Lugh goes Adventuring

9 months have passed since I parted ways with Miss Vanessa. Now that I have a student who knows about Codex Arkanum's concept, she's bound to attract some attention. Considering how she became a powerful mage using it, I doubt that the Holy Order of Arcane Arts will leave her alone.

To them, those who do not follow the teachings of the conventional Arcane Arts are heretics and are bound to get punished. I am not sure why such intricacies are imposed in the first place. It's not like Codex Arkanum is much different from the magic that they are using right now. But the Crown Loyalists and the Holy Order seem committed to keeping the mages' diluted knowledge intact.

And since Miss Vanessa is the first ever mage to ever break those rules, she will be monitored from now on. As a precaution, I need to be able to protect her when the time comes. And to do that, I need help from a companion whom I love so much: Naden.

Naden is my pet companion who resembles a black viper snake. She is a monster that I managed to tame a thousand years ago during my expedition in the Bad Lands. After defeating her in battle, I formed a binding contract with her using Codex Arkanum, and now she is my contracted summoned pet.

In theory, I can just summon Naden again in this era, but doing so requires a ton of magical energy. Something that I don't have yet because of my small body. So my only option is to travel to the new Dravengarde (Bad Lands), locate Naden's old habitat, and try to wake her up there.

A contracted pet or summon doesn't disappear even if the Master dies or is dead, so she should be back in her old habitat. But I am not sure if the contract or link between us is still intact. If yes, then this adventure would be smooth sailing. If not, good luck to me. Haha. Seriously, good luck to me. Facing Naden alone, who can single-handedly wipe out a nation, is not a joke.

Now that I have a layout of my plan and goals, it's time to prepare for departure.

***

"Are you sure about this, son? Traveling to Dravengarde is treacherous. I heard that the new city is pretty much home to vicious rogues and mercenaries." Garen, my Father, stressed his worries.

"Yes, I am well aware, Father. But... this journey is very important to me." I bowed my head.

"Oh my dear Lugh... I don't know what to feel. Part of me wants to stop you, and I know that you'll hate me for it, but as your mother... I just can't help but worry." My Mother, Edda, crouched and embraced me.

I smiled and embraced her as well. "You don't have to worry too much, Mother. I promise I'll contact you now and then." I whispered.

"Mhmm, that's a promise..."

Father also leaned to grab my shoulders. "You're pretty much a big boy now, Lugh. Your journey may become arduous, but I have a great feeling that no matter what happens, you'll be able to pull through."

"Mhmm..."

"Ah, and before you go... please take this." He then opened a box and presented me with a necklace.

"What is this...?"

"It is an amulet that we've kept for a long time now, and we want to give it to you. Some advisors and local historians said that this necklace has a charm that gives protection against evil, danger, or disease."

I took the necklace and wore it. For some reason, I kinda felt rejuvenated.

"Mhmm, thank you, mother and father. I'll keep this with me all the time!" I bowed once again.

After sending my regards to the other villagers in the town, I made a last trip toward our house and said my goodbyes to my parents.

I can't be sure of what's gonna happen on the road. But whatever it is, I'm prepared to face them all and use my magic to solve problems. This isn't my first rodeo after all. Everything that I do is for the sake of restoring Codex Arkanum and the REAL purpose of using this magic.

To accomplish that, I mustn't get overwhelmed by this new world. It doesn't matter if the world today is technologically advanced. I'll carve my way toward the top once again using my Codex!

***

Dravengarde Wastes
Shattered Coil Port - Outer Edge

It took about three months to land on the outer edge of Dravengarde. All of the roads that connect Ashvale to the capital of Dravengarde were closed down due to an incident involving some mercenaries. Because of that, I had to travel via ship to the Coil Port instead, and it was a long process.

After unboarding the ship, I immediately went to explore the port town to find the Volkster Mercenary Guild.

Judging by the landscape, the previously known Bad Lands, which were comprised of elevated mountains, desolate wasteland of scorched cities, corrupted magic zones, and sand-choked ruins, now became a major beehive city for rogues and mercenaries after a millennium. In other words, I'm inside the turf of the savages who work odd and questionable jobs to live.

"It will take some time before I can locate Naden's habitat..." I sighed as I walked around the town.

For a moment, I checked the areas and memorized them. But I can feel the menacing stares of the people, and it gives me chills. I normally would just show my face when walking around, but this place is just heavily veiled with mischief and incongruity so I decided to cover myself with a black robe and a face mask.

Upon arriving at the town center, I went straight toward North Avenue and eventually, I found the sign that says Volkster Mercenary Guild.

The plan is simple:

First, I need to sign up as a solo mercenary so that the guild can give me a valid ID or guild card that I can use to access typically unauthorized areas. This region's security is as dense as a noble's mansion, so I wouldn't test my luck by brute forcing myself into locked areas and getting into an altercation.

Once I get my ID, I will then start travelling toward the ruins and begin my search for Naden. Assuming that the inner landscape hasn't changed, the abandoned ruins should still be underground. I don't expect that the people of this generation have yet to find a way to discover that ruins since it's technically bound by magic.

Without further ado, I opened the door and entered the guild.

"Huh...?"

"A kid?"

"Hey, hey, what's a brat doing here?"

A multitude of snarky and snide remarks rained down upon me as I walked toward the reception. There, I saw a burly man who was writing something on the whiteboard behind the counter.

"Excuse me, sir..." I called out.

"Hmm? Welcome to the guild, how can I help you?" He turned to me.

"I was wondering if I can apply as a mercenary...?"

His eyes narrowed. "Are you alone...?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm sorry. A brat like you can't apply as a mercenary. The rules state that you must be in a party of two or more to register. Solo mercs nowadays bring more trouble than solving problems, and we don't want to take accountability for a single mistake. I can start your process immediately, but you need to bring more people with you." He flatly rejected me.

"Is that so...?"

"Yes. Now go away before these mercs eat you alive... this ain't the right place for a boy like you."

***

After getting rejected, I immediately went to the outskirts of the town to clear my head.

"I wasn't expecting that rule to be imposed. I should've done my research first..." I heaved a sigh.

There's no way I could hire a party or two in this place, considering that a bunch of them are rogues. Perhaps I should give up on getting a guild card. But then again, if I stepped onto an unauthorized location, I would most likely get arrested for trespassing. After all, I needed some kind of permit to prove that I'm legitimate.

"There's no point overthinking, I need to try my best and recruit some people..." I packed my things again and walked down the slope.

While walking, I suddenly heard some noise in the bushes.

"Hmm? What was that...?"

"Grawwll!!!" All of a sudden, a dark gray wolf instantly pounced onto me.

"Draumir!" I quickly placed my palm on the soil, and I immediately manipulated it to turn it into a quagmire. Before the wolf could approach me, it stepped onto the muddy ground and slipped on its side.

With a flick of my wrist, I conjured a sharp icicle matching that of a pointy shard and stabbed it at the wolf. It howled and wailed as it squirmed from the pain before eventually dying from loss of blood.

"Phew, that was close..."

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a shout from southwest of the forest prompting me to dash toward the sound without hesitation.

"Help!!!"

From there, I saw a young man carrying a grimoire getting assaulted by a pack of wolves.

"Tsk! Rion! Cover Kosma!" The large, muscular guy who was fighting using his broadsword sent an order.

"I can't do it! There are a lot of wolves here!" Responded by the guy carrying dual blades.

"Anyone?! Can anyone please save Kosma?!" The girl with a staff shouted as she cast some magic to fend off the wolves.

"Ngh! I-I can't hold them any longer!!! There are too many! I don't have any more arrows!" The girl with a bow tried her best to shoot from the rearguard, but it didn't amount to anything.

"Ahhh!!!" One wolf got to the kid's side and bit off his arm. He fought his hardest to push them away, but the pain was already making him weak.

I have no choice.  I need to save them or they'll get wiped out.

"GET DOWN!" I screamed the order as loudly as I could.

I then raised my arm upward, palm facing the sky. Using CCI, I harnessed enough accumulation of magical energy from nature. Thankfully, since we're in a forest, the flow of mana is twice as dense, allowing me to easily polycast Glayven (lit. Icicle Shard) without straining my body.

With the wolves set as a target, I fired a volley of sharp icicles, perfectly ported for a gyro spin and giving it a sharp spiral roll that improved its speed to a straight trajectory.

Each icicle blasted the head and torso of the wolves, its innards, flesh, and blood splattering across the ground in an instant.

"Phew... Are you guys okay?"