasts, their own mana wells would become denser, replacing the thin ambient mana. It probably wouldn't do much for Azura. Her mana was already dense, but it still might help when she folded it, making room for more. If that new mana were already denser, it would save some work as she incorporated it into her thick mana before cultivation. She could support her family and friends… provided she didn't die.