Burning Hill (1)
Our journey resumed southward. Fortunately, the clear weather held, letting us make good time.
The snow from before still lingered, tripping us up with every step, but as we headed south, it thinned out—now just deep enough to sink our feet in slightly, since not much had fallen here to begin with.
We trudged through the bare trees blanketed in snow for another full day. As the sun dipped low, the sky took on a faint yellow hue.
There were small villages nearby, sure, but I preferred camping out over crashing in one. It just felt better.
Setting up was simple: snap some branches, gather rocks to ring the site tightly, then layer on alert spells that reacted to threats.
If a thief or wild beast brushed that makeshift barrier, stones would fly and alarms would blare, scaring them off.
The sky said it was too early for dinner, but no reason to just sit around twiddling thumbs. So I decided to run Kasian through his daily training.
A clearing in the heart of the forest. Trees crowded thick around us, but this spot was wide open, a broad space where nothing grew.
I stood on one side, Kasian on the other. He gripped the staff Kunrot had forged him not long ago.
"Hoo…."
Kasian took a small breath. His exhale stretched long and white, scattering in the air.
We sparred in real-combat style often enough—实战 was key, after all.
But me personally sparring him? That was rare, maybe once every few months. No wonder he tensed up every time.
"Come at me whenever."
"…."
Kasian breathed deep a few more times, then held it, eyes sharpening. His trembling hand steadied as he leveled the staff at me, rock-solid.
He gauged my openings, drawing up mana bit by bit. Soon, pale blue sparks crackled at the staff's tip.
Arc Discharge.
One of the most efficient spells against any living thing—human or magical beast. Few creatures could react to lightning dozens of times faster than sound.
That's why I'd taught him a shortcut, skipping theory for the how-to….
But against me? Bad move.
The current surged toward me in a flash, but my defense spell deployed faster, scattering the energy harmlessly.
Next came fire magic. A fireball materialized midair, streaking at me—only to veer and slam the ground.
Snow exploded outward in the blast, vaporizing into steam that joined the flurry, blanking the space between us in white.
A faint patter of footfalls on the ground, then Kasian burst from the haze, swinging his staff.
"Haaah!!"
Still some wasted motion, but clean enough for his training time.
I tilted my head back just enough to dodge the swing.
His follow-ups came with free magic boosts and drags, pressing me—but every strike missed by a hair.
"Come on, just hit me already!!"
After a dozen swings, he backed off, panting. He knew he wasn't landing a thing this way.
A few heaving breaths later, he charged again, staff flowing like water—then leveled it point-blank and cast.
Smart call: if you can't hit from afar, get close.
I interfered in a blink, flipping the spell's direction back at him.
He sensed something wrong and threw up a shield, but the hasty cast lacked mana—it couldn't fully cancel.
The arc that should've hit me whipped around and nailed him. His barrier shattered after a brief struggle.
"Gahhh…!!!"
He stumbled back, knees buckling from the shock, but his glare screamed he wasn't done.
I smiled down at his grit.
Overall combat-wise, he could fend for himself if dropped in a pinch.
But surviving solo and protecting yourself? Different beasts.
Time for defense drills.
It'd be less spar and more beatdown, but….
To not die out there, he'd need to block this much at least.
With that in mind, I conjured dozens of electric orbs in the air. Kasian's fiery eyes shifted to this ain't right.
"Ready?"
One orb spat a high-voltage arc, searing his feet with a weak spark.
"W-wait, that stuff'll kill…."
Plenty of daylight left.
Onward south. We restocked in a small town, drilled Kasian hard when time allowed.
No new snow fell, and we'd crossed a mid-sized kingdom, but the ground still crunched underfoot.
That blizzard must've been massive. Explained the sparse merchant traffic.
Kasian shivered but held; still, in a month it'd be brutal. Time to think about holing up somewhere.
Just then, topping a low hill—
A bizarre sight unfolded.
A basin wide enough for farming, if narrow for a full plain. A village hugged a little river.
But the oddity was the hill beside it—not huge like a mountain, but big enough. Its crest cratered like a volcano's caldera.
And weirder: it burned. Constantly, like an active eruption.
Flames, not lava—but that made it stranger.
No sign of a brushfire, no magical vibe either.
Natural gas? Never heard of oil or gas hereabouts.
Snow melted clean to the base—no illusion, real fire.
"Master, what's that? It's burning—safe?"
"Dunno. Wasn't like this last time…."
I rummaged my memory. Terrain matched my old route, but just a normal hill then.
Something like that? I'd remember.
"Village right there. Let's ask."
"So we stay in town tonight?"
"Sun's dipping. Yeah."
"Yes!"
Thrilled at a roof over our heads, Kasian followed me down.
Not a big place. Maybe 200-300 souls, but memory said it used to be larger.
Yup—ruins and abandoned buildings dotted the edges.
Few folks out in winter, but I flagged a graying man wandering nearby.
"That hill? Been burning since I was a kid—dunno the details. Elders said 80, 90 years. Who knows."
"Eighty years? Whoa, Master."
"Travelers, eh? Impressive at your age. But stay off that hill—flames flare up. Folks've died rushing in. Only the mage saved us…."
"Mage? Here?"
"Yup, that shabby house? She's lived there since before I was born. Helps in crises. But don't knock uninvited—cranky type."
No more answers coming. I offered coins as thanks; he waved 'em off. Just a bow.
A mage, huh. Not rare, but not common in a backwater like this.
Time to meet her.