The young soldier’s friendly grin had now turned into a scowl. He glared down at me as he unsheathed his iron longsword. “Rebel bastard,” he said, then thrust the blade into my throat.
The world rippled as I reverted to that last save point.
I was back on the horse with Pandora, and we were watching from afar as the traitorous double-agent was watering his horse.
“Sneaky motherfucker,” I growled.
Pandora and Sephara both turned to me.
“What is it, Earthman?” Pandora asked.
“He’s no rebel,” I said quietly. “Marcus is an Imperial agent. He’s wearing a ring enchanted with a ranged paralyze spell. I’m not sure when he slipped it on.”
“Let me sneak up behind him and put a dagger in his throat,” Pandora said.
“No,” I said. “This piece of shit is all mine. You two hang back.”
As much as I would have liked to kill the fucker, I’d have to take Marcus alive. He was an Imperial agent for sure, but that by no means meant that he was the only one. For all I knew, the officer who sent him out this way was a double-agent as well.
With Pandora and Sephara watching from a safe distance behind me, I held my silver longsword tight in my right hand, holding up the Soulguard in preparation for his first blast of magic.
“Hey Marcus,” I called out to him. “Let’s get this over with, you Imperial scumbag.”
“Rebel bastard,” Marcus responded, wheeling around as he attempted to hit me with a blast from that glowing, magical ring on his finger.
I held up the Soulguard and promptly absorbed the magic. Even with the Soulguard protecting me, I felt my fingers going numb, no doubt a muffled effect from his enchanted ring.
He drew his sword, scowling as he shot another blast at me. Before he could, though, I cast a quick fortify speed spell to better my chances at blocking the blast. Once again, I absorbed it in the Soulguard. This time, I clenched my fist tight, focused all my energies on the gauntlet, and launched the absorbed magic right back at him.
SPELL ABSORPTION SKILL INCREASED +1
MAGIC RESISTANCE SKILL INCREASED +1
ENCHANTMENT SKILL INCREASED +1
Marcus growled and, at the last second, dodged to the right as the magical blast of energy shot past him. He gripped his sword in both hands and took a fighting stance.
“You’re a lucky one, nymph-lover,” Marcus said, spitting in the grass before me. “I don’t know how you found me out, but you’d be dead if you hadn’t.”
I sneered at him. “Who else is spying on the rebellion?”
He laughed bitterly. “I’d die before I’d give anyone up,” he said.
And I knew that he would. Earlier, when Marcus said he’d gladly die in a fight, I’d gotten the sense that he meant it. The only thing was, the cause he was willing to die for was the Empire’s reign.
“Let’s do it, bitch,” I said, then charged the young traitor.
But then I felt something deep in my chest, something burrowing in my mind. As my adrenaline and righteous anger surged, I felt a sudden connection to mysticism magic. It was like I could feel the magic bleeding out of my fingertips.
I stopped in the grass, grinning at the traitor as he charged toward me in kind. I thought I’d give him a little surprise.
As he let out a battle cry and raised his sword to attack, I thrust out my left armored hand, palm open, and hit him with a TK blast spell.
Unlike my meager telekinesis from before, my raging adrenaline helped me tap into a far more powerful version, and the TK blast struck Marcus right in the head. His helm flew off and he flipped, head-over-heels, then crashed rough into the dirt and soil.
I walked over to him casually, closing the Soulguard into a fist. He looked up at me from the ground, blood trickling from a gash in his head, from the loosened teeth in his mouth. “Just kill me, rebel bastard,” he said.
I shrugged. “Nah,” I answered, then punched him squarely in the face with the Soulguard, knocking him unconscious.
*****
Now I had a tough decision to make.
I couldn’t simply kill Marcus, nor could I tie him to a tree and leave him behind for later. I’d run the risk of him getting killed by a passing predator, or even finding a way to free himself.
Also, now we had evidence of the Imperial spies. Even if Marcus refused to talk, bringing him to justice might help root out the other traitors. But the question was, how could I get him back to Homehold?
There was no telling what horrors Bella might be enduring under the thumb of Lord Ephemera, so I couldn’t waste the better part of the day riding back to the garrison to have them toss Marcus in a jail cell.
“Sephara,” I said. “You were able to break the orcs free of Lord Necromorph’s mind control. Do you think you could use a similar spell to force Marcus to tell the truth about the other traitors?”
Sephara scrunched her eyes, nibbled her lip, and frowned. “This means I’m going back to Homehold with this hole-ass, doesn’t it?” she said.
“Yes,” I said. “And it’s asshole.”
“I dunno,” Sephara answered.
“You might seek the help of Therena,” Pandora said. “The haughty gold-skinned flirt is a powerful mage.”
Sephara sighed. “Yes, I suppose.”
We already had Marcus bound and gagged, so he wouldn’t be a threat, but I didn’t like the idea of loading him onto Sephara’s horse. It was a long ride back to Homehold.
“Alright, here,” I said, then took off my teleportation amulet and gave it to Sephara. “Use this to get him back to Homehold right away. For all we know, the other agents are planning even more bullshit. Duke Gladios and Sir Lucien need to know about this to root out any other agents in the guard.”
Of course, giving the amulet to Sephara would cut off me and Pandora from a quick escape if things went bad. But given the circumstances, I figured the risk was worth it.
Reluctantly, Sephara accepted the amulet and put it around her neck. Worry flooded her usually sassy eyes. I pulled her in for a hug, brushed the fresh tears brimming in her eyes, and kissed her.
She put her arms around me tight as I pressed my lips against her soft, moist mouth. “Promise that you’ll come back to me as fast as you can,” Sephara said.
“You know that I will,” I answered.
She sighed, went to Pandora, and gave her sister a big hug. “Take care of the idiot Earthman, sister,” Sephara said. “You know he’s got no sense without us around to tell him what to do.”
*****
We got moving again right after Sephara teleported back to Homehold with Marcus, who was still bound and unconscious. I’d kept his ring, however.
IMPERIAL AGENT RING
CHARGE: 500/2000
EFFECT: PARALYZE TARGET FOR 60 SECONDS
Well, that charge was misleading, because assuming the ring had been fully charged previously, each blast cost 500 enchantment points. Still, it was a nifty tool to have in a pinch. I slipped in on my right hand.
It was good that we got right back on the road, because after Marcus’ betrayal, then having to part ways with Sephara, neither me nor Pandora were in a very good mood. Making matters worse were the ominous clouds drifting past overhead right as we started through the Grey Wolf Mountain pass.
Almost on cue, a single, plump snowflake fluttered down from the sky, right toward us. Pandora grunted in frustration and slapped the snowflake away.
“Stupid traitor,” Pandora said. “I should have seen it coming.”
“In retrospect it looks obvious,” I told her. “But at the time, he seemed trustworthy enough. Especially with that United Rebel Front tattoo.”
“I wish we could have killed him,” Pandora said.
“Me too,” I answered. “But keeping him alive will be better for the rebellion. Hopefully Duke Gladios and Sir Lucien can sniff out the rest of the traitors.”
The mountain pass was grim, so that didn’t add any joy to our m
ood. The horse’s hoofs clip-clopped through the narrow passage, which was nothing but gravel and rocks, with hardly a blade of grass at all.
By the time we were halfway through the pass, there was more than an inch of snow on the ground. However, we could see the treetops of Darkwood Forest in the distance, so at least we were getting close.
Despite the snow, which was now coming down in heavier gusts, I spotted something overhead. I looked up and squinted, then saw an eagle wheeling over top of us.
“What is it?” Pandora asked.
“Some bird, maybe an eagle,” I said, frowning. “Something seems off about it, though.”
Pandora looked up at it along with me. “Hmm,” she said. “Looks like a typical eagle to me, Earthman.”
“Do me a favor,” I said. “Put on your life detection goggles.”
Pandora nodded, then slipped the goggles on and took a second look. Her mouth tightened into a thin line. “You were right,” she said. “The eagle’s an illusion. It gives off no aura. Do you think Corvus Gavrus might be controlling it?”
“Hopefully,” I said. “Better him than Lord Ephemera.”
Then, a few yards farther up the pass, came the sound of heavy boots crunching in the dirt and gravel.
“Oh damn,” I said as I looked on at the creature awaiting us.
He was nearly as tall and brawny as an orc, but his slightly more slender stature only made him look more deadly. His demonic armor shimmered black. His eyes shone red through his dark helm and he kept an ebony-black demonic longsword on his hip.
The demon knight stood there, growling as he watched our approach.
“It’s another illusion,” Pandora said.
“Yeah, well he looks real enough to me,” I said.
“Who goes there?” the phantom demon knight called out.
Pandora pulled our horse to a stop and I dismounted. “I’m Gamelord, friend of Homehold and Champion of the Mananymphs. I come seeking the illusion master Corvus Gavrus.”
The demon knight cocked his head curiously. “Champion of the Mananymphs you say,” he said. “What proof do you have of this claim?”
I took a few steps forward and held up the Soulguard. “I wear the Soulguard,” I called out to him.
The demon knight huffed and drew his sword. “It looks like an imitation to me,” the knight responded. “If you’re truly the Champion, you won’t mind proving that gauntlet’s worth in battle.”
Chapter Six
I drew my silver longsword, knowing from experience that an illusion cast by a master illusionist can be very, very real indeed.
“Careful Earthman, he uses magic!” Pandora called out as the demon knight was suddenly shrouded in a green mist of illusion magic.
“Fucker,” I said, because then the demon knight vanished. “He used an invisibility spell. Muted his movements, as well.”
I grit my teeth, keeping an eye out for movement, but of course, his invisibility spell wouldn’t wear off until he attacked.
I held the Soulguard up in a defensive position, then I realized that the ground was all gravel and dust. I glanced down and saw a set of huge footprints silently coming my way.
“Gotcha!” I shouted, then slashed my silver longsword in that general direction.
The demon knight appeared before me, snarling in frustration as my silver blade clanged off his thickly armored shoulder.
He might have been an illusion, but he was a damn strong one.
After getting his bearings, the demon knight rushed me, slashing and hacking at me with his sword. I parried and blocked with the Soulguard, his obsidian demonic blade sparking off the well-armored gauntlet.
BLOCK SKILL INCREASED +1
ATHLETICS SKILL INCREASED +1
I let the demon knight continue his onslaught. After all, he said he wanted me to prove that the Soulguard was real, so I didn’t think there was much of a point in fighting back…at least for now.
It went on like that for another several minutes, with the knight hacking furiously at the Soulguard without so much as scratching it. However, I’d gotten tired of this stupid duel.
I waited until he began to wind up for another heavy slash. When the blade came down, I pivoted to the side, then thrust the tip of my blade into the vulnerable point in his neck armor, where two joints came together, giving me just enough of an opening to slide my blade into his throat.
“Yield,” I said.
The demon knight laughed loudly and nodded to me respectfully. “Nice to meet you, Champion,” the demon knight said, although in a voice that was nothing at all like the one I’d heard before.
At once, the demon knight vanished in a glittering puff of green illusion magic. Now, an old man in a tattered brown robe with a long, white beard was walking up the path toward us.
“Forgive me, Gamelord,” the old man called out. “This country can be dangerous, so I keep a lookout for intruders.”
I smiled. “I assume that you’re Corvus Gavrus, the illusion master.”
“Indeed I am,” he said, then did a double-take when he saw Pandora. “Oh, bless Mother Gaia. You’re a Mananymph, aren’t you?”
Pandora nodded. “I am.”
Corvus was an old man, but rather fit, and he came rushing up to me to inspect the Soulguard. “A little more scuffed than I imagined it’d be, but it’s true, this is indeed the Soulguard,” he said in amazement. “Follow me then, you two. My little hovel is a way’s up, and not exactly conveniently located, but it’s got more than enough room for the three of us.”
I walked next to the old mage while Pandora trotted along behind us. I told the illusion master why we’d come.
He laughed in delight when I told him about my encounter with Aegis Winterhollow, and how the vampire lord had made the elixir we were going to use to rouse Bella from her sleep.
“Fought him in a duel, you say?” Corvus said. “Odd that you should still be among the living then, lad.”
“Trust me, he could have finished me off if he’d felt like it,” I said. “But he was a good man, vampire or not.”
Corvus shook his head. He’d been sad to hear about the vampire lord’s death. “I’ll miss him. You know, once every few years he’d invite me to that wretched frozen island of his. We’d go over each other’s findings. The bastard didn’t even sic his blood ghouls on me.”
I laughed. “Lucky you.”
He led us the rest of the way through the mountain pass, then to a dense thicket of trees and bramble right at the edge of Darkwood Forest. “It must be dangerous living out here,” I said.
“Oh, the dark denizens of the forest often leave me alone,” he answered. “The ones who come sniffing for trouble usually run off when I bring that demon knight around.”
“So…that was an illusion, or did you conjure it?” I asked. I knew there was conjuration magic in this world, but so far, I hadn’t met anyone who could use it.
“Oh, he was no conjured creature, Earthman,” Corvus said as he led us through the trees, to a small path that was just wide enough to accommodate Pandora’s horse. “That school of magic was always too much of a hassle. With conjuration, the mage must bind the summoned beast to his will. That can be tricky. With a beast that I create through my illusions, I control its every movement. Much safer that way.”
“How do the power levels work, then?” I asked. “Let’s say you make a phantom demon knight with your magic, but a conjurer summons an actual demon knight from the underworld. Which one would win?”
The mage shrugged. “That depends on the mages, lad. But speaking of baseline power? The conjured demon knight would likely be stronger, all things being equal. Problem is, the bugger might turn around and stab the summoner, if the mage ain’t careful. The hardest part about maintaining the illusion is remembering to refer to myself in the third-person,” he laughed.
Corvus was teaching me a lot about illusion magic, but as we got closer to his home, he showed me even more.
The path we
were on grew narrower up ahead, then seemed to run into a fairly solid wall of tangled brush and bramble, with thick trees blocking the path. Still, Corvus walked with a purpose, right toward that impenetrable wall of greenery. I laughed when he suddenly walked right through it, with no resistance at all.
He explained that while a truly elite illusionist – like Lord Ephemera, the Necromancer, or Aegis Winterhollow – could create solid objects with some degree of permanence, such an ability was rare.
“Aye, but I can weave a permanent illusion of solid objects,” he explained. “More often than not, that’s more than enough to dissuade any beasties from bothering me.”
As we walked through the illusion, I noticed that though the ground looked rough and muddy and covered in tree roots and vines, my boots stepped right through it. I was walking on a hidden, yet smooth, surface.
After a few feet, we crossed through the illusion. Here, there was actually a fairly decent-sized clearing, with a mid-sized cottage sitting under a rare opening in the thick canopy overhead. Sunlight beamed down onto the cottage through the thin cloud cover overhead, with intermittent snowflakes coming down like bits of dust.
I laughed. “Duke Elfblood made it sound like you were some hermit living in a cave,” I said.
Corvus laughed along with me. “Oh, and I like people to think that,” he answered. “The more folk think that I’m some insane isolationist, the less likely they are to come bothering me unless they have a damn good reason.”
Pandora tied up the horse out front then we followed him inside. The cottage was warm, with several torches going, and then I gave the coordinates to the old mage.
He opened the parchment and took a moment to look it over. He nodded. “Aye, I can get you to Lord Ephemera’s citadel,” Corvus said. “But you’ll have to give me some time with it.”
“How exactly do you plan on getting us there?” I asked.
“I figure I’ll open a portal for you,” the old mage said.
“With illusion magic?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not quite,” he answered. “See lad, at their core, all schools of magic technically come from the same source and are intertwined in some way. While I’m no mystic, I can likely tap into the inherent mysticism-type properties within the illusion magic. Use it as a backdoor of sorts to open a portal to his undead bastard’s pocket dimension.”
Monstergirl Quest Book Two Page 5
