An Apple a Day, Keeps the Monsters Away

Mia is born with anomalous magic that draws monsters. A dragon leads beasts against the town, and her father, the Mayor, carries the infant into the mountains to save the town despite Arthur’s protests. He leaves her with a necklace. Master Alaric, a reclusive grandmaster, drives off the beasts and takes Mia away.

Five years later, Alaric has nothing left to teach her. Mia can use magic without a wand; the gift stays hidden because bad people would experiment on her. Alaric gives her a compass and gold coins and sends her to find her family.

Arthur, now leading a wizard guild with Adam, his loyal fellow wizard, fights a dragon. The dragon escapes and lands before Mia, and it makes her drop her apple. Mia knocks it out with one finger: “I hate being disrupted while eating apples.” Arthur’s group finds the dragon down and Mia nearby; Arthur orders food for her, and Adam protests. Arthur reprimands him and makes him apologize to the child.

An owl post brings Anto’s demand. The Evil Wizard King wants the guild’s jewel; a loss means disbandment and slavery. Mia takes two gold coins from the emergency fund. Adam grabs the coins and moves to hit her, and Arthur stops him. Mia offers to fight.

Anto arrives and sets a best-two-out-of-three wager: if the guild loses, it belongs to him. Adam loses the first round. Anto brings the dragon for the second; Alice, the guild’s absolute-defense wizard, holds it in her ice prison for seven minutes, and Arthur lasts six against the enraged dragon before Mia interrupts. The dragon runs and curls up. Anto calls the third round, a wizard’s jewel to the death. Mia volunteers.