Mages And Warriors

With a strengthened resolve, Asher was now ready for all that was to come.

~Ripple~

The puddles in the tunnel rippled, causing the image of the burning torch on them to flicker. This caused Berk to look up and frown. 

'The cave seems to be getting unstable again…' Berk thought to himself. 

The mines would often tremble from time to time, and it was a thing that they had all become used to. Of course, depending on how much they shook, one could tell how close it was to a collapse. Berk didn't want to alarm Asher more, and thus didn't mention it. He simply wanted Asher to focus on getting out soon enough.

"We need to leave soon, or the guards will come looking for us." Berk spoke.

Tess heard it and knew that they shouldn't tarry any longer. If they were caught here, not only would they be imprisoned too, Asher would probably suffer even more. They couldn't let the plan go to a waste after all.

"Don't think about anything else, Asher. Just focus on getting away." Tess said before kissing Asher on his forehead.

"I will, Grandmother." Asher nodded with reddened eyes. "One day I'll come to take you away from here." He said with hope.

"I'll wait for that day." Tess replied, knowing very well it was a distant dream.

Berk too knew that the probability of Asher coming back was low. Not only because it would get him in trouble, but also because there was no telling how long any of them would stay alive. This was the Crude Lands, and deaths were common.

Whether they were due to overworking, disease or something else, that didn't matter in the end.

"Yeah, when you become a strong warrior you can try taking us away." Berk said, trying to give the boy a goal. 

Hearing that, Asher couldn't help but feel a bit more excited.

"Yes… There should be someone outside that can teach me how to become a Warrior." Asher said with hope.

In the world, there were two paths one could follow in order to become strong. That was the path of the Mage and path of the Warrior.

Both paths used an energy called Mana to grow stronger, the only difference was their utilization and application.

Mages consumed Mana to use magic, while Warriors used Mana to strengthen their bodies.

"Yeah, even if you can't become a Mage you can still pursue the path of a Warrior, Asher." Tess too tried to motivate him.

"Mmmhmm." Asher nodded, faintly recalling the time when a few Mages had come to the Crude Lands.

Once or twice a year, some Mages would come to the Crude Lands to find talented people who could also become Mages. This was due to the fact that not everyone could become a Mage.

It was a path that was highly dependent on luck and talent. It was said that less than one in a thousand people had the potential to become a Mage. Asher had also been checked by these Mages and had been deemed to have no talent.

Becoming a Mage was the dream of many people, but it was also a dream that was shattered early on.

Thankfully, becoming a Warrior was not dependent on Talent. Instead, it was a path that was dependent on hard work and practice. Thus it was something that many could follow and so could Asher.

Of course, even if it was open to all, it didn't mean that one could become a warrior on their own. They would still need a teacher or at least obtain the technique that was needed to become a Warrior. It was these very techniques that allowed one to use mana and strengthen their bodies.

This made Warrior Techniques highly valuable and were mostly controlled by a few.

The most common method of becoming a Warrior was to simply enlist in the kingdom's army or become a guard as all the soldiers and guards were taught a Basic Warrior technique. Successfully learning even this basic technique would make them several times stronger than a normal human.

This was the reason why the people in the Crude Lands didn't dare to fight against the guards, even if their numbers were several times higher. The guards would easily be able to kill ten times their numbers with ease, not to mention they had proper weapons too.

"Time for us to leave." Berk said, looking at the torch that had burned half way. 

"Stay safe, Asher." Tess said before turning around.

"You too, grandmother." Asher replied. "Good bye." He bid her farewell, knowing very well that there was a high chance he won't see them for a long time.

Berk and Tess didn't look back after that, as it would only be painful to do so. 

Asher simply watched their backs, as they soon disappeared into the tunnel, the light of the torch vanishing.

"Haah~ Now we wait…" Asher took a deep breath and said to himself.

Berk had told him that they would be shifting him to Mine number fifty in a day or two. They didn't know the exact time, but Asher hoped that it was as soon as possible.

'At least, I won't have to suffer in hunger much.' He thought.

Having eaten earlier, Asher felt much better and could think well too. Now that he had nothing else to do, he simply went over the plan again in his mind. He didn't wish to miss anything or make a mistake, and thus repeated it tens of times.

Asher recalled every turn and step that Berk had told him about, simulating it in his mind.

But that was not all, as Asher also tried to recall how many guards would be there so that he could keep track of whom to avoid. After all, getting to Mine Number fifty was just the start. He would still have to avoid their gazes and enter the specific flooded tunnel before he could escape.

"I'll need to hold my breath too… I should practice." Asher reminded himself.