Ezra smiled with satisfaction as he flicked open his system panel and reviewed his new stats. The enchanted firearm had made his life a whole lot easier, allowing him to complete shooting objectives with ease. Within just a few minutes, Ezra’s magic power had increased by almost 50%. It was a great start, but he knew he had ways to go before he could awaken his true potential. Having dealt with the Gloops, Ezra felt confident about facing what lay ahead. “Just need to destroy the crystal, and then I can finally get out of here,” Ezra spoke confidently as he headed down the corridor. The corrupted crystal turned a shade darker and started vibrating as Ezra walked closer. He was within a few feet from the crystal when suddenly a low droning sound caught his attention. Ezra turned around and immediately spotted the culprit. It was a peculiar creature that seemed to be a strange fusion between a bat and a mosquito. The flying menace had thin, membranous wings covered in rusty brow
Ezra clambered back to his feet as the Stirges pulled away from him. There were claw marks and cuts all over his neck and arms, and he was bleeding from multiple orifices. But even in this weakened state, his resolve remained unshakeable. As Ezra stood up straight, the spectral wolf growled and took its position by his side. Almost immediately, a golden panel of light flashed open before his eyes. [New ability acquired: Soul Drain.] [Soul Drain (Level 1): Allows the spectral wolf’s master to directly drain the souls of low-level creatures around him in a 100-feet radius. This ability can be used once every twenty-four hours and does not expend any magic power. All souls drained from living beings are directly transferred to the master’s inventory. Caution: Soul Drain can be blocked by magic barriers and wards. It does not work against high-level creatures and the undead.] Ezra had watched his siblings use the powerful abilities granted by their Spectral Companions during training s
The next few days passed rather peacefully, with no word from the Rodels and Lord Cornelius. People soon stopped discussing about Ezra and moved on to the next spicy gossip about the arrival of a new firearms merchant in town. Aurelia kept quiet about the incident inside the training dungeon because she knew if their father had caught wind of their secret training session, he would seal off the basement to ensure Ezra’s safety. However, she hadn’t swept the matter from her mind and was doing her best to gather information. Ezra, on the other hand, could not have asked for a better training experience. Having awakened his Spirit Companion and earned its loyalty, he felt a lot more confident. His next goal was gathering the crafting materials needed for customizing his enchanted revolver and locating a Gunsmithing workbench. Ezra spent the following two days reading about different types of enchanted firearms and the most commonly available enchanted bullets. *** A lot had changed
As Ezra and Aurelia walked out of the mansion, they were greeted by the sight of a clear blue sky, and the gentle gaze of the autumn sun warmed their cold bodies. The town of Aranor looked as charming as a wood elf’s abode with the Dogwood and Red Maple trees donning new cloaks dyed in scarlet hues. Even the air was light and soothing as the wind carried with it the songs of distant robins. It had been quite some time since Ezra had taken a stroll down the streets. But it wasn’t because he was too lazy to walk or thought too highly of himself to mingle with the commoners. It was simply because he felt insecure with all the gossip around him. However, now that Ezra had Aurelia by his side, he felt a lot better. “I must admit father hasn’t let the years catch up with him. He is still as clever as always,” Aurelia said as she fixed her glove. Ezra had always regarded Lord Sebastian with respect, but he didn’t understand why his sister was praising him on this occasion. “What makes yo
Ezra thanked his sister, and together they left the potion store in high spirits. Aurelia was happy to see her brother finally enjoying the sun and engaging in other activities rather than pouring over his books and overthinking about his future. They were walking through the town square when suddenly Ezra felt a tingling sensation in his right arm. He understood that the cursed eye was about to manifest itself at any moment, and if anyone saw that on his hand, he would become the talk of the whole town again. Ezra knew he could not take any chances and immediately stopped in his tracks and shoved his right hand inside his pocket. “Sister!” he called out unusually loud, even though Aurelia was barely a few steps ahead of him. Startled by Ezra’s panicked voice, Aurelia turned around with an anxious expression on her face. “What is it? Are you okay, brother?” “I’m fine. It’s just that I think it’s best if you’re not seen together with me. You know how the townsfolk always think we ar
A noble being refused entry into an establishment by a mere commoner was unheard of in all of Aranor, and this left Ezra shocked and confused. Gathering his hurt pride, Ezra looked straight at the guard, his eyes blazing with fury. “Do you even know who I am?” “It does not matter. Only members bearing the guild pass are allowed to enter this establishment, so beat it, kid,” the guard replied, tilting his head to point Ezra in the direction of the tavern. Offended by his impudence, Ezra lost his cool and pulled out his enchanted revolver. Pointing it at the guard, he spoke in a commanding voice, “I am Lord Ezra Romanov. Get out of my way, or I’ll drop you where you stand.” The guard never expected someone to pull a gun on him. And though he too, was armed with a flintlock pistol, the sight of the enchanted firearm in Ezra’s hand made his hands turn cold. Raising his hands, the guard whimpered, “You are making a big mistake here. Even the nobles aren’t allowed to enter without permi
The merchants present in the guild’s meeting chamber exchanged curious glances with each other as Ezra left the room. A local trader stepped forward with a frown on his face and asked, “Why did you say that we would support the Romanovs? Lord Wilhelm has promised to give us interest-free loans all year round, and he has close ties with the Duke as well. Why didn’t you get Lord Ezra arrested for barging into our guild house and threatening us with violence?” Yarpin smiled at this as though it was the silliest thing he had ever heard and replied, “What do you think that would have accomplished?”As he turned to face the trader, a devious grin flashed on his sly face. “Getting the little Lord arrested would be a temporary solution. Either Lord Sebastian or his sister would have showed up to free him. My goal is to permanently get him out of our hair.” “What do you mean?” the trader asked nervously. Yarpin placed his hand on the trader’s shoulder and whispered in a cold voice, “Lord Ez
The three rogues slowly emerged from the shadows and took flanking positions, surrounding Ezra from three sides. “Get out of here. You can still run!” the old man lying on the floor parted his bloodied lips and cried aloud. “It’s a bit too late for that!” the rogue wielding the large iron axe snapped back. Pulling out a prickly grape-sized fruit, he tossed it in the direction of the door. As soon as the fruit touched the wooden door frame, it split open to release a cluster of thorny green vines which spread out from the center and blocked the doorway. Ezra looked over his shoulder and saw that his only exit had been blocked by an impenetrable mesh of vines riddled with venomous thorns and tendrils. “Thornberries aren’t local to our province. How did you manage to get your hands on such an exotic fruit?” he asked, turning around to face the bandit. The man who had just tossed the Thornberry smirked and replied, “That’s none of your business. Besides, you are going to end up in a