Dal Shabet

- "I have no clock in my house," the sorcerer replied indifferently. "I studied Life Magic during my journey to the Old World 70 years ago. The only place where this magic was previously practiced is the Academy. Have you heard of this place? Magic is studied there far more deeply than in local institutions. And although I was pleased to learn that the academy is thriving, the influence of an organization called 'Black Ice' shocked me. After the events that occurred half a millennium ago, this organization rose from the ashes and became far more powerful and influential than ever before. This organization's control over magic in the Old World is practically absolute. Now then, as a resident of a New World country, they did not shackle me or throw me into a cell like a wizard practicing magic without the order's permission. Moreover, they didn't even ask me to promise not to use magic upon my arrival there. Why? Some time ago, they invented a very unpleasant device, something like bracers. They were placed on the arms and could only be removed by an authorized member of Black Ice. This simple device completely deprived the wearer of the ability to use magic. Thus, all wizards leaving the academy territory were required to wear these bracelets. I was no exception. But what was far more unpleasant was that they did not intend to remove them even when I planned to leave the Old World. Naturally, I could not accept such an outcome and tried to find a way out."
Despite all this, there were wizards who lived freely, even under the oppression of the order. Among them, I met those who practiced Life Magic, a dying breed of magic: in the Old World it was forbidden, and in the New World no one even knows about it. They came up with a very unusual way to solve the problem. The strongest among them took up axes and chopped off the arms of the others, and those who did not wear bracers used magic to restore their comrades' lost limbs. In other words, they grew new ones to replace the lost ones. Is healing magic capable of such a thing? Absolutely not. I, like all the others, also went through this procedure. But I did not run home at the first opportunity; instead, I stayed and mastered this magic. And that brings us back to the present moment. The spells I can show you:
Heart Control. A character can perform any manipulations related to a human heart using the power of thought.
Blood Control. A character can move health points between two characters with their mutual consent (for example, restoring a small amount of health to a character whose health has reached 0. This works only if the character's health dropped recently and the cause was not a terrible death). It can also deal massive damage to weak-willed characters.
Life Control. A withered flower can be turned into a blooming one, full of life. The ability to heal recently killed characters from any conditions. The ability to restore limbs. The resource for such actions is one's own life energy.
Creation: Life Magic. This is a modified version of another spell that I created by combining my knowledge of life magic with knowledge of reality control magic. Unlike its older brother, this spell works only with living beings. A character can embody an imaginary creature or even a person into reality. This is a very difficult spell and requires a very clear representation of what the caster wishes to create.
- If you still don't understand how this relates to your people, try to remember the main cause of death for your kin. Each treatise on any of these spells will cost you 1500 ryen. And since you did me a favor, I will let you choose any magical specialty for free. Choose wisely.

Every word of this story also reached the ears of Paroxya. The sorcerer knew of his appearance but, apparently, did not object to his presence.

Added 1 hour 54 minutes ago

His keen gaze did not miss the board with criminals and lingered for a moment on the five-digit numbers with three zeros. Hunting heads is an occupation for young, underdeveloped primates, but nevertheless, there is no harm in obtaining additional information that might come in handy. Therefore, he headed to the reward distributor intending to learn more.

The reward distributor lived in a small but cozy building not far from the eastern gates, and his name was Martin. Among the people, he is called by various names, including "the undertaker" and "the executioner"—all of this, of course, is related to his position, although he himself executes no one and certainly does not bury anyone. He has worked here since he was twenty, and now he is over forty. It is easy to guess that his job is actually not demanding: a few times a month he updates the board with criminals in the city center, occasionally issues rewards for the successful capture or killing of a wanted criminal and hands the case over to the guards; much more often, he provides more detailed information about wanted persons, but there are times when nothing happens for several months and nothing is required of him either. Martin himself does not complain; he likes this kind of work. Without excessive enthusiasm but without any reluctance, he immediately fulfilled Zelig's request and told him more.
- Let's go in order. So, Amy Button. He's the type of person who thinks they can take other people's money and not earn it. Have you heard of the "Silverknight" organization? They handle the transport of cargo and, less frequently, people by sea from the New World to the Old and vice versa. They quite often hire new or temporary people for various tasks and always pay part of the fee immediately. Well, Amy Button signed up with them as a ship's doctor, took the money, and of course ran away, thinking he would get away with it. The company managers settled this matter with the government, and so he ended up here on the board. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that no one has caught this drunkard yet, considering he doesn't miss a single tavern. One can only assume he is rotting in some Nevermore gutter now. Now, next is my favorite, Kinelia; they haven't been able to catch the girl for two years already. The most important and first thing you need to know is that she is the biological daughter of the ruler of the Tarren region and supreme commander-in-chief of the kingdom's army, Kanderus dal Tarren. Naturally, the father wishes to get his own flesh and blood back safe and sound, but he can no longer tolerate her antics. You might think these are just some pranks, but in reality, it is much more complicated. This lady managed to anger not only the governments of all regions but also the main villains of Nevermore. She takes whatever she wants and kills without hesitation, and generally does whatever she pleases, naturally within the limits of her fox-like cunning. And when she cannot handle something herself, her minions do it for her—minions who appear in every city after her numerous bedroom adventures. These include not only brutal bandits but also representatives of the nobility. She always uses other people to achieve her goals; as a fighter, Kinelia is not the best, but cutting a throat with a blade or shooting a pistol into a head would be no great trouble for her. So, what's next? Laust Brightstrider. For a long time, this man carried out assignments for the royal nobility and then tried to pit the rulers of different regions against each other. He was exposed, caught, and prepared for execution. It didn't work out. He escaped, and now one can only guess his location. What can be said about him? He always speaks very politely and tactfully, but do not be fooled by his sweet words, as he is a deceiver and a criminal. Laust is an excellent fencer but prefers to avoid battles. He is also a wonderful marksman. The pistols sold in the Armory, by the way, belonged to him. When you miss your own execution, there's no time left to go back for confiscated gear. I don't recommend asking about him in Nevermore, as he is a close friend of Tyler Ironfall, one of the five most influential people in this city, and therefore an incautious word could cause you to wake up in a gutter with your belly slit open. Oh yes, one more thing: a demon-born girl is very often seen with him. It's unknown what their relationship is—whether she is his mistress or something like a younger sister or daughter. Do not underestimate her; the girl is very unstable and extremely talented in the magical arts; during Brightstrider's escape, she burned a good dozen people. Witch of the Wildlands. There is very little information here. It is only known that peasants and soldiers sometimes disappear in the eastern villages. Once, one such man returned and insisted that a woman lives in the wildlands who conducts terrible experiments on people. Naturally, when he was asked to lead them to her dwelling, he simply got lost. Vahaon. This one is fresh. A veteran of the war with the Confederation, a worthy marksman, although he more often uses a two-handed axe. Some time ago, while drinking in some village tavern with his former comrades-in-arms, he encountered a misunderstanding with the local residents. A typical brawl ended in several deaths. That is why he is wanted, essentially. And the last one is Ixtli. She is demon-born, if you haven't guessed yet. This girl made the same mistake as many of her kin. She decided to travel through the kingdom and, strangely enough, managed to keep her origin a secret for quite some time—right up until the moment when, while staying on one of the islands of dal Karen, she witnessed an extremely unpleasant scene. Village children were bullying a girl about 12 years old in every possible way, kicking her, spitting in her face, and so on. Out of the goodness of her heart, Ixtli helped her, and then the girl led her home and introduced her to her parents. The parents thanked her, welcomed her warmly, fed her, gave her a place to sleep, and then reported her to the guards and, in exchange for a small monetary reward, turned her in. The cursed girl, like all of her kind, faced execution; however, the regional ruler took pity on her and allowed her to live. Since she was incredibly strong, Michael dal Karen saw more use in her alive and intended to make her his bodyguard. She was provided with a good place to live and generally Ixtli would have been satisfied if Michael hadn't climbed into her bed every day and used her like a riding horse. Perhaps if she hadn't been so kind, she would have snapped his neck before fleeing. That's the story; Michael wants her back and same to avenge the betrayal, one way or another.