//------------------------------// // First Job // Story: Dead Man's Luck // by kurapica //------------------------------// After the fun with the townsponies was over I went to that grove I found and set my pack down on a rock. I started by climbing one of the trees until I was a decent height up; then I waited a moment to catch my breath and decide what I was going to do next. I started climbing up and down in different routes and kept going faster until I was afraid I might miss a branch and fall. "This is harder than it looks." I said to myself as I kept going. After a few minutes of this I started to jump from tree to tree and climb back up when I got close to the ground, and Several times I would have fallen and died if it weren't for my wings. I continued practicing in the trees for another two hours and then took a break. When I got back to it I started doing aerial maneuvers around the trees for as long as I could until taking a breather. About this time I got my second wind and could go a lot longer before getting tired. I kept trying as long as I could to keep myself in the air but after a while it began to rain and I had to stop. I ran back to town as fast as I could but by the time I got back I was completely soaked. I went to my room at the inn and laid my clothes to dry before taking a nap until they got dry. When I woke up my tunic and undershirt were dry but the pants were still a bit damp so I just grabbed the other chocolate bar and ate it quickly. After another half hour the pants were dry enough that I could put them on. When I got downstairs I ordered a very large meal and quickly paid so I could get right to eating it. After that I was too tired so I just went to bed. When I woke up it was around noon. I grabbed my gear, got some breakfast and went outside to find a unicorn who could teach me how to learn at least basic magic. I started by asking around but most of the ponies I asked couldn't think of a unicorn that could teach me. After a while a pony told me to try Insightful Tutor, the teacher at the local school because he also taught the unicorn foals how to learn magic. After thanking the pony for their help and headed for the school which was just a small building which was only large enough for one room. I waited around for a boring hour and a half before the children came running out and either playing, talking, or simply walking home. After the foals had cleared out for the most part I went inside and found the teacher cleaning up his books. "Excuse me." I said to get his attention. "Ah, so you're the one they've all been talking about." he replied. "Yeah, I'm here to see if you can teach me how to use magic." I explained. "I most certainly can try, though it seems odd that you can't control it already." Tutor replied. "Mana, the magic inside all living creatures is in a way much like blood in that it is a source of life and you can actually die from having all of it removed. It is also like blood in how it is spread through the body; a central source inside the chest that branches out like your veins and arteries." He continued. "In fact, the only thing I can teach you right now is to imagine your magic and try to focus it; first to in your body in general and then into one point." "That's honestly all I wanted to know, how to control it." I said. "I see; well, come back when you can control your magic to an extent and I'll teach you a few basic spells." Insightful Tutor replied. "Thanks, I'll start practicing as soon as I get back to the inn." I said as I turned and ran back to the inn. After I got back I placed another 21 bits on the counter and ran to my room. I then sat on my bed and started imagining the mana in my body like I was told. I imagined it spreading out with a main vein going to the limbs and head with smaller veins branching out and then the mana moving through them. I continued for about two hours before I was too bored to do it any more and just took a walk through the town for a while and got a few candies while heading back to the inn. When I got back to the inn I ordered some venison for dinner and went back to my room to continue practicing how to control my magic. I tried the same thing as last time but also concentrated and tried to have the mana go through my body with more force. while I was doing this, I could actually feel the mana going through me slightly but had to stop within ten minutes because it was causing me to get a headache. After a short break for the pain to subside I began to start again but didn't do it with that much force. I practiced for a while longer but started to get tired so I tried to got some sleep. Unfortunately for me the universe had other plans as I woke up less than an hour later because of some noise downstairs. I didn't really pay attention to it and tried to go back to sleep, but it was too bothersome so I decided to go see what it was. I soon found that the source was a couple unsavory looking gryphons who were armed and drinking quite heavily. I soon decided I'd rather live so I went back to my room before they noticed me and did my best to develop my mana flow until they left. After another twenty minutes things seemed to quiet down so I went back to bed. I woke up just after dawn and got some breakfast. "So, who were those gryphons who were causing the noise last night?" I asked as I ate. "Oh, them? They're just a couple of thugs who come in and drink every so often." the innkeeper replied as he swept some dirt out the door. "Then why don't you kick them out?" I wondered. "I don't know if you noticed, but they were armed; and as long as they keep paying for their drinks I'm not going to even think about making them leave." he explained. "Ah, I see." I said as I finished eating and placed the plate on the counter. I then went to the lumber yard to start the day's work. It was a relatively boring day but I worked for a little while longer to try to get enough money to buy a decent sword. When I was finished I went back to the inn to count my money and decide what to with it. I set aside 100 bits for food and my room which left 253 to do what I wanted with. After I put the bits into separate bags to tell which was which I went to the general store and took a look around for anything useful. I found a hatchet, cloth to make into bandages, some extra arrows, a tanning rack, a whet stone, a honing stone, some flint, and some rope. All in all it cost fifty bits which I happily payed. When I got back I started sharpening the hatchet for half an hour until it was decently sharp, then I did the same thing with the dagger but this time I used the honing stone afterwards until it was razor sharp. After I was done I grabbed my gear, put the hatchet in a loop on the side of my pack and went downstairs for some lunch. After I was done eating I went into the woods to hunt. I searched for a while before I found some deer tracks which I started to follow for a while until the ground became too hard for to make any. After another hour or so I found the deer that made the tracks. It was a young whitetail buck with four points on each antler it was eating some wild strawberries and didn't seem to notice me I notched an arrow and aimed behind its front leg where most of its vitals were. I held my breath to hold it steady and released the arrow. The deer took off running and I chased after it as quietly as I could and I even lost sight of it for a few minutes but followed the tracks and blood until I found it again. It wasn't dead but it was laying down trying to rest. I notched another arrow and aimed for its vitals again; this time it slowly limped away but collapsed. After I got to it I pulled out my knife and stabbed it through the deer's eye as to not damage its pelt. I tied the rope to its back legs and dragged it for an hour and a half but it weighed 80-100 pounds and was getting dark so I found a tree with a strong limb high enough to keep it out of a predator's reach and hung it there for the night. I then gathered pine cones, dry leaves, and plenty of sticks for the night. I took the flint out of my pack and easily started a fire. That night I was woken up by a noise in the brush to my right; I then tried to scare off whatever it was by chucking a rock in the direction of the noise. whatever it was bolted after that and I went back to sleep. The next morning the fire was just a bed of ashes so after making sure there weren't any hot coals I didn't bother with it. After making sure the deer was still there, I took it down and dragged it for a couple hours until I was at a river close to the town. I then started to gut the deer and threw most of the organs into the water to be carried downstream, but I kept the liver. After I was done with its chest cavity I found a small stick and swirled it around in the deers skull to remove the brain. After all the organs had been removed I washed the deer out to remove any excess blood or bits of organ and washed my hands and dagger. After everything was cleaned up I dragged the much lighter deer back to town and brought it to the town butcher who paid me fifty bits and skinned it in exchange for the meat, skull and liver. Afterwards I went to the general store and sold the pelt for twenty bits and headed to the blacksmith. After looking at the weapons which were behind the smith I found a simple steel sword with no decoration in a boiled leather sheath. "How much for that one?" I asked, pointing at the one I wanted. "280." he simply replied. "I only have 273, but I'll give you some metal hooks I have to even it out." I said as I took all but five hooks out of my pack. "I suppose I can use them as scrap if all else fails." the blacksmith replied as he took the sword down and gave it to me. On my way back to the inn I almost had to restrain myself from drawing the sword. Once I got into my room put down my pack and unsheathed it and just admired it. The blade was double edged and ended in a nice point and was about 28 inches long and decently sharp. The hilt was, like I said; undecorated with a treated wood grip tightly wrapped in leather, and the pommel was a simple ball of metal; the sheath even had a strap for my belt. I tested the weight by doing a few thrusts and blocks and found it was surprisingly light. After I was done inspecting my sword I put it next to the dresser, got some lunch, and spent the rest of the day relaxing and working on how to at least cast basic magic. The next day I payed for my room and after I was done at the lumber yard I immediately grabbed my sword and went to the guard barracks to see if they could teach me how to fight. Sadly though, couldn't teach me anything because they couldn't think of how to change their tactics to apply to me. They suggested that I find a minotaur who would be willing to teach me. After I got some lunch at the inn, I went in the woods and started practicing with my sword. I started practicing the way I was used to at my martial arts class and held it in both hands like a katana. At first I just did basic attacks and defense such as a vertical cut or a strike that would cut from one shoulder to the opposite hip. I continued with my practice for a few hours and then switched to trying to fight while in the air. Fighting with my wings was much more difficult as it added a whole new dimension to fight in. I did my best to apply the techniques to aerial combat as much as possible and found that, while more difficult; it was not as hard as I thought it would be. I practiced in the air until it started to get dark and then headed back. I spent the night sharpening my sword and practicing with my mana flow until I went to bed. The next few days became somewhat of a routine, I would spend the day training or working and practice with my magic at nights or I'd spend the whole day relaxing and practicing it. After a few days in the afternoon I went to the school and told Insightful Tutor that I was ready to learn those spells he offered to teach me. "From the looks of you, I'm guessing you're not going to be interested in spells such as levitation?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm mostly concerned about combat spells." I replied. "I see, then the only spell I can teach you would be a simple attack with power that; depending on how much power you put behind it, can range from a long ranged unarmed strike, to a ballista shot" Insightful Tutor told me. "That's fine by me." I shrugged "Then aim toward the woods, simply focus your magic into one spot and send it out." instructed Tutor. I did as he asked and raised my arm toward the nearest tree and gathered my magic in my hand. After a moment of I noticed a spiraling cone of wind around my hand and decided to unleash it then. Instead of a simple bolt of magic a strong gust of wind shot out and removed several leaves from the tree. "Ah, wind magic; not an easy magic to learn, even for a pegasus, but you seam to have a natural affinity to it." Tutor said in response to my display. "Really, what would be some other wind spells I could learn then?" I asked. "I don't use wind magic, but from what I understand; you'd be able to create torrents of wind to blow your enemies away and into objects, create blades of wind, or even move faster." he explained. "Thanks for all the help." I said as I went to the woods to practice as much as possible. I spent the next two weeks practicing with my weapons and magic for the most part; both in the air and on the ground. In that time I began to be able to use my magic at a much faster rate; as well as becoming quite accurate with my bow. I also got a lot better with my sword than I'd been on earth. After a while I decided it was time to help the guards find those missing ponies so I headed to the guard barracks and offered my help "We certainly could use your help, I'll pay you 300 bits if you find them; and another 200 if you find who or what has been taking them." the captain said. "Sounds like a deal; but I'll need to know everything you know about the missing ponies." I replied. "I'd expect that, here's all the reports we've gathered." he said as he pulled a stack of papers and gave them to me. I quickly began reading and found a few similarities: all of the missing ponies were alone or in very small groups, there were no patterns in terms of race or gender, all of them were supposedly in the town when they disappeared, and there were no indications of where they disappeared or who may have done it. "Not much to go on here." I said as I handed the papers back. "That's what makes this so difficult; there's no indication of magic being used, and there's never been anything to indicate that they were forced to leave." the captain replied. "If it were only a few who had disappeared, I would have thought it was nothing more than they decided to leave town." I told the captain. "Yes, but we've already lost a dozen citizens and there's no indication that whatever this is is going to relent." he stated. "Well I'll get started first thing tomorrow." I said as I stood up. "That's fine, let us know if you find anything." the captain replied. "Don't worry, I will." I said as I went back to the inn to think of a way to find the missing ponies. When I got back I tossed ideas around in my head and they ranged from searching the whole surrounding area (an idea I quickly dismissed), all the way to trying to get captured myself. 'Now there's an idea', I thought to myself. I began to think about ways I might go about doing just that, but my train of thought was interrupted by a loud noise: A scream.