Wizard Gigantic (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 9)

by Rodney Hartman

  Richard noticed two shimmering elf lancers with glowing red eyes running toward Mia and Derander. Both magic users pointed their staffs at the approaching vampires and let loose with blue balls of magic. Lord Derander’s ball passed through one vampire elf and continued on into the night. Mia’s ball of magic fared better. When it touched the vampire elf’s chest, it burst into a small but intense explosion of blue light. The shimmering elf was flung through the air, spraying entrails and blood as it went. When the vampire’s body hit the stone parapet, it bounced off and into the courtyard below.

  With clawed-hands outstretched and fangs glinting in the glow of the light-globes below, the second vampire-elf charged Mia. Commander Astradis came out of nowhere and stepped between the vampire and the high priestess. The monk held no weapons and wore no armor, magic or otherwise.

  With Amir’s large body blocking most of his view of the vampire elf, Richard gambled on the monk’s reflexes. He threw the magic dagger in his hand straight at Astradis’s chest. With a speed Richard knew he couldn’t hope to match, the monk commander caught the dagger, did a flying spin in the air, and drove the point of the glowing blade into the elf vampire’s temple. In a blur of motion too fast for Richard to follow, Astradis pulled out the dagger and struck the vampire in the left side of its chest. He then twisted the blade until the vampire stopped shimmering. When it did, he kicked the body off the edge of the rampart and into the mob below.

  Richard waved at Mia to get her attention. “They attack in the void. Only Holy Metal stops them.”

  “That is not quite correct,” said Nickelo sounding very matter of fact considering the circumstances. “Powerful relics like Mia’s staff or high-level spells that affect multiple dimensions are also effective.”

  “Don’t distract me, Nick.”

  “Compliance, oh greatest of wizard scouts.”

  Raising his sledgehammer, Amir gave a battle cry and headed for the stairs with the obvious intent of attacking the swarm of vampires starting to come up. Richard reached out and slammed the big man against the stone wall forming the parapets. “No! You’d be committing suicide.” Glancing around, he caught sight of the building across the courtyard where the museum containing the ancient dwarf armor and weapons were located. Pointing at the building, Richard said, “There’s Holy Metal weapons in the museum. Make Mia understand that we’ve got to get to them.”

  Shoving Richard off him like he was a rag doll, Amir roared with anger and raised his sledgehammer in preparation for an attack. His wild eyes widened as if suddenly realizing who he was about to attack. He glanced at the building on the opposite side of the courtyard and lowered his weapon. With a nod, he began shouting gibberish at Mia and Derander.

  Glancing around, Richard tried to find a clear path to get from their position on the rampart to the building containing the museum. He saw none. The majority of the running figures in the courtyard below were now red-eyed, shimmering monsters. Most of the inner guards stationed on the rampart had also succumbed to the attacks of the undead. The party of elves was faring better since one out of five had weapons made of Holy Metal. Even so, Richard saw at least half a dozen elf lancers with glowing red eyes and vicious looking fangs attacking their former comrades. Only the line of elves with weapons of Holy Metal kept the vampires at bay.

  “I calculate the vampires will be shifting into the void and passing through the stone wall to attack the elves from below,” said Nickelo. “If Amir cannot make the priestess and the mage understand the need to leave, I highly recommend you make your way to the museum on your own. I calculate you can use that battle suit and weapons. Once you put the battle suit on and override the safeties, I can help you fight. The phase rod is made from creallium. With the battle suit and the phase rod, you might stand a chance.”

  Richard took another look at the chaos in the courtyard. “Just how do you propose I get there on my own? Fly?”

  Before Nickelo could answer, four of the elves without Holy Metal weapons rose into the air and began floating toward the museum building. Richard sensed magic surrounding the four elves. He sensed the frequency of Master Freestrod in the magic.

  “The mage is levitating the elves,” said Nickelo.

  Four more elves rose into the air. Richard sensed Derander’s frequency in the spell surrounding the elves.

  Tracer raised her sword and waved at Richard. “Over here!” she shouted using intergalactic standard.

  Richard noticed a group of vampires nearing the head of the stairs. Without a weapon made from creallium, he chose a hasty retreat over blind valor. He made a beeline for Tracer and the rest of his team located halfway down the rampart. Amir beat him there. The big man raised his hammer and took up a position to the left side of Mia while Tracer positioned herself on the right. All three turned to face the stairs.

  Glancing at Tracer’s long sword, Richard noticed a blue gem glowing in the pommel. Commander Astradis and the monk Meshanahl came running up and went one to each side of Mia, forming a defensive line of five determined souls between the stairs and the remaining elves. Astradis raised the dagger of Holy Metal Richard had thrown to him, seeming to offer it back to him. Richard shook his head. He noticed that Meshanahl also held a Holy Metal dagger.

  Richard moved between Amir and Tracer.

  Tracer elbowed him behind her. “No! The high priestess ordered only those with Holy Metal are to engage these monsters. Join the rest of our team by Master Freestrod and Lord Derander.”

  The first of the vampires reached the top of the stairs and charged forward, cutting off any protest from Richard. Mia shouted words he heard and quickly forgot. The night lit up with a flash of blue as a line of magic shot out from her staff. The magic burst into a barrier wall at the top of the stairs. The lead vampires bounced off the blue shield and screamed with rage as they gnashed their fangs.

  “Tracer’s right,” said Nickelo. “You can do nothing without a weapon. Join the other elves. I calculate there will be plenty of fighting to go around. The city is lost, that’s a given. All you can do now is help the elves escape and hope for the best.”

  “Hope? You’re a computer. I thought you existed on logic. Humans are the ones who hope.”

  “Actually, more races than humans hope, but I will not argue the point. As for battle computers, I calculate logic is the best method for making decisions, but when logic gives no suitable answer, all that’s left is hope. Under those circumstances, I choose hope any day.”

  Unsure if he was making the right decision, Richard allowed Tracer to shove him in the direction of Skylark, Minsk, and Grapeon. His three teammates were lining up in front of Master Freestrod. When he joined the members of his team, the old mage waved his hand to form an intricate design in the air and chanted words Richard heard but quickly forgot. He sensed the magic in the mage’s hand reach out and wrap around his team. That is, it wrapped around everyone but him. When the spell drew close to his body, a line of Power reached out from within him and tried knocking the magic aside. It only partially succeeded. A flickering blue glow encased Richard, and he felt himself grow noticeably lighter. He rose a meter into the air, then the blue flickered out. He fell back onto the stone. The blue glow reformed. He started to rise again before falling back to the stone again.

  Richard waved both hands at Freestrod. “It’s not going to work on me. Your spell’s liable to cut out while I’m over the courtyard and drop me right in the middle of those vampires.”

  Freestrod increased the volume of his chanting as he drew more Power from his reserve. The blue glow around Richard steadied. He rose into the air two meters before the glow began flickering. Just as he was starting to fall, Grapeon and Minsk grabbed hold of his arms and pulled him up.

  “We will carry you,” said Minsk. “Do not struggle.”

  By this time, the blue glow was flickering at a rapid pace. He felt his weight increase, but his teammates held on tight, pulling him along with them as the levitation spell drew them e
ver higher. Once they were ten paces above the rampart, the spell began moving them horizontally in the direction of the museum building.

  Richard made the mistake of looking down at the crowd of vampires. The glowing red eyes of the undead followed him as they snapped their fangs and howled with rage. Taking his eyes off the vampires, he looked back at the rampart. The last group of four elves was already being levitated by Derander. Only Mia, Tracer, Amir, the pair of monks, and the two mages remained on the battlements. Mia’s barrier of blue magic was still in place, but Richard noticed a dozen vampires shimmer before disappearing into the stone wall. He sensed the undead moving through the stone and to the rear of Mia and the others.

  “They’re going to come out behind you,” Richard shouted, hoping his comrades could hear.

  Either Mia heard him or detected the movement of the undead on her own. In either case, she waved her left hand and shouted a word Richard was unable to make out. A blue glow surrounded her and the others, lifting them into the air just as the heads of several vampires came out of the stone behind her. The vampires reached out, snapping their jaws and clawing at the elves and Amir, but they were too late. The high priestess’s levitation spell carried the elves and Amir ever higher. Even as they were raised, Freestrod and Derander continued chanting as they concentrated on levitating the other groups of elves to the museum building.

  “I calculate it is a good thing the mages aren’t easily distracted,” said Nickelo. “Otherwise, you would probably be joining your playmates below.”

  Although dark, enough of the courtyard was visible amid fallen light-globes to reveal scores of undead following along beneath the levitating elves. Since he was being carried by two of those elves, Richard said a silent prayer the mages would be able to maintain their concentration. They did. Within seconds, everyone was over the roof of the museum building. He felt Grapeon and Minsk release their grip.

  As soon as his feet touched the roof tiles, Richard glanced around for a door. He spotted one a quarter-way down the building and ran in that direction. “We’ve got to get the dwarves’ weapons,” he yelled unsure if anyone bothered to listen.

  Without waiting to see if any followed him, Richard jerked the door open and stepped inside. A light-globe in the ceiling lit up a set of stone stairs leading down. What waited inside the building, he didn’t know.

  “Well,” said Nickelo, “you know what’s outside the building.”

  Making his choice, Richard started down.

  Chapter 39 – Traps

  ____________________

  Taking the steps three at a time, Richard half-ran and half-fell down the stairs. The sound of pounding feet came from behind. Turning a corner, he found himself at a three way intersection. None of the hallways looked familiar.

  “Which way, Nick? I’m lost.”

  “Nothing new there,” said Nickelo in a tone indicating his disapproval. “When will you learn to pay attention? Yasland took us past here. It is fortunate for you that I took the time to map our route during your tour. I have correlated our position with that of—”

  “Nick! Just tell me which way do I freakin’ go?”

  “Fine. You don’t have to shout. Go straight ahead and then take lefts at the next two intersections. That will lead you into the room with the dwarves’ weapons and armor. I am connecting with the battle suit’s network now and starting a function check. I assume you approve.”

  Running as fast as he could, Richard made his way toward the dwarves’ treasure room. He sensed most of the elves trailing along behind him. His passive scan told him that Mia and the two mages were still on the roof casting spells at the vampires below in an apparent attempt to keep them out of the building. He knew they were already too late. Life forms, or rather undead forms, were already penetrating the walls and making their way inside.

  “We haven’t got much time,” Richard yelled over his shoulder. “We’ve got to get the Holy Metal weapons and make our stand.”

  Richard heard Skylark translating his words to any of the elves that hadn’t bothered trying to learn his language. Whether they understood or not, the elves followed. That was all Richard cared about at the moment. Leading the way, he came out in the treasure room. Blue gems embedded in weapons and armor glinted in the light from two massive light-globes in the ceiling. The reflected light of the gems seemed to taunt the elves from inside their protective glass cases. Richard made his way toward the glass containing the battle suit and phase rod.

  Boom!

  Spinning around, Richard was just in time to see Grapeon flying through the air. The big elf was flung into Skylark and Minsk, taking all three to the marble floor.

  Sergeant Thornbriar pulled another of the lancers back before the elf could touch a display case. “The cases are trapped. We have to wait for the high priestess and the mages.”

  Richard’s passive scan told him the high priestess and the others were still on the roof. It was obvious there was not going to be time to wait. A score of vampires were inside the building two floors below and making their way up toward the treasure room.

  “Suggestions?” Richard asked in his shared space as he turned and looked at the battle suit and phase weapon inside the display case.

  “You might try bypassing the magic traps on the cases.”

  “How do I do that? All I’ve got is a little residual Power from the overflow of my self-heal reserve. If the information you’re sending to our shared space is correct, the spells protecting the gear is high-level.”

  “Very high-level,” agreed Nickelo. “And, of course, the information I am sending you is correct. What do you take me for, an amateur? I have combined the results of your passive scan and the ring’s sensors. I have overlaid the merged data onto the map I created of this building during Yasland’s tour. I calculate you have twenty-seven seconds before the first vampires make it here. The high priestess and the mages are on their way down now. They will not arrive for another thirty-eight seconds. I calculate half the elves could be vampires by then. Maybe you too, for that matter.”

  Throwing caution to the wind, Richard drew what little residual Power he could from the overflow of his self-healing reserve and reached out toward the glass case containing the battle suit. A friendly, feminine voice from some distant memory sounded in his head, telling him to be efficient. He had the feeling that the owner of the voice had told him to be efficient on a lot of occasions. Taking the memory of the voice’s words to heart, he tightened his probe to the merest hint of Power and touched the spell surrounding the glass case. He sensed the flow of magic. It twisted and turned. The flow of magic seemed all too familiar.

  “I’ve seen this spell before,” Richard told his battle computer. “How can that be? I’m not a magic user.”

  “I know I am just a battle computer,” said Nickelo, “but since the vampires will start arriving in twenty-two seconds, maybe now is not the best time to try to figure this particular mystery out. Just a suggestion.”

  Forgetting why he recognized the magic, Richard eased his line of Power into the protective spell around the glass case. The spell’s energy increased as if preparing to lash out against an intruder. Before it took action, the magic calmed as if recognizing who was probing. Taking advantage of the situation, Richard looped two lines of magic back on themselves. Cracks appeared in the display case before it shattered completely. Shards of glass fell tinkering to the marble floor.

  Resisting an urge to reach for the battle suit, Richard kept his probe where it was. The protective spell was still there, and he was still inside its magic. He sensed faint lines of magic from the spell connecting all of the display cases. Using the spell as a conduit, he extended his probe to the spell surrounding a second glass case and then another. The magic in each spell seemed to energize his probe to the next. Much in the way he’d connected Mia and the two mages to each other on the Mengaza during the tidal wave, Richard connected the spells around each of the display cases in a circle. On
ce the circle was complete, he looped lines of magic back on themselves. The sound of shattering glass from display cases reverberated through the room.

  “Sergeant Thornbriar,” Richard shouted. “Grab what weapons you can. Send half of your elves to guard the door. Spread the other half around the room. Some of the vampires will be coming up through the floor.”

  Although Sergeant Thornbriar was nowhere near as good at understanding Richard’s language as were the members of his own team, he apparently understood enough. After shouting several words of gibberish, the sergeant grabbed a battle axe and shield, both embedded with blue gems, and then led the way to the door they’d come in.

  The remaining elves began grabbing weapons and shields of Holy Metal. While they armed themselves, Richard grabbed the battle helmet and shoved it on his head. The helmet changed shape, extending down until it covered his ears. A red visor slid down to a point just past the tip of his nose. The dimly lit room became bright as day, albeit with a reddish tint.

  “No time to don the suit,” said Nickelo. “Activate the phase rod. A vampire is going to be coming through the floor below you in four seconds.”

  Taking his battle computer’s advice, Richard ignored the battle suit and grabbed the phase rod. The hand-length piece of dark metal tried to resist him, but he bent it to his will as he thought the command to activate the rod. A meter-long length of metal shot out the end of the handle. As if he’d done it thousands of times in the past, Richard’s thumb moved a switch on the handle to destructive mode. Miniature arcs of red phase energy began running up and down the length of the rod.

  “See,” said Nickelo. “I told you that your DNA was a close enough match to operate the equipment. By the way, a vampire’s head will be coming out of the floor near your left foot in three, two, one.”

  Taking a step back, Richard swung at the floor with the phase rod just as a bloody head emerged from the floor. The phase rod ricocheted off the vampire’s temple. Richard sensed microscopic explosions of phase energy scrambling the monster’s brain. The brain immediately started reforming. Pulling the phase rod back, he shoved the tip into the vampire’s left eye and wiggled the end back and forth. He kept doing so until he sensed the brain no longer trying to reform.