Chapter 58: New Spells, Part 2

Chapter 58: New Spells, Part 2

Gerald grabbed a new shirt and put it on, before going out for a walk. Before he left the city, he paid a visit to a blacksmith. He went there to order two silver bracelets for his Earth Crystals.

The material and work came up to fifty silver coins in total. Gerald did not try to bargain or anything like that, instead, he even paid more. Another twenty silver coins just so his order would have the priority. Now he would get his bracelets in a few hours instead of having to wait a few days.

He also left the required Earth Crystals with the blacksmith so the guy could combine them with the bracelet.

Gerald left the city and went to his usual training spot to the south.

Without wasting any time, he quickly steadied his mind and prepared to cast a spell. He extended his hands and gathered Mana before saying, "Earth Wall!"

The ground lightly shook and not even a second later, a mass of dirt lifted up from the ground and created a wall about two meters high, two meters long and about one meter thick.

Gerald examined his creation and nodded, "Good, the structure seems stable. It also only uses 2 MP, so it's not too expensive." He took a few steps back and extended his hand, saying, "Fireball!"

The projectile flew towards the Earth Wall and exploded on contact. After the flames subsided, a big hole could be seen on the top part of the wall. Parts were already cracked and it seemed it like could handle only one more Fireball before crumbling.

Gerald observed for a few more seconds before commenting, "Hmm, the structure seems stable until it's attacked. It's about what you would expect from dirt. Not a good material to build a defense."

He took a few Earth Crystals from his pocket and cast another spell, "Stone Wall!"

Once again, the ground trembled but then a wall of stone came out of the ground. It was about the same size as the Earth Wall, just the thickness was halved.

Gerald frowned for a while and complained, "Even though I made it only half a meter thick it already consumed 4 MP." He sighed, "I really need to get more Ether Crystals. This handful of pebbles will never be enough. They are so unpure as well" he looked at the Earth Crystals with a heavy heart.

He also started his very own Monster Guide book. He drew, to great detail, all animals and monsters he fought up to now.

He recorded their attacking styles and abilities, as well as weaknesses that could be exploited, if they even hand any.

While Gerald was focused on his books, a figure was patiently observing him from the door. Suddenly it moved and with large steps, it traversed the hall and bumped into the waiter carrying a tray with food.

"Excuse me" the figure said and squeezed past the waiter.

The waiter didn't pay him any attention as stuff like that happened often. What he didn't notice, however, was that a dark liquid spread in the beer and quickly mixed with the liquid. With the dark wood of the mug, the difference was almost impossible to spot.

The figure quickly stored the empty vial in his hand and sat down in a corner, intently observing as the waiter brought the food to Gerald's table. Now all he had to do was wait.

Gerald didn't notice any difference as he ate. He was eating with one hand and scribbling with the other. Time flew by, and he already ordered the second refill of his beer.

The guy in the corner stared at him intently, silently waiting. He only ordered one mug of beer to blend in with the crowd. Suddenly his eyes enlarged as he stared at Gerald who started to clear his throat and lightly cough.

He took the mug of beer and brought it to his lips to hide his giant grin. He was observing how Gerald struggled to breathe while coughing hard. He drank his beer in excitement until his eyes suddenly bulged out and he nearly choked on the beer himself.

Gerald coughed for a few minutes and the people around him started to get annoyed and were quietly complaining. Then, with one last cough, a ball of black goo flew out of his throat and landed on the table. Nobody noticed except the guy in the corner.

He watched in horror as the black goo suddenly lifted in the air and slowly floated towards Gerald and landed in a vial in his hand. He corked the vial and stored it in his pouch. Then he slowly finished his meal before paying and leaving the Crystal Dragon Inn.

The man in the corner was still shaking in disbelief. Cold sweat was pouring down his back. He quickly stood up and threw a few coins on the table before running after Gerald. He watched in horror as he saw Gerald go straight to the Guild.

Not wasting any more of his precious time, he ran back to the Serrell mansion to report.