The First Cultivator

Nicola emerged from his seclusion chamber, the foul residue from his breakthrough still coating his fur. Experiencing the purge was far worse than just smelling it. Immediately, four female deer-kin approached carrying buckets of hot water and various cleaning instruments. He refused to go through the indignity of shaving his fur. Nicola purposely marched to the luxurious bathroom, the next room over. He strode inside and couldn't help but marvel at his change in fortune. This bathroom was larger than his old home back in Deepmere. It could easily hold twenty kin at a time with plenty of antler-room to spare. He strode to the central bath, where two statues of mages held buckets aloft from which hot water continuously flowed. Dageth knew how to treat a professor. He sank into the steamy water as three deer-kin began bathing him. The last one went to clean up the filth he left behind.

"You were successful then?" A voice asked. Nicola turned to see the elder of the herd. He stood tall, his large antlers dwarfing Nicola's significantly smaller rack.

"I was, Elder."

"Good. Today is your first lecture. I would hate to postpone it again if you failed a second time."

Nicola frowned at the disrespect. Then again, the elder wasn't wrong. Liquifying his mana into ki was more difficult than he expected. He had failed his first attempt and had to replenish the ultra-thick mana he lost. It had taken another two months before he could try again. Delaying his classes did not go over well. He had underestimated Azura. The girl must possess a monstrous talent if she accomplished it so easily. That was also true of her friends. Then again, they were the top talent for a reason. Now he joined their ranks, at last a true cultivator.

"The professor can clean himself. Mares to me. I'm in need of your services," the elder said as he left the bath, the female deer-kin following after. Nicola scowled. The elder had been making shows of dominance since they arrived in Dageth. He probably felt threatened by Nicola's talent. Rightfully so, the elder had not managed to advance his cultivation much. The only thing he managed to advance was his belt line. The easy life in Dageth had softened him. Nicola sighed as he scrubbed away. There wasn't much he could do. His antlers were still small, and the herd wouldn't recognize him as a potential leader for a few more years. Until then, he would have put up with the elder. That was the way of the herd.

The gunk took longer than expected to remove, and he was in the middle of eating when Kelsa interrupted him.

"There's someone at the door for you," Kelsa said quietly. The female deer-kin had been subdued since their flight from Azure's Rest. It was her fault they were discovered. It was her fault that he had to kill. Kinslayer. The thought reverberated around his mind, which he promptly squashed. That wasn't his fault. No. It was Kelsa's fault for exposing them, and it was the fault of those stubborn rat-kin. They left him with no choice. It wasn't his fault. Nicola shook free of the memory.

"Who is it?"

"It's Abigail. She's here to escort you to your first lecture."

Of course. She was his assistant assigned to him once they arrived in Dageth. The young woman had been dutiful in her duties, ensuring the herd had all they needed. If anything, she was too eager to please.

"Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes." Nicola left his half-eaten meal there and went to his room. He put on his formal professor robes of Dageth. They were black with gold trim made of the finest silk. On the right chest was the symbol of Dageth, a stave crossed with a shield. It was a robe that only graduates of the prestigious battle academy could wear. Nicola felt like a fraud wearing it. He turned toward the mirror. He looked like a stranger. His mottled brown fur with white spots contrasted sharply with the robe, and his equine head and antlers made him look like a child's doll. He sighed as he left his room.

"Ohhh! Looking sharp, Professor!" Abigail said with a whistle as Nicola stepped outside. She was around his age, in her early twenties. Nicola considered her attractive for a human. She had long violet hair, deep gray eyes, and tan skin with a spatter of freckles on her upper nose that spread down her cheeks. Nicola was reminded of his own spots.

"It still feels strange when you call me that."

"You'll get used to it. Now come on! You don't want to be late! I'm so excited for your class." Abigail seized his hand and nearly dragged him away from the large manse given to the herd.

"You'll be attending?" Nicola asked.

"What? Oh, well, not directly. I can't afford the ludicrous price that was set on your lectures. I'll be there to help you, and I'm like a sponge. Give me a few lessons and I'll figure it all out. I love all magic! I can't wait to see how this works." Nicola wasn't sure about that but kept it to himself as they made their way into town.

Dageth was the name of the school and the surrounding city. After the battle academy was founded, a town gradually developed around it to supply the students and faculty with their needs. Gradually, it became a significant force on the continent. It was nothing like Deepmere.

"Morning, Professor! I heard your first class is today. It's all anyone is talking about. Have an apple on the house." A friendly merchant called from a stall and tossed him an apple. Nicola caught it and waved at the man as Abigail continued to pull him onward.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

That was the most considerable difference. No one treated him like a lesser being. He was treated as an elite noble. A popular noble. It was what he wanted. It was what he had negotiated for. He had everything he wanted now. The herd was safe, and they no longer had to fight. They could live peacefully. All it cost them was betraying the one who saved them from slavery and gave them power. That and a life of a kin… KINSLAYER. Nicola pushed the thought away. He had no choice. And now it was finally time to reveal all. He hoped he was doing the right thing.

***

"Douglas! Hey Douglas!" An excited voice shouted. Douglas Darkhold turned to see a group of nobles striding toward him with Victoria in the lead. He slowed his pace so his acquaintances could join him. He wouldn't call them friends. People in his position never did. Such was the burden of being from a powerful magical family.

"You heading to the new class?" Victoria asked excitedly. She was pretty with vivid green hair and matching eyes. Her robes were the standard student attire, bright white with red trim. The symbol of Dageth was embroidered with gold lace on the right chest, signifying her noble status. He and the rest of the nobles were all wearing the robes. It was a badge of honor to display the robes of Dageth. It was, after all, a school for the elite.

"Of course. Father paid the outrageous fee that Dageth was charging for this class. He would disown me if I didn't attend. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about." He swept his violet hair out of his eyes. He needed to get it cut soon.

"I heard that the professor is a kin," Jonathan said, his bright orange hair cut to military precision.

"Really? A kin? I thought kin couldn't be mages." Douglas asked skeptically.

"I heard they found some new magic. I think it makes spells ultra efficient." Jonathan said excitedly. No wonder he was interested. The man had a relatively small mana pool. He could only manage a dozen fire bolts before running out.

"I'm not sure," Victoria said. "I heard from an older student, who heard it from a classmate, whose roommate went to Deepmere. That they encountered some super powerful kin mage."

"You shouldn't trust such rumors. Deepmere? Is that even a city?" Douglas asked. The name sounded familiar.

"It is! Some ass end of nowhere town where they were as inbred as the sheep," Jonathan laughed. The others joined in as their group turned down a central road, where a large gathering of individuals all strolled toward the academy. Douglas spotted foreigners in all types of attire, as well as a group of elves. Such delegations did occur, but it was rare. They couldn't all be going to this lesson… could they?

"It's true!" Jonathan continued. "They got rid of or sterilized anyone who couldn't use magic."

"That's retarded! Who would clean the latrines? No mage would lower themselves to do that!" Victoria said, wrinkling her nose at the mere thought of performing such work.

"I did say they were inbred? So retarded is expected."

"I heard about that," Douglas said, now recalling where he had heard the city name before. The city was an excellent lesson on why nulls were an essential part of your community. You always needed someone to do the shit work. "The idiots didn't think of basic logistics when founding the city. So, they invited in a bunch of kin shortly after."

"I'm surprised the kin accepted," Victoria said as they gathered closer together. The street was becoming crowded.

"They were desperate after the war. I imagine it wasn't hard to convince a large number of them to settle there. Offer them work and pay, and it would be enough."

"Aye, it was," Jonathan added. "They had a rather large population of kin there, but I heard it got awful in the last few years. The entire kin population was enslaved."

"Barbaric! Kin have such cute tails! How could anyone do that to them?" Victoria asked, shocked.

…

"Is that the only reason you're upset?" Douglas asked.

"Well, no… they uh… they also got soft fur," Victoria finished.

"Pervert!" Jonathan crowed, pointing at her. His other hand was pressed to his forehead like he was going to faint.

"Rude!" Victoria said.

"I wouldn't breed with a null," Douglas retorted. "My bloodline is pure mage for ten generations."

"Anyways," Jonathan said, interrupting any more follow-ups. "I heard they enslaved the kin because of the mists. Kin don't have active mana pools, so the corruption does affect them as much."

An awkward silence fell among the group. They had all heard the rumors about that. A dark corruption that sought out mages. Douglas shivered at the thought of something infesting his mana pool.

"… I guess that works. They are just nulls after all," Douglas said.

"Hey, that's rude! My mother didn't have an awakened mana pool, and she's a wonderful person!" Victoria said, giving Douglas a hard punch to the shoulder.

"Okay, okay fine, whatever. I'm just saying they aren't worth as much as a mage," Douglas said, rubbing the spot where he was hit.

Jonathan nodded as he continued. "The leadership of Deepmere agreed with you there. That was when she appeared…" He lowered his voice for dramatic effect. "The Magebane."

Douglas scoffed. "What a pretentious title."

"It's true!" Jonathan said. "A kin mage who killed over a dozen Dageth graduates with a single punch."

"Nonsense," Douglas said, wondering if Jonathan had been sniffing pixie dust again.

"It's true…" A harsh voice said.

The group turned to face a stern-faced elf who stood just a few paces away. He was pale, abnormally so, with violet hair and matching eyes that seemed too large for his face. It made him look like a frightened animal.

"I was there," the elf continued as the group stopped to listen. "At the battle of Fortunia. We ambushed the Magebane with a hundred elves, after she left the mists." The elf shivered and hugged himself. One of his companions put a hand on his shoulder and tried to pull him back, but he shrugged it off. "I saw her wave her hand, and over twenty elite elves fell apart." Tears leaked from the elf's eyes as the Douglas listened, unable to move.

"They were cleanly cut like the finest blade sheared them in half. Gods above, the smell. The screams. I hear them every night. There was so much blood, then she…" He gulped loudly. "Then she took the blood and used it to become stronger. She's a demon that eats mana and feasts on blood. The abominations in the mists were terrible, but the Magebane was far worse. She's the real monster. Only three of us survived the battle." The elf trembled all over, and this time allowed his companion to move him onward. Douglas and the others watched him go.

"Well… that was creepy as fuck," Jonathan said. Douglas could only agree as they continued onward to the class, far less excited than before.