Galisia was the poorest of all the lands that bordered Alteroth. Its territory was mountainous and dry with the people living in scattered villages scratching out an existence with sheep and goat herding and a little subsistence farming. The country had no one ruler, each individual village or settlement was cut off from the others by the rugged terrain; all authority was local. The land was overrun by goblin and orc tribes who raided each other and the humans. It was perhaps the poorest and most wretched spot in the world.
Rutenia also had many goblins, orcs, and other monsters. The land south of the Barrens was a bit more hospitable with hills and lowlands in place of mountains. Here various clans held power over stretches of territory. Loyalty was to the family or clan and battles were always personal. In Rutenia feuds and vendettas could last for generations and even the most minor slight could be cause for bloodshed.
Viscaya was an anomaly, the people who lived there had very bizarre notions about power and government. There the commoners held political power. They practiced a strange form of organized anarchy that was referred to as ‘democracy’. The people there had no respect for blood, and did not permit any noble titles or special privileges. They loudly insisted that all men were equal and ought to be treated that way.
The idea was so patently ridiculous Waldo couldn’t imagine how anyone could be blind enough to actually believe it. To say nothing of actually having a nation based around it. Waldo could only imagine it as mobs roaming the streets and claiming to be a government.
Oddly enough, Viscaya was actually quite prosperous. It made no sense, but it was so.
Where to go was the first decision Waldo had to make.
It was funny, even though he’d been preparing for this his entire life he had never thought about the specifics. There were advantages and disadvantages to whatever choice he made. The northern kingdoms were rich with many towns and cities. There were wild goblins that he could try to capture. The problem with going north was the fact there were knights and the occasional White Mage infesting the countryside. Despite trading with each other Dark Mages were feared and hated. Anyone with black robes might suddenly be attacked, as his brother Roland had apparently discovered.
Abura and Darcia had the same issues, while being poorer and more dangerous.
By contrast in Lemur, the knights were little more than armed tax collectors. All the southern lands were poor, with monsters running free. Lemur made a lot of coin by selling slaves to Alteroth, and the local authorities would likely look the other way at anything he wanted to do there. In Rutenia and Galisia people only worried about themselves and were not about to try and fight a Dark Mage unless they had to. In any of the lands to the south he would be at liberty to try and capture as many monsters as he could. Capturing an orc or goblin was perilous, but not as dangerous as facing a knight. With luck he could capture and make a contract with three or more of them and that would be one task completed.
In Viscaya there were few monsters roaming the wild, and the people there actually expected Dark Mages to tamely submit to their laws. They really were filled with strange ideas.
He had individual maps for all nine nations. He picked up the one for Galisia. It was commonly accepted that candidates who felt confident in their power or really wanted to impress went north. Those who were less certain or less ambitious usually went south. All of his brothers and sisters had travelled north.
I think my best option, Waldo thought. Is to go south and try and contract some monsters. I need three, but I can always get more than that. If I have ten or twenty goblins and orcs in my service that will be a fine start.
There was no limit to how many monsters you could have under contract. The advantages with using familiars were that they were permanently bound to your will. They could be summoned instantly without a circle. They were bound to obey their master’s every command. They could not lie or inflict harm on their master, even when they hated him.
Making the contract could be done against the monster’s will. All that was required was physical contact between master and servant as the binding spell was cast. The servants kept their free will and often openly hated their masters; but they were bound regardless. This could lead to trouble if a master was careless. Familiars could tell lies of omission and could find subtle ways to cause trouble.
Contracts could not be made between members of the same race, so it was impossible to make a human a familiar. You could also not make a contract with the undead. Contracts could only be made with living beings of other races. Once a monster was contracted to you, you were also responsible for feeding and providing for it just as you were with slaves.
Waldo knew he would have to overpower and capture the first orc or goblin and then force a contract on it. After that he would have a servant to do his fighting for him and things would be much simpler. Waldo was nervous at the prospect of that first run in. Maybe he could set up a trap where it would be caught by some hidden wards. That was likely his best option.
Galisia would be the best place to start his quest, once he had enough monsters under his control he would have to travel to east to seek out a knight. After that… well he no idea where to go after that.
One step at a time, he thought. Just this will be more than hard enough.
Waldo was carefully studying the maps; he would need to have plenty of water with him while he crossed the Barrens. It would not be out of the realm of possibility he would be attacked there. He was going over the different scenarios in his mind when he heard a soft rap at his door.
Waldo knew immediately who it had to be.
His brother was not stupid enough to announce himself. His mother never came to his room. A slave would knock once and announce himself. The undead never knocked; they weren’t very big on courtesy.
“Come in Enver.”
The door to his room opened and slowly swung wide. There in the doorway was a rail thin man barely five feet tall who might have weighed ninety pounds. You could make out the lines of his skull beneath the slightly yellow skin. His fingers were long and bony thin and his wrists looked they would break off if shaken hard. He had short black hair and was dressed in a tailored made suit with a vest and long coat draped around his thin shoulders.
His eyes were blood red and slitted. Two long canine fangs dominated his mouth and made him appear just a bit more menacing. Despite eyes and fangs he did not really look all that dangerous. He actually looked rather frail.
Waldo knew better. Except for his mother, this was the most dangerous person who lived here.
Enver cast his eyes down on the bare stone floor. There were no markings there to see.
“It always amazes me how many protective wards and trap spells you have in your room.” Enver said in that slightly superior mocking tone he always used. Being what he was he could sense the magic, though all the runes and inscriptions were inverted and hidden from view.
“Do you think I’d be able to sleep at night without them? I swear zombies have short term memory loss. Walter keeps trying to sneak in here; I keep finding him held in place.”
Enver gave a slight shrug. “You should have destroyed him long ago.” The condescension was just a little more blatant. “It’s hard to believe you are her son. Why she let such a weak, defective creature as you live past childhood is a mystery to me.”
“Did you come here for something or did you just want to get in a few more insults before I leave?”
Enver’s head shook in mock disappointment. “No need to be hostile, have I ever harmed you?”
“You threatened to kill me all the time when I was growing up.”
“Well I am a vampire. You looked like such a tasty treat when you were little.” His inky lips peeled back in a ghoulish grin. “Truth to tell, I would still like to have some of your blood.”
“If you ever tried that I would kill you.” Waldo said and meant it. He felt sympathy for the slaves and even for Walter. Enver was different. The vampire had torment
ed him constantly until he took on the robes, and he had done it just for his own amusement.
“I have never actually harmed you.” Enver reminded him.
“Only because my mother gave you a direct order to never touch any of her children.”
Enver nodded. “More is the pity. It’s boring only being able to torture the slaves.”
“What do you want? If you’re just here to annoy me then get out. I have a lot of things to do.”
“You will be leaving in the morning, so I will not see you off. I do hate how I am in the day time.”
“I can’t tell you how sad that makes me.”
Enver looked at him with those inhuman eyes. Waldo could see the amusement there. He only took pleasure in the pain of others.
“You know Waldo I want to help you survive your First Quest.” Reaching into a pocket he drew out a folded piece of paper. Knowing better than to step any further into the room he gave a flick of his bony wrist and tossed it across the floor to land near Waldo’s feet.
Waldo looked at the paper suspiciously and made no move to touch it. “What is it?”
“A gift.” Enver said with a bloodless smile.
Waldo did not reach for it.
“You don’t trust me?”
“Why would I?”
Enver spread his hands. “I have no reason to hurt you, and I would gain nothing from your death.”
“Except a good laugh.”
Enver gave a slight shrug and did not deny it. “It would please me more to see you return. You have always been my favorite victim, and I do miss your tears and screams.”
Waldo’s eyes flickered to the wand lying on his bed. He’d never killed anyone, but he thought he could end Enver without any regret. When he was a child the vampire had often cornered him and threatened to rip out his throat and drink him dry. Waldo had been forced to watch favorite slaves be tortured and slowly killed. Enver would never try to quiet them. He enjoyed their cries and pleas for mercy as he tore into their flesh and greedily drank their blood. As they were being killed the slaves would always turn to him for mercy. Those pleas had always bothered Waldo more than the actual killings. Slaves were common and easy to replace.
The way they would look at him though, the way they would beg him for help… it had given him nightmares. He had gone to his mother and asked her to make Enver stop. His mother had been unhappy with him and told him to accept it. A Dark Mage could not be affected by his victims’ cries. Mother forbade Enver from harming or even touching him, but she didn’t care about psychological tortures. In her eyes it would only make him stronger.
Waldo eventually learned not to show any favor on the slaves. He learned not to care when they died in front of him, and Enver finally grew bored with that game. The vampire would then threaten to kill him and would make a point of bending iron bars or crushing stones in his bony little hands.
“I’ll kill you and drink every last drop of your sweet blood,” Enver would growl and approach him menacingly. The vampire wanted to hear screams and see Waldo shaking in terror.
Waldo had learned how to deal with him by the time he was apprenticed. “Who are you trying to scare? You can’t touch me and we both know it.” Waldo would then walk past him, daring Enver to prove him wrong.
The vampire never did and it made him furious.
Waldo knew that if Enver were not bound by his mother’s command the vampire would tear his throat out in an instant. The day his mother died the contract she had made would be broken and Enver would be free. On that day (if they were both still alive of course) one of them would die. Waldo knew and accepted that. If Enver turned out to be the first person he ever killed he would be very happy.
“So you want me to live so you can kill me yourself one day?”
“Exactly,” Enver smiled. “I’ve dreamed of tearing out your throat for so long I would simply hate to be denied that pleasure.”
Waldo knew that was true and, oddly enough, it did give Enver a reason to want to help. Reaching down he slowly and carefully unfolded the paper. He soon saw that it was a map of Lothas with a path marked on it and three distinctive X’s.
“What is this? A treasure map?”
“In a sense, if you follow that it will lead you to three Great Monsters.”
“Great Monsters?” Waldo said disbelieving. There were ten races that were classified as Great Monsters due to their superior power. They were; Dragons, Vampires, Giants, Ogres, Werewolves, Trolls, Succubi, Griffons, Medusas, and Elementals. Capturing a Great Monster and making a contract with one was a challenge even for an experienced Dark Mage. For a novice to capture one, let alone three…
Waldo tossed the paper aside.
“You must think me a complete idiot. Either the map is a fake or you really are trying to get me killed.”
“Not at all,” Enver said. “You cannot return until you have made a contract with at least three monsters correct? These three will be of far greater use to you than some lazy goblins would be.”
“My mother told you about that?”
“Why are you surprised? She always shares everything with me. I am her trusted confidante.”
“You’re her familiar.” Waldo reminded him.
Enver gave a careless shrug. “Six of one, half a dozen of the other. The point is that once I learned of that I drew up this map for your benefit. If you can capture these three creatures they will be a major help to you on your quest. Who knows? You might actually survive, though it is unlikely.”
“Just overpowering some goblins or orcs is going to be hard enough. You expect me to take on giants and vampires?”
Enver’s lips quirked and twisted in a silent laugh. “Oh, I think you might manage with these monsters.”
Waldo knew that tone much too well. It was the one Enver always preferred before performing some particularly cruel jest. “Just what are you up to?”
“I am simply trying to help you survive in the hopes of eventually making a meal of you.” He turned back to the door. “I have given you my help. You may accept it or not as you wish. I will not be seeing you off in the morning, so this will be goodbye. I wish you success and will hope for your return.” He flashed a cruel and mocking smile. “Though I won’t expect it, even if you do follow my advice.”
Enver left closing the door behind him.
The vampire’s visit had completely ruined his mood. He didn’t need a reminder that this quest was nearly impossible. Picking up the maps of the southern lands he went through the motions of trying to select which one he should visit first.
All the while he kept glancing at the paper lying there on the floor.
Waldo did finally pick it up and look at it again. More out of curiosity than anything else. Lothas was the richest of the northern kingdoms, and also the one most infested with knights.
“Maybe he really does want to get me killed.”
Contemptuously he crumpled up the treasure map and tossed it in the trash. He went back to the southern maps and studied them more seriously as he packed for his journey.
XXX
Waldo got no sleep that night.
His backpack was ready except for the waterskins and travel rations. His spellbook was in there, while his wand would be in one of the many pockets sewn into his robes. It would be hidden but always in reach.
He had finally decided to go south to Galisia. He would stay there just long enough to make contracts with ten weak monsters. It would not be much, but it would be the most he could hope for. With that done he would move on to trying to defeat a knight. If he managed that much he would then try to figure out what would come next.
When Waldo really stopped to think about it, the requirements of his First Quest did seem impossible. Rationally, no one would ever expect a young, inexperienced, mage to have any hope of acquiring a dragon’s egg. Capturing any three monsters would be a great accomplishment. Defeating a knight an even greater one. For someone lacking combat magic those feats were already
nearing unbelievable. Dragons were the fiercest and most terrible of all monsters. Their lairs were always well hidden and far from human civilization. Just discovering one would be and immense challenge. Sneaking into one undiscovered? Stealing an egg? Escaping with one alive? When Waldo tried to imagine the odds against it the number he came up with was depressingly large.
Since he just couldn’t sleep he spent a lot of the early morning hours just staring out his window. Like every night the world was complete blackness; from the skies above to the city below no flicker of light marred the perfect dark. The only light was from the ever churning volcanoes and the slow moving rivers of lava of the Forge. They were many miles away but were clear through the pitch black.
The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit) Page 5
