Jay didn't expect proper houses after he saw the palisade, at most maybe one for the highest authority. He could tell he was wrong even in the dark of night. Must have been courtesy of whatever hedge wizard like person this village had, but there was not a single run down hut in sight. So when he followed Jax he anticipated a similarly high quality building; it was the second time he was wrong.

"Jax can I ask why your family has what seems to be the worst dwelling in the village?"

"Well we don't have the worst! Seran, the village drunkard, has an even worse dwelling. The only reason why he hasn't been run out of the village is because he has fun stories!"

"You know what I mean."

Jax visibly deflated.

"My father died of a strange illness." Jay motioned for him to continue. "If it was just the village would be fine supporting us, but me and my mother don't have enough mana to pay."

"What does mana have to do with anything?"

"The village mage takes mana as payment. My little sisters may have mana but they aren't old enough for mana to be safely taken from them."

"Why doesn't anyone volunteer?"

"No one wants to put themselves in danger of mana deficiency. Every year the tax collector comes to gather a mana tax from the village, because it's a set quota people already have to make up for me being dead weight. Mage Silvia offered to repair the house for free, but I didn't want to strain her since the lion share of the tax would be taken from her."

"That sounds unfortunate."

The interior wasn't as terrible as the exterior would suggest. They had a kitchen and dining room along with what seemed to be a room for socializing. The three closed doors must have been bed rooms.

"Sorry my mother has been bed ridden for a while so she won't be able to help."

"Wait did you say bed ridden?"

"Yes why do you ask?"

"Come on haven't you heard of people catching sicknesses from others?"

"Well mom has the common cold so it shouldn't be a problem."

"But I am not from around here! For all I know that sickness could end up lethal to me!'

Before Jax could have a chance to offer a retort, "Jax who is making that racket?!"

"Mom this person is a northerner named Jack who saved me from a wolf and the elder decided we would shelter him for a while as compensation, but he is worrying about catching your cold being deadly for him."

"Well people up north must have been in constant fear of sickness because of how brutal it is up there. Jack how old are you?"

"Around your son's age mam, so around 15 ousos as you call it here."

"That's a funny way of referring to me; just call me Mrs. Denns. I am sure you will be fine since you're young."

As Jack thought, patriarchy was the norm based on how the translation magic translated what he heard into something he recognized. He would have to hold his peace if he didn't want to risk being lynched xenophobes.

"Ok Mrs. Denns. I will be staying for a while but will be helping make the village expand."

"Well ok." Jax's mother simply accepted what he had to say and went back to her room.

Jay hoped this didn't signify what he thought what he thought it did. Well when in Rome do as the romans do, for now.

"Well Jack I guess we are roomies!"

Jay almost face palmed.

"Why do you have two swords?"

"Oh these? I made them. As wanderer you can meet lots of strange folk. And a strange blacksmith was one of them. I learned under him for a while and managed to make these."

"Cool. Good night Jack."

Jay tossed in turned for a while but soon he was asleep.

Jay got up in the morning before Jax to his astonishment. He figured rural life started early in the morning. Then again Jay was used getting up long before sunrise so maybe that is why.

Shaking him, "Hey Jax shouldn't we get up?"

"It's fine; go back to bed."

Not being able to go back to sleep, Jay slipped outside. The village was almost ghostly in how quiet it was. Confirmed that Jax wasn't actually being lazy, but he might as well keep in the habit of running Jay thought. He went back inside to grab his swords before heading out.

Jay couldn't put his finger on what exactly made the quiet of the village unsettling to him. It could be the fact it was surrounded by forest but Jay didn't think that was it. Deciding it was pointless to ponder on Jay hunkered down to run.

Jay was in middle school when he really began running. He wasn't the fastest by any stretch of the truth but that precisely was what lit a flame in the desire to be faster than everyone else. Unfortunately he didn't understand that endurance running wasn't the answer. By one reason or another Jay's time was wound back all the way back to a little under 14 years old, so he intended to rectify this mistake.

Jay never had the best sense of time but even he eventually noticed that he was being able to sprint way too long. He could have sworn he was somehow managing to maintain a dead sprint for a whole two minutes. Maybe mana was boosting him somehow?

"You're doing it all wrong!" along with the admonishment a stick was held right in front of his feet. Jay braced himself for the mouthful of dirt; but, once more, for a second time itself seemed to slow or maybe it was his perception of time? Anyways he was able to stop his descent.

"A little bit above average reflexes for an amateur, but what is with your mana intake? It's all over the place!" An old lady sitting on her porch seemed to be the culprit.

"No one back home could teach me." Jay caught his breath. "It's sort of the reason why I decided to wander. I take it you're the Mage named Silvia?" Jay hoped this maniac would buy it.

"Not sure how that's possible but here you somehow having braved the distance from the north. That's simply my mage moniker. Do you even know how to use those?" The nosy crone jabbed towards my swords.

"What does that matter to you?"

"Well you seem to have neglected taking care of one of your swords but otherwise those seem like of excellent quality. Maybe you will manage to get Seran to teach you someday."

Shit he forgot to wash off the blood from the wolves; he even had tools he lifted from those corpses. "Wait I thought he was the village drunk?

"Oh you're hearing things from Jax are you? Well he isn't completely wrong, but the whole story is for Seran to tell, just make sure not to dismiss him as a threat. If you want to learn how to intake mana properly, then come see me tomorrow. I need to set up things for beginners."

And with that the crazy lady was gone. Jay could feel a headache coming. It was simply early morning and this happened. He just knew the rest of the day was going to be uniquely interesting.