Five corpses were scattered along the alleyway, among them a hooded figure looking at them.


    The figure removed their hood, revealing a dark brown-skinned man with gray eyes and long curly hair reaching his neck. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with a slightly muscular build. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties. Even he didn’t know for sure.


    This man was Fenris, a werewolf who had been on his own for quite some time.


    He looked at his clothing and grunted.


    “Damn, now I’m all covered in blood.” It wasn’t that Fenris minded. Not at all. He’d seen and spilled blood countless times. The issue was not having a change of clothes. If he walked out of the alleyway in the middle of the day with his clothes drenched in blood, someone was bound to notice, and he didn’t have any more coin to buy new ones.


    “Wait!” Fenris thought as he looked at the corpses. Maybe he could salvage the situation.


    Moments later, at the execution site of the falsely identified werewolf, there stood a man in robes watching the already burnt corpse.


    “Hey buddy, I’m here for my payment,” a voice called from behind. The man dressed in robes turned around to find Fenris wearing the armor of one of the men he had killed.


    “Where are the rest of your group? And I don’t think I remember you being with them,” the man in robes asked.


    “Oh, they’re just drinking and whoring. You know how it is—we gotta celebrate after getting ourselves a kill, so they sent me to collect payment, which I still haven’t gotten, by the way,” Fenris said, glaring at the man and extending his hand as if expecting something to be placed in it.


    The man in robes looked at Fenris for a while but eventually gave in and handed him a pouch. Fenris counted the coins—fifty silver. This was a lot more than one might think. In this world, silver was more valuable than gold. As absurd as it sounded, it made sense given that it was a world ruled by fear and superstition about werewolves.


    Fenris didn’t know how that myth started, but he didn’t mind it. He’d gotten away on numerous occasions because of its silly logic.


    Some believed only silver could kill a werewolf. Sure, if you managed to drive a silver sword through a werewolf’s heart, they would die, but if you pierced it with iron or steel, they’d still die. The same went for humans and, well, pretty much everything.


    Fenris pocketed the bag of coins and went on his way, but then he turned around and realized this was a perfect opportunity to solve his other problem.


    “Hey, do you know where I can update my traveler’s map around here?” Fenris asked the man in robes.


    “There’s a building with three floors not too far from here. Ask for a sorceress named Sonya. The fee is hefty, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you,” the man in robes said.


    It took some time for Fenris to find the building; he wasn’t given any directions, just a description. But he had finally found it. It was the tallest building in the entire town.


    Walking inside, he found it quite crowded. There were signs all over for various businesses, not normal ones—just the ones that cost quite a lot. There was blacksmithing, which he saw on his right, love potions, and a grimoire store. He saw people wearing dark robes, most likely mages, coming out of it, and more.


    Fenris thought it was best to ask the owner of the grimoire shop about Sonya. There was a good chance a mage would know another mage. As he entered, he found someone who appeared to be in his forties or fifties sitting at a desk.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    “Welcome to my store, young mage,” the man said with a smile. “So, tell me, what kind of mage are you? Are you a Blessed One, or are you one of the Faiths?” the store owner asked.


    “Neither. I’m here looking for a mage named Sonya. The problem is I have no idea where to start. I was hoping you did,” Fenris answered.


    The grimoire store owner’s facial expression quickly changed from cheerful and welcoming to uninterested and annoyed. “Top floor. You’ll find her working behind a stand with an arrow sign on it,” the store owner answered in a dull tone.


    Fenris began leaving. It was clear the man wanted him gone immediately. “Well, should I ask about the other thing? Maybe she was here. Who am I kidding? No way would I be so lucky to finally have a clue,” Fenris thought as he had an internal debate on what to do.


    “Young man, I seem to have noticed you haven’t left my store yet,” the store owner said in a more annoyed tone.


    “Any chance a sorceress came here with purple hair and dark robes with crescent moon patterns on them?” Fenris asked.


    “No,” the store owner answered quickly.


    “You sure? Those are features you don’t see in your everyday mage. Try thinking back a little. Maybe she did come here,” Fenris asked.


    “I may be old, but I’m not that old. And you’re right—those are special features for a mage, and I certainly would have remembered them if this sorceress came to my store. Now, if that is all, I ask you to be on your way,” the store owner said.


    “Well, so much for that,” Fenris thought. Walking away from the store, he felt a little defeated. Years spent looking for her, and every time he came up with nothing. Maybe he should just abandon the search.


    It was killing him—not knowing where she was, not knowing if she was still alive. No, he couldn’t think like that. If he did, then there would be no point.


    Reaching the top floor, Fenris again saw a lot of businesses attending to their customers. He also saw a stand with a sign hanging on the wall with an arrow on it, just like the rude old man described. There wasn’t a long line, just two people in front. One was a mage in dark robes—Fenris remembered seeing him leave the grimoire store—and a man with a crossbow on his back. It was finally his turn.


    Sonya was a blonde woman, probably in her mid-thirties, with green eyes. She was about 1.7 meters in height, maybe shorter.


    “Good day, and how can I help you?” she said, giving a smile. It was kind of funny how people could smile so innocently when they wanted something.


    “I need to update my map, and I hear you’re the person who can do that,” Fenris answered.


    Sonya took a look at the map Fenris was holding. Its edges were torn and frayed, and it bore lines from being folded and unfolded many times.


    “I can help you with that, and I can also help you get a new map,” Sonya said.


    “That won’t be necessary. Just update the one I have,” Fenris said.


    “If the price is what you’re concerned about, don’t be. It’s only ten bronze coins,” Sonya said.


    “No!” Fenris said louder than he meant to. He realized what he had done. Turning around, Fenris saw a few stares directed at him. He had to fix this and fast.


    “I mean, no thanks. This map has sentimental value for me, and I don’t need a new one. Please just update it for me,” Fenris said softly.


    “Of course. The fee is fifty gold coins,” Sonya said. Fenris handed her one silver coin.


    “The process will take some time. Please be patient,” Sonya said. She placed her hand on the map, and circular waves appeared from her hand, spreading out to the entire map.


    “I’m so lucky that it worked,” Fenris sighed in relief.


    He wasn’t lying when he said the map held sentimental value for him. After all, it was created for him by a very dear friend—the same friend he’d been searching for, for years. But that wasn’t the only reason for his resistance and earlier outburst.


    Creating a new map would require his blood, and there was a good chance she would be able to detect it as not being from a human. That was not a chance he was willing to take.


    “It’s done,” Sonya said.


    The process took about ten minutes. Fenris grabbed the map and looked at it. Little pictures, large diagrams, and wordings that weren’t visible before started to appear on the map. There was also a little triangle among the others. That was him—or, to be more precise, it was where he was.


    “May I ask where you’re going?” Sonya asked.


    “North,” Fenris answered.


    “Well, be careful. After all, winter is coming, and I hear it’s quite deadly there,” Sonya said.


    “I’ll remember that. And oh, my change,” Fenris said.


    Sonya handed him fifty gold coins.


    Fenris began exiting the building. “They haven’t found the bodies yet. By the time they do, I need to be as far away from this town as possible,” Fenris thought.