Chapter 5 Chapter 5
When the horn sounded, all of us knew it was time to leave . We stood up, closing our magic books or stopping our prayers, and walked outside with the tension of young people who haven't been through war but faced a big battle . They all looked at me, who probably seemed drunk, with disdain, but I didn't care . If they knew what I was really planning, they would look at me with a lot more than disdain .
When I walked across the threshold at the door, I felt a little shaky—maybe I had drank too much . It's okay, though . While I was riding the dragon, I’d already learned the basics about this area . According to the king, the necromancer lived on the mountain . From what I saw in the air, if we left this afternoon, it would take ‘til tomorrow night for us to reach the foot of the mountain . There would be no battle until then, and I would be gone from this team by tomorrow night, or a little later .
Someone approached me from behind, supporting me . When I turned around to look, I saw it was a young magician, who was probably sixteen or seventeen years old . He looked like a kid from a certain angle; there was only concern in his eyes .
“Are you okay?” he asked me .
It was rare to have someone like this young man, so I didn't refuse his good intentions . I smiled and said, “I'm fine . My name is Leiden . What about you?”
“Bulian!”
“How old are you?” I decided to keep talking .
“Seventeen . . . no, eighteen . I wanted to ask you, Mr . Leiden, are you a real magician?”
“Real magician? What do you mean?”
“Ah, please don't be insulted . I just meant if you have a magician’s certification, or have fought or been tested before . . . ”
So young and so free of artifice . Maybe I was the only person among them who looked like a real magician, but my age still seemed young compared to the profession . He likely wanted to ask me questions about magic but didn't know if I could answer, hence the questioning .
“Ha, there isn't a certification . I, Laide, never had to get it!” I don't lie and what I said was true . “Leiden" never had to get a certificate or anything else .
My voice was loud and other people also heard me . They turned to watch the two of us, their faces drawn with disrespect . I was proud of my profession, and I did not care about attitude from young people who were easily manipulated by some strident words . They may have been looking down on me, but I felt sad for them . Even though I was wearing an indifferent expression, Bolen blushed .
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask about this . . . ”
“It's fine . Did you have any questions for me? I don't have any certifications, but I might be able to answer you . ”
“It's fine . Did you have any questions for me? I don't have any certifications, but I might be able to answer you . ”
He blushed even more; he really was very shy .
“I memorized ‘magic bullet’ but when I tried using it, I couldn't . . . ” he said in a faint voice .
“I get it . ” I understood . As a novice, it's not shameful not to know certain magic tricks, unless if one was in front of one's teacher . Among one's peers, not being able to use magic was hard to accept and it was even harder to ask for help . He still needed answers, so he chose me, who looked the oldest .
“Please, demonstrate for me?”
“Here?”
“Yes, right here . Don't worry, the king has some speeches to make before we leave; there's time . ”
A few people stopped to watch us, cementing that blush onto the young man’s face, but he still managed to start working magic on a chair with some medicine, making complicated hand gestures while chanting a mantra .
I didn't hear his mantra . In fact, magicians didn't understand other magicians’ chants either . If he could use magic, he probably would remember the right mantra . Instead, I paid attention to how he did the whole process; usually, seeing which step he stopped at would tell you what was wrong .
When he finished chanting, the flying bullet appeared briefly in his hand before disappearing . Bolen looked at me with a red face, waiting for my reply .
I smiled . I drank a lot, but I could still diagnose what had went wrong . The kid didn't copy down the entire mantra from the magic book—this was typical for incomplete magic .
When he finished chanting, the flying bullet appeared briefly in his hand before disappearing . Bolen looked at me with a red face, waiting for my reply .
I smiled . I drank a lot, but I could still diagnose what had went wrong . The kid didn't copy down the entire mantra from the magic book—this was typical for incomplete magic .
Just as I was about to give him some guidance, an unusual noise came from outside . Everyone still inside became alarmed . The frantic sounds told everyone that something had occurred .
Everyone inside walked out, including me and Bolen . The sound of metal colliding and screams made us run . There was something unexpected happening—maybe even an attack by the necromancer .
The rows of soldiers outside had now formed a half-circle, confronting a group of cannibal monsters, who numbered at least fifty or so . These cannibals were twice as tall as humans, and easy to spot even though we stood behind the soldiers .
The cannibals were waving giant clubs and threatening any humans who wanted to fight them . I could clearly see the blood on some of the clubs; it seemed as if these cannibals had already caused some damage to the king’s troops .
The soldiers extended their halberds and lances forward, trying to trap these invaders and stopping them from escaping and possibly causing more bloodshed .
We magicians and priests stood behind the soldiers, ready to extend help if needed . The soldiers stood so close together that I couldn’t see what was going on at the frontlines, but I could see a body lying nearby . It was the body of a magician . His entire head was crushed by a cannibal’s club, with red blood and white brain matter pooled together .
How did these cannibals get inside the palace? Just as the question occured to me, so did the answer . The king and the princess, guarded by several soldiers and Yingluo, came out from a side door . They were probably protected during the brief melee earlier and had just now come out during a break in the battle .
That wasn’t the reason he should’ve been afraid, since he’d walked toward the battlefield as soon as he came out, with the soldiers parting to make way . Thanks to his lead, a few of us magicians also walked toward the frontlines .
There was a human standing amongst the cannibals .
To say he was standing wasn’t quite right since he didn’t have legs . His legs disappeared from the bottom of his thighs, and he was propped on a wooden leg and a cane in his hand . He had a head of salt-and-pepper hair, a face that looked as if it was melted by fire, and covered with countless spots . The hand holding the cane was dry and withered . If there was a competition for the most unattractive person, he probably would rank at the top . There was one good thing about his looks, however, as they made his age inscrutable .
That wasn’t the reason he should’ve been afraid, since he’d walked toward the battlefield as soon as he came out, with the soldiers parting to make way . Thanks to his lead, a few of us magicians also walked toward the frontlines .
There was a human standing amongst the cannibals .
To say he was standing wasn’t quite right since he didn’t have legs . His legs disappeared from the bottom of his thighs, and he was propped on a wooden leg and a cane in his hand . He had a head of salt-and-pepper hair, a face that looked as if it was melted by fire, and covered with countless spots . The hand holding the cane was dry and withered . If there was a competition for the most unattractive person, he probably would rank at the top . There was one good thing about his looks, however, as they made his age inscrutable .
His looks were not worth praise, but you could not dismiss the man . He exuded something terrifying; even as far away as I was, I could feel his power, which was mixed with cruelty and desire . If I was not mistaken, this man must be the necromancer threatening this kingdom .
Behind the necromancer was a white and glowing frame, filled with a flowing energy which looked like water waves . This is a space connection, a portal called an “demension door” made by magic . It was the reason and the method by which the cannibals appeared here . To have the “demension door” appear for this long, this necromancer must be super powerful . His legs were likely not lost in battle, but more likely, traded, as a price, for his alliance with dark forces
The cannibals surrounded the necromancer; it was obvious that they answered to him .
“What do you want, Lewis? How did you get off the mountain? I could answer you right now! As long as I live, I will not give the throne to you!”
The king’s firm and determined statement made me admire him . Faced with a strong enemy on his own doorstep, if he seemed slightly weak, then his soldiers would be completely demoralized .
“Hha, no need to act like this! Why make me an enemy? I came with goodwill . Maybe we don’t need to be enemies—we could be in-laws!”
The necromancer’s laughs were filled with a sense of evil, also revealing his yellow-stained teeth, making his ugly face even more horrifying .
“I have a great idea . We can end this pathetic game right now . If you refuse me the throne by force, then we could do this another way . Why don’t you marry your daughter to me? We could live peacefully together, and when you die, I’d get the throne . . . ”
This pedophilic necromancer glanced at the young princess as he spoke . He was the most depraved magician I’d ever seen in my life . Even if he was evil, he could still be someone of decent character and standards, but his grotesque inclination made all necromancers look bad .
Chapter end
Report
|
Donate
Oh o, this user has not set a donation button.
|