Battle Mage, The Caves of Time

by Donald Wigboldy

Again the monster roared, but this time it was in pain.

  Nearing head height from behind, Sebastian stabbed the sword into its neck releasing another gout of fire inside of the ogre. Flames puffed out of its mouth. Its next cry sounded raspy. Having struck it powerfully Sebastian found the blade lodged deep enough to enter the throat, the flame burned at its vocal chords. The Hollow Sword was also stuck.

  "Spear," he added a different weapon to his hand moving to the monster's right. It plunged into the ogre's back like when he had used a spear to strike through a boulder, but this beast was even tougher. Still it was deep enough that by the time Sebastian swept around to its face, the ogre was nearly blind with pain. Another spear plunged into its right eye.

  It stumbled backward as the eye exploded. Half blind and reeling, Sebastian sent another shaft into the left eye driving it as deep into the eye as he could make the spear go. Blinded and dying, the ogre dropped to its knees. Hands going limp at its sides, the battle mage retrieved his blade releasing fire once more to drive it free. The massive body crashed to the ground beneath the flying battle mage.

  His eyes surveyed the enemies around him. The other ogre's face showed fear and it turned to run.

  A dragon knight screamed and Sebastian noted a grayven dropping it from the air.

  Other creatures were sunk to their knees in the ground to his left. Elzen was already ignoring the knights and a lone mino trapped in stone by his spell. His sword was out and leveled towards a dragon warlock. The creature dropped its staff holding up its hands to surrender.

  A lone dark elf cowered where the storm gate had once been. Only four dragon knights remained standing though not all the fallen were likely dead. Like the warlock they surrendered dropping their swords and dropped to their knees in submission. With their army gone and those remaining annihilated before they couldn't mount much of a defense, the few remaining enemies were done.

  Ashleen landed beside him and said, "You're covered in blood. Is any of it your own?"

  "I don't think so," he admitted trying to notice if any sword had actually clipped him. The battle mage hadn't even used his reflex spell he realized. Runes felt warm and looking down those used for speed still glowed. Another for strength was yellow on his arm.

  His special chest runes were warm also, though one felt like it had emptied during the fight. Most of the spells shouldn't have been particularly draining on their own, but he had lost count of how many had been used.

  Elzen moved towards him. His Hollow Sword remained leveled towards the trapped dragon knights. Like those still free, the creatures threw aside their swords and shields hoping for mercy.

  "What do we do with them? Do we keep them as prisoners?" the boy asked in confusion.

  Sebastian had only meant to gain the magic box, but realized that keeping any of these creatures as prisoners was tactically a good idea. They needed to know why they were here and what drove them at all. Learning their magic, his wizards might be able to figure out a way to keep their storm gates from opening on Alus again.

  Looking at the only dark elf that appeared to still be alive, the owl leveled his blade towards its neck, "Why are you here?"

  His voice was demanding and the wide eyed warlock stammered something that the mage couldn't understand. Everyone spoke common on Alus, or at least most did. Certainly those from northern Taltan and North spoke the same language. Expecting someone from another world to do so might have been overreaching and naive, he supposed.

  Sighing when he lacked comprehension, Sebastian supposed that securing the magic users would be wise.

  "We can't speak to them until we learn their language," he complained picking the dark elf from the ground. At the surprisingly high pitched squeak, Sebastian looked closer noting long silver hair.

  "I think this is a girl, Sebastian," Ashleen stated noting the slim figure. The petite chin and slightly full lips did look like a girl, he realized. "She has small breasts, but if they are like us at all. I think that I am right."

  A heavy footfall as four clawed feet landed behind him made the mage turn quickly. He nearly released the dark elf's wrists in surprise.

  "What now?" Katya asked curiously from her perch atop the black feathered grayven. Under her control, the beast almost seemed safe.

  "You kept that?" he asked in shock.

  "He's fine while I hold him in the spell. If I work on it correctly, I might even be able to tame him," the girl said with a smirk.

  "And he could kill you if you aren't careful," he warned in annoyance. While the older brother wanted to caution his little sister, he did have to admit that it was impressive.

  Elzen suddenly leaped towards the remaining dragon warlock. "Hold on there, buddy! No using magic without permission!"

  The warning made the kneeling dragon wizard hold up his hands stopping whatever spell he might have been trying to cast.

  "What was he doing?" Sebastian queried. If the magic user was trying to cast its spell, it was another reason to bind their hands. It was nearly impossible to cast magic without ones' hands to shape a spell. Battle mages could do a few things with just a word, but any damaging attacks required their hands to aim at least.

  The dragon caster waved its hands and started to mime something. Its hand moved from its mouth to the front of its head. Moving hand from mouth to ear and then the forehead once more; the creature seemed to imply something as it pointed at them then to its forehead again with a palmed slap as if realizing something.

  "I think that it is trying to say that it might have a spell to help understand our language, Owl Sebastian," Ylena said moving towards them.

  "Everyone spread out a bit," the mage ordered. "If it is a trick, let's keep it focused on just one of us if possible."

  He handed over the dark elf to Ashleen and urged them to the side as he moved closer to the dragon man.

  Nodding at the wizard, he put himself in harm's way. "Go ahead," he said gently but with eyes remaining tightly upon the dragon's hands as if he could truly be certain that he could react in time. The runes of defense started to glow in response to his wariness.

  Whether the creature noticed or not, it began to intone some sort of spell in that language again.

  "I think I know a couple of the words he's using," Ylena said quietly from his left. "All true magic seems to draw from the same original words. Some believe that magic comes from the true dragons, so maybe they travel in other worlds as well."

  There were legends that said men had been given magic from dragons in a time long since forgotten.

  "Perhaps this is true," the dragon wizard said with a frown on his brow. The words sounded about right, but Sebastian thought that there was a strange accent to it and perhaps an echo as well.

  "You can understand us now?" Sebastian questioned the warlock.

  "I believe so," it replied. "It will take a little time for every word to make snnsse, but the more we speak the smoother it will be."

  The dragon spoke slowly, but everything made sense though a couple words he thought were actually inferred in his mind. Sebastian wasn't sure that he had heard them all and the dragon's mouth moved in a slightly different way than what he thought the words would make its jaw open and close. It was magic and something that he had never seen.

  "Does she understand us now as well?" Ashleen asked noting the dark elf remained quiet.

  "I can #&$t the sspll on her, if you wssh," it said and Sebastian noted that less used words might be likely to be the ones that would be hardest to make out until the magic had time to fully incorporate their language. It was his best guess as to how the language spell might actually work.

  "You may," he nodded.

  The same mystic language was used. Sebastian noticed that the sounds were a match for the first even with the translation spell in place, but the dragon needed to touch her head.

  "I am Drask," he added and Sebastian began to truly take in the look of this creature. Its face looked similar to the che'ther in their
usual form. Cheleya had been in human girl guise, but he had seen her turn into a true dragon. Drask was similar though brown or perhaps a dark bronze in color. He had green reptilian eyes. Though the warlock knelt now, he had been taller than Sebastian. Perhaps close to six and half feet, the dragon man looked slender compared to most of the knights.

  "What is your race called?" Ashleen asked curiously.

  "We are the Zmaj," he answered, "though some also call us dragao. This being is Warrlkk Eyrenal. Her kind are called ciemnosci, if you were going to ask."

  He guessed that her designation was warlock, but again it was a word he had to infer. "We've been calling them dark elves. We have another race that looks like them but with skin more like ours."

  "The ciemnosci are like no others," Eyrenal said sounding bitter. She looked down at the ground while kneeling before Ashleen.

  Ashleen placed a finger near her ear and let a small spark zap the elven woman's ear. She cried out in a squeak once more and proved that she was more frightened than her brief bit of bravado might have tried to hide.

  "Shush, unless you want to answer our questions."

  "What questions?" the dragao asked sounding calm. He appeared resigned to being a prisoner at least for now. Sebastian wasn't certain exactly why. The behavior didn't seem quite right for the situation; but Drask was being cooperative for now, so it was better than having to fight for everything with creatures unable to understand them at least.

  "First, why are you here?"

  "We came for the Tempus Chamber," the dragao replied easily enough.

  "And what is that?" Elzen asked curiously.

  "It combines the sand for power. That is a small version there," Drask stated pointing to the box.

  "Did you leave some of that sand around here also?" Sebastian queried.

  Ylena moved closer. Her girlish looks frowned at the warlocks and he guessed that she hoped for a cure to the reversal of time that she suffered.

  Pointing towards the northern mountain, he said, "We let it grow in the caves there."

  "Why are you placing them here? Is it a weapon?"

  The dragao chuckled and replied, "It is dangerous, yes, but technically it is not a weapon. We grow them in paired boxes designed to work against each other at a certain distance. Time gets pulled away from each using the syppns."

  Sebastian frowned wishing that the spell could fully digest the word. He guessed that perhaps Drask meant 'siphons', but wasn't quite certain of this one.

  "Again why place them here? Why don't you do it in your own world?"

  The dragao frowned as he glanced at the dark elf. "It isn't our magic. It is theirs. They used it in our world long ago. Now that world is mostly barren desert."

  "So they killed your world?" Serrena asked listening into the conversation. "And now they are your allies?"

  "The ciemnosci rule others. We are their allies, I suppose, though many serve only because they have little other choice."

  Eyrenal lifted her eyes towards the dragon man and said tersely, "Watch your words, dragao. You shouldn't tell our secrets either. Your people are bound to mine and you know it."

  The bronze dragao shrugged. "And now we are here and I might have to serve another. That is the way of life, is it not?"

  Grinding her teeth, Eyrenal yipped once again when Ashleen reminded her that she was a captive as well by zapping the other pointed ear.

  "That ogre got away," Elzen reminded him looking off in the direction that the giant had run. It was long gone, however.

  "I'm not that worried over one creature. Did we get the rest?"

  "It's the only one that ran that I spotted," Serrena reported. "Now what?"

  "I'll make a gate back to Hala. We can have them all put under guard and bring this Tempus Chamber with to be studied by our wizards. Maybe our new friends will be of help as well."

  This made the dark elf pouty again; but when Sebastian created a golden doorway in the air and led the two warlocks away while the others watched over the remaining soldiers, her eyes widened at the piece of magic created by him. She didn't express why, but the owl figured it was just one more piece of information to get out of her later.

  They had the first true pieces to the puzzle and a hefty prize as well. It was a good win for Southwall and its allies.

  Chapter 31- One Against Many

  Kharrik leapt from the terrace to slide down the mountain barely keeping his balance as he made it to the next terrace below him. There was no one left here to help either, but three bodies of his people remained behind.

  The dark elf jumped on a grayven to fly after the battle mage as more of the ram men called koze chased after him intent on their hunt.

  Kharrik was breathing hard now. He had fought the dark elf on the terrace while the winged grayven did its best to peck and claw at him. The koze had recovered from the wizards' attack joining in a moment later. Fire from the Hollow Sword had helped, but his power was waning. He had cast multiple gates and held them open. Even borrowing from Shaylene, it drew from the battle mage's magic to a degree.

  Fighting and using more spells was starting to wear him down. He was also nursing some painful gashes. The runes helped. They were superficial and without the magical aids the battle mage might be lying in a pool of his own blood already.

  Black fire splashed onto the terrace after him just before the first koze caught up to the battle mage. They were just too agile on this kind of sloped stone, he thought with annoyance. No other creatures in that army seemed as nimble though and currently Kharrik only faced off against these rams and the persistent dark elf.

  He felt the strange clinging fire bite into his leg. It was painful, but a little push of the runes moved it away from him with only the burning heat being the worst of it, Kharrik thought hopefully.

  A spear clacked to the ground beside him. One of the koze had cast improperly as it gave chase. Even they needed to aim better than running down hill afforded, the man thought knowing that he needed to be glad. The runes drew from his strength and stamina. His magic had to be conserved or it would start to eat away at his body as well. There was only so much of him to give to the magic and, once it was gone, they would have him.

  "Shield," he said casting the blue protection between him and those pursuing the mage. It was a way to conserve energy, but it was another spell, the man worried.

  The sword flashed catching one of the koze. Whatever magic had been placed in the blade was gone. For now it was just a good piece of steel, but steel wasn't looking like it would be enough.

  Dancing around trying to keep the monsters from cutting him off, Kharrik moved around the terrace losing ground. He was nearly to the far side now and the empty space was shrinking for movement. Glancing upward, he noted the next terrace above him. It would also be the last before the mage would have to risk dropping down the slope of the mountain. The worst part of that was there was nothing below him but more of these foreign beasts. Even if he could make it down safely, he might be trapped in a similar way with even more of them.

  A screech as the grayven swept up behind him to swipe at the man warned Kharrik too late. Talons tried to pull him one way, the strong hands of the koze attempted to draw him in the other. In the end, the battle mage managed to stay where he was, but that meant he was about to be pushed over the low wall or thrown by the grayven from behind.

  His vision noted the runes on his sword hand and wondered if it would work.

  Pushing his magic into the harpoon rune, he launched it towards the upper terrace. A thin barbed line remained attached to it and to his arm.

  "Earth strike," the mage ordered breathlessly and charged the sword. Sweeping towards the ground in front of him the Hollow Sword unleashed a powerful blast into the ground splitting apart the terrace. Koze stumbled back. Even their great agility wasn't enough to save them as the front half of the terrace broke away to fall down the mountain side onto more of the creatures below them.

  Leaping away from
his closest attackers, Kharrik pulled himself up using his magic line to drawn him along the slope in a near run. He stumbled, but the tether was still supposed to pull him. It was his magic and the mage decided what it would do. While he hadn't heard of this use before, the harpoon proved more than capable.

  Arriving at the higher terrace, Kharrik surveyed what he must still face. Many of the koze had fallen with the broken terrace. Most of it was gone and he could see a rock slide and many other creatures buried in the rubble below. It might even help his comrades by slowing them down for a moment, he thought.

  Another screech heralded the grayven and its rider returning for him. Kharrik turned trying to find it, but he was too late. Crushed to the ground, the battle mage felt his magic push into the runes to prevent his immediate death. Even then, the pain of its claws puncturing his skin and the weight attempting to break his ribs was enough to make him wonder if this was it.

  The harpoon still extended from his hand. He had transferred the sword to his left to escape, but he was right handed.

  Stabbing at the side of the grayven's neck, the man blocked its beak with his left hand and the Hollow Sword while the harpoon stabbed at it again and again. He went for an eye and the grayven screeched in pain. It wasn't a direct hit, but it was enough. It reeled back lessening the weight on his chest. Magic fire sailed high as the rider, thinking him easy prey, was thrown back missing him but managed to set fire to the mountainside above them.

  Blood trickled into his eye but Kharrik slipped free from the massive claws of the beast. He limped back finding that his left leg wasn't working the way it should. Kharrik was uncertain if something was broken. Adrenaline numbed the truth and the pain had yet to tell him just how bad his injury actually was.

  A second screech rang out behind the battle mage. He caught sight of two more of the grayven and one had a second rider readying a spell to strike him down. He wondered if he was all that was left on the side of the mountain to draw so much attention. He wiped the blood from his eye and called out, "Come and get me, you bastards!"