AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for the enthusiasm to explore the world of Alterra! This story is written in third person POV, so if you're used to reading my first person POV stories, this may feel slightly strange for you. 

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains some scenes that are not be suitable for very young readers. Reader discretion is advised.

LUCIUS

LUCIUS WOULD always do everything just to get to the bottom of the truth. As in, everything! If he had to dirty himself with grease and pretend to be a beggar, he would do it. If he had to cut one of his fingers to join a gang and go undercover, he would do it as well. He was willing to do literally anything. That's how dedicated he was in his work. Sadly, he had not received a medal for it.

What's his job, you ask? He's an arcane tracker. A quite prominent, if one might add. Someone who would investigate crimes committed by arcasters or people who could use magic. The best thing about his gig? He was not bound by a strict and repetitive work schedule. He could control his own time. He could decline a job if he did not find it interesting. One could say that he hit the jackpot! He might have the coolest job in the world. Freedom! That was the best gift a person could ever have.

Speaking of job, Lucius had to investigate a fire that broke out in a noble family's mansion in the hilltop district. Because his client was filthy rich—the guy's a baron!—he could imagine how much mercs he would reap as a reward once he identified who set the house ablaze. The case was not solved and closed yet, but he was already thinking of going on a vacation in the island southwest of the Arcerean Kingdom. He had been wanting to go to the beach, feel the fine white sand between his toes, and enjoy a glass of orange juice. But his demanding job and his need to make ends meet prevented him from enjoying the life that he had always wanted.

Lucius had a strong feeling that an arcaster was behind the fire. If they were not, he would have not taken this case in the first place. But how did he know? He did not smell any traces of gasoline in the area. The blaze also spread quickly across the mansion—ten times faster than normal—according to the household staff. None of them saw who started the fire, so he needed to look for clues elsewhere.

He asked the bystanders and passersby until he was led to a tavern at the downtown district of the royal capital city of Polarcus. It reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Every table had been occupied and every seat had been taken. Only the commonfolk would frequent this place, as the elite would prefer to enjoy the night in a pub somewhere at the uptown district. This was not the kind of tavern that Lucius would usually find himself into. But for the sake of the job, he would. Thanks to his social skills and experience, he did not look like an idiot trying to blend in.

There he met a female member of a traveling troupe who happened to pass by the burning mansion this afternoon. She still had her make up on, accenting her eyes, cheeks, and lips. She wore a red-and-white drawstring dress. Fortunately, Lucius was adequately dressed tonight. He got his favorite trench coat with him. He looked like a gentleman, making him stand out from the other customers. The woman would not be turned off if he approached her.

And he did.

Lucius went to the bar and signaled to the bartender. His body leaned on the countertop and shot glances at the woman. "One glass of wine for this gorgeous lady, and one glass for me, too."

"Right away, sir."

"Totoo nga ang sabi nila." The woman turned to him, flashing a smile. "Mababait daw ang mga lalaki sa capital city."

"Hindi lahat." Lucius' lips curled into a smile. "Marami ang mga mababait. Pero marami rin ang mga mapanamantala na nagpapanggap na mabait sa siyudad na 'to. Mas mabuti kung mag-iingat ka."

"Oh . . . Isa ka ba sa kanila?"

"Sa alin?"

"Sa mga mababait? O sa mga mapanamantala?"

He maintained a wide grin as the bartender placed two glasses and poured wine into them. "What do you think? By the way, my name's Lucius. Pwede mo akong tawaging Lucy, kung magiging close tayo."

"Criselda naman ang pangalan ko. Mukhang masuwerte ako na makilala ka, Lucy."

The two took a sip from their drinks. While the wine was barely tolerable—the taste could put the capital city to shame—Lucius did not come here to have a good time. He already had prepared questions for the woman, but he did not want to ask them yet. For him, fishing for information was akin to fishing in a pond. One had to place a worm in the hook, cast it out in the water, and wait until the fish took the bait. He needed to be patient, or else the fish would swim away.

They spent an hour drinking more wine and chatting about their jobs. Criselda told him about her travels across the kingdom, while Lucius told her about his exploits as an artifact collector. There was no way he could tell her his true job. Being an arcane tracker was considerably a unique and rare profession that not everyone had heard of. Criselda might have more questions for him than he had for her.

"Wala ka namang trabaho bukas, 'di ba?" Criselda drew a spiral shape on his palm. "O baka meron kang ibang pagkakaabalahan?"

"Tomorrow's a weekend so it's my day of much needed rest." Lucius watched the lady's index finger. That was the moment he knew the fish took the bait.

"Sa susunod na linggo pa kami aalis dito sa Polarcus. Gusto kong lubusin ang pamamalagi ko rito. Pwede mo ba akong samahan ngayong gabi? Doon sa . . ."

She needed not to finish the sentence. Lucius knew where the conversation was leading. "Matatanggihan ko ba ang imbitasyon mula sa gaya mo?"

For the nth time, he had always done everything to get the job done. Everything. So he did not mind spending the rest of the evening with this woman. He was not interested in her stories—not one bit—but he found Criselda to be pretty and charming. It was going to be worth his while, he thought.

Lucius paid the bartender with a bag of mercs before the two left their seats. Criselda was about to lose balance and stumble on the floor, but he was quick to catch her. She must have drunk too much wine. How about Lucius? He was not feeling tipsy at all. He had developed resistance in getting drunk—an important skill that he learned in his training years ago. If there was a drinking contest, he would be the undisputed champion.

They checked in the nearest low budget inn and locked themselves in a rented room. Criselda took her clothes off, and Lucius followed suit. He laid the woman down in the bed and went on top of her. He was no longer innocent when it came to this sort of activity. Well, he was already twenty-six. He must already have the experience. If he did not, his friends would surely make fun of him.

"So . . ." Lucius whispered as he showered her with kisses, starting from her red lips down to her soft neck. That smelled nice. If he were vampire, he would have bitten her and sucked her blood. "Nabanggit mo kanina na dumaan kayo kanina sa nasusunog na mansyon?"

"Oh, Lucy . . ." Criselda moaned, her eyes almost rolling at the back of her head. While Lucius enjoyed seeing her reaction, he was more interested in what she had to tell him. He nibbled her earlobe, and she gasped for air. "Siyempre naman . . . Hindi ko nakita nang malinaw ang mukha niya, pero may napansin akong palatandaan sa palad niya. Sa kanang kamay niya."

"Parang tattoo ba ang itsura?"

Criselda moaned again, closing her eyes and pulling his hair. She arched her back as his lips went down on her breasts. "May nakita akong simbolo. . . parang korteng apoy."

Gotcha! Lucius smirked. When was I ever wrong, he thought as he planted a kiss on the woman's collarbone. He had already suspected it from the start. He only needed to find someone who could confirm it.

Every arcaster had a symbol tattoed on the body parts where they could manifest their power. It could be on their palms, soles or anywhere else. A sharpened object would be repeatedly poked into their skin until a symbol was formed and inked as a scar. That symbol could tell what element they could manipulate. Lucius knew that very well since he had already encountered dozens of arcasters in the past.

Lucius moved up to plant a kiss on her wet lips as a reward for the information. She had been helpful to him so far. "Ang sabi mo, hindi mo nakita ang mukha niya. Pero baka may iba ka pang nakita o napansin sa kanya maliban sa tattoo niya?"

Criselda opened her eyes and stared at him for a second, her eyebrows furrowing. "Teka, bakit ka ba nagtatanong tungkol sa sunog habang ginagawa natin 'to? Pwede naman nating pag-usapan sa agahan bukas."

Oops.

"Sorry," Lucius breathed near her neck, making the hair all over her body rise. His fingers started playing with some strands of her auburn hair. "Talking about cases always turns me on. It's weird, I know, but that's how I get more aroused."

"Ganyan ba talaga kayong mga taga-capital?" Criselda giggled, running her fingers through his jetblack hair. "Sa pagkakatanda ko . . . meron siyang marka sa kanang braso niya. Hugis ibon yata? Basta parang may pakpak."

"At gaano kalaki ang marka niya?"

"Halos kasing laki ng—oooh—palad. Lucy, huwag mo akong kagatin diyan."

"Sorry."

An arcaster with a fire tattoo on his palm and a bird-like mark on his right arm? Now Lucius got something to work with. The search for the arsonist had been made easier.

It's time to fully reward Criselda, Lucius thought. He would always give something in return to his sources and informants. That's how generous he was. In this case, the gift of unforgettable pleasure. Thanks to her, he would be closer to earning thousands of mercs. His dream of purchasing an island near Polesin would soon become a reality.

He repositioned himself on top of her and clutched his hands on her shoulders. This was going to be a rough ride. He was about to make one slow thrust.

BAM!

The door was slammed open, and a lady in dark trench coat appeared. She had shaggy, brown hair that reached past her shoulders. She kept a serious look in her face despite seeing Lucius and Criselda without clothes and in the act.

The sudden intrusion startled the two in bed. Criselda opened her eyes, screamed, and grabbed the blanket to cover her naked body. Lucius closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

She could have barged in at a better time. Why now?

"Did you forget how to knock, Isabella?" Lucius was naked, but he did not mind. The woman's gaze was focused on his face. "I'm in the middle of something here."

"You tricked this naive woman to lie in bed with you so you can extract information from her." Isabella made a beeline for him. She then put her hands on her waist. "How low can you go, Lucius?"

"In my defense, I didn't trick her. I merely obliged to the—"

"Extract info from me?" Criselda repeated, her well-maintained eyebrows almost formed a straight line. "Totoo ba 'yon, Lucy? Kaya mo ba ako tinatanong tungkol sa arson?"

"Let me explain, Cris—" But his words were cut short when his pale face met Criselda's swift hand. The slap was so hard, his head snapped to one side. His fingers felt the swollen cheek. It stung! "And here I am, hoping you can spank me with your hand later."

"Kagaya ka rin pala ng iba!" Criselda got off the bed and let go of the blanket. She grabbed her drawstring dress on the floor and wore it as fast as she could. She was sobbing while dressing up. "Akala ko, talagang na-love at first sight ka sa 'kin. 'Yon pala, ginamit mo ako?"

"I'm sorry." Lucius had nothing to say in his defense. While the whole coitus was not entirely his idea, the fact remained that he tried to befriend her so he could get some info. The jig was up. Making a flimsy reason would not change anything. "Trabaho lang."

"Masunog sana ng arsonist 'yang mukha mo!" Criselda cursed before walking away from him in quick paces. She slammed the door as she exited. The room fell silent.

Lucius scratched his head, sighing for the second time in just three minutes. He felt nothing but regret. He was supposed to hit two birds with one stone—information and pleasure. He could have a fun night tonight, but it got ruined. Well, this was not the first time he was interrupted in the middle of the act.

"Perfect timing, Isabella. Couldn't you have waited for at least ten minutes? Criselda and I were enjoying each other's company! Don't you wanna find out who burned down the Marchadesch mansion?"

"We're being summoned by the capitol constabulary." Isabella's eyes moved down for a split-second. She quickly averted her gaze. All her efforts not to see it, now totally wasted. She picked up the pants on the floor and tossed them to Lucius. "Can you get dressed already?"

Isabella was not just a stranger who barged in the room while Lucius was busy with his way of information gathering. One might call her as his friend. Others might see her as his assistant. But they were, in fact, equal. They were in the business of investigating crimes committed by arcasters.

Lucius' reflexes were good and quick, his right hand caught his pants. He let out a puff of air as he hurriedly put them on. Being naked in front of anyone was never an issue for him. He did not hold decency in high regard. "A case this late in the evening? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"It's extremely urgent. We've been asked to go there now."

"Urgent, really?" He put on his white shirt with long sleeves next. He buttoned it from top to bottom, then fixed the collar and the cuffs. Go where exactly?"

"The Palace. So you better make yourself presentable. Wash your face. You have lipstick stain and you reek of wine. You don't want to leave an impression that you're a drunkard, do you?"

Lucius chuckled. "You know very well that I can't get drunk." Like an obedient kid, he went to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. He let the water flow from the faucet, his hands feeling its coldness. He took a deep breath before starting to wash his face. "Did an arcaster sneak into the Palace to steal their silverware?"

"Knighted aides," Isabella said out of the blue.

Lucius' eyes slowly went wide. He held on to the faucet and watched the water dripping out of it. He surely was not drunk as hell, so he heard Isabella loud and clear.

Knighted aides. Those were just two simple words, but they meant so serious and dire. When he snapped himself back to consciousness, he turned off the faucet and went out of the bathroom.

"The King is dead?" he asked.

Isabella shushed him, pressing a finger on her dry lips. "What's the sense of speaking in code words if you will just carelessly blurt it out? People in the next room might hear you. You don't want this type of information leaking out."

He clapped his hand over his mouth. Oops, my bad! He almost forgot that they were not in a secure space. The walls here were thin and made of wood. It was easy to be overheard and to be eavesdropped on. What else should people expect when they checked in at a cheap inn?

If the information was genuine, they should better get going. It was never good to keep the King of Arcerea waiting, even if His Majesty was a cold corpse by now.

Lucius donned a trench coat over his polo and ran his calloused fingers through his raven hair. He was not in his best outfit and appearance tonight, but he got to look good. Leaving an unpleasant impression was the last thing he would have wanted, especially in front of royalty. "That's bad for business," he always thought.

"Now you see why I had to interrupt your investigation into the arson case?" Isabella folded her forearms across her chest. "The captain of the constabulary said His Majesty has been apparently murdered with the use of magic. This is going to be the most high profile case in your career. You won't choose copper over gold, right?"

"Of course! The royal family will be indebted to us if we solve this case. I'm gonna ask for a castle as a reward!"

"Solve this case first." She handed him a vial of liquid from her small bag. "You're not going to get your castle if you fail to do so."

Lucius pulled the cork and drank the contents straight. His breath reeked of wine, so he had to freshen it with a mint solution, courtesy of Isabella. He sucked in some air, feeling a chilly breeze in his mouth. "I'll drop everything just to solve the King's murder—"

Isabella shushed him again. This time, much louder. "One more mention of that word and I will throw you out of the window and straight into the carriage below."

"I guess that's more efficient than having to climb down two flights of old, wooden stairs," Lucius jested, but Isabella did not look amused. His smile instantly faded. "Fine, let's go."

They hurriedly left the room, slamming the door close, and trotted down the wooden staircase until they landed on the inn's lobby. Lucius threw a bag of mercs to the bearded man in the counter.

"Keep the change," he said without looking back.

Outside, only the lights from the lamp posts were struggling with the total darkness that almost consumed this part of the capital city. The king's avenue was almost deserted, and the establishments nearby were already closed. Men in uniform patrolled the streets, with swords hanging on their belts.

"Good evening, ma'am and sir."

An unmarked carriage was already waiting for them in front of the inn. Coach driver opened the door for them. Isabella came in first, Lucius went next. They sat across each other. With one crack of the whip, the horses cried and the carriage started to move.

"This case might be interesting . . ." Lucius muttered, rubbing his palms together. Around this time of the year, it was cold at night. The chilling breeze of late evening was something that he had already expected, that's why he wore a trench coat. But he did not expect it to be this cold. "The arson case is already a challenge. But this one? Could be the best. I hope it doesn't disappoint."

"Interesting, really?" Sighing, Isabella rolled her eyes. "That's how you see this case?"

"The Ki—," he began, but Isabella shot him with a glare, "that person is the most powerful arcaster in the Kingdom of Arcerea. How could he be defeated or, in this case, killed by another magic user? It doesn't make sense to me, hence my interesting remark."

Only those with a drop of royal blood could be an arcaster. There's this origin story from the Church of Arcanus—the official religion of the Kingdom—that had been told over and over again where their primordial deity Arcanus granted only the royal family the ability to wield magic. That's how the current king and the kings before him managed to control the kingdom for decades. Who in their right minds would challenge a royal who could burn them into crisps in a snap of his fingers?

Lucius had learned that the power of an arcaster could be determined through the purity of their blood. To preserve their magical prowess and sanctity of their lineage, members of the royal family tended to marry each other and produce offsprings who would carry on their pure blood. But soon, they realized the bad side effect of inbreeding. There came a time when they decided to marry members of other families which were then promoted to the nobility.

Basic rule: the more royal a person was, the more powerful their magic. Following that logic, Lucius concluded that the King must be the most capable arcaster in the kingdom.

How about Lucius? He was just a commoner. He was not gifted with a drop of royal blood. And he was perfectly fine with that fact. He did not dream of nor did he want to be one of them. Shooting with his trusted revolver was much more fun than waving his hand and conjuring magic.

But some commoners happened to have a very, very small percentage of royalty running in their veins, making them arcasters too. One might think of it as a blessing, but it was actually a curse. A curse that would hunt them until recently.

"Wait a minute! I thought the royal family and the nobility kept that sweet magical blood among themselves. How come some commoners have it too?" one might ask. It was quite complicated, but it could be traced back to the story of the horny monarch.

One of the former kings a couple of generations ago was not satisfied with his married life with a stoic queen. Every night, he would secretly sneak out of the Palace and go to taverns and inns disguised as a commoner. He found happiness in the company of common women. He was so pleased with the experience, he sired children with them. This went on for years! No one knew how many commoners he impregnated with his royal dick.

Months later, those women gave birth to children. Because the king's blood was running in their veins, the bastards were able to use magic and be considered as arcasters. And that was bad news to the royal family and the nobility.

The horny king's indiscretion threatened the sanctity of the royal magical bloodline. To correct the mistake, the Church of Arcanus ordered its knights of faith to slaughter every bastard in the kingdom. A massacre happened. Children from one to ten years of age became targets. Some fled while most died at the swords of the knights. Those who managed to escape hid in the outlying provinces. The knights tried to hunt down each and every one of the bastards, but they failed to eliminate them all.

The hunt went on for years, which turned into decades. The king eventually died and was succeeded by his son. The bastards sired their own children, so their numbers increased. At that point, the knights of faith could not handle the situation anymore.

That's when the new king called for volunteers who wanted glory and gold. Life in the capital city and the provinces was not that good for the common people, so many signed up for what was known as the great hunt. They were called arcane trackers. And Lucius happened to be one of them. Using his wit and cunning, he managed to track down and surrender dozens of wanted arcasters to the knights of faith. There was this one time he almost died, but thanks to the anti-arcane bullets of his revolver, he lived to see another day.

Did he feel guilty about hunting people whose only crime was being born with a drop of royal blood? Yes. But should he feel guilty about it? No. Around that time, those bastards were considered abominations. The new king branded them as such, and his word was law in this kingdom. Lucius was only carrying out his duty.

Yet they did not manage to get rid of all the wanted arcasters. They kept on multiplying and they became better at hiding.

The situation took a hundred and eighty degree turn when the king died and was succeeded by his only son. King Bennett the Benevolent, as how he was called by the commoners, ordered the arcane trackers to be disbanded and the knights of faith to stop hunting the wanted arcasters, much to the Church's dismay. He also issued a "Reparation Proclamation" to give housing, livelihood and mercs to the bastards and their descendants that they had discriminated for decades. Since then, they were no longer treated as animals that were being hunted for sport. Only those who had committed crimes using magic were being pursued and punished by the law. What a seemingly happy ending to a tragic story.

That was how Lucius' career shifted from being a hunter into an investigator. He missed the thrill of chasing down arcasters, so he dedicated his profession in tracking down those who would cause trouble in the kingdom. And he was pretty decent at it.

"Don't show that smug on your face once we arrive at the Palace," Isabella warned him. "They might think you're happy about what happened to that person."

"I'll put on a poker face." Lucius kept a straight face for a moment. He tried to think of something serious to maintain that facade. But he could not. He gave up and laughed. "Sorry, I can't do it!"

"I'll smack you in the head if I see a hint of smile on your lips," she replied, cracking her knuckles in front of him. 

So there you have it . . . the pilot chapter!

For those who have read the first version in 2021-2022, the language of the entire chapter (except a few lines) has been translated to English.

What do you think? Is this an interesting start? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter by using the hashtag #ArcaneWP!