Metal Mage 14

by Eric Vall

  I choked on my last sip of wine, and while I spluttered and tried to compose myself, the surrounding nobility arched their eyebrows with concern as Haragh pounded his hand against my back.

  “Yep,” I gasped. “I’m done drinking Rosh. And wine. I’m gonna go. Stan, are you coming with?”

  The little metal man saluted and steered his dragon around, and after he exchanged another fancy handshake with Haragh, the two of us ducked out of the great hall. Getting back to Bobbie took half an hour, though, because I kept getting stopped by citizens who either wanted to congratulate me, tell me what an honor it was to meet me, or get me to sign their swords.

  Then the Mustang crawled its way through the streets of Serin while a parade materialized around me, but eventually, I made it out of the city gates just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

  “What a day,” I sighed while Bobbie floored it over the hills.

  Stan kicked back on the dashboard with a dramatic stretch, and he nodded in agreement as Solana began rolling around on the seat like a puppy in the grass.

  “Temin had something made for you, by the way,” I told the metal man, and he shot up as he held his hands out.

  When I dug the mini sword out of my pocket and handed it over, though, Stan slumped. Then he pointed to his rifle and shrugged.

  “Hey, don’t knock swords,” I chuckled. “I carry three guns at all times, and I still keep my sword on my belt. You never know when you’re gonna need a giant blade to just slice a bastard open with. It’s a classic. Plus, that’s an exact replica of some sword a famous knight of Illaria used. Think of it as a symbolic gesture.”

  Stan looked like he could get on board with this, and he nodded with approval while he tested out the edge of the blade. Then he spent the rest of our drive stumbling across the dashboard and pretending he knew how to wield a sword, and every swipe through the air carried so much determination that I could tell he was still riding high after his knighting ceremony.

  I was, too. Watching the citizens and nobles bow in his tiny honor while the king announced his new title had definitely been a highlight of my life in this realm.

  Still, Stan was the same little metal man he’d always been, just with a bit more swagger in his step, and by the time we parked Bobbie beside a line of Boms, he looked like a natural swordsman.

  I used a bit of steel from Bobbie’s frame to make him a decent sheath, though, and once the mini knight was ready to go, he mounted his dragon steed and led the way out of the Mustang.

  Then he waited for me to join him before he saluted the automatons ahead of us, and all fifty Boms surrounding the Master’s grounds turned to salute in unison while Cayla’s army joined in as well.

  Chapter 23

  I smirked while Stan and Solana led the way through the barricade of guards, and I nodded a greeting to the knights who were gathered around fires while they devoured the feast Temin sent over. To my left, the Master’s grounds looked like a nuclear waste zone in the twilight, and even with layers of black ash scattering the stone, the Halcyan left behind from the rockets still emitted a strong glow wherever they’d detonated. The same glow was visible where the hellcats’ fire burst the spare shells along the perimeter of the field, too, but the Master’s headquarters still drew my gaze more directly than any of this.

  It had been ominous to behold when it was impenetrable, but something about the gaping black hole torn through the front of the fortress made it seem even more formidable. The three-foot-thick walls had residual cracks sprawling out beyond the entrance we’d blasted into it, and with no smoke billowing out of the towers, the whole place looked like a deserted hellhole that still stank like death.

  I shielded my nose and mouth in the crook of my arm the moment I crossed the threshold, but my magic had restored itself enough by this point that I was able to churn the corpses into the ground this time. Then I began the long trek through the darkened passageways of the fortress, and the heavy silence in the area made the place that much creepier. No beasts were snarling or clawing in the distance anymore, and aside from the few elves I could hear rummaging around, only my footfalls echoed throughout the Master’s headquarters.

  Which was better than the mashing of rotting guts, at least.

  Stan flew boldly ahead of me while we mounted the endless spiral steps within the peak, but when we crossed the torchlit bridge, we found the iron door shut and locked.

  I furrowed my brow as I slowed my pace and listened to the muttering inside the chamber, but a moment later, Dragir called out demanding I name myself. Once I did, he unbolted everything and let us in.

  “This is not a calming place,” the silver-haired elf informed me. “All this black and nothing else. The door was open, and I thought this was comforting, but then I am looking over my shoulder every moment, and now I am talking to myself to maintain my sanity.”

  “Understandable,” I chuckled as I eyed the daggers he’d carefully arranged on the table for easy access. “What kind of progress have you made?”

  “I have sorted the branding irons by the elements I can recognize,” Dragir told me as he motioned for me to join him in the next room. “This stack is obviously the Master’s rune, and the other is the teleportation element. I am taking one of those. Then we get to the stack for influencing stone, another for water, and two stacks which are entirely unidentifiable to me. However, I have been sorting through these notes…”

  I followed Dragir back to the front chamber, and the elf shuffled a couple pages around before he pulled an open book over, too.

  “This page details the uses of two elements on the irons without naming them directly,” the elf explained, “but I found this one statement on a slip of parchment that only says ‘relinquish hold,’ and upon studying the Master’s rune more carefully, I find this element is present there as well. So, this element causes the wearer to relinquish hold of his own mental control, and I am thinking the other transfers hold of that control to another. The cohesion line that binds the two crosses over the degree lines in the same way as the irons I cannot identify. So, I have concluded the Master is likely not branded with his own rune, but wears another that allows him to influence those who bear his mark.”

  I nodded slowly. “Okay, but I was actually wondering if you’d made any progress on finding out where he might have fled to in Nalnora.”

  “Oh,” Dragir muttered. “My mistake. I have been fascinated with these developments, but I can understand the need of focusing on his whereabouts. I gave up trying to figure that out.”

  “Godsdamnit,” I sighed.

  “I’m sorry, but there is nothing,” the silver-haired elf informed me. “The map of Nalnora gives no indication of another fortress there, and neither does the map of the smoke lands. This does not mean your metal man is incorrect about his travelling through the jungle, but I have found nothing that mentions other acquaintances of his, not even the Head of House Syru. I have done what I can to find a starting point, though, and it looks as if he had plans for fortresses elsewhere.”

  Dragir motioned to one of the other tables, and he began pulling various piles over that he’d already arranged.

  “These are the plans for Orebane, and the description of the areas,” the elf explained. “This pile over here are the possible locations in Illaria, and there are two in Jagruel which I’ve left on the side. You might wish to check these areas to ensure there is nothing to worry about. Other than that, he made several accounts of the various creatures he has or wishes to acquire, and they are centralized in three general areas. Scouting these habitats might be a long term means of possibly trapping him.”

  “That’s a start,” I agreed. “What’s the last stack of paper about?”

  “These are disturbing documents I would like to discuss with you further,” the elf replied. “They are incredibly detailed and list the ways you and he could work together, but everything else in this place pertains to rune magic. I am not disappointed about this. The Master ha
s more knowledge on a single slip of parchment than you will find in any of the Elite records.”

  “We could definitely use that,” I muttered. “What about the runes I showed you on the balcony?”

  “These are intriguing,” Dragir said with a grin. “I agree with your interpretation of their altered dimensional uses, and you are correct. A rune like this could make it impossible for us to locate him even if he were directly beside us. However, based on four documents I have found in here, which allude to the other elements within the rune, I do not believe he has figured out how to use it on a living form. Only stone. Now, all but one of these elements is directly named in his notes, but I wonder if the missing one will stick out to you upon further examination.”

  “You could just tell me--”

  “I should not have to,” Dragir cut in as he headed for the arched window. “If I have taught you well at all, then you will notice this yourself, and you should. You have a keen eye for detail.”

  The two of us stepped out onto the balcony, and there was only a dim bit of light left in the sky now. It was enough of a dark blue glow to illuminate the granite, though, and Dragir pointed to a degree line I didn’t know the name of.

  “Consider the placement of this line,” the elf instructed. “What do you think?”

  I furrowed my brow. “I think it’s along the two-hundred and eighty-second degree.”

  “Precisely,” Dragir replied.

  “So, it’s unknown,” I pointed out, and the elf motioned for me to continue. “It’s surrounded by elements pertaining to reflectivity. Well, three of them, anyways. The other elements related to reflectivity are opposite on the degree mapping, and--”

  “Ah!” Dragir interrupted. “That point right there. What can you tell me?”

  I considered the mapping in my mind. “That some of the surrounding elements here are unknown as well, including the one hundred and second degree which lies directly opposite of the two hundred and eighty second.”

  “See?” the elf said with a broad grin. “You notice this stuff! Now, more importantly, where have you seen the opposing degree line before?”

  I blinked, but Dragir looked almost giddy, which wasn’t like him, so I tried to think on this even though the conversation was giving me a headache. Unfortunately, I still had no answer three minutes later.

  “That is okay,” the elf sighed. “The other points were very good, and this is a minor detail, but the day you brought me to your magical city, we sat with a frail man and looked through the Elven Scrolls. This degree, the one hundred and second degree, was hidden within the ancient code used in the documents.”

  “Okay. Is that helpful?”

  “Only because of what you said,” Dragir clarified. “Elements related to reflectivity are the only ones which oppose one another directly on the mapping. Their nature dictates their placement, and they are the only elements who’s countering points are strictly clear because of this. So, while we do not know the two hundred and eighty second degree used here, we have at least one document pertaining to the one hundred and second.”

  I grinned a bit now. “And this is the only line in the rune not named in any of the notes the Master has here?”

  “Yes,” the elf said with a nod.

  “Alright,” I mused while I considered all this. “This is actually fascinating. And helpful.”

  “You see my point,” Dragir agreed. “It is not much, and it does not clarify where we should begin our search, but if we can utilize countering runes to these four, that is a start. It means perhaps he cannot stay as well concealed as he thinks he can.”

  “You got all this after only a few hours in here?” I asked.

  “Yes, I enjoy this kind of work.” Dragir shrugged. “Rune magic is like nothing else in this world, the potential for power is unfathomable, but within grasp. My ancestors knew all of the degrees, and I am determined to restore every unknown element before I pass.”

  “You’re gonna teach me them, right?”

  “I probably will have to, yes,” Dragir snorted. “I hear you pissed off a god. Not ideal if you are going to live long enough to cherish my sister. With some added rune magic, perhaps you will survive.”

  “I appreciate it,” I chuckled.

  “What did you do to make this god so angry, anyways?”

  “Oh, uh…” I shifted my weight as I considered the glowing blue field for a moment. “Nothing uncouth. He used to like me, actually, but then I, uh… got his sister pregnant?”

  Dragir crossed his arms as he leveled me with a pointed look. “Did you? How out of character for you.”

  “This wasn’t intentional,” I clarified. “I didn’t know who her brother was, or even that she had one. Also, it’s not like a whole nation had a claim on her or anything. She was supposed to assist in my downfall, but then she changed her mind. It’s completely different from Deya, and hard to explain, but all of this leads to her god-brother’s domain crumbling and his powers waning. Now, he’s pissed.”

  “I see…” Dragir mused. “So, this is impressive.”

  “It’s definitely something,” I muttered. “I’m still unclear about the technicalities of the whole dilemma, but for the most part--”

  Dragir held up a hand. “Do you hear that?”

  Both of us looked out toward the field, but at first, I didn’t notice anything aside from the sound of the knights talking around their fires. Then Dragir turned toward the east, and when I redirected my attention, I realized I also heard something distinct.

  It was barely noticeable, and high-pitched, but the way it drifted through the breeze was soft like an eerie call. Both of us squinted through the deep blue light to find where it was coming from, and I’d almost given up trying to see anything when I caught the slightest movement on a distant ridge. It was gone in a second, but Dragir pointed directly to where he’d seen it as well, and I nodded.

  The eerie sound hadn’t stopped even though it fluctuated now and then while it began to fade, and after a few minutes of staring at the darkening skyline in the east, the figure reappeared farther along the ridge. It wasn’t too far away to make out its features yet, and I could tell it had its back to us. Still, the abnormal shape struck me as familiar, and when it turned to look back, the figure stopped almost like it was watching us, too.

  Unfortunately, I was positive it was watching us because I recognized the hollow-eyed stare.

  “Fuck,” Dragir muttered under his breath.

  “I’m imagining that, right?” I tried. “That’s not a Wendigo.”

  “It’s a Wendigo,” the elf said flatly.

  “Fuuuck.”

  Dragir nodded while we watched the figure travel east before it disappeared again, and when the elf finally took a deep breath and looked my way, I firmly shook my head.

  “This is good,” Dragir countered. “Look how quickly you have solved the mystery! We now have a very good idea of where the Master has gone, and it is convenient.”

  “What?” I snorted.

  “The two of us happen to have business of our own to address in Nalnora, and House Orrel is clear on the other side of it,” Dragir pointed out. “If we are going there anyway, it would be silly to only kill one Elite leader and leave all the rest for later.”

  I wanted to go home and bury myself in a pile of naked women right then, and I didn’t ever want to resurface. Not if possessed Wendigos just entered the field, but Dragir had a deadly grin on his face when I spared him half a glance.

  “This could be fun, no?” the elf chuckled. “Think of the rockets and all of this rune magic we are stumbling into. Think of Aeris and his filthy fucking face under the soles of your boots. Deya will of course give you much of the credit and very little to me, but this is okay as well.”

  Then I smirked, because fitting all this into one slaughtery package did sound fun. When I looked over at Stan, though, the little metal knight was sitting tall on his dragon steed, and he sent me a look I couldn’t possibly
misinterpret.

  Stan was right, too. Sometimes, a man’s gotta do whatever it takes to protect his family. If that meant destroying my elven enemies, taking down an army of Wendigos, and killing the Master in one bloody trek across a carnivorous jungle… then I’d do it.

  And I’d enjoy the hell out of it, too, because the Flynt Family Massacre would damn sure go down in history if my women had anything to say about it.

  “Alright,” I chuckled as I turned my lethal grin toward the east. “Let’s go kill some fucking elves.”

  End of Book 14

  End Notes

  Thank you for reading Metal Mage 14. Once I hit 100 reviews I’ll start working on the next (AND LAST) Metal Mage book! Please leave your reviews here! Thank you!

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Eric Vall