"A change of clothes, some rations, several coppers, and a knife...If anything, I am probably safe from bandits... Hell they could even take pity on me and leave me some coppers, maybe even a full silver coin,"

Magnus mused with a smile.

"The fire should be enough against natural nightly predators..."

When he finished eating, he stretched out on the ground. It was much harder than his bed. It was not his first time to sleep on the ground, though. He wasn't some pampered nobleman, complaining about the Lack of comfort. The farm life he led so far, wasn't easy and comfortable, that's for sure. Putting his hands under his head, Magnus closed his eyes and went deep into his thoughts.

“Tomorrow evening I should reach Fairfield... Maybe I would even have time to find Brennus... if not, I will just sleep in an inn, and try to find him the following day. I just hope he accepts me as his apprentice... Either way, he is the only wizard I have ever heard of and I don't know what I will do if he doesn't accept me... Maybe just find some work so I don't starve and see what happens next? Yeah... How did I even get here..." Magnus asked himself, even if he knew the answer.

“Magic... such a strange, rare thing... So why me? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone having magical abilities, nor has anyone I know ever talked about people who could do magic... Wizard Brennus is the only exception..." Magnus thought, as his mind wandered off to those moments of his life when he realized things would never be the same again.

He was barely 18 then, and he was lying in his bed fantasizing about miller's daughter... She is a pretty plump girl, a little older than him, and Magnus would just Love to squeeze her big breasts and... Then it came... Magnus had felt a funny sensation in his eyes and just Like that, the table next to his bed was on fire! He couldn't believe it.

There was no candle on that table, there was nothing there that could have set it off. He quickly rose and dabbed at the fire with his blanket. Even if it wasn't a big fire, it was hard to put down... it didn't feel natural. He actually had to quench it with a jug of water

He was so restless that night... Following days he managed to put it all out of his mind, but couple of months later, another incident happened. He was in the kitchen thinking about Mrs. Adams, a widow that owned a farm several miles east from their own. She had a son and two adult daughters, and the daughters were fine looking, but it was Mrs.

Adams that always drew his eyes. She was a curvy woman, and she always provoked him in some seductive way when he was around. She would either lean forward, so he could see into her bosom, or she would bend over as if picking something from the floor and show him her rump in all its curvy glory. Damn, he would love to bury his face in that round piece of heaven, he would... and then it happened again. Two clay pots that hanged in the kitchen simply exploded, showering him with debris. He actually nicked his arms in a few spots. It was a wonder he hasn't been injured any worse than that. That was when he finally realized he wasn't just an ordinary farm boy. No, there was something else in him, and he was clearly a danger to himself, but more than that, he was a danger to his family. Next time he could injure someone, or worse.

Hell, these things tended to happen when he was aroused, so what happens when he actually lies with a woman? He could burn the whole house down! No... This was the only decision he could make. He was an adult now, he has to go and try to learn about his ability... his curse, and hopefully learn to control it somehow. His parents knew the truth, and understood the need, even if they were sad to see him go. So now, all his hopes resided on the wizard who was often seen in

Fairfield, and who would hopefully be willing to take him as his apprentice... and teach him.

Worrying as those thoughts were, his body was too tired for him to stay awake for long. Soon, he was sound asleep, while the fire kept going for quite some time and then slowly dwindled to embers. When Magnus woke up in the morning, embers were already cold. He ate modestly, stretched his limbs and continued his journey. Here and there, he passed other travelers, some on horse, some taking carts with their products to the town, and the closer he got to Fairfield, the more people he encountered. Sometime in the afternoon he could already see the smoke from chimneys and just before evening he finally stepped into the town itself.

Fairfield was a sizeable town. Its importance came from the fact that the town was located on major merchant routes. Food, grain, other farming products, but also iron and copper, important ores for the kingdom passed through the town in respectable amounts. That fact brought a large amount of trade to the town, so the town grew, its economy completely oriented around trade and needs of the trade. The town was run by its mayor and a small council. The mayor was appointed by the king, and the council was elected from influential citizens, but the truth was, merchants were the true masters of the town.

Magnus watched the vast number of houses, the river of people that crawled on its streets. It was his first time in a town of this size.

Before Fairfield, the Largest town he visited was Brook's Creek, and it was a town in name only, it was actually just a large village. With apprehension, he joined the stream of people walking its streets. He needed to find Brennus or an inn before nightfall. Feeling cautious, he asked around for an inn and soon he was directed towards the largest inn in the town - The King's Pride. There were other inns, closer than

King's Pride, but he figured he was going to get best information in the most important inn in the town.

The night was already falling when Magnus entered The King's Pride. The smell of roast and baked bread hit his nostrils, while his ears got immediately assaulted by the cacophony of voices. The inn was big, very big. There were a lot of tables, filled with people, mostly men, but there were women too, and all wearing decent clothes. This was obviously a respectable place.

Magnus walked to the bar.

"Um, hi. I would like to rent a room, please"